The $250 Challenge

Tomorrow is the start of something new for my little family.

Hm. That was a little more punny than I intended.... Bummer.

But really. Tomorrow Hubster and I are embarking on a financial challenge to get our financial heads on straight and get a little more cash in our savings accounts. Here's the scoop:

We are allotted $250 cash for the month of January to spend on all incidentals and non-planned monthly expenses. You read that right. Our family of 4 will spend a mere $250 on diapers, wipes, food, gas, toiletries, eating out, haircuts, and everything else that is not a regularly scheduled monthly bill.

There are a few outside rules:

• Medical expenses: We have a medical flex account that covers doctor visits, prescriptions, dentists etc. We will use that if there is need. If it is not a flex-eligible expense, it comes out of the $250. 
• If I get a full time job during the month of January (it could happen), and there are NECESSARY expenses that come with it, those will be excluded from the $250. 
• Prepaid expenses will not be included. For example, Hubster has a massage on Monday we bought it with a Living Social deal like 4 months ago, so it doesn't count against the $250. The tip does. (o.0)
• There will be no purchasing items with Christmas money until February. Gift cards are OK as they are under the "Prepaid Items" clause. For the record we don't have any gift cards...
• All moneys not used for monthly bills will be directly funneled into our lowest credit card balance. After that has been paid off the rest will go directly into savings. 

I'm a little nervous about this. But more than that I'm excited. I'm curious to see what we will miss, but I'm more interested in what we don't miss.

So here we go!

Eggnog- Careful Your Clothes May Come Off

This is a standing tradition in my family. When I was small my dad would make eggnog every year. He would make some without alcohol for me, which was always my favorite. When people say to me "I don't like eggnog." I know they mean they don't like that weird stuff they sell at the store in a milk carton. This is nothing like that. This is all creamy, smooth and every glass you have makes you want more.

Over the years as people in my family got wiser about salmonella (and cholesterol levels got higher) the eggnog tradition went by the wayside. The cholesterol piece I can't help you with, but there are 2 versions of this recipe here. The first is the unpasteurized version the second is pasteurized. You pick. Then drink on my merry friends, drink on.

The recipe that my father used to make was straight out of the Joy of Cooking (circa 1970. You know before it got all healthy and still had Crisco in EVERYTHING). Have no fear. There is no Crisco in this divine concoction. The following is how I make it. I cut the amount of liquor quite a bit and people still tell me it's strong. In parentheses is the amount called for in the original recipe. If you make it that way you need to do 2 things:

1) Make sure you have plenty of hang-over remedy for the next morning
2) Take everyone's keys that is joining you for the evening.

With my disclaimer fully in place let's talk some nog.

Ingredients:
12 eggs separated
1 pound confectioner's sugar, sifted
3 cups of brandy, bourbon or rum (6 cups)
1 quart half and half
1 quart heavy whipping cream
Fresh nutmeg to grate on top

Beat the egg yolks with a electric mixer until light in color in a medium bowl. Add the sugar in four parts mixing well between each addition. add 1 cup of the liquor slowly and beat very well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for an hour. This will get rid of the eggy taste. Don't skip this. If you do it makes for nasty eggnog.

Take the mixture out of the fridge and beat in the creams and the remaining liquor. Refrigerate for 3 hours. Beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold into the liquor yolk mixture. Serve with nutmeg on top.

Pasteurized version


Ingredients:
12 egg yolks (I always save my whites for other things.Peppermint Meringues anyone???)
1 pound confectioner's sugar, sifted
3 cups of brandy, bourbon or rum (6 cups)
1 quart half and half
1 quart heavy whipping cream
3 cups pasteurized egg whites
Fresh nutmeg to grate on top


In a small saucepan, beat the egg yolks until they are pale in color with an electric mixer. Beat in sugar in 4 parts making sure that it is well combined between additions. Add the half &half. Turn the burner on low and while whisking constantly (I really do mean constantly. If you pause, you'll get scrambled eggnog. Not tasty.), bring it to 165 degrees. The mixture will begin to thicken like a custard. It should coat the back of a spoon. Remove from heat and let it sit for 5 minutes. The sitting part is important as that's when all the bacteria die. Add the heavy cream and the liquor and let it in the fridge for at least 4 hours. Beat the egg whites in a slightly chilled metal bowl until stiff, but not dry. Gently fold into the liquor mixture. Serve!

For the Love of Chai

I like a good cup of coffee. I even enjoy those froofy coffees like eggnog and caramel brulee lattes. But my passion? My Would sell my soul for a cup? It's all about the chai baby.  Here's the rub. I'm cheap. Like Scrooge cheap. Not about many things, but spending $4.00 for a cup of tea and milk...really? For that I could feed 40 people, if I gave to the right charity (which we do).

So for a while I bought the concentrate at Wal-mart (I know. Wal-mart. I promise that's once my paycheck allows me to honor my moral opposition to Wal-mart, I will. For now, deal with it.) It was WAY cheaper. But still the $4.00 for the box...seemed expensive after a while. So I started making my own. I've been through several recipes and I think I've found one that works. Here's the steep (get it?):

Ingredients:
2" of peeled ginger root cut into 4 pieces (it really needs to be real ginger root. Don't use powder. Trust me)
6 whole cloves
10 black peppercorns
2 whole star anise
4 cardamon pods
6" cinnamon stick
1/4 of a whole nutmeg- if you need to use ground (which I don't recommend), use 1/4 tsp
4 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup brown sugar (this is Oregon Chai sweet. Use less if you want less sweet)
6 bags of black tea (I used 3 black and 3 black/green)
1 quart container to store it in

Put the water and the spices in a pot on the stove. Do not include the sugar or the tea. Simmer the spices for 10 mins. Remove the water from the heat and add the tea bags. Steep for 7 mins. Strain into container. Add the sugar and shake to dissolve.

I use a 1:1.5 ratio of tea to milk, but you do you. Enjoy!!

Our Advent Calendar

 I love Christmas. No really. I do. I am one of those people that still believes in Santa. Not the guy with the presents and the reindeer, but the spirit of him. Really I'm all about it.


A few years ago I bought this advent calendar on super sale from Target. It was damaged and it was after the holiday season, so it was super cheap. Previously it was blue. Which to me said "Christmas" about as much as the Easter Bunny. So this year while my in-laws were in town over Thanksgiving, I refinished it. They were here until the Monday after Thanksgiving so we roped them into helping us decorate. The advent calendar project was done in bits an pieces over a few days, so there are no pictures (sorry!). But here's the after:

I just love it. It says homemade, a little bit rustic and all family. Just the way I like it. Behind each door is a piece of candy for D, 2 M&M's wrapped up for K (Yes I encourage my children's love of chocolate. Sue me.), and a family activity card. Last year we did it with just candy for D since K was too small.


Each of the family activity cards is something that we can do together so we are building memories and not just eating chocolate. I printed out the cards on photo paper and then laminated them. This way I can use them for years to come. So far it's a total hit. Here's what we included:

1. Decorate cookies
2. Play a game
3. Make ice cream
4. Go out for a Christmas treat
5. Drink Apple cider
6. Read "The Night Before Christmas"
7. Drive around and look for Christmas lights
8. Color a Christmas picture
9. Go visit Santa Clause
10. Dance around to Christmas music (or any other music)
11. Have a camp-out in front of the Christmas tree
12. Call grandma and grandpa and sing a Christmas song
13. Make a graham cracker house
14. Dress up for dinner
15. Watch a Christmas movie and eat popcorn
16. Read a Christmas Story Book
17. Make a Christmas craft
18. Do something nice for someone
19. Make a new Christmas Decoration
20. Play a Christmas game
21. Have breakfast for dinner
22. Build a snowman or hang up paper snowflakes
23. Tell your family you love them
24. Make a gift and take it to a friend
25. Make hot chocolate and stir with candy canes

These are put in to the house in (somewhat) random order. I admit I fudge this a little bit. For example the graham cracker house was put in on a special day so D's friends could come and do it with her. And read The Night Before Christmas is on Christmas Eve, because it's tradition. But other than that, random. 

This year the order has been

1. Do something nice for someone- we gave D's teachers $5 Starbucks cards and took balloons to the pediatrics floor at a local hospital. 

2. Drive around and look at Christmas lights- There are some people with REALLY involved lights. Wow!

3. Make Ice cream- We made vanilla gelato. 

4. Dress up for dinner- according to D this meant dress up in costumes, not be fancy. So here we are in our costumes:

5. Play a Christmas game! 

6. Tell your family you love them

7. Have breakfast for dinner 

8. Camp out in front of the Christmas tree
9. Play a game
10. Visit Santa- It was the first time K went to see Santa. It was D's second time (we missed it last year. K had just gotten out of her 2nd stay at the hospital, and I was in no mood to brave mall germs.) So cute!!
11. Make a snowman or paper snowflakes. Since there is no snow on the ground, we made snowflakes. Here's a little side note about that. First let it be known that D's favorite holiday is Halloween. For the snowflakes, I was cutting and she was unfolding. She suddenly exclaimed: "Owls and witch hats! Mommy thank you!!" I, of course, have NO idea how I did it, but I'll take the mommy hero badge just the same. Here's the witch hat snow flake:

I'll keep posting about the cards as we go through them. So far I'm so thrilled with this idea, I can't even tell you.