Roughing It - Sicko 1.0

We have been sick for about six of the last eight weeks.
First it was a stomach flu (a horrifying, horrifying stomach flu which took about three weeks to run our ranks) followed by a week and a half of relative good health. And, because no winter season would be complete without it, enter stage right: The Cold.

Fever, coughing, running nose, heavy congestion and cranky little kids. My favourite, ever (can you feel the sarcasm dripping like thick green snot from those three little words?)

The tricky thing about your small children getting sick is that although you can purchase cough and cold medicine for them, there's controversy in the medical world on wether its actually a good idea or not. Even for older children theres a "...risk of serious side effects..." And if you are an anal retentive when it comes to your children's safety, like I am, you will now never purchase cold medicine for children ever again.

So, here are the safe alternatives that we have found to actually work (and they have the added benefit of being natural, and very, very frugal):

#1) Number One is Number One because it makes such a huge difference. A cool mist humidifier:

I got mine for $30 from Walmart. They ranged in price from $20 right on up to $80. I had to return the first one because it was too loud, so don't throw out your box right away. And be careful of the humidifier's requiring replaceable filters; some of the filters can cost $20 or more. 

I consider this $30 well worth it! It'll last for years, and helps adults and babies alike.

#2) Elevate the head of your Sicko's bed a few inches. We used a couple of really thick reference books under the bed legs (don't use fancy ones, though, it marks up the cover pretty bad). I am sure that there's some medical reason for it's effectiveness, but all I know is that it helps them (and me) stop coughing at night and get some sleep.

#3) Honey. For a bad cough, a teaspoon of honey can help. Most medical professionals strongly recommend NOT giving honey to babies under 12 months, as there is a risk of botulism poisoning (many parents do it anyways).

#4) Homemade Vic's VapoRub. Did you know theres turpentine in the little blue tub you loved as a kid, among other nasty things? Don't freak out now, cause it took me all of 90 seconds to whip up a toxin free batch. Seriously the easiest DIY ever. Are you ready? Truly ready?

OK, here goes:

Mix 1/4 cup coconut oil with 5 drops eucalyptus essential oil in a small jar (the recipe doubles or triples easily). If the oil is to hard to mix, warm it up a bit and it'll soften. You can buy both ingredients at a healthfood store and I think (though I may be wrong), Superstore.

 That's it. Rub it on the feet or chest of your Sicko. This worked amazingly well on my son last night.

I'll make any locals a small batch for $4, should they not want to make their own. Email me.

#5) Did you know you can make homemade cough syrup? I haven't done it, but as the ingredients are honey, olive oil and lemon juice, I don't think you could go too far astray. Let me know if you try it and I'll let you know if I do.

#6) Hot Honey Lemon. My mom actually drank this all the time. Just add lemon juice and honey to hot water. Lemon is full of vitamin C and honey soothes the throat.

#7) Salt Water Gargle. My Dad made me do this one time when I was little and I was so mad. Right until I realized my throat had started feeling better. Warm water and as much salt as you can stand for as long as you can gargle it. Don't drown now. Salt kills the bugs and draws the moisture out.

#8) Healthy Chicken Noodle Soup. I admit, I used to use the packets of Lipton's. But I just can't do it these days - it's so chemical and salt laden (28% of your daily salt allowance in 1/4 of a packet and includes MSG, corn syrup and soy). Instead I whip up a quick substitute. Four cups of water, 4 tsp of Better Than Boulion's Reduced Salt Chicken Stock (cheapest at Costco) and whole wheat spaghetti noodles broken into short pieces. I bring it to a boil and simmer till the noodles are soft. That's what I serve my picky eater. But for grown ups I throw in dried parsley and red chill peppers to taste.

And that's what we do for our Sicko's. Well, if I am to be completely honest there's a lot of sleeping and movie watching in there too. But that goes without saying.

Hope You're Feeling Better Soon!

Roughing It - SPA 4.0: Sugaring Putty from Scratch

Last night I had one of my legendary spa nights: hair dyeing, eyebrow trimming and armpit sugaring.

The armpits went so well that I thought I might do my legs today. I discovered I didn't have enough product left, so, being frugal, I tried making my own. I googled and went though about six recipes and three youtube vid's before I felt prepared to take the plunge. Instead of making a sugar "wax" (to spread on with a stick and rip off with a strip of fabric) I decided on Sugaring Putty, which is supposed to be thick enough to use with out fabric. I am not sure where it originated, but they do it in the Middle East.

Batch number one turned out like molasses and I had to throw it out (after spilling it all over the kitchen and my pyjamas). This is batch number two. An amber colored, sweet smelling putty. I brought 1 cup of sugar, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 2 tbsp water and a shake of sea salt to a boil over medium heat and then turned it down and simmered it for a half an hour (recipe I used here). Once it cools, its very thick - almost solid. 

Then I washed and dried my very hairy legs (see below). I put baby powder on, which is supposed to reduce the pain because it prevents the wax from sticking to your skin. 

I grabbed a walnut sized ball of putty and worked it in my hands a bit until I got used to the feel of it. It's quite sticky, so you've got to keep moving. I videoed what happened next, but I feel, upon reflection, that I should keep it to myself (...) However, I will share with you what I learned from attempts one and two: 

1.) Don't add water to the putty to 'make it less sticky' - strangely enough, the opposite will happen and you will get everything stuck to everything and end up glued to a plastic bag and your camera.

2.) Don't add baby powder to the putty to 'make it less sticky' - even more strangely enough, the opposite will happen and you will get everything stuck to everything and end up glued to a plastic bag and your camera.

Attempt number three was the golden ticket:

Basically, you rub the putty against the hair growth three times and then rip it off in the direction of the hair growth (the opposite of waxing). And to my everlasting surprise (and satisfaction) IT WORKS!!!

VERDICT: 4/5 Frugality rating!

COST: Zero dollar signs! (It cannot possibly get cheaper unless you just let the hair grow for the rest of your life!) A regular wax job is between $15 and $60 (depending on the size of the area), and a home kit of  MOOM (what I use at home) is $17. This is the cost of a cup of sugar and a bit of lemon juice, and makes enough product to do your whole body once. 

PROS: It's cheap, convenient and natural.

CONS: It's messy, slightly more painful than using my usual sugaring kit and I cannot possibly imagine using this on my bikini line (I fear I would end up gluing my va-jay-jay shut).

UNKNOWNS: How long does it last once made up? Will my next batch be a bit less sticky? 

That said, I will definitely do this regularly. It would only get a better rating if the putty was a bit easier to handle.

Christmas Spirit: Advent

I LOVE December 1st.
At our house, it is now the official first day of the Christmas season and we enter in full speed and whole heart.

I've blogged in the past about what really matters to me at Christmas time, but in the four years since that time, that message has been driven, quite literally, home. 
You see, two years ago, on December 16th, in the midst of shopping, baking, wrapping, appies and Christmas do's, we found out my Mum was dying.
It changed everything about that Christmas. Every carol we sang was sacred. Every lit up house was magical. Christmas Eve, that most sacred of family times for us, was spent stunned, aching and somehow still grateful. We ate, and laughed and cried through our last holiday together.
So you can imagine, last year Christmas came as an ungraceful herald of all we had lost. Part of me wanted to skip the whole shebang. And then this other voice inside of me just sang her heart out and said we should celebrate. And celebrate, we did. It was our best Christmas ever.

Homemade goodies, a veritable cornucopia of gifts under the tree, train rides and parties, turkey, potatoes and peanut butter balls dipped in dark chocolate. I threw myself into it with delight and new family traditions sprang up!
My favorite "new" tradition is a very old one. An advent calendar.
I made it, of course, and spent hours planning it out. Instead of a daily chocolate or gift, I alternated a combination of family activities, crafts and small presents. It was such a success! We loved it!
Each day is represented by a white mitten on a red string. I held each date marker on with a clothes pin. And in the mitten is either a little gift or a paper saying what the advent activity or craft will be.
It was such an inexpensive way to make the Christmas season even more magical for my children, but I have to say my husband and I were caught up in it, too!
Here, in no particular order, are just a few of the things we'll be doing this year for our advent:

-The Minter's Mini Train
-Homemade Peanut-butter Balls
-Family Candle Light Dinner
-Spiced Dough Ornaments
-Christmas movie night (this year it'll be "White Christmas")

But today, December first, is one of my favourites. Today we bust it all out and decorate the house and tree. Christmas CD's! Twinkle Lights! Garlands! Home made ornaments! The Nativity!

Speaking of decorating, I must run - IT'S ALMOST TIME!!!!!

Love,
Victoria

Pinching Pennies: While Cleaning The Kitchen

I've been thinking about all the corners I cut to save money in the kitchen. Our budget has relaxed a bit these days, so we are eating better quality food, thank God - but we still need to keep our purse strings tight.

Here are some of the ways we Pinch Pennies while cleaning in the kitchen:

1) I only fill the dishwasher soap dispenser 1/3 up. Most manufacturers grossly overstate the amounts needed to clean dishes, and I think we can all guess why: it makes them more money! If you use a third of what you've been using in your dishwasher, your soap will last 3 times as long! I was going to make my own dishwasher soap to save even more money, but all of the reviews I read said that it just doesn't clean like the commercial stuff. I think there's a line there I'm not willing to cross - I mean, the dishes need to get clean...

2) I use Norwex cloths to clean my kitchen, which saves on cleaning supplies - and is GREENER!

3) My friend, Na, cuts up holey old sweatpants and t-shirts to use as cloths and dishrags. You are giving unusable clothes a second life, and there's no guilt when you throw them out when they get nasty because you already saved them from the garbage once!

4) As already posted, I use a Swiffer to mop my kitchen floors, but with Norwex cloths (or a micro-fiber cloth if you don't Norwex) and hot water instead of the disposable, chemical soaked wipes. It's free (if you already have a swifter) and GREEN!

5) If I am only doing the kitchen, I don't bust out my hoover - I just grab my broom. It's easier, but it saves a few kilojoules of energy too (did I even use kilojoule in the correct context?), and that saves a few pennies.

6) If I need a new scrubby dishrag, I knit one out of cotton from my stash. This wouldn't work for everyone (as I am a "highly skilled" knitter [there was mockery there in case you missed it]) but if you knit, it's a fun little project that even a beginner can do.

7) Instead of using fabric bibs, which need to be laundered after each wearing, I use a plastic moulded bib with a big pocket on it. It catches way more than a conventional bib, and it wipes clean with the dishrag when I am wiping the counters.

8) If you use a table cloth, consider putting a clear pvc cover over it - it wipes clean with a rag, saving regular laundering.

What are some of the ways you Pinch Pennies while cleaning in the kitchen?

SPUD - Organic Local Produce Delivered to Your Front Door

Last week I saw this Social Shopper add in the local news paper for "SPUD." 

Basically, I paid Social Shopper $20 for a $40 gift certificate at SPUD, a sustainable produce company. I've often wanted to buy more organic, but with the prices being so high, I've stuck to organic apples and spinach (two of the top "Deadly Dozen" offenders for chemicals and pesticides).

Don't I wish I was getting paid for this. Anyways.

I purchased the Social Shopper Gift Certificate and went immediately to the SPUD website.

Basically, it's a company where you get local organic groceries delivered to your front door, a wonderful company if you're into sustainable living.

I checked out their website for a while, then I ordered a box of assorted organic local produce, to be delivered the following Wednesday (today).

When I came home from my errands this morning, there it was at the front door: my box of sustainably harvested local, organic produce. I got apples, beets, carrots, corn, fennel, romain, crimini mushrooms, pepper, nugget potatoes, and a pound of tomatoes. 

I am really pleased with this company - my only complaint is that the website is a bit complex (it needs to be with all the choices involved for online grocery shopping), but with a cup of tea and a few minutes, totally do-able.

If you want to try it out, they sent me a coupon for friends: 

Referral Code: CRVAN-BURVIC

If you use that code, we both get $20 of free SPUD groceries.

Love, Victoria

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!