Monday morning rolls around and my thoughts turn Janus: looking backward and forward.
Backward: The Weekend
As a family, we didn't spend any money on fast food. We had some entertaining expenses, but not crazy-huge. The rink season is drawing to a close, with attendant year-end parties and tournaments. The kids are unhappy about it. The parents all look more than a bit desperate for it all to end.
Forward: The Week
This week I'm going to work on scheduling my online time. So this blog goes to Monday, Wednesday and alternate Friday postings. Twitter gets two looks a day, ditto for email and the Books and Writers forum where I like to hang out. Blog reading shifts to an evening-only activity.
I'm also going to continue working on the homekeeping routines. This is absolutely necessary if I'm ever going to live in a semi-clean house again.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Friday, March 27, 2009
Menu Planning Day
Well, it's usually Thursday, but yesterday a migraine hit, so...
Back to the subject. Menu planning sounds daunting. Figure out what I'm eating for the whole week? Sure thing.
Think of your menu as the foundation for your grocery list. If you don't know what you're going to eat, how will you know what to buy?
Here's how I do it:
1. I have index cards and printouts with meal ideas on them. This includes a couple that just say: chicken - try something new, beef - try something new.
2. I have dividers labelled with the day. I bought the lettered ones and flipped them. I have enough for three weeks, but at the moment I use just the first week.
3. Look at the calendar. All our events are on the calendar, so I can see when we need crockpot meals and when we might be away from home for a meal.
4. I go through my stack of ideas (starting with the ones I didn't use the week previous), putting cards on the dividers. I make sure I vary the meat and side dishes so that we're not eating chicken with pasta four days in a row.
5. I write down the things that need to come out of the freezer on sticky notes. I put the sticky note on the day divider for the day I need to take the item out of the freezer. This only works if I check each day! There's nothing like looking at the menu for the day only to realize that the chicken I'm supposed to roast is a giant ice cube in the bottom of the freezer. It happens.
6. I put everything I need to make these menus on my grocery list. Anything that I have in stock I get to cross off the list.
7. I put the cards and dividers in order and store them in a recipe box.
8. Check the box every day (see pitfall above).
9. Cook and eat!
Back to the subject. Menu planning sounds daunting. Figure out what I'm eating for the whole week? Sure thing.
Think of your menu as the foundation for your grocery list. If you don't know what you're going to eat, how will you know what to buy?
Here's how I do it:
1. I have index cards and printouts with meal ideas on them. This includes a couple that just say: chicken - try something new, beef - try something new.
2. I have dividers labelled with the day. I bought the lettered ones and flipped them. I have enough for three weeks, but at the moment I use just the first week.
3. Look at the calendar. All our events are on the calendar, so I can see when we need crockpot meals and when we might be away from home for a meal.
4. I go through my stack of ideas (starting with the ones I didn't use the week previous), putting cards on the dividers. I make sure I vary the meat and side dishes so that we're not eating chicken with pasta four days in a row.
5. I write down the things that need to come out of the freezer on sticky notes. I put the sticky note on the day divider for the day I need to take the item out of the freezer. This only works if I check each day! There's nothing like looking at the menu for the day only to realize that the chicken I'm supposed to roast is a giant ice cube in the bottom of the freezer. It happens.
6. I put everything I need to make these menus on my grocery list. Anything that I have in stock I get to cross off the list.
7. I put the cards and dividers in order and store them in a recipe box.
8. Check the box every day (see pitfall above).
9. Cook and eat!
Monday, March 23, 2009
Top Money-Saving Planning Tools
Having a plan really can save you money. My favourite money-saving planning tools:
1. Menu. Yep. Every week I plan out what we'll eat for supper and lunch if there won't be any leftovers available. How it works: I'm never standing in front of the fridge at 5:30 pm pretending to decide what to make while actually deciding what toppings to order on the pizza.
2. Grocery list. You probably know this one. Make a list and stick to it. How it works: The list frees you from buying stuff that's in your cupboard and forgetting things you need. And you just know those forgotten things are another trip to the $tore.
3. Snacks. We always carry snacks and water bottles. How it works: If you never hear "I'm hungry" or "I'm thirsty" when you're miles from home, you instantly cut out those emergency snack buys.
4. Calendar. Seriously. How it works: I use my calendar when I'm planning menus. That way, I know when we'll be away from home around a mealtime, or breezing in the door when supper should be on the table. I can plan the days that the crockpot is on duty, days when a takealong meal is needed, or even a day when we can go crazy and pick up a meal.
5. Treats. Bet you didn't see that one coming. Sure, you've heard about all work and no play. But did you know it could save your budget? Plan ahead for treats. How it works: They're rewards for good behaviour, and we all need them. Without any treats, at some point you'll crack under the pressure and blow your whole system.
1. Menu. Yep. Every week I plan out what we'll eat for supper and lunch if there won't be any leftovers available. How it works: I'm never standing in front of the fridge at 5:30 pm pretending to decide what to make while actually deciding what toppings to order on the pizza.
2. Grocery list. You probably know this one. Make a list and stick to it. How it works: The list frees you from buying stuff that's in your cupboard and forgetting things you need. And you just know those forgotten things are another trip to the $tore.
3. Snacks. We always carry snacks and water bottles. How it works: If you never hear "I'm hungry" or "I'm thirsty" when you're miles from home, you instantly cut out those emergency snack buys.
4. Calendar. Seriously. How it works: I use my calendar when I'm planning menus. That way, I know when we'll be away from home around a mealtime, or breezing in the door when supper should be on the table. I can plan the days that the crockpot is on duty, days when a takealong meal is needed, or even a day when we can go crazy and pick up a meal.
5. Treats. Bet you didn't see that one coming. Sure, you've heard about all work and no play. But did you know it could save your budget? Plan ahead for treats. How it works: They're rewards for good behaviour, and we all need them. Without any treats, at some point you'll crack under the pressure and blow your whole system.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Moving in the Kitchen
Every four or five years, we feel the urge to move house. This time it is definitely not happening. It may explain why I felt the sudden urge to rearrange my kitchen.
First I did a bit of plastic decluttering. Then I did a cull of the cereals, etc. Then I got them to switch places. Now I have my flour right where I want it. Too bad I didn't know it til now. I also shuffled my mixer from one corner to another and flipped the drain board to the other side of the sink (that one might be the toughest to get used to).
So now it feels a bit like a "move", with no heavy lifting or labelling or cardboard boxes involved. Yippee!
First I did a bit of plastic decluttering. Then I did a cull of the cereals, etc. Then I got them to switch places. Now I have my flour right where I want it. Too bad I didn't know it til now. I also shuffled my mixer from one corner to another and flipped the drain board to the other side of the sink (that one might be the toughest to get used to).
So now it feels a bit like a "move", with no heavy lifting or labelling or cardboard boxes involved. Yippee!
Monday, March 9, 2009
Better Homecomings
Going away?
First, clean up before you leave. Get all the laundry done, vacuum, dust, clean the bathrooms and set out fresh towels. Do the dishes (I mean really, is this the time to further science?)
Second, when you get home, unpack before you sit down. Yeah, it's hard. I just did this. The pile of bags gave the impression that we had been on a major bus trip and everyone on the bus had left their baggage at our house. The kids were bouncing from sleepless nights, too much restaurant food and overwhelming joy at returning home. The cats were loopy from the sudden reintegration with domesticity. I was tired as an 80-year old woman's chest, and there were no fewer than ten new calls, all from one BIL. No messages. A neglected inbox. Who am I kidding? Neglected inboxes up the wazoo.
Still, I raced around the house, tripping over cats, and bags, and cats again. Tipped laundry into hampers. Emptied the cooler. Fielded food requests. Tripped over cats. Cleaned out the cooler (trust me: clean out the cooler before you put it away again). Heard about BIL's reason for thousand and one phone calls (it was good).
Then I looked around. Because I had cleaned before leaving, once Baggage Mountain was conquered, there was Nothing on the floor. Nothing! Imagine it. I went in to the bathroom. It was clean, and there was a clean towel hanging there like housekeeping had been there. It was like a hotel. But it was better: it was home.
First, clean up before you leave. Get all the laundry done, vacuum, dust, clean the bathrooms and set out fresh towels. Do the dishes (I mean really, is this the time to further science?)
Second, when you get home, unpack before you sit down. Yeah, it's hard. I just did this. The pile of bags gave the impression that we had been on a major bus trip and everyone on the bus had left their baggage at our house. The kids were bouncing from sleepless nights, too much restaurant food and overwhelming joy at returning home. The cats were loopy from the sudden reintegration with domesticity. I was tired as an 80-year old woman's chest, and there were no fewer than ten new calls, all from one BIL. No messages. A neglected inbox. Who am I kidding? Neglected inboxes up the wazoo.
Still, I raced around the house, tripping over cats, and bags, and cats again. Tipped laundry into hampers. Emptied the cooler. Fielded food requests. Tripped over cats. Cleaned out the cooler (trust me: clean out the cooler before you put it away again). Heard about BIL's reason for thousand and one phone calls (it was good).
Then I looked around. Because I had cleaned before leaving, once Baggage Mountain was conquered, there was Nothing on the floor. Nothing! Imagine it. I went in to the bathroom. It was clean, and there was a clean towel hanging there like housekeeping had been there. It was like a hotel. But it was better: it was home.
Monday, March 2, 2009
First Step of the Journey
Welcome to my new blog!
I'll be posting here about the ways I'm taking control of the elements of my life. From grocery shopping to exercise, from childrearing to housework, I'll grouse about how I'm working to live life in the driver's seat rather than as a passenger looking out the window of a high-speed locomotive.
This is my journey to the tamed life.
I'll be posting here about the ways I'm taking control of the elements of my life. From grocery shopping to exercise, from childrearing to housework, I'll grouse about how I'm working to live life in the driver's seat rather than as a passenger looking out the window of a high-speed locomotive.
This is my journey to the tamed life.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
