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The hidden (and not so hidden) financial costs of clutter…

November 5, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

Do you know that your clutter could be costing you a FORTUNE in both time, and money?  It may or may not be obvious, but for many, this could add up to hundreds or thousands of dollars every year. There are some obvious ways… like late charges for bills you misplaced (or even worse…credit damage!) and duplicate buying of things you have but cannot find. Clutter, even if it’s organized, complicates your life and makes it easier to make these sorts of mistakes. It goes even deeper though!

Image by <a href="https://pixabay.com/users/hans-2/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=227972">Hans Braxmeier</a> from <a href="https://pixabay.com/?utm_source=link-attribution&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=image&utm_content=227972">Pixabay</a>
Image by Hans Braxmeier from Pixabay

Financial Costs of Clutter

  • Your kitchen counters/cabinets, sink and fridge are a mess and you can’t get inspired to cook or find what you need, let alone physically have room to do it. Instead, you often use less-healthy, more expensive pre-packaged convenience foods, fast food and dining out. Dining out for a special occasion or treat here and there doesn’t have to be a budgetary nightmare, but grabbing something because you can’t wrap your brain around cooking a healthy meal at home, can be. And a lifetime of this behavior can also lead to health problems, which can be costly. Many of us don’t have the energy to plan and cook if we have to work around clutter and mess.
  • You’re out of space at home, so you rent a storage unit and fill it with the clutter that you don’t want to part with. This can cost $80-100/mo or more in many places, for a standard 5×10′ or 10×10′ unit. If you don’t spring for climate-controlled, you’re ruining your stuff as well if you live anywhere with hot/cold/damp weather any part of the year. I’m not 100% opposed to storage units for a specific purpose (moving, getting ready to move, temporarily storing items you KNOW you will use regularly soon but truly have no room for and can’t declutter) but in most cases, storage units are filled with mostly random crap we really do not need and could not name if pressed to do so. And we pay ~$1200/yr for the privilege of keeping that crap.
  • Maybe you’ve upgraded the size of your living space in order to better house your stuff, and not the people, in your life? Did you have to buy a 5 bedroom house when your family only sleeps in 2 of them, because you have so many office supplies, craft supplies, etc. that you need an entire room to store them? Did you pay more for a 3-4 car garage, cause of your unused stuff? Or perhaps you needed the house with the huge attic or basement, and you only use them for stuff? Unless you make a living (of any kind) from these creative/craft/office exploits, or they’re a part of your daily life, maybe it’s not necessary to have entire rooms dedicated?
  • You’re more depressed/anxious because clutter has been show to result in higher stress-hormone levels in women and now you spend $100s per month on medication, therapy and supplements. And when you’re depressed, you might shop more to feel better, and you’ll probably cook at home less, and be less healthy.
  • You can’t park cars inside your garage due to using it for storage, and that adds up to more wear/tear on your vehicles’ interior and exterior, as well as potentially other even more important parts.
  • You buy gifts and other needed items on sale, lose them, re-buy them, use them and then find the original once it’s too late to return.
  • You purchase more and more toys and other items for children because they seem to be bored of what they have, when in actuality they are probably overwhelmed and would enjoy less, which would save you money!
  • You spend spend spend on items to help you declutter or organize what you have. Storage furniture, containers, dividers, labels, books, courses on dealing with clutter…these ALL add up. Yes, sometimes we need to buy a few things to contain things we need, but if we’re containing things we don’t need, that is wasteful.

Non-Financial Costs of Clutter

  • Clutter and mess make it difficult to clean and find things, and impossible to stay organized. This can cause stress between spouses or even between parents and children.
  • Relationships outside your household suffer because your house is too cluttered/messy/dirty to have friends over, host gatherings, etc.
  • So much time is wasted searching for keys, wallets, purses, sunglasses, paperwork, etc.  What do you make per hour? What is your time worth?
  • You won’t be as productive in a sea of clutter, whether you’re working, doing hobbies, spending time with family. It gets in the way. And if weighs heavily on us. Many of us can’t fully enjoy ourselves or ever relax with a massive clutter issue hanging over our heads.
  • You can’t clean, maintain, update your house because it’s too cluttered. Your house suffers, and you suffer emotionally, in addition to financially.
  • Your spending is focused on stuff rather than experiences, and there isn’t any left for those experiences. This is the human cost of clutter. Not only does keeping your clutter in check take time away that could be spent with family and friends, the money you spend takes away from experiences you could share with them…vacations, day trips, zoos, museums, activities, etc.

Increased Costs for Moving Due to Clutter

  • Your home will take longer to sell if it’s cluttered, and maybe because it will be less clean, or look that way, due to clutter. Buyers can’t picture themselves living there if there is clutter (including too much decor)…even if it’s neat.
  • You may make significantly less money.
  • Larger/more moving vehicles, packing materials, packing, loading/unloading and unpacking will cost more in TIME and MONEY whether you do it all, hire out part of it or hire out all of it.

Some challenges to consider if you’re falling into a costly clutter trap…

There are different ways to tackle clutter. One way is to work on just one room at a time, and complete the room. One potential drawback is that if you remove items from that room that need to go elsewhere, you could be creatings piles you can’t process, or adding clutter to other rooms. I often find myself with piles of things I feel I need to keep, but nowhere to keep them. This can sometimes create more mess than before!

Another option is to focus on different types of clutter first, but sweep the whole house at each stage, and not indivual rooms. Go room to room and gather EVERYTHING you could throw away/recycle. In bedrooms and bathrooms this would include expired and/or unused cosmetics, toiletries, supplements, medications, etc. as well as clothing. You might want to save clothing for its own day, since it can be overwhleming the first time you tackle it. In living areas it may just include things you don’t need or read that are too worn out to donate or sell.

Once that step is complete, you go back through and grab everything you can donate, give away to someone you know or sell. Gather it up, drop it off, list it, etc. Choose a place in your home to keep it while you work on it, like a box in the garage or near a door you use often. I find that putting donations straight into the back of my vehicle is convenient since I’m eliminating the step of having to load a lot of stuff later, and I have to drop it off before I can pick up groceries, etc. It can’t get forgotten there.

Once THAT step is complete, it’s a good time to go back to closets and tackle clothing, shoes and linens. And then sentimental items. And then books. These things tend to be harder to deal with, but also are easier to contain and won’t necessarily bog down your WHOLE home.

Filed Under: Frugal Living, Minimalism Tagged With: budget, clutter, declutter, Minimalism & Organizing

Laundry Hacks

October 20, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment


Here is a series of my latest and favorite laundry tips for simplifying life, and also maybe saving some money. I’ve been through a laundry revolution recently!! This is life-changing stuff, I tell you!!

***

I gave up fabric softener. In my saga for fresh-smelling clothes, I saw a lot of information indicating that fabric softener (particularly liquid) actually causes wear and fading, and can keep fabrics from getting clean/rinsing properly and they also build up, especially in hard water areas.

***

The bottles also can be bulky and messy. Often the horizontal ones leak, and my cabinets above my washer won’t close with a big dispenser bottle facing out on the shelf. I find it difficult to handle the large pour bottles. That leads into the next tip.

***

I gave up traditional detergent. I saw a lot of info that liquid detergents can cause build up and odors, especially in synthetics. I’ve experienced that with workout wear and fleece blankets. And again, the bottles.

***

Powder? Less likely to lead to odors and build ups, but still bulky to store and messy to dispense. The boxes always are messy and you can put it in a cute jar, but it’s still something heavy to handle? And like the others, what’s really in it?

***

Related to all three…measuring caps and cups to rinse/clean, and the dispensers in the machine…always gunky and/or needing to be cleaned.

***

Detergent pods and flings? Easier but come at a premium price and are still very bulky to store. And apparently appetizing to some children. Pretty scary.

***

There ARE brands of liquid detergent and fabric softener, that claim to have cleaner ingredients. I haven’t checked them all, but they are significantly more expensive and I was never impressed when using them.

***

I always have washing soda (and/or baking soda and Borax) on hand, as well as big bottles of cleaning vinegar. I saw them as things I’d use occasionally when problems would arise, but I didn’t use them often even though they’re inexpensive and not full of questionable ingredients like most detergents/softeners. Since we have hard water, even with a water softener, I probably should be adding washing soda or baking soda to every load, or almost every load. We’re experimenting. Borax can be a little rougher on materials, so that will be saved for once-every-few-months freshening.

***

I also had dryer balls but my dog had destroyed some, so I bought another six-pack. I like essential oils, so I always have those. They can be added to the wash or a dryer ball.

***

I first bought detergent sheets from Earthbreeze. I’m very happy with these but being curious, I also ordered Tru Earth and Breezeo. For what it’s worth, Breezeo is the least expensive detergent sheet I’ve seen, coming in at 17 cents per load. If I don’t have any issues with them, this will probably become my go-to. Earthbreeze comes in second at 22 cents (with a subscription that you can cancel anytime…or you’re going to pay closer to 40 cents per load) and Tru Earth is quite a bit more expensive at 40 cents per load with a subscription through their website, and 54 cents per load on Amazon (or just under 45 cents with subscribe-and-save. I’m interested to see if there is anything about Tru Earth that makes it worth the additional expense, but I suspect there isn’t. They do charge $20 for the same New Zealand Wool dryer balls you can buy on Amazon under a different brand-name for $8.97, so I won’t be surprised if they just have more-expensive products. (Marketing?) I have also tried Dropps pods (15-17 cents per load) and will use them up, but I just don’t think you can beat the compact size of the sheets packages and the clothes seem fresher and cleaner with the sheets.

***

I think it’s important to keep in mind that the load sizes for all of these options typically don’t account for some of the newer, ginormous washing machines many of us now have. Like, I can’t reach the bottom of mine, and I’m not super-tiny. That is true of ALL detergent brands. One Gain Fling wasn’t enough for my largest loads, and one laundry strip likely isn’t either, although I have been experimenting with using just one for my huge loads. My verdict so far is that it works out if I use the detergent with a healthy dose of washing or baking soda. This might be a hard-water thing. Currently, none of our clothes are very dirty, as we’re quarantined AND spending most of our time inside in the AC. We might be dirtier when the weather is nicer, and we get to do more things.

***

I feel like the laundry is really fresh, and perfectly soft, after a few washes with the sheets or no softener and with dryer balls. First couple times things seemed a little scratchy but I used washing soda and/or vinegar depending on the load and that seems to have stripped out build up that made the fabrics feel rough after drying. In fact, even the towels feel soft!

***

The best part is that three packs of Earthbreeze (180 loads, which for a household like mine with five adultish people will last for up to six months) take about about 1.5″ of space vertically in the cabinet. The dryer balls live in the dryer. The washing soda/vinegar/baking soda/vinegar lives where it’s always lived (with the cleaners, nearby) and I no longer have these huge detergent and softener bottles sticking out of the cabinet, sitting on top of my laundry room fridge and taking up space in our storage area. Imagine…six months of detergent in a sliver of space along the edge of a cabinet, vs. the space that 4-6 club-sized jugs takes up. Plus 4 jugs of softener as well.

***

Last thing…scent crystals and beads…have loved them since they came out but really, just a huge waste of $$ in my opinion. I use them if I get free samples (which I seem to a lot LOL) but otherwise I’ve sworn off buying them. And I have never researched what’s in them!

***

Let me know what you’ve tried, and what you think!

Filed Under: Frugal Living, Minimalism, Tending Hearth

Over 50 Items You Can Declutter This Week

October 20, 2020 by admin Leave a Comment

Home » 50Items

Decisions can be quick…throw it away/recycle it, donate it, use it up, keep it (make sure you find a home for it and put it away) or sell it.

(Caveat…consider the time and effort required to sell, and that you’ll need to keep it around whilst selling. This approach is best reserved for high-ticket items. If you can’t easily get $20+ for an item, I’ve found it’s often best to give it away…and get some positive karma in return!)

1. Expired food, or food your family has tired of
2. Paper clutter and junk mail
3. Old calendars
4. Pens and markers that no longer work, or that you don’t need
5. Magazines/Catalogs
6. Newspapers
7. Mugs…one person person is a good rule of thumb
8. Drinking glasses…one per person is a good idea here as well
9. Duplicate kitchen items..measuring cups, measuring spoons, mixing bowls, colanders, spatulas, etc
10. Small appliances you rarely or never use
11. Toys…broken, outgrown, messy to organize or just unloved
12. Old receipts (consider scanning those you NEED for warranties)
13. Junk drawer/miscellaneous box contents
14. Dead or almost-dead batteries
15. Pet toys that are past their prime or unloved
16. Old sheets/pillowcases/blankets (you don’t need more than 1-2 sets per bed)
17. Old, worn, stained, bleached, faded towels
18. Old, expired medications (check for how to properly dispose in your community)
19. Unused make-up and toiletries…most people have 10x what they actually use. Make-up should be replaced regularly and lotions, etc. expire.
20. Wire hangers
21. Nail polish…what do you really use regularly?
22. Food storage containers…especially if stained, missing lids or odd sizes that are hard to store together
23. Water bottles…check for signs of mold in lids and gaskets and replace if necessary…pare down the collection to one per person
24. Travel mugs, can cozies, reusable cups from theaters, gas stations, fast food
25. Vases…most households can easily get by with 1-2, or none…depending on what other glassware you keep
26. Outdoor tools for yardwork that are past their prime, old brooms, etc.
27. Poorly-fitting shoes, old tennis shoes (rubber gets stiff), shoes you don’t love and wear regularly
28. Decor you are tired of dusting, “word” decor that adds visual clutter…clear surfaces are easier to clean and too much busy decor on walls makes your house feel more cluttered than it is
29. Candles…use them rather than saving for special occasions…the scents wane and get distorted over time anyway, so use them within 6-12 months of receiving
30. Excess cleaning supplies…do you need a whole cabinet of them? I am happy with a glass cleaner, Force of Nature for sanitizing, something for my glass stovetop like Bon Ami or Barkeeper’s and dish soap
31. Old flashlights you never use, have burned out bulbs, have been replaced by newer LED models
32. Empty cans, bottles and newspapers
33. Books unless they’re really special and you read repeatedly, or are references books you use over and over
34. Junk hanging out in your car
35. Hair ties, bobby pins, decorative items you’re not using, along with curling wands and straighteners you don’t use regularly
36. Excess notepads, notebooks, etc. especially the “free gift” kind you’ll never use
37. Sports gear that languishes, camping gear you no longer use
38. Broken items you’ve been saving to fix
39. Cheap jewelry and accessories you don’t use
40. Seasonal items you rarely use…swimsuits, hats, gloves, cover ups, flip flops, sun hats, water shoes…consider having one of each unless you live at the pool/beach or spend months yearly in a snowy climate
41. Worn bras
42. Worn unders and reusable feminine products
43. Car wash soap, car wax, car wash and maintenance items that are old like oil, coolant, oil change supplies if you always go to a shop, etc.
44. Containers for organizing…sometimes we have these lying around half-full after purging, so consider emptying them or consolidating and getting rid of some so you won’t fill them back up
45. Old TVs, computers, laptops, phones, cables, printers, scanners, etc. that you no longer use regularly
46. Office supplies that are languishing
47. Seasonal decor that is cluttery or you don’t LOVE
48. CD and DVD cases…and maybe the CDs and DVDs since we can stream so much
49. Go paperless for bills. Opt-out of mailers and credit card offers.
50. Fridge magnets and paper clutter…purge and organize…or take them all down either temporarily of permanently

Filed Under: Frugal Living, Minimalism Tagged With: declutter, home, Minimalism & Organizing, Simplicity

Easy Instant Pot Caramel Sauce

December 18, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

This recipe is so easy, so affordable and so fun ~ you’ll want to make it all the time. It’s a favorite of my husband’s…he loves it if I make this when we have apples! Gala are our favorite but we love to try unusual varieties sometimes too. They all taste good with this sauce, which is really more of a dulce de leche…it is not sticky at all like traditional caramel. It’s also good on ice cream and in other recipes!

Ingredients:

1-2 cans sweetened condensed milk (generic is fine)

Equipment:

electric pressure cooker
mason jar
trivet or other means of keeping the jar off the bottom
water

Instructions:

Transfer sweetened condensed milk to mason jar. I like to use a pint jar for one can, or a quart jar for two cans (pictured). Loosely cover the jar with foil, so steam and condensation won’t enter it. Place jar on trivet or rack inside cooker and fill with water till 3/4 of the jar is covered. You CAN do this with less water, but I find I prefer the texture of the finished product when it cooks in a bathe of water vs. simply steam/heat. Cook for 30-40 minutes on high, depending on how dark you’d like your sauce. You may experiment and adjust for taste. If you will not be around to immediately release the pressure (and stop the cooking) then do less time accordingly. You CAN do 20 minutes of cooking plus 20 minutes of natural release (and so on) with similar results.

Carefully remove jar from pot (be REALLY careful…this step is not for kids) and stir. I like to start with a butter knife and switch to a whisk. You can let it cool a bit before stirring, and that’s safer, but we’re usually in a hurry and don’t wait!

Enjoy!

(If you don’t have an electric pressure cooker, you can do the same in a slow cooker for 4-8 hours on low or high, depending on your needs.)

Filed Under: Frugal Living, Recipes, Tending Hearth

This is the way to go Keto at Cafe Rio.

August 30, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

My new fast food go-to. Chicken soup with extra chicken, no tortillas, cheese, guac and pico on the side. Sooooo good.

Filed Under: Keto, Randomness

Oh yeah…

August 30, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

I officially have MASTERED Keto-friendly cold brew. I bought a $13 filter cone that fits a 2qt mason jar (anyone who knows me well knows I have a million mason jars of all shapes and sizes). I also bought Walmart brand coffee (I know, I know) in Mocha and Hazelnut. Just infused with flavorings, no added sugar or carbs.

Tom bought me Hershey’s Sugar-Free chocolate syrup and it’s SOOOOO good, very chocolatey and not overly sweet. So much so that you can’t really tell it’s got artificial sweetener. (I had bought Great Value brand and it is way too sweet and barely chocolatey.)

Anyhoo, I dilute the cold brew (you brew it strong and use as concentrate) to my liking, add a bit of heavy cream to taste and the syrup to taste. It doesn’t mix together well, so into the bullet blender it goes. It’s 100x better than Dunkin’s, which is better than Starbuck’s but both are gross compared to mine!! Add a few ice cubes and you have a frap. I also used to add protein powder to similar concoctions and will be trying that again tomorrow.

Cold brew doesn’t upset my stomach like regular coffees.

cold brew

Filed Under: Keto, Recipes

Messed Up, Again

August 30, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

I had an indiscretion with some Atkins bars earlier today and my blood sugar shot up 60 points and has been slow to come down. I skipped dinner to try to make up for it, but haven’t been able to sleep for all the stomach growling. I finally made myself a ham/cheese omelet. And now I’m even more wide awake. *sigh*

atkins wafers

Filed Under: Blog, Keto, Randomness

Capsule Wardrobe Update | Two Years In!

August 29, 2019 by admin Leave a Comment

I can’t believe it’s been two years since I MASSIVELY purged my clothes and went to a simple capsule wardrobr!

I’m 35 pounds lighter than when I started two years ago, and still am losing, so I finally parted with some old, worn and now too big tops and dresses.

It feels great to have purged again. I can wash everything in 1-2 loads and put it away very quickly!!!

What I currently have (everything is black unless otherwise noted):

~ three pair of jeans (dark denim)
~ eight pair of capri jeggings (spring, summer, fall staple for me…black, denim, light denim and tan)
~ four pair of jean shorts (medium and dark stretch denim)
~ one swim skirted swimsuit (black multicolored floral), one swim bottom (black and white floral) that I wear with a strappy tank (charcoal and black)
~ one crochet swim coverup
~ one long yoga pant, one capri yoga pant (getting too big)
~ two pretty sleeveless tops with lace (navy and burgundy)
~ three less-casual long dresses (two black, one dark blue)
~ two short sleeve short tshirt dresses with hankie hems
~ seven sleeveless dresses (four new…clearance for $3 each!) that I use around the house, for sleep and for casual outings
~ eight new casual t-shirts (I’m about to vinyl half of them!) (four black, two eggplant and two jade green)
~ eight tanks with strappy backs, some new, some older
~ two bike shorts with lace trim that I used to wear under knee-length dresses but now rarely too
~ four dark colored bras
~ two light colored bras
~ one black cami
~ two new eggplant camis (for wearing under cardigans/dusters when it cools down)
~ 18ish black or burgundy comfy underwear
~ too many leggings and capri leggings to count in neutral and fun prints (winter staple for me)
~ two pair Birkenstocks but daughter adopted one; looking to replace soon
~ one pair of Vans
~ one pair of New Balance tennies
~ tall Steve Madden black boots that I can only wear very occasionally due to Plantar Fasciitis

Filed Under: Blog, Minimalism

Minimalist Kitchen ~ Part 3

December 29, 2018 by admin Leave a Comment

~ We had seven pitchers and five vases taking up a whole lower cabinet ~ funny how these things accumulate over many years of running a household. I got rid of all but two plastic pitchers and I kept two glass vases. I later found two glass beverage dispensers on sale for $5 each at Fry’s a while back and got them to have something a little ‘classier’ than our cloudy plastic pitchers when we host gatherings.

~ I got rid of so many pots/pans. I kept a large skillet, a large saute pan, my Chantal stock pot (was my mother’s), my four quart Chantal stainless steel saucepan (a Ross find), my 7qt Le Creuset dutch oven (also from my mother), a cast iron skillet and a little Tfal egg pan that holds 1-2 eggs. I got rid of two 8″ skillets, a larger skillet, a cast iron grill pan that was a nightmare to clean, several little 1qt and 2qt saucepans from my last few sets of cheap pans, as well as a few 5-6qt dutch ovens from old sets. I also kept a cheap aluminum stock pot for canning that stays stored most of the time. I still find I need to replace my ceramic non-stick saute and skillet about once a year, but I just buy those and not a whole new set as I had been.

~ I got rid of several old scratched plastic cutting boards in various sizes and got one nice (and steeply discounted) wooden cutting board. I use cheap plastic flexible cutting sheets from the dollar store for meat.

~ I got rid of all our mismatched/stained plastic food storage containers (for leftovers and lunches) and replaced them with a set I found on clearance at Walmart for $8. Many have now been lost so I’m looking for another good buy to replace them. I have a lot of mason jars from canning andcrafting, so have put those to use storing pantry items.

~ I got rid of all the outdated loyalty cups and other plastic reusable cups from restaurants, the movie theater, etc.

~ I kept one small shelf’s worth of lidded stainless steel tumblers, and got rid of all our stinky old sports bottles with missing/damaged lids. I bought one nice stainless water bottle for me that I’ve shared with the kids because we’re usually together. It’s easy to clean, unlike a lot of what we had.

~ I sold my Fiestaware (it was too heavy for me, and took up SO much cabinet space) and replaced it with simple white Corelle. I did cave and buy a set of six stoneware soup bowls at Sam’s club…couldn’t pass them up for $12 ($2 each!) and less expensive than the deep Corelle bowls ($4.50 each) I’d been eyeing. I also came out ahead on the whole deal. 😀

~ Other gadgets and accessories ~ I had three apple slicers, for example. I just kept my favorite. I got rid of the mango slicer because we don’t eat them regularly and they’re not hard to pit and slice. I got rid of the corn kernal remover gadget because it’s faster to use a knife (Tom does it for me). I got rid of a lot of little single-use gadgets (in favor of multitaskers a la Alton Brown) and haven’t missed anything. The strawberry hukker went because I can do it easily with my fingers or a knife. These sorts of things seem nice to have when we buy them, but add up spacewise when we have to store them.

I haven’t had any moments of regret over reducing the amount of kitchen stuff I have…in fact, I often feel relief when using the kitchen and don’t mind occasionally having to hand wash a spatula or colander when I’m doing a lot of cooking or baking.
Next post…recap and how to keep from re-accumulating things you’ve purged.

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Tending Hearth

$45 Emergency Meal Plan?

December 29, 2018 by admin Leave a Comment

$45 “emergency” meal plan for a week for a family of 4-6! This is quite a bit older, so I was curious how much the shopping list would cost in today’s dollars.

I priced it for Walmart, as of 12/27/2018 in Phoenix, AZ. Many of the items would be much more affordable if you can afford ot purchase larger quantities, such as a five-dozen pack of eggs vs. two individual dozen, or a 25 pound bag of sugar vs. the smaller 4lb bag, or a large bag of dried beans vs. the 1 or 2 pounders called for. You’ll also spend less if you already have some basics and spices on hand.

So definitely, if you can swing it, buy larger quantities of those items and then you can repeat this menu often and save even more $. (If you have Sam’s or Costco and a membership, compare before shopping for those larger quanties.)

In general, I chose the least expensive options, which usually were the Great Value brand. I buy this brand with confidence myself and it can save a lot.

Grand total is $63.96 plus tax, in my neck of the woods. An $18 increase from when this was written, but not too shabby since I believe the $45 meal plan is close to 20 years old! Check it out at HillbillyHousewife.com.

$45 Emergency Menu for 4 to 6

Filed Under: In the Kitchen, Recipes, Tending Hearth

Homemade cleaners, and the work!!!

February 8, 2018 by admin Leave a Comment

Homemade cleaners, and the work!!!

Filed Under: Blog

Bean day results!!!

February 7, 2018 by admin Leave a Comment

Bean day!!!

I like to store my drained, cooked beans in quart-sized glass jars in the fridge.  Beans should be refrigerated as soon as they cool enough to handle safely.   They should be used within 2-3 days…anything left at that point can be moved to the freezer.  (Note: If you plan to freeze in mason jars, you must use straight-sided jars or there is a big chance they will break in the freezer.)  It’s ideal to store them in some of their reserved liquid (aquafaba) but I was in a rush and my aquafaba was too hot to handle, so I got the beans in the fridge alone.  I ended up forgetting to refrigerate the aquafaba (running out the door) and had to toss it.  I’ll make another batch of chickpeas today, and I can add that aquafaba to both types of beans for the last couple days of storage.

Filed Under: Blog, In the Kitchen Tagged With: beans, canned beans, cooking beans, dried beans, Instant Pot, pressure cooker

Bean day!!

February 7, 2018 by admin Leave a Comment

Bean day!!

What would I do without my Instant Pot!?!  While I prefer to soak my beans for 24 hours, I often don’t plan well enough.  I simply rinse them really really well, and then transfer to the IP with fresh water and salt (to taste).  60 minutes on high pressure is perfect for me for most beans and chickpeas.  They will be on the very soft side, which I like.  Adjust to your liking.  I don’t measure…I put a couple inches of dried beans in the bottom and put enough water to make the water level 3x the level the beans are.

Filed Under: Blog, Frugal Living, In the Kitchen, Tending Hearth Tagged With: beans, black beans, chickpeas, dried beans, garbanzo beans, Instant Pot

Today’s backyard harvest!

February 7, 2018 by admin Leave a Comment

Today’s backyard harvest! I have so many tomatoes that one plant fell off the support and is bent over. I’m hoping I can save him! #garden #backyardgarden #phx #phxgarden #urbanfarming #urbanfarm #suburbs #suburban #suburbanfarming #tinygarden

I have so many tomatoes that one plant fell off the support and is bent over. I’m hoping I can save him! #garden #backyardgarden #phx #phxgarden #urbanfarming #urbanfarm #suburbs #suburban #suburbanfarming #tinygarden

Filed Under: Blog, In the Garden Tagged With: arizona, garden, lemons, phoenix, queen creek, tomatoes

Bigelow’s Green Tea with Lemon is one of my favorites!

February 7, 2018 by admin Leave a Comment

Bigelow’s Green Tea with Lemon is one of my favorites! This mug is huge so it takes two teabags. New theater adventures starting tomorrow...resting and trying to kick the last of the nasty cold I’ve had!! #dreambig #neverstopdreaming #youmaysayimadreamer #butimnottheonlyone #vegan #stopanimalcruelty #stopanimalabuse #endanimalcruelty #endanimalabuse #stoptheviolence #stopthesuffering #endthestigma #veganmama #govegan #phxvegan #animalrights

 

This mug is huge so it takes two teabags. New theater adventures starting tomorrow…resting and trying to kick the last of the nasty cold I’ve had!! #dreambig #neverstopdreaming #youmaysayimadreamer #butimnottheonlyone #vegan #stopanimalcruelty #stopanimalabuse #endanimalcruelty #endanimalabuse #stoptheviolence #stopthesuffering #endthestigma #veganmama #govegan #phxvegan #animalrights

Filed Under: Blog, Randomness Tagged With: bigelow, green tea, lemon, relax, ritual, routine, tea

All the yums!

February 7, 2018 by admin Leave a Comment

All the yums! Focusing on adding fiber and reducing bad oils, hoping to help break this weight loss stall!!! #vegan #govegan #veganbreakfast #veganmom #veganmama #almondmilk #cereal #fiber #fiberone #weightlossjourney #weightloss

 

Focusing on adding fiber and reducing bad oils, hoping to help break this weight loss stall!!! #vegan #govegan #veganbreakfast #veganmom #veganmama #almondmilk #cereal #fiber #fiberone #weightlossjourney #weightloss

Filed Under: Blog, In the Kitchen, Randomness Tagged With: almond milk, cereal, fiber, fiber one, high fiber

Yum!!!

February 6, 2018 by admin Leave a Comment

Yum!!! #diet #dietcoke #neededatreat #caloriefree #bloodorange

 

#diet #dietcoke #neededatreat #caloriefree #bloodorange

Filed Under: Blog, Randomness Tagged With: blood orange, coke, diet coke, treat

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summerland.az

Meant to paint these rocks and leave them along th Meant to paint these rocks and leave them along the way from AZ to NC, so ran out of time. New plan: leave them around the complex! 💜

(Reminds me I totally forgot to hunt for Pokémon on the trip out here!!! Argh!!)
Celebrating Father’s Day today! Katie has a hom Celebrating Father’s Day today!  Katie has a homemade ice cream cake in the freezer and cribbage was played earlier. Now Mario Kart. Tom’s mounting the bedroom TV between hanging out with the kids. 💜 I’m trying the Hime Chef hot honey butter salmon, Home Chef shrimp recipe for dinner.
It’s pretty here 💜 It’s pretty here 💜
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Shamelessly hiding in my car while Tom and Dakota Shamelessly hiding in my car while Tom and Dakota load a U-Haul van.
The stuff of nightmares but less scary alone than The stuff of nightmares but less scary alone than going in the elevator with Tom and our stuff 🤣😳
New brands of treats!? New brands of treats!?
Chicken and biscuit place, in an old Wendy’s… Chicken and biscuit place, in an old Wendy’s…
Enjoying trying new things. Enjoying trying new things.
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Next to last one this trip!! Next to last one this trip!!
I had to order Mississippi and Alabama on Ebay. 🤣 I have picked up New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana and now...Florida! 💜
She was mad I moved the blanket 🤣 She was mad I moved the blanket 🤣
The crew 🤣 The crew 🤣
In my car with Katie next to Tom in his car, tryin In my car with Katie next to Tom in his car, trying to wait out the second big Florida storm of the day. And oh, we’re in Florida today. 🤣 They have great rest stops!
Dinner date. Waffle House was EMPTY so we ate INSI Dinner date. Waffle House was EMPTY so we ate INSIDE!! 🤣🤣🤣
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