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Christmas Gifts

When it comes to giving gifts I always want to give something useful and practical.  Hopefully, something that the recipient won’t have to worry about “re-gifting”.  Most importantly I like to give from my heart so I put a lot of thought into the gifts that I give. 

To me gifts aren’t about the monetary value.  They are about the emotional value.  I believe it is more important that the gift is special than one that is expensive. 

I like to keep my gift giving simple.  The act of giving gifts should to be enjoyable, stress free and, above all, shouldn’t place any financial hardship on the giver. 

When it comes to Christmas decide on a budget that is reasonable and will not cause you to go into debt or fail to meet your financial obligations.  If this is a regular struggle at the holidays it is time consider some alternatives.  For me preparing for Christmas is a year-long event. 

Not all of us are handy or crafty but we might find we are a lot handier and craftier than we think if we just give it a try.  Seek out those that have certain skills to help you learn to make or create certain things.  If you know someone who crochets have them teach you a simple stitch and before you know it you’ll be cranking out some serious mufflers. 

A couple of years ago I invested in a set of looms at Walmart to make knitted items because I am not a great knitter.  The directions for making a multitude of items are available for free online.  Knitting on a loom is a fun and relaxing project you can do while watching TV.  I was able to teach my daughter how to use them and she makes beautiful hats.  I am much better at crocheting so between my looms and crochet hooks I can make a lot of really nice gift items. 

Gifts from the kitchen are always appreciated because we all like to eat and face it, we need to.  Every year I pick a theme and make something special to share.  Some of the things I have made up to give at Christmas include: 

• Homemade Pancake Mix & Syrup
• Fresh Baked Bread & Homemade Jam
• Pumpkin Bread
• Pound Cake
• Fudge & A Handmade Christmas Ornament
• Quilted Pot Holders & A Hanging Dish Towel
• Hand Soap & Dish Towel
• A Trio of Homemade Jams – Strawberry, Blackberry & Raspberry
• Ice Cream Sundae Kit – Caramel, Chocolate, Strawberry Topping, Maraschino Cherries, & An Ice Cream Scoop
• Movie Kit – DVD, Microwave Popcorn & 2 Liter Bottle Soda
• A Tin Of Homemade Cookies – always a favorite
• Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix & A Mug
• Recipe Cards Tied With A Ribbon
• Quilted Throw Pillows
• Hats & Scarves
• Fuzzy Socks
• Book & A Handmade Bookmark
• CDs Of Favorite Music Mix
• Calendars & Planners
• Handmade Note Cards & A Ballpoint Pen
• Personalized Stationery & Mailing Labels Or Envelopes

The possibilities are endless and you can make your gifts as simple or as elaborate as you choose.  Just remember to make it fun, stress free and budget friendly.

Apple Jelly

I remember as a young girl sitting in my great-grandmother’s little tiny kitchen in her little tiny house in Spokane, Washington watching her crank out the most wonderful meals.  Her home was so cozy and practical and I think that is when I began my love affair with little cozy homes and all things practical. 

One of the things that impressed me was how she used everything, nothing went to waste.  Every time she made an apple pie she would put the cores and peels in a saucepan on the back burner of her stove and stew them.  Then use that “broth” to make a jar of apple jelly.  My great grandfather ate jelly on his toast every morning so I am sure she made quite a bit to keep him supplied and I don’t ever remember seeing a jar of store bought in her refrigerator. 

When I made applesauce a few weeks ago I stewed my peels and cores as I mentioned before in an earlier post.  After straining it I was left with a pretty pink juice.  I froze the juice because I didn’t have time to make jelly and last Saturday I thawed it and made her jelly.  I don’t find apple jelly as flavorful as other jams and jellies I make but it is still pretty good and I can see where it is versatile enough to add other juices and flavors to amp it up if you wanted to. 

She always worked in small batches and she always kept things simple, which must be where I get it from.  I guess that apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree, no pun intended. 

Making the jelly is pretty simple.  First put a saucer in the freezer.  Next bring 2 cups rendered apple broth to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Stir in 2 cups sugar and bring to a boil.  Continue to boil until the temperature reaches 220° on a candy thermometer.  Drop a dab of jelly on the frozen saucer and with your finger gently “push” it.  If the jelly wrinkles you are done.  If not, continue boiling and testing it until you it does.  Pour into sterilized half-pint jars top with lids and process in a hot water bath for 5 minutes. 

I put a couple drops of red food coloring in my juice like my great-grandmother did because she liked her jelly to look pretty.  Each batch makes 2½ jars so I usually make two batches and then process all five jars at once. 

I will be adding my remaining leftover apple broth to cranberries this month to make homemade cranberry sauce or jam, if you will, for Thanksgiving.  I can only imagine how good that is going to taste on a homemade roll. 

I also think adding a ¼ cup of red hot candies to the jelly would make a great tasting cinnamon apple jelly.  I haven’t tried it yet but I am thinking I might. 

Do you have any wonderful great-grandma stories you’d like to share?

Dollar Stores

Do you shop at dollar stores?  There are several where I live and one of the nicest ones happens to be in our neighborhood.  I don’t shop there often but I do find I can save quite a bit on certain household essentials. 

When shopping at the dollar store you definitely need to know your prices.  There are quite a few items that are more expensive at the dollar store and the quality can be questionable.  My experience with dollar stores is that they don’t take coupons so I sometimes have to take that into account as well. 

Items I typically purchase are mostly name brand items that my store stocks regularly: 

·         Bath soap

·         Tooth paste and toothbrushes

·         Deodorant

·         Dryer sheets

·         The big bottle of their cheap store brand antibacterial dish soap (I use it to refill my  hand soap dispensers)

·         Greeting cards (huge savings!)

·         Gift wrap

·         Large spools of curling ribbon

·         Some seasonal home décor items (I’m picky when selecting these)

·         Some grocery items

·         Office supplies

·         Art supplies for school projects

·         Craft items

·         Puzzles

·         Hair accessories

·         Socks 

Last week I needed to stop and pick up something for work and saw they had 28 oz. cans of crushed tomatoes.  I use them in my salsa recipe and they are much more expensive at the grocery store so I picked up four.  They don’t always have them so when I happen across them I stock up.  Toys are usually a waste of money but on rare occasion they will have some really good quality items. 

It is easy to purchase items you don’t need if you shop there too often.  I usually go every couple of months and check out what they have.  I can also check them out online at their website if I am looking for something in particular and I can order online from them too. 

If you are selective you can find some pretty good bargains but remember it isn’t a bargain if you didn’t need it in the first place.

Why I Chose A Smaller Home

I purchased my home almost 17 years ago.  As I look back it is hard to imagine that much time has passed already.  We live in a two-story, two bedroom, 1½ bath townhouse – 990 sq. ft.  It is the first home I have ever owned.  My goal was to purchase a home at the age of 30 and in January 1995 I was able to do just that. 

At the time my son was 8 years old and two bedrooms were all we needed.  We moved in and made ourselves at home after a lot of elbow grease, blood, sweat and tears.  Believe me I shed some tears on occasion.  Over time I have taken our 1979 home with its original décor and breathed a whole new life into her.  She wasn’t the prettiest shack on the block but she sure shines now. 

My criteria when I purchased my house was simple: 

·         Most importantly I had to be able to afford my mortgage payment.  Even if I lost my job and had to work at McDonalds.

·         It had to have two toilets.

·         It had to be something that I could live in when I retired. 

The layout is nice in that we don’t feel cramped and closed in.  Our dining area, living room and my home office are in one large space.  We have a separate laundry room with the ½ bath located down a nice wide hallway.  The upstairs bedrooms are both nice sized with ample closet space. 

There are a lot of bonuses to having a smaller house: 

·         Smaller mortgage

·         Lower utility bills

·         Maintenance is manageable

·         You won’t have to downsize once the kids have grown

·         You collect less stuff

·         You can clean it faster

·         You know where everybody is 

A smaller home does have the advantage of forcing us to spend more time together and when dinner is ready you certainly don’t have to holler too loud to get everyone to the table.  It’s warm and cozy and suits us just fine.

My Pantry List

I can’t imagine not having my pantry list.  It is the most valuable tool in my meal planning arsenal.  As long as I have everything on this list in my home I can make just about anything.  I developed it years ago and have fine tuned it over time to make it what it is today.  I am so protective of it that I keep a hard copy and a copy on my flash drive, just in case.  Last year when my laptop died I was so grateful to have it backed up. 

I simply print off the list (I like to use colored paper just for fun) and circle the items to buy at the store.  Actually, I work on three month’s worth of grocery lists at one time projecting ahead what I’ll need to buy.  The idea is to do a planned replacement of the items I use each month. 

By working on three monthly lists at one time I can juggle how I replace items based on need, sales at the store, seasons of the year, etc.  For instance if I know in the next three months I’ll need bacon I have that long to wait for a good sale and buy it at that time for future use or if I really need it now I’ll buy it now.  I prefer to wait for a sale.

At least half, if not more, of the groceries I purchase every month are for future use.  Immediate use items are usually things like fresh produce, milk, eggs, cheese and yogurt. 

If you would like a working copy of this spreadsheet contact me with your email address and I will send it to you in Excel format. 

My meal planning/grocery tool kit consists of my pantry lists, meal planners, coupons and an envelope to keep them in, a mechanical pencil and eraser, as well as a binder to store everything and keep it portable.  I also keep the new recipes I want to try in my binder.  Once I try them and they make the cut they’ll go into my recipe book while those that don’t get trashed. 

You can make one of these very simply and I challenge you to do so with things you already have around the house.  My original one started out as a slightly used spiral notebook, a #10 envelope, a calendar and a pencil.

Meal Planning

Begin By Brainstorming: 

Sit down and make a list of all the meals you enjoy on a sheet of paper.  You can ask your family to help you with this as they’ll likely come up with more things than you would have originally thought of.  You’ll also find out what they like and certainly what they don’t.  Periodically I review this list and add additional items as you come across new ideas and recipes.  Cross off the items that don’t work for you.  You will find this list is the most useful for when you get stumped and run out of ideas as you prepare your meal plan. 

Make A Plan: 

I do my meal plans one month at a time.  I used to write them on a month at a glance calendar, then on calendar pages I made myself on the computer.  Now I do them in Publisher so can make them all fancy.  I love that I am able to decorate each calendar with Clip-Art pictures to dress them up a little.  I print them out and post them on the side of our refrigerator with a magnet clip.  I love the creativity that goes into the project and having a plan in place.  You can do it however you like – weekly, two weeks at a time or monthly.  Whatever works best for you is fine just make a plan. 

Sit down and map out your monthly plan on the calendar page taking into account holidays and scheduled events.  You can do this with a variety of methods.  Some like to make each day of the week a theme such as:  Sunday – slow cooker meals, Monday – Taco Nite, Tuesday – chicken, Wednesday – Italian, Thursday – meatless meals, Friday – Pizza Nite, Saturday – leftovers. 

I use these criteria to keep our menus balanced.  I need a protein, a grain, a vegetable and/or a fruit, and a dairy. 

Once you make your plan remember to be flexible.  The less rigid you are about the meal plan the more you will enjoy the process.  I like to be able to shift meals around depending on changes to our routine or if we have unexpected company. 

To save money try to plan your meals based on the items you already have in your pantry and freezer.  Be prepared to change meals if the ingredients you need aren’t available, are too expensive or you’ve run out of something.  I keep a short list of back up menus for when this happens. 

Plan your meals that use fresh produce around your shopping days and canned or frozen vegetables further out.  I do my major shopping trip around the first of the month usually on the 5^th and then two weeks later I do a second trip to buy milk and fresh produce.  I always want to use it up before it perishes so I minimize waste. 

Keep It Simple: 

Try to plan simple, quick and easy to prepare meals on the nights when you know will have less time for meal preparation.  At our house these are the weeknights, usually Monday through Thursday.  I will plan more labor intensive meals or meals that take longer to cook or bake for the weekend. 

Post It: 

Having it visible will help you stick to it and remind you of what is coming up so you can defrost meats and know what to expect.  It will also help you stay accountable because when the family knows what is on the menu they’ll expect it and my kids hold me accountable, especially when it is something they really love. 

Meal planning reduces my stress level and keeps our meals more interesting as we have more variety, reducing the chance for frequent repeats and resulting monotony.  You also will find that you are able to get more well-rounded meals on the table and boost your nutrition because you have planned to do so. 

The bonus is I save a ton of money simply by having a plan in place.  I can tailor my grocery list so I make sure I have everything I need on hand and I can tailor the menu plans according to what I already have in my freezer or pantry.  This allows me to shop for bargains more often too. 

I have tried weekly and bi-weekly meal plans but for me the monthly plans work the best.  Meal plans are a valuable tool and if you don’t already do one seriously consider giving it a try. 

The more you do it the better you will get at it and you’ll be able to fine tune it and make improvements as you go along weeding out what works and what doesn’t.  The more you do it the easier it will get too.