Category Archives: Frugal

Ideas for frugal living

Decisive Action…put off by only one short year.

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Update:  Would you believe I wrote this post last spring and there are still one or two items on the list that we haven’t accomplished?  Which is why I never published it.  Well…it’s the time of year when I ramp up thinking of all things money and job-quit-y, so I’m back at trying to cut expenses.

*****  Warning!! This post contains a discussion of personal financial matters citing actual dollar amounts.  I know this is considered tacky by most well brought up folks, but I believe it could possibly help someone recognize some non-essential spending and maybe, possibly positively influence someone else’s bottom line.  If you find this blatant money talk offensive please stop by again some other time.  Have a nice day.  *****

I’m totally aware that my post about going back to work was a tad whiny and that I’ve been whining about leaving my kids in order to work for nearly six seven years now, but I never really sat down and strategized a way out of it that didn’t involve a fantasy where I was fired or downsized,(I’ve never been a quitter) and stopped by the mini-mart to get a lottery ticket, and won.  So I’ve been thinking through some of our non-essential expenditures and here’s what I’ve come up with.

Cable-Internet-Phone Bundle

I won’t go as far as to say we could do without TV, even though I know we technically could.  Instead I’ll say we don’t need as many channels as we have now.  The cable company tricked us into buying expanded cable by spreading the four channels we like to watch out over three separate packages.  I’m ashamed to say it’s taken me three years to finally realize that nearly everything I want to watch is available on the internet that’s included in the bundle.  So, I’ll be calling the cable company to let them know we only need the basic channels.  As for internet and phone, we already have the bare minimum.  Getting rid of expanded should save us about $50/month.

Netflix

Again, it’s taken me three years and for that I am ashamed.  I just really stink at sending videos back, so we we’ve been paying for DVD’s and streaming movies, but really only using streaming.  So in under two minutes I logged into my account and changed my package to streaming only.  This was a quick way to save $10.

Insurance

I drive a paid off 2001 Subaru.  We’ve been paying for full coverage because we had to while we had a car loan.  Full coverage on an 11 year old vehicle just doesn’t make sense, so I called the insurance agent and switching to less coverage saves us $25 a month.

PMI

Because we didn’t have the full 20% to put down on our conventional mortgage we pay private mortgage insurance.  When we reach the balance which would reflect having put the full twenty percent down we can request that the mortgage company drop the PMI which will save us $69 per month.  We are eagerly awaiting that day, which should happen in January.

These are all set expenditures that we’ve been making each month, and cutting them saves us one hundred and fifty four of our hardest earned, green American dollars.  Nobody  is going to let me quit my job for figuring out how to save 154 dollars a month, but I’m not done yet.  I know there are a lot of little purchases and expenses adding up to a big ol’ bucket of cash being tossed out the window around here.

Fast Food and Quick Stop lunches

Probably our biggest non-essential expenditure and here’s the smacker: we don’t even really like the stuff (except for you, Rusty Burgers and Mom!) and we feel junky after we eat it.  But it’s so convenient and we’re so strapped for time.  We fall into the trap of thinking if we grab something quick for dinner on the way home we will have so much extra time to spend with the kids or getting other things done.  BUT, if you’ve ever eaten a fast food meal you may know that the only thing you can do after is un-button your jeans and groan.  Some weeks we’re better and follow a healthy, cooked-at-home meal plan, other weeks go to heck in a hand basket, but I bet if we averaged it out we’d find a couple hundred going out the window so we can feel full of regret, sluggish and a little fatter.  This is going to be very difficult since I’m rarely organized, which is what one needs to be to consistently make quick meals at home.  Since it’s hard to say exactly how much we’ve been spending I don’t know how much we’ll save.  Shameful, I know.  I’ve started by sitting down with the hubster and making a list of easy make at home and make ahead meals, and the things we need to keep on hand to make them.  After a month of trying to stick with it, we’ll see what’s left over in the bank account the day before pay day.  I have a feeling this one topic will make a great future post.

Electricity

At 2.3 cents per kilowat hour we have some of the nations least expensive electricity, but that’s no reason to use more than we need.  Last winter I became the furnace Nazi, and I’m holding strong there, so the number one way to reduce electricity bills has already been tapped into here.  But guess what comes next? Laundry.  I’ve already switched to cold water washes which saves on powering the water heater.  Also, I’ve been hanging my clothes out more and more with the good weather, but this could still use some tightening.  As could making sure lights are off in unused rooms, (like the basement, ahem, Nate), and unplugging chargers and appliances when they’re not in use.   I also need to plan ahead and do my baking all at once so we only go through the pre-heating process once.  This will also help reduce those fast food visits.

Gasoline

In previous years, though my husband and I work for the same company, we were unable to ride to work together because of differing schedules.  This year our hours have been more in line and we’re able to ride together about 80% of the time.  This has saved us about $200 per month in fuel costs.  It also saves wear and tear on my husband’s newer truck.

Life Insurance

Those of us without families should never go a day without life insurance, but the fact is we’ve been overpaying.  First, someone decided to say he was a smoker, though he only smokes one or two drags of a cigarette per year, usually when a smoking friend is about to do something stupid and says “here, hold this for a minute”.  Then someone else fell for the sales pitch and purchased a whole-life policy.  Which is generally considered a poor investment.  Next we failed to realize that we were still paying for two term policies.  It’s ugly.  $400 per month ugly.  We plan to ditch the whole life and shop around for a better term policy.

There is one more expense I feel I need to mention, though it can’t yet be eliminated.  Daycare.  We have some seriously budget daycare from a couple of great gals,who share our values and love our kids.  We love these ladies, and know the kids have a great time with them.  Still, I am so jealous of them for getting to spend most of my babies’ waking hours with them, while I only get to rush them through dinner, homework, chores and bedtime.  If I were to quit my job, poof! We’d save 800 dollars a month and our family would gain the strong foundation of a mama at home.

Again, I know these things seem like drops in a bucket, but that bucket just might be my ticket to raising my own children instead of paying someone else to do so.

Have any of you made the transition from work-outside mama to stay at home mama?  What did you do to fill the financial gap? Did you have to convince your husband that the value of Mama at home outweighs the financial sacrifice?

May be linked up with The Homestead Barn Hop, the Homemaking Link Up, No Ordinary Blog Hop, and the Homeacre Hop.

Pantry Cooking- Mexican Restaurant Style Rice

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I can’t believe it hasn’t occurred to me to share this recipe before now.  I literally tell someone how to make this at least once a month.  The conversation goes something like this:

Friend:  I would eat white rice at home, if only I could make it like the Mexican restaurants do.

Me:  It’s really easy, I’ll show you how.  (I’m super helpful that way ;-) )

You’ll need two secret weapons to complete this task; a pan with a tight fitting lid, and Knorr brand Caldo de Tomate.  You’ll also need white rice, but I don’t suppose we can call that a secret.  (I am not affiliated with Knorr, but I do recommend this specific brand.  We love it, and eat it far more often than we should considering it’s sodium/msg content.)

First, brown one cup of white rice over medium heat.  We usually use butter or cooking spray for this, but dry works too.

When the rice is nicely browned, add 2 Cups of boiling water and 2 tsp of Caldo de Tomate.  Give it a quick stir to incorporate the caldo, then reduce heat to low, and put the lid on.

Allow it to cook with the lid on for about 20 minutes.  Resist the urge to check it by taking the lid off, and whatever you do, DO NOT stir it!  Stirring it will cause it to become sticky.

After 20 minutes you can check it.  It will likely be done, but occasionally I find that I need to add more water.  If this happens, pour a little boiling water in the center of the rice, Do Not Stir It, and put the lid back on for a few more minutes.

After the water is all absorbed, fluff the rice and serve as a side dish to your favorite Mexican entrée.

Enjoy!

 

This recipe has been shared at The HomeAcre Hop, The Homemaking Link Up, and No Ordinary Blog Hop. and The Homestead Barn Hop.

Sweet Pickled Jalapenos

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We’re big fans of Mexican food around here.  While I don’t usually go for too much spice myself, I try to keep a can or two of pickled Jalapenos around so my husband can spice up whatever “bland Americanized Mexican” food I try to feed him.  That’s a direct quote. 

In the past I’ve just bought them at the store and kept a few cans on hand.  But when our jalapeno plant made a heroic push to put on a big crop right near the end of the garden season, I figured I’d give pickled Jalapenos a try.   Now, I can’t speak from experience since I don’t like the spicy stuff, but my husband and his buddies love them.  

I used the small 4oz jelly jars because it’s closest to the size we use at one meal.  I don’t like to have opened jars of stuff in the refrigerator because we inevitably “lose” it in there and it ends up going to waste. 

If you have a friend or relative who is a spice lover, these make nice gifts too.  In fact we just gave out a bunch for Christmas. 

You will need

  • 10 or so medium-sized Jalapeno peppers, sliced, with or without seeds
  • 1 carrot, sliced
  • 1/2 medium onion, coarsely chopped
  • 1 T pickling spice
  • 2 C distilled white vinegar, 5% acidity
  • 2/3 C sugar

This is not a tested recipe from a book.  I’ve simply borrowed the brine recipe and processing time from my favorite cucumber pickle recipe. I was a little paranoid about trying it at first, because as home canners we are always warned about the dangers of untested recipes.  However, I did a lot of looking around and it seems you truly can pickle anything, and for many recipes canning is optional.  In fact a manual put out by the OSU extension office gives advice for how to use an untested recipe on page 7.  I choose to can mine because I’m a paranoid mom-type. 

Begin by gathering and setting up your canning supplies.  Sterilize your jars by scalding them and then hold them hot until you are ready to fill them.  This recipe will yield around nine of the four-ounce jars.  Simmer your lids.  Fill your canner and start it heating.  The prep on these only takes a few minutes, so you’ll want your canner nearly ready to boil. 

Add your vinegar sugar and pickling spice to a large sauce pan and start heating.  While it heats you can chop your vegetables and mix them all together.  When your brine boils, add the vegetables and let them boil for just a minute or so.  

Spoon the vegetables into your hot sterilized jars and cover with boiling brine, leaving 1/4 inch head space.

Run a chopstick (or any clean utensil that won’t scratch the glass) around inside the jars to release any air bubbles. 

Wipe the rims of the jars and add previously simmered lids.  Screw on the ring to fingertip tight. 

Place the jars in your canner, and process for 10 minutes at a full rolling boil.  Check your canning manual for the correct processing time depending on your elevation and the size of jars you choose.

At the end of the processing time, remove the jars from the canner, and put them in a draft-free place to cool. 

After they’ve completely cooled you can check the seal by pressing down the middle of the lid.  If it doesn’t flex it’s sealed.  If it flexes, either put the jar in the fridge to eat soon, or reprocess it with a new lid. 

These can also be made refrigerator style, in which case you don’t need to water bath them, just put them into the fridge and wait about a week to start eating them.

I’ve linked this recipe up at No Ordinary Blog Hop, stop by for more fun ideas!

Happy Pickling!

 

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Homemade Laundry Detergent and Fabric Softener

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I’ve been meaning to write this post for a long time now.  I feel like I’m a little mentally foggy after work, but it’s worth the extra effort to keep the blog updated.  I’m still trying to find time and energy to balance it all.  Seriously, if any of you work-outside mamas are also “keeping it all together” at home please tell me how you do it. 

Last time I told you about my love of the Homestead Drying Rack.  Today I’d like to share my recipes for laundry detergent and fabric softener.   Both of these recipes are simple and inexpensive.  My kids love to help me make them both.  Since the ingredients are all fairly mild, my biggest concern with letting children help is the heat from the stove when melting the ingredients for the detergent. 

The detergent is easy to make, economical, and seems comparable to the commerically available brands I’ve purchased in the past.  It is low to no suds and is generally considered appropriate for use in HE machines. I still occasionally have stubborn stains, but that happened with the name brand products I’ve used too.  It would probably help if I treated stains promptly and washed clothes regularly instead of letting them pile up during the week.   The fabric softener works as well as any I’ve used without the heavy perfume smell.  Clothes smell fresh coming out of the wash, but I can’t really discern a particular scent after drying.  I like this since many of the commercial brands make me sneeze.

Detergent

Shred 1/2 a bar of Fels Naptha into six cups of warm water over medium heat.  When the soap shreds have all melted add 1 C washing soda (not baking soda) and 1C borax.  Continue to stir until the ingredients have all dissolved.  Allow the mixture to cool then put it into a larger container.  I use an old 1.5 gallon dispenser from the laundry detergent I used to buy.  Then just top it up with cool water and stir to incorporate the ingredients well.  Use 1/8 cup for a medium load, a bit more for a large or heavily soiled load.  You may need to re-stir or shake the jug before each use as the solids tend to glob up.

Fabric Softener

Start with a gallon jug of white vinegar.  Store brand is fine.   After it is about half used up add one whole bottle of cheap conditioner like White Rain or Suave.  Stir gently, do not shake as it will foam.  Then, again, top up with plain water.  Use as you would store bought liquid fabric softener.  To make your own dryer sheets dilute the solution to 1/2 strength with more water and soak pieces of a ratty old tee shirt in the mixture.  I keep some solution and tee shirt squares in a lidded “tupperware” type dish.  Ring out a tee shirt piece and toss it into the dryer with wet clothes. 

Both of these are eco friendly, and economical solutions for your laundry needs.  The ingredients for either can be found at the grocery or big box store and should cost less than ten dollars.  Each batch of detergent lasts me 4-6 months, and each batch of softener lasts me about one month.  It would last longer if I used it solely for making dryer sheets, but I like to hang clothes out to dry so I mostly use it in the rinse cycle. 

Does any one have a good recipe for a spray on type stain pre treater? I’m thinking of filling a spray bottle with diluted dish soap and spraying it onto stains before clothes go into the hamper,(Ok, honesty check.  They usually go into a pile on the mudroom floor.  Shame.) but I would love to know what has worked for you. 

Happy Homemaking!

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Pantry Cooking Series, Whole Wheat Pancake Mix

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Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, right? But so easy to skip if you get out of bed at the last possible minute, like I do.  I find having “instant” options on hand makes breakfast more of a sure thing, for my whole family. 

After you try these whole wheat pancakes, you’ll find the mix you’ve been getting at the grocery store bland and disappointing.  When you first make the mix, it seems like too much.  You’ll think it looks like a year’s supply, but you might find you’re eating pancakes more often than you used to.  They’re really that yummy.  I can’t wait for the Huckleberries to come on. 

Thoroughly mix the following ingredients in a large bowl, and store the mix in an airtight container. 

  • 12 C whole wheat flour
  • 4 C powdered milk
  • 1 C dehydrated whole egg powder
  • 1 C dehydrated butter powder (yep, it exists and it’s a miracle)
  • 1 C baking powder
  • 1 C sugar
  • 1 T salt
  • 2 C wheat bran, optional, I usually don’t add it to the mix, but rather to individual batches when I feel we need it.

Mix with enough water to make a pourable batter, and cook as you would store bought pancake mix.

I found my dehydrated ingredients at my local Walmart, but they are also usually available at restaurant supply stores.  If you can’t find the dehydrated ingredients locally, a google search will yield about a zillion results. 

Enjoy!

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Yet Another New Use For An Old Tin

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We recently traveled to attend a friend’s wedding and knew we’d need to keep the kids happy on the plane.  We stocked up on fresh coloring books, crayons and snacks and put together kits for their backpacks.  Placing crayons in old Altoids tins ensured that they wouldn’t be broken in the airport shuffle.  I’m glad to report we made it home with all of our crayons intact. 

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Back To The Grind

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Today was my first day back at my seasonal fish and wildlife job.  As much fun as the job is, I’m so sad that I’m letting someone else have all the fun of being with my kids all day.  If I could strap them to my back and carry them along with me, it would be the perfect job. 

Each spring I tell myself this is the last year.  The last year I’ll sell my kid’s childhood in exchange for 120  television channels, brand name coffee and  crummy convenience foods.  The last year we only get the benefit of half my earnings because the other half takes care of gas and childcare.  The last year I’ll tread water as a wife and mother, because family will forgive half measures where employers will not. 

This is a huge struggle for me, because I was raised to be independent, and such a huge part of independence is having one’s own money.  Prior to having children I always worked and had relatively well paid jobs.  I grew accustomed to having a lot of extra money.  When I found out we were expecting our first child we were between work seasons and I fully inteded to stay home instead of returning to work.  But when I got the invitation to return to work all I could think about was how much we could use the extra income in our down-payment-for-a home-fund.  I told myself it was just a few months and after we found (and qualified for the loan on) a home I’d quit and stay home to be a frugal mama.  Well, it took three more years to find the home, by that time there was another child, not to mention a bunch of pay increases which make that income all the more gripping.  With each new season I tell myself it’s just until we pay off…whatever.  But there always seems to be another whatever waiting behind the first. 

I don’t know that I have a real point with this post, I guess I’m mostly just venting.  I’m feeling very motivated to find another way to contribute to my families financial well being.  I’m feeing motivated to cut costs so that this can really be the last year of my kids childhood that I miss out on.   I’m not sure how I’ll do it just yet, but I know that there is a will so, there has to be a way right?

Do you work outside your home?  What was your deciding factor?

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Linked up at Homestead Barn Hop.

 

 

 

Lotion Bars, And Another New Use For An Old Altoids Tin

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My hands have gotten seriously rough-side-of-the-velcro dry from all the yard work we’ve been doing, and we got a lull in the good weather, (snowing big fat nasty flakes) so I figured it was a good day to take a deep breath and do my dishes, catch up on some laundry, and make lotion bars.

While I was digging through my craft supplies to find my soap molds, I found some old tins I saved when my husband started tying flies.  I thought I’d see how the bar lotion worked in the tins.  It works great! I was so impressed in fact that I delivered four tins to neighbors as soon as they set up.  I also made four bars, and have enough supplies left over to make another batch soon.   I couldn’t resist tinting the small bit that was left in the bowl after I poured all the molds.  It makes a nice lip balm, but the color doesn’t really show. 

I used Smockity’s recipe, which was easy to follow and took approximately half an hour once I had all the supplies gathered.  The ingredients were expensive, but the end product is well worth the investment, especially when I can give some as gifts.  I was able to get everything I needed at my local natural foods store, but I suspect one could find better prices online. 

My hands, lips and legs feel very happy!

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Linked up at No Ordinary Blog Hop.

 

Pantry Cooking Week One- Whole Wheat Biscuits

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One of my personal goals has been to learn how to cook from my pantry.  It really helps us to be able to shop less often, which cuts out many impulse purchases. It also helps us eat fewer box and bag type meals.

I thought it’d be fun to share some of the recipes I am able to make from my pantry and long term food storage.  So for the next few weeks I’ll be doing a pantry cooking series.

I thought I’d start with my recipe for Whole Wheat Biscuits.  Breads are a nice way to round out a lighter meal, and biscuits will even double as dessert if you add a little jam, or mashed fruit and whipped cream.

  • 2 C whole wheat Flour
  • 3 tsp baking Powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 C shortening – Ive also substitued butter, or shortening powder (add extra liquid)
  • 1 C (generous) warm milk – fresh or reconstitued dry milk work equally well, or substitute warm water

In a medium bowl mix dry ingredients, then cut in shortening to small pea sized chunks. Over working the dough will result in stiff biscuits.  Stir in milk to make a sticky dough and drop by spoonfuls, or spread entire dough into greased pan.  I use my 10 inch cast iron skillet.  Bake uncovered at 400 degrees for around 15 minutes until golden brown.

These biscuits turn out light and fluffy.  If you prefer to roll out and cut biscuits you can add just a tad less milk, and roll out and cut.  I just spread my dough out in the pan and cut it like cake when it’s done.  This recipe will also make nice fluffy dumplings, just drop by spoonfuls into simmering chicken soup and cover for 7-10 minutes.

Yummy with soup, as breakfast, or to round out most any meal.

I think next week we’ll make that chicken soup.

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Dehydrating Celery

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It seems our family rarely uses and entire bunch of fresh celery before it turns limp and yucky.  I’m not sure why this happens, but I think it has something to do with the clutttered state of our refrigerator.  As a result, I started dehydrating any fresh celery I have left after I use it for a veggie platter or recipe.  It’s a snap to dehydrate, requiring no blanching, and it rehydrates beautifully in soups, casseroles, and pilafs.  If you have never dehydrated it’s a perfect place to start.

First wash the celery and chop it into quarter inch pieces.

chopped celery

Place it in the dehydrator trays making sure pieces aren’t too crowded.  Ideally they shouldn’t touch, but I don’t stress this too much since they shrink so fast that if they are touching they won’t be after an hour or so.

celery on dehydrator tray

Dehydrate at 135 degrees for about 8 hours.  I leave it in the dehydrator overnight.

dehydrated celery

One bunch, minus two or three stalks we used fresh, makes about half a pint.  If you don’t have a dehydrator you can use the oven on the lowest setting with the door propped open with a wood spoon handle, and check and stir the pieces now and then.  You know it’s done when its hard and the pieces are tiny.  I put mine in a closed canning jar for a couple hours to check if any moisture forms in the jar, if no moisture forms it’s ready for the pantry.  If it does (has never happened to me) you can put it back in the dehydrator for another hour or two.  To use it you just add a handful to any moist cooked recipe that calls for fresh celery.  Yummy!