No Impact Man

I recently watched No Impact Man from Netflix and I was totally inspired.  Colin Beavan, along with his family, go on a year long journey to see if it’s possible to make no net impact on the environment. In other words, no trash, no toxins in the water, no elevators, no subway, no products in packaging, no air-conditioning, no television, no toilet paper, no diapers, etc.  He swears off plastic, goes organic, becomes a bicycle nut,  and lives by candle light for an entire year.

I suggest all my frugal friends out there watch it!  Now, of course I'm not at all suggesting we take the approach that he did, however, he's radicalism brought awareness to the issue of reducing our waste and can further positive change for our plant and our lives.


Here is a trailer for the movie.



A Few Short Answers from Colin:

1. One thing to remove from your home?
   Beef
2. One thing to bring into your home?
   Water filter
3. One thing to stop doing?
   Flying
4. One thing to start doing?
   Phoning our representatives.

"It’s easy not to waste." – Michelle.
"Make sure that what you use really makes you happy." – Colin. courtesy re-nest.com

He also has a book out: No Impact Man which I plan on renting from library to read in the coming months.

There is a bit of skepticism out about Mr. Bevan and his attempts to make serious change as opposed to simply living a crazy life for the publicity of his book.  Nonetheless the exposure he has brought to the rawness of our all-too-powerful consumption society is definitely valid.  Whether or not you agree with his radicalism and his way of processing his convictions, is beside the point.  We as a society must continue to take action and be progressive in living a healthier lifesytle.

Some of the things I took away from the movie are:

• Be more mindful of my waste
  (ie: I will use reprducible bags when shopping)
• Continue to shop at Farmer's Markets
• Join and/or support a Community Garden
• Watch less TV - spend more time outside
  and being with my family
• Continue to make my own cleaning products
  and laundry soap
• Become more involved in my community.
  
  

Groupon

I love Groupon, it's my all time favorite coupon site for practical deals near me.

Here's How It Works:

1. Each day they feature something cool to do, or places to eat at an unbeatable price.
   
   
2. Just click "BUY" before the offer ends at midnight. If the minimum number of people sign up, they'll charge your card and send you a link to print your Groupon. If not enough people join, no one gets it (and you won't be charged), so invite your friends to make sure you get the deal!
   
   
3. Once you're charged, you'll receive an email with a link to sign in and print your Groupon. The Groupon has redemption instructions and a map right on it!
   
   
4. Check back the next day for another awesome Groupon!

Rocky Road Popsicles

As I've posted before, making Popsicles from scratch is not only fun but frugal. You can save a lot of money by making them yourself, plus you know exactly what's going in them; and bonus, if you have kids, it quickly becomes a fun time of math/home ec/creativity!




5 hours later, they were frozen and ready! The kids played outside with dad when he came home from work and so a frozen treat was a perfect way to cool off.

1/3 c. peanuts, opt.
2 1/2 c. milk
1 pkg. instant or regular chocolate pudding mix
3/4 c. tiny marshmallows
1/2 c. chocolate chips

Crush peanuts inside a plastic bag. Add milk to pudding mix and stir. Put in microwave for 3 minutes on high; stir. Then cook for 2-3 more minutes on high until slightly thickened. Stir again.

Stir marshmallows, chocolate chips and crushed peanuts into the pudding. Pour about 1/3 cup of mixture into each 3-ounce paper cup (you'll need 12 cups). Put filled cups on a baking sheet and chill in freezer for 15 minutes.

Put a wooden stick in center of each cup. Chill 5 hours or more. To serve, peel off paper cup. Serves 12. Courtesy of cooks.com

My new friend

So I currently have a new best friend, her name is Sarah, and she is over at Thrifty Decor Chick! I can't say enough "neat'o'ness" about her. Sarah shares simple, inexpensive ways to decorate your home, and I'm so glad I found her since I'm moving in the next few weeks.

My home has been quietly whispering to me it's need for a face lift and what better time to do that then when you're moving. And what better way to do it then with budget friendly ideas.

I can't remember exactly how I found her, either Twitter or another blog...not sure; but the source doesn't matter as much as my new found love for her site. She has amazing ideas that seem practical and simple and best of all CHEAP! Who doesn't love that?

Read all about Sarah, here.

And then I do hope you take a few moments to browse through her site, you will not be disappointed!

Desperate times call for desperate measures

So as most of you know, our family has been trying to get ourselves out of debt. It's been quite a slow and painful process. We've read Mary Hunt's Debt-Proof Your Marriage and attended Dave Ramsey classes and so we're now making drastic measures to get out of debt...

To give you a brief history, after our son was born, I decided to stop teaching. Travis then needed to make enough money to support us and thus came to Orange County. He began doing Home Loans for a few companies out here. At that time we were living in Yucaipa and the commute of about 4 hours round trip was just about killing us. So we moved our small family of 3 out to OC to be together. But then the tsunami of foreclosures and bankruptcies was in the very near future and he knew home loans was not going to be the industry to work in, so Travis quickly went back to Web Design for a company in Newport.

It's been 4 short, yet long years in OC and our quest to be completely debt free has been a challenge to say the least. It's become a mountain of questions, unending phone calls, stress and at times, depression. We're the first to admit our past decisions have cost us a lot (literally and figuratively). Looking back, I don't think our decisions were bad or wrong, I think they were made in haste and not in proper timing. Had we been a bit more patient we might not be in this situation today. However, it's been this difficult season in our life that has taught us the most unforgettable life lessons on money, marriage, family, and faith - funny how that works.

Has it been hard? Yes. Have I cried many a nights to Travis out of stress and frustration? Yes. Would I change it? No. I can't change my past, no one can. But I can (we can) change our future.

So as we prayed and prayed some more, we talked to our families and before we knew it we were getting boxes off Craigslist.  We have been given an amazing opportunity (to say the least) to move back to the place our family began, we will be renting a place for an amazing price!

As a result, we will be saving an incredible amount of money, not to mention our families are there. With our new financial savings we will be paying off our debt at lightening speed! Our plan is to have 3 - 6 months worth of savings in an Emergency Fund, along with paying down our van and ultimately, simplifying our life. 

I'm sad to be leaving Orange County and the friends I've made out here, but thankfully it's only 30-45 minute drive.   As I stated earlier, desperate times call for desperate mesures.

So we are entering a new season of life and yes, we are all very excited about it!

Find Garage Sales Easy this summer

This summer will bring with it many fun things to do with our families! With kids out of school, many times we need extra money for fun things to do with them.

My solution?

Why not hold a garage sale?!

It's a win-win since you'll be getting rid of items you don't need plus you'll make extra money for fun and memorable times with your kids!

I have the perfect site for those of us holding or wanting to find Garage Sales: garagesalestracker.com

Garage Sale Tracker will help you find local deals including flea markets, consignment shops and garage sales. They also now have an iPhone app to make searching even easier.

I HIGHLY recommend this site as a way to help us all save money. I posted a Super Quote about Saving money, and garagesalestracer.com is definitely a way to help us all do that!

Popsicles: healthy for you AND your wallet

How to Make Healthy Popsicles | eHow.com

Why spend money this summer buying box after box after box of Popsicles, when you can buy the molds and reuse them over and over.

Molds can go from $1.99 - $9.99 depending on the quality, shape and quantity you desire. Check your local 99 Cent store, Target or Bed Bath & Beyond.

Once you have your molds, bring the kids in the kitchen with you and try out some new recipes to see what they like.

Anything from Fudge Pops, Watermelon Pops or try a Rocky Road Pop, ummm. It'll be a "cool" way to get an extra dose of fruit in their growing bodies!!!


I like these Popsicle molds from Bed, Bath and Beyond, fun!

My good friend over at Tipnut.com has 50+ Homemade Popsicle Recipes!

Saving Money Tips

This is from my friend over at Kim's Shopping Blog! Soo sooo true - thanks Kim!
Check out her blog, she has some great info!

We’re all guilty of spending a little bit too much every now and again…so how can we lower our expenditure and stay out of debt?

1. Coupons

Coupons and coupon codes are all over the internet. They often offer up to (and sometimes more than) 50% off at your favorite high street retailers.

You may find that some retailers actually offer you coupons after you have purchased something. If this is the case, and you don’t need to buy anything else, then let one of your friends have the coupon – help them save money, and they may return the favour!

2. Don’t be tempted to buy things you don’t need

If you find that your expenditure is too high each month, then it may be because you are buying things you don’t need.

We all get tempted to buy things, but before you get your money out, have a think about whether you really need the thing you are buying. In most cases, you won’t! The only reason you want it is because it looks good – remember, the shop will want to sell you items, so they will strategically place things around the store to influence you to impulse buy.

3. Stick to a strict budget

Create a strict budget, and stick to it! If you don’t stick to a budget, how are you going to lower your expenditure? Write down everything you spend each month and take a look at where you are spending too much. If you can, make cut backs – it should lower your expenditure considerably.

4. Try shopping online

If you haven’t already tried it, then why not give online shopping a go? Most supermarkets have their own ‘online shop’ where you can do your weekly grocery shopping – and what’s more, you will get it delivered to your door!

Online Shopping should help you lower your expenditure quite a lot – this is because you can’t be tempted to pick things up, as you won’t actually be in the store. In addition, you won’t be walking down every aisle to get what you need – you will be able to find it by entering it into the search box.

5. Cancel any subscriptions you don’t need

Do you really need that magazine subscription? Or how about that satellite TV subscription? Think about how much you could lower your expenditure by if you simply cancelled these. If you really can’t do without them, then at least try and cut back…for example, instead of having two magazine subscriptions, just have one!

John Brisbane is a personal finance writer with 15 years experience writing in the personal finance industry.

Free Pillow Makeover

Spruce up your couches or your bed by taking old tablecloths and silk scarves and tying the corners around throw pillows.

It'll bring personality to the room and be easy on your wallet. Courtesy of Righ@Home

Vinegar and a sunburn

When you get a sunburn the products out there to help soothe and prevent blistering or peeling can be quite costly. Believe it or not, a natural and cheaper remedy lies just in your pantry.....it's vinegar! I'm not kidding. I've actually used this and it works.

"To soothe a sunburn spray white distilled vinegar on skin, repeating as often as you like. Let it dry naturally, do not rub off. Ice-cold white distilled vinegar will feel even better, and may prevent blistering and peeling." Courtesy of Vinegar Tips

Thanks to a friend of mine who teaches science I learned that vinegar is made of water and acetic acid, so it will moisturize and soothe your sunburn. Acetic acid is called an NSAID (Non-Steroidal Anti Inflammatory Drug), which helps reduce the swelling of the damaged tissue and relieves the pain.

You can also pour a complete small size bottle of white vinegar in a bath of luke warm water and soak in it for about 15 minutes or longer if desired, it will relieve the pain of sunburn immediately and the redness that comes the sunburn and helps prevent peeling. You can also apply vinegar before going out in the sun and you will lessen the chances of getting sunburn! Courtesy of The Vinegar book.

Here are a few other helpful tips for sunburns
Clean and Simple Sunburn Remedies
eHow: How to Treat a Sunburn with Vinegar

Flea Market Finds

Heard the saying: "One mans junk is another man's treasure...."
Well I came across these neat ideas from the
Better Homes and Garden Website, they took things that
were basically junk and turned them into neat storage ideas.

Here are a few:

Mount a section of iron fencing on the wall as a coat rack. The curled ends of this fence section are just right for holding coats, towels, robes, or leashes.

Salt and pepper shakers are easy to find at flea markets.
These glass ones now hold bath salts and look charming when grouped
together and displayed near the tub.

To read the entire article, go here.

Homemade Baby Wipes

Homemade Baby Wipes

Baby wipes can be expensive. Here’s a little trick on how to make your own:

• 1 package strong paper towels
  
• 1/4 cup baby oil
  
• 1/4 cup baby shampoo
  
• 2 cups water
  

Cut paper towels in half (cut through the whole roll so there are two smaller rolls) and remove the cardboard center. Put 1/2 of the roll in an old baby wipe container (standing so the center hole of the roll is facing up).

Mix together the oil, shampoo and water, and pour 1/2 of the solution over the paper towels. You may wish to turn it over to let the roll soak up the mixture.

Wipes should easily dispense from the center of the roll. This makes two containers.

Don't throw mushy fruit away!

I bought these peaches and didn't eat them all before they grew very soggy and mushy; you really would not want to bite into them.
But being frugal minded I knew I could do something with them
instead of just throwing them out.

So I turned this mushy fruit into.....

this!!!

Don't forget you can save money and be creative when it comes to old fruit: jams and jellies, sauces and salsas, smoothies and pies
can all benefit from old very ripe fruit!

Peach and Berry Crumble

Gift Cards Save U $$$

My husband and I are now using gift cards as a way to stay in our Spending Plan when it comes to eating out.



At the first of the month, we buy gift cards to a few of our favorite lunch places. The amount of these gift cards can determined by looking at a few months worth of bank statements and tallying up how much you spend on eating out. We usually have personal cash each week so we take a little of that from each of the weeks and lump it into gift cards.

Now my husband has a gift card to Jersey Mike's, Flame Broiler, etc. and he knows that's what he can use for the month. It puts a limit on his spending, but it also gives him freedom to eat out whenever he chooses.

You can also do this with Target, Wal-Mart, Stater Bros., Albertsons, or wherever you shop regularly. Figure out your grocery bill for the month (or for every two weeks) and buy gift cards at the first of every month.

This really helps us stay on track and within a budget that's reasonable!

Savings Reminder

Right now a lot of items from Spring are on sale. This is the time to buy the kids' rain boots for next year along with any spring planting items: spades, rakes, pots, etc.

I ran into some great deals at Target as well as Old Navy!

Happy Savings :)

No Spending...Can you do it?!....continued

I received an e-mail today from a friend about the NO SPENDING Challenge and she made a good point. Here's some of her e-mail:

...If I stay home for 2 days and don't spend, what about my husband who goes out and buys something.....

That's a really good point, I'm still mulling it over. I would like to think in a perfect world that I could pack my husband a lunch for work and then afterwards, he comes straight home to eat dinner here.....ya right.

So my thoughts are possibly a Saturday of no spending? Might be hard, but especially now with summer here there's a lot to do; each city has free things to offer if you know where to look. Free movies in the park, beach days, events at the Library, Community Center or City Hall, etc. I guess it will require some creativity.

So maybe a modification for some would be NO spending for two Saturdays (or Sundays) a month?! It requires us to think about what we really need and prioritize our lives.

For myself, I have to cut back on little runs to Starbucks or the drive thru. I wanted a tea today on my way home from the park and I knew I had tea at home, so I made myself go home. It wasn't really that hard, but it saved me a small amount of $.

Just remember every dollar is a seed, where are we going to invest or plant it?

Keep your comments and questions coming, this is good.

Stock up for 2010

I forgot to post this back on Monday, but I know it still applies.

Just a reminder to stock up on your Father's Day cards for next year. This is when they are 50 - 60% off.

Ties, men's clothing and apparel can usually be found on sale as well. Don't forget to check Best Buy, Circuit City and Fry's for electronics and DVD's that are on sale.

Happy savings!

No Spending...Can you do it?

A No Spending Challenge:

So here's something I heard on the radio as a way to save money and it actually sounds like a challenge to me.

Spend NO MONEY for two straight days. This includes gas and groceries - nothing. No spending. For many of us that may mean staying home (granted you do not work a 9 - 5 job); Or if you have kids and need to get out, possibly go to the park or the pool where you are removed from the temptation to spend.

I challenge you to try it. I was able to do for one day, but I had an appointment for the next day and had to pay a sitter. So I'm going to do it again in a few days.

Once you get good at two days a week of no spending, gradually increase it to three. The goal would be to get to a week and do that every other month if possible. Think of all the savings!

If you stop and think about it, most of us spend some amount of money every day, whether it's a coffee, snacks for the kids, gas, groceries, etc.- Our society is wired that way.

That's my new frugal goal:
Go two days a week spending ZERO dollars.  

If you try it please share your thoughts, tips, challenges and feedback with the rest of us!

Suze Orman's 5 Smart Money Moves

1. Live on Half
2. Stash Your Cash
3. Make the Stimulus Package Work for You
4. Make Your Home Affordable
5. Look at What You Have, Not What You Had

Is saving half our income reasonable? I must look into it and crunch some numbers.....

Save some $$

Here are a few ways my family and I save money,
it requires thinking outside the box! Please ad comments or email me of
ways you're saving money in a creative way!

• We canceled our Sirius Satellite Radio; instead we use the radio, or our iPods and we listen to Pandora when we're at home or on the computer! Pandora is completely free and creates a "radio station" according to your likes! Give it a try, also has an app. for iPhones!
  
  
• We're on the mailing lists of all our favorite restaurants or food chains, we get coupons and freebies in the mail or through email!
  
  
• We check on restraunts.com for amazing coupons and deals!
  
  
• We shop at Smart and Final instead of Costco, we don't need a membership and we can still get food in bulk at a great price!
  
  
• We cancelled our Sparklets subscription and take our 5 gallon water jug to the water coolers outside Stater Bros. It's only $1.25, so instead of $20 - $30 a month for water, we pay $5!
  
  
• We use cash only for gas, groceries and personal money. That way we keep ourselves in a tangible budget that's easy to track!
  
  
• How do you and your family save money???