Frugal Father's Day

I am so excited. In two and a half months I am going on a trip of a lifetime. I am so lucky to be saying that I will be partaking on an adventure to, what I consider to be the mother country, Ireland! I am also going to spend five days in London as well. I am even luckier because I will get to share this experience with my loving parents, sister, and husband. I am beyond excited! Now, with my departure date looming closer and closer, my purse strings appear to be getting tighter and tighter. I just know that when I’m doing my thing (aka shopping!) in the UK, I’ll totally regret it if I don’t save up enough money to really go for the gusto…I mean, come on, it’s Europe! Did I mention that I’m excited?!?
So, my husband and I have come up with a pact, cutting out a bit of the unnecessaries where we can. One place we decided to skim on this year was gift-giving to each other. He is already famous for saying, “I don’t need any gifts” (don’t you just hate that?) so I told him that, this year, I would carbon copy my mother’s day to his father’s day. I had an awesome mother’s day, of course, and even though it was gift-free I got plenty of the real gifts that matter in life – little kisses, big hugs, works of art from my three year old and a lazy day with my favorite people in the whole entire world.

Now, with Father’s Day coming up, it’s up to me to be creative – without spending much/anything. Haha…jokes on him, I have Pinterest! I’m totally going to rock it.

In our family it’s funny because Mother’s Day usually centers on breakfast and Father’s Day centers around supper…and the BBQ. So my plans for a Frugal Father’s Day are going to break down to this:

1. Awesome supper with plenty of hearty man-food.

2. Adorable handmade crafts from the kids and

3. A spin on an old classic, as a gift from yours truly.

Let’s just say that I’m doing a carbon copy of mother’s day but I’m putting some glitter and awesome dust on it too.
Food

This should be a fairly easy thing to come up with. What are his favorites? For my husband, he has a major sweet tooth for Reece peanut butter cups so I’m pretty sure that this Reece’s Cheesecake Brownies would be a huge hit.

Check out Pinterest...you can pretty much find a cake, cupcake, bar, or cookie inspired by any and every chocolate bar known to man kind! I think a few of these would go over quite nicely as well (click on the picture to be taken to the recipe):

BBQ Chicken Pizza

Beer-battered Pickles

Buffalo Chicken Potato Skins

Décor

I LOVE this tie themed banner and flag set, available for free download at Amanda’s Parties to Go! It doesn’t take much to sneak downstairs after everyone’s gone to bed (or before they wake up) and put up a little pizzazz to wow them in the morning!

Gift Options from the kids

I love this Father’s Day survey from The Creative Homemaker! My three year old comes up with the most hilarious stuff so I would love to sit down with her one night and fill this out. Plus there’s lots of white space for her to “decorate” it afterwards. It’s a nice idea to do one of these every year and then bind them together in a scrapbook!

Here’s another idea from Kinderpendent that you could do with your little one…create a quotation book to chronicle all those adorable things your kids say. You can dress it up with a bit of cardstock, ribbon, etc. This would definitely be a book to cherish for years to come – just make sure you leave some blank space for those gems that are yet to come!

I have been seeing these bookmarks a lot lately on Pinterest and have been waiting for a chance to make one. How cute are they and think of all the fun you’ll have making them with your kids (check out this link for more info)!

Gift from Wifey

So, when we agreed to not buy any gifts for each other this year I knew that I was still going to make him something. When I thought about it, I came up with something that would be perfect. A coupon book. Yes, just like we use to make when we were little BUT this time, it’s going to be filled with some very important coupons (in a parent’s world anyways!). Example, what does my husband really hate doing? Hmmm…how about: get out of one poopy diaper, one foot rub while we watch the sports channel, one sleep in until the time of your choosing, and so on and so forth (if you’re really brave you could include a “blank cheque” one too!). What is really important to him…or what are one of those annoying daily life tasks that he can get out of. Yes, it’s more elbow grease from you but, personally, I’ll be happy when I’m trying on a pair of new shoes at Harrods in London that I couponed my way out of this one! Check out Martha Stewart.com for an awesome Father’s Day coupon book template.

With a little creativity and a lot of heart you can make a wonderful Father’s Day. It really is the thought that counts and I think that putting in the effort is worth so much more than anything you could buy in the store!

Here’s a little poem that I want to include in my hubby’s card – he always makes me cry with those cheesy box store cards…let’s see how he holds up to this, handwritten by my daughter!

Meal Planning May

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, one way I am preparing myself for the return to work is by meal-planning. It seriously saves you so much time and money. I absolutely hate that feeling when you get home from work, you're starving, the kids are starving, and you are going from the pantry to the fridge and then back to the pantry, scratching your head and wondering what on Earth you are going to serve for dinner! Without meal-planning, I also run the risk of going to the grocery store every day. For some reason, when I go there, I'm just so concerned with getting in and out, I don't think past the moment and I never get more than I need for the dinner I will be preparing that evening. BUT...with my trusty list of preplanned meals, I can cut down on constantly going to the store and, if I'm being honest, the last minute pizza ordering that also often occurs when I'm not prepared! I thought I would share with you my meal plan for the month of May. I planned for 5 new meals per week with 2 days a week for left-overs. In reality, 5 meals for my family makes a lot of left-overs but I plan on packaging most of those into individual servings and freezing them. That way when I have to make my lunch the next day, I can just grab a pre-portioned meal and go!
I will also provide you with your weekly grocery list, but, please keep in mind that on the grocery list I am not including the staples that I'm thinking you would generally have in your home already (sugar, oil, salt, pepper, vinegar, spices, butter, etc.); please review the recipes before you go to the store so that you do not miss anything!

photo source: http://satoridesignforliving.com/2012/01/everyday-made-easy-meal-planning/

Here are the month's meals.  I have provided links to the recipes for each meal.  When there is no link (you will there's not suppose to be a link because the meal is not underlined in those cases), I am assuming that this is a general, everyone knows how to make it type meal.

The meal idea I am giving is for, in the most part, the main part of the meal, feel free to add your favorite side dishes.  When I include items like "garden salad" do what works best for you (add a bag of salad to your grocery list, make a salad from scratch, or replace it with your favorite rice, veggie, etc.).  Also note that some meals require some preparation the day before you plan on making it (for example, slow cooker recipes or marinating).

Week One Meals:

1. Meat loaf with garden salad

2.Garlic Parmesan Pork chops with noodles

3.Cobb salad

4.Crockpot Chicken tacos (**slow cooker recipe - requires morning time prep!)

5.Make your own Pizzas (this is basically using all your left over veggies and cheese from the above recipes and making a pizza out of them!)

source: http://blogs.babble.com/family-kitchen/2011/06/07/classic-cobb-salad-with-red-wine-lemon-vinaigrette/

Week Two Meals:

1.Chicken roll-ups with steamed veggies

2.Crock pot stew (**slow cooker recipe - requires morning time prep!)

3.Beef Burritos

4.Garlic bread spaghetti

5. Spinach, grilled chicken, feta, and craisin salad (just toss these items together and finish off with some raspberry vinegrette!)

                                

source: http://rhodesbread.com/blog/blog/braided-spaghetti-bread

Week Three Meals:

1.Slow cooker ribs with wild rice and steamed veggies(**slow cooker recipe - requires morning time prep!)

The link provided for the ribs is only for the sauce used in this recipe, so use this sauce recipe on your ribs and put into slow cooker on low for 8 hours)

2.Roasted sausage, potatoes and peppers

3.Homemade chicken noodle soup

4.Grilled chicken burgers and fries

5.Grilled chicken greek salad with couscous (I will blog the recipe for this in the coming days and refresh this post with the link to the recipe!)

                                        

source: http://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/

Week Four Meals:

1. Buffalo chicken salad

2.Pork kabobs with BBQ grilled veggies (low fat!(**requires morning time prep for marinating!)

3.Slow cooker jambalaya (**slow cooker recipe - requires morning time prep!)

4.Subs with raw veggies and dip

5.Potroast with garden salad and buns

source: http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/08/filipino-bbq-skewers-3-ww-pts.html

Here are the grocery lists.  I suggest copying and pasting them into a word document as required!

Week One:

- 1 pound ground beef

- 4 pork chops

- 8 chicken breasts
- 2 avocados
- 1 head of iceberg lettuce
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 red onion
- 1 white onion
- 1 lemon

- 2 garlic bulb

- 1 green bell pepper

- 1 lemon

- salad

- 3 egg
- sour cream
- 1 - 8 oz pkg of cream cheese (**optional to add to the crock pot chicken tacos!)

- 1 - 8 oz can of diced tomatoes

- red wine vinegar

- agave syrup

- 1 pkg. taco seasoning

- 1 jar of your favorite salsa

- Tortilla chips

- 3/4 cup of (shredded) Parmesan cheese - next week required a 1/4 cup of Parmesan as well so you could buy it now and store until then!

- large pkg. of favorite cheese (cheddar, jack, mozza, etc.) - this should be enough cheese for the chicken tacos, cobb salad, and the make your own pizza

- 1 cup of bread crumbs

- pizza dough (prepare or pre-made dough)

- soft or hard taco shells or tortillas

- package of noodles

Week Two:

- 1 - 8 oz pkg of cream cheese
- 3 cups of cheddar cheese (shredded)
- 1 medium pkg. of mozza cheese
- 1 small container of feta cheese
- 1/4 cup of (shredded) Parmesan (if not bought in the previous week)
- 2 pkgs of refrigerated crescent roll dough
- 1 frozen bread dough
- broccoli florets
- 1 green bell pepper
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 head of iceberg lettuce (you may have some left from last week)
- 1 med. white onion
- 2 carrots
- 1 garlic bulb (you may have some left from last week)
- 1 pkg of craisins
- bag of baby spinach leaves
- salad
- 1 can of tomato paste
- 1 can of spaghetti sauce
- 1 pkg of taco seasoning
- 1 pkg of spaghetti noodles
- 1 bottle of raspberry vinegrette
- 4 chicken breasts
- 3 pounds of beef stew meat
- 1 pound of ground beef
- 1 pkg of Italian sausage (optional for the spaghetti bread)

Week Three:
- 1 pkg of pork ribs
- 1 pkg of Italian sausage
- 8 chicken breasts (depending on how many grilled chicken burgers you need! Remember you need chicken for the soup, greek salad, and the chicken burgers!)
- 2 garlic bulb
- 3 bell peppers
- 1 cucumber
- 2-3 tomatoes
- 2 large white onion
- 2 red onion (for grilled chicken burgers and the greek salad)
- 3 celery stalks
- 2 carrots
- 1 lemon
- fresh rosemary
- 2 Tbsp of (shredded) Parmesan
- 1 large container of feta cheese
- 1 medium pkg of Monterrey jack cheese (for grilled chicken burgers)
- dijon mustard
- cornstarch
- wild rice
- frozen or fresh veggies for steaming
- chicken stock (homemade or bought)
- 1 pkg of egg noodles
- 1 box of couscous
- 1 pkg of burger buns (for the grilled chicken burgers)
- Fries (homemade or premade)

Week Four:
- 1 romaine lettuce
- 6 celery stalks
- 3 tomatoes (for the buffalo chicken salad and the subs)
- 1 yellow and green zucchini
- mushrooms
- 3 bell peppers
- 1 red onion
- potatoes
- carrots
- 2 white onions
- raw veggies of your choice (to dip!)
- salad
- 1/2 cup of blue cheese
- 4 slices of bacon
- 4 chicken breasts (for the jambalaya and the buffalo chicken salad)
- 2 1/2 pounds of pork meat
- 1 pound of sausage
- 1 pound of shrimp
- 1 beef roast (your choice of size)
- fresh deli meats
- 1 jar of your favorite hot sauce
- 1 jar of veggie dip
- 1 - 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
- 1 pkg of long grained rice
- 2 cups of chicken broth
- Cajun spice mix
- sub buns
- dinner rolls (to go with pot roast)

So there you go!  Meals planned for the entire month, complete with weekly grocery lists to make all of the meals!  Easy peasy! 
Again, I would really suggest to you to review the recipes before going shopping to make sure that I have not missed anything you may not have in your home.  I know everyone has different staples so, please double check.  Also, some items you may be able to buy in the earlier weeks if it means buying in bulk and  saving some money!
I seriously hope that this helps you out as much as it does me!  If you plan on using this meal plan, please let me know how it went!!
Happy eating! :)

Making Stuff Happen!

In 5 short days I will be returning to my full time job and completing my year-long maternity leave.  I'm feeling so conflicted about this (as do most moms who are on the verge of returning back to their old grind after an extended time off)!
Our family is going to be going through so many changes with my return to work.  Going from a stay-at-home mom - colouring non-stop and watching the Disney channel, buying my groceries in the middle of the day, and avoiding traffic at all costs - to waking up at 5am, getting the kids to our new dayhome, dealing with rush hour traffic and downtown parking...oiy!  The best I can do is hope that we survive and prepare myself as much as I can.
It's ironic that with going back to work, I will be bringing in less money than being on maternity leave.  I will now have to start paying for a dayhome ($1,500 a month!), parking, more gas, etc.  Yes, it's not cheap to go back to work but it's something I have to do.
To prepare myself and my family, I need to focus on 3 major areas.  My first focus is my budget.  As I mentioned with all my new expenses I will be bringing in less money per month so I need to address this and make some changes.  I started off with a budget sheet and wrote down all my income versus expenses.  You can find a great free printable at Sissy Print to record everything you need to track.  I then found an excellent free printable for some cash budget envelopes  at Today's Nest, which I really like because, for myself, when dealing with cash I'm less likely to go over budget (I guess it's a visual thing)!

With that in order and all organized I then looked to another aspect of going back to work that will make things easier if I plan ahead...dinner time.  I absolutely hate that feeling of getting home at 5:30pm, everyone is starving and we have no idea what to make for dinner!  Meal planning...it saves you so much time and money (less implusive pizza buying and daily trips to the grocery store).  I started pinning supper ideas a while ago and then, with the help of another awesome free printable from Design Finch I can write down what we are going to have for dinner for a month at a time AND include a weekly shopping list!  I don't know how I would survive without this!

The third thing I needed to focus on is cleaning and home organization.  Design Finch has some awesome free printables for this, as does Blooming Homestead.  Spending a few moments to write down your to-do list will really pay off in the end.  You can find tons of different ideas on Pinterest that allow you to do small things, daily, to keep on top of the mess.  Check out this one, for example, from Organizing Made Fun, which shows you how to keep your home sparkling, while cleaning for only 15-20 minutes every day.

For me these were the main things that I wanted to focus on to make the transition a bit easier.  It's still going to be tough leaving my girls every day and I'm not looking forward to getting back into the grind.  I'm hoping that everything goes smoothly and choosing to be positive about it!  I am thankful that I have so many things to look forward too over the next year, which really makes going back a lot easier as well!

If you have any tips you'd like to share about being more organized and preparing to go back to work after a long period off, I'd LOVE to hear them!! :)

Earning Extras

I, like many moms out there who are also about to go back to work after maternity leave, am DREADING my return. Not because the work stinks or because I don't like the people I work with, but because the thought of leaving my 2 little dah-lings in the care of another bothers me.
I hate the rushing in the morning, the conflicts with other kids (however few they may be), the huge expense, the weepy goodbyes, and so on and so forth. BUT, like most of us of there, what can I do? I would love to stay home with my kids but, can we afford it? What would we have to sacrifice? Do I really want to give up my independent self that exists outside the home? Do I want to give up my pension? SO many things to question and really think about...meanwhile, I have this ticking clock saying, "make your decision now because you are running out of time!". Usually what ends up happening is I stress about it and then push it deep down and think that I'll worry about it later. So, this is getting me nowhere - fast!
I don't know what I will decide in the end but what I do know is that with all this soul-searching and money fretting I've come up with a few ways that I could make some extra dough, doing things that I actually would enjoy. I wanted to share them with you because, who knows, maybe you've already decided to make that plunge to stay at home and need a few ideas on how to raise some extra cash! So, ta-da! - here are a few things that can earn you that extra bacon: 1.Become a vendor for a home-show company. Yes, they can be annoying at times but if you find a company whose product you really like then it could make a lot of sense. If you have a passion for something people can generally sense that and become more invested in what you are presenting to them. Do your research and find out what companies have to offer in terms of compensation, support, sales requirements, product, etc. You don't have to be a pushy sales person who is always bugging friends and family to support you. Use the tools (often times free)out there to build a network...create a Facebook Business Page, pin your stuff on Pinterest, put an add on Kijiji, place a sign advertising your items on your community bulletin board, and whatever else you can think of!

2.Start a blog. Believe it or not, you CAN make money by writing a blog. Okay, well I don't make any money but I've heard of it being done!! How you ask? Well you start a blog and write about what interests you! Sewing, cooking, photography, whatever! You can monetize it through your blog provider or sell your own advertising space. If you're not sure how or where to start...check pinterest (yes my go-to place)...there are tons of ideas and tips there for blogs!3.Open an Etsy account. If you craft, bake, or create you could have an Etsy account. If you're not sure what Etsy is it's an amazingly awesome website that's like an on-line farmer's market. You can open you're own shop and sell your handmade goods that you've made from home. Click HERE to go check it out.

4.Pay more attention to your loyalty programs. Depending on what loyalty programs you are involved with you could really benefit from these at key times during the year. For example, my sister gets points through her credit card. She uses her card to purchase big items throughout the year (even if she has the money to actually buy something, she uses her card and then pays it off immediately on-line) and then at Christmas time she always has enough points to order gift cards for everyone in the family. There are so many point programs out there I can't speak to all of them but what I can tell you is that if you focus on one or two that you can redeem for something worth while to you (flights, free groceries, free gas, etc.) you can actually end up saving yourself quite a bit! My personal example is that I collect points for flights. I have a credit card that accumulates these points, I go to the pharmacy that gives me them, shop for items that give me bonus points, etc. In the 5 years I have been collecting them I have redeemed my points for 5 flights to Las Vegas, 2 flights to Vancouver, and I already have enough for a flight to Europe now!

5.Consign things that you no longer need. Decluttering your home can benefit you in several ways. When you get rid of the things clogging up your place it can actually be quite liberating for one. Why not make a few bucks at it too? Go though items and weed out the ones that are consignment worthy. Depending on where you consign them you could sell clothes, toys, small household items, DVDs, accessories, etc. If you don't know of any consignment places around you, check on Facebook - chances are there is one organized on FB by someone living in your area (be sure, however, to check out how many followers the page has and read their policies closely before bringing any of your stuff to someone you don't know.)

I'm sure there are so many ideas out there how to save cash and how to raise cash. Please feel free to share in the comments section because, like I said, I'm still decided on my own situation and the more money earning ideas the better!!

little changes, big results

I have recently started to enforce a major change in my household. With all the recent news we've been hearing here in Canada about retiring ages going up, the poor economy, pension problems, etc. I knew we needed to start doing something now to prepare for the future we have envisioned for ourselves.

I am a huge Pinterest freak so I started there. There are so many great ideas on Pinterest on how to save money, plan for your future, waste less, be more productive, being sustainable, and I could go on and on. I also found several absolutely fantastic blogs via Pinterest who's main focus are centered on being frugal and smart with your hard earned cash!

I decided to start small and to make myself the promise that this lifestyle change would not mean that we had to be "cheap" or go without but, rather, it would mean that we would cut where we could, make smarter decisions, and really look at wants versus needs. I think to start out with small changes is a great idea because it can ease you and your family (because without their support, it'll never work) into thinking this way and will set you up for success.

Here are a few small changes that we have made that is already resulting in some actual results:

1) Make a list of small things you can change to save some money in your budge that you wouldn't even really notice. The point of this is to show how little things do actually add up! I made a list of eight things I knew we could easily change. They included, turning off lights when we are not actually in the room (we were sooo very bad for this), unplugging the coffee maker during the day, watch a little bit less t.v. (therefore less power), following through when I wash a load of laundry (to reduce having to rewash if I left it too long), etc.

2) Take advantage of that food that's already in your freezer and pantry! We have an entire freezer full of meat in our basement and the one on top of our fridge is always equally as full. So much so that we often struggle to pack more stuff in it! Why on Earth am I always buying more, before I use what I actually have? So plan ahead. Make a weakly meal plan, using what you have on hand first, which cuts down on your grocery bill.

3) Put your spare change to work! Contrary to many people, I actually enjoy doing laundry because my husband never empties his pockets. I secretly pick his pockets and always keep the money I find inside (hahah!) - I consider it like my pay check for cleaning his underwear! :) I started putting all that change into a large mug hidden away in the laundry room....and really, it hasn't taken that long to grow to $50! Sweet, I'll take that and put it towards something I usually don't have enough extra cash for (like in my RRSP!). Think about it...$50 here and $50 there adds up!

4) Make a few more things at home. This has been one of my favorite changes! We've always been a family that bakes and crafts but focusing that energy more towards what we actually need has been great. Whether you make some more baked goods (and buy less granola bars, bread, or fruit snacks at the store), your own Windex or laundry detergent (which is probably better for you anyways), or art supplies for your kids (like eco-friendly finger paints) you are just putting money in your pocket. You can usually make your own version of the store brands for way less and it's generally better for you! Not to mention the invaluable time you are spending when you do these things with your kids!

5) Consider growing some of your own food. I've always wanted to have a garden, however, a lack of time, knowledge and space has always stopped me dead in my tracks. With my beloved Pinterest on my side this year, I'm ready to make the plunge. You can have a garden or a garden-esque type set-up in any living space. We have a backyard so I'm going to attempt to make two raised garden areas and include a few "garden pots". Even if you lived in an apartment and had a small balcony you could do a few "garden pots" (check these out on Pinterest...love them!) and grow your own herbs! With a little planning ahead I am hoping to find success here! An added bonus is that I will be including my 3 year old in the process and she's going to love learning and growing some veggies from seeds!

So, the five things I mentioned above are just the tip of the iceberg! There are so many things you can do to make smarter money choices and, remember, it's not about going without it's about getting the most for your hard earned cash! Over time, small changes make a big impact on your wallet! Think about what you and your family need rather than what you want in this moment. If you've made any changes please share because I would love to hear them!!!

p.s. This afternoon, my daughter and I were raiding the stuffed freezer in our efforts to use what we had. We found a half of a bag of frozen berries just waiting for us. The result...super delicious Pro-biotic Frozen Pops!! In total I had to spend $3.50 on the Greek yogurt because I already had everything else I needed to make them!

Pro-Biotic Mixed Berry Pops

Ingredients:

Frozen Berries (I had half a bag in my freezer)

2 Tbsp sugar

3Tbsp of lemon juice

3 Tbsp honey

1 Container of Strawberry Greek Yogurt

Instructions:

Mix the frozen berries, sugar, and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Stir together well and let sit for about an hour.

Put the berry mixture and honey into your blender or food processor and mix until completely blended.

Pour mix back into bowl and then add the container of Greek yogurt.

Pour this mix into some popsicle moulds or whatever you would like. Put into freezer for at least 4 hours.

Enjoy!

**I was able to make 8 pops out of this recipe. With the brand of yogurt I used, each pop works out to 150 cals.