The other day I went for a haircut, and intended on getting an inch or two taken off since it was getting long and I hate fooling with my hair.  We had a nice conversation while she was cutting my hair, and as I was on my lunch break, I didn’t want to take too long so after she was done I told her it was fine if she didn’t dry it and style it and off I went.

Of course as soon as I looked in the mirror I decided it was too long.  Maybe I was just imagining things, but it seemed like she didn’t take much off at all.  I decided I would sleep on it, wash it the next morning, and go from there.

Well, a week went by and I decided it was still too long, so I went back in to have someone else take an inch or two off.  This time I made sure I was satisfied before I left.  I went up front to pay, pulled out my debit card, and the lady smiled and told me that since I had been in there the week before it was considered a “recut” and I was not charged.  I was fully expecting to pay, so I was pleasantly surprised.  I thanked her, left her a nice tip, and went back to work.  Sometimes the smallest suprises are the best ones!

Posted under Save Your Money

I love gumbo, and this is a quick and easy recipe.  It shouldn’t take more than half an hour to make! 

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 red bell peppers (ribs and seeds removed), chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 1 package (10 ounces) frozen cut okra
• 8 ounces smoked (precooked) andouille sausage, halved lengthwise and sliced 1 inch thick
• 1 rotisserie chicken (about 2 1/2 pounds), skin and bones removed, meat shredded (about 4 cups)

1. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot, heat oil over medium. Add flour, and cook, whisking constantly, until pale golden, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in bell peppers, onion, garlic, and oregano; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are crisp-tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
2. Add 4 cups water; stir in okra and sausage. Bring to a boil. Stir in shredded chicken, and warm through, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; if desired, serve with cornbread.

Easy enough?  I’d love to hear if you try these recipes or any feedback.  Also, if you’ve got a recipe you’d like to share, please leave it in the comments!

Posted under Food, Recipes

Do you remember the flooring dilemma I had a few months ago? I’m almost embarrassed to say that I am just now getting around to solving the problem. I installed laminate flooring into my hallway and bedroom. And I have to say, at this moment I am confident this was the best decision for us.

Not only do I have the peace of mind of having a complete, normal, beautiful floor in my bedroom, but I have the financial peace of mind knowing I didn’t spend $3737.50.  I love the look of hardwoods, but with the dogs I couldn’t justify spending that much money and watching them get scratched.  Going with laminate flooring eliminates that worry.  It’s going to take a lot (knock on wood) for them to scratch the laminate.  Also, I was able to install it myself, which saved us a ton of money.

With the current housing market the way it is, we’ve decided to love the home we’re tied to, and make improvements that fit our lifestyle.  We can afford the laminate flooring.  We actually bought it at Costco and will get 2% back on our purchase because we have an executive membership. Also, I was able to pay with cash out of our hardwood floor fund, and I’ll tell you, when I pulled out my envelope and paid cash for the flooring, it was amazing. It felt so empowering to know that I had been saving for so long to be able to do this, and I wasn’t having to charge it or use my debit card. What a natural high!

Although I was worried about the resale value of the home after installing laminate, I realized that was a silly concern, as there are more serious problems going on that are making my home value go down right now.  We love our house, and although it’s not where we’d prefer to stay for the rest of our lives, it’s where we need to be right now, and we need to make it into a home we can love.  We’ll just have to keep making frugal renovation decisions and realize that anything’s possible if we put our minds to it.  After all this is said and done, I can look back and realize that sometimes the most frugal decisions are the wisest ones when we are pushed to our limits.  I’m thankful the flooring is done in my bedroom, and now I can relax.  Or paint the living room…

Posted under DIY, Home Ownership, How To