Worth the Money?

Now that I've returned to life as a stay-at-home mom, I'm always after ways to save money. I have owned The Complete Tightwad Gazette since I got married and I have made strategic use of coupons when I shop since long before that. I read a lot of frugal living blogs and while I knew a lot about their money-saving strategies; a newfound sense of confidence finds me doing a lot more 'made from scratch' cooking than I used to do. And...in so doing, I have found that my cheapie Wal-Mart brand kitchen items are wearing out quickly. As I replace them, I find myself doing a little research, asking around, and actually spending a little money when it comes to things in my home that see heavy use. I am finally learning that while it's OK to buy generic grocery items, there are some things that will save you in the long-run if you spend a little bit more in the beginning. Here is my list of things that I will never again purchase cheaply:

• Cookie sheets: I seemed to buy the cheap ones from Wal-Mart every 6 months. I finally broke down bought some name brand ones and I wish I had done it years ago. I didn't buy the fanciest, most expensive ones; but they felt sturdy and it didn't look like I could peel off their non-stick surface with my fingernail before they even left the store. I love them so much that I hand wash and dry them. And I hate washing the dishes by hand.
• Cookware: I got lucky here and earned several pieces as a Consultant when Tupperware debuted it several years ago. Last week, Amazon.com featured a 16 quart Calphalon stockpot for $40 and after throwing away a couple of Wal-Mart pots, I bought this one at an amazing price. I make a lot of soup, and I make it for a lot of people. I used it for the first time tonight and I love it. When I bought them, I still had some of my previous cookware. I didn't toss anything out and time has proven which pots and pans had staying power.
• Cooking Utensils: I invariably get a lot of wooden spoons from Dollar Tree in Christmas stockings and as Mother's Day gifts and that is fine. But when it comes to spatulas and serving spoons for things like mixing, cooking eggs, and flipping pancakes; I like the ones that I earned as a Tupperware consultant. Even the rubber spatulas are heat-resistant. I've had the same set for years and it has yet to melt, or break, unlike the random cheap ones we had in the early years of our marriage.
• Appliances: I went cheap on my mixer, my bread machine, and my blender. Now that I use them often, I can tell. The bread machine does OK for dough-making, so I don't completely regret that purchase and I don't think I do enough baking even now to justify a Kitchen Aid (though I dream about one); but my blender is always 2 smoothies away from burning out its motor and we like our smoothies at this house. At least when it does need replacing, I'll know to buy a better one the next time. Though I will admit that the cheapie mini food chopper I got at Fry's when I lived in Arizona is still going strong 14 years later.
• And while this is mostly about kitchen items, I have to say that FlyLady's Rubba Scrubba, Sweeper, and toilet brush really DO live up to their hype. And I have horrid hard well water at my house, so I'm very picky. But I'm still not buying her bag of rags while I have my husband's work t-shirts to cut up and use.

Am I missing anything else? Please don't limit yourself to kitchen items (though I did for this entry). I'm new to the "buy quality not quantity" thinking and I've still got a lot to learn.

An Excerpt from this Weekend

On my cell phone:

Dave: Hello!
Me: Where are you?
Dave: About ten minutes behind you. I helped Jonathan clean up some of the football party mess. Where are you?
Me: (whispering) In the driveway. Waiting for you to get home.
Dave: Why are you whispering.
Me: There's a skunk by the garage. I'm afraid if I get out of the car it will get scared and spray us. Or the dog will bark, and that will scare him, and he'll spray the dog.
Dave: Can't you circle the driveway 'till he runs off? (We have a pull-through drive)
Me: I drove around three times, he just went closer to the house each time.
Dave: Well, the dog has learned his lesson, think he'll try anything. And as long as the skunk isn't close to the car, it's not like he's going to attack you or anything. Just tell the kids not to go looking for him.
Me: They remember the dog's encounter, NONE of us wants to go looking for him. We just want him to go away so we can go inside.
Dave: You can probably go inside anyway. I'll see what I can do when I get home.
Me: Are you SURE he won't attack us?
Dave: I'm sure.
Me: OK then, we'll tiptoe inside.

Tell me again WHY I wanted to live in the freakin' country?!
That is all.
And don't worry, no one got sprayed. Not even the stupid dog. This time. The end.

The Most Annoying Thing

So, as my Twitter followers already know, I woke up this morning, put on my glasses, and spotted a frog climbing up the wall from behind my desk-and it wasn't Kermit. He jumped from the wall into my Master Bath and I heard his slimy little legs splat on the tile floor-eew! So, I did what any good mom would do, grabbed my four year-old and ran screaming from the room. Thank goodness my clothes were laid out in the living room because I had no intention of going back in there before leaving the house this morning. For good measure, Tristan stuffed a towel under the door crack to keep him from exploring our house.

Dave is conducting a more thorough search of the bedroom as I type this, but he hasn't found anything yet. I would swear off sleeping in my room in favor of the couch, but a mouse has been running in and out of a small hole in our living room fireplace that my cats have proven themselves useless at catching. Tell me again why it was I wanted to live in the country?

*Updated to add: The frog has been located and evicted. No word on the mouse...but I think the cats look too skinny to hope that it's gone too.*

So Much for Hibernating...

...it's all about survival! We had no power for most of today and at the rate branches and trees are going down on our street (my yard alone is a tree graveyard); I wouldn't be surprised if it went out again. Props to the OEC guys who haven't left their spot at the top of our hill for most of today (and to the guy with a backhoe who keeps cleaning the branches off the road, I've seen him all day too). So far we're doing a good job with our water and food storage, but I think Dave has finally talked me into a generator (once they're back in stock somewhere) and into hooking the gas fireplace back up-I had it disconnected when we moved in to keep Elisa (then just a year-old) safe. Also, what good is having your own well when you need an electric pump to get the water out?

I give our emergency preparedness efforts a C for the day. We were never really cold or hungry, but there were so many "if only's" that I think there is room for improvement. And for that reason, I hope the power stays on tonight...