photo credit: CesarCardoso

Step One.

Buy Starbucks Mocha Powder so you can make mochas at home.

Step Two.

Find a copycat recipe for those amazing Pumpkin Cream Cheese muffins.

Step Three.

Buy a like new espresso maker at the consignment shop for $7 so you can make steamed milk and espresso for cappuccinos and mochas.

Step Four.

Get yourself a Starbucks card and register it. Eventually you’ll earn one of those fancy Gold cards and they’ll give you a free drink occasionally. Also useful for keeping yourself on a budget. (Load the card monthly or weekly. )

Step Five.

Buy your Starbucks beans at the grocery store when they go on sale for $6.99 a bag and use those $1 or $1.50 off coupons that occasionally show up in the Sunday paper.

Step Six.

Don’t forget to take your empty coffee bag to Starbucks and get a free tall beverage (the bag is like a coupon).

Step Seven.

Always use your reusable mug, and make sure the barista gives you the .10 discount.

You’re welcome.

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I decided to make a list of things that I currently BUY that I could MAKE from scratch.

A lot of stuff we purchase at the grocery store (like condiments and cleaning supplies) weren’t even available to our Grandmothers or weren’t affordable. These items were made at home.  Typically, the made at home version is far superior to the store bought, and usually cheaper.

Here’s what I came up with after a little brainstorming. Some of these items I regularly make myself, but I threw them in there because I thought it might be helpful to you. If you have any more suggestions, links to recipes or tips, please comment!
photo credit

Stuff To Make At Home Instead of Buy

Salad Dressing – I love a simple olive oil, apple cider vinegar and honey vinaigrette. Sometimes a “Ranch” style dressing is nice too. Here is a creamy salad dressing recipe to try. (MSG and other icky ingredients not included.)

Laundry Detergent – I haven’t bought this in a couple of years. I make my own. (Big Z thinks I’m some kind of genius!) It’s cheap as dirt and works great. I use this recipe for homemade laundry detergent.

Dishwasher Detergent – I’ve made this in the past and found that it made my glasses cloudy, but after reading the recipe and comments on this site, I’m motivated to try again.

Mayonnaise – This won’t be a cost savings (due to the eggs), but that doesn’t matter. Homemade mayo is more nutritious. I avoid soy products and commercial mayo is made from soy oil (or canola, just as bad). An easy recipe for homemade lacto-fermented mayonnaise is here on @cheeseslave’s blog. Because it’s lacto-fermented, it’s probiotic, lasts longer in your fridge and is a “live” food. This is one of those instances where making your own won’t save you money in the short term, but the end result is a healthier diet.

Ketchup – As soon as my tomatoes start growing I want to try my hand at homemade ketchup. I’ll use the recipe from my Nourishing Traditions cookbook.

Salsa – I love my homemade lacto-fermented salsa! Again, the homemade version is a superior product in terms of nutrition and taste.  Hurry up garden, I need tomatoes and peppers!

Jelly – I’ve never tried my hand at making homemade jelly because I didn’t have a source of free berries. When my strawberries start coming up (if there are any left after the kids pick them and eat them!), I want to do this.

Coconut Milk – I had no idea you could make your own coconut milk until I got an email in my inbox with this recipe. This is especially exciting since coconut milk is super nutritious, yet very expensive – I often cannot bring myself to pay $2 a can for it but now I don’t have to go without!

Dishwashing Soap – Right now I get dishwashing soap for free or pennies by combining sales and coupons, but I would like to try a homemade version that’s more earth friendly. I saw this recipe yesterday, it looks easy enough. I love Dr Bronner’s soap and always have a large bottle on hand. The trick will be keeping my two oldest girls from using WAY too much of it to wash dishes! (The girls have dish duty as their chore and they tend to be quite heavy handed with the soap. I’m assuming that this homemade recipe won’t lather as much, hence my concern.)

Homemade Tooth Powder – I love making my own homemade tooth powder. It’s very inexpensive, and my dental hygienist approves – as long as I leave out the cinnamon! (Read the post for an explanation.) It’s great especially during pregnancy if your foamy regular toothpaste triggers gagging.

Deodorant – Haven’t done this yet, but plan on trying it. Have a good recipe to share?

Kombucha – Kombucha is very expensive store bought and costs almost nothing if made at home. The SCOBY will live forever if you take care of it, so the only challenge is getting one. Ask around amongst your crunchy friends, or order it online or from eBay (Google search will turn up sources). Or you can culture your own by buying a bottle of GT’s kombucha (around $4) and growing the “mother”. Easy instructions here.

Kefir – Another expensive item ($4 a quart!) when store bought that can be made for pennies at home, and is soooo easy. I used to make kefir regularly but my grains froze in the refrigerator once and I have not replaced them. Similar to kombucha, once you get the kefir grains you can make kefir forever with just the cost of milk. Get them from a friend or online.

Yogurt – This is one I’ve never attempted, but plan to. My friend Candi posted a homemade crock pot yogurt recipe on her blog that looks totally doable.

Sauerkraut – Homemade sauerkraut is super nutritious (great for your gut!) and cabbage, even organic, is cheap. Since most of the sauerkraut you see in stores is cooked, it’s “dead” and a very poor substitute for homemade. You can Google for easy sauerkraut instructions. Here is a recipe for a “no pound” method. I’ve fallen out of the habit of making kraut and have been buying Bubbie’s (the only real sauerkraut I can find locally), but I’m going to order this fermented veggie maker from Cultures for Health (incidentally you can also get kefir grains and kombucha from them too).

Tortillas – Ummm, homemade tortillas are so delicious and don’t compare to store bought! I don’t have a cast iron tortilla press but it’s on my list of things to buy! You can get them from a mercado or amazon.com

Bread – My oldest son is our resident bread baker.  He loves to knead dough by hand and says it’s great for stress relief (from an 11 year old!). I want to challenge him to try his hand at homemade sourdough.

Gluten Free Baking and Pancake Mix – These are very pricey in the store but a necessity for me and my youngest, who are wheat allergic. I think I’ll just stop buying these at all now that I’ve discovered using coconut flour for pancakes, breads and muffins. It’s nutritionally superior to rice flour, corn and potato starch (common ingredients in GF baking mixes), and a little of it goes a looong way (a typical recipe calls for just 1/4 cup coconut flour). To save money, I’ll start buying it in bulk online.

Wheat Free Cookies – Ditto. These are outrageously priced in the stores, and I admit to the occasional impulse buy (fix: I now go shopping without kids!). Making cookies for my youngest at home is cheap and easy enough.

Cream Soups – SO many recipes I have that are convenient (slow cooker recipes for instance) for my family call for cream soups. I don’t buy these because they all contain wheat, MSG and other ingredients I want to avoid. I knew there had to be a substitute for this addition to recipes so I did a little searching and found that cream soup can be replaced by a simple white sauce! DUH. The cream soup serves as a thickener basically. Obviously if the recipe calls for “cream of mushroom soup”, you could add diced mushrooms. Finding out this info was a big forehead slapper!

Pickles – My kids LOVE pickles, but I don’t buy them because commercially available pickles usually contain food dyes, HFCS and other ingredients I avoid. Homemade pickles (using a cold method) are more nutritious since they’re raw, lacto-fermented, not cooked. I planted cucumbers this year just so the kids could make pickles homemade. Can’t wait!

What types of things do you make instead of buy? Got any great homemade recipes?

Please comment!

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Today (actually, last night, but the beauty of WordPress is that if you forget to do Top Ten Tuesday until Wednesday, you can backdate the post and noone will be the wiser) was our 3rd week since beginning Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace University.

If you’re not familiar, FPU is a 13 week long course that teaches you how to “Live like noone else, so you can live like noone else”: How to get and stay out of debt, save money, invest, retire with dignity, and give to others. Good stuff.

I’m so excited about doing this, especially with hubs. I thought I would share my top ten reasons why.

Top Ten Reasons I’m Excited About Financial Peace University

1. I am excited about getting a solid financial education. We don’t learn this stuff in school. Why is it that we graduate knowing algebra (something few of us will use in our daily lives), but most adults don’t know how or don’t know why to balance their checkbook? We don’t know how to “do money”, but it affects every single aspect of our lives, every single day.
2. I am happy to be helping my hubby with this stuff. I’m the “nerd” in the relationship, and he’s more of the “free spirit”. We are a good team because he’s better at making the money (no problems there) and I’m good at creating the budget, doing stuff that involves paper and being organized. Since hubby is also self employed, he was never able to figure out how to budget since his income is variable month to month. FPU is giving us the tools we need to make that easy.
3. I want our family to experience the freedom and joy of NO DEBT. There’s nothing like it.  I want that peace for my husband.
4. This stuff is good for our marriage. Working together and being on the same page with money eliminates one of the biggest sources of tension and anxiety in a marriage. Not to mention, going to the weekly classes together is a peculiar sort of “date night” that is fun and productive.
5. I want my kids to get their money right. I’ve been preaching the message of “don’t do debt” all their lives, but once again getting this education means I’ll be able to teach my kids proper principles around money. I don’t want them to make the same dumb mistakes I did.
6. Class ends right before my due date. A nice way of keeping me distracted, helping to pass those last few weeks.
7. I just love Dave Ramsey. I have listened to his radio show for years and always enjoyed his style. I read his book The Total Money Makeover and was totally inspired by his message.
8. I want to be able to give more. We already give money and time to our place of worship and I give to a non profit that is close to my heart, but I would like to be able to help individual people more.
9. Divorce does a number on your finances. My current husband and I have both suffered financially as a result of divorce. So have our exes. It’s just a reality. It’s time for us to dig out of that crisis and create something better.
10. I have 6 kids! I have to have my crap together. Enough said.

How I Got Out of Debt

How to Deal with Falling Income

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Yesterday I got my first batch of cloth diapers in the mail. I’ve enjoyed fondling them ever since.

You mean I have to wait 6 months before I get to actually USE them?

As a self-confessed cloth diaper addict, I can scarcely wait to diaper a baby bum in these. It’s one of the fun things about new babies – perusing the different brands, deciding on your cloth diaper “system”, buying, washing and stacking your diapers in anticipation of baby’s arrival.

Frugal mommies who are using disposables become geniuses at combining store specials with coupons and rebates to get their baby’s ‘sposies dirt cheap – but what’s a cheapskate cloth diapering mommy to do?

Affording Cloth Diapers: How to build your cloth diaper stash

The most affordable cloth diapers are almost always going to be Chinese Prefolds. These are the workhorse diaper. Absorbent, they are easy to wash and they dry quickly.

Generally prefolds $1-2 apiece for the good ones, and you can often find imperfect “Seconds” on Amazon and eBay. Or, you can buy them used. Keep in mind that you get what you pay for. Cheap quality diapers typically found in discount stores are thin and not very absorbent, plus they’re often not even 100% cotton.

Prefolds are awesome for their adaptability too. You can fold them in different ways for boys and girls and use two in one diaper cover for nighttime. If baby has a rash, a loosely pinned on prefold will provide some protection while letting lots of air flow around to allow his skin to heal.

But, if you’re interested in trying some of the new, fancy schmancy Cadillac cloth diapers (or just want to keep a few of those around for Dads, Grandparents or babysitters who may not “get” cloth … or for travel), here are a few suggestions on affording them if you’re on a tight budget.

(There is another article here on affordable cloth diapers for your reading pleasure.)

Baby Shower Registry

Nowadays, dozens of natural baby online shops are offering baby registries. Search around to see if your favorite site offers one.

Personally I always found it very difficult to register at a typical discount store like Target and the like, because I don’t use so many conventional baby products that these stores sell.

But a lot of your friends and relatives will love the convenience of a baby registry. They know they’re getting you what you like and what you really need.

Amazon’s Wish List is another great option.

Simply browse to items you want and click “add to wish list”. If you have an Amazon account, you have a wish list by default. If you want to create a new one, it’s super simple to do. Tell your friends you’re “registered” at Amazon when they ask!

Once A Month Diaper

Try investing in just two or three diapers a month during your pregnancy. If your budget is tight you can probably still reallocate some funds to the tune of $20-$30 a month. 

By the end of 9 months you should have a couple dozen, which if you wash often, could suffice, especially if you purchase “One Size” diapers.

Used

Back in the good old days (when my oldest was a baby), I could find nice used cloth diapers at thrift stores – it’s been years since this has been the case however. My thought is that most moms who are getting rid of their stash just sell them on eBay instead.

But, it’s still worth looking around – especially at consignment sales. Of course eBay and sites like DiaperSwappers are also great for finding used cloth diapers. If the idea of “used” cloth is too much for your squeamishness level, keep in mind that many moms will sell new diapers that their baby has outgrown or that do not fit their baby’s shape well, or that they flat out do not like. Some of these have been washed not worn, and some have never been worn. It’s worth a look.

So. How did YOU build your cloth diaper stash on the cheap?

Please share your tips in the comments!

photo credit: mikeporcenaluk

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Well, Halloween is over and the Thanksgiving Holiday just can’t wait to get here. After Thanksgiving, Christmas will creep in sooner than you think and then it’s time to celebrate the New Year. With the holidays so close together, people try to look for ways to make the holiday celebrations more frugal.

How can you save on holiday celebration costs but still be able to present yummy dishes for your family to enjoy?  Here are a few tips that can help you cut the total amount of your food bill for any holiday celebration.

First, you must decide how much money you’re willing to spend on each person who will be dining with you.  A reasonable estimate for the meal would be to spend around $10 per person and not feel like you’re serving just coffee and cookies.

When you go to the grocery store, purchase items that are in season.  If turkeys are a really good price, and you have the room to store them, get a two so you can use them over the next couple of months.  Don’t be afraid to stock up on staples that you know will be used.  Try your best not to buy items that will only be used on a certain holiday.

If you can, try to make as much of the food from scratch.  Convenience foods like pie shells, biscuit mixes, and stuffing may save time, but they are expensive.  If you are making pumpkin pie, try baking a pumpkin, and use the meat of it to make your pies.  You’ll be surprised to hear your guests tell you how yummy it is.

If you have some time before hand, prepare the things in advance rather than waiting until the day of (for example; Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day)  to do so.  Bake a few pies ahead of time or several dozen cookies to keep you from having to rush on the day of the feast.

If money is tight, don’t be ashamed to ask for help.  There’s nothing wrong with guests bringing an item or two to share.  Potluck can be fun! Just because youre hosting the party in your place does not mean that you should have to prepare everything.  Put a menu together and ask people which items they are willing to bring.

You can reduce your cost by serving a vegetarian meal instead of a huge turkey to feed 20 people.  You not only save money but you’ll also save time as vegetarian meals don’t take as long to cook.  There’s a possibility too that you won’t have all the leftovers to store and eat over the next week.

Even though using disposable plates, napkins, and cutlery would make clean-up easier, it also makes the day more expensive.  It shouldn’t take more than a dishwasher load or two to get all the dishes cleaned up.  Of course, larger items like the turkey roaster will need to be washed by hands.  Tablecloths, napkins, and dishtowels may all fit into one washer load.

If you choose to have a centerpiece, look for natural items that you can use to create one. Pumpkins, gourds, pinecones, pine boughs, and fall flowers can make beautiful tablescapes and they cost little to nothing.

It is possible to have a frugal holiday celebration and still have a great time. Try to remember that it is the memories we make with our loved ones that is more important.

About the Author:

Marie Ynami loves to blog about topics that interest moms. You can find more of her blog posts at Mommy Community .

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For many, budgets are getting tighter and tighter. Even if the current economic situation hasn’t much affected you personally, you may still be taking proactive measures to be more frugal which is certainly a smart move.

You may be wondering how you can start saving some money in various ways that will allow you to free up some space in your budget.

It basically comes down to two things:

1) Make More Money

2) Spend Less Money

Everything else is just minutiae, isn’t it?

Sometimes the second thing is far easier to control. Frugality is more about what you don’t do than what you do do (you know what I mean!). When you whiz by Starbucks, when you pass the snack aisle in the grocery store, when you stay home instead of going out, you practice #2.

But let’s talk about #1 for a second.

How do you find extra money where it doesn’t exist?

Basically it just takes a good idea.

photo credit: psyberartist

Everyone is good at something. Maybe you can make beautiful soaps. Maybe you sew. Perhaps you’re good at math and can tutor some kids. Whatever it is, start thinking of your skills.

Personally, I think every mom should have a blog.

It’s not a get rich quick kind of plan, it’s more of a long term thing, but still. It’s something that can bring in a side income and lead to other opportunities.

Just the other day I was talking with a mom who writes a fabulous blog. She works hard on it, she’s unique, she provides massive value, but she admitted that she’s not making much money.

My suggestion was for her to take some of her best posts and collect them into an ebook that she can sell. I told her the story of my first infoproduct, one that took me probably 6 hours total to finish up, but that has brought me passive income each and every month since.

Could you do that? Heck yeah.

I believe that every single one of us has a book inside of her.

There are also work from home job opportunities that require a bit of skill in some area  (writing, web design, bookkeeping, graphic design, etc). I belong to a site called Hire My Mom. I wrote a review of this site here.

While it does require a small investment to access the database, it is well worth it. The posts are organized nicely and you won’t have to search painstakingly through hundreds of scammy MLMs or paid survey sites or any of that.

I posted that on my first DAY of membership, I was hired by a client who I did some work for. She was a joy to work with and it was a great experience for me.

If you’re a writer, you can find opportunities to ghostwrite. Your blog can be a sort of resume for you.

If you are letting the idea of hiring a fancy blog designer or figuring out how to “do” a blog hold you back from starting, don’t.

Reliable Webs (my web host of choice) offers free blog installations for new hosting customers.

Go here to get more information and click on “Free Blog Installations”.

Now let’s talk about #2 for a second: Saving money.

Believe it or not there are a variety of do it yourself ideas that you can easily incorporate into your life that don’t cost much at all. Here are some great ideas to try out that will help your budget and free up some money for you.

Make your Own Clothes-ish

I’ll admit, I don’t have a creative bone in my body. I can sew on a button and almost do a hem, but other than that? Meh.

If you can sew, you’re probably already doing it. But you don’t have to sew your own clothing to save money on clothes.

There are all sorts of ways to make your clothes look new and different without sewing them from scratch or buying things new.

Just the other day while shopping at a vintage clothing store in my neighborhood, I was given a free printout with instructions on how to fix a T shirt that’s too big. I could totally do this!

Repurposing stuff is especially important if you have children, who need new wardrobes nearly every year. Search books at the library and websites for creative ideas. For example, you can buy a couple cheap tank tops at a thrift store and sew a twirly fabric skirt onto them, creating low cost sun dresses for your daughters.

My 6 year old daughter inspires me because she “shops” from her younger sister’s dresser. She will put on her sister’s cardigan and make it into a shrug.  She will put on a too-small tank top on top of another shirt and the effect is totally cute. (She didn’t get this creative dressing streak from me, but who cares?)

Got an old pair of jeans you don’t like anymore? You can turn them into a cute denim skirt fairly easily. Look at magazines like ReadyMade for inspiration.

If you need new clothes and you don’t know how to fit it in your budget, figure out ways to repurpose stuff you already have to save money. Or host a mom swap meet - where everyone brings stuff they don’t need anymore, and gets to shop for free! What an awesome way to keep stuff out of landfills and save money.

Grow (At Least Some) of Your Own Food

Groceries are getting more and more expensive as well. It’s hard to swallow when you go to the store and you find that simple food items have doubled in price.  Growing at least some of your own food can help you to save money – even if it’s just your herbs. Planting a window box or some tomatoes in a container garden is not expensive at all. You can get seeds from a gardening friend or even plants that have already been started.

Do More Cooking Yourself

No discussion on saving money is complete without mentioning this tip. Not only should you do more of the actual cooking yourself, but think in terms of food preparation too.

Anytime your food is touched by human hands (cut carrots, sliced watermelon, etc), it’s going to cost you.

Train your kids to help you in the kitchen if you don’t want to spend your whole life cooking. Keep meals simple. I don’t know about you, but my kids don’t care if I make smoothies for lunch or prepare some elaborate meal for them. As long as their bellies are filled, they’re good.

Make Use of Used Objects

Making use of used objects in your home can save you money as well as keep stuff out of landfills. Here’s an example.

When I moved into my new house, I didn’t have a medicine cabinet to store our toothbrushes like I did in the old bathroom. At the same time, I had a cute red teapot with a missing lid. I didn’t use the teapot anymore because the steam would escape out of the hole and cool too quickly.

So I put it in the bathroom and it make a perfectly cute toothbrush holder (the toothbrushes go into the big hole, not the little one. In case you’re wonderin’).

My glass blender recently got smashed to smithereens. I’m going to locate one to replace it while I shop at thrift stores and yard sales, but in the meantime?

This works just fine for now. (Yes, that’s an upside down Mason jar. It fits perfectly.)

The more you stretch your frugal creativity muscles, the stronger they become and the more fun you have.

Our Grandmothers drew lines on the back of their legs when they couldn’t afford stockings. We need to get a little of that attitude back!

And there are certain hidden benefits to being this cheap. I’ll give you an example. One day I was at Target and happened to find a bunch of toddler girl’s shirts on sale for $2. I bought several of them, only to find out later that these very shirts had been found to have high levels of formaldehyde in them.

Thankfully I had washed them before my daughter wore them, but still… big ick. I don’t have to worry about this when I buy clothing for her at thrift stores and yard sales.

There are other ways to come up with quick cash if you’re feeling the pinch.

1- Host a yard sale. Do it with a neighbor so it’s not so depressing, and you can attract more attention (and maybe trade some items!).

2 – Sell unneeded stuff on eBay or Craigslist.

3 – Cancel subscriptions you don’t need (magazines, cable, gym membership, etc).

4 – Call your credit card companies and ask them to reduce your interest rate. You would be surprised (as long as you have a good payment history) at how eager they may be to please you as a customer. Better yet, use the yard sale, eBay and Craigslist money to pay off your credit cards forever.

5- Figure out how to lower your monthly bills. A couple of months ago I killed my land line, and I don’t regret it in the least. I just ordered a Magic Jack and will let you know when I use it how I like it.

More ideas:

Sell your dryer and commit to using a clothesline or indoor drying racks (I did this several months ago, and my electrical bill is lower than anyone I know because of this one thing). Reduce your utility costs by being more aware of your usage.

Of course, it goes without saying that the very act of tracking your expenses is HUGE. I just decided to starting using a tool at PearBudget. I’ve used paper systems before and they work fine, but the advantage of an online tracking system is that it does the math for you.

If you’ve written a post recently about your strategies to reduce your expenses, please link to it in the comments. Thanks!

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SAVING MONEY WHILE SHOPPING GREEN

What’s the top reason shoppers don’t buy green? (Hint: It ain’t cheap.)

That’s right. Price.

According to the 2007 GfK Roper Green Gauge® Study, about 40% of Americans say they’d pay for a product that’s better for the environment. But at the same time, 74% of those surveyed say green products are too expensive. Hopefully, supply and demand will eventually bring down the price of eco-friendly goods. But in the meantime, how can green shoppers save a buck?

Here are a few thrifty tips that can help eco-conscious consumers stretch their dollars:

How to Find Green Bargains

Sales: There are lots of green e-tailers with sales pages and seasonal promotions on their websites — everyone from big companies such as green living cataloger Gaiam to small mom-and-pop businesses.

Coupons: Unfortunately, coupons for organic foods are not nearly as common as they are for conventional grocery items. However, many organic dairy companies, such as Horizon Organic and Stonyfield Farms, do offer coupons on their websites.

Bulk Discounts: Buying in bulk is one of the easiest ways to save money. Amazon.com offers lots of super-sized green goods — everything from 10 packs of Seventh Generation paper towels to 4 packs of Ecos Laundry Detergent. Many organic meat companies offer bulk savings through their websites as well. If a large quantity order is too much for your household, find a “bulk buddy” and split the order.

Free Shipping: Free shipping deals from green e-tailers offer a great value for folks who don’t live within easy driving distance to stores with eco-friendly products. Just be sure to read the fine print — minimum purchase orders and restrictions often apply.

How to Win Green Prizes

Sweepstakes: More and more companies are sponsoring sweepstakes for eco-friendly products. We caution you to review the prize description carefully to determine whether the prize is indeed eco-friendly. If you’re not sure what makes a product green, check out Consumer Reports’ Greener Choices and Green America’s Shop & Unshop — both of these not-for-profit organizations offer helpful information.

Contests: A lot fewer people enter contests, where the winner is determined by “skill” — like the best essay, best video, etc. So your odds of winning a contest are generally a lot higher than winning a sweepstakes, where the winner is determined randomly. We have seen some great contests out there, especially for school-related prizes (like a $200,000 hybrid school bus!)

We hope these tips help you save green and win green while you go green. Good luck!

———————-
Karen Schiff is the co-founder of Ecobunga!, a free online directory listing hundreds of deals and giveaways for eco-friendly products.

To kick-start your green winnings, we invite you to enter Ecobunga’s own monthly green giveaways, too! Visit www.ecobunga.com/giveaway

photo credit: thingermejig

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Lately I’ve tried to expand my repertoire of frugal meals for my menu planning. I’ll share some of my strategies and feel free to tell me about yours in the comments, or link to a blog post on the same topic.

Potatoes

Ya gotta love the humble potato. Interesting fact about the tuber: Did you know they came from the Andes mountains, where the natives there have eaten them for thousands of years? It was only a few hundred years ago that potatoes were embraced by Europeans, who initially thought they were only fit for the underclasses.

The potato was responsible for a population explosion in Ireland in the 1800′s, because they were cheap, easy to grow, and provided a lot of nutrition. Some people shy away from potatoes, saying they have too many carbs, but they’re good, complex carbs – the kind that boost serotonin levels and make you feel happy. (Potatoes, not Prozac)

Tonight we had a kind of potato hash that I made up on the spot. Potatoes are hard to mess up!

Carrie’s Made Up On the Spot Potato Hash

First I melted a little butter in a cast iron pan and threw in some chopped onions. Then I added some diced bacon. I let everything get soft and crispy in there for awhile.

Then I added 5 sliced potatoes. I had prebaked these, but it’s not really necessary. I just had something else in the oven and had always made it a practice to throw several potatoes in the oven whenever it’s on, because it saves energy and I can always do something with prebaked potatoes.

I let the potatoes cook until they were a bit crispy on the bottom, then flipped them over to cook on the other side. I sprinkled a little garlic salt and pepper on them. Once they were cooked, I added about a cup of grated cheese.

The kids LOVED this.

On the side we had stewed tomatoes with okra and corn. Cheap, cheap, cheap eats!

You can do a lot of things with potatoes – one of our family’s all time favorites is potato soup.

Nannie’s Famous Potato Soup

(Mom if you’re reading this I hope you don’t mind my sharing the recipe!)

Whenever our family gets together my mom always makes this potato soup and it’s always a big hit.

Basically she chops (one or a couple of potatoes per person served) potatoes into a fairly small slice/large dice and puts them in a large soup pan along with diced celery and onions and just covers them with water. These simmer until soft.

Then she adds a couple of cans of evaporated milk (when I make it, I use raw milk), and lots of salt and pepper.

It’s ultimate comfort food on a cold or rainy day. I also sometimes add a grated carrot just for a little interesting color.

Another delicious thing to do with potatoes is to make scalloped potatoes.

Scalloped Potatoes

To do this you slice potatoes thinly and put them in a large (larger than you think you’ll need, or they’ll bubble over and make a mess in the oven. Of course a sensible cook might put the casserole dish on top of a cookie sheet, but I always forget that step!) casserole dish.

Make a white sauce with butter, flour, and milk and pour on top of the taters. Lots of salt, pepper and garlic (optional). Then top with cheese. Cheddar is great, especially sharp, but last time I made this I had a little mozzarella that I didn’t want to go to waste, so I threw that on top with the Cheddar and it was out of this world. Another dish that kids really love.

Fried Potatoes

Fried potatoes are another favorite of mine. To make these you simply slice potatoes thinly (best if they’re partially baked – again to save on energy always throw potatoes into the oven when you have it on for some other reason because there are so many things you can do with them) and pan fry them in butter or oil (or both!) until as crispy as you like.

I love them made in a cast iron pan, with a little sauteed onions. My favorite breakfast is fried potatoes and scrambled eggs. When you eat those two foods in the morning, your blood sugar stays on an even keel all day and you start the day off right.

Fried potatoes are absolutely delicious with pinto beans. Cook your pinto beans with a little bacon or chicken broth to give them flavor, salt and pepper them and serve them with hot fried potatoes and you have a simple, cheap and delicious meal that is quite nutritious and very filling (all that fiber, you won’t have any trouble with constipation either!).

A side point: learn to love potato skins. I’ve never removed the skins off my potatoes so my kids are accustomed to eating the skins. Most of the nutrition is in the skin, so scrub your taters well but leave the skin on.

Also, keep your potatoes away from apples as the gas that outgasses from apples makes potatoes go bad faster. And keep them in a DARK, dry place. It’s light that causes potatoes to turn green, not time. If they do turn green, no biggie, just peel them well. Unless you’re pregnant, in which case you should probably not eat greenish potatoes.

Another thing we’re doing is eating more rice.

Rice

photo credit: Heungsub

Rice is another staple of the cheap cook. You have to love a food that’s so nutritious, goes with anything, and cheap – you can get a huge bag of it at Whole Foods for under $20. I’m talking enough to feed a family of 6 daily for months.

Lately I find myself serving rice about once a day. I have a little red Rival rice cooker and while I’m not a big fan of appliances (the only other things that plug in in my kitchen are my blender, coffee pot and grinder), this rice cooker has been worth the counter space it takes up.

We have hot brown rice (cooked with milk instead of water) for breakfast. Add some butter and maple syrup or Sucanat to make it a little sweet, and the kids love it. If you want to get really fancy you could sprinkle a little cinnamon on it and even a bit of orange zest.

Of course, rice as a side dish is self explanatory. But to make the kids eat more of it, I cook it with a couple tablespoons of butter and a little chicken broth.

I love, love, love fried rice and have shared my recipe for that here: quick and easy simple dinner recipes. Fried rice is a great way to use up leftover bits of meat and veggies. All you need is leftover rice, an egg and other odds and ends. And soy sauce or tamari.

The other night we had Spanish rice with our beans. My Mexican friend taught me how to make it and while mine isn’t nearly as good as hers (you have to speak Spanish to the rice to make it come out perfect!), it’s delicious.

Sorta Spanish Rice

Melt half a stick of butter (yeah, baby!) in a large saute pan. Add 1 1/2 cups of white rice and stir frequently, toasting the rice in the butter until it has a nutty smell and rice turns light brown.

Add a small can of Hunt’s tomato sauce, then refill can with water and pour that in. Continue simmering until liquid is reduced to the level of the rice grains, then put a lid on the pan and turn heat down to low.

Continue cooking until all liquid is absorbed.

This stuff is SOO good! Serve it with any kind of Latin food.

I’ll share an easy sweet and sour chicken recipe too.

Easy Kid Friendly Sweet and Sour Chicken and Rice

Cook pieces of chicken in olive oil then set aside.

Mix pineapple juice (from a can of chopped pineapple), organic ketchup, a little soy sauce and a little garlic together to make a sauce. Add this to the chicken, then add veggies. Sliced red pepper, green pepper, mushrooms, water chestnuts, whatever you like or have on hand.

Cook until sauce thickens. Serve over rice.  I promise your kids will love this!

Beans

No conversation about cheap eating is complete without discussing beans. I’ve been cooking a lot more beans in recent months.

photo credit: jgodsey

Right now I’m soaking black eyed peas overnight to cook for tomorrow’s supper (along with salmon croquettes and cornbread).

I buy my beans in two pound bags instead of cans to reduce waste and save money. Once I cook the whole lot, it’s easy to freeze extra in meal size portions so you always have “easy beans”.

There’s Hoppin’ John (spicy blackeyed peas with rice) which is a complete meal. Red beans and rice (cook the rice with chicken broth and add Cajun spices to the beans). Black beans with coconut rice (cook rice with coconut milk instead of water and add a bit of cayenne to the beans), and I already mentioned fried potatoes with pintos. Another favorite meal of mine is collards and beans with corn bread.

Carrie’s Southern Collard Greens and Beans

Sometimes I make up a big pot of this and we’ll eat on it for a couple of days. I LOVE beans and greens!

To make:

I buy my collard greens in those prewashed bags when I have a coupon or they’re buy one, get one free at the grocery store. Washing greens is a huge job and requires several changes of water, then you have to cut them which is a big job. The bags are a cinch.

In a LARGE stock pot, saute some chopped onion in butter or olive oil or coconut oil. When soft, add the collard greens and then enough water to just barely cover. Cook until the texture you like. (The longer you cook them the more your body can utilize the minerals they contain.) I usually cook mine at least a half hour. Check regularly to make sure you don’t need to add more water.

Greens will “cook down” fast so don’t worry that you will have a huge pan of food. A large bag of collards, once cooked, will be enough to feed 6 people a couple of times over.

Once the greens are soft you season them as you like. I typically add a slice of all natural, unprocessed bacon to the boiling water. You can also use some homemade or canned chicken broth. At the very least, use a little garlic. Then add salt, pepper, red pepper flakes (unless you have little ones who will protest), and a little more olive oil.

And this part is very important – a splash of apple cider vinegar! The vinegar makes this dish and it also helps your body extract the calcium from the greens. I love greens served with “chow chow” which is a southern style naturally pickled relish, but if you can’t locate any, just use the vinegar.

Serve with cornbread and pinto beans. YUM!!!

Beans are a great source of protein and very filling and nutritious. I’ve never had a problem digesting beans (it’s wheat that messes me up), but one trick to reducing the gas quotient is to have a longer soaking period – two days instead of overnight, and drain the rinse water before cooking.

photo credit: busbeytheelder

So what kinds of meals are your frugal favorites?

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Well, not so much.

I did go WAY over my $10 non essentials budget.

But I also earned far more than I spent selling off some clutter on eBay.

And I’m way behind on posting my confessions. So I’m doing two weeks at once now.

Some of the non essentials I bought actually WERE essentials. They just could’ve waited until next month.

I hit the thrift store for another .25 day. Got 3 bags full of like new kid’s clothes, books, a bag for myself, a few nice T shirts for me (including one that was 100% organic cotton – for a .25!), a pair of Converse high tops for the oldest son.

I also caved and bought that Blur Best of Blur CD. For .99 plus 2.49 shipping, I couldn’t pass it up! And it’s bringing me much pleasure. I haven’t stopped listening to it.

One of my expenditures was the cost of postage to mail books to other PaperBackSwap members. Around $9 so far. But since books are such an obsession, I’m actually saving money by doing this. Because I’ve gotten several free books this month too.

i also spend money on a couple of greeting cards. One for my nephew who recently had a huge personal success that I wanted to congratulate him on, and another for a friend who needed a pick-me-up. Combined total of around $5 but money very well spent.

Sure, I could’ve written a letter or made my own card, but I’m not crafty. And both of the cards made me laugh out loud in the store when I read them, so I’m sure they got a laugh from their recipients too.

So – bad news is I went way over my $10 budget. Good news is – I’m still under budget because I made around $90 on eBay, after fees.

What the month has taught me is that $10 a week for nonessentials really isn’t realistic for me. It may be do able for a week or two, but not for an entire month.

I also was able to recognize what my weak spots are. Books. That’s a big one. But I’m learning how to get those for almost free. Music could be, but I’ve been a real avid user of Last.fm and Pandora.com lately, so that scratches that itch.

Another trap is shopping with the kids. If I really want to save money, I need to shop when they’re not with me.

Speaking of kids, recreation is an essential expenditure. (For me as well as them.) It has to be a line item in the budget. We went out to Moe’s for a nice meal, ate outside – it was a gorgeous day. Then we spent the entire afternoon playing in the park. Frisbee, soccer, swinging – it was great. That part was free, and there are a lot of fun free things to do, but still… the meal out cost money. It was entirely worth it though.

Recap of No Spend Month:

Week One
Week Two

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I started No Spent Month on August 4, so the first week went from the 4th to the 11th, and week two was from the 12th to the 18th.

I came in under budget the first week: No Spend Month, Week One so I guess it’s not too bad that I was over budget for last week. Oh, well.

I spent $10 at Ruby Tuesday when I went out with a good friend and her family. I had not seen them for a year and it was great to catch up. So this was totally worth it. I ordered salad and a water, and with tip it totaled $10.

Went to CVS because I HAD to have a pair of stockings. I didn’t have a coupon and there were no sales or anything, so I spent $4 on those. I am sure you could argue that I didn’t actually HAVE to have them, but since I wear stockings frequently to my place of worship, they’re kind of a necessity. I mean, I can go bare legged, but who wants to have to shave several times a week?

While I was there (big mistake – going into a store with the kids!) the Rug Rats talked me into buying $2 of candy.

Grand total, $16.

But to redeem myself, I got a $5.99 rebate check from a pack of pens I bought from Staples! Making the pens free but also putting that much back into my pocket making me right at budget.

This week I felt a bit more tempted to spend.

A copy of Blur’s Greatest Hits 2-CD lot on eBay caught my eye, as did several books.

But I was a good girl.

There will be plenty more people selling Blur CDs next month, (and in the meantime there is Pandora.com for free British boy bands) and I also got my book itch scratched with 4 free books from PaperbackSwap).

Whee!

If you’re joining me, how’d you do?

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photo credit: mia3mom

Making lunch at home is cheap. I drive less because of homeschooling, saving gas money. I don’t have to buy lists of school supplies. There is no junky overpriced stuff to buy in the name of a “school fundraiser”, and no kids to schlep around town to sell said junk.

I’ll admit – when I crack open some of those homeschooling or educational supply catalogs, my mouth waters! I have intentionally stayed away from the homeschool conferences for this reason too. No reason to tempt myself with things that I probably don’t even need, or could acquire cheaply with a little creativity.

My overall philosophy on learning is that it doesn’t take money to get a good education. Forget what the politicians tell you, they’re trying to buy your vote with propaganda. Research has shown that more money thrown at the education system in this country doesn’t mean a darn thing in terms of the results. (Neither does class size, but that’s another blog post!)

Most of the well educated people we think of throughout history spent almost nothing on their education. For example, legend has it that Abraham Lincoln taught himself math with ONE piece of chalk and a slate. Great thinkers like Mark Twain learned from the people and events going on around them, not from fancy and colorful things sold in catalogs.

I have heard people say that homeschooling is expensive – not homeschoolers themselves, but people thinking about doing it.

They start pricing curriculums that cost hundreds (or more!) out of the box and wonder how they’re going to afford it – they’re also likely thinking of the cost of keeping one parent at home to oversee the child’s schooling.

The following ideas are some of the ways I’ve been able to homeschool on the cheap, and a couple of awesome book recommendations for hundreds more ideas.

Decide On Your Budget
Just like anything else that involves your finances, it’s wise to set a homeschooling budget for the year before you begin purchasing supplies. Just doing this one thing might keep you from buying a lot of unnecessary stuff that will end up in the storage closet or listed on eBay.

photo credit: mia3mom

Know Thyself
Decide on your educational philosophy and be honest about your homeschooling style. This will rule out purchases that won’t work for your child or your family.

If possible, test-drive curriculum and other tools before you start buying. (Ask other homeschooling parents if you can peek at their stuff, or attend one of the homeschooling conferences.)

One of the reasons buying curriculum can be so expensive is because most of the time you’re buying it sight unseen. It may not be right for your child so you end up selling it at a fraction of retail on eBay.

To avoid this problem, get with the other homeschooling parents in your support group. Ask them what they like and dislike about curriculum they’ve purchased and used. Read messages on homeschooling support forums online and do the same. Deciding in advance what your style will be means you can adapt the tools to the method, not the other way around.

If you don’t want to design your own curriculum or go with an eclectic style however, curriculum in a box type programs may be cheaper than obtaining everything piecemeal. Look around at online auctions or other places where homeschoolers are selling their used stuff. You can pick up barely used supplies this way. You can also purchase inexpensive basic curriculum at bookstores for under $30 apiece. For example, the Learn at Home series are around $15, and I’ve seen them for less at warehouse stores.

Of course, the online virtual K-12 schools are a free option for a complete curriculum (I’ve also heard you can get a free computer and internet service provider as part of the deal). Some homeschoolers express concern about this because the child is technically still enrolled in the public school system, and they don’t want the intrusion into their private life. But it is an option for those who are really strapped.

Buy Used
You can find great deals at swap meets organized by homeschooling support groups. Hooking up with your local group also means group discounts on field trips. To find one, check with your local homeschool association – a simple internet search will likely turn up several in your area. In the small rural town I used to live in, there were half a dozen I could choose from! Try joining booking coops too.

Yard sales, thrift stores, eBay, Craigslist, Freecycle, “for sale or trade” message forums for homeschoolers online are some more places to find cheap supplies. Public library sales is another place to find inexpensive books to fill out your family’s bookshelves. A homeschooler’s dollars are probably best spent on a solid home library.

Be Creative
When I was a kid, every child I knew who was homeschooling did Calvert. Calvert is a wonderful classical homeschooling program but it’s also quite pricey. Nowadays, many parents are getting creative and opt to design a curriculum. I’ve done this from the start. I don’t want to get stuck in a curriculum that I don’t like or that doesn’t mesh with my child’s learning style.

There are so many options for homeschoolers. You can create unit studies, you can go for a “living books” curriculum by making lists of reading material and getting the books from the library. You can print an almost infinite number of free online worksheets (just search for what you need, for example “free third grade math worksheets” etc).

Math manipulatives can be super cheap. Instead of buying fancy manipulatives from the educational catalogs, use stuff you have around your home to teach the kids math – dried beans, dried macaroni, Lego toys, wooden blocks, measuring spoons and cups can teach addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, fractions and basic geometry.

photo credit: evelynishere

Be a Freebie Seeker
Did you know that many office supply stores host teacher appreciation days once a year around August? These are a source of free and discounted items and giveaways.

This month I attended one at Staples and got a free thumb drive for my trouble. (Last year they gave away a free tote bag filled with stuff.) So far I’ve spent less than $10 and have all the paper, pens, pencils, erasers and colored pencils I’ll need for the year.

Staples, CVS, Walgreens and Office Depot have been offering FREE and for a penny school supplies for several weeks now. They’re doing these loss leaders to get people in the store and it’s a goldmine for us homeschoolers.

Many larger bookstores such as Barnes and Noble also offer discounts to teachers throughout the year, including homeschooling parents. You just ask customer service for a discount card. They’ll put you on their email list and invite you to special educator days throughout the year with awesome speakers, giveaways, freebies, even free coffee and refreshments from the Cafe!

I got to meet Ron Clark, an award winning educator and author of The Essential 55 at one of these events. He signed my book for me then when he found out I was a homeschool mom, got out of his chair and bowed to me. LOL! Barnes and Noble also gives away free books in the summer.

Public libraries are a neverending source of free homeschooling materials. From the obvious – unlimited free books – to educational DVDs, great music on CD, music instruction on DVD and CD, arts and crafts activities open to the public, symphony days, storytime, even continuing education for older teens and adults.

These are the things I’ve always done to save money, but lately I’ve read a couple of awesome books that have given me tons more ideas.

Homeschooling on a Shoestring

This book was written by two homeschool moms whose families couldn’t have been more different. The thing they had in common was an intense love of homeschooling and their kids, and a desire not to let small budgets stop them.

What was interesting about this book is that it spends the first few chapters talking not about homeschooling per se, but about making more room in the budget, period. From saving money on groceries and other budget line items to launching home based businesses, it encourages making wiggle room in the family finances, which is helpful information all by itself.

Then the latter chapters focus on specific ways to educate kids for pennies. It covers everything from the basics of designing curriculum cheaply to enrichment activities like the arts, musical training and sports. It also spends a few chapters on teens and college bound homeschool kids.

The sections on teaching math using everyday items and also the information on teaching a second language were especially useful for me.

This book was written in the 90′s so the information on using computers and the Internet are a bit outdated but overall the book is chock full of useful tips and ideas.

One great idea I got from this book is to think more about bartering. I want my kids to have piano lessons but it’s not in the budget at this time. So, I’m looking around for a local piano teacher who needs a website and offer to build her one in exchange for a few lessons for the kids for me.

Ditto with Spanish “class”. I want to learn Spanish and I want the kids to learn too. I have a few Spanish speaking friends who are not teachers or tutors and have offered to barter or pay them a small fee for weekly lessons. Still working out the details on that. The ideas in this book have really stimulated my creativity.

Homeschool Your Child for Free

This hefty volume, also written by two homeschooling moms, is another awesome resource. Because it was published in 2000, it has many online tools and websites listed in its pages.

This book claims to have 1,200 resources listed for home educators, and I believe it. While the first book deals mostly in principles, this book has more specific recommendations.

It’s organized into the following sections: Curriculum Scope and Sequence; Education Essentials; Language; Mathematics; Art; History; Music; Social Studies; Humanities; Science; Health and then finally Graduation. This makes it easy to find the specific information you’re looking for.

Homeschool Your Child For Free would be a wonderful addition to any homeschooling parent’s library, a reference to pull off the shelf whenever you’re scratching your head wondering where you can find free information for your child on any particular topic.

For more homeschooling ideas, don’t forget to sign up for the free homeschool tips list!

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photo credit: iChaz

Well, I did really well on the first week of my No Spend Month. I technically started on Monday the 4th, not the first of the month.

Here is what my spending looked like:

$2.50 at Staples for school supplies. I simply couldn’t pass this one up! I got 20 free file folders, spiral bound notebooks for .05 apiece, and ten-pack bags of pencils and pens for .50 apiece. These will last me for a year so I don’t mind this purchase at all.

$0.95 for a library late fee (Ack! I call this Stupid Tax!) Don’t you just love the public library? It’s a frugal mom’s dream. I took the kids to the library Wednesday and we got a couple dozen books, and the movie Girl of the Limberlost (the Lactivist is always talking about the book, so when I spotted the movie I grabbed it. Haven’t watched it yet).

$1.98 at Starbucks.

Sunday I went out with a girlfriend for some grown up time. We were going to do something cheap (I told her about my No Spend Month),  just the two of us, but at the last second she called me saying her brother was in town from another state, and she and her hubs wanted to take him out to dinner, and would I meet them at a local restaurant ($20 a plate! Gulp!). She said she would understand if I didn’t come.

I told her she was worth it, so we went out. And at the end, her very hot and very sweet but unfortunately married brother picked up the check. Was that cool or what? It prevented me from going over budget!

So my grand total was less than $5 which puts me under budget! Yea!

And just today I discovered that Crunchy Chicken hosts an ongoing Buy Nothing Challenge so I am putting her button here: 

So congratulate me already! I put an extra $100 in the savings account above and beyond the usual auto deposit that goes in every month.

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Of course, unless you own a farm and don’t use fuel, it’s probably impossible to spend nothing… but the point is to spend as little as possible and really question all your spending for a time.

I’m going to do this in August.

I have an important goal for October, and this will help me get there a little more easily.

photo credit: iChaz

I have set a goal of moving out October 1st.

For those of you who don’t know, I’ve been living in my parent’s home since December 2006. It’s been a blessing to be able to stay here for more than one reason, the least of which is being able to save money, build my business and meet some financial goals (like getting out of debt. Woohoo!).

But it’s time to move.

You know that old saying about leaving the party while you’re still amusing?

My parents say they like having us here and feel safer with us nearby, but they’re just being nice. They deserve to have more peace and quiet, their own routine and alone time (no matter what my mom’s comment says below. lol!)

So No Spend August will help me meet some goals. For one, I have my security deposit and first month’s rent set aside in savings, but I also want to have an emergency fund. My emergency fund got eaten up a couple of months ago when I dropped a grand on car repairs.

The awesome back to school sales going on right now will tempt me! And in fact I may take advantage of all the .01, .05 and .09 deals I’ve seen at the drug stores, office supply stores and etc.

I’ve set a budget for $10 a week.

Outside of food, petrol and bills (like business expenses), I can only spend $10 a week.

The kids don’t need any new clothes or shoes.
I don’t need any new clothes or shoes.
I don’t need any new household items until I move.
I can (gulp!) live without Starbucks for a month.
I can do free entertainment. Helloooo library books and DVDs!

photo credit: myuibe

Want to join me?

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True enough.

Good stuff does cost more. But, if you’re a savvy shopper and willing to do a little digging, you can find bargains on natural products. Here are some tips on how to do that.

1. Be alert to clearance bargains. In just the last week I’ve snagged some great deals on a couple of natural beauty products at my local Publix grocery store. Not exactly a health food co-op, it’s the closest grocery store to me (a 4 minute drive) so it’s the place where I do the bulk of my shopping. They always have a few shopping carts full of clearance items and I always check it out.

   A couple of recent finds: Burt’s Bees Pomegranate Shampoo and Conditioner for $3 each (retails around $8 each). I bought several of these! I found Burt’s Bees lip gloss for $2 too.

   Another find: California Baby Diaper Rash Cream for $3 each (normally retail at around $10). I don’t have a baby in diapers, so I plan on giving these away here sometime soon.

   I’ve also snagged some Burt’s Bees lotions on clearance at CVS. There are always products being discontinued and such and since a lot of the more natural products don’t sell as well at larger drugstore chains, you can find them marked down occasionally.

 

2. Check company websites. I am frequently able to print off valuable coupons for products I use regularly or want to try, just by visiting the company’s website. Sometimes you have to sign up for their newsletter, but that’s ok because then you’ll get more coupons straight to your inbox.

   Ditto for grocery store websites. Again, Publix sends me their print magazine in the mail and today I got about 20 $1 off coupons for natural/organic items, including one for the Clorox GreenWorks line which I really like. So before you buy a product, take a minute to check out the website and see if they’re offering any coupons.

 

3. Visit frugal/coupon/freebie websites. There are quite a few blogs I visit regularly to check out the freebie and coupon postings. Just to name a couple that have give me valuable info recently: Money Saving Mom, BeCentsAble and Freebies4Mom

   I have these 3 on my RSS reader and check them daily. They all turn up some great deals, including this one: Walgreens Saturday event with Yes to Carrots coupons and freebies. It just so happens that I will be passing by Walgreens Saturday on my way to another errand so I am absolutely going to drop in and grab a free Yes to Carrots Lip Butter!

   It was one of these sites that alerted me to free coupon booklets for organic products that were distributed several weeks ago in grocery stores and health food stores. I’m still using these up, and most of them for $1 off various organic food items.

 

4. Check here. I post discount codes for online retailers like Amazon and other sites as often as I get wind of them. It seems that about once a month Amazon has a percentage off sale on organic and natural product lines.

   Make sure you’re signed up for my newsletter because I send them out there too (enter your name and email in the box on the upper right hand corner of the site). I also get discount codes periodically from some of my guests who have ecommerce sites. In a few weeks I’m featuring a company that sells frozen organic baby food (they ship!) and they’re offering a freebie, so stay tuned for that.

 

5. Contests and giveaways. Winning free stuff is cheap. You can sign up for newsletters like Ecobunga to get wind of the best giveaways and contests for natural and organic products all over the web.

So those are a few of my strategies. Of course, some of the best ways to save money are to minimize the number of products you use in the first place and make your own stuff as much as you can.

What are some of the ways you save money on natural/organic skin care and other products?

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Smoothies are great because they’re:

• made from the most basic of ingredients
• take minutes to whip up
• can be endlessly customized for your needs
• taste delicious
• are very nutritious and can be chock full of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients
• an easy way to get said nutrients in your kids without them knowing.

Smoothies can even assist in weight loss efforts, help you have a more frugal kitchen, and of course improve your overall health.

Here is where the Simply Delicious and Nutritious Smoothie Cookbook comes in!

Here are just a few of the yummy recipes the ebook includes:

• Sweet and Sour Smoothie
• No Need for Pancakes Smoothie (I know you’re curious about this one!)
• Cheesecake in A Glass (great for those cravings!)
• You Could’ve Had a Smoothie (lots of veggies)
• Greener Side of Fruit Smoothie
• Sweet Potato Pie Smoothie
• Green Pineapple Paradise
• Raspberry Cream Smoothie
• Pineapple Banana Mama

44 smoothie recipes in all!

The ebook also has tips on: boosting your weight loss efforts by drinking smoothies, adding more nutrition (including sneaking health infusing ingredients that your kids may refuse otherwise!), and saving money with smoothies.

I am offering this recipe book as a “Thank You” special to my subscribers, listeners and blog readers. Once I launch this to the general public it will be priced higher.

You can get:

Just The Smoothie Recipes for $5

(That’s about the price of ONE of those fancy schmancy smoothies that have too much sugar anyway!)

- OR -

The best deal – my Ultimate 365 Salad Cookbook (named such because it has 365 salad recipes) along WITH the Smoothie Recipes for the super low price of:

Smoothies AND Salads for $11.97

The Salad Cookbook is $11.97 so you’re basically getting the Smoothie Recipes thrown in for FREE.

Sound good? Click one of the links above and get your cookbooks instantly.

P.S. As a customer of either of these cookbooks, you’ll also get lifetime updates for free! As I add more recipes I will release a new version once a year. You’ll get free access to these new improved versions.

Thanks so much for being a listener!

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This part of town is well known for its awesome yard sales. I took the middle seats out of my van so I could fill it up, lol!

Yard sales are one of those things I do, like thrift store shopping, to save money and help the environment too.

Yard sale prices are generally even better than thrift stores, but they require more digging and more effort.

I am going to share my finds from about 4 hours spent yard sale-ing. At the end I’ll share how much I spent.

First, I’ll share some of my best yard sale tips.

• Start early. We head out at 7:30 because in this area, dealers come buy up good stuff from yard sales to sell at their stores. The early bird gets the worm… plus you can quit when it gets too hot.
• Bring small bills. Don’t make the host of the sale give you all their change. Bring lots of ones. These make it easier to bargain too. If you buy several items, you can ask if the seller will give you a deal. This will work much better if you take out what you’re willing to pay and start handing it to them.
• Don’t be afraid to dicker. Yard sale hosts are expecting it. Don’t be insulting though. If you buy something for .50, don’t ask if they’ll take a quarter. But if you’re buying several items that total, say, $7, ask if they’ll take 5. Sellers are more likely to dicker on the second day of their sale, and later in the day – they don’t want to pack it all up and take it back inside their home!

On to my finds.

For the girls:

6 Dressy Dresses – (These were the best find of the day, at $1 each. 

More skirts, dresses and skirt/top outfits – most were .50 and $1 each set.

Casual shirt and skort sets (two of these had tags still on)

Casual separates: shirts, shorts (and a brand new bag with 10 pairs of boy’s undies)

For the Boys:

A Spiderman backpack (my 7 year old has been asking for one for months), two pairs of shorts and two pairs of pants, two pairs of dress shoes and a dress shirt.

Books books books! (Not all pictured – actually a large box full)

Also a new mouse pad with a cool gel thing for my wrist – I love it! Stationary and journals and notebooks for the girls (they go through these like crazy).

And finally,

For Mama:

Two new purses, 5 summer tops

Jewelry: Sexy leather choker, black beaded necklace, red beaded earrings, black earrings, red watch, more..

Some of the stuff I got isn’t pictured, like more of the clothes and a brand new IKEA Fisk hamper.

Guess how much I paid for all this great stuff?

$39.

Do you do yard sales?

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This is a topic we’re all concerned about – whether our motivation is using less fuel or saving money – or both!

This ebook was a quick read and didn’t waste time with too many details, it got right down to the business of making changes in your home to lower your energy costs. It starts with knowing what you’re currently spending to find out if you can lower those rates.

The book explains how to research products that claim to lower energy costs to make sure you’re getting what you pay for. It also lists many immediate tactics you can employ right away as well as long term approaches that might cost a larger investment of time and money. It explains how to check your home for leaks that lead to higher heating and a/c costs. (Pretty easy to do, even if you’re not the handyman type.)

Even the way you decorate and believe it or not, clean can cost or save you money. It even shows how your landscaping can help lower your energy costs. (We know trees are nice to look at but who knew how much money that can save you?)

All of these energy saving habits you can develop will add up over time to equate into a whole lot of savings. You can download your copy of the book right away here.

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Save $2 on Neti Pots (and if you don’t know what in the heck a Neti Pot is, find out cause they come in real handy during allergy season. Read about this Neti Pot system.)

$10 off Natural and Organic personal care products

Save $20 on Eco Friendly Cleaning products

Save $10 on Rechargeable batteries (this is nice because rechargeables require a bigger up front investment, but boy I love them! You know how kids go through batteries!)

Save $20 on NatureMade supplements

 AND Cute Baby Shoes has a special 50% off coupon code! It is: secretsale

Just go here to shop (before April 12!) and get half off your order. Cute Baby Shoes offer soft soled leather shoes for babies and toddlers – and they are true to their name.

ONE MORE:

GAIAM is offering $10 – $20 off your order. This one expires April 17th.

You’re welcome.

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Basically Beth was asking for other natural mommas to share their tips for getting pretty on a budget – and using natural and safer products all the while. This can be a challenge. Personally I hate spending money on beauty stuff, so I do a combination of things to get cute on a budget including:

1) Just plain using less stuff to begin with (a lot of skin care stuff is unnecessary and overkill). Most beauty experts agree that noone needs toner, for example. You need a gentle cleanser (only once a day, at night. Splashing your face with water in the morning is sufficient) and a moisturizer, preferably with sunscreen.

Washing your hair less (or skipping the shampoo altogether) works too. I have very thick, coarse, wavy/curly hair and only shampoo once every 4 days. Any more than that and I resemble a brunette Brillo pad. Or Simba with his finger stuck in a socket. And the styling product I use is a little bit of moisturizer in my hands mixed with a tiny bit of styling gel. I learned this trick years ago and it works great for my hair texture.

When it comes to the kids, I never used soap on their skin at all when they were babies. Ever. Water is sufficient to clean a baby’s skin. As they got older, Dr. Bronner’s was my friend. The stuff goes a LONG way. I dilute! dilute! mine just like it says on the bottle.

I never needed diaper rash cream because my kids didn’t get rashes because if they even looked rashy I just took the diaper off or loosely pinned on a prefold and it cleared up the same day.

2) Making my own or using really simple ingredients for skin care. For instance olive oil for a makeup remover and moisturizer. And sugar or salt scrubs to scrub my body, and baking soda to exfoliate my face. Oh and making my own homemade tooth powder. (which my Dentist approves, sans the cinnamon!) Here are some more of my cheap green beauty tips and natural skin care recipes.

One thing that surprised me was the Pollyanna attitude of some of the other commenters. Perhaps they don’t realize that cosmetics and personal care products aren’t regulated the way that the food supply is.  Manufacturers can put pretty much whatever they want in makeup and skin care products without anyone looking over their shoulder. They don’t have to prove the safety of their products.

Putting our head in the sand about stuff we slather on our bodies isn’t smart. We take care to eat well – why would we pay less attention to what we rub in and on our skin, the body’s largest organ and the immune system’s first line of defense? To pretend that everything in the marketplace is safe is not smart. As an example, women in my mother’s generation thought they were doing the right thing by applying talc to their baby’s tushies. Now we know that talc can cause cancer. If we can easily make a safer choice, why wouldn’t we?

One good place to search for safer products is the Safe Cosmetics Database. Searching through the website, I’ve found that some of the data needs to be taken with a grain of salt. For example, some of the Burt’s Bees products get poor ratings, but upon closer inspection, it appears that the ingredients in question (like sodium borate or castor oil) are only harmful or toxic in very large amounts. Still, it’s a good place to start.

How do you get pretty on a tight budget – while still using natural ingredients?

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Kathy likes the Shaklee line of cleaning products and also makes other recommendations on her blog.

To increase speed and effectiveness with cleaning, use the right tool for the job. Homemade cleaners are fine for light, frequently cleaned areas, but for deeper cleaning or for neglected areas, a commercial product is often more effective.

Kathy mentioned that apple cider vinegar has been proven more potent at killing germs than white distilled vinegar.

You can listen on the site or download the mp3.

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Their latest bit of bad journalism was an op-ed piece on cloth diapering. First they start with the usual refrain,

“Cloth diapering is too haaaaaarrrrdddd!…”

Oh, whine me a river. Birth is hard. Parenting is hard. Relationships are hard. Life is hard sometimes. Get over it already!

While I do give the guy props for at least trying cloth diapering, I’m so very disappointed in his very (in my opinion) biased and inaccurate depiction of what cloth diapering is really like.

Parents magazine seems to have a real prejudice against everything involved with natural parenting. Of course, I’m sure that has nothing to do with the fact that their advertisers with the deepest pockets are formula companies, does it?) Breastfeeding is TOO hard. Don’t try to make it work. Natural birth it TOO hard. Don’t try to endure the pain (nevermind it serves a useful biological purpose and is better for you and the baby). Nighttime parenting to TOO hard. Don’t answer your baby’s cries, buy earplugs. Do not get me started on the circumcision article they published awhile back.

Women are too weak to endure the pain of birth, remember? My personal view was that if I couldn’t get through a few hours of pain to birth my kid, how was I going to get through its adolescence?

But then they got really stupid. They started attacking the environmental superiority of cloth over disposables. That’s when I got irritated.

The piece referenced a British study that claimed that cloth diapers were not more eco friendly than disposables, but anyone with any common sense could poke holes in this “scientific” study. First of all, they didn’t look at the way cloth diapers are typically used. (Did you know there is a study that said that single use disposable coffee cups were more eco friendly commuter mugs? I’m not kidding.)

Every parent I have ever known who used cloth diapers did some or all of the following:

• They bought used cloth diapers (some or all of their stash)
• They sold or gave away their cloth diapers when the kid was potty trained (instead of tossing them in the trash)
• They used their diaper stash for a second or third or fourth (or more) baby
• They used their old cloth diapers as cleaning rags
• They made or bought cloth diapers sewn from recycled flannel baby blankets

That one thing (the almost infinite reusability of cloth diapers) blows this study out of the water because it didn’t take that factor into consideration.

Many cloth diapering parents also hang their diapers out to dry (using the bleaching properties of the sun). Most cloth diapering parents also don’t rinse every diaper (flushing afterwards would point to more water use). Even if they only rinsed the poopies, they don’t do it until the poopies are solid (around 6 months) and by then, the baby is only pooping once or twice a day anyway, meaning one or two extra flushes a day.

And if you wanted, you could time your own potty usage with changing baby’s diapers. I always did this. When I changed baby, I would go afterwards so I only had to wash my hands once after all was said and done.

You see, there is this little invention called a Washing Machine. It works remarkably well for removing all kinds of soiled clothing and I highly recommend it!

I love the quote on page 128 that says:

“Maybe, I thought, the disposable diaper is one of those inventions, like toilet paper, that the Western world just can’t live without – no matter the environmental impact. After all, if we really wanted to, we could wipe our own butts with cloth and throw the cloths into the wash every night.”

Ooh, what kind of freak would do a thing like that?

Another issue that was never even mentioned in the article is the health and safety superiority of cloth. I blogged before about being praised by my baby’s Pediatrician for using cloth, because, to quote him, disposables contribute to asthma and are bad for baby’s skin. Cloth diapered babies experience less rash and less yeast infection, and also tend to potty train several months before disposable diapered babies. There is also a concern with our little boy’s privates being wrapped up in hot plastic for the first two years of his life (or longer).

None of this was mentioned in the article. Then at the end, this little jab:

“And while I think it’s extremely important to make sacrifices for the environment, I need to be sure that my sacrifices are making a difference – especially when the thing I’m sacrificing is the most important time of all: time with Isaac.”

Oh please! Now the author gets to feel superior as a parent because he does two fewer loads of laundry a week than me. Yes, I admit it. I had to take my attention off my babies (who were usually strapped in a sling while I did laundry) to do those two extra loads a week. Poor things! The emotional pain and suffering they must have endured.

I came across this “Project Educate Parents” thread on Diaper Swappers. It’s worth a read if you want more info on why this argument is so very silly. Here’s another great article tackling why cloth is so much easier on the environment. Read some of the comments from cloth diapering parents to the article online.

All I’m sayin’ is, if you don’t want to do cloth diapers, at least be honest about it and admit you’re too lazy or grossed our by dealing with your kid’s poop and would rather pass along TWO TONS of biohazard waste and plastic in the landfill (per kid). Don’t come up with junk science and incredibly silly excuses already.

But, you can always make up for that by taking their recommendation to buy a diaper bag made from recycled materials. LOL!

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Instead of the recipe I link to below, I now use a liquid homemade laundry detergent that you can find at the Duggar family website under ‘Recipes‘. It’s more cost effective and makes HUGE quantities which is great for my larger than average family.

It calls for:

• 1 Bar Soap, grated
• 1 c Washing Soda
• 1/2 c Borax

In response to one of the comments below, YES, you can use homemade laundry detergent in high efficiency front loading washers. It’s perfect for those because it doesn’t lather up.

It works wonderfully, although the texture is a little funky (it separates into a liquidy gel, so you can either just ignore that or stir it more).

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I had been wanting to try Lynnae at Being Frugal’s homemade laundry detergent recipe for some time but just never got around to it. Then I ended up with a big container of detergent that had a perfumey smell so strong it made me nauseous when I held my youngest in my lap. Gross. So, I decided to whip up a batch.

I don’t think she’ll mind me sharing the recipe here, as I’ve seen it in many other places around the net and doubt it’s copyrighted material. Or maybe she’ll forgive me for the link love.

Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe

You need:

• 1 bar soap (I used a Fels Naptha laundry bar I had hanging around)
• 1 cup Arm & Hammer washing soda (get this in the grocery store – same aisle as the laundry products)
• 1 cup baking soda
• 1 cup 20 Mule Team Borax (ditto)

You can either mix all this up in your food processor or grate the soap first then mix it in a container. I wouldn’t recommend doing this around kids because the dust from the Borax can be dangerous if inhaled (I mixed mine in the food processor and “smoke” came out the loading chute thing.)

Use 2 Tablespoons per load.

I think I’ll add a few drops of essential oil because it has a tiny bit of smell that I don’t like. Either that or I’ll use a nice smelling soap next time.

I actually doubled the recipe since I do a lot of laundry and since I was going to the trouble, might as well make a big batch. I found that it worked nearly as well as my other favorite detergents. I say almost because there were several items of clothing stained with the homemade chocolate pudding from yesterday. I didn’t pretreat them though, and I doubt any detergent would have been able to tackle that particular stain without help! So, it will take a few more loads before I know for sure.

It did dissolve quite well for me in cold water so that’s a plus. My suspicion is that due to the fat in the soap, this recipe might make cloth diapers less absorbent. Since everyone in my house is potty trained that’s not an issue. The soap would make the clothing a bit softer which is nice. This recipe is also very environmentally friendly. It also doesn’t contain optical brighteners and other ingredients like fragrance, enzymes and dyes that can irritate the skin.

Have you ever made homemade laundry detergent? What were your results? Was the recipe similar to this one or different?

I’m too lazy to do the math, but from what I hear this recipe costs less than the best laundry detergent deal that you could purchase at the store.

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The other day he made homemade donuts (not the kind that comes from canned biscuits either), the kind Caroline Ingalls might have made. They were the best tasting donuts I had ever eaten! (Yes, I sneaked one bite despite my wheat intolerance!)

Today he made homemade pudding and I thought I would share the recipe. I’ve been using this one for years, and it’s a slight variation of the recipe found in Whole Foods for the Whole Family. Which is an excellent cookbook by the way, it’s one of my all time favorites.

This recipe has about a million variations. You can make it gluten free, egg free, dairy free and corn free (just substitute arrowroot for the cornstarch and cook for a shorter time) in case of food allergy. You can make it plain old vanilla, carob, chocolate, coconut, fruit, lemon, rice, butterscotch, etc. And of course it’s wonderful as-is.

It’s delicious and VERY inexpensive to make. And honestly, it takes about the same amount of time to make as instant, especially if you put a kid on the job.

It has far less sugar and more actual food and nutritional value in it than instant pudding you can buy on the grocery store shelves. As a point of reference let’s take a peek at what’s inside one major name brand instant pudding:

Sugar, Modified Food Starch, Coconut, Contains Less than 2% of Artificial Flavor, Disodium Phosphate and Tetrasodium Pyrophosphate (for Thickening), Mono- and Diglycerides (Prevent Foaming), Yellow 5, Yellow 6, Artificial Color, Sodium Metabisulfite (Retains Coconut Whiteness), BHA (Preservative).

Yum! A chemical conglomeration passed off as food! Conveniently packed in plastic disposable servings!

Try this instead:

Quick Homemade Pudding

• 1 1/2 cups milk and 1/2 cup milk (this makes more sense to me than saying “2 cups milk, divided”)
• 4 Tablespoons sweetener (I use honey or Rapadura)
• 3 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla (use 1 teaspoon if you’re making chocolate)

1) Place sweetener and 1 1/2 cup milk in a heavy bottomed saucepan and heat on low. While you’re waiting for it to reach a simmer, mix the 1/2 cup milk with the cornstarch or arrowroot. Get the eggs ready in a small bowl too.

2) When the milk is bubbling a bit, add the cornstarch/milk mixture, and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring constantly.

3) Mix about 1/2 cup of the pudding mixture into the bowl with your beaten eggs and stir well, then add to the saucepan. Cook for 1 more minute, stirring constantly.

4) Remove from heat and add vanilla and other ingredients.

I think it’s tastiest cooled but you may not want to wait that long!

To make chocolate pudding, mix a scant 1/4 cup cocoa powder with a little hot water then stir in. (Remember to decrease the vanilla to one teaspoon. You can also use carob.)

For coconut, add 1//2 to 1 cup coconut flakes.

For rice pudding increase the milk by 1/4 cup and add 1 cup cooked rice to finished pudding, sprinkle nutmeg on top and add raisins if you like.

For butterscotch, add 2 Tablespoons molasses to the sweetener and stir in 2 Tablespoons butter after removing from heat.

For lemon, substitute lemon juice for vanilla and add 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind.

Add fruit like sliced bananas if you wish to the basic vanilla recipe.

Leave out the eggs if you’re allergic. Use soy milk instead of dairy if you’re allergic to that. If corn is an issue, replace the cornstarch with arrowroot and decrease cooking times. You can also use 6 Tablespoons flour instead of cornstarch.

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Pot in pot is a refrigeration system that works with simple physics. Building a pot-in-pot is inexpensive and easy. It can be used to store food as well as medicine. Using a pot-in-pot saves money on utilities, so it is ideal for families who are on a tight budget as well as anyone who wants to be more self reliant.

It also provides a learning opportunity for kids, who will ask questions about how the pot-in-pot works. Similar to the human body, the pot-in-pot cools by a process of evaporation. When the water inbetween the two pots evaporates, it cools down the inner pot where the food is kept.

It’s important to use unglazed pots. Your pot-in-pot can be large or small. More important is how large the gap is where the sand is (evaporation area) and make sure you keep the sand wet. Keeping the pot-in-pot in a dry location where there is a breeze is also a good idea.

More information:

Mohammed Bah Abba revolutionising lives in Nigeria with pot-in-pot

Pot-in-pot was used in ancient times by the Egyptians and Abba has brought it back into popularity among his fellow Nigerians. This simple technology is producing some pretty incredible results in their lives.

Thanks to Monica for the pot-in-pot pictures and instructions (in Spanish)

You can listen to the interview at the natural moms talk radio site or download the mp3 link here.

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One of the points that I made on the show is that we vote with our dollars. We make a statement with our purchases. And our non purchases. When we buy lots of single use products that pollute our environment and our bodies, we’re telling manufacturers to create more of these cheap disposable goods with unhealthy ingredients. We’re telling them that cost is the most important consideration for us. (When it should only be one consideration.)

We’re also getting caught up in the culture of spending, the culture of consumption. That’s a bad habit that leads to more of the same.

On the other hand, when we buy quality products that are built to last, that are reusable and not wrapped in multiple layers of plastic, we are also sending a message. To both the marketers of these products and our children.

There are better ways to be frugal in my opinion. We can make our own natural skin care products, we can use cloth menstrual pads or other alternatives. We can use cloth diapers. We can clean with natural home cleaning products that we make ourselves. And there are a million other ways to save money.

We can also buy products that last. For example, buying toys from family owned companies like Heirloom Wooden Toys so that our kids can pass these along to their own children.

Some other great related blog posts about when frugal isn’t best:

Get Rich Slowly: Shopping leads to more shopping
Being Frugal: When buying on sale isn’t frugal

So what do you think? When is the frugal choice not the best choice?

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Case in point: A box of Swiss Miss cocoa mix contains the following:

sugar, modified whey, cocoa (processed with alkali), hydrogenated cocnut oil, nonfat milk, calcium carbonate, less than 2% of: salt, dipotassium phosphate, mono- and diglyderides, artificial flavor, carrageenan

Hmm… some of those things I just don’t want my wee ones to eat. Plus, all that packaging… with the cardboard box it comes in plus the individually wrapped servings, it just seems so wasteful.

So, I thought I would share my Homemade Hot Cocoa recipe for this week’s Works for Me Wednesday. It’s a slight adaptation of the recipe that appears on the side of the Hershey’s Cocoa containers.

Firstly, grab a medium sized saucepan with a heavy bottom. Put about a half cup of water in it and place it on medium/high heat. While the water starts to boil, add:

• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1/2 cup Rapadura or Sucanat
• a dash of sea salt

Let the mixture boil for a couple of minutes and stir it constantly. Then, turn it to low and add:

• 4 cups organic (I use raw) milk
• 1 tsp. all natural vanilla flavoring

Let that heat until it’s as warm as you like. I usually dip out two cups for the girls right away while it’s just warm, then let it heat up a minute longer for the boys and me. The whole process from start to finish takes LESS than 5 minutes.

You can also add a dash of cayenne to the adult’s cups if you like. And, did you know that a cup of hot cocoa has more antioxidants than most people eat in two days? One more thing: If you like to drink Mochas, you can use a tablespoon of the cocoa/sugar mixture to a cup of strong, freshly brewed coffee, then add hot milk and skip the trip to the fancy coffee shop.  

Just when you thought I was done talking about chocolate. LOL!

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Buy 1, Save 15% – Use coupon code: pd1
Buy 2, Save 20% – Use coupon code: pd2

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Basically, this is what I did to pay off my credit card debt:

1. Stopped using the cards – You can’t get out of a hole unless you stop digging!
2. Paid off the smallest card first – I did this for the psychological boost it gave me. It had a small balance and getting it over with made me happy.
3. Created a large visual – I put a large chart on my office wall with my debt, income and savings. It was exciting to see my savings and income grow each month while my debt got smaller!
4. Sold stuff of value – I got rid of things that didn’t mean a lot to me but that could be turned into cash. And I disciplined myself to use that money towards the debt.
5. Started an emergency fund first – While this seems backwards to some, it helped me feel safer and in control. I thought it would be awful to get out of debt and then have all 4 tires fall off my car or have some other emergency and have to get back in! So having that “baby contingency fund” gave me real peace of mind and made me feel proactive instead of reactive.
6. Ramped up my income – I worked hard in my business to step up my earnings.
7. Tracking my spending - I kept a small notebook in my purse and wrote down EVERY penny I spent. Just the act of doing that curbed my spending! Plus it pointed out weak spots (coffee and books) that I could work on.
8. Rewarded myself for being frugal - I budgeted a small amount (less than before but still something) on little treats for myself so I wouldn’t feel totally deprived.
9. Transferred balances – I transferred balances on two cards to one that offered zero interest for 6 months. And I paid it off in 6 months then closed the card. Teehee! I beat the evil credit card companies at their own game!
10. Read a lot about personal finance – I read a lot of books during that time about debt, personal finance and emotions around money. I discovered some great blogs!
11. I made sacrifices – I temporarily stopped paying my kids an allowance. I talked to them about my goals, about debt and about what we would do when the debt was paid. One of the things I did when the cards were paid was buy my oldest a guitar. I also didn’t buy myself new clothing for a few months. I just kept focusing on what I wanted, which was to not be beholden to anyone, and did whatever I could to meet that goal, which meant sacrificing things that weren’t as important to me.
12. I spoke my goal out loud – I shared my goal with others who were close to me, and because of that, opportunities came my way because I had declard my intention.

I hope that helps someone else

Moms Talk Radio

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100 words: (Chele if you’re reading this, don’t get your feelings hurt. I am now hooked on your show.) This was the first episode of Moms Love Shopping I ever listened to, probably because I follow Crystal’s blog and she mentioned she was interviewed there. I enjoy Crystal’s blog a lot, she has some of the best advice on how to make money from a blog for example, as well as valuable frugality tips.

I am a frugal mama, to be sure. But I didn’t think the whole CVS “thing” would work for me. Nor was I sure I even wanted to do what I see other moms all over the internet doing and blogging about.

When it comes to the first issue, I don’t use a lot of products, period. And most of the products I use are either all natural and organic, or I make them myself. For instance, I moisturize my face at night with olive oil. I make my own tooth powder (I’ll share the recipe here someday). I use cloth menstrual pads. I like for the stuff that touches mine and my kid’s skin to be as safe as possible. Other than Burt’s Bees and BeFine (which I haven’t investigated yet), CVS doesn’t carry those types of products, and there are very rarely any deals that feature those kinds of products.

I do use a regular moisturizer with sunscreen in it for daytime, I have since I was 12, but CVS doesn’t carry the brands I use. And I use rechargeable batteries and my local CVS is always out!

The few things that CVS carries that I do buy are overpriced, like paper products (notebooks for the kids and computer paper). That must be where they’re making up the difference for the stuff they can give away for free. And I suppose I could buy band-aids, vinegar and baking soda there, but again – they would be priced higher and there aren’t any Extra Care Bucks or coupons associated with those kind of basic, generic items. Most of the great deals are on items that I never, ever buy, like soft drinks, candy and junk food.

I’m also concerned with the temptation to buy when I wouldn’t ordinarily BE buying, and buying items that I wouldn’t ordinarily BE buying, just to get it free, or to get more ECBs, or whatever. Does that make sense?

This is where I might lose some friends, all in a desperate attempt to get free chocolate. Ahem. Does that mean my priorities are messed up? No… actually I’ve been meaning to write about this for some time now. Really I have.

I am not judging anyone else here, but getting a lot of stuff for free at CVS or any other store doesn’t feel good in my gut. So I don’t do it. I don’t understand how a person can go in to a CVS and take home several bags of stuff, week in and week out, and pay pennies for it. It doesn’t feel ethical to me. It feels like getting something for nothing, and that goes against my understanding of certain Biblical principles. It gives me that funny feeling in my gut, and I have to listen to that. I would be wrong not to… we all have our conscience and we had best not ignore it.

To me it’s similar to the cheap toy situation. We (meaning we as American consumers) “demand” by our shopping habits cheap plastic stuff. So, the manufacturers have to keep cutting corners to give us what we want, which is cheap plastic stuff. Then we complain when the cheap plastic stuff ends up being what it is: cheap. It’s not safe, it’s not good for our health or the environment, or whatever, but it’s really our fault for wanting so much stuff, so cheap.

If I take home $100 worth of stuff from CVS and pay 0.23 for it, I’m feeding into that system.

To be fair, I DID take advantage of that Sambucol rebate deal where I purchased a bottle of their Elderberry Extract and got a $10 ECB from CVS and then mailed in the rebate, getting the full purchase price back.  

Link to Moms Talk Radio

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* 100 words: Chele was kind enough to ask me to talk about how to save even more when you shop at thrift stores. A few things we talked about on the show:

• Print out coupons from the thrift store’s websites and use their loyalty cards if applicable
• Go regularly – it’s feast or famine with thrift store shopping
• Get to know management – they’ll sometimes clue you in on upcoming sales
• Learn the system – know the schedule of reduced prices and weekly/daily specials
• Give haggling a shot – you could always pretend you don’t speak English and see what happens. LOL!
• Check your ick factor – if you can borrow library books (that many people have touched), you can shop at thrift stores. Wash things first and use good common sense. Check for toy and other baby product recalls or just avoid those items.

* Link to Moms Talk Radio

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Another thing I started doing several months ago is hanging all the laundry. I talked about how I bought these indoor drying racks from IKEA for really cold or rainy days.

I enjoy hanging laundry out and it certainly makes a difference on the utility bills! Some other ideas:

• Wash everything in cold water. You know what? I didn’t used to do this tip, but recently I’ve only been washing in cold and my laundry comes out just as clean. I think it must have to do with the hardness of the water, because I’m now living in another area. I use the same laundry powder as before, but I do a 30 minute soak for each load first, so that may help, but I think most of it is due to the quality of the water.
• Bathe the kids together. If they’re the same gender, put them in the tub together. Saves water and heating up the water. Even if they’re not the same gender, it’s ok to put them in together before they’re around 5 and get curious. Your mileage may vary of course!
• Bake multiple items. I try to use my oven as little as possible, but when I turn on the oven, I generally throw in a few potatoes for breakfast the next morning. Using a slow cooker saves on utility costs, as does baking in a toaster oven. Try to use the smallest appliance for the job.
• Let your hair air dry. Personally I am far too lazy to blow out my naturally wavy hair. LOL! But it also guzzles electricity.
• Go solar. While it requires an initial investment it can save money over the long haul. Check out this solar charger for your ipod, cell phone and other small stuff.
• Unplug stuff. A lot of your appliances use power even when they’re off. Stuff that uses a remote (TV, VCR/DVD) are good examples. Put your puter on sleep when you walk away or power it down.

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Tom’s of Maine, $15 off $59

Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day – Save $15 instantly when you spend $59 or more (I wrote a review of Mrs. Meyer’s Clean Day line here.)

Sun Crystals Natural Sweetener – Save $5

Dr. Andrew Weil for Tea – Save 50%

Arrowhead Mills – Save $10 today when you spend $39 or more on any combination

Horizon Organic Milk Save $10

Kashi - Save 30%

Celestial Seasonings Tea – Save $10

There are a lot more listed. Just go to Amazon.com and you’ll see links to the february specials

Don’t forget that in many cases when you spend $25 you get free shipping. Also, check out the auto ship programs Amazon now offers. You can get 15% discounts when you set up an order to arrive every 1, 3, or 6 months.

On many of the grocery items, you’ll also enjoy savings since you’re buying them at a discount. I have found this to be true with some of the wheat/gluten free items I’ve bought recently for myself and my daughter. Happy bargain shopping!

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Several days ago I went to a local dairy to get some raw cow’s milk and buttermilk. So in addition to drinking really good (don’t tell the Feds!) raw milk, I used some of the buttermilk to make whey and cream cheese. The cream cheese is mixed with oat flour right now and in the morning it will be rolled out into rugelach. (With butter and nuts baked in. Mmmmmmm….)

The whey will keep in the fridge for months and is good for soaking grains overnight, as well as for making sauerkraut and other fermented veggies.

I soaked and dehydrated a ton of nuts (it deactivates enzyme inhibitors and makes them easier to digest, and tasty too!)

I was also inspired to make homemade salsa (which incidentally calls for a little whey to get the lacto-fermentation process cookin’). I love love love salsa and there’s just nothing like homemade.

I baked wheat free rolls (ok I used a Pamela’s GF baking mix. But I still had to mix it and bake it people!).

I went to the store and bought every kind of bean our family uses on a regular basis, in large two pound bags: pinto, kidney, garbanzo and great northern. I soaked and cooked them all and then froze them in family size portions. Now when it’s time to make hummus/minestrone/chili/refried beans/baked beans etc, I can just grab a container from the freezer and cook.

I needed coconut and coconut milk but forgot it at Whole Foods the other week (duh!), and the brands at the local grocery stores have sulfites, which I’m allergic to, so I bought two whole coconuts. We had fun cracking them, draining them, cutting the flesh out and peeling off the brown skin. Then I made homemade coconut milk and coconut cream, and have two containers in the freezer of grated coconut.

Today I made raw chocolate candy. I followed a recipe that called for carob but I was out and it’s not time to go to Whole Foods for a couple more weeks, so I did cocoa. They called for almonds, cashews, coconut ground with raw honey, cocoa and vanilla. I spread that in a buttered cooke dish and chillled. They’re yuuuuummmmy.

I made beef broth from bones I got from the last Whole Foods trip. And fish broth from fish heads (you ain’t lived until you’ve cooked fish eyeballs!) I bought from Whole Foods. And chicken broth from chicken bones I’d saved from the last chicken I cooked. And turkey broth from the turkey bones I got from the turkey we cooked last week. (Tip: put a little vinegar in the cooking water, it helps get calcium from the bones and makes the broth more nutritious, and the vinegar taste will cook out.) So I have tons and tons of homemade broth in the freezer. Made minestrone with some of the chicken broth last night for supper, and used a little of the fish broth to cook salmon night before last. I’ll use some of the rest to make clam chowder next week.

Tonight I made apple crisp, one of my rare desserts I actually cook. I’ll share the recipe below.

Carrie’s Apple Crisp

4-6 Tart Apples, sliced (I like to use Green apples)

Place apples in a baking dish.

In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine:

1/3 cup Rapadura or Sucanat (can also use brown sugar)
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/3 cup flour (I use oat because of wheat sensitivity)
Pinch cinnamon
Pinch sea salt

Mix the ingredients with your fingers, it’s the fastest and easiest way to get the right texture. Then sprinkle on the apples. Bake at 350 until apples are soft and topping is browned and crisp/chewy.

Dang. I think I should win some kinda award for all this, don’t you? I’ve been seriously channeling Caroline (“Ma”) Ingalls, I swear. Time to put the Little House books down. And step away from the kitchen. Very carefully.

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Also wanted to report on my recent IKEA acquisition: the FROST indoor drying rack. Even though I hang all the laundry on a clothesline outside, I still wanted a couple of these to use inside on rainy days. We’ve also had some days lately that were really cold, and my hands start to hurt and my nails turn blue while hanging wet laundry, which isn’t fun. I thought these would be a great solution.

I LOVE them. Firstly, the price is RIGHT honey. I paid more for a cheap wooden one at Target that falls over when you walk past it and doesn’t hold even a half load of laundry. The Frost holds TWO LOADS. I couldn’t believe how much laundry I could hang on it for the space it takes up!

At 16.99 each they’re a great deal.

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So he went and grabbed a new CFC, took the lamp and bulb into the bathroom to screw it in, and broke it. Uh-oh.

I’ve heard that this situation called for special precaution because of the small amount of mercury present inside the bulbs, so I shooed the kids out of the room, got my laptop and did some quick googling.

What I found and what I did was this:

• This bulb broke on a hard surface (the bathroom counter and floor), which is good, since cleaning up a broken CFL on carpet is much more complicated. I made a note to myself to make sure bulbs are changed over a hard surface in the future.
• I opened the bedroom door (opens to the outside) to ventilate the area. Kids were already out of the room.
• I put on rubber gloves (the EPA recommends disposable gloves, but I didn’t have any).
• I used paper to “sweep” the broken glass into a plastic zipper bag. Interestingly, you are not supposed to sweep or vacuum up broken CFLs. I placed the first bag into a second bag.
• I wiped the area with a wet paper towel and also put that into the sealed bags.
• I set the package aside with the other recycling. I still haven’t found yet where I’m supposed to take it. I’ll update here when I do.

I decided to make a house rule that ONLY Adults Can Touch CFLs. Also, from now on I’ll wear a pair of rubber gloves when installing a new bulb (I’m clumsy and I’ve broken bulbs screwing them in before). And I’ll be careful not to hold/screw in the bulb by the glass but by the base.

Be careful. CFLs have many benefits including being the more frugal choice (they last for YEARS. Unless you break one. Ahem.), the more environmentally responsible choice, etc. But you do need to use caution when handling them, cleaning up a broken one or disposing of them (even if they aren’t broken, you can’t just throw them in the trash).

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What do you get when you cross $36 with $0.25 Day at the Thrift Store?

5 HUGE, kitchen trash bag size bags FULL of kid’s and mama clothes, books, a child’s desk and a gorgeous loveseat, and One very happy Frugal Mama.

Note: If you are new to thrift store shopping, read more of my tips below after I describe my finds. If you’re a seasoned thrift store shopper, beware. Uncontrollable jealousy may ensue after reading this post!

Let me start by telling you why I love thrift stores. Firstly, I am cheap and I love the savings they offer (repeat after me: stick it to da man).

Secondly, I like buying secondhand stuff that somebody decided to go to the trouble of donating instead of chucking it into a landfill.

And third, (and this is a little known truth about buying kid’s clothes secondhand) I actually get better quality stuff at the thrift store. Before I lose some of you let me explain what I mean.

Have you ever bought a clothing item for your kids at a discount or department store, only to have it tear up in the wash the first time your kid wore it? I have too. The thing is, if the item in question has made it through one kid and many washes and still looks good when you pick it up at the T-store, it’s a quality garment that isn’t going to fall apart on you.

So there are my reasons. Here’s a brief summary of my thrift store history.

My Mom has always been a big thrift store shopper. When I was a kid, thrift stores were NOT the “in” thing to do. Mom was always ahead of her time, and she tried to sell her friends on the concept, but they just weren’t hip to it. When people would complement my mother on something she had on, she would say “Oh, I got it at a little boutique.” LOL!

When I was a kid she would drag me to the thrift store but I wasn’t that keen on the experience. I always had to pee the moment I walked in the door, no matter how recently I had just gone to the bathroom. Now I know that was due to a cat allergy, but at the time, it drove my mom a bit nuts. I did LOVE books however, and would immediately head to the book section, only to be dragged out an hour later by my mother.

When I was a teenager, thrift stores had become Cool. All the punk/mod/skater kids shopped at thrift stores in East Atlanta so they could find Ben Shermans, Fred Perry tennis shirts, old Doc Marten boots, trench coats, etc. All the rich suburbanite North Atlanta kids shopped at thrift stores so noone knew they were rich suburbanite kids. LOL! By that time I was old hat at thrift store shopping thanks to my mother, so my girlfriend and I would head to the thrift stores intown to seek out old vintage Nikes, those cute girly cut 70′s style t-shirts, and vintage dresses and coats. Back when I was a size 2/4 and didn’t have mom boobs and could actually fit into vintage dresses and coats. LOL!

Then when I became a mom, I shopped at thrift stores so I could find those snazzy cloth diapers that cost $10 or more a pop on eBay. Now with 4 kids, thrift store shopping is a bit of a necessity. I simply cannot imagine why anyone would NOT shop at thrift stores occasionally.

So. Here’s what I got last week when a nearby thrift store had $.25 day. Ready?

For 2 year old Sadie:

• 2 summer dresses
• 1 summer skirt
• 6 short sleeved casual shirts

For 4 year old Ilana:

• 2 summer dresses
• 9 skorts
• 11 short sleeved casual shirts
• 4 pairs of shorts
• 1 pair of pants
• 1 cardigan sweater
• 1 dressy wool overcoat for next winter with dry cleaning tags still in it

For 6 year old Julien:

• 4 short sleeved shirts (Polo style, ringer tees)
• 1 long sleeved t shirt
• 4 pairs of pants

For 9 year old Caleb:

• 4 short sleeved shirts (Polo, ringer tees)
• 1 long sleeved dress shirt
• 1 pair of jeans

For 32 year old Mama:

• 1 black leather Liz Claiborne bag in like new condition
• 1 black leather handbag also looks like new
• 8 short sleeved shirts, some casual, some dressy for Summer
• 1 long sleeved dressy sweater
• 1 pair of blue corduroy jeans that fit like a glove

I also got 18 books (some of them for homeschooling: Science, planets, weather, a few fiction works like Sounder, a couple rare Dr. Seuss books, a nice DK book about Space Travel, a book about the Amish, etc.), an Art set with paint that hardens so you can make sculptures with it which J and I immediately dug into, a kid size white antique writing desk for Ilana for her to sit and do art at, an the piece de resistance, a gorgeous loveseat that complements the other one I have that sits opposite in the living room. It was $10 and in perfect condition, not a spot anywhere on it.

Can you believe I got all this stuff for $36? If you haven’t figured it out already, every item of clothing was .25 each. (The desk and loveseat were half off regular price.) Almost everything I bought for the kids was Gap, Old Navy and The Children’s Place. Some of the items I got looked like they had been worn once, washed and tossed aside. It just amazes me that people will spend top dollar for new kid’s clothing then discard it before it has a chance to get a stain on it! Everything I got was spotless with no missing zippers, buttons, or flaws.

Ok, so now that I’ve regaled you with my finds, here are my tips for navigating the thrift store shopping scene.

Thrift Store Shopping Tips

1) Get to know your local T stores

If you don’t know what thrift stores are in your area, just look in the phone book or Google it. A lot of T stores have websites these days, and those are great to visit because they often have coupons you can print out.

For example, here in Atlanta we have Last Chance and America’s Thrift. We also have several Goodwill and Salvation Army and other smaller, independent stores. There are advantages to both. The larger stores are cleaner and more organized, but the smaller stores often have lower prices and better deals. The scenario I described above happened at a small Thrift store a few miles away from me that gives its profits to a local children’s home. I like supporting it because it’s for a good cause too. Keep in mind that some of the thrift stores may be donating to causes that don’t jive with your personal beliefs, so it’s good to check them out first.

Goodwill stores are among the cleanest and most organized. The clothing in the store is laid out by color which is nice if you’re looking for something in particular, but their prices are higher so you pay for that convenience.

2) Finding Great Deals

As I mentioned, you can search for websites where you can print coupons to use inside the store. Also, most thrift stores have discount days. Call them up and ask what the schedule is like. Last Chance has Half Price Mondays where… you guessed it, everything in the store is half price. They open at 8:30 am here and if I get there at 8:15, a line has started at the door, rain or shine, even in the dead of winter. They even print up T shirts that say “I Survived Half Price Day at Last Chance”!

Some of them have loyalty cards, where you get a hole punch when you spend a certain amount, then when the card is full you get a few bucks off. Other stores have a color coded system where the color of the tag indicates the price reduction. So some days you’ll walk in and all pink and yellow tags, for instance, are half off.

Keep in mind that just because you’re at a thrift store doesn’t mean you’re getting the best price! Especially a few years ago when a lot of people got hip to thrift, they started raising prices like crazy. It wasn’t unusual to go in and see a pair of Gap jeans marked over $10. Get real! I can get jeans brand new at Old Navy right now for $8, why would I spend more for used? But $0.25? Oh, yeah. That’s definitely my style.

3) Be Organized

Thrift stores can be a little overwhelming. Or maybe it’s the dust that goes to your head, I don’t know. But if I walk in with no idea of what my kids need I get totally lost. I find it helpful to write down what I’m looking for before I go in. So I’ll have a list that says:

Sz 6 Boy – Pants
Sz 4 Girl – Shirts
Sz 2 Boy – Dressy shoes
Me – Black skirt

… or something like that so I can be focused. Oh, and leave the kids at home! I don’t like mine pawing all over dirty toys.

Another thing to keep in mind that unlike a regular retail store, you’re not going to walk in and find clothing in the season you need, always. Often you will, but those items get picked up first. So I find that I do best when I try to think ahead and buy what the kids need for the next season. That makes that little list I mentioned even more important.

Just give it a shot! You can find some incredible deals. My kid’s homeschool curriculum has been almost entirely designed from stuff I’ve gotten at thrift stores. For example, two weeks ago I bought 4 BRAND NEW, untouched Abeka books. One on cursive handwriting, one math and two vocabulary/language arts. I have gotten clothing with the store tags still hanging on the item, and dress clothes with dry cleaning tags still inside. I’ve found brand new shoes and other really nice stuff. You never know what you’re going to find, you just have to be willing to do a little digging.

So there you have it!

Got any awesome thrift store deals or tips to share? Post them in the comments below.

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I thought I would share some of my tips for lowering the grocery budget here, and ask you to add some of your own. Personally, no matter what my food budget is looking like, I like to practice frugality in the kitchen to avoid waste and because being cheap makes me feel like I’m getting one over on the man.

Here goes.

- Learn to love beans and rice, both of which are among the cheapest sources of good nutrition available, period. You can use your imagination to make this combo tastier, like cooking your rice with some coconut milk to make it sweet and yummy, or adding a little vegetable or chicken broth to your water, or using curry or other spices with the beans. Even if you’re not vegetarian, check out vegetarion cookbooks from the library for inspiration and recipes.

- Eat less meat, period. But remember that some veggies are expensive, like red sweet or yellow peppers which cost more than meat per pound! Variety is important in your diet but you can get those same nutrients from other, cheaper vegetables. Use lots of carrots, potatoes, onions, sweet potatoes and celery in your cooking, they’re the cheapest veggies and have tons of fiber to fill you up.

- Practice loss leader shopping. I know it’s a pitb to shop at more than one store, but if you stick to the loss leaders in the sales circulars you can save a boatload of money by going to more than one store (easier if you shop without the kids). If shopping at more than one store is too much for you because of multiple kids or being tired due to pregnancy (been there, done that, got the T shirt and the scarf), then ask hubby to stop by the store on his way home and make sure he has a detailed list of what to buy including name brands. The point is to buy the loss leaders ONLY from each local grocery store, and plan your menu around those cheap foods. You know the food manufacturers are in cahoots with the grocery stores and often send out their coupons in the newspaper when the stores are featuring their products on sale, so combine loss leaders with coupons and save more. It’s all marketing, so you might as well use the “system” to your advantage!

- Put together a price book so you know what’s really a great deal and buy more to save you money (great for stuff that saves like peanut butter, beans etc). You can do this the lazy way by simply keeping your receipts and jotting down in a notebook what you’re paying for stuff you routinely buy. Then you know if that buy one get one free deal is really cheaper, or if the store has jacked the price way UP in order to stick it to you (sad but true!). More on pricebooks.

- Cook stuff like chili, soups/stews and casseroles that stretch the protein.

- Do bulk if you can. You can buy 20 pound bags of rice at most grocery stores and eat that for pennies a serving, but it’s white rice. You can get bulk brown rice at Whole Foods or other larger health food stores. You might have to spend more than your weekly budget for the first two weeks of the month in order to take advantage of bulk savings, then spend less the last two weeks.

- Cheap dinner ideas. Baked potatoes with melted cheese, a little diced bacon, green onions or broccoli etc on top is cheap.

Here is another: Slice sweet potatoes and sprinkle with salt, then douse with a little olive oil and then sprinkle garlic powder on top. Bake at 375 on a baking sheet. When soft, top with barbeque sauce and black beans. This is delicious and really cheap.

Another cheap dish that’s healthy is fried rice. I heat some oil in a large saute pan and cook some chopped onion until soft, add an egg or two (scramble). Then add garlic, peas, carrots, sugar snap peas, whatever veggies you guys like. Stir in leftover rice and top with a little soy sauce or teriyaki sauce for flavor. Protein, fiber, nutrients and super cheap!

Books like the Tightwad Gazette are great sources of cheap cooking ideas.

- Avoid lunch meats, boxed cereals, instant oatmeal and convenience foods like the plague. Not only does this stuff cost too much but it makes your blood sugar crash which makes you hungrier later …. and remember the food additives and multiple hidden flavors the manufacturers add to make you eat more! Proof that this is true: Mindless Eating (this link is a book review)

- You Pick It. In the spring and summer, do pick your own at berry farms and local farms (also organic). Search localharvest.org for local farms.

- Practice extreme rubber chicken. Never buy chicken unless it’s a whole one and on sale for .49 a pound, then buy two. Cook them both first (roast them in the oven with an orange peel or whole lemon cut up inside the skin, plus garlic and rosemary or whatever herbs you have, butter, pepper etc), eat chicken for dinner the first night. Then cut all meat off carcasses, freeze for casseroles/chicken salad sandwiches/chicken soup/etc. Then boil carcasses for chicken stock (adding onion, celery, spices etc for flavor and a little apple cider vinegar to extract calcium from the bones).

- Refrigerator Stew. Keep a container in your freezer for small amounts of leftover vegetables, grains, meat and beans. When the container becomes full, you have the makings of a great soup. Growing up, my mom always made the best soups with everything but the kitchen sink. As long as you start with a base of onions sauteed in butter, it’s hard to go wrong.

- Don’t waste. Never toss out stale bread or the ends that no one seems to ever want to eat. Make it into home made bread crumbs or croutons instead. Throw bread into the blender and pulse until you have crumbs, and use to top casseroles or wherever bread crumbs are called for in recipes. If you have fruit that is over ripe, but not moldy, mash it up and bake it in muffins and breads or use in smoothies.

For health and to save money (and eat less), drink more water and drink a glass before meals. Teach your kids that beverages with flavor (juice, tea, etc) are treats and that we quench our thirst with water. They’ll learn to crave it.

There you have it. So what are your tips for lowering your grocery budget?

See also: Cheap Eats – Inexpensive Frugal Healthy Food

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Actually, I feed 4 kids on far less than most people feed 2 kids because of my frugal ways. It does take a bit more time and work, but our food determines our health, so it’s worth it to me! I thought I would share some of these with you. Please comment below and share your own tips.

Eating More Organic Without Busting The Budget

So you’re convinced of the benefits of eating organic, but the price tag has got you down. The good news is that with a little creativity and perhaps a change in routine, it is possible to eat a mostly organic diet within the confines of your existing grocery budget. Try some of these ideas that have worked for my family.

Search your newspaper or online for farmer’s markets in your area. You can also search LocalHarvest.org and RealMilk.org (for organic milk of course!). Many times these small farmers utilize organic practices, but you can always ask if in doubt.

photo credit: jwalsh
Farmer’s Markets

You can also find “you pick” farms locally if you search the newspaper, your county extension office or just by asking around. These often have great prices since you have to do the work. Going berry picking is fun as well as educational. Bring the kids and make a day of it.
 

Buy In Bulk
Larger health grocery stores often have a nice variety of bulk items. Some have bulk bins that allow you to bring your own containers for your grains, soap, maple syrup, and many other products. These can offer huge savings, especially on certain items like spices and herbs.

While it may seem odd to buy a 15 pound bag of organic brown rice, if you eat it frequently and have a little space in your freezer, bulk is a smart idea. Bring a calculator and see how much the cost is per serving. You might be pleasantly surprised. Large wholesale chains are also now offering some organic choices.

Skip Boxed and Prepared Foods

Grocery stores typically have a fairly large selection of boxed, convenience foods in the organic section. But you pay a premium for these products. The same goes for precut and washed veggies and fruit, which actually have fewer nutrients due to the fact that they’ve had more exposure to light and oxygen.

When I discovered how easy and quickly I can make things like mac and cheese (with whole grain noodles too) from scratch, I realized that even the organic versions of these kinds of products are expensive and create more waste.

photo credit: nick farnhill
Spend More Time in the Kitchen

A homemade stew made from organic ingredients will still cost less than non-organic frozen lasagne. It will also be much healthier, without preservatives and other additives. If you have a bread machine gathering dust somewhere, put it to use and make a couple of loaves a week with organic flour. You’ll likely still save money over premade bread from the store. This would be a great task to assign one of your kids.
Know What’s Important to Buy Organic

There are certain foods that are more likely to contain pesticide residues. For instance, fatty items like dairy products, butter, and meats. If you’re on a tight budget, it would be better to buy these items organic than organic produce. Why? Because hormones and pesticide residues will collect in the fatty tissues of animals. You can’t really wash a stick of butter!

Apples and strawberries should be purchased organic because they’re heavily sprayed. Corn and soy are usually genetically modified so buy those organic too. On the other hand, researchers have found that broccoli doesn’t have pesticide residues. 
 

Focus on Veggies

If you eat more whole grains, vegetables and beans and use meat as a topping or seasoning agent, you’ll naturally spend much less. Many families find that they can afford to eat mostly organic when they eat less animal protein. Try making vegetarian, bean based dinners at least 3 nights a week.

CSAs and Co-Ops

Do a Google search to find a local community sustained agriculture (CSA) that allows you to trade a little work (or a little money) for fresh organic homegrown goods.

You can also join a co-op to buy just about anything from boxed organic food, vitamins and personal care items. Or just get together with a friend to pool your resources and buy from companies that offer a wholesale program. Search online for co-ops for everything from organic skin care to vitamins to raw milk. Yahoo and Google email groups are a good place to look. 
 
photo credit: inspector_81

Grow Your Own

If growing your own garden seems overwhelming, just start with one tomato plant or a small windowbox herb garden. Enlist the help of your kids and make it into an educational experience. Or find a neighbor who you can start a small garden with and share the work.
Go Online for Organics

Believe it or not, you can save money by buying organic food online. Some retailers offer free shipping with a small minimum purchase, others offer great prices on bulk items. The time and gas savings can also make it very worthwhile.

You can also find coupon codes for some of the retailers. Searching manufacturer’s websites often turns up printable coupons, especially if you join their newsletters. Do a Google search for your favorite brands. And join sites like Ecobunga. In addition, Natural Grocers has a referral program so you can earn free groceries by recommending them to friends and writing product reviews.
 

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Good question! I think the key is to identify what babies truly need. The advertisers would have you believe that baby needs fancy expensive “stuff” that will keep you in debt until baby’s in college. Not true. Babies need very little in order to be happy. And those things are, in order of importance:

1. A Momma to love them
2. Nutritious food
3. To be kept warm
4. Something to cover their bottoms

Pretty simple eh?

Frugal Food for Baby

“The newborn baby has only three demands. They are warmth in the arms of its mother, food from her breasts, and security in the knowledge of her presence. Breastfeeding satisfies all three.” – Dr. Grantly Dick-Read, author of Childbirth Without Fear.

The interesting thing about the first 3 is that they can all be met at the same time with breastfeeding! You can’t get much more frugal than free can you?

Not only does breastfeeding save you money that you would have spent on formula, bottles and such, but you will save money on Doctor bills. Formula feeding carries risks: Increased ear infections, respiratory illness, increased incidence of certain cancers, long term implications for obesity, diabetes, and I could go on.

Frugal Baby Clothes

My best tip for obtaining baby clothes frugally is to make it known that you welcome hand-me-downs. Most Moms hate throwing away perfectly good baby stuff. When babies are young, they almost never wear things out before they are outgrown. If someone gives you things, accept it gratefully and thank them. Even if the stuff isn’t as good as you would like and you end up donating it to charity, you still send a message that you aren’t too proud for used things. And truly, it has nothing to do with charity. Obtaining used things is better for the environment. And you can put the money you save to better use. Why not start a savings account for your little one and add to it when you use creative frugality to save money? Your child will thank you later!

EBay, thrift stores and consignment shops are also good places to find baby clothes frugally.

Experts agree that babies don’t really need shoes when they’re learning to walk because it’s best for their toes to grip the floor. If it’s cold and baby’s tootsies are frozen, use soft leather baby shoes. They’re flexible and the healthiest, safest choice.

Frugal Diapers

The most frugal way of dealing with this issue is to forgo diapers altogether the way women around the world do. It’s called “elimination communication” and basically involves watching for baby’s elimination cues (and they do exist, even in newborns) and holding her over the potty so she can take care of business. However, if you’re not so inclined, the next best thing is cloth diapers.

Ask people to give you cloth diapers at your baby shower instead of those cute but impractical outfits. A lot of the cloth diaper companies that sell online have baby registries. Buy the high quality cloth diapers if you plan on using them for more than one child. They will likely last you for years. I recommend Fuzzi Bunz. You can buy them here: Fuzzi Bunz.

More Frugal Baby Ideas

Frugality is mostly about what you don’t buy than what you do, so I suggest thinking about what you can do without. Do you really need a crib or bassinet? Why not let baby sleep with you? It works for 90% of the population. Do you need a baby swing? Why not wear baby on your body in a sling? It promotes bonding, keeps baby happy, you burn extra calories and get things done too! Everybody wins.

Does baby really need those educational toys and gadgets? You know, Einstein didn’t have flash cards. All the stimulation your baby needs is you! Talk to baby, read to baby, sing to baby, let baby watch your daily activities from his spot in the baby sling, and breastfeed your baby.

The best baby toys are things you have around the house. (Ever noticed how babies and toddlers would rather play with your keys than any expensive toy?) Babies would rather bang on pots and pans with wooden spoons than just about anything else. Save empty plastic food containers that would have been thrown away, and toss them into an empty cabinet down low in your kitchen. This will provide hours of frugal fun for baby!

One frugal baby need exception:
Baby car seats are best obtained new…don’t risk taking a chance on a used car seat that “looks” fine but that may have been involved in a fender bender.

Baby’s needs are truly few, and the best things you can give your baby are free.

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