Just One Cuppa Joe: UPDATE

If I try to count how many times I have given up coffee, I end up somewhere around six. It's not that I can't do without the rush of caffeine coursing through my system - in fact, I adjust to missing that fairly quickly. It's the comforting ritual of it that I am truly addicted to. I make it to anywhere between three weeks and a few months, and my mornings start to feel so... spartan. Like a bedroom without any colour in it. I've tried herbal teas, hot water, juice - and nothing is quite as satisfying as a cup of coffee.

Right now I am nursing, and my son, an adorable little twenty pounder, suffers from Reflux. They tell me it's likely he'll grow out of it, but in the meantime no dairy, wheat or caffeine for me. Can we just all collectively gasp in horror at the self control I am having to exert (before I confess that I've been cheating with wheat. Just a little bit. Okay, I ate three hotdogs in their buns yesterday. [CRINGE]). Anyways, he responds very badly to caffeine. But he seems okay with decaf. So I am now a dairy-free decaf girl.

But no one else wants a cup of decaf at 2 in the afternoon.

I tried making smaller pots of coffee, but if you try to make anything less than six cups of coffee in my coffeemaker, you end up with something that tastes like dishwater with sugar in it. Not good. And then you are tempted to purchase coffee out, which is NOT FRUGAL at all.

But look what I got:

A one cup coffee filter. So I can make just one cup. 

I have NO idea how much money this saves, wether its pennies or quarters, but it certainly does the trick. 

(Well, I tried this. It works in a pinch, but the coffee tastes like dirt. So I tried a french press, which is slightly more palatable, but still not quite the same. So guess what? I bought instant decaf, and would you believe that it's the best tasting option? I was shocked! It costs $6.50 for approximately 80 cups, which works out to $0.08 a cup. Cheap, CHEEP!)

Inappropriate Pageviews

Okay, just a quick post in which I am wearing a wicked little smile. 

My last post got a whopping 22 views in one day (which is quite high for me), predominantly from viewers in north east Europe and the States. 

I couldn't figure out why - it was such a humble little post. 

On further reflection, and re-reading, I have come to the conclusion that I have attracted international perverts unintentionally with my title. I think they came looking for a different kind of sock agony (picture me laughing out loud and blushing right now). 

Just imagine - all this time, they key to high readership was accidentally inappropriate post titles. Ah- this will make me laugh for days to come!

Sock Agony Shpinkter Tightening

Today I went to Walmart to purchase both of my children socks. We are usually given everything we need second hand or as gifts - but I realized last week that my daughter only had about three or four pairs of socks that fit and my son a single mint green pair that were getting small.
Luckily, in the mail yesterday I received a belated birth gift of $20, so I knew exactly what to do with it. Socks. Thank you, O sender of cash. You can buy most anything second hand, but socks are a hard sell because they have no sizes written on them.
To Walmart we went, where I surprised myself by spending a half hour agonizing over which 'value pack' would fit longest-not wear through-be fashionable-and not cost the world. It was only later, as I drove home, that I started contemplating just how much I dislike being in the kind of financial place where the purchase of socks can make me sweat - can I get an AMEN?

So as you purchase your school supplies and lunch supplies and back to school clothes and start lessons and sports and activities and clubs, all under the looming expenses of a nearing Christmas, know that you are not alone. I bet if there was a study about such things, findings would indicate straight across the board that everyone's shpinkter is about 4mm tighter this time of year.

Detox Darling - Feindish Fruit

I was recently was reading "Psychology Today" as I waited for Aria to finish out her allotted half hour on the library computer and there was an article on pesticide contamination in produce. If I didn't already have curlies, I would now. Pretty much made me sick to my stomach. And it wasn't fear mongering. It is well documented that, "The fruits and vegetables on “The Dirty Dozen” list, when conventionally grown, tested positive for at least 47 different chemicals, with some testing positive for as many as 67." and those 47-67 chemicals have some NASTY side effects (cancer, for instance). Go on, google it for yourself if you doubt me. And they test for chemicals after they have washed the produce.

So, without further ado, here are the Dirty Dozen:
(the food you want to buy organic to avoid contamination)

Apples
Celery
Peaches
Nectarines
Domestic Blueberries
Strawberries
Sweet Bell Peppers
Spinach, Kale and Collard Greens
Cherries
Potatoes
Imported Grapes
Lettuce

I was displeased to note that these are the items I purchase most.

Anyways, Superstore seems to only have Organic Apples, Strawberries and Spinach. But I know that Pricemart has a much better selection of organic produce.

And to celebrate my new organic produce, I dried organic apple slices yesterday. Mmmmm, good.

Detox Darling - Your Armpits Are Atrocious

I'm BAAA-aaaack! And to celebrate my re-emergence into my Frugality blogging I am starting a new string of posts on freeing your life from unnecessary exposure to harmful chemicals.  Don't cringe! I promise that it'll be simple and interesting. And without further ado:

Did you know that your deodorant has Aluminum in it?
Go ahead and check, I'll wait. It'll say something like "21% Aluminum Tetrahozide" in an inconspicuous spot.
...
Did you find it? Okay, here's why you need to know:
ALUMINUM has been linked to ALZHEIMER'S!
And might be linked to breast cancer as well. Bad news, yes?
If you don't believe me, google it. (But don't read too much. I read one site that told me to throw away every single bath and beauty item in my bathroom {doosh bags})

Anyways, back to toxic deodorant. I've known this for years, but I am a sweaty girl. And when I tried the natural (aluminum free) deodorants out there I became that most awful of awfuls: The Sweaty AND Stinky Girl. So I decided what any socially coherent single woman in her 20's would do: I decided I would take my chances with Alzheimer's.

And every time I applied my deodorant, I thought mournfully and a bit bitterly about how unkind it was of the world to foist fear mongering information on Aluminum on me without any proper alternatives. It was as though the choice was: Be stinky or die a horrible death when you are old.

And then, my Aluminum hating armpits were liberated.

I was pretending to be busy whilst surfing the net, and a found a website that swears homemade deodorant works. I admit that even though I am a super 'home-made' advocate, it had never even occurred to me that you could make something like deodorant. And even if it had, I would've thought what you are thinking now: yeah, you can make it - that doesn't mean it'll work.

But the woman swore in earnest that it would. She was so beseechingly convincing that I thought I'd give it a go.

And it works.

IT WORKS!!!

I have been using homemade deodorant for two weeks now (and for those of you local girls, you will be impressed that it has been the hottest two weeks of the year) and it works. I find that I am a little bit stinky by evening, but I was with regular deodorant too.

So, How Can YOU Detox Your Armpits?

Well, if you have a pioneering spirit, go to Crunchy Betty for some deodorant recipes, and get your goop on, or if you want something easier - I'll make you some (you have to buy it, silly). 

A Batch of Homemade Deoderant (should last roughly 2 months) for $6. You can pick your scent: Lavender or Tea Tree.

NOTE: Some women say it irritates their skin, so if you need a sensitive skin batch, I can do that too for a dollar more. 

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?