Living Like No One Else

Our family is on the first few steps of a financial journey, and it isn't easy.
Minus our credit union card, we have cut up and destroyed our other credit cards.
We're behind on some bills and are attempting to get our payments caught up.
We're looking at thousands upon thousands of dollars of debt and knowing we will have to sacrifice fun, frivolous purchases, treats that we are accustomed to, in order to tackle this mountain we have to climb.
We know we will probably stumble, quite a few times, and will have to pick ourselves up, dust off, and start over again.
We know most of my income from teaching simply HAS to go onto debt, meaning the job that I took as a hobby is now, for the moment, somewhat of a necessity, which is somewhat heartbreaking, considering we should be comfortable on one income, and aren't, purely due to stupid choices.
But one of the things that is hardest for me of all? When well-meaning friends and family ask why we aren't shopping on whim, or eating out willy-nilly, or when they poke fun, or simply don't understand what we are trying to accomplish. Or when their words serve as that little voice that says, "Come on, spend the money you don't have anyway...what will this one time hurt?" They aren't trying to be mean, or harmful, or disrespectful, and I get that, but it's still hard. It's hard enough for me to maintain impulse control on my own, but sometimes, it's harder when you have...shall we say...encouragement from loved ones and friends to break your goals, or when you see the looks on their faces that make you know without a doubt that they think you are being weird, or foolish, or too cautious, or silly, or you're just not willing to have fun with them.
Financial guru Dave Ramsey talks about this a lot. He says basically that when people start making fun of you and discouraging you that it means you are likely starting to make the right decisions financially. He has a famous quote that says, "“If you will live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.” It's on the bottom of every page of our edition of The Total Money Makeover. Basically, what he is saying is that, if you live below your means, and don't do what everyone else is doing now, if you live in such a way that people poke fun of your financial goals and your budgeting, and you're cutting expenses/living a very frugal and humble life, and doing it all now so you can improve your lives, get out of debt, and build wealth, then someday, you will be debt-free, beyond comfortable, and can truly live it up and live like no one else.
I need that to be my ever-constant mantra.

Want a Kindle For Free?

OK, maybe you all know this, but if you don't...if you're like me and counting pennies, you can download a free Kindle app from Amazon for your PC, which means you can then get Kindle books from them onto your computer--and loads of the books are free, or you can get whatever ones there you want/would work with a normal Kindle. It's basically a Kindle, but installed on your 'puter, and it's totally free and legit from them...without having to buy the device itself. Directions are on their website! I got loads of free cookbooks, self-help, classics, parenting books, etc. for free...some require a Prime membership (which I don't have), but loads of others are free with no strings attached! I found the directions in the Kindle Store at Amazon.com. Look for "Kindle for PC" under the "Buy a Kindle" menu on the left of your screen. That will take you to an install screen/directions. Newspapers, magazines, and blogs are NOT accessible via this PC version, but still........ If you have a tablet PC, wouldn't that be cool on it?

My First Attempt at a Real Birthday Party...As Opposed to a Fake One?

OK, I am NOT crafty or artistically inclined.
You hear people say that all the time, but let me illustrate:
Once, while threading a needle, I stabbed myself in the chin.
I have both stapled my finger and glued my fingers together.
While drawing a picture for some little kids at an after-school program several years ago, Yasmin, age 6, raised her hand and asked if I was OK. She was really concerned. I asked her why, and she informed me, "You draw like a crazy person."
Need I say more?
But, I have been bitten by the Pinterest bug, so armed with that and a love for my kids, I decided to throw my first "real" birthday party for my son's fourth birthday.
I made a rainbow candy tray (not pictured) by layering various candies of each color of the rainbow, thanks to Pinterest inspiration. That was easy peasy.
I attempted to make a caterpillar cake with cupcakes. I got the inspiration from Pinterest, but the craziness is all me. My sister in law thought it was an alien. So, I suck at cake decorating, but the kid loved his cupcakes, so that is all that matters.
I made a fruit tray to look like a rainbow, complete with clouds of marshmallows, and a pot of "gold" (bananas.)
I made marshmallow pops from, you guessed it, Pinterest. Place a marshmallow onto a toothpick, dip in melted dipping chocolate, coat with sprinkles, and place on wax paper in the fridge for 10 min. to harden the chocolate.
I'm not blogging this to brag because, quite honestly, my final results were very, very, VERY novice, at best. But, I am PROUD of myself. This is completely out of my comfort zone. Seriously. And when my little guy said, with the sweetest voice, "I LOVE this," as he looked at his adoring family and all that was waiting for him...well, I wanted to melt into a Mommy puddle.
So, it was a very (odd-looking) success. I might post more pics at another date. We shall see. That is, if I don't end up committed after someone looks at my end results. ;)

Pinterest Project--Spaghetti Pepperoni Pie

So, I tackled a recipe that I found and pinned on Pinterest--spaghetti pepperoni pie. The original recipe is from A Thrifty Mom, and the version I made has some adaptations for family preferences. (Original recipe link can be found here.) I found it to be super yummy, and the hubby liked it, though he would prefer more cheese next time. So, we shall have a repeat performance from this tasty casserole. (If you follow me on Pinterest, you can find the pin under my recipes board.)

Spaghetti Pepperoni Pie

Ingredients

1/2 lb. spaghetti, broken up into thirds
1/3 c. dry seasoned bread crumbs
2 c. pasta sauce
2 c. shredded mozzarella cheese (we used a pack of shredded pizza blend cheese, which I loved)
4 oz. sliced pepperoni (the original recipe says to chop it, but I liked it sliced)
3 large eggs, beaten (the original calls for four, but three was AOK)

Directions

In large saucepan, boil water and cook spaghetti 1 to package specs. Drain pasta.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat pie plate with PAM spray. Coat with bread crumbs.
In bowl, combine spaghetti, pasta sauce, half of the mozzarella cheese and pepperoni. Stir in beaten eggs. Spoon mixture into prepared plate.
Bake for 20-30 minutes. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and bake until cheese is melted (I usually bake for 5-8 min.). Let cool 5 minutes. Cut into 6 wedges.

Evidence of Pottytraining: I Give You Exhibit A....

2012 Declutter Calendar

Ways to declutter a bit at a time, every day this year? Sign me up! I love this!
2012 Declutter Calendar

Teriyaki-Hoisin Chicken

I have a lot of vices. Among them are:
1) eating out
2) getting Japanese/Chinese food as takeout when doing said eating out, particularly when it comes to good teriyaki
3) hoisin sauce...I could eat spoonfuls straight out of the jar

This is why I am making THIS for dinner tonight, instead of eating out, via Barefeet in the Kitchen:

3 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 teaspoons arrowroot starch or cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

In a small saucepan, whisk all the ingredients together until well combined. Bring everything to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer just until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and allow to cool.

To Cook the Chicken:

1 1/2 lbs chicken (white or dark meat), diced into bite size pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper
granulated garlic

In a skillet, over medium high heat, warm the oil and add the chicken pieces. Season with salt, pepper and garlic. Cook the chicken until the meat is no longer pink, turning the pieces as needed. When the meat is cooked through, place in a small bowl and pour the above teriyaki sauce on top. Toss thoroughly to coat.