So, update on the DIY stuff, right?
Shampoo/Conditioner: Oh, this took a while after we moved. It was so slow I didn't notice it, but one day I looked in the mirror and saw that my hair looked... waxy. Not dirty or greasy, just weird. And it would not curl.
One of you lovely reader suggested boiling the water first, mixing a bunch ahead of time, and then just having it in the shower. Well, that worked the first time, but after it had cooled for a day, almost all the baking soda crystallized and plated itself to the bottom of the container. It was like rock salt. Great, if I want to exfoliate my scalp, not so great if I want to clean my hair.
So then I decided to run the bath faucet as hot as it would go before each shower and filling up with that. Magic! It worked again. Now my problem is my hair getting too clean. So I'm back to washing it every other day, which really is better for it, even if I hate it. I also mix honey in with the vinegar once a week. It was moisturizing too much when I used it every day, but it makes a nice once-a-week thing.
Dishwasher detergent: This works fairly well, compared to the commercial detergent. Again with the hard water, though (and Utah disallows phosphates in detergents). Residue and gunk on everything. Feh. So with the second batch I added half a cup of White King, a magical box of stuff that has solved almost all of our hard water problems and I can only find at WinCo. I also mixed it in with two cups of boiling water. It gelled very nicely. And then it turned to gritty, half-frozen butter. Next batch, three cups boiling water. It does work much better now.
Laundry detergent: It was a total waste of time until I discovered White King. I don't think it ever did mix properly, so I still only use it for things that never really get dirty. For diapers, I still use Charlie's Soap. Without our high-efficiency washer and with the special crap we have to buy to deal with the hard water problem (even Charlie's doesn't perform well at all with our water--ammonia burns, yay!), the money savings is not as substantial. It makes my skin itch. Sigh. Oh well. It's still worth it, if not AS worth it. We better not have any more babies until we're in a house with a water softener.
More DIY I've been thinking about: cloth diapers need special diaper rash cream. Many of the ingredients in most creams bond to the fibers, rendering them inabsorbent and smelly. Yay. No more Boudreaux's Butt Paste, which was magic, crafted by Gandalf himself. Both girls are prone to crazy diaper rash, no matter how vigilant we are about changing them frequently. The next person who tells me cloth-diapered babies shouldn't get rashes is going to get punched in the face. The only cloth-safe cream I've found in stores was a bazillion dollars. The ones online are not much better. So! I'm going to see if I can figure out a way to make some myself. This should be interesting.
What else can be DIY without sacrificing quality (or so much efficiency that it becomes far more inconvenient that it's worth)?
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Shampoo
Dear sister, I know you will laugh at this post. But don't make fun of me too much until you see my hair.
I'll never have fabulous hair, but this is the most fabulous it's ever been in my entire life. It's kind of a pain in the rear since I have to rinse it forever and a day, lest I smell like vinegar. But I consider it worth it. My hair not only looks better, but it's softer, shinier, and it does the things I tell it to. It curls and stays curled, I pin it up, and it stays up, I leave it down, and it does not plaster itself to my head like a hungover eel.
So! Here it is.
Step One: Baking soda.
To be honest, it's probably not much of a money savings. I have (used to have) a taste for expensive shampoos and conditioners, but I could make them last foreeeever. A tankard of Aveda shampoo and conditioner can last me at least two years. That's about two dollars a month. A gallon of apple cider vinegar lasts about two months, and the cost of baking soda is negligible. Honey is a bit pricier, but we use so little, and we buy it in the gigantic jugs (I use it in just about everything The Child eats that's sweetened). This gets us about three cents a day. Yaaay!
This brings me to my next point.
For the longest time, it's been hard for me to get motivated to save money because I haven't ever thought to tie it to something concrete. We're only saving twelve dollars a year by doing this, but twelve dollars is a movie ticket. We love the movies! And we never get to go! Before, I would have seen that twelve dollars and thought, "Pssssh. Totally not worth the self-denial."
But it IS.
I love how I'm learning delayed gratification at 28.
(If you listen closely, you'll hear my siblings and parents snickering into their sleeves. Li'l Naomi done growed up. Kind of.)
I'll never have fabulous hair, but this is the most fabulous it's ever been in my entire life. It's kind of a pain in the rear since I have to rinse it forever and a day, lest I smell like vinegar. But I consider it worth it. My hair not only looks better, but it's softer, shinier, and it does the things I tell it to. It curls and stays curled, I pin it up, and it stays up, I leave it down, and it does not plaster itself to my head like a hungover eel.
So! Here it is.
Step One: Baking soda.
- Keep a cup (16 oz) in the shower. Before you get in, put in 2 Tbsp of baking soda. In the shower, fill the cup and mix until the baking soda is dissolved (I use the end of my razor handle).
- Pour in sections over your dry head. I'd like to get a squeeze bottle to do this, but so many of them have really narrow necks. This method is time-consuming enough that I really don't feel like bringing a funnel into the whole business as well.
- Rub into scalp, then rinse thoroughly.
- Optional: Pour about 1 tsp of honey into the cup. My hair comes out shinier and sweeter-smelling when I use this.
- Pour about 1/4 cup of your choice of vinegar into the cup. I use apple cider vinegar. I've heard of people using pomegranate vinegar and others. I'm sure just about anything would smell better than ACV (except maybe white vinegar). Fill the rest of the way with water and mix again.
- Pour in sections over your head, work into hair, and rinse thoroughly. Very, very thoroughly. And then rinse some more. If you're still unsure, rinse a little bit more.
To be honest, it's probably not much of a money savings. I have (used to have) a taste for expensive shampoos and conditioners, but I could make them last foreeeever. A tankard of Aveda shampoo and conditioner can last me at least two years. That's about two dollars a month. A gallon of apple cider vinegar lasts about two months, and the cost of baking soda is negligible. Honey is a bit pricier, but we use so little, and we buy it in the gigantic jugs (I use it in just about everything The Child eats that's sweetened). This gets us about three cents a day. Yaaay!
This brings me to my next point.
For the longest time, it's been hard for me to get motivated to save money because I haven't ever thought to tie it to something concrete. We're only saving twelve dollars a year by doing this, but twelve dollars is a movie ticket. We love the movies! And we never get to go! Before, I would have seen that twelve dollars and thought, "Pssssh. Totally not worth the self-denial."
But it IS.
I love how I'm learning delayed gratification at 28.
(If you listen closely, you'll hear my siblings and parents snickering into their sleeves. Li'l Naomi done growed up. Kind of.)
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Moving is not conducive to tightwadding
I've been hiding from this blog in shame. We've spent the last two weeks throwing caution and money to the wind in an effort to alleviate the insanity that is moving. Paper plates! Plastic cutlery! Convenience foods! Booze!
We're still living in the hotel, but at least The Guy's job is paying for our food and basic living expenses. This means we get a nice introduction to Salt Lake City's varied cuisine while someone else picks up the tab.
Saturday or Sunday, though, it's back to the grindstone. I'm actually kind of excited. The children are turning feral in this hotel room, since we're stuck here all day with no car and unseasonably chilly weather. All day is spent keeping the bubbling frustration from bursting out of me in a fit of temper that would rival a toddler's. Then naptime comes, and I lie around in a haze of apathy.
I'm so much happier when I have productive things to do. I grumble about it the whole time, but really, I'm not a happy person when I'm allowed to be as lazy as I think I want to be.
To be sure, there are things I could be doing. But like I said, haze of apathy. Seem like when there's no home to keep clean and running, I lose all desire to accomplish other things.
So, this post will hopefully be a running start for the weekend.
I have two new daily money-saving ideas.
First! We will have a dishwasher in our new place. DISH. WASHER. A machine that runs on its own and cleans things for me. The chore I hate most is now all but gone. I can't even handle this.
But this means special soap. And special soap means more money. With two kids and two adults living in the same house, I'm guessing there will be at least one load of dishes washed per day. So, using this recipe: Homemade Dishwasher Detergent, I will attempt to save *$.73/load. We'll say that's $.73/day for now.
Yes, I know homemade dishwasher detergents tend to leave dishes cloudy. However, I don't really care, so long as they're clean. And we'll just wait and see for now.
*I went by the savings that blog posted for the dishwasher detergent, but figured out my own for the rinse agent. $3.99/load seemed extremely high, even though I have no experience with dishwashers.
The other thing is homemade laundry detergent. Right now, I use Charlie's Soap. I love it with all of my heart. I really do. But it's expensive. Worth every penny, I should add, if this homemade thing doesn't work out. Commercial detergents--even free and clear detergents--are full of gunk that coats the fibers, rendering cloth diapers almost useless after enough washing, which means you have to strip them regularly, and why go through all that when you can save money making your own detergent AND avoid having to strip them so often?
Charlie's Soap costs about $.19/load unless you buy it in the gigantic buckets. And even then, it's still $.156/load. I've also read that it doesn't work well in certain areas with certain types of water, so you have to buy a laundry booster, and that increases the price, too (I wonder, though; would just a little baking soda do the trick instead of shelling out for a special product?).
So, I'm going to try something like this recipe: Homemade Laundry Detergent. I think it works out to about $.01/load, but we'll have to wait and see what things cost around here.
So that's a savings of $.18/load. I figure I do about seven loads a week (depends entirely on the baby), so that works out to about $.18/day.
We'll see how this goes.
We're still living in the hotel, but at least The Guy's job is paying for our food and basic living expenses. This means we get a nice introduction to Salt Lake City's varied cuisine while someone else picks up the tab.
Saturday or Sunday, though, it's back to the grindstone. I'm actually kind of excited. The children are turning feral in this hotel room, since we're stuck here all day with no car and unseasonably chilly weather. All day is spent keeping the bubbling frustration from bursting out of me in a fit of temper that would rival a toddler's. Then naptime comes, and I lie around in a haze of apathy.
I'm so much happier when I have productive things to do. I grumble about it the whole time, but really, I'm not a happy person when I'm allowed to be as lazy as I think I want to be.
To be sure, there are things I could be doing. But like I said, haze of apathy. Seem like when there's no home to keep clean and running, I lose all desire to accomplish other things.
So, this post will hopefully be a running start for the weekend.
I have two new daily money-saving ideas.
First! We will have a dishwasher in our new place. DISH. WASHER. A machine that runs on its own and cleans things for me. The chore I hate most is now all but gone. I can't even handle this.
But this means special soap. And special soap means more money. With two kids and two adults living in the same house, I'm guessing there will be at least one load of dishes washed per day. So, using this recipe: Homemade Dishwasher Detergent, I will attempt to save *$.73/load. We'll say that's $.73/day for now.
Yes, I know homemade dishwasher detergents tend to leave dishes cloudy. However, I don't really care, so long as they're clean. And we'll just wait and see for now.
*I went by the savings that blog posted for the dishwasher detergent, but figured out my own for the rinse agent. $3.99/load seemed extremely high, even though I have no experience with dishwashers.
The other thing is homemade laundry detergent. Right now, I use Charlie's Soap. I love it with all of my heart. I really do. But it's expensive. Worth every penny, I should add, if this homemade thing doesn't work out. Commercial detergents--even free and clear detergents--are full of gunk that coats the fibers, rendering cloth diapers almost useless after enough washing, which means you have to strip them regularly, and why go through all that when you can save money making your own detergent AND avoid having to strip them so often?
Charlie's Soap costs about $.19/load unless you buy it in the gigantic buckets. And even then, it's still $.156/load. I've also read that it doesn't work well in certain areas with certain types of water, so you have to buy a laundry booster, and that increases the price, too (I wonder, though; would just a little baking soda do the trick instead of shelling out for a special product?).
So, I'm going to try something like this recipe: Homemade Laundry Detergent. I think it works out to about $.01/load, but we'll have to wait and see what things cost around here.
So that's a savings of $.18/load. I figure I do about seven loads a week (depends entirely on the baby), so that works out to about $.18/day.
We'll see how this goes.
Saturday, December 18, 2010
My head is too small
Full Brain Syndrome. People to see One Last Time, chipped paint to take care of, children to keep alive, et cetera. It also means my funny bone is mostly gone, but I'll update just because a few of you have asked. Once I'm less overwhelmed, I'm sure I'll have all sorts of things to say. Probably more than you want to hear.
Emmy is thisclose to walking. Grace was thisclose to walking for months, but she's certainly more cautious than Emmy. I don't think Emmy will wait until she can walk perfectly. She's perfectly happy crashing into sharp objects all over the place. I catch her halfway up the stairs several times a day. Blockading them with chairs doesn't work anymore. She just slides right under. I'm so glad we're moving soon. Carrying her on my back all the time is good for me, but it's also tiresome.
Speaking of Grace, she is suddenly... normal.
She's still shy, but she smiles at and flirts with anyone and everyone so long as one of us is close at hand. She asks for vegetables. She picks up mushy food. She doesn't throw a fit if I wait until the end of breakfast to wipe the yogurt off her face and bib. Screaming during hairwashing has gone from Psycho to barely a yelp. She ate seven large, weird-looking mushrooms (in sauce!) at dinner today. I don't know what happened, but I'm not going to question it.
We found a good home for the cat. Jeremy dropped her off today. Huuuge weight off our shoulders.
That's all. I'm kind of fried. I'll be back soon. We move in two weeks, and then I'll never shut up.
Emmy is thisclose to walking. Grace was thisclose to walking for months, but she's certainly more cautious than Emmy. I don't think Emmy will wait until she can walk perfectly. She's perfectly happy crashing into sharp objects all over the place. I catch her halfway up the stairs several times a day. Blockading them with chairs doesn't work anymore. She just slides right under. I'm so glad we're moving soon. Carrying her on my back all the time is good for me, but it's also tiresome.
Speaking of Grace, she is suddenly... normal.
She's still shy, but she smiles at and flirts with anyone and everyone so long as one of us is close at hand. She asks for vegetables. She picks up mushy food. She doesn't throw a fit if I wait until the end of breakfast to wipe the yogurt off her face and bib. Screaming during hairwashing has gone from Psycho to barely a yelp. She ate seven large, weird-looking mushrooms (in sauce!) at dinner today. I don't know what happened, but I'm not going to question it.
We found a good home for the cat. Jeremy dropped her off today. Huuuge weight off our shoulders.
That's all. I'm kind of fried. I'll be back soon. We move in two weeks, and then I'll never shut up.
Friday, November 26, 2010
I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner
The fans in the kids' rooms! Idiot. We switched those out for the noise machines we use when we travel. I figure between naps and nighttimes, that's $.26/day. I'll have to look at the actual wattage on them later, but I'm guessing a fan on high draws 100W, and the noise machines draw 2W each. Yippee!
I'm never going to make it to 100, am I?
I'm never going to make it to 100, am I?
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Hair
I'm saving my hair to make pillows.
HAH! Just kidding. There are some things I will never do for the sake of a few dollars. That's one of them.
No, I've noticed since I started showering every day that my hair just doesn't get clean enough when I wash it. It gets all gunky in back, just below the crown of my head. I have three different kinds of shampoo that I use, I use very little conditioner (maybe a pea-sized amount), and I make sure I get shampoo down into my roots all over my head. And still, with all that, there's this spot on the back of my head that is just gross unless I shampoo twice, which kind of defeats the purpose of showering every other day. More time spent in the shower, using hot water and lights, AND extra money spent on shampoo.
So I decided to try something else today. I grabbed a bit of baking soda (maybe a couple of teaspoons) and plonked it on top of my wet hair, then I rubbed it in with my shampoo. And what do you know, my hair came out beautifully clean (but not stripped and dry, like it can when I shampoo twice).
I also used the extra baking soda left on my hands to scrub my face a little bit (I'd already washed it). I don't really need to exfoliate with the oil cleansing method (I know I sound like an infomercial with my OIL CLEANSING METHOD! evangelism, but I am telling you, it's that good) and haven't in ages. But lately my face has been feeling a little papery and oily, all at the same time. Probably the dry winter air.
Wow! What a difference! My skin feels extremely soft today, and it's practically glowing. I don't know exactly what the baking soda did, but my skin looks amazing right now.
Now I just need to figure out a way to keep some baking soda in the shower without getting it all wet and clumpy and gross.
HAH! Just kidding. There are some things I will never do for the sake of a few dollars. That's one of them.
No, I've noticed since I started showering every day that my hair just doesn't get clean enough when I wash it. It gets all gunky in back, just below the crown of my head. I have three different kinds of shampoo that I use, I use very little conditioner (maybe a pea-sized amount), and I make sure I get shampoo down into my roots all over my head. And still, with all that, there's this spot on the back of my head that is just gross unless I shampoo twice, which kind of defeats the purpose of showering every other day. More time spent in the shower, using hot water and lights, AND extra money spent on shampoo.
So I decided to try something else today. I grabbed a bit of baking soda (maybe a couple of teaspoons) and plonked it on top of my wet hair, then I rubbed it in with my shampoo. And what do you know, my hair came out beautifully clean (but not stripped and dry, like it can when I shampoo twice).
I also used the extra baking soda left on my hands to scrub my face a little bit (I'd already washed it). I don't really need to exfoliate with the oil cleansing method (I know I sound like an infomercial with my OIL CLEANSING METHOD! evangelism, but I am telling you, it's that good) and haven't in ages. But lately my face has been feeling a little papery and oily, all at the same time. Probably the dry winter air.
Wow! What a difference! My skin feels extremely soft today, and it's practically glowing. I don't know exactly what the baking soda did, but my skin looks amazing right now.
Now I just need to figure out a way to keep some baking soda in the shower without getting it all wet and clumpy and gross.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Toilet
I know this is totally gross. Which is why I will only do it when it's just me at home. I'm going to flush less.
I've always though this was something only weirdo crunchy types did. So I guess I'm turning into a weirdo crunchy type. But it's hard to argue with 1.6 gallons of water per flush. That's $.38/flush each day (can that possibly be right? maybe I'm reading this wrong). And, to be honest, I do a lot of toilet-flushing that isn't... elimination-related. Things like kleenex and whatnot go down, too. So let's say I flush ten times a day now. Just halving that means $1.92/day (no, seriously; is that right?).
Update: Hah! I knew this was all wrong. It's $1.87 per one hundred cubic feet. Idiot. I guess this just means a lot more water conservation, right. I will have to think a little harder, though, and I'm a little fried at the moment.
I've always though this was something only weirdo crunchy types did. So I guess I'm turning into a weirdo crunchy type. But it's hard to argue with 1.6 gallons of water per flush. That's $.38/flush each day (can that possibly be right? maybe I'm reading this wrong). And, to be honest, I do a lot of toilet-flushing that isn't... elimination-related. Things like kleenex and whatnot go down, too. So let's say I flush ten times a day now. Just halving that means $1.92/day (no, seriously; is that right?).
Update: Hah! I knew this was all wrong. It's $1.87 per one hundred cubic feet. Idiot. I guess this just means a lot more water conservation, right. I will have to think a little harder, though, and I'm a little fried at the moment.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Cable
I have calmed down since my last entry. Cloth diapering is pretty easy now. I do have to be very careful about diaper rashes. Both kids are prone to them, and flannel does not wick moisture away from the skin. I hope we've saved enough soon to buy some fancy schmancy ones. Instead of 18-odd disposables per day, we're going through three (naps and nighttimes; the toddler uses a special overnight diaper at night, so it's not figured in). That's quite a bit of money, even after the cost of washing them.
Did you know that we've had basic cable for over a year, and I had no idea? Yes. We got it in spring of 2009. We got it so I'd have something to do while nursing the baby. I've never been able to read books while nursing, and I was out of shows to watch on Hulu.
Well, what do you know? The only thing on basic cable during the day is lousy soap operas. I hate soap operas. I can't even put it into words. It's odd to feel this strongly about TV shows, but something about them makes me so crazy I could spit. I would rather watch Dragon Tales all day. While sitting on nails. And eating spiders.
So, anyway, I thought we'd canceled it. I don't really know why. I don't remember ever saying anything to The Guy about it. Sometimes it's like I assume he downloads information direct from my head. He should just know these things, right?
(Oh heavens. If he had a direct link to my brain, he'd be completely neurotic by now.)
Well, come to find out we hadn't canceled it. We were paying $25/month for a service we didn't even use. Idiots. So we canceled that. This is a good thing because The Baby had to switch to formula a couple of months ago, and that stuff is expensive. It's like powdered gold. Even the cheap stuff. I look forward to her turning one year. We will be swimming in money once we don't have to buy formula.
Right?
I calculated all the savings (not including buying less meat and cutting the cable) since I started this blog. A conservative estimate puts us at $85. This is not a ton of money if you just look at the number. But $85 is a week's groceries. $85 is three baby or wedding gifts. $85 is formula for a month.
These small bits of money make a difference. Most of them don't even require extra work. We make more money by doing less. I like this.
Since some of these things I didn't start until halfway through the month, the monthly savings is more like $120.
If you add to that $120 the $25/month for cable and the $15/week eating less meat, our savings are up to $205/month.
The next item on my 100 Things list is more air drying. I don't much care for it. It creates more work for me, and we don't have the space for a drying rack or a clothesline. I won't even consider hanging clothes outside. In the winter, it's too cold, and in the summer there are spiders. I will never be a crazy enough tightwad to brave either of those. But it's still a quarter a day. Not much by itself, but it's one of (hopefully) one hundred.
I tumble dry only the things that really need it: pants, my husband's work shirts, towels. I would air dry the pants and towels, but they mildew long before they get dry. Instead of drying eight loads per week, I'm drying just two. I let the laundry pile up for a few days (not the cloth diapers; I wash those nightly, but I don't put them in the dryer). We'll live. We have plenty of clothes. Then I wash four loads and only toss a few items from each into the dryer. When all the washing is done, I dry the combined load in the dryer.
Yes, this means we have damp clothing draped all over the place for a day. It's more than a little annoying. But hey! It's $.24/day! Not too shabby. Add to this the extended life of our clothes, and it's probably more.
I prefer conservative estimates. The worst that will happen is we save more money than we thought we would. I like surprises.
Did you know that we've had basic cable for over a year, and I had no idea? Yes. We got it in spring of 2009. We got it so I'd have something to do while nursing the baby. I've never been able to read books while nursing, and I was out of shows to watch on Hulu.
Well, what do you know? The only thing on basic cable during the day is lousy soap operas. I hate soap operas. I can't even put it into words. It's odd to feel this strongly about TV shows, but something about them makes me so crazy I could spit. I would rather watch Dragon Tales all day. While sitting on nails. And eating spiders.
So, anyway, I thought we'd canceled it. I don't really know why. I don't remember ever saying anything to The Guy about it. Sometimes it's like I assume he downloads information direct from my head. He should just know these things, right?
(Oh heavens. If he had a direct link to my brain, he'd be completely neurotic by now.)
Well, come to find out we hadn't canceled it. We were paying $25/month for a service we didn't even use. Idiots. So we canceled that. This is a good thing because The Baby had to switch to formula a couple of months ago, and that stuff is expensive. It's like powdered gold. Even the cheap stuff. I look forward to her turning one year. We will be swimming in money once we don't have to buy formula.
Right?
I calculated all the savings (not including buying less meat and cutting the cable) since I started this blog. A conservative estimate puts us at $85. This is not a ton of money if you just look at the number. But $85 is a week's groceries. $85 is three baby or wedding gifts. $85 is formula for a month.
These small bits of money make a difference. Most of them don't even require extra work. We make more money by doing less. I like this.
Since some of these things I didn't start until halfway through the month, the monthly savings is more like $120.
If you add to that $120 the $25/month for cable and the $15/week eating less meat, our savings are up to $205/month.
The next item on my 100 Things list is more air drying. I don't much care for it. It creates more work for me, and we don't have the space for a drying rack or a clothesline. I won't even consider hanging clothes outside. In the winter, it's too cold, and in the summer there are spiders. I will never be a crazy enough tightwad to brave either of those. But it's still a quarter a day. Not much by itself, but it's one of (hopefully) one hundred.
I tumble dry only the things that really need it: pants, my husband's work shirts, towels. I would air dry the pants and towels, but they mildew long before they get dry. Instead of drying eight loads per week, I'm drying just two. I let the laundry pile up for a few days (not the cloth diapers; I wash those nightly, but I don't put them in the dryer). We'll live. We have plenty of clothes. Then I wash four loads and only toss a few items from each into the dryer. When all the washing is done, I dry the combined load in the dryer.
Yes, this means we have damp clothing draped all over the place for a day. It's more than a little annoying. But hey! It's $.24/day! Not too shabby. Add to this the extended life of our clothes, and it's probably more.
I prefer conservative estimates. The worst that will happen is we save more money than we thought we would. I like surprises.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Things I hate +UPDATE
Sorry, Gerber. That baby is real cute and all, and you have some of the most affordable baby items in existence, but I really hate you right now. These plastic pants have microscopic leg holes and are baggy everywhere else. Your cloth diapers are tiny, stupid, and non-absorbent.
I also hate me and my clumsiness. I have spent all morning trying to figure out how to properly fold and pin a diaper, and nothing is working. Also, 2.0 does not appreciate being a guinea pig, which means diaper changes just got WAY MORE FUN. I have compared her to a coked-up octopus before. The comparison still holds.
And YOU, Internet! You are no help! Tutorials, diagrams, instructions, videos, they all assume the baby will just lie there, docile and content, perfectly still. Where are they giving out babies like this? I want one! Even The Child, who is one of the most docile children I've ever known, was not that still for any diaper change ever until about the age of 18 months.
Oh, yes, I know all about Snappis. I want some. I covet them. Which brings me to the next thing I hate: Babies R Us. You are stupid and you have a stupid face. One tiny aisle dedicated to the lousiest cloth diapering supplies ever made, and all you have are pins. Given the not-so-recent trend toward cloth diapering, I think it's high time you got with the program.
And YOU. You people who say old-school cloth diapering it so EASY and SIMPLE and LA DE DA. You lie. You lie, and do you know what happens every time you lie? A baby cat dies. That's what. Think on it.
I still hate Gerber, but I'm no longer so stymied by pinning. I got some bars of soap out, stuck them in old socks, and use them for pincushions. The pins go in much easier now.
I also decided to ditch the prefolds. They make me too crazy. Instead, I'm just using flat fabric and using the origami fold. I fold them ahead of time and keep them in the drawer under the changing table. I think I will try the kite fold next. It will better contain 2.0's more enthusiastic output.
Those diaper covers, though... Tomorrow I get a vacation from kids. The Guy, may his name be praised, is kicking me out of the house for most of tomorrow and all of Saturday. I will be childfree until Sunday morning. Did you hear those angels singing? No? That's because they weren't angels. They were me. And I sometimes sing off key. I love my kids, and I want a million more, but it has been more than two years without a real break. I've had evenings out, but that's it.
Anyway, I am going to go to a real diaper store, not Babies R Us (which I also still hate), and I am going to find some Snappis and some diaper covers that are easier to work with. With the kids wearing at least two layers at all times, it really stinks (hah! pun!) to have to remove two pairs of pants just to get the diaper cover off. Meanwhile, the wet diaper is soaking into either the new diaper or the changing pad. Not a good system.
(Please note that I am not actually this angry and full of hate. This post is mostly tongue-in cheek. Normally I don't make note of such things, but this blog is still just a baby blog, and it's probably not yet obvious that I'm fond of hyperbole and dramatics.)
I also hate me and my clumsiness. I have spent all morning trying to figure out how to properly fold and pin a diaper, and nothing is working. Also, 2.0 does not appreciate being a guinea pig, which means diaper changes just got WAY MORE FUN. I have compared her to a coked-up octopus before. The comparison still holds.
And YOU, Internet! You are no help! Tutorials, diagrams, instructions, videos, they all assume the baby will just lie there, docile and content, perfectly still. Where are they giving out babies like this? I want one! Even The Child, who is one of the most docile children I've ever known, was not that still for any diaper change ever until about the age of 18 months.
Oh, yes, I know all about Snappis. I want some. I covet them. Which brings me to the next thing I hate: Babies R Us. You are stupid and you have a stupid face. One tiny aisle dedicated to the lousiest cloth diapering supplies ever made, and all you have are pins. Given the not-so-recent trend toward cloth diapering, I think it's high time you got with the program.
And YOU. You people who say old-school cloth diapering it so EASY and SIMPLE and LA DE DA. You lie. You lie, and do you know what happens every time you lie? A baby cat dies. That's what. Think on it.
I still hate Gerber, but I'm no longer so stymied by pinning. I got some bars of soap out, stuck them in old socks, and use them for pincushions. The pins go in much easier now.
I also decided to ditch the prefolds. They make me too crazy. Instead, I'm just using flat fabric and using the origami fold. I fold them ahead of time and keep them in the drawer under the changing table. I think I will try the kite fold next. It will better contain 2.0's more enthusiastic output.
Those diaper covers, though... Tomorrow I get a vacation from kids. The Guy, may his name be praised, is kicking me out of the house for most of tomorrow and all of Saturday. I will be childfree until Sunday morning. Did you hear those angels singing? No? That's because they weren't angels. They were me. And I sometimes sing off key. I love my kids, and I want a million more, but it has been more than two years without a real break. I've had evenings out, but that's it.
Anyway, I am going to go to a real diaper store, not Babies R Us (which I also still hate), and I am going to find some Snappis and some diaper covers that are easier to work with. With the kids wearing at least two layers at all times, it really stinks (hah! pun!) to have to remove two pairs of pants just to get the diaper cover off. Meanwhile, the wet diaper is soaking into either the new diaper or the changing pad. Not a good system.
(Please note that I am not actually this angry and full of hate. This post is mostly tongue-in cheek. Normally I don't make note of such things, but this blog is still just a baby blog, and it's probably not yet obvious that I'm fond of hyperbole and dramatics.)
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Cloth diapering
I've decided to take the plunge. With the baby (2.0), at least. I found a really good deal on some well-priced and easy-to-use diapers, but The Guy vetoed it. So I decided, "Well, why can't I do it the hard way for a few weeks?" We spend a minimum of $10/week diapering 2.0. Probably more. If I wash a load of diapers every day and line dry, that's about $1.40/week (less if I switch from Charlie's Soap to homemade detergent).
We already have some plastic pants. We already have a million flannel receiving blankets lying around that I can make into prefolds. All I'd have to buy are the Snappis, which are about $9/pack. We need to buy some diapers soon anyway, so why not?
The reason I'm not putting The Child into cloth right away is that her skin is ridiculously sensitive, and she goes through far fewer diapers. She also freaks out if there's anything wet touching her skin, and I don't have the emotional stamina for that if I'm also learning to deal with cloth diapers.
I've decided to start tomorrow. I'm heading into town this evening for a hair appointment (you can have my fancy haircuts when you pry them from my cold, dead hands), so I might as well make it worth more than just my vanity.
So, switching 2.0 to cloth diapers: $1.22/day.
I'm toying with the idea of making my own detergent. I love Charlie's Soap so very, very much, though. A friend gave me what looks like a good recipe for detergent. I don't know how clean-rinsing it is, though. Maybe I'll test it out on one load and see how 2.0 reacts.
We already have some plastic pants. We already have a million flannel receiving blankets lying around that I can make into prefolds. All I'd have to buy are the Snappis, which are about $9/pack. We need to buy some diapers soon anyway, so why not?
The reason I'm not putting The Child into cloth right away is that her skin is ridiculously sensitive, and she goes through far fewer diapers. She also freaks out if there's anything wet touching her skin, and I don't have the emotional stamina for that if I'm also learning to deal with cloth diapers.
I've decided to start tomorrow. I'm heading into town this evening for a hair appointment (you can have my fancy haircuts when you pry them from my cold, dead hands), so I might as well make it worth more than just my vanity.
So, switching 2.0 to cloth diapers: $1.22/day.
I'm toying with the idea of making my own detergent. I love Charlie's Soap so very, very much, though. A friend gave me what looks like a good recipe for detergent. I don't know how clean-rinsing it is, though. Maybe I'll test it out on one load and see how 2.0 reacts.
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Gas mileage
I finished the lining to the kitchen curtain. My goodness, it makes a difference. This is a good thing, because it is a very ugly curtain, and its powers of insulation are the only thing keeping it there. It doesn't make much of a difference during the day with the crock pot running, but at night, there's at least five degrees difference between the kitchen and the rest of the downstairs. If I had a safe place to put the crock pot elsewhere in the downstairs, I would. It doesn't kick up as much heat as the oven, but it makes a difference. Maybe I could put it on top of our dryer.
Today I had to drive out to my husband's work for a wellness check. It's a royal pain in the butt, but it gets us a major discount on our insurance.
I decided to try a couple of hypermiling techniques on the way there and back. On the way there, I started at 19.1 mpg. By the time I arrived, it was up to 19.5, and by the time I got home it was up to 19.9. And I hardly did a thing. Mostly, I just attempted to drive a little more smoothly than usual and look ahead a little more. I get nervous about holding up people behind me, so I'll never be a true hypermiler, but it was gratifying to see that just a few small changes can make a difference ($.06/10 miles, if I'm calculating correctly, which I'm often not). What do I do?
(Am I calculating this right? That sounds really high.)
Any other safe and reasonable tips for getting great gas mileage? Avoiding headwinds and taking different routes is not possible. He has to go to work when he has to go to work, and the route he takes is the best possible. The interstate would probably give him better mpg, but he'd be driving a few miles farther.
I won't update my list unless he agrees to do this, but I think this should definitely qualify as one of my 100 Things.
Today I had to drive out to my husband's work for a wellness check. It's a royal pain in the butt, but it gets us a major discount on our insurance.
I decided to try a couple of hypermiling techniques on the way there and back. On the way there, I started at 19.1 mpg. By the time I arrived, it was up to 19.5, and by the time I got home it was up to 19.9. And I hardly did a thing. Mostly, I just attempted to drive a little more smoothly than usual and look ahead a little more. I get nervous about holding up people behind me, so I'll never be a true hypermiler, but it was gratifying to see that just a few small changes can make a difference ($.06/10 miles, if I'm calculating correctly, which I'm often not). What do I do?
- Pop the car in neutral going downhill and while decelerating; I don't do this with cars nearby, however.
- Take corners as fast as is safe.
- Instead of keeping up to speed all the way to stoplights, and then stopping, I coast toward the light from a good distance away; by the time the light turns green and the cars ahead are moving, I'm still moving at a decent clip and don't have to use the brakes or accelerate very much.
- I keep the tank less than 1/2 full. I don't know how much of a difference this makes, but I imagine it's not insignificant with a van's gas tank; half a tank weighs about 86.6 lbs. If we didn't have to keep so much stuff in the back (it's stuff we use regularly, like the double stroller, but have no place to store inside, since it clutters the house for showings), I could probably eliminate another 30 lbs.
(Am I calculating this right? That sounds really high.)
Any other safe and reasonable tips for getting great gas mileage? Avoiding headwinds and taking different routes is not possible. He has to go to work when he has to go to work, and the route he takes is the best possible. The interstate would probably give him better mpg, but he'd be driving a few miles farther.
I won't update my list unless he agrees to do this, but I think this should definitely qualify as one of my 100 Things.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Tightwad Gazette
I just went over to the library and checked out the three volumes of The Tightwad Gazette. They didn't have the complete volume, so I have three books to heft around. That's okay. I'll burn five extra calories this way.
So far, many of these tips don't apply to us. The Guy already packs lunches, reusing old shopping bags. We've switched to reusable bags ($.05 credit per bag at each shopping trip), so that supply will eventually dwindle, but then he can just use one of the reusables anyway. We don't use dryer sheets. We don't have school-age kids.
Some of them are things we won't ever do. We don't have a fireplace and never have occasion to buy firewood. Sending in all the neighborhood's bills in one envelope doesn't apply because we pay all our bills online
I am excited about homemade granola, though. The Child is obsessed with granola. Every time she wakes up from a nap: "Hoongry! Goy bar? Goy bar?" Few granola bars are even remotely acceptable for regular consumption (I do so love those gooey ones that are half high fructose corn syrup and chocolate chips, though), so we shell out for Kashi or Nature Valley. I stock up when they're on special. But they're still expensive (for what they are, at least). I could make it in large quantities and cut back on the sugar. Yay!
Anyway, even the things that aren't going to be directly useful are getting me to think about how to be creative in saving money. And that's my real problem. It's not that we can't go without optional comforts. Because we do that all the time and don't mind. No, my real problem is that I just don't think.
In the last week, I have become hyper-aware of all the little things I do that cost us money. That sounds stressful, doesn't it? But it's not.
The more mindful I am of everything I do that costs money, the better I feel about every little thing I do to save money. I smile when I remember to switch off a light that would normally stay on. I smile when I pull the curtain to the cold kitchen closed behind me. I smile when I use the fluorescent light under the cabinet instead of the halogen overhead light. All these tiny little things are adding up to me finally making a contribution to our finances. It's a good feeling.
Even the tips I won't ever use are getting me to think in new directions, which means more tiny accomplishments every day, which means feeling less and less like a useless schlub.
I like to come here to the new coffee shop and sit for a couple hours with my laptop during the girls' naps. Yes, that latte did cost $3.00, but for a weekly indulgence, I think it's worth it. There aren't any other places in town with free wireless where I can just go and sit in peace. And if I were home, I'd likely be sitting around, accomplishing nothing. Here, my laptop is at least plugged into someone else's outlet.
Here's something I've always known but never really thought about: saving money on optional expenses is better than earning that same amount of money extra. If we save $5,000 a year by cutting back, that's $5,000 extra that isn't taxed as a raise would be. No income tax, no sales tax. If my husband got a $5,000 raise, about half (maybe more) of it would be gone to taxes. So saving us just a few thousand a year is like earning double that.
(I'm more than a little foggy on tax law, especially since we're just on the edge of a tax bracket. I admit I don't know exactly how these things work. And I don't want to. Tax law makes me yawn, and then gives me a headache. It's enough for me to know that a huge chunk of any money my husband makes goes to the government.)
If it sounds like I'm psyching myself up needlessly, keep in mind that I am the most unmotivated person in the world. I spent 8 years in college and never got a degree. I slouched my way through high school, earning grades that ranged from passable to goodish (except in subjects I truly loved, like calculus, where I did practice problems for fun), when I could have probably earned straight As and a scholarship.
I have this ingrained notion that being capable of so many things is something to be proud of, that it's enough. But it's not. In fact, great ability makes a lack of accomplishment even more shameful. While I know this, I don't know it. Same way that I know there are no monsters under the bed, but I still make a running leap for it in the dark so nothing grabs my ankles.
I can't take credit what I was born with, but I can control what I do with that. It's too late to go back to high school and learn how to try, and it's too late to erase years of pointless school debt. So now I can try do three things: rewire my brain, make the most of our finances from here on out, and try to teach my children a different way of thinking.
Which means getting off my lazy bum and actually doing something.
So far, many of these tips don't apply to us. The Guy already packs lunches, reusing old shopping bags. We've switched to reusable bags ($.05 credit per bag at each shopping trip), so that supply will eventually dwindle, but then he can just use one of the reusables anyway. We don't use dryer sheets. We don't have school-age kids.
Some of them are things we won't ever do. We don't have a fireplace and never have occasion to buy firewood. Sending in all the neighborhood's bills in one envelope doesn't apply because we pay all our bills online
I am excited about homemade granola, though. The Child is obsessed with granola. Every time she wakes up from a nap: "Hoongry! Goy bar? Goy bar?" Few granola bars are even remotely acceptable for regular consumption (I do so love those gooey ones that are half high fructose corn syrup and chocolate chips, though), so we shell out for Kashi or Nature Valley. I stock up when they're on special. But they're still expensive (for what they are, at least). I could make it in large quantities and cut back on the sugar. Yay!
Anyway, even the things that aren't going to be directly useful are getting me to think about how to be creative in saving money. And that's my real problem. It's not that we can't go without optional comforts. Because we do that all the time and don't mind. No, my real problem is that I just don't think.
In the last week, I have become hyper-aware of all the little things I do that cost us money. That sounds stressful, doesn't it? But it's not.
The more mindful I am of everything I do that costs money, the better I feel about every little thing I do to save money. I smile when I remember to switch off a light that would normally stay on. I smile when I pull the curtain to the cold kitchen closed behind me. I smile when I use the fluorescent light under the cabinet instead of the halogen overhead light. All these tiny little things are adding up to me finally making a contribution to our finances. It's a good feeling.
Even the tips I won't ever use are getting me to think in new directions, which means more tiny accomplishments every day, which means feeling less and less like a useless schlub.
I like to come here to the new coffee shop and sit for a couple hours with my laptop during the girls' naps. Yes, that latte did cost $3.00, but for a weekly indulgence, I think it's worth it. There aren't any other places in town with free wireless where I can just go and sit in peace. And if I were home, I'd likely be sitting around, accomplishing nothing. Here, my laptop is at least plugged into someone else's outlet.
Here's something I've always known but never really thought about: saving money on optional expenses is better than earning that same amount of money extra. If we save $5,000 a year by cutting back, that's $5,000 extra that isn't taxed as a raise would be. No income tax, no sales tax. If my husband got a $5,000 raise, about half (maybe more) of it would be gone to taxes. So saving us just a few thousand a year is like earning double that.
(I'm more than a little foggy on tax law, especially since we're just on the edge of a tax bracket. I admit I don't know exactly how these things work. And I don't want to. Tax law makes me yawn, and then gives me a headache. It's enough for me to know that a huge chunk of any money my husband makes goes to the government.)
If it sounds like I'm psyching myself up needlessly, keep in mind that I am the most unmotivated person in the world. I spent 8 years in college and never got a degree. I slouched my way through high school, earning grades that ranged from passable to goodish (except in subjects I truly loved, like calculus, where I did practice problems for fun), when I could have probably earned straight As and a scholarship.
I have this ingrained notion that being capable of so many things is something to be proud of, that it's enough. But it's not. In fact, great ability makes a lack of accomplishment even more shameful. While I know this, I don't know it. Same way that I know there are no monsters under the bed, but I still make a running leap for it in the dark so nothing grabs my ankles.
I can't take credit what I was born with, but I can control what I do with that. It's too late to go back to high school and learn how to try, and it's too late to erase years of pointless school debt. So now I can try do three things: rewire my brain, make the most of our finances from here on out, and try to teach my children a different way of thinking.
Which means getting off my lazy bum and actually doing something.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Beans, beans, beans
I'm trying an experiment this week. No meat (okay, one recipe has smoked sausage), all beans, lentils, and peas. Five meals.
This is going to be a fragrant household.
But!
Our grocery bill for this week's meals was $75. Seventy. Five. Dollars.
That includes the beef roast I bought for something like $7.
Our grocery bill rarely drops below $100, even with meticulous planning and couponing. I couldn't believe it when she rang it up.
I hope we turn out to really, really love beans. The idea of saving $25/week almost made me pass out.
I didn't shower yesterday. I looked up the price of a ten-minute shower. *It's about $2.10. Now, I don't know how accurate that is, but I'm guessing it may even be low for this household. I like my showers hot, and in the winter, mine tend to run longer. Even though we insulated most of the pipes in the basement, we still have a few naked ones running around, which means the water loses a ton of heat on its way upstairs. So, I think I'm going to start showering every other day. Don't worry, friends; if you come to my house, or if I come to yours, I'll shower first.
So let's say I drop three showers a week (it's better for my hair and my really dry skin anyway, right?). That's $6.30/week, which is $.90/day.
That's five things. Five down, ninety-five to go.
I'm beginning to think this was a little ambitious.
*That just doesn't sound right. Even with our house and my love of extremely hot water. Okay. I take about a ten-minute shower. We have an older water heater, maybe 10-15 years, it's FREEZING in our basement, water takes about a minute to get warm enough, and I'm pretty sure we don't have a low-flow shower head. I found a calculator online, but it really seems off. So I don't know. We'll call it $.30/day for now.
This is going to be a fragrant household.
But!
Our grocery bill for this week's meals was $75. Seventy. Five. Dollars.
That includes the beef roast I bought for something like $7.
Our grocery bill rarely drops below $100, even with meticulous planning and couponing. I couldn't believe it when she rang it up.
I hope we turn out to really, really love beans. The idea of saving $25/week almost made me pass out.
I didn't shower yesterday. I looked up the price of a ten-minute shower. *It's about $2.10. Now, I don't know how accurate that is, but I'm guessing it may even be low for this household. I like my showers hot, and in the winter, mine tend to run longer. Even though we insulated most of the pipes in the basement, we still have a few naked ones running around, which means the water loses a ton of heat on its way upstairs. So, I think I'm going to start showering every other day. Don't worry, friends; if you come to my house, or if I come to yours, I'll shower first.
So let's say I drop three showers a week (it's better for my hair and my really dry skin anyway, right?). That's $6.30/week, which is $.90/day.
That's five things. Five down, ninety-five to go.
I'm beginning to think this was a little ambitious.
*That just doesn't sound right. Even with our house and my love of extremely hot water. Okay. I take about a ten-minute shower. We have an older water heater, maybe 10-15 years, it's FREEZING in our basement, water takes about a minute to get warm enough, and I'm pretty sure we don't have a low-flow shower head. I found a calculator online, but it really seems off. So I don't know. We'll call it $.30/day for now.
100 Things (A Work in Progress)
My list of 100 ways to save $.25/day (on average):
So far:
9 things
$5.23 per day
$.581 average
- Stop using so many danged lights. Turn on no light during the day and reduce the number of bulbs in use when we do need lights. $.50/day
- Wear clothing for two or three days, unless it's smelly. $.26/day
- Insulate upstairs radiators and turn down thermostat. $.50/day
- Drop three showers a week. $.30/day (Not sure about this one. If anyone can tell me how to figure this out, let me know.)
- Switch kids to cloth diapers. $2.26/day
- Air-dry almost all clothing. $.24/day
- Turn off kids' fans and use noise machines instead. $.26/day
- Homemade dishwasher detergent and rinse agent. $.73/day
- Homemade laundry detergent. $.18/day
So far:
9 things
$5.23 per day
$.581 average
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Feels like Kansas
The wind has been incredible the last few days. The tar paper is coming up off the half-finished back entrance to the basement. It'll be good when that's finished.
The house is much colder. The wind is pressing all the warmth out. I donned my thrift store long underwear. It's a little itchy, but I'm warmer.
The wind is so loud The Child dissolved into fearful tears earlier today. She's afraid of a lot of things, but loud noises have never been one of them. She curled up in my arms this morning for ten minutes, something that rarely happens anymore. I feel terrible that she was so scared, but the cuddling sure was nice.
Yesterday was not a good day for tightwadding. We had a house showing, which meant blazing lights and open blinds. Feh. I spent the whole day picking up and cleaning. I try to keep the house company-ready at all times. Not because I'm a clean freak, but because once I get buried under the weight of too many messes, I give up entirely. If I stay on top of it, housekeeping is easy. So perhaps the showing was good timing. We were close to the tipping point.
I drove by during the showing. I'm a creep like that. The couple did not look impressed. That might have been the 60mph gusts of wind in their faces, though.
Today I am working on a curtain to hang between the kitchen and the rest of the first floor. When that's up, I'll close the radiators in there and hope it helps the rest of the downstairs stays warmer. Old houses have their charms, but heat efficiency isn't one of them.
I'm fresh out of new ideas. I feel a cold coming on, and my head is all fuzzy and yech-feeling. Most of the time, I never actually get sick. I spend a few days fighting it off, and then it's gone. I think this one might actually stick around.
So, nothing new to report. I'm just making myself write because once I stop too long, it's hard to get going again. Time to go back to curtains.
The house is much colder. The wind is pressing all the warmth out. I donned my thrift store long underwear. It's a little itchy, but I'm warmer.
The wind is so loud The Child dissolved into fearful tears earlier today. She's afraid of a lot of things, but loud noises have never been one of them. She curled up in my arms this morning for ten minutes, something that rarely happens anymore. I feel terrible that she was so scared, but the cuddling sure was nice.
Yesterday was not a good day for tightwadding. We had a house showing, which meant blazing lights and open blinds. Feh. I spent the whole day picking up and cleaning. I try to keep the house company-ready at all times. Not because I'm a clean freak, but because once I get buried under the weight of too many messes, I give up entirely. If I stay on top of it, housekeeping is easy. So perhaps the showing was good timing. We were close to the tipping point.
I drove by during the showing. I'm a creep like that. The couple did not look impressed. That might have been the 60mph gusts of wind in their faces, though.
Today I am working on a curtain to hang between the kitchen and the rest of the first floor. When that's up, I'll close the radiators in there and hope it helps the rest of the downstairs stays warmer. Old houses have their charms, but heat efficiency isn't one of them.
I'm fresh out of new ideas. I feel a cold coming on, and my head is all fuzzy and yech-feeling. Most of the time, I never actually get sick. I spend a few days fighting it off, and then it's gone. I think this one might actually stick around.
So, nothing new to report. I'm just making myself write because once I stop too long, it's hard to get going again. Time to go back to curtains.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Surprise!
My house is a disaster for the first time in two weeks. I've been trying to keep it close to showing-ready so we don't have to scramble to clean when the time comes. Guess what The Guy called me about today. Just guess.
Yeah, showing tomorrow afternoon.
That, and to remind me a guy from a moving company was coming over today to take inventory on our stuff.
It was actually perfect timing. I got a bunch of stuff done that should have been done days ago. Picking up and organizing, *moistly. Took some donations to the local thrift store and picked up some long underwear for myself and some lengths of fabric to make curtains while I was at it.
(*"Mostly," that should read. My favorite typos in weeks.)
The peeling paint in our dining room is still not taken care of, and even though every single dish was clean yesterday afternoon, there's huge pile of dishes on the counter. I have no idea where they come from, since I use hardly any dishes during the day. Like rabbits, they are.
So, this evening and tomorrow morning, I'll be doing the more hefty chores.
I have only used a light twice today. The first time was while feeding the baby this morning. I should have fed her downstairs. I am a little bleary in the mornings.
The second time was to show the moving guy the baby's room. I'm content to stumble around in the dark, but I didn't think he'd appreciate it.
I'm wearing the same outfit I wore yesterday, and the toddler has gone with training pants for a good part of the day.
I figure I've saved us a dollar today. Didn't get around to lowering the thermostat, but I did close all the radiator covers upstairs (they're the kind that run along the wall, about 6" high, not the funky old-timey ones that look so neat; these look very... institutional, like a church basement). Now I just need to find some insulation that's safe for hot exposed pipes. We must bleed out a ton of heat in the yards (yes, yards; I don't know what these people were thinking) of exposed pipe.
What to do about the radiators that do have covers, and I still want to insulate? This is a conundrum. I think we could get away with covering all of the radiators upstairs. It'd be chillier up there, but it's bedrooms anyway, and that's what blankets and sleepers are for. We can use the space heater in the bathroom. The radiators don't get terribly hot, not even hot enough to cause mild pain. I wonder if it would be safe to simply cover them with towels or extra blankets? Don't worry; I won't try it without checking with someone first.
Time for me to get back to work. The baby is diligently tearing apart the living room again. Joy.
Yeah, showing tomorrow afternoon.
That, and to remind me a guy from a moving company was coming over today to take inventory on our stuff.
It was actually perfect timing. I got a bunch of stuff done that should have been done days ago. Picking up and organizing, *moistly. Took some donations to the local thrift store and picked up some long underwear for myself and some lengths of fabric to make curtains while I was at it.
(*"Mostly," that should read. My favorite typos in weeks.)
The peeling paint in our dining room is still not taken care of, and even though every single dish was clean yesterday afternoon, there's huge pile of dishes on the counter. I have no idea where they come from, since I use hardly any dishes during the day. Like rabbits, they are.
So, this evening and tomorrow morning, I'll be doing the more hefty chores.
I have only used a light twice today. The first time was while feeding the baby this morning. I should have fed her downstairs. I am a little bleary in the mornings.
The second time was to show the moving guy the baby's room. I'm content to stumble around in the dark, but I didn't think he'd appreciate it.
I'm wearing the same outfit I wore yesterday, and the toddler has gone with training pants for a good part of the day.
I figure I've saved us a dollar today. Didn't get around to lowering the thermostat, but I did close all the radiator covers upstairs (they're the kind that run along the wall, about 6" high, not the funky old-timey ones that look so neat; these look very... institutional, like a church basement). Now I just need to find some insulation that's safe for hot exposed pipes. We must bleed out a ton of heat in the yards (yes, yards; I don't know what these people were thinking) of exposed pipe.
What to do about the radiators that do have covers, and I still want to insulate? This is a conundrum. I think we could get away with covering all of the radiators upstairs. It'd be chillier up there, but it's bedrooms anyway, and that's what blankets and sleepers are for. We can use the space heater in the bathroom. The radiators don't get terribly hot, not even hot enough to cause mild pain. I wonder if it would be safe to simply cover them with towels or extra blankets? Don't worry; I won't try it without checking with someone first.
Time for me to get back to work. The baby is diligently tearing apart the living room again. Joy.
Can't Sleep
This whole frugal kick has me wired. I hope this isn't a sign that I'll soon burn out on this, too. This is the way I work.
My brilliant idea: Find 100 different ways to save an average of $.25/day. It's a bit ambitious, I know. But I already have a few ideas.
My brilliant idea: Find 100 different ways to save an average of $.25/day. It's a bit ambitious, I know. But I already have a few ideas.
- Stop using so many danged lights. I've unscrewed a few light bulbs in our upstairs bathroom already. Our vanity has seven bulbs. The blazing light is wonderful for applying makeup, not so wonderful for anything else. So I unscrewed all but two. It's a bit dingy in there, but I don't live in the bathroom, so I think I can deal.
Our dining room light fixture has five sixty-watt bulbs. Meals are like interrogations, especially since we have 7-foot ceilings. Maybe that's why the toddler is sometimes so unhappy at mealtimes. She thinks we're going to force the newest location of her Cheerio stash out of her (under the couch cushion is a favorite). If I unscrew two or three, it'll help. It will irritate my obsession with symmetry, but maybe after a while I'll cease to notice.
I've figured that if I turn on no light during the day and reduce the number of bulbs in use when we do need lights, we'll save about $.50/day. I get depressed without lights blazing all over the place, but maybe this will force us all outside on occasion. Couldn't hurt to try for a few days, right?
- Wear clothing for two or three days, unless it's soiled or smelly. Hanging it up at night instead of tossing it in a wad next to the bed should let it air out. I don't see many people during the day, so I don't much care, but I don't think The Guy wants to go to work smelling like a gym sock. $.26/day
- Put the toddler in training pants instead of diapers for at least two changes a day. $.35/day. Added bonus: may prod her in the direction of potty training.
- Insulate upstairs radiators and turn down thermostat. Our thermostat is upstairs, which is like a furnace through most of the fall, winter and spring, while our downstairs is more like a meat locker. I will invest in thermal underwear. Don't know what to do about my feet, which are somewhere between "ice" and "hand of a Dementor" when it's cold, but I'll figure something out. I avoid footwear as much as possible because I have the world's most screwed up feet, but maybe some extra wide, thick-soled slippers will do the trick. $.50/day.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
My vice: laziness
I am one of the most naturally lazy people I know.
Two surprise babies sixteen months apart (yes, we do know how that happens, thankyouverymuch) are slowly beating that out of me, but it's not something that's easy for me.
I'm starting this blog as a way to keep track of the things I'm doing around the house to save us money. I don't have a job, other than my SAHM duties, and not contributing to our finances is starting to get to me. My husband is enthusiastic about the importance of my role; he regularly thanks me for the things I do to run our home in an efficient manner. The problem isn't him or a lack of support; it's all in my own head.
I enjoy my life, but I've been feeling the burnout lately. We live in a small town in Wisconsin. Good shopping is limited. We have a Wal-mart and a Pick 'n' Save, and those are our best options. Learning to live the tightwad lifestyle is a lot tougher when you're also taking care of two little balls of neediness and self-destructive impulse. Two years without a break from kids is taking its toll. I so very much wish I'd practiced a wiser way of living before they were born, but now I have to make do with the way life is.
When it was just me and The Guy, we could get by on cheap food, small extravagances, and carefree living. We were poor, but we didn't care. Everyone our age was poor. We unwisely chose to live without saving money. And then... BAM. We were expecting a baby and realized we had no savings for such a huge life commitment. Ever since, I've been scrambling to learn a more efficient way to live, slowly relearning my old ways of thinking.
I get a thrill every time I think of a new way to save money. As a way to motivate myself, I'm going to keep track of such things here. Let's hope this blog doesn't fizzle before it even starts. Here's what we're doing so far:
The Oil Cleansing Method for my face instead of expensive skin care that only aggravates my obnoxiously sensitive skin. My skin has never been clearer. I love it!
Vinegar in the rinse cycle and dryer balls in the dryer instead of fabric softener. Added bonus: my skin appreciates the clean, clean clothes free of extra gunk. We also use Charlie's Soap, which is slightly more expensive, but so very worth it.
I make the baby food instead of buying it in jars.
I make almost all of our food from scratch. We rarely go out to eat, however tempting it is sometimes after a day riddled with bad naps and more tantrums than usual.
We only drink milk and water. The Guy likes juice, but we don't buy it often.
I scour the weekly fliers for good deals and try to match them with coupons. At Pick 'n' Save, I do double coupon days. This has fallen by the wayside in the last month or so, however. We're getting ready to move halfway across the country, and fixing up the house has taken over almost all of my extra time and energy. That, and the baby is newly mobile and getting into EVERYTHING.
We bought a small chest freezer for a pittance a few months back. I've been stocking up on meat when it's on special and freezing half of large batches of freezable foods.
I've recently joined the Simple Living forum. I'm already picking up ideas for future use there. Most of them I can't apply now, but I'd like to start planning for it anyhow.
In order to get my brain started on the right track, I want to start doing one thing thing every day that saves money. Like going a full day without turning on any lights (maybe I'll do that tomorrow). In our current house, this is very possible; our entire downstairs is full of light, even on cloudy days. It won't so much be about the money I save by doing such tiny things as it is about molding my mind into a different way of thinking. I get such a rush out of the idea of saving extra money, but when it comes to actually doing it, I like my things and my comfort more than I really should.
Ideas in the works:
Use a cloth diaper on the toddler once or twice a day. This won't save a ton of money, but it will help the boxes of diapers stretch just a little bit longer. One day, I'd like to convert completely to cloth diapers, but that will have to wait until after the move, and possibly after the toddler is potty trained.
Get rid of one car. If we move close enough to The Guy's work, we can do this. We'll save about $200/month in gas, about $60/month in insurance, not to mention wear and tear on the vehicle.
Gardening. I'll have to figure out a way to do this with out extreme arachnophobia problems. But I do so love tomatoes, and supermarket tomatoes taste like cardboard. They're also overpriced.
Canning. This will have to wait a while. The equipment is expensive, and I can't imagine that learning how to do it and getting it done will be very easy with two little ones underfoot. I'm aiming for next summer/fall, but we'll see.
I love to write. And when I actually try, I'm pretty good at it. I'm trying to figure out my niche; that's the hard part. The market is flooded with funny mommybloggers (ugh; I hate that word). I'm lousy at fiction. I'm lousy at deadlines, and the surest way to turn off the funny is to put me under pressure. I need to figure out a way around that.
I don't really care how little money I make. Just a few dollars a week would make me feel better about life.
So, dear readers who don't yet exist, do you have any ideas? Are there good books out there that deal with this subject? Do you have little tricks you employ to save pennies here and there? What's your favorite way to make every dollar scream?
Two surprise babies sixteen months apart (yes, we do know how that happens, thankyouverymuch) are slowly beating that out of me, but it's not something that's easy for me.
I'm starting this blog as a way to keep track of the things I'm doing around the house to save us money. I don't have a job, other than my SAHM duties, and not contributing to our finances is starting to get to me. My husband is enthusiastic about the importance of my role; he regularly thanks me for the things I do to run our home in an efficient manner. The problem isn't him or a lack of support; it's all in my own head.
I enjoy my life, but I've been feeling the burnout lately. We live in a small town in Wisconsin. Good shopping is limited. We have a Wal-mart and a Pick 'n' Save, and those are our best options. Learning to live the tightwad lifestyle is a lot tougher when you're also taking care of two little balls of neediness and self-destructive impulse. Two years without a break from kids is taking its toll. I so very much wish I'd practiced a wiser way of living before they were born, but now I have to make do with the way life is.
When it was just me and The Guy, we could get by on cheap food, small extravagances, and carefree living. We were poor, but we didn't care. Everyone our age was poor. We unwisely chose to live without saving money. And then... BAM. We were expecting a baby and realized we had no savings for such a huge life commitment. Ever since, I've been scrambling to learn a more efficient way to live, slowly relearning my old ways of thinking.
I get a thrill every time I think of a new way to save money. As a way to motivate myself, I'm going to keep track of such things here. Let's hope this blog doesn't fizzle before it even starts. Here's what we're doing so far:
The Oil Cleansing Method for my face instead of expensive skin care that only aggravates my obnoxiously sensitive skin. My skin has never been clearer. I love it!
Vinegar in the rinse cycle and dryer balls in the dryer instead of fabric softener. Added bonus: my skin appreciates the clean, clean clothes free of extra gunk. We also use Charlie's Soap, which is slightly more expensive, but so very worth it.
I make the baby food instead of buying it in jars.
I make almost all of our food from scratch. We rarely go out to eat, however tempting it is sometimes after a day riddled with bad naps and more tantrums than usual.
We only drink milk and water. The Guy likes juice, but we don't buy it often.
I scour the weekly fliers for good deals and try to match them with coupons. At Pick 'n' Save, I do double coupon days. This has fallen by the wayside in the last month or so, however. We're getting ready to move halfway across the country, and fixing up the house has taken over almost all of my extra time and energy. That, and the baby is newly mobile and getting into EVERYTHING.
We bought a small chest freezer for a pittance a few months back. I've been stocking up on meat when it's on special and freezing half of large batches of freezable foods.
I've recently joined the Simple Living forum. I'm already picking up ideas for future use there. Most of them I can't apply now, but I'd like to start planning for it anyhow.
In order to get my brain started on the right track, I want to start doing one thing thing every day that saves money. Like going a full day without turning on any lights (maybe I'll do that tomorrow). In our current house, this is very possible; our entire downstairs is full of light, even on cloudy days. It won't so much be about the money I save by doing such tiny things as it is about molding my mind into a different way of thinking. I get such a rush out of the idea of saving extra money, but when it comes to actually doing it, I like my things and my comfort more than I really should.
Ideas in the works:
Use a cloth diaper on the toddler once or twice a day. This won't save a ton of money, but it will help the boxes of diapers stretch just a little bit longer. One day, I'd like to convert completely to cloth diapers, but that will have to wait until after the move, and possibly after the toddler is potty trained.
Get rid of one car. If we move close enough to The Guy's work, we can do this. We'll save about $200/month in gas, about $60/month in insurance, not to mention wear and tear on the vehicle.
Gardening. I'll have to figure out a way to do this with out extreme arachnophobia problems. But I do so love tomatoes, and supermarket tomatoes taste like cardboard. They're also overpriced.
Canning. This will have to wait a while. The equipment is expensive, and I can't imagine that learning how to do it and getting it done will be very easy with two little ones underfoot. I'm aiming for next summer/fall, but we'll see.
I love to write. And when I actually try, I'm pretty good at it. I'm trying to figure out my niche; that's the hard part. The market is flooded with funny mommybloggers (ugh; I hate that word). I'm lousy at fiction. I'm lousy at deadlines, and the surest way to turn off the funny is to put me under pressure. I need to figure out a way around that.
I don't really care how little money I make. Just a few dollars a week would make me feel better about life.
So, dear readers who don't yet exist, do you have any ideas? Are there good books out there that deal with this subject? Do you have little tricks you employ to save pennies here and there? What's your favorite way to make every dollar scream?
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