Apricot Braised Pork

apricot braised pork roast recipeThis was the ultimate “cheap” meal that tasted like a million bucks. I got the  pork roast on a B1G1 sale a while back, plus a coupon. I maybe paid a couple dollars for it.

I used some homemade apricot jam I had in the fridge, given to me by my mother-in-law. I mixed about 1 cup of jam with some dry mustard, sea salt, a little brown sugar, thyme, and fresh ground black pepper.

I roasted the pork at a lower temp all afternoon (about 300), and basted it every half hour with the apricot mixture. I let it rest for at least 30 minutes, and then used an electric knife to shave it thin. I used the pan drippings to spread over the cut meat.

We had delicious pork sandwiches with the leftovers the next day.

TotallyTarget.com

It has occurred to me that not everyone is aware of the site TotallyTarget.com, because not long ago I had no idea it existed. I love checking it for good deals, clearance items, and coupon help.

Don’t have a Target in your area? I still use it for coupon ideas, and I have actually found better deals at Cashwise, EconoFoods, or Walmart with the same coupons/product saving ideas.

Just today I got tons of free and nearly free items, including all the Rolaids our family could possibly use in a long time, lotion, shampoo, and deodorant. I was bummed that the clearance Jello that would have cost about 11 cents were gone when we got there, but we still got some great deals.

Do you have a site you absolutely love that helps you save money and find good deals? Please share it with us.

 

Creative Commons License photo credit: dno1967

Confession: I have a cleaning lady

zindex - clean up your cssFor the past couple years, I have had a cleaning lady come to my house for 3 hours, once a month. It is amazing what she gets done during that time. Let’s just say she is incredibly efficient and her friends call her “Tornado”. For less then $40 a month, I get the satisfaction of a sparkly house, if even just for one evening. Floors are scrubbed, bathrooms sparkly, dust wiped away. Ah, it is a slice of heaven. What she gets done in 3 hours would take me a whole weekend, cleaning around kids and trying to give them attention at the same time.

But why do I feel like I need to hide it from my friends, neighbors, whoever? Why does society make it acceptable for a woman to spend well over $40 monthly on clothes, beauty treatments, purses, and so on, but if I choose to put that money towards hiring someone to do clean my home I get a “must be nice” guilt trip? No, I do not have cash to burn in my pocket. I am quite frugal and love garage sales and hand-me-downs. I work full time and have two little boys and another on the way. Paying for a “professional” to come clean my house for 3 hours a month gives me more time with my family and I am all for that.

So I will sacrifice the expensive handbags and manicures for more time with my family (and not feel guilty about it!).