Weekend Links

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Happy Weekend!  Here are some things that inspired me this week.

I joined the Octpus for a Preemie US Chapter, founded by my good friend, Jessica Holmes. Here’s why people or crocheting little octopuses for tiny babies.  I’m still trying to finish my first one.  It’s a tricky project but I think the rest will go faster.

Krokotak is a fun website full of free printables and craft ideas for all ages.   Here’s their tutorial on homemade phone holders from toilet paper rolls.

Layla from the Lettered Cottage did a DIY paned mirror of mammoth proportions.  So far about $20 spent, but she promises to show us a curved topper soon that will make this strikingly similar to a $549 catalog version.

This floral garland hoop wreath from Julie Ryan at Life of Bliss.

 

The Secret Stash

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Halfway through my first year teaching, we got married. As if being a new teacher wasn’t hard enough, my 2nd year about the same time we had our first baby.  I had made a commitment early on to be an at home mom, so even though it was much sooner than we expected, I suspended my teaching career at the end of my 2nd year.

My mom was a professional homemaker, so the idea of thrift and economy wasn’t new to me. I penny-pinched and DIY’d myself to homemaker bliss and also brought in small amounts of income on the side:  a little babysitting here, some music lessons there, a garage sale a few times a year, some custom sewing and craft sales….you get the idea.  It was never a great deal of money at once.  I put it in an envelope in my lingerie drawer and let it accumulate.**

If I got birthday money or had leftover in a budget category some month, it all went in there.  I didn’t tell anyone about it.  To be honest, I rarely thought about it myself.  It’s what the farm wives of old used to call their “egg money” or “cookie jar money.”

One day my husband came home as low spirited as a man could get.  His job had been suddenly terminated.  He made a mistake and was terminated for cause so we were not eligable for unemployment.  We had a small emergency fund, so we weren’t eligible for food stamps or medicaid either.  I called every agency I could think of, and we fell through the  cracks for all of them.*  By the time we qualified for help, we would be homeless.

My husband sat on the sofa with his face in his hands thinking about his dismal job options when there was a termination for cause on his employment record.  He had 8 mouths to feed and our small savings would last us 5 months IF we just paid for power, gasoline, mortgage and $200 a month for food and all other household needs.  We immediately canceled everything extra including music lessons.  Cobra insurance would have wiped us out completely in just a couple of months, so we had to let our health insurance go too. It wasn’t safe or recommended, but we were desperate.

Then I remembered my secret stash.  I had been hoping to use it for a family vacation or a home update project.  Instead, I grabbed the fat, worn envelope out of it’s lacy nest and brought it to my despondent husband.  His eyes opened wide at this unexpected gift. We counted it together and it was enough to buy us an extra month of job hunting time.

It was a blessing at the time, but we have mixed opinions about the wisdom of a secret stash.  My husband believes all income should be reported to the family and properly budgeted for, even if it is to go in the emergency fund.  While I can see his side of things, I loved being able to surprise him with more than he hoped for, and having a little “mad money” that I could decide for alone.  He agrees mad money is a great thing, but wants to budget for it.

What do you think?  Do you have a secret stash?

*I have since learned about 20+ Harvester food drop locations in driving distance from my home. Most of them do not require enrollment or proof of need, which would have been a blessing to me at the time.

**There’s also the law that even small amounts of cash income are supposed to be reported to the government, excluding gifts and garage sales where items are sold at a loss. I didn’t know it at the time, but thankfully the largest bulk of my stash was from garage sales and birthday gifts.

Makeover Monday: Bethany’s Kitchen

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Bethany is a homeschool mom to 8!  Her dining room doubles as their homeschool room so needs amble storage. They also hosting family dinners for 20-30 people.  It’s great that they have an open floor plan so the crowds can spread into the kitchen and the living room and still feel connected.

She writes: ” The stained glass in the window was made by my uncle, and I really love the plum color in it. I also have a stained glass with aqua in it. And I  have a China cabinet that I want to repaint on the opposite wall (maybe white? Or a fun, bright color?)

Right now, I think the wall color is bringing me down. It’s just too blah. This room is in the north side of the house, so the light isn’t as bright. I don’t like white walls, but I need something light. I have thought about painting the chairs white, or all different colors of purple.”

Bethany!  Thanks for being a long time fan and for reaching out.  I think your wall color is charming and a good accent for your special window, but it’s pink undertone is fighting with the yellow undertones of the backsplash.  My first choice would be to replace the backsplash with a classic white subway tile.  This tile was first used in 1904 and it’s vintage charm insures it will never be “out.”

I love your light colored hardwood floors.  Lighter, more natural wood tones are at the front of the trend right now and your floors are perfect.  The cabinets and most of your furniture match them perfectly, which sounds like a great idea, but can make the room feel “flat.”

To break it up a little, I recommend painting your cabinets and island chairs white with gray seat cushions.  I also gave your island a little pop of plum color to say “Hiya” to your stained glass window. Inspiration here. I had trouble getting the color right, it’s too bright, but you get the idea. (If you don’t tile across the top of the window, add a bamboo blind.)  With the updates, I think your paint color works.

(The bright purple was bothering me, so here it is a little darker.  You can choose whatever shade coordinates with your stained glass the best.)

With the cabinets painted, the chairs could be left wood toned for more warmth if you prefer.

You already had the perfect curtain rod on the kitchen side and your curtains hung high and wide. I just gave you some beefier white curtains to fill up the wall space a little better. I think they would be amazing with plum colored pompom trim on the edges. Like these without the yellow embroidery:

 Here it is with Revere Pewter paint.  This paint is a little more friendly with your backsplash–a warm yellow toned gray.

I gave you a statement lighting piece in aged wood to add character and warmth to the space.

The depth of the wall on this side of the window looks narrower than the other side.  I would swap your homeschool storage with the mirror, so your curtain can hang freely on this side.  And I would swap your open storage with a vintage look armoire, so you can close the doors and quiet the space.  (Make sure it’s narrow enough to not block the window on either side.  If you can’t fine one on craigslist, you could consider building one out of Billy bookcases, covering the upper glass with gathered white cloth and leaving the very top clear glass.)

Like this one:

Or this one:

I love the dark color of your table and would keep it as is, but paint the dining chairs to match what you do with the Island seating.

Beef up the curtains to match what’s in the kitchen, and make sure they are all floor to ceiling. I’d be tempted to buy the thickest white Ikea curtains and crochet pompom trim edging to save money.

The last thing to cozy up the space is probably not practical at all for a family of 10, but a rug on hardwood grounds the space and brings in a cozy warmth.  If you go for it, get it big enough that all the chair legs will stay on it when people are sitting.  And choose one with plenty of pattern to hide stains.  Here are some ideas:

If you’d like to add some finishing touches, I’d do crown molding all around the room and swap out the dining room Chandelier with one that coordinates with the one over the island.

Would you like your room photoshopped and featured on Makeover Monday?  Send a few photos from your space to angela@groceryshrink.com and tell me your hopes and dreams for the room.

Get a full service virtual makeover complete with 3D room layout plan, 2 photoshop views, step by step work list, and within your budget source list. Find out more.

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Learn how to use Photoshop for your own designs with the Room Makeover class.

Weekend Inspiration

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Here are some things that I thought were particularly clever, money saving, or inspirational:

Angie from eHow made a Macrame Hammock Swing for around $25.  (Source for the cord) I love to make a few of these for our lower deck.

Debs from Bangonstyle recycled jars into Gold topped animal containers to organize her bath.

Maryanne from Domestically Speaking made a blanket ladder with just $5 in lumber. I’d like to build one of these for towel storage in our master bathroom.

Pottery Barn Teen has instructions for these cute painted vases.

Kristine at the Painted Hive added a bit of molding to her plain hollow core doors and elevated the look for just a few dollars.

The Best Proteins to Buy when You’re Broke

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We’ve all been there.  Funds are limited, but you still have to eat.  Most people think of high carb foods like white bread and pasta when funds are low, but it’s important to get plenty of protein, especially in times of stress.

Eggs 

Eggs average $1 a dozen or 17 cents for a 2 egg serving with 140 calories and 14 grams of protein.  They are full of healthy fats and vitamins too.  With eggs you can make:  egg salad; scrambled eggs; fried egg sandwiches; creamed eggs over biscuits; and frittata.

Read more…

Chili Dog Enchiladas

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This recipe uses a few convenience items to get dinner on the table in a snap.  Since we usually cook from scratch, this change of pace feels really special.  Haha, yep, hot dogs are special.  This will only taste as good as your hot dogs are, so I recommend splurging a little on the all beef or turkey ones.   Read more…

House Updates

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We’ve been working on this fixer upper of ours for 4 years! This is the year we might get it finished.

I pulled the red sculpted carpeting on the second floor last year even though we didn’t have money to replace flooring.  The carpet was 40 years old and the allergens were really built up in it. As soon as we figured out it was part of why I was sick all the time we pulled it out. I painted the subfloor with porch paint and even though it was rough, it was ok.   As soon as I could save up the money, I bought the same flooring (TrafficMASTER Handscraped Seratoga Hickory) we put down in Heather’s room. (I still need to paint the walls, add trim and wainscoting and art. And move the mattress, ha ha–but baby steps.)

It’s a little darker than the trend is going right now, but it matches our vintage doors perfectly and is only $.99 a square foot.  Their lighter colorway in Lakeshore Pecan is only $.79 a square foot!  It has been in Heather’s room for almost 4 years now and it has worn perfectly.  No scratches or chunks out of it.  It has held up better than the real hardwood we installed on the main floor.

Next step is to replace the paneling in the office.  I was going to paint it white, but it has water damage that caused the panels to warp and fail at the seams, which could mean mold issues above. As much as I’m afraid to look behind the paneling, I can’t risk leaving mold up there.  With fresh white paneling up, the office will become the temporary master bedroom.  I’ll miss my closet, but I won’t miss running past the glass front door wearing nothing but a towel as I head to the working bathroom while hoping the glare of the sun off the glass blinds the neighbors before the sight of me in a towel does.  I’m imagining this kind of cottage feel:

Source

After that, we start removing the pine planked basement ceiling which is covered with 100 florescent lights.  I love the look of a painted pine ceiling, but the lights created 100 large holes that can’t be easily fixed.  The plan is to drywall the ceiling with a modest amount of LED recessed lights, and hope to leave the pine walls for painting.   Heidi and I have plans for the ruined pine planks.  We are hoping there will be long enough scraps to build some furniture.

The ceiling is coming down before we’re ready to finish the basement to give access to electrical and plumbing for the new master bedroom.  The master has been raw studs and exposed pipes and wires for 4 years.  I got tired of looking at it and thumbtacked twin flat sheets to the ceiling awhile ago.  It really did make waiting easier.

Under the plywood on the floor is a giant hole where the sunken bathtub with no surrounding walls used to live.  It was a big tripping hazard, so we had the tub hauled off by a metal recycler and plunked some plywood down so no one would fall to their death to the basement.  This is RIGHT in front of the entrance to the bedroom.  You could sit in the former bathtub in the master and watch the TV in the family room and hold a conversation with everyone, convenient :).   Plus, the kids liked using it as a slide.  They were pretty upset they day it left.

We are moving the door in the master bedroom from the family room to the foyer.  This will give us enough space to build an ensuite bathroom, and allow faster middle of the night access to the 2nd floor where the children sleep.  The doors are right on the other side of the staircase from each other.  The new door is to the left of the old one and makes good sense inside the bedroom also.  There’s just enough space for the new door to make it 36 inches wide with room for proper trim.

Here are the current plans for the ensuite:

Also on the list:  finish the basement, build organizers in the garage, replace the driveway, build a lower patio under the upper deck, cut a back door and add stairs to go to the yard, build a swing set and finish the landscaping.  We’re about $16,000 short on the budget for ALL of this, so some projects will have to wait while we save up money.   I’m also hoping that I over budgeted on some projects and we will find money as we go along.  Bwa ha ha!  Like that EVER happens in remodeling.

We refinanced our home in January.  My parents hold the mortgage to the house.  It’s a rare situation I know, but they are very frugal and built a nice savings that my mom was afraid to invest in the stock market.  It was sitting in the bank making %0.005 interest driving my Dad crazy.  He was interested in loaning it to us where it could safely grow.  We were getting a mortgage anyway and would have to pay the interest somewhere, and it feels really good paying it to them.  We have the mortgage on direct deposit, so every month they automatically get paid.  We’re never late and everyone has peace of mind.  That simple piece of organization keeps the family relationship good.  I know this is something that Dave Ramsey says to never do, but it works for us.  This January, my folks gave us back all the principal+interest that we had paid them over the last 4 years and started our loan over.  If we are super careful, it should be enough to finish the house modestly.

 

How I’m Knocking My Husband’s Socks off this Valentine’s Day

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I’m normally not the romantic one in our relationship.  That’s what makes this surprise so good. He’s not going to expect it and he’s going to love it at the same time.  Not only is it romantic and relationship building, but it’s good for his health.  That might be my favorite part.

Last year I took an online course called, Melt, by professional massage therapist Denis Merkas. He has had famous clients like Peirce Brosnan come through his clinic.  Normally I wouldn’t’ have access to learn from someone of his skill level, but through the Melt course I got to learn his technique.  When I was a newlywed, I read an article that said men usually don’t live as long as their wives because of stress.  I told my husband that I would give him a massage every night so he would release stress and live longer.   It was a great idea, except my tiny little lady hands were no match for his boulder shoulders.  I would give up after a few minutes, and he would wonder why his massage was so short.   I wasn’t very interested in trying again, because of the pain and his massages were further and further apart until I stopped trying.

Denis’s course changed all that for me.  I learned the secrets that allow professional massage therapists give a 60 minute massage without wearing out, even on super strong bodies.   Darren felt the difference the first time.  He didn’t know why it was so good, he just knew it was.  When it was all over, he wanted to know how I learned the technique and if he could learn it too.   I’m all for that!

So this Valentine’s Day I’m paying attention to all the romantic details.

  1. Refresh my technique by watching the video course again.
  2. Tidy up the bedroom room, not perfection just better than normal, so he NOTICES something is different.
  3. Rose petals on the bed.
  4. Wooden tray with candles, Valentine chocolates, and massage oil on the bench at the foot of our bed.  It’s a great place for a lying down massage.
  5. Fur rug and blankets in front of the tall leaning mirror with more candles and chocolates.  It’s the perfect place for a sitting massage so he can watch me massage him wearing something flirtatious.
  6. Youtube playlist of relaxing music.  I like this one and this one.

I can’t wait to see his face when he comes home from work next Tuesday :).

Valentine’s Day Special…

Melt is bundling up its foot massage videos for FREE with the Melt video series. Total value of $171 for only $99. So many tutorials, you’ll be sharing massages for years to come! 

Offer ends Feb 14th, 2017

Click here 

This special promo is for our Grocery Shrink readers. You’ll get lifetime unlimited access to the ENTIRE melt video series and the foot rub videos. It’s the gift that keeps on giving.  

Includes a 60 day money back guarantee + a Valentine’s Day gift voucher.

These are not only great for cheap stay home date nights (works out at around $29 a date night if you split it over three nights!) even less $7.41 if you set up a massage date idea once a month!

Why I’m Bubbling Over With Excitement

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This month I’ve been hosting a spending freeze challenge for the Grocery Shrink Plus members.  It was an extra perk of their meal plan membership and they got some extra stuff, like printable worksheets and the super frugal $50 week meal plan to help them get the most out of the the challenge.  The best part is how the members encourage each other.

Here’s one comment from a member who gave permission for me to share her story but asked to remain anonymous:

This “no spending freeze” has been an inspiration to me. 
I finally talked with my husband about our budget. He is on board, and I am holding myself more accountable on our grocery budget. I am one of THESE people with overblown grocery budget, but can’t afford it. I am working hard on not stock piling, holding out for the true sales, and only buying what is needed right now (fruit for most part, along with paper products and toiletries). So far, we have only spent about 15% of our regular budget. I intend on keeping the same for February, and then keep our new budget to 2/3 of what we spent last year.
Our other budget items have remained at 0 for this month, except of course for what we spend our animals and pets, some homeschooling expenses and regular bills. When we had to eat out, due to lack of planning and time, it made my family more aware, and gave more tools to discuss with our kids why we are not going out every Sunday for dinner with our friends after church.
Is it hard? Yes, as I am trying not to obsess over the budget, but at the same time enjoy almost too much seeing our expenses going way down this month.
And from another member:
We were able to pay off the balance of a credit card that I didn’t expect to pay off for another 3 months! Getting this debt snowball rolling…. 
And we still have a week left!!!!
We wrap up the spending freeze, January 31st, but I’m keeping the group open for several ladies who want to continue freezing for a few more months and kick their debt to the curb.
But this isn’t the only reason I’m excited.  Have you ever noticed how much sticking to a budget is similar to sticking to a healthy eating plan?
That’s why the next official GSP challenge is a fitness challenge.  It starts February 6th and comes with special bonuses including fat shredding prep ahead meal plans, so you can have your meals and snacks all ready to go for each week, a private group where you can check in and get a pat on the back, and extra coaching.  If you’d like to join us, here’s a secret link for 50% off the membership.  It expires February 6th or whenever we fill up.