14 Days of Frugality- DAY FOURTEEN

Phew! We made it. It is day 14. It has been hard, but worth it. We will be making plans to extend the project and I am planning to continue to post recipes, our progress and frugal tips at least once a week. In phase 2, the rules will change slightly, for example we are adding weight lifting to our daily exercise and adding a treat fund so we can get something small we want several times a week like a cookie or ice cream. Also, starting tomorrow we will only be allowed to spend cash. This way every dollar we spend is touched. We hope this will help us connect more with our money and in turn, spend less.

Today we took a ride to Willard Beach, the last free beach in South Portland. It is a quiet, hidden beach that not many tourists visit. While there, we planned on straying from the spending rules as a kind of celebration. I purchased a BLT from a local organic market (most expensive place to buy a BLT in the world) and then we hit up the ice cream shop on the way home to indulge in a root beer float. Today's celebration cost us $19.

On a typical Sunday, before the project started, it wouldn't have been unusual for us to spend $19 at the beach on sandwiches and ice cream, and probably after getting home from a day in the sun we may feel entitled to take out. I estimate that dinner from our favorite Brit-Indi restaurant would run us $30. That's $49 on just a Sunday afternoon. Do that or a variation, 3 times a week and it's $150 a week or $600 a month! Everyone could use an extra $600 a month.

I know there are still ways for me to save. I have been dabbling with the idea of switching to some conventional produce and all natural meat instead of all organic. Organic often costs double what natural or conventional costs. But, some produce is so heavily sprayed with pesticides that it is better to buy it organic. I found this interesting bit of information from The Environmental Working Group and plan to follow their chart. I will buy the produce listed in "the dirty dozen" organic, and I will opt for conventional when it comes to the produce in the "clean 15" category.

"As a general rule, skinless or soft-skinned fruits and vegetables pose greater pesticide risk than produce with thick skins, shells, or peels that are not eaten. According to The Organic Center, imported berries, grapes, leafy greens, and other highly perishable foods have pesticide-residue scores as much as two or three times as high as the same domestically grown foods, so it’s worth noting where produce items come from."

Dirty Dozen (best to buy organic)

1. Celery

2. Peaches

3. Strawberries

4. Apples

5. Blueberries

6. Nectarines

7. Bell peppers

8. Spinach

9. Kale

10. Cherries

11. Potatoes

12. Grapes (imported)


Clean 15 (fewest pesticide residues)

1. Onions

2. Avocado

3. Sweet corn

4. Pineapples

5. Mango

6. Sweet peas

7. Asparagus

8. Kiwi fruit

9. Cabbage

10. Eggplant

11. Cantaloupe

12. Watermelon

13. Grapefruit

14. Sweet potatoes

15. Honeydew melon

I suggest that EVERYONE do a version of this project. If only for a week. It will open your eyes to what you spend and to what you think you need.

In addition to fattening our wallets, we shrunk our waist lines. Eating only homemade and doing 30-60 minutes of cardio a day yielded 5 pounds lost for Jeremy and 4 pounds lost for me. Yay!

14 Days of Frugality- DAY THIRTEEN

This day got off to a rough start. My alarm clock (Max) woke up late (8:30am) and so we didn't even really start to think about our run until 8:45. By then the sun was beating down pretty strong (I cann't stand running in the heat) and we wanted to first download and synch some music, max needed breakfast, pets needed to be fed, Spanky had to go out. Things started taking longer than they should and before we knew it it was almost 9:30. In frustration neither of us ran. We are both disappointed, but in the past 10 days we have run 6 times and played squash 4 times. This is a huge step forward for us. Tomorrow we plan on running and possibly a hike at the four rivers sanctuary.

Once we realize that we aren't going to run we turn our focus to what we can make. Saturday is the unofficial "Jeremy Cooks Day" so it was up to him to plan the menu. Here is what he made,

Haddock Sandwiches

They are simple and really fast to make. The haddock is rinsed with water and shook dry and then you dip it into flour. You cook the fish in a pan with some canola or olive oil for about 2 minutes per side. Then you put it on a roll with tartar sauce, lettuce and tomato. These sandwiches are very popular in Portland. I see them everywhere and now I love them too!

While Jeremy made the haddock sandwiches I worked on the sauce for the two racks of ribs that Jeremy bought at Pat's. The sauce needed to simmer for an hour (what is with Jeremy and these all day recipes?) and was super full of all kinds of ingredients. Next, Jeremy prepared a rub for the ribs, rubbed them and then let them sit in the fridge for an hour.

While the ribs were cooking I prepared a slaw with red cabbage from my CSA, using a recipe in the Candle Cafe cookbook. It turned out really nice, crisp and refreshing!

To help us eat all this food we invited our friend Nick over and spent the late afternoon on the deck eating and laughing. Our whole day was pretty much spent in the kitchen cooking and it was fun. I really like the 30 minute meal idea, but sometimes it's nice to slow cook things. It brings a whole other level to the flavor that can be achieved. There is one day left in this experiment of frugality and we don't want it to end. I'm excited to report our weight loss and money saved. It has been so successful, this project will be extended.

Here is the recipe for the ribs,

Grilled Baby Back Pork Ribs with Mustard-Bourbon Sauce
Bon Appetit July 1998
yield: Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

For sauce

* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 2 bunches green onions, chopped
* 2 cups chopped white onions
* 8 large garlic cloves, chopped
* 2 cups (packed) golden brown sugar
* 1 cup ketchup
* 1 cup tomato paste (about 9 ounces)
* 1 cup whole grain Dijon mustard
* 1 cup water
* 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
* 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
* 1/2 cup apple juice
* 1 large dried ancho chili, stemmed, seeded, cut into small pieces
* 1 tablespoon ground cumin
* 1 1/2 cups bourbon


For spice rub and ribs

* 2 tablespoons ground cumin
* 1 tablespoon chili powder
* 1 tablespoon dry mustard
* 1 tablespoon coarse salt
* 1 1/2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 6 pounds baby back pork ribs (about 3 whole racks)

Preparation:

Make sauce
Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-low heat. Add green onions, white onions and garlic and sauté until tender, about 15 minutes. Mix in all remaining ingredients, adding bourbon last. Simmer sauce until thick and reduced to 7 cups, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Sauce can be prepared 2 weeks ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Make spice rub and ribs
Mix first 7 ingredients in medium bowl. Rub spice mixture over both sides of rib racks. Arrange ribs on large baking sheet. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Cut rib racks into 4- to 6-rib sections. Arrange ribs on barbecue. Grill until meat is tender, occasionally turning ribs with tongs, about 40 minutes. Using tongs, transfer ribs to work surface.

Cut rib sections between bones into individual ribs. Arrange on clean baking sheet. Transfer 3 cups sauce to small bowl; place remaining sauce in small saucepan and reserve. Brush ribs with sauce from bowl.

Return ribs to barbecue. Place pan of reserved sauce at edge of barbecue to rewarm. Grill ribs until brown and crisp on edges, brushing with more sauce from bowl and turning occasionally, about 10 minutes. Serve ribs with warm sauce.

14 Days of Frugality- DAY TWELVE

As I sit down to write this entry I cannot stop thinking about the Salmon and Dill Chowder I made this afternoon, and I want to make this post a quick one so I can heat myself up a second helping. So, here we go.

This morning started with a game of squash, oatmeal and iced coffee. Jeremy and I are both improving at squash and it is becoming more and more fun the better we get. Honestly, I wish I could play every day. Once home, it was nap time, which I love because it means break time for me. Yesterday, while at Harbor Fish I was let in on a little secret, Salmon would be going on sale today for $8.99 a pound. Coincidentally, Whole Foods Market would also have salmon on Sale for $8.99 a pound. Right now, this comes out to a savings of around $10! I knew I needed to jump on this opportunity. To make things even better, I had received some dill in this week's CSA share that I was dying to use... with salmon of course. It felt as if the stars were all aligning. Now... what to make.

I started off the way I always do, searching my two trusty cookbooks, both of which have never let me down. Real Simple: Meals Made Easy and another good one, Everyday Food: Great Food Fast. Nothing about salmon with dill in either. Next it is off to Epicurious.com to find something suitable. The first thing that appeared was a recipe for Salmon and Dill Chowder. At first, I hesitated. Do chowders take a long time to cook? Then I read the recipe and concluded that this would not take long. My second concern should have been the amount of dairy a chowder requires, but I knew I had that under control. Just a few months ago, I made a killer New England Clam Chowder using soy milk and it came out fantastically! I decided today that I would use Lactaid milk, which Jeremy can also have as a lactose free alternative.

First Max and I stopped off at Whole Foods to buy potatoes, two stalks of celery and some vegetable broth. We wandered over by the seafood department to check out their salmon. And I thought, how dare they try to compete with Harbor Fish!! Harbor has been providing Portlanders with fresh fish for over 30 years and Whole Foods comes on scene about 4 years ago and starts challenging the business of the local commerce! Personally, I try to avoid the store, but sometimes I can't help it. I have resorted to doing the bare minimum there. I buy my meat at a local butcher, Pat's Meat Market, that has been a Portland staple since the 1950s, my fish at Harbor and my produce from my CSA and my local farmer's market. However, there are times that I need to go outside the local network and those are the times that I put money directly into John Mackey's pocket, cringing while I do it. I bought my 3 items at Whole Foods and we got back in the car and drove a few blocks to Harbor Fish Market to get the Salmon (which looked better than Whole Food's anyway). We get home and glory glory it is nap time again. I put Max down and spend the next hour prepping and stirring and drooling over this pot of the hardiest soup I've ever made.

This one is a keeper. A one pot meal that is hardy and delicious. Here is the recipe.

Salmon Chowder with Dill- Serves 4
Gourmet Magazine April 2004

Ingredients:

4 bacon slices, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 celery ribs, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pound boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup water (I used chicken broth)
2 cups whole milk (I used Lactaid)
1 pound skinless salmon fillet, trimmed of dark flesh, then cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (I used dairy free butter)

Preparation:

Cook bacon in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until crisp, then transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from saucepan, then add onion, celery, potatoes, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until potatoes are almost tender, about 10 minutes.

Add milk and simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in salmon, dill, and butter and simmer gently until salmon is just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve sprinkled with bacon.

This is not the healthiest thing I've made, but it also isn't the unhealthiest. So... indulge and enjoy!

I'm off to eat some now.

14 Days of Frugality- DAY ELEVEN

Another day another run. This morning was a little cooler and was a welcomed relief. We grabbed the BOB and zig zagged in and out of the little streets that make up Evergreen Cemetery. The running is still not as easy as it should be, which is why we are running so much. We were both at a good place before the move to Maine. Jeremy, having run a marathon, could easily out run me. I was training for a 10k and set my sights on finishing a 1/2 this fall. The move knocked everything off kilter and sent us both into a downward spiral of comfort food and relaxation. The worst part was, we both stopped running. Moves are stressful, no doubt, but I think we took it especially hard. In the past 5 years I have moved 4 times (Jeremy has moved 3). And I was tired. We were tired. This may not sound like a very good excuse to throw your health out the window, but we didn't care. We were owed this down time. Well... now we are paying for it. It feels so much harder to start running again than it was to learn to run the first place. We keep thinking that we should be able to run the way we could 3 months ago, and when we can't run as far or as fast we start doubting that we ever will. Well... that thinking needs to stop now.

Ever heard of a thing called the locus of control? Basically it goes something like this, Your brain doesn't know the difference between knowing you can do something and believing that you can do something. So, If you think you can't... you can't. But if you tell yourself you can, you have the best shot at succeeding. (No guarantees though... this isn't The Secret). So when Jeremy and I are running and we say to each other, "oh man, this is hard" or "I don't know if I can do all 3 miles" it is over. Right then and there we destroyed our run. We are our own worst enemies. And it must stop. I am the girl who chants "I love this hill, I love this hill" as I climb a horrible hill, I'm not the girl who says, "I can't, I can't".

Today I tackled some of the zucchini from my CSA by making zucchini bread. Here is the recipe. It was really easy and I don't bake.

Zucchini Bread: 2 loaves or approximately 24 muffins

3 eggs
1 cup olive or vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)
1 cup dried cranberries, raisins or chocolate chips or a combination thereof (optional)

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Grease and flour two 8×4 inch loaf pans, liberally. Alternately, line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs with a whisk. Mix in oil and sugar, then zucchini and vanilla.
Combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder and salt, as well as nuts, chocolate chips and/or dried fruit, if using.
Stir this into the egg mixture. Divide the batter into prepared pans.
Bake loaves for 60 minutes, plus or minus ten, or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Muffins will bake far more quickly, approximately 20 to 25 minutes.

I made a visit to Harbor Fish Market and picked up some cod for $5.99. Then, with a suggestion from a friend, I made this...

Baked Cod with Tomato Olive Caper Salsa over Cous Cous with Green Beans

There really isn't a recipe for this one, I just made it off the top of my head. The salsa has cherry tomatoes, kalamata olives, capers, olive oil and parsley. I baked the cod in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes. Delish!

14 Days of Frugality- DAY TEN

We are ten days in and feeling great. Jeremy and I have more energy, more money and weigh less. This 14 days of frugality started with just saving money, but somewhere around day two we stepped it up a notch. We added more rules, none of which had anything to do with saving money.

Rule 1: We wake together and go to bed together. Sometimes our schedules are hectic and we often wake and sleep at different times. These past 10 days we have made a serious effort to get up at the same time and go to bed at the same time. This means that Jeremy is waking about 2 hours earlier than he is used to... because of this his day feels longer and he literally has more time. We've achieved this 10 out of the 10 days.

Rule 2: We must do a cardiovascular exercise every day. Either running, biking, squash or swimming. We've achieved this 8 out of the 10 days

Rule 3: We must take time out everyday to meditate. Meditation is a practice that we started about 2 years ago and it consists of us sitting in a quiet space, together, in complete silence with our eyes closed and focusing on our breathing for 5 minutes. We've done this 9 out of the 10 days.

Rule 4: We must keep an "I love" thread. Everyday and sometimes several times a day we add another thing we love to an email thread. Some include,
"I love that there are seagulls on our street."
"I love the thought of being able to x-cty ski on my street."
"I love that Max loves it here."
"I love having fun with you."
No matter how busy the day is we take the time to add to the list, reminding ourselves of the good things in life. After all, it is the little things that matter most.

All this may sound corny, but exercising, taking the time to express the things you are thankful for (you can even keep a gratitude journal) and making a point to be mindful in all that you do will lead to a happier life. Being married isn't easy, anyone will tell you that. It takes hard work. When we make a point to be healthy and mindful we bicker less, listen more and spend more time enjoying each other.

This experiment has been so good for us in so many ways. I don't want it to end.

Onto today... Max is in daycare today and I took advantage of the day the way I always do, cleaning. But first, we needed to start with some cardio. We headed out to Back Cove and ran 3 miles. It was harder than it needed to be mainly because it was hot and a little because we are out of shape. Once home, I cleaned a bit, hung out a bit and unpacked a little (yes, it is true, we are still not completely unpacked). And then I sat down to prep for our glorious gourmet meal... Beer Can Chicken!

Last weekend Jeremy and I were trying to figure out how, by not breaking any rules, we could treat ourselves to a beer. I told him that the only way we could buy it is if it was an "ingredient" in a meal. Jeremy quickly came back with a recipe, "Beer Can Chicken!!" He exclaimed. With little to no more discussion I was in the store buying us some beer, for our beer can chicken recipe. And today is the day that I will make said chicken. I rode my bike to the butcher shop and got us a 3.20 pound bird.

-Preheat grill and set for indirect heat (the outside burners on, the middle burners off, no fire directly under the chicken)

-Wash the bird and dry with paper towel. Rub him down with olive oil and some dried herbs. I used salt, pepper, rosemary, oregano, marjoram, onion powder, thyme, tarragon, celery seed.

- Take a beer, drink 1/2 (that's the fun part) shove the beer can up the bird's butt.

- Stand him up on the grill in the center. Close the lid. Cook for 1 hour to 1.5 hours.

- Test doneness with a thermometer, 165 degrees F in the breast area and 180 degrees F in the thigh. Let him sit for 10 minutes before carving.

I barely noticed that it took over an hour to make. I was busy bathing Max and cleaning up. Before I knew it, it was done! I served the bird with roasted potatoes and carrots. It came out juicy and very flavorful. We will definitely be making this again!

14 Days of Frugality- DAY NINE

This morning started with a few games of squash while Max hung out with the girls in the Y childcare for an hour. Then home for oatmeal and iced coffee. I have decided to cut our coffee intake in half, so we are each getting one tall glass per day instead of two. We really look forward to it and we would feel deprived without it. I think this will work.

Today was beautiful and I wanted to spend some time outside so I took Max to Freeport where all the outlet stores are. I needed to buy some presents and had a store credit, so it was all kosher. Our new rule for presents is "nothing over $30" we try to spend $20 and under, but may go up to $30 if need be. Besides, it is the thought that counts when it comes to gift giving, not the cost, right?

We got our presents and walked around in the cool breeze for a bit. We went into the Sea Bag outlet and I was taunted by the great deals that lay inside. No, No, you don't need a bag and neither does Leah. (Maybe if I bought it for someone else it would be justified?) Then back to the street that smells of good food. Linda Beans lobster rolls, hot dog carts, smoothies, juice, chips... so many yummy goodies... everywhere. I knew that I could easily buy something and eat it and then just not tell anyone. But, I knew that if Jeremy asked I would have a hard time lying and I KNEW I wouldn't be able to lie in my blog post. So I abstained and ate the banana and drank the water that I brought with me from home. I am just a little proud of myself.

From Freeport we went straight to Broadturn Farm to pick up this week's share. It consisted of, Zucchini, Summer Squash, Pan Squash, Basil, Dill, Green Leaf Lettuce, Red Leaf Lettuce, Green Beans, Sugar Snap Peas, Carrots, Heirloom Tomato, Sunkist Tomatoes, Radishes, Red Cabbage, Radicchio and Arugula. It was the largest share so far and I was so excited to bring it all home to show Jeremy. As planned, I made Penne with Chicken and Vegetables, a recipe that I got from the Whole Foods Market Meals for 4 Under $10 flyer. I changed the recipe a lot, adding more vegetables than they asked for and not using the vegetable broth because I didn't have any. It came out really tasty and good thing because I made a ton! It took me approximately 30 minutes to make and most of that time was spent cutting up the vegetables, which you can easily do ahead of time.

Penne with Chicken and Vegetables, Serves 4

1/2 pound chicken breast, poached in 2 cups vegetable broth, then sliced*
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 yellow onion, sliced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced**
1 red bell pepper sliced
2 tablespoons sun dried tomatoes (about 4 tomatoes)
10 grape tomatoes, halved
1 small zucchini, sliced
1 tablespoon capers
2 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste

Poach the chicken breast in 2 cups of vegetable broth in a pasta pot, for 5 to 7 minutes until it's cooked through. Leave vegetable broth in the pan. Let the chicken rest and then shred with a fork.

Heat a large pan and add a little bit of olive oil and fry the onion and garlic until slightly soft and aromatic. Use the remaining vegetable broth to keep the onion and other vegetables from sticking. Add red bell pepper and sliced sun-dried tomatoes. Let it cook for two minutes and add tomatoes, zucchini and capers. Let it cook for 3 to 5 minutes, until the vegetables are soft, but not over cooked.

In the meantime, to the pasta pot, add 8 cups water to the vegetable broth used to poach the chicken; bring to a boil. Add penne and cook al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta liquid and drain the pasta. Pour the pasta and reserved liquid in to the pan with the vegetables. Ass the chicken, basil, parsley, salt and pepper. Mix and serve hot or cold.

*I didn't have broth so I just pan cooked it in a little bit of olive oil and then added a tad of water, covered it and let it steam up and cook.

**I ALWAYS double and sometimes triple the amount of garlic a recipe calls for.

I also added summer squash and green beans to mine.

14 Days of Frugality- DAY EIGHT

The further into the project I get the easier it is becoming to be frugal. We started the morning with a run and then oatmeal and iced coffee. For lunch I made falafel sandwiches from ingredients I had in the house. Nothing too exciting. Then Max and I set out to grocery shop. I have never been able to do one big shop for the whole week, but I have mastered getting everything I need for 3 or 4 days. First, I find all the recipes that I would like to make and write down all the ingredients and then we head out. We hit up Trader Joe's first. I know I can't get everything I need there, but what I can get is a great deal. I picked up some more pizza dough for 99 cents and popped it in the freezer. It freezes well and defrosts easily by just sitting it on the counter an hour or so before you want to use it. All the pizzas I make are cheese-less and sauce-less and are more like eating baked bread topped with goodies. It's a good fail safe and I like to have a few bags of dough in the house. Whole Foods sells it too, not only is it more expensive, it is packaged terribly. They sell their dough in plastic containers with pop off lids. If you leave it in the fridge for a few days the dough rises and explodes out of the container, causing a mess and making the dough inedible. This only happened to me once, but was enough for me to stop buying their dough. Gosh... I don't know where this rant about dough came from... sorry... moving along. After Trader Joe's we headed over to Whole Foods for a few things, mussels, spinach, sun dried tomatoes and milk. By buying things at Trader Joe's instead of Whole Foods I estimate that I saved around $30. Once home, I focused on making an amazing, healthy, gourmet dinner for $10.

Spanish Style Mussels with Spinach
Serves 4

2 lbs mussels (We got Moosabec mussels, from Maine)
2 jalapeno peppers
1 lime, plus zest
1.5 cups unsweetened coconut milk
1 10 oz box frozen spinach
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 14.5 oz can no salt added organic diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground pepper

-Scrub mussels with vegetable brush under cold running water, set aside to drain. Discard any mussels with broken shells.

-Slice jalapenos in half lengthwise, remove seeds and veins and set aside. Zest the lime, set zest aside, then cut lime in half and set aside.

-In medium pot, add coconut milk and frozen spinach, and cook 3-5 minutes over medium heat until spinach has thawed and separated. Stir in cilantro, jalapenos, and lime zest. Squeeze lime juice into pot and then toss in the whole lime along with tomatoes, oregano and pepper. Stir.

-Bring to a simmer to combine flavors. Add mussels, stir and then cover pot, cooking for 4-6 minutes until mussels have opened.

This took me 15 minutes to make, start to finish.

I also toasted up a baguette from the freezer to dip in the broth. The meal was outstanding and the broth was so good we couldn't throw it away. It is in the fridge and I am planning to cook some chicken breasts in it tomorrow.

I pick up my farm share tomorrow and will most likely make Penne with Chicken and Vegetables, a dish that we both think will keep and reheat well. I am also planning to roast a chicken over a beer can later in the week, that should be interesting.

As for unnecessary spending, I keep thinking of things that I could cut out to save even more, like our morning iced coffee. Every time I make coffee for us I use 12 tablespoons of grounds and it makes enough for us to each have two large cups of iced coffee throughout the day. It is definitely a luxury and not a necessity. A pound of coffee costs $12 and I think we are going through about a pound a week. It is decaf so there would be no harm in cutting it out. But I am reluctant. Should I get rid of the coffee and save $12 a week? Or does it really not matter? This is the question I have been struggling with today.

14 Days of Frugality- DAY SEVEN

This morning started out with a run at back cove. The air was a little cooler than lately and the breeze off the water felt great. After our run we came home and started thinking about how we were going to spend the day. Jeremy told me that he wanted to make Vietnamese sandwiches (Banh Mi) and I was ecstatic. I put Max down for a nap and then assisted Jeremy with the preparation for the sandwiches. At the time, we thought that we were just going to whip up some sandwiches... that was hardly the case. The Vietnamese sandwiches took us 3 hours to make!!! I am a 30-minute kind of cook. If a recipe is going to take any longer, I am not interested. However, these sandwiches are worth every minute, and can be made faster if some things are prepped ahead of time. Oh yum... I would definitely make then again.

Here is the recipe.

Vietnamese Sandwiches

Marinated Carrots
* 3/4 cup sugar
* 3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
* 1/4 teaspoon (rounded) salt
* 3 cups shredded carrots

Sandwiches
* 1/4 cup soy sauce
* 6 garlic cloves, minced
* 4 shallots, chopped
* 2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla or nuoc nam)
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 2 teaspoons five-spice powder
* 6 large skinless boneless breasts
* 6 6-inch-long pieces baguette, split lengthwise, some of soft centers removed
* Mayonnaise
* 1 cucumber, sliced thinly lengthwise
* 1/2 red onion, sliced thinly
* 12 fresh cilantro sprigs
* 2 jalapeño chiles, thinly sliced crosswise
* Additional soy sauce

For marinated carrots:
Whisk first 3 ingredients in large bowl until dissolved. Add carrots; toss to coat. Put everything in a sealed zip lock bag (push out the air) let sit at room temperature for 2 hours. (Can be prepared 5 days ahead. Cover and chill.) Drain well.

For sandwiches:
Mix first 8 ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken; turn to coat. Let marinate at room temperature in a sealed zip lock bag (push out the air) for 1 hour.

Heat a pan on the stove. Pour the chicken and marinade into the pan. Cook for about 6 minutes per side. When almost done, use two forks to pull the chicken apart into small pieces. Transfer to plate; tent with foil to keep warm.

Grill in the same pan the cut sides of bread until lightly toasted. Spread mayonnaise on bottom half of baguette pieces. Top with cucumber slices. Top each with pulled chicken, marinated carrots, then onion slices and cilantro sprigs. Sprinkle with jalapeño slices, soy sauce, and ground black pepper. Place top baguette piece over, pressing to compact, and serve immediately.

As we were sitting to eat our sandwiches, Max woke up from his nap. We gave him lunch and headed out to the Eastern Promenade for a stroll. The Eastern Promenade is one of the prettiest parks in Portland.

All in all it was a good day with lots of activity and healthy food. I hope to have a ton more just like it.

14 Days of Frugality- DAY SIX

I love seltzer and I love mixing a small amount of juice with a lot of carbonated water. To me it is the perfect refreshment. A few years ago Jeremy and I would go through about 5 bottles of seltzer a week. The bottles cost around 70 cents each, so we didn't give it much thought. Well, that is $182 a year worth of seltzer. Then we saw this... the SodaStream Penguin Sparkling Water Maker at William Sonoma. It seems silly at first, but when we sat down and did the math, it made perfect sense. We paid $199 for the Soda Stream about 2 years ago and we have not had to purchase an additional C02 cartridge yet. The purchase of the Soda Stream in just two years has saved us $165 on carbonated water. Another plus for the Soda Stream is that not only is it more environmentally friendly than all those plastic water bottles, I can make the water as carbonated as I want. I also don't have to worry about that bottle that I just bought going flat in the fridge because I make it as I need it. $165 is not a lot to save in two years, but over ten, it is something quite impressive. One of the reasons we buy from William Sonoma is because we know they will stand behind our Soda Stream for life. Great companies with spectacular customer service are hard to come by, but when we find one we become instant lifetime customers. Other companies we love include, LL Bean, Zag, Roomba and Crocs.

Now onto the business of today. A typical Saturday for us would go something like this... eat breakfast at a diner, then maybe ice cream at the beach and take out for dinner. And Maybe fit in a run or some other kind of cardio so we can try to justify all the eating. Sad, but true. We figure that we work all week, I cook all week and we both deserve a break. We need to change that thinking. So this morning we played squash for the second morning in a row and then came home to make lunch. First though, I have to say that I feel bad. When we went to play squash Jeremy and I decided to buy a new squash ball even though we already had one. The reasoning was that the ball we were using was old and not very good, so in order to play well we needed a new ball. The ball cost us $5. So, I guess that is the first official breach from the rules. However, Jeremy said that he will eat less this week to make up for that $5 and I am going to hold him to it. Okay, now onto the amazing lunch Jeremy made us.

Jeremy woke this morning with a hunger for junk food, probably because it was Saturday and he is programmed to want junk on Saturday, as do I. He decided to make what he was craving. Burgers and chips. We don't have any potato chips, and they are not acceptable to buy, but we do have potatoes, so he sliced them up and pan fried them in canola oil with a few hefty cloves of minced garlic. When complete, while still oily and hot, he tossed them with salt, pepper, paprika, chili powder and blackened cajun spice.

For the entree, he cooked up a couple burgers we had in the freezer, left over from Max's birthday party, and served them up with caramelized onions and a special sauce containing mayonnaise, lemon juice, korean hot sauce, pepper and blackened cajun spice all mixed together and used as a topping for the burger, and a dip for the chips as well. He put all of this on a baguette (also from the freezer) with lettuce and tomato. It was so delicious and cost us $0! We gobbled our burgers down and then headed out to the beach for the afternoon.

14 Days of Frugality- DAY FIVE

I've made it five days without any unnecessary spending and I feel great. The cravings are still there, but not as strong as they were on day one. This morning Jeremy and I went to the Y to play some squash and we put Max in their free childcare for the time we played. Being active is a free and fun way to pass the time. In addition to saving money, we are both vowing to stay active and shed some pounds. At the end of next week I will not only report how much we saved, but how much we lost as well.

If I think there are a lot of things telling me to spend money, there are about the same amount telling me to save! Today, while in Whole Foods Market I picked up one of their Meals for 4 under $10 pamphlets. Whole Foods is trying really hard to get away from their "Whole Paycheck" image by showing customers that they can make full meals with ingredients from their store for $10. (I don't know how successful they have been since I still think they are ridiculously expensive.) Next time you are in the store, pick up a copy of this flyer. There are some great recipe ideas that I would love to try, like Spanish Style Mussels with Spinach and Penne with Chicken and Vegetables.

I walked out of Whole Foods armed with the ingredients to make a great dish and a cheap one too. I found in their frozen seafood section stuffed clams on sale for $3.99 (pack of 9, regularly $6.99). I also bought a can of white clam sauce for $2.69 and a pound of spaghetti for $1.79. All the ingredients cost me $8.47, but then we didn't use them all. I only made half the pack of stuffed clams because they were so big and left the rest in the freezer for later. And I only made half the pasta because two people don't need a pound of pasta! This brings the cost of my meal down to $5.59!!! Holy Moly! Best part... it was DELICIOUS!

After dinner I noticed the cover of my Parents magazine sitting on the counter, "15 Painless Family Budget Cuts", so I decided to take a look... Here are some of their ideas worth sharing.

1. Buy unisex clothing. They say that if you plan on having more than one child, this is a good idea and will save you in the long run. We kinda do this, it's easier to put a girl in "boy" clothing than visa versa, so we can easily use most of Max's stuff for our second child if it happens we have a girl. However, if I had a girl I don't know if I would be able to resist all the amazingly adorable outfits out there.

2. Be Stroller Smart. Don't spend $800 on a stroller when you can get one for $200... it's not like the more expensive ones come with anti lock brakes and air bags. We bought both our strollers (BOB and Peg Perego) off of Craigslist and saved around $300.

3. Cut your kid's hair. A salon visit can easily set you back $25. I recently started cutting Jeremy's hair (with no prior experience) and it has worked out well for us so far. I don't do anything with my hair and at most will get it cut once or twice a year.

4. Pick "pre-owned" clothing and gear. This is a no-brainer.

5. Buy in bulk. Another no-brainer

6. Make your own baby food. You can buy a baby food maker like the Sunbeam 2 Quart Food Mill ($25 amazon.com) and prepare your own blends. Max never liked the mushy runny jarred baby foods, so I was always making things for him, usually a hybrid of the jarred stuff and some rice or cut up fruit. I never could justify a baby food maker... maybe for baby number two.

7. Be a mom of the cloth. Apparently using cloth diapers will save you 50 percent compared with disposables. I have been saying that I am going to go cloth for over a year now and as soon as I am allowed to spend again, I think it will my my first big ticket item. For more information go to Jillian's Drawers and check out their Try Cloth for $10 program.

8. Find Free Entertainment. Police stations and fire stations, libraries, supermarkets and bookstores all have free events and some museums ask for a suggested donation. Take advantage of these opportunities!

Now, the hardest part of the experiment is upon us... the weekend. Tomorrow I think we will start the day at the Y, playing squash and utilizing the free daycare. Then in the afternoon we will be off to the beach. Sunday we are thinking of visiting the Portland Public Library, which is a gigantic, beautiful building in downtown Portland that we have been dying to see the inside of. They have tons of music, movies and books that we like and I am excited to see what kind of children's section they have. The most challenging part will be planning ahead all our meals, since we will be out and about it will be easy to succumb to take-out. It will be all about the proper planning.

14 Days of Frugality- DAY FOUR

It's hot out and I am not really into the heat so we pretty much stayed inside the house in one of the two air conditioned rooms. I ask myself, what would I be doing if I could spend money right now? Maybe I'd be at the mall, Peek-a-boo or Greenlight studio with Max. I don't really know because this weather doesn't make me want to do anything. Without spending a dime I can go to the beach or the splash pool, which are both good hot day activities. But we just stayed inside until a neighbor invited us into their pool... which was the highlight of our day.

Today we went grocery shopping and I stretched the rules a bit and bought some organic lemonade. When we got home we poured it into some make it yourself ice pop molds and set them in the freezer for later. We went to Harbor Fish Market and bought some cod on sale for $5.99 a pound. For dinner I used a recipe that I found on Epicurious. It was cheap, delicious, quick and easy, so I thought I would share,

Baked Cod and Potatoes with Horseradish Cream Sauce

* Nonstick vegetable oil spray
* 1/2 cup mayonnaise
* 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard with horseradish
* 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
* 2/3 pound unpeeled red-skinned potatoes, thinly sliced
* 2 6-ounce cod fillets
* 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

I preheated the BBQ to 400°F. I took two large sheets of tin foil and laid them on top of one another and sprayed them. Then I Mixed the mayonnaise, mustard, and lemon juice in medium bowl and seasoned the mustard mixture with pepper. I tossed the potatoes in the mustard mixture and gently shook the excess mustard mixture from potatoes before spreading potatoes in single layer prepared tin foil. I then covered the potatoes with two more sheets on tin foil and folded up all the edges, making sure the package was sealed. I put the package on the BBQ and closed the lid, letting the potatoes cook for about 13 minutes. Meanwhile, I coated the cod with the mustard mixture and sprinkled it with salt and pepper. When the timed buzzed for the potatoes, I opened the package up, be careful, the steam inside is very hot, and placed the cod on top of the potatoes, resealed the package and placed it back on the BBQ with the lid closed. Bake until fish is opaque in center and potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes longer.

I also cooked some asparagus on the grill next to the tin foil package. This dinner was fantastic. Jeremy and I cleared our plates and Max ate a ton of it. I would estimate that this dinner for two adults (and a 13 month old) cost me around $10 to make. Before this experiment I would sometimes buy seafood or meat that cost over $12 a pound, making the meal far more expensive than this one. I think I am a little proud of myself right now.

Saving money doesn't mean you have to eat boring, bland meals :)

14 Days of Frugality- DAY THREE

Today Max went to day care. On these days I usually stop at The Utter Place on the way home and grab two iced coffees for Jeremy and I to have with our breakfast. Then, for lunch we will order something, maybe Po Boys and Pickles. But, not today. I made the iced coffee and lunch (which was so awesome, I should have taken a photo of it). I wanted to use as many ingredients from yesterday's farm share as possible. Here is what was in the share:
Golden Tomatoes
Summer Squash
Zucchini
Garlic
Lettuce
Beets
Chard
Sugar Snap Peas
Cilantro
Radicchio

So, for lunch I served tuna salad over a bed of lettuce with tomatoes and balsamic. Delicious! And then for dinner I made a chinese chicken stir fry using the squash, zucchini, chard, spinach (from last week's share), garlic and snap peas and served it all over rice.

And now I will post some resources for anyone wanting to be frugal. For everyone, this is an all around coupon/savings Facebook page by my friend Jen called The Savings Princess. Then, for my friends in New Jersey, I found this blog, Frugal New Jersey. And for my Maine friends I found this blog, Broke 207 and a Facebook page called A Frugal Family for ME.

On a different note... I usually get a pedicure and brow wax every 3-4 weeks. It runs me around $40 with tips. That's $520-$694 a year!! I could be getting a really really nice coach bag each year with that kind of money. I am thinking I should start doing it on my own. A pedicure I can handle, but I've never waxed my own eyebrows. Any advice on the subject is appreciated.

14 Days of Frugality- DAY TWO - Continued

I am wanting something, anything. And I know it is because I can't have anything. On our way to the farm today we passed Smiling Hill Farm with their yummy ice cream. I've never had their ice cream before, so I don't really know why I think it is so yummy. Oh right... it's because I can't have it!

It's like when your house is packed with food and you don't want any of it... that is how it is for me right now. I have all this great stuff right here in the house and I am allowed to go out and buy all the ingredients I want, but what I want is a treat. Not because I treat myself a lot. Okay, I'm lying. I treat myself a lot. Both Jeremy and I treat ourselves a lot. Too much. And that is why this is good. No Starbucks. No candy bar from the Quality Shop. No ice cream from Jet Video. Only things we can make ourselves with ingredients we buy or already have in the house. Hmm... I wonder if I have all the ingredients I need to make oatmeal cookies...

Update: 8:12pm. The oatmeal cookies are in the oven. :)

14 Days of Frugality- DAY TWO

I want to make a clarification. Even though we are living frugally we are still eating natural/organic. All our meat is natural or organic, all our produce is organic. None of the food in our house contains artificial sweeteners, colors or preservatives. I am still buying Iggy's bread and have no intention of switching to Wonder Bread. This frugal experiment is an attempt to see what is possible taking in consideration how we live. I could easily cut our grocery bills in half if I was willing to eat differently, but I am not.

Now... today. Today we pretty much stayed inside the house. I am tired from a busy week before so Max and I spent the day reading books, building towers and taking a dip in the wading pool. We thought about going to the beach, but then realized that we decided too late and we wouldn't have a lot of time (the joy of two naps a day). However, both the beach and the wading pool are free! Actually, when I think about it, and I thought about it today, there are a lot of free things to do with Max in Portland. There are the beaches, parking is free... the splash pool, the many playgrounds, parks, library and I'm sure many more things that I have yet to discover. Entertaining a one-year-old isn't hard either... sometimes a trip to the grocery store is exciting enough.

I'm also excited that Max is about to receive some new toys, but at no expense to us. I have been saving the reward codes on Max's diapers and I just entered them all in and got him a set of 3 Alex bath boats. They are really cool. It will probably be a while before they are here, but it will be nice knowing that they are the result of a few minutes of my time and not $11.99 (what they sell for on Amazon.com).

For breakfast I made oatmeal and iced coffee. For lunch I cooked up a yummy pizza with ingredients that were in the house (I keep a few bags of frozen pizza dough from Trader Joe's in the freezer for pizza making) and of course a few pinches of herbs from my trusty herb pot on the deck. Growing your own herbs is a fantastic way to save a little. Often a recipe will call for a little of this or a pinch of that and your only option at the supermarket is to buy a whole package or bag of the stuff. I love oregano, but I don't know what to do with a whole package. Growing your own herbs is easy (if I can do it, it's easy) and really really inexpensive. Best of all, you have everything you need when you need it :)

More later...

14 Days of Frugality- DAY ONE

Today was my first day living frugally and it was surprisingly harder than I thought it was going to be. First and foremost, I made Jeremy and myself some iced coffee before getting to the gritty stuff.

I started the day thinking about what kind of meals I wanted to make this week. I needed to make meals that wouldn't cost a lot and could easily eaten as leftovers. I would need to reuse ingredients from one dish to another so nothing is wasted. Obviously, some dishes are better suited than others for this. So, I turned to my personal recipe book of tried and true meals. I settled on making a few chicken dishes because I knew that I could get organic chicken for $5.99 a pound. I was also thinking of making a fish dish using whatever white fish was on sale at Whole Foods, but nothing was. I am planning to check the prices at Harbor Fish Market later in the week, but so far... just chicken.

For breakfast Jeremy and I fueled our bodies with slow cooked oatmeal. A breakfast that we SHOULD eat every single day, but never do. (Perhaps this experiment will result in more than just a few pennies saved.)

For lunch we had leftover homemade tacos from the weekend and for dinner I made a pasta dish with peas and chicken that has a creamy chicken sauce. It is really delicious and reheats well. Max also enjoyed it very much. Most of the ingredients for the dish I already had in the house and all I needed to buy was some chicken* and a bag of frozen peas, of which I used half.

*I bought an economy pack of chicken, enough for the whole week.

Tomorrow I will pick up my CSA farm share and use whatever I get to make yet another favorite chicken dish... chinese stir fry, using some spinach and snap peas from last week's share and maybe the other 1/2 of the frozen peas.

Something that I forgot to add to my list of things not allowed is prepared foods. When I was in Whole Foods today I was reminded of how many yummy prepared things there are.... muffins, salads, pastas, chicken, soups... none of this is allowed during the next 13 days. If I want a muffin, I need to make it and it is much too hot for baking, so I will go without. Walking through the store was hard. I wanted pretty much everything I saw. Cherries!! Ooh. But cherries are a luxury and definitely not a necessity. I need to stick with fruit on sale and fruit that will last more than just a few days without turning. As I walked through the aisles I realized that I never shop according to sales. I just buy what I want and don't care. I need to start caring. It feels strange to limit my menus to what is on sale, but I know it is the right thing to do if I really want to start saving money. The red peppers that I bought for the stir fry were on sale and so was the chicken. That's a start.

Later in the day I walked to Jet Video which is a video store, post office and ice cream shop (coolest business idea ever) to mail a package. As soon as I got to their door I immediately wanted an ice cream or at least something cold to drink. I had just walked 5 minutes!! I needed a way to cool off. But, that would be a no no. Even though I would be able to purchase an ice cold beverage for just 75 cents it was not allowed. I stayed strong, mailed my package and left.

When I think of this project on the very tip of the surface it seems easy and kinda dumb too. But, doing it is hard. Last night I dreamt that I was shopping at Target and woke up wanting to go there today. In just one day I am realizing how much impulse spending I do and think about doing. I hope that bringing attention to the problem is the right first step.

Here is an article that I found some inspiration in, First Person: What My Little Indulgences Really Cost.

Only the Necessities, Please

Last week Jeremy and I watched a film called, No Impact Man about a man who wants to make no impact on the Earth for an entire year. He does not drive, buys nothing new, only buys and cooks with ingredients that can be found locally, discontinues the use of toilet paper and eventually turns off his electricity. It was interesting, but a bit extreme. When we moved to Portland I decided to cut down my paper towel consumption because I felt like I was using a lot of them. I purchased some cloth towels and ever since, I've cut my paper towel use by more than half. But, after watching this movie, I was inspired to do more.

Jeremy and I needed to start out small. I wasn't about to bike to everywhere I needed to go, so we discussed something that would be more of a baby step as well as affect us in a positive way. We decided to focus on spending. For me, at least, I have gotten to the point that sometimes I don't even think very hard about a purchase I am going to make. Last week I bought a window fan for my kitchen and the entire purchase took 3 minutes because I used Amazon.com, that is not informed shopping! Because we know we spend too much, we discussed the idea of minimal spending for two weeks. This would mean that we would buy nothing that we did not absolutely need. A large portion of our unnecessary spending goes to restaurants and as part of this experiment we would not be allowed to indulge in restaurants for the whole two weeks. I am hoping that on August 1st we realize how much we don't need and get over our desire for frequent retail therapy.

The following is considered a necessity:
groceries (with exceptions)
gas
toilet paper
pet food
parking meter fees
postage

The following is not allowed:
grocery exceptions- soda/sugary drinks, candy, junk snacks (potato chips)
restaurants/take-out food/coffee shops
magazines/books
toys
electronics
admission fees to parks, zoos, museums, play centers, beaches
clothing/shoes
movies/entertainment
bottled water

Of course there are exceptions, for example, if one of us breaks our cell phone we would need to replace it. However, we will do so in the least expensive way possible.

Any food we consume will either be free to us, meaning that someone else purchased it, or homemade. This means that instead of stopping at Starbucks for an iced coffee I will have to either make it myself or do without.

I anticipate the hardest part will be the food because we will not be able to be out at say a Sea Dogs game (as long as our admission is free) and get a beer or a hot dog. I will either have to bring food in from home or we will need to eat before we leave. Another thing I just realized is that I will be limited with what I can do with Max. I was planning to go to a petting barn yard with him tomorrow, but just remembered that the admission is $5. That will not be acceptable come tomorrow. There are plenty of free things for me to do with Max and I will need to focus on those activities for the next few weeks.

This project will begin on Monday July 18th and end on Monday August 1st. Everything outlined about is just a rough idea and I will be adding more as the days progress. It is hard to anticipate the type of obstacles we will encounter. I will update the blog daily.