Menu Plan 2/8-2/14

I won't be cooking much at all this week, but I decided that I would post anyway.  For a frugal Valentine's Day pizza go to the end.  Here's the breakdown:

Monday: Eat with my parents (my husband is helping my parents to update their kitchen, so we went over to talk about the design)

Tuesday:  Eat with my husband's parents (we haven't met with them for a while)

Wednesday:  Dinner at church

Thursday: Freezer sausage and mixed veggies casserole, fresh fruits and veggies

Friday:  I might whip up some Valentine's treats since I have the day off (I'll keep you posted)

Last year, my husband and I decided to stay at home for Valentine's Day.  We enjoyed the time together and made a heart shaped pizza, as cheezy as that is.  It is a great idea for those that don't need gourmet food for holidays.  I decorated up our table with a white bed sheet and some random decorations that I had from helping with elementary students.  We had a blast and paid only pennies for the evening.

We had wanted to travel, but couldn't stand paying the ridiculous prices they charge on Valentine's Day, so instead I got out our tent that we had gotten for a wedding gift and we "camped out" in our basement.  I completely decorated our vacation basement, a la It's a Wonderful Life.

Who says you have to spend a lot for love?

 A candlelight dinner for two.

If you would like to experience the heart shaped pizza :

First, pick out your favorite guy to spend the evening with.

Second, convince him that cooking can be fun.

Third, go here for the recipe for a pretty good pizza crust.  This is not the time to introduce him to a wheat crust.  You can also make homemade pizza sauce, or just buy some like I did last year (although since then I have made pizza sauce that I am still trying to perfect).

Fourth, spread the dough into a heart like shape, add sauce, cheese and all of your favorite toppings.

Fifth, bake and enjoy!

Thrifty Thursday: Stockpile of Gifts

This is my "Gift Box."  It is not glamorous by any means, but it serves its purpose.  I started having a gift box a couple of years ago when my friend got married and moved away.  When we roomed together in college, we both loved getting packages in the mail- we called it Christmas in the mail.  Seriously, if a package arrived we had to do a Christmas in the mail dance.... Ok, maybe it was just me doing the dance, but it was still exciting.  So after she moved away we tried to send each other something (it didn't have to be big or expensive) in the mail.  I started buying several months worth of gifts ahead of time so that I would always have something on hand to send if I realized it was the end of the month and I had forgotten to send anything.

This box has morphed as I have started couponing.  It now contains lots of candles (bought for free or near free from CVS), lotions (90% off a Bath & Body Works), movies, children's books, ties, and pretty much anything else I find on a great sale.  I also have a card basket which is now loaded with cards that I got with the $5 off $5 coupon from Hallmark recently.

The benefits of this box and basket are incredible.  First of all, I am a self-proclaimed space cadet.  By this I mean I will actually be thinking about how someone's birthday is coming up, but I will completely forget to think about the implications of that (there needs to be a gift).  Also, I can often get amazing gifts for free or near free if I shop ahead.

Finally, my suggestion is that go through your house/garage and find some box or bag or really anything that can hold gifts/cards (I included a picture of mine so that you could see that it doesn't have to be pretty), and start throwing in some of your CVS finds and after Christmas sale finds.  It will save you the stress of worrying too much about gifts and will save you wallet some too!

Thrifty Thursday: A Newlywed Christmas

Christmas has a new twist if you are a newlywed.  It generally is anything but "I'll be home for Christmas."  During your single days, it might have been easy to visit with your family throughout the season, but now you will have to fit in two families and their traditions.  Furthermore, this might be your first Christmas where you feel inclined to decorate- to make your living space (apartment, house, or otherwise) have that warm Christmas homey feeling.  Finally, throughout all of this change, you might be trying to stick to a budget.  How can newlyweds sort through the clutter of the holidays, and still come out with Christmas cheer?

First, talk to your spouse about his/her family traditions and family get togethers.  Get out a calendar and start to plan which days you will visit each family.  This can be a difficult discussion if both families are close and spend much of the holiday together.  Depending on your situation, it might mean visiting one family in the morning and one in the evening, or visiting only one family each year.  I can not say this enough, be willing to compromise.  Remember that your spouse is now number one, and the rest of your family is number two.

Discuss the costs of these visits.  They, like everything else, need to be planned and budgeted for.  Does your husband's family give gifts to everyone, have a gift exchange, or something else?  These are important things to consider.  If the amount of gifts needed will cause a financial burden discuss this with your spouse.  There are many frugal gift ideas on the internet.  If you are close with the family, you might even discuss the situation with them.  Some families have actually started no-gift Christmases, so that they can focus on their time together and give everyone the gift of no-stress holidays.  Other families have done a charity exchange, where each person writes on a paper the name of a charity and then draws a paper to see where they will donate money.  Other newlyweds who don't have much family, have "adopted" a family through the Salvation Army and other organizations to buy Christmas gifts for.

Second, this may be the first Christmas where you feel inclined to decorate.  Be careful how much money you spend.  It might be worth it to have very very few decorations your first year, so that you can wait for the after Christmas sales to buy the decorations to use next year.  We have found that we enjoy our $2 garage sale Christmas tree as much as any expensive real tree for now.  It fits our newlywed lifestyle (ie., lots of traveling to visit everyone and no time to water it).  Also, remember that all of the decorations will need to be stored.  Most newlyweds have little storage space, so it is expensive space-wise to decorate like Martha Stewart. 

Third, discuss with your spouse about gifts you are giving each other.  It is really important to set a spending limit the first year when couples tend to feel the expense of their gift shows the richness of their love.  As the years go by, couples realize that the cost of the gift matters little compared to the spirit in which it is given.  Many women would much rather be given a "Dinner of the Month Club" where the husband agrees to make a nice dinner once a month, than any diamond earrings.  Think about frugal thoughtful gifts you could give or would like to receive, and then talk about your ideas with your spouse.  You may find that all you need at Christmas is each other (at a total cost of: free!).

In conclusion, think ahead and talk with your spouse.  This is an amazing time, and different than any other time in your life.  Make sure to enjoy the season of Christmas, by avoiding equating love to gifts to avoid  causing months of payments and overflowing closets after it is all over.

A New Way to Think about Christmas

Are you sick of searching for obligatory gifts at Christmas?  I love to give things, but I find it hard to spend a significant amount of money on a gift for a person I'm not close enough to to know what they want.  Also, I find it hard to give so many gifts of not super special type items - lotions, candles, ties, etc. knowing that the money could have been used to support a really good cause.  My family trades names at Christmas.  This is the last "normal" Christmas we will have, starting next year we will be giving to the person's charity of choice.  I think we are headed in the right direction.  Go here to watch an interesting video that might change your view of Christmas gift spending this season.

Frugal Baby Shower Gift

Within the next nine months I happen to have a lot of baby showers to go to.  I am so excited for each and every one of the women, however, since we are trying to save money I can't go out and spend lots and lots of money on each of them (which I would love to do).  I am a firm believer in practical gifts.  Some of these couples I know will be on a strict budget, so I tried to keep that in mind when I made up my gift. 

I decided that diapers are about the most practical gift to give at a baby shower.  However, just giving diapers is a bit... well... boring.  I wanted to spice it up a bit. 

First, I went out and bought the diapers (using a coupon of course!).  Then, I went online and looked up lots and lots of encouraging Bible verses, however you could use anything you want.  Next, I used a permanent marker (I'm afraid any other markers might bleed onto clothes if the diaper gets wet), and wrote verses on each of the diapers.  New moms are often tired and weary, so if they have an encouraging message to read when doing an icky job, I think that is a great gift.

Here's a few pictures:

Just a few of the verses that I used.  Hopefully they will lift the spirits of the diaper changer.

The final product made pretty by a re-used gift bag, re-used tissue paper, and a dollar store card.

I got this idea from a shower I went to recently, along with my old job at a daycare center.  At the shower I went to, each person who came had to write a message using permanent marker on a diaper.  These were then collected for the mom-to-be.  The person giving the shower said that she had had people at her shower make up the diapers with messages on them for her, and she said it was a great encouragement to her and her husband.  I really liked the idea, and knew that the marker works fairly well on diapers (at daycares they often write "last one" on diapers to remind parents to bring in more for their children).  Tomorrow is the baby shower, so hopefully the gift is as well received as I hope it will be.

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Do you have any frugal baby shower ideas?  Please share them with us in the comments section.  We would love to hear from you!

Tips for Tuesday!

For a cheap and practical baby shower gift, use a permanent marker to write inspirational or humorous short messages on the backs of a set of diapers.  Tie them all together with ribbon and put in a basket.  Your gift could make changing diapers at least a bit more enjoyable!  Since I am going to be an aunt again three times over, my old college roommate is expecting, and many women who I am friends with at church are expecting, I am always on the lookout for frugal worthwhile gifts to give at baby showers and this is just one of the ideas that I have found.  Stay tuned later this week for a picture of the diaper gift!