Frugality's First GIVEAWAY!!!

Hello My Darlings,
Did I mention that this week was spring break for us? It was. And my routine has got all buggered up with sleeping in, staying home and snuggling my man. Ohhhh, poor me. :o)
But we have still been frugal, which is more difficult on Spring Break. There's a carefree scent in the air that you have to guard against. And the Master of the House smells it too. Two temptations are harder to squash than one. But we went swimming on our budget pass at the pool, wandered our local greenhouse and made good food at home. Oh - and we ravaged the local library of all its best books and movies. Spring Break on a budget has been bad for the housework but stellar for my nerves. (deep sigh of relaxation). Oh, and I made Frugality's Pea Soup once again - such a good soup!
And I've been thinking about you guys a lot.
Which brings me to a very fun announcement.

Remember my ranting and raving about "Clean House Clean Planet" by Karen Logan? Well, I believe in her book so much that I have a spanky new copy to give away to one of you, my lucky readers. All you have to do is leave a frugality related comment on this post. The deadline is midnight, a week from today (March 5), so start typing!
I am willing to mail this little book to Canada and the mainland US, but no further, so sorry to my readers farther away.
Oh, and should you desire to tell your friends about my little giveaway, please do - I'd love more friends on the frugality train!

Cheap Date (You FLoosY)

I find that one of the hardest parts of being on a budget is the lack of money for dates. Before we had kids, or before we were married, we thought nothing of going out to dinner, picking up Starbucks and hitting a late movie. Sounds pretty harmless, eh? But dinner out is going to cost you around $40. Starbucks will cost  you from $5-$10 and two movie tickets will cost you about $20. Thats a date that costs $70. Ouch. If only I had known.
So I have been compiling a list of free up to $10 dates that we use...

Cheap as a FLooSY dates:
1) Redeem Airmiles for free meal gift certificates. This week I looked and they have the Keg, Earls & BP in $25 and $50 denominations.
2) Redeem Airmiles for movie tickets - you can even get ones with popcorn!
3) Find an Arcade that still charges a quarter a play - $5 each will take you a long way. Our best local spot is Castle Fun Park.
4) Never underestimate the power of your local coffee shop. Share a large coffee and a cookie (in addition to being cheap it's more lovey; just look at Lady and the Tramp). I find there's so much pressure to be romantic because you get so little alone time, but just relax and talk or try doing a crossword together instead. [Airmiles also has Starbucks Cards]
5) Make your favorite hot drink at home and go for a long walk. I don't know about where you live, but we have some beautiful trails around here. Being beside water or under trees reminds you of your larger priorities. It's like a reset button.
6) Go for a drive. You can make this more romantic by parking and necking. :0D
I said NECKING, you dirty birdie. {I feel I should state that this last part is just an idea. I have never taken part in above mentioned activities}

Okay, so I know it's only six dates, but if you only go on a date once every two weeks (which is optimistic) that will last you 3 months. Three months worth of dates for less than $20. Sounds like a deal to me!

A Time to Spend

Forgive me for my infrequent and dispirited posting this week; my daughter is on day six of a rather irritating malaise. It started on Monday night when she woke up four times, feverish and fussy, the last time soaked in sweat and inconsolable. The next two nights were more of the same and the days were filled with crying and irritability. On the fourth day she broke out in rash which quickly covered her trunk and face and went from pin prick pink to red lace. And her ire increased. The doctor says it is nothing serious and to keep her comfortable and well watered, but I am no longer concerned about my daughter. After six days of being the sole care giver to a very temperamental one year old, I feel as though I need a strong sedative or a stronger drink before I do myself (or my husband) some serious harm.
Which brings me to my point.
There is a time to save, and a time to spend.
And I have decreed this as a time to spend. In moderation of course. Knowing that an ounce of comfort food is worth a pound of... er, Cure or something, I have desecrated the Pantry Challenge and purchased some treat items along with $20 worth of medication for my daughter. Also, we spent the 3 hours my husband was home today in walking to Tim Horton's and spending $4.13 on 2 coffees and a cookie, and wandering aimlessly about the countryside with the stroller. I have used up next weeks grocery money, but we have all survived the week (the odd's of which were slim to none at about 5pm yesterday), so I feel the need to remind us all that some times the best frugality is spending.
After all, what is your sanity worth?

PS - Don't get all angsty about me spending the grocery money, for those of you who know me personally and are worrying that we're in dire straits - I sold two hats on Esty this week, so we'll be fine.

Cheap vs. Cheap

My daughter has these awesome plastic velcro bibs that you can just wipe clean. Well, I should say she had these awesome bibs until the dye started rubbing off of them and onto her face. Yes. And they lasted about 13 more seconds in the kitchen until my husband saw the 'MADE IN CHINA' tag on them. Which is not to say I am for or against China, but anyone would have to admit China doesn't have a great track record with safe products for children. So into the garbage they went, but we still needed bibs.
I thought to myself, "Don't I have some vinyl in the basement?" and the answer was a resounding yes! I traced the old bibs, cut the vinyl and stuck velcro on. It took me about 2 minutes, the cost was pennies and my problem was S-O-L-V-E-D. Now, I am not saying they are beautiful enough to give as a gift or sell, but they are a definite success!

Today there was a $7 bag sale at our local BFM, and I went in search of craft supplies. If you aren't familiar with a bag sale, basically you get to cram a bag (and not just a little grocery bag) with as much as you can fit into it for only $7. I looked around for about an hour, and I found a few items - but not enough to fill a bag, and I didn't want to just buy things for the sake of a sale. So guess what? I walked away.

Sometimes you get so excited about saving money on a good deal that you forget that no matter how cheap something is, if you don't need it or if it's not good quality, it's just junk. And today, when I was finding stuff cheaper than I will find it again for some time, I still kept my head. This is an unparalleled success for me, and I just wanted to share it.

Baby Saving

My 14 month old is in the process of learning how to eat like a grown up. We have repeatedly introduced the spoon to her daily eating regimen, but it seems that she thinks of it as something to point with or throw instead of using it to scoop food into her mouth. She has these cute little brightly colored toddler spoons we got dirt cheap (something like 20 for $3.50) in the States. I only wanted one, but buying 20 of these was cheaper than any of the single spoons there. As soon as I started using those spoons, I was on the look out for cute little brightly colored plates, bowls and cups to match; but in the midst of my shopping dilemma I realized that I had plastic containers and lids that would do just as well.
Kid stuff is SO expensive, and what's more, it seems like most people buy everything brand new and matching when they have their first little sprog. And I don't blame them - every magazine, commercial and store you walk into has a 4 piece bedroom set and color co-ordinated crib linens with decor and toys that accent the color scheme. It just seems like the thing to do. And it's fun.
We were lucky enough to get everything we needed second hand and her whole bedroom cost us $81 (linens included). It's not a matching set, but the colors are the same so it doesn't make much of a difference.
Along this line of thought, here are some of the things we are actually doing (that are cost effective and they work) to save money in raising our little monkey:

~We ask for diapers and wipes as gifts (do they really need more toys?)
~We arrange clothes swapping with other moms.
~We thrift shop for clothes, baby items, books and toys
~We use plastic containers and lids instead of buying plastic dishes
~We return gifts we don't need for items we do need
~When she turned one, we switched to whole milk from formula
~When she turned one, we gradually stopped buying baby food and cereal and give her real food
~We do walks, play dates and go to the library for entertainment
~We always bring snacks and drinks when we leave the house
~We mostly only give her water to drink (it's healthy AND you're already paying for it)

To sum it up, we use what we have, play with what we have, wear what we have (even if it's not stunningly stylish and in perfect shape) and don't spend what we don't have.

Frugality's Pea Soup

I am going to share one of my cheapest recipes with you. I made it for lunch today and I don't think I will ever get over how easy it is to prepare. It's simple, but yummy. It's SO inexpensive, and it's got protein in it.

Frugality's Pea Soup

8 cups soup stock (beef, chicken or veggie)
2 cups dried split peas (green or yellow)
2 onions, chopped
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp Mrs. Dash Original (or alternative no salt seasoning blend)

In a big soup pot (bigger than you think you need, because when you blend it later you'll be grateful for the splash guard) add all the ingredients and bring to a boil on high heat. As soon as it starts boiling, cover it and reduce heat to medium low. Cook it for about 2 hours, stirring occasionally. When you are ready to eat, use a braun hand mixer and blend it right in the pot (careful not to burn yourself - it splashes) and you're ready to serve. I have also done this in a slow cooker, or reduced the cooking time by increasing the temperature and stirring more often.

In other news, due to a 'budgeting hickup' I am going to do a Pantry Challenge for the next two weeks. I am sure you've all heard of it (and I know at least 2 of you have done it) - but just in case someone hasn't, you basically try to use up all the stuff in your freezer and your pantry and stick to only buying fresh stuff instead of your usual monster shop. Today I compiled a list of what I've got and this afternoon I am going to make a rough meal plan. I've meant to do this a few times, but never got around to it, so I am actually glad for this opportunity. I'll let you know how it goes :0D

Valentines Day - Frugal Family Edition

I was looking through the paper the other day and there was an ad for a valentines day package for $88. They were actually advertising this price as though it was a good deal. Now just so I don't sound like a V-Day Scrooge, I have nothing against going out and spending a lot of money on a special evening to celebrate. If you have the money and haven't made any plans, SHAME on you. Go and be extravagant and romantic, my friend. But if you are staying home simply because $88 is as far off as $888, then I thought I would give some FREE ideas. Last night I looked on the internet for good stay-at-home-v-day ideas and there were basically a list of CD's you can buy, home decorating projects that would take a week, instructions to eat oysters, an mildly rude inuendos. Here are simple, free ideas that ANYONE can do:

1) Dress up nice just as you would for a real date (this can include the whole family).
2) Dinner and a Movie - make a nice dinner after the kid(s) are in bed and "rent" a movie from the library.
3) Or celebrate love with your whole family at dinner, and later just have a special dessert for mum and dad - here's a link that I like: http://www.canadianliving.com/food/chocolate_fondue_fun.php
4) Write a love letter
5) Put on your most romantic music and slow dance in the living room.
6) Tell each other your love story, from your own perspective.
7) Talk about your dreams for the future with strict "no-reality-check" instructions.
8) Do a picnic style date - pack a meal in a basket, lay down a blanket and pick some fun music.
9) Tell your spouse what you love about them. Be extravagant in your praise and compliments.
10) Go to the Theater at home: Buckets of popcorn, pick an old flick you've had forever and make sure to hold hands (hee-hee).

Now, just because you can't afford to go out, don't make excuses and 'forget' to celebrate. Remember when you were single and you despaired of ever being in love with the right man. When you wondered if anyone would ever love you. When you cried yourself to sleep at night. Remember why your spouse is so important. Remember how they lit up your whole world when you first fell in love.
You can't afford NOT to celebrate. Love and romance need tending, just like plants. Do something small, if it's all you can. Do something simple. But make sure that you put in the effort to appreciate the rich gift you have in your spouse. Valentines Day is a perfect excuse to get started.

The Shocking Truth

Confession: I am so curious about other people's budgets. If I could have a psychic gift of knowing peoples budgets, I would plant myself in the middle of an airport or mall and end up starving to death in rapture. It's not idle curiosity about who makes what - what interests me is how it all gets broken down and spent (or saved). I think it would be SO interesting. Because I don't think that it would necessarily show on the outside. I think we would be surprised how much so'n'so gives away, and which people are savers and which ones are total crap at money.
Money is so much a part of who we are - it's like a subconscious voice that helps us (or hinders) making important decisions and off the cuff judgement calls. It follows us everywhere. And I bet if some of us sat down and laid it out on an enormous table, we'd even surprise ourselves, in both good ways and bad.

For us, because we were able to buy this lovely home, our budget has become a tightly run ship. We are richer than ever before, but poorer, too. Even though I miss shopping and lattes, I am so grateful for this opportunity to learn to be deliberate with our money. I think it is a quality that too many people learn too late and in North America it's becoming less and less common.
Having less to spend has made us more thoughtful about spending. Even on decisions about cleaning products (as you've read), cosmetics and car maintenance. Things most of us would consider necessities and tack on to the monthly budget. Things most of us would even go in debt for (Visa, baby). But when your resources are limited, your choices weigh more (if you have any sense in your head whatsoever - which I didn't up until about 6 months ago).

But instead of feeling hemmed in, I feel liberated.

I know my thoughts are a bit disjointed tonight, but I think what I am trying to say is this.

We are trained almost from infancy to spend money. Advertisements and entertainments are everywhere, in everything. All of them teaching us that spending money is fun and makes you feel good. But I am totally rocked by this truth: YOU DONT HAVE TO SPEND.
I can live without a composting bin, or new windows, or the latest style in shoes. I can live without specialty coffee, rented movies and dinners at restaurants. I can even do without certain groceries. And I am still happy. I still have things to do, places to go and people to see. My husband still loves me in the clothes I've had since he married me. My friends will still visit with me if its not at Starbucks. Supper still tastes good without Gouda or Havarti. And it definitely isn't a bad thing for my bottom if I walk instead of drive once in a while.

So, go on, I dare you: give yourself permission not to spend.

Roughing It - Homemade Laundry Soap 2.0, The Review

I finished up the bucket of powdered laundry soap I made, and only got 15 loads out of it.
It worked just fine, but was less cost effective than the liquid batch, and even though it was so easy to make, I would have to make it 6 times as often, which is not really easier in the long run.
I would use this recipe again if I needed something really quick, but not as a long term solution to my laundry needs.
I will try a new formula this week.
Also, my box of Oxy Clean, along with my fabric softener, is gone, so I will be trying out alternatives to those products.

A tip for the other housewives out there: I swear to you that doing one load of laundry a day will revolutionize your routine. Never do 5 loads of laundry in one day again. Never fold clothing for an hour straight. I start my load first thing after breakfast and fold it early afternoon. I learned this from Fly Lady http://www.flylady.com/ among other fabulous tips on how to stay sane.

Absence

Halloooo!
Just a quick note to let you know that I will not be posting for the next few days.
Try to bear it bravely... :0D