Frugal Fun...

A dwindling economy doesn’t mean you have to downsize your marriage, nor does it mean life has to be bland. In fact, Andrew and I hardly feel the effect of the recession in our tiny apartment and life in general. There are several survival tips we’ve created to spice it up or add a little flavor to savor. Although, we’re not as tight on the Dave Ramsey budget as usual…our main goal is still saving as much as possible and not spending on unnecessary things or things that can wait. The key is to live on less than your paycheck. We cut out one-half to three-fourths of our paychecks and try to live on bare minimum.

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It works until someone decides to splurge on something nice that can wait (I’m referring to Andrew’s recent purchase on some so-called, REALLY NICE, REALLY GOOD DEAL home theatre speakers). They were a good deal until he had to buy a receiver, cables, and whatnot to hook it all up. He just has an expensive hobby! My idea was to use what we have now, which is a small NICE speaker system perfect for a small 860sq ft apartment, and a new NICER system would just bust out our windows and walls! My philosophy is to either use what you have or get something cheap until you save up for the big thing later. Why the rush…some things CAN wait?! Especially if you’re a student, a newly-wed, or just don’t have the money. It makes saving up more fun and something to look forward to :-)

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Some of our ideas and experiences may not be applicable among all couples or even families, but it’s worth the try especially if you have some of these resources in your area.

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Your home a little bare, having a party this weekend, or just want to window shop…

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Shop Estate Sales (or even Yard Sales)!
This is where you will find the lowest of the lowest of prices!! They have everything from books, gadgets, dinnerware, table cloths, clothes, spices, Christmas décor, appliances, to furniture and even baby stuff!! Some of it is junk and some is high class. We have gone from the oh-so-stinky we had to do a quick walk-through at a house all under one breath (just to be polite to not expose our sour and green faces), to the pleasant, multi-million dollar homes. We go just about every weekend and don’t always go to get something, but just enjoy window shopping. Just to name a few of our apartment additions from estate sales… a vintage, marble top table - $200; my bedside lamp (compliments Andrew’s bedside lamp very well) - $16; 140 piece casual china that compliments our registry items - $80; extraordinary red, leather top coffee table - $20; antique table - $10; vintage painting - $60; 30 cloth napkins - $5; 8 white dessert bowls - $12; matching serving bowl - $2; clear glass pitcher that matched one we got from our registry - $10; vases - $1; books - $2; vintage jewelry - $3-20; dress from the 20’s - $8; beautiful crystal decanter - $30; and so much more!! This is also a great place to get silly things, too – like costumes or gag gifts. Click Estate Sales to check out sales in your area.

Far right table - yard sale $10 (spray painted black); couches and Pier One tall vase on far left - Big Lots; red coffee table (barely visible) estate sale; Derby posters (framed by local friends of our family in Brandenburg) - clearance at BB&B
Chair - estate sale $10; vintage marble top table - estate sale; lamp - Target; vintage art painting on floor (waiting to be repaired and framed but will go above lamp) - estate sale

Shop Clearance or Display items!
This is the first spot Andrew hits when we go to Bed, Bath, & Beyond, Macy’s, or whatnot. There were even things we could complete off our registry for cheap!! Items in these sections are marked down because they were on display, opened items, or damaged. The secret…is simple! We registered for a stainless-steel garbage can at BB&B that was $178 and found it in clearance because the lid had a dent. We bought it for $80 and still used our gift cards and coupons!!. Andrew thought he could hammer the small dent out…but just made it worst. Then called the manufacturing company and they shipped him a new lid at no cost!!!!

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With Andrew being the tech-nerd, he can’t stand clutter so that means…no picture frames for me (I LOVE pictures but was able to sneak in a few). However, he’s always been a fan of the digital picture frames. We now have 2 (1 to display wedding photos and the other vacation photos) bought off display and still work great - that means they were at least half off and we could still use our coupons.

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Other items with slashed prices…red Lenox wine glasses for the holidays (4 for $20), Waterford ornament ($70 off), Martha Stewart dessert goblets ($0.99/glass!!), and much more!

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Tired of sitting on the couch, running out of cheap date ideas, or getting hungry…

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Discover your neighborhood or local parks and take a walk
We are fortunate to live in a beautiful area of Memphis, Mud Island…so we take frequent walks throughout the charming neighborhood. In fact, just a couple weeks ago, we discovered new small parks and trails behind the houses and through the woods! It was beautiful and peaceful. I can’t last longer than 30min – 1 hour on the couch or doing nothing…so where we live often rescues my sanity.

Our first time exploring the park and our neighborhood the 1st week as newly-weds!

Hit a farmers market or local orchard
While in Louisville, KY, our local orchard was Huber’s Orchard and Winery…where we pick strawberries, pumpkins, and sample their wines fresh off the vines. Not only was it a cheap date, but also cheaper products! We love tasting their fresh, homemade food/wine. Here in Memphis, we’ve hit the local farmer’s market for the best free-range, aged beef, vegetables, flowers, fruits, and even homemade lotion and soap made with goat milk. You definitely get the best deal on produce here as opposed to your chain grocery! There are also tons of farms and orchards. Not only have we’ve picked fresh, ripe strawberries, but just last weekend we picked the most juicy, lip-smacking peaches at Jone’s Orchard! The key, is to stock up and freeze. Andrew’s mom even gave us tips on preserving the peaches…boil for about a minute, dip in cold water to peel the skin, and bag to freeze. We have been able to make homemade strawberry ice cream and cakes, and now we’ll make peach cobbler and peach ice cream!!

Andrew...really never serious...never mind him while my girlfriends and I pick some peaches!

Become a member of Costco and shop!
Costco is not only a great place to purchase bulk items at a great price, but it’s also our traditional Sunday dates after church! We window shop and get what we need, sample food, and on our way out…sit on a bench and enjoy our $1.50 lunch…i.e. split a polish and drink! Careful though…Andrew’s last bite of polish jumped out at him and bounced off his nice dress pants…talk about comical ;)

Candlelit dinner and other FREE ideas…
I know it sounds cliché, but Andrew made me a romantic dinner after I got off night shift on our 10 month anniversary…he used our new casual china we got at the estate sale, our crystal wine glasses from our registry, and put candles and our wedding centerpiece on the table. It was very sweet and fun!

I know you may think…”what’s FREE?” Easy…test drive your favorite cars, window shop and try on things you can’t afford (that includes extravagant jewelry), tour open houses, attend free local events, and check out your city government’s website to scope out museums, zoos, etc. that may be free on certain days. NOTE: Do not attempt if you can’t resist temptation!!!

Andrew says, "Did you ever think while you were scribbling on this table as a little girl, you'd be eating on this same table with your husband?" I said, "I had my birthday parties on this table!!!" This was my mom and dad's 1st kitchen table until our family grew :)
Last but not least on the savings...

Hold onto it as long as you can…be Mr./Mrs. Fix-it!
Andrew and I have been very fortunate to grow up in families where there was a lot of fixing going on. In fact, I don’t ever remember my dad hiring someone to come in and fix our pool leaks/pump, change the oil, fix the car motors or any type of motor, add on to our house, etc. There were times he had assistance…but for the most part…we never saw a stranger! My parents held on to almost all their appliances and vehicles for at least 20 years (including TVs!!). And, Andrew’s dad and brother are engineers...so it’s in his family as well. Needless to say, Andrew is almost always with his hobby (electronics) and fixing it up. He even bought a fairly new computer PC at an estate sale for $3 (they said lightning struck it)…he knew how to fix it.

Our cars…well, he says he will NEVER buy a Pontiac (I have a 2003 Grand Prix). High on miles but still running and Andrew has been able to fix the AC settings, my clock/radio, air filter, etc. Pontiac motors make it more complicating to DIY (do-it-yourself), but with today’s World Wide Web…he was able to research and even find videos on how to repair things on specific models and let me get my hands dirty as well. He has a 1995 “Green Dragon” (aka Mercury Cougar) that still runs probably better than my car! A new car is in our budget…but not until either one breaks or we have the cash to pay in full!

Sell unwanted or unused items!
Since Andrew bought some new speakers…he has been going through some things to get rid of…and recently…out of all his nice electronics, the first of all items and the most hit item that we posted on my work bulletin board…is the silly Beatles Lava Lamp!!! Sold it for $75!!! We’ve found that selling local is much cheaper than posting it on eBay.

Baby Shower...not for us though...

After Andrew and I hosted our first baby shower at a coffee shop...we realized the benefits of soon having a new neice or nephew close by. We can spoil them on the weekends when Chris and Andrea need a break.

This was my first baby shower I've had to plan and the first cake I've decorated! Needless to say, since Andrea and I set the date for July 11th, I could hardly wait to get this thing started! I enjoyed planning the wedding so much and adding personal touches, that I started months in advanced for her shower - from finding the place to decorating the cake. I LOVE me some parties!!

Andrew did a great job helping...he'd put up with my head full of spinning ideas and I had to have certain things that Andrea enjoyed or liked. The coffee shop was an organic, earthly, homey place. Karen and her staff at Otherlands Coffee Bar did a fabulous job with the catering...they served banana, peanut butter, honey sandwiches, pimento cheese sandwiches, fresh fruit, carrot/apple muffins, herbal tea punch, and all served elegantly! So the theme was colorful and natural. Here are the few personal touches we added for the special Mommy and Daddy-to-be:

Made name tags and pinned on with diaper pins and pacifiers.

Andrew and I designed the invites to reflect the nature of the parents :) After all they did plant a seed!

The cake was made 3-4 days earlier...I was very anxious and mom advised me to refrigerate and to make cakes the day before in the future. Andrew was honest to tell me it was a little dry but still good...how can you go wrong with Lemon icing?!

Rich Butter Cake from Good Housekeeping
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup whole milk
2 tsps vanilla extract
2 cups sugar
1 cup margarine (softened)
4 large eggs
6 tbsps seedless red rasberry jam (or any fruit jam)

Buttercream Frosting
(I used 3/4 of this recipe - that is 4-5 cups of sugar instead of package and a little over 1/4 cup of softened butter - which made plenty)

1 package (16 oz) confectioners sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine (softened)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 tbsps (or more as needed) milk or half-and-half

1. Prepare rich butter cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease three 8-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with waxed paper; grease and flour paper.

2. On another sheet of wax paper, combine, flour, baking powder, and salt. In measuring cup, mix milk and vanilla.

3. In large bowl, with mixer on low speed, beat sugar and butter until blended. Increase speed to medium-high; beat until creamy, about 3 minutes, frequently scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low; add flour mixture alternatively with milk mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat just until smooth, scraping bowl occasionally.

4. Spoon batter evenly into prepared cake pans. Stagger pans on 2 oven racks, placing 2 on upper rack and 1 on lower rack, so that pans are not directly above one another. Bake 26-28 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. With small knife, loosen layers from sides of pans; invert onto racks. Remove wax paper; cool completely, about 45 minutes.

5. Prepare Lemon Frosting: From lemon, grate 1 tsp peel and squeeze 2 tbsps juice. Prepare buttercream frosting as recipe directs, adding lemon peel and juice with vanilla. When frosting is a good spreading consistency, beat in enough yellow food coloring to tint a pale yellow.

6. To assemble cake, place 1 layer rounded side down, on cake plate; spread with 3 tablespoons rasberry jam (or enough to spread on entire layer). Top with second layer, rounded side down, and remaining 3 tablespoons of jam. Top with 3rd layer, rounded side up. Use lemon frosting to frost sides and top of cake, making frosting as smooth as possible (hint: use water on spatula to smooth).

7. Decorate however you'd like :)

Decorating was based on my childhood memories of watching my mom decorate wedding, birthday, and shower cakes! I definitely got the creative brain from the Blancs (my mom's side). Andrew wanted me to add bugs...so I added bumble bees and lady bugs to make it more garden like :) Accidentally, got into the Anne Geddes look.

FYI...it takes a long time to decorate...gotta consider the time invested in coloring the icing before decorating and changing tips for the icing styles, etc.!! Plus, I didn't really know what to do!! Although, it's nothing compared to TLC's Cake Boss...I tried hard to make it a cool cake ;) I thought it was okay...but everyone seemed to like it.

Created our own little flower jars with recycled baby food jars and got fresh flowers at a local Farmers Market! Turned out fabulous!!!

Karen and her staff made it look so elegant!!

Got some of Andrea's favorite flowers :)

Chris' favorite candy is Jelly Bellies...so those were the party favors and just added a little stamped diaper pin to the favor box.

Mama Dill just glowing and growing!

Andrew got Chris a "Baby Daddy Changing Protective Gear 2000" kit. Inside joke...Chris is not only a pediatrician, but also has an engineering degree, so he's constantly inventing things. Once he is through, he names his invention and usually adds the number 2000 to " make it sound futuristic".

Here it is...air sanitizer, mask with ear plugs and goggles, and gloves!

It was hard to cut the decorations!!!!

Me and my sister-n-laws chilling after a long day!!

Happy 4th of July!!

Andrew reminded me that last 4th of July, we weren't together. He just started his 1st year of residency a year ago. Needless to say, my summer was spent working full time, planning a wedding, fostering 4 kittens, and spending times with family and friends before I moved. I sure did have a blast from cleaning up to making and creating all the finishing touches for our special day. Andrew however, had a harder time and his new friends/classmates even said I needed to hurry down, plus his apartment was so bare...he was missing me so much - how cute :) To compensate...he worked out hard for over 3 months. My girls and I were completely shocked once we saw the outcomes the day before the wedding!!! I was so proud of him!! I'll never forget when he showed up at my grandparents with a big bouquet of beautiful flowers...my MeeMaw sent me a picture of them this past week...I had almost forgotten, so it brought back wonderful memories of when we first saw each other after 3 months!!!!!

Even though we're opposites in many apects...he brought up this weekend that we work as a team and we encourage each other to succeed on many levels to accomplish our goals and dreams. We don't criticize each others' weaknesses but rather work together to strengthen each other. For instance...Andrew could never run 3 miles at a time before we got married. Once I moved down to Memphis, I was so impressed...he could run 3 miles by my side. When I was running races on a regular basis in Louisville, he would want to run with me...I was so worried he'd go into an Asthma attack after 1 mile and would encourage him to rest while I finish. Now, he can run 9-12 miles a week (indoors) and his goal is to run his first 5k with me this fall!!!!!!

Ironically, I started out the same way. I could never run a mile even though I played almost every sport. In fact, when I trained for soccer or track...I would complain about running distances (I was a sprinter). But growing up, watching my daddy run the marathons and triple crowns...I was determined to be like him some day. After college, soccer was over so I began training myself to run distances and ran 5ks, 10ks, 10 miles, a mini-marathon, and even a couple triathlons. Andrew and even my friends would come to run with me or just cheer me on . They are the only reason I could get through to the finish lines...but, I get strength and endurance through God. Running and training is like my quiet time :) I always carried my favorite verse with me to every game and competition: "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!" ~Phil. 4:13

This is my first race in Memphis, and I tend to get really anxious before my first or new type of race. Andrew kept me calm :)

I ran the St. Jude Firecracker run and ran for Shannon, a 13 year old with Rhabdomyosarcoma.

Andrew patiently waits with me...showing his support ;)

He takes me out to the start 15 'til race time.

He was so sweet!! Luckily, someone at work told me people hose you down while running (it's in the 90's after 7p) and there are sprinklers running. So I had to hand over my hearing aids to Andrew and he stood by me to tell me what the announcer was saying before we took off.

Andrew was just as excited as I was and he could hardly take pictures while I was running...

Andrew over-excitedly yells right when I ran by, "Over here, Honey!!! GREAT JOB!!" And, I said, "I'm right here...I can hear you!"

So stinky, sweaty, and wet...he wanted to kiss me and hug me...but I said, "you may want to wait!" Of course, he does anyway and in addition gives me fist bumps and keeps congratulating me!! Later he informed me a guy pushing a stroller...finished in the top at 17 minutes!!!!! We came to the conclusion, that the kid should get all the rewards - ha!! (FYI...kids in strollers have to be registered to race, too!)

WAHOO!!! I did it - despite trampling over a little boy and dodging the traffic in the crowd of 3,000!!!! And boy does all the mist feel good!!

After the race, the next night...we got ready for our first cookout and bought a charcoal grill with one of our wedding gift cards!

Andrew was having a little trouble at first...didn't realize he bought the non-pre-lit charcoal...but got it going with his Boy Scout skills ;)

Chris and Andrea (Andrew's brother and sister-n-law) come with us across the street to the park to watch the fireworks!

Needless to say, this 8-month, preggie momma suffered insomnia during the fireworks and made it back to crash on our couch!