Bargain Day: Toddler Chair

I went to the Habitat for Humanity Restore looking for towel bars and a ceiling fan.  I purchased neither of those items.  Among the mishmosh of chairs, Babyface found this one and declared, "It's my size!" And it was just his size and very cozy.  When I found out all chairs were $10, I was sold.

The chair and cushions are covered with soft denim slipcovers so after we brought it home I gave them all a good washing.  We decided it would be Babyface's special reading chair.  His grandfather sent him a subscription to High Five and he loves to look at the pictures in his magazine there.  Even though he can't pronounce magazine correctly.  Or squirrel.  Or binoculars.

Bargain Day: Real Simple Subscription

Last year I bought a year of Real Simple on sale for $12—half of the regular subscription price of $24.  On a recent issue was a notice saying that my subscription was going to auto-renew at $33, a truly terrible price.  So I called and opted out of the auto renew. I enjoy reading it and have even made a few of their recipes, with varying success.  

Anyway, about a week later I got an email offering me the regular subscriber price of $24.  After some thorough Googling, I couldn't find a better deal, though it seems about once a year they offer a subscription at a low rate to add subscribers. 

So I sent an email and asked if they could offer me the $12 price again.  I figured not but it never hurts to ask.   I was prepared to wait for the annual sale so I could get a bargain. I was pleasantly surprised to get an email response a few days later confirming my Real Simple renewal for $12.  It never hurts to ask.

I also like to subscribe to Real Simple because they featured my answer to their question: "What would you do for an extra $100?" in September 2008. What would I do with an extra $100? I'm so glad you asked.

My 2008 answer:

$8 pineapple chunks from Whole Foods

$10 roll of quarters to keep in ashtray for parking

$12 greeting cards to have handy

$15 books glorious books!

$15 new umbrella

$40 lunch for two at Indian buffet

My 2014 answer:

$45 mani-pedi
$55 travel fund

What would you do with an extra hundred bucks?

Small Changes, Big Results

While I've seen many people make grand resolutions and sweeping declarations of change for the New Year, I've found that making small changes can equal big results.  My January 2013 goal was to exercise every day.  Was this as grand as most of the resolutions that I've heard? No.  It wasn't going to change my life drastically.  This manageable goal was enough to feel challenged and it was measurable. And because I was consistent, I was able to keep it going throughout the year.

January 2013 workouts

I tracked my workouts on a calendar with big X's. I liked seeing all of the X's and felt accomplished.  I hung it where I could see it and that made it much harder to talk myself out of exercising.

I kept using the X method during the following months.  It wasn't my goal to work out every day, but I usually got in 5-6 workouts weekly.  Unless I was sick, I didn't like to see two empty squares back to back.

Now with bonus walks

 In September, I added a star for every ten minute bonus walk that I took. While a ten minute walk is nothing to write home about, it's the cumulative effect that makes a difference.

Later in the year, I started keeping track of minutes exercised, reaching for a goal of 4 hours per week. Though that goal is pretty challenging, I do meet it some weeks.  (I am still taking bonus walks, I just misplaced the stars.)

More important than the X's or the stars or the minutes is this: I am still keeping track of my workouts in a visual way that is very motivating.  What started out as a January lark turned into a yearlong habit that helped me workout more consistently.  That led to making other healthy changes easier.  I was able to lose weight, keep it off, and keep going!

And it didn't cost me anything as the calendar was free and I had a sharpie and stars already.

December workouts

2013 Greatest Hits

Oh, Baby!
Babyface continues to be the light of my life.  He does adorable things every single day.  Like trying to hug a moving cat.  Asking for a giggle (bagel).  Trying to catch bubbles. Babyface is a full blown toddler who talks up a storm and makes his wishes known.  He definitely looks like a little boy now.  He had his first haircut this year and it was followed by four more.  We continued taking our hippie parenting classes, with My Heart's Desire attending some of the classes.  Since I was home with Babyface in 2013, I found some groups on Meetup that were a good match.

The first Meetup event that I went to was a playdate at someone's house.  As I was bundling up Babyface and packing the baby bag, My Heart's Desire asked, "You're just going to show up to a stranger's house with our baby?" Yup.  That's exactly what I did and I'm so glad because Babyface and I were both able to have fun and make some friends. In 2013 I went to more than 40 events with the group.

Books

I read a lot of books that I liked this year, but I can't say that I really loved any of them.  I love to listen to books and have been getting them on CD from the library for years.  Then I figured out how to download audiobooks through the library consortium and listen to them on my iPhone.  What I do love is my subscription to Audible.  After several friends raved about how much they liked it, I signed up for a free trial, listened to my two free books and the rest is history.

Furiously Typing
I did more writing in 2013 than in the previous few years combined.  I worked on some existing prose and wrote some new poetry and prose.  I got into a groove and once I started writing, I started having more and better ideas.

I ambitiously signed up for National Novel Writing Month and wrote 15,000 words, not in the ballpark of the goal, but a respectable amount of writing for one month.  Midway through November I was offered a job and that shifted my priorities immediately.  In addition to all of the furious typing, I also submitted 16 pieces for consideration.  One was accepted and I'll post a link when it goes live.

Family Tradition
We maintained our family traditions of our Independence Day barbeque, getting Babyface's picture taken regularly, and My Heart's Desire taking Babyface to get his picture taken with Santa.

It's All Relative

Rye on a cheetah

This was another big year for family visits.  My parents visited several times and it's so great to watch them with Babyface.  My brother's daughter was born in March and I got to meet her when she was still teeny-tiny.

She's so light!

I saw my sister's daughter Rye twice this year, once in February and once at Thanksgiving.  Rye's birthday is in November and one of the first things she asked me was why I wasn't at her birthday.  My sister swears she didn't tell her to ask that.

My in-laws visited a couple of times to love on Babyface.  Both of my sisters-in-law were married in November which equaled two family extravaganzas.  

We also traveled to Florida to celebrate Christmas with Babyface's oldest relative, his great-great-aunt Auntie.  She is 102 years old.  Auntie was My Heart's Desire's honorary Grandmother since his passed away when he was small.  She was even old when My Heart's Desire was young! It's really special to see Babyface with Auntie.

Healthy Living
To my immense surprise, I gave up sugar in August. It remains challenging. I've never felt better.  I also took a healthy living class that was very valuable.  And I took advantage of free coaching and had several personal sessions.  I'm feeling good about my healthy habits.

Guilty Pleasure
Lying in bed, reading magazines, drinking a cup of tea, while My Heart's Desire takes care of Babyface.

Thrift
I am no stranger to the thrift shops and used bookstores in my area.  If I can get it for a song, I'm very happy indeed.  I also went to a slightly overwhelming children's consignment sale at the fairgrounds and scored some great stuff, including Babyface's Santa costume. 
The local library used bookstore sells children's books for $.50.  Which is where I got many books for Babyface, including his favorite, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. I can recite it by heart.

Local Getaway
When my mom visited, she told me she was considering staying in a hotel since we have a pretty full house.  Then she offered to stay at our house and let My Heart's Desire and I stay at a hotel for a few nights.  We jumped at the chance!

We spent the days with my mom and Babyface, then My Heart's Desire and I had dinner together and stayed over at a hotel just a few miles from our house.  It's so lovely to sleep without worrying about hearing the baby.  It was a wonderful gift.

I have a friend who works at a hotel chain and we got the room at the friend price.  The thrifty apple did not fall far from the thrifty tree.

Crock Junior

I just couldn't help myself.  As much as I love my big, 6Q slow cooker, I couldn't resist picking up this smaller, 4Q slow cooker.  I bought it secondhand for a song and have been very happy with it.  I cleaned it like Martha Stewart was watching.  It's another Hamilton Beach, though this one is manual, which means I can't set a timer to tell it when to switch to warm.  So far this is not a big deal.

Crock Jr and Crock

It's great for two things.  First, for making smaller quantity recipes. A crock should be half to two-thirds full and when you put in a smaller volume, it doesn't cook properly.  You can put a smaller dish into the crock and cook that way, which I have done with success for baking sweet breads.  But since my big slow cooker is oval, large round dishes won't fit.

I've made some great soups in crock jr already. The broccoli soup, which was perfect on a chilly day and mushroom soup, which tasted nothing like the stuff in the can.  

I also like it when I want to make a side to go with whatever I'm making in the big crock.  Last week I made chicken drumsticks in the big crock and soup in crock jr. It was a breeze!  

Whee!

Babyface is currently going through a climbing phase.  We go to the playground regularly and he plays outside every day.  I've been keeping my eye out for an inexpensive outdoor play structure for the yard.  

My mom recently visited and I mentioned to her that someone in my neighborhood has a play structure (like the one pictured) in the front yard and that I have never seen any kids playing on it. 

Outdoor climbing cube with slide

Never one to let a potential bargain go by, my mom knocked on the door, introduced herself, and found out that the owner was getting a new outdoor climbing  structure and would be happy to pass hers down to me.  So if anyone wonders, the apple did not fall far from the frugal tree. 

Lo and behold, two weeks later I get a message saying we can pick it up.  My Heart's Desire and I disassembled it, brought it home, and gave it a good scrub.  Babyface loves it!  He likes crawling in and out, climbing up the sides, hiding under the platform, and going down the slide.  He calls it Wheee!  

Banana Bread in the Slow Cooker

My recent attempt at baking sweet bread in the slow cooker turned out so well I decided to try it again. I did not use a mix, I used my recipe for banana oatmeal bread.  I made the batter as usual, then poured it into a metal loaf pan (purchased at a yard sale for $.50) lined with parchment.

The batter filled the pan all the way to the top.  I feared the bread would overflow when baked, so I took out about a cup and a half and put it in the fridge.

I baked it on high for three hours with a chopstick propping the lid up to let the condensation out.  After three hours, a knife inserted came out clean. It tasted great, the same as always.  My house smelled great and my kitchen was not hot.  That's a win-win.

Bargain Day: Toddler Swimsuit

Babyface's big baby belly makes his swimsuit very snug.  So I've been keeping my eye out for a new-to-him bathing suit for summer.  I checked the consignment store and what they had was ugly and expensive, my least favorite combination.  I tried another consignment store in a tony area but just couldn't find what I was looking for. My mom checked out her local consignment store and called me from Costco when she saw toddler swimsuits there.

Until today.  I went to my preferred thrift store (yes, with $20 in my pocket) where I found a darling suit in great shape for summer.  And since the thrift store offers 25% off all merchandise on Mondays, the $2.49 suit was $1.86.  I could have paid for it in change.  But I didn't since I also bought books.  After a tumble in the washing machine the cute suit will be ready for a summer in the pool.

Babyface's Kitchen

Mrs. Claus brought this terrific play kitchen for Babyface for Christmas.  And when I say Mrs. Claus, in this case I mean my wonderful former coworker Charlotte.  She found this on the curb on the way to the grocery store one fall weekend and picked it up and delivered it to me.

The kitchen needed a little TLC, was missing some hinges and the microwave had to be re-connected to the freezer, which required a trip to the hardware store for My Heart's Desire.  Then I cleaned it top to bottom.

I also saved empty food containers so that Babyface would have some play foodstuffs to put on the shelves.  The yellow Tupperware container and small pan on the stove are toys from My Heart's Desire's childhood.  Babyface loves to open and close the doors and take the sink out and put it back.

2012 Greatest Hits

Oh, Baby!
My Heart's Desire and I are both head over heels when it comes to Babyface.  2012 was a year of a firsts for Babyface, from teeth to eating solids to talking to rolling over, crawling, and walking. He's grown from a baby into a toddler.  As our pediatrician said, "What a difference a year makes!" Every day he looks slightly less like a baby and slightly more like a little boy. I continued taking parenting classes and still belong to parenting groups. 

Books
I read many, many good and great books this year.  I even found the worst book I ever read.  The best nonfiction book was Cheryl Strayed's Wild. The best fiction books were The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and Carol Rifka Brunt's Tell the Wolves I'm Home. I mostly read on my Kindle, though I regularly get paper books from the library and borrow books from friends.

Family Tradition
I can not stop having Babyface's picture taken.  Almost every month, I have taken him to the department store and had his portrait taken.  I signed up for the portrait studio emails and get the monthly special emailed to me.  Whatever the deal of the month is usually works for me.  It's true that he doesn't look that different month to month, but when I compare a spring to a winter picture, it's like a whole different baby.  We also had professional photographs taken of our family despite many grumbles from My Heart's Desire.  I love to see really good pictures of our family.

It's All Relative
This was a banner year for relatives.  In 2012, everyone in My Heart's Desire and my immediate families got to cuddle with Babyface.  In addition, we traveled to California and Florida for extended family extravaganzas.  It was great to see Babyface with so many relatives.  Suffice it to say that his feet did not touch the floor.

Thrift
I'm one thrifty mama.  Luckily I have friends with sons that hand down clothes and toys to Babyface.  I also have friends with sons younger than Babyface and am happy to pass clothes on.  I love being in the middle of the hand me down chain! 

(Kitchen) Game Changer
Last Christmas I got a slow cooker as a gift. A year later, I'm a slow cooking evangelist. I l-o-v-e that appliance. I can assemble everything in the morning, toss it in the crock, and come home to a hot, delicious dinner. My favorite meal is slow cooker chicken fajitas, but my slow cooker homestyle roast chicken is the most popular. The prep for these recipes takes less time than making a cup of tea. Tomorrow I'm going to slow cook chicken tortilla soup, recipe coming soon.

 

Breakfast
The Hurricane Omelet that my dad makes. Also known as shakshouka, it's eggs poached in a yummy tomato, onion, garlic and bell peppers with cumin and cinnamon.  I was lucky to have it several times this year.  I just happen to have all of the ingredients whenever my dad visits.

Easy like Sunday morning

This morning I woke up at 5:30 because it was ch-ch-chilly in the house.  I tiptoed over to the thermostat and put the heat on, then climbed back in bed.  I was going to lay down for a minute then find my glasses and read when lo and behold I fell back to sleep.  I heard Babyface at around 7:30 (yesterday he got up for me at 6:30) and My Heart's Desire took care of him.  I slept and slept until after 8am!  This, for me, is amazing!  I haven't slept past 6:30 in months.  I felt like a whole new (and happier) person!

Babyface and I have colds so our usual weekend activities like long walks outside, fun time at the park and a few errands were discarded for lounging in our jammies.  Now he's taking his afternoon nap and I am making fresh bread in the breadmaker I scored at my church's rummage sale last hour super sale of everything you can carry for $20.  I made out like a bandit and we'll see how good this bread is.  Next I want to bake cinnamon bread to make French Toast.  This autumn has been a bit fickle but cool temperatures will soon be here to stay.

Grateful

Today I am grateful for: my mentor, the clerk at Macy's who scanned a coupon and saved me $9 on a $44 purchase, having a tank full of gas, finally paying off my overdue library fines (My Heart's Desire is good at many, many things but returning things to the library isn't one of them) so I can check out books, brisk weather, community, and family and friends near and far.

Today I am grateful for: bookstores, having a tiny commute, laughing at myself when I won't buy a drugstore mascara without a coupon, Trader Joe's Irish Breakfast tea, Spa Week coming up next month, pashminas, lovely weather, clean laundry, old school jams, sharpies, my self-care cards that my mom gave me about 10 years ago, and fresh fall apples.

2010 Goals: July Progress

I set specific 2010 goals so here's an update on my July progress.

Read/Write/Blog
1. I read 7 books this month, raising my yearly total to 55. I'm almost done listening to another. I am confident that I will meet my goals of reading 100 books this year!

2. My writing group scheduled a meeting in September. I wrote an essay for Real Simple's contest and one of the writing group members is critiquing it for me, then I will revise and submit to Real Simple.

3. Submit... I had no idea that this would be as cumbersome a chore as it is. Well, I'm setting a goal: submit at least one piece one place in August. A little something is better than a whole lot of nothing!

4. This is my 119th post of the year, so I will easily post 200 times this year.

Healthy
5. I will be run/walking a half marathon! This is a really ambitious goal and I have been training, my longest run so far has been 9 miles. My weekly training consists of two short runs (for speed) and one long run (for distance). The last few weekends have been so very hot that I haven't been able to go for my long run. On those days I swim laps or do a variety of indoor cardio machines, like treadmill, bike, and elliptical. I'm also setting a workout goal for August: 31 workouts! Run/walk, swim, elliptical, yoga, walking - I'm planning on having an active month.

6. I exceeded my goal of eating vegetarian meals 90% of the time by eating veggie 96% of the time. I found out that replacing lean meats with dairy is not very healthy, which is what I have been doing, eating lots of cheese, yogurt (you know I love Fage), and milk. So now I'm reevaluating my kibosh on eating meat regularly and trying to figure out how I can be healthier. A hippie store near me sells clean meat, including organic, grass-fed beef and pastured poultry. Yes, it's expensive, it's also meat I can feel okay about eating.

Fun & Friends
7. The new thing I did this month was go to a charming town on the seashore for my cousin's wedding with my mom and My Heart's Desire. It was nice to get away and celebrate love.

8. Seeing friends. I saw lots of friends and family at our fourth annual Fourth of July cookout. I love this tradition! We host a fun, low-stress event every year with yummy food, great people, and celebrate America's birthday. Some people even brought patriotic desserts, which everyone got a kick out of. What could be better? I also went to a farewell brunch, had dinner with a friend at a hippie restaurant, had a friend over for dinner with my mom and me, went to a brunch with lots of wonderful girls, and took my honorary grandmother to see The Kids Are All Right, which I liked and she loved.

9. My Heart's Desire and I had a lot of fun this month. We both enjoyed the 4th of July cookout and the weekend away. We also went to a movie.

10. Photo taken of My Heart's Desire and I? Nope.

11. Bonus! It's All Relative. My mom came to town and I took a day off from work. We went shopping (and by that I obviously mean thrift), went out to lunch and to the movies, browsed for books, and had frozen yogurt. I also hung out with my aunt and uncle, cousins, and met my cousin's adorable sons.

2010 Goals: April Progress

I set specific 2010 goals so here's an update on my April progress.

1. I read 5 books this month, raising my yearly total to 33. As usual, I did not finish a lot of books I started. I'm also almost done listen to a book on CD.

2. I met with my writing group for dinner and a reading by a former professor. The dinner was good, the reading was great. I bought the book (I just remembered) and started it. Goal: Achieved.

3. Submit... This I still have not done yet. May, I've got my eye on you for submissions!

4. Blog regularly — I am on it. This is my 75th post of the year, so I am on track for 200 blog posts this year.

5. Participate in two races. I had a lot of fun at the Earth Day 5K. Another part of my goal was to raise money for a worthy cause. I put together Furiously Walking, a walking team to participate in the Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure® in the 5K walk on June 5, at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.

6. I ate vegetarian meals 90% of the time - meeting my goal. Yay! In March I did not feel good after eating all that meat. So I made sure to have vegetarian meals and snacks on hand. Though pad thai and chicken panang have long been my go-to takeout (and out to lunch) staples, I am now hooked on the spicy eggplant (I had it for the first time in February). I don't know how they prepare it, but it is good every time and I find myself craving it.

7. This month I tried a new restaurant and ordered some hippie stuff from Etsy. I also bought new running shoes at a running store I had never been to before (recommended by an acquaintance). It was ladies' night (unbeknownst to me until I showed up) so there were snacks, extra staff, giveaways (bags, pens, headbands) and 10-min massages. My feet and I left happy.

8. Seeing friends. This month I saw friends a lot! I exceeded my goal of seeing friends at least once a week. In April I met friends for brunch and lunch a few times, enjoyed an anniversary dinner, went for a walk/jog, and for a mani-pedi. It was great to catch up with old friends and get to know new ones.

9. My Heart's Desire and I had fun this month. April Fool's Day is our wedding anniversary and we went out for a fancy dinner that night. Later in the month we had heavenly relaxing massages, which were very relaxing. We also went to the movies and saw Hot Tub Time Machine (exactly what you'd expect) and City Island (a dramedy of the best kind). You can figure out who picked each movie.

10. Photo taken of My Heart's Desire and I? Nope.

Thrifty Girl Report

Beauty
I really like using makeup removing cloths but found them to be on the pricey side, even for the store brand. I read in a magazine (can’t remember which one) that sensitive baby wipes can do the same job at a fraction of the price. It’s true, they work just as well. I can get around 300 sensitive baby wipes for around $8, while that much money wouldn’t buy me more than 30 makeup removing cloths.

Coupons
I get the Sunday paper, which I usually read most sections of, until I get to the coupons. I’m still cutting and using coupons. I even have that little coupon wallet that goes on the shopping cart. That’s right. The last time I went to the market I saved $14 just with coupons.

Cooking at Home
While I do like wearing aprons, I’m no Julia Child. I’m more Sandra Lee (she of semi-homemade fame). I’ve been cooking more at home, making meals and snack bags so I have meals at home when I’m tired, hungry, and grouchy. I recently bought another set of Pyrex so I can make two casseroles at a time (enchiladas and baked ziti with spinach are my faves) and freeze one.

Fun on the Cheap
I'm really liking services that send me weekly emails with what events are going on around town with discounted prices, like Goldstar. Cultural Tourism DC also sends me a weekly email with cultural activities, many of which are free.

Consignment Shop
I now have two favorites, which are both hit or miss. But when I hit, it’s great. I’ve purchased a large jewelry box for $15, just like the one pictured — but pink — that sells for $199 at Pottery Barn.

Old-Fashioned Popcorn

Last night My Heart’s Desire and I made popcorn the old-fashioned way. With corn and oil on the stove. I have never made popcorn this way before – just air popped and microwave.

Someone gave him this popcorn pot (has a lid and an arm that sweeps the kernels around so they don’t burn) when he was a bachelor. It’s been in our kitchen for years and it just seemed like too much trouble.

Well, last night we were out of microwave popcorn. So we broke out the pot, oil and corn!

It was 1/3 cup kernels and 1 tbsp of oil over medium heat and it didn’t take long before the kernels were popping away. It was more trouble than microwave popcorn but it only took about 5 minutes. We added a little butter and some salt and enjoyed.

The main difference? The taste. Wow! It was good! I actually said to My Heart’s Desire, “I didn’t know this was how popcorn was supposed to taste.”

Even the cheap microwave popcorn (which you know this thrifty girl buys) is nowhere near as inexpensive as this. We’ll be popping on the stove a lot more often.

Thrifty Girl Report - November

Can I live without it?
There are a lot of things I would like (or love) to have but when I ask myself, "Can I live without it?" I can differentiate between a want and a need.

Mail-In Rebates
Oh, I'll mail it in. Last month I bought a new phone for $129 and they offered a $100 rebate. I mailed that in quick, fast, and in a hurry. I don't even care that it takes 10-14 weeks for the rebate, money's coming!

Brown Bag Lunch
I usually go out to lunch about once a week with a friend or coworker. But I've also been having brown bag lunches with coworkers, where we get to chat and catch up over our sammies and salads. It's no additional expense and lots of fun.

Matinee, please
My Heart's Desire and I go through phases where we go to the movies a lot. And that gets expensive. I have a rewards card with one theater we go to a lot and use it on every purchase. Going to the early show for the matinee saves us $.

Coupons and deals
I regularly check websites like Retail Me Not and The Consumerist for information on deals.

Today I got up early, did AM Yoga while trying to turn my brain off, crawled back in bed (am so in love with the electric blanket!), wrote for 15 minutes, read a bit of Fodor’s Hawaii 2010, remembered to put on makeup, went to work, was glad I have umbrellas everywhere, dropped off dry cleaning, perused used books at local used book store, bought The Inheritance of Loss for $3, met a mentee, tried to return a timer to Crate & Barrel at 8:07 when they closed at 8:00, had a yummy dinner at home, enchiladas (I assembled them a month ago and froze) with rice My Heart’s Desire made, watched some TV, and am calling it a night!

Today I am grateful for: seeing all the birds (and the aptly named Fat Squirrel) that visit our feeders, reading library books and magazines, green tea (yes, this thrifty girl re-uses teabags), healthy living blogs, orange bubbly, and a nice chat with Mom.