Shoestrings: Big Deals for Small Budgets

Debra to Dallas

2017-09-01T08:26:00.002-04:00

Ssn Antonio has me headed to West Virginia.

Get me back to Dallas before the 7th and i want to negotable a long term deal,

Jewelry Making: A Guest Post by Dawn Rood

2012-06-18T09:59:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite family traditions is gift making. My mom got me started at a young age: 6 or 7. Every year, I created gifts for my dad’s side of the family. We would make two gifts each year: one for the ladies, and one for the gents. For the ladies, we made gifts like tissue covers, teacup candles, and flower votives. The men typically got themed baskets of homemade goodies (always a hit!), keepsake ornaments, and armchair organizers. This tradition has given me a lifelong appreciation of thoughtfully handmade gifts.

This gifting tradition has recently led me into jewelry making. When making gifts, I look for items that are simple, inexpensive, and easy to create. My mom helps out by sending me ideas she thinks may be of interest to me. One of these was a link to create baked marbles. They are actually called fried marbles, but they aren’t. I liked the idea not only for their look, but because they can be adapted to suit both genders and all ages. The most popular use for them seems to be pendants. Step one was to pick up inexpensive supplies.

I started with inexpensive wire in gold and silver tones. However, I didn’t find the marbles I wanted. I came home still excited about making jewelry without all I needed to create my intended craft. So, being, well, me, I couldn’t just let perfectly good wire sit around unused until I got the rest of the supplies. Noooooo.

Looking around the house with my new jeweler eyes, I considered what I could use in place of fried marbles. The first usable material to catch my eye were shells in a decorative basket. I selected a few small ones, and set to work wrapping them with wire. The first one -- a small, twistily thing -- turned out so well that I made a few more. This was my first step into the art of wire-wrapped jewelry..

For me, wire-wrapped jewelry is definitely a good crafting choice. The upside of jewelry making is that you don’t need to invest a lot to get started. Jewelry findings -- such as clasps, joiners, and jewelry wire -- are fairly inexpensive. The basic jewelry making tools are few and also inexpensive. Jewelry pliers make it easy to control wire bending, and wire cutters are self explanatory, no? A ring mandrel is a must-have if you want to create rings. They are used for correct sizing as well as aiding the process of ring making.

Another benefit of wire wrapping is incorporating found items into my jewelry designs. For example, a $1 garage sale radio became a resource for steampunk charms. My first piece was a wire wrapped glass fuse that became a pendant charm. With about $5 spent at the local hardware store, I netted enough “industrial charms” to make enough gifts for all the handymen in my family. Wire wrapping has quickly given me a “charmed” perspective towards life!

There are many resources online for learning different techniques. I am not really a technique sort of person. I mostly just fiddle around with things until I like their look. The most difficult part is working the wire consistently, which requires patience more than special skills. A closely related craft that I’ve discovered along the way is “viking knit”(see tutorial below). This is an ages-old craft that comes from creating chain mail. Done small scale, they make chic looking pieces of jewelry. In fact, many complex looking patterns are actually fairly simple to create.

Wire wrapping crafts that appeal to me for a couple other reasons as well. Both the crafting supplies and process can be contained to a small area, which is important to me as I have two small children. It's easy to settle into a corner of the couch in the evening when the day starts to wind down. Best of all, it is easy to put it down and pick back up when my kids need me. Wire wrapping allows me to create personalized pieces to match my eclectic wardrobe. I love my baubles -- earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings. It fits quite well into both my budget and mommy lifestyle. I would definitely recommend trying it out at least once.

Below are some links to videos I found useful that I referenced for making: earrings, necklaces, bracelets, and rings.

Basic Wire Wrapping Technique for Pendants:

Wire Wrapped Earrings:

Wire Wrapped Ring:

Wire Wrapped Gemstone Ring: from Lytha Studios

Beaded Bangle Bracelet

How to Make Viking Knit Chain

Sites Accessed:
about.com: Armchair Ogranizer

allfreesewing.com:Tissue Cover Pattern

www.craftbits.com: Teacup Candle Craft
Martha Stewart.com: Christmas Ornament Frames

Two Crafty Mules: Floral Votive Craft (I used goblets for mine that year)

Mealtime Fun With Vintage Recipes

2012-06-15T08:00:00.000-04:00

The Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Sixties Cookbook: More than 100 Retro Recipes for the Modern Cook

By Rick Rodgers & Heather Maclean

I love cookbooks for their inspiration, and this one is full of ways to revive some retro recipes. Because the sixties was a fantastic time of social change, there is a wide enough range to suite all types of tastes. I enjoyed the many tips on creating themed parties typical of the sixties. I enjoyed a couple (okay: a few!) book-inspired web surfs:

Retro Napkins Are Fun!

I feel inspired by these
Monogrammed Linen Napkins & Silver Napkin Box:

¡Que Elegante!

The first chapter helps you set a sixties scene for a total retro dining experience by highlighting popular dining trends and accessories of the era. One of my personal favorites are special occasion gleaming silver chafing dishes. Chip and dip sets became a must-have because of the birth of the dip-able ruffled chip. Prompted by Hawaii becoming America's 50th state, the popularity of the movie South Pacific, Elvis's Blue Hawaii, Paradise Hawaiian Style, and Girls Girls Girls created an interest in an Americanized version of Polynesian culture and food. Tiki torches, bamboo servers, and pu pu platters have mainstreamed into the American culture, maintaining their appeal at the summer barbecue.

The recipes are an interesting mix given the exploratory nature of the decade. There are lots of international flavors as well as elegant dinner party recipes, such as beef wellington. The two recipes I have incorporated into my daily recipe stash are homemade tomato soup and the retro grilled cheeses. Homemade tomato soup is not only easy to make, but adaptable to flavor additions, such as Mexican spicy. I also did not know that grilled cheeses were originally made with mayonnaise, not margarine or butter. It spreads on the bread lighter and smoother, and gives the grilled cheese a nicer toast than margarine. The recipes are retro kitschy, with both menu and music selections to make for a fun retro party!

Pannekoeken: German Puff Pancake

2012-06-14T05:50:00.000-04:00

Pannekoeken is Dutch/Belgian in origin, and a delicious, versatile, and budget friendly recipe. First of all, it is simple and quick to prepare with a short ingredient list of items found in every pantry. It is can be served plain, savory, or sweet. Pannekoeken fits into any meal as well as serving as a snack or dessert. It is a good recipe for using up small bits of foods, stretching the food budget by reducing waste.

Topped with berries or fruits and dusted with a bit of powdered sugar makes it a nice breakfast or dessert. Use minced meats, vegetables, and/or cheese and pannekoeken can act as either an entree or side dish. The type of fat you use varies the recipe as well. Use unsalted butter and add a 1 1/2 cup of sugar for a danish-type texture. I use this version as a dessert, drizzling it with a simple glaze or a dusting of powdered sugar. Using margarine will result in a buttered pancake texture and taste. I typically choose margarine when I don't add any toppings, drizzling it with a bit of syrup. Shortening or oil will give the pannekoeken a denser texture similar to an omelet. I use oil when using meats, vegetables, or cheese when I serve pannekoeken as a light lunch or supper.

In the version pictured below, I took an apple pie approach. I had 3 small apples that needed to used: not enough for a pie. Peeled and sliced very thin, I sprinkled the pannekoeken with a bit of apple pie spice and some brown sugar. The family enjoyed the unexpected dessert after our supper today.

Get your recipe here!

On the To-Do List: Art Cards

2012-06-13T03:07:00.000-04:00

I was born a linguist. Before I learned to read and write, I used art to express myself as well as create stories. I remember spending many happy hours with paper and various writing utensils as a child.

While I can not claim to be as skilled as Shakespeare or Michelangelo, both the written word and art have always been a constant in my life. Creating my own works, in any form, is an activity I never tire of even if the end result doesn't turn out exactly as I had envisioned at the start. It is the process of creating that keeps me engaged.

I enjoy the works of others as much as I do creating my own. Art, books, Internet, and other types of media allow us to meet with great minds of both the past and present. We are blessed to live in a time where there are so many different ways to communicate with not only those in our immediate environment, but able to engage in both a past/present and global way. One delightful way of connecting to the world is by the tradition of Art Cards.

Art Cards are an old tradition that has been re-birthed in various formats during it's history. They can be traced in the history of portraiture in the 16th century. The nobility of the Renaissance commissioned miniature portraits which were typically gifted to a family member. The French are credited for beginning to use them for commerical use. Eventually, sports cards and the newfangled art of photography with it's tin types became the new format of traditional art cards.

Art Cards have experienced a new metamorphosis. "The celebrated Swiss artist, M. Vanci Stirnemann, in 1997, used his style and techniques to secretly create 1200 cards by hand. Much to the surprise of the patrons in Zurich, Switzerland, his entire exhibit was comprised of only ATC’s. Then he wowed them again when, on the last day of the exhibit in, he encouraged participants to make their own in a classroom setting. The movement took off and now you can find artists of all backgrounds presenting theirs personalized ATC’s"(1).

Two reasons why art cards appeal to me are their small size -- I've always loved miniatures -- and their endless range of possibilities. ATCs typically fall into three broad categories in regards to materials: fine art materials such as paints, scrap-booking materials, and those that use "found" materials. Mixed media, however, appears to be the most popular approach to ATCs.

There are several art card communities online, such as the ACEO, and the original Artist Trading Cards sites. Art-e-zine has a page of great cards from a swap they held. Here are three of my favorites, with artists listed.

(Note: Artist links @ Art-e-zine were broken; if you can verify a genuine link, it would be appreciated)

I created a list of the basic starting supplies, such as blank artist trading cards. A large square hole punch to use with other types of decorative papers will produce a professional edge on my art cards. I see a lot of stamps used on ATCs, but I am going to start with a less expensive option at the moment: a set of edger scissors. Sharpies, gel pens, and colored pencils will be complete my starter supplies as I already have watercolors.

My head is already swimming with ideas of ATCs to create and how to use them. Eventually I want to use them for personally created art. To start with, I think I am going to warm up with some collage cards like the ones above. I definitely want to create some themed sets. There will be story-themed ones for the grand-babies. I want to create several interest-based sets to give as gifts. I plan on creating and gifting myself with some mini scrapbook-type sets using personal mementos.

Stay tuned for photos of my creations! Feel free to share your creations as well.

Sites accessed:

http://www.artist-trading-cards.ch/index.html

http://www.art-e-zine.co.uk/index.html

http://www.art-cards.org/
(1)Fine Art America.com: ACEO Art Cards & History

Products to get started:

Defined: Best Value

2012-06-12T21:13:00.000-04:00

In many respects, my parents were opposites, but it worked because their differences acted as balance between these life partners. One difference between them was in their definition of “best value”. For my mother, it was always defined by “lowest price”. My father had a more complex definition of best value. My personal definition of “best value” follows more along my father’s line of reasoning, as well as adding my own factors developed during my full time homemaker years.

There are five broad principles that guide my definition of "best value".

1. Have nothing in your home that you don’t find absolutely functional or beautiful: preferably what is in your home is both.

I have experienced many people who believe "budget" equals either "crappy" or "ugly" or a combination of both. I am thankful that today’s manufacturing capabilities allow people of all income brackets to obtain or create objects that are both functional and beautiful.

2. “Spending” does not necessarily meaning “wasting”

My example for this principle involves my washer and dryer. I purchased it through a local rent to own company. Most of what you read about rent to own purchases is negative, mostly because the interest can add so much to the overall purchase. At the time I purchased them, my budget was to the penny tight, but did include doing laundry each week.

The weekly price of laundry was equal to the weekly rental price of a washer and dryer. Another bonus was not having to worry about maintenance as that was included for as long as the machines were rentals. Utilities were cheaper than the gas and time involved in going to the laundromat each week, so it made sense to choose rent to own over the laundromat.

The money I spent on the washer and dryer was for a two year period, which I paid off early. Any money spent at the laundromat would have been gone every week with nothing to show for it. I still have my good quality washer and dryer.

3. Practice cost accounting when making purchasing decisions.

Cost accounting is a total cost approach to making buying decisions. I can buy a take and bake pizza from Walmart for less then I can buy the cheese to make one of similar quality at home. I don’t buy economy sewing shears because they don’t work as well as more expensive shears. I also consider the cost of time, gas, and wear on the car when calculating “savings” at a store that is at a distance from my home. “Penny wise and dollar foolish” is an appropriate motto when you make purchases based on cost accounting factors.

4. “Form follows function”

The famous phrase by architect Frank Lloyd Wright is a design principle that can be applied to purchasing decisions. Some people can get blinded by a good deal, not considering that the purchased item doesn’t fit into their life for whatever reason. Last year, a friend was all excited about the space heater deal he found. It was definitely a good deal both in price and for his home, which is endearingly old but a bit drafty. While it was a good deal for him, it would have been a waste of money for me. If you can not utilize it in your own life efficiently, it is not a good value.

Another common money mistake is buying for "might need". I've known many people who buy a good deal based on "might need". The reasoning, using the example above, is:

I might need a space heater someday.
This is such a good deal, I'm going to get one now.

The only person who is going to benefit from this type of purchase is the person who buys it when you get tired of storing it. You are actually going to lose money as no one is going to pay the full price you purchased it for, as it is now a "previously owned" product.

5. Quality

Quality is an important aspect to consider when making purchases. Quality was the point of greatest divergence between my parents. My father always factored in quality when making purchases. From his example, I learned the value of spending more on a product that stood the test of time. A poorly made product will quickly be replaced, and the price of it should be added onto the cost of whatever you put in it’s place. Work shoes, for example, should be chosen for quality over price since you will be in them for long periods of time. Furniture, transportation, and clothing are other items where quality should be given more weight than price.

At the same time, a high price is not a guarantee of high quality. A friend of long ago used to order the most expensive meat or seafood entree when eating out, believing price equaled better quality. While that was generally true in the large metropolitan area she grew up in, she was now living in a small, working class town. The most expensive item was seldom ordered, so she often got meats that had sat in the back of the freezer for long periods of time. Because they were ordered more often, the better entrees were the lower priced ones. Not only were they typically fresher, they were more skillfully prepared as the cook had more practice with them. That was true in that place, and in that time.

Educating yourself to differentiate between quality and price is the only safeguard here as it can vary from one local to another. Taking the time to familiarize yourself with your local market and it's fluctuations is always time well spent.

A Sizzlin' Sunday

2012-06-11T08:00:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a perfect summer day, shared with my family. After attending church, we all chipped in to prepare a grilled lunch/supper, which we call "slupper". On the menu:

Marinated steaks & hot dogs (for little ones), grilled

Fresh kale, sauteed in oil with freshly minced garlic

Confetti Rice

Garlic Toast, made with French Farmer Loaf

Strawberry Shortcakes

Homemade Lemonade

The steaks were superbly seasoned and grilled to perfection!

My first time cooking and tasting kale: I sauteed cleaned leaves in oil and minced garlic:
Good Flavor!

French Farmer Bread: A larger, heartier loaf than the typical baugette

Hot Dogs: Enough for Lunch Tomorrow!!

Nifty Thrifty: Just for Fun

2012-06-08T08:00:00.001-04:00

"The Compleat Housewife" has the distinction of being the first cookbook published in America. The Compleat Housewife title page describes the book as a “collection of several hundred of the most approved receipts, in cookery, pastry, confectionery, preserving, pickles, cakes, creams, jellies, made wines, cordials. And also bills of fare for every month of the year. To which is added, a collection of nearly two hundred family receipts of medicines; viz. drinks, syrups, salves, ointments, and many other things of sovereign and approved efficacy in most distempers, pains, aches, wounds, sores, etc. never before made publick in these parts; fit either for private families, or such publick-spirited gentlewomen as would be beneficent to their poor neighbours."

It is an interesting peek into the lives of women in the colonial days of America. It gave me an appreciation of the ease in which we can now answer the daily dilemma of the ages old question of "what's for dinner?" as well.

Here are two interesting pie recipes from the book. The first is more of a fruit frittata than a traditional pie, while the second is a baked lemon pie.

Apple Tansy:

"To make an Apple Tansy, Take three pippins, slice them round in thin slices, and fry them with butter; then beat four eggs, with six spoonfuls of cream, a little rosewater, nutmeg, and sugar; stir them together, and pour it over the apples; let it fry a little, and turn it with a pye-plate. Garnish with lemon and sugar strew'd over it."

Get the modern, printable version of the recipe here.

Lemon Pye:

"To make a Lemon Tart TAKE three clear lemons and grate off the outside rinds take the yolks of twelve eggs and six whites beat them very well squeeze in the juice of a lemon then put in three quarters of a pound of fine powdered sugar and three quarters of a pound of fresh butter melted stir all well together put a sheet of paste at the bottom and sift sugar on the top put it in a brisk oven three quarters of an hour will bake it So serve it to the table"

Get the modern, printable version here.

"The Compleat Housewife" was accessed @ Google Books.

If you are interested in other early American cookbooks, the American Antiquarian Society (AAS) has an on-line collection of some of the most important and influential American cookbooks of the 19th and early 20th century.

Feed a Family on $50 a Week: Part 2

2012-06-07T08:00:00.000-04:00

"$50 a week grocery budget", as well as frugal living, is a highly blogged topic with lots of great sites. I spent days surfing all types of food sites, frugal living sites, and personal blogs written by people from all walks of life sharing their tips. The creativity and range of approaches that people shared is truly impressive!

It would be an Atlas sized task to put together a complete list of the frugal living information offered on the Internet. Because Google can do that so much more efficiently than I, I trimmed the list to ten. They first met my criteria on my previous post. Secondly, they seemed good representations of the range of approaches I encountered.

It is my intention to help you get inspired.   I tried to create a list that appealed to a variety of tastes and diets. I have included meat and vegetarian options, as well as whole foods options. Within that, there is a range from basic to epicurious styles to preparing budget menus.

Best Food Budget Information I Found:

10. NDU Extension Office: Nutrition Information

This page has lots of solid information regarding the basics of eating well, from start to finish. Get inspired by working through the 5 part series entitled "Tasty Healthy Meals on a Budget". The series will walk you through menu planning, shopping and concludes with recipes. They also don't forget food for the heart, including articles such as:
A. Improving Family Communication at the Dinner Table
B.  Family Fun at the Dinner Table

9. Creative Dollar Blog

This blog post contains a weekly shopping list that comes in at $20. It is meant to serve "2 big eaters, 3 normal eaters, 2 parents and 2 young children, or 1 parent and 2 children".  However, it only includes breakfasts and lunches in small portions. It also doesn't have room to accommodate special dietary needs, such as being diabetic. The author admits she hasn't tested this, but is interested in hearing from someone who has, whether successfully or not. I believe it is meant for emergency weeks, not as a regular diet.

8. The Lazy Man's Guide to Groceries on a Budget

The three top frugal grocery strategies are coupons, lots of prep cooking, or lots of meals of beans and rice. In a guest post for the site: "Get Rich Slowly", Karl Katzke writes how he keeps his grocery bill to $100 a month without using those strategies. It reads a bit like a list, focusing on shopping strategies. This should inspire those who would like to take the same approach.

7. Cheap Healthy Good: $25/Week Food Project

If you are new to groceries on a strict budget, this is article is a must-read. There is no shortage of sites that sound almost evangelical about the ease of a bare minimum grocery budget. What newbies aren't told is that those doing well with it have developed a system over time and/or live with more available resources such as double coupons and lots of shopping alternatives.

This post realistically details the beginning challenge of eating on such a strict budget. For example, they developed a menu from sales flyers of a rural location where shopping choices are limited. They also include an overview of the project, which lasted a week, including recipes used. This link will take you to the start of their $25/Week Food Project, a blogging challenge designed to raise awareness of hunger in America.

Cheap Healthy Good is a blog is "dedicated to the advancement of frugal, nutritious, ethically-minded food in everyday life. "

6. Fancy Frugalista!

Fancy Frugalista has a year's worth of $50 per week examples of shopping lists, menus, and recipes, written by a single blogger. I included it because it's a good site for inspiration and real life examples.

5. One Income Family Living @ blogspot.com

I included oneincomefamilyliving because of Anna's faithfulness in posting how she spends her $50 a week food budget. I like her thoughtfulness in adding a link between her menus and recipes, making them easy to find. For anyone needing an example to get started with, you definitely want to spend some time here.

4. 30 Bucks a Week

According to their "What's It About?" page, this site is "is an attempt to document spending $30 a week on groceries for two people living in Brooklyn, NY (yes, $15 each). That budget goes for all of the groceries we buy to make our meals for the week....All the meals featured here are 100% vegetarian, but will often feature eggs and dairy."

I found the information on this site both informative and tasty. Recipes have an urban flair, with an emphasis on flavor. They also use dairy products, so the information is good for anyone new to meatless cooking. A good source of information is their list of food sites and bookshelf of cookbooks. I found many sites sacrifice flavor to budget, so 30 Bucks a Week was one I definitely had to include

3. Cheap Food Here

This site "is dedicated to helping you learn how eating healthy whole foods is the ticket to a long life and saving money in the long run and still being conscious of your budget". They also try to avoid canned and frozen foods, inviting visitors to "bring your taste buds back to life with delicious, organic whole foods and enjoy what the earth provides for us naturally." A bonus is their focus on foods from Costa Rica. I was married to a Latino, and have had friends from all parts of Mexico, South America, and Puerto Rico. I speak from experience when I say these people do a great job of seasoning foods, and they aren't necessarily hot or overly spicy!

2. $5 Dinners

I wasn't going to include sites that used coupons, but I've made an exception for this one. It is written by Erin Chase, a well known budget food blogger. Included in her FAQ page is a disclaimer due to local pricing, and items are typically bought on sale with a coupon. She shops almost exclusively at Kroger's. Even with those restrictions, there is a lot of good information on her site such as frugal recipes. For those interested in learning more about using coupons, there is solid beginner information, including on line coupon sites. Cavet: be sure to consider the price involved when printing coupons; ink alone could eat up any savings.

1. Grocery Budget 101

Grocery Budget 101 seems to be the site where many people learned how to hit the $50 per week grocery budget based on how many people credited the site on their own. This is the one stop information site for grocery budgeting. The link above takes you to the main grocery budget page, with lots of links to all things related to frugal grocery shopping. There are lots of grocery strategy tips, such as how to maximize savings on seasonal items. The site also has recipes and a coupons page.

The three links of main interest for budgeting beginners is in the middle of the page, and includes:

How to Begin Menu Planning:
Learn the types of menus and how to figure out which one will work best for your busy family
Our $50 Weekly Menus:
view our complete weekly menu plans (which include breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and drinks and cost on average about $50 per week
The Stocked Pantry:
Learn which items should you keep on hand to keep your grocery budget in check and maximize your savings

Feed a Family on $50 per Week

Menu Planning

5 Store Bought Snacks for Any Budget

2012-06-06T08:00:00.000-04:00

Summertime demands snacks, but snacks can devour a grocery budget as fast as teens at a sleepover. As a mom of two football playing teens, however, snacks were both a necessity and a treat. They also fed the soul as budget-friendly entertainment when served at home and shared with friends.

When cutting the food budget, many people often start with snacks. I think this is a mistake because it often leads to more expensive splurges over time. I think that a wiser approach is to rethink snacks overall, taking a comprehensive approach to snacking. My regular snack items are both dollar-sensitive, and fairly nutritionally conscientious. Here is a list of five budget friendly snacks, along with suggestive recipes that give them some variety.

My Top Five Best Snacks:

One of my pantry staples is Santita's Tortilla Chips, made by the Frito Lay people. You can choose from white or yellow corn triangles, as well as rounds. $2.00 anywhere you go!

Fudge Grahams: Available at Dollar Tree -- for only $1.00!

$5.00 a Bag @ Walmart: Tropical Trail Mix
is my personal favorite. There are 4 flavors:
Mountain Trail
Cajun
Tropical
Indulgent

Available at Walmart for $5.00

$2.00 -- Great Value Ready-to-Bake Cookies: available at Walmart:
Also comes in Snickerdoodle & Oatmeal Raisin

On Learning How to Sew

2012-06-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

One of my worst performances as a student was in my home economics class. I did okay overall in the class, but my sewing project was a complete disaster. One of the requirements of the project is that we had to wear it a full day in school: the teacher's assurance that we wouldn't blow off the assignment. All I learned to sew at point was an aunt who had taught me how to hand sew buttons and stitch up a bit of frazzled seam. Possessing all the confidence of the unknowledgable and inexperienced, I was certain that I would complete the project with ease.

The first part of the assignment was to pick out a pattern and the notions to go with it. While my mom went grocery shopping, I perused the patterns at our small town department store. It wasn't until I read the back of an actual pattern that I realized that "notions" did NOT mean my fabulous fashion ideas, as in: "I've got a notion that my home ec project will be so fabulous that it will set the fashion world aflame!" I consider understanding the language of the lesson correctly to be both an important academic and life lesson I learned from that assignment.

The second lesson learned from learning to sew occurred when I was perusing patterns. As a child, clothing was important only as it served a function or was required for an event such as church. As a teen, I had reached the point of fashion as self-expression. Back then, that meant looking as much like my friends as possible: a difference between the small town society I lived in as a child, and the more cosmopolitan society I choose to live in as an adult. That afternoon at the Woolworth's counter, I leaned how anything -- an object, idea, lifestyle -- can be adjusted by the lens used to view it. The significance of any garment that afternoon could be answered in two questions: how many seams and are they straight?

My first choices were the stuff of fashion fantasy. As a teen, I was an avid watcher of haute couture. I could speak knowledgeably about Parisian fashion houses, Italian leathers, knew the dates collections would be shown, and how they would trickle into mainstream fashion venues. A day perusing the mall's make up counters was considered a special treat. I knew about lines, drapes, and lingering notes of fragrance. Imagine my joy when I discovered that pattern catalogs contained designer sections! Haute coutre that could be had at home: delightful!

Closer examination of the patterns made me rethink those choices. I didn't have unlimited time or resources to make such outfits. As a beginning sewer, I was also intimidated by pattern outlines with many intricate details that define high quality. I decided to make a decision based on the constraints of my resources, mostly sewing only in class. I ended up choosing a beginner's pattern for a pair of corduroys without pockets or special seams.

I completed the pants, but never wore them. I cut them without realizing you had to reverse the pattern, ending up with a two toned garment because of the pile of the fabric. However, it wasn't a wasted assignment because I did learn the basics of sewing. I also learned how to make buttonholes, put in zippers, and make pleats.

Having shared my seamstress beginning, it might surprise you to learn that sewing is a hobby that I have enjoyed for years now. It wasn't until I became a young mother with three small children that I attempted to sew regularly; but that disastrous assignment is what I drew from when beginning to sew at home.

I began sewing at home because my boys always needed their pants hemmed. From simple clothing repairs, I started making simple curtains and decorative pillows. I expanded to making toys and household items, both with and without patterns. Over the course of time, I've successfully taught myself more complicated sewing techniques. I'll be the first to admit to keeping to simpler techniques and projects, but am skilled enough to not be intimidated by haute couture patterns if I choose.

My first complex, non-patterned project was a beautiful cloth tortilla server. It was made completely out of re-purposed materials: a pillowcase, dish towels, and a bit of ribbon and lace. At that point in time, it was a challenging project for me. It required a lot of guesswork because it was my first pattern-less project. Today I can make patterns simply from ideas in my head. It also required that I master some new sewing skills. It was my first project that made use of non-straight seams; now I can do embroidery with the basic stitches of my machine. I used it, with many compliments, for years.

Sewing is going to be a regular topic here at Shoestrings, as well as many other types of crafting. When you are attempting to live large on a small budget, knowing how to sew is invaluable. Being able to do clothing repairs alone is worth a initial investment in a good machine and other sewing tools. (It is typically easy to score a used one in decent condition as well.) It isn't difficult to create many types of projects that enhance your life with both usefulness and beauty. If you are new to sewing, I hope sharing my sewing beginning encourages to you to at least consider it as an option.

Feed a Family on $50 a Week: Part 1

2012-06-04T08:00:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I made my "Confetti Noodles" for my sons. I made it up a few weeks ago, and it was an immediate hit. My sons both agreed that "it tastes like it came from the Oriental restaurant". To appreciate the weight of that statement, the Oriental restaurant is one of their top five places to order from. I am especially pleased with the compliment as my Confetti Noodles are both super cost friendly as well as full of veggies that they typically won't touch.

Since this isn't a dish I've made for my daughter, I was sharing it with her during our daily phone chat, leading to a discussion of groceries in general. She is a young mom of a three year old mermaid princess, and a handsome newborn prince. They recently purchased their first home: a modest trailer, but it's all theirs. Living on one income makes budgeting issues a big concern.

Groceries top the list for her as she is currently handling the homemaking duties while hubby works. I shared with her that there are lots of sites for grocery budgets, including ones for feeding a family of four on $50 per week. This really interested her, and I was asked to do the research to find the best sites because she doesn't have Internet in her home at the moment. I decided that would make a perfect first post for Shoestrings.

This is the criteria I used to pick my top sites:

1. Menus could not feel burdensome in any way.

For example, some menus I encountered adhered to strict portion controls as the main method of sticking to the budget. Meeting a $50 per week budget requires a more comprehensive approach to diet than just counting bites. Having to add another step to food preparation also turned me off to this approach. Sites that seemed too rigid in their budget proposals, such as taking a "homemade-or-die" approach to grocery budgeting were not included. (Believe it or not, I discovered more than one source that was so enthusiastic that they came across a bit unbalanced to the objective web site visitor).

Not everything homemade is cheaper or better. For example, I can buy a take and bake pizza home from Walmart cheaper than it would cost me to buy the cheese to make the same pizza at home. I can also buy store brand ready to bake cookies cheaper than I can buy the ingredients to make them.

Another example I felt extreme was minimizing choices to such a spartan level as to make eating unpleasant. The purpose of my research is to find ways to make meal times pleasant on a budget, not make them devoid of all enjoyment. Sites crossing the line between frugal and spartan (cheap beyond words) did not make my list. Shoestrings is about living better on a budget, not living like a miserable miser or martyr.

2. Food items had to satisfy a range of tastes, starting with being child friendly.

I looked for nutritious menus that stayed mainstream: no extremes such as macrobiotic diets or unpleasantness such as surviving on road kill roasts. I did, however, include some vegetarian sites that had good information, such as recipes and vegetarian cooking and shopping tips. If you are a hard core meat eater, you need to be prepared to adopt some level of meatless in your diet.

Reducing meat in the diet is a top three suggestion to trimming the food budget. The top 3 suggestions are using cheaper cuts of meat, using meat pieces (shredded, cubed, etc.) instead of eating whole cuts of meat, and going meatless several meals of the week. If you have lived on meat as your main entree, learning to appreciate a meatless meal is an immediate budget stretcher.

I was raised vegetarian, and find many meat eaters brains freeze just at the mention of the word. If eating or cooking vegetarian is new to you, keep it in perspective: it means cooking non meat items as well as you cook your meats now. Being able to cook and eat vegetarian appears to be an essential skill if you are seeking to trim the fat off the food budget.

3. Menus had to include recipes that make use of readily available items that didn't require keeping extensive inventory.

I need information that fits into an urban lifestyle immediately. I looked for information that included easily available items on a regular basis. Savings also couldn't be averaged over time because you could stock up on inventory that could be kept in a vegetable cellar, garage, or outdoor shed with a huge freezer.

Many sites suggest gardens as well as fishing and hunting for your own meat. I have no argument with those options, if that is something that you are both interested in and is an option. However, neither my daughter or I eat fish; I am actually allergic to fish and seafood. I am not a hunter, and living in an apartment complex, don't have the option of raising animals for my meat source.

Survivalist style groceries, such as hunting and gardening, adds an immediate -- and extra -- expense to the budget in the form of tools necessary to garden and preserve the food from those sources: i.e., canning and/or freezing. Storage space is also something that has to be considered with home based food preparation. These suggestions are all great strategies if you have those options available. However, I wanted to use information that could be implemented by anyone, anywhere, immediately.

4. Menus couldn't rely on coupons for savings.

Every one has heard the stories of getting a whole bunch of stuff using a whole bunch of coupons. Not much is shared about the cost of using coupons. Do you buy magazines or newspapers for coupons? Do you print them from online? Is it necessary to go to more than one store, adding gas and other car expense costs to the budget? I would also suggest figuring your time involved using your current pay or at least minimum wage. Those costs have to be subtracted from any savings.

Rethinking your approach to both menu choices as well as food preparation often streamlines your shopping to the point you don't need them. I have found that coupons are typically for convenience foods costing more than what I regularly buy even when the item is double discounted with a sale price and a coupon. While I am not opposed to using coupons, I am not a regular coupon user.

5. My daughter wanted menu ideas more than generic suggestions such as: "buy generic" and "buy in bulk".

6. She appreciate shopping lists, so I also looked for printable shopping lists.

Here a few notes and blogs of interest I came across during my research:

While Google returned a lot of results for my search term -- $50 a Week Grocery Budget -- many of the first results were actually cross linked pages. I keep encountering the same information, and discovered the reason in the small print where the original site was credited. It did help me find the best information for the $50 a Week Grocery Budget.

I found an interesting blog about a woman who spent only $1 a day on food for a month, titled Less is Enough. It is a good example of what I consider being too extreme. She lists and photographs what she ate each of the thirty days. A second reason I didn't add it to my official list is because it is a diet for one, not a family. I would suggest reading this article from the NY Times before voluntarily embracing a $1 per day food budget. Besides, Shoestrings is more about champagne living on a beer budget, not "Because More than Enough Is Too Much".

Stephanie Brown, of Fort Worth, Texas, did a Project Food Budget on her blog, Newly Vegan. She pared her weekly grocery bill from $75/week to $50/week. I found her post of Project Food Budget: Weeks 14, 15, & 16 informative. She shares her grocery receipt, which includes spending her saved $25 per week on garden plants to help with groceries. Smart girl, Stephanie!

I spent a lot of time at this site full of good budget tips of all kinds: budget101.com. Their tag line is "digging yourself out of debt when all you have is a spoon". According to their "about us" page, their mission is "to provide cost-effective, time-saving budgeting techniques, that may be utilized by anyone working in or out of the home. At Budget101.com, we strive to help people utilize the tools and resources they have available to dig themselves out of debt." It functions as an information site, with all topics related to doing more when you have less to work with.

This article -- written by Chris Johns for Macleans.Ca, (02.11.09) -- is an example I consider appropriate for Shoestrings. Using suggestions from some of Canada's top chefs, ideas exemplify a nice cross between economy and first class. That is definitely a big deal for a small budget!

Feed a Family on $50 a Week: Part 2
My list of sites for the $50 Per Week Grocery Budget