Junk Mail Reinvented

Hi Everyone,

I am back! Sorry I was on a bit of a hiatus, who ever thought wedding planning would be so much work! Mike and I took on a new project so I thought I would share.

In any given week, we have a minimum of 11 pieces of mail that we don't open. On average, each audit receives 41 pounds of junk mail each year, 44% of which goes straight into the landfill unopened.

That is a whopping 100 million trees. 

So Mike and I set out to stop the trend. First, we contacted our banks, utility providers, etc and moved to a paperless billing system. We set up a separate home email address to house all of the bills in so we weren't mucking up our personal emails and off we went. Epost.ca also offers a paperless billing system in which you can even make payments online as well. We however chose to set up a separate email address because we already have online banking payments set up for all of our utilities payments, it didn't make sense to set up new accounts all over again. 

But that wasn't enough.. we were still getting those coupon books and value packs, life insurance advertisements, etc! So I set out to find a solution.

I found an organization called 41pounds.org. "Saving the earth, 41 pounds at a time." You sign up on their website and list the organizations and companies that are sending you unwanted mail and they contact them on your behalf to remove you from their mailing list. The cost is $35 per household and that covers each person in your household for 5 years. 

We are going to sign up, we are just taking a month's worth of junk mail and gathering it up so we get every organization we no longer want to receive junk mail from off our list. We want to be as thorough as possible. 

Will you be signing up? Let me know what you think. 

Everyone's favourite...

Breakfast for dinner! 

Today felt like the longest day, do you ever feel like that? I think I spent half my day texting Mike because every hour felt like time was slowing. Anyway, so I got through the day, finally... and had very little desire to cook, but I definitely didn't want take out. So, I figured since I feel like the weekend will never come, I wanted my mind to wander to Sunday morning breakfast. 

A few weeks ago, my sister, dad and I went to Cora's for breakfast. Have you been? I will try to sum it up... it is a more healthy version of your home town diner. They serve giant portions of fruit with almost everything on the menu and the decor fits the bill. Everywhere you look they have baskets of fresh fruit and sunbursts. 

Anyway, my menu item of choice was the 10-star skillet. I will admit, it probably isn't their healthiest item on the menu but it just tastes like comfort! 

Remembering off the top of my head, the skillet had potatoes, bacon, ham, sausage, Frankfurters, bologna, green onion, red and green peppers, Cheddar, served with an egg on top. 

With my day needing a little Sunday morning comfort, I set out to make my copy-cat version of the 10-star skillet with whatever I had in the house. Here goes:

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 white potato

1/2 red pepper, chopped

1 stalk of celery, chopped

1/4 cup of red onion, diced

1 green onion, diced

1 pre-cooked sausage (I used a smokey cheddar sausage), chopped

1 tablespoon of butter or margarine

1/4 cup of shredded cheddar

Directions:

Melt a little less than the full tablespoon of butter into a pan, leaving some extra to fry your egg. Once melted. add the potato, celery, red pepper and red onion with some pepper to taste. Let that cook, you will need the potato to soften up. Just when you think you need to add more butter, toss in the sausage. Continue cooking until the potatoes are tender and add the green onion. Remove from heat and split the mixture into two dishes. Top with shredded cheddar. Next you will need to cook your eggs. You can do it however you like it, over-easy, sunny-side up, poached, etc and top your dish. 

Done!

Do you have any go-to comfort food dishes?

Running Shoes

Hi Everyone,

I hope you had a great weekend, I had a very relaxing weekend which is not usually the case for me, especially during these very busy summer months. Anyway, I got out for a couple runs this weekend and I think I finally got a little budget surprise.

If you recall, I participated in Tough Mudder last weekend. Well this is what my running shoes looked like afterwards:

And since Tough Mudder cleans up the shoes and donates them to those in need, I knew it was time. I did a mud run last year and cleaning my shoes after that was frustrating, I saw this as a great opportunity to take clean up duties off my shoulders.

Only because of all that, I found myself going for a run with a very old pair of running shoes. I usually only use these old runners for dog walks but thought, I paid almost $200 for them less than a year ago, they can't be that bad right?...

Wrong!

I couldn't figure out why after all of my Tough Mudder training going out for a light jog was so difficult. I couldn't keep a pace for more than 2 minutes at a time before my calves were on fire. I am pretty sure a guy walking even passed me at one point!

Well it turns out, that depending on how you land on your feet while running, a running shoe can wear down faster. Not to mention, those shoes saw me through my first half marathon race and the training leading up to it.

So I guess this runner needs to buy a new pair of shoes. Those old sneakers are good for dog walking but definitely not an afternoon jog. Just remember, don't blame yourself for poor running performance (it is easy to do) because sometimes it can be as simple as not having the right shoe.

A lot of companies do professional assessments of your running style to fit you in the right shoe, paying the couple extra dollars for the best shoe for you is important to keep your training on track and it will help the shoe last longer during your training so you don't have to keep going out and buying new shoes.

Have a good week!

One Tough Mudder

When people ask "How was Tough Mudder?", I can honestly say, I am not even sure how to answer it. The easiest way to describe it is....

It was TOUGH and MUDDY

Although I am not sure TOUGH does it justice, INSANE might be a better word

From my last post, you can imagine how my day began. I was so nervous I could not contain myself, Mike and I were up at 6:50am and all we could think about was food. What did we eat the day of our big race? Honestly, there was no exact science to it. The hotel had a complimentary hot breakfast, so french toast and sausage it was! I know, I know.. there is so much research out there on what you need to eat the day of a big sporting event, but honestly it came down to what is going to keep me full for as long as possible and please no more bananas! I find bananas give me gas so I don't usually like to eat that before running 18 miles. 

4 hours later, we were finally on route to Andover, New York. When we got there, I couldn't jump out of the car faster and it was back in the bathroom. Next step was to walk a mile to the registration tables, I guess they wanted to get us loosened up before the big event. 

Once there, we were instructed to write our bib number on our foreheads and arms. It didn't take long to figure out why... it is an alternative way to I.D. your body! Okay I am kidding. Official photographers are all over the course and the photos get sorted by bib number. If they can't see your bib (perhaps when it is covered in mud) there is the chance one of your other numbers are visible. 

Once that was done, our team was all set to head to the start line. I mean start wall.... before you can even get to the start line, you need to get over a 6-7 foot wall. That was definitely our wake up call! Just when you finally calm yourself down enough to say, "I am ready for this," they throw a wall into the mix. 

It all began at 11:40 am... finishing a gruelling 4 hours later... here is a little taste of what we went through to get to the finish line.

And all that ended with this... the only thing that got us through those last 4 miles was picturing...

An ice cold beer and the one and only orange head band!

I am happy to say I am a tough mudder after completing each one of the obstacles.. including the absolutely terrifying Electric Eel and Electroshock Therapy! Some things you read out there say 'it isn't as bad as they make it sound.' I can now say from experience... they are absolutely wrong! It was everything they say and it is and more. I thought, oh the running won't be an issue at all, besides I have run a half marathon and that is 3KMs longer... what I didn't take into consideration was the terrain and elevations. 

That all being said, the team work involved to get to the end and just how much fun everyone is having (deep down inside under the tired muscles and growls of pain) is contagious. 

You drink that ice cold beer and all of a sudden.. it's over. Just like that! I built it up so much and when it was done it was like this amazing feeling. Today however, that amazing feeling becomes achy muscles and pain, EVERYWHERE! Getting out of bed this morning was an accomplishment in itself. It is almost time for me to sign off and get in a bath of Epsom salts in the hopes for a little relief. 

I don't want this blog to be discouraging, because honestly if I could turn back the time I would still do the race, no doubt about it. I might rethink the moments I decided "Ya, lets run through these live electric wires, no problem", but all in all it was a once in a lifetime experience with a fantastic group of people. This mudder has one more in her for next year to join a few other friends who have been inspired to start their training! 

If you want to know more, leave me a comment and I will be sure to share some more muddy stories! 

Today is the Day!

Hi Everyone,

Today is the day, it is finally time for Tough Mudder. I remember just 90 days ago thinking, “that’s  a great idea, let’s go run 18km while doing a dozen army style obstacles.” I am glad I got excited about it early because right now, I could easily talk myself out of it! BUT, we are here now so there is no turning back.

With my stomach being so nervous the last couple of days, I did a little research. Folks, let’s put those rumours to rest… nervous pooping is really a thing! Well the more scientific term is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), but nervous pooping sounds so much better. It happens all the time, when your nerves and stress levels are ramped up in preparation for a big race, an exam, an important meeting at work, and everything in between.

Can you guess, I am definitely experiencing all of the symptoms of ‘nervous pooping.’ Next time you are experiencing symptoms, here are some tips on how to calm your bowels:

·         Take some slow deep breaths

·         Listen to soothing music and stretch

·         Avoid foods that contain high amounts of natural sugars that usually promote bowel movement

·         And most importantly, stay distracted.

Writing my blog was my way to stay distracted, turns out all I had on my mind was nervous pooping!! Wish us luck, I will be back with some photos tomorrow.

These hot days of summer...

Hi Everyone!

I first want to send out my apologies for my little blog hiatus I have been on the last few weeks. This is turning out to be one crazy busy year, complete with a new job and event after event to plan for our wedding in November.

121 days to go...

I hope everyone is keeping cool in these last few heat wave days, but I wanted to share some tips with you to keep cool while staying green this summer:

1. Whether you have an air conditioner or not, try and keep your blinds and curtains closed during those peak sun hours of the day. As the sun shines in through the windows it is making your air conditioners and fans work double time to keep your house cool. This will help with energy consumption in these vital times when the power grid is working extra hard risking wide spread outages. 

2. Try and stay indoors wherever possible, but if you have to go outside keep hydrated. Water is your best friend on heat waves like this. A new study has found that if you keep your palms cool it will help your body from over heating meanwhile delaying fatigue and improving performance during strenuous activities. What I always try and do is have a nice cold ice filled water bottle with me, that way I am carrying in my palms to keep my body cool and I have cold water at my fingertips to stay hydrated. 

3. For those of you that don't like to drink a lot of water, how about a refreshing alternative to keep you cool. With my training well under way for Tough Mudder in a couple weeks, I am trying to keep those unnecessary sugars out of my diet without losing flavour. This is so easily done by just flavouring water and no I don't mean using a powdered drink mix. Try reading the ingredients list on one of those and see if you recognize anything. 

I was thinking the more natural way. So here is the recipe for our latest creation:

Ingredients:

1-2 tablespoons of fresh basil chopped

1/4 cup of lemon juice or juice of one lemon

6-10 slices of cucumber

1/4 cup of blueberries or raspberries

Directions: 

Combine all ingredients in a one litre container with cold water. If you need some sugar to sweeten it, add agave nectar. 

Stay cool this summer! 

Today's Green Tip

Smoking - It's bad for your health. You see images like this one all the time, but have you ever stopped to think about some of the environmental effects of smoking?

Over 600 million trees are used each year as fuel to dry tobacco. Also, tobacco plants use more nutrients than many other crops so they degrade the soil for future crop use.

Happy Pride 2013

It's funny how we can take things for granted. In Canada, we are afforded the luxuries of free health care, safe drinking water, the right to vote, among many other luxuries. In other countries around the world, the same cannot be said.

One of the easiest ways to look at it is,

In Canada, we have had the right to vote since 1920 and the 2011 voter turnout rate was just 61.1%, although up from 2008, this is a mere showing from the 75% we saw decades earlier. In other countries, they are not even given the chance to vote. Do you think if they were given that chance they would show up with just 60% of the eligible voters. We take our right for granted...

Yesterday, some family members and I went to Toronto to celebrate the 2013 Gay Pride Parade; we were there supporting a family member who was attending his first gay pride parade as an openly gay man. I realized while I was there, that I take for granted that I can marry the person I love, hold their hand in the street, and do all of this without ridicule or judgement. That is what is amazing about Pride week, it increases the awareness of the LGBT community.

The Pride parade was a one of a kind experience. It was such a happy environment, you could just feel the love and support everyone was there to give. So from me to you, Happy Pride Everyone! I hope you can join me next year as Toronto gets the honour of hosting World Pride 2014.

A New Trend for the Rich and Famous

Hi Everyone,

Today we went on a sight seeing cruise along the Florida keys, between Siesta Key and Longboat Key. We saw some of the most beautiful beach front properties, different species of birds and a family of dolphins.

According to our tour guide, only 3% of the people living in these beautiful homes, all of which are 10 times bigger than mine, are living there full time. The other 97% are just vacation homes for the winter months. Another fun fact I was amazed to hear was that there is a trend in new homes being built on the coast. The rich and famous are finally thinking about their environment when building these homes and adding solar panels to the roof. These are the two of the hundreds of homes we saw:

In the heat of the summer, there is almost 15 hours of sun in a day. They can generate enough electricity to power their home appliances each day. I am hoping that next time I come up here there will be even more homes adopting this eco power. 

Are there any neighborhoods you travel to annually and are starting to see more environmentally friendly changes taking place?

Beach Fashion Change Up

Hello from Florida!

We have had nothing but beautiful sunny days here, sorry to rub it in! On the downside, I am starting to resemble a lobster. You really underestimate the strength of the sun... Trust me I have been slathering on the sunscreen.

Today is the start to a new feature of the blog. It was inspired by those days when you look into your full closet and say "I don't have anything to wear." I read a lot of magazines and browse pinterest quite often, only to feel like my closet is inadequate. Keeping up on all of these fashion trends is not budget friendly. So I have set out to try and make my closet the closet of my dreams with minimal purchases. It’s all about looking at what is in your closet in a different way and buying the right multi-use items.

I started with a $15 Walmart dress, shown below (similar here):

Make sure the dress is an elastic top so you can make it a skirt, as show below. This way, when you don't have a lot of time to change, or want to pack a little lighter on vacation, you just need a couple of accessories to change it up and you have this:

I added a white tank top and a belt around the top of the skirt. This way I got two outfits out of three items (dress, belt, tank top), and it looks like a whole new outfit. 

In the coming months, I will also add some photos of cheaper designer outfits from items that are probably in your closet. 

Do you have any items that are dual purpose? Send me a picture and we can share the inspiration. 

Fun in the Sun!

Hi Everyone! I am writing from Long Boat Key, Florida today. I am on vacation for the next 10 days with some ladies for some much needed rest and relaxation.. I know it’s back to reality all too soon so I will be enjoying everything Florida has to offer while I am here.

So far the travel has been good. We had a 40 minute layover in New York City so Becky and I went on a little walk through the JetBlue terminal. What did we find? A 7-foot NBA player.. at least we know he was famous because there was people taking pictures of him. If you were in the airport around 7AM this morning and you saw a 7-foot guy in red basketball shorts, a white t-shirt and basketball shoes.. maybe you can let us know who it was!

Oh, and I also managed to find an office supply store. I know.. sometimes I think Staples is my candy store. It was a cute little store called ‘Muji to Go.’ They had a lot of travel accessories but the other side of the store was full of pens, brief cases, report covers, note pads and so much more. Yes, that was the highlight of our short visit to the JFK airport.

That all being said, I figured while I am in Florida, it would be a good time to start another ‘shade of green’ on the blog which I am hoping will be a monthly feature. Sorry gentleman.. it is all about fashion!

I read a lot of magazines and browse pinterest quite often, only to feel like my closet is inadequate. Keeping up on all of these fashion trends is not budget friendly. So I have set out to try and make my closet the closet of my dreams with minimal purchases. It’s all about looking at what is in your closet in a different way and buying the right multi-use items.

I am a little tired from our 5am airport adventures this morning so look for tomorrow’s finance friendly fashion ideas. 

Dinner for One

Last night, I got home from a long day at work and remembered Mike was working so he wouldn't be around for dinner. I must say, getting motivated to cook for one is not easy!

So I opened the fridge, freezer and pantry.. I was about to say that dreaded phrase "We have nothing to eat." And then I saw a glimpse of the fish in the freezer. I then remembered we had some ingredients left from Taco night on Sunday. Fish tacos it is.

I have some normal go-to ingredients when Mike is working - fish and/or mushrooms. Mike doesn't like them so I sneak then in when he isn't home (sometimes I sneak mushrooms into meals, but Shh... don't tell Mike!).

Tuesday Fish Tacos

Ingredients:

Refried beans
Greek yogurt (as a replacement for sour cream)
Red onion, chopped
Lettuce, I used romaine
Avocado, sliced
Fish, chopped (whatever is in the freezer, I used an herb crusted tilapia)
Salsa

And as easy as it is to chop up all the ingredients, add it to your small whole wheat tortilla shells and enjoy. I put refried beans on because I wanted a little extra protein but I probably wouldn't put them on next time around, it was just a texture thing that didn't work with all the other fresh ingredients.

Let me know what you think.

Side thought - Do you ever feel like the pictures you take are just horrible and someone (namely Mike) with the same camera in their hand can do a much better job. Sorry for the pictures... I need to work on that! My accountant brain is fighting the creativity side sometimes I think.

Protein... The Right Way

What looks more natural:

Hemp Hearts

Protein Powder

Mike and I started back on our breakfast smoothies after a winter hiatus and I found I was drinking a large smoothie in the morning and it just wasn't lasting. An hour after drinking it, I found myself wanting more. So I did a little research and it turns out there just wasn't enough protein in my breakfast routine. But, every solution I found told me to add a protein powder (see picture above). 

I just couldn't do it. I went to product shelf and read 5 different ingredient lists; I couldn't pronounce 50% of the items on each list. So I have now set out to find a more natural solution. 

First thing, we decided to find what we could add that was as close to our comfort level as possible. If you don't know Mike, he is a little picky.. but trying very hard!! My first thought was to add nuts, but I wanted to make sure they weren't going to be completely impossible to drink in a smoothie. Hemp hearts became a perfect solution. If you haven't tried them, they are a soft texture and pack a protein punch. 

4 tablespoons packs 15 grams of protein

Required daily intake of protein is generally 50 grams (however it depends on your age)

But, it doesn't end there. There are many other ways to add that protein punch to your morning smoothie including - yogurt, milk, almonds, etc. At the end of the day, I just want to make sure I recognize the foods that I am eating and not automatically turn to protein powder because it is easier. 

Is there any special formula you have to make sure you are getting enough of protein daily?

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there. I was driving by a church yesterday and their very clever sign read:

"God couldn't be everywhere, so he created moms"

I think that one sentence sums up mothers so nicely but I did a little research and thought this was a great extension of that. A poem by George W. Wiseman.

God could not be in every place

With loving hands to help erase

The teardrops from each baby’s face,

And so He thought of mother.

He could not send us here alone

And leave us to a fate unknown;

Without providing for His own,

The outstretched arms of mother.

God could not watch us night and day

And kneel beside our crib to pray,

Or kiss our little aches away;

And so He sent us mother.

And when our childhood days began,

He simply could not take command.

That’s why He placed our tiny hand

Securely into mother’s.

The days of youth slipped quickly by,

Life’s sun rose higher in the sky.

Full grown were we, yet ever nigh

To love us still, was mother.

And when life’s span of years shall end,

I know that God will gladly send,

To welcome home her child again,

That ever-faithful mother.

So Happy Mother's Day Mom! I wouldn't be where I am without all of your love and support.

Training Week 1

Are you a tough mudder? Well by the end of the day on July 28th, 2013, Mike and I can only hope we will be crowned with the famous orange headband.

We are now officially 78 days away from the big day. The course is complete with 20-25 obstacles and a  10-12 mile course. 

Some people say we are out of our minds, but I say it's a great challenge! It's like fast forwarding through your bucket list in 3-4 hours on a Saturday afternoon with all of your friends around. 

All that being said, it is training time now. We are almost through week one... 

• Day 1 - Trail running and stairs
• Day 2 - Rest
• Day 3 - Circuit training 1 through 3
• Day 4 - Circuit training 1 through 3
• Day 5 - Running
• Day 6 - Will be Circuit training 1 through 3
• Day 7 - Will be Circuit training 1 through 3
• Day 8 - Will be Rest

Yes my calves are sore and my arms feel like jello every morning, but it will be worth it in the end... right?!

Have you ever done a tough mudder event, any tips to share? What's on your bucket list that you can knock off this year?

Today's Green Tip

Reduce your reliance on packaging. 

Avoid single serve items at the grocery store and force yourself to look for those products with minimal packaging. Also, make a conscious effort to choose cardboard packaging rather plastic because it is more sustainable. In Canada, only 22% of excess packaging ends up being recycling, meanwhile the rest ends up in landfills around the country.

Tax Season is Over!!!!!!!!!!

This is my quote of the day to celebrate the end of my crazy work hours in making sure everyone is filing their tax returns with the government. I hope you have gotten your tax return done! 

“The best things in life are free, but sooner or later the government will find a way to tax them.” - Unknown

I think I found a loop hole to this in my post Free Feels Good.

Happy Earth Day Challenge

Happy Earth Day everyone! 

(Picture take from - http://fun-gall.blogspot.ca)

Your challenge today, fight to get earth recognized as a national statutory holiday! Okay, I am kidding, but wouldn't that be nice. My challenge to you is to do just one thing to change your routine that will be more environmentally friendly. Even if it is just this one day, every little bit helps.

Here are some ideas for you to try:

• If you always go to your nearest Tim Horton's on your way to work, bring yourself a travel mug instead of getting a paper cup. Better yet, make yourself a coffee at home or have one when you get to work.
• If you take the elevator every day to get to the office, take the stairs. You get the added bonus of a little extra exercise as well.
• Don't have a recycling bin in your office or workplace area? Take your lunch time recyclables home to recycle instead of the convenience of just tossing them away into the garbage.
• Reduce your reliance on unnecessary packaging. Bringing a sandwich to work? Put it into a reusable container instead of a Ziploc bag. 
• Buy in bulk instead of single serve packages that use way to much packaging just for added convenience. 
• Pick up the garbage you just step over on your walk into work every other day to help clean up your neighborhood. 
• Consider exercising outside instead of relying on hydro to power your workout inside the gym. 
• Always driving to work? Try public transit or bike to work. 

The list is endless. Find what fits best for you and spark the conversation with someone else. Earth Day is all about awareness and getting people to think about their surroundings. 

What would it be like in 10 years, 20 years, or 30 years, if we all just said, I am not going to be around for much longer, why do I need to recycle or think about the environment? Think about the second, third, fourth generation of your family... how do you want them to live?

Freedom 85

How many times have you said a sentence very similar to this, "Oh sorry I can't go, I am trying to stay on a budget to save some money". I am willing to bet.. not often enough!

Don't worry I have been there. Here is my story.. I moved out of my mom's house when I was 18 with my twin sister into a two bedroom apartment. We were living in this nice apartment without any furniture, so we go out and buy furniture and get some pieces from family and friends. All of that was planned and budgeted for. What we didn't think of was that first grocery store visit. The fridge and cupboards are completely bare, the ketchup, mustard and salt & pepper really add up. Next thing you know, first month, and you are over budget. And of course you need to enjoy your apartment and invite friends over and host parties. All I can say to that is, potlucks are a wallet saver! We found ourselves going to school and paving our own way. With only part time income and all the responsibility, life really adds up.

At the same time, I even found myself shopping to relieve stresses at school which also helped to rack up the bills. I always used the excuse that I needed clothes for work. I was going to be starting a career as a professional right?!

In the end, I found myself with a maxed out student line of credit and a closet full of clothes worth nothing. Luckily, I got hired on at my internship full time right out of school and I could get started right away to just put all my money to pay off that line of credit I managed to rack up.

Wrong!

Then it becomes going out for lots of lunches with people at work, grabbing a couple drinks after work which always turned into dinner, going on regular date nights out paying $200++ for dinner because I was working so much during the week. Not that Mike would ever guilt me, but you as a woman, and ladies I know you know what I mean you feel the pressure/guilt to hang out with your man. The easiest answers, 'Let's go out to dinner and have a date night, we haven't seen each other all week. At the time, I thought I was living in style, eating at Canyon Creek on a regular enough basis that the waiters knew me by name! Don't get me wrong, it is absolutely delicious, but a $200 meal every weekend is just not sustainable. Plus a nice bottle of wine to enjoy.

It wasn't until we started saving for our down payment that we finally snapped into reality and got our priorities straight. If working late a few nights extra a week meant getting into our home sooner and not going to that fancy restaurant, I was all for it. It no longer become a source of guilt, but a motivating factor to be able to own our home sooner.

Throughout all of that, I just paid off my student line of credit last year. That's 3 years after graduation with a full time job the entire time. That being said, i am happy it is over, but not so upset it took my that long to repay it. Over that period of time, I got used to living on a lower amount of cash in order to repay my loan. Now I am using that 'extra' money for savings.

I am  not telling you this story so you feel bad about me, but I want you to realize you have someone to relate to if you are in the same/similar transactions.

How does this relate to your personal situation? Do you want to share some of your experiences.

                                     Remember: We are a slave to debt, money gives us freedom. 

When you are old and grey, you don't want to have to be worrying about the bills piling up. According to national surveys, Canadians think they will be debt free within 10 to 15 years of the age group they are in. But reality shows, that people are carrying over $70,000 of debt into their 60's and the average age for people claiming bankruptcy is in their 50's. Do you want to be part of those statistics? 

See my earlier post on Creating your Household Budget for some help on your next steps to taking control of your finances. Dealing with the true numbers aren't always fun, but you need to face the reality of the past in order to own up to it and make the changes for the future.  

Today's Green Tip

Use a travel mug for beverages on the go.

Even if you want your daily Tim Horton's fix (it's a Canadian thing), bring a travel mug with you and help reduce the waste going into our landfills. Plus, it will keep your coffee warmer for longer. Not to mention, they usually charge you for the size below (ie. If your mug looks like it might fit a medium coffee but fits a large, they always charge for the medium).

Certain coffee shops offer discounts for those who bring their own mug:

• JJ Bean Coffee Roasters
• Starbucks 
• And most other local coffee shops

Comfort Food

When you are feeling stressed and a little run down, what is better than some comfort food?! So I set out to make the best Shepherd's pie ever.

Ingredients:

1lb ground beef
1 large onion, diced
4 large carrots, diced
1 cup frozen or fresh corn
1 teaspoon of dried thyme and fresh ground pepper
2 tablespoons of flour
1 tablespoon of butter
1 glass of red wine (about 1 cup)
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce
1 cup of beef stock
Mashed potatoes for topping (about 8 cups) Peeled or not, whatever you prefer.
Grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat over to 400 degrees F
2. Saute carrots for about a minute in oil, add in the onions for a minute and then add the ground beef, thyme, and cook until browned.
3. Drain excess fat from the pan.
4. Add butter and sprinkle with flour
5. Add tomato paste, wine and Worcestershire sauce. Cook until reduced slightly.
6. Add beef stock and corn. Allow to reduce down until you have a thick meaty gravy.
7. Remove from heat.
8. Grease an oven proof dish. I used two meatloaf pans. 
9. Add the meat sauce and top with mashed potatoes. I usually end up with about 2 inches of potatoes on top of the meat layer. 
10. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
11. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the potatoes are nicely browned.
12. Let sit for a couple minutes to cool down and enjoy. 

I consider myself a Shepherd's pie connoisseur and this is the best shepherds pie I have ever eaten. We also froze in an oven safe dish the meat layer for another night and it freezes very well. The next time you want to enjoy it you just make some nice freshly mashed potatoes and pop it in the over for 20 minutes. Plus when it is cooking you get the aroma of beef gravy and red wine, so delicious. 

Try the recipe and let me know what you think. Remember - you only needed a glass of wine for the recipe, and red wine is really only good the day you open it. So make it a night to sit down and relax with a glass of wine with dinner too. 

Today's Green Tip

Switch to compact fluorescent light bulbs. 

They are 75% more efficient than conventional light bulbs and one of the easiest ways to reduce your carbon footprint. Some people say, "I can't use those light bulbs, they are ugly." Well fact is, they have CFL lightbulbs now that look like a conventional light bulb. You will have to start using the CFL bulbs soon, conventional light bulbs are set to be phased out in 2014.

Today's Green Tip

Wash out bottles, cans and jars before recycling them. 

Leaving food remnants in your recyclables runs the risk of contaminating the rest of the recycling, which may force the whole lot to be thrown out.

Tip - For those pesky peanut butter jars that don't seem to ever come clean. Fill it up with hot water, add a couple drops of dish soap (I use Dawn dish soap... of course) screw the lid back on and shake. Let that sit for a couple hours in the sink. When you go back, give it another shake and pour out the water, the jar will be recycling ready.

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! I hope you enjoyed some time off over the weekend and got to enjoy time with family and friends.

I am extremely busy at work right now, but this weekend I took some time to just enjoy my family. It was some much needed rest and relaxation; honestly it was the best stress therapy out there. And so.. it all got me thinking..

What are some everyday stress solutions when a big family affair isn't practical. With a little research, I came up with the following tips and tricks:

1. Add a smile. Just stop, breath and go to your happy place! Taking two minutes to slow down and think of the things you are grateful in your life, almost always you will be able to reduce those stress effects. 
2. Warm your hands. When stress or anxiety rushes in, your blood flows to your heart and large muscles. So you if you just trick your body into redirecting the blood flow back to your hands and other limbs, you can trick your mind to release the stress and anxiety.
3. Be philanthropic. Similar to #1 above, think about the things you have in your life that other people around the world are not privy to those same luxurious. Use that to donate your time, money or other resources, it will lift your mood almost immediately. 
4. Eat some carbs. If you eat a whole grain carb meal, it will raise your blood sugars and result in calm and positive feelings. Chocolate will do the same but its an unnatural sugar high that will not last. 
5. Pull out some weeds. This is one of my tricks, I get into the garden and pull out some weeds and I get some sort of satisfaction from it that clears my mind completely!
6. Downward facing dog. You don't even have to do a full yoga class, just take a couple minutes to take some strong breaths in and focus on a slow breath out. This will clear your mind and allow you to relax in order to alleviate the stress.
7. Exercise. Numerous studies show that with a little regular exercise provides a surge of neurotransmitters that are natural anti-depressants.
8. Be nostalgic. Listen to your favourite music, look at some family photos, etc. Those memories will change your mind frame and allow you to disconnect the focus to your stress and anxiety. 
9. Light a candle. Citrus scents are known to life your spirits. Even lavender is a commonly known stress reliever. 
10. Have a burger. Okay I don't mean to drive over to your local McDonalds, but get a natural beef burger, it will increase your iron which boosts your energy levels. Iron deficiency is very common among men and woman and it is a large culprit if you are feeling fatigued, dizzy, muscle weakness among many others, you should consult your doctor. 

All of these are tricks I use to manage my hectic life. I want to be able to enjoy every day, and if I let the little things stress me out, there would be no time to stop and enjoy.

I know coming out of a long weekend can always ramp up the stress into the work week, I just hope these tricks can help you manage some of the stress in your every day.

Weekend Adventures

With only one more work day to the weekend, I can’t help but think of all that free time! Well I am thinking of everyone else’s free time… it’s tax season for me! So I thought what better way to spend a Sunday afternoon with friends or your significant other than reminiscing on your childhood and shopping for great deals.

Guess what it is yet?

The Flea Market!!!

I can remember every weekend going with my dad to the Flea Market with my allowance and searching through the vendor tables to find that one special item. My dad on the other hand  left with a Ren & Stimpy t-shirt EVERY time.

(How could he resist that)

So we laced up our shoes and went in for a few hours of adventure. While there, we found countless vendors housing toys, cassette tapes, rotary phones, tools, glass dishware, and so much more.

Here is a fun fact – Did you know that in 2011, the dictionary announced it would be removing the word ‘cassette tape’ from the condensed version of the dictionary.

We were in our glory in this vendors section. Countless toys from our childhood, even a grown man couldn’t resist (Mike)!

All that reminiscing aside, we took our $30 and found two liquor decanters and a set of green glass bowls. These aren’t just any glass bowls, these complete the set I received from my grandmother before she passed. Priceless. Our fun filled day became a day where I could remember the days spent with my grandmother and picture her right there next to me.

This weekend, I challenge you to try something new. Even go to flea market and see what treasurers you can find.