...and miles to go before I sleep

Actually, no more miles.

Part of our grand plan for this year was to find new employment for DH that would reduce his stress, reduce his work hours and reduce his commute time and miles.

Now, changing jobs is never an easy task.  First, you have to find one and then go through the motions of the transition.  DH had about a 30 mile (one way) commute to his job.  It was mostly expressway which you would think would make it easier.  In metro Atlanta, being on the interstates is never "express."  It would take him nearly and hour each way if there was no significant backup or accidents.  This is in heavy, bumper to bumper traffic.  Fortunately, he was provided a vehicle so we didn't have to worry about vehicle wear and tear or gasoline.  Still, with this long of a commute, he would frequently arrive home after a ten hour work day and an hour afternoon drive late and needing to decompress.

The great news is that he's taken a new job.  He drives his own can and pays for his own gas but he's SIX miles from home.  SIX.  No highway traffic.  No worries about accidents or delays.  SIX miles on local roads - mostly against traffic.  Yum.

To make this story even sweeter, DD has also changed jobs releasing her of a similar commute.  She still has to take the kids to sitters and preschool but she's very close to her new location.  

I figure we've saved six hours a week in commute time.  She's probably saving five hours a week or more with running to the sitters plus she's saving both gas expense and wearp and tear on her car.

An easy way to save a buck

I paid my electric bill today and in doing so, I saved about $13.

My company charges a $4.95 fee to pay instantly on line.  They also give a discount for an early payment.  

We're in the process of moving all of our payments and banking to the new credit union account.  I set up the electric bill for bill pay through the credit union.  Because I didn't use the instant service and I paid it before the due date, I saved not only the fee plus I saved the amount of the discount amounting to about a $13 savings.

Now that it's set up, I'll be able to easily and quickly pay this every month.

This week's menu plan

Sunday - hamburger steak, baked potato

Monday - BBQ pork chops, blackeyed peas

Tuesday- stuffed potatoes

Wednesday- spaghetti

Thursday - salad

Friday - sub sandwiches ?

I always look for opportunities to use up leftovers and incorporate freezer and pantry goods into the weekly menu.

This week we're eating leftover blackeyed peas with pork chops from the freezer.

As I begin thinking about next week, I thought I'd give you some insight into how I plan my grocery list and weekly menu.

Monday morning I check I heart Publix to find out what will go on sale that week.  I select things that I normally buy that will be on sale that week.  If there are coupons, I print those.  I will also frequently check the store flyer on line to catch any other items advertised.

Then I form a tentative menu for the week keeping in mind what I already have on hand.  After that, I add items to the list I will need for those meals.

Finally, I round out my list with everyday items we need .. Milk, bread, creamer, etc.

A pet peeve...

I was just looking at a recipe on a recipe site for Bourbon Chicken.  It looked absolutely delicious.  Unfortunately, I'll probably never try it for two reasons.

First, the author advocates thawing frozen chicken by covering it with hot water and letting it sit for 10 minutes and then repeating for another 10 minutes.  In my mind, and by food preparation standards, this is a real no-no.  It makes me question the safety of her recipes.

Second, even though the recipe is called Bourbon Chicken, it - get this - doesn't contain any bourbon.  Essentially, they've made a barbecue sauce that includes pineapple juice and soy sauce.  I get it that you might be out of bourbon and need to substitute or that you may not drink bourbon but give it a new name.  It's patently false advertising!

Christmas in July

It's a rainy day today and I have little to do at work.  My mind starts wandering and lands today in homemade Christmas gifts.

Of course, it's always frustrating to come up with ideas and not be able to put them into motion because you're stuck at work.  Worst yet, sitting here doing nothing.

I'm thinking that I will be making applesauce again this year, small jars of pepper jelly, a cherry pineapple jam and strawberries in vanilla syrup.  Mmm.  I think I will also dry some apple rings.

Then, I need some simple sewing projects for the kids.  Doll clothes and what?  My mind just goes blank!

Sometimes a sale really isn't a deal

To follow up on my last post, I decided to order checks on my own versus having the bank do it.  It was going to cost about $20 to order through the bank.  I thought I could do better especially since we don't write that many checks.

I first looked into Current - a company I've order checks from before.  Not a bad price but not a great one either.

Then I tried Vista Print.  We've ordered business cards from them.  They also had a sale going for 50% off.  That made a book if checks $3 plus $2 and change for duplicates.  Ok, that's a great price.  The next quantity up is six books of checks - way too many, so I went with just the one.

It was all going well until the shipping.  $8 for 10 day shipping!  Agg!  Whatever.  I was so over it at this point that I was ready to be done with it.  I guess I still saved a few bucks over ordering through the bank.

Bye, bye big banks!

Yesterday, we took the first step towards breaking up with our big banks.  (Yes, note that I did say banks with an s.)  We opened a credit union account and will be working on transitioning our stuff out of WF and BOA over the next month or so.  We don't have any specific complaints about the big banks except that they've gotten harder and harder to deal with and were getting nothing out of the arrangement.  Interest on all accounts is practically nil.  Recently, one of the banks eliminated drive thru service on Saturdays.  That might have been the last straw.

With the new credit union, we have a free account that might earn us a little interest without the potential of a monthly fee that we had with the mega bank.  The interest rate on their cd products is also higher.

It's a pain and we've talked about doing this for over a year.  We finally took the plunge with the job change.  We will also be consolidating two of our accounts into one.  For now, I'm keeping my other credit union account because I've financed two vehicles with them and they are very easy to deal with. I'm also keeping the Capital One 360 (formerly ING Direct) for now as it is "ot of sight, out of mind!"

My menu plan

We're starting this week off with leftovers Monday - brisket, beans and potato salad.

For Tuesday, I'm thinking about some thin sliced pork chops in BBQ.  I could seriously dump this entirely and go rogue.

Wednesday will be a crockpot roast with potatoes and carrots.  Broccoli on the side.

Thursday will likely be a big salad.

Friday is up in the air for now.

Something from nothing

It's my favorite kind a meal, when I take a little leftover something - that by itself is really nothing - and turn it into a meal for two.

Sunday we grilled a couple of steaks I found in the freezer for dinner.  Unfortunately, with a baked potato and salad, we simply could not eat the whole steak.  I took what was left over, cut the steak in small pieces and covered in steak sauce (A1).  Tonight, I put that steak - less than a cup for sure - into a pot with a can of beef broth and some water.  I added about a half of a small can of tomato paste and simmered along with a handful of carrots chopped small and a rib of celery diced.  A slow simmer tenderizes the meat and releases it's flavor.

In a small skilled, I caramelized half an onion in some margarine until slightly brown and well done, add to soup.  Adjust with extra water, broth or tomato paste to taste.  Do NOT add extra salt.  Finally, add in about one to two cups of whole wheat egg noodles and simmer until noodles are tender.  The noodles will thicken the broth slightly.

My cost for this was about $2 (can of broth) plus the pantry and produce items I already had on hand.  It was delicious.  I prepared a salad but we didn't need it.  I served this with some leftover whole wheat/grain bread.