Free/Cheap Food Day!!

This was my free biscuit.

Today is all about some free food!  I’m a big fan of food, probably TOO BIG of a fan, but throw the word “free” in front of food and I get really excited.  I’ve blogged before about going online and joining restaurant clubs.  You get free food on your birthday and some restaurants send you regular coupons.  DO IT…sign up!  If you don’t sign up, I am totally going to talk about you behind your back. 

This week Chick-fil-A was running a free breakfast special if you signed up online.  That meant a free chicken biscuit today.  Now I get that Chick-fil-A is not a fan of gay marriage and that they will never support it, but my homo self is going to cash in on their free biscuits…and my partner did, too.  We thought of it as Chick-fil-A’s wedding shower gift to us.  For lunch, we got an email from Chili’s with a coupon for a free appetizer with the purchase of an entrée.  Free food for one of us!  And then tonight, we are meeting a group of my former coworkers for Mexican food.  The special at the restaurant is $1 margaritas!!!!!  So no free food, but who gives a shit if you are drinking $1 margaritas. I have no doubt we will have a great time and there will be more dollar bills flying than douche bag day at the Boobie Bungalow.   All and all, I have no doubt this will be a good day! 

Squashing Dunderheaded Spending, Broiled Lamb Shoulder Chops and Cucumber Yogurt Sauce

I mentioned several weeks ago that my computer was acting up with a weird purple tint.  Well to follow up, it got progressively worse.  Now, had this happened before I got laid off, we would have immediately purchased a new computer at the very sight of a purple tint…regardless of how small and insignificant.  Hell just saying “purple tint” might have sent us to the store. That’s just what we did.  Looking back on it now our spending habits can only be defined as dunderheaded.  It was amazing how much we spent on crap.  Other than regaining my sanity, the best thing about getting laid off was a complete overhaul of the way we spend money. 

Old habits die hard, so as the purple tint got worse, we took the computer to the Geek Squad at Best Buy.  Naturally, we did not take the receipt.  The lady at the counter looked at the computer for about 2 minutes and said we needed a new one.  Diligence to the dunderhead spending philosophy dies slowly, so off we walked to the back of the store to look at new laptops.  After doing this for a few minutes, it slowly came back to us that this computer was less than a year old and buying a new this quick was, well…dunderheaded.

Once we got home, we located the receipt.  Duh…the computer was still under warranty.  Now I don’t mean the warranty you buy extra at the register - even in full dunderheaded mode you can still tell that is a stupid purchase.  We called Toshiba.  They went through a few things and no luck on fixing the laptop that way.  So they sent us a box and we mailed it to their “headquarters” (I’m sure there is a control tower there BTW).  Obviously, the 10 day separation from my laptop was traumatic, but we are wise spenders now and it isn’t like we don’t have a desktop, too. 

I got the computer back yesterday.  It is better than when I first purchased it.  They gave me a new palm rest, retooled everything and the keyboard that once didn’t light up completely lights up when I start to type.  I was totally impressed with this experience from Toshiba and taking the time to not be dunderheaded cost us exactly $0.

Naturally, we had a laptop coming home party.  The dinner I made was completely purchased with coupons and store specials.  It was easily 50% to 75% less than what we would have spent pre lay-off.  Well hell we wouldn’t have made dinner.  We would have taken our just purchased laptop out to dinner.  Dunderheads.



Broiled Lamb Shoulder Chops

Marinade

½ cup orange juice

1 cup white wine

3 cloves of garlic, minced

2 teaspoons of fresh thyme

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

¼ teaspoon ground pepper

2 tablespoons olive oil

Preparation

Blend marinade in blender, just a few pulses until well mixed.

Place lamb chops and marinade in a plastic bag.  Squeeze as much of the air out as possible from the bag and seal.  Marinate for several hours in the refrigerator.  Remove the lamb from the bag at least an hour before cooking to help bring the lamb closer to room temperature.

Broil on high 5 to 7 minutes per side.

Cucumber-Yogurt Sauce

Ingredients

1 ½ cups plain yogurt

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped

3 tablespoons fresh parsley

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

Stir all ingredients together, cover and chill.

Greek Salad

Spring mix salad

Feta cheese

Greek vinaigrette dressing

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Just melt some bittersweet chocolate and dip those berries in there!



Another bottle from Laithwaites Wines!





Free Birthday Stuff and Steve Perry

I woke up this morning thinking about a couple of things.  First thing, I’m still enjoying free stuff for my birthday.  The second thing was a picture I saw of Steve Perry.  I’ll start with former Journey lead singer, Steve Perry.

I few days ago, I ran across this picture of Steve Perry and Sherrie Swafford (yes that’s the Sherrie from “Oh Sherrie”).  I don’t remember what I was actually looking for but this picture stuck with me.  Let me illustrate the reasons why:

Now I know I’m not the first, nor will I be the last to mention Perry’s beak, but honestly the resemblance between Perry and a baby Peregrine Falcon is stunning.  The other reason(s) this picture stuck with me are:

So birthday freebies!  I cross referenced two of my favorite sites to sign up for free stuff on my birthday.  Hey It’s Free! and The Frugal Girls.  Trust me go to these websites.  I got free ice cream, free burritos, free burgers and on and on.  It is worth the time and you’ll get more than just free birthday stuff for signing up with many of these places.  Check it out and feel like a queen, king or both on your birthday!

Leftovers + Wine = Laughing Baby

Yesterday I gave you a really good vegetarian tiger blood chili recipe plus the way to make gnarly potatoes.  Here's what to do with the leftovers.  You can make some tasty potato skins topped with chili, cheese and sour cream.  That’s what we did last night for dinner.  In fact, yesterday we basically spent about $50 for a full day of fun.  We didn’t actually make the movie; we opted for beers in the backyard.  We made a fire, watched the sunset and ate our potato skins. 

$20 for golf –we walked nine holes

$20 for lunch – this includes what we paid for the Living Social Deal (we got 2 BBQ platters and a bucket of beer)

$10 for a 12 pack of beer (and we still have six left.  WINNING!)

Free – people watching at Moe’s

Free – Sunset

Free – Fire

Free – leftovers

Yesterday was also pretty exciting because we received 15 bottles of wine!  The UPS man was struggling to get the box to the door.  Recently I ordered the 2011 Entertainment Book.  We received it and have already started using the coupons inside.  I also found an offer from Laithwaites Wine.  It is a wine club and you can start it with an introductory offer of 15 bottles of wine for $69.99.  Normally we spend $10 and up for a bottle of wine so the savings is pretty clear.  So far the experience has been good, which just includes ordering the all reds option online and receiving the wine.  We are going to let the bottles sit a few days to recover from shipping and then we’ll start tasting.  I’ll keep you posted on how this goes.  For now though looking at all the bottles on the table is just plain mesmerizing!  The wine cabinet we got at World Market has been used basically as storage for books and stuff since we usually only get a couple of bottles of wine at a time.  I cleaned it out though today.  This was also exciting.  It will almost be like going to our wine cellar to get a bottle…only it isn’t a cellar. 

If you haven’t seen this video yet it is worth a watch.  I tried ripping paper in front of Tiffany last night while we were by the fire (the paper BTW was free and we were recycling).  She didn’t really have the same reaction, but I felt it was worth a try. 

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Hey, It's Free!™ | Daily freebies, free stuff, and free samples!

Thanks Sean! You guys should totally check this site out!


Hey, It's Free!™ Daily freebies, free stuff, and free samples!

Honey Garlic Drumsticks, Parmesan Garlic Potatoes, Baked Asparagus,Black Swans and Winos

Let me just start by saying I found this video last night and can’t stop laughing about it.

We went to see Black Swan yesterday afternoon.  I didn’t realize it was a horror movie.  Dang I won’t even be clipping my fingernails for awhile much less biting or scratching at them.  Nor will I quintuple pirouettes en pointe accented by twenty-eight fouettes en tournant while cleaning the living room again.  I hate to stop because the dogs love it, but clearly it is just too dangerous. I don’t want to rip my toenail off or break both of my legs backwards.  I have too much to do to risk that kind of caution-be-damned-attitude.  My carefree ode to Russian ballet ends today.

I have to tell you about dinner last night.  I made a spectacular meal complete with movie for the two of us for about $24.  I made honey garlic chicken drumsticks, baked asparagus, parmesan and garlic potatoes and apple pie (recipes below).  And aside from the chicken and the wine (does anyone ever not drink the entire bottle of wine once you open it?) there are enough things left over for me to make another meal as long as we buy another bottle of wine. Here is the price breakdown (I added a little bit to account for the seasoning supplies that I already had in the pantry or fridge).

Chicken = $3

Asparagus = $4

Potatoes = $2

Small dutch apple pie on sale at Publix = $3.50

Pinot Noir also on sale = $12

Free movie (The Kids are All Right) from Blockbuster Box (when you sign up you get a free rental)

This is only important to share because as an unexpected housewife I feel like I have to do my part to save money and keep my sugar mama happy with a clean house and good food.  Clearly, we could save half of what we spent by not drinking wine...but let's not get crazy now.  

Honey Garlic Chicken Drumsticks (from www.bigoven.com)

Ingredients

4 to 6 chicken legs, skinless

¾ cup brown sugar

2 tablespoon cornstarch

¾ cup of water

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon honey

2 cloves of garlic finely minced

Preparation

Place skinless chicken legs in roasting pan and bake covered for 60 minutes at 375 degrees.  Drain all juices.  While legs are cooking make the sauce.

Combine sugar with cornstarch.

Add water, honey, soy sauce and minced garlic in a saucepan.  Bring to a boil stirring constantly.  Add sugar and cornstarch mixture.  Bring to boil again stirring constantly.  When chicken legs are cooked place in a heat proof casserole dish.  Pour sauce over and serve immediately or keep warm in a low oven.

Parmesan and Garlic Potatoes (from www.food.com)

2 cloves of garlic

1/3 cup melted butter

1 ½ unpeeled baby red potatoes

1/3 cup breadcrumb

1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

½ teaspoon paprika

Preparation

Mince garlic and  combine with melted butter in a large mixing bowl

Add potatoes and toss well to coat

Mix remaining ingredients and add to potato mixture and toss well

Turn potatoes out into greased cookie sheet

Bake at 375 for 1 hour or until cooked through, turning 2 to 3 times while baking

Baked Asparagus  (from me)

Ingredients

1 bunch of asparagus washed

Olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

Preparation

Make a “pan” out of foil.  Snap ends off washed asparagus.  Place in foil pan, drizzle with olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Cook at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes.

Ingredients

Killing Zits and Saving Money

My chin has had a busy day.  This morning I noticed a giant pimple there.  Thankfully, I got some solid advice regarding zits from a friend awhile back.  She said to put a dab of hand sanitizer on the pimple when you first notice it.  It actually works and works fast.  As I was putting some Purell on the mammoth zit another chin issue came to my attention. I found two witch hairs …TWO.  And to add insult to injury they were gray.  Naturally, I put the Purell down and tweezed the witch hairs immediately.  Just for good measure and to appease my OCD, I picked the Purrell back up and dabbed some where the hairs where, too. 

I also took some time today after a trip to the grocery to do a little simple math.  Besides counting witch hairs, I was curious about some money saving moves we've made since I lost my job.  After trading in my car and getting something a little nicer on our budget (Honda Fit) we’ll save about $200 a month.  This was the first time I walked out of a dealership and actually played the negotiating game to get the price I wanted.  Tiffany and I played good cop bad cop.  We were like Cagney and Lacey up in those dealerships. It was not only money saving, but also fun.  I also have gotten serious about coupons.  You’d be surprised at the savings, which for us is starting to add up to just over $200 a month.  Sure it takes some work, but it is worth it.  Below are a couple of my favorite links.  Good luck and May the Shopping Force Be With You.

http://thekrazycouponlady.com/

http://couponsuzy.com/

http://www.couponcabin.com/

Learn About Groupon

Learn About Groupon: "Groupon negotiates huge discounts—usually 50-90% off—with popular businesses. We send the deals to thousands of subscribers in our free daily email, and we send the businesses a ton of new customers. That's the Groupon magic."

Groupons and Mr. T

Employed or unemployed you should be using Groupons.  I grew up in the 70’s and made fun of Mr. T  just like everyone else but now his words are prophetic….I pity the fool who don’t use Groupons.  You can get such a good deal on things you didn’t even know you would like.  I mean seriously I got a Mohawk for $15 when it would have cost $30 normally and a large cache of gold chains for $10 when it would have cost $30 without a Groupon.  Sign up and start having fun and saving…do it FOOL.

http://www.groupon.com/