Greetings Friends~
I really love to save money and time. Why? Seems like the answer is obvious, to save it. Nope, that's not the reason. If a movie costs $9.50 for admission and I use my coupon to lower the price to $7.00, that $2.50 savings almost NEVER goes into the bank. When I say that I like to save money, what I mean is I want to get the biggest bang for my buck. I want to be able to use that $2.50 towards a large diet soda at the concession stand that I wouldn't otherwise splurge on.
Time is the same way. If I make 2-3 days worth of salad fixings and store them in the refrigerator, then I have saved the time it would ordinarily take to make those other salads later. Using the Ziploc Zip and Steam bags has also saved me some time. What used to take me 15-30 minutes in my steamer is now accomplished in 5 minutes tops. Purchasing a Brita water pitcher at Costco has saved me money on all those cases of bottled water that I used to buy and now I don't have to take the time to sort and recycle the bottles.
Here is how dinner usually works for us. I grab the salad container and put the mix into a bowl for Mrs B and myself. Add some dressing and some of the salad shrimp I previously thawed out and they are complete. I turn the George Foreman grill on to preheat it. A couple of minutes later, I open the grill and put in some chicken, beef or fish. Then I assemble a bag of broccoli, and/or a bag of carrots, or any other vegetable. Into the microwave with the first bag of vegetables for 4 minutes. By the time that the meat is done, I remove the Zip and Steam bag of broccoli and start the asparagus. The meat is now resting. When the last bag of steamed goodness is complete, I assemble the plates and in typical waiter fashion, serve Mrs. B.
Start to finish, the entire meal takes approximately 15-20 minutes at the most. Look at all the time I have saved that I can now use for other things. Also, this allows me to get a home cooked meal on the table sooner, so we aren't eating at 9:00 at night.
Maybe I can use that extra time to write a new post. Maybe I can use that time to pack my gym bag for tomorrow. Maybe I can use that extra time to make my breakfast and lunch for tomorrow. Maybe I can use that time to call a friend or family member and catch up. Maybe I can do ALL OF THE ABOVE.
I like saving money on purchases because I can stretch my dollar, which allows me purchase more. I like to save time because it frees me up to do other activities that would not otherwise get done.
Give it a try. You may find your life getting less stressful because of the time and money you have saved. I know I do.
Inspiration of the Day
Work as though you would live forever, and live as though you would die today. - Og Mandino
Recipe of the Day
This looks delicious. Add some pecans to the recipe for an added treat. I think pears would substitute for the apples so this salad becomes something quite special.
http://www.3fatchicks.com/diet-recipes/apple-and-spinach-salad/
I want you all to know that I made the Broccoli Chicken Dijon from an earlier post. It was amazing. I did add a little cornstarch to thicken. Next time I will add some mushrooms and cashews. Yum! Here's a surprise. I made enough for several meals.
Do you have a method for saving money or time? Post a comment. If you aren't able to make the comment thing work for you, send me an email with your message and tell me to post it for you. Let myself and others know your way to save time and money. They are both commodities that are in short supply. I am learning how to make myself richer and less stressed (and therefore healthier) One Day at a Time.
Happy Trails!
2 comments:
I hope that all of you readers are taking Chip's advice and using it to your advantage. He knows what he is talking about especially when it comes to saving money and food (which he has reminded us is how he got to this bad place). He shared some food with me today that was devine (and good for you). I know that this time of year is difficult to deal with. With the pitch blackness, the sideways rain and your comfy couch and high carb food waiting for you but hang in there! If you spend an hour or two in the gym swimming and walking on the treadmill you can pretend you're walking along a tropical beach and taking a dip in the clear blue water. Just ignore all those crazies around you. You didn't invite them on your fantasy vacation....
Tonight I cooked for 4 people...and everybody had different entrees and veggies. Salads with all sorts of tasty additions like bacon bits, boiled eggs,shrimp, etc. Having stuff pre-made like the salad, like the Costco rotisserie chicken, like the Broccoli Chicken Dijon, sure makes dinner a snap. I had an awesome workout tonight and I am positive that if I would have had to cook everything when I got home, I would have been exhausted.
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