Category Archives: Frugal Finds

Fashion, Frugal Finds

Wear-it Wednesday

I am loving all these designers that are teaming up with Targé…geez, now it’s Jean Paul Gaultier.

About 2 years ago I got these Loeffler Randall gold ballet flats and I can’t remember life without them.

They’ve gotten soaked in the rain, the dog has chewed one of them…but I can’t part with them just yet.

I adore the neutral metallic color and the sweet rosettes. You can dress them up ~ or down. Love, love, love them! Metallic shoes are the perfect pick-me-up to any outfit and let you feel like you have a little “bling” to help carry you through your day. I am still kicking myself because I passed up a pair of dirt cheap peep toe flats in bronze around the holidays. I know they would’ve gotten just as much love as the goldies above.

I also ordered this Felix Rey canvas tote from Target on-line (thanks to this cute blog: louiselovesit.com) that I have been keeping under wraps until Spring (10 days!). I think it’ll be the perfect piece to spruce up any yoga pants and wife beater ensemble. It will also go nicely with these!

Now, off to search for some silver Havaianas for Summer.

Oh, and if Michael Kors ever collaborates with the red bulls eye, I will be ALL OVER that stuff!

Food, Frugal Finds

Super Crazy Condiment Girl

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OK, if you’re familiar with Yo Gabba Gabba (and unfortunately I’m afraid I AM) then you must say the title of this post like they do on the show ~ “Super Martian Robot Girrrl”.

I know lately I have been promoting all these random condiments that I am somehow all of a sudden obsessed over! I swear I’m not being reimbursed at all for my many plugs lately. I just love them so much and want to share….they’re nothing fancy, but I find myself using them ALL the time. I feel like I should wear a super hero costume and cape and fly around rescuing everyone’s boring lunches and spicing up people’s bland dinners with all these fabulous new finds of mine. Believe me, we were in a rut with our meals, but lately I have been kicking everything up a notch just by adding some zest here and there.

First, there was the Red Pepper spread from Trader Joe’s.

Then the Sriracha pepper sauce.

Then my recent jarred jalapeño push.

Now I’m sharing my newest discovery:

Mango Peach salsa from Smart & Final!

OMG is it good! I served it at the taco bar at Holden’s party and several people asked me if I made it. There are HUGE chunks of mango. It was super cheap (like $2.50) and in the refrigerated section! I am out and need to go back and get more. Which brings me to my next topic ~ Smart & Final.

Each week we get an ad for S&F in the mail. I spotted a couple things I needed for Holden’s party and went to the nearest one to pick them up. I haven’t had the best image of S&F since the couple stores I’ve been in before were a little sketchy. The one near us is only a couple years old, clean and organized. I always thought S&F was similar to Costco where you have to buy larger quantities of stuff….NO, not entirely so. It’s almost like a grocery store and a mini-Costco all in one. I went in for 2 or 3 things and ended up doing ALL my grocery shopping there…swear! They have produce and let me just say that I am picky about my produce! I am the one that stands there fondling every onion, squeezing every cantaloupe, checking for bruises on every apple. The produce guy is probably thinking,”Easy, Lady! Just pick one already!” My point is, I actually got some produce there. They have their own store brand too and it’s actually completely fine.

So now I have another grocery store I need to figure into my food trips! There are things that I love about a lot of different stores…Albertson’s is close, Vons has good deals, Super Wal-mart has super cheap food prices, Trader Joe’s is a given and now I’ve discovered that S&F is pretty cool too!

Get “smart” people! Check it out…you may end up loving it as much as I do!

P.S. Coming up later today….Sushi 101: Spicy California Rolls & Teriyaki Chicken Rolls

Family, Fashion, Frugal Finds

Bargain Banana Find

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My “Pops” came to visit last week to celebrate Holden’s birthday.

Somehow he ended up with a credit at Banana Republic…

While here, he was kind enough to pass it along to yours truly.

He kept an eye on the kiddos while I browsed. How I love BR, but in all reality, it’s not in the budget these days.

I spotted this fun yellow handbag for Spring, but even with my $50 credit, it was a little too much.

However, for $1.44 out of my own pocket I picked up two beautiful pieces.

This cute cargo tee in black and…

this gorgeous flutter sleeve dress in plum!

I’m saving the dress for either my BIG birthday dinner this year or Jay’s Christmas party…I have several months to find the perfect shoes and accessories to go with. (The dress was originally $130 and I picked it up for $16.97….um, that’s a savings of almost 90%!!!)

Thanks, Pops! So glad I could take that credit off your hands. {Hugs!}

Food, Frugal Finds

Everything’s Better With Ketchup

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Tonight it was “low carb” night in the Aspiras household.

Salmon cakes on greens and parmesan roasted asparagus.

Super easy and kinda fancy for a Wednesday evening.

I picked up some gorgeous asparagus on sale for 97¢/pound which is über cheap…

I just chopped off the bottoms (about 2 inches), cut into thirds on the diagonal, drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt, pepper and parmesan cheese. Toss them around, pour onto a baking sheet and roast @ 400 for about 20 minutes.

Salmon Cakes with Lemon Dill Sour Cream

2 – 5oz. cans boneless, skinless salmon

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

1/4 cup plain bread crumbs (or cracker crumbs)

2 Tbsp. red onion, minced

2 Tbsp. frozen sweet white corn, thawed

1 tsp. Old Bay seasoning

Salt & Pepper

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and form into small patties ~ the above recipe made 7 cakes.

Drizzle a grill pan or skillet with olive oil and cook on medium for about 5 minutes each side.

I had a little bit of leftover sour cream so I added a squeeze of lemon and a few shakes of dill weed. I just placed the patties on some spring mix and …

Super easy AND Elliott loved it! I’m thrilled that she is branching out and trying new things. She ate 1.5 patties and several pieces of asparagus right before she stated, “Asparagus is better when you dip it in ketchup!”

So, I will let YOU decide if you want to break out the Heinz on this one…but I think it’s perfectly delish without it!

Enjoy!

{Oh my….I just had an evil carb thought ~ these would be heavenly on a little bun with the lemon dill sour cream and a few greens as sliders…hmmm, going to have to try that when I’m down a few pounds!}

Family, Fitness, Food, Frugal Finds

Sat-Sun Summary

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After devouring my heavenly doughy bagel from Noah’s yesterday morning, I got really lazy.

I had good intentions:

~ take down decorations from Holden’s party!
~ clean out/straighten up the garage
~ go to the grocery store
~ do some laundry
~ workout
~ make sushi for dinner

I managed to accomplish ONE of the above mentioned tasks…laundry!

Instead of carrying out the other five chores, I made some banana bread:

…and viewed this gorgeous rainbow after cuddling up on the couch and doing nothing ALL day:

Since I didn’t make it to the store, I raided the freezer for dinner and we feasted on Trader Joe’s Orange Chicken and some of Lola’s lumpia ~ not too shabby.

But today was much more productive. It was gorgeous and Jay played outside with the kids while I ran a couple errands. I decided to make pulled pork and potato salad for dinner.

I found this pork shoulder on sale and grabbed a BBQ pulled pork seasoning package. Thanks for the tip, Lisa!

Just trim outside fat off roast, plop into the slow cooker, combine seasoning packet with 1 cup ketchup, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar, mix and pour over pork….Voila! (Note: I am going off memory on the amounts above, but they’re close – just follow the EASY instructions on the back of the packet.)

8 hours on low or 4 on high and you will have this:

Hawaiian Sweet Roll Pulled Pork Sliders

Scrumptious.

I made some Spicy Ranch Potato Salad to go alongside. (Adapted from my sister’s Ranch potato salad recipe.)

This time I used 2 large russet potatoes (1.88 lbs.) since I only wanted a little bit of potato salad….uh, these 2 taters made a TON of tater salad! Normally I use a 3 lb. bag of red potatoes, quarter them and leave the skins on. This time I skinned the russets and cubed them before boiling. Once they are fork tender, drain, cool and add the following:

1/4 red onion, minced
2-3 stalks celery, chopped (I use a mini food processor) My sister also turned me on to using the leafy parts of the inner stalks which I used to trash. These add a lot of extra flavor so I throw in some chopped leafy parts, too.
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
3/4 package Ranch dressing mix (I swear this is the secret to this recipe)
10-12 jalapeño slices, chopped
2 Tbsp. yellow mustard
1/4 to 1/2 cup mayo depending on your mayo threshold (I’m a mayo girl, but don’t like my potato salads too heavy – if that’s at all possible!?!)
Salt & pepper to taste

Mix all together and chill in ‘fridge for an hour or so before serving.

I was able to go workout while dinner was in the crock pot!

No, I haven’t taken down the decorations or worked on the garage, but there’s always tomorrow, right?

This week’s recipes:

Salmon Cakes & Parmesan Roasted Asparagus

(I picked up a couple gorgeous bunches of asparagus today for 97 cents a pound!)

Oh, and what do you think about flipflopfollies’ new look?

No more cheesy red flip flops and candy cane border!

Kudos to my personal blog bling’er, Jay!

I {L-O-V-E} it, babe! Thank you!

Frugal Finds, Fun

Budget Blast Off Birthday Bash

I was curious to see how “cheap” I could do Holden’s party…

Since I came up with the Outer Space theme about a year ago (OCD), I had plenty of time to search around and find some bargain finds throughout the past 12 months!

These are just estimates, but I made a mental note of what I paid for everything, so these totals are pretty close:

Invitations: $3 (notecards & stickers ~ printed myself)
Goody bags/favors: $45
Rocketship cake: $8 (1 box cake mix, 1.5 containers frosting, “3” candles, candies)
Layered cupcakes: $7 (1 box cake mix, 1 container frosting, 2 food color gels)
Decor: $25 (rocket ship piñata, balloons, posters, hanging stars, silver garland)
Food: $60 (Taco bar, bean dip, chips, guac, bagel bites, pb&j’s, jell-o, sugar cookies, non-alcoholic beverages, etc.)
Adult beverages: $47 (Midori, tequila, wine & beer)
Serving stuff: $21 (platters, plates, napkins, cups)
Thank you notes: $3
Postage: $4

I wanted to download some Star Wars music off iTunes, but instead Jay discovered the NASA channel on our Direct TV so we put that on in the background…it was pretty cool….and FREE!

Grand Total: $223

Contributions:
Gramma K: rocket ship tent (Holden’s gift), bean bags, hanging planets (decor) and glass jar beverage dispenser
Meghan: jump house
Lisa: lime green utensils

Thanks Ladies for helping me stay under budget! I appreciate your contributions to a fantastic festivity! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! XOXO

There were a total of 28 guests (including our family). So, for under $230 I was able to do this party….I’m pretty proud of myself….I’ll have to check with Jay, on the other hand, and see what he thinks!

Believe me, I could’ve spent a lot more!

Food, Frugal Finds

Tuesday Tidbit

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{Photo courtesy of Google Images}

I’ve been putting this stuff on eVeRyThInG lately…

It’ll perk up a Whole Grain Turkey, Ham & Cheese Lean Hot Pocket like nobody’s business.

Add a kick in the pants to a Lean Cuisine (preferably Sesame Chicken) any day of the week.

Possibly some spicy tuna rolls and California rolls with a kick in our future?

YES, indeed!

Family, Food, Frugal Finds

Sleepless In SCV

Last night I was up 5, f-i-v-e, cinco, cinq, cinque, one, two, three, four, FIVE times!

All because Holden fed Riggs, our Border Collie, this:

Ugh! Don’t feed your dogs high fiber bran cereal people!

This is where Riggs will be ALL day:

This is what I will be drinking ALL day:

Maybe with one of these on the side:

That was rough!

But now to get Elliott to school for her Valentine’s Party…

and maybe swing by the Starbucks drive-thru on the way!

P.S. The Parisian Almond Créme you see above is my NEW favorite! If you love almond (yes, please!), try this…pour it in your coffee, sit back, close your eyes and imagine yourself strolling through the streets of Paris…that’s what I do.

Have a caffeine charged Thursday!

Au revoir.

Fashion, Frugal Finds

Blue Suede Shoes

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75% of my Target purchases come with that little reddish-orange clearance tag…the only things I WILL pay full price for are toiletries, toilet paper, cleaning products, food items, etc. ~ you know…the necessities.

I WON’T spend full price on clothing, handbags, home decor, shoes, etc. Why pay full price when you can get it for 50-75% off a month or so down the road?

These are my latest find:

$4.98 for suede upper and a nice comfy rubber sole?

I’ll take ’em!

Feeling a little like Elvis today…

Family, Feathered Nest, Food, Friends, Frugal Finds, Fun

Friday Five

1. Superbowl menu is set….making it easy:

Cranberry Meatballs (as seen here)
Sonoma Salad (find it here)
Artichoke Dip (check it out here)

Superbowl sipping will be vodka crans with a twist of lime.

There…..done! That was easy!

2. Elliott made all her playdate friends some paper chains – one for each child. She was busy, cutting, taping and creating this morning…this was all HER idea! Love that girl…

3. I’ve been bitten by a creativity bug….all these cute blogs that I’ve discovered…the only thing is is that I’m not a sewer or a scrapbooker or a gardener, but I am feeling inspired and am going to look around the house and see what I can CREATE or REARRANGE or ORGANIZE and give the place a little kick in the pants for Valentine’s Day! So glad it’s on a weekend so we can celebrate as a family and I can try some new recipes! Stay tuned…

4. I am feeling a little selfish lately and am looking forward to reserving a teeny bit of this year’s tax return for MYSELF. (Don’t worry Jay….I only need a few bucks (relatively speaking, of course!) There are some goodies that I have my eye on….nothing expensive, just a couple things on Etsy, The Pioneer Woman Cookbook and a couple apothecary jars….that’s about it.

5. Countdown to Holden’s 3rd birthday party…I am having fun planning the menu, getting the favor bags all figured out, picturing the decorations all hung and working out the FUN cake that I have planned…

I am also excited to see how low I can keep the budget on this party ~ so far, so good:

*Invites were under 10 cents a piece
*FREE bounce house thanks to MEG!
*Decorations from Dollar Tree and 90% off Christmas stuff @ Target
*Making my own cake

Should be a “blast”!

Happy Friday!