Frugal Valentine's Day Ideas - Part 2

Yesterday we looked at frugal ways to spend the day with your significant other. Today, I have some Valentine gift ideas that will not break the bank!

• Burn a CD of the songs that mean the most to you as a couple.
• Make Valentine cut-out cookies and decorate them. (This could also be a project you could do together with your Valentine!)
• Write out on slips of paper different reasons why you love that person, wrap them around mini candy bars and present them in a pretty jar. Whenever they eat a piece of candy, they also get to read a special note!
• Pick out a really nice picture of you two and put it in a cute frame.
• Make a collage of the words "I LOVE YOU" printed out in multiple languages.
  
• Create your own chocolate dipped strawberries.
• Give your Valentine a rose plant. They are cheaper than fresh cut roses and last longer. (That is, unless you have the same luck as I do when it comes to houseplants!)

What is the most creative gift you have received for Valentine's Day?

Frugal Valentine's Day Ideas - Part 1

Valentine's Day is quickly approaching! Have you made your romantic plans yet?

This year, Joseph and I really wanted to go away for the weekend, but wouldn't you know, that hotel rates are much higher around V-day! So, we decided on a more frugal option.

We will be eating out this Saturday for lunch at a place where we spent our very first Valentine's Day together as a couple. If it is sunny/warm enough, we may walk around one of our old haunts and then head back to our house for a scrumptious chocolaty dessert. Should be a special time for me and my man!

Not feeling like spending a whole lot this year? Try out some of these frugal ways to spend your day:

• Opt to go out for lunch instead of dinner. The prices will be much cheaper, and the restaurants will probably be less crowded!
• Make a special homemade dinner that includes dessert and a special drink. (By candlelight, of course!)
• If you are feeling more casual, have an indoor picnic right on your living room floor.
  
• Stay home for dinner, but go out for dessert!
• Make it a movie night, pop some of your favorite popcorn, and watch a couple romantic comedies.
  

What are your plans for this Valentine's Day?

Re-evaluating Priorities

Life is crazy.

And I have a tendency to make it even crazier.

Thus the need to re-evaluate my priorities so I can pursue what is really important to me. I began with answering these three questions to help me in defining my life's purpose.

1. What do I love to do?
I love to learn through reading and enjoy trying to put what I read into practice. I also like to communicate what I am learning to others. I love thinking and stretching my mind as I study God's Word. I love being creative and enjoy using my creativity to preserve memories through scrapbooking and decorating cakes for special occasions. I love to bake (cookies, breads, cakes, etc.) and my baking often becomes an outlet for whatever seems to be bothering me. I love to travel and see new sights, yet I also love it when I am able to be home. I love saving money and I get high off of a super good deal. :)

I love doing all these things, yet I rarely have time to do any of them.

2. What am I good at doing?
(This one took a while - I kept thinking of things I am not good at!)
I am good at organizing, multi-tasking, and giving attention to details (sometimes much to my chagrin). I also have the gift of Administration - If I am given a task, it will get done, and it will get done well. Half-hearted is not in my vocabulary. I am good at listening to what is said and what is not said. I am good with money, keeping a budget, and saving for the future. I have a business-driven mind.

3. If I could change the world, what would it look like?
I would change the way society thinks about morality. Life would be valued and the family would, once again, become a highly respected institution.
Also, the government, especially New York State, would deregulate so I could make my cake business dreams into a reality. Officials would realize that all their procedures and red tape discourage Americans from becoming entrepreneurs, and actually stifle the economy instead of stimulating it.

Next, comes the time to put it all together into one statement that becomes your life's purpose:

My life's purpose, first and foremost, is to use my passion for learning to cultivate and enhance my relationship with God and with my husband. My gift of administration will be used to improve our home and business ventures, while also allowing an outlet to express my creativity. All while keeping in mind, that no matter what I do, it is all for the glory of God.

That statement now becomes my focus. I have multitudes of goals, but if my schedule becomes too tight to glorify God through the process, then I have to learn to say "no" to some of those goals. My life's purpose will help define these limits.

Feeling like you are unsure of where you fit in God's purpose and plan? I would encourage you to begin answering these same questions so you can construct your own purpose statement. Even if you are already sure of your calling, it will still be beneficial to see your life's purpose in writing.

This post is in response to "The Maximized Life" series over at Mama Buzz

2010 Grocery Project: January

Introduction

We did it! We managed to come under our food budget for the month of January! I won't lie - it was pretty tough. There were moments where I just wanted to succumb to the pressure of stopping by the store to pick up some extra ingredients or snacks, but I knew we could find things to eat or make at home.

Here's the grand total of how much we spent: $145.31
That makes us $4.69 under budget, which will be sent as a donation to the Haitian relief effort.

Lest some of you are thinking that I squeezed in under budget as a result of eating out more often, I can confidently say this is not true. In fact, our restaurant budget actually came in at a few dollars less than what we spent last month.

How did we manage to do it?

I will be honest, I was a little nervous that I was being overly ambitious taking our original $200+ dollar food budget down to $150 for a whole month. But we practiced some simple steps that carried us through until the end of the budget period.

1. I meal-planned. ALOT. It is so much easier to know what ingredients you should buy when you have planned out your meals in advance. This saves you from "shopping off the list" as well.
2. We ate leftovers. When we were tempted to order some fast food, we immediately felt guilty as we looked at our previous meals in the fridge. Yep, no more waste for the Comings household.
3. We made sure we ate soup and sandwiches at least one day a week. Soup is relatively inexpensive and I make my own bread anyway, so this is a pretty frugal meal. (Not to mention one of my favorites!)
4. Whenever we ran out of something, we improvised. When we realized our lemonade mix was used up, we simply added a little bit of lemon juice and sugar to our waters to get that sweet taste. Works, right?
5. We cut coupons and looked for them online! One of my favorite coupon resources is Money Saving Mom. You can get some great prices if you combine coupons with store sales.
   

January's success definitely has me looking foward to shopping for February!

Book Review: "Buried Alive" by Roy Hallums

"The true story of kidnapping, captivity,
and a dramatic rescue"

"Buried Alive"follows food supply contractor Roy Hallums as he is kidnapped from his office in Baghdad, Iraq, and transported blindfolded and handcuffed to and from various Sunni safe houses. Roy eventually ended up in a four foot high cellar beneath an Islamic home, where he was fed rotten food every three days and was forced to endure horrific beatings on his frail and weak body. After spending 311 days in captivity, Roy Hallums ended up being the only one out of 50 American contractors to be rescued by the Army's Special Forces.

The storyline of "Buried Alive" completely held my attention as shown by the fact that I read this book in a matter of two days. I was a little worried that there might be too many gory details throughout the story, but every situation was handled with utmost discretion. This book was an eye-opener about terrorism and kidnapping cells in Iraq and a great read for anyone interested in a first hand account into the world of Radical Islam. Roy Hallums' attitude throughout his terrible ordeal was inspiring and he has become a valuable resource to any military personnel who may one day find themselves in a possible hostage situation.

I received this book free from Thomas Nelson Publishers as part of their BookSneeze.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.

Garden Plans

I think I finally have my garden all planned out for this year. Since this is my very first time at attempting a garden, I am quite nervous! I pretty much have no idea what I am doing, so I have been reading books on the subject, trying to talk to women who do have a garden, and perusing gardening posts from my bloggy friends.

Vegetables I decided to grow:

• Romaine Lettuce
  
• 'Royal Burgundy' Beans
• Potatoes
• Rhubarb
• Zucchini
• Tomatoes - probably a couple different kinds to make some pasta sauces
• Pumpkins
  

Herbs:

• Mint
• Oregano
• Basil
• Thyme
• Parsley
• Sage
• Lavender

I may be tempted to try a couple Strawberry plants as well, but I have not decided yet. :)

Now it is time to buy my seeds and plan my garden layout! I am chomping at the bit for winter to be over!

P.S. Any advice on creating raised beds vs. not? or Heirloom seeds vs. Hybrid?

Renovation Pics!

We are finally done with the apartment! Here are some before and after pictures......

The Main Living Room: BEFORE

This room was where we spent most of our time and dollars. It was completely covered in this dark paneling with a drop-down ceiling (not shown here.) Add to that a yucky purple carpet that was really worn out. This type of living room gave you a claustrophobic and cave-like first impression.

While we originally wanted to simply paint over the paneling, we realized that was impossible after eliminating the drop-down ceiling.

There were about four to five inches between the paneling and the ceiling that we would have to cover. Hmmm....not feeling the giant-size molding we would be required to use.

We timidly tore down the paneling, not sure of what we would find. Nothing a little (or ALOT) of Spackle and sanding couldn't fix, right?

The Main Living Room: AFTER
Introducing Joseph's pride and joy - the new ceiling fan. :)

Window blinds and a paint job - Valspar's "Churchill Hotel Maple" on the walls and "Cream Delight" on the trim.

And all new laminate flooring!

The Bedroom: BEFORE
I forgot to take pictures before we did any painting, so the primed trim will have to suffice. :(
(Use your imagination and pretend that the trim around the window and closet are a dark ugly brown.)

The Bedroom: AFTER

Mainly just a paint job - Valspar's "Homestead Resort Buff" on the walls and "Cream Delight" on the trim. Plus new blinds and a shelf in the closet above the clothing bar.

The Bonus Room (could be made into a 2nd bedroom): BEFORE

The Bonus Room: AFTER

Same color combo as the Living Room.

The Kitchen and Dining Room:
The only thing needed in here was a good scrubbing. Long term, we would like to replace the floor and eventually paint the walls.

The Bathroom/Laundry Room:
The only thing new and improved is the caulking around the sink. Otherwise, it was in desperate need of cleaning.

Wallpaper stays up for now, but eventually coming down.

That's our rental apartment! Now, we just need a good renter!