Hookin' and Other Fun Stuff

HOORAY! My taxes are done! I got home from work yesterday and after running a few errands I sat down and did both Federal and State. I'm super excited because we're getting a bit more back than I expected which is actually deserved considering that the Marine Corps didn't reimburse us for most of our move. So glad to wash my hands of that, seriously.

On another good note my husband went from unemployed to having two jobs! One in pretty far away, which stinks especially in winter but it will open more opportunities and doors for him farther down the road so we'll make it work for now. Hopefully in a few weeks we can meet with the loan officer and see what our mortgage options are. There is a house right down the road from my parents that is really perfect, basically turn key there's nothing that needs to be done to it, but it's a little higher priced than what we'd like to spend. Maybe since it's been on the market awhile so they'll come down in price. Take a look. I'd like a little more land, but with that amount we could do everything we want so there's no need to have more just to pay more taxes.

Like always, I've been hookin' like a madwoman! I finished these cute slippers along with another yellow and green pair for myself.

Since my mom learned to knit she hasn't crocheted much so she has a half finished blanket she's going to give me to finish, so that's my next project. I still want to make a giant ripple stitch afghan for the bed (like this awesome one) but the yarn cost really just isn't in the budget right now. I still have so much yarn to use up I think I'll just stick with little projects for now. 

I've also been cooking a lot more, which is nice. I budget fifty dollars a week for groceries and almost every week I am under budget. I should probably post some recipes here because who doesn't love cheap good food? I made stuffed cabbage casserole (based off this recipe) and everyone loved it and there was plenty for all four of us and leftovers. Plus, it was super inexpensive and relatively healthy because I switched the ground beef out with ground turkey. I'm so good at being poor! 

Well, that's all that's new in this neck of the woods. Does anyone out there have any cheap recipes they want to share? I'm open to trying new things!

Until next time,

xoxo Stacie

Oh, Mother!

Hey there kids, it's been awhile! Since my last post I've been working and making ends meet on my meager budget, which actually makes me feel good because I can manage to pay all our bills, put money away, do something every once in awhile, and feed my yarn habit at around $800 dollars a month (give or take). It's going to be pretty great once the ol' man finds something. He actually has an interview at the Post Office tomorrow afternoon which is pretty exciting!

I've been hookin' like a crazy person whipping projects out left and right. I'm saving my money up now to buy lots of yarn to make a HUGE ripple afghan to cover our full bed. So I'm trying to use up all my Christmas gifted yarns and bits and bobs so I can justify it. Last night I whipped up two slippers (I'm tackling the edging today) which unfortunately were too big for my tiny little feet. So, now I'm set for my aunt's birthday at the end of February! I'm way ahead. =D

This morning my dad sent me a link to a Kimchi class at the Urban Farm Fermetory in Portland. I am super excited! Only 25$ and you get to take home a jar of Kimchi at the end of the class. It's at the end of February so I may wait and see what's going on with Adam and then sign us both up. My father went to a mushroom growing class there this weekend and said it was fantastic. Plus, they have house-brewed hard cider AND Kombucha on tap. Be still my Kombucha-lovin'-heart. To all those who don't know, Kombucha is a fermented tea drink. I got my dad a kit to make it for Christmas and let me just tell you, the bacterial "mother" (aka scooby) is kinda creepy looking...like a water bound alien life form. But it makes something delicious so it's all good!

See that creepy mother thing on the top? Yikes! 

I'm also potentially turning Adam into a Buffy fan. We have no cable in the room we're staying in so we delved into the DVD collection and decided to start from the beginning. I can't even count the amount of times I've watched the series through, honestly. My friend Cait got me into it when Adam was deployed and now I can't get enough.

How is everyone getting along with their taxes? I've got Adam's USMC w-2 and our 1099s but we're waiting on THREE more w-2s. I hope they get here soon, because I can't wait to build our poor savings account back up from the EAS move.

Well, that's about it folks. Thanks for reading, I know I've been a crappy blogger lately. I just like crocheting more than anything else. =D

Until next time,

xoxo Stacie

Time to Relax!

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday spent with family and friends and filled with laughter and joy! We had a great time with all of our family (although it was a lot of driving and a lot of visiting) and a great new years playing board games. All of the homemade gifts were a success and I hope to continue this frugal and heartfelt tradition for many years to come. Now that the holiday dust has settled, we can really focus our efforts on our money saving goals and continue to pare down.

I've joined the '23 Day Frugal Living Challenge' (which I've mentioned before) over at Frugally Sustainable and I hope you'll join in the frugal fun! I've just put up a button on my blog as well, so just click that to be brought through to the challenge. I'll also be posting my daily frugal challenge updates on the blog, so keep an eye out for those.

With 2012 upon us I've also been thinking of other ways to bring in income. I was thinking of perhaps starting an Etsy store with some of my crocheted goodies. To any of my readers out there who use Etsy, I'd love to hear your input and advice!

Until next time,

xoxo Stacie