Anecdotes and More

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Money Saver: Give Yourself a Daycare Rebate

You’re paying for daycare or preschool no matter what.  Don’t compromise on the quality of instruction, atmosphere, or anything else that instills the confidence to drop off your child every morning.  All else being equal, however, choose a daycare that allows you to pay tuition on a credit card, and use a card that offers points, airline miles, or cash back.  You’ll receive a small, but not insignificant, rebate for all that moolah spent on childcare.  Of course, this works only if you pay off your credit card balance on time and in full at the end of each month to avoid interest and penalties, and provided that your daycare provider does not charge any extra fees for using a card.

If you are disciplined about paying off your card every month, charge everything you possibly can to your rewards card, and you could end up with a substantial rebate- enough to pay for a vacation or something else fun.

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Girls’ Night Boat

Working moms are natural multitaskers- it’s an eat or be eaten survival skill.  I wanted to arrange a “girls’ night out” for my friends, and I’m also constantly looking for ways to spend more time boating . . . hmm.

Eureka! We’d have a girls’ night out on a boat—Girls’ night boat.  Other contenders were “Girls (Boat) Trip” (for all you Tiffany Haddish fans) and “Bad Boater Moms.”

We left the harbor and spent the first 40 minutes just relaxing and decompressing in silence.  We listened to Death Cab for Cutie and other faves on the Bluetooth: “I want to live where soul meets body, and let the sun wrap its arms around me, and bathe my skin in water cool and cleansing . . . and feel what it’s like to be new . . .”

Traveling down to Westport, we admired the seabirds, the endless sky, and even caught sight of a rainbow over the water.  We chatted and gawked at the beachfront homes—some were architectural masterpieces, others were ostentatious McMansions.  On the ride back, I pushed the throttle forward . . . woo hoo; enough said.

We disembarked and enjoyed fried seafood platters, live music, and plenty of white wine at Captain’s Cove Seaport in Bridgeport—if you offer to take friends boating, someone else will gratefully serve as designated driver for the ensuing festivities!

Sunset over the harbor, a second glass of Chardonnay, and it’s a wrap (at least until next time).  Us moms deserve to have fun.

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Time Saver: Outsource the Upkeep (Part I)

I listed this as a time-saving tip, but I’ve been told by friends who own boats that it also is a money-saver.  I’ve always loved boat rides, and for several summers now I’ve broached the subject of buying one.  Last summer, we inched forward from “are you kidding me?” to “maybe kayaks” – it was progress, but not quite what I had in mind.

Last fall, after we returned from a wonderful trip with friends to Martha’s Vineyard, I set my mind to solving this little problem.  I did some internet research and discovered something ingenious:  Carefree Boat Club.  We’re members of the Southern Connecticut branch.

It’s essentially Zipcars, but for power boats.  You reserve a boat online, show up and go, and hand back the keys when you return to the dock, without having to clean or fuel the boat when you’re done.  Although we’d never operated boats before, the club took care of that too—“Boater’s-ed” was included.  And we can use boats all over the country when we travel.  We took a boat out of Fort Pierce, Florida this spring, and I can’t wait to try the Seattle location in August.

This summer, I’ve tried to go boating at least once a week.  Some days it’s my “me time,” other days we go as a family to explore new places.  When the Long Island Sound is calm, it is serene; when there are waves, it’s an endorphin-rush of a roller coaster ride. Because they get you in and out fast, I’ve managed to go boating even on days when I’ve had only two to three hours to spare.  That’s the same amount of time it takes to see a movie, and I’ve wasted longer amounts of time on social media/the internet (including on blogs like this one- but, seriously, thank you for reading this).  I’ll post more outsourcing tips later, but this one definitely is a keeper.

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Boat-Friendly Blueberry Pie

(makes 10 individual pies)

I’ve been trying to develop some boat-friendly recipes for entertaining on the water.  Pie is messy to cut up and serve on a boat (we tried), so I created this recipe for individual pies that can be served to your guests with or without plates (though I recommend lots of napkins).  They can be made one day in advance and refrigerated.

For the crust:

  • 1¼ cups all-purpose flour
  • A pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon of sugar
  • Zest from one small lemon or to taste (I use a Microplane to zest the lemon)
  • 10 tablespoons of cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes (I use high quality grass fed butter, such as Kerrygold or butter from my local farmer’s market)
  • 2-4 tablespoons of cold water
  • Cooking spray
  1. Throw the flour, salt, sugar, and lemon zest into a food processor.  You can grate the zest directly into the food processor’s bowl.  Pulse to mix the dry ingredients.
  2. Add the butter and pulse until the butter is broken up into small pieces and the ingredients have the consistency of dry sand.
  3. Add the water slowly while pulsing until the dough just starts to clump together. Stop when it looks like wet sand.  Don’t over-process the crust.
  4. Turn the crust crumbs out onto plastic wrap, form them into a flat disk, wrap it up, and refrigerate the crust for at least one hour before rolling it out. It can also be refrigerated overnight.
  5. Roll out the crust.  Easy cleanup tip:  Roll out the crust on a sheet of parchment paper to keep the countertop clean. 
  6. Use a glass with a wide mouth to cut circles of crust that are large enough to fit into the cups of a muffin tin (see below).

Spray your muffin tins with cooking spray and fit the disks into the cups.  I throw the filled muffin tins into the freezer for 10 minutes before putting them in the oven.  This helps the butter in the crusts firm up again before they are baked.  Poke a few holes in the bottoms before baking.

Bake the crusts at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes (until they are golden brown).  They may shrink down from the sides of the muffin cups, which is fine.

For the filling:

  • 3½ cups of blueberries, washed and picked over
  • ½ to ¾ cup of sugar
  • 1 teaspoon of Sure Jell fruit pectin (original)
  • Cornstarch slurry (2 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons of water)
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  1. Puree 1½ cups of the blueberries.  Easy cleanup tip: Use a Nutrabullet instead of a blender for easier cleanup and to save dishwasher space.
  2. Add the pureed berries, sugar, and pectin to a medium saucepan.  Stir occasionally over medium heat until the mixture just begins boiling.  Increase the heat to medium-high and boil until the sugar and pectin are dissolved (for about 1 minute).  Then add the cornstarch slurry and stir until the slurry is fully dissolved.
  3. Remove the saucepan from the heat and skim off any foam that formed on top of the mixture. Mix in the cinnamon.
  4. After the mixture cools for 5 minutes, add the remaining blueberries and stir to combine.
  5. Once the crusts are completely cooled, gently lift them out of the muffin tins with the blade of a sharp knife, spoon the filling into them, and you are done!
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EmPowered

So, what’s the deal with the boats?  I’d been a passenger on a boat before, and I had always enjoyed it. I also love spending time near the ocean.  Ocean air relaxes me like nothing else does.  I’d been wanting to try boating for years, and this summer I finally took the plunge.  We joined a boat club (essentially “Zipcars” for boats) called Carefree Boat Club. We’re members of the Southern Connecticut branch.

Being a passenger on a boat was fun, but it didn’t prepare me for the sheer thrill of operating one.  I still recall the first time I left the harbor and pushed the throttle forward.   The engine roared to life, the sea breeze washed over me and relaxed me instantly, and I looked back to watch my wake split the water behind us.  How did I feel?  Freedom, joy, energy, and a sense of empowerment.  I was the captain of our ship, and I could take us anywhere.

That sense of empowerment carried over to other aspects of my life.  Sometimes I’ll try to get out on the water a day or two before an important hearing or deposition.  It focuses me and gives me more of an edge.

Working moms, in particular, are notorious for failing to take time for themselves- we feel guilty about it because there are so many obligations and chores.   That is a big mistake, which I had made for years.  Do one thing each week that lifts your spirits and empowers you.  It could be a fitness class, a girl’s night out, or, in my case, pushing that throttle forward.   You are worth it.  But if that doesn’t convince you, I’ll give you a guilt-free reason to do it-  it will make you a better mother, coworker, spouse, daughter, etc.  Really, it will.

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Money Saver: Split a Sitter

Working parents know that childcare gets pricey.  Between all-day preschool and afterschool babysitting for my older daughter, I could easily spend $500 or more per week on childcare.  And that doesn’t even include money spent on dance classes, swim lessons, and other activities.  My yearly childcare expenses far exceed what I paid in annual tuition when I attended law school in-state at UConn.  My four-year old won’t be able to write a legal brief when she graduates, though, trust me, her negotiation and oral argument skills are top notch.

To save money on afterschool care, we and another family in our district jointly hired a babysitter.  Both of our kids get off the bus at one of the two families’ houses, where our babysitter is waiting.  Our sitter is happy because she earns a few more dollars per hour than she would have earned to care for one family’s child, and each family pays far less than we would have if we had each hired our own sitters.