Food Waste Friday

This is my first official Food Waste Friday, which was started by Frugal Girl. As it is my first ever, I will give myself a little leeway. Just a little.

Of course, this stuff has been building up for a long time. The cream cheese? Technically, it's still good. But it was openned back in December, which equates to "now bad" in my book. Same for the towering container of bean soup, which we ate for a week when I was sick and couldn't cook a lot back in January. The raw scallops up front are less than 2 weeks old, but no one in this house was willing to even open the container!

I am a little worried about next week, which I won't post until well after next Friday. Once we get down to Hilton Head on Thursday, we are planning on going grocery shopping. We're planning on getting breakfast items, snacks, some beer, and maybe enough for a dinner or two in. I'll post at the end of our week what we end up throwing away, which I hope will be nothing, but you never know. We're bringing a cooler down with us, so we're hoping to bring back everything that hasn't been eaten by then.

Weekly Menu

I have to admit that I cooked only two of the meals that I planned for last week. We ended up going out with friends Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Luckily, most of the meals I had planned used items that didn't spoil or were already frozen. However, since some of those items will spoil soon, I've simply added them to this week's menu. I've also started incorporating lunches. I have found those the worst meals to plan and so we spend a lot of money buying takeout for lunch.

Menu for February 24-March 3

Wednesday
Lunch: Pork Stew
Dinner: P.C. Wednesday Meal Deal

Thursday
Lunch: Chicken Burritos
Dinner: Dinner Out for Mom's Birthday (or Tacos if weather is bad)

Friday
Lunch: Hummus & Chips, Orange
Dinner: Chicken Quesadillas w/ Black Beans & Rice

Saturday
Lunch: Lunch Out w/ Moms
Dinner: Dinner Out @ Friend's House

Sunday
Lunch: Leftovers
Dinner: Dinner Out w/ In-Laws

Monday
Lunch: Chicken Salad Wraps
Dinner: Tacos w/ Black Beans & Rice

Tuesday
Lunch: Chicken Salad Wraps
Dinner: Breakfast for Dinner- Omelettes w/ Fried Potatoes

Snacks: Fruit, Cheese & Crackers, Salsa & Chips

Give Back Tuesday?

This is the first in a new series of posts called Give Back Tuesday. I mentioned in my last post that I want to start donating items that I no longer need and/or want. Unfortunately, with so few options around here, that may mean that I will end up donating everything to our local Goodwill. While I agree that this is still a better option than throwing stuff out- or keeping unwanted and unneeded items- I was hoping for a shelter or someplace similar to that to which I could donate my items.

Sooo... I've decided to call this series Toss Out Tuesday instead! In the past, I have kept boxes of junk around because I could not find a place to donate them to. In fact, I have 2 full boxes right now! So, instead of keeping them around, this series will be dedicated to giving away, selling, donating, and yes, even some tossing of items that I no longer need or want.

I'm going to start with some really simple stuff and go from there. First off, I have a bunch of towels that have gotten discolored and a little ratty with use. About a year ago, I switch to only white towels to prevent ruining any more towels from discoloration, which I think was caused by the products my husband puts in his hair. (Yes, I know.) Since then, they've been laying around all over the place. Since the SPCA is always looking for stuff like that, I will drop off the towels this week after work. This is a simple fix that I should have taken care of a long time ago.

The second set of items are bath products that I have identified as "never gonna use" items. A friend told me that she sells many products of ebay- even opened ones! I've never heard of it, but I thought I'd give it a try. The worse that could happen is that they don't sell! However, since we are leaving in just over a week for Hilton Head, South Carolina (yay!), I don't want to post anything until we get back. In the meantime, I'm going to photograph these items and get them ready for sale. I'd also like to explore a couple of other websites that I'll talk about later if I decide to use them.

Wish me luck!

Project 50 Bottle Update

I've been doing great this week. I've taken 3 showers a day and used 25 products each time and I have finished 50 whole bottles!

As if. Still, this week has shown an exceptionally high volume of "empty" bottles. Of course, I may have cheated. Just a little. In fact, I decided to do a little reorganization of the icky bathroom o' bottles chaos.

So I turned this...

Into this...

While it doesn't look terribly different, it is sooo much more organized. I put all like items together and moved stuff that was oldest to the front. Despite a lack of confidence in myself to use this new system to get rid of products, it actually worked really well this morning, my first day. I used an older conditioning spray and heat protectant for my hair and some lovely body spray that I found I still really enjoy.

I also found some stuff that was old and needed to be thrown out. This is everything except one bottle that got refilled with another product that had a fault spray nozzle. Oh, and yes, I am counting each of those eye drop bottles as a single unit!).


And there's some stuff that I truly don't want any more and will never use. Most of these items are barely touched. So, instead of letting them linger, I was going to give them to a women's shelter. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like there is a shelter within 45 minutes of my house, which makes donating too inconvenient (yes, I know that makes me a horrible person). Instead, I think I may try to sell them online. I'll put a couple of things up and see how it goes. If it ends up working really well, this project may go by very quickly!


So, my count for this week is... 24!! Almost halfway there!! Awesome!! Job well done!!

So, all sarcasm aside, I did actually use up a couple of those bottles through actual, normal use. So while my total number is pretty high, I'm more proud of the 2 bottles I actually used up. And with just a drop or 2 left in one of my makeup remover bottles and maybe even less in one of my body wash bottles, I already have a good start for next week!

If you want to join this project, I'd love to hear about your progress! Post a link in the comments section to your blog and I'll be sure to check it out!

Home Maintenance and Upgrade List

We bought our 2 bedroom condo about 2.5 years ago. Up until then, my husband, Caleb, (who was my boyfriend at the time) and I moved around every 6-8 months... and before that I moved every 4 months in and out of college dorm rooms. So, I was used to moving, despite my incredibly large amount of stuff. I was always looking for someplace better.

When we bought our condo, I was incredibly unhappy in our apartment and very disappointed due to the almost purchase of a 3 bedroom mobile home (loooong story). I knew this wasn't the best place and certainly wasn't a long-term settlement. Since we weren't married or even engaged when we bought our condo, I wasn't thinking about a place to raise a family or anything like that. I was thinking about building equity and getting out of an apartment where we had a fire several months before due to our landlord's unwillingness to update old/broken heating fixtures.

In fact, our condo was the first place we looked at. We liked that it was 2 floors, 2 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms, had a washer, dryer, and dishwasher. We also liked the complex (a.k.a. a very desired pool that we never use). So, we made an offer that night and it was accepted.

Two days after moving in, during my first use of the washing machine, I found out that the entire bottom was rusted and leaking. This wasn't found out in the inspection because the machine butts up against a carpet, which was absorbing the moisture. A week later, we had to have the central air conditioner fixed. Another 3 months later, our furnace broke and had to be replaced. Just 2 months later, our water heater broke and also had to be replaced.

By that time, the housing market had crashed, the value of our home decreased by more than $50,000, and all of the money that we had set aside to replace the nasty old carpet with beautiful new laminate flooring was gone.

So why am I writing this story of woe? Because, despite everything that we've been through, I still love our little condo. It's the first place I have really felt at home and see no reason to leave- even with the hopes of a baby coming in the next year or two. It's my very own place and I am proud that I became a home owner at 24. It's where my husband and I (we got engaged the night we closed on our condo) have built a life together. We are happy and secure. We're close to family and work.

But, we still have a lot of work that needs to be completed... eventually. So, I'm going to attempt to create a running list of things that need to be done to remind myself and to add to my monthly goals. So here goes...

Outside:
1. Repair shed out back.
2. Repaint balcony banister.
3. Replace balcony.
4. Replace windows.
5. Replace doors.
6. Replace screens.
7. Cut back tree.
8. Fix up outdoor patio area.
9. Plant bulbs out front.
10. Fix eaves in back.

Living Room/Dining Room:
11. Replace carpet with laminate flooring (whole house).
12. Put up crown moulding.
13. Restain living room table.
14. Repair dining room chairs.
15. Replace dining room light.
16. Install pot lights.

Kitchen:
17. Paint kitchen.
18. Replace sink fixtures.
19. Repair sink spray hose.
20. Install backsplash.
21. Replace counters.
22. Replace lighting.

Downstairs Bathroom:
23. Finish painting bathroom.
24. Replace bathroom fixtures.
25. Install moulding.
26. Replace tile.
27. Install medicine cabinet.
28. Replace vanity.
29. Install pot lights.

Master Bedroom:
30. Replace closet doors.
31. Install molding.
32. Redo closet organizers.
33. Install pot lights.

2nd Bedroom:
34. Reinstall curtain rod.
35. Install Molding
36. Organize closet.
37. Install pot lights.

Upstairs Bathroom:
38. Paint upstairs bathroom.
39. Replace tile.
40. Install moulding.
41. Replace mirror.
42. Replace light fixture.
43. Install pot lights.

Upstairs Hallway:
44. Replace lighting fixture.
45. Paint.
46. Install moulding.
47. Redo washing machine area.
48. Replace smoke detectors.

Whew! A long list that keeps getting longer...

February Goals

Okay, so I know that February only has 1 week left, but there's still time to do stuff (plus look back). With that in mind, I will only have a couple of goals this month, but a lot more for next month.

February Goals:

1. Work out 1 day per week. Not gonna happen!
2. Be in bed by 10pm 5 times. I'll have to work hard on this one all next week.
3. Don't sleep in past 10am both days of the weekend. I'll do this going forward.
4. Pay all bills on time.
5. Track spending weekly.
6. Start looking into Spanish lessons.
7. Read Sandman for book club.
8. Do monthly house project.
9. Have 10 No Spend days (~8 days down).
10. Bring lunch to work 10 days (~5 days down).
11. Explore college options.
12. Finish wedding video.
13. Post 10 blog entries. :-)

2010 Goals

This post is inspired by Anything It Takes. I have a lot of goals to accomplish this year, but I think that I'll be able to handle most of them- I hope! So here goes...

2010 Goals:

1. Work out regularly. I would love to lose 25 lbs, but that would be just a bonus to getting into the habit of exercising.

2. Regulate my sleeping habits. I nap too often, go to bed too late, guzzle too much coffee, and waste my weekends sleeping. I need to do this in order to get my health in check and to be more productive.

3. Start saving money. Ultimately, I'd like a 3 month buffer (approximately $12,000) to keep us in a healthy financial position. However, let's start with $2,000. Up until now, this has been a laughable subject. However, I think the next goal will help with this. That being said, I'm pretty doubtful about accomplishing this goal this year.

4. Get out of debt. Or, as much as possible anyway! This means: a) Paying off our credit card by September and b) Start making larger payments towards the principals on our loans. I think this is completely doable. :)

5. Track our spending more carefully. This will take commitment. And LOTS of mini goals!

6. Learn something new. We are going on a cruise next year and will stop in Mexico, so I think learning Spanish (which I started to learn in high school along with extensive French) will be very helpful.

7. Improve and maintain our home through monthly projects (either 1 large or several small things).

8. Travel. I'd really like to take a mini vacation this summer and go camping. Either Lake George, NY or Cape Cod, MA.

9. Start school again. I took a year off after finishing my masters. Now it's time to start back up.

10. Stay in better touch with my family and friends through routine phone calls and emails.

11. Clean out the clutter. I need more space to LIVE instead of STORE STUFF!

12. Get pregnant. Gulp...

13. Start seriously pursuing a career as a librarian.

14. Have a vacation. We're going to Hilton Head, SC in just a couple of weeks so this will get done quickly!

15. Keep a cleaner house for my family, friends, husband, and myself.

Recap of this Week's Goals Plus...

Well, I accomplished most of my goals this week, although I think that they were pretty easy ones! Here's how I did:

1. Clean the house for Saturday's dinner. Check!
2. Get everything ready for Valentine's Day. Check!
3. Make reservations for our outings on our vacation in a couple of weeks. No- I'll finish that today
4. Make menu for next week & post it on Sunday. Sorta check- I'm doing them on Wednesdays now
5. Participate in Food Waste Friday. Nope. I am planning on doing this on Saturday.

As for the bigger things, I have already accomplished a lot of those goals so I think I need to revisit them. Sure, I still have to work on exercising, etc. But the blog Anything It Takes has given me a lot of inspiration. I came across it through The Frugal Girl blog and I cannot stop reading it. The writer of AIT sounds a lot like me and her goals sound very similar to mine. So, when I decided to redo my goals list, many of my goals are the same as hers- but don't let that fool you. They are things I've wanted to do in my own life, but didn't think they were important enough to put down in words. Seeing her blog, I realize that they are important goals.

I've also decided I need to have weekly, monthly, and annual goals. I believe this will help me with my little *cough* procrastination problem. I'm going to start here with this week's goals and talk about the other ones in upcoming posts.

Goals for Week February 20-26

1. Go to Ikea and not buy more than $50 worth of stuff
2. Make Tuna Noodle Salad to take to party on Sunday (recipe to come)
3. Do 3 loads of laundry
4. Input 30 movies into DVD database
5. Find women's shelter to take donations to
6. Make vacation reservations
7. Work out 1 time
8. Track weekly spending
9. Do menu on Wednesday
10. Get rid of 5 pieces of clothing

So, does 10 things sound like too much to accomplish in a single week? Last week's goals were almost too easy to accomplish. We'll see next week how I did...

Weekly Menu

I start my weekly menu on Wednesdays instead of the traditional Sunday or Monday. The reasons? Well, first off, we always go to Price Chopper on Wednesdays for their Wednesday Meal Deal. (Check it out, it's pretty awesome) Second, one of my favorite grocery stores gives everyone 10% off on Wednesdays as a Customer Appreciation Day offer. Third, I HATE going grocery shopping on the weekends. There are too many people and it drives Caleb and me CRAZY. I'm just not patient enough to deal with the crowds.

So, for me, Wednesdays work out well. No one's around and the sales from the weekend still apply, so why not.

Here's my menu for the week:

Wednesday: P.C. Wednesday Meal Deal

Thursday: Sushi, Miso Soup, and Salad w/ Asian Dressing

Friday: Homemade veggies pizzas, salad, and appetizers for Girls' Night

Saturday: Chicken Quesadillas w/ Red Rice and Black Beans

Sunday: Tune Noodle Salad (Make to go- RPG night @ friend's house)

Monday: Beef Tacos w/ Red Rice and Black Beans

Tuesday: Pork chops w/ Sauteed Potatoes, Sauerkraut, and Corn

Breakfasts are yogurt and Lunches are leftovers. Snacks are cheese & crackers, chips & salsa, fruit, and granola bars.

Project 50 Bottles

I'm a big youtube fan. I love to watch makeup tutorials and vlogs. Well, one of my favorite vloggers is participating in something called Project 10 Pan. The basic idea is that you have to finish (a.k.a. "hit pan") on 10 makeup items before you can buy anything else. This is a really great idea for people who have way too much makeup and perpetually buy more.

However, I'm not that kind of gal. I do love my makeup, but I am pretty stingy when it comes to what I am willing to buy. As a makeup snob, I tend to buy expensive makeup. However, I rarely buy something new; rather, I am usually just buying a replacement for something that I have hit pan on. I have my basic makeup setup and I am happy with that.

Of course, that doesn't apply to other areas in my life. For instance, the bathroom.













I have a TON of bath and beauty products that I have accumulated over the years. As a female, I am routinely given bath and beauty products as gifts. Add to that my compulsion to find "something that works" and you get a bathroom with enough products that people comment on them. Since we don't have a lot of bathroom storage, I can't even hide my dirty little secret!

So, probably 6 months ago, I decided to start Project 10 Bottle. I'm committed to using up the products I currently have before buying more. And so far, I'm sure I've used up more than 10 bottles, but I'm not ready to stop. I think I want to reach 50 bottles.

Does this sound ambitious? Have you looked at my bathroom?! I have probably 10 bottles of shampoo and conditioner as well as the monster of all conditioner bottles.


I also have a ton of lotions, body sprays, and hair products.

Of course, I haven't been 100% good about not getting stuff. I found a new body wash that I'm in love with, so I bought 3 bottles. I also got some new hair products that I'm also in love with. But other than that, I've been pretty good.

So here are the rules:
1. I have to use up 50 bottles of product before I can buy more.
2. Exception: Things I routinely buy, such as toothpaste, soap, Head and Shoulders, etc. will be replaced as needed.
3. I will post here and keep an accurate count (I'm starting today with 10 items already done since I KNOW I'm well over that mark).
4. I will try to use a little of something I don't normally use every day. For example, I never use lotion, but since it's cold out and my skin is very dry, I need to actually use it.
5. Small bottles and big bottles all count as 1. I figure they all even out in the end.
6. I will NOT pour things down the drain or use a product in excess at any given time just to get rid of it.

So how am I going to start? Since I've been working on this for well over 6 months, I have actually started making room (yay!). If you can believe it, I had WAY more stuff before. So, this weekend I'm going to organize my bathroom shelves. I will throw out anything that is old (which is actually pretty unlikely to be anything), display items to be easier to reach, and rotate in some other products that I have stashed away in our linen closet so that I can start getting rid of that stuff as well.

Whew! Wish me luck! I'll keep you updated every week.

If you are interested in joining this challenge, please post a blog and link to it here.

Chinese New Year Recipe: Pot Stickers

My pot stickers were delicious! Everyone had some and raved about them. In fact, there were none left over. :) I think they will become a staple around here. Thank god my Japanese grandmother was around to help because she gave me some excellent tips that made putting the pot stickers together super easy.

I like this recipe because the meat is already cooked. This makes the cooking of the pot stickers incredibly quick. You could make all of the dumplings ahead of time and throw them in a pan to finish them off right as your guests arrive.

Pork & Beef Pot Stickers (or Dumplings)

1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 largish onion, diced finely
2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp ginger (I bought the minced ginger in the tube)
1 tbsp minced garlic
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 scallions, diced (both white and green parts)
2 tbsp canola oil

pack of wonton wrappers at room temperature
small bowl w/ 1/2 c. warm water & 2 tbsp cornstarch mixed together

In a large skillet, sweat the onions over medium heat in the canola oil until they are translucent. Add ginger, garlic, and toasted sesame oil. Add in the beef and pork and brown until completely cooked. Add soy sauce to taste (I put in a lot, but you can add as much or as little as you'd like). Turn off heat and mix in chopped scallions.

Make sure that the meat mixture is chopped into very small bits. You only want to put a teaspoon of the mixture in each wrapper, so you want to make sure you get a little of everything in each bite.

To make the dumplings, start with a large flat area and room temperature wonton wrappers (this will make the wrappers easier to work with). Lay out as many wrappers as you can. Spoon a teaspoon of the meat mixture onto the center of each wrapper. Then, using your fingers or a brush, put some of the water and cornstarch mixture around the edge of each wonton wrapper. This will act as a glue and keep the edges of the dumpling together. Pinch the edges together. I watched a bunch of youtube videos to try to figure out how to do this. In the end, I realized that it didn't matter how pretty they looked- they all cook the same and taste the same. So don't be upset if they don't all look perfect.

After all of the dumplings are made, heat a pan that does NOT- I REPEAT, NOT- have a nonstick surface over high heat. Add enough oil to coat the bottom with a thick layer. Use an oil that does not have any flavor and that has a high smoke point temperature. Once the oil is hot, add as many dumplings as you can fit without them touching. After about 10 seconds, start checking the dumplings. Once one side is browned, turn it over. Since the meat inside is already cooked, all we are doing is browning the outside. It should take less than a minute to cook both sides.

The resulting pot sticker will look more "fried" than "stuck" if you know what I mean. I guess you are supposed to put water on top of the oil to finish steaming the dumplings, but with the cooked filling this is unnecessary. The pot stickers will be crispy and yummy and made in a flash! Eat them with soy sauce or a dipping sauce similar to the one I made.

Pot Sticker Dipping Sauce

1 c. beef broth
3 or 4 tbsp toasted sesame oil
splash of mirin
1/3 c. soy sauce

Wisk the mixture together. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds to take the chill off of the mixture (I leave my broth and soy sauce in the fridge).

Enjoy!

Chinese New Year's Celebration Dinner

Okay, I am not Chinese- I am part Japanese. However, since finding out the date of the Chinese New Year a month ago, I have been thinking about having a celebratory dinner. Being that New Year's Eve is on a Saturday and the day before Valentine's Day, I thought this would be an excellent reason to invite my family over. As soon as my husband, Caleb, said yes, it was on! So now, my parents and in-laws, my brother, and Japanese grandmother are all coming over for dinner. That equals 8 people for dinner, which isn't the biggest sit-down meal I've hosted, but it still means cleaning the house, cooking, and lots of stress. To compound it, I've decided to mix in some new recipes with some tried and true ones.

Here's the plan:
Fried Rice (Mom's bringing)
Egg Rolls (Mom's bringing)
Cold Noodle Salad
Pot Stickers (beef or pork)
Steamed Fish
Lettuce Wraps w/ Chinese Chicken Filling
Sauteed Green Beans
Sorbet for Dessert (In-Laws bringing)

I've never made most of the stuff I am making- gulp! I'm going to make pot stickers tonight to test out my recipe. The other stuff- the much easier stuff- will wait until Saturday for me to try out. I'll try to post pictures and recipes later, but I am not promising anything!

Been a while...

Well, it's been quite a while since I posted my last entry. I have completed some of my goals, but not all of them. Here's a little recap:

1) Get my budget under control. Birthday gifts, activities, and going on a trip will make this next to impossible, so I'll be reasonable about this. Next month I'll really strap down. Check

2) Clean the house twice. Sure, this isn't up to par with my overall goals, but the last time I cleaned my house? Um... Exactly. Bzzz... still gotta work on this one

3) Prepare for the local community yard sale. Make a list of all of the big items and start hauling them over to the parents' house. Spend 20 minutes each evening going through stuff to get rid of.Nope

4) Plan menus ahead of time. Try to eat meatless one night per week. Check- for the most part. Still working on the meatless meal part.

5) Spend 30 minutes 3 times per week exercising.No, I really need to work on this.

6) Paint the downstairs bathroom. Caleb's been bugging me to finish this for months now. It needs to get done if we plan on having people over for his birthday at the end of the month.Sorta Check. One coat left to do and fixing all of the fixtures (I put them up, but not properly so I need to redo them).

Okay, so what am I gonna work on this week?
1. Clean the house for Saturday's dinner (more to come on that).
2. Get everything ready for Valentine's Day (cards, little gifts, etc.)
3. Make reservations for our outings on our vacation in a couple of weeks.
4. Make menu for next week & post it on Sunday
5. Participate in Food Waste Friday. I am pretty nervous about starting this because I have a BUNCH of stiff to throw out this week!