Jlogged

I have really fine, limp hair.  It’s driving me crazy.  So, I’m going to go chemical free, stop using shampoo, and try the baking soda ACV route.  Two nights ago I had my my trial run, and I will admit that my hair feels thicker already.  You just make a water baking soda paste with about a tsp. of baking soda.  The massage it into your scalp.  Rinse.  Then apply a tsp. of diluted (with water) apple cider vinegar.  Rinse.  You’re done!  My hair feels soft, isn’t nearly as lifeless as when I use shampoo, and I don’t smell like a jar of pickles (as I had feared.)  Besides the fact that going ‘poo free is clearly healthier for my hair, skin, and the environment, it is also healthy for my wallet. Way, way less expensive than the Nature’s Gate shampoo I usually buy.

And if you think I’m crazy, well, all I have to say is all the cool kids are doing it.

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Have fun!

Are you familiar with the term Mise en place? It is french for everything in its place, and the saying is used mostly in culinary reference.  A good, and efficient cook will always have mise en place in his or her kitchen.

Currently the Lea pantry looks like a hodge podge food refugee camp.  It contains leftovers from two holidays, three birthdays, various stashes of Halloween candy (which has been eaten down to jaw breakers,  and mystery candy-hecho en Mexico,) among other such anomalies.  There are a few U.F.O.’s (unidentified food objects) in the freezer-it’s not looking any better in there.

It’s time to “eat down” the pantry, and get organized because we are serioulsy lacking in mise en place. All we have right now is plain ol’ misplacement. A messy cluttered kitchen causes frustration, and costs money.  IE: If no one wants to cook in a depressing dump of a kitchen, that ussually results in dining out.  So, today’s challenge is to take inventory in the kitchen.  Work with you have on hand, and get creative.  I want to hear all about your left over wizardry, and guerilla casseroles.  Remember, one man’s mystery meat is another man’s gourmet.

Here at Casa De Jlogged we strive to stay within’ a grocery budget, and by “we” I mean “me.”  If I the other members of my family go to the store with me things go something like this:

Me:  “OK, guys we have to stick to the list.”

Them: “Sugaaaaaaaaar!!  Lunchableeeeeees!  Dinosaur shaped nuuuuuuugaaaaats with no nutritionaaaaaaaal valuuuuuuuue!!”

(that last one was all Mr. Lea)

It’s like they turn into rabid maniacs the second we step foot in the door.  I promise I feed them regularly, but how can I expect them not to cave to all the predatory marketing? My plan?  I just try to shop without children in tow.  Things run much smoother because I can concentrate without whining, instead of crisis shopping, and grabbing things in haste just so I can get the heck out of Dodge.

Our food budget is our second largest expense next to mortgage.  I used to be embarrassed to tell people this, but then I started asking what other people spend per month on grocery store visits.  Most of us are on the same page.   And that page reads holy friggin’ artichokes batman, groceries are EXPENSIVE these days. We have to eat.  It’s our most basic need, so I try to check the guilt a the door.  But that is not to say that I don’t feel like weeping when I walk out of Wal-mart, and crying out to cashier that “my kids will be fine without a college education, right?  Right?!”

Here are a list of events that always lead me to post grocery store depression:

• Spending 250.00 at the store, getting home, and then realizing we don’t have anything to eat because a) I forgot my list b) impulsed shopped c) didn’t plan out meals ahead of time
• Realizing after the fact that I could have gotten a better deal by comparison shopping with the sales adds
• Spending 250.00 at the grocery store

I am by no means a grocery budget guru.  There are lots of talented ladies (and gents) I know that smoke me in the cooking department, and make everything from scratch; thus feeding their family for less than 100.00 a week.  That is not the situation at Casa De Lea.  Mr. Lea is a culinary challenged, makes the best-pancakes-in-the-world and I do what I can do juggling a full college workload, a family, and a business.  So, what I am sharing is what works for us.  Here are my best tips:

1. As stated above, do not shop with kids.
2. Shop the sales adds for loss leaders.  I have been stock piling my freezer with whatever meat is on sale, and then building meals around them.
3. Plan your meals the week before hitting the store, but shop in your pantry first to see what you have to work with.
4. Make a detailed list.
5. Make a detailed list.
6. Make a detailed list.

In order to cut down on supplemental trips I always buy an extra loaf of bread for the freezer, and keep a box of powdered milk handy.  There are a lot of recipes that you just can’t make without milk, and since milk goes bad quickly having powdered milk on hand eliminates needing to run to the store for one thing that ends up being ten, thus making your grocery bill higher.

Here’s a meal plan sample:

1. Fajitas
2. Soup Night
3. Emergency meal night (something quick and easy for those crazy days where other obligations trump cooking…this also keeps us from going out for dinner in desparation.)  Ussually, chicken nuggets, frozen stir fry, or pasta.
4. Crock pot meal (pot roast, sticky chicken, 15 bean soup)
5. Left over night
6. Brisket or pork loin (depends on what’s on sale)
7. Pulled pork sandwiches or chopped beef (made from leftovers the night before)

Tune in tomorrow for Food Budget Schmood Budget part Deux.

At one point in my life I was a high maintenance chick.  I went every six weeks for a highlight and haircut, had my nails done, and wore expensive make-up products.  Then I had kids and a.) didn’t have the time and b.) didn’t have the money to be a high maintenance chick any longer.

I do think it is very important for women, even on a tight budget, to invest in themselves.  If you don’t feel good about how you look it effects other areas of your life.  Now, I may not get the 100.00 hair cut+color every six weeks, but I will buy an 8.00 bottle of dye and splurge for just the cut instead.  Today, I don’t darken the door steps of swanky nail shops and give them my 20.00 a month; I either paint my nails myself or have them done at the local cosmetology school for a few bucks.

Here are some ways that I am able to be kind to myself without being unkind to our budget:

• Go to a cosmetology school for inexpensive facials, pedicures, and manicures.  (I am a college student and use my student discount to get pedicures for 1.00 on the last Friday of the month.)  Hurray for dollar days!  Otherwise pedicures are 12.00.  Still not bad.
• Host a clothing exchange party.  Have all your girlfriends gather clothes, shoes, accessories, etc… that they don’t wear anymore.  Sort them into piles, and have fun “shopping” for free.  Have everyone bring a finger food + byob.  Donate the leftovers to charity.  It’s a blast!
• I splurge on high quality facial cleansers, but buy over the counter inexpensive make-up.

• Don’t buy or bring home anything unless you love it, and you are comfortable wearing it.  I can’t tell you how many things I have purchased or accepted because they were on sale, or free that didn’t flatter me, or were uncomfortable to wear (IE:the jeans that constantly need to be yanked up, the shirt that is just and inch too short that you have to play tug-o-war all day with.)  Go through your closet and get rid of all the things you dislike.  If it’s faded-get rid of it.  Stretched out-get rid of it.  Ill-fitted, to tight, to big, uncomfortable, unflattering-you know what to do. Start fresh with having only items that make you feel good.  This will be your starting point.  When you feel confident, you can get things accomplished and be more efficient.

It is OK to invest a little in yourself because you are worth it, but it doesn’t have to cost buckets of money.

Grate a bar of soap, melt it in a small pot of boiling water, and add 1/2 cup of Borax and 1 cup of washing soda (which I didn’t find at Wal-mart.  It was at Super-1 and Kroger.) Dissolve completely, and pour in 5 gallon bucket. Then fill it up with water. Stir it with something long (we used a broken light saber stick) and let it gel overnight. I poured it in old detergent containers with a spigot. Use a cup per load, which=80 loads. Some people I know use less, and say it still works great. This=16 weeks of detergent if you average 5 loads per week.
Here’s another recipe for powdered soap:

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Don’t allow yourself to become addicted to packaging.  This Christmas, take it easy on your wallet and the earth; buy second hand. Since they were born, I have been conditioning my kids that new is not best.  The large majority of toys, and clothes my kids receive from us are second hand.  My boys know their allowance money can go much farther at a garage sale than a retail store.  Try sending your kid to the counter at toys-R-us with a 20.00 toy saying “but I onwee hab’ two dahwah’s.”  At a garage sale, they learn the art of negotiation, and the value of a “dahwah.”

My friend Tracee posted a form letter you can send out to family members + friends to exchange the avalanche of unnecessary junk for human contact, food, family, and warmth:

Dear Friends and Family,

In the interest of making the holidays less stressful and expensive for everyone, we have decided the best gift we can give our friends and family is not to participate in gift exchanges this year. Please use any money you would have spent on us for your own family or to help someone in need.

We are still looking forward to spending time together celebrating the season and enjoying each others company. With that in mind, we would like to invite you to a Holiday Party at our home on Saturday, December 13 at 4 p.m. We’ll send more details as the date gets closer.

Love,

Your Name Here

Over the weekend I hit the garage sale Jackpot.  My total spent was 20.00.  I picked up all of the following + several other gifts I can’t mention (shhhh):

1.50 Large wood-framed antique map (I collect maps)

.25 Ea.  Heavy white ceramic restaurant platters

.50 New in box 12 pack aromathearay candles from world market

.50  New in box Christmas Crackers from world market

1.00  Brand New sketchers size 14 for husband  (60.00 shoes for 1.00 Squee!)

More packaging than gift always makes my heart sink.  Buying used also cuts way back on our stuff consumption.

Have you seen What Would Jesus Buy? It’s a real treat.  I highly recommend watching this documentary about American consumerism before you hit the stores this holiday season.

Funny, this kind of post seems to be an annual theme around jlogged.  Four years later I’m still an anticonsumer.

If one wants to become financially fit, one absolutely must devise a household budget. There is no getting around this.  Period.  If you have never had a budget before, you need to set aside a day devoted to planning one.  The two books I mentioned in Friday’s post Total Money Makeover and Suze Ormon’s Women and Money both offer budget outlines, but there are loads of other great info sources out there.  Check the library.  You can take Dave Ramsey’s six week course for a 100.00.  Just do a simple search for a councilor in your area. Churches often do similar studies at no cost.

~As far as budget set ups go, many people I know prefer the envelope system.

There was a time when the envelope system of budgeting was used in many American households.  This system was a very effective way of managing the household budget .  The envelope system goes something like this: create a separate envelope for different household expenses such as food, travel, etc…  Allocate expenses to the different categories according to one’s income, put the allocated money in its respective envelope, and then use the money from a particular envelope to pay the corresponding bills.

With the handy envelope system of personal budgeting, people always knew exactly how much money they had spent on different things and how much money they had left over to tide them through the month or put into savings.

Here’s a working example of the envelope system of budgeting:

If a person’s annual expense for, say, electricity was $1,200 and they were paid a monthly salary, then they would put $100 into the envelope set aside for electricity each month.  Even if some month their electricity bill was more than $100 and some less, they always had enough money to pay their bills.  Similarly, the envelope system of budgeting worked for all their other expenses as well.

We used this method when we first started budgeting.  My sweet neighbor showed me how to do the envelope system after I asked her point blank “you guys seem to have it together financially…show me how to do that.  Please?!” She was kind enough to even offer me some of her own envelopes.

~Currently we use microsoft money. You can try the software out for free on the site.  You download your bank statements directly to MSM, and then plug it into your budget.  I’m not married to MSM, but we have been using it for four years now, and I’m comfortable with the program.  It has a lot more bells and whistles than we need, which were intimidating when I was first learning to use the program.  FYI: You can snag it at a deep discount at Sam’s Club.

~Crown Financial has the money map software.  I have heard this is also great software + I absolutely love the Crown radio show Money Life.  Their site is a wonderful resource, and offers all kinds of finance calculators plus loads of other useful (free) info.

~Dave Ramsey has his own budget software too.  You can find it here.

~Please comment if you love (or don’t love) your budgeting software. There are so many different ones out there, and the best feedback is user feedback.

Our personal budget is broken down in to very detailed categories.  Over the first few months you will be able to see where you have under, and over budgeted certain areas.  Then tweak your budget until it works. Some people choose broader categories for the sake of ease.  Do what works for your family.  Our list of categories are the following:

• Automobile (this includes, car repairs, ins., and oil changes for three vehicles)
• Cash withdrawal
• Charitable giving
• Clothing
• Coffee & Monsters (we are going for transparency here right?)
• Clothing
• Dining Out
• Education
• Entertainment
• Gas
• Gifts
• Groceries
• Health care
• Hobbies and Leisure
• Home Improvement
• Kids paychecks
• Misc.
• Mortgage/Ins./Taxes
• Phone/Wireless
• Emergency Fund
• Roth IRA
• ING personal savings
• Services and Memberships
• Taxes
• Travel
• Utilities

If you don’t have a budget set up-trust me you are not alone-and are up for a challenge, here’s your “homework” assignment for the next week:

1.  Gather up all your bills and start a budget outline

2.  Shop around for software

3.  Let us know how it works out

On your mark!  Get set!  GO!

Lately I have been obsessing, Obsessing over our family lunch box situation.  We have approximately 5 million different lunch boxes. If you were to come over and open my cabinets while innocently looking for a glass, or plate there is 50% chance a lunch box will jump out and smash you right in your face.  Aaron used to collect them, so we have an absorbent amount of the tin variety stashed about our home. It’s ridiculous really that I am having a down right lunch box crisis at the moment, but I am.

Do we go vintage, but non-space efficient:

The tin lunch kits only fit a plastic thermose (which kill your kids slowly you know…you DO know this right?  Come, to the neurotic dark side with me.  Please?!  It’s lonely here.) They are too small to fit reusable sandwich and side containers.  I’m not down with plastic sandwich bags either.  They Cost a lot, and cause massive amounts of non-biodegradable waste.

So, then there is the bento by laptop lunch.  It’s attractive to the eye, reusable, and was brought to fame by vegan lunchbox, and even has it’s own groupies, but…

I’m just not, not, N-O-T, gonna drop 80-100 bones on lunch boxes that have a 99% chance of getting lost sometime during the school year and don’t even come with drink bottles.  That’s extra.  Like 10.00 extra which = 30.00 extra when have three kids. Again, no.

There are these Vinyl bags (which I also have a collection of,) but the get gross, smelly, are hard to clean and also kill my kids slowly with lead. Some boast “lead free” and “safe,”  but how can I ever trust you again lunch bag manufacturers?  Fool me once…

So, we settled on these:

Cons:

They are made of plastic

there is no, there is no place for a drink and they won’t fit in a traditional lunch bag (I’m gonna have to sew some up I think.)

Pros:

I don’t have to use baggies again.  Everything has a compartment.

I can lay them all out and quickly make an assembly line of healthy lunches without having to fiddle with multiple containers, or bags.

The were 3.00 each at Target

They have a neat utensil holder on top

I get to experiment with the yummy and aesthetically pleasing world of bento lunches:

Stay tuned for the exciting conclusion of lunch box madness when next week we will discuss drink holding implements…duh, dunn, duhhhhhhhhhh!!