Living Well. . .

Love don't cost a thing

2012-02-06T22:33:00.001-05:00

Forgive me if I've used that title before, but now that the Valentine season is upon us, I'm seeing a lot of ads on television for jewelry and chocolate. This is not long after there were ads trying to convince us that a brand new car was a great Christmas present (the payments are all yours honey!). I am not impressed.

Legends and stories try to connect a Saint Valentine with romantic love. However, these may be just lore. Apparently Valentine's day isn't really that, but Valentines' Day. Did I just repeat myself? No, I did not. Note the placement of the apostrophe. Several martyred Valentines are to be celebrated on the 14th.

As early as the 1790s, Valentine's day has been commercial, since a publisher created a guide book to help those who weren't such great writers of Valentines. Ever since then, a fool and his money are easily parted and so the stakes have gotten higher and higher. I think the popular opinion is that nowadays you probably shouldn't make a valentine's day card unless you are under 5. And if you are over eighteen and working at least part time, you should be proffering to your love chocolates that taste like dirt, stuffed animals to clog up their homes, fake roses that might be artfully folded underwear, too-tart chocolate covered fruit, big bottles of perfume, and the tackiest, blingiest jewelry that money can buy (don't worry about the kid who lost his hand for those diamonds).

I already made myself an object of my own ridicule. In efforts not to get behind the times, I purchased a greeting card for my husband. Never mind that he'd probably prefer a delicious meal etc. instead of a card. Since his birthday falls in the same week, I'm on double duty! Not to mention he's probably feeling compelled to buy me something. No matter how much I assure him, he still feels obligated. Luckily I don't wear jewelry so no diamond bracelet for me! Still, the year has only begun. There'll be our wedding anniversary, our first date anniversary, my birthday, and Christmas as well this year.

J. Lo sang it a few years back but I misquoted her. She said "my love don't cost a thing". I guess that applies only to J. Lo. The rest of us are stupid to spend money to prove our love.

state of the union

2012-02-02T15:48:00.004-05:00

In the State of the Union address delivered by President Obama in January, there was a lot of talk about jobs for Americans. He drove home the point about the decline of American manufacturing and the fact companies that do business in America should be encouraged to hire Americans.

For what it's worth, I don't think we can make manufacturers do what they don't want to do. It's going to take a lot of laws and a LOT of wrangling to get even one company to bring back one plant from Asia or Mexico or wherever.

However, Americans can support other Americans by buying American. We are fashion conscious. We are price conscious. However, how often are we conscious of the impact of the money we spend? Did you know?
Recent reports indicate that if each American spent an extra $1 on U.S. made goods each day, that this alone would create 1 Million new jobs*.

Let's stop waiting for the President to fix our economy.

Presidential candidates make all sorts of promises. But honestly, it's just not in their jurisdiction nor is it within a politician's control. It took millions of people to break the economy. How can one man fix it?

Last year I spent about $1,800 on clothing, gifts, shoes, and home furnishings. The year before, about $1900. Now some of those gifts were cash. However, the rest of the money likely was spent on products made overseas. Aside from what was used to pay the sales/delivery people, I don't think very much of it went to the workers who made the objects. Add to that, it cost quite a bit to the environment to transport all the bales of clothing, shoes, and cheap electronics to the US for our consumption.

I would like to be more conscious from this point onward, about what I buy. And that will probably cause me to buy fewer products (and perhaps better quality). I'd like to stick to products that are at least made in the Western Hemisphere. I'd like to try to buy things (whether imported or US-manufactured) second-hand to keep them out of landfills, and in so doing, support workers in local thrift shops. I'm not sure how to proceed with groceries. I suspect that a strict buy-local policy will take a lot of effort. However, it will probably decrease our food bill. Depending on foods that are available locally should result in lower prices as they cost less to transport.

What was the last thing you bought? Where was it made?

Since clothing is what I tend to buy most often (after food), here are a few websites that sell things made in the US (for my future reference and yours):

http://toddshelton.com/
http://www.sterlingwear.com/cart/index.php?p=home
http://www.wintergreennorthernwear.com/
http://www.bluecanoe.com/index.asp
http://www.fairindigo.com/index.php
http://www.dressbydesign.com/

Also, here's a place where you can look at facts about manufacturing in your state: http://americanmanufacturing.org/in-your-state

What was the last thing you bought? Where was it made?

______________________________________________________________________
*http://tapamerica.org/made-in-america/tap-certified-merchant-program/

Nearly halfway

2012-01-30T12:00:00.000-05:00

I absolutely have to finish this project in time for the February 15th deadline.

I've been crocheting in the car, at home, I even brought it with me to a meeting at the church in case I had to wait. Fortunately/unfortunately, everyone was on time for the meeting so no crocheting got done.

Right now I stand at 44 rows, and have 50 or so to go. It is not perfect. Some blocks are taller than they should be. Others are shorter. But this is my first effort at making something larger and I am so pleased with the pattern and how it's turning out! I'm so looking forward to sending this in for my contribution to Sharing Our Gifts.

Sad Eyes

2012-01-29T08:00:00.002-05:00

It's been a while since I did one of these. Found it on someone's blog.

The challenge:
1) Find out the song that was #1 the week you were born.
2) Find that song on YouTube.
3) Post that video on your wall without shame.

The week I was born, Robert John - Sad Eyes, was the Number 1 hit in the US.

auto-motive

2012-01-25T08:14:00.000-05:00

the big car rolled up just in time for me to take the photo

progress!

2012-01-19T09:15:00.001-05:00

I'm partway through. I've done a little more on this blanket since I took the photo. I'll definitely be finished with it by February 15 all being well.

Thankful Thursday--New Year's Week 2012

2012-01-05T08:41:00.001-05:00

Hi All,

there's a song I used to hear on the radio once in a while. Goes like this, sort of: When I'm weary, and I can't sleep, I count my blessings instead of sheep, and I fall asleep counting my blessings.

You can hear/watch Bing Crosby sing it here if you like.

I'm glad I lived to see 2012. Doomsyear or not, I'm happy to be breathing.
My 3-month assignment actually is lasting for five months. Paychecks sure help you build that emergency fund.
I've found a purpose for my crocheting. There are needy kids/babies/preemies all over the world and crocheting small and extra small hats and blankets doesn't take much time. This realization knocked me clear out of a funk. So I have one project halfway through and now I need yarn to make a few tiny hats for needy babies in Appalachia. If you knit or crochet and would also like to donate, there are many groups on Ravelry.com. Also, your local hospital's NICU might really love to hear from y ou.
I got a chance to see/speak with all my family over the holiday season. It was especially nice to hear from my sisters who are also on a natural hair journey and had some tips to share.
My Bible study group is off hiatus. It is a really tough thing to dig myself out of the house on a winter evening to go to my church and meet with my group. But I'm always glad when I've done so. Reading the Word is a blessing. But so is being with like-minded people. It does me a lot of good just to laugh and talk with my friends.

Holiday morning

2011-12-27T19:53:00.002-05:00

We're off work most of this week. This morning I decided to make a lovely frittata. It's easy to make, affordable, and tasty.

I used a recipe I found online but modified it a good deal and threw in some leftover spinach. I think it's a good way to use up leftover veggies and meat and still knock your family's socks off.

I was so excited to eat it that I forgot to take a picture when it came out of the oven. Just imagine it a lovely shade and crispy on the edges.

Thankful Thursday-Christmas 2011

2011-12-22T10:09:00.004-05:00

I'm thankful I am working (even temporarily) for a company that can show appreciation even in little ways.

I'm thankful that even though the company will be shut down next week, our supervisor will allow us to come in for two days (nobody doesn't need extra cash!)

I'm thankful to be working at all. Health, strength, sound mind, transportation, and an available position, all combined, allow me to earn my daily bread and even give presents this year!

I'm thankful this season to be able to spend time with my loved ones. Sadly, too many people cannot say the same. Although they irk me sometimes, my family is so precious to me and I love, want, and need them.

I'm thankful I have learned a new skill. . . crocheting! I have only completed a few small projects so far, but I think birthdays and holidays will be a little warmer in the coming months and years.

I'm thankful my former congregation has been able to burn their mortgage. Although I no longer worship there, it is one of my church homes and I rejoice with them (btw, the trick is not to buy more church than you can afford!)

Finally, I'm thankful to be alive. Life has its ups and downs but each new day is another chance for me to try to make a positive impact somewhere, somehow.

Be well and happy holidays.

sniffles

2011-12-20T15:19:00.004-05:00

It's that time of year again. . . the cold has been going around. Thank God I haven't caught it. . . yet because it's no fun when everyone is sick at once. My husband has been home, recuperating and I've been able to make him soup, buy him medication, citrus fruits, and juice, and in general nag him about drinking fluids and not going to work.

He's bored and home and almost well enough to go to work. He had been taking it in good humor until this morning. I mean, how long can one man play basketball video games? How much Cheers, Psych, and Family Ties can one person watch? It's criminal! He wants to be at his job and rightly so!

He's had chicken soup, pumpkin soup, bananas, oranges, tangerines, apples, contac, nyquil, dayquil. Well, I knew he'd had it when he made himself finally drink Buckleys: THE number one most gangsta remedy for the cold I have ever tried. Surprising how bad it tastes because it's all natural. You know, pine needles, yew berries, cedar bark, nightingale feathers. . . just kidding. Everything in the mixture is totally legit, including the tincture of capsicum. You know what capsicum is? hot. peppers. That stuff always makes me wish I had stayed home the very first day I felt any type of symptom. I never want to let it get to that. And you know what, I shouldn't.

Meanwhile, here in the office, someone down the hall is coughing. This kind of sucks because I'm temp-ing and if I don't work, I don't get paid! I hope this person just has allergies. I've been using my hand sanitizer, trying to get rest, trying to wash my hands as much as I can, and not touching my eyes. I've also had a tangerine today.

Am I missing something? Any other ideas for avoiding the sniffles a few unpaid workdays this winter season?

wordless wednesday

2011-12-14T11:48:00.008-05:00

what I've been up to lately

Personal Finance Inspiration

2011-12-06T10:00:00.003-05:00

In my quest to get my husband and myself to pay off debt and build savings, I have relied on a few different sources of inspiration. Here are some of my recent favorites:

'Til Debt Do Us Part'
This is a television show filmed in Canada. The host, Gail Vaz-Oxlade is a popular money guru who goes from one financially troubled family to another and whips them into shape. Her tools are pretty elementary and yet so mysterious to the people she visits. They include glass jars to hold the cash budgeted for variable expenditures, a written budget, a book to log purchases, and tough love!

Some of these couples need their butts kicked because even a kid could tell you that spending more than you earn leads to debt. My favorite part of the show is where Gail shows them how deep in debt they'll be in a few years if they keep up the pace. The numbers are usually staggering. The only drawback on watching this show is that some of the financial instruments she recommends are only available in Canada. Still, the show airs on CNBC in the US on Saturday nights. Yes, we really do stay home and watch personal finance shows on Saturday nights. So what?

The Dave Ramsey Radio Show
I'd been hearing little bits and pieces about Dave Ramsey here and there from bloggers who were digging their way out of debt. After reading some ~~angry tirades~~ comments on one particular blog I decided to just look him up . I had ideas in my head already because I had put people into a box. But I'm not completely closed minded and I'm glad I checked him out.

Dave Ramsey was like a breath of fresh air. Some of these financial fitness personalities are very encouraging and can be tough on people. But not many of them will go so far as to tell you to 1. sell your fancy new car to get rid of payments and buy a beater (hoopty, clunker, or jalopy depending on where you're from) 2. cut off everything but food, light, and shelter 3. Eat beans and rice, and rice and beans 4. NEVER use debt AGAIN unless 5. it is a 15 yr mortgage with payments approximately 25% of your take home pay.

Listening to the callers on this show really got me thinking. Some people call in to say that they are now completely debt-free. They have repaid student loans, medical bills, mortgages, credit cards, family members, dumb stuff they should have never gotten into besides that. And many of them have done it in record time. I'm talking 3 years, 24 months, 18 months!

If you need someone to get under your skin and light a fire under your tail about debt, well check him out. The show plays live online and on AM radio in the afternoons. But if you can't listen then, the archives go back about a week and a half and you can play those at your convenience.

Early Retirement Extreme
This is a blog written by Jacob Lund Fisker (there is a book he has written by the same name which I will get to eventually). He said extreme, and he meant extreme. While he was retired, he was living on less than 10K per year.

The premise is that if you save enough money, invest it well, and reduce your consumption enough, you can retire long before the typical retirement age. And he did just that. . . for a while. . . until he became bored with his success and decided to look for a new challenge. I don't mean to make him sound like some kind of snobby kook. His writing is personable, interesting, and unpretentious. But you might have to look up some words. And you might have to wikipedia some stuff. I know I did.

Basically I read that blog to push myself and it helps me to question tacit assumptions. Some of those assumptions might be a. I have to work until I'm 66 b. I have to have 1 or 2 million to retire c. I have to live in a house or an apartment (he lives in an RV) d. I have to have a cell phone with a plan e. I have to buy clothes and shoes regularly and keep up with at least the late nineties.

Reading the blog allows me to consider that it is possibly to a. stop working for a wage as young as 40 without 1 or 2 million saved b. live in an unusual type of dwelling such as a boat or some other mobile housing c. use a prepaid cell phone only for emergencies since nobody really calls me anyway d. buy only a few things, and things made so well and so neutral that they will last as long as my shape stays the same!

There are many proverbs and sayings about the connection between thoughts and action, and thoughts and being. I believe that by keeping myself focused on this topic, I can only improve my financial discipline.

hey big spender!

2011-12-02T19:48:00.001-05:00

I recently read how one of my favorite personal finance bloggers spent over 800 on a fancy tech gadget. I was taken aback. This is someone who is carefull about grocery shopping, clothes shopping, and anything else involving money. There are charts and diagrams on the blog tracking where dollars are spent and where choices have been made to cut back in order to save. However, part of the reason she is so careful is so she can afford what she really likes: travel and technology. And it's her money, right? She earned it fair and square.

Well, I took it as encouragement and decided to purchase something I thought would enhance life immensely. After weeks of debate, my husband and I decided to buy a treadmill. We shopped around a lot and agreed to buy as nice a treadmill as we could possibly afford. We ended up spending just under a thousand including delivery and assembly and so far, hubby is delighted.

As for me, there is the mild feeling of buyers' remorse. It's a lot larger than I anticipated. I looked at it in the store, ran on it, and on a few others. But I never considered that we would have this huge hulking shape in our home. The cats are a little afraid of it, and the noise is quite a lot when hubby decides to take off sprinting as part of his work out. But I'm still glad we purchased it. We needed something. With days being shorter, and the cold weather coming, I won't be one for much time outdoors. That means the pounds I already put on won't be going anywhere, and I'll probably add more! So, this week so far, I worked out about three days. I'm proud of myself for that.

I am trying not to overdo it on the treadmill. I have to take exercise in small doses so I don't discourage myself with soreness and aches and pains. Also, if something feels like a chore, I just don't want to do it. So I'm trying not to make it into a "thing".

In other spend-y news, I just got my car repaired to the tune of $1700. Not seventeen dollars. Seventeen hundred dollars. The car needed lots of work. It's eight years old, going on nine and I wasn't one for much servicing beyond oil changes and tire rotations. When you do the math, it amounts to about $212 annually. I'll have to start giving it regular tuneups. I did replace the batteries and tires prior so it's not as if I've been doing nothing. But looking at the big picture, yeah, I've been doing nothing. I hope, in the warmer weather, to learn how to do oil changes myself. It can't be that hard. But the other stuff I'll leave to the experts, for now.

Thanks a bunch!

2011-11-23T13:30:00.000-05:00

For the first time in a long time, Wednesday before Thanksgiving does not mean hours of prep time, cleaning, and maybe even last minute shopping. Hubby and I have been invited to DMIL's home for a meal. I asked "what should I cook"? His reply was "nothing". So I cooked nothing. I did order some pies from the bakery at our workplace. We'll see how those go over. I'll let you know.

Meanwhile on the radio someone won a contest because his turkey weighs over 37 pounds. Increible!

dinged

2011-11-10T19:41:00.003-05:00

I understand that when we take it upon ourselves to do something so foolhardy as travel by air, we are pretty much at the mercies of mercenaries. Still, why are prices so high beyond the x-ray machine? I made the mistake of not preparing us a lunch when we departed to a friend's wedding last Friday. Sandwiches were upwards of $8. Water alone was $2 plus. So for my husband and I, a simple lunch of two sandwiches and shared bottle of juice was $22 and change.

Now, you are thinking these are wonderful sandwiches on seeded rolls with delicate lettuces and organic tomatos. . .weird and wonderful pickles and the choicest of meats or cheeses. Right? WRONG. My sandwich was on sliced bread. Sliced. bread. Chicken salad on sliced bread.

Next time, I'm bringing peanut butter and jelly.

That wasn't the only place we got dinged. Our wonderful non-smoking room mysteriously vanished before we arrived to check in. Completely disgusted at the prospect of sleeping in a room the clerk declared as quite smoky, we quickly decided to lodge at a more upscale hotel for a full $100 extra per night. I guess we have delicate constitutions.

Of course when you move from motor inn to hotel, well, you lose some perks. Gone is the free internet. Vanished is your continental breakfast. We ended up paying upwards of $24 each day for just breakfast for two. It was a feast fit for at least a politician. But I subsist on a bagel and decaf every day for breakfast. If I were forced to eat that every day for the rest of my life it would be a happy sentence indeed. So no hash browns, strawberries, omelets, honeydew, or french toast were necessary for me.

Finally, why are taxis so expensive in South Florida? And so rude?!

If it wasn't for the fact a good friend from way back got married to the love of her life, I would have called the entire trip a bust. But it wasn't. Good luck and God speed to them.

Now I have some reviews to prepare.

Hello November

2011-11-03T09:56:00.002-04:00

Arts & Crafts

I finished a hat in my crochet class. The $90 I dropped on the class for myself was money well spent. After learning a few basic stitches, I pretty much know how to crochet. I finished a hat with the teacher's help on Sunday. Now I have the confidence to make more. Maybe I'll even graduate to something bigger. Pictures coming soon.

Work

I've finally worked out a system for this job. I don't know that I can deal with the hours. The longer day is brutal. But since I have my own office, while I work, I listen to radio shows online. Especially those about personal finance. They really keep me going. I've heard some truly inspiring stories and perhaps this job is worth more than just the cash I'm taking home.

Auto

My "check engine" light came on. I took it to a local branch of a chain I trust. They declined to repair it and sent me to the dealer instead, explaining the problem had to do with my exhaust. Well, I dilly dallied because I figured it wasn't that bad a problem. It would definitely have to be fixed before I do my inspection this month. But then suddenly, the "check engine" light went off again. Why? The bulb is working fine.

Writing

I can't keep up! All of a sudden there are a bunch of writing-related things on my plate. I need to practice the word "no". Other than that I'm trying to do Nanowrimo this year. Again. Last night I just got crazy and wrote 1700 words. I skipped the first night so I have some catching up to do. It just seemed to flow. I cheated. I repeated. I reiterated. I used fillers. But I reasoned that if I can type upwards of 70 wpm, then it shouldn't take me more than an hour to write a bunch of crap! And so I did!

What's new with you?

the quickest 50 bucks I ever made

2011-10-26T13:33:00.002-04:00

was when I sold a few rings I owned to a jeweler about ten minutes ago. I don't really wear jewelry except for my wedding band, plus my engagement ring when I really want to be fancy. When I was younger I liked to wear rings though, especially silver ones. I had a couple of turquoise ones I bought while I lived out west. I really dug that western style (and I still sort of do). I also splurged once for my birthday and bought a ring in white gold, with a created opal in it, my birthstone.

Well, I just got $50 for that ring plus the four silver pieces. I do feel a little twinge, as if I sold them for less than they were worth. I know I got less than I originally paid. That is a given. However, I was never going to make a real effort to sell them online. I only ever put one up on craigslist once, and no takers. Also, some of them just didn't fit anymore. Curious. I didn't think fingers change that much.

What am I going to do with the 50 bucks? Save it, of course!

Have you considered getting rid of jewelry you own? What if it had little to no sentimental value?

New to me

2011-10-20T07:06:00.002-04:00

The company where I now work has a LOT of products, large and small, in cupboards high and low. The products range from solvents, to dyes, pigments, and polymers of all kinds. In my first week I noticed that before long the gloves I was wearing were covered with the residue from the jars of powder: white, glimmer-y purple, or green.

I quickly realized my not-so-special wardrobe of tops and slacks would likely get ruined before my assignment was up. Most of the workers in those areas wear jeans and khakis; even the PhDs. So while my office work wardrobe might not be so impressive to some people, I’m not prepared to have to replace any of it by ruining them in a lab environment. In addition, I may have outgrown (lol) some of my casual clothes.

In my second week, I took a trip around to a Salvation Army Family Store in my area. I found four pairs of jeans. Unfortunately there was no fitting room and it turned out two pairs don’t quite fit that well. One I can have taken in a bit. The other pair I’d have to lose weight for, so I think I’ll re-donate that pair. Oh yes, no returns are accepted. Just think of it like a yard sale. Cash is king and buyer beware.

I paid $26 total. Two pairs were popular brand names and the other two I’ve never heard of. That is not to say they are not popular. None of them were frayed or torn or even weathered. They were all just slightly used. When I mentally calculate what those jeans might be sold for, I think it might have come up to about $220. Rather than paying $55 average per pair brand new, I paid something more like $6.50. Since one pair doesn’t fit and another pair may have to be altered, I suspect it’ll actually cost $12 per pair. That is factoring in $10 for the alteration and dividing the grand total by the three pairs of jeans I’ll keep.

Overall, I think that’s alright. If I don’t ruin these jeans I’ll be able to wear them long after the assignment is over, denim being such a sturdy material.

What have you bought second hand? What wouldn’t you buy?

spare time

2011-10-16T22:50:00.001-04:00

I started a crochet class today. This is my homework assignment. It's a little crooked. I'm going to do another one.

goodbye desktop

2011-10-10T09:16:00.003-04:00

Last night my wonderful, heaven-sent, A+ certified brother came by and packed up the desktop he had so lovingly installed for me after my ancient laptop gave up the ghost. Well, it didn't give up the ghost so much as it was weakly languishing and constantly ringing the bell asking for water, the newspaper, its pillow to be fluffed and so on.

Recently I was reading on a blog, I think it was The Non-Consumer Advocate, that one easy way to de-clutter is to return things that don't belong to you! Or maybe it was Miss Minimalist. (I should write these things down.)

Well anyway, now the desk in our living room is a lot less cluttered. Where previously there was a monitor, cpu, keyboard, and mouse, there is now just blissful empty space. The mouse and keyboard were gifts from someone who replaced theirs and there was also a pair of speakers I purchased for music listening at my old job. I offered him everything, plus the old laptop but he forgot the speakers. Not to worry, I have texted him to let him know they are still his for the taking, and the giving to someone who really needs them. He does a lot of work for the church and for its members (paid and charity) so I'm certain the accessories won't clutter up his space too long.

Now my hubby and I can have greater access to the desk. Maybe he could even be persuaded to file a bill or something if everything is neat and obvious enough. Yeah, right.

watch out now

2011-10-07T14:41:00.004-04:00

Seems like this new job is gonna make me put on a few ounces, or even pounds. There is free this and free that every single day. And this is not counting the packets of sugar it takes to make the coffee and tea-like beverages a little more palatable.

There is often a tray of cookies on a table somewhere. Otherwise there are candies and chocolates in a dish somewhere else. I'm not accustomed to this much temptation. Luckily there's a cafeteria where one can get a salad, fruit, and, unfortunately, huge bagels one can slather with all the butter or cream cheese one can stand (and I can stand a lot).

It's going to take discipline.

Wednesday was my birthday and now I am one year older (although I don't think the year just adds itself onto you in that single day). I'm starting to feel a little bit creaky in the knees. My husband keeps telling me I need to exercise. I didn't know that was one of the remedies for creaky knees. But I ought to try it and see.

New job smell

2011-09-30T10:00:00.001-04:00

My first week on the new job and I can see that there's a huge difference between for profit, and not for profit. What's the difference? All the free bad coffee you can drink!

Just kidding.
So far so good. I've only put in four days so far and I can see the work could get monotonous. However, I'll be able to work in my own space and have flexible hours somewhat.

In other news, I ran into a young lady last weekend who has a similar problem to mine. Her nurse mom, and all her mom's nurse friends (who are friends with my Mom. . . I swear it's a cult), are trying to convince her to be a nurse. Trouble is, she seems to think she wants to be an accountant! Keep the faith kid!

take THAT, pharmacy!

2011-09-27T08:00:00.002-04:00

I recently cut my pharmacy bill in half!

Since January of this year I developed a couple of strange conditions. Both afflicted my skin. One dermatological, the other some type of allergy. The allergy requires an antihistamine every day or else I am itchy and burny the first couple of days, and then in pain thereafter.

I was taking Clarinex because the ENT started me out with samples of it and I believed it worked more effectively than loratadine (the "real" name of Claritin). But after several months of paying basically a dollar a day for relief from this condition, my wallet started to murmur and complain. I was/am on a few different medications and I needed to cut costs.

I found out that loratadine is sold at my local wholesale club store. The bottle is sold for about thirteen dollars. Guess how many pills each bottle contains? I'll wait. . . .
.
.
.
three hundred and sixty five.

So I went from spending perhaps $360 per year, or $30 per month to spending $13 per year, or $1.08 per month. And what will I do with the $347 I'm saving? Why, I'm going to spend it on travel and hotel for a wedding coming up in November. You see, this is why I'm frugal, so I can spend on the things that matter. To be fair, my new allergy meds are slightly, very slightly less effective. But the old ones weren't perfect either. I'm fairly comfortable and satisfied.
________________________
Photo Credit: Gliko

Autumn begins

2011-09-24T12:46:00.002-04:00

I haven't been too busy to blog. . . it just hasn't been my priority.
Since I've been out of a job, I've actually been at my old job several times. Twice to have lunch with old friends, and four times to do consulting for the department I left.
Other than that I've been at a book festival, volunteering at a soup kitchen, cleaning my home, networking with a literary organization, and looking after temp assignments for the near future.

I'm starting a 3 month assignment this Monday. Wish me luck. It's actually with my husband's employer. I'll be doing inventory of chemicals. That point was driven home by the fact I had to fill out and fax about 28 pages of forms to the staffing agency. After all that, I still have to drop a few things into the mail and get letters from my bank as I haven't yet updated my legal name on the bank accounts.

The summer went by so quickly. Now that autumn is here, it's been very cool. I haven't had a chance to spend much time at the beach. But I also enjoy the beach in winter. Hardly anyone else is there. Just you and the birds. The one time we went to the beach this summer, though, I saw tiny fish in the water, and hermit crabs fighting each other. I tried to get pictures but they were quite blurry so never mind about the hermit crabs.

Whenever I say to people in my area that I've been to the beach, interestingly they wonder whether it's the beach closest to me. It's a man-made beach in the Bronx that has a reputation for being a bit common. And I always say "Yes!". I don't see why I should drive nearly an hour and pay lots of toll, plus pay for parking, just to enjoy nature. At that rate I'd never get around to it.

the tightwad casserole

2011-09-10T14:09:00.004-04:00

This weekend I experimented with the tightwad casserole as described on a few PF blogs I read. First, on The Simple Dollar, the basic recipe is given. I paraphrase it:

1C main ingredient (such as tuna, cubed chicken, turkey, ham, seafood)
1C second ingredient such as celery, mushrooms, peas, or hard boiled eggs
1-2C starchy ingredient such as cooked noodles or cooked rice
11/2 C binder ie cream sauce, sour cream, or cream of something soup
1/4 C goodie: pimiento, olives, almonds, water chestnuts
Seasoning
Topping such as cheese, breadcrumbs, crumbled potato chips or what have you
Preheat the oven to 350 and bake for 25-30 minutes

I didn't like the idea of having to buy cream sauce or some kind of creamy soup every time I wanted to make this type of casserole. As both my husband and I are lactose intolerant, we don't keep those creamy things around much. Then I remembered my college days when a classmate made baked macaroni and cheese using a roux. Even though I've never made one that's what I decided I would use.

Roux is usually 1 part wheat flour and 1 part fat cooked over a stove. I had to research a lot to make sure I didn't waste my time making a bad batch. I used 1/4C flour and 4 T butter (half a stick). In the end I added some stock, a little coconut milk, and a little oil because I could see the coconut milk had been a bad idea.

My casserole turned out to have tuna, a mix of sauteed zucchini, onions, and shredded carrot, whole wheat penne, and chopped olives. The roux was the binder. The topping was a blend of shredded cheddar and breadcrumbs. The casserole was a hit. There's barely any left over.

I will definitely make this again and the beauty, or danger of it is that you could make a casserole every week, 52 weeks of the year, and never make the same one twice!

One blogger pointed out that being so starchy, this casserole is not for diabetic people! Or if you have a lot of health concerns, think twice or try to make it less of what is all wrong for you. That being said, I am quite happy with this basic recipe. I can use it to make sure some foods don't go bad in my refrigerator. I often make fried rice on a Saturday night to use up leftover rice from the week (and to avoid ordering Chinese food). However, using the rice in a casserole is a great alternative. . . and maybe marginally healthier.