Nix9to5

Zaycon Back in OK–Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast for $1.69/lb

// January 13th, 2012 // No Comments » // Deals

If you didn’t get a chance to take advantage of Zaycon’s chicken sale when they were here before, they’re coming back!  Buy a 40 lb./case of ginormous, plump, fresh, boneless skinless chicken breast for $67.60–only $1.69 per pound.  If you don’t need 40 lbs., think about splitting a case with a friend.

I kept the whole 40 pounds, but Hot Husband eats chicken for lunch just about every day.  The freezer full of chicken breast has also served me well during the January Spending Freeze.

In the Oklahoma City area, there are four pick up locations on January 25:  Oklahoma City, Norman, Edmond, and Yukon.  Order by January 20 (or while supplies last) for pickup on January 25.

Zaycon also sells lean ground beef and bacon in addition to special offers at their “savings events.”  They deliver throughout the United States.  Find out what, when, and where Zaycon will be selling by signing up for Zaycon notifications.

Buying 40 pounds of chicken sure put a cramp on the “spending freeze” but as much chicken as we use, I can’t afford to pass it up.

On another note, Target toys are 70% off if there’s anything left.  We stocked up and have Bear’s birthday and Christmas gifts for 2012 purchased for about a quarter of the price (or rather, we bought 4x as many toys for what we budget).

These two expenses hurt our January spending but will save us literally hundreds of dollars over the course of the year.

Reflections of Motherhood

// January 13th, 2012 // 2 Comments » // Balance, Children and Babies

You may have already seen this video from Nummies, but if you are a mom or about to be a mom, and you haven’t seen it yet, you should.

Nummies says, “We asked moms if they could go back to before their first baby, what would they tell themselves. These are their answers. Everyone in the video is a mom.”

Easy Gourmet from the Amazing Amanda

// January 12th, 2012 // 1 Comment » // Cooking

One thing that amazes me about my sister is her astonishing ability to whip up delicious and creative meals out of whatever she has on hand.  This is serving her well as we are taking on our spending freeze challenge.  As I’m surviving the challenge by dumping chicken in the crockpot and trying to make something happen (tonight:  BBQ chicken sandwiches), she’s creating beautiful, balanced  meals.   In the rest of this post, the Amazing Amanda shares with you last night’s inventions:  Bacon Teriyaki Tenderloin, Parmesan Baked Florets, and Baked Sweet Potatoes with Praline Cream Sauce.

I’ll let Amanda tell you how she did it:

(more…)

Nic’s Cheddar Turkey Burger

// January 10th, 2012 // No Comments » // Cooking

I like turkey burgers okay, but I’m not wild about them.  Generally, if I’m going to have a burger, I want a serious burger.  Still, if you’re trying to save calories–or if you stocked up on lean ground turkey at .99/pound–then a turkey burger is probably a good option.  However, I try to never think of a turkey burger as a substitute for a sirloin burger.  Instead, I want it to be its own creation.

Tonight I made turkey burgers that I thought were actually pretty good.  They were make-again-on-purpose good and not just okay-if-you-have-to-use-up-the-turkey-before-it-gets-freezer-burn.  Even Bear ate his.

I started out with a recipe, but then realized I was out of this . . . and that . . . and that, too.  Because it is a fly-by-the-seat-of-my pants recipe, I thought I’d better write it down.  Here’s what resulted from my improvisation.

(not my actual turkey burger)

Nic’s Cheddar Turkey Burger

• 1 lb. lean ground turkey
• 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese (I used reduced fat)
• 1 T. Worcestershire sauce
• 1 T. dried chives
• 1 t. dried minced onion
• 1 t. garlic powder
• 1 T. spicy brown mustard
• dash of salt and pepper

Heat a skillet over high heat.  Mix all ingredients together and form into four patties.  Spray skillet with nonstick spray and place patties in the skillet.  Cover and reduce heat to medium.  Cook about 3-4 minutes on each side or until cooked through.  ”Decorate” your burger with traditional burger toppings or whatever your little heart desires.

Because I don’t really want my turkey burgers to try to impersonate regular burgers, I made mine with a slice of cheddar, roasted red pepper, lettuce, tomato, light mayonnaise, and more spicy brown mustard.  I think they would probably be good with roasted red pepper, sun-dried tomato and feta for a Mediterranean turkey burger, or with swiss, or with green chiles in the meat mixture and topped with pepperjack, or with. . . well, pretty much whatever you can think of to put on them.

If you try these, let us know of any variations that work for you.

Coffee Mug Coffee Cake

// January 10th, 2012 // No Comments » // Cooking

Y’all are going to love me for this one, for reals.

It’s a recipe for coffee cake that you can make in a mug in less than five minutes.  The Amazing Amanda found it–duh–on Pinterest, and here is what she said about it:  ”Eating me a warm mug o’ cinnamon goodness, and so happy to know this recipe exists!”

You just can’t beat a warm mug o’ cinnamon goodness, and that’s a fact.

Here’s the basic recipe, which Amanda and I have both tweaked depending on what is in the fridge.  After the  recipe from Prudent Baby, I’ll explain what we’ve done to it, and how our experimentation worked out.

Coffee Mug Coffee Cake

• 2 T. butter, softened, divided
• 2 T. sugar
• 1 egg (this is tweakable)
• 2 T. sour cream
• 2-3 drops vanilla
• 1/4 c. + 2 T. flour, divided
• 1/8 t. baking powder
• 1 T. brown sugar
• 1 t. cinnamon

Place 1 T. butter in a mug and microwave 10-15 seconds to soften (NOT MELT).  Add 2 T. sugar and stir until creamy.

Add egg, sour cream, and vanilla and stir until thoroughly mixed.  Add flour and baking powder and stir well to complete the batter.

For the topping, in a separate small bowl or ramekin, mix 1 T. butter, 2 T. flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon until crumbly.

Put the topping on the  batter in the mug and microwave for about one minute.  If that isn’t long enough, cook an additional 10 seconds at a time until done.  Prudent Baby says that 1:20 is perfect for hers.

It is wicked hot.  You may be tempted to dive right in, but patience, grasshopper.  Stir the topping into the batter to swirl all the yumminess together:

And gobble it up.

Mmmmm . . .

Now.  Here are some adjustments you can make, based on minor changes Amanda and I have tried:

Berry Crumble Coffee Mug Coffee Cake

Substitute berry flavored yogurt for sour cream and toss in a few blueberries.

Egg-Free (Egg Allergy Friendly) Coffee Mug Coffee Cake

In the Prudent Baby recipe, she says you can use a whole egg, half an egg, or even no egg.  She says she prefers half an egg (divides it between two Mug Cakes), but I was out of eggs and so I just did it without.  It was pretty fantastic without the egg, so I might just skip the egg every time–we go through eggs crazy fast around here, and I don’t really want to tax the chickens too much.  Not that we own chickens.  I just mean chickens in general.

Other Easy Substitutions and their results:

• Substitute vanilla yogurt for sour cream and vanilla extract.  Fabulous.  I nearly always have vanilla yogurt on hand, but I rarely have sour cream, so I’m glad to know this works.
• Substitute coconut oil for butter.  Yum.  I had only 1 T. butter in my fridge, so I used butter in the batter (say it three times fast) and coconut oil in the topping (Notice the white blob in the picture of the topping?  That’s coconut oil at room temperature). Worked great for me!  Coconut oil is healthier than butter, so it’s a good choice.  Also, you could probably just take a big dollop of your Brown Sugar Coconut Body Scrub and add some flour and cinnamon for the topping, but that just seems wrong.  So.  Very.  Wrong.
• Substitute light tub margarine for butter.  Eh.  It still tastes good–just not as good–but it has a gluey consistency.  I’d say if you were trying to cut fat, this might be worth it, but otherwise, I’d only do it if that was all I had on hand.  Which is usually true.

DIY Brown Sugar Coconut Scrub: I Heart Coconut Oil

// January 9th, 2012 // No Comments » // Homemade

My love of homemade bath and beauty products is growing by the second.  First, I told you about DIY Pore Strips (or as I like to call it, Way Stinky Mask for Cleaning Pores and Ripping the Hair off Your Face).  Then, I brought you the DIY Miracle Mask, which smells like holidays and makes your skin super soft.  Now, I’m on to sugar scrubs.

For Christmas this year, I made the ladies in my family one of two sugar scrubs:  Brown Sugar Coconut Scrub or Brown Sugar Almond Scrub.  I’m going to give you the “recipe” for the Brown Sugar Coconut Scrub first, because I happen to have some on hand, and so I have pictures to go with it.

This recipe is based on a Warm Vanilla Sugar and Coconut Body Scrub I found via Pinterest.  My original attempt at the recipe replaced vanilla essential oil with vanilla extract.  My subsequent attempts have left off the vanilla completely, because I think it smells delicious as is, and if it ain’t broke, don’t scent it.

Brown Sugar Coconut Scrub

• 1 1/4 c. brown sugar
• 1/2 c. coconut oil
• Mix well.

That’s pretty much it.

Actually, I do have some tips for making this.  First, if you haven’t used coconut oil before, you need to know that it is solid at room temperature.  The melting point is 72 degrees or some such, so when it comes in contact with your skin, it immediately liquefies.  Now, the original recipe for this scrub says to slightly warm the oil so it is melted when blending.  However, I just flat out skipped that, because it didn’t seem necessary to me.  I just stirred it all up until it looked like cookie dough, and put it in a jar.

This has been used as a body scrub two or three times, and as a hand scrub a few times, so the picture shows less than the actual recipe makes.

Just like any other sugar scrub, you don’t want to get this wet until you’re using it.  You don’t want the sugar to dissolve and harden in the water.  I keep my sugar scrub in a mason jar by the sink so I can use it for hands, but when I’m going to use it as a body scrub in the shower, I scoop some into a plastic container with a lid and take it in the shower with me.  Alternately, I scoop some in one dry hand, step into the shower and get all wet (except for my one dry hand), step out of the spray and apply the scrub.

Now, you may be wondering why I’m showing two different kinds of coconut oil.  The recipe only calls for one kind–don’t go running out and buying two (unless you develop a coconut oil obsession like I have).  The taller jar is one I bought at the grocery store.  I’ve seen this particular brand at Crest, Homeland, and Super Target, so I’m guessing it’s pretty common.  The price ranged from $8.99 to $10.99, I think, with Target being the cheapest.  This is refined coconut oil, and it has virtually no fragrance.  I think People Who Know would consider this to be inferior coconut oil, but it worked just fine for me.  Actually, since you can replace butter with coconut oil in cooking (yes, I’ve used it to make healthier Rice Krispies Treats–YUM!), it might be preferable in cooking if you don’t like a hint of coconut flavor in your food.

The shorter white tub is extra virgin coconut oil.  It does have a slight coconut scent and flavor–which, to me, makes it preferable in this sugar scrub.  It is the oil I used in the Rice Krispies Treats, and it gave them a slightly different flavor, which I thought was pretty fantastic.  I got the Nutiva Coconut Oil in a pack of two from Amazon for $15 something–which makes it cheaper from buying at the store.  Actually, I just looked it up for the link, and it’s currently $13.77 if you choose Subscribe & Save.

I’ve actually chosen Subscribe & Save on the coconut oil because I have become completely infatuated.  It’s my new favorite thing ever.  In addition to using it in a scrub and in treats, I’ve also:

• Used it in place of butter on breads
• Used it in place of body lotion
• Used it as a hair treatment
• Used it as eye makeup remover
• Used it as a facial moisturizer

Okay–I know I probably lost you at telling you to slather something that looks like lard on your face, but it WORKS.  A little bit goes a long way.  It didn’t make my skin break out at all, and in fact, may have made it look a little clearer.  It definitely made my forehead lines look smaller.  Just go lightly and don’t grease up your face all crazy.  Oh–and I only use it at night, because I suspect it would eliminate any lasting power my makeup may have.

As an eye makeup remover, coconut oil is the best thing I have ever, ever used.  Even stuff for sensitive skin makes my eyes burn, and I always have to feel like I’m scrubbing off eye makeup.  With coconut oil, I just smooth a tiny bit on my eyelids and wipe it all away.  No blurriness, no burning, no eye-makeup residue (oh–I am a contact lens wearer, too).  It’s effectiveness as an eye makeup remover is why I only apply coconut oil as a facial moisturizer at night.

As for using it as a hair treatment, I just goop it on the ends of my hair and rub it in–remember, the warmth of your hands melts it.  I use a lot, because my hair is really thick, but I apply less at the roots.  Leave it on for 30 minutes or more.  Longer is better.  If I plan ahead, I put it on about 2 hours before my shower.  Some people say to leave it on overnight, but I shudder to think of what it would do to my pillowcase.  Just rinse and shampoo it out.  You may want to shampoo the roots twice, depending on how oily it feels after the first wash.

I had some pretty significantly damaged hair, so I used this every day for about a week.  My hair is so much healthier; I’m ecstatic.  Now I’m down to using it once or twice a week, just to keep my hair soft and shiny.

Coconut oil is pretty much my favorite thing in the history of ever.  If you try it, let me know if you’re as hooked as I am.

Groupon: Printerpix Customized Photo Album only $9!

// January 9th, 2012 // No Comments » // Deals

I haven’t shared a Groupon in a while, because I’ve been trying to slow down my own spending, but today’s deal is too good to pass up.  Right now, you can save 82% on a personalized leather-bound photo album from Printerpix–a $49.99 value for only $9.  Plus, if you refer a friend who buys their first Groupon from your link, you get $10 in Groupon credit.

This is an online deal, so anyone can get it.  These photo albums are great keepsakes and make fantastic gifts for grandparents!  Get your Printerpix Groupon.

Spending Freeze Challenge

// January 8th, 2012 // No Comments » // Budget, Couponing, Money Matters

At the beginning of 2010, I was determined to find a way to stay home with the Bear.  Leaving him every day, even with the Best Child Care Ever (we looooove Auntastic), was taking its toll on me.  I knew that I’d have to get our spending in check and come up with a realistic budget in order to see if quitting my full-time job with paid medical benefits was even feasible.  One of the first things I did was implement a “spending freeze.”  I couldn’t believe at how much impact one month of extreme frugality had on our budget.

Fast forward two years, and I’ve been spending carelessly,  not using coupons, and not working as diligently as in those early months of my mission to nix the 9 to 5.   If I don’t get a grip on things soon, it’s going to spiral out of control.  Enter the first Spending Freeze of 2012.

For the month of January (and possibly February, depending on how it goes), I’m not spending anything unnecessarily:  we’re eating from the pantry and only buying perishables and things we run out of; we’re using coupons whenever possible; we’re not buying anything extra no matter how great the deal is; and if we eat out, we’re using Groupons, EatAroundOKC deals, gift certificates and so forth.

I realized last night, I have to be careful with Groupon meals at restaurants, too–there’s always a tip, and it’s easy to go over the coupon amount if you aren’t careful.  Last night’s “free” dinner cost us $7.83.  We spent $4.00 on Diet Pepsi.  How ridiculous is that?  If we’d have ordered water, we’d have stayed within the certificate limit and would have been out the tip alone, meaning we would have fed a family of three a YUMMY dinner for only $3.

As for eating from the pantry, I’m lucky to have a freezer full of chicken, thanks to Zaycon Foods, and I have a few pounds of ground turkey and a ham.  I shouldn’t have to buy meat for the rest of the month.  I also am pretty well stocked on household cleaners since I made my own laundry soap and dishwashing soap.  I also have several other homemade household cleaners, like the Tub & Shower Magic, that I’ll have to tell you about in another post.  Having an abundant supply of these things will enable me to go at least a month without spending in these categories.  However, my stockpile of things like paper towels, toothpaste, and toilet paper are depleted, so I may have to buy some of those things.

At the end of the month, I’ll evaluate the success of the freeze.  Any extra will go to our savings account in order to build up a suitable cushion against lean months.

I was telling the Amazing Amanda about my spending freeze for the month, and her sisterly competition gene kicked in.  She said, “Hey–how about if we have a contest to see who can spend the least on groceries this month?”  Because I also have a very strong sisterly competition gene, I agreed right away.

We decided to start the challenge that day, rather than making it retroactive to the beginning of the month (too bad, because I think she was already $180 in, and I was $10 in . . .).  We’re sending each other our grocery totals and dining totals, and we’re including household products as well–so my CVS and Walgreens spending count as well as my actual grocery store spending.  Actually, we’re counting all spending except for bills, gas, and repairs.  Good thing, we aren’t counting repairs, because I’ve already been hit with a $201 plumbing repair bill this month–happy new year to me.

I don’t think we determined a reward for the winner, except maybe excessive bragging and gloating.

Since we started the challenge a couple of days ago, my spending has totaled $11.47:  I spent $7.83 at the Jo’s Famous Pizza (stupid soft drinks . . .), and I spent $3.64 at the grocery store on a dozen eggs, six yogurt cups, and orange juice (my total before coupons was nearly $9.  Oh, coupons–why have I neglected you?)

I haven’t heard from the Amazing Amanda about her spending yet, but I’m guessing she’s at zero, since they just had a big shopping trip before we started our “contest.”

Having an accountability partner–especially one you can safely taunt–really helps keep my focus in check.  After all, I hate to lose, and I really hate to lose to my sister.

If you’d like to get in on our bragging-rights-only contest to see how little you can spend this month, just leave a comment below.  The more the merrier!

If you’re looking for a resource to help you get started, you might check out The Money Saving Mom’s Budget: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year.  On her website, the Money Saving Mom has lots of tips for how to manage your resources and be a better home economist.  A reader testimonial on her site tells how one family is able to save $500 a month just by switching to a cash system, which seems particularly relevant to our spending freeze challenge.

Are you ready to get started?

Nix9to5 Polls

// January 7th, 2012 // No Comments » // Life in General

Check out my new polls feature on the right side of your screen.  I just thought it would be fun.

Now go vote.

Are You Enjoying Every Minute? Really?

// January 6th, 2012 // No Comments » // Balance, Children and Babies, Family

Ever read something, and it resounds so clearly within you that you think, “Wow.  I could have written that”?  Or, in my case, “Wow.  I wish I had written that.”  Well, Glennon from Momastery has written the blog post that I wish I had written.  It rings so true for mommy’s who, in the midst of a toddler tantrum or a day of endless whining, feel guilty that they are not enjoying every moment of ever day.  I mean, let’s be honest . . . who just loves cleaning up pee dribbles off the floor for the eleventy-thousandth time?

Read the article “2011 Lesson #2:  Don’t Carpe Diem” and then come back here to “discuss” it (I shared this post on Facebook, but I’m reposting it here for my readers who don’t follow Nix9t05 on FB.)

Done?  Okay . . .

I wouldn’t trade being a mommy for anything, but there are times when it’s really, really hard.   I have never begrudged anyone who told me to “enjoy this time,” because I don’t take it as “enjoy trying to manhandle your alternately limp and completely rigid child into a carseat.”  I take it more as enjoying “time” in the Kairos sense of the word.  I take it a support that, if can just make it through trying to get an overtired and whining to stop fighting his nap and for-the-love-of-Pete-go-to-sleep-already, there is a silver lining awaiting me.  A cherished Kairos time.

However, there are times when I feel very, very guilty about not enjoying every single minute.  I know women who have lost their pregnancies, lost their babies, lost their young children, or never even had the opportunity to have children, and I think, “What she wouldn’t give to be scrubbing dried spaghetti sauce off the floor.  Again,” or “She would be more than thrilled to be reading the really poorly written dump truck book over and over and over and . . .”  And I feel so guilty.

But let’s be real.  Even these women who would give anything to have a baby, or to have their baby back, wouldn’t just love every moment.  They wouldn’t be tickled pink to see their children lying right down and throwing a slobbering fit in the shoe aisle at Target because the Cowboy Woody shoes aren’t available in the needed size, and mommy can’t just INVENT the right size, now, can she?

No.  They would give anything for the Kairos.  That beautiful, blissful time that makes all the other stuff worthwhile.

It does go fast.  Except for those moments that seem to last forever–when your patience is insufficient to meet the current demand and your child’s tantrum has exceeded your capacity for tolerating whining.  But this too shall pass.

Hang in there, mommas.  If you can make it through this meal, this fit, this mess, this embarrassment, this endless playlist of Cedarmont Kids, you’ve got a little Kairos coming your way.

It’s hard.  But it’s so worth it.