A Garden Tour

The gardens are coming along. There is still much to plant, weeds to pull, and mulching to be done, but I thought I'd share with you a few of the high lights of the garden. 

Little buds on the grape vines. We were a little concerned about our new plants, but they seem to be coming along, slow but sure. 

Mulch, and a lot of mulch means less weeding and less watering in the long run, but it is a time and energy consumer in the spring. Thankfully, I don't have to do much of the back breaking work of it. 

Baby asparagus. We started our first asparagus bed this year. They plants are just poking up. Time to go fill in the trench a little more. 

Baby strawberry plant. We planted 50 strawberries this year. Yesterday my mom and my oldest picked off all the flower buds. It kills me to do this, but like thinning, it has to be done for the better of the plant. We will enjoy the berries next year.  

Under here are the cabbage, broccoli and Brussel sprouts. This is the first year we've used row covers. I am hoping they keep out those pesky cabbage worms. 

Onions. I believe these are the yellow onions. We also planted a few red. The neighbor gave us a another bag of onion sets that I will planting today. You can never have too many can you?  

A baby blueberry plant. We planted four this year. I can not wait for these to start producing, but again I will be waiting until next year. 

The lettuce. Please ignore the weeds. 

Our first harvest; radishes. We planted French Breakfast radishes this year. They are wonderful! Usually the kids aren't fans of radishes, but they like these. 

Now I am out to work on the garden. 

What was for dinner? - Hmmm. Let me think....

I spent the majority of this week fighting a nasty head and chest cold. I don't get sick very often, and when I do it is normally more of a nuisance than an issue. This cold was a doozy that left me completely wiped out and exhausted. Finally yesterday afternoon I started to feel better. There are still remnants of the cold, but I finally feel mostly functional again. 

So in the busyness of my everyday life, and the haze of cold medicine (which really did little to help) I forgot to write down our meals from the week. You'd think a person could remember seven days of meals. For the life of me I can't. I can tell you last night we had BBQ pork chops, oven fries, and salad. I think the night before that was a clean out the refrigerator night. Beyond that....well I'm just not sure. Pretty sure I made pizza somewhere in there, and I recall finishing off  a vegetarian Mexican lasagna after work one night. Four out of seven? Guess I fail the short term memory game. Maybe Tim will fill in the blanks for me. 

Have a great weekend all!

Spring Cleaning Bargains: Clean Everything But the Bank!

The following is a guest post from Cristina over at FabulousSavings.com. Check out their site for frugal ideas and  coupons galore. 

Open the windows and bust out your cleaning tools - it's cleaning time. I love spring cleaning for the facelift it gives the house, the scent it gives each room and for how good I feel when I come home to a clean house. Clean everything but the bank this spring by reading on for some great spring cleaning bargains. 

But best of all, I love spring cleaning for the extra coins I find in the couch cushions along with saving money on cleaning supplies by making my own. I like to call them my Frugal Cleaning Products. They often work better than store bought but cost me nothing!

Follow my advice on spring cleaning to get your home organized, clutter free and smelling fresh. And with my tips come free coupons to my favorite coupon site. FabulousSavings.com offers exclusive, merchant-approved coupons for everything from clothing to beauty products, home appliances and more! FabulousSavings.com coupons are constantly updated, and anytime you need a hand, talk to a friendly rep on the phone.  

My Top Ten Spring Cleaning Tips

1)      Open the windows - Bring fresh air into your home while getting that stale scent out of fabrics.

  2)      Make window & glass cleaning product - In a spray bottle, combine 2 cups of water, 1/4 cup of vinegar & 1/2 teaspoon of dish soap.

  3)      Create floor cleaning product - All you need is 1 full cup of vinegar & very hot water for a streak-free floor.

  4)      Bathroom cleaner for all surfaces - In a spray bottle, pour 1/2 cup of dish soap & fill the rest with vinegar.

  5)      Use natural ingredients - For example, where you'd use bleach to whiten, use a lemon! Using natural products is frugal and healthier.

  6)      It's organizing time! - Here are some of my favorite coupons from FabulousSavings.com that hook me up with the best organizational products and spring cleaning bargains:

·        Overstock coupons - $20 off $500 or more on glass-corner bathrooms shelves, pretty tuck-away wicker baskets, five-shelf shoe cabinet, etc.

·        Plow and Hearth coupons - $15 off $75 on wooden library shelves for books & magazines, basket shelves, ottomans with inner storage

·        Smart Bargains coupons - 10% off toy chests for kids' toy room, charming shelves plus more

·        Target coupons - $5 off $50 or more on laundry-room storage, decorative bins, wicker baskets, benches with storage, etc.

 

7)      Follow your nose - Make your home smell like a heavenly meadow with fresh florals or citrusy scents.

 

8)      Keep on top of things - Instead of leaving the cleaning for Saturday, assign chores to everyone throughout the week.

 

9)      Plug-ins work for you - Prolong that fresh lemony or morning-dew scent you love for a house that always smells great by picking up some Glade plug-ins.

 

10)  Put your feet up - It's been a long day. Sit back with your favorite cup of tea, enjoy the AMAZING feeling of the clean house that surrounds you, and…let go.

 

So now that spring cleaning's out of the way, you think you'll continue to make your own cleaning products? I do! Once you realize just how good they work on all your surfaces and how much better they are for your health and the environment, you'll never go back!

 

Cristina from FabulousSavings.com

Temptation We Couldn't Resist

Last week in Sticking to the Plan, I shared about a few things that were tempting us to stray from our budget and our plan. One of those items was a new washer. 

We needed a different washer. Buying a used washer for about $100 was the plan.  We were watching ads, and trying to find the right washer for the right price when temptation again came to taunt us. This time we could not resist. 

We found a top loading high efficiency washer for $350. I know, well beyond our planned budget for a washer. I supposed that I should feel regret over this purchase since we did not stick to our plan and used $250 that was slated to pay off debt. But I can honestly say I feel no regret. 

The biggest reason I can not feel bad about this purchase is because we made it with cash. The washer did not put us farther into debt. It did not use any of our emergency fund. 

I could also rationalize the purchase by saying that the high efficiency washer uses less water and electric. The clothes also dry much faster because this washer does a better job spinning them out. Yes, I could argue that, but considering that I line dry most of our laundry, it will probably take a long time to make up the $250 difference. 

But there is a valid argument, if less tangible, for my time. I had a hard time keeping up with laundry before I started working. Since starting work, the back log of laundry was becoming huge. This capacity of this washer is easily double the capacity of my other washer. It even will hold our sleeping bags, which I would not have even dreamed of washing at home before. Not only can I wash more in one load, as I mentioned above, the clothes dry much faster. I've been amazed out how much easier it has been to stay on top of the laundry since we got this machine. 

This washer was more than we originally planned to spend. Buying the washer does fit with our big picture plan or using cash for purchases. That extra money was slated to pay down our debt, but using it for a much better washer than we thought we could buy was worth it to us. Plans and budgets are good. Sticking to them is good too, but so is a little flexibility.

What was for dinner?

 Another week gone. They are just flying by! 

We finally had some sun this week! I planted blueberries, and tried to get a little work done in the garden while I could. This morning I am going to try to gather some pine needles to mulch the blueberries, and thin the beets and radishes before work. There still is a lot more to plant and do! 

Dinners this week were as follows: 

Saturday: (*) Ribs, baked beans

Sunday: Beef roast, (*) green beans, potatoes, rolls, best ever cake

Monday: Leftovers

Tuesday: Baked potato bar

Wednesday: (*) Italian pork chops, rice, (*) green beans

Thursday: (*) Pork stir fry

Friday: (*) Sausage gravy, biscuits, fried potatoes

(*) homegrown

Have a great weekend! 

Grocery Deals at Amazon

There are good grocery deals at Amazon this month! Check these out!

PepsiCo Spend $69 get $25

This includes brands like Quaker, Gatorade, Rice-a-Roni, Lay's and many more. Use code ALLPEPSI

Save on Natural and Organic
Spend $59 and get a $15 instant rebate plus a free Earthwise shopping bag. Brands included in this offer are Kashi, Bear Naked, Newmans Own, and many more. Code: EARTH222

Tasty Baby

Spend $49 on frozen organic baby foods and get a $20 instant rebate. Code: TASTY555

As always, all Amazon orders for $25 or more receive free shipping. Hope you are able to find some good deals on things you need! 

And the Winner Is

Deborah is the winner of the $25 gift certificate from Outback Steakhouse! Deborah I've emailed you! Thanks to the Outback for providing this great giveaway, and thanks to all who participated! 

Outback Steakhouse Giveaway

Need a night off from cooking? Outback Steakhouse is promoting their new 15 dinners under $15 menu, and is offering one lucky Stop the Ride reader a $25 gift certificate. 

Entering is easy. Simply leave a comment with your favorite Outback menu item. Never been there? No worries. Just leave a comment to be entered in the drawing. Be sure there is an email or blog address where I can reach you if you win. One lucky winner will be randomly selected Friday morning. Good luck to you! 

Free Milkweed Seeds

Milkweed is crucial to the life cycle of monarch butterflies. Long time readers of Stop the Ride also know that milkweed can be prepared for a delicious dish of greens or flower fritters. 

If you'd like to grow some milkweed in your yard to study the life cycle of the monarch (and provide some wild food treats for yourself) Live Monarch is offering free milkweed seeds. Simply send them a self addressed envelope. See their site for details!

Be on the look out for an upcoming give away! I have a gift card to give away that will give you a night out of the kitchen. Coming soon! 

What was for dinner?

This week was yet another busy one. Tim's parents, Jeff and Gail, visited for a few days. Gail offered to cook the days I worked. It was nice to have one less thing to do in the day. In fact thanks to Gail, Tim and my mom, I barely did any cooking this past week. 

Saturday: (*) Venison and black bean vegetable soup

Sunday: Pancakes and sausage

Tim cooked this meal.

Monday: Mamaw cooked

Tim and I both had to work in the evening. My mom had the kids and made them dinner. 

Tuesday: Grandma cooked

Gail made hot dogs and green beans.

Wednesday: Homemade Pizza

Thursday: Grandma cooked

She made chili and we are still eating the leftovers.

Friday: Leftovers

I cooked a total of two dinners this week! It was like a mini vacation! Today I plan to do a little cooking for Easter dinner. I actually won't be here for our Easter dinner. (Oh the joys of working in a restaurant.) I will be helping make some of the meal including green beans and some bread. I probably will just make rolls or bread in the bread machine, but Bread for Easter has  some interesting recipes. Maybe I will try something new. 

While I am passing on some recipe links, I thought you might enjoy Healthy Recipes from Mom's Who Think. There a lot of our favorites there with recipes slightly tweaked to make them healthier. 

That same site also has a section of easy recipes, This is a great resource for anyone who is trying to cook at home more, but feels pressed for time to cook everything from scratch.  Don't we all fall into that catagory some days? I have a few bananas on my counter just crying out to be used in the banana bread recipe on this site. 

Happy Easter to everyone!

Sticking to the Plan

When the money is tight, and you are feeling the pressure, the motivation to tighten the budget and make changes is high. Sticking to the plan is easy. But when things start heading the right direction, and some of the pressure is off, it is easy to fall back into the same habits the created the problems in the first place.

Two weeks ago I began a post about resisting temptation. Due to many different events, we suddenly found ourselves with a lot more money than we are used to coming in. That is a situation we have not been in for a long time. 

Most of the inflow of money we were expecting. We had a plan for the money. The plan was to top off our emergency fund, catch up our student loan payments, purchase new mattresses for our sons, and to pay off one credit card. We did all those things. 

There were also a few unexpected sources of income (Thanks to those who have donated using the button on the side bar.) and the increase of income that has come with my job. Having a nice chunk of money in savings, and more money than normal coming in made us feel comparatively rich. It also made us want to spend money. 

Suddenly this old slow computer I've been using for years became completely intolerable, and the thought of buying a new laptop became very attractive. Our old small capacity washer was being replaced, in our minds, with a new high efficiency front loader, instead of the used $100 washer that we plan to purchase. The money was begging us to spend it. 

I can completely rationalize making either of the above purchases. They are practical, and it could be argued, in the long run, they would pay for themselves. There is nothing wrong with purchasing either of them, except for one thing; they aren't in our budget. They aren't priorities on our list. Our priority right now is to pay off debt. Buying a new computer or expensive washer does not line up with our goals at this time. 

I'm glad to say we've stuck to the plan, and the extra income has gone straight toward paying off debt. I'm sad to say that we learned exactly why it is important to have that emergency fund in place, and to stick to the plan. 

Days after I began the post (which never got finished) about resisting temptation our van broke down. It was a costly repair to the tune of $700. I am so glad that we had the emergency fund in place to pay for the repair. Now our plan will be amended slightly to bring the emergency fund back up, but then it is back to paying off debt. Sticking to the plan is worth it! 

What was for dinner?

Last week was a hectic one. By mid week I was really dragging, and wondering if this going back to work thing was really worth it. Yesterday Tim and I were both off. We needed it. I feel refreshed and ready to tackle another week. Of course making a hefty deposit into our account from the tips I've earned was also a good motivator! 

Dinners continue to be pretty simple. I do try to get things ready before work, but this week it just didn't happen on Wednesday and Thursday. Tim took over and fixed dinner for himself and the kids. He is awesome I tell you! :)

Saturday: cabbage roll casserole

Sunday: (*)BBQ ribs, oven potatoes, (*)green beans

I put the ribs in the crock pot in the morning. Tim grilled them when they got home from church. The report was they were delicious, but not nearly enough for the whole family. I wouldn't know about the delicious part. They ate every last morsel. 

Monday: (*) venison pot roast with onion, carrots, and potatoes

Tuesday: (*)ham and potatoes au gratin

Wednesday: BLTs. 

I am sure Tim made something beside the BLTs, but I forgot to ask him what. 

Thursday: homemade pizza

Friday: salad, French bread, and crab stuffed shrimp

A definite departure from our normal frugal menu, but it was oh so good! Look for the recipe at Make it from Scratch on Thursday. 

(*) homegrown

Have a great weekend everyone!

Get Fit for a Good Cause

Bumble Bee Foods is offering a fabulous program to help you get fit while you help a good cause. BeeWell Miles will help you meet you personal fitness goals. There you will find tools to track your exercise progress, calculate the calories you have burned and consumed, and allow you to connect to others who are also on the journey to a more active and fit lifestyle. 

For every mile that you run or walk between now and the end of October Bumble Bee Foods will donate $0.15 to Breast Cancer Network of Strength. Even if you only walk a mile a day between now and then you will have initiated over $30 toward the cause. I plan to wear my pedometer to work to rack up the miles. It will be interesting to see how much I really do walk while there.

Signing up for the program is quick and easy, as is logging your miles. There is even a tool there to help you determine the mileage of your walking route if you are unsure. I logged the walking miles from our shopping and errands yesterday.

Get active for yourself, and help a good cause. Sign up for BeeWell Miles and start logging in those miles!

Wii Have Met the Goal!

A few weeks ago I shared how the kids formed a Wii Fund. Last week they discovered that if they used some gift cards they had left from Christmas, they would have enough money to purchase the Wii! 

Tim and I were both off today. It is rainy and yucky outside; a perfect day to go buy a Wii! After a little customer service snafu with our bank, we ended up at the coinstar machine with the fifty odd dollars in coins the kids had accumulated. 

Then we headed to the store with their savings and gift cards to make the big purchase. They are all pretty happy about it! Say, "Wii!"

Pineapple Jerky

Recently the nice folks at Jerky.com sent some Pineapple Jerky for us to try. It didn't last long. About as soon as my children could open up the package the yummy pineapple slices disappeared. Luckily, they did save me one to try. 

This pineapple jerky is fabulous. It is not overly sweet like dried pineapple sometimes can be. It has the natural sweetness of the fruit, and a light honey glaze. As a bonus, it is made in the USA, and 100% natural. 

Jerky.com has a wide variety of meats including elk, turkey, ostrich, and flavors like hickory, spicy, and peppered. And talk about your unique jerky; Sasquatch Jerky?! What in the world?! Go and check it out for yourself.