Category Archives: Shopping

Longing for the Farmers’ Market

Posted on
2

For the last six months or so, I have had a lot of stress around grocery shopping, meal planning, etc.  I went from shopping at Aldi on a $60 a week food budget (not counting monthly meat purchases from Sam’s Club) to a much more significant budget that I still seem to be going over ever single week!  How in the world does this happen?  Well, in comes the stress about money, about what I am feeding my family, about what my kid will actually eat.  Pile on top of that the urgency I feel at the grocery store to get in and get out, having just come from work and needing to get to daycare to pick M up, or dealing with her starting to throw a fit in the cart, or feeling anxiety that she might start throwing a fit, and I’m a ball of nerves.  Really it doesn’t matter if she throws a fit, I’m not really worried about what people think, it’s just a royal pain in the hind area to get a screaming kid in to a car seat.

Several things have changed since that $60 a week budget was first set.  Back then, she only ate baby food and drank formula, which came out of a different “baby” budget.  Now we buy three cartons of organic milk a week, for almost $4 – $5 each!  Having a daughter, I feel strongly about her not getting the hormones in non-organic milk on a regular basis.  And we buy a lot of fruit because it’s something I know she will eat.  And it’s winter, so nothing fruity is in season.  I tried moving towards more organic produce and fruit, but it’s not always available or just unreasonably priced (think 3 times normal price!).  I’ve tried different grocery stores like Price Chopper, Stop & Shop (which both have sizable health food areas), Trader Joe’s, a local family-owned health food store and a food co-op.  It seems there isn’t one place you can get everything you need for a reasonable price. If I’m not buying organic, is the produce the same at Aldi as it is at Big Y?  We’ve cut down significantly on our meat eating, maybe down to once or twice a week.  Some nights R eats meat and I don’t.  But still, our grocery bill keeps climbing.  Besides cheese, I’ve pretty much eliminated dairy from my diet (no more milk or yogurt).  I’m not buying fake cheese or lots of expensive fake meat.  So budget wise – I think it’s just the produce – which I guess is a good thing!

So in comes the fretting about what I’m feeding my family and what they will eat.  It seems like meal planning, grocery shopping and eating is so charged now that I am responsible for another human being’s well being!  After reading The China Study and Skinny Bitch, I stress about dairy and meat.  Do toddlers need cow’s milk? I mentioned this at M’s 14 month (sick) appointment and didn’t feel educated enough to respond to the doctor’s “of course!”  Also, at this appointment she had hardly gained any weight in two months and the doctor was concerned.  But a few weeks later, at her scheduled 15 month appointment another doctor said not to worry about it.  The conclusion – feed her more meat.  I’m continuing to look in to these things, and now that she’s a bit older, will broach the subject again with her doctor at her 18 month appointment.  Point being, her weight is constantly on my mind.  And some nights, like last night, she only eats crackers for dinner!  I think about the meals I plan for us (R does a lot of cooking too, but I usually plan it out) and I think twice about it, if it’s something she won’t eat.  It’s hard to think about preparing something just for her when most of the time she won’t eat it.  I think this is a pretty typical issue with toddlers.  I can’t believe I have a toddler.

Anyhow, that’s where I am right now.  Stressing about food money, stressing about food.  And overall, loving life.  I think there are worse problems to have, and I thank my lucky stars daily that those problems are not mine right now.

A post without a baby photo . . .

Posted on
2

I had a great birthday!  First of all, Miss M slept all night on my birthday eve.  She had been sleeping through the night almost every night until she was sick recently, and ever since then it’s been hit or miss.  Then, she slept in until 7am!  She’s slept until 7:30 or so a few days this past week since the time sprung forward, but of course, both Sundays since then she’s been up at 6:30am.  So, sleeping after 7am was a real treat for me.  I woke up, on my own, and lounged in bed, opened presents in bed, ate some vegan chocolate in bed, and then went in to find a smiling baby girl. R took her to daycare, and I got a massage.  Then I met up with a friend of mine, who recently became a personal style consultant, for lunch and hours of shopping! We were very successful!  Finally, my little family and I went to Wood ‘n Tap for dinner and had ice cream cake for dessert.  It was a wonderful day!

Oh, and now that I am a mom, I understand all my mom went through to get me here.  So, I sent her flowers to thank her for birthing me.  (I also stole this idea from a good friend of mine who sends her mom flowers every year on her birthday – thanks Jenna).

Here’s a sneak peek at some of my new outfits – thanks to the Grandmas and Grandpas for making this shopping experience possible!

And oh my goodness, check out these shoes – both pairs are super comfortable!

A New Adventure

Posted on
Reply

Dear Friends,

I’ve found myself with some unexpected extra free time between now and the holidays and have decided to pursue something in addition to my day job.  I’ve decided to become a Tupperware consultant!  After asking questions for about a week, I’ve decided to take the plunge and give it a try.  Actually, it isn’t really a plunge at all, it’s pretty painless and easy.  Now, I promise not to be pushy.  I don’t want to pressure anyone.  I’m just hoping you’ll please keep me in mind if one of your friends, co-workers or family members is looking for food preparation, storage and serving solutions for their home or as a gift for a friend (it is the season of giving you know).

There are several ways that I can be your consultant:

1. I have a website and any time you, or anyone for that matter, needs additional items, you can visit my website at: http://my2.tupperware.com/jennford Any purchases made from my website go towards my sales and will be shipped directly to the home of the person who places the order, just like any other online order you might place with a retailer.  Therefore, it’s easy for you to pass this link along to anyone, anywhere, who is interested in purchasing Tupperware.  But if you’re spreading the word, shouldn’t you benefit too?  It’s as easy as having a Tupperware party, either in person, or online, which brings me to the second and third ways I can be your consultant . . .

2. Host an online party.  I will get you all set up online. The beauty is that you don’t have to live near me to have me throw an online party for you.  And you don’t need to live near the people you invite to your online party. You can send out online invitations to anyone in the country. All orders placed through your online party qualify you for free and reduced Tupperware products just like a regular party.

3. Host a home party. I will come to your home to show you and your friends some of the wonderful products.  I can even do a cooking demonstration (can you say “cake in the microwave?”).

Tupperware has tons of great products and gift ideas.  I’m really looking forward to starting something new.

I’ve added a handy banner in the bottom right of my blog which will link you directly to my Tupperware website.

Don’t forget to visit my website for more information: http://my2.tupperware.com/jennford
And spread the word!

Thanks so much!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY GRETCHEN!

Posted on
1

Gretchen, Graham, Ryan and I took a quick getaway to NYC this weekend to celebrate Gretchen’s birthday. We stayed at Hotel 17, which was much nicer than our previous shared bathroom hotel stay at West End Studios. This time Ryan actually agreed to put his jammies on and get under the covers to sleep, instead of staying fully clothed and sleeping above the covers so as not to get bed bugs! The beds were pretty comfy, the room was roomy, had beautiful woodwork and an old fireplace. The windows actually opened and the bathrooms were very clean. We arrived Saturday morning to meet up with G & G, who arrived Friday night. We walked around the Union Square area, drank cider, bought purses (only Gretchen and I), drank raspberry vodka tonics and ate Korean food. I dream that heaven for me will be a place like Veniero’s on 11th Street, and I will be able to eat whatever I want and never gain weight or have to get another root canal. We had cannoli, tiramisu and eclairs – it was absolutely wonderful. We met up with Sharon and Sarmad at the oldest continuously operating saloon in NYC, McSorley’s Old Ale House. The place was a little rowdy for us to start out the night. Graham likened it to jumping on a treadmill going 8 miles an hour, we needed to warm up somewhere else first. So we hit a few other bars, drank some raspberry beer and Brooklyn Brown Ale and eventually ended up at this little dive that has hotdogs with really weird toppings, like Sarmad’s choice of the night – avocado and cream cheese. This place also had a secret bar, accessible only through a pay phone in the wall of the hotdog place. We didn’t have the secret code, so didn’t attempt to go in. We were in bed by 1am, which was just fine with me. We scrapped plans to go out to Queens to meet S & S for brunch after waking up to snow. It was a great little getaway. It was so nice to hang with friends, and to get out of dodge for a night.

FEBRUARY BOOK

Posted on
3

I am a little late getting started, but finally picked up a copy of our February Book Club Book – The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows. Although I staked out the library for a few weeks, this book is popular and new, so I was not able to get it there. I finally broke down and bought it at Borders, hence only having 2 weeks to read it. I was also trying to finish up Seven Years in Tibet, but that is so not happening. I’ll be happy to finish that one by 2010 (although it is good and getting better as he gets closer to meeting the Dalai Lama). Even though it stinks to pay $22 for a book I don’t know if I like, there is something wonderful about reading a book in hard cover (and owning it). I picture myself sitting in my study/library one day with all my hard cover books around me, drinking tea, and relaxing (because I am so rich I have quit working, of course). What a nice relaxing visual a hardcover book conjures up for me.

We had a fabulous weekend, lots of social engagements! Friday night we went to a wonderful performance by Robert Black. He played a bunch of short pieces and didn’t stop for applause between them. It was weird to listen to a whole recital without clapping once. And to have one piece flow into the next was really cool. On Saturday, we had some new (outside of work) friends over for Game Night. I sampled the Irish Red Ale from Thomas Hooker Brewery and it was delicious (look for a brewery tour review coming soon)! Sunday, we went to a hilariously fun get together at a (relatively) new book club member’s house and the Superbowl actually held my attention past halftime.

Last night’s dinner idea came from accidentally buying gorgonzola instead of bleu cheese for the Superbowl dip. We made Gorgonzola-Walnut Fettuccine with Toasted Breadcrumbs. It was really light and yummy. We added chicken and are considering create a cream sauce for it next time.

My current “want” is some sort of neat, creative, fun, quirky way to store my recipes. I am on the lookout for a mini dresser with little wooden drawers, so that I can keep desert recipes in one, crock pot recipes in another, and so on. My “on deck” project is to organize my recipes and purge ones I don’t use, etc. I have a feeling finding fun storage for them will help me get motivated for this little project.

Gorgonzola-Walnut Fettuccine with Toasted Breadcrumbs

Ingredients

  • 1 slice day-old hearty white bread (such as Pepperidge Farm), torn
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 8 ounces uncooked fettuccine
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
  • 3 tablespoons chopped walnuts, toasted
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Preheat oven to 250°.

Place bread in a food processor; pulse 10 times or until coarse crumbs measure 2/3 cup. Place breadcrumbs on a baking sheet. Bake at 250° for 30 minutes or until dry.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add minced garlic, and cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Remove garlic mixture from heat, and let stand 5 minutes. Return pan to heat. Stir in breadcrumbs; cook 6 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring mixture frequently.

Cook the fettuccine according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain. Place fettuccine in a large bowl. Add the breadcrumb mixture, parsley, Gorgonzola, walnuts, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper; toss gently to combine. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 1/2 cups)

Cooking Light, SEPTEMBER 2003

ALDI’S

Posted on
2

Ryan and I had been hearing about this new discount grocery store in Vernon and being the thrifty shoppers that we have become, we decided to check it out. The store is called Aldi, but we prefer to call it Aldi’s. As in some little old guy name Aldi opened this market, and he owns it, so it’s called Aldi’s. It’s different from other grocery stores for several reasons, all of which I approve of.

Reason #1: You have to pay 25 cents to rent a shopping cart. You get that 25 cents back when you return it. This way there are no carts left in the parking lot, and no poor cold bag boys that have to retrieve them. You literally put your quarter in a slot and unchain the cart yourself.

Reason #2: The aisles are wider and fewer, but there are still a lot of selections.

Reason #3: You probably haven’t heard of most of the brands, although we did find several national brands there as well.

Reason #4: The prices are great! We walked out of there having only spent $50 on groceries! We usually spend $100+ per week.

Reason #5: They don’t have shelves. Everything is pretty much displayed as it was shipped, on pallets.

Reason #6: Plastic bags don’t exist, and paper bags are for sale, so bring your own bags!

Reason #7: Checkout – the cashiers are literally timed. After the ring all your groceries, transporting them from one cart to another, you take them in the cart over to a long counter where you bag them yourself. And they do not take checks or credit cards, only debit or cash. I can’t believe there is a grocery store where I will never get stuck behind some woman writing a check!

I am sure there are other great reasons, but I can’t remember them now. We got pretty much everything we needed there, and for great prices! The selection is limited, which is kind of nice – it means I won’t buy a lot of things that aren’t on my list.

IF THIS IS MY BIGGEST LIFE PROBLEM RIGHT NOW . . .

Posted on
4

I feel like I am totally copying Katie with this post. But today, my favorite shoes died. I don’t know when exactly it happened, but I felt a draft and looked down to find the sole totally cracked and the shoe almost splitting in half. I’ve had these shoes since college. I have no idea what brand they are, because any identifying marks were long ago worn out of them. What’s funny about the fact that I feel like I am copying her post is that everyone at work was like, “Oh, your shoes broke, like the Marriage Confessions Girl!” Pretty funny. Anyhow, now I am trying desperately to replace them.

I bought this pair at Clarks:
http://clarks.zappos.com/n/p/p/7507771/c/90532.html

But I think I might return them for this pair of Born’s at DSW: http://www.dsw.com/dsw_shoes/catalog/product.jsp?category=cat20084&prodId=162272

Please tell me which pair to buy. I am so indecisive! Assume the price is the same, because with sales and employee (same shopping plaza) discounts, they are the same price – about $50. I am leaning toward the Born’s at DSW.