Field to Fork

There is a new restaurant in Sheboygan - Field to Fork. It has a local and organic food, fair trade coffee, and a specialty shop with all kinds of natural foods. I just heard about it last Thursday and already we've eaten there twice. Yummmmm.

If you're ever in Sheboygan, make sure to stop by - and bring me along :)
511 South 8th Street, Sheboygan, Wisconsin

Broke out the bread machine yesterday

Because Aldi does not have any bread without High Fructose Corn Syrup. They used to, and I'm very sad they don't any more. So, I'm making bread at home again.

Shopping at Aldi is kind of disheartening in general for me right now. I'm really missing being able to buy free range eggs, organic milk, and whole wheat flour at the normal grocery store. This $25 grocery budget requires creativity, and I think I'm going to have to bring in even more creativity so I can bring some whole foods back into our home.
Aldi does have organic tortilla chips, at least.

Getting that CSA is going to be a lifesaver, and I can't wait until June.

Hi Dori and Val!

I sent an email to the More Hip Than Hippie Podcast, and they read it on the air! Woohoo!

I have to say again how much I love this podcast. It is so informative about so many ecological issues. It really shows how you can care about the earth, but still lead a relatively normal life. I have been listening to the back issues non stop for 2 weeks now and I am almost caught up.

If you can't/don't listen to podcasts, their website has very extensive show notes with lots of links and information. I highly recommend it.

Happy National Creative Frugality Week

I didn't even know this week existed, and here we are right in the middle of it. Apparantly this is the 8th annual already.

"Frugality without creativity is deprivation" says Amy Daycyzyn. How true this is. If you can work your way around money problems creatively, you often won't even feel the pain of cost cutting.

Nancy Twigg, the founder of Creative Frugality Week, has some pointers for us on how to start thinking creatively. From Creative Frugality.com

1. Write it down. – For at least one week, record every single penny you spend. This will help you see exactly where your money is going and how you can cut back.

I could do this off the top of my head -
Sunday - went out to eat - $22
Monday - spent nothing
Tuesday - Bought groceries ($19.50), gas ($15), a heater filter ($10.50), withdrew money for Brent's allowance ($20), and paid the phone bill ($135)
Wednesday - nothing so far

2. Cut out extras. – Once you see where your money goes, try to eliminate one or two of the non-essentials such as that cappuccino on the way to work or those extra goodies at the grocery store.

Almost bought some soda for company we are having later in the week, but then remembered that we have kool-aid and iced tea, so I put it back.

3. Put off spending. – For items that are necessary, challenge yourself to delay that spending as long as you can. Try to use up what you already have in your pantry; walk instead of driving when running errands nearby.

One thing that helps me with this is to keep a general 'needs' list in addition to my grocery list so when we are already somewhere, I can consult it right there. Yesterday, Brent was already going to Menards for work, so I tagged along and picked up the heater filter that I know we will need soon.

4. Lighten up. – In addition to saving money, look for ways to make extra money. January is a great time to declutter. Pad your wallet by selling your extra stuff through the classified ads, at a consignment store or through an online auction like eBay.

Haven't done much of this. Too much work for me.

5. Enjoy free fun. – Cut corners but don’t cut out all the fun! Do something fun this week that doesn’t cost you a dime such as curling up with a good library book or visiting a free exhibit with someone you love.

Brent got this puzzle for Christmas - I think we are set on the free entertainment for quite a while.

Got any creatively frugal tips for me?

January - First thing you can do to improve your health

On a message board I frequent, some ladies and I are going on a health journey based on this article - 10 Things you can do to Improve Your Diet We're taking one thing each month and making it a habit.

January is eliminating artificial sweeteners.

Primarily one finds artificial sweeteners in diet sodas, but also in any other diet foods - low calorie or sugar-free. There are no artificial sweeteners that are good - None. Splenda is sometimes marketed as made from sugar, which it is, but it's chlorinated sugar. C'mon - adding chlorine to sugar makes it better? No. Sugar in it's pure form is always best - not chemically altered, not concentrated, just plain the way God made it.

This month is easy for me. I was kind of on a diet soda kick, because corn syrup (in regular soda) makes me a little nutty, but I quit cold turkey at 12:05 on January first. I accidentally bought some yogurt with Aspertame, but I could taste it right away and didn't finish it.

So, January is going well. February may be a bit more difficult, and later the year will be a definate challenge. Baby steps, baby steps.

Buying clothes on eBay

I still think that thrift store clothing is the best deal, but sometimes you just can't get what you need or want at the local Goodwill. I have found that eBay is an excellent place to go clothes shopping.

Calvin Klein jeans at Macy's - $60
Same Cavlin Klein jeans on eBay - less than $20

If you don't care too much about name brands, things can be even cheaper. Brent just bought two sweaters for $15 total (normally he pays about $30 each). I bought my wedding dress on eBay for $250. If it's an off brand and you're not sure about the sizing, ask about measurements. And if all else fails, you can always resell it right back on eBay.

What the heck do you eat?

I get quite a few people ask how we eat on only $25 per week. I also get people ask how I cook when one of us is a meat eater and one is not. So, here's the rundown.

Meal planning is essential. I just started faithfully doing this, and I am completely amazed at how much this helps with sanity and money savings. I don't do coupons, but instead shop at Aldi where everything is a consistantly low price. Occasionally I go to the dented can store and stock up on things, but that trip still falls within my $25/week budget.

Here's the meal plan for this coming week.

Monday
Lunch - Pancakes with baked apples
Dinner - Clean out the fridge and eat leftovers (I shop on Tuesday)

Tuesday
Lunch - Sandwiches and fruit or veggies
Dinner - Potato soup with rolls (I'll make the potato soup with a ham bone for Brent, and then make me a seperate pot)

Wednesday
Lunch - Enchiladas (I make this in two seperate bread pans - one with meat and one without)
Dinner - Church has a meal plan for $2 per meal, so we eat there

Thursday
Lunch - Brent goes out with the guys some Thursdays, otherwise I'll make soup from a can
Dinner - Curry noodles (easy to add chicken on the side)

Friday
Lunch - Quesadillas
Dinner - Shepherd's pie (leftover meat from Wednesday, leftover potatos from Tuesday, and whatever else is in the fridge) I'll probably make green bean casserole for myself, or make a small meat free version of the shepherd's pie

Saturday
Lunch - egg sandwiches on english muffins and hash browns
Dinner - homemade pizza

Sunday
Lunch - the only time we really go out to eat
Dinner - Spaghetti and meatballs

-------------------------

Breakfasts - Brent does not eat breakfast. He usually gets up around 10AM and then he just waits until lunch. He does however, eat a late night snack/meal which usually is leftovers or a sandwich. I buy a package of Lean Pockets every week for him. I eat a bagel with jam for breakfast, or whatever leftovers are calling to me.

Snacks - I usually buy a bag of tortilla chips and a bag of cookies every week. I make muffins sometimes and popcorn often.

Drinks - Only water, occassionally iced tea. Coffee at the office.

Linking of the day - Vegan Lunchbox

Vegan Lunchbox

I'm not a vegan, and maybe you aren't either, but you have to admit that some of these lunches look pretty yummy.

This blog is about a vegan mom who packs healthy vegan lunches for her grade-school age son and then rates them by how much is eaten and how well he likes them. I really like the creative ideas she has - especially since it is mostly homemade and not prepackaged expensive stuff.

Her main blog is a great read also.

Product Review - Imagine Foods Creamy Tomato Soup

This stuff is the best freakin' tomato soup I've ever had in my life. I don't even really like tomato soup but this stuff I could eat on a regular basis. Pair it with a grilled cheese sandwich and it's a meal fit for a king (or Brent).

The cost is about $3 for a box and it will serve 2-3 people. And it's organic. You may be able to find it at your regular grocer, or surely at a natural foods store. I have also had the knock off Trader Joe's brand and it is just as good.

Mmmm, making me hungry.

Podcasting

Tracy's top three podcasts that she subscribes to:

More Hip than Hippie- A cool approach to the eco-friendly lifestyle

Photoshop TV (video podcast) - Incredibly helpful tips and tricks

BattleStar Galactica Audio Commentary - Exclusive commentary by the producer on each BG episode.


What are your favorite podcasts?

If you don't have any, here are two awesome directories -
Podcast Alley
Podcast Pickle

Carnivals 1-16-06

Carnival of Personal Finance

Carnival of Debt Reductions

Carnival of the Green

Carnival of the Recipes

Excuse me, I have much reading to do...

Seventh Generation from Amazon

There is a special running on Amazon.com that if you buy $129 of selected Seventh Generation products, you will recieve a $40 promotional certificate to Amazon (which is as good as cash in this house).

Here is a lovely link.

Here is a link to Seventh Generation's website, which is a leader in producing non-toxic and natural household products.

The cable man cometh....

We had our cable turned off today. *sob* We're saving $50 per month though - it makes it all worth it.

I'm amazed at how much I sit down on the couch and grab the remote without thinking about it. No more, I guess.

Soapnuts revisited

Way back here I posted a link about Soapnuts and promised a review.

Two thumbs up.

I really really love them. They are so easy to use - just put a couple in a cute little cloth bag, toss them in your wash and that's it. They can even be reused two or three times. When they are used up, you can throw them in your compost pile and everyone is happy. I think they clean better than traditional detergent - even bringing out some set stains that I thought were hopeless. I asked Brent what he thought and he said he is less itchy then before.

I also found a US retailer here where you can buy a 1 kilogram bag. The cost is $30, but that is for 60 loads. The price is a bit higher than your regular generic laundry detergent, but the eco friendly aspect plus the no chemicals plus the less itchy skin all sells it for me.

Sometimes you gotta spend if you want to save

That's what I keep repeating to myself anyway. :(

We took our beloved car in for service today. Not to be fixed - just the 60k check up. Had a belt changed, a pulley looked at, and all the normal crapola. $1500!!!! Owich. The good news is that we won't have service like that for another 5-7 years.

Brent had to remind me all the way home why we were spending all that money. You know why? We want to keep our car for a very long time. We want to drive it for the next 20 years. We want to post on this list. It will be cheaper in the long run, right? Right!!!???