Monday, November 7, 2011
How Time Flies..
Between growing baby, school, house, and getting some sort of structure in our life (bwahahaha.. yeah, oook), blogging has taken a serious back burner. So, while I beg for forgiveness for not posting the 20 or so $5 dinner and other stuff I have waiting to be posted, here's some family photos. And, yes, our moose of a child is only 10 months old.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Hide Your Veggies: Picky Eater Edition
I think every household has that one adorable thorn in its side. The picky eater. This person would usually live on chicken nuggets and some form of potato if they were allowed to. They balk at many foods, but mainly VEGETABLES! RAWR!
How do I deal with a picky eater? My solution is simple: If you don't want what I've prepared ,you have two options. Make yourself a bowl of cereal, or go hungry. I try to cook healthy, delicious meals. Anyone who doesn't want to eat them doesn't have to, but I bet you'll be hungry come breakfast time.
I try not to make foods with ingredients my husband doesn't like. He (and I) dislike mushrooms, he doesn't care for raw tomatoes, and I don't care for raw onions or peppers. We're not fans of fish, okra, or fresh spinach. So I don't make meals with those things. The baby doesn't care for cauliflower, so I don't try to feed it to him. I'll try again in a couple months.
Here's the issue for some people though: They have a family member or spouse who doesn't like vegetables, or fresh fruit, or whatever other entire group of food. If Seth was against eating an entire food group, the only option I'd see fit was making 2 separate dinners. But not ME making two separate meals. If he doesn't want to eat the delicious meal I've made, he can cook his own food. I'm not a short order cook, and I'm not sacrificing the nutritional needs of my kids because he's a big baby. ;-)
A parent with extremely picky tastes with no real reason is setting their children up to be picky eaters. If all you eat are steak and mashed potatoes, you're setting your kids up to be obese, diabetic, and nutritionally deficient. This can affect how their growing brains and bodies function. Seriously. Am I harsh? You betcha. But seriously, being a big baby is not setting a good example for our kids.
Not everyone is willing to take that direct approach, so there's a few options for you too.
1- Make your eaters eat half a serving of whatever food group they're refusing. ("If you eat half your beans/peas/carrots, I'll leave you alone, BUT, you don't get any more helpings of anything else unless you eat the entire veggie serving.")
2- Enlist your spouse to help show the kids that food x is delicious. If your spouse is the picky eater, I like my household option up above there.
3- Hide 'em! Puree a bag of frozen mixed veggies and put it in your pasta sauce. Or in your meatloaf or meatballs. Mashed potatoes can have cooked cauliflower mixed in and no one will know the difference.
4- Try to find out what the issue is. If someone doesn't like the flavor of the broccoli you're putting in a casserole, ask them to help you decide on a suitable substitute. They don't like kidney bean chili? Try a creamy chicken and white bean version. They're going to have to start eating like a normal person who is appreciative of the food placed in front of them. They'll need to make a list of foods they're willing to eat that is reasonable for you to prepare, and nutritous.
5- When all else fails, cook for you! I make homemade mac and cheese and many other casseroles with not ah int of veggies in it. Then I'll make a veggie I like on the side. I love green beans, so I cook them for me. Seth doesn't like them very much, so he doesn't eat any. When Liam gets old enough to notice Daddy not eating his veggies, Seth will be choking down those green beans, to set a good example, whether he likes it or not. ;-)
How do I deal with a picky eater? My solution is simple: If you don't want what I've prepared ,you have two options. Make yourself a bowl of cereal, or go hungry. I try to cook healthy, delicious meals. Anyone who doesn't want to eat them doesn't have to, but I bet you'll be hungry come breakfast time.
I try not to make foods with ingredients my husband doesn't like. He (and I) dislike mushrooms, he doesn't care for raw tomatoes, and I don't care for raw onions or peppers. We're not fans of fish, okra, or fresh spinach. So I don't make meals with those things. The baby doesn't care for cauliflower, so I don't try to feed it to him. I'll try again in a couple months.
Here's the issue for some people though: They have a family member or spouse who doesn't like vegetables, or fresh fruit, or whatever other entire group of food. If Seth was against eating an entire food group, the only option I'd see fit was making 2 separate dinners. But not ME making two separate meals. If he doesn't want to eat the delicious meal I've made, he can cook his own food. I'm not a short order cook, and I'm not sacrificing the nutritional needs of my kids because he's a big baby. ;-)
A parent with extremely picky tastes with no real reason is setting their children up to be picky eaters. If all you eat are steak and mashed potatoes, you're setting your kids up to be obese, diabetic, and nutritionally deficient. This can affect how their growing brains and bodies function. Seriously. Am I harsh? You betcha. But seriously, being a big baby is not setting a good example for our kids.
Not everyone is willing to take that direct approach, so there's a few options for you too.
1- Make your eaters eat half a serving of whatever food group they're refusing. ("If you eat half your beans/peas/carrots, I'll leave you alone, BUT, you don't get any more helpings of anything else unless you eat the entire veggie serving.")
2- Enlist your spouse to help show the kids that food x is delicious. If your spouse is the picky eater, I like my household option up above there.
3- Hide 'em! Puree a bag of frozen mixed veggies and put it in your pasta sauce. Or in your meatloaf or meatballs. Mashed potatoes can have cooked cauliflower mixed in and no one will know the difference.
4- Try to find out what the issue is. If someone doesn't like the flavor of the broccoli you're putting in a casserole, ask them to help you decide on a suitable substitute. They don't like kidney bean chili? Try a creamy chicken and white bean version. They're going to have to start eating like a normal person who is appreciative of the food placed in front of them. They'll need to make a list of foods they're willing to eat that is reasonable for you to prepare, and nutritous.
5- When all else fails, cook for you! I make homemade mac and cheese and many other casseroles with not ah int of veggies in it. Then I'll make a veggie I like on the side. I love green beans, so I cook them for me. Seth doesn't like them very much, so he doesn't eat any. When Liam gets old enough to notice Daddy not eating his veggies, Seth will be choking down those green beans, to set a good example, whether he likes it or not. ;-)
Thursday, August 18, 2011
Grocery Shopping.. and recipes!
My husband brings home a decent amount of money. Plenty for us to live on, as well as some splurges. My reason for budgeting our household supplies so tightly is that it's the one area of our life where I do have some flexibility. Most of our other expenses are a set amount. We love to go visiting family, we love our electronic gadgets, and we love me being able to stay home with Liam. So, here we go. This will be sort of scattered, but I'm struggling to give this list of tips form.
I budget $200 per pay period for groceries, household/cleaning supplies, stuff for Liam, and hygiene products.At my next shopping trip, I'll itemize a list to show what we bought, and how we'll use it- as well as a general meal plan. I don't plan meals really. I keep a constant supply of certain things in the house and wing it when I buy other stuff. (More on that in a later post.)
Occasionally, we do go over- and that's why we also have a 'discretionary' budget. That's for movies, eating out, extra gas, birthday gifts, etc. I also dip into that budget for grocery overages.
Part of the reason I do that is because I'll see a great deal on something we use regularly and snap up as much as I can. I'll buy 20lbs of 'reduced for quick sale' beef or whatever and freeze it if I have the room. Even if that's 2 months worth of meat, at the low price it allows me wiggle room in my budget throughout that time.
I NEVER buy things we don't use a regular basis- even if they are on sale. For example, it takes us 6 months to use a bag of white flour, so buying a bunch just because they're on sale and will save me a dollar isn't saving me anything when they just take up freezer space I could use for other things.
Here's the way I cut our food costs as low as they are:
Payday- Pull your budget in cash. I cannot overspend if all I have is the cash in my hand.
List- Make your grocery list, and then rewrite it by priority.
Shop- Use a calculator. Keep track of what you're spending so far. When you hit your limit, stop putting things in your cart. I promise, your bottom listed things can be substituted.
A CHALLENGE:
Go look in your cupboards the night before grocery shopping. Either make a list of everything you have in your fridge and cupboards, or just pull it all out and set it on a table/counter/clean floor. Start creating meals with what you have on hand. When you've paired up everything you can, see what's left. Then make a list- using up those ingredients before adding new things. A few times a year I do this- and find we can often skip an entire shopping trip- or more. I took us 3 weeks on only spending about $40 to supplement what we had in the house. Try supercook.com . You input what you have on hand, and it shows you recipes with those ingredients.
A PLAN:
If you're here, you're wanting to reign in your grocery spending. Start with the basics. You don't need filet mignon. You don't need steak. Cheaper cuts of meat can be just as delicious if prepared well.
1- Buy your food in bulk. At Wegmans, we pay $1.99/lb for both boneless skinless chicken breasts and ground beef. Take it home, and portion it up. A portion of meat should be about 4oz. per person, or about 25% of the entire meal if meat is the only protein you're using. We pack it all into baggies and freeze. Buying the 10lb bag of cheese and freezing it in quart sized bags can save about 50-60% per pound! Same with pepperoni and many other things.
2- Buy frozen produce. Frozen produce is often fresher and cheaper than what's in the 'fresh produce' section. Frozen produce is usually processed immediately after being harvested, whereas "fresh" produce often gets picked too soon and is often left to ripen on trucks during transport. The alternative to this is local farm markets which often have very reasonable prices. Look into markets in your area, as well as co-ops. 50% of your meal should be non-starch veggies and that last 25% starch (potatoes, bread, pasta, rice, etc.), plus a serving of either dairy or fruit.
3- Learn to stretch your pennies. My meatballs and burgers are up to 50% breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. I only use 80/20 beef. (Fat is essential to EVERY meal! Fat is what makes you feel full, and keeps you feeling satisfied. Additionally, 80/20 beef makes for a much moister meatball or burger.) Taco meat can be made using 1/2 meat and 1/2 lentils. I love the texture and flavor. 2-3 nights a week, find other sources of protein outside of meat. There's hundreds of ways to use beans, and even a homemade mac and cheese packs nearly as much protein as a piece of meat would.
4- Minimize your use of convenience foods. For health reasons alone, this is a good idea. But, the cost savings are substantial too. I'll be posting a lot of easy, FAST, recipes in the following weeks. (Note: I do use pre-shredded cheese. At Wegmans, it ends up cheaper than the bricks if I buy a huge package.)
5- DIY. I use a lot of chicken stock for various things. And I always make my own. Here's how:
First, I save all my veggie scraps- skins, peelings, the ends of celery, skins and end of onions, pretty much any scrap that isn't a potato. Then, I save every chicken scrap- bones, skin, fat, wing tips. I even save the carcass if we get a rotisserie chicken. All of that goes into a gallon size freezer bag. When I have two full bags, I make stock. Everything goes into a 12qt stock pot, which is then filled to a inch from the top with water. I also toss in about 2T each of pepper, salt, and garlic powder. Then I simmer it, uncovered, all day- adding water if I need to. By the evening, it should be about reduced by half. I let it cool, then shove the whole pot in the fridge. In the morning, I scrape the fat off (and save it for flavoring mashed potatoes and other dishes) and see the texture of the stock. It should be like Jell-O. If it's not, throw it back on to boil for a few hours. If it is, heat it just up to liquid, then strain it over a colander into another bowl/pot. Toss the veggies and chicken scraps and then portion and freeze the stock. This can work for chicken, beef, or even veggie stock. It's literally using garbage and providing a base for soup, stew, gravy, sauce, etc.
6- Be conscious of what you're buying. Check the sale flyer if you want- but DO NOT buy things just because they're on sale. You don't need to eat garbage or buy 30 liters of soda pop. I don't check the sale paper, nor do I use coupons. I simply prioritize our list and buy what I know we can afford. There's an issue in my area (and others I'm sure) of kids passing out in school- usually in the last half of the month. These are food stamp kids with parents who buy crap and not enough food to last the month. So they end up having their school lunch as their only meal. They're starving and end up getting sick and passing out at school. Typical food stamps for a family of 4 are more than my monthly budget to cover ALL household expenses, and we've never come close to running out of food.
7- Meal plan. Some people will benefit from meal planning. There is software all over the internet, but I prefer the pen and paper method myself. Again, take stock of what you have and build meals around that. Then make a list based on what you're lacking. Do your best to provide wholesome meals for your family. Your children don't need sugary overpriced cereals or granola bars as a snack. Some colored sugar sprinkled over crispy rice or corn flakes is just as fun, and oatmeal raisin cookies are cheap and fairly nutritious, not to mention a great way to exercise math skills and give them something to do.
8- Substitutions. Let's say you want to make a recipe that calls for an expensive soft cheese to be melted in- like fondue. Did you know that you can substitute cream cheese for just about any soft cheese in a fondue? Then adding a few spices can make it seem completely intentional. Instead of $10 worth of soft cheese, you used a $1 brick of cream cheese. I find that I can usually make a substitution for just about anything. I've stopped buying milk because it goes bad before we use it. For baking or whatever, I keep dry and evaporated milk on hand to whip up if I need it.
8- Don't deny yourself. Here's what I mean:
We rarely eat steak. It's overpriced and a piece of grilled chicken or a fabulously spiced burger is just as yummy. But, we saw some chuck eye steaks reduced to about $7 total, and we had some extra money, so we bought them. Last night I browned them up and then braised them for 3 hours with some red wine, water, celery, onion, garlic, carrots, cauliflower, and spices. Wit the veggies, we probably spent $9 total and it'll be 2 meals. That's $2.25 per person per meal. Still about twice what I normally end up with, but not at all bad for a special meal. If you have leftover money, treat yourself to a nice cut of meat, or some new ice cream flavor, or a new pair of shoes. ;-) You deserve a reward once in a while for saving money for your family.
Each post, I'll toss out another tip. For people in my local area, it may be store specific so you know where to go.
$6 Taco Mac & Cheese (Feeds 4-6)
1/4lb prepared taco meat ($.65 with taco spice)
3c. shredded cheese of your choice ($2.75)
2T cream cheese ($.25)
3T sour cream ($.35ish)
16oz elbows/rotini or similar ($2- Dreamfields Brand)
1. Cook and drain pasta- but leave in colander.
2. In pasta pot, mix the remaining ingredients and cook on low until cheese is melted and everything is warm. Taste and season to your tastes.
3. Add pasta and stir it up.
Optional: Top with salsa or other taco fixings.
For us, this is either 2 dinners, or a dinner, two lunches, and a snack.
NEXT POST: How to feed a family of 4 with 2 chicken breasts and $5. =D
I budget $200 per pay period for groceries, household/cleaning supplies, stuff for Liam, and hygiene products.At my next shopping trip, I'll itemize a list to show what we bought, and how we'll use it- as well as a general meal plan. I don't plan meals really. I keep a constant supply of certain things in the house and wing it when I buy other stuff. (More on that in a later post.)
Occasionally, we do go over- and that's why we also have a 'discretionary' budget. That's for movies, eating out, extra gas, birthday gifts, etc. I also dip into that budget for grocery overages.
Part of the reason I do that is because I'll see a great deal on something we use regularly and snap up as much as I can. I'll buy 20lbs of 'reduced for quick sale' beef or whatever and freeze it if I have the room. Even if that's 2 months worth of meat, at the low price it allows me wiggle room in my budget throughout that time.
I NEVER buy things we don't use a regular basis- even if they are on sale. For example, it takes us 6 months to use a bag of white flour, so buying a bunch just because they're on sale and will save me a dollar isn't saving me anything when they just take up freezer space I could use for other things.
Here's the way I cut our food costs as low as they are:
Payday- Pull your budget in cash. I cannot overspend if all I have is the cash in my hand.
List- Make your grocery list, and then rewrite it by priority.
Shop- Use a calculator. Keep track of what you're spending so far. When you hit your limit, stop putting things in your cart. I promise, your bottom listed things can be substituted.
A CHALLENGE:
Go look in your cupboards the night before grocery shopping. Either make a list of everything you have in your fridge and cupboards, or just pull it all out and set it on a table/counter/clean floor. Start creating meals with what you have on hand. When you've paired up everything you can, see what's left. Then make a list- using up those ingredients before adding new things. A few times a year I do this- and find we can often skip an entire shopping trip- or more. I took us 3 weeks on only spending about $40 to supplement what we had in the house. Try supercook.com . You input what you have on hand, and it shows you recipes with those ingredients.
A PLAN:
If you're here, you're wanting to reign in your grocery spending. Start with the basics. You don't need filet mignon. You don't need steak. Cheaper cuts of meat can be just as delicious if prepared well.
1- Buy your food in bulk. At Wegmans, we pay $1.99/lb for both boneless skinless chicken breasts and ground beef. Take it home, and portion it up. A portion of meat should be about 4oz. per person, or about 25% of the entire meal if meat is the only protein you're using. We pack it all into baggies and freeze. Buying the 10lb bag of cheese and freezing it in quart sized bags can save about 50-60% per pound! Same with pepperoni and many other things.
2- Buy frozen produce. Frozen produce is often fresher and cheaper than what's in the 'fresh produce' section. Frozen produce is usually processed immediately after being harvested, whereas "fresh" produce often gets picked too soon and is often left to ripen on trucks during transport. The alternative to this is local farm markets which often have very reasonable prices. Look into markets in your area, as well as co-ops. 50% of your meal should be non-starch veggies and that last 25% starch (potatoes, bread, pasta, rice, etc.), plus a serving of either dairy or fruit.
3- Learn to stretch your pennies. My meatballs and burgers are up to 50% breadcrumbs and Parmesan cheese. I only use 80/20 beef. (Fat is essential to EVERY meal! Fat is what makes you feel full, and keeps you feeling satisfied. Additionally, 80/20 beef makes for a much moister meatball or burger.) Taco meat can be made using 1/2 meat and 1/2 lentils. I love the texture and flavor. 2-3 nights a week, find other sources of protein outside of meat. There's hundreds of ways to use beans, and even a homemade mac and cheese packs nearly as much protein as a piece of meat would.
4- Minimize your use of convenience foods. For health reasons alone, this is a good idea. But, the cost savings are substantial too. I'll be posting a lot of easy, FAST, recipes in the following weeks. (Note: I do use pre-shredded cheese. At Wegmans, it ends up cheaper than the bricks if I buy a huge package.)
5- DIY. I use a lot of chicken stock for various things. And I always make my own. Here's how:
First, I save all my veggie scraps- skins, peelings, the ends of celery, skins and end of onions, pretty much any scrap that isn't a potato. Then, I save every chicken scrap- bones, skin, fat, wing tips. I even save the carcass if we get a rotisserie chicken. All of that goes into a gallon size freezer bag. When I have two full bags, I make stock. Everything goes into a 12qt stock pot, which is then filled to a inch from the top with water. I also toss in about 2T each of pepper, salt, and garlic powder. Then I simmer it, uncovered, all day- adding water if I need to. By the evening, it should be about reduced by half. I let it cool, then shove the whole pot in the fridge. In the morning, I scrape the fat off (and save it for flavoring mashed potatoes and other dishes) and see the texture of the stock. It should be like Jell-O. If it's not, throw it back on to boil for a few hours. If it is, heat it just up to liquid, then strain it over a colander into another bowl/pot. Toss the veggies and chicken scraps and then portion and freeze the stock. This can work for chicken, beef, or even veggie stock. It's literally using garbage and providing a base for soup, stew, gravy, sauce, etc.
6- Be conscious of what you're buying. Check the sale flyer if you want- but DO NOT buy things just because they're on sale. You don't need to eat garbage or buy 30 liters of soda pop. I don't check the sale paper, nor do I use coupons. I simply prioritize our list and buy what I know we can afford. There's an issue in my area (and others I'm sure) of kids passing out in school- usually in the last half of the month. These are food stamp kids with parents who buy crap and not enough food to last the month. So they end up having their school lunch as their only meal. They're starving and end up getting sick and passing out at school. Typical food stamps for a family of 4 are more than my monthly budget to cover ALL household expenses, and we've never come close to running out of food.
7- Meal plan. Some people will benefit from meal planning. There is software all over the internet, but I prefer the pen and paper method myself. Again, take stock of what you have and build meals around that. Then make a list based on what you're lacking. Do your best to provide wholesome meals for your family. Your children don't need sugary overpriced cereals or granola bars as a snack. Some colored sugar sprinkled over crispy rice or corn flakes is just as fun, and oatmeal raisin cookies are cheap and fairly nutritious, not to mention a great way to exercise math skills and give them something to do.
8- Substitutions. Let's say you want to make a recipe that calls for an expensive soft cheese to be melted in- like fondue. Did you know that you can substitute cream cheese for just about any soft cheese in a fondue? Then adding a few spices can make it seem completely intentional. Instead of $10 worth of soft cheese, you used a $1 brick of cream cheese. I find that I can usually make a substitution for just about anything. I've stopped buying milk because it goes bad before we use it. For baking or whatever, I keep dry and evaporated milk on hand to whip up if I need it.
8- Don't deny yourself. Here's what I mean:
We rarely eat steak. It's overpriced and a piece of grilled chicken or a fabulously spiced burger is just as yummy. But, we saw some chuck eye steaks reduced to about $7 total, and we had some extra money, so we bought them. Last night I browned them up and then braised them for 3 hours with some red wine, water, celery, onion, garlic, carrots, cauliflower, and spices. Wit the veggies, we probably spent $9 total and it'll be 2 meals. That's $2.25 per person per meal. Still about twice what I normally end up with, but not at all bad for a special meal. If you have leftover money, treat yourself to a nice cut of meat, or some new ice cream flavor, or a new pair of shoes. ;-) You deserve a reward once in a while for saving money for your family.
Each post, I'll toss out another tip. For people in my local area, it may be store specific so you know where to go.
$6 Taco Mac & Cheese (Feeds 4-6)
1/4lb prepared taco meat ($.65 with taco spice)
3c. shredded cheese of your choice ($2.75)
2T cream cheese ($.25)
3T sour cream ($.35ish)
16oz elbows/rotini or similar ($2- Dreamfields Brand)
1. Cook and drain pasta- but leave in colander.
2. In pasta pot, mix the remaining ingredients and cook on low until cheese is melted and everything is warm. Taste and season to your tastes.
3. Add pasta and stir it up.
Optional: Top with salsa or other taco fixings.
For us, this is either 2 dinners, or a dinner, two lunches, and a snack.
NEXT POST: How to feed a family of 4 with 2 chicken breasts and $5. =D
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Homemade Laundry Detergent
One of the biggest household expenses we all use is laundry detergent. I made a batch of dry detergent today that averages out to about a penny per load.
Ingredients:
2c washing soda (found in nearly any laundry aisle)
2c borax (usually located right next to the washing soda)
3/4 bar Fels-Naptha laundry bar, grated (found next to the borax and washing soda)
1c baking soda
1/2c off-brand Oxyclean
Optional: 1oz essential oil of your choice (this will jack the price, and I don't need any more scent that the bar offers)
Mix all of this up into whatever container you like. Use about 2T per load of clothes. The 1/4 bar of laundry bar left can be used to pre-treat stains and will last about as long as the batch of detergent does.
With the containers of supplies I bought, I can make about 4 batches of detergent with just needing to buy the laundry bar again. The laundry bar can be substituted with Ivory soap, or whatever bar soap of your choosing, but do that at your own risk.
If you use this detergent, please add 1/2c white vinegar to your rinse cycle, as you should be doing anyway.
If you use this on cloth diapers, you may notice that you need to strip your diapers more frequently. I try to strip my diapers about every 8 weeks anyway.
Ingredients:
2c washing soda (found in nearly any laundry aisle)
2c borax (usually located right next to the washing soda)
3/4 bar Fels-Naptha laundry bar, grated (found next to the borax and washing soda)
1c baking soda
1/2c off-brand Oxyclean
Optional: 1oz essential oil of your choice (this will jack the price, and I don't need any more scent that the bar offers)
Mix all of this up into whatever container you like. Use about 2T per load of clothes. The 1/4 bar of laundry bar left can be used to pre-treat stains and will last about as long as the batch of detergent does.
With the containers of supplies I bought, I can make about 4 batches of detergent with just needing to buy the laundry bar again. The laundry bar can be substituted with Ivory soap, or whatever bar soap of your choosing, but do that at your own risk.
If you use this detergent, please add 1/2c white vinegar to your rinse cycle, as you should be doing anyway.
If you use this on cloth diapers, you may notice that you need to strip your diapers more frequently. I try to strip my diapers about every 8 weeks anyway.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Mocha Frappe
We love our frozen and iced coffee drinks. What we don't like is the price tag. So, here's a recipe for a drink that is sort of like a Frappe, but can be customized to your tastes.
When I have leftover coffee, I've been freezing it in ice cube trays. This lets you ice a coffee without watering it down.
Ingredients:
2 cups milk (cow, soy, almond, whatever. You could even use froyo or ice cream)
1/8-1/4c cocoa (or caramel, or whatever flavor you want)
1/4-1/2c sugar (or equivalent sweetener of your choice)
1t vanilla
1T fat/oil (this gives the creamy texture. All frozen coffee drinks get this added in one form or another. I recommend coconut oil.)
12-14 ice cubes or coffee cubes
Brownie crumbs, cookie crumbs, mint, m&m's, peanut butter, banana, etc.
Instructions:
Put everything in your blender and blend for 3-4 minutes if you want a shake-like consistency, less if you like the ice chunky.
Tips:
If you don't have coffee cubes, try adding in 1/4c or so of coffee, or even 1T instant coffee for that coffee flavor.
McCormick makes a delicious French Vanilla flavoring, found usually right next to the regular vanilla.
What flavor blend can you come up with? My plan for this evening is to make a mocha one with brownie bits in it. =D My brownie bits are a baggie in the freezer with the crumbs left after cutting and plating brownies.
When I have leftover coffee, I've been freezing it in ice cube trays. This lets you ice a coffee without watering it down.
Ingredients:
2 cups milk (cow, soy, almond, whatever. You could even use froyo or ice cream)
1/8-1/4c cocoa (or caramel, or whatever flavor you want)
1/4-1/2c sugar (or equivalent sweetener of your choice)
1t vanilla
1T fat/oil (this gives the creamy texture. All frozen coffee drinks get this added in one form or another. I recommend coconut oil.)
12-14 ice cubes or coffee cubes
Brownie crumbs, cookie crumbs, mint, m&m's, peanut butter, banana, etc.
Instructions:
Put everything in your blender and blend for 3-4 minutes if you want a shake-like consistency, less if you like the ice chunky.
Tips:
If you don't have coffee cubes, try adding in 1/4c or so of coffee, or even 1T instant coffee for that coffee flavor.
McCormick makes a delicious French Vanilla flavoring, found usually right next to the regular vanilla.
What flavor blend can you come up with? My plan for this evening is to make a mocha one with brownie bits in it. =D My brownie bits are a baggie in the freezer with the crumbs left after cutting and plating brownies.
Sunday, June 5, 2011
No Grocery Shopping: Week One
Well, we didn't exactly stick to not buying any food this week. We bought a dozen eggs, 2 bottles of soda, and a coffee cake to take when we visited friends on Sunday. I would have baked, but it was 90 degrees, and we don't cool the kitchen. So, I spent $7 on groceries for the week. Our neighbor also gifted us a half dozen organic, farm fresh eggs, and told me to stop by any time I'd like more as she gets them free from a friend at church and ends up with more than she can use. On Tuesday, it was up over 90, and after not being all home all day, I was in no mood to cook. so we took advantage of a deal at Pizza Hut and ordered a pizza. that was definitely not in the plan, but I figured with buying pretty much no groceries, buying a single pizza wouldn't harm anything.
So, what did we eat? Breakfasts consist of toast and eggs, toast with peanut butter, leftovers from dinner, oatmeal with real maple syrup or brown sugar, fried potatoes with onion and bacon.. basically whatever we feel like throwing together to eat. Seth generally doesn't eat breakfast (naughty, naughty) and I go for whatever I can throw together with a baby on my hip, so the more in depth dishes are saved for the weekends.
Saturday:
Lunch was a PB&J sandwich for Seth, and a chicken cold cuts sandwich for me.
Dinner was a delicious stir fry made with frozen mixed vegetables, green beans, grilled chicken strips, and about 3T of a premade stir fry sauce.
Sunday:
Breakfast was some leftover Cheerios cereal bars I made last week.
Lunch was sandwiches also. PB&J for Seth, chicken for me.
Dinner was putrid, and a fail. I followed this recipe for breaded noodles and choked down a bowl of noodles covered in sawdust. Even adding some extra butter, and even some sour cream couldn't seem to add any moisture. The leftovers were refrigerated nonetheless and reclaimed in a completely different dish on Monday.
Monday:
Breakfast was eggs and toast for Seth, and nothing for me. I was not hungry.
Lunch was resurrected breaded noodles that became a pretty good mac and cheese.
For dinner, I made angel hair pasta with grilled chicken, butter, spices, and Parmesan cheese, and green beans.
Tuesday:
We were rushed and skipped breakfast.
Lunch was sandwiches.
Dinner was pizza.
Wednesday:
Breakfast was toast with peanut butter for me, and my naughty husband skipped breakfast.
Lunch was leftover pizza.
Dinner was mock pan steak, done with ground beef, onions, flour, spices, and potatoes.
Thursday:
I honestly cannot remember Thursday. I was still under sedation from a procedure I had done. I'm pretty sure Seth made me Ramen and a hamburger for dinner though.
Friday:
Seth had a sandwich for lunch.
Dinner was a chicken and beef enchilada soup. I pretty much threw enchilada fixings and some veggies, rice, potato, and spices into a pot and let it simmer.
Saturday:
For lunch, Seth's grandmother made us pizza at her house.
Dinner was leftover soup.
Sunday:
Breakfast was cornbread with maple syrup.
Lunch was macaroni salad, sandwiches, and some chips.
Dinner was leftover soup over cornbread.
We did go grocery shopping today, mainly for coffee filters. But while there, we did pick up a few things that I don't plan to use until after my two week pantry cleanout is finished.
So, what did we eat? Breakfasts consist of toast and eggs, toast with peanut butter, leftovers from dinner, oatmeal with real maple syrup or brown sugar, fried potatoes with onion and bacon.. basically whatever we feel like throwing together to eat. Seth generally doesn't eat breakfast (naughty, naughty) and I go for whatever I can throw together with a baby on my hip, so the more in depth dishes are saved for the weekends.
Saturday:
Lunch was a PB&J sandwich for Seth, and a chicken cold cuts sandwich for me.
Dinner was a delicious stir fry made with frozen mixed vegetables, green beans, grilled chicken strips, and about 3T of a premade stir fry sauce.
Sunday:
Breakfast was some leftover Cheerios cereal bars I made last week.
Lunch was sandwiches also. PB&J for Seth, chicken for me.
Dinner was putrid, and a fail. I followed this recipe for breaded noodles and choked down a bowl of noodles covered in sawdust. Even adding some extra butter, and even some sour cream couldn't seem to add any moisture. The leftovers were refrigerated nonetheless and reclaimed in a completely different dish on Monday.
Monday:
Breakfast was eggs and toast for Seth, and nothing for me. I was not hungry.
Lunch was resurrected breaded noodles that became a pretty good mac and cheese.
For dinner, I made angel hair pasta with grilled chicken, butter, spices, and Parmesan cheese, and green beans.
Tuesday:
We were rushed and skipped breakfast.
Lunch was sandwiches.
Dinner was pizza.
Wednesday:
Breakfast was toast with peanut butter for me, and my naughty husband skipped breakfast.
Lunch was leftover pizza.
Dinner was mock pan steak, done with ground beef, onions, flour, spices, and potatoes.
Thursday:
I honestly cannot remember Thursday. I was still under sedation from a procedure I had done. I'm pretty sure Seth made me Ramen and a hamburger for dinner though.
Friday:
Seth had a sandwich for lunch.
Dinner was a chicken and beef enchilada soup. I pretty much threw enchilada fixings and some veggies, rice, potato, and spices into a pot and let it simmer.
Saturday:
For lunch, Seth's grandmother made us pizza at her house.
Dinner was leftover soup.
Sunday:
Breakfast was cornbread with maple syrup.
Lunch was macaroni salad, sandwiches, and some chips.
Dinner was leftover soup over cornbread.
We did go grocery shopping today, mainly for coffee filters. But while there, we did pick up a few things that I don't plan to use until after my two week pantry cleanout is finished.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Making Stock and Some Souper Tips
STOCK
Having stock as a staple is a great way to save money. A good stock can be used for soups, gravy, sauces, to flavor up mashed potatoes, pasta, vegetables, rice, etc. On its own, it makes a hearty broth to drink and is wonderful for an upset stomach or sore throat. I try to always keep chicken stock in the freezer.
I'd imagine some people think making stock requires extra groceries or special purchases. I use garbage to make my stock. Really.
Some of the ingredients I keep in baggies in the freezer for chicken stock are the following:
Dump everything in a huge pot, fill the pot 3/4 full and boil. I'm currently using a 12qt pot my mother gifted me.Boil until the broth suits your taste. Then strain it and put the broth in the fridge. When it cools, there will be a layer of fat on top. Scrape that off and either render the fat, or throw it away. Your stock should have the texture of Jell-O. If it does not, you need to put it back on the stove and boil it longer. Aim for 1/2 the amount you're starting with. A dark broth can always have water added to it, but the really dark broth will mean it takes up less freezer space.
To freeze, either put in containers, baggies, or freeze portions in an ice cube tray and then put in baggies. I just dump 2 cups into a freezer bag.
You can do the same thing to make beef, fish, or vegetable broth. According to Julia Child, fish stock only needs about 30 minutes. According to me, filling my house with the scent of fish is not something I'll ever do. We're not really fish people unless it's canned tuna or fish sticks. Yes, we eat fish sticks occasionally. We like our fish minced and indistinguishable... and slathered in tartar sauce. ;-)
SOUPER TIPS
Anytime you have a scrap of veggies, chicken, beef, cream, salsa, tomato paste/sauce, any tomato product really, potatoes, pasta, rice, whatever... freeze it! I put the veggies, chicken, and tomato products all together. Mixed with some stock and some spices, they make for an awesome and 'free' soup. If it was headed for the trash otherwise, it's free in my book. The cream can be added to soups or mashed potatoes. The pastas and rice can be tossed in to any soup to add some heartiness. There's really no reason to ever throw out a leftover- unless it tasted like crap to begin with.
If you're looking for a new starch to try in soups, barley is amazing! And lentils are great in beef based soups.
You don't need to follow a recipe for broth based soups.. and really, where's the fun in following a recipe for soup anyway? Throw a bunch of stuff you like in a pot and have at it. For cream based soups, I do recommend you not go throwing tomatoes or something in it without pureeing it when you're done, but outside of that, even those are 'whatever' as long as your base consistency is good.
So, go! Make some stock! Make a soup! Tell me about it. :-) Are you a "throw some stuff in a pot" type of soup person?
Having stock as a staple is a great way to save money. A good stock can be used for soups, gravy, sauces, to flavor up mashed potatoes, pasta, vegetables, rice, etc. On its own, it makes a hearty broth to drink and is wonderful for an upset stomach or sore throat. I try to always keep chicken stock in the freezer.
I'd imagine some people think making stock requires extra groceries or special purchases. I use garbage to make my stock. Really.
Some of the ingredients I keep in baggies in the freezer for chicken stock are the following:
- The bones, skin, juice, and uneaten bits of rotisserie chickens
- Wing tips or any scraps from any cut of chicken, including trimmings
- The ends of celery, onions, carrots, etc.- basically any 'trash' bits of a veggie you've cut, or even a veggie that may have gone past its prime and couldn't be served as is.
Dump everything in a huge pot, fill the pot 3/4 full and boil. I'm currently using a 12qt pot my mother gifted me.Boil until the broth suits your taste. Then strain it and put the broth in the fridge. When it cools, there will be a layer of fat on top. Scrape that off and either render the fat, or throw it away. Your stock should have the texture of Jell-O. If it does not, you need to put it back on the stove and boil it longer. Aim for 1/2 the amount you're starting with. A dark broth can always have water added to it, but the really dark broth will mean it takes up less freezer space.
To freeze, either put in containers, baggies, or freeze portions in an ice cube tray and then put in baggies. I just dump 2 cups into a freezer bag.
You can do the same thing to make beef, fish, or vegetable broth. According to Julia Child, fish stock only needs about 30 minutes. According to me, filling my house with the scent of fish is not something I'll ever do. We're not really fish people unless it's canned tuna or fish sticks. Yes, we eat fish sticks occasionally. We like our fish minced and indistinguishable... and slathered in tartar sauce. ;-)
SOUPER TIPS
Anytime you have a scrap of veggies, chicken, beef, cream, salsa, tomato paste/sauce, any tomato product really, potatoes, pasta, rice, whatever... freeze it! I put the veggies, chicken, and tomato products all together. Mixed with some stock and some spices, they make for an awesome and 'free' soup. If it was headed for the trash otherwise, it's free in my book. The cream can be added to soups or mashed potatoes. The pastas and rice can be tossed in to any soup to add some heartiness. There's really no reason to ever throw out a leftover- unless it tasted like crap to begin with.
If you're looking for a new starch to try in soups, barley is amazing! And lentils are great in beef based soups.
You don't need to follow a recipe for broth based soups.. and really, where's the fun in following a recipe for soup anyway? Throw a bunch of stuff you like in a pot and have at it. For cream based soups, I do recommend you not go throwing tomatoes or something in it without pureeing it when you're done, but outside of that, even those are 'whatever' as long as your base consistency is good.
So, go! Make some stock! Make a soup! Tell me about it. :-) Are you a "throw some stuff in a pot" type of soup person?
I Broke The Washer
This morning I woke up to a clothesline full of sopping wet diapers from the storm we had last night. The baby didn't have enough dry ones to last the day at Grandma's, so I pulled the wet ones off the line and decided to run them through a spin cycle to get the water out, and then dry them in the dryer inside.
I put them in the washer, started the spin cycle... which lasted about two rotations before the washer just shut off. We fiddled with it and Seth called his mom and dad to see if they had any ideas as to what had happened. Meanwhile, I looked at prices of a new machine. I actually found a really cool small washing machine that would fit perfectly in our closet sized kitchen. And it is fairly inexpensive to boot. We have a line of credit with the store, so we knew if we had to buy a machine, we could. With cloth diapering our son, the laundromat is out of the question, and a month of laundromat trips would have bought the new washer anyway.
So, Seth takes the washer apart and finds that the off balanced drum smacked into a piece that allows the washer to activate the drum spinning and snapped it off. It engages the lid lock, which allows the drum to spin. The replacement part alone was $40, not including someone to install it because we lack the tools to do so. By the end of that, we're over halfway to the cost of a brand new machine. Add in the $20 a piece knobs that snapped off a while ago (I've been using a pair of pliers to work the settings), and we definitely would have just bought a new washer. Since our's is a stacked set that cannot be disconnected, we'd have just gone without a dryer until we could save for it, but a washer is not optional.
Due to my husband being awesome, lol, he just bypassed the part entirely and now the washer is working fine. We just have to remind Liam not to climb into the washing machine, and we're good to go. ;-)
However, come tax time, we will be purchasing a new machine. It'll either be the small washer and the matching dryer, both tiny, or a complete all-in-one machine (like you'd see in an RV). While expensive to purchase, we don't need the high capacity machines we currently have. I don't want piles of stinky laundry and diapers sitting around, so I do medium sized loads pretty frequently. The compact, energy efficient machines will absolutely serve our needs, while minimizing their footprint in our 8'x10' kitchen (of which 5'x8' is usable floor).
Yay for husbands saving the day!
It's gorgeous out, and my guys are at Grandma's, so I'm off to clean my house with nothing more than a broom, mop, some rags made from old t-shirts and sweatpants, and some vinegar and baking soda.
I put them in the washer, started the spin cycle... which lasted about two rotations before the washer just shut off. We fiddled with it and Seth called his mom and dad to see if they had any ideas as to what had happened. Meanwhile, I looked at prices of a new machine. I actually found a really cool small washing machine that would fit perfectly in our closet sized kitchen. And it is fairly inexpensive to boot. We have a line of credit with the store, so we knew if we had to buy a machine, we could. With cloth diapering our son, the laundromat is out of the question, and a month of laundromat trips would have bought the new washer anyway.
So, Seth takes the washer apart and finds that the off balanced drum smacked into a piece that allows the washer to activate the drum spinning and snapped it off. It engages the lid lock, which allows the drum to spin. The replacement part alone was $40, not including someone to install it because we lack the tools to do so. By the end of that, we're over halfway to the cost of a brand new machine. Add in the $20 a piece knobs that snapped off a while ago (I've been using a pair of pliers to work the settings), and we definitely would have just bought a new washer. Since our's is a stacked set that cannot be disconnected, we'd have just gone without a dryer until we could save for it, but a washer is not optional.
Due to my husband being awesome, lol, he just bypassed the part entirely and now the washer is working fine. We just have to remind Liam not to climb into the washing machine, and we're good to go. ;-)
However, come tax time, we will be purchasing a new machine. It'll either be the small washer and the matching dryer, both tiny, or a complete all-in-one machine (like you'd see in an RV). While expensive to purchase, we don't need the high capacity machines we currently have. I don't want piles of stinky laundry and diapers sitting around, so I do medium sized loads pretty frequently. The compact, energy efficient machines will absolutely serve our needs, while minimizing their footprint in our 8'x10' kitchen (of which 5'x8' is usable floor).
Yay for husbands saving the day!
It's gorgeous out, and my guys are at Grandma's, so I'm off to clean my house with nothing more than a broom, mop, some rags made from old t-shirts and sweatpants, and some vinegar and baking soda.
Friday, May 27, 2011
Unfrugal Tendancies
I have a few things that I do, and let happen, that are not at all frugal. I think that even the thriftiest of us is willing to spend a pretty penny for something that, to us, is worth the expense.
PETS
Our biggest extraneous expense is pets. We are pet people. Our last pet was a beautiful brindle pitbull/boxer mix named Kita. She required one of the most expensive holistic foods on the market. While we'd always feed any dog holistic food, her's was a grain-free hypoallergenic blend. She also required treatment for skin allergies, and at her end, we opted to have her cremated and her ashes returned to us, which was nearly $300 of the $400 bill.
We currently have 3 cats- two of which are kittens that have not quite figured out the litter box and are leaving 'presents' periodically in the house. I am sensitive to smells, so we're buying extra air fresheners, and a slightly expensive all natural litter. We'll also need to have the carpets professionally cleaned more frequently.They'll also need vet care, which will end up being about $900 by the time all the cats have been spayed and had their vaccinations. Luckily, the monthly expense for the cats should be under $30, so it's not a huge expense, or more than we can afford.
I'm a firm believer in not having pets that you cannot provide adequate care for- and that includes spay/neuter. Not spaying and neutering your pet will almost always lead to babies and contribute to the nauseating numbers of euthanized animals, and homeless animals. It is irresponsible to not spay/neuter, and there is NO such thing as an "accidental litter", only irresponsible owners. Let's say you have one female cat who has a single litter of 3 kittens before she is spayed. Those kittens contribute to a litter of their own, one time, with each litter producing 3 kittens. Now, one cat has caused 12 cats. If each of the 9 babies has one litter each of 3 kittens, that's 39 total cats.. all because of one cat not being spayed. And that's assuming all of these cats are spayed/neutered as soon as possible after having a litter.
That being said, these cats are indoor only, so if we need to space out the spays for a few months, it's not a huge issue for us. We will spay the adult next month when the kittens are done nursing. And when they reach the appropriate age, we'll get them spayed at the same time. We're planning for it, so I'll budget it in and transfer the money into savings.
CELL PHONES
As I've mentioned, we are gadget people. We do not have a home phone, and opt instead to have cell phones. We have a hundred reasons why, but my core reasons are fairly justified I think. Our families live fairly far from us, in rural areas where there might not be a house or payphone close by to make an emergency call. We have an infant, and should I need to reach someone, I'd like to do it quickly. I enjoy playing with my phone and use it for many things. I have my budgeting software linked to my phone. I can use Facebook, blog, check email, do my banking, etc. I can real time navigate myself places. It also can operate as an mp3 player, e-book reader, camera, recipe holder, shopping list organizer, etc. I even have an app where I can load coupons and just have the cashier scan my phone to use them. Basically, it holds onto the important things for my day to day life. I can carry all my tools in one device that fits into a pocket. My newest phone, one of the best on the market, cost me a single penny. Yes, one penny. We decided to switch service providers to a company that works better where our families live, and offers more for the same price we were paying with our old provider.
CABLE TV/INTERNET
We do not have cable TV. The $70 was not worth it. Most of the shows we watch come over the air, on a $20 antenna, in better quality than the cable company offered. Most of the shows on the cable channels we liked are available either on Netflix (which we have for $11/month), or on the station website for free. We have a PC tied into our TV, so we can watch those shows anytime we like, with no commercials. We DO pay for cable internet, which is needed for internet. We don't 'need' it for TV, but it's nice. I do, however, need it for school, as my classes are online. Even with the Netflix, we are still saving almost $600 a year by cutting the cable.
GAS
We really need 2.5 gallons of gas a week. That's enough to get my husband to and from work daily, and me to run errands one morning a week. We use a hell of a lot more than that.. to the tune of $120/month... or more. Why? Because seeing our family is important to us, and worth trimming the fat in other areas of our life. Our families each live about 65 miles away from us. Even in our relatively gas efficient car, a round trip is still about a half tank of gas, and we make those trips 2-3 times a month.
"GOOD IDEAS"
I am the only culprit in this category at our house. I tend to buy things with the best intentions, and then they sit neglected in a cupboard or closet, unused. In the last six months was a baby swing ($80) that Liam hated and used for a whopping 30 minutes, an infrared countertop oven ($40) that we ooooh'd and ahhh'd over for 3 days before stuffing into a cupboard, a purse I HAD to have ($50) that now sits unused for fear of ruining it, a Kindle e-book reader ($140) that i used to read one book and now don't use because I have the Kindle app for my phone, and likely a few hundred dollars in clothes I bought, wore once, and now sit waiting for my baby fat to go away so they can be worn again. That doesn't include my crappy car purchases.
Last winter, I spent $4200 on a used SUV that was driven for less than 100 miles, and was such a piece of crap, I ended up selling it for $2300 5 months later. Then, I immediately bought a sedan for $1800 that was driven home and never driven again, and sold a few weeks ago for $350- which is what it was worth. So, those purchases lost us $3350. Yes, three thousand, three hundred, fifty dollars. Down the drain. I'm sick just thinking about it. The car buying decisions will be left to my husband, and a dealership that offers warranties.
The whole point of this post is that even though we are on a path that ends with extreme frugality, we're not there yet. And we make very unfrugal choices that toss us back a few steps. But, we're learning. We're a young couple, now responsible for a life beyond our own, and hoping to provide for that little one to the absolute best of our ability. I hope you'll stick around to see where this journey takes us.
My next post will be on our challenge for the next two weeks: NO grocery shopping! At all! For anything! We're shopping from the pantry- except for eggs, which we are completely out of and need in order to use up a few of our pantry items. So it's a "Only spend $3 for eggs" 2 weeks span.
PETS
Our biggest extraneous expense is pets. We are pet people. Our last pet was a beautiful brindle pitbull/boxer mix named Kita. She required one of the most expensive holistic foods on the market. While we'd always feed any dog holistic food, her's was a grain-free hypoallergenic blend. She also required treatment for skin allergies, and at her end, we opted to have her cremated and her ashes returned to us, which was nearly $300 of the $400 bill.
We currently have 3 cats- two of which are kittens that have not quite figured out the litter box and are leaving 'presents' periodically in the house. I am sensitive to smells, so we're buying extra air fresheners, and a slightly expensive all natural litter. We'll also need to have the carpets professionally cleaned more frequently.They'll also need vet care, which will end up being about $900 by the time all the cats have been spayed and had their vaccinations. Luckily, the monthly expense for the cats should be under $30, so it's not a huge expense, or more than we can afford.
I'm a firm believer in not having pets that you cannot provide adequate care for- and that includes spay/neuter. Not spaying and neutering your pet will almost always lead to babies and contribute to the nauseating numbers of euthanized animals, and homeless animals. It is irresponsible to not spay/neuter, and there is NO such thing as an "accidental litter", only irresponsible owners. Let's say you have one female cat who has a single litter of 3 kittens before she is spayed. Those kittens contribute to a litter of their own, one time, with each litter producing 3 kittens. Now, one cat has caused 12 cats. If each of the 9 babies has one litter each of 3 kittens, that's 39 total cats.. all because of one cat not being spayed. And that's assuming all of these cats are spayed/neutered as soon as possible after having a litter.
That being said, these cats are indoor only, so if we need to space out the spays for a few months, it's not a huge issue for us. We will spay the adult next month when the kittens are done nursing. And when they reach the appropriate age, we'll get them spayed at the same time. We're planning for it, so I'll budget it in and transfer the money into savings.
CELL PHONES
As I've mentioned, we are gadget people. We do not have a home phone, and opt instead to have cell phones. We have a hundred reasons why, but my core reasons are fairly justified I think. Our families live fairly far from us, in rural areas where there might not be a house or payphone close by to make an emergency call. We have an infant, and should I need to reach someone, I'd like to do it quickly. I enjoy playing with my phone and use it for many things. I have my budgeting software linked to my phone. I can use Facebook, blog, check email, do my banking, etc. I can real time navigate myself places. It also can operate as an mp3 player, e-book reader, camera, recipe holder, shopping list organizer, etc. I even have an app where I can load coupons and just have the cashier scan my phone to use them. Basically, it holds onto the important things for my day to day life. I can carry all my tools in one device that fits into a pocket. My newest phone, one of the best on the market, cost me a single penny. Yes, one penny. We decided to switch service providers to a company that works better where our families live, and offers more for the same price we were paying with our old provider.
CABLE TV/INTERNET
We do not have cable TV. The $70 was not worth it. Most of the shows we watch come over the air, on a $20 antenna, in better quality than the cable company offered. Most of the shows on the cable channels we liked are available either on Netflix (which we have for $11/month), or on the station website for free. We have a PC tied into our TV, so we can watch those shows anytime we like, with no commercials. We DO pay for cable internet, which is needed for internet. We don't 'need' it for TV, but it's nice. I do, however, need it for school, as my classes are online. Even with the Netflix, we are still saving almost $600 a year by cutting the cable.
GAS
We really need 2.5 gallons of gas a week. That's enough to get my husband to and from work daily, and me to run errands one morning a week. We use a hell of a lot more than that.. to the tune of $120/month... or more. Why? Because seeing our family is important to us, and worth trimming the fat in other areas of our life. Our families each live about 65 miles away from us. Even in our relatively gas efficient car, a round trip is still about a half tank of gas, and we make those trips 2-3 times a month.
"GOOD IDEAS"
I am the only culprit in this category at our house. I tend to buy things with the best intentions, and then they sit neglected in a cupboard or closet, unused. In the last six months was a baby swing ($80) that Liam hated and used for a whopping 30 minutes, an infrared countertop oven ($40) that we ooooh'd and ahhh'd over for 3 days before stuffing into a cupboard, a purse I HAD to have ($50) that now sits unused for fear of ruining it, a Kindle e-book reader ($140) that i used to read one book and now don't use because I have the Kindle app for my phone, and likely a few hundred dollars in clothes I bought, wore once, and now sit waiting for my baby fat to go away so they can be worn again. That doesn't include my crappy car purchases.
Last winter, I spent $4200 on a used SUV that was driven for less than 100 miles, and was such a piece of crap, I ended up selling it for $2300 5 months later. Then, I immediately bought a sedan for $1800 that was driven home and never driven again, and sold a few weeks ago for $350- which is what it was worth. So, those purchases lost us $3350. Yes, three thousand, three hundred, fifty dollars. Down the drain. I'm sick just thinking about it. The car buying decisions will be left to my husband, and a dealership that offers warranties.
The whole point of this post is that even though we are on a path that ends with extreme frugality, we're not there yet. And we make very unfrugal choices that toss us back a few steps. But, we're learning. We're a young couple, now responsible for a life beyond our own, and hoping to provide for that little one to the absolute best of our ability. I hope you'll stick around to see where this journey takes us.
My next post will be on our challenge for the next two weeks: NO grocery shopping! At all! For anything! We're shopping from the pantry- except for eggs, which we are completely out of and need in order to use up a few of our pantry items. So it's a "Only spend $3 for eggs" 2 weeks span.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Child Care
Seth & I planned for Liam, even though my pregnancy was an unexpected surprise. We knew that for at least the first few years of his life, one of us (whoever made less money) would be staying home with him. Thankfully, Seth's income allows for me to be home with our little guy. I firmly believe that every two parent household should have planned and accommodated for one parent to stay home, or for schedules to be adjusted to minimize the amount of time the child(ren) spends with a child care provider, as least for the time the child is an infant. I prefer my son not bond with a babysitter for the 9 hours I'm at work, and then only spend 3-4 waking hours with me. That seems very backwards. not everyone agrees with me, and some feel that they have no choice but to put their child into a daycare environment. We're all entitled to our views and opinions, but I firmly hold to mine.
I don't need some big house in a snotty subdivision. I don't need a brand new car, or trips, or hundreds of dollars to fund some hobby. I NEED the time I get to spend with my kid. :-)
That being said, our life will require that I go back to work at some point. We really need a second vehicle (which will be explained in another post, as it's seen as a very unfrugal thing to do), but we cannot afford it until I'm bringing in enough income to cover the monthly payment (I'll also discuss why we'll finance instead of buying outright). I've found one position that I'll be applying for, a mile from our home, that is evenings 2-3 nights a week and a couple weekends a month. Seth is able to adjust his schedule a bit to make sure he is home before I have to leave for work. And should he ever have to work late, or on a weekend day, I am willing to have someone come watch Liam. I'm not anti-child care. I'm anti-unparenting.
Additionally, for most jobs that would require us to put Liam in daycare, I'd be barely bringing home enough money to even cover his child care expenses, not to mention the convenience foods because I won't have as much time to cook, the cost of running the clothes dryer because it'll be difficult to devote the time to hanging clothes when I haven't seen my baby all day, and other expenses that would surely creep up.
There ARE instances where full time child care is necessary. Single parents really have no choice. They either put their child into daycare while they work, or their only other option is to utilize the welfare system. A household with a medically fragile child may need to put other children into daycare in order to fully care for their fragile one without being overwhelmed. For me, those are the only two instances where child care is absolutely necessary. If we couldn't have afforded to have one of us stay home and raise our own child, we wouldn't have had a child.
So, what are the options for other SAHP (stay at home parents) who would like to work part time, and not eat up that entire income by paying for child care? One option that I LOVE and hope to utilize is child care bartering. Basically, you trade child care in a system called a babystting cooperative.
A group of parents uses a points system to bank hours of child care. For instance, if I watch a child in my home for 3 hours in a week, I have 3 hours of banked time to use for care for Liam. Another way is finding a parent who you can trade days with. You watch the kids 2 days, they watch the kids 2 days. There are websites devoted to this, but from what I've found while searching is that it's easier to use places like the Childcare section of your local Craigslist site, or local social networking sites geared towards parents. Momslikeme.com has sites for nearly every metropolitan area.
I haven't explored much, but there are sites that help you set up and keep track of your co-op once you have a group established. The one i'll likely use is babysittingbarter.com
Another option is relying on family members to help out. Most grandmas would love an afternoon or two a week with their grandbabies. We don't live close enough for that to be an option, but if we did, that's something I'd love to arrange for Liam and one of his grammies.
So, outside of daycare, there ARE options available for those of us who want to spend as much time as possible with our babies. ;-) We just have to look for them and make changes.
I don't need some big house in a snotty subdivision. I don't need a brand new car, or trips, or hundreds of dollars to fund some hobby. I NEED the time I get to spend with my kid. :-)
That being said, our life will require that I go back to work at some point. We really need a second vehicle (which will be explained in another post, as it's seen as a very unfrugal thing to do), but we cannot afford it until I'm bringing in enough income to cover the monthly payment (I'll also discuss why we'll finance instead of buying outright). I've found one position that I'll be applying for, a mile from our home, that is evenings 2-3 nights a week and a couple weekends a month. Seth is able to adjust his schedule a bit to make sure he is home before I have to leave for work. And should he ever have to work late, or on a weekend day, I am willing to have someone come watch Liam. I'm not anti-child care. I'm anti-unparenting.
Additionally, for most jobs that would require us to put Liam in daycare, I'd be barely bringing home enough money to even cover his child care expenses, not to mention the convenience foods because I won't have as much time to cook, the cost of running the clothes dryer because it'll be difficult to devote the time to hanging clothes when I haven't seen my baby all day, and other expenses that would surely creep up.
There ARE instances where full time child care is necessary. Single parents really have no choice. They either put their child into daycare while they work, or their only other option is to utilize the welfare system. A household with a medically fragile child may need to put other children into daycare in order to fully care for their fragile one without being overwhelmed. For me, those are the only two instances where child care is absolutely necessary. If we couldn't have afforded to have one of us stay home and raise our own child, we wouldn't have had a child.
So, what are the options for other SAHP (stay at home parents) who would like to work part time, and not eat up that entire income by paying for child care? One option that I LOVE and hope to utilize is child care bartering. Basically, you trade child care in a system called a babystting cooperative.
A group of parents uses a points system to bank hours of child care. For instance, if I watch a child in my home for 3 hours in a week, I have 3 hours of banked time to use for care for Liam. Another way is finding a parent who you can trade days with. You watch the kids 2 days, they watch the kids 2 days. There are websites devoted to this, but from what I've found while searching is that it's easier to use places like the Childcare section of your local Craigslist site, or local social networking sites geared towards parents. Momslikeme.com has sites for nearly every metropolitan area.
I haven't explored much, but there are sites that help you set up and keep track of your co-op once you have a group established. The one i'll likely use is babysittingbarter.com
Another option is relying on family members to help out. Most grandmas would love an afternoon or two a week with their grandbabies. We don't live close enough for that to be an option, but if we did, that's something I'd love to arrange for Liam and one of his grammies.
So, outside of daycare, there ARE options available for those of us who want to spend as much time as possible with our babies. ;-) We just have to look for them and make changes.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
The Road To Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions
I remember hearing that phrase throughout my life. It's not at all applicable to my current day, but I'm using it anyway.
It's 73 degrees out, sunny, just a few clouds in the sky that appear as though they were purposely painted in their exact shape and location for optimal effect against the blue sky. The only sounds in our neighborhood are the laughter of distant children playing.. and me, hollering at my lawnmower.
In the name of being green and frugal, we decided our small yard needed nothing more than a human powered reel mower to keep it looking decent. So, we put down a hard-to-scrape-up $80 last summer and bought one that was rated ok. At first, it cut beautifully. And as an added bonus, we would get a nice workout (by 'we', I mean 'Seth' as I don't go outdoors when it's hot). Now, it's primary function is to fold the grass over, giving the illusion of a trimmed lawn for about half an hour. We can't really justify buying another reel mower, so now we get to see which part of my ever-widening behind holds the magical funds to buy an electric mower.
Our reasons for electric are simple and few: We're not 'fill up the gas can' people. Gas is stinky, I don't want it stored near the house, and I'm not a fan of inconvenient things. And our weed whacker is electric, so we already have the big green outdoor extension cord.
So, today marks the decision to continue folding the grass, hoping in vain for a few patches to be cut, or to use our credit card and purchase a mower. I had intended to use that to buy us bikes (to be paid off completely in July), but this seems more pressing that bike rides through the park. We can always walk in the park.
It's 73 degrees out, sunny, just a few clouds in the sky that appear as though they were purposely painted in their exact shape and location for optimal effect against the blue sky. The only sounds in our neighborhood are the laughter of distant children playing.. and me, hollering at my lawnmower.
In the name of being green and frugal, we decided our small yard needed nothing more than a human powered reel mower to keep it looking decent. So, we put down a hard-to-scrape-up $80 last summer and bought one that was rated ok. At first, it cut beautifully. And as an added bonus, we would get a nice workout (by 'we', I mean 'Seth' as I don't go outdoors when it's hot). Now, it's primary function is to fold the grass over, giving the illusion of a trimmed lawn for about half an hour. We can't really justify buying another reel mower, so now we get to see which part of my ever-widening behind holds the magical funds to buy an electric mower.
Our reasons for electric are simple and few: We're not 'fill up the gas can' people. Gas is stinky, I don't want it stored near the house, and I'm not a fan of inconvenient things. And our weed whacker is electric, so we already have the big green outdoor extension cord.
So, today marks the decision to continue folding the grass, hoping in vain for a few patches to be cut, or to use our credit card and purchase a mower. I had intended to use that to buy us bikes (to be paid off completely in July), but this seems more pressing that bike rides through the park. We can always walk in the park.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Rainy Days
I had some things going on today, so didn't get the time to put together an instructional post. However, I wanted to write something, so here goes.
My family is frugal by necessity. My husband brings home about $35,000 per year. That seems like a lot, but when $10,800 right off the top goes to rent, then another $3,840 to car payment and insurance, and $3,360 in other bills that we cannot adjust, we are left with $17,000. Again, this seems like a lot, but when you factor in utilities (gas and electric), car fuel, baby supplies (formula, clothing, toys, etc.), groceries, household supplies, clothing, hair/body care, medical expenses, paying down debt, etc, we're left with about $50 per month in "extra" funds. I have our grocery and household supply expenses, including baby formula, down to under $350 per month. With a garden and more meatless meals, we can bring this down even lower. I'd like to get the adult food portion to under $200 for the entire month- and we're getting very close to being there.
So, while I am finding this journey to frugality fascinating, and kind of empowering, I'm not sure it's something I would have undertaken if I had not been forced to. We both love electronics, gadgets, new clothes, shiny cars, eating out, and day trips. These are things that we choose to keep in our life, but on a much smaller scale than we had been. For me, frugality is not at all about going without. It's adjusting how we spend our money so that we can get the things in life that we want. There are people who are frugal for frugal's sake. They pinch pennies wherever they can, without giving themselves a splurge once in a while. Perhaps their joy or "goodie" comes from the act of saving money. For our family, that's just not the case. We enjoy our nice home, nice cars, and nice things. So we just figure out how to have those things, and make our life as rich as possible, for the least amount of money possible.
My family is frugal by necessity. My husband brings home about $35,000 per year. That seems like a lot, but when $10,800 right off the top goes to rent, then another $3,840 to car payment and insurance, and $3,360 in other bills that we cannot adjust, we are left with $17,000. Again, this seems like a lot, but when you factor in utilities (gas and electric), car fuel, baby supplies (formula, clothing, toys, etc.), groceries, household supplies, clothing, hair/body care, medical expenses, paying down debt, etc, we're left with about $50 per month in "extra" funds. I have our grocery and household supply expenses, including baby formula, down to under $350 per month. With a garden and more meatless meals, we can bring this down even lower. I'd like to get the adult food portion to under $200 for the entire month- and we're getting very close to being there.
So, while I am finding this journey to frugality fascinating, and kind of empowering, I'm not sure it's something I would have undertaken if I had not been forced to. We both love electronics, gadgets, new clothes, shiny cars, eating out, and day trips. These are things that we choose to keep in our life, but on a much smaller scale than we had been. For me, frugality is not at all about going without. It's adjusting how we spend our money so that we can get the things in life that we want. There are people who are frugal for frugal's sake. They pinch pennies wherever they can, without giving themselves a splurge once in a while. Perhaps their joy or "goodie" comes from the act of saving money. For our family, that's just not the case. We enjoy our nice home, nice cars, and nice things. So we just figure out how to have those things, and make our life as rich as possible, for the least amount of money possible.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Refried Beans
This is an awesome recipe. While it's a frugal recipe in itself, the frugality also comes from the amount. Making a HUGE pot of beans and then freezing it in portions not only means you only use the stove once, but packing the freezer fuller means there's less circulating air- which requires less energy to keep everything frozen.
Ingredients:
1 bag pinto beans, sorted and rinsed until water is clear (Check for stones! You'll bust a tooth!)
1/2-1lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled, with the grease saved (optional, but the fat helps you feel full and isn't a bad thing)
The following spices are all to taste, and completely optional
- pepper
-salt
-garlic
-cumin
-crushed red pepper
-paprika
-Tabasco/Red Hot pepper sauce
1- Put clean beans into a large bowl or pot, cover with water and soak for 24 hours. (Add about 1/4 cup baking soda if you'd like to, ahem, avoid noisy after effects of eating beans.)
2- Drain beans, put into pot and cover with water, plus about 2" of water.
3- Boil beans at a slow boil for about 2 hours, or until easily mushed between your fingers.
4- Drain beans, but reserve the liquid!
5- Mash the beans, add the bacon and grease, mash to whatever consistency you like, adding cooking liquid as needed.
6- Add spices to taste.
7- Portion into freezer bags.
I like to keep the cooking liquid to use as a base for bean soup, or to add to other types of soup. The last soup I made, I actually added the cooking liquid as well as a bag of the refried beans to add some protein. Yum!
This entire recipe cost me about $6- including spices and bacon. I was able to get 8 bags of refried beans out of that.
Ingredients:
1 bag pinto beans, sorted and rinsed until water is clear (Check for stones! You'll bust a tooth!)
1/2-1lb. bacon, cooked and crumbled, with the grease saved (optional, but the fat helps you feel full and isn't a bad thing)
The following spices are all to taste, and completely optional
- pepper
-salt
-garlic
-cumin
-crushed red pepper
-paprika
-Tabasco/Red Hot pepper sauce
1- Put clean beans into a large bowl or pot, cover with water and soak for 24 hours. (Add about 1/4 cup baking soda if you'd like to, ahem, avoid noisy after effects of eating beans.)
2- Drain beans, put into pot and cover with water, plus about 2" of water.
3- Boil beans at a slow boil for about 2 hours, or until easily mushed between your fingers.
4- Drain beans, but reserve the liquid!
5- Mash the beans, add the bacon and grease, mash to whatever consistency you like, adding cooking liquid as needed.
6- Add spices to taste.
7- Portion into freezer bags.
I like to keep the cooking liquid to use as a base for bean soup, or to add to other types of soup. The last soup I made, I actually added the cooking liquid as well as a bag of the refried beans to add some protein. Yum!
This entire recipe cost me about $6- including spices and bacon. I was able to get 8 bags of refried beans out of that.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Tortilla Recipe
A package of 8 tortillas in my local grocery store is about $3. Occasionally, they can be found on sale and with a coupon for around $1. I can still make them better, more delicious, and just as fast and easy to make as it would be to drive to get them.
Ingredients:
3 cups whole wheat flour (we use unbleached white whole wheat flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup Crisco (vegetable shortening, or lard)
3/4 cup hot water (whatever the hottest from your tap is)
Directions:
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
Cut in the shortening until the dough is crumbly. If it's floury still, add a touch more Crisco.
Add the hot water.
Knead the dough, in the bowl, to a soft ball.
Rest dough under a damp towel for one hour.
Form dough into 10-12 balls and roll each out to 1/8" on a floured surface.
Fry in cast iron skillet on medium high for 1-2 minutes per side, until nice brown spots show.
Some tips to make these better:
Store inside a folded kitchen towel while you're making the rest. This keeps the done ones warm and pliable.
Store any leftovers wrapped in the same kitchen towel, inside a plastic bag, in the fridge. And then just let come to room temperature before eating- or heat up by refrying for a moment, or wrapping in foil and sticking under the broiler for a few minutes.
Add some spices to make flavored tortillas for wraps and the like.
Tomorrow will be a recipe for easy refried beans- which are fantastic when served with these tortillas and some rice.
Ingredients:
3 cups whole wheat flour (we use unbleached white whole wheat flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup Crisco (vegetable shortening, or lard)
3/4 cup hot water (whatever the hottest from your tap is)
Directions:
Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl.
Cut in the shortening until the dough is crumbly. If it's floury still, add a touch more Crisco.
Add the hot water.
Knead the dough, in the bowl, to a soft ball.
Rest dough under a damp towel for one hour.
Form dough into 10-12 balls and roll each out to 1/8" on a floured surface.
Fry in cast iron skillet on medium high for 1-2 minutes per side, until nice brown spots show.
Some tips to make these better:
Store inside a folded kitchen towel while you're making the rest. This keeps the done ones warm and pliable.
Store any leftovers wrapped in the same kitchen towel, inside a plastic bag, in the fridge. And then just let come to room temperature before eating- or heat up by refrying for a moment, or wrapping in foil and sticking under the broiler for a few minutes.
Add some spices to make flavored tortillas for wraps and the like.
Tomorrow will be a recipe for easy refried beans- which are fantastic when served with these tortillas and some rice.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Green & Frugal Laundry, Part 3: Detergent
You can try the following, or just take my word for it:
Take your freshly laundered clothing out of the dryer (or off the line, you thrifty gal) and put them directly into the washer. Seriously. Run a typical cycle, and watch during the wash and rinse portions. You'll see suds. If you repeated that cycle anywhere from 2-5 more times, you'd still see suds. Why? Because your laundry detergent is leaving residue on your clothes.
If you have dry skin or irritation, it could very well be related to the detergent residue rubbing onto your skin 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for however many years you've been alive. Even if you use less than the recommended amount, you'd still have some residue. Using detergent, I'd use about 2 tablespoons for a large load of clothes- and would STILL get suds during the suds test.
So, how can we avoid washing our clothes in chemical water? You could buy special detergents that contain no fragrance or dyes, or hunt down overpriced eco-friendly laundry soaps and that's a step in the right direction. But the best option would be avoiding detergents all together while saving yourself a ton of money. We cloth diaper, so we know dirty laundry. I firmly believe that if I can get poopy diapers clean, I can get anything clean.
So, for a large load of laundry, I add 1 cup of Arm & Hammer baking soda, 1 cup of white vinegar, and wash on warm (or hot for diapers). That's it. If you want some scent to it, mix some essential oil into your baking soda. Mine is done up in a glass jar. I just add 15 drops of oil to the full jar of baking soda, then shake it all up.
Some people have advocated for using Dr. Bronner's Castile soap for/with laundry soap, but reports from users have said it does leave oil spots on clothing, so I cannot recommend it for that use. But, we will have a post soon about the many uses of the soap- just not related to laundry use.
NOTE: The highlighted links in this post will take you, via referral, to Amazon.com, where you can purchase these products.
Take your freshly laundered clothing out of the dryer (or off the line, you thrifty gal) and put them directly into the washer. Seriously. Run a typical cycle, and watch during the wash and rinse portions. You'll see suds. If you repeated that cycle anywhere from 2-5 more times, you'd still see suds. Why? Because your laundry detergent is leaving residue on your clothes.
If you have dry skin or irritation, it could very well be related to the detergent residue rubbing onto your skin 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for however many years you've been alive. Even if you use less than the recommended amount, you'd still have some residue. Using detergent, I'd use about 2 tablespoons for a large load of clothes- and would STILL get suds during the suds test.
So, how can we avoid washing our clothes in chemical water? You could buy special detergents that contain no fragrance or dyes, or hunt down overpriced eco-friendly laundry soaps and that's a step in the right direction. But the best option would be avoiding detergents all together while saving yourself a ton of money. We cloth diaper, so we know dirty laundry. I firmly believe that if I can get poopy diapers clean, I can get anything clean.
So, for a large load of laundry, I add 1 cup of Arm & Hammer baking soda, 1 cup of white vinegar, and wash on warm (or hot for diapers). That's it. If you want some scent to it, mix some essential oil into your baking soda. Mine is done up in a glass jar. I just add 15 drops of oil to the full jar of baking soda, then shake it all up.
Some people have advocated for using Dr. Bronner's Castile soap for/with laundry soap, but reports from users have said it does leave oil spots on clothing, so I cannot recommend it for that use. But, we will have a post soon about the many uses of the soap- just not related to laundry use.
NOTE: The highlighted links in this post will take you, via referral, to Amazon.com, where you can purchase these products.
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Green & Frugal Laundry Part 2
I had planned on taking photos of our laundry situation, but the weather is rainy, so I'll just write instead.
The pros and cons of line drying laundry are pretty straight forward. On the pro side, it's free, easy, and your clothes smell like sunshine. On the con side, the weather affects the ability to line dry, people with allergies may be sensitive to clothes dried outside, and the clothes are sometimes stiff. That last one is a big deal for most people. But, alas, I have great news! You can line dry without wearing sandpaper! Here's how:
Option 1- After taking the clothes off the line, throw them in your dryer for about 5 minutes. They'll be soft.
Option 2- Just rustle or scrunch up the clothes a few times until they reach desired softness.
Option 3- Dry them overnight. The darkness and night air lends to a softer end product.
Option 4- Put 1 cup of white vinegar into the rinse cycle.
TIP: Using scratchy line dried towels is GREAT for your skin! It gets your blood pumping, and sloughs off nasty, dead skin cells.
Another issue that worries people is that the sun may fade their clothing. Again, this one is easy. Dry your whites and lights during the day and your darks overnight. "Sunning" is a great way to get stains out of cloth diapers and white/light clothing. To get stains out before the drying portion of your laundry, rub with a paste of baking soda and vinegar. Try to do this as quickly as possible after the stain/spot happens to make sure you get it out.
Tomorrow's post will focus on getting away from nasty chemical detergents.
The pros and cons of line drying laundry are pretty straight forward. On the pro side, it's free, easy, and your clothes smell like sunshine. On the con side, the weather affects the ability to line dry, people with allergies may be sensitive to clothes dried outside, and the clothes are sometimes stiff. That last one is a big deal for most people. But, alas, I have great news! You can line dry without wearing sandpaper! Here's how:
Option 1- After taking the clothes off the line, throw them in your dryer for about 5 minutes. They'll be soft.
Option 2- Just rustle or scrunch up the clothes a few times until they reach desired softness.
Option 3- Dry them overnight. The darkness and night air lends to a softer end product.
Option 4- Put 1 cup of white vinegar into the rinse cycle.
TIP: Using scratchy line dried towels is GREAT for your skin! It gets your blood pumping, and sloughs off nasty, dead skin cells.
Another issue that worries people is that the sun may fade their clothing. Again, this one is easy. Dry your whites and lights during the day and your darks overnight. "Sunning" is a great way to get stains out of cloth diapers and white/light clothing. To get stains out before the drying portion of your laundry, rub with a paste of baking soda and vinegar. Try to do this as quickly as possible after the stain/spot happens to make sure you get it out.
Tomorrow's post will focus on getting away from nasty chemical detergents.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Line Drying Your Clothes
We own a nice stackable washer/dryer that was a housewarming gift from my parents. During the winter, the electric portion of our utility bill is only about $30-50 per month. The furnace, water heater, and stove are all gas powered, and made up about 75% of our utility bills over the winter. I did use the dryer, vented into the house through a indoor dryer vent to not only help heat the house, but also to add some moisture to the dry air. With summer on its way, we know that our electric bill will increase substantially. With a newborn in the house (and a mama who is VERY grumpy when she's hot) we will be using an air conditioner. We did buy the most energy efficient model available, but I refuse to heat the house with a dryer while cooling it with a/c.
Drying clothes on a line is the most frugal way to get your laundry dry. There are many different ways to do this, and they each depend on your level of laundry, yard space (if any), and willingness to stick with it. Today I'll cover the different options for line drying, and tomorrow I will give tips on how to go about line drying your laundry. You may not realize that different clothes require different methods for line drying, or how great wearing a line dried item of clothing can be.
There are many different options available for the hardware involved in line drying. Here at our house, we have both a drying rack and a pulley line system. Other options include parallel or umbrella dryers, various retractable dryers , or the least expensive option of just hooking a length of clothesline between two points.
If you do not have a yard, or just have a small patio or balcony, the drying racks are likely your best choice. That is my preferred tool for drying cloth diapers and delicates. We have a large yard, so our pulley system spans about 50ft between a post and a tree. The system is simple. There's a pulley on either end, attached to heavy duty steel hooks. The rope is passed through both pulleys and cinched together to form a loop. Then you just pull/push the rope to hang the clothes on. Total, we spent about $20 to put it together, and it's something we'll use for years.
The problem with most of the line based drying methods is the sagging line. Even the heavy duty nylon or wire lines will sag with use. I prefer to stick to the cotton line and just tighten as needed. To do that, you'll need a line tightener, available through this link.
Tomorrow, we'll go into further detail of the pros and cons of these systems, as well as some tips.
NOTE: The highlighted links in this post will take you, via referral, to Amazon.com, where you can purchase these products.
Drying clothes on a line is the most frugal way to get your laundry dry. There are many different ways to do this, and they each depend on your level of laundry, yard space (if any), and willingness to stick with it. Today I'll cover the different options for line drying, and tomorrow I will give tips on how to go about line drying your laundry. You may not realize that different clothes require different methods for line drying, or how great wearing a line dried item of clothing can be.
There are many different options available for the hardware involved in line drying. Here at our house, we have both a drying rack and a pulley line system. Other options include parallel or umbrella dryers, various retractable dryers , or the least expensive option of just hooking a length of clothesline between two points.
If you do not have a yard, or just have a small patio or balcony, the drying racks are likely your best choice. That is my preferred tool for drying cloth diapers and delicates. We have a large yard, so our pulley system spans about 50ft between a post and a tree. The system is simple. There's a pulley on either end, attached to heavy duty steel hooks. The rope is passed through both pulleys and cinched together to form a loop. Then you just pull/push the rope to hang the clothes on. Total, we spent about $20 to put it together, and it's something we'll use for years.
The problem with most of the line based drying methods is the sagging line. Even the heavy duty nylon or wire lines will sag with use. I prefer to stick to the cotton line and just tighten as needed. To do that, you'll need a line tightener, available through this link.
Tomorrow, we'll go into further detail of the pros and cons of these systems, as well as some tips.
NOTE: The highlighted links in this post will take you, via referral, to Amazon.com, where you can purchase these products.
Friday, May 13, 2011
First Post
The purpose of this blog will be to pass along tips, recipes, photos, and all things green and thrifty in my life.
This weeks posts: Clean and Green Laundry Care! We will cover greener, thrifty options for laundry detergents, as well as some tips for drying your clothes, removing stains, and special care of baby clothes. There will be tutorials, photos, and maybe even a video of an impossibly cute baby boy to keep you motivated!
I will also be setting up a Twitter account with a frugal tip of the day. And please, forgive me in advance for the construction work I'll be doing on the blog to make it more personal.
This weeks posts: Clean and Green Laundry Care! We will cover greener, thrifty options for laundry detergents, as well as some tips for drying your clothes, removing stains, and special care of baby clothes. There will be tutorials, photos, and maybe even a video of an impossibly cute baby boy to keep you motivated!
I will also be setting up a Twitter account with a frugal tip of the day. And please, forgive me in advance for the construction work I'll be doing on the blog to make it more personal.
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