Blogiversary Day 4

Unfortunately, for this prize I could not find a good photo online, so we will have to make do with my crappy photo-taking skills.  Thankfully it's a cute prize and I hope that comes through!  Leave a comment to be entered to win!

Prize #4

Lovebirds necklace from ModCloth

Blogiversary Day 3

Day Three!  To enter to win this prize, leave me a comment and I will pick a winner at random and send you your bounty (US and Canadian addresses only).

Prize #3

Wide Brim Sun Visor from Modcloth

I couldn't find the picture on Modcloth, so this is a stunt visor
The real one is darker and more brownish.

Blogiversary Day 2

It's day two of the Blogiversary, and I have another adorable prize for you all.  To enter the drawing to win the prize, just leave me a comment and I'll pick a winner at random (US and Canadian addresses only)

Prize #2

Retro Rosie Earrings from Modcloth

Mine are yellow though, not teal

Blogiversary!

That's not a real word, so that's why it looks like it's spelled wrong, but the point is that it has been two years since I started this wee blog!  That's crazy, but also awesome.  If you're reading right now, I would like to say thank you for not making me feel as if I was rambling to a cold and unfeeling internet.

Another way to say thank you is with prizes!!  I have been amassing a bounty of delights that I would love to share with my readers, and I apologize to any guys in advance, but it's all pretty girly (give it to a wife/girlfriend/sister/pal).  All I ask is that you leave a comment saying which prize you want, and I will pick a person at random (US and Canada addresses, only).  Once I pick a winner, give me your address, and await your free treat!  Isn't the internet wonderful?

In order to keep me organized, we'll do one prize per day until I run out of prizes.  If you want to win a particular prize, leave me a comment, and I will pick a winner at random and send you your bounty.

Prize #1

Navajo-style Owl Necklace from Modcloth

Me Time

One of the things I like best about the blogging community is that it allows me to try and review products from brands that I actually use and respect.  I've been using Dove products for years because they're both high-quality and affordable.  It's a delightful bonus that I love the Campaign for Real Beauty.  When I got the chance to try the new Dove® VisibleCare™ Renewing Crème Body
Wash and write a review of it, I was totally pumped.

Often, I don't really take the time to slow down.  I'm the type of person who really likes to be busy, but between work, social obligations, running, spending quality time with the cat and the boyfriend and trying to find uses for all these new and strange farm share vegetables--it's easy to cut corners and forget to just breathe.  That's why, when I found out I would be trying a new and much more luxurious body wash than the one I was previously using, I decided to actively enjoy my time in the shower--really use that chunk of me time to try to de-stress and focus on the day ahead.

This was a great body wash for that.  Not only is it thick and creamy, but it bubbles like a champ!  I hate, hate, hate when you feel like you've put a ton of body wash on your pouf and it just dies while you're still washing your shoulders.  This stuff, I honestly used far too much the first time and had to scale back, which means that this bottle will last me far longer than that cheap stuff I had before.

After only one week, my skin felt smoother and softer, but not greasy or over-moisturized.  I was concerned, just because it looks so creamy, that it would be heavy or filmy feeling--not at all.  I also managed to get a lovely sunburn during my first week with this body wash, and it seemed to sooth my irritated skin as well.  Sure, that could have been all in my head, but who cares!  At least my sunburn felt better!

In short, I love Dove products, and to celebrate that fact, here's a coupon code for a dollar off, and a link to an awesome contest!


Introducing Dove^{®sVisibleCare® Crème Body Wash. Built on the brand’s heritage in cleansing and caring for skin, Dove VisibleCare combines the best of Dove technology into a luxurious experience for beauty seekers. With the highest concentration of NutriumMoisture technology across the Dove portfolio, Dove VisibleCare Crème Body Wash actually improves the look of skin over time. Visit http://goo.gl/gy5mL}to get a coupon for $1 off!

Enter to win one of two $500 Spafinder gift certificates!
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY
COMMENTS TO THIS POST ARE NOT SWEEPSTAKES ENTRIES. PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR ENTRY METHODS FOR THIS SWEEPSTAKES.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Click here, and provide your email address and your response to the Promotion prompt
b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: "#SweepstakesEntry"; and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that Tweet.
c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that post.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. Winners will have 72 hours to claim the prize, or an alternative winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here  This sweepstakes runs from 7/18/2012 - 8/22/2012Be sure to visit the VisibleCare™ Crème Body Wash brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!


Disclosure: I received a free sample of Dove® VisibleCare™ Renewing Crème BodyWashand compensation, but my opinions are 100% my own.

It's a Kohlrabi

Farm Share Week #5 is upon us, and I have to say, I think I'm getting the hang of this.  This week's bounty included:

head lettuce

broccoli

kohlrabi

parsley

beets

shelling peas

fennel

collards

radishes

The only vegetables in that list that I'm afraid of are kohlrabi and collards.  I've eaten collards before, but never prepared them; kohlrabi, I think I've heard of it.  It certainly is pretty though.

It's like a vegetable sculpture!

But what the hell do I do with it? The internet tells me that kohlrabi is otherwise known as a German turnip, so I may just treat it like other root vegetables and roast it. Suggestions are welcome, as always.

Another few things I've learned recently with the farm share:

1. I am not emotionally ready to deal with beet greens. I roasted the beets I had last week and ate them on a bed of arugula. It was fab, and I felt very pleased with myself. I know that you can also use the beet greens in salad etc., but I'm still scared of them, so I've been throwing them away.
2. I'm sad that this week's share didn't include bok choy! What the hell has happened to me? At least, if nothing else good comes out of this crazy experiment, I now know that bok choy is pretty awesome and is not an onion (it really looks like an onion after it's been chopped and stir-fried).
3. I've got to figure out what to do with the radishes. I picked some, but I have two bunches on deck and no clue what to do with them. I've read that the French eat a ton of radishes, and I am trying to be more European, and I'm at a bit of a loss right now. I shall do some googling.
4. How the hell did people ever learn to cook strange things before the internet? I know there have always been cook books, but I feel like I've never seen a cookbook as comprehensive as what I would need to deal with all this veg. I love you, the internet.

 I'm off to solve the radish/kohlrabi conundrum. Wish me luck!

Austerity Measures Are Working!

Since instituting my Austerity Measures at the beginning of the month, I've actually been really successful!  It surprises me a little, but I've managed to slip into that zen place where instead of thinking I can buy clothes, my Amex is almost paid off, I think instead, I can pay off my Amex and then save!  I love it when this happens, but it's elusive and unreliable.  It's unfortunate that it takes job uncertainty to make me stop being a money dumbass, but whatever works, I'm not going to knock it.

Let's re-visit the rules I set for myself and see how I'm doing:

1. No more races. Haven't registered for any more, and have no plans to!
2. No more clothes. Success!  I even have a $30 Old Navy voucher that I haven't spent yet, and I'm enjoying shopping my closet.
3. No more overpaying on student loans. Stupid Direct Loans somehow screwed up my request for income-based repayment, and were telling me that I would owe them $900+ a month.  Ummm, no, that's half my income.  So I called them, and a bored-sounding guy said that I'll have to resubmit my income statement and wait (again), so my loans are back in forebearance.  This jacks up my interest rate and makes me angry, but there's really nothing I can do about it.
4. Rein in grocery spending. Doing good with this one too!  We did one big shop for about $230, and I made one more small trip where I spent about $15.  Considering that our grocery bills have topped $350 lately, this is a great improvement.  Plus, I've had all my farmshare veg to keep me filled up.
5. No restaurants unless we have a Gift Certificate or Groupon.  Haven't really gone out to eat at all, but I'm fine with that.
6. No more thinking--I need that!  I've been avoiding stores, amazon.com and other temptations so this is going ok too.
7. Cut Back on Booze.  I'm doing ok here--not cutting it out, but certainly cutting down ;)
8. No more Gym Membership.  I mailed in my 'I want to quit the gym' letter June 7, and I know they received it last week because I got notification, now I'm just waiting for Bally to quit dragging their heels and give me my damn money!  I've been doing CrossFit with that groupon that I bought and I love it!  Just what I need, another expensive hobby.  However, it's a really small, independently-owned place, and I plan to just say, "hey, I want to do this once a week, but I'm poor." Then I'll see what they say. A friend of mine worked out a deal with the yoga place we go to where she gets unlimited free yoga in exchange for doing light cleaning work.  I may even suggest something like that to the CrossFit guys--we'll see.

One thing that I noticed when I was looking over my budget the other day is even with my austerity measures in place--and actually sticking to them-- I've still spent $300 more this month than I've made.  Sure, I get paid tomorrow, but that's kind of scary.  When I do the math, I should be making more than my expenses, but in practice, I may be cutting it closer than I thought, which would explain why putting money in savings has been such a challenge.

So that's a negative, but I have an awesome positive.  I needed to buy gas the other day, and realized that I had not bought gas for the entire month of June!  BF filled the tank halfway a few weeks ago, but my total gas bill for June is $39!

The City of Free Samples

Growing up in the Midwest, I spent a lot of time in Chicago.  It was in Chicago, particularly at the Museum of Science and Industry, where I first learned that one's feet can hurt in a way that is both alarming and hard to get rid of (I was 12).  My dad and brother loved Chicago, and managed to squeeze in a visit to the Windy City on seemingly every family vacation (we always did driving vacations) even if it was like five hours out of the way and all they wanted to do was visit the Hard Rock Cafe (why!?!?).  Being the snarky teen that I was, this made me hate Chicago, roll my eyes at the City by the Lake, and I haven't been there in probably eleven or so years.

But I realize that people like Chicago, often people who I respect the opinions of and therefore I shouldn't let some hurt feet keep me from the city with far too many nicknames.  Also, BF told me that his beloved Red Sox were playing the Chicago Cubs in historic Wrigley Field (I don't really care about that, but I do like drinking beer outside without fear of judgement) AND Stephen Merchant was doing standup as part of TBS's Just for Laughs Festival.  We weren't able to catch SM when he was in New York, and certainly didn't want to go to LA for it (no offense to people who live there, but I really hate LA--except the nice parts), so Chicago it was!

Some people, mostly him, say this man is not attractive-that's a lie

While I certainly do amend my previous opinion that Chicago is a jerk that I do not want to spend time with, the thing I was most surprised by (aside from the heat--my god!) was the fact that there were constantly people standing on street corners handing me free food!  I've mentioned extensively how I love a free meal, and I have come to Chicago with Larabars in tow to keep BF from insisting on breakfast every day, but people just kept giving me more and more free things!

First day, we went to get deep dish pizza, which was amazing and killed my interest in eating for nearly 12 hours, which must be some kind of record.  There were friendly people handing out Sabra hummus and pita chips!  Also coupons!  BF thought I was deranged, but I went and grabbed one, and then just shoved it in my purse for later.  It was sealed, didn't matter that I carried it around for the rest of the day, and then I had a lovely little snack later (two days later, our room had a fridge). Also, I later found a coupon on the ground that I also kept--$1 off!

Next day, two very friendly ladies were handing out Kind bars.  I've never bought these before, but now I know that I like them and BF's nut allergy meant that I got two without appearing to be greedy!

These varieties are more exotic than the one I got, but who cares.

 The day after that, we were leaving the Planetarium, and I had a hankering for some kind of frozen treat.  There were many options from little kiosks and such, but they were all ice cream which just sounded too heavy.  Lo and behold, a Whole Foods van pulled up, and some lady started handing out frozen fruit bars for free!  Exactly what I wanted, and something I would have willingly paid for (but I was happy to not have to)!

Lest you think that all I did in Chicago was eat free food, I do have to confess that we weren't super smart about being thrifty while we were there.  We did buy beer to consume back at the hotel, and we were so damned exhausted every day that we just went back to the room to watch tv rather than going out for drinks, but we spent gobs of money on the Shedd Aquarium and the Sears Tower, and we could have been a bit smarter about that. But, for those gobs of money, I got to hang out with some sea otters and whales and be terrified by those plexiglass boxes they have on the Sears Tower now.

These are strangers--reckless strangers

I kept seeing people with these Chicago City Passes, which let you into five attractions (that you would actually want to go to) for a deeply discounted price of $84/person.  Considering we paid $35 for two for the Sears Tower (I know it's the 'Willis" tower now, but I don't like that) and $69 for two for the aquarium, this city pass seems like a hella good deal.  If you plan to visit Chicago and hit up at least three of the five attractions--get one.  Next time I go to Chicago, however, I'm just going to focus on cramming as much pizza down my throat as I possibly can, or I'll just move there and spend my days walking around in search of free food.

Farm Share: Week 2

Look at all that stuff!

Now you're probably saying to yourself: it's been three weeks since she started this farm share!  Why is she saying it's only week two?  First off, I'd like to thank you for being so observant--don't let me think I can get away with anything.  Secondly, last week was the week of the non-working fridge/ mini-vacation, so I gave all my veg to my farm sharing partner.  Let me say though, this week certainly made up for the shortfall, and now I'm really, really glad I'm sharing all this bounty with someone else.


This week's offerings are:

garlic scapes
red mustard buds and leaves
rainbow lacinata kale
english shelling peas
broadleaf endive
cilantro
bunched french sorrel
prize choy asian 
cooking greeneaster egg radishes
lettuce mix with some claytonia (the small white flowered plant)
fava shoots
tall top beets

I totally traipsed up to the pickup place with my single grocery bag expecting it to be half full like the last two weeks--not so.  I didn't even take everything, and I still was panicking about how to get it all back to the car.  Also, last week, they were out of radishes by the time I got to the pickup, so I this week, I took two!  Brazen, I know, but pickup is from 4-7pm and I can't make it til 6:15!  All the best veg is gone by then!
My radishes are currently pickling away in the fridge--I'm really, really excited about this.  

I've also pushed past my fear of the bok choy, or prize choy as it's called in that list up top.  A little internetting and asking google the question "What do you do with bok choy?" "and how to you cut bok choy?" Made me realize that I've eaten this scary vegetable many, many time in Asian and Pan-Asian (same thing, different thing?  I don't know, but I want to be inclusive) cuisine.  It's that onion-looking thing that doesn't taste like an onion, but has a satisfying crunch!

I stir-fried my bok choy with some olive oil, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, barley and sriracha and damn if I don't just feel like the smartest girl ever.  Therefore this is the week where I learned:

Scary vegetables can be stir-fried and they will become familiar--and tasty!

This is similar to the day when I realized that everything tastes good oven roasted with olive oil, salt and pepper.

What a relief, I tell you.  Next adventure--what the hell to do with the fava shoots.  They're pretty, they smell good, but they have flowers and I've been trained not to eat flowers (by eating flowers as a child and finding them bitter--you did it too, admit it).

Flowers!  Are flowers food?

Maybe I'll just stir fry them and hope for the best?  Suggestions welcome.

Google Calendar Meal Planning Part 2

Note: If you haven't read Part 1, this may make no sense.  This is part 2 of a guest post by the super-frugal Kara.

GROCERY SHOPPING
Now, instead of just slapping meals together on random days, I integrate meal planning with my grocery shopping system.  I may not always be able to find a matching pair of socks, but my grocery shopping system runs like a Japanese train. First of all, grocery shopping is very lame (and illegal) without money, so this plan cycles around payday. I get paid twice a month. Most of you probably do too. If you're on some other schedule, this might take an adjustment. Our entire monthly family budget is divided into two sets of line items. Some of those items are paid on/just after the 15th, the rest are on/just after the 30th. Our monthly grocery budget is divided between the two paychecks, with each paycheck covering half. Now, how can I make sure my grocery money lasts the whole 2 weeks and I haven't overspent? Should I withdraw cash, put it in an envelope and pay from there every time I buy groceries? Or should I just keep all the receipts and keep a running tally? Maybe just guesstimate in my head? Nope. There is one surefire way to make sure you don't go over. You take that grocery money, and you blow it all immediately. Then it's simple. You're done. How do you not spend extra a few days later? DON'T GO BACK TO THE GROCERY STORE. 

This may sound draconian, but it is elegant in its simplicity. See, your present self always thinks your future self is going to be a good guy. So present self says, "Well, I'll buy the Doritos now, but next week I'll stick to the list." But future self will sabotage present self's plans every time. Future self will also buy the Doritos. The only way to get around this is by sabotaging your future self's opportunity. Spend all future self's money now, and then don't let her back into the store! I always buy 2 weeks worth of groceries at a time. We are a family of 4 with one vehicle, and because my partner often drives to work, I don't have a vehicle most days. This would make it extremely inconvenient to make a grocery run 2 or 3 times a week, so going once per pay period is easier. My grocery stock up habit also stems partly from my rural upbringing when "running to the store for a gallon of milk" would have required a 12 mile trip. You didn't do that. If you were too dumb to calculate the proper amount of milk to bring home the first time, then you could go without until the next trip to town. Now I live in a city of 280,000. There are many nearby stores that would be happy to sell me a gallon of milk. But of course, if I walk in there for milk, I'm likely to walk out with a few impulse purchases that neither my wallet nor my waistline will appreciate. 


Everybody impulse buys. But if you're going to the store 2 times a month instead of 12 times a month, you are likely making 1/6 the number of impulse purchases that a 12x a month shopper is. At $3.29 per bag of Doritos, that's a $32.90 savings, not including tax...or calories. The savings on gas and time are also very real. It takes me about 8 minutes to drive to the grocery store. At 16 minutes a round trip, that's 32 minutes a month in transit instead of  1 hr 42 minutes. That doesn't even count all the time walking through the store and standing in line, or the gas required to drive the 20 or so extra miles. I have better things to do with my time than stand in a checkout line, so I love only having to do it twice a month. Some people are intimidated by this because it involves actual planning. You have to pay attention to how much milk your family drinks in a week, instead of just hitting the store on autopilot every time you run out, and coming home with one (yes, people really do get one at a time) one gallon of milk. Which will last 3 days. And then repeat. You're standing there in front of the cooler. Just grab three instead of one, my dear.  


Some people try to buy the bare minimum at a time because they're trying to save money. But in the end, I guarantee the disorganization and $ spent on gas will cost you more. Some people balk at this idea because they want to go to the store every few days for "fresh" milk, bread and produce. If you are not yet aware of how long it takes supermarket food to reach your shelves, there are several documentaries I can recommend. Do you really think the food stays fresher sitting in the store cooler for a few days than it would sitting in your fridge? Just buy that ginormous bag of potatoes and be done with it. What's that you say? Lettuce doesn't last two weeks in the fridge?  You are correct. That is where grocery shopping and meal planning come together.


Do not put lettuce salad in your meal plan on the 28th of the month. That would be gross. Put it on the 16th, 17th, or 18th. Or the 2nd, 3rd or 4th. Or all of the above, if you really like lettuce. Those dates are right after you went grocery shopping. Pick all the quick-spoiling veggies and dairy items that you like to eat, and put them in your meal plans for the first week of your pay cycle. The second week, you will be eating things like potatoes, carrots, squash, frozen green beans, etc. Those things can handle a couple weeks in the fridge/freezer. They're cheaper too. As you make your meal plan in GC, write out your grocery list at the same time. Some people want to type their grocery list into their phone. I can still write faster than I can text. This is true for most people over 25. Just write out the list; you'll save yourself time. Look at each recipe, and look in your cupboard/fridge to see which ingredients you already have.

When your present self finally comes to grips with the fact that future self is not allowed into the grocery store, you will find yourself being VERY observant about what needs to go on that list. You, present self, are the only thing standing between future self and an empty toothpaste tube. Are you running kind of low on hand soap? How low? Retrain yourself to think of "low = 2 weeks worth" instead of "low = 2 days worth". You will also become aware of just how much your family eats of certain items. It's easy to miss when you're buying them one at a time. But when you're putting 8 boxes of fruit flavored snacks into the cart...you're doing it intentionally. It's that much easier to spot dietary changes that need to be made. Some items will be inadvertently forgotten at first. That's just part of switching gears. You may have to survive without roasted red pepper hummus for  6 entire days  until payday. You'll live. You'll be a stronger person for it. And you'll appreciate the hummus much more when you do get it. You will be able to smile at those neurotic shoppers who "just had to have" a certain item right now. You will be the gladiator of grocery shoppers. And you will rock your grocery budget every. single. month. 

So, in review, here are my guidelines for meal planning and grocery shopping:
1. Make a 2 week meal plan in GC, taking into account the fact that all the groceries will be bought at once.
2. Shop on payday or the day after.
3. Buy 2 weeks worth of groceries (don't forget breakfasts!).
4. Do not go back to the grocery store. I don't care if it's 9 pm and you feel like having ice cream. Don't go back. (You don't have any money anyway, remember?)  Ran out of juice for breakfast? Suck it up. Your ancestors didn't always have juice for breakfast either. Heck, they might not even have had breakfast.
5. Enjoy getting a daily reminder in your inbox telling you what to make for supper...and the fact that all the ingredients are already sitting in your kitchen. Meanwhile, YOU get a two week vacation from standing in the check out line.