housework: saving money

Saving money is not my strength at all. I am a spender. I love to buy shoes. And go out to eat. And buy stuff for the dog. I just like stuff. Living on a med school budget and my current job situation has really made me have to tighten up lately. Here are some things I do:

• I have started shopping at ALDI. I was a skeptic at first, but I had to give it a try because my friend Erin always gets great deals there. Milk is $1.49 a gallon. And a three-pack of bell peppers are $1.99. It is spectacular, as long as you don't mind store-brand stuff.
• I tear dryer sheets in two pieces. They last long and I haven't noticed a difference. I also don't use dryer sheets on towels because it makes them less absorbent.
• I called and negotiated our cable/Internet bill and saved $27 a month. I told the cable company I was going to have to cancel our service if I couldn't get a cheaper deal. I also got about twenty extra (sports) channels added, in addition to my savings. I recommend you do the same. Phone bills, medical bills, and interest rates are all negotiable. The worst a company can do is say no. You can always find somewhere else to provide services.
• I LOVE Sam's. I buy items like paper towels, laundry detergent, Cascade, dog food, beer, toilet paper, Clorox wipes, Diet Coke, and pretty much all of our housecleaning stuff there. None of these things are perishable and the prices are much much cheaper than Walmart.
• I use the freezer. I am not a fan of next-day leftovers, but if I make a big pot of soup or chili or chicken and dumplings, I freeze the leftovers in a Ziploc bag. On days I don't feel like cooking, I just thaw it out and dinner is ready! I also wash, chop, and freeze veggies like squash, zucchini, mashed up avocados, bell peppers, onions, and celery. It saves time and money.
• I paint my own toenails. A foot file is about $4. For French pedi just get some white polish and paint the tips and then clean up any smudges with a q-tip dipped in polish remover.
• The Shuberts go to matinee movie showings. Much cheaper and less crowded.
• You know the Coke Rewards points that come with Coke boxes and bottles? I enter them online and redeem magazine subscriptions. I haven't paid for magazine subscriptions in about two years.

I wish I was better about using coupons and looking up sales online. I know a lot of places offer $50 gift card restaurant gift certificates for $25, and I wish I could be better about taking advantage of those. There may be other things I do to save money, but this is about all my brain is coming up with now. Your turn! What do you do to save money? Is there an area you wish you were better about saving?

housework: let's make cake!

Okay, I LOVE LOVE LOVE baking. It just makes me happy. My mom passed along her love of baking to me. Here some tips for cake baking. You should listen to me. My cakes rock out.

-If you don't have a Kitchen Aid mixer, save your lunch money and buy one! It is so useful for baking. I LOVE my Kitchen Aid mixer.


-Measurements matter! When baking (anything, not just cakes) you CANNOT eyeball ingredients. It also matters what type of measuring instruments you use. Don't use eating utensil spoons. Use real measuring spoons. Level off dry ingredients, and don't over/under fill the cups.

dry ingredients measuring cups

liquid ingredients measuring cups

-I like to line my cake pans with parchment paper then grease and flour them. I use Crisco shortening to grease the pans (with my hands, fun!) and then sprinkle flour and shake off the excess. I have also used that Baker's Joy cooking spray, and it works fine, too.

-Preheat! The oven needs to be pre-heated for at least ten minutes before you begin your baking. Don't open the oven until the timer goes off! And set the timer according to the directions!

-Don't over-mix the batter, just until ingredients are blended. About two minutes is standard. Scrape the sides and bottom to make sure everything gets incorporated.

-Ingredients are better when they are all the same temperature, so set the eggs out at room temperature for fifteen minutes or so. Butter for frosting needs to be left out for about thirty minutes (I usually set the butter out after I put the cakes on the cooling rack, see below.) Don't let the butter get too soft, or your icing will be a hot mess.

-Cool it! Let your cakes stand for ten minutes in the pan (set the timer so you don't forget) then flip them out onto cooling racks to cool completely. If you don't let the cakes cool in the pan first, then they will most likely fall to pieces. But if you let the cakes cool too long they will stick to the pan. Ten minutes, no more no less.

-Please, please, please don't use icing from a tub. It is so gross. Homemade icing is so simple and can make a box cake really yummy. Some of my favorite icings:

Vanilla Buttercream

Cream Cheese I put pecans in this frosting for Dr Hubby's favorite Hummingbird Cake. This frosting is great on Red Velvet box cupcakes. (If you want nuts in frosting, toast the nuts-about half a cup-in the oven for a few minutes first for some extra flavor. Yum!)

Strawberry Buttercream My favorite!

Troubleshooting-My number one trouble-shooting tip: If the cake didn't turn out right, you didn't follow the directions OR you used a crappy recipe. I think I addressed the main problems people have when baking cakes. Please leave a question/issue if you have any! I find that Southern Living has the best cake recipes, and their recipes never need to be adjusted. I don't really like decorated or themed cakes, I like old-fashioned style cakes that taste good. Now you are wanting some cake, huh?

Some links to some of the other cakes I have made:

Sugar & Spice

Chocolate Chocolate

Pupcakes

Italian Cream Cake

I was going to post a pic of Chris's birthday a few weeks ago, but I can't find my USB cord...I think Brooks hid it from me.

housework: making a schedule

Let me start by saying I am in no way an expert housewife. But I must also say that staying at home has given me an opportunity to work toward perfecting (ha) the art of housekeeping. I also have no children, which I think allows my house to remain in a mostly-clean state. (If/When I do have kids I plan on locking them in the crate with Brooks so I can get stuff done.) I am a self-proclaimed procrastinator, and I have never cared much for schedules. Confession Time: CREATING A SCHEDULE FOR OUR LIFESTYLE HAS MADE EVERYTHING SO MUCH EASIER. I also never have to really clean house. I do a little bit everyday so I really never feel overwhelmed with housework. When I do go back to work, I WILL maintain my housework schedule. I still have a pretty good bit of procrastination left in me. I don't plant out every single minute of my day, I just have a list of things that need to be completed by the end of each day. I have decided to share some of my favorite tips that work for us and our household.

Weekends-I make a weekly menu. Then I make a grocery list. Making a grocery list is really important. It saves time, money, and prevents stress of trying to decide what to cook for dinner. If it's not on the list that week, we aren't buying it. I also make enough granola for Chris's breakfast for the entire week.

Monday is laundry day at theshuberthome. (I understand if there are more than two people in your house there probably needs to be more than one laundry day.) Having a designated laundry day keeps Chris from asking me when I plan on doing clothes. (Of course if there is an urgent need I don't refuse to wash clothes but having a designated day really cuts down on doing a million loads a week.) I DON'T USE LAUNDRY BASKETS. That's right, I put all of our laundry baskets in the attic a few years ago. All laundry baskets are good for is preventing me from putting away clothes immediately. Seriously, it takes about two minutes to fold clothes and hang everything on hangers. Then it is done and I don't have to dread putting away clothes. (That is the worst part of doing laundry, isn't it?)

On the same topic, I don't put dirty dishes in the sink. It is a wasted, inefficient step. As soon as the dishwasher finishes running (or first thing in the morning) I unload it. Then all the dirty dishes go straight in the dishwasher while I am cooking. There really isn't any clean-up after cooking. Chris is even on the no-dishes-in-the-sink wagon. Wiping out the sink after each use with a towel or Clorox wipe will keep it from getting grimy and gross and smelly.

I sweep the main part of the kitchen every time I finish cooking (or sometimes while I wait for dinner to finish cooking). This makes mopping so much easier. Plus, who likes walking on a gritty floor?

We have, um, just a little bit of a dog hair problem at our house. There is almost always little fluffy dog hairs on the coffee and end tables. I polish the tables a couple of times a week, but sometimes I just knock off the hair with my hand. Yep, that's what I call good enough housekeeping.

Oh, the dog hair. We will never get rid of it all. I do have to vacuum every other day. The only way I think I could get out of this is making Brooks live outside, and I think we all know that's not gonna happen. If I don't vacuum that often and just let it go, then I have to stop and empty out the little vacuum bin way too frequently. I also started throwing an over-sized beach towel on the love seat where Brooks naps, then when company comes over I toss the towel. Ta-da, it's dog hair free. Well, mostly dog hair free.

Febreeze plug-ins are fabulous. They don't smell too sweet, just clean. Febreeze is also great for pet bedding. Speaking of pet bedding, it really needs to be washed once a week or your house will stink like a giant dog. Trust me, I know.

Bathrooms: I keep Clorox wipes under the sink and give everything a wipe down as needed. Sometimes after I get out of the shower and the mirror is all steamy, I wipe it down with a towel. More good enough housekeeping. I also keep a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser in the tub.

Okay, I could go on and on. Look for more tips and tricks to come. And of course, my housekeeping schedule most likely won't be applicable with your lifestyle. But let's hear it. Do you have a weekly schedule? Do you wish you had a schedule? What are some of your scheduling tips and tricks? Please share! Happy cleaning!