For Mom's of Tot's: Cheap Kicks 1.0

For the past week or so, I've been gathering and testing ideas for toddler activities.

I find that on the days we spend all day at home, my two year old daughter reaches the end of her rope at about 3pm, which means I reach the end of mine at about 3:10. The morning is spent in chores (for me) and playing (for her), and then lunch and nap time and her daily show. But that last 2 or 3 hours before Daddy gets home are pretty hard on us both. I could easily fill that time with all kinds of work, but she needs interaction and entertainment.

I've been inspired by a blog I follow, called 'Sew Liberated'. She has been posting pictures of her afternoon adventures with her two sons. They are really into learning through play and have invested a lot of thought and money into the activities they put together.

I already do 'school' most days with Aria (which consists of drawing, remembering our letters and making crafts) but I really liked the ideas on Sew Liberated - they were fresh and creative. Scouring the sights she recommended for inspiration, I compiled a list of things that I thought we could try at home and then shopped for the supplies we didn't already have.

The first Activity we tried was a bean bin, which was a SHOW STOPPING SUCCESS. And I didn't have to purchase a single thing to put it together. She played for two solid hours with those beans.

After that, we tried window markers (which cost anywhere from $3 - $12) which was successful as far as entertainment goes, but only holds her attention span for about 15 minutes.

Today, we made our own flubber. This was a good thing. A very good thing. I had everything I needed but the glue, so it only cost me $2. After her show was done, we put on our aprons and mixed it up together and then we played together for a while. I was pretty much done after about 20 minutes, so I left  her to it and I would say that, including the making it, that activity was good for about an hour and a half.

Should you so desire to try this out, I found the original recipe here. I halved the batch and it's more than big enough, so here's the half recipe:



Mix 3/4 cup warm water, 1 cup Elmers School Glue and food coloring in one bowl.


In a SEPARATE bowl, mix 1 1/2 tsp borax with 1/2 cup warm water.


Pour bowl one into bowl two and watch it turn into flubber. You don't need to mix it but you can if you want. Once it globs, work it for a few minutes and it will turn into flubber (for a while there I was worried, but it really works). 

Extreeeem Frugality - When a sale is a bad thing

I'm feeling pretty nast right now. NAST. Yep. What is nast you ask? Well, it's a combination of heartburn, gas, and bloatation that renders the sufferer a useless lump. A burpy useless lump, who is suffering extreme regret over the money I saved at Superstore last week.

Back story: I've been a bit under the weather lately, and have been trying to purchase inexpensive and easy to prepare meals. Normally I make most of our food and don't buy pre-packaged, but feeling ill can change a woman's priorities. So I bought fish sticks and french fries (big hit). Perogies and sausage (score). Delissio Pizza on special for $5 (rock on). And then I saw the sale sign in the freezer section:

Regular $9.99, on special $6.99 - Frozen Lasagna.

So I thought to myself - that big lasagna for 7 bucks? This is too good to be true. It's big enough for two meals for three adults - almost a dollar a meal! I am the FRUGAL QUEENNNNNN MUAHHHAHAHAHAHHHH! And I put it on the cart (wince) and paid $7 for it (dismayed sigh).

Now I happen to know from years of stretching bucks that there is a difference between a good deal and a good fleecing. And I should have known that for $7 there is only one kind of lasagna possible. The gross kind. The kind that tastes like ravioli out of a can. The kind you will never, ever taste lasagna again without remembering.

That's not frugal. It's cheap. WHITE TRASH CHEAP! Do you hear that, Superstore?

Day 26... Goals Met, Challenge Defeated.

Hello Darlings!

I have met my goal, and so am calling my own personal gypsie challenge successfully ended. I will also be too busy for the next 4 days to post anything, so  I thought I ought not  (isn't that a seussian sentance) leave you hanging.

It's been a great month for me, failures and all. I honestly thought I had bitten off more than I could chew, but it has worked. As soon as that last payment comes through, we are so having a credit card cutting ceremony. Perhaps I shall photograph it for you all.

I have been thinking a lot about how it's a cultural norm to carry debt from month to month. On the radio the other day, they were saying that on average Canadians carry (not including a mortgage) TWENTY FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS OF DEBT. I nearly pooped my pants. If that's the average, then that means there are those who are much farther in debt than even that.  What a heavy burden to bear. And what a foolish way to live.

This year, we are going to try to live without credit of any kind - because we aren't responsible enough to only spend what we can pay off each month. If we don't have the money in the account, we simply cannot have what we want or even need. Just because living from month to month on credit is normal, that doesn't make it a healthy or successful way to live. If you are one of those rare and beautiful birds that can keep control over a credit card and pay it off each month, I salute you. All of the above is not directed at you. I am preaching to people like me.

Here is an old wartime slogan that I am trying to stencil onto my brain meat:

"Use it up
Wear it out
Make it do
or Do without"

Day 24.... and Counting

Unnecessary Spending Status: $20 (I'm not telling)
Unexpected Income: $280
Amount Paid to date on that Beastly Credit Card: $976.68


Okay, so Saturday was my birthday, and my husband (in a rather Lordly manner) declared the gypsie challenge officially paused for celebratory purposes and SPOILED me ROTTEN for two whole days. Nothing truly outrageous, but quite a bit more than any gypsie in their right mind would spend on a given weekend without coming home with a piece of new furniture or something. He says we'll make it up by having an independent frugal day in February.


He took the whole house out for breakfast, took me VV shopping (anyone who knows me knows that this was quite exciting for me). Then he promised to buy me a bike (so, we haven't spent that money yet. We'll need to save it up in addition to the donations we received). Then we went out for dinner before we did our weekly dance lesson. It was QUITE the day! 


But, not very gypsie. The really wonderful thing about all of this, from a financial perspective, is that we had the money sitting in our account, and didn't have to charge up our credit card. And I love that. I want that to be the story for the rest of my life.


Well, only six days left!


Get out there and get frugal!


Love, Victoria

Day Twenty - Small Victories

Okay - so I just had to tell you that I went out, did my returns AND DID NOT SPEND ANY EXTRA! In fact, I ended up about $70 up, which was cool. So in a fit of victory, I threw some more money on the card. Now I am not sure how it happened because I counted it all out before I started the challenge, but there must've been some purchases yet un-billed on the card, because even though I have slammed nearly a grand on that beast, I still have exactly $300 outstanding on the card. So guess what?
Oh, yeah, my goal just went up. 
Ten days.
Three Hundred Dollars.
May your prayers carry me to victory. :0D


Unnecessary Spending Status: $20
Unexpected Income: $200
Amount Paid to date on that Beastly Credit Card: $976.68

Day Twenty - The Blahs

Hello Again, Gypsies.

Today, I would like nothing more than to shop my little heart out. However, this would not be responsible of me, and we only have 10 days left to pay off the ole' Master Card. So today I am going to do some returns I have been  procrastinating on, and then maybe take my daughter to the pet store. But, oh, how I long for a Timmie's.

Confession: I went on a girls date with a free ticket to the movies, but the movie was started by the time we got there, so we went to earl's instead.

Unnecessary Spending to date: $20

(cringe)

Day Eighteen

Okay, so I am sorry not to have written - my basement flooded twice and I am dealing with a 'situation', so not much time for blogging. 
Pantry Challenge week was BRUTAL, but I spent only about $40 on groceries (4 adults and one infant), so that was pretty successful. We did sleep in one morning and only rolled out of bed 10 minutes before we had to leave so we spent $4.46 at McD's on a coffee to share and 2 for 1 McGriddles. I put it under the 'unnecessary spending' but it really was quite necessary. I am a monster without breakfast. The other $5.5o under unnecessary spending really WAS unnecessary and completely unapproved purchase by my husband. He is unapologetic and will be punished. And what would he break our vow to purchase? What could he not live without, I ask you? Ginger Ale for him and a buddy. Seriously. 
I am going to wax off his eyebrows while he sleeps.
Anyways, there is less than 2 weeks left, so stay strong. And if you've bombed, don't be discouraged - there's still twelve days in which to impress yourself with your thrifty skills!


Unnecessary Spending Status: $10
Unexpected Income: $200
Amount Paid to date on that Beastly Credit Card: $676.68

Day Twelve. Shopping Gypsie. Not so happy.

Today I took my little brother shopping to our local mall. He had some gift cards that he wanted to blow. I made coffee at home and brought snacks. I packed us into the car with a light heart excited for a little quality time with my bro. Yep. I am sure you can tell which direction this story is heading.

There was a sidewalk sale.

I found a beautiful leather belt with embossed scrollwork on it for $14. But I did not buy it. I found beautiful thick black tights with slits and buttons at the ankle for $24. But I did not buy them. I found a glorious pair of skinny jeans for $10 and 3 for $10 tank tops. But I did not buy them. I found at least THREE BEAUTIFUL HOODIES that called my name lustily. But I DID NOT BUY THEM. AHHHHHHGHGHHGHGHGHGH!

THe PAIN paIN pAIN PaiN!!!!!! kj;afpadrjewiojasflkjdlsjf
adkfa;jsfdja!!!!!
!!!kj;aajsfkioueirw,kvxnvxckpa!!@@
ajdfjalkdfajl
a!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(You do NOT want me to translate. Assume excessive use of the coarser terms for 'I feel cranky about this')

I want you to know that I was SORELY tested and I think malls are the devil. And I think I was a lunatic to leave the house this morning. I NEED NEW CLOTHES, NOW, *$%*##@&$!!!!
RAWWWRR!
THe urge... too strong... loosing... control... arrgg...

Stale Flour and French Fry Cravings

We got snowed in today with a foot of snow and some freezing rain. Where I grew up the only thing that stopped you was the cold. In Alberta, it's only after about -32 degrees Celsius that the school buses stop running. But on the west coast, life is different.
We have spent the day in the house and yard (the yard was abandoned after a frustrating attempt to convince my daughter that snow isn't 'dirt' and it's ok to get it on your clothing.). I sewed a bit. Napped a bit. Ate a bit.
But frankly, being indoors with a beautiful 2 year old and a snowed in husband has been less idylic that one would imagine.
And my whole wheat flour seems to have gone stale. For the last little while it has had a 'dusty' sort of flavor. And because I am currently a gypsie, we are still eating it. But what I REALLY want is MCDONALDS!! So when I would normally bake something filthily rich and fatty to distract myself from the trappedness, not so much today.
Ohhhhhhh.....

Day Eleven - The First Actual Self Denial

Okay.

We are out of raisins. Chocolate chips. ALL Fruits and Veggies, except for 5 (count em) radishes and 3 bananas. No crackers. Ran out of recycling bags. No soup stock. A half a cup of yogurt in the fridge with about 27 different condiments. And then last night we realized that we had only 4 diapers left. Four. That's a days worth, at best. And a grocery list as long as my forearm.

And only 17 dollars in the ole' bankaroni.

True dilemma. Food? Diapers? Yikes.
How much did I want to avoid using my credit cards? How much do I mean this Challenge? Erp.

So I, not sure what else to do other than go into more debt, prayed.

And then, I found a 10 gift card in my living room.
My husband got a $20 check.
And I hit a diaper sale.

So for just over $37,  I got a bag of spinach, a bag of onions and some Asian Pears. I got a box of diapers, some molasses (for making bread) and bulk soup stock.

I have never been so grateful to come in under my limit. I have a $1.97 in the bank and $1.12 on my gift card left over and I am SO HAPPY THAT I DIDN"T USE MY CREDIT CARD!!!!!!!!!!!

Spending Status: $104 (All necessary)
Unexpected Income: $156
Amount Paid to date on that Beastly Credit Card: $470


PS - Never make pea soup without soup stock, using old dried out carrots. Trust me on this one.

Day Nine - The Sweet Stench of Temptation

OHhhhhh, the angst. 
I forgot about Sundays.
It is our busiest morning; stressful and hectic - which is ironic because it's 'the LORDS DAY' which would imply serenity.  My daughter wakes around 6, my husband needs to leave around 8, I make a communal family pancake & coffee breakfast, the boys leave around 9 and then I need to get us womens beautified, ready and out the door by 9:45 to make it to church on time (hit and miss on that part).
Long ago I learned that if I do not make a slow cooked lunch on Sunday morning, we go out for Wendy's or McDeath-to-your-bowels by default, because by the time we get out of church, it's usually around 1pm, and we are WAY too hungry to go home and select a recipe-thaw some meat-wait for it to cook. 
But due to the chaos of the holiday season, I was totally out of my groove this morning and COMPLETELY forgot about lunch. Until about 12:30, when my stomach started cramping.


OHhhhhhhhhh, the angst. 


I passed 3 of you on my way out of the front doors, wrestling intense temptation. Sure it's gypsie challenge month, I rationalized, but last night we got supper for free. Surely that would release me from my vow for one measly meal? Surely everyone would understand.


And I am sure you would've. But, dang it - I wouldn't. And I wrestled that beastly french fry craving to the ground and kicked it's cussing cuss cusssity cuss cuss (gotta love Fantastic Mr. Fox). We came home and made pizza. And I ate more than half of it. 


I am frugal. Hear me ROOOOOOOAAAAARRRRRRR!
Cuss.


Spending Status: $67 (All necessary)
Unexpected Income: $156
Amount Paid this afternoon on that Beastly Credit Card: $470

Day Seven - Pantry Challenge Begins!

Penny Pinchers UNITE! Rah!

Okay, this is my first official week of pantry challenge (I just accidentally typed 'panty challenge' there and had a decent chuckle. Had to share.) We purchased the essentials yesterday for a grand total of $26 dollars, and I am now going to rock the pant(r)y (har, har, har).

This goal will actually be a bit more challenging than last years was for me, because I have been using stuff up from my pantry more often, but I still am starting with 3 shelves of a large pantry, one double shelved cupboard and a sizable drawer loaded with dry goods. Let the games begin.

Obviously the first few days are going to be super easy because there's alot to select from, but as the ingredients get stranger, the difficulty will increase. Also, I have an added twist to my personal challenge, because I have two male boarders living here - so beans'n'toast isn't super acceptable when someone is paying you for groceries.

Tonight will be pot roast and potatoes and mixed veggies. Nothing unusual there, except I am out of beef stock and am planning on seasoning my roast with HP sauce and Montreal Steak Spice (I am actually giggling out loud at my culinary audacity. You don't mess with Mama's Pot Roast. That is, unless  you are on a pantry challenge....)

Now I realize that perhaps I should define Pantry Challenge for those of you who haven't heard of it before. I looked for a decent definition on line to no avail, so here's my personal definition:

For a predetermined length of time, for the purpose of saving money and using up existing resources, with the added benefit of freeing up cupboard space, you use the food stuffs you have on hand, purchasing as little as possible from the grocery store.

If you need help turning unusual ingredients into a meal, use the 'ingredient search' function over at 'all recipes'. Hot resource.

Have a Frugal Day!

Victoria

Spending Status: $28
Unexpected Income: $156

Day Four!!!

Hello Gypsies!!

I am LOVING this challenge STILL! So far I am $104.50 up and have only spent $1.67 (on rubbing alcohol. So boring!)

I have talked to a few of you in the last couple of days and the common thread I am hearing is one of fear of failure. So I have to give you guys a pep talk:

THERE IS NO PRESSURE FROM ANYONE! You make this fabulous month of gypsie-ness what ever you want it to be. If you want to just pick one area in your life to be a gypsie in (ie: not buying coffee out) that is exactly what you should do!
Don't set impossible goals that will make you feel like a failure!
Set yourself up for success, and when you succeed you'll want to do it again.
Okay?
No judgement. No pressure. No one-size-fits-all plan. Just a bunch of people trying to change one little thing at a time.

YOU ARE DOING A GREAT JOB!
Now go make yourself a cup of tea and have a great day!

Love Victoria

Day Two

Hello Again Friends! Just a quick entry:

I don't mean to brag, because I know that the hardest part is the last part, but so far this Gypsie Challenge is ROCKING! I am already $75 up into the challenge and have not spent a PENNY!

My family went for lunch to our friends house today, and they talked a lot about how generosity is one of the biggest parts of being financially successful.

So maybe we should do some good deeds this week... but they'll have to be secret. Otherwise it doesn't count.

:0)

The First Day is the Easiest

Hello You Fierce Frugal Women (I assume no men are reading this because I don't know of any who are)!

Today is January 1! Happy New Year!
And happy first day of gypsie-ing (so not a word). This day should be fabulously easy. I myself have spent absolutely nothing AND gotten free breakfast. That's hot. Then I slept for three hours (which is really awesome. Also ridiculously cheap.) And then ate left overs (more free food). Now I am going to go do my cleaning job and earn some money. Not very new years - ish, but very frugal.

Make sure to finish your goals today, if you haven't already! Reviewing your goals regularly is a huge key to success!