Learning New Skills

I think that, no matter what your interests or talents, life is so much more fulfilling when you continue to learn. Stepping out of our comfort zones can be scary, yes, but exhilarating. I am very grateful that I was able to take part in a cheese making workshop yesterday and I have been walking on air making plans and schemes and feeling like life is full of possibilities. Isn't that great?

I did a mosaic tile table top workshop when my first son was a baby. It was one of the first times I'd left him all day (with my mom, but still!). I was exhausted, I missed him so much that by midday I almost burst into tears and left to go home. But I also felt an old spark rekindled...a creative side that had become bogged down in midnight feedings, diapers, loneliness, isolation and the feeling that my own identity had been swallowed up by something (although wonderful) much greater than myself. I began to remember who I was.

My mom suggested that I do a pottery class a couple years ago--love that woman! I had done a class pre-children and really loved handling the clay. I hand built some pieces that we use all the time. Creating bowls and cups on the wheel is still on my bucket list and the class I did in 2013 really gave me some confidence and it was so healthy for me to have a few hours a week pursuing my own interests while mom took care of my kids.

My love of gardening continues to grow. We have an elderly neighbour who also loves his garden and we visit back and forth to compare notes (he drops in to see if I've got these weeds under control yet!). Even at the age of 75 he is still seeing new things happen in the garden and he is interested in the types of things I plant and he loves to share his vegetables. What a hobby, to garden. The fact that a 99c pack of seeds can bring me years of delightful flowers just makes me full of joy. This yard...my garden...there isn't a day, not one day, goes by where I don't look out my window and thank whatever powers have brought me here to this place in my life.

It is such a delight to have friends that share my interest in crafty, homemade things. I shared a craft table at the local Christmas sale last year and we have plans to do another this year. Scheming and sewing and planning keeps every day interesting for me.

A friend and I made soap a few weeks ago (it may be a bit soft but we are letting it cure. And cure some more!). We plan to try again and as much as I enjoyed taking part in the process it is the company and connecting as friends that really feeds my soul.

The cheese making workshop yesterday opened my eyes to more than just a new homesteading skill that I am interested in. It was a group of local people that are pursuing similar hobbies and the lifestyle that I aspire to. I didn't feel so alone in my curiosity. I felt inspired. I felt like I can do all of the things swimming around in my brain. I felt really grateful that we can afford for me to do these occasional workshops and days out, and I felt very happy to come home to my family that supports my trying new things. When I look back on five years ago when I felt washed up, spent, and like my own identity was lost forever, I feel the need to spread the word to others that if you do the work that you must you will eventually find the time to do the things that you love. Read about it, blog about it, read blogs and borrow books and visit the places that inspire you. Build your knowledge so that when the time is right you can begin.

Not every one would want to try the things that I have taken a crack at in the last few years. We are learning about chickens and ducks and lambs and making syrup, baking bread and quilting and I have a list of things to come. These are not very scholarly or professional endeavors. They are hands on, tactile, artistic, grass roots crafts and skills and that may not be your thing. But I hope that you find your "thing" and pursue it with all your heart. The world opens up when you find your groove and never stop learning new things :)

Thrifty Thursday: Couponing for the Non-Committed

This is my third "Thrifty Thursday" post. I want to stay motivated as I work on our family budget--part of that motivation is sharing what I am doing. It can be discouraging to read frugal blogs and see how people feed their families on so little money--I feel like I am trying hard and yet I don't see those results. I am sensitive to the fact that many people are frugal out of necessity and don't have the option to "not succeed" in their attempts. The last thing I want to be is patronizing. Nonetheless, I feel like we are bleeding money around here and there are some expensive things we need to save for. I know there are people who want to reduce their spending but do not know where to start..so I am writing these posts for them and myself :) I hope you are inspired and if you can add any ideas of your own I hope you will comment below :)

Like me, you have probably heard of people saving hundreds of dollars by extreme couponing, although I've never watched the show by that same name. I know a lady who was actually paid for some things (I mean, she got the product for free plus she was paid a few cents! When I get a chance I'm going to get her to explain that one to me!)

Unfortunately, my own attempts at using coupons have been haphazard and usually leave me frustrated (forget to use them) or annoyed (clutter of newspapers/recycling/only coupons for things I don't need etc). But I have also been getting more serious about stockpiling certain items (a post related to that is coming soon) and so it makes sense to watch for coupons for the things that I don't need immediately but want to acquire in quantities.

I saw something on Pinterest that helped explain a few basics of couponing. If you are interested you can read more here. For the time being I want to use coupons to help me 1) reduce our current grocery spending and 2) help build a stockpile of certain household items (which should in turn also help us reduce spending). I am only willing to commit a bit of time to this per week, however, so I have a few guidelines for myself and I'll see how it goes.

1. Pick up the Sunday and Wednesday papers regularly (we now have a worm composting bin in which I use a lot of shredded newspaper, so the mess is less of a concern these days. I also use newspaper to start the wood stove, and we recycle)

2. Check online for manufacturer's coupons the night before I shop. Print and clip. (This will usually be Monday nights as I prefer to shop early Tuesday mornings)

3. Menu plan according to what's fresh in the garden, what needs used up in the fridge/freezer, and what is on special at the grocer.

4. If and when there are enough deals at a store that is not my regular grocery stop, I will go with a list and do a partial shop there. This might include ten-for-ten dollars days at the Co-op (usually get ten canned items for ten dollars, etc) or their meat sale. It does not help me to go to the extremely busy Co-op on 10% off Tuesdays, though, as it is more expensive than Superstore to start with. With two small helpers along on my once-a-week trip to town, multiple stops are near impossible. By the time we do all our errands we are exhausted and starved, so one-stop shopping was mandatory. when they were smaller. This fall, however, my big boy is starting kindergarten and will go on the bus to school every second day for the whole day. So there will be times that I have only one helper which will make it easier and will mean more room in the car.

5. By checking out the flyers before shopping, I will not need to circle the whole grocery store looking for deals (and therefore will succumb less to impulse buying!). I always write my list out in order of where things are, so I can continue to do that and will not, for example, go down the baking aisle if I know that flour is not on special that week etc. This should help curb the non-essential spending.

6. Once I get a feel for how often things go on special I will be more systematic about stockpiling. I read that sales happen on weekly cycles. Once I have those figured out I will report back and it will be easier for me to predict what I'll be buying.

7. I will continue to check the coupon wall as I enter Superstore (my main shopping choice). Twice recently the "coupon wall" has burned me with expired coupons, so I must remember to read the fine print before I use them! I use my points card and I pick up the weekly coupon for the free item if I spend the required amount. My goal is to not spend the required amount but, experience tells me, there is usually one week a month where I get a bigger amount of groceries. Why not time this with a decent free item (or bonus points for free groceries) especially if the money is spent when the groceries are already on special? This is how I hope that stockpiling will help save us money in the long run.

Some of the free items I have received over the years include: Rubbermaid food storage containers (twice), coffee travel mugs, battery pack and flashlight combo (gave away as a Christmas present), men's shaving kit (gave away as Christmas gift), various shower packs for women (I usually donate these unopened to the women's shelter at Christmas time), toothbrush and toothpaste combo worth $30 (it was whitening toothpaste which hurts our teeth, so I donated it to the food bank), free light bulbs, free cleaning product combos, you name it.

One other thing I should add is that I try to pick two on-special items every week that my kids deposit in the food bank bin on our way out of the store. I want them to be aware of our abundance and take their responsibility to help others seriously. If they don't understand that other families don't have enough, of course they won't grow up concerned about it. While I do think food banks and shelters are only band-aid solutions for deeper social issues, they do what they can to help and we must try to help too. I also engage the kids in conversations about homelessness, job loss, the working poor, etc, to try to help them understand where that donation is going. If I can be watching flyers for good deals and coupons this will also mean more donations to the food bank.

How I Did This Week:

Last week's shopping turned into a frugal failure. This week I went through the weekly flyer (discovered that laundry soap regular $18.98 was on for $10.98-so I got two). It is interesting to note that the Sunlight detergent in the flyer was an $8 savings each, while I had clipped a manufacturer's coupon that would save $2 if I bought 2 Tide products. I saved $16 by cross-referencing with the weekly flyer :)

We loooove Frank's RedHot Bollywood and I had a coupon to save 50 cents so I purchased one bottle. In comparing my grocery receipts I saw that last month the in-store special on the same sauce was over a dollar cheaper--SIGH--a person could really go in circles doing this! What I learned from that is to save my manufacturer's coupons to combine with the lower in-store price. That means checking the weekly flyer before I shop. If I had used the coupon the previous month I would have had the sauce for half price, so I am going to try to be much more aware of prices and, if I can get a decent stockpile, never pay full price for my groceries again :)

Total Frugal Fail: 08/11/15

Ah, sometimes I can't win for losing. A beautiful summer day, everyone was up and ready for town, we had all slept good, the kids were cooperating nicely (a trip to the splash park as collateral), and then I decided to print off coupons before we left.

On goes the TV. Curious George anyone? Mama just be a minute.

Ok coupons won't print using Chrome. Try Firefox. Bingo.

Must download Java. Downloading. Run to close windows so the house doesn't heat up while we are in town. Tidy the kitchen a bit and check printer. Break up a fight and Fire Up another George; mama's doing my best.There is a problem completing the print, no time now, change of plans if we go to Walmart I can get mulch for the flower beds and look for Simply Accounting or a program like it while also picking up a few groceries.

Off to Walmart. No mulch but potting soil is on for $2/bag. Let's scoop 3 and be ready for spring. Frugal and fantastic, no?

Ever onward. No accounting programs here at all, but the kids do find lots to ask for and beg for. I shall not relent I am on a frugal mission! Well, I justify the purchase of modelling clay as a sensory tool on these hot summer afternoons and some "get ready for kindergarten" workbooks because they are $3 and it beats trying to think of activities myself. So yes we are diverting from The Plan but soon I have us headed for the Groceries and we will be Done In No Time.

Wow, things are pricier here than Superstore....ok we can make it til next week on the butter we have...grab almond milk for the Allergic One although it's a buck fiddy higher. Oooooh toilet paper 30 rolls for $8, mama likes. Chicken legs are $7, but are these ethical legs? I can't think about that now because the Wild Ones are on the brink of revolt in the meat aisle...must make it to the finish...an ice cream cone at the splash park hangs in the balance. No more running, no pushing, let's find something for our picnic and get the haybones outta here...ah yes, of course the potting soil is $7/ bag, not 2 as the clearance sign promised, that's wonderful. Where can I leave that? Oh, I won't be needing the $8 notebook that was marked $3. Oh, you saw that it was marked $3? groovy. I'll take it.

Off to the splash park as promised. We had initially planned a free afternoon at the Bigger Better park in town but invited a friend who wanted to go to the small one by her house. So that the kids could also have ice cream after the splashing. Sigh. OK so it won't be free. Away we go. Friend has forgotten money but the Promise has been made and ice creams must be had. Budget is blown anyway so I indulge in an iced coffee. Teenager texts for a few minutes while we wait. It's 30 plus degrees and the Wild Ones are restless and must be subdued with more sugar (ya right!) and on she texts. No she grabs her purse and leaves the building. What the....! Oh, her coworker has all this while been filling ONE one-scoop cone. And on we wait. The iced coffee has half a cup of 18% cream in it, that's awesome. It is too late now to back out of the 3000 calorie drink. At this point I just want to go home and lay down...When the dust settles it is $16.50 for what was meant to be a free afternoon, after a morning of shopping which was meant to be supplemented by coupons and frugal wizardry. Which clearly it was not.

SIGH. Next time I shall do better! Have you had any frugal failures (or successes?!) lately?

Thrifty Thursday: Cooking in Batches

This is my second "Thrifty Thursday" post. I want to stay motivated as I work on our family budget--part of that motivation is sharing what I am doing. It can be discouraging to read frugal blogs and see how people feed their families on so little money--I feel like I am trying hard and yet I don't see those results. I am sensitive to the fact that many people are frugal out of necessity and don't have the option to "not succeed" in their attempts. The last thing I want to be is patronizing. Nonetheless, I feel like we are bleeding money around here and there are some expensive things we need to save for. I know there are people who want to reduce their spending but do not know where to start..so I am writing these posts for them and myself :) I hope you are inspired and if you can add any ideas of your own I hope you will comment below :)

As a stay-at-home-mom, I am very fortunate to have the time to bake and cook from scratch. I am really so grateful that I am home every day with my kids. The flip side to that is that I am home everyday, EVERY. DAY. with my kids!!

Let's just say that as much as I like preparing the meals that we eat, I do like a break from it now and again. Likewise, we are often out and about and returning home at meal time can be an ordeal if I am not well-prepared. It often leads to impulsive trips for take-out food as we leave town, or expensive ready made meals from the grocery store. On average it is about $40-50 to feed my family of four a meal of fried chicken or Chinese food. That leaves enough for Husband to take a lunch the next day, but is not comparable to a homemade meal that might feed us all for under $10.

So, to combat boredom with the every day meal preparation around here, and to be better organized for our busy times, I have begun cooking batches of food on Wednesdays. Last week I made an extra large batch of meat sauce and from it made a lasagna to freeze for another day.

 The remaining sauce was also frozen and can be served over pasta or combined with beans and spices to make a quick chili. If these two frozen dishes prevent us eating take-out twice in the next month, that is a savings of $80 or more. I estimate that the sauce cost me less than $7 because the hamburger came free from my parents' farm. Even with the cost of cottage cheese, lasagna noodles and mozzarella on top, these are some frugal options when we are in a hurry. I am so fortunate to have a small chest freezer and a stand-up freezer in which to store extra meals. For anyone interested, I have written about cooking in batches here and here.

Do you ever prepare food ahead of time? Can you suggest any meals that are quick to prepare when we are on the run?

BBQ Pizza Crust

We are enjoying some summer heat this week, although I know it can't last. We are silaging at the farm (the beginning of the end of summer every year). This morning I heard Canada geese flying over my yard. The days are noticeably shorter and from here on out we will savour each day of summer as though it is the last.

In the interest of not heating up the house this week, I opted to try my New York Style thin crust pizza on the BBQ. The crust recipe is from my America's Test Kitchen cookbook and we love it. The dough is made with cold water and stored in the fridge up to 3 days. While I am reducing our grocery spending I plan to keep the dough on hand for quick affordable meals. Once it became so hot I dreaded to use the oven, so I finally made pizza on my BBQ :)

Once the dough had come to room temperature on my counter, I heated my pizza stone in the BBQ. Of course the wind picked up and it was hard to keep the grill as hot as I liked but I lit the searing burner and rotated the crust to try for more even cooking. 

I spread the crust on lightly oiled parchment paper and transferred it to the baking stone. 

So good already! I also plan to use this recipe and method for homemade naan bread!

Once the bottom of the crust was crispy I flipped it and added our toppings. We had one with tomato sauce, pepperoni and mozzarella and the other with Greek and feta dressing topped with mozzarella and Asiago. I would add less cheese next time, as it can easily be a bit soggy in the middle. The kids loved their pizza on the BBQ, however, and J said it was the best pizza he ever had :)

There was dough left over so I cooked it lightly on both sides and froze it for another day. This should help us avoid those impulsive trips through the drive thru on our way home from town and will likely become a part of my weekly meal plan.

Delicious!!

Don't Call Him a Cowboy (until you've seen him ride)

30 degree heat, air conditioned cab, old country tunes and a view I love. 

I used to pack silage for my dad every year. It's the low-man on the totem pole job, but I've never minded. Since having kids I haven't been able to help more than a few hours at a time. But today I got to ride a tractor while my kids helped gramma with her chickens. I felt useful again, although I know I'm useful in other ways. I'm out of practice and my dad spent a bit of time correcting my work ;) but all in all, a day well spent!

Thrifty Thursday: Make Your Own Spice Mixes

For the next while I hope to blog consistently about budgeting and reducing my grocery spending. Ideally I will come up with a new thrifty topic to post on Thursdays. As I was thinking about the subject I realized I am almost out of oregano (which I didn't grow in my garden this year). I was making a lasagna to freeze (part of my effort to stop bringing home take-out after a long day in town) and remembered that I used to mix my own Italian blend of herbs. There are a multitude of recipes online (pinterest, allrecipes.com, etc) but most of them have some variation of the following herbs: equal parts thyme, oregano, savory, marjoram, basil, sage, rosemary. There were recipes that added other ingredients, if you want to go more complex, but I think I used to use marjoram, basil and thyme on their own as a substitute for oregano.

homemade gravy mix

I have posted before on making my own spice blends. I now make my own gravy mix, blackened seasoning for salmon or chicken, taco seasoning, and I have recently begun seasoning popcorn with spices I have on hand. Rather than buying pre-mixed packages of seasonings it makes more sense for me to buy the most common herbs and mix them as I need them. It is about $5 for the popcorn seasoning my son likes and it is soooo salty (not to mention anti-clumping agents and goodness knows what other preservatives). All I need to do is look on pinterest to find cheap, make-your-own blends and have fun experimenting.

The idea behind my Thrifty Thursday posts is to share some of what I'm trying here as I attempt to curb our spending. Creating your own seasonings might not save you a noticeable amount of money but it is a start, and I need to start somewhere!