Monthly Archives: December 2009

Menu Plan: 12/19-12/25

It’s finally the week of Christmas! I can’t wait for the four-day weekend of relaxation.

We have a tradition of red meat on Christmas Day. It used to be steak, but this year we’re trying something new. We’ve never made a pot roast, but Tony is thrilled.

And of course, on Christmas Day, we’re celebrating with a movie and Chinese food. It’s probably our last Christmas that we’ll be able to do this for a while, so we’re incredibly excited.

Here’s our menu plan for the week:

Saturday: Pizza
Sunday: Roasted chicken with potatoes
Monday: Chicken noodle soup
Tuesday: Black bean quesadillas
Wednesday: Homemade calzones
Thursday: Pot roast with mashed potatoes and green beans
Friday: Chinese food!

For more menu plans, visit OrgJunkie. Have a fantastic Monday, and a happy holiday!

Living Well on Less is now on Facebook

Since I’m still mourning the temporary loss of my camera, I don’t have any photos to upload for this week. At the moment, I’m checking the tracking information on the shipment every 2 minutes and listening to “Please Come Home for Christmas” on repeat while dulling the pain with semi-sweet chocolate chips consumed directly from the bag. Why did I ever send my camera to Minnesota?

In the meantime, why don’t you become a fan of my brand new Facebook page? You know, just for fun.

The importance of slowing down

canon-xsI have always been pretty decisive. Usually it works in my favor. I trust my instincts, and when I have to make a decision, I can usually pretty quickly make up my mind. This week, this decisiveness led to a pretty crummy mistake.

When I bought my digital camera, I wasn’t sure how into photography I would get. But it turns out I love it. I’ve had a lot of fun with my camera, and I love that we have photographic memoirs or our lives now.

We recently made the decision to add a camcorder to our tools. We really want to be able to shoot videos when we’re in Europe, and we definitely will want one when we have a baby. I’ve been looking at pocket HD camcorders in the $200 range (like this one that I really like and have been considering purchasing).

This morning, I started looking at the newer model of my camera, which shoots HD video. I realized that if I could sell my camera body without the lenses for $400, I would be able to upgrade to the newer model with HD video capabilities and higher quality still shots for only about $200. I was so excited, that I acted impulsively (which is pretty out of character for me).

I listed my camera in the Amazon marketplace, and I was surprised that it sold within minutes. But by the time I got to the post office on my lunch hour to ship it out, I was starting to have doubts. Was I really ready to drop $200 on another camera? How would I take pictures of Christmas in the meantime? Was this the right decision?

It turns out, my hesitation was an indication that I should slow down. After I’d already shipped it, I received an email from my buyer. He realized that the description said I was selling the camera body only without the lens. He didn’t want to buy it anymore. But it was too late.

He’ll be able to send it back, but I’m out the $20 I paid to ship it to him and I probably won’t have my camera back by Christmas. And now I’m having second thoughts about whether I want to sell it and upgrade yet at all. This is something that could have waited until the spring since I don’t even need the HD camcorder until May.

And now my beloved camera is somewhere between here and Minnesota instead of being safe in my camera bag.

Sigh.

I learned a valuable lesson about slowing down. When I get an idea, I tend to get tunnel vision. Sometimes I act too quickly. I need to learn to take a step back, think through the situation, and make sure I have all my bases covered. Luckily this time it only cost me $20 (hopefully). But I really hate when I lose money because of a stupid decision, don’t you?

Creating a holiday care package for a soldier

care packageThis year, Tony’s sister’s fiance is spending the holidays in Iraq. We really wanted to send him some things to make his holiday a little brighter, so we put together a care package.

This was my first care package for a soldier, so I put a lot of thought into what to send.

Here are some of the things I learned while putting it together.

Make it personal

There are tons of places online with great care package ideas, but it’s best to keep your soldier in mind when creating yours. Everyone is different, and the care package you send should include personal touches to let him know you’re thinking about him.

For instance, my future brother-in-law doesn’t care too much for sweets, and the microwave in his room recently bit the dust. So he specifically requested food and snacks that don’t need to be cooked to be enjoyed. His care package includes lots of his favorite snack foods like chips, fruit snacks, and trail mix.

Check with other friends and family to avoid overlap.

It’s likely that other people in your soldier’s life are putting together care packages for him, too. Check with them to make sure he’s getting a wide variety of treats and gifts.

Include a touch of home

Is there a certain baked good he misses? Or a local treat he can’t get overseas? Pack something special that will give him a little piece of home for the holidays.

Add some cheer

It may not feel too much like Christmas in Iraq, but he might be craving a taste of the holidays. Send some hot chocolate, festive candy, and maybe a Christmas movie to keep his spirits up.

Don’t forget the necessities

Treats are your top priority in a holiday care package, but it might be nice to send some necessities, too. Soap, shampoo, toothpaste and other toiletries are a nice addition to a box of treats.

Do you have any care package ideas to share?

Photo by nathansnostalgia

Last minute holiday gifts that won’t bust your budget

Christmas giftsWe’re coming into crunch time now, and if you’re anything like me, there are probably still a few people on your list for whom you need to buy gifts. I always find myself adding people at the last minute, which can be a real problem for my gift budget.

Here are some easy, frugal gift ideas for gifts for the last few people on your list.

Baked goods

Who doesn’t love to get cookies at Christmas time? It’s likely you’ll be doing some holiday baking anyway, so pick up some decorative plastic wrap and give away a dozen cookies wrapped with a bow.

Magazine subscriptions

Amazon has some amazing deals right now for 1-year magazine subscriptions. Many of them are even available for $10 or less. Choose something you know they’ll be interested in, and it shows that you’ve put thought into the gift. They won’t get the first issue until after the holidays are over, but there’s plenty of time to print up a card that says, “I got you a gift subscription!” They’ll know it’s on the way, and it’s no hassle for you.

Wine

Supermarkets usually offer great discounts on good wines right now, because they know people are entertaining. Pick up a nice bottle for under $15, stick a bow on it, and you’ve got a great gift for the wine connoisseur in your life.

Calendars

I love to get a fun desk calendar for work or a wall calendar for my home office at the holidays. Find one with practical tips or a theme they’ll like, and they’ll think of you every day of the year.

A night out

When I was a teenager, I always gave my parents a “date night” for Christmas with two movie tickets and a gift certificate for their favorite restaurant. People who are strapped for time love this because it gives them an excuse to work time into their busy schedules for themselves. If your budget is too tight for a restaurant meal, consider a gift card for a coffee shop instead or a “movie night” gift basket with a movie rental, popcorn, and snacks.

If it’s a close friend or family member with kids, be sure to offer your babysitting services, too, so they can take advantage of your gift without having to worry about finding a sitter.

Share your last minute gift ideas by leaving a comment! We can use all the help we can get this time of year. :)

Photo by obd-design

Menu plan: 12/12 – 12/18

It’s the final full week before a four-day holiday weekend. That doesn’t really make Monday less painful, though, does it?

Holiday spending has really kind of wrecked our budget. Blerg. We’re trying to keep it low-key this week to lessen the damage. Here’s our menu plan:

Saturday: Holiday party
Sunday: Leftovers
Monday: Potato soup
Tuesday: Chicken tacos
Wednesday: BLTs
Thursday: Spaghetti with meat sauce
Friday: Pizza

For more menu plans, visit OrgJunkie. Have a great Monday!

‘Tis the season

Holiday party 2

This weekend I celebrated the holidays with my co-workers, first at a Christmas-lights themed holiday party in the office and then at our annual fancy dinner. We had a fantastic time.

My co-workers took the themed office party to the extreme, dressing up in ridiculously over-the-top lighted costumes. Here’s my lame attempt at participation:

Costume 2

I hope you had a great weekend!

Sometimes you just need a cookie

cookiesI stuck to my new healthy eating plan faithfully last week. I diligently completed my 5K training schedule every day. I even lost 2 pounds.

But yesterday was just one of those days. Work was a struggle. I was grouchy. And as much as I wish I could be one of those people who sweats out my stress at the gym (most of the time I am), the last thing I wanted was to work out. All I wanted was my slippers and a chocolate chip cookie.

So I came home, put on my slippers, and sent my wonderful husband out in search of ready-to-bake chocolate chip cookies. And they were absolutely worth the calories.

Sometimes you just have to say eff it and give in to temptation. For me, it was a chocolate chip cookie (or two). For you it may be a restaurant meal or a night at the movies. It’s not possible to be on your best behavior all the time. But it’s important to set limits even for the times you fall off the wagon.

Sure, what I wanted was to drown my sorrows in a whole box of cookies, and I knew I was in danger of doing just that. That’s why I went with the ready-to-bake instead of a whole box of cookies. I knew I could bake the two that I wanted, refrigerate the rest, and limit myself to a reasonable amount.

The same is true for your budget. When you feel like your head might explode if you don’t indulge, find a way to do it without causing too much damage to your goals — and your accomplishments.

Take a night off, do something fun for yourself. Just know that there are consequences. I’ll pay for my cookies and my missed work out today. I’ll have to be extra careful with my diet and put in some extra time at the gym this evening. If you take a night off from your budget, be prepared to make up for it for the rest of the month by being extra frugal.

It’s also important to make sure your occasional indulgences don’t become the norm. After all, being good most of the time makes giving into temptation every once in a while that much sweeter.

Photo by ghirson

Instant car air freshener for pennies

car freshenerWe’re one of those crazy couples that brings the dog with us everywhere. Consequently, our backseat is covered in dog hair and our car permanently smells like, well, a dog. Every time I have a reason to look in my backseat, I’m horrified by the dog hair, and I vow to vacuum it out soon. Of course, I never actually get around to doing it.

This weekend we picked up some dryer sheets for the first time in months. We left them in the car while we finished our grocery shopping. When we came back, the dog smell was gone and replaced with the fabulous scent of fresh laundry. So I threw a single sheet under the driver’s seat and voila! It’s a car air freshener that costs pennies.

I know, I know. This is one of the oldest tricks in the books. People have been using dryer sheets to freshen musty closets and drawers for decades. It just never occurred to me to throw one in the car. It’s so much cheaper than one of those hideous pine-scented things that hang from the rearview mirror, and in my opinion it smells nicer, too! It works for me! :)

Photo by breehoffman