Judgment? Discipline? It is hard to say. I’m talking about my serious lack of writing about the low budget topic. May I confess, I have done a fairly terrible job in living a low budget lifestyle, still traipsing to Starbucks most days to buy a now $5 coffee PLUS a $1.75 milk for my daughter.
Oh well, I decided several days ago (because of sliding income) to cut my expensive habit and instead walk myself, my daughter and dogs to a nearby cemetary for a morning adventure, and then eating only “home food.” I have not succeeded. I choose the land of the living, which in this country, means the land of the spending.
I don’t think I have much to offer except a confession and a forum to begin to contemplate a new way of living. Our family is comfortable enough, but the sour economic winds have affected us, and we need to make some changes. Perhaps I’ll have some ideas in the next few posts that inspire, or at least, make you laugh. Really, that is all I can do most days. Especially today when I realized my credit card miles could buy me two Starbucks gift cards….
So, its been a while since I’ve written. Chock it up for new parents getting the hang of teaching a baby how to sleep once in a while.
I can’t say that we’ve been especially frugal these last few months, but we also haven’t been out much either. So, my $4 coffees are not feeling like such a crazy extravagance, when you eat rice and beans in some configuration nearly Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: family, lifestyle, save time, use what you have
image courtesy of www.freeclipartpictures.com
After returning from a “baby-ready pets class,” my husband and I discovered my new 5lb bag of potatoes had been dragged from the kitchen counter to the living room floor. That bag of potatoes was to be my return to a more frugal way of cooking, after a long and hypocritical hiatus of lavish, yet wholesome foods. That bag also let us know we apparently have a ways to go with our dogs Edna and Stella.
I love a potato, and I’m thinking you probably do too. Potatoes were a staple in depression cooking, providing energy, nutrition, and that undeniable “filling” effect on the stomach, all for a very good price. Because of this combination of characteristics, I’m singing the potato’s praises today, and suggesting that you too, find yourself a sale bag of potatoes (I got that 5lb bag of local spuds for $1) and make yourself a potato-based meal.
We are having Yankee Pot Roast tonight. Simmering just 4 feet away Read the rest of this entry »
Tags: cheap eats, food, ingredients, preparing meals, recipes
I’ve always found the volunteer vacation idea to be really appealing. You know, like building mud huts in the Kalahari or helping people in the third world get glaucoma treatment. Unfortunately, these kinds of trips are often expensive, even if the offer super-high value to you and the recipients of the help.
So, what about marrying the idea of the “staycation” with volunteerism? The truth is, many of us need a break, and we also need to save a little cash. I think the “staycation” has become a staple in American culture, but often linked to entertainment, spending, and sedentary activity. Some people are even so dis-engaged from the opportunities of their staycation, that they check their work emails for fun.
Don’t let this happen to you!!!
Make your staycation about something greater than yourself and commit big chunks of your time to helping others. Here are just a few ideas that could make your staycation fun and worthwhile (and make you feel like you EARNED that huge reward dinner at the end of your day). Please feel free to add on by leaving a comment of your ideas too.
- daily, extensive dog-walking, cage cleaning and generalized help at the local pound
- choose a stretch of roadside to clean up, and gently plant a few flowers
- visit nursing homes in your area, bringing flowers, magazines or baked goods to residents
- support a local homeless shelter by doing some extensive cleaning for a day or two, or large-scale cooking for a food line
- offer your help to spend the day driving/accompanying senior citizens or others in need to appointments and activities (call local senior centers and ask how you can help)
Tags: staycation, volunteer
This tip will make you feel as if you are eating more interesting foods more often, and so is all about getting value out of your time and enjoying the good life, without going out to eat!
I noticed that whenever I make a really complicated dish, like my roasted butternut squash white lasagna, that while I’m making every pan in the house dirty… I’m also creating lots of interesting flavors in many components that make this dish taste so good. Now I’ve taken to simply making extra roasted butternut squash cubes, sauteed mushrooms and spinach, basil pesto and freezing the overage of complicated ingredient ‘clusters’ for a repeat performance in another dish later in the month.
All of a sudden, a quick pasta dinner takes on new complexity when previously lovingly roasted butternut cubes are tossed with cream for a yummy sauce, or the mushroom-spinach mixture makes a Sunday morning omelet worth staying home for…..
So, here’s the tip:
If you are cooking the big-ticket, time consuming item, cook extra of the components of it… and freeze it up in ziplock bags, marked with the date. Vegetables, sautees and roasted items are particularly handy. So are caramelized onions and any heavily herbed or seasoned garnishes, and fancy hors d’oeurvres. Then, when you are uninspired (or tired), whip these ingredients into otherwise one-pan quick dinners and make them taste like a million…..
Buon Appetito!
Tags: freezing, gourmet, ingredients, preparing meals, save time
Solar Powered Web Hosting from AISO
Recent Comments