One thing I've noticed the past two weeks as I've been shopping for healthier food is that my grocery bill has increased! I'm also not buying all those inexpensive but bad for you snacks - cookies, chips, processed food, etc. so my quantity of groceries has decreased. Apparently I'm going to have to start finding ways to save money on the healthier stuff - I'm convinced it can be done, it just might take a bit more work.
Three things I found this week:
1. I was shopping at Whole Foods and discovered they have a section of loose Organic herbs. Now I do spend a lot on herbs - I typically buy them at Penzey's, but since I was there and was almost out of basil and rosemary, I picked some up. It ended up being very inexpensive to purchase what I needed. I got three scoops of each for 15 cents and 24 cents. Definitely enough to fill my Penzey's jars about 1/3 of the way full. Plus - what a great source for herbs and spices you don't use often!
2. Speaking of herbs, I was checking out my herb garden from last year and my thyme, oregano and chives all came back! So, I need to purchase basil, mint, parsley and cilantro and I'll be set. In the summer I use the fresh herbs as much as I can. For less than the price of one jar I can have a plant that will supply all I need all summer long. In fact last year my basil plant was so prolific I ended up giving away bags of basil and made up ten baggies of pesto for the freezer.
3. I found a few coupons for organic/ healthy foods at this website: http://www.eatbetteramerica.com/ I was able to print $1.00 off coupons for Muir Glen tomatoes and $1.00 off coupons for any Cascadian Farms product. I haven't checked my regular grocery stores for prices, but Cascadian Farms frozen veggies were $1.67 at Whole Foods and they took the coupon with no problem.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Work, work, work . . .
Whew, it was a fun weekend, but now it's back to the grind. I am feeling overwhelmed, so I have to remind myself to tackle one step at a time. I didn't check my emails all weekend, nor did I handle any paperwork, so it was a relaxing time, but now I have to pay as everything has piled back up. Today I'll work on clearing my desk and catching up on emails.
We hit our first garage sales for the season Saturday and did quite well! Our DD was excited to go, and we gave her $4 to put in her purse (since she is 4). She ended up spending 75 cents, so she is set for the next time we go out.
I found a few great deals! I was able to purchase an entire Pottery Barn nursery set for $12 - I don't need a nursery set, but I know I will be able to make some money on it via ebay - hopefully enough to pay for all our other purchases. On every outing, I try to pick up one or two items to resell that will cover the cost of anything else we buy - it makes for fun hunting and free weekend outings! I also purchased a Little Tykes art desk for the kiddos - very good condition and something they will get a lot of use out of. We picked up a few books and three Dora videos also. All in all, a great trip and we had a lot of fun.
We used to stop and get coffee and bagels before we took off, and I'm sure sometimes we still will, but Saturday I made a pot of coffee at home and we ate pancakes before we left. We then loaded up our travel mugs with the coffee and took off - that way we started the day off ahead!
As for my healthy eating, I'm doing a great job on paying attention to what I eat - man was my snacking out of control! I also made up my grocery list and menu plan for the week and it's full of veggies! I've been trying out a few recipes from the Sonoma Diet book and they are WONDERFUL! I highly recommend them, and I'll do some reviews next month as I cook from it more consistently.
Well, enough rambling for today - on to cleaning off my desk!
We hit our first garage sales for the season Saturday and did quite well! Our DD was excited to go, and we gave her $4 to put in her purse (since she is 4). She ended up spending 75 cents, so she is set for the next time we go out.
I found a few great deals! I was able to purchase an entire Pottery Barn nursery set for $12 - I don't need a nursery set, but I know I will be able to make some money on it via ebay - hopefully enough to pay for all our other purchases. On every outing, I try to pick up one or two items to resell that will cover the cost of anything else we buy - it makes for fun hunting and free weekend outings! I also purchased a Little Tykes art desk for the kiddos - very good condition and something they will get a lot of use out of. We picked up a few books and three Dora videos also. All in all, a great trip and we had a lot of fun.
We used to stop and get coffee and bagels before we took off, and I'm sure sometimes we still will, but Saturday I made a pot of coffee at home and we ate pancakes before we left. We then loaded up our travel mugs with the coffee and took off - that way we started the day off ahead!
As for my healthy eating, I'm doing a great job on paying attention to what I eat - man was my snacking out of control! I also made up my grocery list and menu plan for the week and it's full of veggies! I've been trying out a few recipes from the Sonoma Diet book and they are WONDERFUL! I highly recommend them, and I'll do some reviews next month as I cook from it more consistently.
Well, enough rambling for today - on to cleaning off my desk!
Friday, April 25, 2008
Healthy Eating Goals
So, I promised I would state some of my goals for my healthy eating month. Although I wouldn't mind losing those last five pounds of baby weight (from 17 months ago - lol), my bigger concern is staying healthy. It just seems like the last few years I've had lots of little health issues - and I never used to have any. I can't help but feel that by eating better I could avoid some of those!
I've been doing a lot of research on healthy eating plans, various articles on the best "super foods" to eat, etc. So far, I am most interested in the Sonoma Diet. It emphasizes good, fresh food with a variety of whole grains, fruits, vegetables and meats. It also allows for good fats like olive oil, and an occasional spluge on wine, coffee and dark chocolate. It sounds like something you could do for your whole life and the recipes sound wonderful!!! So unless something else pops up as a better guideline, I'll probably try the first two weeks of May sticking pretty close to it and then the last two weeks tweaking it for my own personal needs.
So, back to my goals:
1 - be healthy and a good role model for my children
2 - less sweets, more fruits and vegetables
3 - more whole foods versus mixes
4 - more whole grains versus white bread, rice, pasta, etc.
5 - eliminate as much high fructose corn syrup as possible
6 - increase my water intake (versus diet pop and coffee)
Although I'll be talking a lot about this topic during the next few weeks and May, I'm sure there will also be posts on saving money, finding good deals, travel and all the other things that matter to me!
On that note, yesterday was the grand opening of our Stein Mart - I don't usually shop there because I think their prices are still high even with their "discount." However, they were giving away $250 and $500 gift cards, and since I had to run to DHL for work anyway, I thought I'd stop by. I have to say, their petite department is terrific - really great quality and a lot of nice styles. I didn't buy anything, but I will go back when stuff starts to hit the clearance racks. I didn't win the gift cards either, but I did end up scoring big!
Next door was a new JCPenney and I thought since I was there I'd walk over. I found a few terrific deals! I picked up a shirt for my little boy for next fall for $2.97!!! Then, in their petite department, I found a pair of jeans that looked and fit great for $9.97 - I was thrilled, especially since I just ripped a hole in the knees of one of my current pairs. I also picked up a nice argle Liz & Co sweater for $9.97 - it will be perfect for next fall and winter. So, I got myself a new outfit and my son a new shirt for around $25 - can't beat it.
I've been doing a lot of research on healthy eating plans, various articles on the best "super foods" to eat, etc. So far, I am most interested in the Sonoma Diet. It emphasizes good, fresh food with a variety of whole grains, fruits, vegetables and meats. It also allows for good fats like olive oil, and an occasional spluge on wine, coffee and dark chocolate. It sounds like something you could do for your whole life and the recipes sound wonderful!!! So unless something else pops up as a better guideline, I'll probably try the first two weeks of May sticking pretty close to it and then the last two weeks tweaking it for my own personal needs.
So, back to my goals:
1 - be healthy and a good role model for my children
2 - less sweets, more fruits and vegetables
3 - more whole foods versus mixes
4 - more whole grains versus white bread, rice, pasta, etc.
5 - eliminate as much high fructose corn syrup as possible
6 - increase my water intake (versus diet pop and coffee)
Although I'll be talking a lot about this topic during the next few weeks and May, I'm sure there will also be posts on saving money, finding good deals, travel and all the other things that matter to me!
On that note, yesterday was the grand opening of our Stein Mart - I don't usually shop there because I think their prices are still high even with their "discount." However, they were giving away $250 and $500 gift cards, and since I had to run to DHL for work anyway, I thought I'd stop by. I have to say, their petite department is terrific - really great quality and a lot of nice styles. I didn't buy anything, but I will go back when stuff starts to hit the clearance racks. I didn't win the gift cards either, but I did end up scoring big!
Next door was a new JCPenney and I thought since I was there I'd walk over. I found a few terrific deals! I picked up a shirt for my little boy for next fall for $2.97!!! Then, in their petite department, I found a pair of jeans that looked and fit great for $9.97 - I was thrilled, especially since I just ripped a hole in the knees of one of my current pairs. I also picked up a nice argle Liz & Co sweater for $9.97 - it will be perfect for next fall and winter. So, I got myself a new outfit and my son a new shirt for around $25 - can't beat it.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
No more information overload!
Well, along with preparing for my month of healthy eating - more on my goals for that tomorrow, I thought I'd share how I'm keeping myself focused and from diving into all of my other goals for the year.
It's actually a pretty simple system - what prompted me to do this is that I am always seeing new books, blogs, info, etc. on all these great things I want to implement in my life, but let's face it, no one has the time to do that. However, even though I'm limiting my focus to one item a month, I don't want to lose all those great ideas before that month comes along. So, a few days ago I sat down with my label maker and file folders and made a folder for each topic. Now, whenever I see something that relates to that topic, I can print it out, write down the title/ author, whatever and place it in the folder. I don't lose the info but I don't have to think about it now either. Seems to be working well so far - hopefully by November my end of the year folders won't be too overstuffed!
Today my goal for the day is take care of a few lingering financial "to do's" - i.e. move my DD 529 to a better plan, update my budget spreadsheet and investigate additional life insurance policies.
It's actually a pretty simple system - what prompted me to do this is that I am always seeing new books, blogs, info, etc. on all these great things I want to implement in my life, but let's face it, no one has the time to do that. However, even though I'm limiting my focus to one item a month, I don't want to lose all those great ideas before that month comes along. So, a few days ago I sat down with my label maker and file folders and made a folder for each topic. Now, whenever I see something that relates to that topic, I can print it out, write down the title/ author, whatever and place it in the folder. I don't lose the info but I don't have to think about it now either. Seems to be working well so far - hopefully by November my end of the year folders won't be too overstuffed!
Today my goal for the day is take care of a few lingering financial "to do's" - i.e. move my DD 529 to a better plan, update my budget spreadsheet and investigate additional life insurance policies.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Been tagged!
Well, I've been tagged by http://growingheartsinthefishbowl.blogspot.com/ to share three random things about myself, so here they are:
1. I am a Starbuck's (or coffee in general) addict - I try hard to keep it to a reasonable level, some weeks are better than others.
2. I am a Christian
3. One of my long term dreams is to take a year long trip exploring every state!
1. I am a Starbuck's (or coffee in general) addict - I try hard to keep it to a reasonable level, some weeks are better than others.
2. I am a Christian
3. One of my long term dreams is to take a year long trip exploring every state!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Healthy Eating
So, for May my focus is going to be on healthy eating. There are several reasons I picked it first. First of all, I hope that it's a habit I can continue on for the rest of the year without additional work - once I get comfortable with a new way of life. Second, I've noticed my kids starting to whine about and want more "snacky" type food lately and I'd like to nip that in the bud. Third, I have really let this area of my life go - I used to be an amazingly healthy eater, and I'm just not anymore!
Since May is a few weeks away, I'm not just sitting here in my office eating as many M&M's as I can until May 1st (although the thought did occur to me!). I'm using the next few weeks to do some research to decide (and test out) a few different ideas. For instance, this week I'm trying to eat more veggies and whole grains. That way when May comes I'll hopefully have some better habits started.
I'm also looking for healthy recipes I'd like to try, clearing the pantry of unhealthy choices and doing some research on supplements, additional food sources for whole grains, etc. It's been pretty fun!
I'm heading to the grocery today and my goal is to come home with a carful of only healthy choices!
Since May is a few weeks away, I'm not just sitting here in my office eating as many M&M's as I can until May 1st (although the thought did occur to me!). I'm using the next few weeks to do some research to decide (and test out) a few different ideas. For instance, this week I'm trying to eat more veggies and whole grains. That way when May comes I'll hopefully have some better habits started.
I'm also looking for healthy recipes I'd like to try, clearing the pantry of unhealthy choices and doing some research on supplements, additional food sources for whole grains, etc. It's been pretty fun!
I'm heading to the grocery today and my goal is to come home with a carful of only healthy choices!
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Too much change?
Update on last night: we spent $10.35! Our dinner bill was $4.35, and we tipped the server $6.00 - both my DH and I feel that if the restaurant is giving us something free, the server shouldn't be penalized, so we always leave a great tip. We ended up skipping Coldstone's because Red Robin brought out 2 sundae's for my DD and DH's birthday. That gives us another trip for ice cream next week!
Now, for today's topic . . .
Do you ever feel like you are constantly trying to improve or change your life? I get so many great ideas from books, blogs, websites, etc. of all the different things I could do to be more organized, more fit, healthier, etc. It's tempting to try them all, and I usually do . . . for a day or so, then on to the next big thing. In the end, I get stressed by all the "programs" or projects I'm trying to complete at once, and I'm not sure anything really changes.
I've been thinking about this a lot lately and have decided to try an experiment. For the rest of this year, instead of trying to do many things at once, each month I'm going to concentrate on one aspect of my life that I'd like to improve or make changes to. Not that I'm going to neglect all the other aspects that month, but my focus will be on that one area. Today, I sat down at Starbuck's (a rare treat these days!) and made a list of the areas I'd like to work on. Then I looked at the calendar - took into consideration events, vacations, etc. and matched up each topic to a month. Here's what I came up with:
May - healthier diet
June - consistent exercise program
July - extra fun with the kids (day trips, museums, crafts, projects I've wanted to try, etc.)
August - organize my scrapbooking and office
September - organize and deep clean the house
October - travel writing, mystery shopping, other "money making opportunities"
November - "me" time
December - Christmas
January - budget, saving money, plan for 2009
Hopefully this blog will keep me accountable and I can share some of the successes and failures of this experiment! I'll post more tomorrow on my thoughts and plans for May.
Now off to clean the other half of my bookshelf - my anti-procrastinating project of the day!
Now, for today's topic . . .
Do you ever feel like you are constantly trying to improve or change your life? I get so many great ideas from books, blogs, websites, etc. of all the different things I could do to be more organized, more fit, healthier, etc. It's tempting to try them all, and I usually do . . . for a day or so, then on to the next big thing. In the end, I get stressed by all the "programs" or projects I'm trying to complete at once, and I'm not sure anything really changes.
I've been thinking about this a lot lately and have decided to try an experiment. For the rest of this year, instead of trying to do many things at once, each month I'm going to concentrate on one aspect of my life that I'd like to improve or make changes to. Not that I'm going to neglect all the other aspects that month, but my focus will be on that one area. Today, I sat down at Starbuck's (a rare treat these days!) and made a list of the areas I'd like to work on. Then I looked at the calendar - took into consideration events, vacations, etc. and matched up each topic to a month. Here's what I came up with:
May - healthier diet
June - consistent exercise program
July - extra fun with the kids (day trips, museums, crafts, projects I've wanted to try, etc.)
August - organize my scrapbooking and office
September - organize and deep clean the house
October - travel writing, mystery shopping, other "money making opportunities"
November - "me" time
December - Christmas
January - budget, saving money, plan for 2009
Hopefully this blog will keep me accountable and I can share some of the successes and failures of this experiment! I'll post more tomorrow on my thoughts and plans for May.
Now off to clean the other half of my bookshelf - my anti-procrastinating project of the day!
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