Happy AM Thrifties!
Its a beautiful day up here in the north! The sun is shining and it looks like spring. This is maybe a touch optimistic because usually spring here is mid-April, but I will take the thaw regardless. Also, winter here can be quite deceptive. I haven't actually gone outside or taken a really good look out of my sub-terranean windows for evidence of melting, so it may actually just be sunny and still -20 C.
But I am a newer positive me! So its basically SUMMER!
Ha ha.
My first consultation went very well. I now have about a week to get some references together from my work experience projects and assemble a presentation for this new client. Hopefully I will return successful late next week.
The first offer on the mobile that we were looking for, did in fact fall through! My hubby and I are very excited at the prospect of finally owning a little something of our own. However we had to strengthen our offer and go in over asking because we found out we were competing.
-- Nevermind. I literally just found out that we didn't get it :( I guess we can just hope that inspection #2 goes poorly as well. I'm heartbroken! --
Now off to get some work done.
Until next time!
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Monday, February 25, 2013
My own private success :)
Happy Monday Thrifties!
I have finally gotten my crap together and am now a licensed business! Yay!
What an overblown big thing I made that process out to be! If I had been more dedicated and not so easily intimidated it would not have taken me from mid-December until now to get my paperwork in order.
Don't get me wrong, my actual paperwork is by no means in order! My file boxes are still securely in the plastic bag from the craft store (where I also got a planner for 25 cents! Sometimes it literally pays to procrastinate.... although that is arguable considering I haven't been getting anything done.) What I mean is, getting a license is actually - dare I say it - fairly easy.
I also had my first sudo-appointment with a prospective client today. I say sudo, because he told me to "pop by" anytime today. When I popped by at 10:30 he was in managers meetings, and when I came back at 1:15 (safely after lunch), he had left for lunch. So in reality it was a lot of me feeling physically ill with nerves, and no actual face-to-face contact with the man. However, the success story here is that I actually called someone, and eventually, I may meet with him.
My husband and I have also put an offer in on a mobile home. I severely hope that we get it, but we were behind an accepted offer which means that we will have to wait and see if they back out for any reason. I am trying NOT to wish doom and gloom on the other people, but.....
-- I just went and called that maybe client again, just because I was thinking about it. Check me out!--
I have to say the progress is due almost entirely to the speech that I heard from Barb Stegemann this week at the conference. She really pushed the point that as long as you know what you are doing and what your business is about, it doesn't matter if some people don't like it, because you can't change that. This is really the root of all my procrastinating, is that people won't like the idea or how I present myself, and I know its inevitable that this will be the case some of the time. It also reminded me of what someone else said (and I'm sorry, I don't remember who) which was that it takes 10 "no"s to get to every "yes", so even if you get a "no" just think of it as one down on the way to the "yes". Its just something that you need to progress past.
Now hopefully I will still be feeling as resilient a week or month from now.
XOXO Thrifties!
P.S. I went live with my facebook page, which I had previously been hoarding unpublished, and you know what the great thing about facebook is? There is no "dislike" button for your page! So like me :) Gloss Creative Branding.
I have finally gotten my crap together and am now a licensed business! Yay!
What an overblown big thing I made that process out to be! If I had been more dedicated and not so easily intimidated it would not have taken me from mid-December until now to get my paperwork in order.
Don't get me wrong, my actual paperwork is by no means in order! My file boxes are still securely in the plastic bag from the craft store (where I also got a planner for 25 cents! Sometimes it literally pays to procrastinate.... although that is arguable considering I haven't been getting anything done.) What I mean is, getting a license is actually - dare I say it - fairly easy.
I also had my first sudo-appointment with a prospective client today. I say sudo, because he told me to "pop by" anytime today. When I popped by at 10:30 he was in managers meetings, and when I came back at 1:15 (safely after lunch), he had left for lunch. So in reality it was a lot of me feeling physically ill with nerves, and no actual face-to-face contact with the man. However, the success story here is that I actually called someone, and eventually, I may meet with him.
My husband and I have also put an offer in on a mobile home. I severely hope that we get it, but we were behind an accepted offer which means that we will have to wait and see if they back out for any reason. I am trying NOT to wish doom and gloom on the other people, but.....
-- I just went and called that maybe client again, just because I was thinking about it. Check me out!--
I have to say the progress is due almost entirely to the speech that I heard from Barb Stegemann this week at the conference. She really pushed the point that as long as you know what you are doing and what your business is about, it doesn't matter if some people don't like it, because you can't change that. This is really the root of all my procrastinating, is that people won't like the idea or how I present myself, and I know its inevitable that this will be the case some of the time. It also reminded me of what someone else said (and I'm sorry, I don't remember who) which was that it takes 10 "no"s to get to every "yes", so even if you get a "no" just think of it as one down on the way to the "yes". Its just something that you need to progress past.
Now hopefully I will still be feeling as resilient a week or month from now.
XOXO Thrifties!
P.S. I went live with my facebook page, which I had previously been hoarding unpublished, and you know what the great thing about facebook is? There is no "dislike" button for your page! So like me :) Gloss Creative Branding.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
The $0 Grocery Week ~ Sunday!
Hello Thrifties!
Finally FINALLY! Here is the last meal of the $0 series :)
Yay hooray! I think I had obviously over-estimated my attention span.
Day 7 ~ Sunday ~ Perogies & Sauce
This meal was leftovers of leftovers in my freezer.
The sauce : A general idea!
This sauce was a basic cream sauce with onions and some leftover white wine, asparagus, and pot roast added.
The perogies, I confess, were instant. Shame shame. However (!) they did come from the farmers market a while ago, so once upon a time they were homemade. :p
This is not a very exciting recipe to go out on, but now its all over and I'm happy to go back to regular blogging! It is so much easier to ramble about my life organically, and whenever the mood strikes me. Feeling like I have to post clearly makes me rebellious!
In other news, I went to a conference here over the last two days and it was a great experience. The grand finale was Barb Stegemann. What a fantastic speaker! She really is a great lady and very inspirational. Check her out on Dragon's Den here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8px80B59tM
And check out her product here: http://www.the7virtues.com/canada.index.html
If you ever have a chance to go hear her speak, definitely take advantage. Her products are now available in many Bay stores across the country as well.
Love you!
Finally FINALLY! Here is the last meal of the $0 series :)
Yay hooray! I think I had obviously over-estimated my attention span.
Day 7 ~ Sunday ~ Perogies & Sauce
This meal was leftovers of leftovers in my freezer.
The sauce : A general idea!
This sauce was a basic cream sauce with onions and some leftover white wine, asparagus, and pot roast added.
The perogies, I confess, were instant. Shame shame. However (!) they did come from the farmers market a while ago, so once upon a time they were homemade. :p
This is not a very exciting recipe to go out on, but now its all over and I'm happy to go back to regular blogging! It is so much easier to ramble about my life organically, and whenever the mood strikes me. Feeling like I have to post clearly makes me rebellious!
In other news, I went to a conference here over the last two days and it was a great experience. The grand finale was Barb Stegemann. What a fantastic speaker! She really is a great lady and very inspirational. Check her out on Dragon's Den here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8px80B59tM
And check out her product here: http://www.the7virtues.com/canada.index.html
If you ever have a chance to go hear her speak, definitely take advantage. Her products are now available in many Bay stores across the country as well.
Love you!
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
The $0 Grocery Week ~ Saturday ~
Good evening Thrifties!
We bought milk again. Just throwing it out there for the sake of honesty!
~ Day 6 ~
Today was Shrimp & Lobster Bisque day!
Yum yum! I had a craving for something Red Lobster-esque and thus the bisque was born.
Luckily for our budget we do not have a Red Lobster in our new city!
~ On a side note for our budget, due to our recent extra tightening we are back on track to be almost one payday ahead. We of course have savings from when we were both working full time, but we had been tapping into them when we first moved here, which was definitely not something we wanted to do! Thanks in part to this last month of cheap eats we are back to super-saver mode, and shouldn't have a deficit every month. Budgeting and saving have become a passion of mine. I used to be a spender, but having realized that my husband (also a spender) was less likely to change, I have managed to transform my hobby into saving! ~
What I used:
Celery
Onion
Red Pepper
Butter
Tomato sauce
Milk
Pre-cooked Shrimp
Lobster (ahem... actually Lobster flavoured Pollock in chunks)
Red Pepper flakes
Paprika
S&P
Step 1.) Coarsely chop the celery, onion, and red pepper. (approx. 3 celery stalks, 1 yellow onion, and 1 red pepper.)
Step 2.) Saute in about 1/4 cup butter.
Step 3.) Add 1 small portion of tomato sauce. (I just use my own frozen variety, but if you were to use canned, then about half a can)
Step 4.) Add about 2 cups of milk.
Step 5.) Blend everything in the blender. Add more milk until you get the desired consistency. This is also where I added a few red pepper flakes. When smooth and soupy, pour into a pot.
Step 6.) Return to heat. Add minced shrimp and minced lobster.
Step 7.) Add paprika, salt, and pepper to taste. Bring to a soft boil and enjoy!
Here are some pics of the process. For some reason the one of the finished product didn't save, so I can't share it with you, but that might be for the best because the colour didn't come out that great in the picture. The soup when done should be a lovely red-orange colour. :)
(below is with the frozen tomato sauce, in case you were wondering)
I didn't include measurements for the seafood because I don't believe it really matters. I used a whole package of lobster chunks and approx. 20 shrimp. However the soup could easily be less meaty. Just use what you have. Alternatively you could add whatever fish you have, just shrimp, etc.
I'd like to take a minute to advocate for seafood. I feel like thrifty people stay away from it because it seems expensive, but the opposite is actually true. $10 may seem expensive for a bag of shrimp, but they go a long way. Most meals only require 5-7 shrimp per person, be it pasta, pizza, soup, etc. Which ends up being less costly than a chicken breast or a whole piece of beef. Its also a lean protein and so is very good for those of you who are being diet conscious. This soup ended up being very affordable because the lobster flakes would have been $1.99 (on sale and I had a coupon) but they scanned wrong and I actually got them for free! My soup also served up 4 large portions, which keeps to the 5 shrimp per serving estimate.
Other seafood like mussels, calamari rings, and cod also go on sale quite regularly and the package goes deceptively far. So don't feel limited to shrimp. (We just love shrimp)
Until next time!
We bought milk again. Just throwing it out there for the sake of honesty!
~ Day 6 ~
Today was Shrimp & Lobster Bisque day!
Yum yum! I had a craving for something Red Lobster-esque and thus the bisque was born.
Luckily for our budget we do not have a Red Lobster in our new city!
~ On a side note for our budget, due to our recent extra tightening we are back on track to be almost one payday ahead. We of course have savings from when we were both working full time, but we had been tapping into them when we first moved here, which was definitely not something we wanted to do! Thanks in part to this last month of cheap eats we are back to super-saver mode, and shouldn't have a deficit every month. Budgeting and saving have become a passion of mine. I used to be a spender, but having realized that my husband (also a spender) was less likely to change, I have managed to transform my hobby into saving! ~
What I used:
Celery
Onion
Red Pepper
Butter
Tomato sauce
Milk
Pre-cooked Shrimp
Lobster (ahem... actually Lobster flavoured Pollock in chunks)
Red Pepper flakes
Paprika
S&P
Step 1.) Coarsely chop the celery, onion, and red pepper. (approx. 3 celery stalks, 1 yellow onion, and 1 red pepper.)
Step 2.) Saute in about 1/4 cup butter.
Step 3.) Add 1 small portion of tomato sauce. (I just use my own frozen variety, but if you were to use canned, then about half a can)
Step 4.) Add about 2 cups of milk.
Step 5.) Blend everything in the blender. Add more milk until you get the desired consistency. This is also where I added a few red pepper flakes. When smooth and soupy, pour into a pot.
Step 6.) Return to heat. Add minced shrimp and minced lobster.
Step 7.) Add paprika, salt, and pepper to taste. Bring to a soft boil and enjoy!
Here are some pics of the process. For some reason the one of the finished product didn't save, so I can't share it with you, but that might be for the best because the colour didn't come out that great in the picture. The soup when done should be a lovely red-orange colour. :)
(below is with the frozen tomato sauce, in case you were wondering)
I didn't include measurements for the seafood because I don't believe it really matters. I used a whole package of lobster chunks and approx. 20 shrimp. However the soup could easily be less meaty. Just use what you have. Alternatively you could add whatever fish you have, just shrimp, etc.
I'd like to take a minute to advocate for seafood. I feel like thrifty people stay away from it because it seems expensive, but the opposite is actually true. $10 may seem expensive for a bag of shrimp, but they go a long way. Most meals only require 5-7 shrimp per person, be it pasta, pizza, soup, etc. Which ends up being less costly than a chicken breast or a whole piece of beef. Its also a lean protein and so is very good for those of you who are being diet conscious. This soup ended up being very affordable because the lobster flakes would have been $1.99 (on sale and I had a coupon) but they scanned wrong and I actually got them for free! My soup also served up 4 large portions, which keeps to the 5 shrimp per serving estimate.
Other seafood like mussels, calamari rings, and cod also go on sale quite regularly and the package goes deceptively far. So don't feel limited to shrimp. (We just love shrimp)
Until next time!
Monday, February 11, 2013
The $0 Grocery Week ~ Friday ~
I'm back bit Thrifties!
I had a great two weeks of thrifting and wine-ing with my family in the city, but it is good to be home!
I know, I KNOW! My $0 Grocery week challenge has lagged out over the last month :(
I apologize that the challenge hasn't really played out in "real time." However, I still have not gone for a full grocery shop beyond my disclosures in previous posts. When I don't post meals it is because I have not made them! I obviously don't count full leftovers from the freezer as "cooking."
Feel bad for my hubby! While I was gone he ate mostly freezer soup and cheese.
Onward!
~ Day 5 ~
Seafood Pizza
What I used:
4 leftover frozen whole wheat pitas (Tortillas work too!)
Leftover sole bake: which was very saucy
(This was a variation of an allrecipe http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sole-supreme/
a simple version of this would be sole layered with creamed spinach in any cream sauce)
Cheese (You can really use any for pizza)
Thawed pre-cooked shrimp
Step 1.) Defrost the pitas and cover with the fish bake sauce (alfredo sauce, tomato sauce, or other leftover sauces will also work)
Step 2.) Layer on shrimp. Roughly 6 or 7 per pizza.
Step 3.) Top with mozzarella and parmesan.
Step 4.) Bake for approx 10 minutes and enjoy!
This was one of my best efforts. Very tasty! The pita crust worked well and I will try this again when I have them leftover.
This also got the stamp of approval from my husband!
Until next time!
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
On holiday!
Hello dear Thrifties!
I'm just on to post a quick note about my absence in the blogosphere. I didn't get a chance to finish my $0 grocery series before I went to visit my parents for a couple of weeks where I do not have to buy groceries! I will be back on Monday to finish my 7 days of meals.
Rest assured I have been thrifting and coupon seeking while in the city! Lucky for me there are two circulars coming out while I am in town so I will be seeing my favourite coupon receptacle (read recycle centre dumpster) on the regular.
Mucho savings to all, and we will meet again soon!
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