Eating On Vacation

The past four days the family and I were at the ocean staying in this really cute little cabin.  Of course I brought snacks, but I figured we would eat out most of the time since we were on vacation.  Well.... the first night there we pick a restaurant that got pretty good reviews on Yelp and had a full parking lot.  Uh, not sure if we just got an off night or what but it was horrible.  Most of the food was left uneaten and when the waitress asked if there was a problem I decided to speak up.  Normally I would just say "oh we are full" or some other random excuse, but not tonight.  She did feel bad and ended up taking the appetizer off the bill, but the rest we paid for.  When we got back to the cabin I told Mr. Housewife we were not eating out again, that I would be heading to the little local grocery store to pick up food for the next few days to cook in the cabin.

Not only did we have meals we liked but we saved money as well.  Yes, that's a no brainer, cook for yourself, make what you like and not pay the extra money to have someone else cook it for you. 

For breakfast I made egg, cheese and ham sandwiches.  They were really easy and tasted wonderful, it helps that I had packed eggs from home.

One of our dinners was pork loin, mashed potatoes, zucchini (brought from my garden) and a side salad.

I did some improvisation and made chicken parmesan using mozzarella cheese sticks, yes, it was a tad odd, but not bad.

I made a few other meals that were on the same page as these, fairly basic and quick.  Next time I will definitely plan ahead and bring groceries and not run to the local store that doesn't have the normal food we eat.  But overall it was so much better than eating out and wasting $150 each time we ate only to not like the food.  I spent less than one meal's worth on all the groceries I purchased. 

Not only did we save money and have food we liked but the kids were so much happier not having to go out every time we wanted to eat.  We could go to the beach and not worry about getting all cleaned up and hunting for a place we thought looked good. Brilliant I tell ya!!!

Pickled Eggs, and then some....

Oh my goodness, I think I have found my new favorite snack.  It's been over a year since I made pickled eggs and clearly I had forgotten how amazing they are.  Of course I had to look up a recipe, and found hundreds, so in usual Real Housewife fashion I did a combo of a few to get the results I wanted. 

For one, there are no beets in this recipe, but I did use beet powder to get the red color, totally optional of course.  Also, most recipes either called for white or apple cider vinegar, well I used both.  I only did one dozen to make sure it was going to be something I liked, and it was.

For the Recipe:
12 boiled eggs
1 red onion, cut into rings
12 radishes, cut into slices (not too thin)
1 1/2 c. white vinegar
1 1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1 c. sugar
2 tbsp. kosher salt
1 tbsp. beet powder (optional)
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 heaping tbsp. coriander seeds
1 heaping tbsp. peppercorns (I used the rainbow mix, but you could use plain black)
1 tbsp. fennel seeds
1-3 hot peppers, depending on how spicy you like it (jalepeno, cayenne, serrano, whatever you have)

I used a quart jar for these and it fit great. 

Put a four eggs in the jar, then 1/3 of the onion rings, and lastly 1/3 of the radishes.  Repeat two more times and set in the fridge.  In a saucepan heat the remaining ingredients (except for the 1 cup of ice water) until they come to a simmer.  Take off the heat and let steep for 10 minutes.  Cool the mixture with 1 cup of ice water. 

When cool, pour over the eggs, onions and radishes, put back in the fridge.  Let sit for at least 6 hours, overnight is definitely best.  I totally get how people can't stop eating these, I had to try them a couple hours after I made them, they were good but really taste better after sitting overnight.

Enjoy!

Week Two of no Spending

Changes have been made to include home items that are not necessary, and that's been a tough one.  I love picking up items that I think are interesting or cool, or a good deal.  But in the words of Mr. Housewife, "a good deal that ends up just creating clutter is not a good deal".  He is right.....  I've actually been really good about not buying those items, only once when I found some outdoor lanterns on sale.

This week the goal is to try and cut back on grocery spending without really anyone noticing.  Considering we have a full pantry and freezer I don't think it will be too difficult.  Shopping without the twinadoes will be the key to that.  Their little hands just start grabbing like they are on some kind of television contest that's timed.  Yeesh....

One activity we did not do this week was go to any garage sales.  Thing 1 and I love going, but there's nothing we NEED at a garage sale.  It surprised me how easy it was to explain to him we weren't going to find any this week.  He understood and only grumbled a little.  Yay!!!

Hopefully next week I'll have made more progress and really start seeing some results in this no spending thing.

Teaching a Lesson with Eggs....

When my ladies are laying well we get 15+ eggs a day, more than we need.  It's so fun collecting the eggs and letting the twinadoes help, then counting them to see how many we have.  But with that many being laid they add up quick, and before you know it you have ten dozen eggs.  When I see an excess I simply post them for free on my local Facebook page, and within minutes they are all claimed.  There are also people that post their eggs, but for a price, usually $5 for a dozen.  Could I sell my eggs?  Of course I could, but I choose not to.

The ladies feed costs about $30 per month, so really not that much, six dozen eggs would pay for that.  However, I use these eggs as a lesson for the twinadoes.  They've asked me why I don't sell the eggs and I tell them that we have a lot of eggs, more than we can use so it's nice to share.  Share and not expect anything in return, plain and simple.

The first couple of times I posted my free eggs I received a message telling me to sell my eggs, that giving them away for free might impact those that are selling theirs.  My response to that was I don't have such a large amount that it would really affect any egg selling business and if it did they might want to rethink their business plan because it's not working. 

These eggs have been the segue into them sharing other things with people, like their toys they no longer play with.  Last night we were discussing just this and the twinadoes were having a hard time, they were thinking we meant all their toys.  Mr. Housewife was explaining to them about sharing the toys they NO LONGER PLAY WITH and how that was the right thing to do.  And what does he use as an example?  My eggs!!  I almost melted.....

Don't get me wrong, I totally understand the people that sell their eggs to pay for the food out of necessity, and that is also a lesson we teach our children.  We are very fortunate, we have enough food to eat, a home to live, clothes on our back and a few extras that some people do not.  The twinadoes are learning that when you have more than enough to share, you should and to be thankful for what you do have.  Five is an interesting age.  They are seeing the differences in how people live. Why one of their friends lives in a small home and another in a big one.  Why one friend has every toy imaginable and five computers and the other has barely any. 

So the eggs have started them learning a very good lesson in sharing.  But that lesson has expanded to being thankful for what they have and understanding not everyone has the same as everyone else.  Yet another reason my ladies are the best, they don't just give us eggs, entertainment and bug control, they give us life lessons.  I have the best chickens ever!!!

Week One of No Spending

Week one is done!  Quite honestly, it wasn't that difficult.  What I realize is I don't buy a lot of stuff meant specifically for me, it's mostly items for the house and garden.  The other area we go a little bonkers is food.  Pondering how to shave off a little on everything without making the rest of the family feel like they are on the same restrictive journey as myself will be the challenge.  I stated at the beginning that this would be all about me and not the rest of the family, however, I truly believe we can cut back and nobody will be the wiser.

First, the house and garden.  We need absolutely nothing right now in this department.  What I consider house and garden items will be home décor, extra cooking utensil/cookware, etc..., flowers, garden art, basically extras that are not needed only wanted. 

The food, well, here's where I'll have to get a little more creative.  Last week I took Mr. Housewife to my favorite little store in Fall City and introduced him to my butcher hook-up.  Well it just so happens that Mr. Butcher had found some grass fed beef filet and New York steak for an amazing price and asked if we wanted any.  Mr. Housewife immediately said he did.  After offering to order extra for a few other people, then having a slow pick up and not wanting poor Mr. Butcher to get stuck with extra meat we ended up with not only what we had originally ordered but also extra from the other orders.  All in all we ended up spending a little over $500 in this meat, now keep in mind this was over 40 pounds of meat that will last quite a while.  But my point is, there are little things like this that pop up that I can't just put my foot down and tell Mr. Housewife "no, we are on a food freeze".  He would give me the stink eye and call for my "spa" reservation asap.  What I need to do is find the middle ground where everyone still feels satisfied and we aren't spending a mortgage payment just to feed our little family for a month.  I know I can do it, I'll just have to be mindful of what it is I purchase.

This coming week will be like a transition period for all these changes since I think if I just implement all my ideas at once it's going to be very obvious to everyone and they will complain.  Clearly I need to be a sneaky ninja with all this and do it without them even noticing. 

I posted on my Facebook page about getting organized in the laundry room and how it's going to be an important factor to all of this.  An organized home is a money saving home, yes, I have finally learned this simple lesson.  I assessed all the cleaning products (multiples of everything) and put them in the "cleaning product cabinet", I also found several of those items you need randomly and know you have but can never find (those little felt things that go on the bottom of chairs so they don't scratch your floors).  Amazing I tell you, it's truly amazing how crazy excited I was when this room was done.  The kitchen will be next, I guarantee there will be some multiples of items found as well as things I had totally forgotten.  It's going to take longer than the laundry room, but will be worth it.

Seatac Sally came over several weekends ago and helped me organize my stuff in the garage but I still need to tackle the other side with all the tools, hardware, etc.... I'm going to be so busy organizing I won't have time to even think about shopping!  This is going to be a successful week.  As usual, I'll post a daily blurb on my Facebook page about the day....  Until next week!

My Wallet is Closed....

Today is the first day of summer and the first day of my no spending for a month challenge.  For the record, it will only be me participating in this little experiment, not the twinadoes or Mr. Housewife.  But let's be honest, I'm the main spender in the home so this should be interesting.  Food, bills, necessities will all be purchased and paid, but all extras will be ceased. 

I've been thinking about doing something like this for a while, but just didn't feel like putting the effort out, but dang it, I'm doing it.  Yes, one month doesn't seem like a lot and I think that's why it seems doable.  Saying one year would start me out in a place mentally that I would already be thinking of failure.  At the end of the month I will assess what I've learned, what was really challenging and what I've gained (other than money).

One of the first things I did was figure out where I was spending the most money, and it was quite obvious when I looked over the bank statement..... Amazon!!  The daily deals, the suggestions they give from previous purchases, and the list goes on.  Another area I'll be avoiding are the endless emails I get alerting me of sales and deals.  Just this morning alone I deleted 17 emails that I knew contained deals, didn't even open them.

Boredom shopping, now this one is a killer for me.  Sometimes I pop into a store "just to see what they have" and the next thing you know I'm walking out with bags of stuff.  That is coming to an end.  Kind of on the same lines, all the little add on items I throw in the cart when I'm shopping for something I need.  Everyone goes on and on about shopping lists and sticking to them, well, I'm going to have to do that if I want to succeed.

Oh I won't lie, this is going to be a challenge, but what I'm really hoping is that it will show me that I can survive without all the extra shopping (yes, I'm being dramatic).  Money can be saved or put towards one of our large home improvements we want to do. 

Lastly, I'm curious if Mr. Housewife will notice the extra money we have in the account at the end of the month....  I'll be doing weekly updates on the blog and daily ones on my Facebook page.  Anyone else want to do this with me?

Some Tuesday Randomness Here at Purple Pastures.....

This morning Dahlia, the cat that thinks she's a dog, and I took a walk around the yard to snap a few pictures.  I swear this cat doesn't know she's a cat, she runs and plays with the kids and doesn't even care if it's raining out.

 

My tomatoes are doing so well this year without the chickens.  I really felt bad locking the ladies up for the summer, but seriously, it was just too frustrating to put in all that work and have pretty much nothing in the end.  They ruined everything!!  My goal of having enough tomatoes to can at the end of the season just might become a reality.  Now to learn how to can.....

 

 

It seems late to me, but I'm still starting seeds in the greenhouse, I have my second batch of pumpkins and cucumbers going right now.  Some I'll share, others I'll randomly place around the yard just for fun.  If I get enough I'll leave a pumpkin here and there and let it decompose and hopefully the seeds will grow next year.  It's called lazy gardening....

I planted a bucket with basil, lavender and thyme seeds, so far the lavender hasn't germinated.  Not sure what happened, but 2 out of 3 isn't bad, right?

 

 

Behind the greenhouse there's this random spot that gets great sun but was pretty much a bunch of blackberry bushes and rock when we moved in.  I slowly hacked away at the blackberries and moved rocks so I could plant my raspberries.  They seem to be loving it.  It's also where I keep my big compost pile, which by the way has so may things growing in it, potatoes, peas, squash, onions, etc... I'm going to let them all grow and see what happens.

 

 

The peppers in the greenhouse are going crazy!  They clearly love it in there so I'll leave one of each plant and move the rest outside.  It will be interesting to see if the greenhouse peppers do better.

 

 

My citrus trees are doing amazingly well, especially since I thought I was going to have to toss them all.  They were infested with grey citrus scale which led to the mold fungus that spread everywhere.  They were in really sad shape and nothing I did was helping, they were just too infested.  So as a last ditch I put all the citrus out in the winter, I figured the cold would kill all those darn bugs, but knew there was a chance it would also kill the plants.  I was pleasantly surprised to see it did kill the bugs and stopped the fungus.  But it still took a lot of work to clean off all the fungus, I had to wipe down each leaf and branch, but it was worth it.  They all survived and are blooming!  I still get those pesky grey citrus scale, but now I check them regularly and remove them when I see them before they can become a problem again.

 

 

My squash are doing fairly well, some better than others.  I planted quite a few plants in various places to see where they do best.  Gardening in a new place is always a learning experience the first couple years.  I'm still learning.

 

 

 

A kick I'm on this year is using baskets in the garden.  It started when I picked up some really cute ones at a garage sale, got them home and realized I really didn't have a place in the house for them.  Then I saw some of the most beautiful planted baskets at the garden show, the prices were not so beautiful, and I was inspired.  This one is just filled with mint, but I still like how it looks.  There are more randomly placed in the garden that have flowers, herbs, and vegetables, all different.  Instead of paying $50 and up I paid a fraction and did the work myself.

 

This basket has mostly herbs, but also a strawberry and some trailing flowering ivy that I love (not the hanging planter).

 



It's hard to see, but the water bulbs I tossed into the pond are growing, no flowers yet but it's still early.  Some time in the future I would love to redo this pond and make it deeper.  It's currently about 18 inches deep and I would love to go another 12" or so.  But that project is pretty far down on the list.

 

 

And now for my ladies and gentleman.... I so wanted this handsome boy to be a hen, his coloring is amazing (this picture does not do him justice, guess I'll have to get a better one) and he has a wonderful temperament.  He follows me around everywhere and makes the saddest noise when I leave the run (basically their fenced in area).  He lets me pet him, pick him up and is good with the ladies.  Louie doesn't even mind him, which is great.

This is the other rooster we hatched, when I was rehoming the other boys he was on the list to go but I he caught on to what was happening and refused to be caught.  He pretty much avoids me and keeps a low profile, so that has bought him a pass to stay here at Purple Pastures.... for now.

This pretty girl we call Baby, she was the first chick to hatch here and is the sweetest girl.  She will be another blue/green egg layer.  I love them!!!

 

Earlier this year we picked up 9 hens from a woman in town that was getting rid of a bunch.  I really had no intention of getting more, in fact I was going over to look at them for a friend, but saw how pretty they were and had to get some....

This is Ninja, she is such a character, even Mr. Housewife likes her....

 

And then there's Roxy.... she's broody right now and we've decided to let her sit on two silkie eggs.  She is a mean little hen right now, puffing up and trying to look all mean if you come near her.  She was sooooo happy to get her picture taken this morning.....

 

I have a few (ok many) more chickens that will eventually make their appearance on the blog, but for now these cuties will be the stars.

 

What's happening in your garden and yard?