Frugal Moms

While at the feed store….yes the feed store…it was brought to my attention that HOW you shop can save money too. For example every year at this time stores have insane prices for school supplies. I used to employ this method for everything.

Try shopping for one to two years worth of school supplies when they are all on sale.

After Halloween (better known as Samhain by us Pagans) buy candy, same with Yule (aka Christmas)

In fact after each season stores have really good sales.

I used to buy children’s shoes, coats, clothes, 3 or 4 sizes bigger than my kids if the price was low enough. I have so many children one of them would fit it while in the correct season. If not I could give it as a gift to a neighbour child or a nephew. The point is I was always with a gift for any child at any time.

I did this until I had no more room in my “present box”. After it was full, I had enough presents for all of my children and a few other kids for two years. All of it was bought for 75% to 95% of the original price and brand new in great condition. I only bought useful items like pens, pencils, paper, clothes, shoes, hair ties, undies, socks, hats, gloves, batteries, brushes, combs, and bath sets. This way I always had a nice gift to give, and it didn’t cost a fortune.

So think about that when your catching those school sales. Think how much will I need for the next two years and see if you can’t use it. Also think, could this work as a gift? If so double up.

Well, you can thank work for that. I have been trying to save money all summer. Mostly because I have a household of seven and a budget for one barely! What are some ways to save money…well believe it or not HOW you pay your bills can make a difference.

1.) Pay on time to avoid late fees.
2.) Pay with a pay pal card and one percent back, no it’s NOT a credit card…it’s a debit card that pays YOU!
3.) Pay on line instead of through the mail and save 41 cents for each bill.
4.) If you have a credit card or a mortgage or even student loans, pay more than the minimum required to curb the interest from racking up.

Also. if you have done the above you’ll notice it saves maybe, ten dollars a month because you save on buying checks, on postage, on late fees, and on interest. This is the smart way to save cash without cutting back on things you want in your life.

1. Go to phonehog.com to get free minutes for a phone card. If you sign up for their program with a “junk” email box, and you do their offers…you can get free minutes.

2. If you don’t have health insurance you can have a free simple savings card by applying here http://www.lusciniahealth.com/card.aspx

3. Find free books at http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page This is an international effort to put un-copyrighted work out to the public.

4. Get free stuff from the internet. You can get a free tooth brush here http://www.colgate.com/app/HealthyHabits/US/EN/SignUp.cvsp

5. Learn to re-use stuff as much possible.

1. Go to phonehog.com to get free minutes for a phone card. If you sign up for their program with a “junk” email box, and you do their offers…you can get free minutes.

2. If you don’t have health insurance you can have a free simple savings card by applying here http://www.lusciniahealth.com/card.aspx

3. Find free books at http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page This is an international effort to put un-copyrighted work out to the public.

4. Get free stuff from the internet. You can get a free tooth brush here http://www.colgate.com/app/HealthyHabits/US/EN/SignUp.cvsp

5. Learn to re-use stuff as much possible.

Oh I know this is about saving money, but since it is about money I thought you should at least look at the options of “exchange mediums”. I think of these as show pieces, but I have traded them in a pinch for things I wanted. Please visit this MINT and check out the new Ron Paul dollar. Yes I am a fan. I think Dr. Ron Paul will set this financial wreck straight in America…but that is another thing all together.

Did you know people have used thousands of different kinds of mediums of exchange. In some cities they have local currencies, some based on time, some the USD, and some on precious metals. There are Linden dollars in cyber space. I know that in NY they have mediums of exchange called hours. My point is to think about money different. ALL money is …is something that can be traded for something else. For example I used to have a lot of jewellery before my divorce…not so much now. Why? Because I traded it for USD. Most people call it selling, but since the man gave me money and goods, I call it trading.

Look in your house. What mediums of exchange do you have? It’s a good idea to have these in mind should anything happen. Divorces, sudden hospital bills, and accidents are the most common reasons to draw on these kinds of resources. However, they can also be used in a economic melt down. Do you have two cars and do you need them? What about the ATV and the boat? Do you really need 12 rifles? ALL of these are assets. All can be liquidated or traded for money and other goods. Some of these are easier to trade than others…a gun will get you more at a pawn shop than rings even if they cost the same new. (That’s because a gun is a tool and a ring is a luxury)

It’s important that we keep these things in mind as we think about saving money. Because sometimes saving money means not letting your valuables go to spoil. Have a good day, The Conservative Pagan

Oh I know this is about saving money, but since it is about money I thought you should at least look at the options of “exchange mediums”. I think of these as show pieces, but I have traded them in a pinch for things I wanted. Please visit this MINT and check out the new Ron Paul dollar. Yes I am a fan. I think Dr. Ron Paul will set this financial wreck straight in America…but that is another thing all together.

Did you know people have used thousands of different kinds of mediums of exchange. In some cities they have local currencies, some based on time, some the USD, and some on precious metals. There are Linden dollars in cyber space. I know that in NY they have mediums of exchange called hours. My point is to think about money different. ALL money is …is something that can be traded for something else. For example I used to have a lot of jewellery before my divorce…not so much now. Why? Because I traded it for USD. Most people call it selling, but since the man gave me money and goods, I call it trading.

Look in your house. What mediums of exchange do you have? It’s a good idea to have these in mind should anything happen. Divorces, sudden hospital bills, and accidents are the most common reasons to draw on these kinds of resources. However, they can also be used in a economic melt down. Do you have two cars and do you need them? What about the ATV and the boat? Do you really need 12 rifles? ALL of these are assets. All can be liquidated or traded for money and other goods. Some of these are easier to trade than others…a gun will get you more at a pawn shop than rings even if they cost the same new. (That’s because a gun is a tool and a ring is a luxury)

It’s important that we keep these things in mind as we think about saving money. Because sometimes saving money means not letting your valuables go to spoil. Have a good day, The Conservative Pagan

Ok I know, “recovered food” sounds yuck. I admit I am a bit squeamish about things that sound yuck. However, my meaning isn’t yucky at all. Recovered food means any food that would otherwise go to waste. That means any food…including wild food, dented cans, etc… I am going to talk about two types of recovered foods. First left overs and then wild foods. Oh yes, I am going back to nature again…what did you expect.

But first let’s discuss left overs. I am not talking about processed food left overs, but real food left overs. First off any thing can be thrown in a crock pot with broth and made tasty…except lettuce. Any vegetable under the sun, with any meat makes a fine stew with enough salt or celery salt. But suppose you got some baked potatoes, some butter, and eggs. That’s it. Have you heard of potato pancakes before? Well you take the potatoes and mash them up (easy when baked) with water ( only a little) and eggs. Get out your skillet and add butter to it on a medium heat. Pour the potato mixture on and serve when brown on both sides.

There are bazillions of recipes on the internet like this. Just google the ingredients you have a wa la! But how do you stretch food? Well, back to left overs. Let’s say you cooked a whole chicken. You think eh well toss the bones to the dog right? Wrong, unless Fido is starving. Take the whole bird and put it in a cooking pot. Cover completely with water. Boil to death. I mean it…a couple hours. When the bones fall apart from one another as you try to lift it out of the water it is done. Save the water…for chicken broth. (very healthy and great for those wonderful crock pot veggie stews) Then pick the bones clean…of every morsel of meat. I usually strain the water and place in the crock pot, then pick all the meat I can off and place in crock pot. Then add veggies (fresh or canned, but fresh is best) and turn on low heat over night. In the morning season to taste. Yes I really do this. I have a rather large family and they need all the nutrition I can squeeze out. Oh yes and after you have picked through all the bones and what not, give them to Fido and Kitty for a nice snack.

All right, now if you can do this with a chicken carcass…you can also do it with other meats. Actually ANY meat with a bone. So keep that in mind next time you toss what’s left to the dog. That’s a whole meals worth of protein for your family your tossing.

Now onto wild foods. This is an interesting bit actually. I know this only because I live in the middle of no where. Persimmons are wonderful foods which grow easily any where. If you buy a persimmon you can plant the seeds and end up with a forest in a couple years. I know, it happened to me. Great food, very bitter until fully ripe. Sweet as candy once they are ripe. They look like orange plums with great black seeds in them. Do NOT eat the seeds as they have harmful alkaloids in them. THIS is a persimmon tree in full harvest. I have one in my back yard.

Next is Acorns. Believe it or not these guys can be used to make flour…kinda. It’s rather good. It has B vitamins. It can be used in a pinch. I know you would never reduce yourself to eating acorns, but if a depression does hit like the BIS says…wouldn’t it be nice to know you can. HERE is an acorn…with it’s tree. So you want to know how you make acorn foods. Well there two methods. Shuck the acorn shells and boil for about two hours. Change the water when ever it changes to a yellow colour. Then let the acorns dry out and grind them into a flour. You could also shuck the acorn shell, and let them soak for two hours, and change the water every two hours or as the water changes colour. This takes a lot longer, but it works if fire is unavailable. Then dry and grind as before.

Wild nuts can provide not only eating nuts but oil to fry things in and flour too. Butter nut, Walnut, Pecan, Hickory, Hazel Nut, and more can be smashed until their oil is all that is left. Then the little remaining meats can be seperated and cooked like a corn meal or course flour. You can even make nut butter by just smashing the nuts together on two rocks. Could you imagine acorn pancakes (which last for almost a week) and hickory nut butter for breakfast. Yummy!

Another wild food is the ever dreaded Dandelion. An excellent source of vitamin C and A, and very versatile. One can eat the young leaves and unopened buds as a salad. You can collect the flower petals for tea. The older leaves can be boil twice to remove the bitterness. And the flower heads plus some raisins can make a Dandelion Wine. You can roast the roots and grind them for a nice coffee substitute.

Did you know that the inner bark of Poplar, Willow, Pines, Birch, and Juniper are edible. Juniper berries are edible in small amounts and have been used medicinally for years. Poplar inner bark can be dried and crushed into flour, eaten fresh, turned into tea, and cut and cooked into noodles. Pines have edible pine nuts in their cones. Willow makes an excellent tea and White Willow has the original aspirin. Birch sap can be used like Maple syrup and also be made into a soft drink. So you see food is everywhere.

I think that’s it for now…The Conservative Pagan

Ok I know, “recovered food” sounds yuck. I admit I am a bit squeamish about things that sound yuck. However, my meaning isn’t yucky at all. Recovered food means any food that would otherwise go to waste. That means any food…including wild food, dented cans, etc… I am going to talk about two types of recovered foods. First left overs and then wild foods. Oh yes, I am going back to nature again…what did you expect.

But first let’s discuss left overs. I am not talking about processed food left overs, but real food left overs. First off any thing can be thrown in a crock pot with broth and made tasty…except lettuce. Any vegetable under the sun, with any meat makes a fine stew with enough salt or celery salt. But suppose you got some baked potatoes, some butter, and eggs. That’s it. Have you heard of potato pancakes before? Well you take the potatoes and mash them up (easy when baked) with water ( only a little) and eggs. Get out your skillet and add butter to it on a medium heat. Pour the potato mixture on and serve when brown on both sides.

There are bazillions of recipes on the internet like this. Just google the ingredients you have a wa la! But how do you stretch food? Well, back to left overs. Let’s say you cooked a whole chicken. You think eh well toss the bones to the dog right? Wrong, unless Fido is starving. Take the whole bird and put it in a cooking pot. Cover completely with water. Boil to death. I mean it…a couple hours. When the bones fall apart from one another as you try to lift it out of the water it is done. Save the water…for chicken broth. (very healthy and great for those wonderful crock pot veggie stews) Then pick the bones clean…of every morsel of meat. I usually strain the water and place in the crock pot, then pick all the meat I can off and place in crock pot. Then add veggies (fresh or canned, but fresh is best) and turn on low heat over night. In the morning season to taste. Yes I really do this. I have a rather large family and they need all the nutrition I can squeeze out. Oh yes and after you have picked through all the bones and what not, give them to Fido and Kitty for a nice snack.

All right, now if you can do this with a chicken carcass…you can also do it with other meats. Actually ANY meat with a bone. So keep that in mind next time you toss what’s left to the dog. That’s a whole meals worth of protein for your family your tossing.

Now onto wild foods. This is an interesting bit actually. I know this only because I live in the middle of no where. Persimmons are wonderful foods which grow easily any where. If you buy a persimmon you can plant the seeds and end up with a forest in a couple years. I know, it happened to me. Great food, very bitter until fully ripe. Sweet as candy once they are ripe. They look like orange plums with great black seeds in them. Do NOT eat the seeds as they have harmful alkaloids in them. THIS is a persimmon tree in full harvest. I have one in my back yard.

Next is Acorns. Believe it or not these guys can be used to make flour…kinda. It’s rather good. It has B vitamins. It can be used in a pinch. I know you would never reduce yourself to eating acorns, but if a depression does hit like the BIS says…wouldn’t it be nice to know you can. HERE is an acorn…with it’s tree. So you want to know how you make acorn foods. Well there two methods. Shuck the acorn shells and boil for about two hours. Change the water when ever it changes to a yellow colour. Then let the acorns dry out and grind them into a flour. You could also shuck the acorn shell, and let them soak for two hours, and change the water every two hours or as the water changes colour. This takes a lot longer, but it works if fire is unavailable. Then dry and grind as before.

Wild nuts can provide not only eating nuts but oil to fry things in and flour too. Butter nut, Walnut, Pecan, Hickory, Hazel Nut, and more can be smashed until their oil is all that is left. Then the little remaining meats can be seperated and cooked like a corn meal or course flour. You can even make nut butter by just smashing the nuts together on two rocks. Could you imagine acorn pancakes (which last for almost a week) and hickory nut butter for breakfast. Yummy!

Another wild food is the ever dreaded Dandelion. An excellent source of vitamin C and A, and very versatile. One can eat the young leaves and unopened buds as a salad. You can collect the flower petals for tea. The older leaves can be boil twice to remove the bitterness. And the flower heads plus some raisins can make a Dandelion Wine. You can roast the roots and grind them for a nice coffee substitute.

Did you know that the inner bark of Poplar, Willow, Pines, Birch, and Juniper are edible. Juniper berries are edible in small amounts and have been used medicinally for years. Poplar inner bark can be dried and crushed into flour, eaten fresh, turned into tea, and cut and cooked into noodles. Pines have edible pine nuts in their cones. Willow makes an excellent tea and White Willow has the original aspirin. Birch sap can be used like Maple syrup and also be made into a soft drink. So you see food is everywhere.

I think that’s it for now…The Conservative Pagan

While I report on the economic situation and possible remedies, it dawns on me…may be you don’t know these weirdo tips. Here’s a hint: Google has everything for a tight wad. I don’t mean stuff you can buy, I mean stuff you can learn. Did you know you can make anything fabric out of those annoying plastic bags from Walmart? Literally hundreds of items can be made, from bags to sandals to blankets. You can crochet the little buggers together like yarn. HERE is a link to a site devoted to it. I would also like to reference THIS site and THIS site. If that isn’t enough evidence that miracles can be done with a crochet needle, time, and some baggies…I don’t know what is.

While we’re on the subject of plastic bags, there have got to be more uses for the things other than pseudo yarn right? HERE is a link devoted to the recycling of these things. But there are many more uses than what has been stated at both of these sites. I have used clean ones with a rubber band to keep drinks from having “stuff” get inside. I have used them as garden baskets in a pinch. I have used them as mulch…to keep the weeds form growing. I have used them as doggy doo picker uppers. (aka gloves) They have unlimited uses and are generally free.

Well that’s it for today…may be next time I’ll cover the exciting world of food recovery. Yeah……

How can you cut your bills right now? I know…and it may sound extreme, but it will work.

1. Block all collect calls, long distance, 1-900 numbers, and out of country calls from your home land line. It saved my family tons.

2. Use a 2 cent a minute phone card you can pick up almost any where to make calls from your home land line.

3. Pay close attention to those “package deals” the phone, cable company offers…yes you will save money on all the services they offer, but do you need all those services? I found it was cheaper to cut my phone to bare bones and basic DSL.

4. Garden…if your Pagan like me it will help you connect with Mother Earth. If not, geeze can it save on food bills! Pagans follow specific planting days as a matter of religion…well in my Tradition at least..but a good time to plant lettuce in the south is late Feb-Mar. This is also a great time to plant your flats of tomatoes, eggplants, squash, etc…

5. If you have kids get them involved in 4 H. This is a must. They have wonderful projects for home schooled kids and other kids. The poultry chain is a blessing educationally, monetarily, and nutritionally. They also have a wonderful Garden Contest. The kids learn so much. We do this not only for the yummy eggs and garden produce, but also for the wonderful education and self esteem boosting opportunities.

6. Learn to knit, crochet, sew or mend at least. Mending is most important as it saves on needing clothes as often. It also means you can pick up perfectly fine yard sale clothes that need a new button for nothing or next to it. Sewing is second most important because you can make anything out of a few scraps of cloth in path work style.

7. Buy second hand everything you must buy. I don’t mean just second hand either. Once you look around a second hand shop enough, you get a feel for a good price versus a “fair” price. If your kid needs shoes and you have to choose between holey ones for 50 cents and “fair” ones for three dollars…try to haggle the three dollar ones down. I don’t think anyone should pay three dollars for used shoes ever, but “fair” quality ones at that price is pure greed. I got the lady down to a dollar and settled. The only shoes I will pay three dollars for second hand is brand name shoes with out any wear marks.

As a note about hygiene concerns, always …ALWAYS wash stuff before you use it. If you do and dry it in a dryer, everything is perfectly hygienic. Shoes can’t be dried in a dryer, so use a disinfectant spray in all shoes bought second hand.

Quick Price Guide for second hand…from poor to perfect quality. (From just usable to almost new)

Kids shoes ……………………………………..10¢ to 3$
Pots and Pans………………………………….25¢ to 1$ each
Plates…………………………………………….5¢ to 50¢
Cooking utensils……………………………….10¢ to 25¢ (new is a dollar)
Books…………………………………………….10¢ to 50¢
Coats……………………………………………..50¢ to 5$
Hats………………………………………………10¢ to 50¢
Old Magazines…………………………………FREE to 25¢ (craft magazines a little higher)
Tools……………………………………………. 50¢ to 10$ (depending on the type)
Machinery…………………………………….. 1$ to 20$
Computers……………………………………..2$ to 35$
Game Systems…………………………………5$ to 30$
Vacuums………………………………………..1$ to 5$
Coffee Makers……………………………………1$ to 2$
Juicers…………………………………………….1$ to 5$ (electric..hand falls under utensils)
Bread Machine………………………………….1$ to 5$
Baby Equipment……………………………….1$ to 5$ (even cribs)
***you get the idea***

8. Use the internet for EVERYTHING. That means drop your cable bill and get a democracy player. Use Gutenberg for reading books, or the library if it’s closer. Trash the TV. Unload and sell the DVD/VHS player…and get with the times. No need for a morning paper…Google has news. No need for cable when one can access free legal TV. No need for music…just cruise MySpace Music. (or turn on the radio). So leave the garbage behind…besides you’ll save money on ..no cable bill, no newspaper bill, lower electric bill.

9. Set up a junk email, go to the freebie sites and apply for as many samples as you wish. This way you know what is actually worth the money and not before you buy it new…since your new purchases should be limited to…food and personal products.

10. Learn where you local dollar store is. A blessing for the broke folks. You can get 32 oz of shampoo, dish detergent, etc… all for a buck each. They even have undies, baby clothes, socks, school supplies, food, wrapping paper… If you really need something…it works. I usually hold out until NO OTHER choice…since the second hand store is so much cheaper. (Second hand note book paper 5¢ compared to dollar store notebook paper 1$)

11. Craig Lists, Local Community Fliers, etc.. always advertise free stuff. Keep your eyes peeled.

12. Learn how to cut back…this is the hardest part. Do you need a new shirt or would you like one? What is the difference between need and want? Need=It’s thread bare…Want=it has a small hole under the arm pit.
Do you NEED satellite TV? Do you need a new love seat? (side note: We used van seats as our couches until this past week for almost 5 years…no you don’t need a new love seat honey if you have a spot to squat)

13 Avoid anything eaten out. If it is a restaurant…even a cozy little dinner…you could make a similar meal cheaper.

14 Avoid Highly process pre packaged pop in the microwave and it’s done stuff…especially the name brand junk. It’s CRAP! Why even pretend it’s food. It’s not. Do you pick pizza’s off a pizza tree? Never heard of a pizza tree….then it must not be food! Pagans especially will know what I am talking about. Every isle is filled with stuff that Mother Earth couldn’t recognize as coming from her even indirectly with a microscope…if this is the case…it isn’t food. Your food should have some semblance to it’s former self. Even green bean casserole does better than macaroni and cheese. You can make out a green bean in green bean casserole…can you make out real cheese in macaroni and cheese? Have you ever heard of a macaroni vegetable? I know I’m taking it a bit far…but honestly.

15 Practice Organic Gardening…using sustainable methods. I know I said Garden…well it won’t save money if you pour lots of money onto your garden in the form of pesticides and fertilizers. I know this sounds wacky…but plants grew food before humans started gardening. Just be extra careful in picking seed that will grow well in your area…not GMO or hybrids…because then you can’t save the seed…which will allow you to save MORE money next year. It’s also better for the earth.

16. Go to bed with sun down and wake with it’s rise…if you can do that.

17 Use wood or a portable kerosene heater. That way you don’t have to heat the whole house…just the room your in.

18. Use sweaters, blankets, shaws, etc…before you turn any heat on. If you do this…you could keep you heat off down to 55 degrees while feeling only slightly chilled.

19. Use the crock pot. This little device is worth every penny spent. It saves time AND money. You can chop up a few veggies and fill with broth before school at 6 am and come home at 4 pm to dinner already cooked. Tastes better, healthier, cheaper to cook in and with, and saves me time….Mmmm. Great for Bachelors too…lazy man’s meal. (I usually only have tea for breakfast and this for dinner on school days)

20 Learn to make meals from scratch…easily. Pea soup is easy in a crock pot…but it takes almost 12 hours. So is chili. If you start with dried split peas bought in bulk at 33¢ a pound, a meal of pea soup for 7 costs about 1$. I know it would be tiring if you had it every day…but imagine if your dinner cost only a dollar just once a week. Surely you can suffer through delicious pea soup once a week?