Kitchen
Dining Room
Living Room
Master Bedroom
Office
Guest Room
Bathroom
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Christmas Inspiration!
Tree Decorating
How to: Make Sparkly, Glittery Animal Christmas Ornaments
House Decorating
Delicious Treats
DIY Prezzies
Pretty Wrapping
Monday, September 19, 2011
Link Lust Sunday
Cooking up a storm:
Be Different, Act Normal- Pie Lattice Cookies
Bakingdom- Cinnamon Caramel Apple "Pumpkins"
Home and Garden:
Design Dreams- Windows recycled into Greenhouse
Curbly- DIY Green Cleaners
DIY:
Someday Crafts- Color Block Braided Scarf
Crafterholic- 25 Map Crafts
Infarrantly Creative- 5 Fall Fashions for the DIY
Under the Table and Dreaming- DIY Fall leaf garland
Curbly- Accordion Style Sconce
Centsational Girl- Sisal Rope Bowl
Be Different, Act Normal- DIY Typographic String Art
Fashion and Beauty:
Be Different Act Normal- Elegant Half Up Hair Tutorial
Be Different, Act Normal- Pie Lattice Cookies
Bakingdom- Cinnamon Caramel Apple "Pumpkins"
Home and Garden:
Design Dreams- Windows recycled into Greenhouse
Curbly- DIY Green Cleaners
DIY:
Someday Crafts- Color Block Braided Scarf
Crafterholic- 25 Map Crafts
Infarrantly Creative- 5 Fall Fashions for the DIY
Under the Table and Dreaming- DIY Fall leaf garland
Curbly- Accordion Style Sconce
Centsational Girl- Sisal Rope Bowl
Be Different, Act Normal- DIY Typographic String Art
Fashion and Beauty:
Be Different Act Normal- Elegant Half Up Hair Tutorial
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Hi, meet Freezer... you two should be friends
I am fortunate to live in a city that still has a proper market. Late Saturday afternoon the hubby and I go down to our friend the "magical meat man" who holds dutch auctions where you get fabulous cuts at great prices... there is one catch: you must buy in... BULK.
There are other warehouse stores that sell this way or family packs but the fact is buying in bulk does save significantly and for us about 50% off the cost of meat, the most expensive part of a meal. There is also a second catch... these meats need to be cooked within three days.
As piggly wiggly as hubby and I can be we can not eat 4lbs of sausage in three days... and usually we buy a lot more than just sausage. Some of our magical meat man favorites are the thick pork chops, lamb steaks, aged steaks and many many more. So we usually end up filling "grandma cart" (note hubby refuses to be seen carting this around... unless it is packed full of meat, which it is every Saturday fortnight)
So after we load up grandma cart, battle the other grandma carts around the market, through the central train station and the most daunting task... down the stairs at our home train stop, we need to store the food.
First- It is actually more energy conservative to have a full freezer (blah blah blah math about specific heat of water and its easier to keep the solid mass frozen blah blah blah). So how can you pack a freezer full but make those foods acceptable? Here are a few easy steps for storage:
1- Clear a 2x2ft space on the counter to work and gather cling wrap and decent aluminum foil (the cheap one just isn't worth buying)
2- Tear off 1-1.5ft of cling wrap for each portion of food and wrap tightly. For the two of us I typically bundle pork chops in 4-6s etc. You can choose to wrap single servings or enough to make a dinner serving and leftovers.
3-Wrap each portion in a 1-1.5ft piece of tin foil
4- LABEL!!! (probably the most important) I keep a roll of cheap white sticker labels and a red sharpie in the kitchen just for this. Label the type of food, how many and when I put it in.
I will confess that in a past life I condemned poor food items to the freezer for life only to be given a death by bin when they were freezer burned or unknown foods. I have never lost a food item this way due to freezer burn or identity crisis and it has saved us countless trips to the local market which is far more expensive.
So get to know your local butcher if you have one and see what you can get on discount or make those trips to the warehouse stores work a bit more for you than just the non-perishables!
There are other warehouse stores that sell this way or family packs but the fact is buying in bulk does save significantly and for us about 50% off the cost of meat, the most expensive part of a meal. There is also a second catch... these meats need to be cooked within three days.
As piggly wiggly as hubby and I can be we can not eat 4lbs of sausage in three days... and usually we buy a lot more than just sausage. Some of our magical meat man favorites are the thick pork chops, lamb steaks, aged steaks and many many more. So we usually end up filling "grandma cart" (note hubby refuses to be seen carting this around... unless it is packed full of meat, which it is every Saturday fortnight)
So after we load up grandma cart, battle the other grandma carts around the market, through the central train station and the most daunting task... down the stairs at our home train stop, we need to store the food.
First- It is actually more energy conservative to have a full freezer (blah blah blah math about specific heat of water and its easier to keep the solid mass frozen blah blah blah). So how can you pack a freezer full but make those foods acceptable? Here are a few easy steps for storage:
1- Clear a 2x2ft space on the counter to work and gather cling wrap and decent aluminum foil (the cheap one just isn't worth buying)
2- Tear off 1-1.5ft of cling wrap for each portion of food and wrap tightly. For the two of us I typically bundle pork chops in 4-6s etc. You can choose to wrap single servings or enough to make a dinner serving and leftovers.
3-Wrap each portion in a 1-1.5ft piece of tin foil
4- LABEL!!! (probably the most important) I keep a roll of cheap white sticker labels and a red sharpie in the kitchen just for this. Label the type of food, how many and when I put it in.
I will confess that in a past life I condemned poor food items to the freezer for life only to be given a death by bin when they were freezer burned or unknown foods. I have never lost a food item this way due to freezer burn or identity crisis and it has saved us countless trips to the local market which is far more expensive.
So get to know your local butcher if you have one and see what you can get on discount or make those trips to the warehouse stores work a bit more for you than just the non-perishables!
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Baked French Toast Ends in Domestic Fight....
This past weekend we had a family holiday in Darbyshire and I decided to bring an easy bake recipe for breakfast as we had over twelve people staying. Baked French Toast is easy to prepare ahead and can just be popped into the oven the next morning to be served...
What I forgot to take into account is that I have moved countries... so besides funny measurements some basic ingredients just do not exist. After packing up the car and the pooch I send the hubby into the grocer to pick up what I needed, and that is when the problems started (fueled additionally that there was no cell service inside so hubby couldn't call for help...)
Baked French Toast (Or something like English Brown Butter Pudding)
Ingredients:
1 (1 pound) loaf French bread, cut diagonally in 1 inch slices
8 eggs
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream -Doesn't exist in England
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup butter- England sells butter in packages of 250g
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup- Doesn't exist in England
Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange the slices of bread in the bottom. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Pour over bread slices, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
What I forgot to take into account is that I have moved countries... so besides funny measurements some basic ingredients just do not exist. After packing up the car and the pooch I send the hubby into the grocer to pick up what I needed, and that is when the problems started (fueled additionally that there was no cell service inside so hubby couldn't call for help...)
Baked French Toast (Or something like English Brown Butter Pudding)
Ingredients:
1 (1 pound) loaf French bread, cut diagonally in 1 inch slices
8 eggs
2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream -Doesn't exist in England
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 cup butter- England sells butter in packages of 250g
1 1/3 cups brown sugar
3 tablespoons light corn syrup- Doesn't exist in England
So after 40+ minutes in the store an exasperated hubby came back with the best he could substitute. Then it was up to me to fake the rest of it.
English Substitutions for Baked French Toast
*Sub 2.75 cups of milk for the previous 2 cups
*Sub 3/4cup of cream for half and half
*250g of butter equals one cup, so weigh out 190g of butter- if you don't have a scale then pack roughly 3/4 of a cup because its butter and no one is going to care if you have a bit too much!
*Sub golden syrup for light corn syrup
And for the rest of the recipe:
DirectionsButter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Arrange the slices of bread in the bottom. In a large bowl, beat together eggs, milk, cream, vanilla and cinnamon. Pour over bread slices, cover, and refrigerate overnight.
The next morning, preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a small saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar and corn syrup; heat until bubbling. Pour over bread and egg mixture.
Bake in preheated oven, uncovered, for 40 minutes.
Bake in preheated oven, uncovered, for 40 minutes.
Hope you enjoy this cheap, easy and tasty treat and I have prevented any rows that may have occurred.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Homebase paint sale! Own products and Crown
Homebase has several deals on paint this week including:
3 For 2 On All Crown Coloured Emulsion (427)
Buy One Get Second Half Price On Dulux Standard Coloured Emulsion (248)
Buy One Get Second Half Price On Rustoleum (110)
Buy One Get One Free On 2.5L and 5L Homebase One Coat (44)
3 For 2 On Selected Dulux Pure Brilliant Whites (6)
20 Percent Off Selected Dulux Matt 10L (1)
Decided to spring for it and buy the paints for our major projects.
LIVING ROOM
I can not wait to get started... for under 95GBP we have all the paint for the house except the hallways!
3 For 2 On All Crown Coloured Emulsion (427)
Buy One Get Second Half Price On Dulux Standard Coloured Emulsion (248)
Buy One Get Second Half Price On Rustoleum (110)
Buy One Get One Free On 2.5L and 5L Homebase One Coat (44)
3 For 2 On Selected Dulux Pure Brilliant Whites (6)
20 Percent Off Selected Dulux Matt 10L (1)
Decided to spring for it and buy the paints for our major projects.
LIVING ROOM
MASTER BEDROOM
GUEST BEDROOM
KITCHEN/DINER
I can not wait to get started... for under 95GBP we have all the paint for the house except the hallways!
Getting Organized: Come up with a game plan...
Any major project needs minor milestones to keep you going. With an entire house to makeover we needed to come up with our plan and a timescale for completion:
September 19th- Phase One- New Master Bedroom (£300)
Clear out the current spare bedroom and paint
Move Master current bed and ottoman into room
Purchase new Wardrobes and dresser from Ikea
Purchase new art from Ikea
November 1st- Phase 2- His/Her office and Spare Bedroom (£300)
December 10th- Phase 3- Living Room (£600)
February 15th- Phase 4- New WC, Dining Room, Laminate Floors (£1000)
April 15th- Phase 5- New boiler and repaint the upstairs bathroom (£900)
So there you have it... a full house update for £3100... Stay tuned for the updates and many adventures ahead
September 19th- Phase One- New Master Bedroom (£300)
Clear out the current spare bedroom and paint
Move Master current bed and ottoman into room
Purchase new Wardrobes and dresser from Ikea
Purchase new art from Ikea
November 1st- Phase 2- His/Her office and Spare Bedroom (£300)
December 10th- Phase 3- Living Room (£600)
February 15th- Phase 4- New WC, Dining Room, Laminate Floors (£1000)
April 15th- Phase 5- New boiler and repaint the upstairs bathroom (£900)
So there you have it... a full house update for £3100... Stay tuned for the updates and many adventures ahead
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Link Lust Sunday
Some of the best from the week before-
Cooking up a Storm:
This Humble Home- Cowboy Cookies
101 Cookbooks- A Nice Berry Pie
Coconut & Lime- Mussels with Zuchinni and Basil
Be Different, Act Normal- Fall Pie Crust
Home and Garden:
Priss This- DIY painted Birch Background
Crafter-holic-Herb Graveyard
Big D & Me- Free Printable Kitchen Wall Art
Curbly- Cupboard Organization- Hanging Measure
DIY:
Roadkill Rescue- Pedestal Table Coat Rack
Madigan Made-An Autumn Brass Thumbtack Wreath
Curbly- DIY Can Wine Rack
Curbly- Ikea Hack- PC Workstation Turned Vanity
A Little Knick Knack- New Welcome Mat
Under The Table and Dreaming- 50 Ways to Up-cycle Cans
Potentially Beautiful- Jewelry Storage
Also Check out the FREE online issue of Styled Magazine, I will be reviewing and posting the highlights later this week
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Dirty Rice- Tasty poor people food
People from countries around the world count on two stock items to keep them going when times are tough- beans and cheap grains. This recipe is easy and flexible and heat can be adjusted to your preference. I recently made a large batch for a bbq we had at our house. Another bonus is that it is vegan so if for some reason you are silly enough to invite a "veggie" to a meat-fest at your house they will have something to eat too.
There are no measurements because this is a very flexible recipe that can easily be scaled up or down or additional veggies/beans can be added for a healthier version. I like 1 can of beans to 1 can of dry rice to 1 pepper for a good mix
Dirty Rice
Rice
Veggies- Bell Peppers, hot peppers, onions, corn (all diced)-
Garlic- minced
Beans- Black or kidney or both (well rinsed)
Cayenne, salt, chili powder
Directions
1) Cook rice fully, rinse and place in large bowl
2) Saute veggies and garlic to bring out flavor, add to large bowl
3) Add rinsed beans and a small amount of seasonings to bowl and mix
4) Add seasonings to personal taste (if you want you can split it at this point and make a spicier batch)
Serve with sour cream
I would not suggest freezing the rice for heath reasons but you can keep it warm covered in the oven for your guests or refrigerate for the next couple of days for use.
How to use/re-use- as a side dish on its own or great in burritos (also a way to use that left over meat from your bbq)
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Mini Organization: What do to with all the magazines
Have magazines taken over your life... are they filling up all your cubbyholes? Crawling out from under your bed at night to torment you?
I will admit that I have a problem... everything from cooking, home and gardening, decorating... I even suspect the have started to breed on their own. So even though I chickened out on cleaning and organizing one of my disastrous rooms I decided to wrangle up the glossies and get them under control.
Step 1- Collect all magazines in a pile/find good music to listen to
Step 2- Go through and tear out the pages that have things you like- personally I keep useful guides, decorating ideas, DIY instructions... think of it as if you personally are an old school RSS feeder
Step 3- File away physically or trim down even more using a scanner and your computer. I decided to cut down on the decorating clutter and group the pictures into rooms before scanning. I like this best because now all the blogs I follow and magazine pull outs are in the same place
Master Bedroom
Guest Bedroom
Kitchen/Diner
Living Room
Step 4- Recycle... or Re-purpose!
If you take the time to go through your files once a month you can further filter and remind yourself about projects that you wanted to do. How do you organize the madness?
Easy Tomato Sauce/Soup (Vegetarian)
There are a few ways to make sure you can make great food cheap...
1) A cheap recipe will have a mix of canned items with fresh for cost/taste optimization
2) Left overs can be changed up so they are consumed without being bored
3) It can be easily scaled up/down and leftovers can be frozen
Today's solution is a cheap and easy way to make a fresh tomato sauce for half the price you would buy a jar of pre-made:
Vegetarian Tomato Sauce
Makes about 2 liters
Ingredients:
Fresh tomatoes diced (3-5 depending on size)
2 cans of diced or skinned tomatoes (San Marzano/Italian style is best)
1 can tomato paste or pasata
Seasonings:
Dried basil and oregano
Salt, Pepper and sugar
To make the sauce combine all the tomato ingredients in a large pot and simmer covered for at least 40 minutes. After letting the tomatoes develop their own flavors blend with a hand blender for smooth texture. Add generous amounts of basil, oregano and pepper. Season with salt and sugar to personal taste. If the texture is too watery simmer uncovered until thicker. Serve hot or freeze.
The sauce can be used in this form in many ways- Chicken/Veal/Eggplant Parmesan, Lasagna, Spaghetti with sauce, Sausage and Peppers... many of these can be then served as subs for lunch the day after. Or you can change it up:
Creamy Tomato Soup
Take the leftovers from your sauce and place them in a pot and bring to a simmer. Slowly add cream to taste, should be a pale red color. Check for salt and add more if needed. Serve hot and topped with cuttings of fresh basil. Highly suggested to serve with grilled cheese for dipping.
1) A cheap recipe will have a mix of canned items with fresh for cost/taste optimization
2) Left overs can be changed up so they are consumed without being bored
3) It can be easily scaled up/down and leftovers can be frozen
Today's solution is a cheap and easy way to make a fresh tomato sauce for half the price you would buy a jar of pre-made:
Vegetarian Tomato Sauce
Makes about 2 liters
Ingredients:
Fresh tomatoes diced (3-5 depending on size)
2 cans of diced or skinned tomatoes (San Marzano/Italian style is best)
1 can tomato paste or pasata
Seasonings:
Dried basil and oregano
Salt, Pepper and sugar
To make the sauce combine all the tomato ingredients in a large pot and simmer covered for at least 40 minutes. After letting the tomatoes develop their own flavors blend with a hand blender for smooth texture. Add generous amounts of basil, oregano and pepper. Season with salt and sugar to personal taste. If the texture is too watery simmer uncovered until thicker. Serve hot or freeze.
The sauce can be used in this form in many ways- Chicken/Veal/Eggplant Parmesan, Lasagna, Spaghetti with sauce, Sausage and Peppers... many of these can be then served as subs for lunch the day after. Or you can change it up:
Creamy Tomato Soup
Take the leftovers from your sauce and place them in a pot and bring to a simmer. Slowly add cream to taste, should be a pale red color. Check for salt and add more if needed. Serve hot and topped with cuttings of fresh basil. Highly suggested to serve with grilled cheese for dipping.
Link Lust Catch Up
With the move and the weddings I have been out for a few weeks... but here are some of my favorite recent links that I didn't get to list weekly
Cooking up a Storm:
Wise Bread- Milking It: 5 Easy Homemade Cheeses
Coconut & Lime- Stilton Studded Burgers
Gluten-Free Goddess- Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Zucchini Brownies
Curbly- How to: Make Your Own Ketchup, Mustard, Mayo and Chipotle Sauce
Curbly- 100 Famous Restaurant Recipes You Can Knock-Off at Home
Coconut & Lime- Old Bay Zucchini Pickles
101 Cookbooks- Magic Sauce
Beauty 4 Ashes- Canned Peaches
Beauty 4 Ashes- Granola
homemade by jill- Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
Room to Inspire- Strawberry Galette
Craft Leftovers- Thrift Kitchen: "face scorching" Garden Nachos
Craft Leftovers- Thrift Kitchen: Put 'em Up (canning tutorial)
The Answer is Chocolate- Disneyland's Blue Ribbon Bakery Cinnamon Rolls
Home and Garden:
Wise Bread- 8 Little Luxuries that Go a Long Way
A Cultivated Nest- The Patio in the Vegetable Garden
How About Orange- The Periodic Table of Typefaces
Infarrantly Creative- 5 Ways to Garden with Found Objects
Nesting Place- My Pot Rack
Poppies at Play- Design Shuffle tips on decorating with printables!
Room to Inspire- How to Organize for School
Tatertots & Jello- Free Fall Printables
DIY:
Thrifty Decor Chick- A Rustic Table
Curbly- How to Makes a Super-Simple Chicken Wire Memory Board
Curbly- How to Turn Chairs into a Bench
Thrifty Decor Chic- DIY Potting Bench with Dad
Curbly- 7 DIY Jewelry Organizers to Make Yourself
320* Sycamore- Entryway Light
Curbly- Paprika for your Peas: Baby Food Jars Repurposed
Curbly- Cheat Sheet Placemat
Unexpected Elegance- Wax Paper Transfer Tutorial
Better After- Hello Hello Buffet
Beauty 4 Ashes- Dry Erase Calendar
Crafter-holic- Knotted Bedspread
Crafter-holic- Bleach Stenciling for Tshirts and more
Crafter-holic- Rollie Pollie Beanbag
Crafter-holic- Bean Bag Toss Game
Crafter-holic- Embellished Floral Cardi
Crap I've Made- Petal Pillow Tutorial
How About Orange- Make your own fabric prints using the sun
Shanty 2 Chic- Dining Room Window Panels
Health and Beauty:
Wise Bread- Homemade Lotion Recipes
Broke Ass Bride- Bath Soaks and Sugar Scrubs
Phew... and that should teach me not to procrastinate! If you have a favorite blog that you think would fit in here please list it in the comments!
Cooking up a Storm:
Wise Bread- Milking It: 5 Easy Homemade Cheeses
Coconut & Lime- Stilton Studded Burgers
Gluten-Free Goddess- Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Zucchini Brownies
Curbly- How to: Make Your Own Ketchup, Mustard, Mayo and Chipotle Sauce
Curbly- 100 Famous Restaurant Recipes You Can Knock-Off at Home
Coconut & Lime- Old Bay Zucchini Pickles
101 Cookbooks- Magic Sauce
Beauty 4 Ashes- Canned Peaches
Beauty 4 Ashes- Granola
homemade by jill- Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake
Room to Inspire- Strawberry Galette
Craft Leftovers- Thrift Kitchen: "face scorching" Garden Nachos
Craft Leftovers- Thrift Kitchen: Put 'em Up (canning tutorial)
The Answer is Chocolate- Disneyland's Blue Ribbon Bakery Cinnamon Rolls
Home and Garden:
Wise Bread- 8 Little Luxuries that Go a Long Way
A Cultivated Nest- The Patio in the Vegetable Garden
How About Orange- The Periodic Table of Typefaces
Infarrantly Creative- 5 Ways to Garden with Found Objects
Nesting Place- My Pot Rack
Poppies at Play- Design Shuffle tips on decorating with printables!
Room to Inspire- How to Organize for School
Tatertots & Jello- Free Fall Printables
DIY:
Thrifty Decor Chick- A Rustic Table
Curbly- How to Makes a Super-Simple Chicken Wire Memory Board
Curbly- How to Turn Chairs into a Bench
Thrifty Decor Chic- DIY Potting Bench with Dad
Curbly- 7 DIY Jewelry Organizers to Make Yourself
320* Sycamore- Entryway Light
Curbly- Paprika for your Peas: Baby Food Jars Repurposed
Curbly- Cheat Sheet Placemat
Unexpected Elegance- Wax Paper Transfer Tutorial
Better After- Hello Hello Buffet
Beauty 4 Ashes- Dry Erase Calendar
Crafter-holic- Knotted Bedspread
Crafter-holic- Bleach Stenciling for Tshirts and more
Crafter-holic- Rollie Pollie Beanbag
Crafter-holic- Bean Bag Toss Game
Crafter-holic- Embellished Floral Cardi
Crap I've Made- Petal Pillow Tutorial
How About Orange- Make your own fabric prints using the sun
Shanty 2 Chic- Dining Room Window Panels
Health and Beauty:
Wise Bread- Homemade Lotion Recipes
Broke Ass Bride- Bath Soaks and Sugar Scrubs
Phew... and that should teach me not to procrastinate! If you have a favorite blog that you think would fit in here please list it in the comments!
Where to start....
Ever have one of those days/weeks/years that you have so much to do... yet instead you procrastinate because you have no clue where to start? Maybe it a curse of our generation and our use of technology that gives us all some degree of ADD- for example I have just woken up and already have 15+ tabs open from blogs, to my reader, directions, shopping ideas to use the vouchers to our wedding, Facebook, mail, calendar... etc etc.
Nobody changes overnight but I can at least make a hit list to start. So for September my two focuses will be on organization and cheap cooking. Unlike most times, I do have a method for this madness... maybe a few pics will help explain the first choice:
Before anyone starts a charity to aid us from the natural disaster which must have occurred in Brum... we are ok... and this is our own fault. Mr. M and I are notoriously not the neatest people in the world and in our new house we have very little storage and very few things have found a home yet. So what you see is our current unacceptable situation. Hopefully over the next few weeks we can sort this out and decide if we want to re-arrange rooms.
As for cheap easy cooking... well we can all use that. As I still am looking for work anything we can do to save helps. I have two recipes I will be sharing today.
So fasten your seat belt and lets go for a ride!
Nobody changes overnight but I can at least make a hit list to start. So for September my two focuses will be on organization and cheap cooking. Unlike most times, I do have a method for this madness... maybe a few pics will help explain the first choice:
I believe this is a dining room
A kitchen in distress
The window seat in our living room has obviously been sick..
Allegedly this is an office
Our spare bedroom... or very large closet
As for cheap easy cooking... well we can all use that. As I still am looking for work anything we can do to save helps. I have two recipes I will be sharing today.
So fasten your seat belt and lets go for a ride!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
This Weeks Favorite Links from Friends
Foods:
Gluten Free Goddess- Fried Zuchinni with Mint Cream Sauce
Coconut and Lime- Hot Pepper Pickled Asparagus
101 Cookbooks- Summer Corn Salad
Home and Garden:
Curbly- Old Books = New Lamp
In Case You Live Under a Rock
Everyone needs to save some money and even the frugal fanny needs to have a few guilty pleasures in life to keep sane. Luckily the "Daily Deal" market has taken off in the last years and you never should pay full prices for leisure. Just don't forget to leave a tip for the regular price!
Check out:
www.livingsocial.com
www.groupon.com
www.kgb.com
www.moneysavingexpert.com
Do you have any other saving-sites to share? Please leave them in the comments as I will include a list on a perm link.
Just be sure to not get carried away: http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/tv/extreme-couponing
Beg, Borrow and RePurpose
Despite the odds we did it and got the keys to our first home which came with and front and rear garden, one bathroom, living room, dining room/kitchen and three bedrooms. However we owned no furniture and due to my lay off and Tony's student income our bank account couldn't even take an ikea trip without needing to survive on beans and toast. So we had to get creative...
Beg- or just ask. You can ask your friends, family, your families friends or total strangers for any pieces they may have and are looking to replace or get rid of. Online you can find forums that are exactly for this:
www.craigslist.org
www.freecycle.org
www.gumtree.com
What we got: full size bed, three piece leather sofa suite, TV, desk chars, leather ottoman, wardrobe, three large cabinets, patio dining set and extra chairs, coffee table
Borrow- In England space is at a premium and storage is too costly. We are borrowing another full size bed from a friend who moved into a furnished flat and now we have a bed for guests.
RePurpose- So taking donations and dumpster diving doesn't always work in the style department. However a can of paint and some sweat can go a long way. Being as I have been traveling lately many of these projects have not been completed but be sure I will to be sharing them along the way.
What did we spend on? We did decide to splash out on two items- our bed and our dining room table. The first we decided was worth the investment for a good nights sleep and honestly the dining room table we fell in love with:
In total we spent under $2000 and have a completely furnished functioning house for now. It may not be perfect, but for a young newly wed couple it is our dream house !
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