Crisis Averted: Last Minute Meals

Feeling under the weather, I slept most of the day.  When I awoke before supper time, I was disheartened by my kitchen which is in a state of disarray due to a half-installed dishwasher.  My kneejerk response to being ill is to crave orange juice, ginger ale, and pizza.  I had the dilemma of forcing myself to cook or ordering pizza.  The key to avoiding take out is to take immediate action.

            Keep frozen, prepared food on hand.  When you cook, make double batches to put in your freezer.  It will be there when you need it; all you have to do is microwave it or put it in the oven.  There are many wonderful once-a-month cooking websites with information about which recipes freeze best. I have had great success with rice and beans, soups, and lasagna.  Even if you have to buy already prepared frozen dinners, family or individual, you would still save money from take out.

            Maintain a supply of canned meals or soups. Canned soups, stews, and other foods requiring only heating will be a saving grace for you. I am a canned food snob, so I pressure can my own soups, stews, and other favorite recipes.  A can of tomato soup with cheese sandwiches is a quick, nutritious meal. 

            Create a repertoire of quick recipes.  A collection of fast and easy to prepare recipes will allow you to make a decision on dinner in a matter of seconds.  It only takes fifteen minutes, at most to create some of my quick recipes.  My mother used to cook a box of macaroni and cheese, adding a can of tuna fish and a can of peas. 

            Remember that your goal is to get food on the table.  Not all of your meals are going to be a gourmet’s delight or completely nutritionally sound. The gourmands and nutritionalists are collectively gasping, but, sometimes, it’s about getting food in your stomach.  One of the fastest meals is to make pasta and open a can of spaghetti sauce.  You can jazz it up with cheese if you have any, but it’s about getting food quickly.  While some may argue there is no meat in it, keep in mind that Americans generally get more protein than the human body requires for a day.  Besides, I’d be surprised if fast food burgers had more protein.

            Act quickly!  This advice is going to sound like psychobabble, but you need to be able to circumvent the part of you that wants to buy dinner.  As soon as you get hungry and start to consider ordering out, start your dinner.  The thought of takeout should set off the warning bells in your head, because it’s a slippery slope that will end in money spent unnecessarily.  Immediately throw something in the microwave, oven, or stove top.  Generally, you won’t still order out if you have food started.

Last minute meals are often the danger zone of the frugal home, as it is easy to justify buying food. Just keep in mind your larger goals for your money, conscious spending not spending out of desperation.    As for tonight, I boiled some macaroni, opened a jar of home canned gumbo, and sprinkled the meal liberally with parmesan cheese.  Honestly, as soon as the macaroni was boiling, I had committed myself to the decision, so I no longer thought about eating out.  Crisis averted. . .this time.

 

 

Free Heating…Well, Almost

When we moved in, our house had an open fireplace, notoriously inefficient for heating.  After having the chimney cleaned, we had a woodstove insert installed. Superficially, it doesn’t seem frugal, but, by being unconventional, we manage to heat our house almost for free.

My mother wanted a pellet stove to replace her woodstove.  She agreed to give me her old stove, providing that I could locate a cheap pellet stove for her.  Over the next couple of weeks, I spent time scouring Freecyle and Craigslist for pellet stoves.  I would email her pictures and listings, contacting the seller when she was interested.  Finally, I managed to find one that was in her price range, so we moved the insert to our house.

During the spring and summer, I would search the local newspaper, Craigslist , and Freecycle for advertisements for wood.  Mindful of gas prices, I only inquired about the advertisements within ten miles of our home.   This part of the process required spending money for a few wedges, an ax, and a chainsaw.  My husband prefers to use hand tools, but a chainsaw is necessary to speed up the process when you’re in someone’s backyard.  He would cut the wood, loading the back of the pickup, drop it off home and begin the process over again.  Splitting of the wood took place in our driveway, setting the pieces on a round of wood.  By the time September was over, we had stacked six cords of wood, hiding it in random places on our small lot.

The cost for heating our home this winter is around $600, which is a decent savings by itself.  In our area, a cord of wood costs about $175 delivered.  Based on that figure, we had $1050 worth of wood, a $450 savings.  However, next year, we will not have to buy any tools for the job, so the cost of heating with free wood will be even less. 

Why am I even writing about such a specific circumstance?  Not all people have homes with chimneys, I know.  This article is to remind you that hard work on your part can lead to some creative and frugal solutions to problems.  Be unconventional and the rewards will be more savings in your home.

 

Old-Fashioned Fashion

In these liberated days, rarely does anyone don an apron.  Housecoat is relegated to the realm of the little, grey-haired lady.  It is a disservice to the worthy role these articles once played. 

Aprons protect your clothes from the routine splatters in a kitchen.  If I don’t wear an apron when I wash dishes, I end up with a wet midriff.  Aprons offer a built in place to wipe wet hands and, in a pinch, emergency oven mitts.  Not only that, but aprons also offer a mindset.  When I put on my apron, it helps me to focus on working in the kitchen.    

I have two housecoats that my mother gave to me.  Because I am a teacher, I wear nice clothes, usually blouses and skirts, to work.  When I get up in the morning, I like to get dressed for work.  To protect my clothes, I put on my housecoat over my good clothes while I do my morning chores, such as taking care of our ducks.  Serving not only to keep me clean, it also keeps me warm, considering that the fire is almost out when I get up.   

Somehow, practical clothing has fallen by the wayside.  Women wear stiletto boots instead of snow boots.  The apron and housecoat do not have to be frumpy or boring.  Having several styles of aprons will make wearing them a joy.  Housecoats can be found at thrift stores in all kinds of colors and styles. These items of yesteryear have a place in the frugal home, saving everything from clothes to energy down to your peace of mind.

 

 

Savings Secret: Menu Planning and the Pantry Principle

The best way to save money on groceries is to menu plan using the pantry principle. While the idea is not original to Amy Dacyczyn, she coined the phrase in her fabulous newsletter, The Tightwad Gazette.  (The newsletter is now available in book form and I strongly recommend it to anyone interested in thrift, but I digress.) 

            By and large, frugality writers suggest planning a menu based on the deals found in the store circulars.  While it is a good place to start saving money, the next level beyond is to buy in bulk the cheapest things you can find.  “In bulk” does not mean in giant containers from the local mega warehouse store.  Bulk can mean buying multiples of one item, such as several one pound packages of mozzarella cheese. Like, say, thirty.  Yes, I have proudly walked in my local salvage store with two shopping carts packed to the brim with only two people to feed.

            When it comes to planning your menu, you just look to your pantry, freezers and other storage places, determining what you have.  Create your menus based on what you have already bought.  You can be secure in the fact that you paid the lowest possible price for any food that is residing in your home.  It is helpful to keep a current list of the foods in your home, but I find that I am not diligent enough in recording incoming groceries. 

            Some people like to plan their meals the night before, but I like to do it once a week, on Sundays.  I keep in mind things that need to be used up, such as the pork from June or the fish from the spring.  On days when I know I will be busy, I use slow cooker recipes, which makes life much easier.  I also make sure that I include at least two days of vegetarian meals, usually beans and rice, because they are extremely cheap, in addition to being tasty!  In order to keep it as simple as possible, I have a few websites and books that I use for tried and true recipes.  However, because I like to cook, I will usually throw in a recipe that I’ve never tried.  While this process sounds cumbersome, it usually only takes a half hour while sipping on tea.

            I know you could always write it in list form on a piece of notebook paper, but presentation is important for your psyche.  I recommend using an actual calendar or printing out a menu from your computer.  Putting graphics on the calendar really makes it special, or at least the Easterseals Christmas stickers on my December menu make me happy.  Remember to write in pencil, because you will change your mind at least a few times.  

            As the saying goes, “When you fail to plan, you plan to fail.”  By planning meals in advance, you will remove the stress of not knowing what to do for dinner.  It will help you to avoid eating out, because you will have food waiting in the refrigerator or slow cooker.  It’s hard to justify the expense when you have a thawed roast giving you the proverbial hairy eyeball from the refrigerator or soup ready in the slow cooker.  Trust me, while it seems like a lot of work, you’ll find it fairly simple and even fun.  Besides, using the food that’s already in your home will save you money and that’s worth the effort.

Buying Away the Blues

Unhappiness can cause a hole in your budget.  The insidious part is that it will start small, but slowly unravel your entire budget if left unchecked.  Most people do not examine their feelings with regards to how it affects their spending.  For instance, whenever I begin to feel sad, my immediate response is to order pizza or go to a restaurant.  Some women like to treat themselves to purses, and some men like to buy power tools.  Regardless of the focus of retail therapy, it is a destructive habit which can lead to further sadness or even depression.

            Remember to breathe.  Slow down and think about whether you’re buying out of necessity or sadness. Examine your reasons carefully, because part of you wants the item quite badly. 

            Avoid stores.  If you routinely shop to beat the blues, you need to recognize that part of your self-therapy.  Your willpower will not be enough to save you in that situation.  Instead, start the habit of going for a walk or dancing around your house when you are upset. 

            Find something you like to do. It could be something silly that always puts you in a better mood. I, for one, am a firm believer of singing, off-key, at the top of my lungs while in the car or shower.  I will also bury my face in my puppies’ fur and let them lick the blues away.

            Engage in productive hobbies.  With a hobby to pick up, you can always reach for it as a distraction.  A friend of mine has learned to bake bread, so that when she’s angry, she can pound the daylights out of dough.

            Get a buddy. Find someone who will listen to you or at least dissuade you from spending.  When I wanted to go out for pizza in order to get away from a situation at home, my husband reminded me that I would regret it later. Thus, disaster was averted.

            Create a Thankful List. Okay, it’s corny, but you’ll find that it will actually help you feel better.  Things can always be worse,  so it would help you to focus on the things that are good about your life.  You don’t have to write it down, but just the thought process will move your disposition in the right direction.

            Get proactive.   Oftentimes, I begin to feel sad when I feel like things are out of my control.  If you put yourself in the role of the helpless victim, you begin to act that way.  Realize that you have choices in the world.  Brainstorm about the different things you could do to solve the problem. Write a pro/cons list to clarify your thinking. List the things that you could do to make your life better.  While you may not decide to act on any of these, you will have acknowledged the fact that you are an active participant in your life, not a victim.

            While the world is a wonderful place, it doesn’t always seem that way.  Sometimes, you feel hurt or upset, and want to fill the void with something, anything.  Just try to remember that “this too shall pass” and the only thing permanent is the bill.    

 

 

 

Curtains: They’re Not Just Eyebrows

I once heard someone on an inane decorating show say that curtains are the eyebrows of a room. *Snort, polite cough*

Far be it for me to argue with the champions of home décor, but I must in the name of practicality and frugality. 

Curtains are practical tools in regulating a home’s temperature, or at least they were until the latter part of the 20^th century.  Somewhere along the way, it has become more fashionable to use them as accessories for impressing guests instead of their original purpose.  Now, folks just crank up the air conditioner and heater as the weather demands, paying the inevitable bill for such largess, all the while bemoaning high energy costs. However, you can buck this trend by taking your curtains by the rods, as it were. 

Invest in some lined curtains, preferably of brocade or other heavy fabric.  Lose the miles of lace and gauze, as they are about as useful as a drink umbrella in a hurricane.  Yes, lined curtains will be expensive, but note the use of the word “invest.”  If you use them properly, you will recoup the cost of them fairly quickly.  Furthermore, you might be able to sew them yourself, depending on how fancy you want them.

Make sure you are able to open and close them.  The mobility of the curtains is absolutely crucial to their purpose.  It is important that they are on a rod, able to be opened and closed as necessary. 

In the winter, leave the curtains open during the day. Doing so will allow the sunlight to heat the room.  At night, close them so that the heat is not dissipated during the lower night temperatures.

In the summer, close the windows and the curtains in the morning before the temperature begins to rise.  It seems contradictory to leave the windows closed in the heat, but, with the curtains drawn, the temperature will not rise too much.  Use fans to circulate the air. In the afternoon, once the outside temperature is cooler than the inside temperature, open the windows and the curtains.  Use box fans to draw in cooler air.  In the event you are not quite ready to forego air conditioning, just follow the instructions for the curtains.

Be creative about their placement.  Sometimes there are doorways to spaces you don’t use too often in your home.  Why pay to heat the laundry room if you don’t have to?  In my home, we don’t use the upstairs overly much during the cold winter months.  As such, we hang a heavy curtain over the doorway to the stairs, removing it once the weather becomes warmer. 

Most assuredly, I will never win any awards for my home decorating skills.  However, my home is comfortable year-round with little excess use of energy.  Eventually, the pennies that I save on energy will help us to buy our little farm, which is a far more satisfying than being a home décor diva.  Besides, in keeping with the analogy of eyebrows, the room would have to have eyes and that’s just creepy.

Duck…Duck…Duck…No Goose

Even though we only live on a fifth of an acre, surrounded on all sides by neighbors, my husband and I have nine ducks living in our backyard.  I had thought about chickens, but dismissed the idea because they can be quite noisy.  After thinking about the dilemma, my husband suggested getting ducks.  Most people do not think of eggs when they think of ducks and I was no exception.  After doing some research, I found the Khaki Campbell breed which will lay an average of 300 eggs per year, meaning that they do not have a dormant period like chickens do.  Moreover, they are hardier than chickens, though we do not have severe winters. 

After finding Khaki Campbells at McMurray Hatcheries, we decided to purchase ten of them: five guaranteed females and five unsexed.  First, though, we needed a pen and a home for them.  By searching the internet, I found that ducks need eight square feet of area per duck.  I had read about a chicken tractor, which is essentially a cube with an open bottom so that the chicken can feed on grass and bugs.  They are called tractors because they are moved from one patch of grass to another each day.  Though I could find no plans, we decided to make it from PVC piping covered with hardware cloth, so that it would be light enough for me to move.  The house we made from plywood, framing it with two by fours.  We cut two doors, one for the ducks and another for gathering eggs. 

When the ducks arrived via the USPS, we brooded them in a baby pool with wood shavings. Unfortunately, two died as a result of their trip.  McMurray’s did offer credit for them, but could not return our money.  They grew rapidly, jumping out of their brooder within two weeks.  Because of the danger of having them run around the basement, we placed them outside in their pen.  Unfortunately, we did not handle the ducks enough during this time, so they are still afraid of us.  It would be my suggestion to hold the ducklings as much as possible so that they become used to you.  It is hard to corral them when they are terrified of you. 

Khaki Campbells do not require water, so they are an ideal duck for a small, suburban homestead. However, we found that they loved to swim, so my husband dug a large hole to accommodate the baby pool that was once the brooder.  We put their tractor over it every few days, cleaning out the pool as necessary.  The pool water was dumped on our compost pile, which seemed to help the pile decompose more quickly.  Now, the weather has become colder and the water has frozen in the pool, so there won’t be any swimming for a while. 

We have not gotten eggs as of this writing, though we expect them imminently.  While the ducks do eat about $25 worth of feed a month, once we get eggs, the cost will be offset by the benefit of the eggs.  Because we are trying to cultivate multiple streams of income, we have several people waiting to either pay or barter for the duck eggs.  Next spring, we hope to hatch some out in an incubator to butcher for meat.  In eight weeks, they are big enough to dress out at four and a half pounds, which is a sizeable amount. 

There are many books and websites available about raising poultry in your backyard, just make sure you do your research and are ready before you get them. If you would like to get poultry for your backyard but think they aren’t allowed, read local ordinances because many times the officials don’t even know what the law says.  You might be surprised to find that you are allowed to have so many poultry, even if it is only a few.  In our city, I was shocked to find that you can have any livestock, with the exception of swine.  Now, if I could only talk my husband into a Nigerian dwarf goat.

 

 

 

Don’t be a Chicken: Learn Something New

Learning new skills is important for frugal folks, particularly those interested in homesteading.  However, many people seem to have the mindset that if they don’t know how to do something, they can’t ever do it.  That’s just ridiculous and, oftentimes, an excuse.  There are so many different ways to learn a new task, particularly with today’s technology. 

            Talk to people. I cannot stress enough the importance of talking to others.  Offer to trade lessons with someone else for a skill you do not possess.  Sometimes, someone you know will have connections with someone else who has the skill you desire.  It’s not always apparent who has what skill and others don’t know your needs if you don’t voice them.

            The library is an amazing resource. Not only can you get how-to books, but many libraries offer videos about skills.  I learned how to French braid hair from a VHS tape from the local library.  Don’t forget about the community events board.  Local clubs may post about meetings, ranging from quilting bees to public speaking.  And all of this for free!  (Thank you, Mr. Benjamin Franklin).

            Visit or volunteer at a local museum.  Museums often have groups attached to them that practice the “old arts.”  The agricultural museum in my city has a spinner’s guild which meets once a month on the premises. Even visiting for special events would give you at least a cursory understanding of a skill and someone to contact if you wanted to continue to learn about it. 

            The internet is one of the most useful tools, provided you don’t spend too much time reading the celebrity columns.  If you are discriminating about whose advice you take, you will find that the internet has a wealth of knowledge.  A skill typed into a search engine will give you a plethora of websites by both professionals and hobbyists.  I particularly enjoy blogs, as they are personal and often feature stories about failures and snafus that other websites won’t.  You’re able to learn from the comfort of your own home and at your own convenience.  You also have the ability to ask questions via email or comments, getting free advice.

            Attend an event thrown by historical enthusiasts.  I belong to a Renaissance re-enactment group which has members all over the globe.  Sometimes, our events are open to the public, in order to demonstrate the various arts such as spinning, weaving, leatherwork, and many others.  If you feel strange about attending an event, you could probably contact a local historical group for more information.

            While it can be difficult to learn a new skill, the rewards for learning are well worth it.  If you learn to bake bread, you can save nearly $3/loaf, if you typically buy whole wheat bread.  Your new found sewing skills will save you from throwing away clothes or paying to have them mended or tailored.  A fifteen minute oil change can save you ten dollars, making your time worth $40 per hour, a hefty hourly wage.  More importantly, you’ll have the knowledge of how to it, something no one can ever take from you.  So, be brave and start learning something new. 

 

 

 

While You Wait. . .

Time is money. The cliché has some truth to it.  Generally, a sizeable chunk of our days are spent waiting for something to happen.  These wasted moments add up to a considerable amount of time, time which could be spent saving you money.  I often find myself waiting for something to happen, just staring into space.  If I were to channel that time, I’m sure I could accomplish much more in a day. Some tips to help you manage your minutes:

1.       Carry a notebook and pen with you.  When does your brain chose to remind you of the different things you need to do? If you’re anything like me, it will shout reminders at a moment when you can’t do a darned thing about it.  For instance, when standing in line at the bank, I will remember that I need to call the oil company. If I have my notebook, I can just write it down and forget about it until I am able to call. 

2.      Keep phone numbers for businesses in your cell phone.  This hint actually relates to the first one.  Important phone numbers might be your pharmacy, doctor’s office, natural gas company or cable provider.  If the numbers are in your cell phone, you would be able to quickly call while on your lunch break or waiting in the car.  If you don’t have a cell phone, just keep a list handy.

3.      Take work with you.  In many professions, some duties are portable, meaning that you can carry your work.  While waiting for a meeting to start, you may be able to tie up loose ends. As a teacher, I always carry work that needs grading, so I can work on it anywhere.

4.      Don’t stand idle if you can help it. In the kitchen, I am notorious for staring off into space while waiting for the microwave to beep or for water to boil.  Try to wipe down counters or put away dishes while you’re waiting.  You can actually accomplish quite a bit in the few minutes it takes to make popcorn.

5.      Multitask…within reason.  Multitasking can squander time, causing you to spend more time doing a few tasks at once than you would have, had you just done them one at a time.  However, if you are careful, you can get plenty done without sacrificing quality.  For instance, when I’m waiting for a sauce to thicken or biscuits to bake, I’m tied to the kitchen, but the task at hand doesn’t really require my full attention.  During that time, I can wash dishes or wipe down the microwave and refrigerator. 

6.      Take up a portable hobby.  Learn to knit, crochet, sew or anything that is portable.  While you’re waiting for the doctor, you could be working on Christmas or birthday presents.

You can’t create more hours in the day, but you can make more of the time you do have.  By using your time wisely, you would free up more time to work on all the money saving ideas that you “don’t have the time for,” like cooking from scratch or changing your own oil.  Use the time that is going to waste, and you’ll find that time may not equal money, but saved time is saved money!

Bloom Where You’re Planted…

Or so the cliche goes.  As for me, I’d rather be on a farm in the middle of nowhere, tending my children and goats.  Since I have neither of those, I am settling for practicing frugality and homesteading in suburbia.  My husband and I married in June of 2008, so we are new to married life.  However, we have to work together in a way other couples may not.  He is attending school full time in order to become a teacher.  As such, we have to find a way to live off of my teacher salary.  The plan is that I will eventually be a stay-at-home, homeschooling mom, while he works full-time as a teacher until the farm can totally support us.  This blog will be a way for me to share my adventures in suburban homesteading and frugality. Hopefully, we’ll all be able to bloom together.