Trying To Fit It All In

This has been a crazy busy time for us at the mini mansion.  It is no bloody wonder when I collapse into bed at night I literally go comatose until the alarm goes off.

The company I've been working at through the temp agency has offered me a permanent position in their accounting department.  Right now their need is for full time plus, meaning I'll have the opportunity for a lot of overtime.  It also means I'll have to be careful not to get myself back into that all too familiar mode of working long hours at the expense of my home, family, friends and myself.

This past week was a true test of just that as I worked longer hours to get a miserable project completed in time for a deadline.  Fortunately my girls are old enough to be of more help at home which made a huge difference compared to times past.  The only thing that really got neglected was the laundry which the youngest and I managed to get all done in a surprisingly short amount of time on Saturday morning.

We typically work throughout the week to keep our house up and meals prepared.  Last time I was working full time we would use one Friday night a month as our big grocery shopping night and then a couple weeks later a smaller shopping trip to fill in with fresh milk and produce.  I think we will be going back to that routine as well.

My goal is for our weekends to not be filled with chores and catching up on all the things we didn't get done during the week, which is how things used to be.  They need to be relaxing and fun filled.  I also want to throw in the occasional day trip and other things like picnics, bike rides and movies.  We need to do more fun stuff.

Another thing I'm going to try to do is prepare more freeze ahead items for meal preparations.  Right now I've got one container of Taco soup and some cooked beans.  I need to add other elements to help us with meal preparation on a busy week night.  I also need to add some things the girls can easily fix for lunches while I'm at work during the summer.

The biggest thing for me is to not get too caught up in my job and keep my focus on the other important areas of my life.  All things in moderation. 

How are some ways you save time and energy when things get busy?

Last Week's Thrifty Moves

During a moment of weakness we thought we'd dash up to the corner and get some frozen yogurt.  I remembered ice cream was on sale at the grocery store near us so we dashed up there instead.  We were able to get two cartons of ice cream for the price of what three individual cups of frozen yogurt would have been.  I used funds from our dining out and entertainment budget to pay for the ice cream.  Much better deal and sweet tooth satisfied.

I picked up bread and bananas from the markdown bin at the corner market.  When I got home I discovered one loaf was past its prime.  The next day on the way home I stopped back in at the market and they happily swapped it out for me.

We managed to use the heater very little last week, only turning it on to take the chill off a couple of mornings.  It has still been rather cool and wet around here but the weatherman has promised some warmer temperatures soon.

I bought cardstock and envelopes online for half the price of what I could find here locally.  I also got free shipping.

Thursday was extra wonderful as both girls had their music concerts scheduled that day.  My youngest one's concert was in the afternoon and they did a wonderful job.  My oldest daughter's was an outdoor concert on the grass in front of the school.  We were treated to not only the band but the orchestra and choir as well.  They did a phenomenal job.  I was very proud of my girls. 

Friday evening was anything but thrifty because we attended a meeting at my oldest daughter's school about the trip to Europe next spring.  She is hoping to raise money to put toward this trip with fundraisers and yard sales.  I hope she is successful because the cost of this trip is easily going to run $4000.  I'll post more about this later on.

I refilled my smaller laundry detergent bottle from the HUGE container my friend gave me.  The soap was so thick I filled the bottle 3/4 of the way and filled it the rest with water.  It is still pretty soapy stuff and I'll need to use even less than I thought with my next loads.  I also refilled my fabric softener bottle.  The smaller bottles store better in the RV.

On Saturday we re-organized the chest freezer.  For anyone who owns a chest freezer they know this is a constant chore as they easily can become un-organized.  I try to keep it somewhat tidy by using various plastic bins to keep stuff in rather than just tossing it all in there.

After the freezer was done I went ahead and did the refrigerator too.  The pantry is in really good shape so I didn't have to do anything with it.  Now I know what all I have and what I don't.  Our meat supply is beginning to dwindle so I'll need to work on building it back up in the next couple of months.

We watched two episodes of one of our favorite shows on Hulu.  I was able to watch the final two episodes of Suits on Amazon. We completely missed a season of another one of our favorites and thanks to our Amazon Prime subscription we'll be able to get caught up on that one over the summer.

What thrifty things did you do last week?

Easy Chile Rellanos

On Mother's Day morning the youngest and I made Chile Rellanos for breakfast.  They were so good that by the time breakfast was over they were completely gone.  You may want to double this recipe.

Easy Chile Rellanos

5 eggs

1/3 cup flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. black pepper

1 small can diced green chiles

1 cup cream, half & half or milk

1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

In a medium mixing bowl whisk the flour into the eggs until well incorporated.  Add salt and pepper.  Stir in the chiles.  Gradually whisk the milk into the egg mixture.  Stir in the cheese.  Pour into a well oiled 9 inch baking dish.  Bake at 400° for 35 to 45 minutes until set and lightly browned on top. 

Definitely a crowd pleaser!

Christmas All Year Long - Goodies List

One of the reasons I try to have all my Christmas gifts and shopping completed by Thanksgiving is because I want to be freed up to enjoy the actual month leading up to Christmas Day.  Let's face it, it just wouldn't be Christmas without a couple of marathon baking days.

Nothing beats holing up inside the house on a cold winter day with our favorite Christmas CDs playing and a batch of cookies baking in the oven.  The house is warm and smells absolutely delicious inside.  We all have a wonderful time as we prepare our favorite goodies to eat and share with our friends and neighbors.

I usually make the same things year after year mainly because it is the only time we get to enjoy them.  I also like to do one or two different things each year.

This year I made out my Goodies List in my Christmas Planner: 

• Peanut Butter Blossoms
• Macaroons
• Thumbprint Cookies
• English Butter Toffee
• My Grandmother's Sultana Cakes 

The first three I do almost every year because they are our favorites.  The youngest loves the blossom cookies and the oldest favors the macaroons.  I like the thumbprint cookies filled with raspberry jam. 

The last two items I haven't made in years.  The Sultana Cakes are a dense lemon poundcake filled with candied cherries.  They have a lot of butter in them.  Delicious!  I want to make them to share with friends and plan to bake them in those cute foil pans with the clear plastic lids.

Hopefully I'll be able to stockpile my baking supplies ahead of time as part of my regular grocery budget so the only things I'll need to buy will most likely be the foil pans plus candied cherries, extra butter, and the Brach's chocolate stars for the blossom cookies. 

What are your Christmas favorites?

How We Watch TV - An Update

TV shelf in the RV 

When we lived in our house we had a basic subscription for satellite TV service on two televisions.  It was our big splurge and cost us nearly $60 a month.  When we got ready to move I sold our TVs, a VCR/DVD combo player and all the paraphernalia that goes along with that.  We even sold all of our gaming consoles left behind by my son for his sisters.  They never used them.

At first we'd watch an occasional program or movie on my laptop but eventually I set up my computer and the larger LED monitor in my bedroom which made for much better movie watching.  Not to mention more comfortable as we could sprawl out on the bed, eat popcorn and make a family event of it.

Then, braniac that I am, I figured out how to hook the laptop up to the monitor so we can also watch our online TV programs.  It took me awhile to even think to do this.  Okay, so I'm a little slow.

My daughter has a smaller LED monitor for her computer that was in storage at our old house so I grabbed it one day and set it up on the TV shelf in the corner above the dinette so we can actually watch TV while sitting on the couch.  A TV on the TV shelf.  Go figure!  Only took me eight month so come up with that grand plan.

I make fun but the truth is that watching TV obviously hasn't really been the big priority to us that it used to be.  And while these new "upgrades" are nice we still find ourselves doing other things instead.  We have online TV to thank for that.

We primarily use Hulu and Amazon to watch our programs.  Hulu mostly for current programming and Amazon for things we never got to watch when they were current.  There are also some episodes we stream directly from the network's website on occasion.  Only the Amazon has a membership fee but I am pretty certain it has already paid for itself at least twice just in the free two-day shipping I get on all my orders.

The nice thing is that we watch TV when we want to instead of when a program airs on TV.  We no longer are tied to the TV schedule.  Now our schedule determines when we watch something and I really like it that way.  It's kind of like having a DVR without having to have a DVR.

The best thing is that it doesn't cost us anything extra to watch television.  Just like in the good 'ol days!  Plus we are using equipment we already had so no new purchases needed to be made.  

Love that!

My Bed In The RV

Early on after we moved into our tiny home I figured out pretty quickly my bed wasn't going to be the most comfortable one I'd ever slept on.  It is one of the standard issue RV mattresses and although it is in perfect condition, plenty firm, it lacks much in the way of any padding.  In fact I can feel the springs through the fabric when I lie down.

I had planned to do something about it right away but then, as often happens, other things seemed to take precedence.  For one thing both of the girls needed their mattresses replaced, much more so than I did.  They were not in very good shape.  Fortunately the camping section at Fred Meyer had replacement mattresses for RV bunk beds at a much more affordable price than any RV store or even online.  I bought one at the end of February and the other one at the first of April.  Now my girls sleep peacefully and comfortably.  I feel better about that too.

Now it was my turn and I had been looking at all my options and checking online as well as visiting several mattress stores.  I discovered that the mattresses sold now are tall and have thick pillow tops, which sounds incredibly comfortable, however they are also incredibly heavy.  I'm glad I didn’t rush right out and buy one when we first moved in because the more I thought about it the more I realized what a mistake that would have been.

The biggest thing about my current mattress is that it is very light which I realized is quite important if I want to have easy access to the big storage bay underneath my bed and I do.  I keep a lot of things under there that we may not use every day but we still use often.

If I had put a commercial mattress on there the hydraulic lifts couldn't have supported the weight let alone how difficult it would be to lift it in the first place.  It isn't all that easy now.  Not to mention that a taller mattress wouldn't have been able to clear the angle at the head of the bed and undoubtedly would have caused it to bind up against the wall.

I researched all kinds of mattress covers and pads and made my decision to go that route.  I pretty much figured I didn't want memory foam because a lot of people complained in online reviews that they hold in body heat and caused them to sweat and be uncomfortable at night.  I didn't want that.  Now to just find one that would be affordable and do what I hoped it would do.

I checked all my options online and I also stopped in the bedding section of several stores to see what they had.  Either they didn't have what I was looking for or they did and it wasn't in my budget.  Some of these pads are almost as much as a mattress!

While picking up supplies to change the oil on my truck we stopped in at the bedding section at Walmart and I was amazed at all the options they had.  Tons to choose from and if I didn't like my choice I could return it.  I picked out a 5-In-1 Comfort Zone foam pad with all kinds of grooves, swirls and ridges to keep me from overheating and getting sore spots and I also bought a brand new mattress cover to go over it.

All I can say is Wow!  What a difference!

I sleep so much better now.  I figured all that mattress needed was a little padding and now it definitely has some.  I am comfortable and no sweating unrelated to hot flashes occurs at night.  I paid $12 for the foam pad and $14 for the mattress cover.  I would say that is quite a bargain for a comfortable night's sleep and much less expensive than a new mattress.  Plus the bed still lifts just fine to access the storage area. 

If you are thinking you need to replace your bed or just the mattress you might try one of those pads.  It would buy you some time while you save up your money or research your replacement options.  Just a thought.

Last Week's Thrifty Moves

I fixed my practically brand new bra.  The underwire was poking out so I got it worked back into place and then whip stitched over the spot it had worked its way out of four times with matching thread.  Now it should stay in place.

I repaired our bathtub using a package of shims and a tube of silicone bought for less than $6.

A friend gave me a nice stack of coupons from the Sunday paper.  I was able to clip several I can use.

I cleaned out our crisper drawers and made a huge garden salad with everything I found.  Then I bought two bags of spinach and two bags of salad mix on sale buy one, get one free, to restock.

In order to free up a project filled weekend I stopped at the grocery store on the way home Friday to purchase a two foot deli sandwich, two bags of chips and a box of ice cream sandwiches.  I also bought a can of chili and bag of tortilla chips to make nachos.  The leftover chili was used with leftover wieners and buns for chili dogs.  I used money from our dining out budget to make this purchase.  I figured it was much more economical then grabbing burgers and ordering pizza.

I spent the entire day Saturday with my oldest daughter making note cards from items we already had on hand.  Altogether we made tens sets of eight cards.  She plans to sell them to make money for her trip to Europe next spring. 

Not a whole lot of thrifty things going on at our place this past week.  How about you?