Going Overboard When Finding Great Deals and Freebies

On Sunday I went to Staples to pick up a few of the deals and noticed they were out of the free (after rebate) label maker. I borrow my parents label maker all the time and have been wanting one of my own but I figured Staples would be out since I couldn't make it until later in the day. I asked the clerk if they had any in the back and she said there were people lined up waiting for the doors to open that morning so they could get the label makers. She said it was crazy. This story just added fuel to the fire of a topic that has been bothering me - people going crazy over free or nearly free items.

Pardon me as I get on my soapbox for awhile. I've noticed several bloggers recently getting a little too excited over a good deal. I've seen some buy more of an item than they will use in several years. I've heard of people calling ahead to the store so they can have the entire inventory of an item waiting for them when they get there. I personally quit doing the whole CVS game because we only have one location in town and the deals were always gone within the first 30 minutes of the store opening. Also, they never restocked the deals, including those that were supposed to be month long.

Please use common sense when stocking up on incredible deals. Sometimes the excitement of it gets to people and they go overboard. Sometimes greed plays a huge part. Whatever the cause, please leave something for the rest of us.

This post isn't coming from the fact that I did not get my label maker on Sunday. In fact, I was able to purchase it off their website and I combined my order with my dad's order so the shipping was free. This comes from the frustration of finding empty shelves at almost every store I go to and hearing of people buying 200 of an item because it was free and they can always sell it at a garage sale if they decide they bought too many. It comes from seeing pictures of stockpiles that could feed entire neighborhoods yet they are still going crazy over the deals. It comes from the disappointment of not being able to use printable coupons at some stores because people have been committing fraud in order to buy more items.

Please, next time you are picking up a deal, think about how many you really need and if you later figure out you went overboard, then share it with a charity who could really use your help in this poor economy.

Tightwad Tuesday: Meat Marinate Tip

We do a lot of marinating throughout the year, especially throughout grill season. One of my favorite, easy tips is to use a fork to poke a few holes in your meat before you marinate it. It allows the flavor to soak in to the middle of the meat instead of just coating the meat.

New Beginnings

After over a year and a half of living on very little income, things are slowly starting to change. My husband was able to land a second part time job and he starts training for it this week. He works in the medical field and found the exact job he currently does at a local hospital and they are more than willing to work around his current job. The hours stink as he will be on call but we are thankful for the additional income. It will not solve all our financial issues but it will help a ton towards getting us back on track.

Our son has a new beginning also in a few weeks as he will be starting preschool for the first time. Last week we went and met his teacher and he was able to play in his classroom for awhile. He was so excited that he didn't want to leave and he asks us daily to go to school. I pray he continues to like it once school actually starts.

My new beginning is that I have a new resolve to lose the pregnancy weight. I tried for awhile and nothing happened, then we had a ton of family in and out which meant a lot of eating out. Family is now gone and I've got a great menu planned for this week so that we avoid last minute runs to McDonald's. I have a goal date in mind for when I would like the weight off and I've set small goals along the way so that I can stay on track.

I've also revived my Tupperware business since I took time off after having a baby. I spent a good chunk of the weekend working on goals and familiarizing myself with some great new products coming out in the next few months. For me, Tupperware has been a great way to earn some extra money and get some much needed girl time in too.

So, it is new beginnings all around for our family and I'm excited to see what God has in store for us in this next chapter of our lives.

Food Friday: Zucchini Bread

My father in law brought me an abundance of zucchini last week so I pulled out my favorite zucchini bread recipe and made a few batches. I like to keep several types of quick breads in my freezer so that I always have a last minute dessert or breakfast item on hand. It helps out the stress level to have something on hand when last minute company arrives or I find out the night before I need to bring something to school or an event.

In the past, I've dreaded grating the zucchini because it always took forever and made a huge mess in my kitchen. Since I'm now selling Tupperware, I decided to pull out my Quick Chef and see how it would do with the zucchini. In no time, I had all of my zucchini grated and there was no mess. I will definitely be using this from now on.

Zucchini Bread

3 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 cup oil
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla
3 cups zucchini - raw, unpeeled, and grated
1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)

Beat together the eggs, sugar and oil. Add the other ingredients and beat well. Pour into two loaf pans sprayed with baking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for about one hour.

Adventures in Canning

I've always been intimidated by canning but decided to give it a whirl last fall when I made apple butter. I found out it was much easier than I thought it was and everyone at Christmas enjoyed the homemade gift. In fact, I've had family bringing me empty jars so that I can make more this year. Knowing that I tackled one recipe and survived, I decided I would try more this year as fresh produce from the garden starts taking over.

Friday night, my in laws gave me a bag of very ripe peaches. By Saturday night, it was obvious I had to do something with them or they would wind up in the trash within a day or so. My husband said he didn't want a cobbler and I didn't want to just freeze them as I did that once before and he wouldn't eat them when I thawed them because the color was off (yes, he is picky). I searched the internet and found what seemed a super easy recipe for peach jam. I set out to make it and hours later, it still wasn't coming together. After burning my hand for the third time from boiling peach stuff I decided I was done. I wound up with some pretty yummy peach syrup which will be used on ice cream and pancakes but nothing I can give at Christmas.

While stirring the mixture all that kept going through my head was a post on "Lessons I Learned While Canning". So, without further ado, here are the lessons:

1. I need bigger pots: If I want to can a decent amount of anything, I need atleast one more large stockpot or a larger saucepan. I overflowed one pot with the jam mixture and just about overflowed the next size up after I moved the mixture to it. I didn't have anything else besides the huge stockpot which had the canning jars in it.

2. Canning tongs would make life easier: I figured this out quickly last year when making apple butter but forgot about it until this latest adventure.

3. Simple syrup stinks when it burns: Yep, that would be from the overflowing pot of peach jam.

4. Only attempt a new recipe when the kids are gone: The baby kept needing to be fed while I was destroying my kitchen and it was never good timing. Luckily, the toddler was not home.

5. Double the time you think it will take: With both experiences it took much longer than I thought it would simply because I was doing something that was new to me. I think it will get quicker with more experience.

6. It is all worth it and I look forward to my next canning experience. I have no idea what I will be trying next but I'm pretty sure it will not be peach jam.

Garden Bounty

These last few months I've watched with great pride as I started my veggie garden from seeds. I've never had seeds last before but I was determined to make it work this year. This weekend, I finally got to pick my first veggies from those seeds. I normally would have veggies a few weeks before now but the rain delayed my planting by almost a month this year.

Saturday night I went to check on my garden and was shocked to see the green beans had taken off. I picked a handful then and there are plenty pretty close to ready to pick. I've never tried to grow green beans before but they are about the easiest thing I've ever done so they will be back in the garden again next year.

I also was able to pick a banana pepper. There are several more close to being ready and I look forward to adding these to some yummy sandwiches this week. My bell pepper plants are growing like crazy and have tons of flowers but no peppers yet. I'm hoping to see a few soon though since the flowers look pretty healthy.

I have a ton of green tomatoes too and I'm praying the animals stay out of them this year. Last year, the squirrels ate all but two. This will sound crazy but tomatoes are a must in my garden every year and I don't even eat tomatoes. I don't like the texture of them but there is nothing better than the smell of a homegrown tomato fresh off the vine. I'm thinking of using the ones I don't give away to make some tomato sauce or to possibly can as I do use diced tomatoes in several recipes.

How is your garden doing? I would love to hear updates from those who planted this year too.

Living Rooms Direct Winner

According to random.org, #5 is our winner and that is Nancy. I've emailed Nancy and she has 48 hours to respond. If I do not hear back from her I will choose another winner at that time.

Everyone had some great ideas of how to spend the $25 at Living Rooms Direct and I enjoyed seeing everyone's decorating style.