Compounding Interests

On becoming Susie Homemaker...

noreply@blogger.com (E.B.) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:40:00 +0000

Susie Homemaker I am not. Nor will I ever be. But I'd like to think I can create a version of Susie... a frugal, crunchy, often-impractical-but-darnit-I'm-trying! hybrid. I'm avoiding the housekeeping aspect like the plague, and in doing so I have found myself spending a lot of time in the kitchen lately. We've started meal planning and freezer cooking thanks to the inspiration of many different blogs out there. We make bimonthly trips to various farmers' markets in the area in order to eat more nutritionally, support our local economy, and try new things. And on that note, here's a new recipe we tried last night with fresh tomatillos and peppers from this farmers' market.
Chicken-and-Cheese Enchiladas
Recipe courtesy Food Network Magazine
Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time:15 min
Level:Easy
Serves:4 servings
Ingredients
• 1 small red onion, halved
• 1 1/2 pounds tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 1 to 2 serrano chile peppers, stemmed and seeded
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• Kosher salt
• Pinch of sugar
• 8 corn tortillas
• 3 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
• 2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella and/or Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing
• 3/4 cup crumbled queso fresco or feta cheese
Directions
Preheat the broiler. Slice half of the onion into thin rings and set aside. Place the other onion half, tomatillos and serranos on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil until the vegetables are soft and slightly brown, 7 to 10 minutes, turning as needed. Transfer the vegetables and any liquid to a blender, add the broth and puree. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and the sugar.
Meanwhile, stack the tortillas, wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave just until warm and soft, 1 minute; keep covered. Toss the chicken with 2 cups shredded cheese in a bowl. Spoon a portion of the chicken mixture down the middle of each tortilla. Add a few cilantro leaves and roll up. Place the enchiladas side by side in a lightly oiled 9-by-13-inch baking dish and brush with the 2 tablespoons olive oil. Broil until crisp and golden, 3 minutes.
Pour the tomatillo sauce over the enchiladas and top with the remaining 1/2 cup shredded cheese. Return to the oven and broil until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Garnish with the onion rings, queso fresco and any remaining cilantro.
Per serving: Calories 626; Fat 32 g (Saturated 13 g); Cholesterol 98 mg;
Sodium 1,056 mg; Carbohydrate 46 g; Fiber 6 g; Protein 47 g

Writing

noreply@blogger.com (E.B.) — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:37:00 +0000

I'm constantly thinking of all that I want to write down somewhere. The wisdom (haha!) I have to bestow upon others. Then I sit down to write and this is what I get: "Dangit! What was I thinking about earlier?" Turns out that as life floods in, my thoughts fly out... before I get to paper or a computer. Hmph.

2nd Pregnancy... It's just not the same

noreply@blogger.com (E.B.) — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 01:18:00 +0000

I've heard many people talk about how different their pregnancies are from one child to the next, but the actual pregnancy aside, being pregnant is different after you have a little munchkin in tow.

- Drinking water all day doesn't work as well because you can't pop into the bathroom at Target with a toddler.
- Naps are restricted to nap time only...

The plan is to keep adding to this list as I realize new intricacies of the 2nd pregnancy. Anyone else have any to add?

Delicious, Easy Dinner!

noreply@blogger.com (E.B.) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 01:35:00 +0000

So we've been trying to be better at a variety of things related to food: eating healthfully, eating at home, eating what's in the pantry/fridge - rather than getting new, fun stuff at the grocery, etc. Tonight we had a most-delicious (and easy!) dinner, so I thought I'd share. It's not rocket science, but maybe it'll give others a new idea.

Shrimp Stirfry
- We had a TON of cooked rice in the fridge from a party last night. It was white rice. In the future, we'll use brown rice.
- Frozen veggies
- Mini-Shrimp
- Peanut oil
- Sesame oil
- Mushrooms (I'm SO NOT a cook, and don't even know what kind I bought! Haha)
- Coconut oil
- White pepper
- Garlic salt

Because my little one is under 2, and I think he's not supposed to have shrimp and my husband doesn't like mushrooms, the order in which I cooked things, could be made easier. :)

I put a little sesame oil and some peanut oil in a deep, large skillet on medium. I added the frozen veggies and let them cook awhile. Meanwhile in a smaller skillet, I sauteed some cooked mini-shrimp in coconut oil. After a couple of minutes, I added the cooked rice to the veggies and mixed it all up. While all that cooked on medium, I chopped up my mushrooms. When the shrimp looked finished I added them to the rice and veggies to cook together. I added some water so it wouldn't dry out. To season the mixture, I sprinkled some white pepper and garlic salt. Then I sauteed some more shrimp and my mushrooms in more coconut oil in the small skillet. After that looked done, I added that to my serving of the rice. It was a delightful dinner, Munchkin ate his, and hubby said it was one of his favorites that I've made. A winner all around!

3 birds, 1 stone

noreply@blogger.com (E.B.) — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 02:06:00 +0000

When we moved into our current house a few months ago, my husband and I bought a reel mower. Can I tell you? I LOVE IT! We still have a lawn service come every 2 weeks because we aren't good at keeping up with the lawn, but I mow on the off-weeks and my husband does the weed-eating. Why use a reel mower, you ask?
1. It's good exercise. I work up a sweat, but not so much that I'm sore the next day.
2. No air or noise pollution. See this post at Crunchy Domestic Goddess.
3. We save money by doing it ourselves. I'd love to work up to doing the yard every week, but one step at a time. :)

Time to Post Again

noreply@blogger.com (E.B.) — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 13:44:00 +0000

Well, school's out and that means I might stop neglecting Compounding Interests. I don't have anything interesting to post at the minute, but know that there's more to come. :)

Fabulous Giveaway at Penny Pinching Parent!

noreply@blogger.com (E.B.) — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 23:03:00 +0000

Check out the adorable blankets at Bubblecakes! Penny Pinching Parent is giving one away here. How can you resist??

Schools As Parents

noreply@blogger.com (E.B.) — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 10:31:00 +0000

I can tell you as a teacher, there are a lot of responsibilities that were once considered prime domain for parents that now rest on the shoulders of your local educator. Just in: paying students to succeed. A pilot program in DC (and Chicago and 1 other city) are paying kids to meet the school requirements: attendance, wearing their uniform, grades, behavior.
Pros:
- It shows kids that we value their education enough to pay them for it.
- Maybe those who drop out or skip class because their family situation is such that they have to work, will be able to stay at school... maybe...
- It might help some motivated students how to manage money.
- It exposes kids to banks who might otherwise only manage their money through Checks Cashed type establishments. (I certainly hope that the bank they are using is fee-free, other than maybe for overdrafts.)
Cons:
- What happens when they want more money?
- Not all are buying dinner out like the article suggests.
- Can you undo a program like this? What happens if the program fails? THEN we expect the students to take their responsibilities seriously again without the cash incentive?
- Bad grades don't cancel out the money they earn just for showing up. I'm pretty sure that if all I do is show up to teach and then play on my computer all day that the money will run out...

So many other questions about this.
What do you all think?

Cell Phones, Email, and the Dinner Table

noreply@blogger.com (E.B.) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 01:28:00 +0000

So I was thinking... (always a gamble)
While television is certainly at fault for drawing families away from the dinner table, as are our overly planned afternoons of sports, scouts, and lessons, I think cell phones and email also should shoulder some blame. I talk to my husband everyday on my way home after I pick Baby Boy up from day care. We talk about our days and anything else that wasn't covered in our daily emails. So, when it's time for dinner, there's not always something to talk about. I've actually found myself holding onto information so there's something to discuss at the table.
Agree? Disagree?

The Cost of Cloth 5

noreply@blogger.com (E.B.) — Sat, 06 Sep 2008 14:01:00 +0000

When we last left the cloth ledger, I was at $461.84.

Here's the latest:

From a mom at a local diaper chat-
1 used Froggie M Fuzzi Bunz - old style $7
1 used WAHM largish fitted $7

From a different mom, 1 month later:
1 used L Dream Eaze AI2 $12
1 new M old style Fuzzi Bunz w/insert $12

From Nicki's Diapers:
2 Babykicks Hemparoo doublers $10, but I had a gift cert., so, FREE :)

From a local resale shop:
1 used large fitted made from recycled tshirt w/liner $8
2 used large fitted Cuddlebums w/snap-in liners $20
1 new DiaperChange University of Texas pocket $17.95

Total: $545.79

Keep in mind this is all new money, as opposed to me selling diapers that are too small and using that money to size-up (which is one way to go). We plan to keep the diapers to use with our kids in the future. Then if they're worth anything after 3-4 kids, we'll sell them or donate them to Miracle Diapers. So even if our cost of cloth is similar to what we would spend on disposables for 1 kid, we make up the savings for each subsequent kid.

Wants and Needs

noreply@blogger.com (E.B.) — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 00:00:00 +0000

I've recently found myself (many times!) in a state of confusion and frustration in terms of my wants and needs. Hubby and I purposefully live within our means, while putting a little off to the side in savings and paying off our credit card each month. There are the obvious needs of food, water, shelter, and clothing but is anything after that a real need? How do people decide what to buy on top of that? Trying to live a frugal lifestyle, I cringe when we go out to eat, but LOVE doing it. I've stopped buying clothing at superstores and buy nicer that lasts longer. How do you find the middle ground between wants and needs?

Batch Cooking

noreply@blogger.com (E.B.) — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 13:32:00 +0000

A great way to save time, money, and some water on dishes is batch cooking. Check out today's post over at Small Notebook for tips!

Cloth Giveaway at Baby Cheapskate

noreply@blogger.com (E.B.) — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 12:39:00 +0000

Want to win free cloth diapers? Angie at Baby Cheapskate is giving away 12 Bum Genius 3.0.

The Cost of Cloth 4

noreply@blogger.com (E.B.) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:40:00 +0000

I mentioned in the last update that I was looking for some covers. Here's a lesson in thriftiness I have now learned.

From a local store that I frequent:
1 new small Bummis Super Brite (blue) +
1 new small Bummis Super Whisper Wrap (frogs) +
1 new medium Bummis Super Whisper Wrap (white) = $35.08
I can't find my receipt and thus don't have the exact itemized break-down. I did save on shipping by getting them at the store and saved 10% by placing a special order.

From a mom at a diaper chat I attended last week:
1 used medium Bummis Super Whisper Wrap (white) =$7.00
You can't even tell it's been used other than the tag is a little faded and it's no longer bright white. Guess who won't be buying new covers in the future.

Up to date cost of cloth = $461.84

Guest Post at Baby Cheapskate

noreply@blogger.com (E.B.) — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:09:00 +0000

It's Cloth Diapering Week over at Baby Cheapskate. Go check out my Guest Post. (He he, it's my 1st!)

Credit card companies preying on college students

noreply@blogger.com (A.B.) — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 15:03:00 +0000

An interesting article in the most recent Business Week examines the increasingly-circumspect relationship between colleges (and alumni associations) and banks or credit card companies.

Not only do financial institutions use free food and gifts to lure 18-year-old students into signing up for a credit card, the banks and credit card companies are using gifts (high-dollar contracts) to form partnerships with colleges. Here is a chart showing some contracts colleges signed to sell out their students to credit card issuers.

States are now starting to look into this practice, including an investigation by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. According to an aide for Mr. Cuomo:

It seems that the schools are simply selecting the university credit card based on who pays the school the most, and that may not be best for students, especially in these hard economic times.

As an undergrad, I singed up for a credit card and received a free t-shirt. However, that card still sits in my wallet and is my usual means of payment (paid off monthly, of course). At the time, it offered 5 percent back on all gas and grocery purchases, and 1 percent on everything else. It recently dropped to 1 percent on all purchases, which is good enough for me.

I admit that when I signed up for the card, I was probably more concerned with the free shirt than the terms of the credit card. That is what usually happens with 18-21 year old kids. I lucked out and got a decent card. That isn't always the case, however.

Diapering Downer

noreply@blogger.com (E.B.) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 17:03:00 +0000

Baby Boy begins day care in a little over a month (sniff sniff). When we signed him up, we were 7 months pregnant and not sure how the whole cloth diaper scenario would work out. So, I called the day care last week to check-in with a few questions. Turns out, they only allow cloth diapers for those who are allergic to disposables. I suppose I could fib a smidgen and say he's allergic, but then I hear echos of my father... "Character is all about what you're doing when you think no one is looking..." (Sigh). So, that means we will be buying disposables for BB to use 9 hrs a day, 5 days a week. We've figured to an average of a Jumbo pack per week. That's roughly $40/month on diapers. We chose to do cloth diapers for the environmental impact with the bonus of saving a little money, so I'm bummed on both accounts.

The Cost of Cloth 3

noreply@blogger.com (E.B.) — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 16:27:00 +0000

Baby Boy is now 10 weeks old (13 lbs., 26 in.). He is beginning to outgrow his newborn Bummis Whisper Pant, so we're in the market for some more covers. Otherwise, he can still wear his Kissaluv size 0 and all that we've bought in larger sizes except the Blueberry. We still have a tiny bit of growing to do before we get into that one.

When we last looked at the Cloth Diaper Ledger, the cost of cloth was at $384.94. I have since bought:

From Diaper Swappers:
1 washed, but unworn Green Acre Diaper = $16.53
= $401.47

From Young & Restless:
1 used, good condition, soccer print, fitted diaper = $3 +
5 fleece doublers to be used as cloth wipes* = $3
= $6
= $407.47

From Diaper Swappers:
1 custom, fleece soaker with baseball embroidery = $12.29**
= $419.76

So, $419.76 is our up-to-date cost of cloth.

* We have not yet begun to use cloth wipes. I'm working on easing into that one. I think I'm going to cut up some old flannel PJs to use as cloth wipes as well. Look out for updates.

** The original price for this soaker was $12 plus shipping from Canada. The WAHM who made it for me was trying out a new pattern and it went a little funny in 1 spot, so she offered to make me a new one or give me this one sans cost of embroidery. Hello?! Who's going to notice? I went for the $12 soaker with character. :)

The Cost of Cloth 2

noreply@blogger.com (E.B.) — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 01:10:00 +0000

When we last looked at the Cloth Diaper Ledger, the cost of cloth was at $284.26. I have since bought:

From Diaper Swappers:
1 new Blueberry medium side snap = $12
= $296.26

From Diaper Daisy
1 new Large 14"x14" wet bag $22.95 +
1 new Baby BeeHinds wool wrap $22.95
= $52.68
= $348.94

So, $348.94 is our up-to-date cost of cloth.

Free is Frugal

noreply@blogger.com (E.B.) — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 20:04:00 +0000

Win the Essential Babywearing Stash from Along for the Ride (one Beco Butterfly, one Hotsling baby pouch, one BabyHawk Mei Tai, one Zolowear Ring Sling, and one Gypsy Mama Wrap)

Fine Motor Philanthropy

noreply@blogger.com (E.B.) — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:29:00 +0000

I was playing around on Hot Coupon World the other day and came across this link. Did you know that you can send unused AND expired coupons to a military bases overseas where they can be used at the commissary? (I didn't.) AAANNND because it's a U.S military base, you pay domestic postage, not international.

Then, I was reading at Blissfully Domestic where Alison has been posting summer tips for kids to keep their writing, math, and reading skills sharp. As a former kindergarten teacher, one skill I really valued when kids came to me in August is do they know how to use scissors.

See where I'm going here? Give you preschooler/kindergartner the coupon pages and teach them where to cut (dotted lines, etc.). They'll get good fine motor practice, be helping Mommy and soldier families, and get some great exposure to environmental print while they're at it. As if that's not enough, you have a great sorting lesson separating food coupons from non-food coupons (the Overseas Coupon Program asks that you do this), and a practical life-skills lesson on addressing and mailing a letter.

Everyday environmentalism - Houston ISD

noreply@blogger.com (A.B.) — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 01:04:00 +0000

The Houston Independent School District's Board of Education took a big step last night, voting to replace all cafeteria trays with a biodegradable version. The new trays will break down in a matter of months, versus the hundreds of years for the older model.

The switch will be made in elementary schools by this coming August, and in all schools over the next couple of years. It will cost the district's food service budget $160,000 or so for the switch in elementary schools, and about $300,000 when the switch is made at all schools.

I see this as a tremendous step, especially considering the budget crisis most Texas school districts are facing. I'm glad to know that the Houston leaderships understand that something's cost is not only determined by its price tag.

Still lovin' line-drying life!

noreply@blogger.com (E.B.) — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 17:04:00 +0000

The Cost of Cloth 1

noreply@blogger.com (E.B.) — Tue, 24 Jun 2008 13:16:00 +0000

This post is the first of a series to chronicle the total amount of money we're spending on diapers. We are primarily using cloth.

Our first batch of diapers: Nicki's Diapers
4 packages of 6=24 - Kissaluvs - size 0 (unbleached) = +$263.76
4 free covers with order- Bummis Whisper Pant = $0
We used a $50 gift certificate received at a shower. = -$50
= $213.76

From Diaper Swappers
3 used (good condition) Kissaluvs - size 1 (unbleached) = $23
= $236.76

From Diaper Swappers
1 used (good condition) Sandys - small = $7.50
= $244.26

From Craigslist
5 used (very good condition) Fuzzi Bunz - small = $40
5 used (very good condition) inserts - small
= $284.26

Our original plan was to use disposables while we are out and about. We have since begun to transition to using cloth on the go as well. That said, we do have the cost of disposables to consider as part of our diapering costs. We try to find deals where we spend less than .15/diaper (after coupons.) Here are a couple of helpful sites:
Penny Pinching Parent
Baby Cheapskate
Approximate cost to date on disposables: $134
This is not how many we've used in Baby Boy's 7 weeks of life, it's the amount spent on disposable diapers purchased since 1 month before he was born. We have a stockpile of diapers up to size 3 in his closet and in the garage.
What if we over-bought on a size that we don't end up using? We can probably take them back and exchange, or even better, donate them to a shelter. :)
= $284.26 + $134 = $428.26