Debts

I bought the Total Money Makeover back in June. I had heard about something called a debt snowball on the radio once. Ironicaly I put the damn book on my Target credit card. So I got home and started the book. I couldn't put it down! So far this is what we have paid off in two months....

beginning balances of all debts (including mortgage)

65,738.26

new balance as of today

64,028.69

we have paid off

1,709.57 in less than 60 days.

I have closed one store credit card, and we now own our van. No more payments! And we have an emergency fund started. All on Roundeye's earnings and my unemployment. I think we may have steak for dinner tonight.

I was cruising the net when this little jewel popped up. I thought it would be fun to read and relate to my wedding and see what the differences were....

1. The bride refuses to let the groom choose the cake.

We had lemon cake made and decorated by my aunt and grandmother, not only was it tasteful, it was tasty! Roundeye and I talked about it and we decided lemon would be flavorful and pleasing to most guests. I think I had about 3 Pisces!

2. The groom lets his Mom call the shots.

We stood hard on some things, but Roundeye's Mom wanted us to have a catered dinner. We were going to do an "everyone's favorite dinner" (fried chicken, mashed potatoes, mac-n-cheese) you know, things people actually like to eat and don't cost 12$ a head? Well she offered to pay for the catering. We went with this guy she knew named Zaki. Little Lebanese man who was so adorable! He made hummus, tabouli, and many other things for the appetizers. Folks thought the aps were the main course there was so much food! Then he grilled out and made chicken shishkabobs, and amazing lamb stuffed grape leaves. That was my one request. My mom used to make them and that is one of her dishes i miss the most. They were superb! So I guess the short answer is....I am glad my mom-in-law stepped in! She rocks!

3. The bride blows half the budget on her dress or flowers.

Roundeye and I had a medieval themed wedding. What else would you expect from us? Matt's mom was getting ready to go to Mexico for vacation. I went to the local fabric store and got swatches of the fabric I wanted my dress to be made from. Took them to M-I-L and when she was in Mexico she went to a fabric market there. Cost of royal blue satin here...18.50 a yard. Cost in Mexico.....2.50 a yard. The fabric was gorgeous. I had my mom make my dress, the total cost was around 30$ plus labor (which i did not pay for). As for the flowers, I am not a flowery person. This is one of the reasons we got married outside! The only flowers we bought were a dozen roses the night before on a "Friday after 5 p.m. sale" for my bouquet. None of my bridesmaids were into flowers either, so they got to carry swords like the guys, that made them happy! I just don't see the point on spending money on something that will die soon anyway.

4. The Bride and Groom fight about the big day publicly.

I am sure that we squabbled, but I can't remember any big fights, it was all kinda laid back, enjoyable really.

I was glad when I read that list and realized that we didn't fall into any of those points. Here is a breakdown of what we spent on our wedding. I swear you don't need to spend a fortune to have a great time and share your love with all all of your friends....

Things we did not pay for
Catering - 1200$ (or so?)
Keg of beer- 70$ (good German beer from the Haufbreau)

Things we did pay for

Flowers - 5$
material for groomsmen and bridesmaid dresses - 50$
material for wedding dress and Roundeye's garb - 75$
Bag Piper - 250$
Hall, kitchen and site rental - 200$
Soda - 40$
Misc (card box, plastic cups, etc) - 80$
Table decorations - 25$
Kids table decorations - 30$
Invitations and postage 60$
Photos and video - 200$

Total - 1015$.
Now in the world of weddings that's dirt cheap, we had everything we wanted and our friends had an awesome time! We spread out the cost of things over the year prior and it made the budget a lot easier for us. I for one am glad that we didn't do a huge blowout affair. This was so much more enjoyable relaxing. And we got a bag piper!

back to work

Hey everyone, it's been a while. I am going back to work on Monday, hopefully this will be a little longer than the last job! Anyway I made cheese soup last night with the girls and I wanted to share it here. My kids love this soup, it's so easy they can help with it and they also eat their veggies without complaining! When Nadia was first trying solid food she loved this. I couldn't make it fast enough! For those of you who attend Freak Out this is one of the soups we serve every year.

you will need

large soup pot
large bowl
blender

4 baking potatoes
2 large onions
4 carrots
4 stalks of celery
8 oz cream cheese
6 cups water
3 cups milk
shredded cheddar cheese (2-3 cups)
butter
salt
garlic
pepper
Bacon (optional)

chop the onion finely and saute in butter. Chop the potatoes, carrots and celery. Once the onions are translucent add the other vegetables and saute all for about 5 min.
Add six cups of water and simmer until vegetables are soft.
Take vegetable and stock, puree in blender with milk and cream cheese. You will need to do this several times, so have your large bowl ready and pour the blended contents into it.
Once you have pureed all the veggies, stock, milk and cream cheese together return to stove and re-heat slowly adding spices to taste, and cheese a bit at a time. Stir often so that the cheese melts evenly through the soup.
*You can fry and crumble bacon in if desired.
**This recipe can be tripled, but after that the measurements become off.
***This recipe feeds us for 2 meals, and it can freeze well for up to 8 months. Just put in an airtight container, take from freezer and sit in hot water to thaw.

Recipe

Ok here is a good recipe that is cheap, any my family loves...
Tater Tot casserole
1 l.b. ground hamburger
1 onion chopped
4 celery stalks chopped
1/2 - 3/4 cup sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 can drained sliced mushrooms
Cheddar cheese
one bag tater tots

Brown meat and onions on the stove. Drain and add salt, pepper, garlic to taste. Mix soup, sour cream, celery mushrooms and a hand full of the cheese. Mix in meat and onions. pour into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Top with a little cheese and tater tots. Bake one our at 350. Enjoy, I think this is on the menu tonight!

Food...MMMM.....

In this time of economic recession everyone is looking for a way to save money, and your food budget should be examined. Recently I began looking for ways to cut back and discovered "Share Food". It is not a charity and there are no income guidelines! This is a nationwide program and it is likely that there is a distribution center in your area. Do a google search for Share Food and your city to find your nearest center. Basically you volunteer one hour for the program (unloading a truck, boxing food, checking the receipts etc.)once a month and get a deep discount on meat, vegtables and fruits. They have two levels of packages. One is 18$, the other is 22$. You can order as many units as you would like. It's great if you have a deep freezer and want the extra meats. There are also extra items that can be bought. Here is what we got this month for 58$

Grill pack (extra item)-
4 brats
4 burgers
4 boneless chicken breasts
4 Steaks
Extra item - 4# prime rib
Deluxe unit -
1.5# chicken drum sticks
1# of 85/15 hamburger
1# brats
20 oz. Pork BBQ
12 oz. Canadian Bacon
potatoes
onions
lettuce
carrots
apples
peaches
fresh asparagus
bananas
bell peppers
2 tubs of frozen sliced strawberries

Curtians

We all reach a point in our home decorating where we wish for new window treatments. We recently had all new windows installed in our home and I told my husband I wanted new curtains to go with our new window. I began looking at department stores for curtains I liked, and was shocked at the price! Evidently I have expensive taste, as all the treatments I desired were in the 50-60 dollar range! I am going to tell you how I made four full sized curtains and valances for 40 dollars.

This tutorial will assume that you know how to run a straight stitch on a standard sewing machine

1. Measure your windows - The old saying measure twice and cut one applies here! Chances are that if you are making window treatments you will be buying a large amount of fabric. Begin by measuring the height of the window. Then add 1 inch for seam allowance on the bottom hem. You must also add allowance for the casing at the top that the curtain will run through. As a standard rule I allow 5 inches. Next measure the width of your windows. In newer homes a 45-inch wide cloth will generally be sufficient to make 2 panels. If you have an older home (like mine) or like very full curtains you may need to use wider fabric or cut two 45-inch wide pieces for each window. Figure your yardage like this.

45-inch fabric -

If you have three windows that are 53 inches tall -

Add 6 inches for hems and casings = 60 inches

Number of windows times inches needed

3 x 60 = 180 inches

180 divided by 36 inches (there are 36 inches in a yard) = 5

You need 5 yards

If you would like to add a window valance figure like this-

20 inch long valance add 5 inches for casing = 25 inches

25 x 3 windows = 75 inches

** If you are making tiebacks for the curtains add about 30 inches to your total measurement.**

75 inches divided by 36 inches = 2.08 yards. I would get 2 and a half.

If you would like fuller more bunched looking valances figure the yardage as above and double.

2. Selecting fabric - There are many things to consider when selecting fabric. Do you like light to filter in? Do you like things dark and private? Will you need to wash the curtains on a regular basis (such as kitchen curtains)?

Be sure to look at the special sales in your local fabric store, and check e-bay too. I found my curtain fabric for 50 cents a yard at a local sale.

3. Now that you have bought your curtain fabric cut each piece to 60 inches.

*** If you are making two panels from one width of fabric fold the fabric in half and gently iron. Cut with pinking shears and follow these directions***

Hem a straight stitch down both sides. Then, because the edges may be seen when pulled back fold the seam over and stitch again. This is called a rolled seam. Add a rolled seam to the bottom of your curtains also. At the top of the curtain run a regular seam, then fold over 2 inches of fabric, pin and run another seam to create the casing. Now you have a curtain panel! Sew another panel in the same manner to match.

4. Valance toppers - These instructions are for creating simple triangular valances. ***If you are seeking a cleaner, less bunched look cut one valance from 45-inch wide fabric. If you like a bunched look cut one half of a valance from each 45 inch wide fabric.***

Less bunched instructions - Decide how long you would like your valance to be and add 5 inches for casing. Fold valance fabric in half-length wise, measure down the fold and pin at desired point.

Example -

20-inch long valance

20 inches plus 5 inches for casing = 25 inches

Measure down the fold and put a pin at 25 inches.

Now go to the edge of the fabric, measure down 5 inches and put a pin. Using a straight edge pin or mark a diagonal line on the fabric between the two points.

Cut along the diagonal line. Roll hem the diagonal cuts, and sew casing the same as you would a regular curtain.

*** For fuller bunched valances fold fabric in half lengthwise, seam the two pieces together in the center and follow the above sewing directions***

You can add small tassels, trim or other baubles to the valances.

You can also cut and hem rectangular pieces from the valance fabric to use as tie backs for a nice polished professional look.

Good news, and a garden

I am feeling better since the last post, i seem to go through that after about 6 weeks of layoff. expecialy when there is no new work in sight. But on an up note Roundeye got a promotion at work, and I have resolved to make my own upside down tomatoe grower thingies....check it out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qldyP4Lh3eU