The basic recipe is very simple, but there are a few variations of it, so the other day I decided to experiment with them and have a chocolate syrup taste test. Not a shabby way to spend the afternoon!

The one I liked the best was from Amy Dacyczyn’s The Complete Tightwad Gazette.

½ cup cocoa powder
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
⅛ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon vanilla

Mix the cocoa and the water in a saucepan. Heat and stir to dissolve the cocoa. Add the sugar, and stir to dissolve. Boil for 3 minutes over medium heat. Add the salt and the vanilla. Let cool. Pour into a sterile glass jar, and store in the refrigerator. Keeps for several months. Yields two cups.

The result is very rich, so I only use a teaspoon for a glass of chocolate milk.

I poured the chocolate into a flip-top glass bottle and added a label. These would make cute hostess gifts or party favors!

I’ve been gradually learning how to replace some of the foods we used to buy. My next cooking project is to figure out how to make gluten-free fish sticks. I’m thinking of fish coated with cereal crumbs? They need to look like they came out of a frozen-foods box, but not be so expensive that I fall over. Any suggestions?

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This week was a First. We went an entire week without spending any money! We’ve never done that before. We hadn’t planned to, but after five days we thought, “what’s two more days?”

We stayed busy and the days flew by quickly. A few conversations started with “Let’s go to… nevermind.” Since we couldn’t go out to spend money, we stayed home, rested, and also got quite a bit accomplished.

We watched fireworks from our balcony.

Experimented with waffle recipes.

I painted my nails.

I even cleaned my room, which usually remains neglected in favor of the family room.

We worked on some home projects, like refinishing the antique iron mantel for the nursery. Really, Doug fixed it, while all I fixed was a snack. (More photos coming later.) We have many more projects waiting for us this month.

Some of our meals and snacks this week: leftover chili, homemade pizza, hummus, scrambled eggs, and waffles. We’re being careful to save leftovers and use up what’s in the fridge.

If we had the money to spend, Doug would buy a book he can’t find at the library, and I would buy new plants to fill my empty flower pots. We’re obviously not having to go without much if that’s what we can think of.

Maybe we could even go a few more days before spending that first dollar, but I’d rather go to the grocery store and not try to find out. Cherries are on sale, and I’m sure not skipping that!

© 2009 SmallNotebook.org (all rights reserved)

Photo by lepiaf.geo

“Before leaving the house, a lady should stop, look in the mirror, and remove one piece of jewellery.” -Coco Chanel

Before you get started today, before you start the rush,

take one chore off of your To Do list.

Cross it off without even trying to do it.

Make today’s goals attainable, so that you can find some breathing space as you work through the day.

Stop for five minutes between tasks and sit and close your eyes.

Drink a glass of water occasionally.

Stop reminding your kids to hurry up, but slow down your pace instead.

Take a moment to notice the details.

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Photo by tyger_lyllie

Since I’m not thinking of anything new to bring home, it’s time to think about stuff I can return to the stores.

I had an extra bag of potting soil, and some light bulbs that were the wrong size to go back to the hardware store.

There’s a small stack of books that can be taken to Half Price Books.

I changed my mind about the curtain rods, so those can go back too.

I don’t have receipts for everything, but store credit is better than clutter. Maybe I could use those things eventually, but I have an apartment mindset, and I always know that one day I’ll be moving. I don’t want to pack and move things that I don’t need, so it’s better to get rid of it now.

Plus there is always one or two bags of stuff to drop off at Goodwill.

Today I’ll load up my trunk, do a tour of returns, and come home with nothing but refunds and store credit.

I hope.

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Every July our family takes a break from spending. This will be our 3rd Annual No Spend Month. No Spend Month is short for “No Spending Except for Basic Essentials This Month.”

We’re constantly told about things that will make our lives better, and yes, sometimes they do. But that daily message to buy, have, and make things nicer never stops, it consumes our time, and it can make us not see what we already have.

We’ll take a break from trying to add more. The tight budget is for accountability.

Details:

We have a total budget of $250 to spend on anything we would buy for ourselves this month.

Included:

• Groceries & eating out
• Gas
• Clothing
• Household items
• Entertainment

Not included:

• Rent, insurance, and bills
• Health expenses
• Work expenses
• Savings and investments
• Tithes and gifts

What we’re starting with:

I have gas in my car and this week’s groceries, plus the food we normally have in the fridge and cabinets. Since we live in an apartment, we don’t have a big pantry or an extra freezer to store more food. We’ll be getting creative with some of the leftovers in the back of the cabinets, but primarily using this month’s budget for our food expenses.

For answers to frequently asked questions about what we’ll be eating this month, see How to Cut the Food Budget and Keep the Food.

What’s the point?

What’s the point of depriving ourselves? Shouldn’t we be able to enjoy life?

Yes, and that’s exactly why we do it. When we take a break from spending, we learn to appreciate what we have. The convenient restaurant dinners become a special treat, our favorite foods are savored, and every time I put gas in my car I am thankful to have the money to do so. We stop taking things for granted. (And let’s not forget all the money saved from not eating out or making impulse buys.)

Advice for getting started:

1. Leave your debit card at home and use cash, budgeting a certain amount for each week.
2. Spend as little as possible at the beginning while you’re motivated, so you’ll have more to spare later in the month.
3. Don’t eat out. One restaurant dinner could be your entire week’s grocery budget.

Every family has a different situation, so adapt this plan to best fit what your family needs. Make your budget amount challenging, but still realistic. If you have a special event planned, just make an exception for that day. Maybe focus on one area of spending, such as not eating out or buying new things for the house. You’ll find plenty of things to keep yourself busy this month, without spending more.

Related Posts:

• Last Year’s No Spend Month
• $30K to $0: How We Became Debt-Free in One Year
• Add Grace to Your Budget
• 20 Pocket-Change Date Night Ideas

Don’t miss what’s coming next! Subscribe to Small Notebook.

© 2009 SmallNotebook.org (all rights reserved)

Goodbye restaurant meals, I’ll be cooking at home.

Yesterday I realized I had forgotten to mention a television interview that I did. The producer called and invited me to talk about No Spend Month, and he said bring the family with you!

Well my husband, sure, but not my two-year-old daughter? “Bring her,” he said, “we love kids.”

Would she run around on set like a crazy person? Maybe I could convince her to sit quietly with her juice box. Either way, she came too, and she definitely entertained us.

Being on the set was exciting. The newscasters and production crew cracked jokes and used funny voices during the commercial breaks. There were television monitors everywhere. And it was live.

Watch it here.

No Spend Month starts on Wednesday. I’ve been thinking about it for a long time, trying to figure out how we’ll make it. I’ve experimented with recipes in the kitchen to see if I can cook some of the gluten-free convenience foods that we normally buy. Some have turned out well, and some were huge flops.

The food will definitely be our biggest challenge. What I’m looking forward to is having more time. Shopping takes a lot of time, especially when you conscientiously try to compare quality and prices.

It’s been so great to see other people want to join in, and some have already gotten started. If you decide you want to try it, please don’t feel like you have to keep to the same budget that I do. Make it your own to fit what your family needs the most.

About this time each year I wonder why I picked a month with 31 days? Seriously, February would have been a smarter choice. But the idea first occurred to me at the end of June, and I decided to start it right away at the first of the month. And so it goes.

© 2009 SmallNotebook.org (all rights reserved)

What I’ve been reading this week:

Use the Good Stuff from Simple Mom. (Absolutely agree. Bonus! When you give yourself permission to use the good stuff, you no longer have to keep the junky stuff around.)

You know how it goes… Monday’s list starts with five things. Do three and carry over two to Tuesday. Friday your list has twenty things on it. Want to fix that? Simplifying Your To Do List from Mom Advice

Intentional Cleaning from Steady Mom - How to clean your house but let go of the perfectionism so you don’t spend all day on it.

Teaching My Children About Money from Simple, Green, Frugal Co-op

5 Lessons You Can Learn from Kids from Mommy’s Idea Book

Enjoy your weekend!

© 2009 SmallNotebook.org (all rights reserved)

Photo by geishaboy500

Want to leave town?

We shared last week about how to keep your kids’ stuff organized when you pack for a trip, but what about your own bag? I don’t have time anymore to spend hours packing for a trip. There are so many other things to do to get ready!

To save time I keep a travel kit in my suitcase ready to go. With my toiletries already packed, I’m half done before I even get started. After the trip when I return home, I refill the little bottles and store it back in my suitcase for next time. This makes it easier to not forget anything.

I love knowing that I can be out the door in an hour if I get a last minute call for a trip. Not that it ever happens, but it could.

Since I travel light, it doesn’t take long to pack my clothes. I usually include a few shirts, two pairs of pants, and a dress. In the winter I bring a sweater and a hat, and in the summer I include some shorts and a swimsuit. For longer trips I can hand wash a few items if I need to. I toss in my makeup bag, and my suitcase is ready. I also like to bring a tote bag with me for a book or snacks.

So I don’t forget what I need to do, I use this Before the Trip checklist to get ready.

© 2009 SmallNotebook.org (all rights reserved)

Photo by Kanko*

We have only one clock in the house. It’s a little Timex alarm clock that I’ve had since I was five, and it sits on my desk. Most of our daily tasks are guided not by the clock but by everyday objects that have knit themselves into our routine.

A cup of tea to prod my sleepy morning self to wake up already. The bed made to remind myself not to get back in it.

The tote bag with snacks that signals to drop what you’re doing, because we’re about to go somewhere fun.

The white blanket that tells my young daughter yes, it is in fact time for a nap, when otherwise saying it’s two in the afternoon is meaningless. (And if your child associates an object with nap time, by all means, buy two.)

The dinner candle that entices to come sit at the table and eat. (If Lane eats well then she gets to blow out the candle, so meal times have become much easier now.)

The bedtime cookie that soothes the bedtime routine and finishes the frequent stalling and delays.

The clean kitchen at the end of the day to agree my work day is over and I can call it quits for now.

© 2009 SmallNotebook.org (all rights reserved)

Here’s a tip I picked up from my sister-in-law who’s a mom to 5. When you pack your kid’s suitcase for a vacation or summer camp, place each day’s complete outfit into a large  ziploc bag. Have one more bag for an extra day. It makes it so much easier for kids to get dressed when they don’t have to dig through all the jumbled clothes in their suitcase.

No matter how dirty your kids get while on the trip, each morning they’re guaranteed fresh, clean clothes and pajamas.

I also keep a saved packing list so I can make sure we’re bringing the essentials.

© 2009 SmallNotebook.org (all rights reserved)