How not to be frugal

Lesson learned the hard way.  I'm not sure how it works for you, but tonight I discovered why I should not take my husband shopping.  The last time we went together was over a year ago, when I first embarked on my frugal journey.  I've had a year of training in frugality, he hasn't.  He simply impulse buys whatever he wants! It really disturbs me to watch someone pay full price (especially when I share the wallet).
Let me back up...
This week has been a week of reading frugal cookbooks, and frugal living books.  It's not like basic training for me since I've been doing this for a while, but I am honing my skills in preparation for the worsening economy.  I truly do believe that it is going to get much worse.  There's one thing that I have learned, and that is that you have to actually USE what you stockpile, otherwise frugality is an exercise in futility. We've spent the past two weeks eating from the pantry and freezer, just as we always do twice a year in January and July. Notice that our yearly cleanouts come at times when pinching a penny helps (right after the holidays and again at curriculum purchase time). We could probably eat from the stockpile for another week or two if necessary, but I fear that it's becoming tiresome for my crew. Now it is time to stock up again!
Normally, I am not a warehouse club shopper.  The $40 yearly membership is too steep to recoup for what we actually BUY there.  Not all of their prices are so wonderful!  However, Sams Club is running a deal through January 21st: if you purchase an annual personal or business membership for $40 ($35 for businesses), you get a $25 Sams gift card on the spot! That makes a year of membership only $10 or $15.  Definitely worth it!
Be forewarned...you have to have discipline to shop at Sam's, and you have to know your prices to really know if you are getting the best deal.  An impulse buy at the regular grocer may cost you $2 per item. At a warehouse, impulsivity may cost you $8-$10 or more per item!
Here are some good buys at Sam's, based on what we actually use a lot of and price comparison at Publix and Aldi:

• Nearly all of their spices are majorly discounted.  For instance, 20 ounces of onion powder for $3.48 (I use this as a base in nearly all of my homemade mixes for taco seasoning, spaghetti seasoning and homemade Shake N' Bake).
• Pure Vanilla (not imitation!) 16 ounces for $6.67. I go through a lot of vanilla!
• Mrs. Butterworth's Syrup, one gallon for $6.34.
• Trash bags, 13 gallon with drawstring, 150 for $8.86.
• Butter, $1.94 pound
• Mozarella Cheese, 5 pounds for $10.87.  I shred this into 2 cup portions and freeze.
• American Cheese, 160 slices for $11.28.  Yes, this'll last a while!
• Basmati Rice (the only brand/type we like) 15 pounds for $16.77. Not the cheapest TYPE of rice, but we do eat only this kind.  It doesn't get mushy and we use it as a base for fried rice often.

• Organic Raw Spinach, huge tub for $3.84.  We'll munch on it raw for a few days, in salads, then cook what's left in chicken broth with the Basmati Rice and a handful of shredded cheddar!  Yummy side dish!
• Cream Cheese, 3 pounds for $6.67.

As you can see, the dairy products are a terrific deal.  Cheese rarely goes on sale, and when it does, you still can't beat the price of Sams.  Hard cheeses freeze well when shredded. I have a Salad Shooter gadget which can quickly shred mounds and mounds of cheese.
Happy stockpiling...and remember to be truly frugal, leave the family at home!

Pear Honey...well, kind of

I like to give credit for the recipes, especially since this one is not my own. I found it at Recipezaar. I have been craving it for weeks, and I am not especially fond of any kind of cooked fruit! I tried to be diligent and respond to a post on our local craigslist.org for free pears being offered before the freeze, but the lady never responded to me. I purchased some pears at a 99 cents/pound price. I did learn a lesson about purchasing something for a specific recipe: hide it! My fruit foragers of the family devoured my pears in one day! I grumbled a little bit when I noticed this, because I had already combined the pineapple with the sugar and lemon juice...no turning back now! I improvised and used apples instead, but the result was still scrumptious!

Pear Honey

• 3 lbs fresh pears, peeled,cored,and finely chopped
• 5 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple in juice
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

1. In a 6 quart stainless steel kettle combine all ingredients.
2. Bring to boiling, stirring occasionally.
3. Simmer 40 mins.
4. Spoon into sterile jars, leaving a 1/2 inch head space.
5. Wipe jar rims, adjust lids.
6. Process in boiling water for 10 mins.
7. Makes 7 half pints.

Just a note: In my opinion (and I have a terrible sweet tooth too), this is way too much sugar. I would reduce it to 3 1/2 cups the next time. I only made 1/3 of this recipe, because I'm not into canning preserves and had none of the canning supplies (I usually make freezer jam!). Therefore I only went through step 3 of the recipe.

What's the big deal about $25?

Due to some unforeseen medical expenses over the past few months, we have had to pull from other budget areas to keep up with our obligations. For instance, our lawn needs to be reseeded and the gardens need to be mulched, but that will have to wait due to the medical bills. I was feeling a little bit grumpy about it because it needs to be done in the Fall of the year. We missed it again this year.

My older son's pants seem to be unable to keep up with the length of his legs, and my youngest son's hand-me-down pants need to be altered to keep up with his waist. So, I pulled out the sewing machine and learned to hem. Still, there have been some clothing expenses this month as the weather changed. They both need shoes, but only because of extreme wear and not for lack of fit, thankfully.

That's just one example of the many wants and needs that seem to be waylaid due to the struggling economy. More than once recently, I've felt more gripey than thankful, thinking that things never seem to go my way and I never really have been able to get ahead.

And then...

The mail came today with $25 in an envelope as payment from an in-depth survey that I had taken about television viewing. That $25 came on a week that is 4 days shy of my paycheck, but just in time to pay for my son's music lesson payment due on Wednesday. A $20 payment, I might mention, that had the potential to put a crimp on an already strained budget.

And there's enough left over to buy a gallon of milk :)

Matthew 6:31-32

“So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs.

Redmond RealSalt

My dear friend, Jackie, asked me to post about my use of sea salt, as opposed to iodized table salt. I suppose I should make a disclaimer by stating that my use of sea salt is based on none other than the testimonies of other like-minded individuals, and a little of my own rationale. I prefer any food that I take to be minimally processed, salt being no different. Some sea salts are not as heavily processed as table salt, so they retain trace minerals that are usually removed in the refining process (a health benefit!). Also, most commercial salt manufacturers add iodine (which we get enough of already due to the highly processed American diet) or anti-caking additives like silica or bleaching agents. Since I've been using Redmond Sea Salt for four years, I have developed a discriminating palate. Commercial iodized salt actually tastes bitter to me now. Also, with Redmond RealSalt, I don't have to use as much, which means my sodium intake is naturally decreased. There are many forms of sodium that will raise blood pressure and cause edema (fluid retention) if you have issues with those things, sea salt included. However, based on testimonies, sea salt seems to have less of an adverse effect. Still, as in all things, moderation.

Lastly, salt is essential to life. Our blood is made up of 0.9% saline, which is why it is given via I.V. infusion to normally increase blood volume in ill patients. God amazingly designed our bodies! Sea salt soaks are recommended for a variety of ailments and wound healing. It is a effective treatment for psoriasis and eczema, and well known for its cleansing properties.

Try it!

Egg blessing!

I received a phone call from a friend tonight that she was on the way home from the nearby dairy farm with milk...and 15 dozen eggs that the farmer offered to her. FOR FREE! I love free, and I love farm fresh eggs. So many people have a difficult time imagining me as a Florida farm girl, but I was for three years, just to try it out and have access to food where I could control its integrity. It was a fun hobby, but a lot of work. My chickens were my favorite. It was always a thrill to go out and lift the fanny of a hen to find an egg. I know, it doesn't take much to excite me.

Imagine my excitement to crack open some of those FREE eggs tonight and notice that they were all double yolked eggs. Betcha' never see those from the grocery store!

I am making big plans for my FREE eggs. Currently, I have four loaves of pumpkin-zucchini bread in the oven. The house smells like a farm house, the air laced with pumpkin, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon. Mhmmm.

Tomorrow I will make popovers. If you've never experienced a popover (hollow puffy rolls), you should!

Also, eggs can be whipped up and frozen, defrosted for use in a later recipe. For convenience, I freeze the eggs in two-egg portions.

Yes, this was an egg blessing! They will be put to good use!

My, how spoiled I have become

My bread machine paddle is missing. This has happened before, many years ago. I most likely pitched it out by accident with the end of a loaf. When this happened 5 years ago, I was able to buy an identical bread machine at a local thrift store for $5, from which I scavenged the paddle. Pretty thrifty, considering that a new paddle from a parts warehouse would have cost $20 plus shipping!

I am in the same position again, except that my bread machine is now 15 years old, and I have to wonder if I should just replace the entire unit. I used to see them all the time at thrift stores, or yard sales, but not so much now that I am looking to buy. And I am spoiled. I have a Kitchenaid with a dough hook, and I have the stoneware baking pans. The only problem with that, is that I have to heat up the entire oven to make it the old fashioned way, and I have to be here to babysit the loaf.

So, what should I do? Replace with another machine, or buy a paddle for $20, or just buckle down and do it the old fashioned way?

Or...should I delegate the job to Jordan, who has taken a fancy to bread making?

It takes very little to excite me

See? And I AM excited! There is nothing that compares to cooking with fresh herbs, and I usually buy them already lopped off the plant at Publix. For years, I have wanted my own herb garden or at least a garden window over my kitchen sink to have my own supply of fresh herbs readily at hand. This is even better, considering that I paid only $6.50 each for these herb gardens in a pot. The pot on the left contains rosemary, parsley, oregano, mint and basil. It is so fragrant smelling, I wish technology could support scratch and sniff blogging! The second pot contains sage, lemon thyme, garlic chives, rosemary and dark opal basil (that's the purple, large leafed plant). I don't want to move them from their temporary home on the kitchen table, but they need full sun so they will have to be moved to the back deck where I keep my container gardens.

How did I get these so frugally? Our local garden center, Holcomb's, issues Bonus Bucks throughout the year for purchases made at their store. Customers earn 10% back in Bonus Bucks for every purchase. Then, for five days in June, you can shop and redeem your Bonus Bucks for up to 50% off your purchase. Example: these herb gardens were $12.99 each times 2. The total sale was $26 and some tax, for which I paid $13.xx in cash and $13 in Bonus Bucks. This is one of my happiest frugally purchases ever, I feel like a kitty that found the catnip!