Sunday, February 10, 2008

Crib Bumpers, No Shopping & Carne Picada

Kamorah's crib bumpers needed to be washed and since the washer was preoccupied with Addy's-let's call it "accident" laundy, the bumpers were put on the back burner for a day. I didn't think it would be that big of a deal until Addy and I went in to check on Mora after her nap and found her like this... I call this picture Free The People. Sure am grateful for those normally overlooked bumpers


No Shopping. I think I missed out on the feminine "shopping gene". I definitely don't turn to shopping for therapy or comfort. I don't care to wander through stores one bit. My husband enjoys it more than I do so I'll send him whenever I can (especially if it's to Costco-love you Babe). I can't even remember the last time I bought clothes. Oh' yes I can. Clearance rack at Target when we first moved here. I bought a pink jacket and two shirts. Felt like I was really splurging. I know I know, "but sometimes you just need to treat yourself. It's amazing how good you feel in new clothes". Not me, seriously. If I were to go to some store in the mall, pick out a shirt that was not on sale, by the time I got it home I would've convinced myself that I didn't need it, and it would weigh on me until I returned it. Maybe it's a guilt thing. Maybe it's a pride thing. Either way, I might be fit for psychological evaluation on this one. I've come a long way since first being married and have let my husband win out on a few big purchases. The bottom line, I don't like shopping because I don't like spending money. In fact I take great pride in not spending money. It is a great source of satisfaction in my life. I feel so rewarded, so accomplished, so non-wasteful and free! Purchasing our necessities under budget is liking getting an 'A' in a hard class. It is hard for me to buy something that we don't absolutely need. Ask my poor husband. His selections at the store go through a rigorous trial of necessity vs. luxury before purchase.

I'm always buying in bulk, bargains, clearance,coupons... trying to save a little here or there. But every once in a while, I discover a cheaper way of doing something. Better than just a one time deal, a different way of living that can continuously put more money into our pockets. Just yesterday I came upon one such discovery.CARNE PICADA! So I thought I had discovered something when I realized how much more affordable it is to buy stew meat in bulk instead of a whole roast; tastes the same, already cut. Until I found Carne Picada at the store yesterday. It is the same tough beef as stew meat just cut in smaller shreds. You are not going to believe me, but I spent $3.12 on a family size 5lbs (which the man reduced while I was standing there because it needed to be sold by the 15th so I still had several good days left). I was a little hesitant, but after the meat man insisted it was the same meat just cut differently, I was accepting, for the price. So today I tested it. After spending a few minutes removing the small deposits of fat (which most people would probably just ignore, I do it on any kind of meat) I coated it with flour and threw it in with some other ingredients for some stroganoff.

...and the grammy goes to...CARNE PICADA, my new cheaper way to do some crock potting and mexican style meals. It was absolutely delicious and obviously affordable. I even have half of it left in the freezer. I can hardly contain my excitement.

So today my miracle
those little make-life-more-affordable finds
.
like you, CARNE PICADA. Here's to you, you money saving, great tasting, spanish version of a classic traditional.

15 comments:

rachel said...

Love the Free The People photo! Was her little leg stuck??

I think I need to head to the meat dept. and get me some carne... what was it called? I already forgot. (I'll make sure I write it down before heading to the grocery store.)

Thanks for the tip.

Brianne & Jarod said...

I am definitely not letting Jarod read this entry...he would probably like to be married to you instead ;) I was BORN with a shopping gene, and have had to try and try again to restrain it. I have gotten better over the last couple of years, but it is a daily battle. (Lots of times I like to shop for gifts for other people! I could walk through Target just looking at things for hours)

If you want to avoid having to touch the meat and cut off fat (ewwww yuck!) then you could to what we did and go vegetarian. Ha ha ha! I love not having to touch meat! (I couldn't be near it for the first 4 months of my pregnancy)We have had a blast making new meals. (If we do have a small craving for meat, we get something for lunch that satisfies our bellies) Although, once again, if you have a hard time spending money...this may not be the way to go. Fresh Food is EXPENSIVE! UGH! Since my dad turned us onto the idea, I called and asked him if he wanted to DONATE to our monthly grocery budget..he didn't think that I was serious!

As always, you are amazing! Have a great week!

Rebecca said...

Okay so you can't just tell us about this affordable dish and then not share the recipe!! Love mexican food! Please share!

I would have rolled on the floor laughing if I found one of my kids like that! What a great moment captured!

McEuens said...

Hey, Sarah! It was great seeing your comment on our blog. It's so fun to hear from old friends. Gotta love the internet! I'm glad to see things are going so well for you guys. And your girls are adorable!

JAMIE said...

You and I both on the NO SHOPPING GENE! You already know that I hate it. I use to think it was because I never had money...that may be a small part of it...there is just a million other things I would rather be doing and I HATE LINES

LOVE LOVE LOVE the pic! I don't get cribs...MOrzy is getting so big...I hate it...i need to come and hold her...Addy seems like she watches after her.

I AM SO HAPPY about the mexi food. It is the best food ever! So so great. I have a few recipes on that, but not that one. YOu probably get more mexi stuff being in texas. I am so jealous

Sally F said...

Did you get that at HEB? I'm going there right now! Okay, maybe I'll wait til tomorrow. I have noticed they do have meat cut in more Mexican ways down here. Pretty cool.

Love the "Free the People" pic. I only used bumpers for like 1 week, because I got so sick of them getting in the way when I had to change the sheet.

Chelsey said...

Hey Sara, it's Chelsey. Your girls are beautiful! Love the blog! I think you'd really like this website that has all this info on coupons & good deals, it's www.pinchingyourpennies.com. My sister in-law actually makes money shopping. I'm not that good yet. I miss you. How long do you guys plan on being in Texas for?

H-less said...

Sal- Actually got it at Walmart (although I normally don't like the meat there all too much).

janet said...

I am a non-shopper too! and I love a good bargain!

CookinsForMe said...

I discovered Carne Picada over a year ago and have a few Carne Picada related entries on my blog! It's nice to run across someone else who knows what it is. :) Amazing product, isn't it? By the way, where in TX are you? Was the blog picture of the girls taken in TX? It looks like a spot in Lone Star.

Anonymous said...

I came across this site by accident - I was shopping at Wal Mart, and saw this meat called carne picada. I like to make chili and normally use stew meat, but thought that this might work better. In any case, thank you for the information! About the shopping gene, neither my wife or I have it - I just happen to be more tolerant of it than she is. Lastly, your blog is an inspiration to me. With all the fear running rampant in the world and in our own personal lives, stopping to think about the miracles in our life - and there are many! - is a way to see what is really important. Thank you for your work! Michael - husband of Mary Anne and father of our 7 incredible children.

Anonymous said...

I was shopping at Wal-Mart yesterday when I saw the woman in the meat dept. marking down large family sized packages of cut up beef (originally $8-$9 down to $2.09!!!) Carne Picada. I bought 2 pks and brought them home and split them up into 4 pks (froze 3). I'm going to use it to make burritos tonight. The meat dept woman said she had tried it before and said it was good. Now after reading what everyone has written I wish I would have bought the other 2 packages. I live in Florida so it's not just in Texas.
Being a Correctional Officer I can relate to the "crib" picture. LOL
I also hate to shop. I don't go on shopping trips I go on missions. Go in, find what I need and get out in the least amount of time. Mission complete.
Have a great day!

Anonymous said...

I'm following in Anonymous' footsteps. Just bought my first package of Carne Picada at Aldi's (newly to St. Cloud FL)and am so happy to hear about its versatility and affordability. I also stumbled upon your website and got a "family" feeling from reading your entries. This is the first time ever that I've blogged. Looking forward to "staying in touch".

Alene said...

I love your story about carne picada. I purchased some at Walmart the other day instead of stew meat or roast (it looks like stew meat only smaller). I slow cook it until it's tender, add mozerella cheese toward the end. Then I sautee some green peppers and onions in butter and we have homemade philly cheese steak sandwiches. I have 4 teenagers in the house plus their friends and they love it. Alene www.derwinhinson.com

luckydave said...

I use carne picada anywhere that calls for ground beef! Been using it for years now. Going to make chipotle enchiladas with it tonight!