Update on 2018 Goals

Here's a February recap of the goals we had for the year.  We're making some progress!

More Veggies:  I've been working actively to increase veggies with every meal.  The boys are getting much better about eating them at dinner and love them roasted with something to dip them in (usually ketchup).  Little man has requested asparagus the past few nights, so that 's been good.  I know I feel better for eating this way, and am hopeful that it will improve the overall health of my family too.

Move More:  This has very much been a two steps forward, one step back sort of thing.  I've been doing great with the free yoga class I've been attending, walking more during the day and week, and some exercise in the evenings.  I'm finding that if I do too much in the evenings, it's hard for me to go to sleep at night.  So, while I know it's ideal to work out in the mornings, it's not practical for me when I have boys who wake up at 5:00.  So, work in progress...

Try 26 new recipes:  I haven't tried anything new this week.  I've been relying on my good ol' reliable recipes (more accurately methods) for roasting veggies, making gluten free pasta dishes, beans and rice, etc.  I do have my eye on a chicken and acorn squash crock pot meal I want to try next week.

Spruce up:  This has kind of been on hold while we wait for our finances to sure up some.  We depleted our emergency fund some with medical expenses, so we'd like to not spend too much until we get that built back up.  We're working to get things done inexpensively, but quality workmanship, and we're ok with doing some of the work ourselves.

Clean out!  I continue to weed out.  We have several baby items we can sell, and many more things we can donate.  We're also looking through things to see what we can eBay to help clean out and build the emergency fund.

Build up the emergency fund:  I've been trying to keep our grocery budget low, but the new diet is tough to keep it at the $100-$150/month we usually aim for.  Once the CSA starts, this will be easier.  Gleaning from the food pantry is helping also.  We're looking forward to our tax refund, which will help to build this back up too.

Build a new house!  Some things are shifting in our POA and making our decision easier to move ahead with building a new house.  We just have to secure the land, which shouldn't be too difficult.  We'll have to do this carefully and economically in order to make the finances work out, but I think it will be a good move in the long run.  I'm looking forward to the possibilities of a new garden space, and to being more intentional about the design of our rental spaces.

How are you doing with your goals for the year?  I'd love to hear from you!

Frugal Accomplishments February 12-18

This past week has been sort of a roller coaster for us.

Little one and I have both been to the doctor's office, he ended up having a chest x-ray.  The nasal swab came back as just a cold for him, so we're hoping he'll kick it soon.  I am hopeful that with my dietary changes, limiting sweets/carbs for him, and supplementing him with frozen breast milk and probiotics that we'll both get better.  I've met with my doctor and we're going to try a new antifungal for me to try to clear up things, as well as adding some new probiotic strains for me.

On the up side, we were able to have a date night on Saturday night thanks to my mom keeping little man.  We had dinner at home of homemade mini meatloaves, roasted asparagus and cauliflower, and crock pot coconut lime rice pudding for dessert.  It was a nice evening for us, even if I did fall asleep on the couch during our date show!

Here are the rest of our frugal accomplishments for the week:

• All meals were made at home.  This includes split pea soup, mini meatloaves, roasted veggies, smoothies, salads, homemade pizza, biscuits, and steamed fish and veggies.
• Enjoyed two shared meals with my mom including a lunch out at Panera and a homemade coconut shrimp curry.  There was enough curry leftover for me to have lunch one day too.
• Appreciated gleaning from the food pantry:
• salad greens and collards
• yogurt
• bananas
• root veggies
• butternut squash
• mushrooms
• blueberries (which were gone within 4 hours!)
• juices for smoothies
• dips for veggies
• Enjoyed at date night at home, thanks to Mom.  She kept little man overnight and we had mini meatloaves and roasted veggies.  The crock pot coconut lime pudding was great for dessert, and totally fit with my diet.  It was a nice time to reconnect with each other.
• Began looking through things from my grandmother's house to consider what we might like in the way of furniture, jewelry, kitchen things, etc.  It's sort of bittersweet, but I know she'd love the fact that we're all going to enjoy things that were hers and have special memories for us.  This will save us some money because some of these things will replace things of ours that we'd otherwise have to purchase replacements for, especially kitchen items.
• Appreciated some Valentine's Day treats from my students.  Most were larger molded chocolate things, so I'll save these to chop for baking.  One student brought me a chai tea latte, because they know it's my favorite.  This was a really thoughtful  treat and a complete surprise.  It's nice when they pay such close attention to small things, in the same way I try to do for them.
• Made cinnamon buns from a can and sprinkled them with red and pink sugar for Valentine's Day breakfast.
• Used existing things to help little man make valentines for his classmates.  He enjoyed the activity, and it was a good chance for him to practice writing his name.  His classmates loved the cards and pencils he gave them.
• Have been using Valentine's Day treats as rewards for little man's sticker chart.  This has been making our mornings go much more smoothly, and has allowed us to meter out the candy a bit.
• Enjoyed a Saturday at the Playhouse with the boys.  It was nice to go back, since we hadn't been in a while (avoiding it since we'd been sick).  It was great fun for the boys, and some good parent support too.
• Took advantage of the free yoga class at the Children's Council again.  It's such a nice program, and really gives me some time to center myself.
• Finished reading a book we picked up from a free little library.  It was a fun mystery by Lillian Jackson Braun, but is one that I'll likely return or donate somewhere since it isn't one I feel like I would reread if I had it in my personal library.  Also enjoyed rereading some devotional material we had in our library at home.
• Little one has been doing really well with his speech sessions, which we started a few weeks ago.  While they're not cheap ($40 each session at one session per week), we feel like the investment is worth it to hopefully help him out in the long run.  
• Hung some laundry outside to dry since the weather's been unseasonably warm.
• Continued with all usual laundry habits--cold water, hang dry, use cloth diapers.
• Continued with all usual waste habits--composting (including cotton balls and brown cardboard tubes, recycling, reusing brown paper for draining bacon, etc.
• Saved veggie scraps for stock and to take to the chickens.  Had about 18 eggs this past week for our efforts with the chickens, which has made for a really nice arrangement with friends (and the boys love it, and teaches them some responsibility too).

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

Frugal Accomplishments February 5-11

This past week, we were able to keep our overall budget on track.  We did have some extra expenditures for supplements for me to deal with my current health issues, but we know that these expenses should help me to get well sooner and prevent further health issues.  The frugal highlight of this past week was a free yoga class and meal I had through our local Children's Council.

• Cooked all meals at home including ground beef taco bowls/tacos (used frozen shredded summer squash to bulk up the filling), turkey and collard greens soup with barley, smoothies, homemade herbal chai tea mix with stevia, eggs with roasted or sauteed veggies, overnight oatmeal, pizza, and open-faced meatball sandwiches (used marinara sauce I made this summer with fresh tomatoes and spices from the CSA and food pantry) with roasted veggies.
• Washed laundry in cold water except for diapers, and continued with cloth diaper use.
• Composted kitchen scraps or took them to the chickens in exchange for eggs.
• Gathered about 12 eggs for our work this week.
• Used the crock pot for cooking two meals (overnight oats and turkey and barley soup), saving on electricity.
• Continue to eat from the pantry and freezer.  We're really making a dent in things, which will be good once the produce rolls in from the CSA, farmer's market, and food pantry gleaning.
• Gleaned several tomatoes, avocados, eggplant, acorn squash, chicken sausages, canned biscuits, and a can of cinnamon rolls.  Made a large batch of guacamole for snacking and lunches.  Will roast veggies later this week.
• Cut little man's hair at home, saving at least $15.  Still need to cut Benny's hair.
• Went to my integrative health doctor for a check in, and am continuing with a few more supplements for the next month.  Am hopeful that when we do more blood work at the end of March that things will have improved drastically.  I am definitely feeling better, but have room for improvement too.
• Little man and I went to a free class at the Children's Council.  There was dinner for both of us, 40 minutes of yoga for me, and child care for him.  It was a great evening, and we plan to make it a weekly event.  This allowed me to cook less, relax more (which is critical to my overall health), and gave little man some much needed play time with others.  I also earned a "baby buck" which I can cash in through the Children's Council for wipes, gas card, etc. once I earn enough.
• Worked out at home other evenings with YouTube videos for free.  I am slowly increasing my workout time.  Right now, some nights I feel good to get in 15 minutes, though I hope to get up to 20-25 each night.
• We have begun eating dinner by candle light.  The boys love the candles, and it seems to calm them a bit for meal time.  This is saving us a bit on electricity.
• The boys have been taking a bath together, saving on water.  My goal is to save some of this water for watering plants, but it hasn't happened yet.  (Some nights we're just in survival mode when it comes to bath and bedtime.)
• Put a few more things in the donation bag, meaning less stuff to store and clean for us.
• We sold a few more things on eBay, which will fund our CSA share this year.  We're hoping to sell a little more to help increase our emergency fund, and to clean out a bit more.
• Recycled and composted as usual.  Paper towels and brown cardboard/paper goes into our compost, as it's less of an environmental impact to deal with it this way.  (We're trying to get away from paper towels, but with a tenant upstairs, they are kind of necessity for the average American.)
• Planning to re-post the ad for our basement apartment and room upstairs, if needed.  Our upstairs tenant may be going month to month on her lease, we're just not sure yet.  
• Still trying to pursue the purchase of land, but that dream is seeming more fleeting by the day.  For many reasons, lots aren't for sale, or are priced above market value, which makes this all very difficult.  We may be looking at a renovation of our current home instead, just to make it a little more functional for us.
• We're looking into ways to monetize this blog a bit.  It's more just for fun for me, but we're getting enough page views that I think it might be worth it to at least try.  Anyone have suggestions?  Have you been successful with this?

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

Frugal Accomplishments Second Week of February

This past week we did pretty well, budget wise.  We had two sick in our house, but we were able to recover at home using things we had.  We were also able to take advantage of some items from the food pantry and the super doubles at Harris Teeter, so our fridge, pantry, and freezer are nicely stocked.

• All meals were made at home including broccoli and ham quiche, creamy pumpkin coconut chai soup (I subbed canned coconut milk for the cream), salads, roasted veggies with turkey bacon and eggs, taco bowls with ground beef and shredded squash and cilantro lime slaw, banana white chocolate muffins, chocolate and orange zest almond flour muffins, and homemade pizza with pesto, ham, sauteed spinach, and dried tomatoes.
• We shared a takeout meal with my mom, which was nice.  It was a little disappointment because the restaurant didn't package the hot chicken separate from the salad, so the salad was wilted and ruined... but we made it work by steaming some broccoli instead.  It was a reminder that often, eating at home is still simpler than takeout even, and of course cheaper.
• Spent about $50 at Harris Teeter, but saved $80.  I purchased five packages of chicken sausages, four packages of flour tortillas, four cans of refried beans, two cartons of coconut milk, two cans of coconut milk, unsweetened cranberry juice, cabbage, asparagus, onions, carrots, sweet potatoes, and three packages of diapers.  This will be the bulk of our grocery shopping this month.  (See the previous entry to see how we'll use these things in our menu.)
• Treated the boys to lunch at Chick-Fil-A with a $5 gift card I had.  This was a reward for doing well on errands and having a good day after being sick and down for several days.
• Washed and reused ziploc bags and produce bags.  Used brown paper bags for cooking bacon in the microwave, instead of paper towels.
• Washed laundry in cold water and hung to dry.  Continued with cloth diaper use.
• Saved some compost for the chickens.  Enjoyed 18 fresh eggs this week for our work with them.
• Started feeling rough myself, so I emailed my integrative medicine doctor and will pick up a refill on a supplement this afternoon, saving the cost of a visit.
• Treated the boys for illness at home with pedialyte popsicles, hot tea with honey, essential oils, rest, and Tylenol for fever.  The oldest seemed to have it the worst, but little one's snotty nose holds on still.
• Benny was able to work a little longer on Saturday, so I kept the boys at home after running a few errands.  It was good for him to be able to get these extra hours and to check off a few things on his work list.
• Updated my bulk spice order list.  We will probably need to place this order within the next month.
• Benny contacted another land owner in the neighborhood we're looking at.  We're hoping to hear back from them this week.  If we don't, we've got one more course of action before we give up on this dream.
• Located the door we need for the basement apartment at Lowe's.  Will look online for a coupon or discounted gift card to save some money on that.
• Used blankets and wool socks when I got cold, rather than turning the heat up.  We did have the gas logs on on particularly cold days to offset the electrical heat.

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

Frugal Menu for February 2018

This month, we're still focusing on eating up what's in the pantry and freezer, as well as adding more veggies to every meal.  We'll also do our best to decrease our energy usage by using our Crock Pot at least once a week, if not more.  I'll slowly be adding more foods back to my diet on a trial basis, so you'll see some foods (bread, tomatoes, eggs, corn, dairy, legumes) that I've cut out for a bit and need to add back on a trial basis.  Baked goods will be sweetened primarily with stevia, though I can do a small amount of sugar in tiny quantities (think pizza dough).  So, here's the plan, along with the list of groceries we'll need to purchase or glean from the food pantry:

Breakfasts:

• Sauteed veggies, eggs, and maybe meat (chicken sausage or turkey bacon)
• Smoothies with frozen berries, bananas, winter squash, and greens with almond milk (I add turmeric, cinnamon, ginger, and chia seeds often)
• Almond flour muffins with blueberries, cranberries and orange zest, or cocoa powder and chopped pecans
• Big boy breakfast of biscuits, pancakes, or waffles with bacon and fruit

Lunches:

• Leftovers with side salad
• Quesadillas with salad
• Ham or tuna salad sandwiches on gluten free bread
• Hard boiled eggs, fruit, veggie sticks, and nuts

Dinners:

• Lentil sloppy joes over rice with roasted or steamed veggies
• Breakfast for dinner with grain free waffles or pancakes, sauteed greens, eggs and turkey bacon
• Ham, cheese, and broccoli quiche with kale salad and fruit
• Homemade pizza x 4 with homemade pesto, cheese, pepperoni, and sauteed veggies (likely peppers and onions)
• Veggie stir fry over rice or quinoa with egg rolls and Asian slaw
• Split pea soup with ham (my grandmother's recipe), salad, and bread
• Beef and cheddar pie with salad or roasted veggies (make pie with more veggies and less beef)
• Black beans and brown rice with salad and fermented veggies
• Tacos or taco bowls with black beans, winter squash, greens, and fixin's
• Pecan crusted chicken (minus bread crumbs subbing roasted almond flour or more pecans) or salmon and roasted veggies with quinoa
• Crock pot chicken fajitas on corn tortillas or over brown rice with fixin's and green salad
• Crock pot beef stew and salad
• Crock pot baked potatoes/sweet potatoes with fixin's (black beans, sauteed peppers and onions, Greek yogurt, cheese, salsa) and green salad
• Meatball subs (or over rice) with mushrooms, onions, and peppers with salad
• Lentil and sweet potato stew  with salad or sauteed greens
• Flounder tacos on corn tortillas with cilantro lime slaw, pineapple salsa, and queso fresco with a side of cilantro lime rice (if necessary)
• Crock pot chicken and acorn squash

Snacks/Desserts:

• Crock pot coconut lime rice pudding
• Air popped popcorn with seasonings (garlic salt, cheddar powder, or cinnamon sugar)
• Fruit
• Soft pretzels with homemade honey mustard
• Almond flour chocolate chip cookies
• Coconut milk hot cocoa with stevia

Grocery List:

Here's the things we'll need to purchase to make this menu work.  This does not include things currently in our pantry or freezer.

• canned coconut milk x4
• almond milk
• salad greens
• kale
• cabbage x2
• plain Greek yogurt
• corn tortillas
• cilantro
• green onions
• cheese
• veggies for salad and roasting (carrots, asparagus, mushrooms, onions)
• tapioca flour (for a bread recipe)

When possible, we'll glean veggies and yogurt from the food pantry.  This gleaning occurs at the close of the week for them so that things don't get tossed into the dumpster that could be potentially used.

How do you plan your meals for your budget and to save a little of Earth?  I'd love to hear from you!

Frugal Accomplishments

This past week, we had a pretty good week for our budget.  I've tried really hard to keep grocery spending down, so I only picked up $6 worth of groceries this week, instead focusing on what we could make with things from the freezer and pantry.  We also continued to use items from the food pantry that we gleaned last week, including yogurt, greens, and other veggies.  It was little man's 5th birthday, but at his request, we kept things small and low key, making dinner at home and baking a cake from things we had on hand.  It was a wonderful celebration, and he really enjoyed it.

• Made all meals at home including crock pot southwestern chicken soup, veggie stir fry with quinoa and egg rolls, homemade pizza and salads for birthday dinner, fermented veggies, large salads, smoothies, and roasted veggies.
• Spent $6 at the grocery store for almond milk on sale, free yogurt, and salad greens.
• Enjoyed a shared meal with friends Saturday night.  It was a great time for the boys to play, and a nice time for us to visit.  By eating in, we were able to accommodate everyone's dietary restrictions (there were several in this crowd), and save some money over eating out.
• Kept up with composting, recycling, and reusing as appropriate.  Reused wrapping paper and art done on large paper for wrapping birthday gifts.  Reused brown paper sacks for collecting items for Goodwill.
• Saved veggie scraps for making veggie stock this week, including onions, asparagus ends, and carrot peelings.
• Accepted some groceries that Mom purchased for us, so looking forward to using fresh spinach, kale, mushrooms, fruit, and buttermilk.
• Used homemade stock in soup that I previously froze instead of using store bought.  This is healthier and was far less expensive.
• Little man wanted icing for his birthday cake, so I made a chocolate ganache.  I didn't have any heavy cream on hand, so I used evaporated milk and it worked just fine.  Used birthday candles we had on hand.  Honestly, it was a pretty simple cake to pull together, and it was easier to decorate than a sheet cake or layer cake.
• Mom paid for bowling at the bowling alley for little man's birthday.  (So nice of her!)  He had a blast with a few good friends, pizza, and cake.  Instead of gifts for himself, he asked for gifts for the humane society.  We'll take those things on a Saturday when we can go play with the animals some.  We really encourage this kind of gifting, because the boys already have everything they need and more.  It also teaches them to be compassionate and consider the needs of others.
• Enjoyed fresh eggs from the friends we're sharing chicken keeping responsibilities with.  We collected close to two dozen over the two days we checked on them.  We also took the chickens some veggie scraps, so they'll stay healthy and we had a little less to compost.
• Went to school every day (wow, a whole week with no snow!) and packed lunches from home.  Tried to combine trips to and from home with errands that needed to be run, saving on gas.
• Relisted our room ad on Craigslist.  Our current upstairs tenant will leave in March, so we'd like to have this space rented, even if it's short term.  We really enjoy sharing this space and doing life with someone else.
• Continued to press on with getting things lined up to prepare the house for possible sale.  We don't have a lead on land yet, but are trying to make some decisions there.
• Exercised four times with YouTube videos.  I also walked a few days when the weather was relatively warm, instead of exercising at home.  I took the dog with me on one of the walks, which was some good exercise for her too.
• Planned the menu for February, using pantry and freezer items as a basis.

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

Review of Goals for 2018

We're doing pretty well toward meeting a lot of our goals for this year, though of course we're making more progress toward some than others.

More Veggies:  I've really gotten in the groove of making smoothies.  I make them up the night before, and then just pop them in the fridge to buzz in the morning.  It's an easy way to include a serving or two of veggies (think spinach, carrots, winter squash, sometimes even parsley).  I've also been making a large salad to go with dinner each night, which gives me some to pack for lunch the next day.  Making soups is an easy place to add veggies too, and we've been roasting more veggies to have with other meals, and Benny's even been making sandwiches or wraps with those too.  I think I'm the only one who's really actively trying to eat more veggies, but at least having them to offer helps provide a chance for the others to have more.

Move More:  I've been trying to work out with YouTube videos each night after the boys go to bed.  This is easier said than done some nights (last night case in point), where baby seems to be going through that 18-24 month sleep regression thing.  There are times he wakes up every 15 minutes right after I put him down, so it's getting hard to work out after doing the "must do's" of prepping lunches, things for a crock pot meal, laundry, etc.  To alleviate that, I'm trying to actively move more during the day in small ways, like walking around my classroom and school more, or parking at the back of a parking lot to force myself to walk more.

Try 26 new recipes:  So far, I've tried a southwestern chicken soup recipe for the crock pot that I adapted to fit my new diet, a hot cocoa "recipe" that satisfies my sweet tooth in an easy way, and a new green bean salad recipe.  They're all pretty good, and I'm looking forward to trying some other new ones this year.  I'm also enjoying just reading through old cookbooks, and some that came from my grandmother.  It's such a nice way to reminisce, and some of them (especially the Mennonite ones, like More With Less) are kind of like devotionals.  I always try to write notes on recipes I make about when I made that particular dish, what we liked about it, etc.  It's fun to reread these notes too.

Spruce up:  Benny has touched base with the painter who's going to do our trim work, so that ball is rolling.  We'd like to get that started on the trim painting next week, so we'll see if it works out schedule wise.  We've contacted our tree guy to trim trees, and thought he was coming once, but he hasn't.  So, we'll touch base again with him.  

Clean out!  We still have so much stuff!  I've cleared out probably 100+ items now, but we've also ended up acquiring things from my grandmother's, since she passed away right before Christmas.  So, since we're ending up with that stuff too, I'm kind of on a mission even more to clean out.  We even set aside some Christmas gifts to save as regifts, not because they weren't nice or thoughtful, but because many of them duplicated what we already have.  I've also been working on using up more of what is in our pantry and freezer to clean out there too.

Build up the emergency fund:  We haven't spent quite as much on food this month, so that extra will go toward the emergency fund.  We also need to get our rental spaces relisted, which will help us rebuild this sooner.  I'm also looking into placing a Zaycon order for bulk meat, that's responsibly raised.  If you're interested too, check them out!  They offer pick ups around the country and prices are great.  By doing this in bulk, it would save more of our grocery budget for emergency fund.

Build a new house!  We are really praying on this one.  The original piece of land we wanted was sold (sort of out from under us... kinda sad), and the other in the neighborhood is really overpriced for the market.  So, we're trying to weigh how much this dream means to us, and if we can build a smaller, more efficient house that still meets our needs and budget in order to be able to purchase the other land.  I am leaning toward going for it, Benny not so much... Have you ever been at a crossroads like this?  How did you decide?

How are you doing with your 2018 goals?  I'd love to hear from you!