Bargain Hunting the Geekius Domesticus Way

Raising kids is expensive.  I knew this when we had Nugget, but I didn't have any idea of a dollar figure.  Cribs, diapers, clothes, pjs, toys, car seats, high chairs, the list goes on and on.  According to a study that came out last year, it costs an average of $241,080 to raise a child from birth to age 18.  That figure doesn't even include college or trade school, which is insane to me.  I'm not a extreme couponer, but I do like the satisfaction of getting a good deal when I can.

Enter Amazon.com and Warehouse Deals. I honestly hate the word "pre-owned" as it just sounds cheesy as heck but if I can buy something that's new and the packaging may be damaged but the item is okay, sign me up!  I bought Hank's bedding, lamps for the house, and now Hank's big boy car seat.  My biggest saves so far were Hank's bedding ($60 less than original price) and his car seat ($50 less than original price.)  So yeah, I can live with the fact it doesn't have a box or the box has extra tape on it.  All the item are backed by Amazon's guarantee, return policy, and best of all, Amazon Prime shipping.  I'm the first to admit I love the fact I don't have to drive to the store and have it arrive a day or two after I order it.  Granted, Prime costs $79 a year, but if you factor in Instant Video and if you do a lot of online shopping, it almost pays for itself in the long run.

I've also been utilizing the heck out of craigslist too,  Nugget is a huge Thomas the Tank Engine fan and I'm pretty sure I've seen every movie on Netflix and Prime Instant video.  The wooden trains are not cheap, and I know how much she loves them.  I've been able to score quite a few of them via craigslist and get her lots of track too.  Next on my craigslist search, Tidmouth Sheds and Sir Topham Hat.

So yeah, while I may not have a basement full of toothpaste and mac and cheese boxes, I do know how to save a buck or two when needed, and as Martha says,"It's a good thing."

Random Food Ramblings

One of the many things I've been working on is cutting down processed and pre-made foods in our house.  You may notice that I said cutting down versus eliminating.  Although I love to cook, I need a break every now and again and love me a frozen pizza, and I'll be honest, I am a sucker for Rice-a-roni.   Eating healthier is something that I have been thinking about lately, especially because of where I work and having two small children.  Growing up, my mom didn't do a lot of cooking from scratch.  Sometimes I wonder if it's because as a child of immigrants, she helped make the sausage, unknowingly raised her pet rabbit to be dinner, and just got burnt out on it and felt Hamburger Helper was the way to go.

When I'm at work I've noticed so many people (especially families) buying prepared foods as their primary meals. As I said, I do love me a pizza or even orange chicken from time to time, but I can't imagine not cooking meals from scratch or even semi-homemade. I realize that people lead busy lives and may not enjoy cooking but it seems like even those people could prepare meals in a crock pot with little or no effort. I love to cook but I also know how much money I save when I cook from scratch versus popping a Hungry Man in the microwave. Many foods that claim to have no preservatives are loaded with sodium, and that's not exactly healthy either. I also like knowing where my food is coming from and how it was prepared.

Waiting for the Thaw

Winter has been pretty harsh in the Magical Mitten State.  There have been more days below twenty degrees than above, and according to the meteorologists, this has been the snowiest winter in Michigan since I was four years old.  I am not a snow hater.  I chose to stay in Michigan rather than move to a warmer state, it's these temperatures that are driving me crazy.  Nugget wants to go out to play, but in order for me to do that, I have to bundle Hank up so he looks like Maggie Simpson or the kid from A Christmas Story.  As you can see from the photo to your right, being not old enough to walk and talk, leads to not so fun times getting hauled around the yard by your older sibling.  Nugget was having a blast though!

Due to all this time being trapped inside the house, I have a major case of cabin fever.  When I'm not dancing around the living room, drawing pictures of owls, Mommy trees & baby trees (long story), being climbed on like a jungle gym, I've been looking through my gardening books and seed catalogs.  Nugget even got into the act and was showing me all the things she wants to grow this year.  Now that she's two and a half, she's really into nature, plants, flowers, and wanting to grow strawberries.  I actually bought a strawberry pot and planted it for her and we did get quite a few berries.  Unfortunately, she didn't always wait until the berries were ripe, so our yield wasn't as good as it could have been.  I'm thinking this year will be different.  She told me today that she also wants to grow corn in a flower pot like we saw in the Burpee catalog and lots and lots of flowers.

I am hoping to get the raised veggie gardens I wanted to build while on maternity leave last year built this year too.  Our garden last year produced, but to get maximum growing power, I am definitely going to have some beds near the middle of our backyard so they are away from the tree line and more in the sun.  Much like remembering to update this blog, making sure I actually get the garden built is going to entail staying on my own butt and harassing myself to make sure it gets done,