Frugal Hacks » misc.

Emergency Supplies

DeputyHeadmistress — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:50:32 +0000

As I mentioned last week, my husband suddenly joined the ranks of the unemployed and he's looking for new work. We are in a better position than many to weather this, because we do have his retirement pension and we rent a field out to some farmers for a small sum (less than the going rate, for various reasons). And, as I said, we had a well stocked freezer and pantry.

However, my goal was to rely exclusively on the well stocked freezer and pantry for as long as possible before buying anything at all. I've done pretty well, but there have been a couple of things that weren't that well stocked and should have been. They should have been well stocked not just for this emergency, but for any emergency- a bad storm, flood, electrical outage, minor earthquake. These are things I either had to replace this week, or will have to replace in the next couple of weeks:

Toilet paper

pull-ups for our disabled adult daughter

peroxide

Tsp, which we use to make our own laundry soap, dishwasher soap, and wall cleaner.

Krill oil pills, which I take on my doctor's recommendation.

That's not, as I said, too awful, especially given our emergency back up fund, which we haven't had to touch yet.

But I knew better, I've 'preached' better, and if this had been a natural disaster sort of emergency, we'd have been in trouble.

FEMA recommends you have at least a two week supply of food on hand for any disaster.

When it comes to supplies like peroxide, apple cider vinegar, and baking soda (which we use for multiple purposes, including toothpaste, shampoo, and cleaners, as well as treating fungus, cleaning molds, and scrubbing sinks)- I like to keep at least two large containers on hand, and replace them as soon as one runs out, so there is always an unopened package.

Same with toilet paper and the pull ups for our disabled child. I even do this with supplements. I just hadn't taken care of the Krill oil pills in a timely manner. Don't go overboard and be a hoarder, but you really ought to shop the sales, and doublestock (at least) a number of important items.

Are you prepared for emergencies? If your source of income stopped this morning, how long would it be before you had to go to the store?

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Tax Tips

DL — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:35:16 +0000

Listening to NewSon share the benefits of filing his taxes now that he was married made me realize that his gain was our loss. Our now married daughter meant one less tax exemption for Husband and I. Later in the evening while checking my email, I saw the weekly summary from The Dollar Stretcher.com. Here I was reminded of some very helpful information regarding our income taxes. Perhaps this link will be of benefit to you, as well!

Husband and I were able to reduce the amount owed on our taxes this year by taking advantage of #8, which gave me a little more to put into our "newer car" fund.

Oh, and if you are considering filing your taxes on line, check out this post by Kimc!

How about you? Any tax tips?

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Can’t Never Could…

DeputyHeadmistress — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 06:40:40 +0000

Note: In one of life's many little ironies, a couple days after I wrote the following, my husband joined the ranks of the unemployed. We have five progeny still at home, one with multiple handicaps, and I just learned that the sleep machine my doctor says I need because I stop breathing 35 times an hour when I sleep- well, it's 1500 dollars out of pocket, so we won't be getting it. I have nothing to change in the post below, except I'd make it even more stringent.

In response to this post where I explained that it isn't necessary to live on over- processed frozen convenience foods just because one is on foodstamps, somebody left an interesting comment. The commenter explained that my advice was unrealistic. She said it was necessary to buy convenience foods on food stamps because:

1. She did not have room to store bargain meats, frozen vegetables and freezer meals in the freezer in the top of the freezer;

2. She did not have the time or experience to make any sort of freezer meals.

Addressing the 2nd point first, when I started out married life, I did not know how to do these things, either. I bet you know something now that you did not know this time last year, or five years ago, too. But I was willing to learn. No, I was desperate to learn. Within a few weeks of getting married we had no jobs, no savings, and a baby on the way. That was before the days of the internet so I had to hunt the information I needed down in time consuming, old fashioned ways. I used the library, I used old ladies at church, I used stacks and stacks of women's magazines I'd been given (cool story, but another time). Today's young householders have the internet- they could learn how in minutes. I did not do freezer meals then (I hadn't heard of them yet), but I did not buy convenience foods.

None of us are born knowing everything we need to know. All of us have to learn along the way. I'll address the time issue further down.

As for the first point, If you are buying prepackaged convenience goods for the freezer, you have enough room for freezer meals of your own. If you have a freezer above your fridge, with very, very rare exceptions, you have room for freezer meals.

How do I know this?
I haven't always had a stand alone freezer. When the first Once-A-Month Cookingcookbook came out, our living space was so tight that we used the master bath shower as a broom closet. My husband was military, and when he deployed, I packed up my then three, and soon five, kids and went to stay with friends who had three or four kids of their own. The only freezer they had was the freezer in the top of their fridge, yet, we could fit two weeks worth of meals, meals required to serve three adults and 6 kids, in the freezer in the top of the refrigerator, and the refrigerator was of only average size. If I could do it, most other people could, too.

How is this possible?
The stuff you already have in your freezer is just processed into a meal and returned to the freezer, so it doesn't take up any more space. In fact, it generally takes up less.
You can also package it in tidier packages- bake the chicken,debone it, and put the meat in a square plastic freezer container and the chicken that took up at least 8 square inches of freezer space now takes up 3. Use the bones and simmer a rich bone broth for soup in your crockpot all day the next day (or on the stove if you'll be home, start it in the evening if you are gone all day). Add onion peels, garlic peels, a bit of vinegar, simmer it down until it's really rich and then freeze it in ice cube trays, pop the ice out and store in a baggie- add a cube or two to your soups or skillet meals for extra nourishment and flavor.

What may be unrealistic is that a single mom won't have the time or energy for the full freezer meals. Even though my husband was not in the same country with us at the time I started freezer cooking, I wasn't by myself. I was with a friend and we cooked the meals together. That's not always possible, either.

But here is a cool tip that could be a big help for those who still think they don't have room and they don't have time- if you buy ground beef and cook it the same day you bring it home, or the next day if grocery shopping is too exhausting, you can store cooked ground beef in about 1/4 of the space that frozen raw meat takes, plus, later it defrosts quicker, too. You can store 4-6 pounds of cooked ground beef in the space you formerly took up for one pound raw.

You can cook up a mess of ground beef with some chopped onions and garlic (peppers if you have them), drain it (reserve the fat) and spoon it into labeled ziplock bags (the small, one quart size, and yes, we do reuse these) or other containers- sprinkle different spices in there (taco style spices in some bags, Italian in others, Asian in some others).

Store them flat in your freezer until they freeze, then you can store them upright in a long narrow box (as ramen noodles are packed in) picked up free at the grocery store. Put other things in other ziplock bags- grated cheese; cooked, diced poultry; cooked rice.

You can use these packages of ground beef for:
home-made pizza topping
spaghetti
stir fried rice
tacos
enchilada pie or burrito fillings
biscuits and gravy
Pakistani Kimi (An Indonesian dish)
cheeseburger soup
15 minute chow mein (see our kitchen blog, which has lots of shortcut, frugal recipes),
hamburger stew
one of the meals listed in the post above above.

If you have a crockpot, you can combine the raw ingredients for a crockpot meal in a single container (ziplock bag, whatever- I roamed thrift shops and yard sales looking for .25 cent freezer containers, and I saved old jars) and freeze it- on cooking day, I put the frozen meal in the crockpot on high and cook it all day. It doesn't take any more time than gathering the ingredients on the same day you cook, it just divides your labor in half.

Make huge pots of vegetable soup for dinner- it doesn't take any more time than spaghetti. Freeze leftovers in jars (leave an inch or so for expansion) and have them again the following week only add one of those ziplock bags of ground beef, barley, rice, or some pasta, or a fresh green veggie for variety.

It's also not true that you can only buy boxed, packaged meals on food stamps because the fresh stuff won't keep long enough. Apples, onions, turnips, potatoes, carrots, and cabbages last more than a day or two. Store them properly and they keep for two weeks or more. Slice the tops off of turnips and beets, put the tops in a pie pan of water, you'll grow a few more fresh greens which you can add to stir fries, salads, or green smoothies.

I realize that we all have different stories, different circumstances, different situations. We won't all be able to save money in precisely the same way- where I once made bread in a clean bucket and kneaded it by hand, now I have arthritis in those hands and I can't make bread that way anymore, for just one example. Everybody's story is their own. But it's not very helpful to tell yourself, "I can't do that because nobody taught me how." Instead think about what you can do instead. And here's a little saying I learned long ago from some little hill woman somewhere:

"'Can't' never could do nothin'"

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When Murphy Comes To Town

DL — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 12:34:49 +0000

Walking past the bathroom, I notice a puddle of water on the floor. A soft drip, drip takes my eyes to the ceiling and a spot damp with rain makes me realize that my roof must be leaking. I grab a trashcan to catch the drips and head to the dining room, where my feet squish in damp carpet. Now with some experience, I gaze upward and see another ceiling crack releasing raindrops into my house!

Choosing to rejoice in this much needed rainstorm, I call Husband with our leaky news. Now, Husband is of the positive variety. His first response is to consider that these leaks could be a one time event. Perhaps the wind has blown some rain under the shingles, he tells me. Even with this turn of events, we both speak of our grateful hearts in seeing rain come to our drought-stricken state.

Our gratefulness for rain continues as more showers come and we find out that our leaking roof is not just a "one time event." We make the decision to have our roof examined and wonder what the extent of the damage will be.

Good news comes as we find out that a leaking skylight gives us good reason to have three removed and new decking and shingles put on in their place. An end of the year gift should cover most of the expenses and we are grateful for this provision.

This experience has given me some reason to think more seriously about how to budget for the bigger things. You know, those "Murphy Moments" that hit every homeowner. It is a great comfort to have an emergency fund, but ours did not come easy. With the state of the economy, I would be hesitant to wipe ours out with a new roof or the other multitude of looming house fixing possibilities.

We do have a house fund in our budget, but this gets used up quickly with all the little things a house seems to need. What I want to know is, how do you budget for the bigger things like new roofs and windows and replacing air-conditioning units (if not a necessity in South Texas, at least a very important want!).

I do save any overage each month from our projected electric bill towards replacing our air-conditioner when the time comes, but this process may take more years than we have left with our present system. Still, it makes me feel proactive, and I like to be prepared for the inevitable and not be caught unprepared.

Truth is we all should be prepared for when Murphy comes to town. How do you budget for the bigger things?

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Coins and Cleaners

DeputyHeadmistress — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 17:18:36 +0000

Save up your coins- every night drop your change in a bucket or jar. Take them in to a Coinstar location near you. If you choose a gift card instead of cash, you get the full value (occasionally they run specials, so check back regularly. There are a few grocery stores, CVS pharmacies, places like Old Navy or Lands End, and, my personal favorite, Amazon. Click through the link to see what's available in your area.

Then I use Amazon gift cards (which I also get through swagbucks) and buy Baby shower gifts

Or I use them to buy the ingredients to make a home-made detergent for our dishwasher that actually works, and works better than store-bought.

I use many of those ingredients to make our own laundry detergent, and other cleaners, too.

Of course, you can always just sort the coins yourself and turn them in at the bank for cash or deposit them.

Whichever you do, be sure to double check your dimes and quarters (and larger coins, if you have them) and keep any pre-1965 (and some other dates) silver coins because they are, in fact, mostly silver and are worth more than their face value.

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Packing Returns

DL — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 13:05:27 +0000

Opening the box and removing the returned product, I was overwhelmed by the smell of popcorn. This package had been diligently packed with the cushioning power of popped corn! As Husband's helper from time to time at his place of employment, I have had the opportunity to open and describe the condition of returned products. This process can be entertaining and enlightening and I thought I would share some pointers from this experience.

One thing that amazes me is how many people do not "count the cost" before they return an item. Many times I will notice that the money spent on mailing a product back that someone has changed their mind about, can cost almost as much as the product!

Be mindful that if you are seeking full credit for the item returned, you should be diligent to return it in such a manner that the product can be sold again. Take care when opening up the packaging of an item if there is any doubt about keeping it. Also, be careful as to what you adhere to the packaging. I have seen many a product returned in fine condition only to be ruined for resale because a label or note have been affixed to it and cannot be removed without damage.

Do be sure to include your order number to ensure proper credit will be served to your account and keep in mind many establishments have a 30 day return policy. I have actually seen a few items returned without even a name included in or on the box!

How an item is packed in a return is very important. Keep these things in mind:

Popcorn may be a fun filler for family and friends but may not be appreciated by retail businesses, especially if buttered

Newspaper may cushion objects well, but the ink can damage anything it touches

Packing peanuts can create quite a mess and stick to everything

Small grocery type bags offer great protection, just be sure to use enough of them

Air pillows are great but if they appear soft, chances are they will deflate before reaching their destination

If using the brown kraft paper many establishments are using, be sure to tuck the paper under the item

Most likely the best material to use is what the package was originally packed with so save it at least until you know you are keeping your purchase

After packing your item for return, be sure to carefully shake your box. If packed well, the item should not move in the box. Many an item may leave home in fine condition but arrive at its destination with dings and chips due to improper packaging.

Also, keep in mind that if the box the item came in did not weather the trip to your house well, chances are its return trip may be a disaster. A too small box or envelope will produce an item that appears to have been "stuffed" and a too big box needs to have the excess space padded with some kind of material.

One more bit of advice. When sending a package to someone, always double check the zipcode you enter. Many a time I have seen a sender add their own zipcode out of habit to the address of someone they are mailing a gift to. This will definitely send your package into the mail abyss and create hassle for you and the company from whom you purchased.

Hoping these tips will help better ensure your packages will return in great shape!

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Thrift

DeputyHeadmistress — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 11:22:17 +0000

Never waste a single penny, and you'll then save many a pound ;
Never leave a pin or needle lying useless on the ground ;
Never lose a single moment, and an hour you'll never lack ;
Never waste in foolish fancy what should hang upon your back ;
Never let a heap of ashes lie to smother up the grate ;
Never waste the scraps and morsels that are left upon the plate ;
Never buy what is not needed just because " it is so cheap " ;
Never waste or lose the "mickles" and the "muckles" then you'll keep ;

Never throw away in drinking what should go for food and rent ;
Never puff away in smoking what should otherwise be spent ;
Never live beyond your means, never make a foolish bet ;
Never purchase without paying, and never run in debt ;
Never be extravagant and then to want you will not drift ;
Never dispense with industry, and never give up Thrift.

The above ditty comes from something called The National Thrift Society, which seems to have been an organization devoted to helping people learn thrifty habits. It was established in the 1880s in England. It was still extant in the first decade of 1910. I am not sure what happened after that.

Questions:
Do you think this goes too far?
Would your life be different if your or your parents had lived like this?
Do you follow all these maxims? Which ones do you particularly agree or disagee with?
My favorite is 'never live beyond your means.' Yours?

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Soup Days!

DL — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 12:34:21 +0000

Answering Husband's call, I smile at his request: " Let's put a log on the fire and drink hot chocolate tonight!" Winter has come to Texas and as transplants from the East Coast, we try to savor the colder moments.

Positively commenting on his meal that evening, Husband found great delight in his meal of potato chowder. He shared how he much prefers to eat soup meals in cooler months. Although a big fan of soup, eating it on hot summer evenings bring much less culinary satisfaction.

This conversation brought to mind a previous post on the frugal seasons of life. Again I was reminded how I find cooler weather cooking to be kinder to our food budget. Perhaps because soup warms the cockles of my frugal heart, soups are my favorite meal to cook.

I save the water from cooking vegetables, juices left in the crockpot after cooking meat and even onion skins in the freezer for my soup creations. Any or all of these ingredients simmered in homemade or even store bought chicken broth add flavor and richness.

Rarely do I use a recipe when making soup. I often glance at cookbooks to get a feel for how ingredients are combined, but I like to devise my own soup creations usually with what is on hand. I often pick up some organic chicken broth at Costco to use if needed for a quick soup base, but I also save all the liquid after boiling chicken and make homemade broth.

A can of V-8 juice or tomato juice are wonderful soup starters. Evaporated milk can be used if a creamy soup is desired. Lentils are an inexpensive protein, do not need to be soaked and add flavor to most any soup. Beans and pasta are soup stables and can be used in many different ways. Cabbage, corn and frozen veggies are also on my list of soup goodies. Even sauerkraut can make a tasty addition.

Although many of the soups I make are meatless, soup is a great way to stretch most any meat. Leftover spaghetti sauce makes a great minestone and a pinch of cayenne pepper really gives a great "kick" to most any pot of soup.

When the weather is cool, we often eat soup a couple of days a week. Soup also makes a great lunch! Winter passes quickly here in Texas so I will be taking advantage of the cooler days and making soup!

Often a salad and some bread are served with our soup dinner. But crackers and corn chips also get their turn with our soup bowls on our table.

How about you? What are your favorite soup ingredients?

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Food for thought from some old books

DeputyHeadmistress — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 06:36:27 +0000

Economize defined in an 1890 dictionary:

"Managing frugally or to the best effect...." "To practise economy; avoid waste, extravagence, or excess, be sparing in outlay."

To manage your own income is to make it work for you, to sort out the dollars ( think of those greenbacks as your troops or your employees) and, like any good manager, set them to their proper work. In the same way, we should 'manage' our desires so that we aren't spending what we don't have for instant gratification.

Living on other people's means: or, The history of Simon Silver By Hannah Farnham Sawyer Lee, 1837, has a description of poor, or perhaps unscrupulous management:

Hence it is that we find so many for the sake of obtaining the darling object of living without manual labor ready to live up to their means, beyond their means, without means, and upon the means of other people. These drones in the political hive not only do not produce any thing themselves but as they must live and generally like to live pretty well they diminish the means which would otherwise contribute to the support of the honest and industrious portion of the community.

Cheerful homes, how to get and keep them; or, Counsels to those about to marry By John William Kirton

It is the bounden duty of every woman who has charge of the money industriously earned to do all she can to make it go as far as possible. It should be a constant study with her to sec how much she can get out of it, how it can be laid out to the best advantage. Some women like finery and feathers better than flannels and furs but it will not take much to find out which is the warmest or which will answer the purpose best. Some men like walking canes and rings but they are a very poor substitute for shoe leather and tidy clothe. Ever be on tho look out to dose the door against little vices like these, or you will find they will open tho door and let larger ones in long before you are aware of it.

It is no disgrace to be poor if it is the result of circumstances over which we can have little or no control. It is however, a very great disgrace to spend what is not your own or what does not justly belong to you, and yet how many there are who never seem to realise this to be the case. They prefer to be thought better off than they are even though it may entail upon them expenses they know beforehand they will be unable to bear. The desire for show, keeping up appearances, not to be thought shabby, and not to be considered mean has led to the ruin of thousands. Better by far to be lost sight of in a crowd and pay your way than to have your name blazing before tho world in the list of bankrupts through living beyond your means. You will very quickly find how true it is that there is no companion like a little money of your own and that it is better to pay as you go than not to pay at all...

I love this one:

Make it a constant study not only to make both ends meet, but if possible to have a little to spare, inasmuch as you will find that it will be much better to say "Here it is than Here it was. It is better to keep a little now than to have to seek it by and by, for it is too late to spare when the cupboard is bare."

The secret of rearing a large family on a small salary will be found to consist in taking very great care of very little things, for a penny saved is twice earned. As one well remarks,' Thrift should underlie the whole of our work. No nation can be prosperous unless it be thrifty, no nation can be thrifty unless its individual members are so, and not only must thriftiness be found among the upper ranks of society but the spirit of foresight and providence must permeate the entire stratum of the population and reach even the poorest in the land. Seek therefore to be on the watch to keep within your means. Remember that loose habits make tight fetters.

Sometimes we splurge on things we can't afford because we chafe against living within the restrictions of our actual income. But we have only changed one form of restriction for a worse form of bondage. 'Loose habits make tight fetters.'

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Debt-Free Journal

DL — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 12:35:50 +0000

Closing the notebook, I considered the fact that I had never shared about our debt-free journal with my fellow frugal livers. With a heart to live with a multi-generational vision, Husband and I seek to share our convictions and principles with the generations to follow. As I have previously shared, keeping journals specifically written to be read by grandchildren and their grandchildren provides a simple, cost effective way to share wisdom and insight gained through years of purposeful (or not so purposeful) living.

One thing I have noticed in life is often choices and decisions that bring much blessing in life, can later be rejected or lost by the generations to follow. I know my children understand the blessing in the lives of Husband and I since becoming debt free over six years ago. Our children lived out this process and know the challenge of living within the bondage of debt. Their children however, most likely being raised without debt, may not fully comprehend the blessing of the debt free life. Hopefully, my keeping a journal written to describe how we paid off our debt and how we continue to seek to live debt free, and making copies to be passed down through our generations, will provide motivation to continue this legacy.

Although I did not think to start this until after the sale of our home which completed our debt free process, for those still seeking to develop their debt free plan, why not document your journey? I know many seek to do this with blogs, but if you are a bit old-fashioned as I am, a paper and pencil also work well!

My journal is not of the lengthy variety. It begins with the date of March 15, 2006 and the intro reads:

This Journal is to be a recording of God's hand in our lives regarding our finances and our desire to live debt free. May all the generations that read this, give honor and glory to the Lord for His handiwork.

I give our names and the date our home was sold. I continue to make entries sharing the challenging process of finding our present home without a mortgage, how our financial needs were met after a medical emergency, the weddings of our children and even the creative ways Husband found to make our 30th anniversary celebration debt free!

It pleases me to know our debt free legacy can be shared and passed down through the generations, written in my hand with love and with a desire to see this blessing carry on.

How do you share your debt free vision with your generations?

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