Can You Believe It? Only 3 More Months Until Christmas!

I don't want to freak anyone out but there is only three months left until Christmas Day!  Unbelievable!  I guess that means I'd better get in gear and get to work so I am ready in plenty of time.

Did you start your gift list yet?  I need to work on finalizing mine.

Have you established a budget?  Have you funded any of it yet?  I've been steadily putting money aside each month and I have one more month to go to fully fund it.

Done any shopping yet?  I've picked up a few things here and there but I really haven't done a whole lot.

Have you made anything yet?  I love to make homemade gifts and I have a bazillion ideas rattling around in my head so I need to make some final decisions and get to work soon.

Need some ideas?  I have posted some lists like this one for gift ideas and this one for stocking stuffers.  I'm going to review them myself.

Want to share some ideas?  I'd love to hear from you.  I would also welcome a guest post from anyone wanting to share their plans or projects.  We all need to get inspired and stay that way so let's do it together!

Are you ready to get started?  I am.  Let's go for it! J

New Living Room

The second room I did when we moved in was our living room.  I wanted a place for us to congregate and unwind at the end of the day, watch TV or movies or sit and visit.  I also wanted a nice room for guests to enjoy as well.

I wanted my living room to express a warm modern contemporary feel as well as be an expression of my style.  I also wanted it to be practical for a household with children and pets.  For me, the obvious choice was leather for our main furniture and on a scale that would fit the size of the room so it didn't feel cluttered and full of furniture.

First thing I decided was to go with a loveseat instead of a sofa.  I found a brown leather loveseat online and began to search for it at the lowest price I could find.  And because furniture is heavy I also wanted free shipping.  I was satisfied I had found one at the lowest price of $415 when I remembered I had used another place awhile back to purchase office furniture.  I found they had the exact same loveseat available and it was only $314!  I was able to order it at that price with free shipping and it arrived in three days.  It is beautiful and exactly what I wanted.

I also wanted a recliner so I can get comfortable when I'm watching TV but I didn't want it to look like a recliner and be scaled down to look right with the loveseat.  I found a black leather recliner that was perfect on eBay for $189.  Free shipping too.  It arrived the day after the loveseat did and looks perfect along side.

Now for something fun and quirky, like me.  The leopard print chair was just exactly what I needed to pull it all together.  For $128 I added it to the recliner purchase and it arrived in a week.  So fun to have this chair in our living room.

I added items I already had.  The bookcase came from our shop, everything on it is from my own collection as well as the items on the mantle.  The Tiffany lamp was my grandmothers, the piece our TV sits on was the dresser I used in my bedroom.  The sword, mirror and wall art was in our living room before and we are really happy to have it back in place.

For end tables I used the one table I bought to use in our RV last year.  I added another one purchased from Walmart for $8.  They are actually TV tray tables but they look nice and will serve our needs until I find exactly the ones I want to replace them.

I bought the cute lamp and shade on sale at Fred Meyer for $19 plus used a 10% off coupon to save another $1.90.  The candle set I already had.  The curtains were purchased on clearance at Fred Meyer for $16 and the rod on clearance for $10.  The ruffled pillow on the loveseat was on clearance for $8.

My budget for the living room is $1000.  So far I have spent $692 plus some sales tax on the things I purchased locally.  With three hundred dollars left I will be able to accessorize and decorate quite a bit, I think. 

It is still a work in process but so far I think it is coming along nicely.  I absolutely love it and I certainly wouldn't be embarrassed to have guests over.

Christmas All Year Long - Christmas Greenery

If I decide I need some artificial poinsettias or holly for decorating gifts or the house I like to make sure I get it early.  As soon as they begin to stock it in the stores around Halloween I get mine.  If I wait too long it gets rather picked over and what is left is pretty scraggly.  I don't buy it on clearance after the holidays because I don’t want to store it.  It usually ends up getting flattened too.

This year I plan to decorate some of my packages with it and a few other things as well.  We have a certain dollar store in town that stocks a pretty nice selection and it is fairly decent quality.  As soon as they get it in I will be purchasing some for my upcoming projects.  I am getting excited about it already.

Do you use a lot of greenery to decorate at the holidays?

Last Week's Thrifty Moves

Bell Pepper Quesadillas & Tomato Basil Soup

After checking the new grocery ads on Sunday morning we headed out with our list to buy items on sale to add to the freezer and pantry.  We found quite a few bargains on meat in the markdown bin at Albertsons.

I ordered, what for me will be, a two year supply of my favorite coffee because it was nearly half the price of what they charge at the supermarket and, of course, I got free shipping with a $50 minimum order.

After shopping around on two separate weekends and "test-driving" mattresses I found a bed I liked but not the price.  After researching online I found it on eBay for a third of the price so I ordered it.  As much I would like to support the local economy I just don't have the means to overspend like that.  The bed was also shipped for free and I put it on my PayPal account which offered me a 12 months same as cash offer.  Once again I will keep my cash in my account and pay it off before the year is up!

Even though my new living room furniture is on a 6 months same as cash offer I sent in a payment this week for nearly half the amount I had spent.  My minimum payment was only $16 and wasn't due until next month.  I used the money from my state tax refund this year to make that payment.

I listed the truck shell I had been using on my pick up for sale on Craigslist.

We saved money on groceries by enjoying a delicious homemade tomato soup along with bell pepper quesadillas for supper for a super thrifty meal.  I also made our other meals large enough for leftovers a second night and in our lunches throughout the week.  As a result I didn't make everything I had planned so I will have other ingredients to use later on.

A friend brought me a bunch of coupons and I got a coupon book in the mail from Fred Meyer.  The coupon book was for a lot of the things I buy from them so I was super excited when I went through it.  After going online to print off seven more I cut out a lot of coupons and organized them for my next big shopping trip.

I printed out a new copy of my pantry list and began my shopping list for next month.  I will be scouting out sales and bargains to buy what is circled on it in the coming weeks.

I repurposed buckets I had been using in our RV.  They are now our bathroom trash cans.  One for upstairs and the other one down.  Saved me a few bucks and they aren't going to waste.  They aren't overly attractive so I have them stashed under the sink.

A third bucket is now under our kitchen sink.  I use plastic shopping bags as liners and it is plenty big enough for our needs.  I've never been one to like a big kitchen can full of trash sitting around and prefer to empty a smaller one more frequently.  Most of our trash ends up in the recycle bin anyway.

Saturday morning we got up early and headed off to pick up some sales items at one of my two favorite grocery stores and to see what might be added to their markdown bin in their meat department.  This is what I found:

Albertsons -

3 pkgs. 85% lean ground beef - markdown to $2.71, $2.51 & $2.68

2 pkgs. sliced turkey - markdown to $1.99 each

1 pkg. sliced salami - markdown to $1.99

1 pkg. pork sausage $1.75

1 pkg. boneless, skinless chicken breasts - $1.95

4 cans tuna - on sale again this week for 69¢ each

1 gallon of whole milk - $1.88 with a store coupon

1 10# bag of russet potatoes on sale for 99¢

5 pkgs. breakfast sausage links on sale 10/$10

3 pkgs. Baking chips - on sale $1.79 each

This is the main reason I wanted to go to the store. Yum!

I made a batch of Italian Black Bean Soup using the package of sausage I found in the markdown bin at the store.  I put away four cups of soup in the freezer for a future quick meal.

As a family we watched Anastasia and I started watching The Sopranos on Amazon with my Roku.  Tee hee.  I really like that thing. 

What thrifty things did you accomplish last week?

Making A Three Legged Chicken Streeeeetch

The price of meat has become outrageous.  Fortunately there are still some bargains to be had if I look around and shop wisely.  Even still, once I get home with a great buy I need to use it to its fullest potential and chicken is great budget stretcher.

The other day when I got home from shopping I had two family packs of chicken parts I had purchased for less than $5 each.  The pack of thighs I divided in half and repackaged for the freezer.  I plan to get at least two meals a piece from both of those packages.  We are not afraid of leftovers in this house.  In fact, we welcome them. J

From the second package I removed the two breast halves and repackaged them for the freezer.  Then I took the three remaining leg quarters and put them in the slow cooker with half a large onion, three carrots and three stalks of celery.  I cooked them down and used the chicken to make chicken enchiladas.  I made a big enough pan of enchiladas for two meals.

After pulling most of the meat off the bones I returned the bones, with quite a bit of meat still on, to the slow cooker along with two quarts of water.  After a few hours I removed the spent bones and veggies and allowed the broth to cool.  Once transferred to a big bowl I put it into the refrigerator and allowed it to sit overnight.

The next day I removed the bowl and was easily able to skim the fat off the top of the broth.  It had all risen to the top and was semi firm.  I usually use a fork to remove the layer of fat.  As you can see I got quite a bit removed.  No point in adding that to our diet.  Notice I do not add salt to my broth.  Instead I add salt later when I use it in my recipes.

I put the broth into three 2 cup and one 1 cup freezer containers.  After marking them with a Sharpie with the name and date I put them into the freezer for later use.  I plan to make soup and use some of it in other recipes.

Not only did I manage to make a nice pan of enchiladas for Sunday supper but the veggies and bones served up double duty and became the main ingredients again to make a nice sized pot of flavorful broth that will be used for several more meals.  Maximum use of three chicken hindquarters, don't you think?

I love having good homemade broth on hand.  Do you make your own broth? 

You may also enjoy revisiting this old post.

Why I Bought A Roku

Our new TV is designed to use the Roku Streaming Stick.  The stick goes into a designated HDMI slot and uses a power cord.  I love this idea rather than having a separate device sitting out next to the TV.  It is also concealed from sight.

I have friends that use and love their Roku devices and heartily recommend them.  I like that we get to stream to our TV which frees up my laptop to use on other things while the family watches television.  You can purchase programming but it also has a lot of free viewing options.  We can easily use our Amazon Prime membership with it and I plan to add Netflix in a month or two which will also stream through it.

As much as I loved our satellite subscription I am just not willing to pay $60 a month for basic service like I was before.  Over a year's time it adds up to $720 which would more than pay for the new TV, Roku and my Amazon Prime membership plus a Netflix subscription and a simple DVD player with money left over.  I just can't justify the expense of it.

I currently pay $99 a year for our Amazon Prime membership.  Netflix will run $7.99 a month plus tax.  Much more affordable than a cable or satellite subscription and far less than a trip to the movie theatre.  That I can live with. 

Do you have a Roku?  Netflix?  How do you save money on TV entertainment?

Stocking Up The Larder

Stocking up a pantry and freezer from scratch can be a pricey proposition.  One of the areas I have always been able to control spending is with groceries.  Even with prices on the rise I am determined to fill our cupboards on a budget.  A big part of doing that is to seek out bargains and stock up when I find them.  A portion of my monthly grocery budget is actually allocated for doing exactly that.

Sunday morning, after reading the new grocery ads, I went to two stores to take advantage of some sales and add a stockpile to my freezer and pantry.  I also wanted to check the markdown areas of both stores in hopes of finding some killer deals, especially on meat, which is an area we are really low on right now.

This is what I found:

Albertsons - 

2 pkgs. Hot Italian Pork Sausage links - markdown from $5 to $3
2 Boneless Turkey Hams - markdown to 99¢ a pound
4 cans tuna - on sale for 69¢ each
1 gallon of whole milk - $2.29 (best price of the week)
1 jar Nutella Spread - on sale $2.99 less $1 coupon = $1.99
1 dozen eggs - on sale for 88¢ with store coupon 

Fred Meyer - 

4 boxes cold cereal - on sale at 4/$5 less two $1 coupons = $1.33 each
Pop Tarts - 48 ct. mega package $7.99
2 cartons ice cream - on sale 2/$4 less $1 coupon - $1.50 each
2 pound block of Monterey Jack cheese on sale for $4.99 each
2 pound block of Medium Cheddar cheese on sale for $4.99 each
32 oz. plain yogurt - marked down $1.39
1 pound ground turkey - $3.29 less 75¢ coupon
Parmesan cheese - $1.99
7 boxes pasta - on sale 79¢ each
2 pounds butter - 2/$4
1 family pack of assorted chicken parts - $4.86
1 family pack of chicken thighs - $4.27
1 half pint cream - on sale $1.19
1 loaf oat bran bread - on sale $1.33
1 pkg. cinnamon rolls - on sale for $1
2 pkgs. lettuce mix - Buy 1 Get 1 Free = 88¢ 

Most of what I bought is for stocking up.  The cereal and Pop Tarts will help the girls get their own breakfasts in the morning before school and the price, especially on the Pop Tarts was exceptional.  They should last for quite awhile.

The cream and parmesan will be used to make Alfredo Sauce.  We now have plenty of pasta for a variety of meals.  The bread will be used to make sandwiches for lunches.  Cheese has been really high lately so I was really happy to finally get some at a good price.  Until now the best I could do was $2.99 a pound.  I put the butter in the freezer.  The ice cream I plan to eat, sooner rather than later.  I also bought a package of refrigerator cinnamon rolls for our Sunday breakfast next week. 

It is good sales like these that I use to fill my pantry and freezer as well as creative meal planning and preparation to feed my family on so little money.