I am a big fan of oatmeal baths. Actually, it may be just an extension of my general philosophy of sickness -- just about anything can be treated with tea and a warm bath. Sore throat? Tea, bath. Tummy ache? Tea (peppermint or ginger) and bath. Cramps? Tea, bath. Feeling terrible, depressed, whatever? Tea with plenty of sugar. Bath. Maybe turn off the lights and have bath by candlelight. Ahhhh....
Eczema? Hives? Bath. Tea would be soothing -- it always is -- but not necessary in this case. Although I guess it could help to be more hydrated in the case of eczema.
Anyway, the point is.... little E (my 4 yo) has terrible eczema. Last night she cried. It was awful. Her legs were covered in raised red blotches and she had scratched her belly and legs to the point of drawing blood. So, I went to the store and bought the whole anti-itch spectrum of products.
One of the products that I always rely on is colloidal oatmeal -- E really enjoys an oatmeal bath and it does seem to be very soothing. Just make sure to use lukewarm, NOT HOT, water because hot water just exacerbates skin problems. Normally I buy Aveeno oatmeal, but my supermarket also offered (for 2 dollars less) a large bag of colloidal oatmeal -- considering the number of baths it would work for, it was at least half the price of Aveeno. I looked at the ingredients -- both were 100% colloidal oatmeal, so I opted for the less expensive option.
When I got home, I started to wonder.... what the heck is colloidal oatmeal? Is it just finely ground oatmeal? What's the deal?
The package says not to eat the oatmeal. Colloidaloatmeal.com (no kidding) says the same thing. But the same website gives instructions on making colloidal oatmeal -- basically, you just grind up oats (not an package of instant oatmeal!) to a very fine consistency. A coffee grinder would probably work fine. That would be a HUGE savings.
So why does the package say not to eat it? Is finely ground oatmeal a danger? Or are they using some sub-human grade of oat? Maybe it's just gross? Who knows....
Another advantage of the oatmeal bath is that it's naturally cleansing because of saponins in the oats that attract dirt and oils (source). Little eczema sufferers should not be using soap because it is very harsh and drying, so any cleansing that comes through oatmeal is a nice bonus :)
So.... note for future:
Aveeno oatmeal baths (8 packets) -- 6.99 on Drugstore.com
Giant bag of colloidal oatmeal -- <4.99 at HEB
grind oats -- <1.00/pound
It's awesome when it's less expensive to be green. No trip to the store. No extra packaging. Just grind the oats you already have. Beautiful
Showing posts with label frugality. Show all posts
Showing posts with label frugality. Show all posts
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Make Something New -- Arroz Con Leche
Me encanta el arroz con leche. Es delicioso.
I love arroz con leche. My husband and I have an ongoing "discussion" about it. He likes it soupy. I like it more like a pudding consistency. When I was in Spain I had it frequently -- it was cold and it was delicious -- and it was pudding-like, as arroz con leche should be (I think).
Actually, I prefer it warm, but that doesn't matter.
I made arroz con leche for the first time as a treat for my Spanish class. Here's the recipe:
(I googled it, but made some changes.)
4 c. milk (whole milk is optimal, but if it scares you, use the highest fat milk you are comfortable with... the recipe will still work)
1-1/4 c. water
1 c. rice (it's true ... you don't use much rice at all)
2 cinnamon sticks
1/4 teas. salt
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. raisins, soaked in water to plump 'em up
2 teas. vanilla
Bring milk and water to a light boil. Stir in rice, add cinnamon sticks and cover and cook on low for about 30 minutes. Then, remove the sticks and add all other ingredients. Continue cooking on low heat for about 10 minutes.
As the arroz con leche cools, it will become more solid. We had it last night and it was a soupy consistency. By morning, it was solid and I had to add more milk.
It's delicious as a dessert or for breakfast. Raisins are optional but delicious. Some recipes say to add butter or a spoonful of brandy before serving. No need -- it's wonderful as is.
The best thing? Another cheapo magnifico food. I made a double recipe for about 5 dollars. If you don't have cinnamon sticks it doesn't matter -- just put a little cinnamon in. Even nutmeg will work in a pinch - I looked at many different recipes. The classic presentation uses cinnamon sticks, however.
Then, you sing:
"Arroz con leche
me quiero casar
con una viudita de la capital.
Que sepa coser
que sepa bordar
que ponga la mesa en su santo lugar."
And you are glad that we have moved on in priorities :)
I love arroz con leche. My husband and I have an ongoing "discussion" about it. He likes it soupy. I like it more like a pudding consistency. When I was in Spain I had it frequently -- it was cold and it was delicious -- and it was pudding-like, as arroz con leche should be (I think).
Actually, I prefer it warm, but that doesn't matter.
I made arroz con leche for the first time as a treat for my Spanish class. Here's the recipe:
(I googled it, but made some changes.)
4 c. milk (whole milk is optimal, but if it scares you, use the highest fat milk you are comfortable with... the recipe will still work)
1-1/4 c. water
1 c. rice (it's true ... you don't use much rice at all)
2 cinnamon sticks
1/4 teas. salt
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 c. raisins, soaked in water to plump 'em up
2 teas. vanilla
Bring milk and water to a light boil. Stir in rice, add cinnamon sticks and cover and cook on low for about 30 minutes. Then, remove the sticks and add all other ingredients. Continue cooking on low heat for about 10 minutes.
As the arroz con leche cools, it will become more solid. We had it last night and it was a soupy consistency. By morning, it was solid and I had to add more milk.
It's delicious as a dessert or for breakfast. Raisins are optional but delicious. Some recipes say to add butter or a spoonful of brandy before serving. No need -- it's wonderful as is.
The best thing? Another cheapo magnifico food. I made a double recipe for about 5 dollars. If you don't have cinnamon sticks it doesn't matter -- just put a little cinnamon in. Even nutmeg will work in a pinch - I looked at many different recipes. The classic presentation uses cinnamon sticks, however.
Then, you sing:
"Arroz con leche
me quiero casar
con una viudita de la capital.
Que sepa coser
que sepa bordar
que ponga la mesa en su santo lugar."
And you are glad that we have moved on in priorities :)
Thursday, November 12, 2009
How much do 6 stitches cost?
Well, the consensus in Gradgreenland is that unless we are dying, nobody goes to the ER. There is an urgent care place pretty close by and they do stitches, so we'll head there if anybody's bleeding.
I promised to report back on the cost of C's ER visit. Check it out (and remember, he HAS insurance, so this is the negotiated rate):
Physician services: 602.00 (the doctor cleaned his wound, gave him a shot of local anesthetic and gave him 6 stitches. Some areas could not be stitched.)
Hospital services: 2161.75 -- adjusted for insurance to 1405.14. I guess this includes the supplies, sitting in a room for a couple of hours, inadequate financial counseling, and the nurse who bandaged the wound.
Yowza -- $2007.15 total. C has a high deductible HSA, so we are responsible for most of that. I will be calling the hospital to see if this can be reduced at all.
Will there be other bills? Who knows.
It seems excessive, doesn't it?
What makes me extra mad is that the whole point of an HSA is that the patient will be able to have control of medical expenses, but I ASKED about the price of various things and nobody was able to give me even the most vague idea.
Keep in mind -- this was all for a cut on the elbow -- a pretty gross bloody cut -- but a non-life-threatening injury. It probably would have been okay, albeit gory, with no stitches at all.
I promised to report back on the cost of C's ER visit. Check it out (and remember, he HAS insurance, so this is the negotiated rate):
Physician services: 602.00 (the doctor cleaned his wound, gave him a shot of local anesthetic and gave him 6 stitches. Some areas could not be stitched.)
Hospital services: 2161.75 -- adjusted for insurance to 1405.14. I guess this includes the supplies, sitting in a room for a couple of hours, inadequate financial counseling, and the nurse who bandaged the wound.
Yowza -- $2007.15 total. C has a high deductible HSA, so we are responsible for most of that. I will be calling the hospital to see if this can be reduced at all.
Will there be other bills? Who knows.
It seems excessive, doesn't it?
What makes me extra mad is that the whole point of an HSA is that the patient will be able to have control of medical expenses, but I ASKED about the price of various things and nobody was able to give me even the most vague idea.
Keep in mind -- this was all for a cut on the elbow -- a pretty gross bloody cut -- but a non-life-threatening injury. It probably would have been okay, albeit gory, with no stitches at all.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Make Something New -- Onion Tart
A few weeks ago I made an amazing discovery -- onion tart. Wow! It's delicious and it's super cheap to make. A friend of mine brought some over and I liked it so much that I kept trying to save it for a time that I could really appreciate it. Because of all my waiting around for the perfect moment, C got to a good portion of the tart before I could.
This month, my goal is to make something new at least once a week. Something I've NEVER made before. I want to 1) get out of my food rut and 2) try to expand my horizons.
Although I am a major proponent of scratch baking, I don't make pie crust. I buy pie crust. It comes in a package, wrapped in plastic and it's pretty darn convenient.
But, what exactly is IN that packaged pie crust? And it's kind of expensive considering what I discoverd when I decided to make my own.
Tonight I made pie crust for my onion tart. All by myself. And I found out something amazing.
Pie crust has 3 ingredients:
-butter
-flour
-some spoonfuls of water
How can that be?
I whipped up the crust very easily. I'm not saying it was the best crust in the world, but I made it myself, and I am proud :)
I filled it with 3 large carmelized onions cooked in a few tablespoons of butter -- all of that mixed with 2 beaten eggs. The recipe I found did not call for cheese, but I had some fancy cheese and sprinkled it over the top.
Yum!
So, if you want to make onion tart, you only need a few ingredients that you probably already have. That is what is so genius about this recipe. All you need is:
onions
eggs
flour
butter
cheese (optional)
bacon (optional)
salt -- the recipe did not call for salt, but I put a little in.
This month, my goal is to make something new at least once a week. Something I've NEVER made before. I want to 1) get out of my food rut and 2) try to expand my horizons.
Although I am a major proponent of scratch baking, I don't make pie crust. I buy pie crust. It comes in a package, wrapped in plastic and it's pretty darn convenient.
But, what exactly is IN that packaged pie crust? And it's kind of expensive considering what I discoverd when I decided to make my own.
Tonight I made pie crust for my onion tart. All by myself. And I found out something amazing.
Pie crust has 3 ingredients:
-butter
-flour
-some spoonfuls of water
How can that be?
I whipped up the crust very easily. I'm not saying it was the best crust in the world, but I made it myself, and I am proud :)
I filled it with 3 large carmelized onions cooked in a few tablespoons of butter -- all of that mixed with 2 beaten eggs. The recipe I found did not call for cheese, but I had some fancy cheese and sprinkled it over the top.
Yum!
So, if you want to make onion tart, you only need a few ingredients that you probably already have. That is what is so genius about this recipe. All you need is:
onions
eggs
flour
butter
cheese (optional)
bacon (optional)
salt -- the recipe did not call for salt, but I put a little in.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Stitches and Wound Care
C had a bike accident last week and was taken to the ER for stitches. This brought up lots of questions:
Q:Why did he have to wait 2 hours with an open bleeding wound before he was given any local anesthetic for the pain?
A: Because they were collecting his insurance information. Duh. By the time I met him at the hospital he was shaky and pale. Pobrecito.
Q: How much does it cost to get stitches at the ER?
A: Nobody knows. But they will be happy to collect your insurance information. If you decide that you would like to leave before the stitching takes place, you will still be charged for triage. How much? No one there can/will tell you.
Q: Should the stitched wound be bandaged or allowed to air dry?
A: At the hospital, we were told to keep it covered for 1-2 days and then let it air. It was too disgusting to look at, so I encouraged C to cover it up. I also consulted a wound care specialist and she told me that it should be covered and to keep antibiotic ointment on it. Nobody at the hospital said anything about antibiotic ointment.
Q: So, who's right?
A: Well, this blog has a lovely visual that explains why it should be covered. However, there is a reference to band-aid at the end, so perhaps that's not non-biased. Familydoctor.org says that it is not necessary to cover the wound unless it will get dirty or unless it covers "a large area of the body". Ick. Dr. Sears says to cover it for the first 48 hours and not to let a scab build up (this is also what we were told at the hospital). Seattle Childrens has similar advice.
Q: Should a wound be covered if it is grossing out other people?
A: Yes. It should also get antibiotic ointment and a dressing change once a day.
Q: Is removal of stitches covered in the mysterious amount charged in the initial ER bill?
A: Call the hospital. They won't tell you.
Q: Can a complete amateur remove stitches at home in less than 5 minutes?
A: Yep. You need alcohol, tweezers and scissors. Make sure everything is SUPER disinfected and clean (obviously). There are instructions all over the internet, and even videos on youtube (blech). All these sources (and I too, of course) say that it is not recommended to remove stitches at home.
Q: Did it hurt?
A: C said it pinched a little on the first stitch but then didn't hurt at all. :)
I think it's really messed up that nobody at the hospital could/would tell us 1) how much the visit would cost, 2) how much just triage would cost, 3) how much the medicines prescribed would cost or 4) whether or not stitch removal was included in the original ER visit. Thanks a lot Seton!
*I will be sure to update on how much stitches do cost. We really would have liked to know. Our health system is ridiculous.
Q:Why did he have to wait 2 hours with an open bleeding wound before he was given any local anesthetic for the pain?
A: Because they were collecting his insurance information. Duh. By the time I met him at the hospital he was shaky and pale. Pobrecito.
Q: How much does it cost to get stitches at the ER?
A: Nobody knows. But they will be happy to collect your insurance information. If you decide that you would like to leave before the stitching takes place, you will still be charged for triage. How much? No one there can/will tell you.
Q: Should the stitched wound be bandaged or allowed to air dry?
A: At the hospital, we were told to keep it covered for 1-2 days and then let it air. It was too disgusting to look at, so I encouraged C to cover it up. I also consulted a wound care specialist and she told me that it should be covered and to keep antibiotic ointment on it. Nobody at the hospital said anything about antibiotic ointment.
Q: So, who's right?
A: Well, this blog has a lovely visual that explains why it should be covered. However, there is a reference to band-aid at the end, so perhaps that's not non-biased. Familydoctor.org says that it is not necessary to cover the wound unless it will get dirty or unless it covers "a large area of the body". Ick. Dr. Sears says to cover it for the first 48 hours and not to let a scab build up (this is also what we were told at the hospital). Seattle Childrens has similar advice.
Q: Should a wound be covered if it is grossing out other people?
A: Yes. It should also get antibiotic ointment and a dressing change once a day.
Q: Is removal of stitches covered in the mysterious amount charged in the initial ER bill?
A: Call the hospital. They won't tell you.
Q: Can a complete amateur remove stitches at home in less than 5 minutes?
A: Yep. You need alcohol, tweezers and scissors. Make sure everything is SUPER disinfected and clean (obviously). There are instructions all over the internet, and even videos on youtube (blech). All these sources (and I too, of course) say that it is not recommended to remove stitches at home.
Q: Did it hurt?
A: C said it pinched a little on the first stitch but then didn't hurt at all. :)
I think it's really messed up that nobody at the hospital could/would tell us 1) how much the visit would cost, 2) how much just triage would cost, 3) how much the medicines prescribed would cost or 4) whether or not stitch removal was included in the original ER visit. Thanks a lot Seton!
*I will be sure to update on how much stitches do cost. We really would have liked to know. Our health system is ridiculous.
Annoying Deer & Hunting Questions
My neighborhood is full of deer. I don't live in the country -- I live in a residential area of Austin -- and I am SURROUNDED by deer.
I like deer. I think they're cute, beautiful, fun to watch, etc. But right now, I am very annoyed by them. I planted a tree -- they ate it. I planted a deer-resistant tree, and before I had a chance to put up a fence around it (ugly) -- they ate half of it. Freaking deer!
Many neighbors feed the deer, which is now illegal in Austin. Herds of deer roam the neighborhood, chomping at will. Can I plant a garden? Not without significant fencing infrastructure. Plus, the deer are starting to freak me out -- the bucks are fighting -- apparently this is the time to look for a lady deer -- and they have lost ALL fear.
I have to go into the front yard to make phone calls because I have terrible phone reception in the house -- frequently I have to run away from a deer that is scaring me -- they walk straight up to me -- looking at me with glazed eyes -- I shout at them and they DON'T MOVE. Ack!
My son likes to chase them -- I've told him that it's too dangerous. Deer can charge, and some of these deer have serious antlers.
So, I wonder.....
Can you hunt the deer? (I'm not a hunter, I'm just wondering.)
No. Illegal in the city limits.
What if you didn't care if it was illegal? (Again, I'm not a hunter, just wondering.)
After some research on the Texas Parks and Wildlife page and some deer processors, it seems that you might be able to tag the deer with your hunting license and bring it to a processor. Or, you could just process it in the backyard and no one would be the wiser. Apparently, you have to field dress a deer anyway, so you might as well finish the job.
But if you get caught, big trouble!
What about the deer that get hit by cars? Can you eat them?
Again, legally -- no. You should call Texas Parks and Wildlife and they will send someone out to pick it up. A few days later. There's currently a large trashbag on the side of our street labeled "Do not touch -- dead deer" Yuck. This varies from state to state.
But if the deer broke its neck and wasn't hit in the abdomen or something like that, again, you could sneak the deer home and butcher it. Totally illegal.
And finally, after googling "Deer hunting Texas" "Austin deer feeding" "Hit deer with car" and other such cheery phrases, I started to wonder -- can you save any money by hunting?
Well, it depends.
There's a post on that very topic at Free Money Finance. The consensus seems to be that it costs a lot of money to hunt -- you need a license, a gun, access to a truck (to transport the deer), and may need to pay to hunt on a hunting lease. Also, you have to pay to have the deer processed (unless you do it yourself). One site I looked at charged $70 to process a deer. That did not include making sausage, etc., which was over $2 a pound -- that's from your own meat! I found that sort of surprising.
But, I guess you could buy a license, go to a hunt on public land and borrow a friend's truck & gun and process the meat yourself. That would be a huge money saver. If you live on land with deer (again, not in my neighborhood, but out in the country), you could hunt for free there too.
Cost: Resident hunting license $25
Archery stamp endorsement $7 (interesting)
Hunter education (required) $15 or you can defer for one year for $10
Rifle/ammunition: borrow rifle; ammunition is surprisingly expensive -- maybe buy a couple of shells (is that the word?) from a hunting friend - $5
OR hunt with bow & arrow -- $0 (borrowed of course)
Annual Public Hunt Permit: $48
Total cost:
for hunting with borrowed rifle & deferred hunter education: $88 if you don't have land
For hunting with borrowed bow & arrow: $90 if you don't have land
This assumes you do the field dressing (which you already have to do) and process the deer yourself. I would assume that needs some equipment & perhaps additional freezer space. All in all, I don't think that hunting is a big money saver over buying meat at the store on sale. Of course, I guess you know where the meat is coming from....
So, how much meat do you get from a deer?
According to this site, if a hunter kills a 165 pound buck (field-dressed weight), he should expect 58.15 pounds of meat. So, let's assume that with borrowing all the needed hunting equipment and buying your friend dinner in exchange (or giving him/her some of your meat), it works out to about $2/pound. If you add in all the time you spend hunting/learning/borrowing/butchering, I hope you really like hunting. And that's assuming that you get a big buck.
But wait! C reminded me that you don't necessarily just go hunting once a year. In Texas you can kill 5 white-tail deer/year (3 max. with antlers). That certainly brings down the price per pound. Again -- you need a big freezer! I don't think you could eat enough deer meat to keep up with 5 deer killed just during deer season.
Now, is hunting a green option?
It doesn't seem to fit in with what many urban greenies do -- go vegetarian. But, since one of the big reasons to go veg is to reduce your impact on the earth (meat requires more resources, water, oil, etc. per pound than plants do to produce), hunting deer, particularly in an area that has overpopulated deer (due to the absence of natural predators) seems preferable to buying meat at the store. That is provided that you don't drive hundreds of miles to hunt deer that are fed deer pellets.
Is deer meat organic?
Well, in the case of my neighborhood, definitely not! (But that's illegal!)
In the wild? Hmmm... hard to say, but it is free range (unless fed pellets) and free of antibiotics.
Disclaimer: I'm not a hunter. I've only had deer sausage a couple of times. I think the deer are nice, but I am very mad about my dead dead trees. The deer population is insane in my neighborhood. Four deer in my front yard last night. Crazy.
I was just curious so I decided to do some research.
I like deer. I think they're cute, beautiful, fun to watch, etc. But right now, I am very annoyed by them. I planted a tree -- they ate it. I planted a deer-resistant tree, and before I had a chance to put up a fence around it (ugly) -- they ate half of it. Freaking deer!
Many neighbors feed the deer, which is now illegal in Austin. Herds of deer roam the neighborhood, chomping at will. Can I plant a garden? Not without significant fencing infrastructure. Plus, the deer are starting to freak me out -- the bucks are fighting -- apparently this is the time to look for a lady deer -- and they have lost ALL fear.
I have to go into the front yard to make phone calls because I have terrible phone reception in the house -- frequently I have to run away from a deer that is scaring me -- they walk straight up to me -- looking at me with glazed eyes -- I shout at them and they DON'T MOVE. Ack!
My son likes to chase them -- I've told him that it's too dangerous. Deer can charge, and some of these deer have serious antlers.
So, I wonder.....
Can you hunt the deer? (I'm not a hunter, I'm just wondering.)
No. Illegal in the city limits.
What if you didn't care if it was illegal? (Again, I'm not a hunter, just wondering.)
After some research on the Texas Parks and Wildlife page and some deer processors, it seems that you might be able to tag the deer with your hunting license and bring it to a processor. Or, you could just process it in the backyard and no one would be the wiser. Apparently, you have to field dress a deer anyway, so you might as well finish the job.
But if you get caught, big trouble!
What about the deer that get hit by cars? Can you eat them?
Again, legally -- no. You should call Texas Parks and Wildlife and they will send someone out to pick it up. A few days later. There's currently a large trashbag on the side of our street labeled "Do not touch -- dead deer" Yuck. This varies from state to state.
But if the deer broke its neck and wasn't hit in the abdomen or something like that, again, you could sneak the deer home and butcher it. Totally illegal.
And finally, after googling "Deer hunting Texas" "Austin deer feeding" "Hit deer with car" and other such cheery phrases, I started to wonder -- can you save any money by hunting?
Well, it depends.
There's a post on that very topic at Free Money Finance. The consensus seems to be that it costs a lot of money to hunt -- you need a license, a gun, access to a truck (to transport the deer), and may need to pay to hunt on a hunting lease. Also, you have to pay to have the deer processed (unless you do it yourself). One site I looked at charged $70 to process a deer. That did not include making sausage, etc., which was over $2 a pound -- that's from your own meat! I found that sort of surprising.
But, I guess you could buy a license, go to a hunt on public land and borrow a friend's truck & gun and process the meat yourself. That would be a huge money saver. If you live on land with deer (again, not in my neighborhood, but out in the country), you could hunt for free there too.
Cost: Resident hunting license $25
Archery stamp endorsement $7 (interesting)
Hunter education (required) $15 or you can defer for one year for $10
Rifle/ammunition: borrow rifle; ammunition is surprisingly expensive -- maybe buy a couple of shells (is that the word?) from a hunting friend - $5
OR hunt with bow & arrow -- $0 (borrowed of course)
Annual Public Hunt Permit: $48
Total cost:
for hunting with borrowed rifle & deferred hunter education: $88 if you don't have land
For hunting with borrowed bow & arrow: $90 if you don't have land
This assumes you do the field dressing (which you already have to do) and process the deer yourself. I would assume that needs some equipment & perhaps additional freezer space. All in all, I don't think that hunting is a big money saver over buying meat at the store on sale. Of course, I guess you know where the meat is coming from....
So, how much meat do you get from a deer?
According to this site, if a hunter kills a 165 pound buck (field-dressed weight), he should expect 58.15 pounds of meat. So, let's assume that with borrowing all the needed hunting equipment and buying your friend dinner in exchange (or giving him/her some of your meat), it works out to about $2/pound. If you add in all the time you spend hunting/learning/borrowing/butchering, I hope you really like hunting. And that's assuming that you get a big buck.
But wait! C reminded me that you don't necessarily just go hunting once a year. In Texas you can kill 5 white-tail deer/year (3 max. with antlers). That certainly brings down the price per pound. Again -- you need a big freezer! I don't think you could eat enough deer meat to keep up with 5 deer killed just during deer season.
Now, is hunting a green option?
It doesn't seem to fit in with what many urban greenies do -- go vegetarian. But, since one of the big reasons to go veg is to reduce your impact on the earth (meat requires more resources, water, oil, etc. per pound than plants do to produce), hunting deer, particularly in an area that has overpopulated deer (due to the absence of natural predators) seems preferable to buying meat at the store. That is provided that you don't drive hundreds of miles to hunt deer that are fed deer pellets.
Is deer meat organic?
Well, in the case of my neighborhood, definitely not! (But that's illegal!)
In the wild? Hmmm... hard to say, but it is free range (unless fed pellets) and free of antibiotics.
Disclaimer: I'm not a hunter. I've only had deer sausage a couple of times. I think the deer are nice, but I am very mad about my dead dead trees. The deer population is insane in my neighborhood. Four deer in my front yard last night. Crazy.
I was just curious so I decided to do some research.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Birthday Edition
We've been on a major spending cutback here in Gradgreenland. C and I have not bought anything other than food and a birthday gift for a kid birthday in the last few weeks.
So, then C's birthday came up. My students asked me what I got him for his birthday and I could tell they were shocked when my reaction was, "nothing".
Uh....
C and I pretty much agreed not to exchange gifts for the sake of exchanging gifts about 5 years ago. Not even birthday cards. He thinks they are a waste of money. I can see that. A handwritten note or even a romantic e-mail can get the point across. To tell the truth, better than any birthday card was the call he gave me a couple of weeks ago in the morning to check on me because I had been feeling bad. Sweet.
So, I didn't get my husband anything for his birthday. But he didn't want me to spend any money on anything. Instead, we'll be having one of his favorite dinners and I made him a cake. I even gave him a choice of flavors :)
I guess we're not a romantic couple -- but maybe we're just not into wasting money. I find it much more romantic to be friends with a man that I love and to do things together. We agree that we'd rather spend the money on a new couch or on a vacation than fritter it away on gifts that we don't really need.
That said, every now and then an awesome opportunity comes along. Great concert tickets, for example. And if that happens to fall near a birthday or Christmas, they get wrapped.
So, then C's birthday came up. My students asked me what I got him for his birthday and I could tell they were shocked when my reaction was, "nothing".
Uh....
C and I pretty much agreed not to exchange gifts for the sake of exchanging gifts about 5 years ago. Not even birthday cards. He thinks they are a waste of money. I can see that. A handwritten note or even a romantic e-mail can get the point across. To tell the truth, better than any birthday card was the call he gave me a couple of weeks ago in the morning to check on me because I had been feeling bad. Sweet.
So, I didn't get my husband anything for his birthday. But he didn't want me to spend any money on anything. Instead, we'll be having one of his favorite dinners and I made him a cake. I even gave him a choice of flavors :)
I guess we're not a romantic couple -- but maybe we're just not into wasting money. I find it much more romantic to be friends with a man that I love and to do things together. We agree that we'd rather spend the money on a new couch or on a vacation than fritter it away on gifts that we don't really need.
That said, every now and then an awesome opportunity comes along. Great concert tickets, for example. And if that happens to fall near a birthday or Christmas, they get wrapped.
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
How many pairs of shoes do you need?
More specifically, how many pairs of shoes does an 8 year old boy need?
I thought 2. He has a pair of sneakers and a pair of sandals. In case of emergency, he can wear the other. It might not always be ideal, but we live in Texas, and you can pretty much wear sandals all year round.
Then he got the sneakers COVERED in mud and filth. Monday morning came -- and they were still foul. I told him to wear the sandals. He told me they had poop on them. He showed me a VERY small stain -- could be poop -- but they're not stinky and we had to leave.
He refused to put them on. Stubborn child. He walked up the hill to school in his socks. There, my husband met us (he works at school and was meeting me to pick something up, thank goodness). Problem solved.
But I went home guilty, thinking, "am I an evil mom? Am I stingy with my kids because they only have 2 pairs of shoes? What's the norm?"
I tried to google an answer. I discovered that adults have WAAAAY too many shoes. But I couldn't find a solid answer for kids. So I asked a mom that I respect. She told me that her kids have 2 pairs. I don't feel so guilty anymore.
I think that all of us have become used to having way more clothes than we need, tons of extra shoes, socks, etc. And it leads us to not really take care of the things that we have. If I had really been thinking, J's shoes would have been washed as soon as we got back. But I was tired. If he had had an extra pair of sneakers, chances are the muddy ones would still be at the front door. But we don't really have a choice. We have to take care of them.
Some years ago, I traveled around South America with a small backpack. I'm a wimp, so I couldn't carry. Here's what I had for clothes:
Hiking boots
Sandals
3 pairs of socks (washed the socks at the hostal each night)
underwear -- probably 5 pair -- can't remember
3 t-shirts
1 pair jeans
1 pair shorts
1 pair PJ pants
fleece
long underwear
I traveled for months. I washed my clothes by hand and hung them to dry, or paid someone to do the same. I had to be careful. If I dripped something on my shirt, I had to quickly clean it up. I had to think about what I wanted to wear and where. If I knew that I would be visiting a cathedral, I couldn't be left with only shorts. Sometimes I wore multiple layers to keep warm. (South America can get very cold, especially in the mountains.) But it was a great feeling -- I could easily carry everything that I needed. I never had to pay a porter. I could carry my backpack onto the bus or airplane -- no checking necessary. In the whole time, there were only 2 problems:
1. On a camping trip in Ecuador, someone stole my boots from outside my tent. Luckily, I had my sandals, but I was not able to get new boots until I got back to a major city a few days later.
2. My brother and I went on a jungle tour and came back enlightened but disgusting. We stayed at a hostal to rest and wash EVERYTHING. Unfortunately, it started to rain. And didn't stop raining.... we had to pack our wet clothes back into our backpacks and travel to Quito in pajama pants and t-shirts... not exactly appropriate attire. So I guess the lesson is -- if you have a limited supply of clothing, you don't want it all wet (or muddy and/or poopy) at the same time.
P.S. How many pairs of shoes do YOU think is reasonable?
I thought 2. He has a pair of sneakers and a pair of sandals. In case of emergency, he can wear the other. It might not always be ideal, but we live in Texas, and you can pretty much wear sandals all year round.
Then he got the sneakers COVERED in mud and filth. Monday morning came -- and they were still foul. I told him to wear the sandals. He told me they had poop on them. He showed me a VERY small stain -- could be poop -- but they're not stinky and we had to leave.
He refused to put them on. Stubborn child. He walked up the hill to school in his socks. There, my husband met us (he works at school and was meeting me to pick something up, thank goodness). Problem solved.
But I went home guilty, thinking, "am I an evil mom? Am I stingy with my kids because they only have 2 pairs of shoes? What's the norm?"
I tried to google an answer. I discovered that adults have WAAAAY too many shoes. But I couldn't find a solid answer for kids. So I asked a mom that I respect. She told me that her kids have 2 pairs. I don't feel so guilty anymore.
I think that all of us have become used to having way more clothes than we need, tons of extra shoes, socks, etc. And it leads us to not really take care of the things that we have. If I had really been thinking, J's shoes would have been washed as soon as we got back. But I was tired. If he had had an extra pair of sneakers, chances are the muddy ones would still be at the front door. But we don't really have a choice. We have to take care of them.
Some years ago, I traveled around South America with a small backpack. I'm a wimp, so I couldn't carry. Here's what I had for clothes:
Hiking boots
Sandals
3 pairs of socks (washed the socks at the hostal each night)
underwear -- probably 5 pair -- can't remember
3 t-shirts
1 pair jeans
1 pair shorts
1 pair PJ pants
fleece
long underwear
I traveled for months. I washed my clothes by hand and hung them to dry, or paid someone to do the same. I had to be careful. If I dripped something on my shirt, I had to quickly clean it up. I had to think about what I wanted to wear and where. If I knew that I would be visiting a cathedral, I couldn't be left with only shorts. Sometimes I wore multiple layers to keep warm. (South America can get very cold, especially in the mountains.) But it was a great feeling -- I could easily carry everything that I needed. I never had to pay a porter. I could carry my backpack onto the bus or airplane -- no checking necessary. In the whole time, there were only 2 problems:
1. On a camping trip in Ecuador, someone stole my boots from outside my tent. Luckily, I had my sandals, but I was not able to get new boots until I got back to a major city a few days later.
2. My brother and I went on a jungle tour and came back enlightened but disgusting. We stayed at a hostal to rest and wash EVERYTHING. Unfortunately, it started to rain. And didn't stop raining.... we had to pack our wet clothes back into our backpacks and travel to Quito in pajama pants and t-shirts... not exactly appropriate attire. So I guess the lesson is -- if you have a limited supply of clothing, you don't want it all wet (or muddy and/or poopy) at the same time.
P.S. How many pairs of shoes do YOU think is reasonable?
Monday, October 12, 2009
Stay out of the store! -- Cooking with what's on hand...
So.... the gradgreen family is trying to save some money. That basically means 2 things:
1. Stop buying stuff
2. Cut down on grocery shopping
#2 seems kind of harsh. C's usual response is "but we have to eat!" I agree. I LOVE to eat, but I think that we can cut some of the expenses. We looked over our bills (don't worry, we pay the card off every month) and found that we had 23 separate trips to the grocery store last month. Holy Canoli. That's not how I want to spend my time.
So we agreed to work with what we have on hand... to the greatest extent possible. We have made a couple of trips to the store to re-stock milk, bread, peanut butter... you know... the staples. But the trips have been far less expensive than normal.
Here are some of the meals we've had:
1. Chicken pot pie. Thanks to S for the inspiration. We had frozen chicken and peas and some funky carrot sticks and broccoli. Chop chop chop with some onion. Make a delicious gravy. I'm not up to a pastry crust, but I made some homemade biscuit dough and baked it on top. Yummalicious.
I was really proud of myself for the biscuit dough, because I was SOO close to calling C on his way home and asking him to pick up a popping package of frozen biscuits. But that would have been lame. Homemade biscuits, especially the drop biscuit kind, are very easy to make.
2. Baked potatoes. This was an emergency dinner, so we microwaved the potatoes. They were organic russets, so a little smaller than the norm, which is perfect for the microwave. We had steamed broccoli on the side as well as a couple of veggie chicken patties that I cut into triangles. This dinner was a big hit and it was made out of true desperation.
3. Chicken soup. This is best made with chicken thighs because they have the most flavor, but I had a couple of chicken breasts. Add some onion, carrots, peas, rice.... wait a second... this is remarkable similar to chicken pot pie! Yet different, somehow.
4. Spaghetti and meatballs. I had spaghetti, spaghetti sauce, some leftover sauteed peppers and onions from a cookout and a couple of leftover hamburgers. Cut up the hamburgers -- cook in the sauce. Voila! Nobody even mentioned the fact that the meatballs used to be hamburgers.
Those of you who have kids have probably noticed that so much of what kids like depends on packaging. They don't like Kix, but if it has Shrek on the front, they do like Shrek cereal, etc. The same is true for leftovers. I fix the plates in the kitchen and nobody has to see all the parts coming together. Sometimes the result is even tastier than the first thing I made.
1. Stop buying stuff
2. Cut down on grocery shopping
#2 seems kind of harsh. C's usual response is "but we have to eat!" I agree. I LOVE to eat, but I think that we can cut some of the expenses. We looked over our bills (don't worry, we pay the card off every month) and found that we had 23 separate trips to the grocery store last month. Holy Canoli. That's not how I want to spend my time.
So we agreed to work with what we have on hand... to the greatest extent possible. We have made a couple of trips to the store to re-stock milk, bread, peanut butter... you know... the staples. But the trips have been far less expensive than normal.
Here are some of the meals we've had:
1. Chicken pot pie. Thanks to S for the inspiration. We had frozen chicken and peas and some funky carrot sticks and broccoli. Chop chop chop with some onion. Make a delicious gravy. I'm not up to a pastry crust, but I made some homemade biscuit dough and baked it on top. Yummalicious.
I was really proud of myself for the biscuit dough, because I was SOO close to calling C on his way home and asking him to pick up a popping package of frozen biscuits. But that would have been lame. Homemade biscuits, especially the drop biscuit kind, are very easy to make.
2. Baked potatoes. This was an emergency dinner, so we microwaved the potatoes. They were organic russets, so a little smaller than the norm, which is perfect for the microwave. We had steamed broccoli on the side as well as a couple of veggie chicken patties that I cut into triangles. This dinner was a big hit and it was made out of true desperation.
3. Chicken soup. This is best made with chicken thighs because they have the most flavor, but I had a couple of chicken breasts. Add some onion, carrots, peas, rice.... wait a second... this is remarkable similar to chicken pot pie! Yet different, somehow.
4. Spaghetti and meatballs. I had spaghetti, spaghetti sauce, some leftover sauteed peppers and onions from a cookout and a couple of leftover hamburgers. Cut up the hamburgers -- cook in the sauce. Voila! Nobody even mentioned the fact that the meatballs used to be hamburgers.
Those of you who have kids have probably noticed that so much of what kids like depends on packaging. They don't like Kix, but if it has Shrek on the front, they do like Shrek cereal, etc. The same is true for leftovers. I fix the plates in the kitchen and nobody has to see all the parts coming together. Sometimes the result is even tastier than the first thing I made.
Sunday, October 4, 2009
Fixing Stuff
A big problem nowadays is that it is many times less expensive and less hassle to replace something than it is to fix it.
The sole falls off your shoe? Replace it.
Your printer needs new ink? It's sometimes cheaper to buy a new printer (!?*#)
Bicycle tube gets a flat? Replace it. It's complicated to patch them.
But no!!! It may be easier sometimes to replace something, but in the long run, that's not the right thing to do. It's not the right thing for the planet -- it's a huge waste of resources -- and it's not a good lesson for our children. If something is worth having, it's worth taking care of.
I have 3 recent examples of how fixing something may be a pain, but it's worth it:
1. I bought a pair of shoes at Goodwill. They are awesome. They are SO cute. They cost 6 or 7 dollars. They're leather with wooden soles. Love 'em. But AFTER I bought them, I realized that one of the shoes was missing its rubber sole. And that the other one was about to fall off. So I brought them to the shoe hospital. About 40 dollars later (Gah!), I had a sweet pair of shoes.
Was it cheap? NO.
Was it worth it? Yep. I love these shoes. And they would have cost about 100 dollars new.
Incidentally, shoe repair is much more prevalent and less expensive in Latin America. When I was a frequent traveler, I used to bring my dead shoes to Latin America for revitalizing. Usually to the tune of less than $5 a pair.
2. My home phone stopped working. We decided that after many many year of love, the battery had probably worn out. I went to Radio Shack to get a replacement. It was about 20 dollars. Holy canoli! That's almost the cost of a new phone. But... I had the best ever response to the salesman who tried to sell me a new phone. Check it out: "I can't. My mother passed away 5 years ago and I have messages and songs from her recorded on my phone. I'm not buying a new phone." The salesperson sold me a battery.
3. My lamp stopped working. It just wouldn't turn on anymore. We had an extra lamp in the garage, so I tried to substitute, but I found out that I had a LOVE affair with my Tiffany lamp. I would get very grumpy every night when I had to read by the harsh harsh light of the substitute lamp. I told my husband that I would do anything to repair the lamp -- I was willing to pay $100.
Then I remembered my mother rewiring a lamp. Shoot. I can do that. I went to Lowe's. I bought a socket. It cost $3. I tried rewiring the darn lamp. It sort of worked. My husband brought the lamp back to Lowe's. The most awesome Lowe's worker ever tried several solutions, in the store, until he was able to fix it. For less than $10. No charge for the electrician consultation. He even gave us a new curly lightbulb.
That lamp cannot be replaced. It HAD to be fixed, and we found a way.
Anything worth having is worth taking care of.
The sole falls off your shoe? Replace it.
Your printer needs new ink? It's sometimes cheaper to buy a new printer (!?*#)
Bicycle tube gets a flat? Replace it. It's complicated to patch them.
But no!!! It may be easier sometimes to replace something, but in the long run, that's not the right thing to do. It's not the right thing for the planet -- it's a huge waste of resources -- and it's not a good lesson for our children. If something is worth having, it's worth taking care of.
I have 3 recent examples of how fixing something may be a pain, but it's worth it:
1. I bought a pair of shoes at Goodwill. They are awesome. They are SO cute. They cost 6 or 7 dollars. They're leather with wooden soles. Love 'em. But AFTER I bought them, I realized that one of the shoes was missing its rubber sole. And that the other one was about to fall off. So I brought them to the shoe hospital. About 40 dollars later (Gah!), I had a sweet pair of shoes.
Was it cheap? NO.
Was it worth it? Yep. I love these shoes. And they would have cost about 100 dollars new.
Incidentally, shoe repair is much more prevalent and less expensive in Latin America. When I was a frequent traveler, I used to bring my dead shoes to Latin America for revitalizing. Usually to the tune of less than $5 a pair.
2. My home phone stopped working. We decided that after many many year of love, the battery had probably worn out. I went to Radio Shack to get a replacement. It was about 20 dollars. Holy canoli! That's almost the cost of a new phone. But... I had the best ever response to the salesman who tried to sell me a new phone. Check it out: "I can't. My mother passed away 5 years ago and I have messages and songs from her recorded on my phone. I'm not buying a new phone." The salesperson sold me a battery.
3. My lamp stopped working. It just wouldn't turn on anymore. We had an extra lamp in the garage, so I tried to substitute, but I found out that I had a LOVE affair with my Tiffany lamp. I would get very grumpy every night when I had to read by the harsh harsh light of the substitute lamp. I told my husband that I would do anything to repair the lamp -- I was willing to pay $100.
Then I remembered my mother rewiring a lamp. Shoot. I can do that. I went to Lowe's. I bought a socket. It cost $3. I tried rewiring the darn lamp. It sort of worked. My husband brought the lamp back to Lowe's. The most awesome Lowe's worker ever tried several solutions, in the store, until he was able to fix it. For less than $10. No charge for the electrician consultation. He even gave us a new curly lightbulb.
That lamp cannot be replaced. It HAD to be fixed, and we found a way.
Anything worth having is worth taking care of.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Green Lawncare in Texas
Now that it's not such a depressing sight, I can report on the state of my lawn.
We bought a house in June. We live in Texas. You probably heard about the drought. It made the national news. We were gone for most of July. So, here's the situation:
June 1 -- beautiful lush green grass; we move in. We ignore the grass as we paint the house & move.
July -- we're gone. Continue ignoring grass. Call my brother mid-July after hearing from people all over the northeast about the drought. He waters the lawn. Once.
August 1 -- we come back to Texas. The grass is brown. And crunchy. When I tried to hand-water some of the grass in the back yard, it washed away. :/
Austin has water restrictions right now. We can only water lawns on Sundays before 10 am or after 7 pm. It has started raining again, which is sort of hard to believe after so little rain all summer long.
So what does the lawn look like now?
Well. It looks different. But not so bad. When we came back, I decided that we would just try to "save" a patch of grass in front of the house. There was also some grass under a big oak tree that had not done so bad, so I gave it a little hand-watering love (permitted under watering restrictions). I pretty much let the rest of the (huge) lawn go.
The grass is mostly St. Augustine, which is not the preferred grass for our area. A better choice would be bermuda or buffalo grass, which does not need as much water. So, a lot of it died. But some of it is coming back with the rain that we are having now, and starting to cover some of the bare patches. And then a large portion of the side yard is covered in a fluffy clovery substance. Not sure what it is.
We've planted a couple of native trees and are planning on planting some more. We are hoping that some more trees on the lot will help with erosion control (very important since our house backs up to a steep drop-off with a sometimes creek) and in the prevention of desertification. The grass underneath the tree was just so much happier than the grass in the burning sun.
When we get more organized, we will be replacing some of the grass with native plants and mulch or gravel. I'm still not totally sure what the best method is, so I will be doing some more research.
Mowing
I think that what helped the lawn look slightly better than surrounding lawns is that we weren't here to mow it. I've noticed that a couple of the neighbors have lawn services that cut the grass regardless of what's going on. I have seen one service cut the grass in the rain -- twice! Many people cut the grass very short and it really suffers in the sun when it is that short.
All About Lawns recommends the following care for a lawn during a drought:
1. let your lawn grow higher than usual
2. mulch the clippings
3. water in the morning
4. plant drought-tolerant grass
5. fertilize less
6. or let your lawn go dormant
It's funny that I did #1, 5 and 6 by default just by not being here :)
When we got back, we had the chance to try suggestion #2 -- mulch the clippings. Again, this is because of laziness and frugality, not because we read the suggestions at the time.
Our Lawn Mower
We bought a push reel mower -- the kind that uses no gas or electricity. It was under 100 dollars at Lowe's. I thought it was pretty cool that it came in a small box that I could easily pop in the back seat of my car. I wasn't expecting that in a lawn mower. I had the choice of paying 20 or 30 extra dollars for a bag, but I decided not to.
It's easy to push. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. My 8 year old son can push it with no problem. I mowed the lawn the other day in platform shoes and a dress. (Maybe not totally wise, but I was in a hurry). The only annoying thing is that EVERY STICK IN THE WHOLE YARD will get stuck in the blades and you have to stop and very carefully pull it out. I have to stop every couple of minutes, but other than that, the mowing thing is a breeze. This is also the reason that, although my son CAN mow the lawn, I don't think he's quite old enough to do it. I have no problem having him push the mower, but I'm afraid he might miscalculate the stick removal and take off a finger.
If the grass gets really tall or there are crazy weeds, the mower doesn't do the greatest job. Weeds really need to be weed-whacked or they just stay there, waving around in the middle of the lawn.
Mulching the cuttings
Again, this happened because of laziness and frugality. I could buy the bag or rake the cuttings. Didn't want to do either. I just left the grass fall. When it finally started raining, I noticed there were a couple of areas where the grass didn't seem to be growing back because it was all clumped with grass (this is called "thatch" in the lawn-care world), so I raked those areas. The rest of the lawn seemed to do just fine.
Mulching the cuttings is beneficial to the lawn if you don't let the lawn get too long. You should only be cutting about 1/3 of the blade of grass at a time. Ideally, the cuttings will fall INTO the lawn, helping the soil hold in moisture and providing some fertilizer. If the grass is so long that it covers the lawn, it just builds up thatch and makes it hard for the grass to grow.
Ahhh... the joys of home-ownership. Just a few months ago I was totally innocent of anything lawn-care related.
We bought a house in June. We live in Texas. You probably heard about the drought. It made the national news. We were gone for most of July. So, here's the situation:
June 1 -- beautiful lush green grass; we move in. We ignore the grass as we paint the house & move.
July -- we're gone. Continue ignoring grass. Call my brother mid-July after hearing from people all over the northeast about the drought. He waters the lawn. Once.
August 1 -- we come back to Texas. The grass is brown. And crunchy. When I tried to hand-water some of the grass in the back yard, it washed away. :/
Austin has water restrictions right now. We can only water lawns on Sundays before 10 am or after 7 pm. It has started raining again, which is sort of hard to believe after so little rain all summer long.
So what does the lawn look like now?
Well. It looks different. But not so bad. When we came back, I decided that we would just try to "save" a patch of grass in front of the house. There was also some grass under a big oak tree that had not done so bad, so I gave it a little hand-watering love (permitted under watering restrictions). I pretty much let the rest of the (huge) lawn go.
The grass is mostly St. Augustine, which is not the preferred grass for our area. A better choice would be bermuda or buffalo grass, which does not need as much water. So, a lot of it died. But some of it is coming back with the rain that we are having now, and starting to cover some of the bare patches. And then a large portion of the side yard is covered in a fluffy clovery substance. Not sure what it is.
We've planted a couple of native trees and are planning on planting some more. We are hoping that some more trees on the lot will help with erosion control (very important since our house backs up to a steep drop-off with a sometimes creek) and in the prevention of desertification. The grass underneath the tree was just so much happier than the grass in the burning sun.
When we get more organized, we will be replacing some of the grass with native plants and mulch or gravel. I'm still not totally sure what the best method is, so I will be doing some more research.
Mowing
I think that what helped the lawn look slightly better than surrounding lawns is that we weren't here to mow it. I've noticed that a couple of the neighbors have lawn services that cut the grass regardless of what's going on. I have seen one service cut the grass in the rain -- twice! Many people cut the grass very short and it really suffers in the sun when it is that short.
All About Lawns recommends the following care for a lawn during a drought:
1. let your lawn grow higher than usual
2. mulch the clippings
3. water in the morning
4. plant drought-tolerant grass
5. fertilize less
6. or let your lawn go dormant
It's funny that I did #1, 5 and 6 by default just by not being here :)
When we got back, we had the chance to try suggestion #2 -- mulch the clippings. Again, this is because of laziness and frugality, not because we read the suggestions at the time.
Our Lawn Mower
We bought a push reel mower -- the kind that uses no gas or electricity. It was under 100 dollars at Lowe's. I thought it was pretty cool that it came in a small box that I could easily pop in the back seat of my car. I wasn't expecting that in a lawn mower. I had the choice of paying 20 or 30 extra dollars for a bag, but I decided not to.
It's easy to push. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. My 8 year old son can push it with no problem. I mowed the lawn the other day in platform shoes and a dress. (Maybe not totally wise, but I was in a hurry). The only annoying thing is that EVERY STICK IN THE WHOLE YARD will get stuck in the blades and you have to stop and very carefully pull it out. I have to stop every couple of minutes, but other than that, the mowing thing is a breeze. This is also the reason that, although my son CAN mow the lawn, I don't think he's quite old enough to do it. I have no problem having him push the mower, but I'm afraid he might miscalculate the stick removal and take off a finger.
If the grass gets really tall or there are crazy weeds, the mower doesn't do the greatest job. Weeds really need to be weed-whacked or they just stay there, waving around in the middle of the lawn.
Mulching the cuttings
Again, this happened because of laziness and frugality. I could buy the bag or rake the cuttings. Didn't want to do either. I just left the grass fall. When it finally started raining, I noticed there were a couple of areas where the grass didn't seem to be growing back because it was all clumped with grass (this is called "thatch" in the lawn-care world), so I raked those areas. The rest of the lawn seemed to do just fine.
Mulching the cuttings is beneficial to the lawn if you don't let the lawn get too long. You should only be cutting about 1/3 of the blade of grass at a time. Ideally, the cuttings will fall INTO the lawn, helping the soil hold in moisture and providing some fertilizer. If the grass is so long that it covers the lawn, it just builds up thatch and makes it hard for the grass to grow.
Ahhh... the joys of home-ownership. Just a few months ago I was totally innocent of anything lawn-care related.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
What to do when your kids keep eating
I'm back. I'm rested. (Relatively). I've been researching sea lions and squid -- interesting animals, both of them. But the mission of this short back-to-blogging blog is....
What do you do when your kids (or boyfriend, or yourself, or whatever) keep eating?
My kids (7, 5 and 3) are eating me out of house and home. We finish dinner and the first words out of their mouths are "Can I eat something?"
I have decided that they need to be a little more self-sufficient because I am sick of fixing snacks. So, they can fix themselves:
yogurt
cereal with milk
fruit
egg cup (microwave an egg for a minute with a little salt -- they love it)
popcorn
PB & J
trail mix
raisins or other dry fruit
None of the above require much cooking. It's all relatively healthy. I have succumbed to the siren song of the frozen Gogurt. It's strange that I buy the big container of organic yogurt, but for snacking and lunches, a frozen tube of yogurt is so much more appealing. I tell myself that at least it's better than the mini container of yogurt, which seems to have more plastic. But that plastic is at least recyclable..... ARGH.
Anyway, sometimes my kids are going for the 8th snack in a row (it seems) and I am cringing at the price of the food that they are inhaling. 50 cent apple (at least) -- gone! 60 cent pear -- adios! Sometimes I try to get them to eat bananas and cereal because at least those things are less expensive.
I do have to admit that my kids are pretty good about not wasting food -- and have even reported shocking instances of other kids wasting food, as in "X threw half an apple away -- he/she's a waster!"
What do you do when your kids (or boyfriend, or yourself, or whatever) keep eating?
My kids (7, 5 and 3) are eating me out of house and home. We finish dinner and the first words out of their mouths are "Can I eat something?"
I have decided that they need to be a little more self-sufficient because I am sick of fixing snacks. So, they can fix themselves:
yogurt
cereal with milk
fruit
egg cup (microwave an egg for a minute with a little salt -- they love it)
popcorn
PB & J
trail mix
raisins or other dry fruit
None of the above require much cooking. It's all relatively healthy. I have succumbed to the siren song of the frozen Gogurt. It's strange that I buy the big container of organic yogurt, but for snacking and lunches, a frozen tube of yogurt is so much more appealing. I tell myself that at least it's better than the mini container of yogurt, which seems to have more plastic. But that plastic is at least recyclable..... ARGH.
Anyway, sometimes my kids are going for the 8th snack in a row (it seems) and I am cringing at the price of the food that they are inhaling. 50 cent apple (at least) -- gone! 60 cent pear -- adios! Sometimes I try to get them to eat bananas and cereal because at least those things are less expensive.
I do have to admit that my kids are pretty good about not wasting food -- and have even reported shocking instances of other kids wasting food, as in "X threw half an apple away -- he/she's a waster!"
Monday, September 1, 2008
You get what you pay for
Usually. Except for the case of used clothes, in which case you get pre-worn-in clothing at a great price.
But, if you're going to buy new, it's worthwhile to buy something that is well-made. I am a big fan of places that have good return policies. For example, the first year that my son needed a backpack, I bought a cheapie at Walmart (back when I went there from time to time...). It blew out before the year was over. I have vowed never to buy a non-LLBean backpack again.
Why is LL Bean so awesome?
They have a lifetime guarantee. So, if 20 years down the line, the zipper on your backpack stops working, LL Bean will replace it, without giving you any grief. You don't even have to save the receipt. I love it.
If you buy hiking boots and 7 years later, the soles dry out and fall off (hypothetically), send 'em back, and get new boots.
They have great customer service and great quality.
If you decide to sell your used clothes, they also have great resale value on e-bay. (Google LL Bean raincoat and see what happens)
Land's End and REI have similar policies, and given that all 3 of these companies sell outerwear and outdoor gear that could get rough use, it's a good idea that IF you're going to buy something new, you might as well buy ONE thing new instead of four or five over the years.
A friend also informed me that Sears has a program called Kidvantage, in which they will replace worn-out kids' clothes. Good to know.
But, if you're going to buy new, it's worthwhile to buy something that is well-made. I am a big fan of places that have good return policies. For example, the first year that my son needed a backpack, I bought a cheapie at Walmart (back when I went there from time to time...). It blew out before the year was over. I have vowed never to buy a non-LLBean backpack again.
Why is LL Bean so awesome?
They have a lifetime guarantee. So, if 20 years down the line, the zipper on your backpack stops working, LL Bean will replace it, without giving you any grief. You don't even have to save the receipt. I love it.
If you buy hiking boots and 7 years later, the soles dry out and fall off (hypothetically), send 'em back, and get new boots.
They have great customer service and great quality.
If you decide to sell your used clothes, they also have great resale value on e-bay. (Google LL Bean raincoat and see what happens)
Land's End and REI have similar policies, and given that all 3 of these companies sell outerwear and outdoor gear that could get rough use, it's a good idea that IF you're going to buy something new, you might as well buy ONE thing new instead of four or five over the years.
A friend also informed me that Sears has a program called Kidvantage, in which they will replace worn-out kids' clothes. Good to know.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Back to School
I'm a little brain dead with all the back to school stuff -- 3 kids starting various levels of school/preschool this week, and I'm starting back too, after an all-too-short vacation. Remind me not to teach double summer school again. (I'm serious. Remind me!)
This year we've decided to pack the kids' lunches. There are a variety of reasons.
1. I think that the school lunch is kind of pricey, considering what it is. (Today's lunch was hot dog with chili; tomorrow, a chicken burger.) It's not really food that I want to encourage my kids to eat, and it costs $2.10 per kid, per day -- so a grand total of $21/week for my two school-age kids.
2. I have been to lunch, and the kids throw away a lot of food. I think that's wrong. I would rather send them with food that I know they'll eat.
3. Everything in the school lunch is disposable, including the tray.
4. The kids use a spork to eat their school lunch. I'm not sure why the district can't just give the kids a fork or a spoon. Using a spork seems to just encourage silverware problems -- I think kids need to learn how to use forks. Of course, the stupid spork is packaged in plastic with a napkin. So much waste.
But, there are some common problems with sending lunch from home.
1. Keeping things the right temperature.
2. Having the right container.
3. Many people still send lots of disposable stuff.
4. Keeping cost down -- you might end up spending MORE on a lunch from home.
As far as temperature is concerned, I bought a nifty thermal container from Land's End (2 for around $15), and it is great for sending pasta or macaroni and cheese or whatever your kid likes. I also have some plastic containers with screw on lids to send stuff like sliced fruit, applesauce, etc. Currently, my kids are going with water bottles that I fill with ice in the morning (and a little water), so they have cool water during the day. But, the pressure has been on to buy the chocolate milk at school. I am fine with chocolate milk, but I think school milk is pretty gross and I don't want to pay .65 for it (high, right?) I'd rather buy organic chocolate milk and freeze 1/2 of it in some sort of a container and then fill the other 1/2 with milk so it will still be cool at lunch time. I really don't want to buy a juice box because it just creates too much trash.
With all these containers, the lunch box can get pretty full (and my kids have big lunch boxes). We have a couple of wrap-a-mats which we can wrap around pretzels, dried fruit, or whatever. They are basically pieces of cloth lined with plastic that velcro together. You can check them out at reusablebags.com. We have been pretty happy with ours, and they get frequent (positive) comments, but the price has gone WAY up recently (more than double), so I'm not sure that I would buy them again.
This year we've decided to pack the kids' lunches. There are a variety of reasons.
1. I think that the school lunch is kind of pricey, considering what it is. (Today's lunch was hot dog with chili; tomorrow, a chicken burger.) It's not really food that I want to encourage my kids to eat, and it costs $2.10 per kid, per day -- so a grand total of $21/week for my two school-age kids.
2. I have been to lunch, and the kids throw away a lot of food. I think that's wrong. I would rather send them with food that I know they'll eat.
3. Everything in the school lunch is disposable, including the tray.
4. The kids use a spork to eat their school lunch. I'm not sure why the district can't just give the kids a fork or a spoon. Using a spork seems to just encourage silverware problems -- I think kids need to learn how to use forks. Of course, the stupid spork is packaged in plastic with a napkin. So much waste.
But, there are some common problems with sending lunch from home.
1. Keeping things the right temperature.
2. Having the right container.
3. Many people still send lots of disposable stuff.
4. Keeping cost down -- you might end up spending MORE on a lunch from home.
As far as temperature is concerned, I bought a nifty thermal container from Land's End (2 for around $15), and it is great for sending pasta or macaroni and cheese or whatever your kid likes. I also have some plastic containers with screw on lids to send stuff like sliced fruit, applesauce, etc. Currently, my kids are going with water bottles that I fill with ice in the morning (and a little water), so they have cool water during the day. But, the pressure has been on to buy the chocolate milk at school. I am fine with chocolate milk, but I think school milk is pretty gross and I don't want to pay .65 for it (high, right?) I'd rather buy organic chocolate milk and freeze 1/2 of it in some sort of a container and then fill the other 1/2 with milk so it will still be cool at lunch time. I really don't want to buy a juice box because it just creates too much trash.
With all these containers, the lunch box can get pretty full (and my kids have big lunch boxes). We have a couple of wrap-a-mats which we can wrap around pretzels, dried fruit, or whatever. They are basically pieces of cloth lined with plastic that velcro together. You can check them out at reusablebags.com. We have been pretty happy with ours, and they get frequent (positive) comments, but the price has gone WAY up recently (more than double), so I'm not sure that I would buy them again.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Blinded by the Light -- How bright does the bathroom need to be?
We just moved to a bigger place with 3 bedrooms and 2 baths. We checked out the energy bill from the previous tenants, and it was a shocking 200 dollars (!). Immediately, C went into action to make sure that we do not continue that trend.
Now, this sounds kind of dumb to me because changing light bulbs just seems so obvious and non-exciting. But, if you look at lists of green things to do, changing to CFL bulbs is always at or near the top. At our old place, we had no choice because the lights were those long tube lights found in schools, but all of our lamps were CFL powered. Now, we had many more lights to deal with, all using regular light bulbs.
C went around changing as many light bulbs as he could (we had a small stockpile of CFLs that we had bought on sale), but when he ran out of CFLs, he just started taking light bulbs out. The light in the girl's room has four lightbulbs -- they were 4 regular light bulbs -- now we have one CFL.
Savings?
We replaced 4 60-watt bulbs with one bulb that uses 13 watts = 227 watt savings.
Each bathroom had 3 regular bulbs -- now they each have 1 CFL. Honestly, 3 was pretty blinding. I don't know if I want to see that well in the bathroom.
Savings?
6 60-watt bulbs (360) for 2 13-watt bulbs (26) = 334 watt savings.
In one bedroom and 2 bathrooms, that's a 561 watt savings, and we only used 3 bulbs!
The City of Austin offers coupons for packages of CFL (I think it's good at Home Depot). I wasn't going to Home Depot, so I bought a package of 10 at Costco for 13.99. Well worth it.
Some people complain about the light that CFLs give off. It doesn't bother me, but if you don't car for it, you might try the following:
Now, this sounds kind of dumb to me because changing light bulbs just seems so obvious and non-exciting. But, if you look at lists of green things to do, changing to CFL bulbs is always at or near the top. At our old place, we had no choice because the lights were those long tube lights found in schools, but all of our lamps were CFL powered. Now, we had many more lights to deal with, all using regular light bulbs.
C went around changing as many light bulbs as he could (we had a small stockpile of CFLs that we had bought on sale), but when he ran out of CFLs, he just started taking light bulbs out. The light in the girl's room has four lightbulbs -- they were 4 regular light bulbs -- now we have one CFL.
Savings?
We replaced 4 60-watt bulbs with one bulb that uses 13 watts = 227 watt savings.
Each bathroom had 3 regular bulbs -- now they each have 1 CFL. Honestly, 3 was pretty blinding. I don't know if I want to see that well in the bathroom.
Savings?
6 60-watt bulbs (360) for 2 13-watt bulbs (26) = 334 watt savings.
In one bedroom and 2 bathrooms, that's a 561 watt savings, and we only used 3 bulbs!
The City of Austin offers coupons for packages of CFL (I think it's good at Home Depot). I wasn't going to Home Depot, so I bought a package of 10 at Costco for 13.99. Well worth it.
Some people complain about the light that CFLs give off. It doesn't bother me, but if you don't car for it, you might try the following:
- Buy a CFL that gives off white light (these are different from the regular CFLs)
- Consider how many light bulbs you really need. Do you need 3 bulbs over the bathroom mirror? Maybe it won't be so annoying if there's only one.
- Use a nice lampshade.
Sunday, July 27, 2008
Water and Wine (or Grape Juice!)
Water
Why?
Why does Whole Foods sell bottled water? Why is it prominently displayed?
Oh yeah... money.
But here's what I really don't get. The Whole Foods downtown has water for FREE -- and ice -- and paper cups. If you're eating there, and you didn't bring your own drink, or buy a drink in a glass bottle, you don't need to pay for water. But if you look around, lots of people have paid for water.
I think that drinking bottled water is a habit. You buy lunch, you want a drink. Everybody buys something -- a Coke, a juice, whatever.... you buy a water. It's easy to temporarily forget about the environmental impact of the water. That's when it's good to be frugal as well as green. The frugal person is thinking about two things -- the environment, and the fact that he/she doesn't want to pay for something that should be free = more likely to not buy the water.
If you live in Austin and go to WF and get thirsty -- there's free water. It's not prominently displayed, but it's totally free. (And icy!)
Green Church
The Catholic church has added new social sins, including hurting the environment. At the time, I wondered if the church would be changing its ways. A friend reports that at her local parish, they switched to ceramic cups for coffee. Yeah!
Yesterday I attended a Protestant service that included communion. At a Catholic mass, each person sips wine from a communal chalice. At the service I attended yesterday, tiny plastic (non-recyclable!) cups with tiny sips of grape juice were passed out. It seemed like a lot of waste.
Is this typical for Protestant services? I've been to other services, and plastic cups were always involved, but that may just be coincidence. Are there Protestant churches that serve grape juice in some other way? I guess that it is to reduce transmission of germs. When I go to church, I don't receive the wine part of communion if I'm sick, because of the communal chalice.
P.S. Please don't take this as some sort of Protestant vs. Catholic debate. I'm just noticing a difference that I had not noticed before.
Why?
Why does Whole Foods sell bottled water? Why is it prominently displayed?
Oh yeah... money.
But here's what I really don't get. The Whole Foods downtown has water for FREE -- and ice -- and paper cups. If you're eating there, and you didn't bring your own drink, or buy a drink in a glass bottle, you don't need to pay for water. But if you look around, lots of people have paid for water.
I think that drinking bottled water is a habit. You buy lunch, you want a drink. Everybody buys something -- a Coke, a juice, whatever.... you buy a water. It's easy to temporarily forget about the environmental impact of the water. That's when it's good to be frugal as well as green. The frugal person is thinking about two things -- the environment, and the fact that he/she doesn't want to pay for something that should be free = more likely to not buy the water.
If you live in Austin and go to WF and get thirsty -- there's free water. It's not prominently displayed, but it's totally free. (And icy!)
Green Church
The Catholic church has added new social sins, including hurting the environment. At the time, I wondered if the church would be changing its ways. A friend reports that at her local parish, they switched to ceramic cups for coffee. Yeah!
Yesterday I attended a Protestant service that included communion. At a Catholic mass, each person sips wine from a communal chalice. At the service I attended yesterday, tiny plastic (non-recyclable!) cups with tiny sips of grape juice were passed out. It seemed like a lot of waste.
Is this typical for Protestant services? I've been to other services, and plastic cups were always involved, but that may just be coincidence. Are there Protestant churches that serve grape juice in some other way? I guess that it is to reduce transmission of germs. When I go to church, I don't receive the wine part of communion if I'm sick, because of the communal chalice.
P.S. Please don't take this as some sort of Protestant vs. Catholic debate. I'm just noticing a difference that I had not noticed before.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Pile of Stuff
I was looking through my labels on the blog and noticed that most of them have only one posting that goes with them. They are probably feeling lonely, so I thought I'd add on to one of the lonely ones. It's funny that now they're in a big list, because I was just labeling haphazardly and now I feel like there should be some method to my madness....
So, we're moving soon, and I've started packing. We still have a couple of weeks left here, so I've been boxing up non-essentials. What I've realized is that we have a LOT of non-essentials. For example, one day, my daughter and I boxed up 3 boxes of toys, and the other 2 kids didn't even notice. It has also made their room easier to clean. Today, I boxed up two boxes of serving plates. What the heck?! I left several out to send to Goodwill, but still.... it's a lot of giant bowls, platter, etc. I do use them from time to time, but never all at once, and I had no idea I had accumulated so many.
Now, I have no problem with having stuff, but I just think that if we're going to pay for a big enough apartment/house to store it, and appropriate containers, and have to pick it up, and dust it (I hear some people do this)... that it should be useful.
I was guilty of giving pretty terrible gifts to kids before I was a parent, and even now, if the kid is over 6, I don't really know what to give them, but I know what the under 6 crowd needs:
From packing so far I can see that kids tend to accumulate a lot of stuff. We don't even buy them toys, and they still have tons of stuff. What doesn't last/isn't worth it?
So, we're moving soon, and I've started packing. We still have a couple of weeks left here, so I've been boxing up non-essentials. What I've realized is that we have a LOT of non-essentials. For example, one day, my daughter and I boxed up 3 boxes of toys, and the other 2 kids didn't even notice. It has also made their room easier to clean. Today, I boxed up two boxes of serving plates. What the heck?! I left several out to send to Goodwill, but still.... it's a lot of giant bowls, platter, etc. I do use them from time to time, but never all at once, and I had no idea I had accumulated so many.
Now, I have no problem with having stuff, but I just think that if we're going to pay for a big enough apartment/house to store it, and appropriate containers, and have to pick it up, and dust it (I hear some people do this)... that it should be useful.
I was guilty of giving pretty terrible gifts to kids before I was a parent, and even now, if the kid is over 6, I don't really know what to give them, but I know what the under 6 crowd needs:
- puzzles
- art supplies - I prefer scissors, glue, crayons... not the twist-up crayons because they're a HUGE waste. The kids like markers but I don't really because they always dry up. But, if they get markers, I always get washable markers.
- playdoh -- it would be even better to make a kid playdoh and put it in a reusable container. The yellow plastic containers the playdoh comes in are not recyclable (or at least I have not found a marking on them)
- playdoh toys -- can never have enough
- Barbies and Barbie clothes. My daughters love Barbie. But here's a secret. They don't care if she comes in a box. In fact, if she comes in a bag from the Thrift store, it's even better because she is easier to get out and play with. At Savers or other thrift stores you can often find bags of Barbie clothes. Heaven!
- dress-up clothes -- I never had a dress-up box growing up, but now I see how awesome it is. This is a very popular activity when kids come over. Costumes are super cheap at Goodwill.
- books -- kids who are of the losing teeth age will love One Morning in Maine. Who Has a Bellybutton and I'm a Big Brother/Sister are great books for kids who will soon have younger siblings. Find a book that you loved as a child, and dedicate it to your favorite child.
- bicycles, scooters, tricycles -- beware the Rock n Ride, as it falls apart. (I have seen MANY broken specimens around my apartment complex)
- baby doll -- the ideal would be a cloth doll with a couple of changes of clothes and a bag or bed to put him/her in.
- LEGOS and/or K'nex. These are totally awesome. Easy to find used.
- Little People -- but stick with classic structures, like the house, farm, zoo. The amusement park is VERY annoying.
- Power Rangers or other action figures -- ours all come from garage sales. These are very expensive new.
- Toy dinosaurs
From packing so far I can see that kids tend to accumulate a lot of stuff. We don't even buy them toys, and they still have tons of stuff. What doesn't last/isn't worth it?
- train tracks -- I think this is a Christmas fantasy. You want the image of the train going around the track on Christmas morning. The reality is a derailed train, lost/drained batteries, and tracks EVERYWHERE.
- stickers -- made by the Devil.
- Beauty or make-up kits for really little girls -- end up everywhere.
- Mr. Potato Head -- I want to love him, but I hate him. His little arms and nose, etc. are all over the house.
- Lite Brite -- die, lite brite, die! Not for the under 6 crowd unless you have a very patient mother.
- Color Wonder stuff by Crayola -- the idea is great -- the markers/paints only work on the special paper. BUT, you have to have a parent willing to buy more special paper.
- Candy Land if the child is under 5 (maybe even 6)-- I think the game says 3 and up. Right!
- Most card games -- far easier to just use a deck of cards and teach the child how to play War (after kindergarten, so they know numbers)
- mobile -- it's so cute, but it takes a while before the baby can look at it because their head is all flopped to the side, and pretty soon you have to take it down because the baby is able to pull on it. Not something I'd buy new. But, again, very cute.
- Any tape/Cd/whatever that purports to teach your child another language. It's a lovely idea, but your child needs interaction to learn a second language. Ralph's World is a great children's CD, and your kid can learn to count in Roman Numerals.
- glitter -- Grrr...
Wednesday, July 2, 2008
Can you go car-free or car-light?
I just finished reading How to Live Well Without Owning a Car by Chris Balish. It's a very inspiring book. I really like its realism -- the author does not want you to give up ever driving a car or riding in one, just owning one. He provides a nice worksheet to help you figure out how much you spend owning a car. I figured that our car expenses are a little over $250 a month. My friend, who just paid off her car, figured hers at over $300. We were both a little shocked.
Balish's main point seems to be that you can save a lot of money and have an even better life if you give up your car. You can have a rich social life, date car-free, and get in shape. I like his story of how he accidentally fell into living car-free. He has a chapter devoted to families that have two or three cars, and encourages them to become one-car families.
Now, I have to be realistic. I could give up my car, but my life would become a giant pain in the neck in many cases. I would probably need to rent a car about once a week to visit family or go camping. My car expenses would not be $250 if I really reduced my driving -- according to my calculations, if I only used the car for longer trips with heavy stuff, the cost of renting and the cost of owning would probably be about the same. So, for now, the car stays.
Balish says that if you can get to work without driving, you can probably go car-free. So, it's really important to consider where you work and where you live. If you are going to move, you need to be near your job (ideally) or near a transit stop. In some cases, it may be worthwhile to move closer to work or even to change your job so that you work closer to home.
Once you can get to work, other things can be taken care of without a car in most cases. Balish is a big fan of delivery services. Yes, the delivery van uses gas, but it's a lot more efficient than you driving around town. The delivery van probably has a route. I think this is good for ordering stuff off of the internet, but maybe not as good for something like grocery shopping.
For something like grocery shopping or a big trip to Costco, Balish recommends going with a friend (among other options). I have to admit that this is very appealing. Combine the social and the practical. Of course, you want your friend to live nearby and to already be going to the destination. It doesn't save any energy for your friend to drive across town to take you to the store. You might fear mooching off of your friends, but Balish recommends buying them a thank-you lunch or drink. Seems like a win-win situation.
I have a friend who lived car-free for a while, and she frequently had to get rides to go to social events or to go shopping, and I really don't think that anyone resented it. She was always very good company.
We will be moving pretty soon, and we have taken a lot of trouble to find a place that is close to the things we use on a regular basis (grocery store, library, post office, elementary school, etc.) and with good connections to our jobs. It is also a very pleasant, albeit longer, bike ride to work. It will be interesting to see how it goes. I am really hoping that we will be able to drastically reduce our car use.
P.S. I will be doing the calculations from my June Food Challenge and reporting back soon. My new challenge is not to do any month-long challenges (not of my own, anyway), because I'm pretty bad with follow-through.
P.P.S. Check out Arduous-- she's doing a month-long pseudo-Freegan challenge. I can't wait to see what happens. Go girl!
Balish's main point seems to be that you can save a lot of money and have an even better life if you give up your car. You can have a rich social life, date car-free, and get in shape. I like his story of how he accidentally fell into living car-free. He has a chapter devoted to families that have two or three cars, and encourages them to become one-car families.
Now, I have to be realistic. I could give up my car, but my life would become a giant pain in the neck in many cases. I would probably need to rent a car about once a week to visit family or go camping. My car expenses would not be $250 if I really reduced my driving -- according to my calculations, if I only used the car for longer trips with heavy stuff, the cost of renting and the cost of owning would probably be about the same. So, for now, the car stays.
Balish says that if you can get to work without driving, you can probably go car-free. So, it's really important to consider where you work and where you live. If you are going to move, you need to be near your job (ideally) or near a transit stop. In some cases, it may be worthwhile to move closer to work or even to change your job so that you work closer to home.
Once you can get to work, other things can be taken care of without a car in most cases. Balish is a big fan of delivery services. Yes, the delivery van uses gas, but it's a lot more efficient than you driving around town. The delivery van probably has a route. I think this is good for ordering stuff off of the internet, but maybe not as good for something like grocery shopping.
For something like grocery shopping or a big trip to Costco, Balish recommends going with a friend (among other options). I have to admit that this is very appealing. Combine the social and the practical. Of course, you want your friend to live nearby and to already be going to the destination. It doesn't save any energy for your friend to drive across town to take you to the store. You might fear mooching off of your friends, but Balish recommends buying them a thank-you lunch or drink. Seems like a win-win situation.
I have a friend who lived car-free for a while, and she frequently had to get rides to go to social events or to go shopping, and I really don't think that anyone resented it. She was always very good company.
We will be moving pretty soon, and we have taken a lot of trouble to find a place that is close to the things we use on a regular basis (grocery store, library, post office, elementary school, etc.) and with good connections to our jobs. It is also a very pleasant, albeit longer, bike ride to work. It will be interesting to see how it goes. I am really hoping that we will be able to drastically reduce our car use.
P.S. I will be doing the calculations from my June Food Challenge and reporting back soon. My new challenge is not to do any month-long challenges (not of my own, anyway), because I'm pretty bad with follow-through.
P.P.S. Check out Arduous-- she's doing a month-long pseudo-Freegan challenge. I can't wait to see what happens. Go girl!
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Vacation at Home
Have you changed your vacation plans because of high gas prices? Are you reluctant to fly because of the emissions? If so, fear not! You can vacation at home!
After a few expensive trips with little kids, we realized that we were flying across the country to do, in many cases, things that we could do at home. For example, we took two kids to Seattle. We walked around the city, went to the zoo on the bus, went to the farmer's market, visited the tower, drank lots of coffee, went to the farmer's market again, went to the park, Children's museum, went for a hike... you get the picture.
Now, I LOVED Seattle. Particularly considering that we went in August, and August in Austin is hell. But little kids don't really appreciate the wonder that is Seattle and maybe we could have saved ourselves a lot of money and some frustration by vacationing closer to home. A lot of it has to do with attitude. When you're on vacation, you're out to have fun and try the cool local stuff. You don't worry about paying bills and cleaning the house. You get to spend time together as a family, relatively free from other distractions. And if you want an ice cream, you get one.
For example, today we spent the day "vacationing" in Austin:
After breakfast at home, the kids and I rode bikes over to play mini-golf. This was an exciting first for my kids. Afterwards, we met C and the little one at the fountain park to run around in the fountain. We had a little snack while we were there, then headed over to the Children's museum. After the museum, we went out to lunch and even bought ice cream for dessert. We raced our bikes home and then collapsed. We'd spent the whole day out. The evening was dedicated to relaxing.
This would actually be a pretty good vacation day. We normally only eat one meal out when we go somewhere, because I don't have the patience or the money to take 3 kids out for all three meals, never mind the endless snacks.
You could be your own tour guide, and make a vacation plan for 2 or 3 days. Heck, you could even hire a housekeeper for a day... it's still less expensive than going to a hotel :)
When I'm on vacation, I like to mix it up. Do a little something cultural, a little something outdoorsy, and something indulgent. For example, each day you could do one thing from each of the following categories:
Cultural
Some vacation plans can't really be replaced, but if finances are tight, or you're really burnt out and need a weekend vacation, a well-planned vacation at home can be just the trick.
Do you have any other tips? Please share! (Can you tell I canceled a big vacation this summer?)
After a few expensive trips with little kids, we realized that we were flying across the country to do, in many cases, things that we could do at home. For example, we took two kids to Seattle. We walked around the city, went to the zoo on the bus, went to the farmer's market, visited the tower, drank lots of coffee, went to the farmer's market again, went to the park, Children's museum, went for a hike... you get the picture.
Now, I LOVED Seattle. Particularly considering that we went in August, and August in Austin is hell. But little kids don't really appreciate the wonder that is Seattle and maybe we could have saved ourselves a lot of money and some frustration by vacationing closer to home. A lot of it has to do with attitude. When you're on vacation, you're out to have fun and try the cool local stuff. You don't worry about paying bills and cleaning the house. You get to spend time together as a family, relatively free from other distractions. And if you want an ice cream, you get one.
For example, today we spent the day "vacationing" in Austin:
After breakfast at home, the kids and I rode bikes over to play mini-golf. This was an exciting first for my kids. Afterwards, we met C and the little one at the fountain park to run around in the fountain. We had a little snack while we were there, then headed over to the Children's museum. After the museum, we went out to lunch and even bought ice cream for dessert. We raced our bikes home and then collapsed. We'd spent the whole day out. The evening was dedicated to relaxing.
This would actually be a pretty good vacation day. We normally only eat one meal out when we go somewhere, because I don't have the patience or the money to take 3 kids out for all three meals, never mind the endless snacks.
You could be your own tour guide, and make a vacation plan for 2 or 3 days. Heck, you could even hire a housekeeper for a day... it's still less expensive than going to a hotel :)
When I'm on vacation, I like to mix it up. Do a little something cultural, a little something outdoorsy, and something indulgent. For example, each day you could do one thing from each of the following categories:
Cultural
- go to latest exhibition at the museum
- gallery hopping
- symphony
- live music of some other kind
- go dancing
- do some art/craft thing -- paint pottery, for example
- Sierra Club meeting
- movie
- go for a hike
- go for a bike ride
- fly on a zip line
- swim in a local swimming hole or springs
- go sailing or take a sailing lesson
- kayaking, or go out with friend on his/her boat :)
- camping (if it's not 100 degrees)
- rock climbing
- get a massage
- lay around and read a novel
- get an ice cream
- go somewhere amazing for dessert
- take a private dance lesson and finally learn to dip
- go to the farmer's market and don't worry about the price of berries
- feed the ducks
- zoo
- bake cookies
- go to the store and trawl for free samples of food (WF is great for this)
- climb a tree
- putt-putt golf
- bowling
- summer musical
- visit a friend with a new puppy or kittens
- tube the river
- run under the sprinkler/borrow the neighbor's slip n slide (if you're not in a drought)
- garden
Some vacation plans can't really be replaced, but if finances are tight, or you're really burnt out and need a weekend vacation, a well-planned vacation at home can be just the trick.
Do you have any other tips? Please share! (Can you tell I canceled a big vacation this summer?)
Friday, June 27, 2008
Mac and Cheese
A couple of years ago I was vegging out watching Alton Brown do a whole episode on how to make macaroni and cheese. I didn't write down the recipe, and I'm certainly not going to buy the expensive cheese he used, but I did learn how to make a mean mac and cheese.
I'm home with the little one today, and we wanted a quick lunch. Sliced fruit and mac and cheese. I grew up on Kraft, but it seems to be getting more and more expensive (around .80 a box.... seems extreme, considering what it is). I bought 3 boxes of the store brand on sale -- 3 for a dollar. Let me just say... BLECH!! (In case you're wondering, the store brand is from HEB. Their Hill Country Fare macaroni and cheese is punishment food).
Not wanting to toss the box or, God forbid, punish someone even less well-off than me, I decided to doctor up the Mac and cheese. Use the mac. Toss the gross "cheese sauce mix". Enter Alton with a simple bechamel sauce.
Usually this is the part of cooking shows where I start to laugh. Right... a "simple bechamel sauce". Has a French name -- can't be simple. Ah, but it is. And delicious.
Start with some butter and a little bit of flour. Melt the butter and stir in the flour, making a roux ( I think this is the correct spelling.)
Add some milk, stirring in between little pours. It will thicken as you stir. If it gets too thin, just stop adding milk, or sprinkle a LITTLE flour in. (Not too much, or it will get clumpy).
Add your favorite cheese, grated, or sliced thinly.
Alton and I like to put in some pepper and a little nutmeg. The nutmeg really makes the dish.
Pour this scrumdidilyicious cheese sauce over some macaroni. If you're feeling fancy, you can sprinkle additional cheese on top and pop it under the broiler for a minute or so. I don't usually (ever) feel fancy. This mac and cheese is delish on its own. The other beautiful thing about it is that I almost always have all the ingredients.
Bechamel sauce is one of those classic sauces that works for a lot of recipes. Want alfredo? Put in parmesan instead of cheddar. Use cream instead of milk if you want it to be creamier.
image from inmagine.com
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
