Waste Not, Want Not

My husband and I have always tried to be as budget-conscious as possible, but I've always been frustrated with the size of our grocery bill (since it's just the 2 of us) and the amount of food that ends up getting thrown out!  So, I've recently become a big fan of my freezer!  Since I had today to myself, I chopped up a couple large onions and 3 bell peppers that I bought fairly inexpensively from Aldi this past week, stuck them in freezer bags (keeping out what I actually needed for dinner tonight), and put them in the freezer! I also found some meat WAY on sale because it's final sale day is today, so I threw those in the freezer too!  I recently bought a big box of yogurts at Sam's for a good price and those also ended up in my freezer! YES, you CAN freeze yogurt.  I take out 5 or 6 for the week, and they thaw in the fridge over night and are good to go for the week!  Bananas (out of the peel) also freeze amazingly well--I use them in my smoothies.
My goal is to not throw out any food!  I'm getting there... one freezer bag at a time! :)

Coming Out... of the Cupboard

When Moises and I got married we received an espresso machine as a wedding gift. I was super excited about it, but we've never had the counter space to just leave it out, so it's always sat in a high-and-hard-to-get-to cupboard.  
Until recently.  
I've recently gone through our belongings and spent many hours sorting what we actually use versus what just takes up space.  I made a new "pantry" area in the hall closet just outside the kitchen, and one of the shelves also houses appliances not used so often...except for the espresso machine. :)  THAT is now housed right next to my regular coffee machine, basking in its glory for all to see!  
I actually use it too--and I love it!  Seeing as I spend many hours making espresso drinks for other people, I figured I should at least get to have a nice drink of my own every morning!  

Viva Espresso!!

Amazing Shopping Find! ! ! !

While I enjoy finding good deals and shopping for sales, I'm not a super-couponer or major bargain hunter by any means.  However, I was driving down the road after running some errands and decided to stop in at Goodwill.  I walked around for a few minutes and then headed for the appliance section... and there it was--a bread machine... and it was only $6.99!!! I've been wanting one of these for quite some time, but could never bring myself to buy a new one because it simply wasn't in our budget... but $6.99 I can afford! So I quickly picked it up and took it to a wall with an outlet and plugged it in, and presto! the display screen turned on. I unplugged it, and immediately took it to the counter to purchase.  Once I arrived home, and went online to see if I could find the manual, and sure enough, there it was--recipes and all! I've cleaned it, made space for it on my counter,  and now I just need to get some ingredients, and my bread-making shall commence!

a new start

I used to have a blog... however, I haven't accessed it in quite some time, no longer have the email that was attached to it, and cannot remember my password. There were some good posts in it, so I'm a little sad... but I'm accepting this as a new beginning for my blogging.
As you see, I am JavaGirl :)  I love coffee-I have for many years-and I work in a small coffee shop in my town... I'm a barista.  I love it.  Although that is the title of my blog, my posts won't be solely dedicated to "cwaffee twalk" :) I will discuss and explore life and love... and sometimes coffee and the happenings of my workplace.
I'm not sure who will actually read this, but I look forward to sharing my life with you and maybe hearing from you.