Date Night Ideas

My husband and I love to spend time together as a family but we also love and NEED, to spend time as a couple. The traditional date night of dinner out followed by a movie or other entertainment is something that is just not in the budget these days. (Well, it really hasn't been in the budget for a few years but who's counting.) An evening out like that happens once/year for us, because once you add the babysitting cost, what was already expensive becomes even more so. Brett and I have had to find creative ways to have couple time on a budget. We sometimes have the grandparents watch the kids or we have arranged babysitting swaps with other parents we know. This means one night we watch both our kids and theirs and the following week, they return the favor giving us a night out.

In terms of fun things to do together, we do enjoy going to restaurants but usually bring an Entertainment book coupon to help defray the cost. Additionally some restaurants have fixed price menus during certain time periods of the day or the year. Sometimes we head to our favorite restaurant and we buy only ONE entree, this saves money and perhaps more importantly, calories. The other night we had the grandparents on board to babysit and were looking at our restaurant options with coupons in mind. Nothing was striking us as a "must-do" and dinner out would have still cost us at least $30. This is when I suggested that my husband and I cook a nice meal at home. At first he wasn't thrilled with the idea but then became supportive. He went to the grocery store prior to our date and bought some small steaks and a few fresh vegies. I already had a bottle of wine and dessert at home. Once we had the house to ourselves the act of cooking together was fun and we enjoyed a lovely meal by candlelight, in the comfort of our own home. I am certain the meal was much healthier than the restaurant version and cost us just $10 (and I am rounding up here) for everything including a glass of wine.

Other ideas for ways to spend time together include (but not limited to):
- Walking and/or window shopping in a new neighborhood
- Going for coffee and/or dessert instead of dinner
- Breakfast or lunch out instead of dinner
- Bringing a picnic to a favorite park
- Costco Cafe $1.50 as we like to call it, followed by sample city
- Happy Hour at many places can be more affordable
- Run errands together
- A nice long car ride to a special vista, giving lots of time to talk
- Movie night at home with a "free" movie from the library

I would love to hear your ideas for budget-minded date nights or days. I know I am just scratching the surface here. Have fun with it in the name of "research"!

Gift Giving Ideas

I love Christmas and celebrating with family and friends. However, I do not love the craziness and the stuff-mania that is so exaggerated this time of year. Given the current economy I can see that more people are cutting back and really thinking about how they spend their money which is a good thing. However, on the other side of the equation are the merchants who want you to buy all sorts of stuff that most don't need. It is a true battle of marketing vs. your will power.

I wanted to share some ideas for gifts that are low or no cost or gifts that do not take up more room on the planet. Over the years (even before the economic stresses) my siblings and I decided on a rule to minimize the cash outlay. Gifts needed to fall into one of three categories: homemade, an act of service, or cost $10 or less. Since $10 doesn't buy too much we typically use our creativity to make gifts for one another such as homemade cards or photo gifts or we make a paper gift certificate promising either help around the house or something similar. The possibilities are truly endless depending upon the skillset of the giver and the need of the recipient.

Here are some service ideas, but remember this is just the tip of the iceberg:
- An afternoon of gardening help
- Four hours of cleaning indoors or out(can set your own time frame)
- Bringing over a meal a few times during the year
- An evening or day of babysitting
- Baked goodies once/quarter, delivered to the recipient's house
- Help organizing around the house (kids clothing or kitchen etc)
Other certificate ideas are:
- Taking the person out for coffee or a meal so that you have time together. After all, isn't that what we all really want instead of more stuff?
- Purchasing tickets for a special performance or show. This is the gift of time along with a fun memory.

I would love to hear your ideas for Christmas gift giving, that save both money and resources. 'Tis the season to be creative!

Your Freezer, Your Friend

Hopefully you took full advantage of the great prices available on turkeys with Thanksgiving, you simply cannot beat 27 cents/lb. Any meat under $1/lb is a good deal but the turkey is great because you end up with so much food and a wide variety of ways to use the meat. Given that the holiday season is upon us and you may be cooking turkey again (or some other large chunk of meat) in the near future I thought I would remind you of the beauty of your freezer. Whether you have the stand alone kind or simply one portion of a fridge/freezer combo, it is a great ally in the quest for living large with less.

For you to become acquainted with your freezer it might mean that a thorough cleaning is in order. Take an hour and see what is hanging out in your freezer that should be tossed or perhaps there are large containers only partially full that could be condensed into smaller, more space efficient ones. When you have a little (or a lot) of space available you can start brainstorming all of the ways to use it. Here is a shortlist, by no means comprehensive of things I love to keep in my freezer:
- Turkey leftovers, of course!
- Turkey fixings, if you have side dish leftovers you can make another great meal in minutes down the road.
- Bread from the bakery outlets (Oroweat in my area), at 99cents/loaf I load up on bread and english muffins once/month. Keep frozen and take out only what you need.
- Costco size shredded cheese which I have downloaded into small ziplock baggies. One baggie is approx 2 cups of cheese. Simply remove a few hours before you need it.
- I am a huge fan of the Costco size tomatoes from S&W, equivalent to about (7) 14oz cans. Usually I am making several lasagnes at a time when I open a can so I don't need to worry about storing the rest. However, if I have tomatoes that I cannot use immediately after opening the large can I simply ladle them into ziplock baggies (approx 2 cups) and freeze them laying flat. Very space efficient way to go.
- I am a huge fan of dinner leftovers as my lunch, but often I want to wait a few days before seeing the same meal again. I use Tupperware soup cups for just about every kind of meal leftover storage, be it lasagne, chili or soup. I fill the container and freeze it, then remove the night before I want to eat it. This saves lunch money too, always a plus.

What do you love to keep in your freezer? Let us know if you have any great storage tips or bulk items that keep well in the freezer...or don't, we would want to know that too. The possibilities are endless and with a little planning your freezer can be a huge asset in the war on food prices and meal planning.

What's in your Closet?

I had a frightening experience a week ago when I needed to empty out 3 closets in our hallway in order to have new flooring installed. When asked by the contractor to do so I thought to myself, "No big deal, that'll be easy". However, when I began unloading the contents of each closet I realized how much JUNK was in each, many items that I either forgotten about or simply never used. I became reacquainted with sheet sets and table cloths in my linen closet and found tools hidden in a clothing closet. Additionally, I found two boxes of wedding gifts that were packaged up about the time Lukas came on the scene. Breakable knick-knacks and fancy candle holders + small, wandering hands don't really mix.

After the new flooring was installed and I was able to reload my closets I took the time to purge, making a few bags for Goodwill. I was also able to put other items where they belong and where I will find them, such as the tools. And I was excited about the "new" table cloth and now have a very festive dining table. Closets should be for items we USE and/or need on a somewhat regular basis...not a dumping ground for miscellaneous items or things we simply cannot part with. Do you know exactly what is in your closets? If not, take an hour and empty one (or part of one) and carefully evaluate the contents. Get rid of the thread-bare towels and random knick-knacks, organize what you do use so you can find the items and don't cram it full. In other words: Know thy closet. Living Large with Less means being able to manage the assets you already have, and not adding to the stuff collection unless truly necessary.

LLWL - Baby Style

It has been exactly 27 days since our lives were forever changed with the addition of our youngest son, Garrett Edwin. Our family is thrilled to pieces and our lives are now full of all things baby. Hence the lack of any blogging this month! Hopefully that is a one-time lapse and that my excuse is a good one.

Since Garrett arrived I am happy to report that I have my Living Large with Less mindset for all things baby too. This is new for me because when my first son was born I was running out for new items constantly and I definitely was sucked into the Babies R Us vortex. Now, six years later I have a new goal: borrow whatever I can. I now know many more moms who are all happy to pass along their baby's hand-me-downs or larger baby items. The beauty of this strategy is many faceted: my friends get some more use out their baby items, I do not have to earn money to spend money on things I need only for a short time, and in most cases I am returning the items back to their rightful owners after using them (this will save me storage space and/or the hassle of a future garage sale).

Currently I am borrowing a wonderful bouncy seat, bathtub, and mobile. Additionally I have received a few bags full of clothes that are seasonally appropriate for Garrett. My other son was born in May and his clothes are not warm enough for the baby this fall. I love the variety of clothing options and sharing resources. Don't get me wrong, I love new baby clothes too but I am equally excited about gently used items. Because of my LLWL passion both showers that are being thrown in Garrett's honor have requested gifts of gently used items or new. Think about how you might put your baby or child's "old" clothing to better use: share it with a friend, bring it to a consignment or local thrift store, or perhaps organize a clothing swap with friends. Why buy what you can trade, borrow, or receive for free??!!

Ch-ch-changes...in season

Last week we had the first rainy weekend and I was reminded of how much I truly LOVE summer in the northwest. Summer is the best because there is a freedom to do just about anything outside without a worry about the weather. Summer also means an abundance of free activities being offered for the public, i.e. outdoor movies, concerts in the park, parades, and festivals not to mention picnics and park outings. The organizations planning these events count on good summer weather too. As a proponent of Living Large with Less I am always looking out for free or practically free entertainment or outings. The options in the summer are more bountiful and I will miss that as we move into fall and winter.

Below are a few of my favorite fall/winter outings but what I really look forward to are some of my reader suggestions in the comment section of this blog. New ideas can be the way to refresh anyone's schedule.

- As a zoo member some of my favorite times at the zoo are when it is raining, as it keeps the crowds away and there are plenty of indoor spots for animal viewing.
- I don't necessarily recommend retail therapy but we sometimes head to Target and purchase the "popcorn combo" which includes a refillable drink and popcorn for $1.50. Not bad if you just need to get out with your child(ren).
- Parks can be fun in the winter too, we like Carkeek which has some hiking options, even in the rain you can be largely protected from the elements because of tree cover. Many other parks are perfect for walks, hikes or simply fresh air.
- Swimming at one of the public pools, low cost and always entertaining.
- Metro bus is always a favorite and makes the journey half the fun, even if it is just downtown or to pick up lunch or a snack.
- Love the public library system too. Free. Free. Free. Then curl up at home with a good book.
- In our house we end up baking a lot during the winter months. Cookies always freeze well so you don't need to eat all of them. Or think of creative ways to give the cookies away, to neighbors or drop them off with friends. A good excuse to visit and get out of the house!

These are just a few suggestions that come to mind. I look forward to hearing your ideas too.

Anneke's Finance Bibliography

By popular demand I am listing my now infamous finance bibliography in my blog, available 24-7 for all to see. Hopefully while on-line you can request your choice of book(s) via your local public library system, saving money of course, and then being able to pick it up in a few days or weeks. Enjoy!

Bach, David. The Automatic Millionaire: A Powerful One-Step Plan to Live and Finish Rich. 2003

Bach, David. The Automatic Millionaire: A Powerful Plan to Finish Rich in Real Estate. 2006

Chilton, David. The Wealthy Barber. 1995

Economides, Steve & Annette. America's Cheapest Family Gets You Right on the Money: Your Guide to Living Better, Spending Less, and Cashing in on Your Dreams. 2007

Hunt, Mary. The Complete Cheapskate: How to Get Out of Debt, Stay Out, and Break Free from Money Worries Forever! 2003

McCoy, Jonni. Miserly Moms: Living on One Income in a Two Income Economy. 1996

McCoy, Jonni. Miserly Meals: Healthy, Tasty Recipes Under 75 cents per Serving. 2002

Orman, Suze. The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous and Broke. 2005

Orman, Suze. Women and Money: Owning the Power to Control Your Destiny. 2007

Ramsey, Dave. The Total Money Makeover: a Proven Plan for Financial Fitness. 2006

Stanley, Thomas and William Danko. The Millionaire Next Door: the Surprising Secrets of America’s Wealthy. 1998

Walsh, Peter. It’s all Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff. 2006

Yeager, Jeff. Ultimate Cheapskate’s Road Map to True Riches: a Practical (and fun) Guide to Enjoying Life More by Spending Less. 2007