Monday, August 31, 2009

Choosing Poverty

Last fall, we moved to our current apartment to be closer to my husband's school. We came with enough money to pay first first semester's tuition and two months of living expenses, in case he didn't find a job right away. It was exactly one year ago...
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I had just delivered the baby, Bobby, on Thursday, August 21. We left the hospital on Saturday, August 23, and settled into our new apartment. We had brought all of our stuff two weeks before, but were waiting for the baby to officially move and unpack. My husband's classes began that Monday, August 25.
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We decided that with the new baby, new move, and classes beginning, we would take that first week "off" in regard to job hunting.
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My husband soon got serious about finding a job. He put in his resume everywhere. There were several factories and other entry level jobs, because a Bible college degree gets you an entry level job.
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Walmart was the first to interview him and hired him on the spot, well, once he passed the drug test. He didn't want to wait for a better offer, and I appreciate the security that brings to our family.
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Walmart gives him flexible hours so that he can go to class, which is what we moved here for. We chose to be in the financial position we are in because it helps us reach our goal of my husband finishing school. Had he taken a higher paying factory job, he would have been very limited in the classes he could take and it would take us longer to reach our goal.
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He also got this job before the economic crash last fall. We are not "victims" of the economy. We had chosen to be at this income level before other people were losing their jobs. A Walmart job is pretty secure in this economy. He even gets bonuses when sales are up. He's also already gotten two raises.
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I say this because 1) we are not really looking to change our economic status. We are content. However, I don't mind that I've already made a whopping $1.68 in AdSense from this blog. And 2) I understand that there are many people in my financial situation who did not choose it, and they were not prepared like we were. Although I take our position pretty jovially, I know that is hard for many people to do that, and I am sorry for that.
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I know that other people may find it a great tragedy to be in our position. We don't.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Health Standards

Health is important to me. I am quite young and frequently pregnant. In fact for almost four years now, I have spent every day either being pregnant, or breastfeeding, or both.
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My standard of health is pretty simple and agreeable. If God made it, it's healthy. This excludes, of course, poisonous plants and extremely potent medicinal herbs. If man has changed it, it is not healthy. Man does not know my body better than God does.
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So, the premise is agreeable, right? The real life practice is where we get into some controversy.
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Here is where I contradict myself:
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I do not buy organic. It is too expensive. Seriously, this blog is called Under $1000 Per Month because that is our income. I would love to, and if I ever took up the government's lucrative offer of $400 per month in food stamps, I would buy all organic. My husband said that that will only happen if he becomes a quadruple amputee.
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I buy macaroni and cheese in a box. It is wicked cheap. Homemade macaroni and cheese uses real cheese, which is expensive. When I am done with the mac and cheese I bulk bought on sale ($0.25 per box), I'm going to try to come up with a frugal recipe. I'll let you know how it goes, unless I fail. Then I will quietly continue to use boxed macaroni and cheese.
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I use only American cheese. I get American cheese for $2.00 per pound. Yes, I have a vague notion that it is not real cheese, but a cheese "product". If someone will sell me cheddar for under $2.50 per pound, I'll take a loss and switch. As of yet, none of my area markets have taken me up on that offer.
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I love processed meats. My mom is German. We ate a lot of sausage, kielbasa, and liverwurst, and I still eat those. I don't see those leaving our menu. My husband also brought his love of hot dogs into our marriage. He was eating a package a day when we got married. I put a stop to that, but I include hot dogs in a lot of our recipes. I now eat them a lot because they are real cheap. I do find some benefit in processed meats because our society has moved away from eating organ meats. I consider it my organ meat source.
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Here is where I stand firm:
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We avoid genetically modified foods. If you look at an ingredient list and see "corn", "soy", or "canola", and it's not organic, you're probably eating genetically modified food. Rice, wheat and sugar are also growing in the genetic modification field. Genetic modification is an appalling trend in food production and one that I won't have my husband's hard earned dollars support. I won't get into the details of the horrors of genetic modifications because I'm not ready to let you see my paranoid, conspiracy-theory, anti world domination side. In social gatherings, we are not uptight and we eat what is served.
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We do not eat sugar. We have swapped stevia in for a lot of recipes and stopped eating a lot of foods. We have a small amount of molasses left for baked beans, then I will start experimenting to find a new recipe. Again, we are not uptight in social gatherings.

I am picky about fats. This is partially because corn and canola oils are genetically modified. It is also because if you eat corn on the cob, you are not eating a lot of fat. That plant has to go through extensive processing to produce oil. They are processed at high heats that turns the oil rancid. We generally use butter and lard, with some olive oil. Butter and lard are healthy fats. God made them as fat and that's how I use them.
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I am a saltaholic and I'm pretty dogmatic about it. Jesus said that his followers were the salt of the earth. If he thought salt was good, so do I. If Jesus lied, than the ramifications for my life are more widespread than just my arteries. I enjoy salt. It is a flavor enhancer, just like fat is. Also, most studies on salt are on table salt, a man-made chemical, not sea salt, which God made.
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So, if you see me using odd ingredients in some recipes and wonder why, here is my explanation. And if you wonder why I am so uptight in some areas but not others, I guess that is kind of the nature of mankind.

Related Articles:
Sausage - $1.05 (hot dogs)
My Sam's Club Adventure (cheese)
Keeping It Simple
The Food Guide Pyramid is not for Everyone

Saturday, August 29, 2009

A Basic, Frugal One Week Menu

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This is my husband's first week back at school. Because our schedule is completely changing, so is our menu order. I had to look at all of the dishes I cook, figure out how much hands on time is required for each, and figure out which days I'll have that much time. Here is what I have come up with:
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Sunday: Sunday ham and potatoes with broccoli
Monday: macaroni and cheese
Tuesday: "Stroganoff"
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These are the main, sit down meals we have each day. This meal is usually supper, but my husband works a few second shifts per week, so then it's lunch.

Is Stevia Frugal?

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Stevia is a plant extract that is 15-200 times sweeter than sugar. It has no calories and does not effect your blood sugar levels. Unlike other no calorie sweeteners, it is not a man made chemical, but a naturally occurring plant.
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The stevia I buy costs almost $32.00 per pound. By the pound, it is more expensive than every other sweetener. And I get a deal on my stevia. I have priced stevia at every area market that sells it, and this is by far the cheapest stevia. The next cheapest is $40.00 per pound.
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If you look at most recipes with stevia, they call for something like 1/4 teaspoon of stevia, or maybe 1 1/2 teaspoons stevia. It doesn't get much higher than that. Still, for each of those recipes, the equivalent in white sugar is cheaper. Stevia is actually cheaper, per recipe than honey or agave nectar, the other natural sweeteners.
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What makes stevia a bargain is that I don't want sweet things often anymore. My husband and I used to go through almost a box of ice cream per week, each. Yeah, we were a little chubby. I still make my husband a shake at night, but it is more because he likes habits and rituals than that he is actually craving something sweet. I make myself one of these shakes maybe once per month because I am a little more honest about what my body wants.
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I still enjoy sweets when we go to social functions. But I don't need them, and if they weren't offered, I would very rarely take the initiative to make them. Not making cookies, cakes, and brownies as often does save us money, because those foods get eaten up quick and leave us wanting more, so we eat more.
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Stevia was more of a health choice than a financial one for us, but the economic benefits have been a pleasant surprise.

Is it Worth it to Recycle Plastic Baggies?

Recycling Ziploc baggies is supposed to be green, because you are not throwing away Ziploc baggies. It is supposed to be frugal, because you are not buying more Ziploc baggies. But does it actually make any sense?
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Washing Ziploc baggies was popularized by Amy Dacyczyn in the mid 1990's. She was an avid baggie recycler. When asked about Tupperware as an alternative, she explained "I couldn't fit three plastic (Tupperware) containers and a thermos in one lunch box." (p. 48, The Complete Tightwad Gazette) She had six kids and packed somewhat elaborate lunches for them all to take to school. She included pudding, cooked or raw veggies, fruit, muffins. I send my husband to work, and now school, with dinner leftovers. He gets one Tupperware. That's it. He doesn't get muffins or pudding. And if he did, he would only get one, in a Tupperware.
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So why has the question of a Tupperware alternative not been raised again?
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The number one reason that I don't recycle Ziploc baggies is that I don't use Ziploc baggies.
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When I buy meat in bulk, I divide it into one pound sections and put it in cheapo sandwich baggies. Because the meat is frozen, it doesn't come out so neatly and the bag often rips. I do the same thing when I cook my dry beans. Amy Dacyczyn does advise that a ripped seam can be repaired with an iron, but even she does not recycle sandwich baggies. Using sandwich baggies saves over wrapping in plastic wrap because I would have to use much more plastic wrap to get a snug fit with no holes.
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All leftovers get put into Tupperware. When I cook food in bulk, I put the food into small entree and snack size Tupperware for easy consumption. Seriously, what are people using so many Ziploc baggies for that they are now saving small fortunes by washing them out and reusing them? If they are so important, why does my family not have a need for them?
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Why is that when someone questions this practice, they are questioning it because it seems like a dumb waste of time, not just a dumb thing to do?
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I don't really consider it "bucking the system" to buy a disposable product and then not throw it away. Instead, to counter this disposable society, I buy durable products and don't throw them away.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Cheap, Easy Bread Recipe, Can Be Made in CrockPot!

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I am working toward an oven free life, partially because it is more energy efficient, partially because I don't want an oven. I am doing this one step at a time. When I think of all the stuff that I make that needs an oven, it's not that much: bread and pizza are regulars, then there's cakes, occasionally cookies, and cheesecakes. So, I am figuring out how to make them all in my crock pot.
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If you google "bake bread crock pot," as I did when I started looking to oven alternatives, you will find a lot of information. The information is presented as though you are about to be undertaking very critical and sensitive brain surgery.
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Most bread is baked at 350° F. A crock pot on high is around 300°, so it can't be that hard.
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Most crock pot bread tutorials will advise you to follow their recipes exactly, because this is risky business. I'm a little more free-spirited. I use my standard bread recipe, often adding (gasp!) spices or even cinnamon and stevia for sweet bread. Below is my standard recipe. If you want a guide, or are nervous about trying it out, or just want to try a new recipe, it works great for me.
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1 1/4 cups warm water -$0
1 1/2 teaspoons yeast -$0.06
3 1/2 cups flour - $0.55
1 1/2 t salt - $0.04
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I get my yeast from these people for $5.00/lb and freeze it, keeping some in my fridge. I actually weighed the 1 1/2 teaspoons to find it was 0.2 oz, or $0.06.
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I don't use sugar, I just let it rise a little longer.
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Let yeast sit in the warm water for 10 minutes. Add all other ingredients. Knead for 10 minutes, or until it's kind of stretchy.

Now, for the crock pot. The inside of my crock pot is flat on the bottom. I haven't gazed into a lot of crock pots, but the tutorials all advise carefully on this. If the inside of your crock pot is not flat, use tin foil to make a flat surface.
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Next, I use the tin cans that my 28 oz of diced tomatoes come in as the bread "pan". I grease the sides with lard because it is easy to do with my hands and it works real well. I also leave the lid in, so that it slides out with the bread, and I don't have to worry about the bread sticking to the bottom of the can. I do reuse the cans every time.
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One batch of dough is divided in these two cans. You can use any cans. If you have an odd assortment of cans in your recycle bin, you can have an odd assortment of loafs. Right now I'm collecting little cans to make cupcakes. For bread loaves I like the size of the 28 oz cans because the bread comes out the perfect width for sandwiches and hamburgers. I can fit four of these cans in the crock pot, but I don't always.
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So, put dough in can. Put can in crock pot with lid on it. I put it on low to rise for a half an hour. Then I switch it to high for a little over an hour. If you have different size cans, check on it earlier to see if it's done.

Another great thing about baking in cans is that the bread comes out of the can. You can push just a little out and slice for more even and thin slices. You can also store the bread in the covered can.
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This makes a 28 oz, almost 9" loaf, when placed end to end.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

How to Eat Out For Free

I eat out more now than I did when my husband's income was higher. Looking over the last couple of months, I've averaged eating out more than once a week.
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How can I possibly afford to do this?
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Mystery shopping.
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Yeah, mystery shopping is real, and at one time I did it full time. I could easily do it full time again, because I know how. You have to sign up for a ton of companies, I've signed up for over 150. Most of these companies won't have jobs in your area, unless you live in New York or Los Angeles. Then you have to sort all the companies' job boards to see if any have jobs you actually want to do. This is what I call my "infrastructure."
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With my infrastructure in place, I can mystery shop whenever I want. I can also stop doing it for as long as I want, since, believe it or not, I don't actually enjoy doing it. It's a fairly high stress job, where you pay money up front for a meal or item, submit a report and wait weeks, even months to be reimbursed and paid for your time. Occasionally, your report is rejected, and you've already paid. You won't be reimbursed.
Still, I use mystery shopping to eat out because my family likes it. It doesn't make a huge dent in our grocery budget, but it allows us to go out for a nice meal, or a burger and fries, on someone else's dime.
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Most shops with food are not paid, just reimbursed, so you get a free meal, but not an income. As far as my budget is concerned, I consider this a $3.00 gain, since that is what it generally costs for me to make supper. But if the restaurant is out of town, I break even with whatever I pay in gas.
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If this is something you're interested in, go to http://www.jobslinger.com/ to see which companies are looking for shoppers in your area. And don't ever pay for a list of companies. That's a scam. The Mystery Shopping Provider's Association has a huge list of reputable companies.

Easy, Cheap Chili Recipe

UPDATE: Click on photo to view in color.

chili is one of my favorite foods. I like it spicy, but I don't make it spicy, for the children. It is also easier to make than macaroni and cheese.
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1 pound ground beef - $1.30
1 chopped onion - $0.17
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes - $0.87
1 lb cooked beans - $0.40
3 teaspoon chili powder - $0.13
1 teaspoon salt - $0.02I throw garlic in there as well, maybe two tablespoons. I do this because I'm pregnant, have young children, a husband who works at Walmart and who is about to return to college, so I'm concerned about swine flu. I know garlic won't immunize us, but it soothes my paranoid pregnant self. When I'm not pregnant and paranoid, I omit the garlic, so I'm not including it in the cost breakdown.
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I get a big bag of beans, soak and cook them, then divide them by the pound and freeze them. I put the beans and beef right into the crock pot, still frozen, with the rest of the ingredients. I stir it every few hours to make sure the beef isn't cooking into one big clump. If I start it late in the day, I cook it on high. Or, I start it in the morning on low all day, maybe even switching it to the warm setting until it's time to eat.
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This meal is a huge hit in my family and provides leftovers for my husband to take to work and for me to eat at home. My husband like chili dogs, so he sometimes microwaves a hot dog, cuts it up and puts it on top of his bowl of chili. This variation costs us $0.11, bringing the grand total to $3.00.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Is It Worth It To Clip Coupons?

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With my family, every penny counts, so I must be a coupon clipper, right?
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Wrong!
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There are so many reasons not to cut coupons. But, when we moved and my husband got a lower paying job in a higher costing area, I frantically searched for ways to cut expenses. Coupon pushers are all over the web. I resisted. It didn't seem like a good idea. Finally, I gave in and signed up for 12 weeks of the newspaper for $20. Some of these coupon pushers seemed like they were really saving.
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The best deals were at the pharmacies, CVS and Rite Aid. I got some free stuff at some grocery stores, as well. When the coupons came in, I would go to http://www.mygrocerydeals.com/ and search for all the products in the coupons, and from coupons I had from previous weeks as well. I also went to the CVS and Rite Aid websites and "flipped" through their circulars. I got a lot of stuff for not a lot of money. It pushed me to the edge, until finally, I snapped.
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I snapped when I brought home red colored cereal. What was that? What was in it? Did I really feel comfortable with my children eating it? No!
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Have you ever seen a coupon for a head of lettuce? How about a gallon of milk? Honey? There must be some for honey! No, food is not featured in coupons. It is stuff that resembles food, like Hamburger Helper, and Oscar Meyer Weiners. Sometimes bagged lettuce or name brand canned fruit, but why do we have to buy the packaging?
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Also, usually, we didn't get a better deal on our groceries. We got more variety than we could otherwise afford, but we didn't actually save on our total grocery bill.
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But the toiletries... oh the toiletries, from the pharmacies, CVS and Rite Aid. Often they were free, or at least when I got them- I wouldn't pay for them. You know what I got from Rite Aid for free? Saline solution spray. I wanted to sell it on eBay, but my Dad said it was illegal to mail. So, I have it. Thanks Rite Aid. I got a bottle of shampoo there too, free, some free deodorant, and some "food," which has long been consumed.
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If you want to save money AND want to have a healthy family, couponing is not the way to go. Cooking real food that your family likes is the way to go. Finding the lowest prices on the ingredients you use most will save you actual money.
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Time is also a factor. For some reason, we think that two hours a week browsing coupons and fliers takes up less time than a two hours kneading dough and chopping onions.

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

How Wealthy Am I Compared to the Rest of the World

Have you ever visited the Global Rich List? I encourage you to try it. Go ahead, click on the link below. I'll be here when you get back.

I'm guessing our annual household income to be about $20,000, after our tax returns and any miscellaneous income I make. Depending on how it is calculated, our family hovers around the top 14%.
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Poking around the site a little bit, I see that 85% of the world's population lives on less that $6 per day. Along with that, 50% live on less that $2.35 per day and the bottom 10% live on around $1 a day.
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Who is it that we are comparing ourselves to that we think that we need more than we have?
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The official world poverty level is $1.25 per day. The US poverty line is drawn between $30 and $10 per person per day, depending on the size of the family. As someone who lives below the US "poverty" line, I can confidently say that US poverty is a hoax (with the exception of the homeless). Those living below the US poverty level are some of the richest people in the world, myself included. Not to mention, my family has been offered, on several occasions, a lucrative $400 per month in food stamps, and the government doesn't even know that I'm pregnant. But that is not the point...
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The point is that our standard of living is much higher than is NECESSARY. Yes, we may like buying new toys and continually updating our shoe collection, but it is by no means necessary.
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What is necessary? Clothes to keep you warm and descent, some sort of shelter, depending on your climate, and basic food and drink to nourish your body. That is all. Everything else is gravy. And my "poverty-stricken" family has a LOT of gravy. I'm sure yours has even more.



This "African Washing Machine" is similar to my washing machine, except I have one bucket and it is filled with running water. I didn't have to carry it from the well. When we moved to an apartment with no washer/dryer hookups, I found myself shelling out $40 per month to the laundromat. So I started filling a bucket, hung a few laundry lines in our bedrooms, and kept my money. In what way can you save money by living a little more like the rest of the world?

Monday, August 24, 2009

How to Make Cheap, Easy Healthy Soda Recipe

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Several months back, I overhauled my family's diet. We are all thriving on this new diet. My husband, though, did not want to change some of the things he had before. He has been a soda drinker since he was weaned off the bottle. He likes all kinds of soda, as long as it's fizzy and sweet.
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Store bought soda is usually made with corn syrup, which is almost guaranteed to be genetically modified. There are a lot of reasons to avoid genetically modified foods, which I will surely get into in future posts. Diet sodas are made with aspartame, which is a modified neurotoxin.
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So I searched the web for soda recipes. Most homemade soda is made with sugar and yeast, which makes the liquid fizzy. I didn't want sugar, so I started looking for something simpler. This is what I have found, and slightly modified:
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1 cup club soda (not sweetened)
1/4 teaspoon stevia (or 2 tablespoons traditional sweetener)
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon bottled lemon or lime juice
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix it well, making sure all the cinnamon dissolves. It will be lighter in color than regular cola, but it is the cola taste that it is closest to.
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Some may be thinking that this is definitely healthier than regular soda, but is it actually cheaper?
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My husband drank a can of soda a day. I know that soda is cheaper by the bottle, but not if he drinks the whole thing in one day. For us, a can was cheaper because it was rationed. We bought Sam's Choice, Walmart brand, soda by the dozen for $2.58, or $0.22 per can.
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This new soda is rationed as well, since I have to make it by the cup. I have never caught my husband chugging tonic water right out of the bottle. So, I am comparing it to a can of soda. If your family members can contain themselves with a bottle of soda in the house, it may not be cheaper.
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1 cup tonic water - $0.09 based on a regular Shaw's (local Kroger's) sale of $0.75 for a 2 liter bottle
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1/4 teaspoon stevia - $0.04 based on the price of NuNaturals NuStevia at Whole Foods, the 12 oz container
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1 teaspoon vanilla - $0.02 based on the Walmart imitation vanilla, $0.98 for 8 oz
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1 teaspoon bottled lime juice - $0.01 based on the price of lime juice from the Asian market down the street, $1.79 for 32 fl oz
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1/4 teaspoon cinnamon - $0.02, this is a generous guess. I get 2.37 oz from Walmart for $0.50 and I don't think 1/4 teaspoon actually costs $0.02, it is probably under $0.01, but I'll overestimate for the sake of cost comparison

Grand Total: $0.18

Pregnancy Brain Example

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It is not often that someone in my economic position can save $50 in one day. I hear tips about how to save $100's from your monthly budget, but those tips are for people who are spending $100's more than I am. So here is how I somewhat regretfully saved $50 over the weekend.
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I had an appointment with my midwife on Friday. She lives two hours south of me, which, with gas and tolls, is $20 for me.
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On Saturday, I was planning on going to my husband's family reunion, which is two hours north of me. Again, $20 of gas and tolls. It was a potluck reunion, so I would have to bring food. It was also my mother-in-law's birthday, so I was planning on framing this picture of the boys for her and picking her up a candy bar. This would be an additional $10. Do you see where this is going?
On Wednesday, my midwife called saying she would need to reschedule the appointment. We both looked at our calendar and decided that Friday morning at the crack of dawn was the only time we could both commit to. I was fine with that, but she wasn't too comfortable with me having to get up so early to come see her; she likes her pregnant ladies to get their sleep. Still we set the appointment and that was what I was planning on.
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Then, on Thursday afternoon, she called again. She told me that her boyfriend had a family reunion near me on Saturday and she could come for a home visit. I was so excited. I was planning on skipping the pre-birth day home visit due to the extra expense. (I would have to pay $75 for the midwife to come see me, instead of $20 to go see the midwife.) But I really wanted her to know where I lived so I wouldn't have to talk her through the directions while I was in labor. She would be able to look over the 450 square foot apartment to confirm that there would actually be enough room for me, my husband, two kids, new baby, two midwives, doula, and my step-mom and step-sister, who would be watching the kids during labor. I was so excited that she would be coming.
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When I hung up the phone, my husband kindly reminded me about our family reunion I had committed to attending with the kids - he would be at work. Oh, well. Although I sincerely do love my in-laws, it gives me more peace to have my midwife come. So, the practical lesson in all of this is that if you have pregnancy brain, or are just flighty, some good may come of it, like $50 you can save.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

Can You Make Money From Ebay?

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Scenario #1
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I go shopping for a new dress. I find one I love for $20. I bring it home and try it on for my husband. He tells me, quite honestly, that it makes me look like a whore.* So, downcast, I bring the dress, with receipt, back to the store and get my $20 back.
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Scenario #2
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I go shopping for a new dress. I find one I love for $20. I bring it home and try it on for my husband. He tells me, quite honestly, that it makes me look like a whore.* I put it in the back of my closet, thinking, maybe he'll like it more if I lose ten pounds.
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A year later, I find the dress and try it on again. His thoughts towards it have not changed. So, I list it on eBay as a way to get some "extra cash." I'm excited as the bidding frenzy goes up to $15! Of course, $2 goes to shipping, because I listed it as free shipping, and $1 goes to eBay fees, but still, I got $12!
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In which scenario did I make a greater profit?
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With the bad economy, eBay has been listed as a source of "extra income". But this is not income. This is getting some of your money back from purchases you should have never made in the first place.
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My father actually lives off of eBay. It is his primary, but not only, income source. He goes yard saling and to small antique shops and he sells his antiques on eBay for a profit. But he is a brilliant man, an Oxford graduate, and he knows a lot about antiques, history, and niche markets on eBay. I know it is possible to do this, and some do, but most people who sell on eBay sell to get some of their money back, not to make money.
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I am included in this group. Several months ago, I bought a bread maker on eBay for about $30, shipping included. I have used this bread maker and got a lot of value out of it. However, as I am paring down my possessions, I am kneading my own dough and baking it in the crock pot, which is actually faster, start to finish. I bought the bread maker because I thought I could never learn to knead dough. I was wrong. Now, I want some of my money back from this gadget that I no longer need. That is not income.



*These scenarios are not based on real life events. Please do not look down on my husband.

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Cheap, Easy Taco Recipe

UPDATE: Click on photos to see them in color.

Every Saturday night is Mexican night. We generally alternate between tacos and quesadillas. Occasionally, we switch tacos to nachos, since I make them essentially the same way.
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First, the soft taco shells.
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2 cups whole white wheat flour ($0.32)
3/4 teaspoons salt ($0.03, if that)
1/4 cup shortening ($0.25, softened butter, but you can use whatever)
1/2 cups water ($0)
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Now, I use whole white wheat because my husband and I are more accustomed to white flour tacos than whole red wheat flour, and this gives less of a wheaty flavor. I use King Arthur brand flour because they have pledged not to use genetically modified wheat. It's also the cheapest whole wheat at $3.16 for 5 lbs.


Mix all ingredients together. Next, how many tacos do you want? We use 10, which is enough for my husband to take leftovers for lunch at work. So I make 10 balls out of the dough. I use my kitchen scale, because I'm anally retentive, but it is not necessary. The dough comes to about 16 oz, so my scale reads close to two oz. each.




Next, roll the dough. If it doesn't roll easily, add a little more water to the mix until it does roll easily. It doesn't need to be a perfect circle, just symmetrical. The circle will come with time.
Then the frying. I don't use fat on the pan because it makes the taco shell crisp, almost like a chip, and it is less flexible and may crack when you fold it. I cook over a medium high heat, maybe 30 seconds on each side. Bubbles will appear when it is time to flip. You don't want to leave it too long, or it will crisp up, which is how I make nachos.

Once you've got your stack of tacos, you can start frying the meat. I'm using my Walmart ground beef from a sale a few weeks back, $1.30 per pound. I wish I knew that sale was coming because my freezer was pretty full of my previous "deal" of $1.38 per pound beef, but I made room for more.

I bought bulk taco seasoning long ago. I compared it to the taco bell packets, which were $0.50 at the time, so that's what I will price mine at. I'm looking for a good homemade taco seasoning replacement, but have yet to find one to my liking. My husband liked the last one, so I'm using it in his snack burritos, but I'm still using the bulk seasoning.

I also add peppers and onions. I get frozen chopped rainbow peppers and onions from the Dollar Tree for $1.00 per pound. I thought it would be all onion, but I gave it a try anyway. It's about half and half, so I keep it on hand. I'm using 2 oz, for $0.13.



I fry all of this together and divide it into the tacos.
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I add a half slice of cheese to each taco, before I put the meat on so it melts, which is $0.42. After the meat, I add a spoon full of GV hot salsa, for maybe another $0.40.
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If you have fresh tomatoes or lettuce from your garden, that makes a great addition as well.

There are a lot of things you can add to tacos to make them more expensive: sour cream, store bought fresh lettuce and tomatoes, even peppers, guacamole, olives, and assorted cheeses. These will not increase the taste of the food in proportion to how they increase cost.

Save Money on Kids' Birthday

I had one son turn one yesterday, and the other son turns three tomorrow. Before our second child, we had a $10 budget for birthdays and Christmas for our kid. It doesn't sound like much, but we have a large extended family and my kids have WAY too much stuff. We went into this birthday with a different mindset because we combined the birthdays into one celebration. This is what we got our two kids:
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These cost $2.50 at several yard sales and both kids are thrilled. There was one more wagon-like car, too, but it has already been "misplaced."
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This I got from an actual toy store in the mall for $1.50 in a 75% off sale. I think it's super cool. My kids aren't as convinced, but they enjoy watching me play with it. (:
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For special birthday food, this is what we did. I got a dozen cookies from the "Oops, we over-baked" rack in Walmart for $1.50. I also got one of those no-bake cheesecake mixes, GV brand, for $1.50. After it was made with milk, stevia and butter, it was about $2.50.
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Then, what is my kid's favorite meal? Macaroni and cheese with hot dogs! Two boxes of mac and cheese, $0.25 per box, made with milk and butter, with four hot dogs, at $0.11 per hot dog is about $1.50 for a meal. And there was enough leftovers to send some to work with my husband today and for my baby for lunch. Yes, this is all crap food, but it is only one day.
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I know home-made sweets are cheaper, but I don't keep sugar in the house, so I'm still working on tweaking a few satisfying stevia recipes. Also, yesterday was not an oven day. In fact, I'm working toward an oven free lifestyle, but that's another post altogether.
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So, that is $9.00 for two birthdays. The kids loved it. We had a Thomas the Tank Engine marathon in the morning and I played my son's favorite song in the car. We also dipped into my sticker collection, which is a rare treat.

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I really enjoy being a mom. I could have easily spent $100 on each kid, as my parents did while I was growing up. I value birthdays as a special day, probably because we were so spoiled growing up. So I like to surrounded my kids with their favorite things. I have just catered my kids' taste to enjoy less expensive things, or at least not to dislike something because it is less expensive.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

How to Save Money on Food

Food is a huge part of frugal life. One's food intake is the most fluid item in their whole budget. So, how do I determine what my family eats?
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#1 What is Cheapest?
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Oatmeal is $0.75 per pound dry. Cooked with water, it's closer to $0.25 per pound. I get whole white wheat flour for $0.63 per pound. Depending on how it is prepared, it will yield a product that costs much less per pound than the original $0.63. Kidney beans can be found for $0.79 per pound dry and plump up to about three times their size when cooked. Canned tomatoes can be found for under $0.50 per pound. Onions are also easily found at under $0.50 per pound. We get potatoes for $0.30 per pound year round but I'm looking forward to lower prices during the upcoming harvest season. Rice is comparable in price and if your family likes it, you should be eating it. Also, carrots are among the cheapest food around.
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#2 What do you like?
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What are your favorite foods? I believe that to achieve a high quality of life, you should frequently enjoy stuff that you love and purge your life of what you don't enjoy as much. I have a repertoire of fourteen meals that my family loves. I use a two week menu rotation. Some may think that this would be a boring menu, but these are our favorite foods! We are not bored. By limiting the basic menu, I can work at perfecting each dish and finding the cheapest ingredients and methods of preparation. It also greatly simplifies shopping. There is also flexibility, since I make the menu, for a dish my husband or I have a craving for or a good looking recipe I come across.
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#3 What do you have time for?
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You may agree that homemade food is delicious, nourishing, and cheap. However, if you work forty hours a week, and have a family, you will want to find some serious shortcuts. I don't work, and I do find satisfaction in rolling and cooking three batches of tortillas in an afternoon. But if I did work, I wouldn't want to spend an hour making dinner.
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Also, even if you do have time and the desire, switching everything to homemade will wear you out fast. You may not find homemade alternatives you like on the first try. Or you may find the work overwhelming. Start with one dish at a time and your skills will grow. I can now mix, roll, cut and boil pasta while the pasta sauce is simmering, so it takes no extra cooking time.
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#4 What are your health priorities?
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I've stripped my family of all sugar. I need a nap whenever I have sugar and it makes my husband grumpy. We've also found that higher protein meals, especially for breakfast and lunch, give us more energy to get more done each day. Food is not just one of life's necessities, but it is also a potent medicine that can determine a lot about your quality of life. Your family will have a unique set of health needs.
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All of these factors will determine which foods you feed your family. It is a formula, unique for each family. I'm going to start posting the meals my family loves, along with the cost per meal.

Frugal Family Goals

Why do I bother to save and invest? With so little, what do I hope to accomplish?

When my husband and I got married, I knew he was a gifted preacher. I have heard hundreds of preachers, a different one every week at Bible college, and tons online. My husband's preaching is among my top three favorites. Even though I hear each sermon once or twice, for practice, before Sunday morning, I am always moved by his words from the pulpit.

He is finishing getting his degree and we are looking into some open pastorates. We are looking forward to a time when he has his own pastorate, although he loves the pulpit supply work that occasionally comes our way.

We live in Maine and there are a plethora of churches without a pastor. Most are small churches in rural areas. Many cannot afford to pay a full-time pastor. Most pastors have to have another job on the side. A parsonage is not always provided.

We want to have a large family, but I actually aspire to have a small home. Small homes are more energy efficient, green, and promote (or force) a close knit family. With my husband's career future uncertain, a mobile home sounded like a great way to go for me. Then, if a pastorate doesn't work out, or if it is a few years before we get one, we can just take our home with us. This is especially beneficial where we don't know if a parsonage will be provided.

My husband, along with the majority of the population, was not as excited about a mobile home as I was. So I started looking into alternatives. I found this:



Yep, that's a house on wheels. It's not trashy, in fact it's quite chic. A teeny house is green, and I want solar panels! This is my goal, which fits in nicely with my husband's. I'd like to start building within the next year. Yes, I'm taking the role of "home-maker" quite literally.

I would like to have our life be as sustainable as possible so that even if my husband only gets $500 a month from a pastorate, he won't have to have a second job. That is what I am working toward.