Penniless Parenting

Is Extreme Frugality Embarrassing? Should It Be?

2012-05-30T23:05:00.000+03:00

After rescuing a huge bounty of free produce last week from the farmers' market, that would have otherwise ended up in the trash, I decided to head back to the farmers' market yet again yesterday to see what goodies I could glean this time. While I ended up with a huge haul (this at the right is but a fraction of the free stuff I got), some things happened during my food rescuing that left me a

Free Ways to Make Learning Fun

2012-05-29T23:15:00.000+03:00

My kids love the computer. I'm not surprised at all, because, after all, mom spends a decent amount of time on the computer each day... My kids are always asking me to use the computer, and I've let them use sites like Starfall.com so that their going on the computer is learning filled and not just time wasting, but I was always looking for more educational and age appropriate sites for them.

Hearth and Soul Blog Hop

2012-05-29T07:01:00.000+03:00

Welcome back to yet another edition of the Hearth and Soul blog hop. This is where you get the chance each week to share your favorite food related posts with the other visitors to the hop, and you get to check out theirs as well. The Hearth and Soul Hop is about food that not only nourishes our body, but also nourishes our souls. Here's a recap of some of the rules for participating: Recipes

Homemade Insect Repellent/ Bug Spray Recipe

2012-05-29T00:10:00.000+03:00

Since we got married, Mike and I have always lived without an air conditioning unit. In our first apartment, though, we had a terrific cross breeze; we were at the top of a mountain, and a breeze would blow up the mountain, through our apartment from one side to the other, cooling the whole thing, provided we left our windows open. Only leaving our windows open meant lots of annoyance- we had

Sprouted Lentil Vegetarian Chili Recipe

2012-05-28T00:07:00.000+03:00

I think I have this love/hate relationship with chili. I've tasted bad ones, and I've tasted really terrific ones. I used to think that all you had to do to make chili was mix some beans with tomato sauce and chili powder, but I've found chili like that to be sorely lacking something to make it hit the spot. Lots of times I've tried out various recipes, and discovered that what really makes a

Making Homemade Paper from Trash- No Special Equipment

2012-05-25T01:23:00.001+03:00

When I grew up, it was my job to take out the recycling on garbage day. I'd sort out the metal and plastic and glass recycleables and bring them to the tree lawn, then I'd put the newspapers and papers and cardboard boxes in a brown paper bag and put that in a separate pile on the tree lawn. Recycling is a little thing we can do to at least minimize the amount of damage we're doing to the

My "Shopping" Trip at the Farmer's Market

2012-05-23T11:29:00.000+03:00

On Sunday, I was in the city and went with my friend Cara to the farmer's market. I got so many things! (I had planned on writing this post on Sunday, or at the latest Monday, but Lee has chicken pox, so I've been a little distracted...) Here's what I got in the market: 6 heads of cauliflower and some more cauliflower leaves 3 bunches of celery 1 bunch of swiss chard A ton of onions (probably

Hearth and Soul Blog Hop

2012-05-22T11:00:00.000+03:00

Home Remedies That Worked For Us

2012-05-20T23:56:00.000+03:00

Skeptical about using antibiotics and other prescription medication on your family? Short on cash or lacking insurance, making a doctor's visit and buying the prescribed medication unmanageable financially? Unable to make it to the pharmacy but need to deal with a medical issue? Here are some tried and true home remedies that have worked for our family, oftentimes working even better than

Cauliflower Leaf Pakoras Recipe- Indian Style Fritters- Gluten Free and Regular

2012-05-18T18:51:00.000+03:00

One of the things that allows me to be as frugal as I am is a total lack of shame in being frugal. Being embarrassed of trying to save money, that people will look at you askance, will stop you from pursuing certain frugal ventures that could have saved you lots of money, had you been willing to ignore what other people may or may not think of your frugality... Me? I'm not ashamed of my

Upping the Ante- a New Challenge

2012-05-17T16:40:00.002+03:00

Every once in a while, I like to up the ante a little bit and take on a little challenge, to push myself to the limits to see just what I'm able to do, if push came to shove. I've heard of people doing a "no spend month" challenge, and while that's a little impossible in my situation, because we can't usually go a whole month without buying food, I decided to do a "$1.50 challenge", see how long

Do You Puke Your Guts Out When Pregnant?

2012-05-15T15:18:00.000+03:00

You might remember me mentioning in a few blog posts about my sister, Violet, having a very rough pregnancy, being hospitalized a few times even, due to having incredibly bad Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG), extreme nausea of pregnancy. I didn't have the easiest pregnancies in terms of nausea, etc... and I was puking occasionally throughout the 9 months of all three of my pregnancies, but in

Hearth and Soul Blog Hop

2012-05-15T11:00:00.000+03:00

How to Use a Smartphone To Save Money

2012-05-15T01:35:00.002+03:00

I think most people, no matter how frugal they are, have things that they're willing to spend money on, here and there, the things that are important to them so they have meaningfulness and happiness in their lives and don't feel deprived. For some people, its cleaning help, for some vacations, and for some its going out to dinner. These luxuries are totally acceptable in a frugal lifestyle, so

Homemade Wonton Soup Recipe- Gluten Free and Regular

2012-05-13T20:18:00.002+03:00

Nearly 2 years ago, I shared with you readers my recipe for homemade wonton soup. Wonton soup is very cheap to make, but still looks very fancy, which is why its my go to dish to make when I want to entertain company, but not spend too much money. Yes, it does take a bit of time to make, but not an insanely long amount, and the results are so good that I find it to be worthwhile to make the

Raw Vegan Chocolate Balls- Gluten Free, Sugar Free

2012-05-10T22:44:00.000+03:00

A few months ago I went to my first homeschooling get together (and have since been to another terrific one as well, this one hosted by a traditional foodie!) and met some really sweet people, concerned about health. But, although there was food provided in pot luck style, and though the dishes were all made with health, my view of healthy foods and their view of healthy foods in many ways

Homemade Stevia Extract Recipe

2012-05-09T23:53:00.000+03:00

I try to make our home be as healthy as possible, and I try to eat and feed my kids as healthily as possible, but I'll be honest, we do cheat sometimes and eat things less than ideal. The one absolute no no in our home, that we won't compromise on, no ifs, ands, or buts, are artificial sugars like sucralose, splenta, aspartame, and the like. No matter what, we won't ingest those things in any way

The Move That Almost Was, But Wasn't

2012-05-09T00:27:00.000+03:00

The past few weeks have been a little stressful for me. My current lease is up July 1st, and my landlord wanted us to let him know already (by next week) if we were planning on staying in the apartment or moving to another place, and if not, he was going to advertise that the place was for rent and look for new tenants. Our rent is going up, and for a teeny tiny apartment like ours, was it worth

Hearth and Soul Blog Hop

2012-05-08T11:00:00.000+03:00

My Thrift Shop Haul

2012-05-07T21:39:00.000+03:00

My baby outgrew her 0-3 month clothing, but I wasn't able to really move her to the next size up in clothing, because I didn't have any, other than a few outfits a friend got me as a baby gift. A friend had passed on a few outfits to me as loaners, but even so, I didn't have nearly enough clothes for my baby to wear... but I wasn't looking forward to buying a whole bunch of new outfits, as babies

Red Lentil Dal Recipe- Bengali Style

2012-05-04T17:36:00.001+03:00

I love curry; I love ultra flavorful foods. What I like about using curry spices is that I can turn use these spices on so many different types of foods, from fruits and veggies to rice to legumes to eggs to chicken and fish. Curry powder, unlike some people think, is actually not a spice, but a spice mixture. (Yes, there are curry leaves, which is another thing entirely, and isn't what people

A Free Trike for Ike

2012-05-03T22:34:00.002+03:00

My 2.5 year old son, Ike, is a huge ball of energy. He's the type of kid that would be happiest if we lived in a log cabin in the middle of the woods; he'd be the type to traipse off to go exploring multiple times a day, climbing trees, chasing squirrels, etc... But alas, we live in a small apartment with no yard, so his energy needs to be used up somehow, which is why I try to take him out

Making Sneaky Pizza

2012-05-02T19:40:00.000+03:00

Just a normal slice of pizza... or is it? Sneaky pizza #1. Alternative titles: How to use up leftovers, get your picky kids to eat foods, or lower the cost of your meals, and still have yummy food. Pizza is one of my kids' favorite foods. Its the favorite food of most kids I know. In fact, make that most adults. I know few people who actually dislike pizza. There's just something about the

Hearth and Soul Blog Hop

2012-05-01T10:00:00.000+03:00

Following My Dreams

2012-04-30T23:19:00.001+03:00

You know that phrase, "Follow your dream"'? Well, I've officially decided to grab the bull by the horns and pursue a dream I've had since elementary school. When I got a poem of mine published in an anthology in fourth grade, I wanted, more than anything, to see my name in print again. For years I attempted to do so in vain, and eventually started this blog to be able to share my thoughts and