A Challenge Inspired by the Gypsies

Hello, and welcome back to reality!

Presents opened, obligatory holiday-beast-feast-weight gained (these gelatinous love handles can't handle much more) and bedraggled tree tucked back into it's rubbermaid tote under the stairs until next December.

And now, because the beginning of a new year is always filled with such potent potential and intention, I challenge you to a duel.

It was born this afternoon, as we watched a documentary on Gypsies called, "When the Road Bends". It was about how hundreds of years ago a bunch of people left India and spread all over the world, and today the only thing still connecting them is their common ancestry and the music they still carry with them. So all these modern day Gypsies get together and travel across North America doing this concert of Gypsy music.

Firstly, I would like you to know that my 13 month old daughter SANG ALONG to parts of it (she's just as odd as her father and I are). And Secondly, I was reminded again of how STINKIN' RICH we are. Here are these famous musicians (in their own countries) and they live in tiny apartments or huts in villages without electricity or running water. Not a ONE of those ridiculously talented people lived in a house as nice as, or as big as, or as filled with nice stuff as mine. And most of them? Use the money they earn to give their children or siblings a chance for a better life (ie - literacy or bringing electricity to their village).

Wow. So I started thinking about it.

If you're anything like me, I know you've wondered. Possibly even fantasized about it. Just how resourceful could you be - how much self denial could you take? Let's find out...

THE CHALLENGE:

I challenge you, oh fearless readers, to spend as little as possible for just ONE month. And when I write as little as possible, I really mean it. How little can you spend in a month? Most of us have freezers and pantries full of unused goodies that we keep from month to month - how much could you bring your grocery bill down this month by using that stuff up? By having friends over for tea instead of hitting the Bucks? By fixing what breaks instead of replacing it? By DOING WITHOUT (ohhhh, those dirty little words)? Lets find out.

Let me know if you're with me for the month of January 2010 by leaving a comment. And please, share your ideas and stories as the month progresses, k?

Christmas Blog Buster & Cheese

Hello my Money Saving Minions.

Forgive my long absence.

It's CHRISTMAS's fault.

I am so busy baking, crocheting, organizing, planning, sewing, selling and sleeping that I have not had time for much other than the occasional party. It's been a REAL rough ride, oh poor me. More shortbread to eat.

Anywho, I have absolutely nothing new to tell you about money saving for Christmas. I am saving money by crocheting, a skill which is only slightly less popular than, say, eating vegimite; so odds are that it won't help you.

But here's a tip on cheese (which most of you REALLY should know already, but just in case:) Dairy in general is like a KAziLLION times cheaper across the boarder. Seriously. It would be worth the gas money.

And with that, I am spent.

Grocery Scrooge - Meat

While I am not personally an avid fan of anything that has a history of breathing (bones, blood, gristle and veins.... blech), we consume a lot of meat. The men in my house aren't huge eaters (thank God), but they definitely look at me funny when I try to sneak a meatless meal in once in a while, and my husband makes a big show of getting out some yoghurt or cheese while mumbling about protein.

A little while ago I did a random months tally of our grocery bills, and I have to say I nearly lost bowel control on the spot.

SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS.

For those of you who don't think that's very much - that's a $20 bill per DAY.

Granted, that included all household supplies, toiletries and baby needs, but it seems a bit much to me for three adults and a 20lb drool machine.

Obviously, something needed to be done.

So, what were we burning all of that money on?

Well, the occasional pre-packaged pizza, for sure. And cheese.

But I think it was the meat that was killing us.

So here are my MEAT MONEY tips:

(don't read this if you are a meat snob)

1) I get a 5 pound tube of ground beef at PriceSmart for between $11 - $14 (prices fluctuate). When I get it home, I cut it (still in the plastic) into 5 pieces and wrap them individually for freezing. This is WAY cheaper than buying the individual packs. For those of you that prefer extra lean ground beef (I have a sensitivity to cooked fat, so I know all about that), I just rinse the meat with hot water when it's almost done cooking.

2) Instead of buying different cuts of beef and pork for stirfry's, stroganoff and all manner of cooking, I cut up a cheap roast (or pork loin) into cubes and steaks. I know, I know, it's not the SAME, but we are talking about when you need to save money, and this is SO MUCH cheaper.

3) For tuna, I purchase the enormous can at costco (unless I hit a wicked sale on the small cans). I drain the can at home and using a heaped 1/2 cup measure, portion it out in to ziplocks, which I freeze. I got 12 out of my last can (but I forget how much I paid for it - maybe $8) and each baggie makes 2 sandwiches.

4) Sandwhich meat? Just say NO. That stuff is BAD for you. They are charging you $15 a kilo for pig lips and *ssholes peppered with nitrates. Okay, enough preaching.

5) Okay, and here's my weakness. Chicken. I just can't stomach the little wings and thighs. They still look so... chicken like. I tried. I really did - it was so much cheaper. But I'll go vegan before I do that with any regularity. So what we do is get the $26, 4 Kilo Box of frozen chicken breasts from PriceSmart. I know, I know. There's meat protein in it. But it's that or no meat for me. Yuckies....

And after all of that, you can always do what my friend does to stretch the budget. "Essence of Meat"... which means just use a little bit of meat in the meal and increase the amounts of your cheaper ingredients.

Thrifty Christmas

I am pretty sure that everyone out there is thinking about cutting back this year for Christmas - I know I am. Aside from the complete absence of extra money to throw around, there's something so alluring about returning to the earthy, homey goodness of what Christmas is supposed to be. Here's what I've done so far:

We are just starting out as a family, so I didn't actually have any decorations. This may horrify you, but I hit my local Bibles For Missions and got a box full of garlands, wreaths, stockings and baubles for $10 or $15 bucks.

Also... (deep breath)... I bought second hand gifts for my daughter. A wooden rocking horse for $10 and a big bag of duplo for $3.

I am planning ahead too, so most of my gifts are going to be homemade, and our activities will be social as opposed to costly. I am even shopping a bit now for the food stuffs to get in on early sales.

One of my best finds was a big box of vintage christmas cards for $1, so I won't have to buy the cookie cutter ones from wal-mart.

What I am really trying to say is that I think one of the best ways you can save money this Christmas is by living deliberately - not by obligation. Slow down. Choose. Don't get caught up in our strive yourself to death culture. Take time this week (while you've still got time to plan) and think about what really matters to you, what your priorities are. Dream about what you want from this season, while you celebrate the great gift that God gave us. After that, it's easy to allocate money and time where it needs to go.

This year, my dream is that we will have a childhood Christmas - a crazy, eclectic tree, gifts from the heart, snow, hot chocolate, friends and stockings hung from the fire place. I want no part of the frenzied consumer death march that most people engage in. I want quiet evenings laying on the couch by the fire reading, playing & talking. I want love. Peace. Warmth.

Mmmmm....

Roughing It - Homemade Laundry Soap 1.0, The Review

Sorry for my long absence, faithful readers! I had a busy week or so!

Okay Folks, here it is: The long promised homemade detergent review:

The recipe I used gets 6 stars out of 5 for cost effectiveness,

but only a 4 out of 5 for performance. I find that it works fine on most stuff, but for the really dirty (like pretty much anything a baby touches), it needs a boost. I had a box of oxy clean on hand and a scoop of that made a big difference. Seeing as oxy clean recommends a scoop in every load anyways, you could argue that the handmade detergent is fine, but I am going to try a new recipe when I run out.

Recommendation: If you want to give it a try, use a different recipe than I did, or wait for me to find a better one! I did read somewhere that adding extra washing soda boosts the cleaning power, so I am going to try that when I run out of oxy clean!

Roughing It - SPA 2.0

(continued)

Now on to a very touchy subject for thousands of women out there who spend between $100 and $300 every 6-8 weeks.

As I mentioned before, I colored my hair last wednesday night. As in: I colored MY OWN hair by MYSELF. I understand if you are shuddering in horror. I truly get why it strikes terror into many of your hearts. Everyone knows the dangers of dying your own hair. Irregular results. Splotchy forehead. Early morning trips to the salon wearing sunglasses and a head scarf. I myself have accidentally dyed my hair black. Twice. So, it is not the naive preaching to the innocent. No. This post is a woman-to-woman, nitty-gritty, in-the-trenches of beautification type communication.

So, with that rather self important build up, what I have to say is this: If you have that much money to spend on your hair, DO IT. I envy your hair every Sunday when I ought to be setting my thoughts on God and all things Holy. Truly, your streaks are glorious and your trendy new 'do' inspires me. You are probably the woman with acrylic nails and saucy new shoes. The one who, in my heart, I secretly hope lets herself go and stops making the rest of us look so bad. But I digress.

However, for the rest of us, who really shouldn't be spending that much on the dead thing growing out of our heads, you will perhaps feel sympathetic when I tell you that I have had my hair cut twice in the 21 months. Yes. That is, to the best of my memory, one hundred percent truth. I have also colored it (at home, with a $8.49 box color) twice in that time. And that is the extent of my hair budget. So about $100 in nearly two years.

I think you will agree with me (especially if you have seen my hair at all in that time) that perhaps I have taken the money saving to an extreme and that a middle road must be found. And we both know (if you have been at ALL paying attention for the last 67 seconds) that I am definitely not the one to be trusted with finding that middle ground for me, you or anyone else. I simply want to introduce the plausibility of spending less on your perfectly dyed-streaked-trimmed-trussed-and-tousled coif.

More Secondhand Goodness

So we've already covered the basics of secondhand shopping, but here are some rather clever ways to save using the second hand principle:

Book Mooch http://bookmooch.com/

Do you like to read? Well, join this world wide trading site and for the cost of sending a book through the mail, have one sent to you. You get .1 points for each book you list to trade, and 1 point for each book you send. Trade in one point for each book you 'mooch'.

PRO'S: There's something so delicious about being connected to the whole world (even just through book trading). You can trade old books you aren't using anymore for second hand books - hello environmentally friendly options!

CON'S: The first thing I discovered is that sending a book through the mail is not as cheap as, say, buying a book at the bookman. And the site selection is limited to what people across the world are giving away (no crochet books for me...).

RATING: Two stars out of five for practicality and frugality, but Four stars for fun.

Free Cycle http://www.freecycle.org/

This community based program is simple. I have something I am not using, so instead of throwing it away, I will give it away. You can request an item, or list an item. Joining is free (and simple). I haven't found anything to give away or pick up yet so I can't list pro's and con's, but I know someone who has and she was over the moon about it. The only thing it appears to cost you is the gas to go pick your stuff up.

RATING: Four out of Five at this point. The only downside is that there's not a huge network in my local community yet, so there's only 5 pages of stuff to look through...

Clothing Swap

Okay, I don't have a particular site for this, but you can easily create your own on face book (if you just can't abide by doing it the old fashioned way) or set one up by talking to your friends and acquaintances. This is great especially for kids, but definitely for us as well. Have a bunch of people pack up what they aren't using (with the stipulation of no stains or rips) set a time, location and date and make a plate of brownies and a pot of coffee. I am planning one of these myself, so I will let you know how that goes and any pointers for making it easier.

Cheers, V.

PS - Just to let you know, today is day two of using the homemade laundry soap. No complaints yet. I haven't noticed any difference at all, actually.

Roughing It - SPA

Wednesday night is my alone night. Everyone has something to do, so I put baby to bed at 7 and have about 2 and a half hours of uninterrupted alone time. I often do my blogging or work on my crochet projects, but last night my eyes were sore from too much reading without my glasses on, so those things were out.

So I fell back on my fall back plan: I did one of my monthly spa nights.

Only as I was mid-pluck, did I realize that had I gone to a real salon my bill would have been at least a hundred dollars, if not closer to a hundred and fifty. So for the attractive price of about $10, I had these treatments done in my own home, at my own convenience: Hair Color, Eyebrow Shaping, Armpit waxing, a deep cleansing facial and an intensive moisture treatment on my feet. Yes. And all of this beautifying took me only an hour, because I am much more efficient than a salon.

Of course, I am aware that going to a spa is much nicer than hanging out in your own bathroom, and having someone pamper you is often nicer than pampering yourself. But when you cannot afford spa prices, here are my recommendations:

For Waxing:

A) I have a fair bit of experience with home waxing, and I recommend 'sugaring' before waxing. The sugar washes off with water (wax does NOT) and for some reason, it is less painful for me. The brand I use is called "MOOM" and you can find it at most drug stores (London Drugs, Shoppers) but not usually in your grocery store. The MOOM kit contains re-usable cloth strips, and you heat the "sugar" in hot water or the microwave. It takes a while the first time, but after you've done it once, it's much easier. The MOOM is about $16 a box and you could do your bikini line or armpits about 4 times. In a spa you could get your armpits done once for this price.

NOTE: I would only recommend home waxing if you have had a waxing treatment first with a trained technician - you know what to expect as far as the pain levels go, and you know how your skin will react to waxing.

Also, from experience, you should definitely read all of the information in the box before you trial-by-error. I did not, and suffered the consequences.

B) Although I prefer the MOOM, Nair Pretty offers pre-packaged wax strips big enough for your legs, arms, or whatever. The advantage of the Nair strips is that they are portable, you rub them between your hands to prepare them, and you throw away the mess. I used these last night on my armpits, and I would definitely purchase them again.

More to come....

The Rule

I grew up pretty poor, for the most part. Often, when you hear the word "Poor" you assume that means that someone can turn 30 bucks into a months worth of groceries and other such magic tricks; that is not the kind of poor I mean. We were the kind of poor that meant when you get money, spend it quick, because it's going to be gone soon anyways. The kind of poverty that becomes a catch 22. I don't have money to spend because I spend all the money I have. I spend all the money I have because I don't have money to spend.

When I got my first job (and the many jobs I had afterwards), I blew everything I had within a week on slurpees and eating out, and clothing and shoes. I literally spent a decade worth of paychecks and have nothing to show for it (except perhaps my love handles).

The change that lead to THE RULE (ohohohhhhhh!) was getting married. Suddenly there was someone there who knew how naughty I was. Someone who would have to eat canned beans because I was wearing GAP jeans. And suddenly, new clothes were less important. Suddenly shopping wasn't as fun. Suddenly, someone would suffer from my irresponsibility. And not so suddenly, I changed.

I created a rule. This rule was a line drawn before every purchase. A question to be savored before every latte. A decision to live by.

The rule is simply this: WAIT.

The questions is 'can I live without it?'

The decision is: I will put others before myself.

So when I think we need a new duvet cover, I put it on the back burner of my mental list. I price compare at my local stores. I check (oh, yes. Hot water and bleach) the second hand stores. I inspect the duvet cover I already own. And after a bare minimum of 3 days (but it can take months), I decide and then act.

What I do not do is go out and buy the first one I see at Sears.

I do not steal money from the grocery budget.

I don't mope about not being able to afford the one online.

This may not be rocket science to you, but it was for me. And it has made me so much more responsible with my money.

PS - I made black bean soup today. I think my life has changed forever.

Stinky Shopping: Get Your Thrift On

Okay. It was only a matter of time. You knew it was coming.

Second Hand shopping.

This is one of the best ways I save money.

A lot of my friends (the ones who didn't grow up poor) think that it's gross - it's stinky and dirty, they can't find anything, there's to much to look through. I am not going to argue against that. It does have a musty smell. And if your worried about dirt, pick up a travel size bottle of purell. And there IS a lot of stuff to look through.

But think of it like a treasure hunt. Grab a coffee, and go with an idea of what you want (ie- winter clothes for 12m baby, or size 14 blue jeans). If you find it overwhelming, I recommend heading straight to the section that you are interested in first (baby clothes, housewares, etc). Every single second hand store I have been to (and they are many) is arranged by department, size, and some by color. And for this little bit of extra work, here's the pay off: you will save so much stinking money that it will convert you forever.

I find amazing stuff - $150 dollar Aldo boots for $20, GAP jeans (long & lean) for $10, a brand new printer still in its box (who gives that away, I wonder. Still, we were grateful) - you name it, and I've seen it and probably bought it. And it's not all worn out and stained (although I recommend a thorough once over for tears and stains before making any purchases), often it looks as though it's barely worn. That's a blessing of living in a rich country that believes in fads - people toss their clothes after a few months. Even if they've spent a lot on them.

I am so committed to this that here is my proposal: If you are open to the idea of this, but find yourself battling reservations, I will do an introductory second hand shopping date with you (providing you live in this lush green valley), coffee on me, okay? I will teach you in the wh-ays of the frugal haus-frau, no?

Still unsure?

Here's the deal sealer: for those of you who know her, I turned Pammy. Yes. Not a word a lie. Just ask her. And if I can turn her, I can turn you.

RE-Cap:

1) Write List Of Needed Items

2) Make Coffee For Travel Mug

2.5) Grab Purell & Facemask if needed

3) Go To Nearest Thrift Store

4) Find PERTINENT Sections & Perform Search for needed items

5) Do Thorough Stain & Tear Check

6) Purchase

6.5) Use purell in parking lot if needed

7) Do I-cant-beleive-how-much-$$-I-saved-dance on hood of car

8) Return home

9) Repeat as often as needed

Tried and Tested Homemade Baby Wipes

Good Morning, my partners in crime.

I recently made a friend online named Jenni, and for being my first customer ever on etsy, she will go down in history as a "Lovely Person" (she even shouted me out on her blog:

http://travelinglonghorns.blogspot.com/2009/10/apples.html

{I am so flattered}).

She's been reading the new blog, and has this to share with us:

Also I saw you started a new blog and yesterdays post was very touching. My sister has made homemade baby wipes and swears by them. 1 Tbsp baby oil, 1 Tbsp baby wash, 1 cup water and place in container with paper towels, the best is the select a size kind like bounty though they are a bit more...but you can buy in bulk. Also there are other recipes but this is the one she uses!

I forgot to add my sister wasn't sure about the recipe for wipes the amount of water, it may need more. Some other recipes use more water and essential oils instead. The reason she swears by it is the baby oil moisturizes and protects. I guess regular wipes have alcohol and who wants to put that on a baby's bum? A little background on why she tried it, she had a tight budget and had gone shopping for groceries only to realize she was out of wipes after getting home. So she looked up a recipe and made do with ingredients on hand. Hooray for frugality and necessity.

I am thinking that you could use one of the wipes containers (I love the pampers ones, with the soft rubbery dispenser top) you've used up already (maybe that goes without saying?). I will look into the cost effectiveness of this option and post a review for us all.

A word on homemade stuff.

A lot of people seem to think it's just 'too hard' for 'too little pay off'. But I wanted to say that it's one of those things that only seems too hard until you actually do it - take, for instance, the laundry soap. I procrastinated for a week, dreading how long it was going to take. And you know what? It took less than a half an hour of easy work! It's harder to make lunch. And the powder formulas take a fraction of even that! I was looking at the detergents in the laundry isle yesterday, and the cheapest 64 load bottle was around 10 bucks. Just think about that - I saved NINE DOLLARS (a 90% off sale is almost unheard of)!!!! YAYAYAYAYAYAAAAAYYYYYY! So I just want to encourage you that it's not hard.

Would it help if I started a 5 star system? Like when I review a homemade recipe, I can rate the cost effectiveness, the easiness, the effectiveness of the product?

Okay - and a tip from one of my FAVORITE readers, a slow cooker blog: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/10/save-money-by-using-your-crockpot-slow.html

I am linking you straight to the post on cheap slowcooking, because as she writes, doing new recipes all the time gets expensive.

Humility

So last night while my husband was at work late, preparing for a massive annual conference, I stayed up late watching (crying at) you tube videos of impoverished children in 3rd world countries. And I have an addendum (is that the right word?) for this blog - we are not poor. We just need to learn to manage what we do have better. Learn what's really necessary and what's just habit (because my mom always bought this brand).

I think, that if you are on this journey with me, you need to start with the right mindset - that you are wealthy beyond most peoples imaginations, and you are robbing yourself blind, month after month.

There is this one particularly disturbing image of a young kid with it's face at a cows bottom, drinking its urine or something. Because they have no water that's safe to drink. I think that image will stay with me for the rest of my life as iconic of true poverty.

So, my wealthy friends, today when you open the fridge, start the car, or crawl into that big comfy bed of yours, remember that even though you can't buy everything you want (like those saucy shoes at aldo) you have everything you need. And I don't mean that as some kind of don't-waste-your-food guilt trip, I mean it as a perspective adjustment to help us find contentment. We really are rich! And starting with that attitude is going to change your world!

Roughing It - Homemade Laundry Soap 1.0

Homemade Laundry Soap.

Just say it.

It conjures up images of powdery white residue on dress pants and blue goo dried on the side of the washer. And for some reason, pioneer women with washboards.

But I am so cheap, I have gone and done it.

Yes. This morning I made laundry soap. In my stock pot.

So, before you write me off as some kind of granola eating nutbar, here are my reasons for this truly odd behavior:

1) It is DAMN cheap to make. Around a buck for 64 loads. Read that again, Tide lovers: A BUCK FOR 64 LOADS.

2) It is a lot less toxic for you and the environment than the store bought stuff because you aren't adding fragrance or dyes and whatever else they poop into there.

3) Because I can. It makes me feel all capable and wifely.

I got the recipe here: http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap.htm but you can find all kinds of recipes (liquid or powder, scented or unscented) on line doing a simple google search.

I have to finish using up my Sunlight, but once we've switched over, I will post on my new concoction's effectiveness.

I have yet to use up my bounce sheets, but I have a set of Dryer Balls that I will be using after I do. Although you can find expensive ones that make all sorts of outrageous claims, I have a pair from the dollar store and they work fine. So for $1.25 (dang inflation) you can replace your bounce sheets. For good. This is really cheap.

A note on the Dryer Balls: although I found them fine with most things, they DO NOT like fuzzy blankets. I practically had an electrical storm in the laundry room.

As for fabric softener, I have bad news. It's one of the most toxic things in your home. Yep. That 'just washed' smell you sniff as you snuggle your kiddies to bed? Not so healthy. The good news is, apparently you can just use vinegar in your downy ball instead. I have about a years supply of downy so I won't be able to let you know on that for a while, but if you are interested in alternatives, this guy has SO many tips: http://tipnut.com/frugral-fabric-softener-recipes-dryer-sheet-tips/

Okay, so as a re-cap:

1) It's better for your wallet

2) It's better for the environment

3) It's better for you & your kids

4) It takes a half hour or less to do.

Any takers? :0D

PS - it turns out a milky clear color and smells clean.

Love Don't Pay the Rent

Strangely enough, I feel less and less like writing about feelings and poetry and crap like that these days. More and more, I find myself composing posts about saving money and then not publishing them. They don't really fit in my other blog.

Thus "THE FINE ART OF FRUGALITY". My new pet.

Because with a new baby, our first mortgage, and neither of us with fancy degrees to earn us 6 digits - money is on my mind (but not really in my hand. Or wallet.)

I am going to share my money saving research, tips, ideas and progress. I would LOVE for you to be a part of this journey - face it, we could all use a couple of extra buckaroos! Please leave ideas or questions in the comments, and I will endeavor to get around to them! (Isn't endeavor such a smarmy word? I like it SEW mahch!)