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!)