I bought vodka for the first time yesterday. It was the first time I can remember ever being carded for anything. It was also the first time I heard my young children use the word “vodka.” Slightly disconcerting, for sure.
The vodka section at Meijer has a bajillion choices. And I’m not exaggerating. I almost asked the one guy I saw buying vodka for a suggestion on which one to choose, but I noticed he took the cheapest one and walked away. So, I went for second or third from the cheapest, just for fun.
This is how I felt about trying to choose what kind of vodka to buy…
Having four little ones running with me through Meijer would be crazy, so we get the limo cart and put two on the bench, one in the front cart seat, and one in the back with the groceries. (Which also means I’m pushing about 150 extra pounds – call it my workout.) That means that Caleb was the lucky one to sit next to the 1/2 gallon of vodka. I felt like people were giving me dirty looks for that, but I could have just been overly sensitive since it was my first time and all.
Then the other special thing I needed arrived in the mail today…VANILLA BEANS!
I ordered mine from ebay, and spent $14.64 for 40 beans shipped to my mailbox. I’ve read (but not checked myself) that you can pay $4-5 for 2 beans at the store. Yikes!
The one other component to our project was a 1/2 gallon glass jar that I already had on hand (bought previously at WalMart for $3.97).
As soon as possible after I received the beans today, I recruited my three older littles to help me cut the beans! We cut them with kitchen shears, long-wise, leaving about an inch at the top to hold them together. The kids kept asking me why we had to leave it together at the top. I don’t know why! It’s because this post said to, and I am a rule follower. That’s just how it is.
After they were cut, we just dropped them – KERPLUNK – into the clean, empty jar.
Then we (read: I) poured the liquor over the beans, made sure the beans were all covered in that smelly, nasty stuff (sounds appetizing, huh?), and put the lid on.
Lastly, I put the jar in the back of the cupboard, behind the “Let It Snow” cups and gallon Ziploc of plasticware. I made sure it was an UPPER cupboard, since we all know Jaden would find it if it was down below, and I don’t even want to imagine what the outcome of that would be!
We’re going to take out that jar every now and then and give it a good shake. Then, in six months, I’ll strain it through a coffee filter/collander combo and bottle it in dark amber glass bottles to keep optimal flavor. And we’ll have some scrumptious homemade vanilla!
With the amount of money I spent on the beans and the vodka, I didn’t suppose I could call this a frugal project…until I looked at the pure vanilla extract in Meijer. The cheapest they had was 2 oz for $5.99. WOW! Factoring in the prices of the beans, vodka, and amber bottles, this will cost about $1.60 per 2 ounces! Woo-hoo!
