Three things have recently happened which have made life so much easier around the Marlin household, and they all deal with food. I don't think it's a secret that I'm not that interested in the culinary arts. It takes me a long time; I make a mess; sometimes what I make doesn't turn out the way it's supposed to; I have a hard time deciding on what to make; it stresses me out; I think you get the drift. Anyway, a co-worker recommended I try Make a Meal. It was created by a caterer in Conway who decided to move into the meal prep arena. They have a large selection of DELICIOUS, refrigerated and frozen meals for purchase. All you do is choose out which one you want, defrost it, and stick it in the oven. Thirty to 45 minutes later you have a home cooked meal ready! LOVE IT! And, it's only around ten dollars. Much cheaper than eating out, and almost as cheap as making your own version. Their website is www.makeameal.net.

When we do go grocery shopping to make our own meals or to stock up on essentials, we manage to save more money than in the past. Based on another friend's research and successful tryout, we discovered the benefits of The Grocery Game. It really does save you money. It watches for sales at particular stores in your area (it's not available in all areas) and evaluates coupon distribution through the Sunday newspaper. Then, it informs you of which deals to take advantage of because of rock bottom prices when the sale and coupon combination. These prices usually turn out to be lower than discount stores when this occurs. For more information, you can visit www.thegrocerygame.com. It makes grocery shopping SO much faster! And cheaper. LOVE IT!

Lastly, a friend of mine and I have signed up for the Arkansas Basket a Month program. Each month you receive a basket of locally grown/made mainly organic foods. LOVE IT! The cost is $60 per month, but if you have a smaller family you can easily split the basket - which then brings the cost to $30 per month. This month we received whole milk and chocolate milk from Mountain Springs Creamery, a dozen eggs, apple butter, field greens, white cheddar cheese, shitake mushrooms, brown rice, two foccocia rounds, and sweet potatoes. Plenty to split two ways. Awesome. Their website is www.arkansasfood.net.

With my final semester nearly half-way completed, these discoveries could not have come at a better time. In other news, Cole is still in the seemingly never ending potty training phase. We have a family trip planned for next weekend to celebrate my birthday in St. Louis. Lee and I have a trip planned to Horseshoe Canyon Ranch in April. And, Lee and I are going to Chicago the week after I graduate. Yea!

Until then,
Sonya