Posted on 21st March 2009 by Mish in christmas | frugal | homeschool
debt, financial crisis, frugal, homeless, poor, poverty
When we moved back to Vermont in 2003, I was terrified. Without a steady job, I didn’t know exactly from where our money would come. We were always on what I believed to be the edge of poverty. But then I started to think about it. Were we truly poor?
Everywhere I look “books, radio, television” there is someone telling me how to “eliminate debt” or “build wealth.” And the majority of these programs are geared for people who have high-paying jobs, huge homes and new cars and are feeling the “burden” of too much debt. What I don”t see a lot of are books or shows dedicated to helping people live ” and live well – off $10 an hour. In order to be on a “debt diet” one needs to be able to acquire debt. I dare say that most financial experts would argue that you can”t live well off $10 an hour. Those families who make $10 an hour are impoverished and should be educated as to how to make more money. And that”s where the help ends: “Get a better job, get some debt and then I can help you.”
So what is poverty?
Is it families who try and exist on Mom’s salary of $10 an hour? Or is it not having food in the house? Or is it not having the house? Is it not having electricity? Running water? Heat? (more…)
Technorati Tags: debt, financial crisis, frugal, homeless, poor, poverty
Posted on 20th March 2009 by Mish in food | frugal | gardening
Barack Obama, food, frugal, gardening, organic gardening
It’s nice to see that our Presidential family has a frugal side…
The New York Times has reported that Sam Kass, an assistant White House chef who prepared meals for the Obamas in Chicago and is an advocate of local food, will oversee the First Family’s new kitchen garden. Here is a picture of the layout as well as video of the space:
(more…)
Technorati Tags: Barack Obama, food, frugal, gardening, organic gardening
Posted on 19th March 2009 by Mish in finance | frugal | money | personal finance
frugal, frugal tips, frugality, money
My father always used to tell me that “work was work, if it was fun, they’d call it fun, but it’s not – it’s work. It’s not supposed to be fun.”
I used to argue with him. I would rant and tell him that you could most certainly do something with your life that you loved (or at least liked) and still be paid for it. He dismissed me out of hand. He told me that my thinking was irresponsible (as was having a bunch of kids!) and that I had to wait for the weekends to have fun.
I’m much older now. Twenty years older, in fact. And I’ve had a lot of jobs – not all of them fun. I’ve learned, through the years, to work very hard, but I have to say that I have been able to find elements of fun to each of my jobs. Although, I would probably amend my argument to say that work can be fun some of the time – or that you can find joy in hard work if you like doing it.
I did not, for example, always enjoy waiting tables. But I like people and I always enjoyed talking with customers and joking with the cooks in the kitchen. I found waiting tables to be enjoyable work – even if my feet ached and I sometimes got a lousy tip from a grouchy customer.
Being a newspaper reporter was hard work (no, not as hard as say, construction work, but still…), and it was often frustrating and intimidating. I frequently faced angry people who didn’t want to answer my phone calls, but I enjoyed the learning process and I thoroughly enjoyed investigating a story. It was, in the end, a very fun job.
Through the years, I have cultivated two careers – one as a writer and one as a mother. Both are equally frustrating in their own way and one pays only marginally better than the other (I’ll leave you to guess which one), but I am happy doing them both.
(more…)
Technorati Tags: frugal, frugal tips, frugality, money
Posted on 10th March 2009 by Mish in food | frugal | gardening
city living, food, frugal, garden, gardening, organic, simple living
A long time ago, when I lived in a small apartment with two small children, I found a book at a used bookstore called, “The Apartment Farmer.” Within days of reading this book, I turned my small suburban apartment into a small suburban farm. For the cost of the seeds and some containers I found at thrift stores, I grew tomatoes on my little patio in a five gallon bucket. I started seeds in egg cartons. I had peppers of all sorts. You name it, I grew it. I even grew two pumpkins in a huge whiskey barrel -type contraption. I cut down a bucket and grew small cukes, too.
Spoiled by the luxury of a huge garden area in Vermont, I am now faced with a small (in farm terms) yard once again. While I am enjoying the challenges of raising a family green and frugal in the city – I must say that I’ve been concerned about my ability to garden effectively and provide the amount of produce that I once did.
We are fortunate, here in Green Bay, to live very close to the “country” as it were – and a wealth of providers of various produce. But I like to grow stuff. I like the frugality of it. I like the exercise. I like to plant stuff and watch it grow. I like to roam around the garden early in the morning with a cup of coffee and debug a few plants and pull a few stray weeds.
(more…)
Technorati Tags: city living, food, frugal, garden, gardening, organic, simple living
Posted on 2nd February 2009 by Mish in food | frugal
food, frugal, organic
Buy organic? What are you crazy? I”m trying to save money!
I know, it does seem like buying organic costs twice as much as buying “regular” food, but it doesn”t. Not if you know how to shop. I avoided my local co-op for years because I was terrified that my already high food bill would skyrocket if I dared buy the organic versions. But I was wrong.
It took a little radical change on my part, but I knew my family had to eat better and so I took what I call the “three-month” challenge. I vowed to find a way to incorporate organic and locally-grown foods into at least 90 percent of our diet within that time frame.
It wasn”t nearly as hard as I thought it would be.
First, I had to dispel yourself of the notion that eating healthy food was more expensive or required a lot of cooking. And second, I had to stop letting the children dictate what goes in the pantry. Yes, my children would think I was a goddess if I let them have gummy, sugary, cartoon-character “fruit snacks,” but I don”t care. They alternately think I”m goddess and hate me on any given day anyway, so I”ve decided that I”m in charge of what goes into their bodies and they”ll just have to live with it. And you know what? They do. They might roll their eyes (my 13-year-old daughter is especially good at this) that there are no pre-fab “granola” bars in the pantry, but she gives me just as big a hug when I put mangoes in the fruit basket. Relying on the approval of children is a silly way to shop.
Children will never, ever choose an apple or a yogurt after school if there are chocolate chip cookies or Ring Dings or “Easy Mac” in the house. But they will choose an apple, orange or organic granola bar if that”s all there is.
(more…)
Technorati Tags: food, frugal, organic
Posted on 28th January 2009 by Mish in frugal
freecycle, frugal, green, recycle, yard sale
It often seems like it’s difficult to “be green” all of the time. A lot of us simply don’t think we have the time. It seems much easier to just buy a new this or that and put the old one on the curb, rather than take the time to recycle it; donate it; or fix it.
My dryer is acting goofy. It runs, but it doesn’t heat up. And when it runs, it either blows out the breaker – or keeps running and doesn’t stop unless I go and stop it. So, the first problem is that I have to remember to go and stop it…let’s just say that I’m not good at remembering.
Because it is fantastically below zero here in Green Bay right now, I do depend on judicious use of my dryer. I try and hang a lot of things, but with six kids – some things just need to get dry!
I recently bought a new washing machine – a super-efficient, water and electricity-saving front loader – basically my dream washer. Yes, I bought it new – but it was the floor model and because it had a ding in the front I got it for half it’s original price. Anyway, I’m not really in the market for a new dryer. But, because this one was getting giving me such a hassle – I almost just went out and bought one anyway. Especially after super Mr. Fix-It hubby realized that he didn’t have the correct stuff to fix it.
I was frustrated and ready to put an ad on Craigslist for it. But, doing some quick math, I realized that calling a repairman (yes, they still have those!) would most likely be cheaper than a new dryer. Hopefully, he’ll be able to fix it and I will have saved both my wallet and the planet an extra bit of junk!
The same is true for a pair of great clogs I have with a broken buckle. I found one of the last few cobblers in the world works out of my city. I intend to take my clogs there and for about $5 he can save my $75 clogs (the ones my sister gave me for Christmas). Totally worth it! I also found out that he fixes coat zippers – which is fabulous because in my old town, no one did, and I often had to buy new (used) coats for the kids who are always breaking their zippers.
So – one great way to be green everyday is to find ways to reuse or fix things that you are tempted to throw out. Just look at it and say, what can I do to not put this in the trash? You might be surprised! And if you really must part with it – add it to your yard sale stash or put it up for free on Craigslist or Freecycle. Someone might have the time or knowledge to fix it.
Technorati Tags: freecycle, frugal, green, recycle, yard sale
Posted on 19th January 2009 by Mish in frugal
frugal, frugality, simple living
I read – a lot. And because I am constantly striving to live more simply, more frugally and more eco-consciously – I read a lot of books about those topics.
What follows are my top five picks for some of the best reading for living simply and frugally. I have been inspired by these books and awed by them. I hope you’ll enjoy them:
Posted on 14th January 2009 by Mish in frugal
frugal, frugality
#1) I forgot how inexpensive things are here. I am so used to having to make stop at my local general store (because I didn’t want to drive 45 miles to the closest grocery store) and spending $5 or $6 on the tiny can of coffee. I love that I can stop at any one of five or six stores and grab milk and coffee and spend less than $5 for both! In Vermont, that little jaunt would have easily cost me $10 or more!
#2) My floors are staying reasonable clean even in the middle of winter! No more trucking in sand/snow/slush from the 400 trips to the woodpile! Not to mention the trips up from the driveway (that used to be 100 yards away from the house).
#3) I love that I can walk places – like the park, and the store and the library, and to the kids’ schools (yes, they’re going to school now – more on that later). I still have my truck, but I can exercise my right to be really green and ride a bike or walk! I could have done this in Vermont, I suppose…but the mountain I had to climb to get home was amazingly steep and a heck of a climb with kids in strollers or wagons!
#4) It only took me 20 minutes to clear the snow from the driveway, walkways and sidewalk – and I didn’t have to hire anyone to help (I used to spend $35 per plow in Vermont)!
#5) OK – I have to put it on this list – the pizza. I’m sorry, but I’ve been aching for delivered pizza once in a while for years…I love my own pizza best of course – and it is the most frugal and yummy option – but how nice to be able to take a night off once in a while! Don’t worry y’all – I still have my crockpot and use it!
Technorati Tags: frugal, frugality
Posted on 10th November 2008 by Mish in frugal
frugal, frugal tips, nbc, today show
Dear Today Show on NBC:
I am a loyal viewer. I have only two channels – NBC and PBS – so I enjoy watching the Today Show with my morning cup of coffee. Sunday morning (November 9), I sat down for a little quiet and a little weather and news and whatnot. As the writer of a blog on being green and frugal, I was very happy to see that you would be doing a segment on how to save money in these tough times.
Imagine my surprise when you gave us, instead, two beautiful young ladies who told me how to save money by doing some of the silliest things of which I had ever heard.
Cut back on my cellphone service? Really? That’s a “frugal” tip? If I’m that strapped for cash, shouldn’t I give up the luxury of a cellphone? I don’t have a cellphone. I also don’t have a Blackberry. I don’t pay for things that require contracts or extraneous services. Besides, I live in rural Vermont and cellphones don’t work here.
Cut back on my “morning cup of Joe?” My husband and I thought about this. It used to be that a can of Folger’s or Maxwell House was the “expensive” brand of coffee. No one would have considered paying $4 for a cup of coffee every morning. Now, buying coffee out is the norm. Not me! I have a big, old-fashioned coffee maker and fill it up – twice – every morning.
I won’t go through the whole list of silly tips, but what I will say is that the reason people are in the position we are in is because we have been brought up believing that we are entitled to the “finer” things – regardless of our income level. We have been coaxed by marketing and television into believing that it’s OK to buy on credit or that we need more than we do.
Silly little tips on how to save money on manicures or cellphone service is not going to do it. This country needs to go back to the basics. People need to understand that cellphones are not a “need.” Salon visits are not a “need.” Pre-packaged, pre-processed food is not a “need.”
What we need to be giving people tips on is how to start a small garden that’s going to provide the bulk of a family’s produce. Or how to shop for bulk food. Or how to cook from scratch. Do you know how many people write to me and ask me how to make macaroni and cheese from scratch? Most kids that come to my house think mac and cheese comes out of a box – they didn’t know you could make it with real cheese!
Please, concentrate on giving us tips that are helpful. I appreciate wanting to live “well,” really I do, but it’s not until we, as a society, see that hard work, growing food, and saving money is the key to living well that anything will change.
Best,
Michelle Kennedy Hogan
Technorati Tags: frugal, frugal tips, nbc, today show
Posted on 22nd October 2008 by Mish in frugal
food, frugal, pantry, stocking up
I get a lot of questions about how to keep a pantry stocked – whether for emergencies, winter or in preparation for bad times.
Stocking a pantry can be simple, but before you decide to do it, you should commit to preparing food from scratch as much as possible. Filling your pantry with “Easy Mac” isn’t really going to save you a lot of money!
What do you eat? Before stocking our pantry and I made a list of the meals we eat. I wish we were a little more adventurous than we are in our dinner selections, but we do seem to eat the same meals all of the time, especially if I’m cooking in the crockpot for after a game. Of course, I try to mix it up if I see the fish guy has come to town or I find a recipe I’d love to try, but other than that, we probably eat the same 20ish items for dinner.
(more…)
Technorati Tags: food, frugal, pantry, stocking up
Please click here to download the plugin required to make recent comments work!