Being pregnant means food cravings. Recently we drove by Panda Express, and I had a sudden craving for orange chicken. Now, at $8 for a takeout container, it's not cheap. Fortunately we were also right near Costco, so my husband offered to run in to pick up a package of frozen orange chicken. For $12, you get just over 4lbs of chicken, split into two packages. He cooked up one of the packages of chicken and we all enjoyed it- there was just enough left over for lunch, and it only cost $6.50!
Early in my pregnancy, I craved Tom Kha Kai, a Thai coconut milk soup, and Greek salad. Both were relatively easy to make, though my initial trip to the store for Greek salad ingredients cost $30 ($10 for olive oil alone, $5 for Kalamata olives, etc). I did get enough to make daily salads for nearly 2 weeks, a huge savings over the $7-8 price per salad at the deli counter or a restaurant. Ingredients for Tom Kha were even less.
Thanks to my mom, I have a great recipe for oven fried chicken and can make a KFC style meal for $12, including mashed potatoes, gravy, and corn on the cob (still looking for the perfect biscuit recipe!). That includes dinner for all of us plus lunch. We've also made homemade pizza (dough and sauce from scratch) that everyone loved, and the kids really enjoyed creating their own pizzas.
Another bonus is that it's much easier to avoid additives, preservatives, and processed foods by cooking ourselves. I know what we make is healthier and safer for my kids to eat- and it's less expensive!
Limiting our dining out (family meals once every 2-3 weeks; breakfast or lunch 1-2x/month for me and 3x/month for my husband) has saved us a lot, and we've gotten better at learning to cook some of our favorites at home as well as learned to be more selective about where we choose to eat when we go out. We've discovered many of our previously favorite restaurants don't match up to home cooking.
Dining out has become a way to enjoy the company of friends (and each other!) and savor food we can't or don't cook at home, and not just a way to fill an empty belly.
Friday, April 16, 2010
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Tips: Maternity clothes
My #1 tip for saving money on maternity clothes: Get pregnant 4-9 months after your good friend, who's about your size. Bonus points if your baby is the same sex as hers.
In all seriousness, most of us, especially 2nd and 3rd time moms, have at least one friend who's recently had a baby and no longer needs most of her maternity items. I've found simply telling people I no longer have my maternity things has netted me more than few bags of clothes. Sure, sometimes you may end up with a Duggar-esque jumper or hideous print shirt, but thanks to my network (and especially my good friend whose due date was nearly 5 months before mine!) I've gotten Gap capris, cute Old Navy tops, comfy skirts, and Motherhood jeans, all in excellent condition. If you need dress clothing for your office job, spread the word among your coworkers.
You can also find lightly used maternity clothing on Craigslist- everything from casual to more formal attire, at a fraction of the cost. Gap and Old Navy Maternity often have excellent sales- for my first, I found a cute dress for the holiday Christmas party for $20; for this one, I needed a new pair of shorts quickly and bought a pair from Gap online for $12.
Another of my favorites is the Motherhood shelf bra tank top, just $10 each if you buy 2 or more. I love these because they're great for both around the house and layering, and as I'm small chested I don't need to wear a bra. I can pair them with breezy maternity blouses, or non-maternity tops a few sizes larger than I normally wear.
Discount stores like Ross often carry long stretchy rayon tops for $7-12, and a few of those have become favorite pieces to wear. I also like looking for non-maternity elastic waist skirts at discount stores and thrift shops, as those are useful postpartum as well, and especially towards the end, much more comfortable than pants.
For formal occasions, look for non-maternity dresses with a high waist and stretchy skirt. I found a beautiful pink and peach dress for my BIL's wedding that I wore when I was 32 weeks along with Little Monster. It had a ribbon under the bust, no waist, and flowed out to just below knee length, with a stretchy satiny underskirt and a gauzy printed top layer.
I try to avoid buying new underwear- I prefer low cut bikini style anyway, so I've been fortunate to not need anything new while pregnant. I do expand a cup size on top, though, so I look for soft stretchy bras with no wires, lace, padding, or anything itchy. Extender straps are available if your rib cage expands but your cup size does not.
For shoes, I mostly live in my Crocs or sandals, but when dressing up I prefer ballet style flats. Anything with a bit of stretch to accommodate my widening feet is good. I've usually been able to find something comfortable and reasonably attractive at Payless when needed.
So far I've only bought a pair of shorts from Gap Maternity online, a pair of pants from Old Navy Maternity online ($12 and $10 respectively); 3 elastic waist skirts from the thrift store for $3-5 each; and 2 Motherhood tanks (the store was out of the $10 ones so I ended up with the $13 ones). I was given 4 pairs of jeans, 2 jean skirts, 2 pairs of pants, 2 pairs of capris, 3 pairs of shorts, 10 different tops ranging from blouses to sleeveless to halters, 4 tees, a few dresses, and a few professional/dress pieces (and some jumpers that I quickly passed along as they're just not my thing). I'm pretty happy with my wardrobe and don't think I need to add anything.
In all seriousness, most of us, especially 2nd and 3rd time moms, have at least one friend who's recently had a baby and no longer needs most of her maternity items. I've found simply telling people I no longer have my maternity things has netted me more than few bags of clothes. Sure, sometimes you may end up with a Duggar-esque jumper or hideous print shirt, but thanks to my network (and especially my good friend whose due date was nearly 5 months before mine!) I've gotten Gap capris, cute Old Navy tops, comfy skirts, and Motherhood jeans, all in excellent condition. If you need dress clothing for your office job, spread the word among your coworkers.
You can also find lightly used maternity clothing on Craigslist- everything from casual to more formal attire, at a fraction of the cost. Gap and Old Navy Maternity often have excellent sales- for my first, I found a cute dress for the holiday Christmas party for $20; for this one, I needed a new pair of shorts quickly and bought a pair from Gap online for $12.
Another of my favorites is the Motherhood shelf bra tank top, just $10 each if you buy 2 or more. I love these because they're great for both around the house and layering, and as I'm small chested I don't need to wear a bra. I can pair them with breezy maternity blouses, or non-maternity tops a few sizes larger than I normally wear.
Discount stores like Ross often carry long stretchy rayon tops for $7-12, and a few of those have become favorite pieces to wear. I also like looking for non-maternity elastic waist skirts at discount stores and thrift shops, as those are useful postpartum as well, and especially towards the end, much more comfortable than pants.
For formal occasions, look for non-maternity dresses with a high waist and stretchy skirt. I found a beautiful pink and peach dress for my BIL's wedding that I wore when I was 32 weeks along with Little Monster. It had a ribbon under the bust, no waist, and flowed out to just below knee length, with a stretchy satiny underskirt and a gauzy printed top layer.
I try to avoid buying new underwear- I prefer low cut bikini style anyway, so I've been fortunate to not need anything new while pregnant. I do expand a cup size on top, though, so I look for soft stretchy bras with no wires, lace, padding, or anything itchy. Extender straps are available if your rib cage expands but your cup size does not.
For shoes, I mostly live in my Crocs or sandals, but when dressing up I prefer ballet style flats. Anything with a bit of stretch to accommodate my widening feet is good. I've usually been able to find something comfortable and reasonably attractive at Payless when needed.
So far I've only bought a pair of shorts from Gap Maternity online, a pair of pants from Old Navy Maternity online ($12 and $10 respectively); 3 elastic waist skirts from the thrift store for $3-5 each; and 2 Motherhood tanks (the store was out of the $10 ones so I ended up with the $13 ones). I was given 4 pairs of jeans, 2 jean skirts, 2 pairs of pants, 2 pairs of capris, 3 pairs of shorts, 10 different tops ranging from blouses to sleeveless to halters, 4 tees, a few dresses, and a few professional/dress pieces (and some jumpers that I quickly passed along as they're just not my thing). I'm pretty happy with my wardrobe and don't think I need to add anything.
About us
When you're on a budget with a five year old, a two and a half year old, and a surprise #3 on the way, what do you do? It's time to get creative!
Our challenges: all baby clothes newborn-18 months were given away when Little Monster turned two, weaned, and no longer needed diapers. Maternity clothes and baby gear were sold, donated, and given away long before then. We currently live in a 3bd home, but with one room dedicated to office space, that means fitting 3 kids in one room. And did I mention we're on a tight budget? When you've already limited eating out, you line dry to shave $30-50 off the electric bill, and buy most clothing secondhand, it's hard to find ways to cut expenses further.
This is my attempt at documenting life with another baby, on a budget.
Our challenges: all baby clothes newborn-18 months were given away when Little Monster turned two, weaned, and no longer needed diapers. Maternity clothes and baby gear were sold, donated, and given away long before then. We currently live in a 3bd home, but with one room dedicated to office space, that means fitting 3 kids in one room. And did I mention we're on a tight budget? When you've already limited eating out, you line dry to shave $30-50 off the electric bill, and buy most clothing secondhand, it's hard to find ways to cut expenses further.
This is my attempt at documenting life with another baby, on a budget.
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