I’m hiding in my room with 85% dark chocolate. All of my kids had the day off school and most requested a friend over or 2…or 3. That made 14 children at the house today and only 1 casualty, so far. Read more
Basement Family Room E-Design
I’ll never forget the first time I walked down the basement stairs in our home. There was a pair of mannequin legs leaning against the wall. I saw them out of the corner of my eye and screamed bloody murder before my brain could actually register what was happening. It was a good thing I didn’t know about the rats yet.
The basement was weird all over, Read more
Debbie’s Basement
For awhile I’ve been doing room concepts in powerpoint. I had taken a class on using Photoshop to do the same thing only better, except I couldn’t justify spending the money on the program. THEN Costco had photoshop on sale for $40. I could do that. Doing rooms in Photoshop makes me deliriously happy. I can change angles, isolate objects, change their colors….anything I want, almost.
Debbie is a friend of mine from the Cozy Minimalist Class and a reader here. She graciously agreed to let me play with her basement design. She is expecting their 4th baby and in the process of getting the rest of the house ready, her basement ended up the catchall space. Most people have a room just like this and over time it can feel hopeless to be anything but storage.
Here’s the floor plan so you can imagine the nice large space. Read more
Dirty Don’s Haul and Adrenal Fatigue
I made a little venture over to Dirty Don’s today. If you’re new here, that’s a salvage grocery store in my area. There are salvage groceries in almost every large city where they get freight from semi’s and trains that didn’t make their destination on time. The stores can buy the merchandise for pennies on the dollar and then re-sell it at a discount to their customers. It might be perfect or dented or repackaged in some way. Dirty Don’s is like that, but the trashiest of all the stores in my area. For that reason it has the best potential bargains, but I have to check the expiration dates closely. They don’t have any qualms about selling stuff 4 years (or more) past expiration.
I spent just under $30 and this is what I got:
Multigrain Cheerios: $1 a box (2)
100% whole wheat tortillas: $.75 a bag (4)
Long Grain Brown Rice: 2 lbs for $1 (4)
Chicken Hot Dogs: 3 lbs for $1
Cutie Clementines: 3 lbs for $2 (2)
Strawberries: 1 lb for $.50 (4) (I know you’re wondering, I did throw away 1 berry per box but the rest were good)
Mandarin oranges: 3 cans for $1 (6)
Tomato Puree: #10 can $2
Marinara Sauce: #10 can $2
Tropical Fruit Salad: #10 Can $3.25
Blueberry white tea: $1.50 box
They had a lot of other deals, but I was pretty selective about what I bought and purchased fairly small quantities this time. It’s becoming harder for me to feed my family on our budget and I wanted to make sure that I had money left for fresh stuff the rest of the month.
Insert Squealing tires as we change subject.
I’ve been blogging a bit over at my other site, Centsablyfit.com, about my experience with Adrenal Fatigue. It’s not really a topic that I felt comfortable featuring on this blog. I needed to get my thoughts organized about it so I could go back and remind myself how far I’ve come and what is working. If it’s a topic you are interested in, here are my last 4 posts:
I have a little bit more to say on the topic so if this is important to you, subscribe over there so you won’t miss anything. I also post my favorite fitness recipes there as a resource when meal planning for myself.
Frugal Friday #8, Special Edition
If you’re new here: On Fridays I share a few frugal things I did during the week. Then in the comments you to share a frugal thing or two you did during the week. If you are a blogger feel free to link to your Frugal Friday post in the comments and we’ll come check it out.
Happy Friday! In this edition of Frugal Friday, I’m going to list the hacks we did in the boy’s bedroom to save money and how much they saved. If I already have the tutorial on the blog, I’ll link to it.
1. DIY Headboards: $15 each (original $149.95 each) Savings: $275
2. DIY Picture Frame: $12 (purchased around $150) Savings $138
3. DIY Trofast Toy Organzier: Ikea doesn’t sell this size or color but if they did it would be around $50. It cost me around $30 to make and not much more time than assembling one from the box. Savings $40 I used this tutorial and adjusted it for our size preference. This is the FIRST wood thing I made without help and I’m a little proud of myself.
4. DIY Sawhorse Desk: This cost around $44 to make. I can have one made here for $250. Savings $206 I used this tutorial but replaced the top with a slab hollow core door.
5. Electrical Conduit Curtain Rods and Ikea BETYDLIG Brackets. The large window used a 10 foot conduit pipe for $1.99 and the two smaller windows used 5 foot pieces for $1.65. All together the widow hardware was $15.65 for the 3 windows. Traditional hardware would have been $40 a window. Savings $104.35
6. Burlap ribbon valances: I wanted bamboo window shades for looks only. Bamboo shades are see-through at night so we use roller shades for privacy. I like the warmth and texture of bamboo shades and wanted something to hide the top of our roller shades and the gap between the top of the window and the ceiling. The large window shade would be around $70 and the two smaller ones $30 each. Instead I thumbtacked up 2 layers of burlap decorator mesh ribbon for $20. Savings of $110 Click here to find out why I hang my curtains so high.
7. Restored Night Stands: I found this pair of nightstands on craigslist for $30 (for the pair.) They had been abused with spray stone textured paint and tiles that were improperly installed then ripped off. I sanded off the texture and gave them a fresh coat of paint, pried off the old tops and made new stained wooden tops for them, and replaced the hardware with handles leftover from our kitchen contractor packs. I spent an extra $15 in wood and supplies, so $45 total for the pair. New nightstands like these are $125 each. Savings: $205
8. Switched from Ikea Duvet Covers to Target Clearance covers: Target’s were $18 each, Ikea’s were $50. Savings $64
9. Spray painted black lamps green. Old Time Pottery had nicely shaped lamps with the right kind of shade for $30, but they only came in black. The inspiration lamps from Amazon were $107.09 for the pair. Savings $42
10. Bought the sofa on Craigslist instead of Ikea: Ikea’s prices are great, but if I can save a bit more I’m on it. A motivated seller had his Ektorp Loveseat on CL for $30 because the cover was ripped and it had cat hair on it. New they are $375. I bought a new cover for $39 and that problem was solved. Savings $306
The other big savings were: keeping their original beds and flooring; removing the popcorn ceiling ourselves; and painting ourselves. Savings $3,000. Without counting those, we saved $1,490.35 on the furnishings. Not bad for a little bit of elbow grease.
It’s your turn. Inspire us with some of your frugal activities this week.
Top 15 Economic Survival Foods
Yesterday I asked you to think about how you would spend $100 if that was all you had to feed your family for the month. I’ve never lived on such a small budget for our family. Even when we were getting out of debt and had 3 small children (instead of 6 big ones) our budget was $185. That’s as low as I’ve ever gone. There are a bunch of great ideas in the comments and several people even mentioned giving it a try for a month. Report back if you do, but understand I’m not asking or even suggesting someone try it. It’s just a mental exercise.
Here’s a list of the highest nutrition lowest cost foods I know. Some of them have been smeared online as unhealthy foods (ahem…..whole wheat, cough cough….potatoes), but since the dawn of creation they have sustained healthy human life. If God made it and called it good for food, it’s good enough for me. None of these links are affiliate links. Links are for proof of price. There may be lower cost options available locally. Unlinked foods are from Aldi.
1. Whole Wheat Berries: $15.48 for 25 lbs; 274 servings at $.05 each. I would grind them fresh for pancakes, whole wheat bread, English muffins, tortillas, pitas, cracked forhot breakfast cereal, sprout it for salads etc. It would be our main diet staple.
2. Long Grain Brown Rice: 5 lbs for $3.38; 50 servings at $.07 each. I would use it to make rice, pilaf, soup, pudding, hot breakfast cereal, and yes–sprouts.
3. Dry Pinto Beans: 4 lbs for $3.82; 52 servings at $.07 each. I would use these in soup, casseroles, with rice, veggie burgers, ground as flour to add protein to bread, and grow sprouts etc.
- Rolled Oats (Aldi): 42 oz for $2.39; 30 servings $.08 each. I would make hot breakfast cereal; add it to bread, muffins, pancakes etc.
- Popping Corn: 2 lb for $1.98; 27 servings at $.07 each. I would pop this for snacks and grind it for cornbread and hot cereal mush.
6. Celery: 1 stalk for $1; 16 servings for $.06 each. Soups, salads; with peanut butter. The beauty of this food is you can regrow it from the base.
7. Potatoes: 10 lbs for $2.99; 20 servings for $.15 each; baked potatoes, soups, home fries; mashed potatoes, bread.
8. Carrots: 2 lbs for $1; 8 servings for $.12 each; salads; soups; muffins, pancakes;
9. Eggs: $1.59 a dozen; 8 servings for $.20 each
10. Milk: $2.15 a gallon; 16 servings for $.13 each. I would use it in pancakes; hot cereal; biscuits; and yogurt making
11. Peanut Butter: 40 oz for $2.99; 35 servings for $.09 each. Sandwiches, muffins, and as a dip for veggies and fruit
12. Apples: 3 lbs for $2.69; 9 servings for $.29 each
13. Bananas: 4 lb for $1.16; 16 servings for $.07 each
14. Onions: 3 lb for $1.99; 12 servings for $.16; add to soups and casseroles to add flavor and nutrition
15. Whole Chickens: 5 lbs for $4.75; 16 servings for $.29 each. I would boil chicken for bone broth soup and remove the meat to combine with beans, rice, etc…and make it stretch.
Everything on this list totals $49.36 and has 589 servings averaging $.08 each. (Keep in mind it takes several servings of different foods to make a balanced meal.) I still have half my budget left to do this again or find a little more variety to add to the mix. While I was shopping and doing the research for this post, they had chicken legs on sale for $.49 a lb; oranges 4 lb for $3; broccoli for $1 a lb and avocados for $.39 each.
In March, I could add nutrition by gathering wild edibles like lamb’s quarter, clover blossom and leaves; violets; wild chives; and dandelion. Hunting for more protein options is another possibility. There are also 30+ harvester drop off locations in driving distance from my house where we could get free food several times a week. Area grocery stores donate product to them for a tax deduction when they get close to their sale date. Most of these drop offs do not ask for registration or proof of income, but do require some wait time to stand in line.
When I made my purchases I would also think about what could regrow into food for the future. For example, celery and green onions can be regrown from the base. Potatoes can be cut into pieces and planted in the spring. Right now is the time to start seeds from peppers, tomatoes, and cantaloupe. You can grow them from seeds found inside your purchased food. Here’s more info on growing a garden from grocery store food and here.
What do you think? Did any of the cost per servings surprise you?
If you only had $100
I’m guesting posting over at Don’t Waste the Crumbs Today on 5 Fail Proof Ways to Reduce Grocery Spending. I’d be honored if you’d come visit with me and check it out.
Think carefully about this question and put your answer in the comments below. What would you buy to feed your family if you only had $100 for the entire month? Let’s say you have a decent pantry of staples like yeast, salt, spices, and oil, so you just needed to buy food things. I want to know what you would you get and what would you would cook with it to keep your family alive and healthy.
I think about this some times when I hear that my donation of $20 can feed a family in Africa for a week. What are they eating? Is it balanced? Would I be too proud to live on it? When my husband suddenly lost his job 8 years ago, we faced a time like this. I told Darren that with $200 I could run the whole household for the month, not just food. It was a fun challenge and one I was equally happy to have end. Not until I had to do something drastic did I see what I was really capable of.
Let’s pretend it’s drastic. What would you do?
Frugal Friday #7
If you’re new here: On Fridays I share a few frugal things I did during the week. Then in the comments you to share a frugal thing or two you did during the week. If you are a blogger feel free to link to your Frugal Friday post in the comments and we’ll come check it out.
- I made soup, 3 days in a row. They were different soups: tortilla soup, beef and vegetable (to use up leftover veggies) and chicken with homemade noodles. I love soup because it’s a one pot meal, fast, nutritious and filling. Hot leftovers pack well in a thermos so my kids can have a warm lunch at school. The third night Dub said, “Oh! Soup again!” He tried to make it sound cheerful, but I could tell I was pushing it, lol. Since soup is mostly water, it saves on the grocery bill and just feels right with the snowy weather we’ve been having.
- I used swagbucks gift cards to amazon to buy art for Darren’s office. It was mostly free and every little bit helps to bring this project under budget.
4. I built a huge picture frame from an inspiration photo. I did buy the wood, but even so the project was around $30. Buying one custom sized from hobby lobby would be more than $100. I haven’t learned to use a router yet (still a beginner wood worker), so I just duct taped the picture to the back.
Here’s the inspiration. Scale is hard for me to estimate in before photos, but the more afters I do, the easier it is.
I’ll give the details about the room next month :).
It’s your turn. Inspire us with some of your frugal activities this week.
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
One of the lowest cost food categories is soup. Soup is mostly water but still filling and comforting. I love that soup is a meal in one, saving prep time and money on side dishes. I usually add a hearty bread for the men, but skip it myself to stay on track with my fitness plan.
Recently the weather has turned super cold and white, so we’ve been enjoying night after night of various soups. Is there a limit on how many days in a row one can serve soup? I don’t think so–that would be like saying there was a limit on the number of days in a row you could eat pizza. Crazy.
I posted this photo on instagram and got a couple of requests for the recipe. My husband’s sisters made this soup for the family when they were growing up and the first time I tasted it, I begged the recipe from them. It’s the perfect thing for a crowd or when someone isn’t feeling well. Full of rich bone broth, it’s soothing and healing. When someone is suffering and I feel powerless to help, I make soup!
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
1 whole roasting chicken (4-5 lbs)
12 cups water
5 tsp mineral sea salt (you can use less, but we go for 1 tsp per quart of food/liquid)
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp fresh black pepper
6 carrots, peeled and sliced
4 stalks of celery, chopped
1 onion chopped (I had red on hand, but any kind will work)
Combine everything in a large pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and simmer for about an hour or until the chicken is falling apart. If your chicken was frozen, allow 2.5-3 hours to cook.
Remove chicken and bones to a bowl to cool enough to touch. Skim any foam off the top of the broth and discard.
Use a slotted spoon or spider to remove vegetables to a second bowl.
Remove meat from bones and chop. Store meat with the vegetables in the bowl.
Keep a bowl of water close for re-wetting your hands as you work with the noodle dough. This will keep it from sticking.
For noodles combine:
2 cups of unbleached flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil
2 eggs
4 Tbs water
Knead everything with damp hands then roll out 1/4 inch thick. Dough should be dry and barely hold together. Cut with a pizza cutter into strips about 3/8 inch wide and 2-3 inches long. Bring the chicken broth to a full rolling boil and drop the noodles in. Separate with a spoon when they first go in. Boil for 15 minutes then turn off the heat. Return vegetables and chicken back to the soup and sprinkle the top with dried parsley. Don’t skimp on the parsley–it makes it so pretty and appetizing.
How to Shrink Spending with a Grocery Ad
Every week on Tuesday or Wednesday I get a mail bundle of the grocery ads from my local stores. They come to everyone for free and if somehow we get missed we can go to the store website and sign up for them.
When the ads come, I take 5 minutes to look through them and write down on my shopping list the store name and the awesome deals I want to buy there. I spend the most time on the front and back pages of the ads, because these are where the loss leaders are posted. Loss leaders are items sold below profit level in hopes to lure people in the store and spend a bunch of money on profitable items. If they have a limit beside the price, you can be sure it’s a loss leader. When I shop for those items, I usually only buy those items, but I also look in the meat and dairy sections for manager specials. These are items that are close to their sale by date and need to be frozen or used up right away. I have purchased meat for $.50 a pound this way to store in my pantry freezer.
When I’m looking for good sales, I keep in the back of my mind the regular prices of these items at Aldi. If I can’t remember, I make my Aldi run on the way to the conventional grocery store and double check the price.
Some weeks the ads aren’t worth getting out for and we just eat from our pantry.
Random Stuff:
- The grocery stores are paid by the brands to feature their products in the ad. The most prominent the item, the more they paid.
- Brand names also pay the store for prime shelf locations (eye level stuff) which makes those items cost more. Look high and low on the shelves for the best values.
- Each store pays around $40,000 per week to put their ad in your home. If it didn’t increase their profits, they wouldn’t do it.
- Brand name items often have a coupon available to match with the sale price. Sometimes this makes the item cost less than the private label, sometimes not. Always do the math. (I rarely mess with coupons.)
- Most families buy a lot more than the sale items, keeping the grocery stores profitable. I’m one of the few exceptions.
- The majority of my shopping list is the DEALS I can get, not a list based on recipes I’m planning for the week. Then I plan meals from the low cost foods I have to work with, sometimes grabbing a special item or fresh produce to bring it all together.
What do you think? Is this the way you’ve been doing it all along?