Homemade Cooking From-Scratch Projects

Just because I haven't posted as many homemade projects over the last year doesn't mean that we haven't been doing them!  Here is a roundup of some of our projects from summer-fall 2011.

Peach Ice Cream - This was super fun to try with the girls - what kid wouldn't want to make ice cream?  I had gotten this large ice cream maker at a yard sale a while back, and we had never used it before.  It is the kind that uses rock salt and ice, which, let me tell you, is a bit of a messy process.  The resulting ice cream tasted fresh and delicious, but I had trouble getting it the right consistency.  In the end I just put it in the freezer to harden it up.  This project was one that was all about the experience, rather than about saving money and doing it on a regular basis.

Wheat Thins - This is a great recipe and shockingly easy.  We have made them a number of times - whenever I can't get a good deal on store-bought crackers.  My Silpat baking matis so helpful for rolling them out and transferring them to the cookie sheet.

Kale Chips - This was one of the many, many recipes using kale and other greens that we made during our CSA summer.  I wouldn't say that anyone in the family was ready to replace regular chips with these, but most of us liked them.  It is pretty great when all three of your preshool kids are asking for more kale!

Tomato Sauce - I had never really made homemade tomato sauce before, and I was excited to try it.  The first recipe we made was this one from Jamie Oliver.  I really liked the fresh taste, although my husband thought it was a bit bland.  My 5 year old enjoyed getting to chop the tomatoes!

Fried Okra - When I was in kindergarten in North Carolina in the '80's, one of my favorite foods in the cafeteria was fried okra!  It was fun to recall that memory and try making it myself.  I think I was the member of the family who ate most of this, but I certainly enjoyed it.  You do have to watch out for the tough, chewy pods though.

More Tomato Sauce - Near the end of the summer, the farm had an awesome deal on ten pounds of tomatoes!  I decided to go for it and made another big batch of sauce.  With this recipe I first blanched and skinned the tomatoes.  This sauce had fewer veggies and I thought tasted more like a jarred sauce (in a good way).

Raspberry Lemonade - This one is pretty self-explanatory.  I think I made this after our raspberries from the farm were a bit manhandled by "helpful" little hands!

Potato Chips - This was so much fun and something else I have always wanted to try.  We had a great time harvesting potatoes at the farm, and then we came home and made potato chips.  The key with these is of course to slice them as thinly as possible.  I don't have a mandolin cutter, so I just had to do the best I could with a nice.  The thinnest chips came out the crispiest, but all of them were absolutely delicious.  Homemade chips do not stay crispy long, however, so this is something to make and enjoy on a weekend, rather than to stockpile for long-term snacking.

I really love trying new homemade cooking projects, especially with my kids.  Sometimes I find that making the item is a great way to save money, and I incorporate it into my routine.  Other times it is just a fun experience to see how something is made.  It is really important to me that my children understand where their food comes from and that they are involved in preparing it.

What do you like to make homemade?

Tackling My 2012 Reading List

One of my goals for the new year is challenge myself with a brand new reading list.  I have loved to read since I was a child, but sad to say, in the past few years I have gotten lazy about it.

I don't have the money to spend on a lot of new books, and my library trips are centered around my children.  If I do have some spare time or money to spend on looking for books for myself, I can never seem to remember what I'd been wanting to read!  I'm usually reading something, but for a while it has mostly been re-reading old beloved novels or occasionally a borrowed title or two.

This year, I came up with a plan to broaden my horizons with some new books and finally read some titles that I've been interested in for years.  First of all, while on Christmas vacation with my family, I printed this Printable Reading List Planner.  Then I got my parents and brothers and sisters to all suggest books for me to read, and I came home with at least a dozen titles.

My next step was to search for all the books in my library's online catalog.  The library website allows you to save a reading list, which I did.  My plan is to request a couple of books at a time to be placed on hold at my library.  That way I just have to pick them up when I go on my weekly library trip with the kids - no browsing required.  For more popular titles, I can request them while I am reading other books, in case there is a long wait.

I am also planning to fill my reading list in on my PaperBackSwap wishlist.  If any of the books come up in the system, I will get exclusive rights to them for a few days, and I can request them if I choose.  I have been using PaperBackSwap for audio books, and the system works very well.  One advantage to getting books from PB Swap is that I won't have to worry about returning them on time; I can just swap them again when I'm finished or keep them for my colleciton.

I'm excited to read some new things in 2012.  So far, making a reading list is Working for Me!

This post contains my Paperback Swap referral link.


Picture by lusi.

Letting the Deal Go

Over the weekend, there was a coupon code available for JC Penney for $10 off a $25 order, with free shipping to store on many items.  The code expired yesterday, and I was determined to find a way to use this code to get some start on my Christmas shopping.  Trouble was, I didn't know what to use it for.  Really, there wasn't anything that I was planning to buy right now.

I'm still waiting to get Christmas idea lists from some family members, and I already have plans for my girls' "big" present, which I am ordering from Amazon.  The kids really have all the clothes they need right now, as do I.  And my husband was too preoccupied at the moment to give me specifics on clothes he would like.

Sure, I was able to find a few items that we could use - some snow mittens for the girls, some leggings and tights for myself.  However, everything I added to my cart was either out of stock or did not ship to the store. I was frustrated.

It was at 11:00pm last night, and I was sitting at the computer trying to finagle a way to use this deal.  Stocking up on birthday presents?  Buying myself a new pair of boots?  That's when it finally became clear.

It was time to let the deal go.  It was a good deal, if I had a use for it.  It would have saved me $10.  But not using the deal . . . that was completely free.

And I was free to go to bed.

FF: Do the Next Best Thing

There have been some times over the past few years when I have been able to throw myself whole-heartedly into being frugal, especially in the DIY department - making all our bread from scratch, keeping our freezer stocked with frozen meals for busy evenings, etc.    Other times . . . not so much.

It's easy to get discouraged when I'm overwhelmed with life and when I can't keep up with all my frugal resolutions.  Maybe it's a crazy night and nothing is planned for dinner or I forgot that I need a dessert for my child's school function or someone needs an outfit or shoes or a coat at the last minute.  At these times, I can choose to just throw in the towel and do what is easiest, whatever the expense, or I can remember the concept of the "next best thing."

For example, if I have nothing planned for dinner, instead of stopping for takeout or going out to a restaurant, I could stop by the grocery store and pick up a frozen meal or a rotesserie chicken.  This is not as cheap as preparing dinner from scratch, but it is cheaper than restaurant food.  If I need a dessert at the last minute, I could buy something pricey from the grocery store bakery, or I could pick up a brownie mix.  Again, the mix is not as cheap as homemade cookies made with discounted ingredients from my stockpile, but it is cheaper than the bakery dessert.  If there's suddenly a cold snap and I need a coat for my daughter, I may not be able to wait for a consignment sale or an ebay deal, but I can at least take a few minutes to browse online for the best sales or look on Craigslist.

This concept is also great for people who are just starting to try to be more frugal.  Instead of trying to change their lifestyle overnight, they could try to move one step towards being more frugal.  So a family used to getting takeout a few nights a week could buy some frozen meals to keep on hand instead.  A family who eats frozen meals a few times a week could try to start preparing them from scratch and then freezing.  A family who already prepares their food from scratch could try working on getting better deals on the ingredients.

Few of us are able to be as frugal as we would like to be all the time, but that is no reason to be discouraged.  Every little bit helps!

Check out more frugal ideas at Frugal Fridays.

Frugal Success and Failure

It's been a week of both success and failure in the frugal life - don't so many weeks seem that way?

On Monday, I was pleased to actually accomplish an afternoon of "freezer cooking."  I baked calzones (and the kids made mini pizzas) and chocolate beet/carrot bread (tastes a lot better than it sounds), and I also cooked up big pots of black beans and rice.

It was very satisfying to get a bunch of cooking accomplished in one afternoon, even if very little of this will even make it to the freezer.  These days I can't seem to set aside a whole day for once a month freezer cooking - due mostly to the amount of time and energy it takes every day to care for and entertain three preschool kids!   Instead, I am trying to accomplish a couple of hours of cooking at the beginning of each week, because it takes so much stress out of the week to have some of the more extensive cooking done.

Unfortunately, the frugal success of pre-preparing several homemade items was tempered by a real bargain-shopping failure on Tuesday!

As another part of my attempts at better organization, on Sunday I had prepped my coupons for Bloom's super double coupons day this week.  We go to the farm on Tuesday mornings, and I had decided to try to stop at Bloom on the way home.  This was a risk, since we are all pretty tired after a hot morning in the outdoors, but I nevertheless gave it try.  Well, the kids were well-behaved; Bloom had all the items in stock; I found a couple of extra deals - I happily sailed into the checkout line.  And those of you who are up local couponing bargains will already have figured out my error - the super double coupons day was on Monday.

I admit - I was too embarrassed to take items off my order, since practically my whole order was double coupon items.  I purchased the whole order and was just grateful that it was relatively small.  In the end, most of the items were still an okay deal with the undoubled coupon, though I definitely would not have purchased a couple of them if I had not thought they were a more outstanding bargain.

In defense of my own mental state - Bloom ran several weeks of super doubles days on Tuesdays recently, so I guess my mind was stuck in that mode.  You better believe I'll be double and triple checking the dates of particular promotions in the future.

I was a little frustrated and disappointed leaving the store, especially as I had put the time and energy into prepping and carrying out the shopping trip.  But I try to chalk these errors up to a learning experience and let them go.  Frugal living always involves a certain amount of experimentation, and everyone makes mistakes.

I am grateful that the loss of a few dollars in doubled coupons won't make or break our budget right now  On to the next bargain!

Frugal Summer Ideas Roundup

I was trying to think of a frugal summer idea to share today for Frugal Fridays, but I realized that I've covered many of my favorite ideas in the past.  So today I'm sharing links to some past posts for low-cost summer fun and food.  Hope you enjoy!

Food:
Minty Iced Tea
Frozen Treats
Homemade Hamburger and Hotdog Buns
Chicken Pasta Salad
Saving on Grilling
Making Fruit go Farther

Travel:
Keeping a Running Packing List
Saving on Car Trips
Vacation Fun

Fun:
Summer Fun with Kids

Happy Summer!

WFWM: Clutter-Free Spaces

Since finishing my 40 Bags in 40 Days project during Lent, I have only redoubled my efforts to declutter.  It's addictive - once I start getting rid of stuff I want to get rid of more, and I find I am thinking twice about replacing it.

One strategy that is working well for me right now is to keep certain spaces in my house permanantly clutter-free.  One big one for me is the surface of this buffet in my kitchen/eating area:

This used to be where my household files, piles of mail, and many other random items permanently lived.  Yes, I only moved some of those items to other areas, but I find that each time I move things around, I am able to discard or consolidate some of them and better organize the others.

In the past, I have felt that keep spaces empty was just wasting them, especially in our small house where storage space is at a premium.  But now I am finding that in many cases the opposite is true.  Not only is it calming and visually pleasing to have the empty space as a fairly permanent fixure, but the space actually becomes more useful for temporary needs - in this case to hold a lunch buffet or as a place to dry art projects or cool cookies.

I freely admit that this surface does not remain 100% empty all the time.  Stuff can definitely pile up over the course of the day or even a couple of days.  But my goal has been to clear it off each evening, and I have now kept it pretty consistently clear over the past few months.  Now I'm looking for other spaces in my house for which I can do the same thing.

Designating empty spaces Works for Me.

Starting Our Summer CSA Adventure!

This is a picture of our first CSA share of the summer.  It includes strawberries, lettuce, kale, spring onions, asparagus, and a garlic scape.  In case you don't know, CSA stands for "Community Supported Agriculture," and it is basically a weekly share of produce from a local farm.

Some of you may remember that the past two years we really tried to get into home gardening.  Two years ago we dug a garden plot in the back yard of our townhouse, and we were trying to raise enough vegetables and herbs to actually save some money and to supplement our diet with fresher, organic produce.

Then I got pregnant for Baby Gem.  A very pregnant woman trying to garden in a very hot summer with a very active 1-1/2 year old was not a recipe for success, especially as I am a novice gardener.  I found it very difficult to keep up with the garden, especially as regards harvesting and using all the produce on time.  Last summer was also very hot and dry, making what crops we did harvest quite disappointing.  Honestly, by August I had pretty much given up on the garden, and of course the baby was born at the end of the month.  Gardening was then pretty much the last thing on my mind.

Over the winter, my husband and I talked about what to do this summer.  I told him that I come to think that gardening might not be something that was practical at this season of life.  In the early spring, when we got a larger tax refund than we expected, the idea occurred to me to try a CSA.

Supporting a local farm in this way is something I have wanted to do for a long time.  We ended up deciding on a half share of produce which we pick up from a farm about 30 minutes away.  One of the reasons that we picked this farm is that the membership also gives you free admission to the farm (which has many attractions for kids and families) and a weekly U-pick bonus.  The CSA runs for 20 weeks, and it is costing us about $22/week.  That is probably more then I would usually spend on produce in a week, and I expect to still have to buy some fruit at the grocery store.   However, we did not do this specifically to save money (although it is a pretty good deal, especially considering that some of the produce is organic.)  In addition to the fresh produce, we feel that we are paying for a summer of outdoor fun, as well as enhancing our lifestyle by eating more vegetables and trying new varieties.

I'm very excited to start our CSA adventure, and I'll be sure to post some updates.

In the mean time, does anyone have any good recipes for Kale?

Seasons of Frugality

I've been reflecting lately on how being frugal is not a one-size-fits-all lifestyle, and how within my own life it seems that there will be different "seasons" of frugality.  However much money we might or might not end up with, my family always plans to try to live a frugal lifestyle, but I've discovered that it is going to look different at different times.  That in turn has influenced what content you see here on my blog.

For instance, when I started this blog back in January 2008, I focused a lot on DIY cooking and baking projects, and I was also getting into gardening.  At the time, I just had a two year old and a six month old, and my second daughter was such a wonderful sleeper (those were good days!).  During LuLu's long naptimes, I could do a lot of projects.

Well, ahem, those days are gone!  Now I have a 4-1/2 year old, a 2-/12 year old (who clearly slept so much as a baby to save up her energy for being a toddler), and an 8 month old (who is a terrible sleeper). Naptimes are fleeting and irregular these days, and chances are only one child will be asleep at a time.  For the past 8 months or so I've focused a lot more on online shopping when possible, so you've seen more posts on the daily deal sites and Amazon deals.

Yet, the pendulum is swinging back a little.  With some advance preparation, I can now make it through a weekly Wegmans trip with all three kids, remember most of what I need, and even use coupons!  I've gotten more efficient at home, and I'm squeezing in a few more baking projects.

It's all balancing act.  I'm constantly trying to balance how much time I spend on coupon prep, grocery shopping, and finding online deals.  I'm trying to balance my frugal blogging with the work I do to save money for my own family.  I'm trying to figure out what things are worth making on my own and which are worth buying.  I'm trying to squeeze in what DIY projects I can and trying to figure out if gardening is something that is practical for our lifestyle.

As our financial situation has developed, it has also influenced my frugal practices.  When I discovered frugal blogs in the summer of 2008, we were just barely meeting all our expenses, so I would pursue any option that might save a few pennies.  Now (thanks in part to all I have learned about saving money), we have a small emergency fund and a little more breathing room in the budget, and I have learned to be a little more discerning about what deals are worth pursuing.  Lately I've been trying to purge and simplify our home, and I am much more careful about what I bring into it, even if it's free.

This fall, my oldest daughter is starting kindergarten, which no doubt will bring a new season of life with it.  I don't know what the next season will bring, but I send my thanks to all of you who read here and come along for the journey.

I'd love to hear about the "season of frugality" that you are in right now.  How has it changed over the years?

Picture by Alfi007.

Frugality and "Stuff"

Since I've been cleaning out our home and trying to simplify, one of the issues with which I've been struggling is how to cut down on what I bring into the house.  Because of course it's no good to clear stuff out only to replace it the next week.  Then it becomes an exhausting, never-ending cycle of shopping and purging.

I'm certainly not a shopoholic; I obviously consider myself pretty to be pretty frugal!  I'm pretty good about sticking to our budget, and I am not tempted by the typical "sale."

However, it would be prideful not to admit that I too am tempted by "stuff."  My weakness is definitely ultra cheap stuff - the yard sale, thrift store, and 75% or 90% off clearance.  While to a certain extent there is nothing wrong with my enjoying a little "retail therapy" in those ways, there is a downside as well.

First of all, it is shocking how quickly even ultra-cheap prices add up.  I have honestly been in the position of filling my cart with 90% off merchandise, because, "How could I pass this up for $.37?"  Then I've gotten to the checkout counter and I'm spending $20 on stuff that I would never have purchased except that it was such a great deal.

And that's just it, there can be a fine line between buying ahead in order to save money and buying just because something is a great deal - or, on the other hand, buying only what you need and buying without regard to cost.

Several of the frugal methods used by myself and others involve keeping some extra stuff around - for instance, stocking up on groceries when they're on sale or keeping a stash of gifts bought on clearance to pull out for birthdays and baby showers.  There are also the little luxuries - seasonal decorations, new toys, kitchen items - that I enjoy finding as bargains, because they would not be the budget otherwise.

Yet all these great deals have the potential to just bury us in stuff, which clutters the house, gets lost, creates stress, gets dusty, etc.  Our family of five lives in a small townhouse, and items that might not be out of place in a larger home we simply cannot store.

So I struggle . . . what is the right amount of stuff in my life right now?   How do I regulate how stuff enters and exits our home?

How do I control the stuff and keep it from controlling me?

40 Bags - Wrap Up

Well, Lent is definitely over now, and it's time to give you the wrap up of my 40 Bags in 40 Days project.  I think I last left you at 15 bags.  Since then, I kind of missed documenting the rest with pictures, but let's see if I can come up with an approximate count:

16, 17, 18 - Trash!  Old phone books, broken pieces of toys, etc.

19-28 - I freecycled 3 TRASH bags of toys!  (Approximately equal to 9 grocery bags.)  I'm pretty excited about this.  And they were taken by an at-home daycare, which I'm sure will put them to good use.

29, 30, 31, 32 - I donated an Amazon box of size 2 diapers (that the baby kindly outgrew right after I ordered them), a package of newborn diapers, and two baby blankets to Birthright.

33-40 - These were donations to a rummage sale benefiting a friend who has cancer - talk about a good motivation for cleaning out!  I donated a huge shopping bag of my clothes, plus several bags more worth of hanging clothes; our old (working) printer; and a small shopping bag of miscellaneous household items.

There's a lot I could say about the process and effects of this 40 bags project; it was surprisingly life-changing.   I'm actually planning to write a few more individual posts about my thoughts on purging and some of the habits I'm trying to alter.

As a quick summary, I'll just say that it was an extremely positive experience to clean out, and that it was shockingly easy to come up with 40 grocery bags!  I think if I had the time and had done the purge in a more systematic and organized manner, I could have easily come up with 40 trash bags.

I can see myself doing this project every year as a way to spring clean, get organized, and get back to essentials.

Have you done any purging or reorganizing lately?  What did you learn from it?

Saving Money by Going Green

I hate the misconception that some people seem to have that you cannot live both frugally and "naturally" or with environmentally friendly practices.  You can definitely be both green and frugal!  In fact, many "green" practices are actually money-saving practices as well.

So each year on Earth Day, I like to publish a list of green practices that not only do not cost money, but actually save you money.  Saving the the earth and saving money at the same time - what's not to love?!

This year Earth Day falls on Good Friday, when I won't be blogging, so I'm sharing my list a little early.

Here's my updated list of money-saving green ideas - share your ideas in the comments!

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Turning off lights and unplugging electronics and appliances when not in use

Switching to energy-saving lightbulbs

Using rechargeable batteries


Keeping the heat and air conditioning a little lower and using clothing and other methods to stay comfortable


Carpooling or walking or biking to your destination

Combining errands, sharing errand duties with a friend, or simply skipping unnecessary errands

Living with only one car

Growing your own organic produce

Using coupons to buy more organic products

Cooking and baking from scratch (saves on packaging and energy to produce prepared products and eliminates additives from your food)

Eating less meat

Buying food in bulk packages instead of individually wrapped

Buying more whole foods, fewer processed foods


Avoiding wasting food by using up leftovers and cooking with what you have

Composting your food scraps

Using reusable grocery bags

Reusing plastic grocery bags - e.g. as trash bags for small trashcans, lunch bags, etc.

Buying used items - clothes, baby equipment, furniture, etc.


Borrowing and sharing items with friends

Buying energy-efficient appliances when you need to replace what you have

Breastfeeding


Using cloth diapers

Making homemade cleaners from natural products (vinegar, etc.) instead of buying pricey chemicals

Using resuable food containers and water bottles instead of disposable wraps and bottles

Avoiding paper plates and napkins and using regular dishes and cloth napkins

Trying to fix broken items instead of tossing them

Donating, freecycling, or recycling anything you can instead of throwing it away (donating can save money as tax deductions; freecycling can get you free stuff in return; recycling can make you money in some states)

Reusing worn out clothing, blankets, or towels as cleaning rags

What are other "green" practices that also save money?

40 Bags - Freedom in Less

I wouldn't really call myself a true minimalist.  I get too sentimentally attached to things or have the mentality of saving too many things in case I need them.  However, during this purging project I have noticed an interesting phenomenon: the freedom that comes with letting go of things.

Sometimes I can really agonize about whether to keep or get rid of something, but I've noticed that whenever I choose to give it up, I get this rush of freedom.  I'm no longer weighed down by an item that I probably wasn't sure how to use or where to keep.  It makes we want to get rid of ten more!

I remember a time when I received a pretty dish as a gift.  My sister really admired it, and the thought occurred to me to give it her.  I hesitated - it was a recent gift, and it was really pretty.  But then I thought about how many lovely dishes I have from our wedding that I don't have enough chance to use and about how little extra space I have.  You know what happened - I gave it to her.   I never regretted it then or since.  In this way gift brought us both only pleasure, which I'm sure is what the giver would have wanted.

This freedom that comes with giving things away has also been affecting what I choose to bring into the house.  But that's a topic for a whole other post!

Here are the bags I've checked off recently:

Bag 10 - Trash!

 Bag 11 - Easter supplies I bought on clearance last year.  I donated these to our church, which is making Easter basket for needy kids in the community.

Bags 12, 13, 14, 15 Random holiday items - to freecycle.  Also to freecycle (not pictured) - huge stuffed animal, bag of cloth diapers of the kind we don't use.

Working on several more.  Not too much time left now!

Check out more tips at Works for Me Wednesday.

40 Bags Update

Wow, I can't believe that half of Lent has already gone by!  I meant to update you on my 40 Bags for 40 Days project each week, but now I"ll have to do a catch-up post.  I've actually been taking pictures of each bag to keep count!

Bag 2 - Freecycled curtains

Bag 3 - Freecycled outgrown clothes

Bag 4 - TRASH (not regular trash, but stuff I found around that was actually trash)

Bags 5 and 6 - donations to the church yard sale

Bags 7, 8, 9 - You do not even understand how many broken-down boxes this is. After I cleared them out on the basement and threw them out on the porch it looked like an episode of "Hoarders."

In the beginning, it was shockingly easy to get rid of stuff!  Some of it was stuff that I had already set aside to give away, but which had never made it out the door.  That gave me a bit of a head start.  I'm trying to only count bags if they're actually leaving the house, so that I don't have that phenomenon of the "giveaway box" mysteriously getting recirculated.

Now I've slowed down a bit, and I'm looking a little harder to find stuff to get rid of.  That's good though - I'm trying to pare down not only the obvious, but the less obvious clutter.  I have a few bags that I'm working on filling right now - I'll post another update next week!

How is your decluttering/spring cleaning going?

40 Days - 40 Bags

We started observing the season of Lent yesterday, which is a time of prayer and penance in preparation for Easter.  My friend Lacy, over at Catholic Icing, mentioned to me a challenge that she had seen going around the blogosphere last year - 40 Bags for 40 Days. 

Basically, the point is to get rid (throw away, give away, etc.) of 40 bags of stuff from your house, one for each day of Lent.  It really fits with the Lenten theme of getting back to essentials and ridding yourself of things that may be preventing you from focusing on what's really important.

Having less clutter can really save you money as well.  When you have too much stuff, things you use and like become lost and broken and impossible to use and enjoy.  I hate to admit that as frugal as I am, I have definitely had to replace items I already own because I couldn't find them.  Case in point - we recently spent $10 on new haircutting scissors because we couldn't find our pair.  While cleaning up my room last week I find the originals - sitting on the cluttered and dusty top of my dresser.  Oops.

So I am excited to jump into this challenge for Lent, although I am simplifying it a bit.  Instead of black trash bags, I am just aiming for just a grocery bag's worth of stuff per day.  I'm also not going to be able to go through my house systematically - I'm afraid of creating too big a job and setting myself up for failure.  I am just going to gather items as I come across them - I also already have several boxes worth of items in the basement that I've been meaning to freecycle/donate/throw away. 

Any way I go about it, if I get 40 bags of stuff out of here by Easter, it should make a big improvement in how our household looks and feels.

What about you?  Are you decluttering/purging/spring cleaning right now?  Are you doing something else for Lent (or just in general) to help your household get back to essentials?

2011 Financial Goals

A couple of weeks ago, I shared how my family did on accomplishing our 2010 financial goals.  Now it's time to get into the swing of things with our goals for the new year.

My husband and I have designated this year as "recovery year" financially, so our goals are not too exciting.  After a year in which we had a baby, dealt with an unexpected hospital stay and medical bills, and purchased new computers (more on that later), we have some catching up to do.  Therefore, our main and really only big goal is:

Fully Fund Our 3-Month Emergency Fund - We've planned out our budget for the year, and if we are careful, we should be able to hit this number by the end of the year.  We've come close for several years, but we've always ended up using some of the money.  We'd really like to get this money socked away so that we don't have to touch it except for a true emergency.

Also, once again I've designated some "frugal goals," ways I plan to save money in the new year to help accomplish our main goal:

Stick closely to our budget and cover incidental expenses - My husband and I are pretty good at sticking to a budget - I mean, I do write a frugal blog!  But like everyone else, we have our weaknesses, and of course unexpected expenses always come up.  In the past, we have sometimes gone over our budget in certain categories, which in turn eats up money saved for other things.  This year, I think I have set a realistic and workable budget, and I am determined for us to adhere to it.  That way, the money set aside for things such as car repairs is there when we need it, and we don't have to touch our savings.

Stick to a $300 grocery budget - I worked on this last year and came pretty close.  According to my Pear Budget year in review, I averaged $303/month.  However, it varied somewhat, as high as $331 and as low as $250.  This partially had to do with my pregnancy and having a new baby; I wasn't as strict with myself as I had planned.  This year, however, I'd like to stay within $300 every month, including months with holidays and events. 

Keep excellent track of our spending - Sometimes the only reason I'd go a little over budget in a spending category is that I hadn't kept up with all my receipts and thought there was more left in the budget than there was.  Now that I have a portable computer of my own, I have no excuse for not keeping exactly up to date with entering my receipts in Pear Budget.

Like I said, our goals this year are pretty back-to-the-basics.  I dream of some day being able to save for a more "fun" and interesting goal, but for now I am just grateful that we are able to live under our income and that we have what we need.

Do have any financial or "frugal" goals you'd like to share?

Check out more frugal tips at Frugal Fridays.

Losing Weight on a Budget

Like many other people, I'm starting the new year with a new resolve to eat healthy and lose a little weight.  I guess I'm a little satiated with all the holiday sweets, and I also still have about 15 pounds of baby weight that I'd like to see go. ;-)

I'm not planning any kind of intense diet (I'm still breastfeeding full time!).  Instead, I'm trying to make a few small changes that I hope will have a big impact.  Here are the things I'm focusing on:

- Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables - My kids always eat fruit like it's going out of style, but I find that I sometimes forget to eat it myself!  Either I don't take the time to prep it, or I subconsciously leave it for the kids.  That's no good; my kids need a healthy mommmy!  This week I even broke down and bought some prewashed spinach at Wegmans.  It was a little more expensive than a head of lettuce, but not having to wash it will encourage me to eat it!  The cost of fresh fruits and vegetables can add up, but I know they don't have to break my budget.

- Not buying unhealthy items - This is a simple way to both be healthier and save money - not buying things!  With the holidays over, I'm trying not to spend money on many desserts.  I'm also planning to make some new healthy homemade snacks as opposed to more expensive and less healthy store bought cracker and chip-type items.

- Avoiding eating after dinner - I admit it, I fall into this common trap.  My husband and I often watch a little TV in the evenings after the kids are in bad, and we usually have tea and dessert or even sometimes - gasp - chips and salsa!  I really enjoy relaxing with my husband, but my new resolve is to serve a small dessert right after dinner and to stick with a cup of tea later in the evening.

Well, these are my plans, anyway!  I'll let you know how I'm doing!  I definitely am not perfect when it comes to the healthy eating department, but I do always maintain that eating a very healthy diet on a budget is an attainable and realistic goal!

Check out the tips at Works for Me Wednesday.

Photo by 1876.

Frugal "Survival Mode"

I'm in survival mode right now.  Actually, sometimes it feels more like "barely surviving" mode!

Even though Baby "Gem" will be 3 weeks old on Tuesday, we've only been home from our second hospital stay for a week, so we really lost the first two weeks for settling in.  He's also still been on the bili-blanket for his jaundice, which makes life a bit more complicated.  (He always has to be plugged into an outlet!)  Add all that to the normal adjustment to having three kids under five, and you've got one tired, stressed-out mommy! 

While we're adjusting to our new family, I'm letting a lot of things go!  For instance:

Meal Planning - We have been greatly blessed to receive several dinners from friends and members of my church moms' group.  That has been so wonderful!  When we haven't had a meal from a friend, I've been making pasta.  And we'll eat cereal for dinner if it comes to that!  Right now, I just don't have the energy or organization to cook, and that's okay.  Friends who have three or more kids tell me I will cook again . . . right? right?

Couponing/Shopping - I was briefly tempted this week to try to make it to Harris Teeter's Super Double coupons.  Luckily, I stopped myself in time and decided that the preparation and effort to make the trip was not where I need to be spending my energy right now.  I have a good stockpile from my August bargain shopping, and now is the time to use it.  There will always be more sales to rebuild it later!  One surprising benefit for my couponing, however, is that I used my downtime in the hospital to totally clean out my coupon box.  Now whenever I have ten spare minutes I'm cutting out my back inserts, so when I do get back to couponing I should be totally organized!

Rules/Routine - As a caveat to this, I should say that we are getting our girls back into their bedtime and quiet time routines, as they were of course totally off them while we were in the hospital.  Sleep is definitely very important for everyone right now!  However, yes, I am letting other things slide.  For instance, I have suspended all my normal limits on movie time.  Right now, if I need to put on a DVD for the sake of all of our sanity, I do!  I'm also not worrying too much about balanced meals.  I remember that GiGi spent the first couple of weeks after LuLu was born eating mostly goldfish crackers, and she lived through it. ;-)  I'm also *trying* not to stress about getting back to a rhythm in our days.  I know that it will take some time to figure out what will work best for the new version of the family.

Blogging - Of course, you've also noticed that the blog has to be on the back burner for a little while.  However, I still have a couple of cool guest posts to run.  Beyond that, I hope you'll just bear with me.  I'll be posting whenever I can.  I also can't wait to share with you soon how I'll be attending my first blogging conference in October!

Well, that's about what my life looks like right now! 

What about you?  When have you been in "survival mode"?  Do you have any tips for me?  I could definitely use them!

Last Call for Guest Posts!

Well, I have less than 3 weeks until my due date, and I'm definitely ready to be done with being pregnant.  However, I'm really trying to work on my patience and at least tolerate, if not enjoy, these last few weeks.  A while back I was inspired by something that Crystal wrote on Money Saving Mom, right before she had her third baby.  She said that she was enjoying the last few weeks of just being a family of four.

That really struck a chord with me when I read it, because I was so impatient for the last two months with my pregnancy with LuLu.  Then, after she was born, as much as loved her, I felt sad that I hadn't enjoyed the last moments alone with my first baby girl.  I had wasted so much time being impatient!  This new baby will be a huge gift to our family, but I know that it will totally change our lives and (at least at first) make life crazier and more complicated.  So, these last few weeks, I'm just trying to live in the moment!

And speaking of how crazy my life will get, I could really use some more guest posts!  That way, you'll still find interesting content here for those first few weeks when I'm having trouble showering, let alone writing!  If you have an idea for a post that you think would be interesting to Frugally Blonde readers, please do send it along.  Thanks so much!

Photo by syposinc.

My Family's Frugal Extreme - Life Without Cable TV

Guest post by Laura from Frugal Friends in Northern Virginia

Our family doesn't have cable television. To most Americans, this probably sounds extreme.

Don't get me wrong, we still watch TV shows and movies and we truly don't feel deprived. We just made a decision to ditch cable when we first got married.

Now five years after saying "I do", we still choose to live without cable TV for a couple of reasons: 1. We honestly feel that there is more "junk" on TV and so many programs and movies that don't coincide with our values or are downright offensive to us (call us fuddy duddies if you like!). 2. We want to keep our bills low and cable is something we can live without. 3. With my husband's demanding work schedule and my duties in taking care of our home and child and some part-time work, we find we don't have time watch much TV.

When we do have time and want to watch a TV show or movie, we use one of the following resources, many of which you probably already use yourself:

1. Local Libraries
"Libraries will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no libraries." Anne Herbert

I love this quote from Anne Herbert. Your local library is a wealth of information and resources and it's free; you just have to familiarize yourself with what it has to offer. My local library offers great books and digital media. My husband and I used Blockbuster online to rent DVDs early in our marriage and then I found out that my local library had many of the same new release DVD titles available to check out for free. Popular titles I am able to request on my library's online portal, and then I wait in queue until it's ready for me to pick up at my local branch. Be sure to check your local library to find out if there are extra fees for putting items on hold or intra-library loan.

2. Network TV websites
If you have a computer and Internet connection, you can watch full episodes of select shows on the main network TV websites.   In addition to current shows you can also watch classic TV shows.  NBC.com has a selection of TV Classics such as "The Alfred Hitchcock Hour", "The A-Team", "Charles In Charge"  CBS.com has a selection of TV Classics such as "Family Ties", "MacGyver", "The Twilight Zone" and the original "Star Trek" series.  My husband and I also will occasionally check out TBS.com and HGTV.com to watch full episodes of shows.

3. Hulu.com
My husband and I watch some of our favorite TV shows on Hulu.com. Popular shows from the main networks are featured and they will usually keep up to 6 episodes from the current season. We're not tied to catching the show on the night it broadcasts on TV, we can watch it when it's convenient for us. Also, sometimes when we have trouble watching an episode on one of the main TV network websites (due to slow connectivity or problems with the site) we have found that we are able to watch the exact same episode on Hulu without any glitches.

4. Redbox Free Rental Codes
Redbox is a pretty popular movie rental service that has kiosks in many grocery stores and convenience stores. It is only $1 per night to rent a movie, and Redbox offers different free codes so sometimes you can rent movies for free.

5. Free Movies In Theaters
We get our summer fix of weekly children's films at our local cinema. Check your area to see if any theaters offer free movies (typically not new movies). In my area Regal Cinemas, Rave Motion Pictures and Phoenix Theaters offer free movies at 10:00am on Tuesdays and Wednesdays for most of the summer.

6. Outdoor Film Festivals
You can also enjoy movies on the big screen under the stars at outdoor film festivals and summer events. In our area there are numerous free outdoor movie series offered, some at local parks, others in fields or in the parking lot of select shopping centers.

I hope that gives you some ideas of ways that my family has cut out our Cable and yet been able to enjoy TV shows and movies.

And now I have some questions for you readers...
For those of you frugal folks who get by without Cable: What are your favorite ways to watch TV shows or movies? Anything I missed that you'd recommend? Also, any tips for husbands who love sports but who have to live without ESPN (my husband would love to hear about it!)?


For those of you who can't bear to part with your Cable: Have you cut spending in other areas so that you can keep your Cable and favorite channels? Are there certain channels or programs that you can't bear to live without?

The beautiful part about aiming to live frugally, is that you are able to skimp and save in some areas and use your hard-earned money for things that matter to you and give you fulfillment.

Laura is a wife, mother and frugal blogger over at Frugal Friends in Northern Virginia where she shares deals and frugal tips for folks in the DC Metro area.