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Those long, stressful weekdays when we both arrive home from work. Enginerd asks what I want for dinner. I tell him I don’t know, and return the question. He doesn’t know either. We sit in a numb daze, until one of us suggests the place down the street. A few of these long stressful days, and suddenly our entire entertainment budget is wiped out.

I’ve found the best way to combat this five o’clock fatigue is preparation. If we’ve already shopped for (and, rarely, prepped) the ingredients of that evening’s dinner, we can usually find the motivation to turn it into our dinner.

And so. Every week I will check the sale flyers from our three local grocery stores. I’ll usually narrow it down to two of the stores, and can occasionally get it down to just one. I spoke long ago about our CSA, and while we no longer participate in that exactly, we are using something similar that provides us with a box of organic produce every other week that is also taken into consideration. I’ll try and go into more detail on that later, but one of the greatest benefits is the email they send out a week in advance with a list of the produce that will be in the next delivery.

Our delivery is on Friday, which is typically when my menu-week will start. You may notice a lot of my weekend meals tend to be salads or other meals that involve leafy greens – this is mostly because they tend to be the items that lose their freshness most quickly. I also try to use up any leftover ingredients from the previous week. Usually we make four servings per meal – one serving for each of us, and a second serving for lunch the next day.

So without further ado, I will share my menus with you. I will try to link to a recipe when I have it, and plan to feature some of our personal recipes in their own post as they come up. For reference, here was last week’s menu:

• Friday: Thai-style Ginger Green Beans over brown rice (a recipe I plan to feature soon!)
• Saturday: West Indian Rice & Beans (using coconut milk leftover from previous day)
• Sunday: Salmon & Onion Dill with Roasted Bok Choy & Mashed Potatoes
• Monday: Chickpea Tacos (these are so unexpectedly delicious!)
• Tuesday: Shredded chicken tacos (using leftover shells from previous night, and shredded chicken we had in the freezer from a whole chicken a few weeks back)
• Wednesday: Avocado Wasabi Salad
• Thursday: Turkey Gyros w/tzatziki & baked fries (we had originally planned a Cinco de Mayo meal, but for various reasons, had to push it to Friday.  But we’re sort of notorious for making holiday inappropriate food – last year, I think we made a Taiwanese hot pot.)

And here is this week’s menu:

• Friday: Tequila-Lime Shrimp over Chipotle-style Cilantro Rice, with fresh pico de gallo (our original Cinco de Mayo meal – we’ll use brown rice)
• Saturday: Leftover Gyros (That recipe made a lot – of both the gyro meat and the tzatziki!)
• Sunday: Mother’s Day celebration – dinner with family
• Monday: Greek-style Veggie Burgers using store-bought patties.  Will dress with feta, pepproncini, kalamata olives, and leftover tzatziki.
• Tuesday: Loobia Polo (I hope to feature this recipe next week, after we make it.  Quite possibly my favorite dish ever, originally a Persian recipe that has evolved at the hand of many a chef in the Enginerd’s family.)
• Wednesday: Polenta with Mushroom Ragu (Or something similar.  We will likely use mozzarella instead of the gorgonzola.  We also tend to make the polenta “cake” the day before, so it only needs to be dressed and warmed.
• Thursday: Salmon w/leftover tzatziki & zucchini fritters (I told you there was a lot left over!)

So these are our meal plans.  Of course, things can get in the way and when they do, we re-adjust.  The avocado-wasabi salad on the menu last week?  We received a last minute invite to an impromptu dinner party, and we simply brought the salad to dinner.  Or, more often, we’ll just push the full menu forward a day.  As the weeks go on, I will continue to feature our weekly menus, and hope to provide some inspiration for your menus as well.  I strive to create menus that are healthy and inexpensive, while still interesting and delicious.

Do you have a meal plan?  What’s your strategy for its creation?

{source}

It was the weekend after Thanksgiving, and while Black Friday it was not, many of the sales were still active.  I usually tend to avoid Banana Republic, even the outlet, because it tends to fall outside my Ross-style budget.  But on that fateful Sunday, I noticed the sign that said 50% off.  The entire store.  How could I resist?

Everything I tried on fit like a dream.  I looked good, despite my fuller appearance.  And all of it was half-price!  We left with a much lighter wallet, and a very full shopping bag.

{source}

Fast forward a few weeks to find me wearing my new BR wardrobe all. the. time.  I felt confident in these new clothes, and had received lots of compliments.  Then I discovered the huge Banana Republic inventory on Ebay.  I knew my size, and easily found several items I loved.  Eventually I discovered there was a BR outlet here in D-town!  More money was spent, and I found my closet was nearly out of room for my new additions.

Some of my other clothes hanging in the closet?  They hadn’t been worn in years.

{source}

One rainy Saturday, I took a proverbial machete to my closet.  No joke, I had at least four boxes full of clothes to get rid of – and I hadn’t even gotten to shoes yet.  Most of the clothes, I was content to donate to our local Goodwill.  But some of them were quality, brand name items.  I thought to my Banana Republic purchase on Ebay, and decided I would sell my stuff there.  After sitting in a box for several weeks, I finally measured and photographed each of the items.  I listed about seven of them before I ran out of steam, and decided to sit back and see what happened.

Of the 7 items I listed, 4 sold.  For the minimum bid of $0.99.  Of the 4 sold, 3 paid – each of them $6.48, for a grand total of $19.44.  Once they sold, I dug them out of the box, drove to the post office, spent 30 minutes in line and $14.85 on postage.  Excluding the negligible cost of mileage, and ignoring the value of my time, my total earnings from this expenditure?  $4.59.

{source}

The lessons I’ve learned from this experience?

• Only list items most likely to sell.  Some of the items I listed, I didn’t expect to sell for much.  I did think they would sell, but for less.  Waste of time.
• Set a higher minimum bid.  I need to determine what the minimum profit would need to be to make this entire ordeal worth it.  I’m obviously not going to set it at something ridiculous, but – call me greedy – four dollars ain’t worth it.
• Be clear about “shop policies” within the listing. I did receive an email from the fourth purchaser, after the auction had ended, asking if I would be willing to ship a different mail-type.  My choices were to deny her request, and risk her not paying for the item, or make an additional trip to the post office to determine the new mailing cost, email her, and wait for her response.  My next listings will be clear that any shipping negotiations will need to happen prior to the auction’s close.

What lessons have you learned about selling on eBay?

He did it because I did it, and because he had some weight he wanted to lose.

But lately, I’ve had some major running fatigue.  I’ve even been dreading the three-miler.  I’ll try for a minute to blame it on my hectic schedule, or long work hours, or familial obligations – until I remind myself that last year, despite purchasing a home, planning a wedding, and a major project at work, I still managed to force myself outside for a seven-mile weekday run.

The problem with this, of course, is that I’ve signed up (and paid!) for a half-marathon.  In a little less than a month.  And I haven’t even pulled on my running shoes in over three weeks.  Yikes!

It’s just that there are so many other things I’d rather do!  Such as make candles out of the mason jars from our wedding…

Or bake the Enginerd his favorite Marionberry Pie…

Or paint the living room…

Or knit, or hike, or cook, or any number of activities that are not running.

I haven’t decided if I’ll just try and force myself through it, or just head straight to the finish line for my free beer.  But even that’s hardly an incentive; last year, each participant received one drink ticket – and the only beer available was Michelob Ultra!  For the record, I have nothing against M-Ultra, but I want to drink something good after running a half-marathon!

Have you had any lulls in motivation for the activities you used to crave?  How did you break yourself from the funk?

{source}

We have a lot of amazing benefits, but none compares to our 401k.  Negundo will match 50% of my total contribution, up to the annual IRS maximum.  Yes, that means that if I put $16,500 annually into my plan – the maximum, until the catch-up years beyond age 50 – my employer will ice that cake with an additional $8,250.  How could we possibly not to max it out?

But “maxing it out” means contributing right around 30% of my gross income. Dave Ramsey would be proud.  The rest of my budget?  Pretty pissed.

Our finances changed pretty drastically when the Enginerd became re-employed.  While his quality of life has increased exponentially, his paycheck has decreased in much the same way.  The household budget certainly took a handful of hits, and we stretched our dollars as far as we were able.

{source}

We sat down and discussed areas of our budget that we could cut.  One of the biggest losers in this battle has been our general savings.  Previously, we had been able to sock away about $1k per month.  This money would be re-distributed within our ING account among general savings, new car funds, vacation funds, etc.  I’ll talk more about our savings strategy in another post, but for now we’re down to $400 per month in general savings.  That vacation seems a lot further away now.

But the bright side?  Early retirement.  That’s what I’m hoping for anyhow.

Has a work incentive motivated you to change the way you budget?  How did you decide what survived the cuts?

]]> http://anotherdayofourlife.wordpress.com/2011/04/21/early-retirement-savings/feed/ 2 dreamer 401k1 stretched-dollar-bill-0907-de http://anotherdayofourlife.wordpress.com/2011/04/20/welcome/ http://anotherdayofourlife.wordpress.com/2011/04/20/welcome/#comments Wed, 20 Apr 2011 23:00:18 +0000 Ginger http://anotherdayofourlife.wordpress.com/?p=809 ]]> If you landed here from Weddingbee, welcome!  Things are a little sparse right now, but I promise there’s a lot to come.  Thanks for stopping by, and I hope I see you again soon!

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♥

Ginger (formerly known as Mrs. Husky)

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The problem was, my gorgeous rust-colored yarn was Sport weight, and the pattern calls for DK.  When swatching, I found the knit far too loose with the needles needed to obtain the correct gauge.

Based on the measurements of my swatch, I thought I could just make the size L instead of the XS as I normally would.  But when taking my own measurements, I found they’re not quite what they used to be.  DAMN YOU, marriage penalty!  So instead, I used the stitch counts for size 1X, and the length indications for the S.

Then came along my first mistake.

I modified the pattern based on the gauge difference, but I stupidly neglected to realize I would need more yarn than was specified for the project.  And I ran out.  And I had to beg and plead with another Raveler to sell me her stash, despite the fact that it was a different dye lot, because the yarn is discontinued.

Once I had my supplemental yarn in hand, it didn’t take me long to finish.  But something was horribly wrong.  Did I mis-measure my gauge swatch?  Myself?

I noticed the problem when I pinned it for blocking.  My width was measuring in at a full 17″ and not the 16.5″ as expected.  A small difference, perhaps.  But maybe I should have just stuck with the size XS?

Either way, it doesn’t fit, and it certainly doesn’t flatter.  I’ve been toying with the idea of mattress stitching it up a stitch-column further from the edge, but I’m a bit worried about a fat seam making it even more ill-fitting than before.

Any brilliant ideas out there to bring it down to size?

As you may have already seen from the Ginger-Nerd Recaps, we hired Mark of Mark Hayes Photography to capture the meaningful moments of our wedding day.  I cannot speak enough praise for Mark’s professionalism, unique eye, and genuine passion for his craft.  After our pool hall engagement session, we had high expectations for our wedding photos, and he more than delivered!

{Mark Hayes Photography}

His services were very reasonable, and he was willing to negotiate with us on travel fees.  When our night ran a little late, and we hadn’t yet gotten to the nightcap, Mark and his second shooter Dain stuck around – Mark later told me he wouldn’t allow himself to leave before capturing the whole story.

{Mark Hayes Photography}

When our photos arrived, Mark took the time to meet with us to deliver our proof prints.  Most photography packages he offers include a full set of 4×6 proofs of every photo – in addition to the DVD of digital images.  We expected to receive around 600-700 images.  Instead, he arrived with over 1200!  And of the 1200+ photos we received, I would estimate there to be 25 that I don’t love.  Notice I said don’t love - not don’t like.  I know I’ve already shared a couple of these photos, but I love them too much to not share again.

{Mark Hayes Photography}

If you are in the Denver area – even if you’re not in the Denver area – I would recommend Mark 100%.

Music: Jubilee Hot 7

If you’ll recall, the music aspect of our wedding day was very important to me.  We used an iPod, and asked a dear friend to “deejay” for the ceremony music, and I had made playlists for pre-ceremony, post-ceremony, and happy hour.

{Photo of me adjusting the happy hour playlist volume, courtesy of Mark Hayes Photography}

However, for the reception, I wanted a live band.  I spent a great deal of my early planning days trying to find the right band to play during the reception.  After posting a request on Craigslist, I received a response from Jeremy Wendelin of the Jubilee Hot 7 - a seven piece, New Orleans-style jazz band.  I loved their sound, they were very reasonably priced, and they were even willing to compose a unique version of our first dance song.

{Mark Hayes Photography}

Believe me when I tell you these folks were truly awesome.  Our first dance music was perfect, and every song after that had the dance floor packed.  We had a blast dancing well into the night, and Mr. E and I have subsequently received numerous comments about the energy and liveliness of the music.  It was straight-up FUN.

{Mark Hayes Photography}

While I didn’t do much research into a deejay, I don’t believe we paid much more for the Jubilee Hot 7 than we would have for the average deejay.  They provided their own sound equipment, and were gracious enough to let us use their mic for various announcements and toasts.  If you’re looking for a band in Denver, I would 100% recommend our band.  Even if you’re looking for a deejay, I would strongly urge you to consider the Jubilee Hot 7.  It was worth every single penny we paid them.

{Mark Hayes Photography}

Venue: Rancho San Carlos

The property on which our wedding was held was simply beautiful.  We couldn’t have designed a better backdrop for our ceremony.

{Mark Hayes Photography}

The wide expanses of open landscape set the scene for our sunset session.

{Mark Hayes Photography}

And while I have no regrets about our decision to get married at Rancho San Carlos, I do have a handful of complaints.  We were the only size-able wedding they have had at the property.  While this gave us a great deal of flexibility in how everything worked out, it also caused a bit of strife.

• Between our first inquiry in November 2009, and the wedding itself held in October 2010, we had 4 different primary contacts for questions, requests, negotiations, etc.  This became very frustrating when trying to ensure a request we had made with contact #1 would be met by contact #4.
• We found to be the property caretaker to be quite invasive.  On the day we arrived – one day before the wedding – he was constantly around, repeating information that we had already discussed with the previous contact.  When I informed him our DOC (dear friend L) was aware of this information, he told me he would talk to her directly – because he didn’t want me to “go all bride-zilla.”  Both Enginerd and I were informed several times that we should hurry up and get our wedding over with, so he could move into the main house – where we were staying during the period of our rental.  On the day of our wedding, he was out riding his four-wheeler up and down the dirt roads that wound around the property, kicking up dust and debris on our wedding guests and site.
• When we arrived on-site, we were informed that the property’s dumpster was full.  We were instructed to place our garbage in the garage, but were later charged a significant portion of our deposit because some of the bags apparently leaked, as well as several other circumstantial issues.  I found this frustrating, because had the dumpster been available as promised, it never would have been an issue in the first place.

Now for the good:

• Rancho San Carlos was, obviously, beautiful.  The house was spacious and well-equipped, and the rates were reasonable.  The four bathrooms on the property eliminated lines, or the need to rent a portable toilet.
• The owners and caretakers were beyond helpful in making the property exactly what we wanted.  They rearranged and relocated hay bales, removed a play-set for our ceremony site, and much, much more.  When we discovered a soft spot in the barn’s floor during the previous day’s set-up, the caretaker immediately fixed the issue.
• They allowed many of our guests to camp on the property.  This was huge for many of our guests that weren’t keen on paying for a hotel room, or imbibed a bit too much to drive themselves to one.

Would I recommend it for your wedding?  I’m not sure.  I love our wedding, and I love the location.  I did not love how much of our deposit they kept for reasons I believed to be unfair.  Ultimately, even with the lost deposit, it was less expensive than a “wedding venue” in Denver, but I’m not sure if the cost of hauling our stuff down there, paying for lodging, and the lack of a taxi service for our guests was worth it.  And, actually, I’m not even sure they offer it as a rental any longer.

Bridal Boutique: anna bé

I’ve talked about my experience purchasing a sample gown from anna bé, but not much about the experience of the boutique itself.

My sister and I went together, and found anna bé and its employees warm and inviting.  We were offered champagne to sip during our shopping.  The exposed brick second-story shop was full of gorgeous designer dresses, each of them more lovely than the last.  The large windows throughout flooded the place with bright, natural light.  Giant mirrors were placed throughout, so every angle of your dress is visible.

{personal crappy iPhone photo}

Even though my dress was purchased during a sample sale, I was always treated as if I were a full-price paying bride.  When I purchased the dress, I was misinformed that it would be pressed after alterations, free of charge.  When I found out this was a mistake, I called and spoke with Anna, who immediately told me they would press it – after all, they were only as good as their word.

I would absolutely recommend anna bé to other Denver brides.  They have a wonderful selection of gowns, and an even more wonderful staff to help you into them.

Alterations: Beverly Richardson

A wonderful woman named Beverly Richardson did the alterations for my dress.  Despite a moment of panic, Beverly made my dress hug every single curve in all the right places.  No small feat, considering it initially looked like this!

{personal photo}

anna bé can put you in contact with Beverly if you are interested.

Flowers: Costco/Family & Friends

All flowers were arranged by various friends and family members.  The majority were purchased directly from Costco.  I have no qualms about the look or quality of the Costco blooms.

Food: Family & Friends

Our amazing friends and family generously donated their time and energy into prepping, cooking and serving a wonderful feast.  Thanks, guys.  Truly.

{guest photo}

We had asked Neighbor-B to create one of his infamous dance mixes to get the after-party started off right.  And boy, did he deliver…

I don’t even know how to explain these photos, other than to say that each and every one of us had a blast during those last few hours of the night.

A circle formed, and the everyone let loose!

I’m pretty sure this one was taken during a Michael Jackson song:

Even I eventually found my way to the center…

We all found ourselves winding down, and decided to call it a night.  GM-K loaded us all into the van, and shuttled us safely back to our rooms.  And with that, the First Day of Our Life was finished.

I’m not saying goodbye just yet – stay tuned for just a couple more posts!

*All photos in this post are either personal or guest-captured.

• Previous episodes:
  • We made it official.
  • Groom’s attire was re-addressed.
  • The bouquet was tossed.
  • Everyone danced with us.
  • We danced.
  • We were toasted!
  • We walked with the setting sun.
  • We ate!
  • We were happy.
  • The wedding crashers were exposed!
  • We hugged it out with family and friends.
  • We vowed our love and traded rings.
  • We were united in wine.
  • FIL-Eng performed our ceremony.
  • I improvised traditions.
  • Step-G spoke.
  • I walked the plank.
  • Almost time!
  • The ladies beautified.
  • We rehearsed!
  • We unloaded and assembled.
  • Someone unplugged the fridge
  • The Music Played
  • We Honeymooned

{Mark Hayes Photography}

Yes, that is a baby bottle nipple atop the bottle of whiskey, but I can assure you the baby did not imbibe.

Quite a few folks were indeed interested in joining, and I think a large majority of the remaining guests ended up on the porch with us.

{Mark Hayes Photography}

{Mark Hayes Photography}

{Mark Hayes Photography}

We also used this opportunity to distribute gifts to our wonderful friends who truly went above and beyond to ensure our day was perfect.

{Mark Hayes Photography}

We all raised our glasses (and gifts) into a group toast:

{Mark Hayes Photography}

And then it was time for our photographers to leave.

As we prepared to return to the barn, a sudden light-bulb appeared: We hadn’t signed our marriage license yet!  I have no idea why we didn’t do it right away; too distracted, I suppose.  Obviously the lighting was not in our favor, and the professional lenses of our photographer were long gone.

{guest photo}

{guest photo}

We tucked the license into our wine box, and returned to the barn for the after-party.

Previous episodes:

• Groom’s attire was re-addressed.
• The bouquet was tossed.
• Everyone danced with us.
• We danced.
• We were toasted!
• We walked with the setting sun.
• We ate!
• We were happy.
• The wedding crashers were exposed!
• We hugged it out with family and friends.
• We vowed our love and traded rings.
• We were united in wine.
• FIL-Eng performed our ceremony.
• I improvised traditions.
• Step-G spoke.
• I walked the plank.
• Almost time!
• The ladies beautified.
• We rehearsed!
• We unloaded and assembled.
• Someone unplugged the fridge
• The Music Played
• We Honeymooned

{Mark Hayes Photography}

But you should know that the route from point A [deciding] and point B [wearing] was not exactly straight.  In fact, it it was quite squiggly.  What follows is a word of caution about using Etsy’s Alchemy process.

Enginerd had his mind made up about the suspenders way before I came on board with the idea.  He had evolved the vision from all the men in suspenders to having the groomsmen in suspenders, and E would wear a vest made from matching fabric.  He wanted ties to match as well.  After posting a request through Alchemy, he had a few responses but none could suggest a fabric that he liked.  Eventually, he accepted a bid where he would select and buy the fabric, ship it to the seamstress, and she would make the items for him.

{Mark Hayes Photography}

During the negotiating process, he made a few points very clear:

• He wanted a vest with the same fabric on the front and back (in other words, he didn’t want a vest with the color/texture on the front, and the basic black satin back, like a lot of tuxedo vests).
• He wanted the vest to have a usable hidden front pocket – not a faux-pocket.
• The groomsmen that would wear the ties and suspenders all come in a variety of shapes and sizes.

He sent along his measurements, spent hours upon hours searching for the perfect fabric, sent it to the seamstress, and waited.  Some time passed, and he finally heard from her.  She told him she was having trouble with the pocket on the vest – she couldn’t find a way to make it work.  So it was decided that the pocket would be exposed on the outside of the vest.  Not ideal, but not a disaster.

{Mark Hayes Photography}

The vest was the first to arrive.  He tried it on, and it was HUGE.  Despite the measurements he had provided, this thing barely clung to his shoulders.  Thankfully, he had an appointment with a local tailor to have his suit altered – so he just added the vest to the order.  In the end, it turned out great – albeit a bit more costly than our original expectation.

Then the ties arrived.  Mr. E tried one on to find the tie was very, very long.  As in, 4-5″ longer than the longest tie in his closet.  Hmmm.  Double-windsors it was.

{Mark Hayes Photography}

And then there was more waiting.  A lot more waiting.  Finally, Enginerd emailed the seamstress to find out about the status of his suspenders, and was shocked to find out the woman had experienced some health issues, but would be finishing them soon and mailing them off.  We received them about 3 weeks before the wedding.  And when we opened the package, we discovered the seamstress had not included adjustment buckles.  They were all one size, and that one size barely fit Mr. E.  Our hopes for them fitting the rest of the groomsmen were quite low.  In a panic, he sent her a message, and she offered to make two additional pairs.  She made them and shipped them quickly, and we received them the week before the wedding.  And these suspenders?  They had adjustment buckles.

This turned out to be a good thing, as they were needed for two of our groomsmen.  It did take away a little bit from the uniformity, but the mis-matched bridesmaids already had that covered.  In the end, we received all of the items we ordered, and managed to make them work despite their minor issues.  And everything was fine.

{Mark Hayes Photography - for the record, I have no clue what’s happening here}

But here are my words of caution for those of you considering custom items:

• If you need something to be flawless, this may not be your best option.  When we first received the suspenders, we were afraid they would be completely unusable.  Even if some of the groomsmen could wear them, it seemed ridiculous to have two guys with, and the rest without.  But even if the guys had to go without suspenders, neither of us would have considered it a disaster.
• Time was really winding down by the time we received all components of the order.  To be clear, I do not blame the seller for the health issues.  But I would suggest anyone considering Alchemy to be sure and request your items with enough time.

In the end, we had all our groomsmen wearing what we had wanted.  But there were many hurdles along the way.  I also want to point out that sometimes Alchemy requests can work out perfectly.  Case in point:

{Mark Hayes Photography}

My beautiful necklace was a completely custom alchemy request from the wonderful Jelena of Change of hART.  Not only did she do an amazing job that far surpassed my expectations, but she was prompt and pleasant to work with.

*Side Note: Etsy’s Alchemy no longer exists, and it is now recommended you request custom items directly from an Etsy seller.  Regardless, I believe these tips can still apply to custom requests – through Etsy or elsewhere.*

Previous episodes:

• The bouquet was tossed.
• Everyone danced with us.
• We danced.
• We were toasted!
• We walked with the setting sun.
• We ate!
• We were happy.
• The wedding crashers were exposed!
• We hugged it out with family and friends.
• We vowed our love and traded rings.
• We were united in wine.
• FIL-Eng performed our ceremony.
• I improvised traditions.
• Step-G spoke.
• I walked the plank.
• Almost time!
• The ladies beautified.
• We rehearsed!
• We unloaded and assembled.
• Someone unplugged the fridge
• The Music Played
• We Honeymooned