Freezer Meals Day 1: Dump Bags

   To prepare for baby and the early weeks of up all night, can't seem to get out of my pajamas all day, baby laundry explosion, constant cycle of eat, poop, sleep, repeat, we thought it would be a good idea to make a month's worth of food for the freezer to make dinner easier on us and our budget. When you don't have time to cook and have nothing prepared, it's easy to just order in our go out for dinner. This new habit could become very expensive and damaging to our budget. So, Operation Freezer Meals was put into action this weekend.

   I spent Friday afternoon at Sam's Club and Publix managing multiple grocery lists for this operation. I bought:

• Meats: 2 beef roasts; 2 whole chickens, 4 large packages of boneless chicken breasts (7-8 in each pack); 2 cooked rotiserie chickens, a 2.5-foot long pork roast (which I cut into 3 separate pieces); 5# of burger meat
• Produce: Large bag carrots; 1 stalk celery; 5# gold Yukon potatoes; 5 packs of mushrooms; a 3# bag of Vidalia onions; 5 heads of garlic; 2 heads of broc; 2 bell peppers; 3 cooking apples
• Dairy: 4# bag shredded mozarella cheese, 4# bag shredded cheddar cheese, quart of heavy whipping (cooking) cream, 64 oz. Ricotta cheese; 32 oz. grated parm cheese; 16 oz. cream cheese; gallon of milk (I already had butter and eggs at home)
• Dry pantry supplies: 4 packs yellow rice, 2 packs wild rice; 8 bottles Lawry's marinade in a variety of flavors (they were b1g1); 2 boxes lasagna noodles, a 3 large bottles red spaghetti sauce, 2 cans each of cream of potato, crm. broc, crm. celery, and 4 cans crm. of chicken; 3 cartons chicken stock and 2 beef stock; a bottle of burgundy; white cooking wine

I split my preparation up into 2 days. Day 1, I did all the prep work for my produce - washing, cutting, chopping, measuring. Then, I made all the "dump bags". A dump bag is the meat, produce and marinade or seasonings dumped in a gallon freezer bag. You can later thaw and dump into the crock pot or baking dish with no mess, no fuss. I made 12 meals and 6 side dishes in dump bags.

• Whole chicken in garlic & herb marinade. Side dish bag included whole mushrooms, carrots and diced potatoes with seasonings. (2 of these)
• Burgundy mushroom and beef roast - a 3# beef roast, 750ml of burgundy wine, 12-15 whole mushrooms, 1 onion quartered. I also cut holes in the meat and pushed in whole cloves or garlic.
• Mojo beef roast - a 3# beef roast with 3 cups mojo marinade, 1 cup beef stock, 1 onion quartered. I also cut holes in the meat and pushed in whole cloves or garlic.
• Santa Fe Chili Lime Chicken - Lawrys marinade, diced 4 boneless chicken breasts, broccoli florets, bell pepper, onion, mushrooms.
• Hawaiian Chicken - Lawrys marinade, 4 boneless chicken breasts, 1 cup orange juice, 1 apple cored and sliced, 1 can pineapple chunks w/ juice.
• Caribbean Jerk pork roast - Lawrys marinade, 2.5# pork loin roast, 1 can pineapple w/ juice.
• Mojo pork roast - 2.5# pork loin roast, 2 cups mojo, 4 cloves garlic and 1/2 onion quartered.
• Baja Chipotle pork roast - Lawrys marinade, 2.5# pork loin roast, bell peppers, 4 cloves garlic.
• Szechuan Sweet and Sour Chicken - Lawrys marinade, 4 boneless chicken breasts (put these in quart freezer bags and made 2 sets) Can be served over rice or cut up for stir fry.
• Honey Garlic Apple Chicken - 4 boneless chicken breasts, 2 whole apples cored and sliced, 3 cloves garlic minced, 1/2 cup honey, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup apple butter, 16 oz chicken stock.
• Cheesy Al Grautin potatoes - made this in a giant batch and divided into 4 quart bags. 12 gold potatoes diced (or sliced), 5 cups milk, 2 cups flour, 3 cups shredded cheddar, 1 cup grated parm cheese and 1 tbs each salt and pepper

Thrift Store Find: Vintage Brass Lamps

   While working on getting the nursery ready, the massive amount of crap in our garage is also on my agenda to tackle. It either needs to be put to use, go in the attic, or go to the dump. Among the items that could be put to use were a pair of vintage stiffel style brass lamps I found at a thrift store over a year ago. There's a small, church-operated thrift about 1/2 mile from my house and the stuff is never marked up. One time, I found a Christian Dior cashmere sweater in there for a $1. One. Dollar. When I found those brass lamps, they were $5 for the set. That's $2.50 per lamp! I didn't know what a steal that was at the time. I just wanted some nice lamps for our room that added character.

   

Total cost for these items: $33

      I have been meaning to find shades for them and put them on our bedroom nightstands. Finally last week, I got around to finding lamp shades - something simple but elegant - from TJ Maxx for $5.99 each. Done. Another bargain, I thought. Then, I sent Ian to Lowe's to pick up the hardware that attaches the shades to the lamp base. He did a great job picking out something simple and they were only $8 each.

  

Finished Project! 

    They looked so swanky, I decided to do a little search on eBay to price compare. Similar sets of stiffel style vintage solid brass lamps were going for $150+!! 

Nursery On A Dime: Vintage Window Frame

   When I found out I was pregnant and knew we would have to plan a nursery, I wanted something very unique but not expensive. That pretty much sums up the style of our home - lots of unique and eclectic things that go together but are not matchy matchy or expensive. We decided on a rustic/country/woodland concept, but not overly themed with wallpaper borders and characters or figurines everywhere. Just simple, like us.

   Aside from the main furniture set - crib and dresser - I wanted everything else to be handmade, crafty, thrifty or family heirloom. First on my list was a vintage window picture frame. I saw an idea at a craft fair where someone had put pictures in each window pane. They wanted $150 for this piece of art. I found an old window in a second-hand shop in Georgia while visiting my parents last spring (before I was pregnant). I paid $10 for it. It looked rough but I knew I could do something cool with it eventually.

   I started with deciding what kind of pictures I would want in the window if it were to go in the nursery. Woodland animals. Baby woodland animals. Perfect. First I looked for prints on the web that I could buy. Way too expensive. So I surfed Google for high resolution images I could save and print myself. 6 prints @ $3.99/pic = $25 (with tax).

  

 I dug the window out of my craft room closet, cleaned the cobwebbs off and washed the decades of dirt and dust from the chipped painted frame. Once it was clean and dry, I fastened some picture fram hangers to the back of it to support the weight. **Place the window on a towel or something cushiony to absorb the hammering or the glass could break. Hammer gently!**

   I cut the printed pictures to size for each window pane and taped them on. Then we picked a spot in the nursery for the window frame to hang. Using a level, I made two marks on the wall and tapped in the small pin nails to hold the hangers. Voila!

   The total cost of this project was about $35, compared to $150 for a similar one at the craft fair. DIY pays off!

Like Father, Like Daughter

   It is no secret I come by my thrifty ways from my dad. He was always a saver on a catastrophic level, "storing nuts for the winter" on a natural disaster-government militia takeover-living underground for years-great depression survivor-level. When I talk about the small budget of a married couple, my mom still boasts, "Your father and I lived in a 300 sq. foot apartment with battleship gray cabinets and counters. We ate Encore and Banquet dinners from the freezer and we turned the coffee table sideways to use as a baby/dog gate." If extreme couponing and extreme cheapskates was on TV 35 years ago, my dad would have been an entire episode. Legit. I say all of this out of love and resounding gratefullness because now I have inherited these thrifty character traits that make our household budget healthy. Thanks, Dad!

   My parents have their own baby savings plan - for their grandbaby....my parents are not expecting their own baby, just to clarify. My dad saw my post about rolling coins for baby's savings account and took the liberty to "dumpster dive" his neighbors trash and pick out a wine/cider jug. He took the jug home and washed it and started a coin collection for the little man. I was very touched and not surprised at all by the trash picking element of this sentiment.

   Today, while on the phone with my mom, she tells me "Your father is all stocked up on ice packs for the baby." ::confused eyebrow raise:: I answered her, "I'm sorry, what? Ice packs? Do you foresee him getting hurt a lot?" Mom: "Well so many people in our neighborhood get their medication delivered to them and the medicine comes with ice packs. So he's been collecting them." Okay, THIS is surprising. According to my mother, because they live in a retirement community with a population that receives medication at their door on a regular basis, my dad is "dumpster diving" the entire neighborhood....for medical grade ice packs. At this point in the phone conversation, I am half hysterical with laughter and half with concern. "You're going to put trash-picked ice packs on my baby's face?! Because he's going to be hurt so often while in your care?!" Perhaps I should rethink grandparent daycare? (Just kidding ;o) )

   Honestly I was a little surprised at this savings effort. My dad assured me he washed and sanitized them all and they in the freezer "ready to go." LOL. When you think about it, they could come in handy - keeping my breastmilk cold, injuries, taking him to the pool or golf course and keeping his snacks and drinks cold, grandparents icing their sore joints after chasing him around all day...makes sense.

I May Never Shop Victoria Secret Again

   This post is just for the ladies. My experience is pregnancy-specific, but it can be a useful tip to any woman who likes undergarments. I have always been a Victoria Secret girl. I have the Angels Reward Platinum card. 'Nuff said. Although I use my share of coupons and "Semi-annual sale" deals, I have seen a new light.

   While my bump is ever-expanding, I need some ::cough:: larger, belly friendly waistline undies. I absolutely refuse to go the beige, granny panty route from a superstore. But I don't think dumping a lot of money in lingerie in a size I only need temporarily is a good move either. I did visit Victoria once, a few weeks ago when I first realized I was miserable in my current undies. I only bought a few pairs. When all of those made their way to the laundry, I broke down again.

   As much as I hate the store Ross - for the way it smells and the quality of people that frequent it and the massive dissaray the clothing is always in - I remembered seeing a decent size lingerie section in there and thought to check it out. At first, I didn't believe it....name brand undies like Jessica Simpson, XOXO, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger for $1-3 per pair! I spent at least 30 minutes disecting the clothing racks in this department. I was on a mission for super-stretch comfy waistbands with enough butt coverage to keep me from fidgeting with ass-creepage on my expanding rump. Success. I found 16 pairs, half sporty/comfy and half of them silky/sexy...for Ian's sake, lol.

   As a price comparison, if I had gone to Victoria Secret and taken advantage of their famous "5 for $25" deal, 15 pairs would have cost me $75. But at this new honey hole, I got 16 pairs for $46.39!! And they are name brand, attractive and comfortable.

Saving for Baby

   Of course we want our son - who has not arrived on the earth yet - to be as financially responsible as his parents. So we are starting him off right with his own little savings account. We will also start him a college fund through Florida Prepaid. He WILL go to college. And should he receive a scholarship of some sort, it's just another savings account for us that we can cash in later.

   To get him started, we took our laundry room mason jar that serves as the catch-all family piggy bank and sorted the coins. I rolled for hours while we watched a few movies from RedBox. At the end of the day, we had $65 dollars to take to the bank. Not bad for his first savings deposit! I cashed it in and will set it aside to put in an actual, tangible piggy bank for him in his room that he can add to once he's old enough to earn allowance and receive birthday money.

iPhone Hot Spot = No Home Internet

   Last year, we cancelled our home internet to save money. We just didn't use it enough (at all) since we both have internet at work, and an iPhone. Later in the year, we started a side business and found that we needed home internet for email, placing orders, receiving and printing invoices, website stuff, etc. I called the only internet provider in our area, CenturyLink. I loathe this company and their customer service is the worst in the world, 2nd only to Wal-Mart and Rooms-to-Go, so I dreaded starting service with them again. They advised me it would be a minimum $45 bill to have monthly home internet.
   **Side note: We will be moving the office from one room to another because of nursery planning, so I knew they would have to send someone out to move our wires and cables in the wall/attic. The last time this happened, they told us "they would have to charge an additional fee for labor since we have a split attic". WTF? So Ian had to crawl up there and do it himself! We would have to do this all over again if we signed up for service again. Frustrated.

   Then I thought about wireless internet and the hot spot capabilities some smart phones have. I called AT&T and asked about this process. Long story short, for $20 they added a hot spot capability to my iPhone and we can get internet using WiFi on the laptop! My new plan has 5Gs of data usage (foreign language to me) and I'm only using 1.3 of that on my iPhone itself. So there is plenty left over to use the computer at home for the few hours a week we need it to conduct business or personal matters on the Web. The savings here is $25 per month, at minimum! Bonus: With WiFi on my phone, we can use Ian's phone to Facetime our friends in other states and countries :)