Wednesday 7 December 2016

Do something useful.

I had a busy weekend, I was running around and doing errands cleaning tasks.

You know what, it felt good to look back on Saturday and see how much I got done, so we relaxed and just lazed around the house on Sunday.

Kids got grumpy, house got messy, and when I went to bed I noticed I didn't get "anything" done.

Tuning out and watching TV or goofing off isn't a good way to spend time.
I don't enjoy it, and it pushes me further from where I want to be.

Why do that, when I can do something useful that makes me feel better?

Monday 5 December 2016

You have too much stuff

I've accumulated a lot of stuff.

I find that the exciting trip is seeing new boxes, bins and storage items to put it in.
I have to take the minivan and load up, the amount of storage material simply won't fit in my car.

I find I have to spend time looking for things that I know I have, but can't find them "right now", if ever.

I simply have too much stuff.
Throw it out.

If it has more than a trivial value,  post it on craigslist or kijiji and if it doesn't move, donate it.
If you know it won't sell just donate it.

When I donate, I like to put in large clear plastic bags so I know what I'm gathering up.

Sunday 9 September 2012

Corn Starch

Well i was cooking a beef stir fry and found the meat always sticks a bit.

I tried rolling it in a bit of corn starch first, doesn't stick while frying.

Second advantage of a bit of corn starch is it thickens up my stir fry sauce a bit, nice and gooey instead of near water consistency.


When you make a stir fry, find a nice brewed soy sauce, not that overly salty stuff you find at many grocery stores. It might stink a bit, but it cooks up nicer.

Tuesday 1 May 2012

2 Blankets

I love my wife, but she's always cold, and I'm not.
We solved this a while ago, we just have our own blankets.

Queen bed with single bed blankets, both of us with the exact warmth we want.

We just thrown a queen comforter to hide the different blankets during the day. So nobody knows our secret.

SSHHHHH

Monday 23 April 2012

Add flavour

Want to eat healthier, find good ways to add flavour.

I have 5 different hot sauces, and a few jars of ground/chopped stuff like horseradish, garlic and ginger.

When I cook, I try to use one of those to add flavour, they're not too bad in sodium, fat or calories, unlike most other stuff.

Today I had a grilled chicken breast with avocado and horseradish. Lots of flavour, no added salt, fat or sugar.

My favourite hot sauce is Sirrachi Sauce (aka rooster sauce). The chili-garlic mix is great flavour.

If you've got hints on healthier ways to season food, lemme know.

Sunday 22 April 2012

Shop Once

I try to shop at one grocery store.
Right now I go to Freshco which sits mid market, maybe biased to the discount side, but still good.
They're not the cheapest, but they have a decent selection of good quality produce and they offer price matching (actually they beat by $0.01).

I save a lot of time by only making 1 major shopping trip to a single store once a week. I know the store well, I tend to go off times and can typically do all my shopping in <45 minutes, including the drive.

I do do a second mid week "fresh" run for perishables, but unless I want to go without, there is no way around that.

Automated soap dispenser

Lysol sells a small battery powered soap dispenser. They're $15 or so, but I find they go on clearance for about $7.
I have 2, I like them, so does my young son. The thing is the refills are expensive.

Fortunately you can just pop off the top and fill with normal liquid soap. Saves a lot of money, and  you don't have to use their scented soaps, some of them are quite strong.