Meal Planning 101

If you are here looking for the perfect method for meal-planning,  you may want to search again.  I'm not an expert meal-planner, but I thought I would share some tips & tricks that have worked for me.  I've tried meal-planning off and on for the past few years.  Despite the "planning",  it seems like we always end up in a rut of eating the same meals.   Since school started in late August,  I've tried a different approach.

1.  Sit down a make a list of recipes your family likes or of recipes you would like to try.   My list generated 32 recipes as well as a few "new" recipes.  Granted there are some variations on the list (tacos, enchiladas & spaghetti, lasagna, stuffed shells) - but there aren't any duplicates.

2.  Dedicate time on your calendar to make your weekly menu.  Thursday tends to be a good time - you can look at the grocery store sale flyers and generate your menu around meat or other items that may be on-sale.

3.  Make a grocery list and check it twice.  I live in the Southeast & two local grocery stores (Lowes Food & Harris Teeter) offer shopping online.  You submit your order online, they shop the order, and you arrive at your pre-selected time to pick it up and go.  They always call after they've shopped your order to see if you need to add any items.  The cost is $4.95 per order.   Some people think this is absolutely ridiculous.  However, I've found that I stick to my list and actually spend less because there are no impulse buys. (and you can still use coupons!)

4.  Keep a frozen pizza or other quick go-to meals in the cabinet just in case.  There will be nights where the mountain of homework is unending or you simply don't feel good & it's quicker and easier to do a frozen meal.  It's still cheaper than hitting a drive-thru.

5.  Prep meals.  I enjoy Sunday football but not all afternoon long.  While super-husband enjoys the game,  I spend a couple of hours meal-prepping.  On average, I usually have 3 of 5 meals prepped for the week.   When I get home, it's nice to preheat the oven and bake!

6.  Why do I only plan meals for Mon - Fri?  We have one "eat-out" meal per week and it tends to be Saturday or Sunday.  Some weeks we have leftovers and don't always go through the 5 planned meals so I prepare one of those on Saturday or Sunday if needed.

7.  How much do I spend?  My goal is to keep our grocery budget under $100 per week; however, on average I would say I have been spending $125 per week.  Understanding couponing is next on my list -- I've never done well at it or perfected the methods.

 It's required a little more effort on my end - but the trade-off is well worth it.  I feel more prepared at the beginning of the week (no thinking what's for dinner),  we're saving money & we are eating out less.  Do you have any meal planning tips?

Design on a Dime - Master Bath Update

After last year's kitchen DIY,  I said it would be a long time before I tackled another project and after almost exactly a year -- I decided to dive in again!    Our master bath has been bugging me for awhile.  Most people wouldn't even considered it a master bath - it's probably the size of most homes half-baths.

We aren't certain, but we think the previous owners removed the shower/tub combo and replaced it with a shower stall.  I know brass was the "in" thing in the mid 80's but I wasn't digging it too much.  Aside from that, no matter how hard I tried - the caulk at the bottom was nearly impossible to keep clean as was the shower basin.  The whole project got started because super-son was heading to overnight camp for the first time and this momma needed something to keep her busy.

First step, remove all the caulk, clean with non-ammonia cleaner, followed by bleach... allow to dry really well and then recaulk.  Sounds relatively easy, but I'm not going to lie - most of the caulk came up relatively easy - but any residue on the wall was very hard to remove (sharp edge, goo-gone, you name it - I probably tried it).  We had lived with it looking less than stellar anyway - so I did the best I could and moved on.  Next, I patched the wall to the left of the shower stall - at some point there had been a small leak and fortunately, it wasn't ongoing and didn't cause significant damage.

Next up paint -- walls, ceiling, and trim.  It's been really hard to get good pictures of the room.  The before color was fairly neutral - beige with yellowish undertones - it went well with the brass if that's your thing.  :)   I wanted to go with Sherwin Williams Ice Cube - it was a very light grey - white with a hint of gray.  After painting a small area,  I realized I loved the color - but needed a little more grey.  Back to Sherwin Williams (always excellent customer service by the way) and they added to make it more like Olympus Gray.

Much better and it complements the gray tile floor.   I really didn't want the storage cabinets to come back in the bathroom, but this was "design on a dime" so there they are.   :)   The smaller one contains extra toiletries and the one over the toilet holds items we use on a daily basis.  Much improved overall - but the stall was still an eyesore to me.  I decided to get a tension rod and hang wall-to-wall to create the illusion that a regular tub/shower combo was behind there.  

Plan A:  We looked at Kohls,  Bed, Bath, and Beyond, Target and Walmart online and finally agreed on a shower curtain we both liked.   Only to realize, standard shower curtains are 72 inches in length - the shower stall was 74 inches itself -- back to square one.  Plan B:  I found out Bed, Bath, and Beyond online carries special size shower curtains and we agreed on one -- only to find out it was backordered and out of stock.  There wasn't alot to choose from - so plan C.   Find a high thread count sheet -- accent with grosgrain ribbon and have our embroidered with our monogram.   I stopped in at Home Goods to see what I could find - measurements in hand.  And stumbled across the perfect pattern for us - only it wasn't a shower curtain.  Plan D:  A lightweight twin XL duvet color was the perfect length and I loved the pattern! 

The  colors look amazing with the walls and floors -- since it is merely hiding our shower stall the fabric didn't matter!   I choose the round hooks with clips - so we didn't have to make any adjustments to the curtain in order to get it on the rod.  

The towel holder, toilet paper holder, hinges, and light fixture were all brass... but nothing that a little Krylon couldn't fix!   Worked perfectly on the hinges & light fixture.  We had a towel holder and toilet paper holder under the sink that previous owners had left (uhh 11 years ago). 

And a couple more pictures of the finished room - wish I could get a better picture!  We hung the tension rod at the ceiling and the room appears taller.

The only paint I had to purchase was 1 gallon from Sherwin Williams (yeah for 30% off) and the rest was leftover from last year's kitchen project.

In addition, I repaired a pesky drip from the shower head - thanks to Google, YouTube, and my pal, Sally.  :)

DIY Kitchen -- Curtains

Well, I am happy to report the sun is shining here again!   It was a very dreary week raining Monday - Thursday last week and then overnight on Thursday we got a light snowfall.   It is so nice to see the sun beaming through the windows!

Speaking of windows,  we are still trying to finish up the details of our kitchen.  Did I mention we started this project in July 2012?  :)   I hate to say Pinterest again, but so much of this project was inspired by pins.   Previously, we had no window treatments - just wood blinds.  I wanted to add something above the kitchen sink after finding this lovely fabric for a steal.

It's a Waverly print and I was fortunate to find it for $8.00 yard.  The background color is really close to our wall color - Sherwin Williams Tidewater.   Back to the window above the kitchen sink,  this window does not have wood blinds, but it looks directly onto our neighbor's carport.  Fortunately, we have great neighbors, but I wanted a little more privacy.  After pinning many options,  I decided to go with this one.  While it was posted as a no-sew project, my mom did end up sewing a pocket across the top for the rod.  (yes, people I can't sew - but it's on my "to learn" list).   Anyway,  I love, love, love how it turned out.

For the ribbon,  I simply looped it around and tied the bow!  Easy peasy!   The project was definitely under $16.00 because I had fabric leftover. Which made my wheels turn -- I was trying to think of ways to incorporate more of the fabric into the kitchen... and then - I thought more curtains :)   We have an eat-in kitchen, so the two large windows in the dining area have been left uncovered (with blinds of course but that's it) - I thought adding a window treatment would help set this area apart as a different "room" if you will.  I had looked for curtains to complement the fabric but they were outrageous - at least I thought so, remember this DIY was supposed to be on a dime  :)   Then, I found this idea on Pinterest.  Instead of painting stripes on the painter's cloth,  we took a strip of the floral fabric and then a strip of the ribbon to create the stripes.  I opted to put mine at the top (instead of the bottom as shown in the pin).  And, viola...

This was taken last night, so I apologize for the poor lighting - but I am in love!   Big thanks to my friend Sally for helping with this.  She did use the iron-on stitch witchery for the ribbon, but it didn't want to hold the fabric as well as it did the ribbon so she stitched it on for me. 

I forgot to mention - the rod.  I needed a rod that would extend to at least 94 inches - have your priced those lately?  Again - too expensive!  So, I headed back to Pinterest - surely I could find an idea.  I was not disappointed with this pin.  I headed to Home Depot with her list in hand and found everything I needed - the "rod" was electrical conduit.  I purchased a 10 foot piece for $2.00 (did you hear me TWO DOLLARS) and super-husband cut it down to size.  

I'm embarrassed to say the most expensive part of this project were the rings to hold the curtain.  I could not come up with a cheaper alternative or maybe I didn't search hard enough.  :)   I bought 4 packs of 10 and placed them every 4 inches on the curtains.  The drop-cloths are probably a little heavier than curtains and I wanted to make sure they were going to stay up.  I ended up using 3.5 packs and they were around $8.00 a pack I think. 

Overall, all the whole project was very reasonably priced! I'm still debating on whether or not I want to add a rug underneath the dining table.  It would add a little more color and again, help set this area apart from the rest of the kitchen.  Stay tuned!

A Dollar Saved is a A Dollar Earned

Money, money, money, mo-n-ey!

I saw this idea on Facebook and it didn't link to a website, so I don't know who to give credit.  I like this idea.  One person commented they would do it backwards - starting at $52.00 and decreasing by a $1.00 each week, so they were putting less in toward the end of the year.  Either way, it's worth trying - don't you think?

Fashion on a Budget

I suppose I should start this post by stating I am not in anyway a fashionista, stylist, or fashion expert.  However, I do love to shop and pulling outfits together.  GW Boutique (aka Goodwill),  yard sales, and local consignment shops are some of my favorite places to shop. 

Sadly, it hasn't always been that way - I thought I had to pay full price for too long and in hindsight probably wasted alot of money.  I'm certainly not saying these are the only places I shop and that I never pay regular price, but if I can avoid it I do.  On the other hand - if I have a brand & style that fits me well,  I'll usually buy it.

Today, I thought I would share an outfit I pulled together over the holidays.

Talbots Sweater in fun, funky colors (yard sale find) - 50 cents  / paired with a white camisole I already had.
Chicos Platinum jeans (consignment shop find) - $5.00  - I love these.  They were still new with tags and on the 75% off rack.  I think they are sized wrong b/c it is smaller than  I usually wear.


Not bad for $5.50 huh?

(sorry for the bad picture - I'm not great at self portraits...lol)

New Year's Eve

For the past two years,  our New Year's Eve has been running a 5K at midnight through the Festival of Lights at Tanglewood.   I know that isn't everyone's ideal New Year's Eve, but for us it was great family time and seemed to be a perfect way to ring in the New Year.   Tonight, super-husband is working until 930p - so we opted not to do the 5K this year.  Instead, we'll be celebrating the New Year at home with a couple of friends  (assuming us old folks make it until midnight)   :)

I had to pick up groceries earlier and while I was out and about I stopped by the Goodwill Outlet.  Honestly, I didn't even know they had an outlet until this summer and this was my first time venturing in.  It's a Goodwill store with huge bins filled with miscellaneous merchandise.  (Note: make sure you have hand santizer or a pair of disposable gloves).  I didn't really see much that caught my eye - it truly is digging for a treasure.  BUT, I noticed toward the back of the store a lady unfolding what appeared to be a quilt.  She kept looking at it and I kept rummaging in the bins around her and eyeing the quilt myself.  It appeared to be in good shape and I could tell it was hand-stitched.  The minute she put it down - I walked right over!  I was pleasantly surprised -- it was super heavy; no hole, rips or tears; and while it did have a few spots on it - I didn't notice any weird smells.  LOL! 

At the Goodwill outlet, you pay by weight ($1.19/lb).  Since the quilt seemed quite heavy I was worried it would cost  more than I wanted to pay.  I kept texting a friend and she said BUY IT!    I was pleasantly surprised when it rang up for $1.19 plus tax.   Hopefully, I will find more frugal finds in 2013!