HWDI: Two become one

This is the second in the series of How We Did It.

Communication was a key part of our survival. We have communicated pretty openly and honestly since the first day we met -- including me telling my future husband I didn't want to date him and turning him down (again) when he asked me out in front of a group of friends. (Clearly I changed my mind).

This foundation played a key role over the nine months. There were things I wanted, that my husband did not feel were necessary and I had to respect that. Likewise, there were things he wanted that I didn't. He too respected that. I don't think we fought, I mean really fought, once during this entire time. Sure we had our disagreements. And yes there were times all he wanted to do was play his Wii or all I wanted to do was read my cooking magazines. But in a marriage, especially when you have children, you have to work together and put the needs and wants of the family ahead of your own individual needs.

Lucky for us, we were never big-goer-outers (especially since our good friends moved away and we didn't have anyone to regularly go to the Irish bars with us :p)

We played a lot of Scrabble and Trivial Pursuit.

We began a Netflix account, wound up watching The Wire, among movies we hadn't seen but wanted to.

When I got discouraged, he was there lift me up and I did the same for him. Or, on those rare occasion when we both had our pity-party at the same time, our son would do something so hilarious we would both forget our cares and laugh with/at him...and soon our worries were put back in their place. Children really are priceless entertainment!

I still do the bulk of the cooking, but he began to help out more in the prep department (he always cleans up that's been the standing trade-off).

When we needed "our space" one would stay in the living room, the other would go in the bedroom. We took our son on a lot of walks and discovered just about every playground in the Northern Virginia area.

Perhaps what was most important, and this is key, we had faith. We had faith in each other and in God. I *knew* he would get a job and I also *knew* God would not let us fall through the cracks and things would work out (whatever that meant.)

I am not writing this to brag, but rather to explain. A friend has told me several times that my husband and I are the only couple she knows who are just as happy and in love today as the day we were married. At first I just thanked her, but as she said it more and more, I began to think about it. The key really has to be communication.

We never stopped communicating, and we never will. This means I will know every statistic known to man about the Yankees and he will always know exactly what I am thinking exactly when I am thinking it (like an hour after getting home telling him in extreme detail about the joker who nearly cut me off earlier in the day because some guy on tv looks like him.)

But on a serious note, we will both always know that the other has their back, because on March 12, two became one.

Computer issues

Sorry, no post tonight. We are having computer issues, most likely internet. Will be back tomorrow. Stay warm.

Clean out your fridge & your freezer

Real quick Saturday post that dawned on me as I was getting my lunch and getting ready for dinner.

1. Make sure to clean out your fridge of leftovers and not forget them. This might sound obvious but it was eye-opening when we first started counting every single penny how much food we wasted from leftover dinners that could have either been a whole meal in itself or combined with other items. Today for lunch I finished off both the chicken from the other night, as well as corn from earlier in the week and continued to make a dent in the Spanish Rice which was enough to feed the Russian Army. You can often mix-and-match pastas and vegetables as well. Believe me, there is no worse feeling when you are on a budget than throwing out food, and calculating in your head how much that cost.

2. Freezer bags can be used and used again! I took out the last of some ground beef for hamburgers tonight and the bag has written on it, ground beef. So, I put back in the freezer empty and the next time I need to freeze GB, will go use that bag instead of wasting a new one.

Happy Weekend!

Dinner for under $7

This idea comes courtesy of Erin P, a faithful reader. It's not her recipe though since I couldn't find it on her FB page and had to do some online research. The result...incredible. Not sure what is better, the price or the lack of effort required.

Ingredients
1. Chix breast ($1.68)
2. Fixins -- lettuce, onions, peppers and tomatoes, ($2.13)
3. Flour tortillas ($1.27 -- this is half the price of the package I bought last month, which kept nicely in the fridge)
4. Chicken broth ($.99)
5. Taco seasoning ($.99)
4. Spanish Rice-a-roni (leftovers)
5. Shredded cheese (leftovers)
6. Sour cream (leftovers)

Total: $6.86

Place 1lb boneless/skinless chix breast, along with 1 cup chix broth and taco seasoning packet in crock pot. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred chicken, prepare on tortillas as desired. Enjoy.

This meal took me less than 5 minutes to prepare and was yummy! And maybe the best part ...if all that isn't enough...there are leftovers for tomorrow :)

Boneless/Skinless chix breast on super sale!

Safeway has them for $1.68/lb!!!! Sale runs through the 13th. I just stocked up and used for dinner tonight (will post that later). This is a great price!

By the numbers: $627.39

That's the amount we have saved in the last 11 months (since Nov. 17, 2009) in our Way2Save account through Wachovia. The way it works is simple. Everytime we use our debit card or we pay online (which we only do for 3 bills/month), they will transfer $1 from our checking to savings, AND PAY INTEREST! I know Bank of America has a similar program. Not sure about other banks but you might want to inquire, or if they don't have one..consider changing. And if you go to Wachovia, let me know...I think we both get money...hehe.

I thought this was an appropriate time to calculate this little gem based on the lede article today in the Washington Post. It seems more Americans are relying on debit than credit. Simply by establishing the account, everytime I swipe my card, whether for $2.50 to pay parking meter in Ballston or a $100 grocery bill, we get money. It could not be simpler, and as I have said before, this savings account was a life saver during our dual unemployment, we dipped into it several times.

Costco

For his birthday last month my brother/sister-in-law gave my husband a membership to Costco. This has to be one of the most useful, outside the box, and very much appreciated gifts either of us has ever received. We went on Sunday to sign up, but the place was a zoo, so I went back today for our first shopping trip.

Some observations, although all prices are rounded since my son was not about to let me take notes.

Some things are cheaper! This should not be a surprise. But six cans of tomatoes --crushed, diced or whole -- were just a little more than $6. This works out to about $1 can. Considering most stores here sell them for about $1.50-$1.75, this is a great deal. As I have blogged before, I now make all our spagetti/pizza sauce since its cheaper and I believe (with no medical training to back it up) that this is healthier.

Also cheaper, much cheaper, were SmartOnes frozen meals. You can get a package of four for slightly more than $6. At best, I have been able to find these on sale at grocery stores for $2 each, so there is savings there.

Milk too. Their price for a gallon of milk is $2.35. I have paid as little as $2.39at Magruders, but that was a sale price. Most milk I find is $2.99-$3.65.

Some items though were not cheaper. Notably ground beef. Theirs sell for $2.29/lb in bulk, whereas Wegman's sells theirs for $1.99/lb in bulk.

I know some of my readers go to Costco, my question is, how are their generic diapers? I noticed our Costco did not sell Pampers, and thats my go to brand. If Costco diapers don't leak (I have found that Huggies are horrible and do) than they are cheaper than Diapers.com. But if they are cheapo and not strong for boys, it is not worth spending the money.

Over the next year during our membership, I am going to try to keep track of the difference in spending to see if it amounts up to the $50-$60 membership fee. Thats the real question. I will let you know what I figure out, and welcome your thoughts if you are a Costco/BJs or other price club type member.