I’m Going Old School

Follow up post from yesterday’s Debby Downer post about everything breaking and going wrong in my world.

Recently, I’ve noticed that I’m using a lot of “Old School” gadgets around the house (some because things have broken and some because of choice) and instead of feeling like I’m missing out on newfangled, modern technologies, I’m LOVING it.  Let me show you some things I’m trying out.

Our vacuum cleaner broke the other day.  Luckily it was just a belt so it was fixable for about $12.  While I was complaining about my busted vacuum to my friend Beth, she mentioned that she uses a motor-less sweeper most of the time in her home.  I thought it might be a good thing for me to try, since it takes up very little space, makes no noise (Jack runs from the big vacuum), is super light, and doesn’t require the added step of plugging in a cord (then trying not to vacuum over it). 

This sweeper was only $30, and I have to say that I love it.  Jack loves to sweep with it, so we left off one of the handle pieces to make it short for him.  I’m really impressed with how well it picks up the dirt.  Even the dusty dirt is picked up.  I’ll still use my big sweeper every once in a while, but this is great for quick clean up jobs.

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Shortly before our microwave busted, we decided to get some cast iron to use.  I have one 8” (I think, maybe it’s 10”) skillet and it has become the ONLY skillet I use anymore.  I love the *mostly* even heat –I think it’d be more even if my burner was more evenly heating.  I also love that I can use ANY utensil on it and it won’t ruin it.   I reheat everything in it, and it always stays on my stovetop, because I know it’s going to be used every day.

This skillet was only $19 and it came pre seasoned, so it was ready to go.  The only part I had a problem with was the cleaning, and this was solved after a few searches on the WWW.  I found the best way to clean cast iron is to scrape it out under hot water, then sprinkle salt and oil in the pan, scrub it out with a sponge, then rinse with hot water.  It makes it amazingly clean.  I’ve actually heard about the oil cleansing method for skin, and after seeing how well it cleans my pan, I believe it would work well. 

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By now, I can assume you all know I use cloth diapers.  I LOVE them.  When my mother-in-law (via my sister-in-law) taught me about using cornstarch for diaper rash, I fell even more in love with cloth diapers.  They don’t leak  if used correctly, I can count the number of blowouts we’ve had in 2 and a half years on one hand, and they are so darn adorable.  Even the plain ones I use.  I was nervous when I started, but I’m so glad I did, and I won’t ever go back to disposable if I can help it.  I love the money we’ve saved.

We use mostly BumGenius 3.0 with a few 4.0’s thrown in for their cute patterns.  I also just recently added some Blueberry one size pockets to my stash thanks to a generous gift, and I love them. 

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Since we don’t have a microwave, I had to figure out a new way to make popcorn.  After looking up some recipes (yes, I looked up “how to cook popcorn” recipes online), I found out how easy it is to cook popcorn on your stovetop. And, of course, it’s super cheap!  I grew up with an electric popcorn popper, then we graduated to using the microwave, so I missed out on actually popping popcorn on the stove in our own pans.  Rick laughed at me when I told him I finally learned how to make popcorn ‘from scratch’. 

This is the best  popcorn recipe I’ve found because it gives some techniques on how to make a really great, slightly salty popcorn.  It works every time.  I have also been trying to perfect a kettlecorn recipe, but so far I’m ending up with burned, sugary popcorn and a burned arm.  I’ll get back to working on this later.  Don’t be fooled though, I’m totally enjoying the mistake batches.

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So, even though my world is breaking down around me, I’m enjoying some of the new “old school” ways of doing things these days.  For everything that breaks, there’s a new learning experience to be had.  See, I told you I’m a pretty optimistic person. 

I’m Crunchy (or) How I Save Money

I thought I’d put together a post about how I save money for my family.  It also happens to be a lot of ways I’m ‘crunchy’ or ‘green’.  I’ve gotten a few questions about how we’re able to live on one income, and I thought I’d share my techniques with you.  It’s not all amazing, and it’s not rocket science, but it’s what I do.  I shared some of these last year too.

When Rick and I got married 5 and a half years ago, he had a steady, well paying job,  and I had a steady, well paying job teaching and coaching.  We knew that when the time came to have babies, the plan was for me to quit my job and stay home to raise the kids.  I was all for it.  Though I loved my colleagues, coaching volleyball,  and the ‘light bulb’ moments that happened in the classroom and on the court, I didn’t especially love teaching anymore.  I was ready for a change.

Along came Jack, and I quit teaching and bringing home my paycheck.  We were now unable to save and spend as much as we used to.  So, how did we cut our budget to make one pay check go further?  Here are some of the things we do. 

*WARNING* some material may be unsuitable for men to read.  I’ll stick one of these (*) next to the items you may want to skip. 

No credit card debt. We paid off and closed every credit card we had.  All money now comes directly from our checking account.  

We paid off my van. Rick’s truck has been paid for since I met him almost 6 years ago.  So, not car payments for us.

No cable (no TV).  It was hard, but we got rid of the cable and bought converter boxes for both of our TVs.  Since then, one converter box has died and the other one may be dying as we speak.  The TV in the family room also died, so when we got rid of it, we didn’t replace it. *disclaimer: I did bring up a 13”, 20+year old TV from the basement to have something to play videos on for Jack.

*Breastfed for 15 months.  The whole time I was pregnant I prayed that I would be able to breastfeed.  After about 5 weeks of pain and torture, we did it!  No need to buy formula more than just one time in the first 2 weeks.

Cloth diapers.  We switched to cloth when Jack was 3 months.  I waited because I was nervous and it’s a lot of upfront money.  But, after spending less than $500 for a complete ‘system’, I haven’t had to put any more money toward diapering Jack for 2 years. *disclaimer: I go back and forth with using disposable wipes, and I did just buy 5 more diapers ($75) since first starting this post.

Cloth wipes (sometimes).  See previous disclaimer. Any time I do buy wipes, it’s in bulk at Costco.

Cloth napkins.  I made them myself – which isn’t saying much.  It was basically practice for how to sew a straight line.  They work much better than paper.  I tried to do no paper towels, but I lost that battle.  I missed them when making bacon and cleaning up yucky messes.

Made all my own baby food.  I just steamed and pureed all my veggies and fruit, then froze them and stored them in little ice cube size servings in the freezer.  It wasn’t much more work than cooking for my family.

Homemade food (i.e. pizza, bread, buns, pancake mix, taco seasoning, cakes and brownies, pasta, syrup, granola, granola bars, cheese crackers, graham crackers, fudge pops) Whatever I can make myself, I do.  I get an amazing sense of pride whenever I figure out how to make something that is usually in a package from the store.  *disclaimer: Cheese crackers and graham crackers are time consuming, so I don’t always make those myself.

Wool dryer balls/ no dryer sheets. It’s not that exciting, but I made wool dryer balls to help fluff my clothes and cut drying time down a bit.  I can’t use dryer sheets with diapers anyway, so I thought I’d cut them out for all our clothes.  Vinegar in the rinse cycle also makes clothes super soft.

*I use the Diva Cup.  Holy cow do I love this thing!  I’ve converted one friend so far, and if you have ever thought about it and want some questions answered, I’d be happy to share!  I LOVE it. 

Here are a few things I’d like to try:

No Poo – shampoo and condition with just water, baking soda and apple cider vinegar.  Sounds cheap, but there are mixed reviews out there.

Homemade detergent.  I have had success using my own detergent for the washing machine, but haven’t found a good detergent for the dishwasher.  Everything I try leaves behind a film.

Garden.  If we cut down some trees in our tiny back yard, we would have plenty of space to have a big garden (and nothing else –like room to play).  As it is now, we can plant some tomatoes and pepper in with our flowers and hope for the best.

*Mama Cloths.  I’d love to get some of these since I’m now using the Diva Cup and only need a pad a day as insurance for not leaking.  Since I already wash cloth diapers, I don’t think the laundering would be intimidating to me.  I just haven’t decided who to buy from and what I’m looking for.  But those combined with the Diva Cup will save So.Much.Money!

Whew!!!  That’s a lot!  I hope this helps some of you.  Maybe all you needed was one more idea to push you over the edge to becoming a SAHM, or maybe you got an idea for something you hadn’t already thought of doing. 

Let me know if there are other ways I can save money or if you have tried any or all of these ideas and how it’s going for you!

Becoming Crunchy

If you’ve been with me since the beginning of this blog (Hi Mom!), you’ll remember me mentioning that I was called Crunchy by a friend.  That was the first time I’d ever heard the term, but I loved it from the second she said it.  It’s like a cool way to say “you’re so Granola!”  Okay, maybe there isn’t a cool way to say that. 

Anyway, I loved the term, and decided to use it whenever I could.  Then I found out that she wasn’t the only one who knew that word.  There’s a blog I found called “Adventures of a Somewhat Crunchy Mama”  I don’t remember how I found her blog, but once I read her title, I HAD to keep coming back.  It’s the best title for a blog, ever! 

Recently, she has been doing a series called “31 Days to a somewhat Crunchy YOU.” She has been giving us tips each day on how to be a little greener.  Now, I have to admit that I’m crunchy more for the ‘saving tons of money’ aspect  than the ‘let’s save the planet’ aspect.  But I’m not sure it really matters in the end.  It’s still doing our part to be a little healthier for ourselves and our environment, no matter what your reasons. 

Today, she has asked us to share our recipes for homemade cleaning products.  I have to admit that I don’t have any recipes for homemade cleaning products. I won a sample of someone’s homemade laundry soap from someone’s blog last month, but have yet to receive it.  So I’ve never even tried homemade cleaning products!  But, never fear, my friend Heather has decided to ‘go crunchy’ and recently found a great resource for making your own natural cleaning products.  The book is The Naturally Clean Home, and she shared two recipes for dishwasher soap to her friends on her Facebook page the other day.  Being the good friend I am, I ripped it off her page and am posting it here!  At least I’m giving her total credit.  Maybe some day I’ll try this.

Easy dishwasher soap recipe:

2 cups of Washing Soda, 1 cup of Borax, and 1 cup of Baking Soda. (All items can be purchased at your local grocery store).

Mix ingredients together and put in a container and use 2 Tbsp per load. If you have too much residue build up, use 1 1/2 Tbsp.

A scented recipe:

2 cups Washing Soda, 2 cups Borax, and 20 drops of lavender essential oil (make sure it's concentrated, not scented massage oil). You could use any scent you like, i.e.. grapefruit, orange, etc. Same storage and usage directions as recipe above.

If you’re interested in finding other recipes for cleaning products, go to Adventures of  a Somewhat Crunchy Mama.  You can also go through some of her recent posts to find out what other ways you can save a buck and/or save the planet.