We are entering into anniversary season (at least in my small neck of the woods). Tomorrow is the 8th anniversary of my first date with my hubby. I still can't believe 8 years has flown by so fast! We'll be scrapping Wednesday's dinner plans in favor of a semi-recreation of what we did on our first date.

For our first date, we went to a movie, then shared appetizers at a nearby cafe, and sat in his car talking almost until sunrise. I remember it like it was yesterday. When I finally got home, I knew I had met my future husband. It was crazy, but 8 short- and sometimes crazy - years later I was right.

Unlike in our younger, slightly more foolish years, this year we will celebrate the anniversary at home with a favorite movie and we'll make quesadillas and chicken strips together. I love cooking with my hubby, and this will help us save some money, since we have a week long vacation next month to ring our 5 wedding anniversary. We have not taken a weeklong trip together since our honeymoon, so I think we're long overdue.

For our 5th anniversary, I initially wanted to go to Jamaica (or some other tropical, exotic, fabulous place), but after careful consideration, we'll be staying stateside (and supporting the U.S. tourism industry!) and travelling to The North East Coast. I have never seen the East, so I am crazy-excited to go, especially in the fall it should be beautiful. All of our deal shopping, bargain hunting, penny pinching ways have paid off. We'll fly into a cheaper airport and rent a car and drive to our final destination, much like we did when we went on our honeymoon. There, we actually flew into one city, caught a taxi to the ferry, a ferry ride to the island where we were staying, and a taxi again to the resort. Even with all that, we still managed to save a few hundred dollars by being willing to fly into a different airport.

Over the next week or two, I'll start making my list of places to go on our vacation, checking restaurant prices, and researching the cost of all activities. Even on vacation, we are frugal. And that's perfectly okay with me. I get to see an extra destination because the direct flight to our destination is ridiculously expensive - let's say it's cheaper to fly to Jamaica than to another U.S. city. Isn't that strange?

Tell me - what budget savvy travel tips do you hold true to?

This cool, refreshing twist on typical July weather has spoiled me. I'm not ready to return to the sweltering, humid mid 90 degree temperatures rather typical for July in Chicagoland. Naturally, for the 4th of July, it's supposed to be more than 90's degrees. I had been thinking of a BBQ, but with that kind of heat, lighter fare is definitely in order.

In place of the BBQ I was planning, it's time to make great use of seasonal fruits and amazing deals. Here's my 4th of July non-BBQ menu:

Red & Green Grapes
Summer Fruit Salad
Sweet Corn on the Cob
Tortilla chips and Peach Salsa
Potato Chips
Sub rolls/sandwich bread
Cold cuts/deli meat (I've got some goodies in the freezer to pick from and I"ll hit Caputos to round out my choices - they are the cheapest deli with the best selection in town)
Cheeses (Swiss, American, Cheddar, Provolone)
Italian-style chicken salad
Chocolate Chip Cookies
Pecan Sandies

The only thing I have to do is bake the cookies (probably tonight, before it gets any hotter outside) and cook the corn the day of - everything is just chopped, stirring and serving! I am so looking forward to kicking back and relaxing with this light and simple feast. What are your plans for the 4th of July? Does the weather affect what you plan to do this year?

This summer, I have been focusing on building meal with ingredients that are:

1. In-season
2. Locally grown
3. Affordable

So far, this has resulted in an bevy of new recipes for me - some of which have stayed in my rotation rather frequently. With each week or so, I'm trying to add another new in-season produce pick to my meals. So far, DH & I are loving it. From summer fruit based salsas to light-as-air desserts options, we've been tasting all the season has to offer. Right now, peaches and berries are taking a primetime spot on our meal plan rotation.

Over the weekend, I'm planning to grill some lovely peaches, toss plump, ripe strawberries into a mixed green salad, and whip up a sweet fruit salad to go along side some light and lowfat bars, to balance out some of the heartier fare on offer. Barbeques don't have to be all about the heavy potato salad, piles of meat, and chips and dip. With all the fruits and veggies in season, it's a shame not to put them to use! Here are some of my favorite creations with all the yummy in-season produce we have to pick from:

Some of my favorite recipes so far this summer:
Peach Salsa
Tostadas
Boston Spinach Salad
10 Minute Fruit Salad
Summer Peach and Almond Bars
Sweet Nectarine Lemonade

Tell me: Does your family change their eating habits in the summer? What are your go-to recipes on a sultry summer day? I'd love some delicious inspiration!

Wow - this is the first time in months that I'm not creating a meal plan. This week, DH & I are heading to a wedding out-of-state and will be gone most of the week. I can't wait to see a dear friend of mine get married - I'm so excited. It's worth the 500+ mile trip!

While I'm there visiting, I'll be staying with my sister, the organic farmer and chef. I will get a chance to help in her (huge) garden, see my nephews, and unwind. I've been looking forward to this trip for months. Typically, DH & I take long weekends each season (except winter) and get out of town, but this year is the first year that we haven't. And boy, does it show! I don't think I've ever been so antsy to get out of town as I am right now.

Next week is another crazy one because for Father's Day weekend, we're heading south (out-of-state again) for my brother-in-law's college graduation. Whew - I'm on the road again....(channeling that Willie Nelson song in my head and imagining the beautiful countryside spilling out before me). Good thing you can't hear me singing!!

This year, we skipped our usual weekends away with the idea of going out-of-country for our 5th wedding anniversary. We had been planning on the Caribbean - which the locations (the cheaper places to visit) have experienced a rise in crime, drop in economy, etc. that make them unsafe to visit currently. Which totally sucks. Really, it does.

I've been looking forward to this anniversary for some time, and having to change our plans really makes me frustrated. Especially since I haven't left the Chicago area since October of last year. I love my area, but sometimes I need distance to make the heart grow fonder, or whatever that nonsense is about.

Back to the meal plan (or lack thereof): this week, we're working on eating the perishables in our fridge, I'll probably buy milk (DH will finish it no problem) and some yogurt with good expiration dates to have waiting for me when we get back, and grab a few fresh items to bring to my sis. To help clear out the fridge, last night, I made an Italian sausage bolognese over capellini.

Tonight, I think it's going to be provolone or havarti paninis with herb-crusted chicken and bell pepper strips, and some fresh fruit. Tomorrow - if all the leftover are gone, it's a can of soup, loaf of french bread and rotisserie chicken, or I'll grab a premade sub from Caputos. We grabbed a small one over the weekend and it was fabulous. I've already crafted my version of it, Basil Pesto Chicken Sammie on Foccacia. It's seriously divine. A sandwich worth worshipping. Not cheap, but packed with so much flavor, my mouth waters just remembering it.

Do you ever catch yourself eying the mouth-watering choices of amazing spices at the grocery store? You know the ones....small, beautiful jar, fancy tag with flowing writing, and it typically costs more than the cut of meat you're going to put it on. I love using spices and marinades in my cooking. Luckily for me, I grabbed a few dozen bottles of marinade for free after coupon. Unfortunately, the spice blends don't tend to come down in price often.

The good news? With a dozen or so basic spices and a few pantry basics, it's possible to have a variety of amazing spice blends to choose from. Over at Eat From Your Pantry, there is a great post about seasoning blends - it's truly amazing how many different blends you can make with ingredients you probably have on hand already. Trust me - it's as easy as:

Chicago Deep Dish Pizza Spice

Kansas City Style Rib Rub

Budget 101 - they have 164 different spice blend recipes!!

Taco Seasoning

Ranch Dressing Mix

Unless I stumble onto another freebie seasoning deal (which this is the right time of year for), I have plenty of resources to help me get the same flavorful punch for a lot less money. As for marinades, I haven't spent too much time learning how to make my own. In my defense, when they're plentiful and free, there is really no incentive to make my own. When the deals run out, I'll be posting marinade recipes, but until then - I'm resting on my laurels, or at least resting on a full stockpile that includes more than a dozen different marinades.

Cereal.

What do you think of when you hear that word? When I was younger (much younger), cereal was a treat - we had cereal once in a rare blue moon. Being raised by a single mom with 3 kids, and half the neighborhood eating at our place, that might have something to do with it.

Then, before I started couponing, cereal was a siphon in my wallet, carefully, thoroughly sucking out the few dollars I had for our weekly grocery shopping. Hey, regular priced cereal costs more per pound than meat or produce - and you can't stretch it as far. Believe me, I've tried.

Now, cereal is funny. It's hilarious. It's almost an event. Sometimes it's even a joke.

The conversation starts like this:

"I think I want something to nibble on." (DH)
"Hmmmm..." (me, distracted by the tv, a good book, magazine, or playing on the computer) "cookies?"
DH shakes his head
"Leftovers?" I reply, raising an eyebrow
DH laughs
"Cereal?" Knowing full well he wouldn't go for my first two options, didn't matter what they were. Oh, and there were no cookies, anyway.
"Yeah, that's what I was thinking." Like I could hear his thoughts from across the room - they just took some time getting to me. Might've got lost somewhere around the edge of the coffee table.

Then comes the long pause. (Don't worry, I was wiating for it.) DH ambles into the kitchen. "Which one?" Here's why I find it funny:


Once upon a time, there was no concept of which one - there was one box, and it was usually almost-empty. Now, there are more than a dozen different kinds on hand at all times. Hubby scratches his wondering for a few seconds, before finally deciding which one and going down to the pantry in the basement to get it. Though, in most scenarios, he'll offer to grab me a fresh box of cereal too. (Since our tastes are rather different - me = Honey Bunches of Oats....him = Froot Loops.)

Now, there's a killer sale at Dominicks on cereal. Not that I really need more, but at these prices, I can't pass it up. I can get Captain Crunch for $.40 a box. There are other deals to be had, but for that one alone - I'll be out shopping.

Got to love my funny, frugal life...
Oh, and for details on the cheap cereal - go HERE.

I know it sounds a little crazy, but I'm a body wash addict. I truly am. I love getting the newest flavor/scent to come out, and I love trying all the different variations that have hit the market. And, thankfully, coupons allow me my addiction. Even though I have more than a dozen free bottles of Suave left, that hasn't stopped me from grabbing a few more brands and scents to pick from.

Last night, I grabbed a bottle of Nivea from Target and last week it was a bottle of Nivea from WalGreens and a bottle of SoftSoap body wash from WalGreens (it was only $.99) in a lovely Sweet Honeysuckle scent. I know I need to be stopped, but I can't get over all the delicious choices that are available. Who could honestly resist? Obviously, not me...

When I was putting away the new bottles of body wash last night and noticed that I have 15-20 different scents to choose from - I had to laugh. No two were the same scent/brand. From Cashmere to Pomegranate, from Cucumber Melon to Peach Silk - I've got a crazy, amazing variety to pick from. Now, when I get to pick the next one to try, I'll probably spend 15-20 minutes trying to decide which one I'm "in the mood" for. I'm worse than a kid at a candy store!

It's a good thing that we have two separate vanities cabinets in the master bathroom - I'm going to have to turn one of them into a place to store my burgeoning body wash collection. It's a good thing I coupon, or I'd have invested a fortune into my addiction. And my current bottle of Suave's Wild Cherry Blossom is almost gone! I'll admit that I'm pondering which one to pick next...

Tell me - what do you love to buy? And, do coupons help make your addiction affordable?

DH & I moved into a great 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom townhouse last spring and have been slowly getting things to finish our new space. The dressers we had at the last house were in bad condition (Ikea-made and falling apart), so we offered those up for free on craigslist and found takers for both - but we have been fueling more money to our savings and haven't found a dresser that we liked enough to pay for. Luckily, my in-laws were looking to get rid of a simple 6-drawer, white dresser that they no longer had space for. It works perfectly for us. It fits in the closet, right under the shelves and clothing bar. It even matches the same (boring...) white style that's already in place. I love it! And I won't have to keep hunting for my socks - an even bigger bonus.

Also, they bought new living-room furniture (from the same place we did a few months back), and were kind enough to offer us their old stuff, since we were looking for basement furniture. Unfortunately, the big sofa won't even fit down our basement stairs (we've listed that on craigslist now to see if we can find a new home for it), and I'm sure by next week, the sofa will have found a new home and we'll have added some dollars to our furniture fund. We've also added a coffee table (that I hope to be able to give to my sister next time she comes to visit), and a reading chair for the master bedroom.

I'm slowly seeing the home come together. This morning, DH & I went to Menards to grab some replacement shelves for our big bookcases - the cheap particle-board was warping from the weight of actual books, so they had to be replaced. For less than the cost of a single bookshelf - we've made 3 bookshelves fully functional again. The best part? Being able to find the book I want when I actually want to read it!

All these home improvements and we haven't even spent $50! And, we're keeping stuff out of the trash, garbage, landfill, etc. etc. etc. It feels good to save money and help the planet - even if it's only on a small scale. For our entertainment tonight, we're off to Half-Price Books and I'll see what good reads I can snap up in the clearance section - why buy a book new when it reads just the same when its used?

How has your weekend been? Any good projects done on the cheap? Any planet-saving tips to share?