No new stuff challenge: First Week of April

This has been a busy week in our house! First we had Easter which was a blast but very busy.Then we were also changing over our kitchen to non-processed foods and removing all plastic's from our kitchen as well. I have spent half my week in the kitchen it seems. The good things is that I am finding lots of recipes that we like so I will be able to start doubling recipes for the freezer this week. That will make my life SO much easier! 

One of the major changes we have made this week is to start sending the older two girls to school with a home lunch. I had read the school menu at the beginning of the year and was happy at that point with the options that were available. Lots of salads, lean meats, and veggies. I however did NOT realize that the kids could buy "treats" with their lunch money as well. I was horrified when I asked my 6yr old what she had to eat at school the other day:

*Cocoa puffs

*Two Chocolate milks

*Pizza

*Chips

*Chocolate ice cream

*Fruit roll ups

Are you kidding me? Who lets a 6yr old have free reign over their meals? When I was in school I was given a tray with a well balanced meal on it, there was no adding chips or chocolate ice cream! No wonder she comes home from school hyperactive...she is on a sugar high! Yeah that is conducive to learning.

Once I heard what she was eating I was determined to start sending their lunches and snacks to school everyday. I was however expecting to be met with just a bit of resistance. I mean I was taking away their chocolate and chips. I was very shocked (pleasantly this time) to find that my kids were actually excited about the change. They were actually giddy the first day I handed them their lunch bags.

I however was not quite prepared for the over night change. After all I had just gotten rid of all my plastic storage containers and sending glass didn't seem like the best option. I luckily was able to find the lunch bags their grandmother had gotten for them years ago so at least I had something to put the lunches in. I resorted to plastic baggies for the first few days while I did my research. I was able to find these eco-friendly containers used on amazon...with free two day shipping! I have no idea if these were actually used or if they were just returned to the company and had to then be sold as used from that point. They still had the original tags on them but did not come in the original packaging so who knows. While looking for glass water bottles I found the Lifefactory 16-Ounce Glass Beverage BottleThey are glass bottles covered in silicone to prevent breakage (although I am told they will still break if you throw them). I then needed to find some storage containers for the small snack items I send in their lunch packs. Things like grapes, carrots, etc that I would normally put in a ziploc bag. I found the Kids Konserve Leak-Proof Stainless-Steel Food Containers
 and fell in love. They are stainless steel, very sturdy, and easy for my 8yr old and 6yr old to open. I am a happy mama and better yet I have happy kids who are now eating healthy meals at school.

Remember how we just finished spring cleaning our kitchen and threw out all our plastic storage containers? Well I have been on the search for glass containers to replace them with. Finding used glass containers wasn't hard...but the prices were obscene. People wanted retail prices for things that had been used for long periods of time...guess that means there is good resale potential! I however was able to find some used sets on amazon that were reasonable. The first set I found was the Pyrex 14-Piece Round Storage SetIt had a damaged box, but the contents were 100% fine. The next set I chose was the Rubbermaid 8-Piece Glass Storage ContainersThe box was in perfect shape but one of the containers had a small chip that they had rounded down to make smooth...honestly I never would have noticed the chip if there hadn't been a post-it note on the container pointing out the chip. I now have plenty of glass storage containers, actually I may have too many ;)

This week my husband also started a new job. He now has his own cubical which apparently did not come properly equiped. He came home with a list of things he needed. Some things like a calender were easy (I asked him if he could just print one out and he was fine with that). Other things were a little more complicated, like a Black Leather Notebook holderI don't even know what the proper name for this thing is. Just a case for a notebook as far as I can tell. I asked myself if "work stuff" counted into the acceptable "school stuff" that I allowed at the beginning of the challenge. I decided to check ebay however before going shopping and was able to find a used leather binder that was the perfect size. I was able to make an offer on it and got it for $15 shipped. Hubby was very happy when he opened the package. Apparently I lucked out and got him the exact right thing so he matches all his buddies...I really thought we were past these types of things ;) One of the things he asked for however has been a pain. He needs an office type trash can. I checked ebay and the local thrift store and nothing. I asked him if he would be willing to take the one out of our bathroom (it is a small frosted can) and he was happy to do so. He however seems to have forgotten so I am not reminding him. After all I like my trash can!

As I mentioned last week hubby is a bit hard on his jeans just like our oldest daughter. I managed to get him a free pair last week but he asked me to find him a second pair as well. While I was at the thrift store I was able to find him a pair of Eddie Bauer Jeans Retail cost: $50, I paid $3. They fit perfect and he is a happy camper.

This week I also joined a Biggest Loser Challenge on my moms forum.  The goal is to lose 4% of my body weight in 4 weeks, that is a total of 8lbs. My first thought was that I needed to buy a new workout dvd. I mean how am I supposed to lose weight with just my stationary bike and elliptical, lol. I admit I might have a slight obsession with workout "stuff". I decided instead of going shopping I would check out my dvd drawer instead. Yeah...I found 30 workout dvds in there! THIRTY! Now some of  them are in sets but still! That is a little much! Needless to say I didn't buy a new dvd...hubby actually thinks I should sell some of the ones I have and get down to just 5 total. I am not quite ready to go THAT far. I am a work in progress for sure! I did my favorite 50min work out this morning and could only get through 34min before I thought I was going to die. That is pretty pathetic since the last time I did it I had no trouble completing the entire thing. That however was over a year and 2 children ago. I am doing my best though!

There you go another busy week here!  I am really enjoying this challenge it is a lot more fun then I was expecting it to be!  :)

Total I would have spent: $231.31
Total actually spent:  $106.91