Dreams of Lifestyle

My Justin knows that I have these romantic dreams of Manhattan and living this glorious lifestyle of the DuPonts and Rockefellers.

I know, I know, dreaming a little big, eh?

I've never been to NYC.  I want to go desperately.  I cannot wait until we are in a position to go and be carefree...stay at The Waldorf Astoria, walk through Central Park, stand in awe at Times Square, shop...and shop...and shop...and shop... 

I have a subscription to Town & Country Magazine.  I pour over every single page. 

Last month, there was an article about The Knickerbocker Greys.  I had no idea that these little guys (and gals) existed.  As I read the lines, I could see my Marshall in my mind.  I instantly felt my heart well with the dream of the NYC lifestyle.  Is it everything that I imagine?  I'm sure its not.  I'm sure that there are folks living there that say they would love to live in the Midwest.

So today, I will share NYC photos from the web.  I hope that you enjoy...any blog links for Manhattan or NYC blogs are welcome!

(Photo Courtesy of The Knickerbocker Greys)

(Photo Courtesy of WallPaperWeb.Org)

(Photo Courtesy of Away)

(Photo Courtesy of Rockefeller Center Office Space)

 

 (Photo Courtesy of New York City Guide)

(Photo Courtesy of movieplaces)

Melody Meets Martha - A New Series!

This is by far my favorite time of year, and even though holiday weeks stress me out (shown clearly by my non-posting last week!), I enjoy knowing that I can put together something enjoyed by my family and friends.

I also really love Martha Stewart - sick, I know.  I'm by far not as organized or detail oriented as she is, but just the way everything looks amazes me.  So, even though my recipes, crafts, organizing, decorating and cleaning may differ...greatly...from this woman, I have decided to embark on sharing some of my recipes and livings - some inspired by Martha and others that our family loves.

There will not be a schedule for this series, you'll just need to check back often - and in the mean time, you can enjoy "50 Beautiful Blogs to Make Your Home More Like Martha's" which has some really great resources.  I poured over this page, linking from blog to blog and found some new loves.  I hope that you do too!

I hope that you'll join me in the days to come for my first Melody Meets Martha post.  I'm hoping to learn something in my research, and be able to offer links of love to you.  I'd love it if you'd post your "Martha-type" blog links on this post!

So get your pinking shears and cupcake tins ready - this will be an adventure!

Chocolate-Peppermint Cookies

(Photo courtesy of yours truly - Yes, this is my finished product!  If you use this photo, please link back.)

Menu Plan Monday - Week of November 29

Thanks for visiting for our weekly Menu!!  This post is part of Menu Plan Monday at OrgJunkie.com.

We are feeding our family on $1 per person per day - with as very little eating out as possible.  We will have slip ups, but as a family of 4 working to pay off our consumer debt, we are dedicated to as many home-cooked meals as possible.

Monday: Meatloaf, Corn, Mashed Potatoes, Rolls

Tuesday:  Fried Deer Steak, Beef flavored Rice, Green Beans

Wednesday: Hot Dogs

Thursday:  Dinner With The Finley's (Financial Peace University night)

Friday:  Breakfast Friday!! Sausage & Pancakes

Saturday Lunch: Sweet & Sour Chicken & Rice

Saturday Dinner: Kettle Beef, Mashed Potatoes, Corn, Rolls

Sunday Lunch:  Crock Pot Deer Meat, Noodles, Green Beans

Sunday Dinner: Taco Bake

We always plan our weekly menu on our current stock of food.  This is how we can most reliably feed our family on a minimal amount of money!

Brand Loyalty - 5 a day for $1 a day...

In my experiences shopping, I find that there are just some things that I can't "stray" from.  I'm sure that you've seen from my Budget Review posts that I will buy multiple brands of some items.  But there are others that it really just doesn't matter if I'm getting a great deal, I have to have only my favorite.

So, almost 2 months ago, I decided that I would express my brand loyalty to our favorite manufacturers.  So I threw open the cabinets, freezers, and fridge and started taking a good hard look at the products that we have.  Immediately, I knew that there were some that were questionable...and others that were not!

Part of our $1 Per Day Challenge is that we do have to be somewhat flexible.  We love Scott Brand Toilet Tissue, but when couponing, you have to determine what your rock bottom price is and stock up when you find it.  The problem here in our home is that I just recently started using coupons again (about 4 months ago) after taking a 6 month hiatus.  We still had some non-perishables, but for the most part, I was starting all over.  I've been having to compromise on what brands I can buy while sticking to the modest budget we've set.

And knowing how hard coupons are to come by for some of our favorites, I decided that I would do a fun little experiment.  In 4 weeks, I emailed the manufacturers of 100 different products.  These items were all already in our home, and were being used (I know that sometimes, couponing strategies included getting whatever you can for a cheap cheap price, but that's generally not how I roll, haha!)

This was tedious and time consuming, but we have reaped the rewards.  Not only was I able to be open and honest about our feelings, I received some very welcoming comments, literature, recipes, and freebies.  I received several phone calls and a wonderful response from the President of Rhodes Bake-N-Serv.

One thing, however, that did not impress me was the "form letter" responses.  You see, blogging has become such a huge part of the social internet that some companies are almost rude when they receive a letter that you are a blogger.  I think it is unfortunate, because my real intentions were not to receive any coupons, free products, or a PR relationship...it was to actually establish the fact that we, as a family on a budget, can still be loyal to our favorite brands.

All in all, this has been a very good experience for me.  I hope that there have been relationships established with manufacturers because of this venture.  And I hope that this post will encourage you to not only save money, but to remember that companies, especially small ones, do appreciate your business.

(Photo courtesy of Rut Buster)

*WINNER* Michael Chiarello's Bottega & Progresso!

Thanks to all who entered!!  My winner was picked by Random.org, and the winner is:

Comment #1!!

eclairre said...
I want to try to make the recipe Angry Shrimp with Tuscan White Beans.

Congratulations!!!  You have until 9:30 pm on November 24, 2010 to claim your prize!!

What's in Your Mailbox?

Shame on me...I didn't do this  post last week!!

This will actually be the final edition.

This week we got magazines.  A Lot. 

(And believe it or not, we didn't pay for any of them!)

How?  Through links like This One. 

What's in your mailbox?

Pick-A-Chore (Saturday Edition)

Early post?  For sure!!

Well, actually, yes, its early, but we're still in bed.  I promise...!!

I'm thinking of trying to get my kids to help today.  Since I haven't felt well and have been working on making a few Christmas gifts, our house is a disaster!  I hate to think of next week trying to bake AND get the house spic & span for Thanksgiving!

So, I think I'm going to make a game of this...a literal game.

If all goes well, you'll see a new post next Saturday, would you like to join in?

Weekly Budget Review - Are we eating for $1 Per Day?

AAAAHHHH!  I feel just awful this week...I'm stuck with a nagging cough & congestion along with stuffiness that I've battled for almost 2 weeks now.  I may have to break down and go to the doctor...!  And I will warn you, our budget review is a little scary this week.  But we had an opportunity to get some really really great bargains, and we took it!  (Of course, anytime you shop with the entire family, you WILL spend more money!!)

Time for our weekly budget review!!  As a family, we have agreed to the challenge of $1 per day per person for a food allowance.  In our family, this equals $28.00 per week to be spent only on food!  Are we eating for $1 per day?

We budget $10.00 each week above our food budget for soda - Justin and I are addicted!!  We're a couple of serious Dew drinkers (even if it is the store brand!!).  This is the only product that we specifically say that we're going to spend above our $28.00 budget for food.

All other areas have their own amounts - toiletries, cleaning, pets, paper products, etc.

Walgreens

Retail total $33.34, Paid $7.69, Saved $25.65
Food total:  $0

Items Purchased:

1 Kid-Eeze Cough & Cold

4 Puffs Tissue

1 Scotch Tape

1 6-roll package Charmin

1 Royal Gelatin

2 Kraft Miracle Whip

1 Lindsay Olives

1 French's Fried Onions

Wal-Mart

Retail total $12.76, paid $3.92, Saved $8.84

Food Total:  $1.58

Items Purchased:

1 Hefty Waste Bags
2 Store brand Hot Dog Buns
1 3.5 lb bag Cat Chow
1 10-pack Quaker Granola Bars
1 White Cloud Toilet Paper 4-pack

Food Giant

Retail total $5.44, paid $4.44, Saved $1.00
Food Total:  $4.44

Items Purchased:

3 Loaves Bunny Bread

3 packages Philadelphia Cream Cheese

Target  (This one is pretty amazing)

Retail total $32.99, paid $.04, Saved $32.95

Food Total:  $0.00

Items Purchased:

2 Renuzit Adjustable Air Fresheners

3 Heinz Ketchup

12 Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup

1 Box Barilla Plus Pasta

1 Jar Classico Spaghetti Sauce

1 Alexia Sweet Potato Fries

2 Jimmy Dean Breakfast Bowls

2 Kraft Shredded Cheese

4 Olay Bars of Soap

1 The Goodife Cat Food

 

Okay, Okay, I got a script filled and got a free $10 giftcard...but it was literally $.04 OOP for us!

 

Schnucks

 

Retail total $54.65, paid $27.28, Saved $27.37

Food Total:  $14.62

(soda is not pictured)

Items Purchased:

1 12-roll package Angel Soft

4 cans Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits

12 cans Dole Pineapple

1 Heinz Turkey Gravy

1 Package Chuck Steak

1 Package Beer Brats

2 12-packs Diet Mtn. Dew

2 12-packs Mtn. Dew

1 Package Kraft American Singes

 

Aldi

 

Schnucks comparable price $7.89, paid $4.06, Saved $3.83

Food Total:  $4.06

 

Items Purchased:

1 3-lb bag Sweet Potatoes
1 Frozen Pizza
1 package Celery

Country Mart 

 

Retail total $30.55, paid $20.89, Saved $9.66
Food Total:  $20.89

Items Purchased:

1 Gallon Prairie Farms 1% Milk
3 Packages Jell-O Gelatin
1 Package Jello-O Pudding
1 Jell-O Jigglers Mold (this was free with purchase, sweet!!)
4 Packages Texas Toast Croutons
1 Package Ground Beef
4 Packages Bar-S Hot Dogs
1 Box Rice-A-Roni
1 Head Iceberg Lettuce
1 Bottle Claussen Relish
1 Package Pork Chops

Total Retail:  $177.62

Total Spent:  $68.32

Total Saved:  $109.30

Food Total:  $45.59

 

WWWOOOOOOPPPSSS!!!

But like I said, all-in-all, we're pretty pleased with the purchases.  Generally, our grocery bill picks up during the holidays, as does yours I'm sure.  Sometimes the deals are just really really good and we can't pass them up (especially when our stock is getting low at home).  But, good news is, we have about 4 deer coming our way from this deer season - we have been totally out of venison for months.  This will cut down our "meat" bill considerably!!

 

Are you eating for $1 per week this week?  Tell us about it!

Menu Plan Monday - Week of November 15

Thanks for visiting for our weekly Menu!!  This post is part of Menu Plan Monday at OrgJunkie.com.

We are feeding our family on $1 per person per day - with as very little eating out as possible.  We will have slip ups, but as a family of 4 working to pay off our consumer debt, we are dedicated to as many home-cooked meals as possible.

Monday: Spaghetti & Cheesy Garlic Bread, Salad

Tuesday: Oven Baked Pork Chops with Mushroom Gravy, Butter Noodles, Green Beans

Wednesday:  Hot Dogs, Sweet Potato Fries
(To explain, we go to church on Wednesday, and its hard to make anything to detailed since we're running so much)

Thursday:  Dinner With The Finley's (Financial Peace University night)

Friday:  Breakfast Friday!! Jimmy Dean Breakfast Bowls & Biscuits

Saturday Lunch:  Taco Bake (recipe coming soon!!)

Saturday Dinner:  Teriyaki Beef & Rice w/veggies

Sunday Lunch:  Eating out (I have to do Thanksgiving Dinner final shopping & planning, this is for my sanity - though Justin & kids won't mind!!)

Sunday Dinner:  Salisbury Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Rolls, Corn

We always plan our weekly menu on our current stock of food.  This is how we can most reliably feed our family on a minimal amount of money!

Weekly Budget Review - Are we eating for $1 Per Day?

I don't have pictures this week, please forgive me!  We've started Christmas shopping, and I was much too concerned about hiding gifts, I didn't remember to take pictures!!!

Time for our weekly budget review!!  As a family, we have agreed to the challenge of $1 per day per person for a food allowance.  In our family, this equals $28.00 per week to be spent only on food!  Are we eating for $1 per day?

We budget $10.00 each week above our food budget for soda - Justin and I are addicted!!  We're a couple of serious Dew drinkers (even if it is the store brand!!).  This is the only product that we specifically say that we're going to spend above our $28.00 budget for food.

All other areas have their own amounts - toiletries, cleaning, pets, paper products, etc.

Walgreens

Retail total $13.55, Paid $.95, Saved $12.60
Food total:  $0

Items Purchased:

1 Can Libby Pumpkin

1 Jar Kraft Marshmallow Creme

2 Johnson & Johnson Dental Floss

1 4-pack Schick Xtreme 3 Razors

Wal-Mart

Retail total $24.36, paid $1.26, Saved $23.10

Food Total:  $1.26

Items Purchased:

2 Tonys Pizzas

2 Jell-O Puddings

3 Rhodes Bake N Serv Rolls

2 Rhodes Bake N Serv Cinnamon Rolls

Food Giant

Retail total $14.47, paid $8.48, Saved $5.99
Food Total:  $8.48

Items Purchased:

1 Rhodes Bake N Serv Rolls
1 Argo Corn Starch
4 Imperial Margarine Sticks
2 Pillsbury Brownie Mix
1 5 lb Yukon Gold Potatoes
1 Package Pork Loin Chops

Target

Retail total $39.44, paid $3.36, Saved $36.08
Food Total:  $3.36

Items Purchased:

1 20 pack Energizer AA Batteries

8 Meow Mix Canned Cat Food

3 Goodlife Canned Cat Food

3 TGI Fridays Fajita Skillet Creations

1 Alexia Sweet Potato Fries

Schnucks

Retail total $22.37, paid $8.57, Saved $13.80

Food Total:  $8.57

Items Purchased:

2 Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix

2 Strawberry Jell-O

2 Grape Jell-O

2 Chocolate Pudding Jell-O

4 Banquet Peach Pies

2 Carnation Evaporated Milk

2 12-packs Schnucks Soda (does not count toward food budget, see explanation above)

1 Sargento Deli Style Colby Jack Cheese

1 Sargento Deli Style Provolone Cheese

1 Perdue Chicken Breast Nuggets

Total Retail:  $114.19

Total Spent:  $22.62

Total Saved:  $91.57

Food Total:  $21.67

Justin & I ate out while we were Christmas shopping (we both took off work on Monday & Tuesday).  We ate at Bob Evans with a gift card I received at work on Monday, and on Tuesday, we ate at KFC with coupons that were in the Sunday paper a couple of weeks ago.  We also bought a bag of salad mix & a loaf of bread last night at Aldi, which was under $2.00.

All in all, a pretty good week!

CLOSED Michael Chiarello's Bottega & Progresso Lemon Pepper Panko #myblogspark

A mouthful for a title, right?

There's good reason...wow, do I love to cook.  And I was SUPER excited when I received Michael Chiarello's newest cookbook Michael Chiarello's Bottega along with a box of Progresso Lemon Pepper Panko Breadcrumbs!!  Oh, and the cookbook is autographed!!

I cannot wait to dig into the pages of this book, it is AMAZING (and I do consider myself quite educated on amazing cookbooks...!!)!  According to Chef Chiarello, panko is his "go-to" bread crumb and Progresso claims that their Lemon Pepper Panko "combines the perfect crunch with effortless flavor to give any dish that extra punch.  The large, flaky crumb has a coarser texture than traditional bread crumbs, delivering a lighter, crunchier coating or topping."  Honestly, I cannot wait until we try this out on chicken!!

Chef Chiarello has even helped us "amateurs" by using Progresso's Panko in recipes such as Crispy Seafood Salad, Mama Chiarello's Stuffed Eggplant and Turkey Scallopini and Squash Ravioli with Cranberry Brown Butter.  The Progresso website also has additional tips for cooking with panko and a $1 coupon!

So...how about a giveaway???

Thanks to General Mills through MyBlogSpark, you have a chance to win an identical prize pack!!  Oh, imagine the aromas coming from YOUR kitchen!!

To enter this giveaway, please leave a comment on this post with the following (all required for a valid entry):

When you receive your Progresso Lemon Pepper Panko, what will you make?  Please include your email address for notification!

That's right, there's only 1 way to enter this giveaway!!

Additionally, be sure to check out the Progresso's Wine & Dine with Chef Michael Chiarello Sweepstakes. Now through December 31st, participants can enter for the chance to win a trip for two to Napa Valley to attend the Spring Bud Break Party, an annual dinner and wine tasting event taking place on May 7, 2011. In addition to two tickets to the party, the grand prize also includes roundtrip airfare and hotel accommodations. Visit www.progressobroth.com for the sweepstakes rules and entry form. 

This contest will begin today, November 10, 2010 and run until 11:59 pm Central time, November 21, 2010. The winner will be chosen by Random.org and will be notified on November 22, 2010 by me via email and posted as a winner on this blog. After confirmation of the offer and a valid mailing address and phone number is received, I will send your information to MyBlogSpark to be shipped directly.  Thanks again to General Mills through MyBlogSpark for this great giveaway! Good Luck!!! 

Please review our full disclosure policy on the left sidebar of this blog.  General Mills through MyBlogSpark gave us (1) box of Progresso Lemon Pepper Panko Breadcrumbs and (1) Autographed copy of Michael Chiarello's Bottega.  (1) Additional prize pack has been designated to be given away to (1) reader of this blog.

What's in Your Mailbox?

Coupons, Coupons, Coupons...

Yes, that's right!!  This week, I've received A TON of coupons due to a post that I'll be writing next week!!

Some of my favorites?

Rhodes Bake N Serv Rolls
Duncan Hines
Motrin Pain Reliever

What's in your mailbox?

Menu Plan Monday - Week of November 8

Thanks for visiting for our weekly Menu!!  This post is part of Menu Plan Monday at OrgJunkie.com.

We are feeding our family on $1 per person per day - with as very little eating out as possible.  We will have slip ups, but as a family of 4 working to pay off our consumer debt, we are dedicated to as many home-cooked meals as possible.

Monday: Pork Cutlets, Gravy, Mashed Potatoes, Corn

Tuesday: TGI Friday's Steak Fajitas

Wednesday:  Hot Dogs, Sweet Potato Fries

Thursday:  Dinner With The Finley's (Financial Peace University night)

Friday:  Breakfast Friday!! Scrambled Eggs & Sausage, Toast

Saturday Lunch: Salisbury Steak, Mashed Potatoes, Rolls, Corn

Saturday Dinner: Cajun Pork Chops, Fried Potatoes, Green Beans

Sunday Lunch:  Frozen Pizza

Sunday Dinner:  Leftover Buffet

We always plan our weekly menu on our current stock of food.  This is how we can most reliably feed our family on a minimal amount of money!