Beans coming out my ears

Aren't they beautiful! Nice, crisp, green beans.

This is my third picking off the plants, my second one for this week. I am not up to canning beans, the pressure cooker freaks me out. But I blanch the beans and freeze them up.

First, I pinch off the ends and snap them into bite-sized pieces. A great project to do while watching television, since it doesn't take much brain power. Once that is done, I heat up some water on the stove.

Once the water is up to a rolling boil, I spoon in a few cups of beans, let them boil for a brief amount of time (a minute or two). Make sure you have an ice bath set up to put the hot beans in to shock them to stop the cooking process. After the beans have briefly cooked, put them into the ice bath and swish it around. The ice will need to be refreshed after a while as it will melt.

While the cooked beans are cooling, put some more beans into the boiling water to keep that process going. Once the beans are chilled from the ice water, I strain them and put them on a cookie sheet to freeze. Keep up the process until all the beans are done.

I place the cookie sheet in the freezer and let them set up for 12 to 24 hours. Once they are frozen solid, into a freezer bag. Don't wait too long to move 'em to the freezer bag or they will get freezer burnt (this affects the flavor and makes them mushy...you can still use freezer burnt veggies in soups if it bothers you).

Out of the batch I did earlier this week, I ended up with two quart bags of beans. I should get the same amount from this batch as well.

Happy harvesting!

Rockin' the shopping!

Today was shopping day for me. I spent a half-hour last night looking over the ads and making my list (checking it twice!). I bought 116.75 worth of groceries (includes a prescription co-pay) and spent only 29.75 out of pocket. That was seriously rocking it!

How did I do it? Well, one store that I rarely go to had a coupon to get a $30 gift card if you transfer a prescription. My son takes a daily medication that I have to get refilled every month, so I keep my eyes open for those deals! Nearly every month I transfer his prescription to a different pharmacy to take advantage of those deals. The same store had another coupon that if you spend $50, you get $10 off your total. Right there, if I get the prescription first, I would be able to combine trips and buy the RX and groceries for a total of $60, minus the two deals for $40, actually spend $20 out of pocket.

Why stop there? I looked at what other deals were available, like 3lb of turkey breast for 5.99, 6.5 lb of bacon for 9.99, frozen juice for a dollar a can, 2lb of shredded cheese for 3.99 each. All of these are great deals all by themselves. This store also doubles four manufactures coupons, meaning I got some hand soap for 35 cents after my coupons (was on sale, plus the coupon doubled) and cat food for just a few dollars.

Folks, it can be done! Yes, it takes time. But if I spend just an hour or so (total time for this trip, including sorting the ads last night, was about two hours), I saved over $80! That is a HUGE return for my time. And shopping like this is how I continue to be a stay at home mom. (Plus, it frees up money for more fun things....dinner out with hubby? Or art supplies!)

Car shopping

Oh the irony!! I finally reconcile myself to having my old car for a while longer, working thru those "wants", and letting it all go. Pfft, I just wrote to y'all about it! And not two days later, my car starts smoking more than it has been, hesitating, and knocking. Mr Mechanic goes out and does a diagnostic on it, it needs all new rings, maybe a new head, and even then, it may not solve the problem. So, what would solve the problem? Oh, a new engine (to the tune of 2k).

Well....we decide to put the old girl to rest and buy a new (to us) vehicle. I gotta love hubbs, he tells me when I am half asleep on Saturday, and then runs to a co-workers house to help them until the afternoon, leaving me to do the banking and leg-work. Nice to know he trusts me still!

I hit the bank, run the numbers and work out our budget amount to work with. Then, time to check the internet, find prices and models that work for us. By mid-day, I have three solid leads, and by the time hubby comes home, we are ready to shop.

We stop by the closest choice. Go and look. Ugh, it's not quite what we want. Since starting on this journey, Hubby and I have talked a lot about what is important to us---price is number one, has to fit in the budget. Number of miles is second, nothing over 50,000. Third is space, a preference for four bucket seats to keep the boys separate. Me, I would LOVE (love!!!) a Prius, but it's a little small for the kids at this point, plus the price is out of our budget. I would like any type of hybrid, but all hybrids are out of our budget. *sniff* The second thing that I really wanted was a stick-shift. I have always owned stick shifts, and have a distinct preference for that. But those are becoming rarer than hens teeth, and typically cost more up front. Lastly, I have never liked minivans. The whole stigma of "soccer-moms" drives me nuts. If I had a choice, I would pick an SUV over a minivan, but those tend to cost more. Lesson learned? Really think about what is most important, and let some of those other "wants" go.

Back to car shopping. We looked at this first minivan. Too small. Still, we go inside, and talk to the agent. They look at what stock they have at other locations, and then start pushing hard to spending more money. By another 5 thousand!! "If you increased the terms by another year, you won't be increasing your monthly payment." But you still owe the money! Never mind. Off to the next place.

So we go to our second stop. I had two cars picked out for this lot, and we talk to a salesman, take a look at both. We looked at another HHR (similar to what we saw in June) and a large minivan. Comparing the two, we decide to test drive the minivan. Take it out and tool it around. Go back to the lot, and hubby goes over the van with a fine-toothed comb. He crawled under the van, checked out the engine.

Talked and haggled. And left with a new minivan. (New to us, it's 5 years old) It's a very nice ride, lots of bells and whistles (compared to my old, stripped down car). I am still getting used to driving such a large car. I am used to my old putt-putt, so this large van takes some getting used to.

Called and finalized all the paperwork here on Monday. Got the insurance switched around (only 50 cents more per month, I am shocked and thrilled! What a blessing that it isn't a huge increase.).

Sitting in the car service department today (I needed to get a second key made so we each have our own). Overhearing a young lady with a broken car talking to an older gentleman about buying a new car. She's talking about 14k for one or 15k for another. This older man said "It doesn't matter, you are financing it anyway." I wanted to scream so loud "It DOES matter!!! Even if you do finance it, you have to pay it, so spend wisely!"

Guys, I know sometimes we have to finance things. Most of us need a car, and most of us finance to buy them. But, spend the least amount possible and pay it off as quickly as you can. Frees up funds to do other things.

That is my saga for the weekend. At least I can know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, we bought it because we needed it, not because of a want. And we waited a month and a half of serious looking to buy. Not an impulse. Here's hoping it never happens to you, but if it does, be smart and be blessed in your choosing.

Best tip for frugal living

The best tip I can give anyone? Stop spending money.

Alright, way too simplistic. And somewhat unrealistic at times. So, how can I frame it where it IS realistic.

I want a new car. I am in an odd position, where I now see cars, pass by the dealerships and crave a new car. I was looking at prices, etc this morning and wishing I could have a new car. (Reminder: my car is 13 years old, 170 thou miles, and had broken down a month ago. Hubby fixed it a few weeks back and its fine at this time)

I paid bills this morning, went to the bank and paid the second mortgage and transferred money to our savings account (we keep an emergency fund, and dipped into it during July to buy the pellet stove, as well as a ton of pellets. Nice to know that heating is taken care of for the winter! Plus, we go on vacation next month and I need money set aside to pay for gas to travel with.). I had an AH-HA moment. I transferred over the "extra" money to savings, but if hubby hadn't worked all the overtime that he had the past two weeks, there wouldn't be any extra. As in, after the regular bills were paid, there wasn't any extra except for his overtime.

What would I have done if I had a several hundred dollar car payment? There isn't always that overtime and extra money. How hard and stressful would it be if we had that additional bill?

Yes, we have options. I could always go out and get a full-time job to pay for a car. But I enjoy being a home MAKER, in taking care of my children and having the freedom to be available for my children. If I was working full-time, I would need a lot of outside assistance with the kids.

Bottom line: I'd rather have an old car and be at home than a new car and be working. Which is kinda what would have to happen.

So how does that translate to others? Well, think about extra purchases when you make them. Can some of these things wait until later to buy? How important is it to have right away? How many hours would you have to work to earn the money to pay for that item, and is it really worth that?

I have found that most things that I "want", if I wait and think it over, I chose not to buy it. There are simply other things that I want our income to go toward.

Best way to save money is to not spend it.

Realistically, what do you throw away in a day? In a week? How frequently are those cool new things used? (BTW, if it's something you will use daily or very often, paying extra to get more durable goods that will last longer and be more comfortable or efficient, it's worth the extra money!) Really think about how often you would use the item, how many hours it takes to earn the income to buy it, and how long the item will last.

Just my two-cents for the day. I am feeling thankful and blessed that we passed on getting a new vehicle. I am glad I don't have that additional bill. So very glad I don't have the stress of worrying about how we would pay for that debt. How much of a blessing would a new car have been if hubby and I were stressed about finances?

Think about it.

My 'no poo experience

For those who aren't way super green, going " no-poo" is referring to no longer using commercial shampoo's on your hair. It is a transition from shampoo to no-poo, using a paste of baking soda on your scalp and hair, then rinse with diluted apple cider vinegar, let sit, then rinse.

Going no-poo (or "no shampoo") takes a few weeks before your scalp stabilizes. Commercial shampoos strip the hair and scalp of natural oils and dirt, which causes your scalp to over-produce it in an effort to keep hydrated and covered. When you go no-poo, most people have a few weeks of very oily hair (due to overproduction of oil) and it takes a while for the scalp to adjust. Once the scalp HAS adjusted, there is less need of washing as frequently, hair may become curlier and more manageable. Plus, it is less harmful to the environment and water supply.

I went no-poo last August. I have chronically dry scalp and hair, so I have always drawn out the time I wash my hair, going two to three days between washings. I avoid nearly all hair products (I will use a little gel from time to time, but not regularly), and do not use any hair tools like dryers, curling irons or flat irons. Trust me, it isn't an economic issue, it is a laziness issue. I'd rather read a book or work on an art project than mess with my hair.

So, started the no-poo in August. I never went through the oily phase. Just never did. (For those wanting to try no-poo, the recommendation is baseball caps and ponytails. Don't fall off the wagon and wash your hair with shampoo, it will only make this stage longer.) I followed the instructions, and cleaned my hair with baking soda (BS) and apple cider vinegar (ASV) three times a week.

Result? My hair always smelled funny. For the first day after washing, I always smelled faintly of vinegar. And I RINSED my hair really good! Also, my hair had some weird film on it. I adjusted the amounts of BS and ASV, tried some coconut oil to condition it, tried waiting it out. Still felt filmy and very blech.

I wasn't a fan of how long the process took. Normally, I wash my hair when I bathe, and this process wasn't conducive to doing while bathing. So, washing my hair became separate from it, creating another step in my hygiene process (I know, big deal, whoop-de-do, but remember....I refuse to own a curling iron or blow dryer because it wastes my time.)

I tried it and stuck with it for over three months, through most of the fall. This is a large enough time to judge whether or not something fits into my lifestyle, and this particular way of cleaning my hair didn't fall into that.

The positives are, I now know a good alternative for washing my hair. If the worlds supply of shampoo suddenly disappeared overnight, I could survive! I like knowing that I have a method of taking care of myself that doesn't rely on big business, and that is less expensive.

I would encourage anyone wanting to try going no-poo to give it a whirl. Definitely stick with it for at least a month or longer to get a good idea if it is working or not. Some people love being no-poo, and good for them! It just wasn't the best choice for me.

Leave any comments on how no-poo worked for you!

Nature in my yard

Look at this beauty! Fire-engine red, bright as can be.

I watched him flit from plant to plant around the pond, and it was patient enough to let me take over 20 pictures of him. Very lovely to see in my own back yard.

Power went out

It's high summer around here, with the heat up around 90 degrees. Yesterday, as I was sitting on the deck reading, my son comes outside and tells me the computer crashed. Really? Tell me more about it. It just stopped working.

I ask some more questions, and figure it sounds like the power is out. I went inside to check...yup, it is out!

My neighbors come out of the house to figure out if it is just them, or if everyone is out of power. Seems like we are all out of power around here. Up and down the block, no electricity.

Grrr....I can't call my husband (I have no cell phone, and the cordless phone won't work if the base has no power), I can't internet (the router and modem won't work without power even though my laptop is fine). Not to mention the dinner I had going in the crock pot and the bread I had baking in the bread machine!

I decide to take my son out to see if we can pick up some cold salads for dinner (since the bread and crock pot dinner could be a total bust). We drive up to the store, which is running on generator power. No lights, but they have those registers running and the credit card machines humming.

All of the refrigerated cases are cordoned off. No one can get milk, cheese, meats cold salads. Nothing from the deli. Grrr....Yes, I completely understand the principle of needing to keep the fridge and freezer doors shut. But I am unable to purchase anything for dinner because of this. I grab some tomato's and rolls and we check out.

OH!! I need gas! My car is on empty (had a long car trip last week and haven't filled it yet), and I need gas. So, I get some extra cash to pay for the gas. Hold up...I can't get gas because the pumps don't run without electricity. D'oh!

Thankfully, blessedly, the electricity comes back on as we were pulling out, so I got gas on the car ride home.

Lesson learned: I am far more dependent on electricity than I had an idea about. Sure, we weren't using a huge amount in our house (didn't have the AC on, no lights on), but I couldn't do the normal things I had going (like baking and cooking). When we left the house, driving was a nightmare with the lights out, having to stop at all the intersections. Not being able to purchase items like I normally would, and what if I couldn't have gotten the gasoline that I needed? For two hours, my entire world was turned upside down. I really don't know how I would have reacted if it had gone on for longer (well, my husband would have hooked up the diesel generator, and I could have cooked, at least). Still....it makes me wonder about the dependency we have on POWER. mmmmm.....

And my rolls came out wonky. They were edible, but not light and fluffy. Doggie hockey pucks for the yard today!