Archive for » March, 2010 «

Looking

15
Mar 2010
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We have been looking for a place to rent. We’d love to buy but since I’ve been out of work our credit has gotten fairly crappy and probably wouldn’t be able to get a mortgage. I’ve been calling agents and left them messages but haven’t gotten a call back from any of them.

It’s not like we want something huge with a room dedicated to fitness equipment. We just need a 2 or 3 bedroom/2 bath place. We’d like it to be a house but we will even take another condo or townhouse. Just as long as there is room for hubby, Andi, Drew, the baby and me.

Anyone out there have something nice to rent in Atlantic County, NJ for under $1500 a month.. in a decent area?

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Economy = bad

15
Mar 2010
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I was flipping though the channels on the tv the other day and saw a show about how horrible the economy is. They were showing people living on the street and talking about how many are losing their homes. They interviewed one guy who said “they are making me sell my timeshare“.

I’m sorry.. I just can’t feel bad for that guy. I don’t have a job.. I’m still trying to find one and I live in a camper. I just couldn’t see myself spending money on a house that you have to share with other people during the year. If I were to spend money on a house it would be one that my family would live in all year around.

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Rainy day window shopping

15
Mar 2010
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Yesterday was a wet, rainy day. Andi, Drew, Benton (Jake) and I went up to Berlin to the Farmer’s market. It wasn’t real crowded.. they are at their busiest when the weather is nice and warm. They usually have an outdoor flea market too but with the nasty weather that wasn’t happening.

We walked around the indoor shops and did a lot of window shopping. Andi and Drew found a sofa and loveseat that they like for under $750 for both. There were good deals on tv stands too. I saw a mattress and box spring I’d love to have. It had a really thick pillow-top on the mattress. Just sitting on it I could feel just how comfortable it was. I know my back would love to have that.

Now we know where to go to get some really nice stuff when we finally find a place to live.

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Soup

15
Mar 2010
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I was sick last week and just couldn’t eat anything. After I got better and got my appetite back I bought some Campbell’s Select Harvest soup. I was skeptical after having other soups with tiny bits of vegetables and almost non-existent chicken pieces with very tiny noodles.

I was very surprised to find good sized chunks of vegetables, large, thick noodles and large chunks of chicken in this soup. It was very easy to prepare too. All you do is take off the plastic lid, open the metal lid, replace the plastic lid and put it in the microwave for a minute and 30 seconds.

It was very tasty too.. so good, in fact, that I went to the store and bought more. I’ve had soup for lunch for the past 3 days now.

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Still not 100%

12
Mar 2010
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I got sick just over a week ago and I’m still not quite 100%. I’m slowly getting stronger but I still feel a little weak and tired. I get a headache every day and feel like I have a low-grade fever. Some days I just want to grab a laptop and chill on the couch but I don’t have one.

I can’t tell if the seasonal allergies are starting or I have a little bit of a cold. My nose gets stuffy and I sneeze and my throat feels a little scratchy at times.

Ehh… I think I’ll live.

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Being sick sucks

08
Mar 2010
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I got sick on Thursday and thought I need to find some quick life insurance quotes because I thought I was about to die. I haven’t been sick in years and it was horrible. It’s Monday and I’m still not quite 100% and I wish this thing would just disappear and never, ever return again.

I never want to see the bathroom as much as I have in the past few days.

I’m finally able to eat food again, but I can’t eat much at a time now. It seems like my stomach shrunk but I’ve been eating soup, at least. Sunday I was hungry and ate only a couple bites of my breakfast and had to throw away the rest. I just couldn’t eat it.. I felt full. I don’t have a scale here and hope that maybe I even lost a couple pounds.

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Financial organization

01
Mar 2010
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When I move I need to do some financial organization. It’s not that I have a lot of money that I need to keep track but it’s all of the paperwork, etc that comes with bills, loans, household finances, etc. Right now I have things in a fire box and labeled shoe boxes.

I’m looking into getting some personal budget software to keep track of things then maybe I can shred a lot of the paper I have laying around.

That is one thing I never do. I never just throw out any paperwork with account numbers, social security numbers or any type of personal information on them. I always shred them. I do want to get a crosscut shredded which shreds the paper into small pieces like confetti instead of long strips which could possibly be pieced back together.

What kind of software do you use to keep track of your household budget?

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Garden Patch Minestrone

01
Mar 2010
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I’m going to have to make this soup. It sounds as good as effective weight loss pills. You make it in a Dutch oven or stockpot and use a box of Hamburger Helper.

2 tbsps EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
2 medium carrots – sliced (about a cup)
2 medium stalks of celery – sliced (about a cup)
1 small onion – chopped (about 1/3 cup)
2 cloves of garlic – finely chopped
1 medium zucchini or yellow summer squash, cut into 1/4 inch pieces
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves or 1 tsp dried basil leaves or Italian seasoning
1 box of beef pasta Hamburger Helper
1 can (15 oz) dark red kidney beans – drained & rinsed
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano – undrained
5 cups hot water

1. In a 5 quart Dutch oven or stockpot, heat oil over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes – stirring frequently until the veggies are almost tender.

2. Stir in the zucchini, basil, uncooked pasta and sauce mix from the Hamburger Helper box, beans, tomatoes and hot water. Heat to boiling. Reduce the heat.. cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or until the pasta and veggies are tender.

Prep time: 30 minutes Total time: 40 minutes Makes 7 1 1/2 cup servings.

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