Tightwad Tuesday

Some people don’t like the word “Tightwad” because it has negative connotations. I happen to like it because I associate it with The Tightwad Gazette and its author Amy Dacycyzn. From her and others like her I learned to hold on to my wad tightly and not fritter it away on frivolous things or through unconscious spending.

What I did in the last week as a tightwad:

• Cut out almost three dozen baby burp cloths from fabric in my stash. (Unfortunately I got sick before I could sew them together, but that’s coming.)
• Used odd leftover envelopes to mail letters to our son in Marine Corps Basic Training.
• Made three loaves of banana bread from four overripe bananas.
• Started compost buckets again for veggie and fruits peelings, egg shells, etc.
• Made two cups of breadcrumbs from leftover individual slices of bread that I’d stuck in the freezer. Used one and a half cups of it in the meatloaf Monday night.
• Cut open a lotion bottle to get at the stuff at the bottom that wouldn't come up the pump.
• Rinsed out the last little bit of ketchup in the bottom of the bottle to use in the glaze for the meatloaf.

 And that's just what I could remember at the moment. Some things I do are so habitual that I don't even think about the money saving they bring. Like opening up the drapes and curtains to let sunshine in to warm the rooms, and closing them when the sun goes down to hold in the heat. Like shaking out each piece of laundry as it goes into the dryer so the dryer cycle doesn't take as long. (Kudos to you who hang your laundry, I'm not there yet, especially during Iowa winters.) And cutting the dryer sheets in half, or if I'm really desperate cutting them into fourths. Like measuring the amount of dishwashing liquid I use each time I do the dishes. (We don't have a dishwasher, unless you count me!) And turning bottles upside down to capture the last little bits, and then using a slim spatula to really clean it out.

So what did you do to not spend money this week?

Ten Things of Thankful - Sunshine and Birdsong

I knew Mother Nature was just teasing us with those two nice days. She dropped a blanket of the white stuff on us last night. However, on those warmer days I thought about some things I'm grateful for.

1. Sunshine - I need light to feel energetic and cheerful. Dark, dreary winter days are hard for me to get through, I just want to hibernate until Spring. So when the skies are clear and the sun is shining bright I feel alive!

2. Birds - I've always loved birds; in fact when asked what kind of animal I'd like to be I can truthfully answer "a bird".  And not that I'm a daredevil or anything, but I'd really like to go hang gliding or para-sailing! I envy the birds ability to fly and soar and glide.

3. Birdsong - During the cold winter I miss the sound of bird singing and calling to each other. The birds are back in town and it's great to hear them again. I even recognize some of their songs and can identify the bird without seeing it.

4. Babies - Thursday night I got to hold the five day old son of a friend. He is so tiny, just over six pounds, and so beautiful, perfectly formed and sweet. Babies are miracles and I love them. I wish I could have had five more of my own!

5. Packages in the mail - This week I received two things I'd ordered; a 1940's pattern for a little girl's dress, and a new (to me) book. It's like getting presents, and I enjoy getting presents. I miss packages from my Mom (she died almost two years ago) because she'd put in little surprises and treats, odd things she didn't need anymore and often some money to spend on something I needed or wanted. Her love language was gifts and she was so very generous.

6. Music - When I'm listening to a CD of music whether it's Mormon Tabernacle Choir or K-Pop I am grateful. It lifts my spirit, helps me go for 30 minutes on the treadmill, gets me dancing, thrills my heart and makes life better. (Don't tell anyone, I get teary when I listen to certain pieces of music, it just touches my soul to the very core.)

7. Clean bedroom - and someday I'm going to have one. I'm neat and tidy, I make my bed everyday, and put away my clothes; but I can't get rid of the piles of paper. And there's always a pile waiting to go to the thrift store, a pile of ironing waiting for a free day, a stack of books that won't fit on the book shelf, etc. You get the idea. I'm not a tosser, but I'm working on it.

8. Laughter - it truly is the best medicine. When it's time to choose a movie to watch as a family we usually say "Let's watch something fun." Laughter relieves stress and makes the heart lighter.

9. Patchwork quilts - especially the scrappy kind. I think the combinations of color and shape are endlessly fascinating. Recently I've made choices that limit my time to sew (much to my regret), but I look forward to finishing what I've started and then getting back to sewing and quilting.

10. Pretty dishes - I finally got out my Blue Willow dishes to use everyday. My family is special enough for me to justify using my pretty dishes all the time. (Plus I was so tired of my old dishes!) I culled my serving dishes too, leaving just the ones I truly love and that are the prettiest. I'm worth it!

What are you thankful for this week?

Hot Oatmeal Cereal - Creative Combos

With our local paper come a little news magazine called American Profile; it's a lot like Parade which comes with bigger newspapers. Today's cover article is about Bob's Red Mill Grains and in a sidebar are eight ideas for making your morning oatmeal truly memorable. Don't they sound delicious? I look forward to trying every one of them.

Carrot Cake Oatmeal: grated fresh carrot, golden raisins, brown sugar, walnuts

Romancing the Bowl: Nutella, strawberry halves, whipped cream

Hang Loose: pineapple chunks, chopped macadamia nuts, flaked coconut

Oat Couture: dried cherries, whipped cream, creme fraiche, balsamic reduction

Peaches and Cream: sliced peaches, toasted pecans, heavy cream

The Camper: crumbled graham crackers, chocolate chips, mini marshmallows

The Gilgamesh: chopped dried dates, pistachios, honey, milk, ground cardamom (spelled incorrectly in the article)

Doctor's Orders: fresh blueberries, non-fat Greek yogurt, ground flaxseed

Mrs. Use it Up Strikes Again

I did so well in February with groceries that I'm going to keep going for March. I started the month buying only dairy, (milk and eggs), lots of fruit, some veggies (still have some to use up), and a little bit of meat. My stock up item this month is cleaning supplies because that's what I was running low on. It feels so good to have a cupboard full of supplies again!

So, the use it up deal; I foraged around in the freezer for all the odd pieces of bread I had stuck in there and found an assortment of pieces which I laid out on a baking sheet and popped in the oven to toast. When they were nicely dried out I broke the pieces into the blender (I don't have a food processor) and whizzed them up into bread crumbs, which I then put into an old plastic container with a piece of masking tape for a label and back it goes into the freezer so that the next time a recipe calls for bread crumbs mine are all ready. Whew!

Lunch today was a salad of grated carrot, some leftover green peas (frozen kind), a spoonful of leftover white rice, a spoonful of feta cheese, the last of some Romaine lettuce, a pinch of basil, and some homemade Italian dressing (well, sort of homemade, the kind with water, vinegar, oil and a packet of mix). For an experiment in combining flavors it was really good. But then I like oddball salads.

I had plans to make some baby bibs and burp cloths for a friend but got called out to do some church work so my plans got bumped a day. These items will also be made from leftovers in a use-it-up effort.

Supposedly the weather is warmer, but without sunshine it still feels cold to me.

Ten Things of Thankful - Brought to you by the Letter H

1. Health - as in good; after last week's bout with the flu I'm thankful for good health and only the normal aches and pains.

2. Humor - Saturday night I said to TopDad, "I missed you last week." He replied, "I didn't know you were aiming." It felt so good to laugh!

3. Heat - We are still in a deep freeze here in Iowa; I wear three or four layers and still shiver. I'm thankful I'm inside and not crossing the plains in a handcart.

4. Hairspray - It's the glue that helps me grow out my hair. I thought today of a way to motivate myself to keep going: I'm growing historic hair. I like to dress up in historic clothes and long hair looks more authentic hence the need for historic hair.

5. Handkerchiefs - My old linen hankies are so much softer on a sore nose than paper tissues. I love my pretty hankies!

6. Harmony - As in the boys getting along and laughing together; as in beautiful music too.

7. Hats - To cover my ears when the wind is blowing; however, I'm not so thankful for hat hair, but one tries not to think of that.

8. Georg Freidrich Handel and Franz Joseph Haydn - two of my favorite composers.

9. Hindsight - which, of course is 20 20; unlike my current sight which is almost legally blind.

10. Homemade - Just smell that fresh baked bread!

Thanks so much for stopping by. Have a look around and I hope you'll be back.