Frugal Accomplishments 4th Week of March

This past week was once again about using what we have and trying to save where we could.  We were glad to find out that the fix to the car was about $30, not a few hundred like we were anticipating.  I'm grateful to have a mechanic that we can walk from, so I can drop the car off and then little man and I walk to school from there.  It was some good free exercise and mean little logistical issues.

On the down side, we were kind of blind sided with a hefty medical bill.  I had a test done back in February that ended up being way more than anticipated.  We're working through things to try to come up with creative ways to pay that down asap.

• All meals were made at home including:  smoothies, salads, pork loin and potatoes in the crock pot, roasted veggies, and breakfast for dinner.  
• Grateful for shared meals with friends and at our Children's Council groups.  I came home with enough leftovers from our yoga class for at least three extra meals.
• We volunteered for the food pantry pick up at a local grocery store, so we came home with several things including organic yogurt, nondairy milk, fruit, veggies, etc.
• Because we serve on the Wesley Foundation board, the campus minister generously invited us to the board retreat and allowed us to bring the boys.  So, while Benny was in meetings and planning sessions, I got to play with the boys at the conference center and took them to a local science museum that we have a gift membership to.  The boys had a great time and it was a nice break.  We were grateful for the meals and a little overnight time away.
• We continued with our regular hanging of laundry to dry, except sheets.  We had a few extra loads of sheets because of some nighttime accidents, but that's just par for the course right now.
• I worked out by walking the track at the school that's not far from our house, as well as YouTube videos at home.  It was nice to be able to get outside and walk some with the weather warming.
• I worked another hour or so on lesson plans for the local art and history museum I'm consulting for.  I'm hoping to finish that work soon so that I can be paid for that work soon.
• We explored an offer from BB&T to open a new account with them for a $200 bonus.  It looks legitimate, so we'll probably do that this week.
• Combined errands as much as possible.  This saves on gas and allowed us to also be intentional about spending.
• I began completing the paperwork to file for a $100 health credit with one of the insurance policies we have.  It looks like I'll have to get my doctor to complete part of the form, but it shouldn't take too long to get that credit back.
• We found a few more things we can sell on eBay to make a little extra money, which should help pay down the medical bills.  We had a little time to chat last night after the boys were in bed and made a goal of posting at least three new items on eBay each week, which should be do-able.
• I looked through the seeds I'd saved in the freezer from previous years.  I plan to start a few things in pots soon, because we can give them a little protection under the carport.  I'm hoping to begin some greens and maybe herbs.
• Our regular recycling and composting efforts continue.
• I looked over a few of my threadUp emails (referral link).  There were a few tempting things, but to keep our budget, I didn't order anything.  If I earn some more credit with them, I might use the credit to buy a new summer tunic or dress, but it's just a want, so not really necessary.
• After much debate, I decided to let my Mary Kay business lapse.  It's just not where my heart is anymore, and it was becoming difficult to even get enough orders to make the annual activity order reasonable.  I was spending more money than it was worth, so it's better for me to spend elsewhere and let it lapse.

What did you do to live and save green this week?  I'd love to hear from you!

Frugal Accomplishments 3rd Week of March

This past week was a mixture of success and failure, frugally speaking.  We did a pretty good job keeping our regular expenses low, but had a surprise with one car almost dying on us yesterday.  So, we're still waiting to hear what the cause might be and how much the repair will cost.  I'm grateful to have some savings and that the car didn't leave Benny and baby stranded.

Here are our frugal successes (and potential failures):

• Cooked meals at home including:  Asian lettuce wraps (very good, definite repeat), Asian slaw, dinner salads with salmon patties, sloppy joes, eggs and greens, roasted veggies, breakfast for dinner, and smoothies.  The dinner salads with salmon patties were a date night meal, which was nice and something we hadn't made in a while.
• We enjoyed some free meals at our Children's Council parent support groups, as well as dinner with Mom.  
• Treated the family to a meal out since we had some gift card money to spend.  It was not our first choice of restaurant, so I think in the future, we may choose to resell the gift cards and spend the money elsewhere.  The meal upset both of our tummies, though it didn't seem to affect the boys.
• Combined as many errands as possible with trips we were already making into town, including a trip to the grocery store.  I picked up some things on Thursday afternoon on my way to yoga (canned coconut milk, cabbage on sale for 17 cents/pound, and a few other small things).
• Continued with potty training.  Baby is getting very good with things overall, although we still have an accident or two daily.  Sometimes it's just a battle of wills, but we'll work through it.
• All laundry was handled as usual, with washing in cold and hanging to dry.  
• I resisted the temptation to purchase some new shoes I saw on sale online.  So, while I'd have liked them, the $50 we saved by not purchasing them means that we've got more in our savings.
• I put out an appeal to our faculty for trinkets for our treasure box at home.  A few folks have shared items, which makes the treasure box even more fun at home.  The boys are enjoying it, and it's saving us $2/week instead of purchasing something at the Dollar Tree each week.
• Picked up pull ups at the Children's Council instead of purchasing them.  This saved us $7-$10.
• On Saturday, the boys and I went to the library to make leprechaun traps (so fun!).  Then, we went to the Playhouse for some play time, and went to the Humane Society to take the items that little man had received for his birthday to donate there.  He loved the time in the kitty rooms, and was very proud to give his donations.  We saved the tax receipt for the donations.  It was more driving than I usually do on Saturdays, but worth it for the smiles and time petting the cats.
• Gratefully accepted an offer by Mom to keep the boys so we could have a date night.  We stayed home and cooked together, which is something we enjoy but hadn't really had a chance to do in a while.  The dinner of large salads and salmon patties cost us nothing, because it was all from our regular grocery budget, and it helped us clear out the pantry a bit because we used canned salmon.  It was really only a one pan meal, too, since we just had to make and cook the patties.  We made them grain free by using almond flour and coconut flour instead of bread crumbs.
• A wonderful coworker gave us some beautiful free range eggs, just because we shared extra egg cartons with her.  The eggs were clearly more nutritious than grocery store eggs, because the yolks were bright yellow-orange, almost like we'd added turmeric.  They made wonderful meals.
• I used some ingredients we had on hand to make homemade berry popsicles with some coconut water, banana, and frozen berries.  They've been a big hit as dessert or a treat after school.
• We took the boys up to the school yard near the house on Sunday afternoon to practice riding the bike and for some bubble play.  Little man is getting really good at his bike, although I'm afraid he's growing so fast he may need a new bike by summer!
• We began planning our summer vacation.  We got dates on the calendar and are working on ways to save on these trips.  One will be to see family, so lodging and most food will be covered.  We're always sure to take some of our own food and purchase some of our own to help out.  The other trip will be to CA to see a wonderful friend.  We'll pay for this with travel points.  We will likely eat most of our meals with this friend, and take advantage of a hotel breakfast, so meals shouldn't be too expensive.  We'll do a quick shopping trip while there to provide for any snacks or picnic items we might need.
• The previously mentioned car repair is a financial drain, but we're hoping it won't be too big.  We've been trying to set aside some funds to purchase a new car, but had hoped that we could wait to do that.  We'll see what the repairs entail.
• We were grateful to receive a box of gleaned produce, organic non-dairy milk, yogurt, etc. from the food pantry.  This, plus the little bit we had to purchase at the grocery store, will get us through this week nicely.  We continue to try to work down our freezer and pantry shelves.
• I took on a curriculum consultant position with a local art and history museum for their upcoming exhibits to develop lesson plans for them.  I was able to work a few hours this week on that project, so I've documented my time.  I'll submit my initial draft of the first lesson plan to see what they think and so that I know how to proceed with the others.  I'm happy for the side gig work, and am hopeful that it might lead to more consulting work with them in the future.
• I also applied for a summer professional development opportunity.  The stipend is substantial, so we're hopeful that I'll get in.  However, if I don't, it will still be a wonderful summer with the boys at home.  I'm really looking forward to that time with them.  

What did you do to live and save green this past week?  I'd love to hear from you!

Frugal Ways to Save on Meat

Meat is a staple in most diets, though that may be shifting somewhat as more and more people choose a plant based diet for a variety of reasons.  We've found several ways to save on meat over the years to keep our grocery budget low (we try to keep it at about $150/month for our family of four with two smaller kids).  Meat can quickly eat up your hard earned funds if you let it, especially if you don't shop sales.  So, here are a few ways we save on meat:

Eat Less
This is probably the first and easiest to master.  When you consider ways to eat less meat, you can think of meals where meat is a small portion, such as soups, pot pie, or stir fry.  We've also learned to stretch meat in even meat-based dishes like meatballs or meatloaf by incorporating some grains or cooked quinoa.  One of our favorite ways to eat less meat is to use legumes as a substitute.  I often make lentil sloppy joes or chili with black beans instead of using meat.  The recipe is just as filling and tasty, and it means that we can save the meat for another meal.  Then, you also have the option of having a meal that's entirely meatless, such as a dinner salad with nuts and hard boiled eggs on top.  This ensures that you're getting plenty of veggies (I shoot for 9 cups a day, though I know most aim for less than that), as well as getting your protein.

Use All the Parts
This used to be traditional, especially when families hunted for their food or harvested animals they raised.  Now that our culture has moved away from that food landscape and into a more industrialized one, we seem to have lost some of the respect we once had for food.

In our house, we try to purchase organic meat, so that means that meat is more costly.  So, when we purchase it, I find that it's generally cheaper to get a whole chicken, for example, rather than having it already cut up by the butcher (because, of course, we pay for that labor).  I'll either butcher the chicken at home myself or cook it whole.  Then, we save the bones to cook with veggie scraps for a delicious and nutritious bone broth.  Bone broth is very healing for your gut and immune system, and it provides glutamine which supports your liver in detoxifying your body of things you don't need in your system.



You can also access bones for stock through your local butcher, and we've also found local farms that will sell soup bones for a very reasonable price.  I'm also the one to always ask for the turkey carcass at a family holiday meal.  Most of the family doesn't want to bother with soup later and is happy to have me take care of part of the clean up!  You could employ the same strategy with roasted chickens at pot lucks, etc. when you're with people who understand your way of thinking.  When you use all the parts to make stock too, you quickly recoup the money you spent on that organic meat.

Raise or Hunt Your Own
While we don't have the land to raise our own meat, we are fortunate to have family and friends who hunt.  Many times, they're very willing to clean out their freezer of last year's venison before this year's hunting season begins.  I've also had students who hunt bring me some frozen venison, because they know I understand the value of their hard work in providing for their family and helping to control the local deer population.

If you do have the land a skill to raise your own meat, you could raise some heirloom breeds.  I'm fascinated with heirloom chickens, and my aunt and uncle are considering raising rabbits in their retirement.  You can have a local processor process the meat for you at harvest time, or you could be bold and do it yourself.

Seek Out Low Cost or Free Sources
Saving on the meat you eat doesn't have to be really complex.  When we do purchase meat, we make sure we're purchasing on sale.  Sometimes you can catch markdowns, especially if you pay close attention to when the butcher cycles things through.  If you talk with your butcher, you can usually learn which day of the week they mark things down and stop by that day.

Another way we've learned to save on meat is by utilizing our local food pantry.  We volunteer regularly at ours to help with the grocery store pick up, and are able to get a few things when we volunteer.  For example, this past week, we picked up some packages of bone in organic chicken.  So, those few packages will last us for several weeks, if we plan well and use all the parts.

How do you save on meat?  Are there other strategies you employ?  I'd love to hear from you!

Frugal Accomplishments 2nd Week of March

This week we did our best to spend as little as possible, including eating from the pantry and freezer, combining trips, and recycling where possible.  We did schedule some regular maintenance work on the cars.  Little man continued with his sickness, though no fever, but we were able to conveniently get a trip to the doctor's in at his regularly scheduled physical, so there was no copay.  The peds office is also on the way home, so it wasn't a special trip.

• All meals were made at home including:  oatmeal with raisins and honey (we're out of brown sugar), smoothies with fruit, greens, and nondairy milk purchased on sale, eggs and leftover roasted veggies, leftover chili over rice, homemade mac and cheese with leftover bits of cheese and noodles, baked sweet potatoes topped with leftover sausage and salad, dinner salads with hard boiled eggs and other toppings.  We also made homemade sloppy joes with Paleo bread (a bust of a recipe, but we ate it), and we had snack plates with cut veggies, hummus, and some sliced apples.
• Lunch was always leftovers.  Little man ate school lunch one day.  He gets to choose school lunch once a month, and usually chooses chicken nugget day.
• Saved an olive jar and used it to hold homemade pesto made with spinach, olives, and sun dried tomatoes.  This was used as a pizza sauce, and we may freeze some for later use.  It's always a nice addition to pasta, sandwiches, or salad dressing.
• Used juice from homemade sauerkraut in homemade salad dressing in place of vinegar.  This makes our daily salad habit a bit more healthy by adding probiotics.
• Made good use of foods gleaned from the food pantry pick up, including lots of frozen bananas.
• Made homemade chicken stock using freezer bag with collected bones, veggie scraps, etc.
• Purchased organic veggies on sale and shopped local stores for best price on canned coconut milk.  Began investigating a subscription to Thrive for some of our pantry staples to avoid GMOs and purchase organic at a reasonable cost.
• Continued with potty training.  This is cutting down on laundry for the most part (we used cloth diapers), and baby is really proud of himself.  We continue to use diapers at naptime and bedtime.
• Laundry was washed in cold water, aside from sheets, towels, and any dirty laundry from potty training.
• Worked out at home with YouTube and made an effort to park as far from entrances as possible to get in a little more walking.  
• The boys, including Benny, continued with their Tang Soo Do karate.  Baby (3!  not baby anymore!) begins class this week and loves his new uniform.  This is good exercise for them, and good character development too.
• We completed baby's application for half day preschool in the fall.  He got in for five days a week, and Benny is excited to get back to work a little more than part time.  Baby will have wonderful teachers and we're excited for him to have more of a social experience than he has at home.
• I made baby's birthday cake a week ahead and froze it.  I goofed and accidentally left it out overnight, so if it seems a bit dry, I think I can poke some holes in it and pour a little decaf coffee over it before I add the ganache and no one will know. (It's a chocolate bundt cake, so the coffee will be good.)
• We volunteered at the food pantry and came home with two boxes of things we gleaned, including some organic nondairy milk, organic yogurt, organic chicken, and organic fruit.  We also found a few things to restock our pantry with, so we're in good shape for this week and beyond.
• I picked up some educational consulting work with our local art and history museum.  I'll be developing lesson plans for their upcoming exhibits in an effort to draw in more local school groups.  This is work that's exciting, and it will pay reasonably well.  I'll continue to work to pick up other side hustles.
• I think I found a decent landscape design program for free through Better Homes and Gardens.  They have a pretty extensive plant library, and it looks like I can upload our images to begin to play with site planning.

What did you do to live and save green last week?  I'd love to hear from you!

Frugal Accomplishments First Week of March

This past week was again about using what we had on hand and spending as little as possible.  We were able to do some things that felt special for the boys, but stay at home.  Here's what we did for the week:

• Cooked all meals at home including:  enchilada casserole, greens and eggs, smoothies, oven baked salmon and roasted veggies, large dinner salads, snack plates (fruit, nuts, hard boiled eggs, cheese, veggies and dip), oatmeal, chili made with dried beans, banana bars, and homemade pizza (for those who could do gluten).
• Purchased necessary groceries with coupons or on sale.  Many other groceries were picked up at the food pantry.
• Took advantage of shared meals at yoga, with Mom, and another Children's Council group.  I also enjoyed some free snacks at a professional development meeting, and brought home a bottle of water from that.
• We washed all clothes in cold water, except ones that were worn by little man who was sick.  We hung clothes to dry inside on drying racks.
• Began seriously potty training baby.  He's been in training pants exclusively for three days now, with a few accidents, but is showing much more awareness.  He really seems to be getting it, and is really motivated when big brother helps him with it.  While this has made some mess, it has cut down on the laundry loads of cloth diapers.  We know it's a short term thing, and he is so proud of himself!
• Little man was sick for a few days with a fever.  Since so many kids had had something similar at school, we didn't take him in to the doctor's.  He toughed it out with homemade popsicles, broth and noodles, children's Tylenol, and rest.  We made good use of coloring books, story time, podcasts, and some screen time.  We found a few new free sources for children's audio books, including some of Aesop's fables told in a kid friendly way.
• We saved some money by not venturing out on Saturday as we usually do. We had centers at home (coloring, Legos, reading, rhyming word study, dress up, etc.) and spent a lot of time helping baby with the potty.  Little man was a big help, even though he felt puny, and we played a few of his easy card games with him on the couch and baby on the potty.  It was a kind of sweet, but comical morning.
• I began picking up little man on Wednesdays, as well as Mondays and Fridays.  While he loves for Daddy to pick him up, it really does save quite a bit for me to get him on the afternoons I don't have meetings, rather than Benny making a special trip.
• I registered for a a conference for school with the school credit card, rather than using our personal one.  This saved us the fee, and hassle, of having to get reimbursed.
• Benny picked up a few extra hours at work, which was nice.  He did it in the evenings, which meant more nights of me and the boys doing bedtime alone, but it was nice for him to find some extra time to work.
• I have taken on a contract position with the local art and history museum as a curriculum consultant for one of their new exhibits.  This is totally up my alley, and I look forward to finding out more about the position this week.
• Used a gift card to purchase baby's birthday gifts.  I ended up underestimating the cost, so we paid a little out of pocket, but that's ok.  The birthday party will be low key and hosted by Mom, which is really sweet.  

What did you do to live and save green this past week?  I'd love to hear from you!