Yum!  This is one of my favorite dishes.  What’s great about this dish is it only has five ingredients!  Easy and cheap.   I make it without the panchetta and it still tastes great! Ingredients (Serves 4) 8 ounces spaghetti 4 ounces pancetta, diced, or 4 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces 3/4 pound green beans (stem ends removed), halved crosswise 1/2 cup grated Parmesan 1 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly torn Directions In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water; drain pasta, and return to pot. Meanwhile, cook pancetta in a large skillet over medium until browned and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate to drain. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon fat from skillet (reserve skillet). Add green beans to skillet; season with salt and pepper. Cover, and cook until beans are crisp-tender, 5 to 7 minutes; transfer to pot with pasta. Add pancetta, cup Parmesan, and enough reserved pasta water to create a thin sauce that coats pasta. Top [...]

For months we have been desperately trying to purchase a Nintendo Wii.  They have been so hard to find! This boggles my mind for many reasons- mainly, with the economy supposedly being so bad, how are all these people affording Wiis?  Secondly, they are pretty pricey and once you get one, you want to buy extra controllers, games, etc.  Trust me. I have been hounding Target, Costco, Meijer, and basically every other store around here that sells them.  Last week I got a hold of someone from Target that told me that they may be getting a shipment on Saturday night.  Sunday morning at 10 AM I remembered and called.  They still had them in stock.  I sent Mr. Money up to the store to purchase one.  He called me from the store and asked me if I wanted him to get the Wii Fit ($90).  I told him it was up to him because we were spending all that money on a Wii and if he felt like it was a good decision to go for it.  He ended [...]

It’s that time again!  Luckily, I have a three day weekend, and even though tomorrow is Monday, I’m off due to Martin Luther King day!  I’m stoked.  Hopefully you all are off too! Here are some of my favorite posts this week: Ashley at Wide Open Wallet talks about when to repair and when to replace. Kacie at Sense to Save needs your help on what good deals are at Sam’s Club. We have a Costco membership and love it. The only reason we didn’t go with Sam’s is because it’s much farther away. Emily at Remodeling This Life asks what is frugality? I think it’s different for everyone. Miss M from M is for Money shares her thoughts on using less and wasting less. She hits the nail on the head when she talks about how much Americans consume. It blows my mind every day! Tricia at Blogging Away Debt has tips on coping with financial stress. I think we all stress too much sometimes, especially about money! Have a great week, everyone!