What I’m not:

A Professional Chef: I would say that I am an “aspiring chef” but NOT AT ALL AN ACTUAL CHEF. I am your everyday home cook who sometimes pretends to be in the third round of CHOPPED. However, I have watched enough Top Chef, Hell’s Kitchen, and Food Network to understand the basics of flavor profiles and food preparation.

A Crazy Coupon Lady: While I very much admire the spunk and stamina that couponers have when it comes to grocery shopping, there are several reasons why I don’t coupon:

• Coupons pressure me to buy items that I don’t use or regularly buy. 
• It is very time consuming.
• I don’t get the local paper.
• Math is hard.

As an alternative to couponing, I choose to purchase the items that I KNOW I will use and enjoy. I have gotten a lot better about being “brand loyal.” There are only a handful of items that I am super brand loyal to. (Don’t mess with my Cedar’s Tzatziki; there is only Cedars and no one else in my eyes.) And I don’t see brand loyalty as a bad thing because 1) You know EXACTLY what you are paying for and B) You know you will use it. With that in mind, I shop around for the best price for those products. Yes, that might mean that I get most of my groceries from one store and the rest at another, but once you get into that money-saving groove, the extra trip is worth it. Hey, do what I do and pretend you are on Super Market Sweep! Damn, I miss that show.

Trying to Sell you Something: The FIRE movement has inspired me to share my family’s story through this blog in hopes of “paying it forward.” This new way of thinking about money as hours of my life rather than just dollars in my pocket has completely changed the way I approach money. That dollar has now become so much more valuable and worthy of my time in earning it. Now that I know this, I want everyone to see money this way!

What I am:

A mom: Now that I am a mother, the days of the 2-hour shopping trips where I would slowly be browsing the endless aisles for new and exciting products and the 4+ hour meal prep extravaganza, experimenting with deliciously time-consuming recipes, ARE GONE. Gimme what is healthy, quick, and TASTY. I try to spend about 3 hours in total on meals for the week and this does include shopping time. I’m on FIRE now, baby!

A wife: I am so grateful and inspired by my husband’s interest in this blog. He is the most supportive man that I know. He has encouraged me to work as hard as I can for the chance that one day, I could make this a full-time gig. So, in return, i make sure he has a delicious lunch to take to work with him everyday to remind him of how much I love and appreciate him. I love him so much that I make him eat vegetables! We are in it for the long haul, bae! And I hear from his co-workers all the time that his lunches are on point! You’re welcome. 😀

A schoolteacher: If you’ve known any schoolteachers, time is the most precious commodity of the day. Without time, we can’t pee when we want, enjoy a lunch lasting longer than 20 minutes, and who know what fires we will need to put out at any one moment (and I’m not talking about the fun, foodie FIRES!) So, a meal that is warm, flavorful, and filling beats a stale zebra cake and a cold can of Chef Boyardee any day.

A writer: I have always been drawn to writing as a form of therapy. My mind tends to swirl with a million thoughts and ideas and without writing them down, they all turn to mush. This opportunity gives me a chance to write about everything that I am passionate about: my family, saving money, and of course, food. My goal is to make it easy and enjoyable for all my readers to embrace the Financial Independence, Retire Early Movement and get inspired to make some delicious dishes too!

A foodie: As a self-proclaimed “foodie,” I’ve been in love with food all my life. It wasn’t until I began working in a restaurant and cooking at home did I realize how much food means to me. Food is fun, food brings warmth, food brings comfort and surprise; food nourishes my family. And the combinations and flavors are endless.

One thing that food isn’t or shouldn’t be is stressful. It shouldn’t be time-consuming, unhealthy, or expensive. Take my tips, develop your own method for success, and do what works for you and your family.

In the end, food is both a joy and a journey. It is the practicing new preparation techniques and the discovery of new and exciting ingredients; all for the sake of enjoyment that it brings to the plate.  

Enjoy 😀

Lin