Cha-Ching on a Shoestring™

Living Large on a Limited Budget

Meal Planning Made Simple

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Simple Meal Planning 2

Dear readers,

I have a question for you.

How do you meal plan? 

If there’s one thing I’m learning these days, it’s that I always have a lot to learn! And when it comes to meal planning, I think we could all learn a lot from each other.

So I’d like to know: What are your meal planning tips and tricks? Do you have any suggestions on how to simplify meal planning? What are your best tips for meal planning on a budget?

I am always trying to improve in this area, so I’d love to hear from you!

And while we’re all weighing in on the topic, I’ll share how I meal plan: 

As for me, if you’ve been around here for long, you know that I’m a faithful eMeals subscriber. I’ve tried a variety of their plans, but I always seem to come back to the ALDI Classic Meal Plan since I do most of grocery shopping at ALDI. (By the way, you can enter to win a $25 ALDI gift certificate here!) I like the simplicity of the meals and so do my kids, so it’s a win-win!

But I also have a number of simple meals that I try to always be prepared to make. They include:

-Beans & Rice

-Macaroni & Cheese

-Taco Salad

-Chicken Turnovers

-Spaghetti

-Breakfast

-Meatloaf

-Sweet and Sour Meatballs

-And in the summer, we are all about the GRILL, all the time!

I’m also loving my new trick with my KitchenAid Mixer that helps me cut my meal prep time in half!

I find that by incorporating some quick and easy meals into my regular meal plan schedule, I can be prepared when I don’t have the time or energy to make a new and different meal. It also helps me to stretch my grocery shopping to two weeks between trips.

That’s it. Nothing fancy. Just how I like it!

So now it’s your turn! Let’s help each other out by sharing our best meal planning tips and tricks in the comments below. (If you are reading this in an email, click here to do so.)

Simple Meal Planning

 

How I Cut Meal Prep in Half with my KitchenAid Mixer

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How to Shred Chicken with KitchenAid Mixer

This post is part of The Merry Little Living Project where I’m sharing about ways that I’m finding to make everyday life simpler and more joyful. You can sign up here to receive my monthly-ish newsletter with updates. 

I love eating chicken.

I hate baking and prepping chicken.

It’s a problem, friends, considering eating raw chicken is frowned upon.

Since most of our family’s favorite meals include chicken, I’ve had to overcome my aversion to prepping chicken. So when I learned how to shred chicken using my KitchenAid Mixer, I knew this discovery was going to be life-changing. I’m not sure why the world has been keeping this a secret from me all these years, but the secret’s out now, friends and I am on a mission to spread the news far and wide:

Save your time! Save your sanity! Save yourselves! Shred your chicken using a KitchenAid Mixer!

This cannot be overstated. I promise I am not melodramatic. Like totally.

FYI: The rumor is that a handheld mixer works for this too, but I can neither confirm nor deny this. If you don’t own a KitchenAid, then by all means, give this a try and let us know!

So how do you shred chicken with a KitchenAid?

It’s this easy:

How to Bake Chicken

Step 1: Bake the chicken breasts. (I bake mine in the oven at 400 degrees for about 35 – 40 minutes. Be sure to test them with a meat thermometer – they should be about 165 degrees when you are done.)

Step 2: While they are still warm, place them in your KitchenAid Mixer. I usually place about three chicken breasts in at a time.

How to Cut Meal Prep Time in Half with KitchenAid Mixer

Step 3: Using the flat beater attachment, turn the mixer on about a 2 setting for about 30 seconds. YES I SAID 30 SECONDS. I’M USING SHOUTY CAPS BECAUSE I CAN’T BELIEVE HOW MUCH TIME  I’VE SPENT SHREDDING CHICKEN IN THE PAST WHEN I COULD HAVE SHREDDED IT IN 30 SECONDS! IF ANYTHING EVER WARRANTED SHOUTY CAPS, IT’S THIS!

That’s it. You now have perfectly shredded chicken at the press of a button.

It’s almost too easy. But I’m okay with easy.

So how do I cut Meal Prep Time in half with a KitchenAid Mixer as I’ve so boldly declared above?

As I mentioned, many of my family’s favorite meals include shredded or chopped chicken. I will refrain from further use of shouty caps, but do you realize how much time I’ve spent prepping chicken as a result? A lot.

I was recently struck with the idea that having pre-baked shredded chicken in the freezer would cut in half the amount of time I spend preparing these dishes. So in one 30 minute time period,  I baked up enough chicken for five of our favorite dishes, shredded it up IN 30 SECONDS (ahem) and separated it into multiple Tupperware containers. Then I popped them in our chest freezer.

Let’s do the math. That makes FOUR meals that I am not prepping, baking or shredding chicken. PLUS it only took me 30 minutes to prep all five meals!

The brilliance of this is blinding me.

For those of you who have been doing this for years, I first virtually high five you for being so very smart and then I give you a wet willy for NOT TELLING ME ABOUT IT SOONER! (Lovingly, of course.)

Note: I recommend letting the chicken cool down before placing it in the freezer. Also, it wouldn’t hurt to place it in a freezer bag or to even use a FoodSaver to protect from freezer burn. Cooked chicken doesn’t last as long in the freezer as raw chicken because it lacks as much moisture. It is recommended that you use it within a month or two. Another trick is to freeze it in broth to protect it.

Also – lest you think that I am An Expert of All That Pertains to Freezer Cooking – I just googled these tips.  Just keeping it real, friends.

I discovered that since the chicken is shredded, it thawed rather quickly. I just pulled mine out of the freezer the night before and it was ready to go the next day after being in the fridge overnight.

In case you are wondering, here are just a few of the dishes that I plan to make with my shredded chicken.

How about you? What meals that use shredded chicken do you enjoy? Is this tip as life-changing for you as it is for me?

Introducing The Merry Little Living Project {Ask the Readers}

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littlelivingproject_newsletter_513x190 (1)

I am so happy to announce that The Merry Little Living Project is ready to begin! I’ll be sending out my first email newsletter tomorrow, so be sure to enter your email address here if you want in! I can’t wait to start finding and celebrating Simple, Joyful Life with you all.

I’ve been dreaming about and planning what this series will include and here are a few things I hope to focus on: 

-Time-saving tips for everything from cooking to cleaning and more.

-Simple organizational tips.

-Simple decor ideas.

-Goal setting. (I’m hoping our community can encourage each other with this!)

-Reviews of my favorite things that save me time and money.

-Simple ways to celebrate life, give joy to others and make festive occasions even more special.

And here are a few things you should NOT expect from The Merry Little Living Project: 

-Perfection. I am about as imperfect as they come, so let’s just nix that expectation right off the bat, shall we?

-Inauthenticity. I’m going to do my best to keep it real and share my successes and failure with you – and I hope you feel free to do the same!

-Anything too complex or overwhelming. We’re about simplicity around here!

And now I want to know! What are YOU hoping to simplify in your life (laundry, gift giving, meal planning, chores, cleaning)? In what ways would you like to find more joy (giving, celebrating special occasions, chores,cleaning:)) ? I want The Merry Little Living Project to be about YOU and our community. We’ve already proven that our community is awesome at helping each other, so in what ways are you hoping this series will help you?

By the way, you can learn more about The Merry Little Living Project here. 

 

How I Painlessly Broke Up With Social Media

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Breaking Up with Social Media

This post is part of The Merry Little Living Project where I’m sharing about ways that I’m finding to make everyday life simpler and more joyful. You can sign up here to receive my monthly-ish newsletter with updates.

One day not too long ago it suddenly hit me:

Social media is making me lose my mind.

Not the “going crazy” kind of losing my mind (although some days that’s debatable.)

More like the “I’ve lost the ability to think for myself” kind of losing my mind. The fear of missing out drives me to my social media feeds countless times a day only to discover that I am indeed missing out! In the moments that I’ve been away, there have been amazing new developments, such that little Hedgehog’s Birthday Party or important updates in world news like the latest yoga pants wars.

Mind. Lost.

So last month I broke up with Social Media.

Now, as a blogger and a fan of social media for a number of reasons, completely turning my back on this modern-day form of communication is not really an option for me. I do value the community that it can build especially while using services such as Social follow to help build your following and the people you can reach, the good that it can accomplish and the ability to connect with people at a moment’s notice. And yes, I am hoping you will share this post on Facebook. Ironic, I know.

But for the month of January, I decided to “break up” with social media. Essentially, that meant I wasn’t going to post anything on Facebook or Instagram (since those are my main distractions) and I wasn’t going to check my newsfeed. I did allow myself to check my notifications on Facebook since many of them are blog-related.

Here’s what I did instead of checking Facebook:

I read books. (Emphasis on the S.)

I had Downton Abbey-viewing parties with friends.

Downton Abbey

I daydreamed without checking my phone to be sure I wasn’t missing anything. I had completely forgotten how to do that.

I played in the snow with my boys…TWICE. (Yes, I am counting.)

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I watched movies without checking my phone to be sure I wasn’t missing anything.

I spent more time making food than looking at other people’s pictures of food.

I potty trained my son – my apologies to Facebook for the lack of updates on our progress. I hope you’ll forgive me.

I organized my closet.

I played the piano – and was pleasantly surprised to discover that I still remember how!

Which led to singing special music with my son and some friends in church- something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time.

I had lunch dates and coffee dates and playdates without checking my phone to be sure I wasn’t missing anything.

I felt peaceful.

I felt kinder to my kids.

Here’s what my breakup with the world of social media made me realize.

1) I miss boredom.

Yes, you read the correctly. I miss being bored. I get my very best ideas when I’m bored because it allows me time to dream. This Bored and Brilliant series from NPR encourages people to try disconnecting from their phone for a week to embrace boredom and mental downtime. Brilliant, right?

2) I wonder if maybe social media is making us all kind of sad.

This thought occurred to me right before I decided to take a break. It was after I caught myself yet again mindlessly checking my newsfeed rather than engaging with real-life people. Truth be told, my break up with social media convinced me it’s true. Turns out, I’m not the only person who has wondered that.

3) I need more Focus in my life.

I had forgotten what it feels like to cook dinner without checking my phone or play with my kids without checking my phone or brush my teeth without checking my phone. It feels really good.

4) I still worry too much about how many people “like” me.

I thought I left those days behind in Jr. High, but I still care. Taking a break from caring about getting “likes” was nice.

5) Facebook has become more “spectator media” than “social media”.

The number one reason I always give for embracing Facebook is that it’s a great way to keep up with out-of-town family and old friends. But more and more, my newsfeed has become filled with viral videos, links to articles and the latest political or celebrity controversy. Rather than connecting with family and friends, it seems I am constantly trying to weed through the “stuff” to find them!

6) It’s possible to be distracted by just about anything.

Giving up social media didn’t make me immune to other mind-numbing distractions. But it definitely gave me more control over what I opt to allow to distract me.

My Thoughts on The Break Up:

I know it sounds scary, but stepping back from social media to embrace real life is actually kind of awesome. I think everyone should give it a try.

I do think that there is a way to balance social media with real life and I’m going to give that a try for now. If I start to feel like I’m “losing my mind”, I’ll now know how easy it is to break up again (sounds kind of like a bad jr. high romance, doesn’t it?)

Want to break up with Social Media too? Here are some tips that helped me:

1) Choose a time period that is do-able.

I don’t recommend swearing off all social media forever and ever amen. You’ll likely have a hard time following through on that. Choose a time frame that you can stick with – even if it means just starting off for one day.

2) Announce your break-up on social media.

Yep. Make it Facebook-official. A little built-in accountability is never a bad idea.

3) Remove the apps from your phone.

They aren’t gone forever, I promise. It will be Ok.

4) Set up notifications if you are worried about missing out on something.

I have notifications set up for a few select people so I don’t miss out on life with those I really want to stay connected with. It’s my way of using social media in the way I think it was intended to be used.

5) Find other ways to connect.

Text, message, email, call, visit. You’ll be amazed how good it feels to personally connect with those you love rather than just “liking” what they have to say.

What do you think? Is breaking up with Social Media something you would consider – or is it too hard to do?

My One Hour Closet Makeover – What One Focused Hour Can Accomplish

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Don't have time to tackle your disorganized closet? That's what I thought too - until inspiration hit. Don't miss these tips and tricks that changed everything for me - and will teach you how to organize your closet in less time than you ever thought possible.

Close your eyes for a minute with me and picture that space in your house that beckons to you to “CLEAN ME“, “ORGANIZE ME“, “HELP ME” daily – but is somehow always the last thing to get cleaned, organized, or helped.

Can you picture it? Is it a bathroom closet? Maybe it’s your garage or your kitchen cupboards? (If nothing comes to mind, you have my permission to skip this post. Or better yet, skip to the comments and tell the rest of us all your secrets!)

I have no problem picturing what that space has been for me – it’s the first space to greet me every morning with its puppy dog eyes and drooping shoulders just begging for my attention.

It’s my Closet. 

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Ahem. Moving right along.

And every morning, I have averted my eyes, reached in blindly to grab any essential items and declared, “No, Closet – I have no time for you.”

I would resist any urges to clean it out by imagining the long hours it would take to filter through the stash of clothes smooshed into my closet – some since last century. (Oh boy – did I just admit that out loud? Let’s just say that some outfits have passed the Good Riddance test a few too many times. That pantsuit I wore for the Miss Liberty competition in college? It should be as distant a memory as the big hair I wore on that day, but I’m a sap, what can I say?)

Besides – my hair is still kind of big too. For whatever that is worth. 

Then the other day, inspiration struck – or maybe it was just that box that kept falling off my top shelf onto my head. Either way – after a heart to heart talk with my poor Closet, I came away with this detailed plan:

One Hour. 

That was it. That was my plan.

If you’ve been around here long, you know that I am highly motivated by deadlines. If there is a clock to beat, I will. Chalk it up to my competitive nature, or the fact that time is a very precious commodity to me during this busy season of life, but I work best when given very focused tasks in short periods of time.

In prep for my Closest Rescue, I made a trip to the Dollar Store (where else?) for some handy little baskets and bins since I’ve discovered that handy little baskets and bins are the solution to most organizational dilemmas in my life.

Then I found an hour time slot that would be relatively uninterrupted, grabbed a couple trash bags for donations and a trash can for trash and set out to make over my closet in one hour.

I armed myself with just one question:

“Have I worn this in the past year?”

That was it. I didn’t let myself think about it. I had one goal in min:. To find the 2015 version of myself somewhere in that space.

Here’s a rundown of my hour: 

About 15 minutes in: At first, I tried to collect all of the extra hangers in a bin.

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That didn’t last long. The floor worked just fine.

I also lost some precious time trying to put my summer clothes in storage. I soon realized that the amount of space I was creating by getting rid of clothes was going to provide plenty of room for seasonal items. It was silly to have them take up storage space elsewhere.

About 30 minutes in: I had filled two hefty trash bags with pants, shirts, shoes and yes – pantsuits – to be donated to our local thrift shop. (I sure do hope that pantsuit goes to a good home.) Everything else that didn’t pass the test was immediately thrown into my trash can.

Closet Decluttering

About 40 minutes in: I had selected the best hangers of the lot and organized the clothes that had made the cut.

I realize that some people like to organize their clothing by color. I opted to embrace my more practical self and organize my closet by type of clothing.

Closet Organization in One Hour

Besides – I’m not very good at organizing by colors – as noted by the Lone Blue Hanger that somehow missed my hanger cleanse.

About 45 minutes in: I put my Dollar Store bins to work for me.  Since my closet doubles as my gift closet, I used my handy little bins to create this system:

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Yes – that last bin says “Socks”. That’s because “Happy Place where Long Lost Socks Will Magically Be Reunited with their Loved Ones” wouldn’t fit.

Hey – a girl can dream, right?

About 55 minutes in: Turns out this Shoe Organizer  does a really great job of organizing shoes.

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Who knew?

About 59 Minutes in: The laundry bin on the right is holding more Gift Closet items. The one on the left will hold future items that don’t pass the 2015 Me test.

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About 1 Hour in: I took a step back, wiped my sweaty brow, and soaked up the beauty of what felt like a brand new closet.

Closet Organization

Honestly – I am in love. I wanted to just lay in my bed and stare at my new Happy Place. It is amazing what one hour can accomplish, isn’t it?

A few tips if you are considering a Closet Rescue Power Hour: 

1) Know yourself. If you aren’t as motivated by deadlines as I am, you might want to consider making it a 2 Hour Rescue instead. Don’t stress yourself out if you know that you’ll need a little bit more time to make decisions.

2) Be sure to assess the situation ahead of time to determine what types of bins and organizers you will need. Don’t start your project until you have those items on hand.

3) If you think you might have a harder time parting with items than I did, then consider finding a place to store your donation bags for a couple months. This will give you some time to determine if you will miss any items and will give you the peace of mind that you need to purge your closet of any questionable items.

4) Be prepared. You might want to move into your closet when you are done.

How about you? Have you ever tried an Organizing Power Hour? What are your best tips?

You Might Also Like:

One Hour Closet Organization

{An Invite} Exciting New Things in the New Year!

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New Year Chapter One

Happy New Year, friends!

I like new beginnings. I just can’t help myself.

I like a fresh start. A clean slate. A new chapter.

This year I’m starting a new chapter on this blog called The Merry Little Living Project. It’s an idea that was inspired by our Merry Little Christmas Project community where we’ve come together to help each other make Christmas simpler and more joyful.

Instead of just focusing on Christmas, we are going to find ways to make everyday life simpler and more joyful. Doesn’t that sound awesome?

I’m busy behind the scenes dreaming and planning about what it will all look like, but in the meantime, this is your invite. Just click here to enter your email address, then click through the activation email and you’ll be all set. After that, all you have to do is keep your eye on your inbox over the next few weeks for my first update!

Here’s to 2015 and Simple. Joyful. Life.