We're conspiring together to make Husband more frugal, Electric Company and I. He got a call from Mother-In-Law today that shook his whole world-view to the core and caused him to call me at work. "Mom and Dad's electric bill went up $20 for the month and Aunt's went up $30." Weird, because there wasn't a rate hike and our bill didn't go up too much. What was going on?
Upon closer inspection of our bill, Husband noticed that Electric Company was re-figuring everyone's "spread it out evenly over the year" bills. We pay roughly the same amount throughout the year, no matter how much electricity we use. Electric Company guesstimates and evens out your bills--except they must not be too good at guesstimating. Our bill will go up next month--about $45. Ouch!
On the other hand, I'm pleased to report that there may be some changes around here--changes I fully support but never believed I'd be able to talk Husband into. Not only are almost all our lightbulbs either LED or CFL, but they're not on as much as they were yesterday. I'm a fan of the "one person, one bulb (or at the very least, one fixture)" rule whereas Husband seems to like to keep all the switches in the "on" position. Also? We're not leaving things plugged in anymore. Yay! He's changing all his power strip settings to be able to cut electricity-suckers (like the Xbox) off the power source completely when they aren't in use.
And here's the thing I never saw coming...Husband advocating using the drying rack instead of the dryer. Wha? I used to do this ALL THE TIME. I mean, to the point where I would use every chair in my apartment as a drying rack if I was doing multiple loads of laundry. Now, everything goes in the dryer--even if I don't want it too. (I'm lucky, I guess. He washes clothes.) I mean, one of my favorite things in the world is a clothesline. I may not be very conservative or liberal, politically speaking, but I'm a huge supporter of the right to have a clothesline in spite of what your covenants say. (I call my parent's covenants "comunants." Hmm, that doesn't look as good written out as it sounds. Ok, say it to yourself.) Husband generally ignored me outright every time I mentioned putting up a clothesline. He also never understood why I put anything on the drying rack at all.
Do you think I'll be able to argue that keeping the fan on all night is a waste of electricity? Will this new-found electricity conservation ethic hold until the summer when it's time to turn on the air conditioner? Only time will tell. But just in case I start to lose these battles, Electric Company hopes to hike rates some more.
__________________
Breakfast: Toast, peanut butter, apple butter 27 cents
Snack: orange 17 cents
Lunch: polenta and green beans 50 cents
Snack: pudding cup 36 cents
Dinner: chili and crackers with cheese and salami 48 cents + 44 cents
I forgot I ate some Thin Mints too! 31 cents
Total: $2.53
Total: Blerg. I don't feel like adding this all up today. It's cheap. I'll figure it up tomorrow and update this post.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
The Best Granola Bars You Will Ever Make
Guess who's not watching the State of the Union address? That's right, me. I figured I'd learn about as much tending to the state of this blog. I'll catch the highlights during my interminable commute tomorrow morning.
I've been making these for awhile but it's hard to figure out the cost. That's why I resisted posting this for so long. The recipe is so elastic--lots of options to make these how you want them.
These are Smitten Kitchen granola bars. The original recipe is here, although it is an adaptation of a King Arthur Flour recipe. I've made some other granola bars before, but these are better, easier and have the potential to be cheaper. Some of the ingredients in the Smitten Kitchen recipe are more specific if you want to check that out. I loosened it up.
The Best Granola Bars
1 2/3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup sugar or less
1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
spices: any combination of the pumpkin pie spice family. Anywhere between none and 2 teaspoons, maybe?
2-3 cups of jazziness: dried fruit, nuts, coconut, ground flax seed, wheat germ, I've even used some stale Cheerios and a chopped up Larabar. This is where it could get expensive. I generally use 1 cup dried raisins or cranberries. Once I dried apples in the oven for granola bars. I use 1 cup nuts (peanuts and something else) and coconut and somewhere close to 1/2 cup of flax seed and wheat germ.
1 teaspoon vanilla or a little more
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup liquid sweetener: honey, corn syrup, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, I even use pancake syrup.
2 tablespoons of something else sweet: more honey or syrup. I often use this grape jelly that someone made and gave me that didn't quite set up right.
1 tablespoon water
1/3 cup peanut butter or canned pumpkin puree if you want. This is optional. I've done it with both and they are both really good.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a square pan with parchment or foil (one sheet down the middle and over the sides--it shouldn't cover the whole pan. You're just using it to pull out the hunk of granola bar when it's done). Spray the paper/foil and pan with something Pam-ish.
Combine dry ingredients. Whisk together wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Whisk in the pumpkin if you're using it. Mix dry and wet (add peanut butter now if you're using it). Press into the pan. Bake 30-40 minutes.
Cool completely. You may need to chill them in the fridge for 30 minutes if they are too crumbly to cut. Lift out and cut into bars.
These usually equal out to about 20-25 cents per bar. They probably aren't a lot cheaper than buying the sale ones in the store but I'm bossy so I like to decide to have pumpkin in my granola bars if I want it. Plus they're fun to make and they taste a lot better than store bars. Also? less packaging = less trash. These are almost cookies--great substitute for the vending machine candy bar. If you're all gluten-free or think HFCS is the devil--this recipe is the way to go. Just don't include the pancake syrup.
___________________________
Breakfast: oatmeal, peanut butter & banana 21 cents
Lunch: Hamburger Helper and an orange 60 cents
Snack: turkey wrap 56 cents
Dinner: chili, corn muffin and crackers 77 cents
Total: $2.14
I've been making these for awhile but it's hard to figure out the cost. That's why I resisted posting this for so long. The recipe is so elastic--lots of options to make these how you want them.
These are Smitten Kitchen granola bars. The original recipe is here, although it is an adaptation of a King Arthur Flour recipe. I've made some other granola bars before, but these are better, easier and have the potential to be cheaper. Some of the ingredients in the Smitten Kitchen recipe are more specific if you want to check that out. I loosened it up.
The Best Granola Bars
1 2/3 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup sugar or less
1/3 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
spices: any combination of the pumpkin pie spice family. Anywhere between none and 2 teaspoons, maybe?
2-3 cups of jazziness: dried fruit, nuts, coconut, ground flax seed, wheat germ, I've even used some stale Cheerios and a chopped up Larabar. This is where it could get expensive. I generally use 1 cup dried raisins or cranberries. Once I dried apples in the oven for granola bars. I use 1 cup nuts (peanuts and something else) and coconut and somewhere close to 1/2 cup of flax seed and wheat germ.
1 teaspoon vanilla or a little more
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup liquid sweetener: honey, corn syrup, maple syrup, brown rice syrup, I even use pancake syrup.
2 tablespoons of something else sweet: more honey or syrup. I often use this grape jelly that someone made and gave me that didn't quite set up right.
1 tablespoon water
1/3 cup peanut butter or canned pumpkin puree if you want. This is optional. I've done it with both and they are both really good.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a square pan with parchment or foil (one sheet down the middle and over the sides--it shouldn't cover the whole pan. You're just using it to pull out the hunk of granola bar when it's done). Spray the paper/foil and pan with something Pam-ish.
Combine dry ingredients. Whisk together wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Whisk in the pumpkin if you're using it. Mix dry and wet (add peanut butter now if you're using it). Press into the pan. Bake 30-40 minutes.
Cool completely. You may need to chill them in the fridge for 30 minutes if they are too crumbly to cut. Lift out and cut into bars.
These usually equal out to about 20-25 cents per bar. They probably aren't a lot cheaper than buying the sale ones in the store but I'm bossy so I like to decide to have pumpkin in my granola bars if I want it. Plus they're fun to make and they taste a lot better than store bars. Also? less packaging = less trash. These are almost cookies--great substitute for the vending machine candy bar. If you're all gluten-free or think HFCS is the devil--this recipe is the way to go. Just don't include the pancake syrup.
___________________________
Breakfast: oatmeal, peanut butter & banana 21 cents
Lunch: Hamburger Helper and an orange 60 cents
Snack: turkey wrap 56 cents
Dinner: chili, corn muffin and crackers 77 cents
Total: $2.14
Monday, January 24, 2011
I'm the Weirdo in the Car Next to You Talking to the Radio
There are few news stories that interest me so much that I talk to the radio. This was one of them. In case you don't want to read it, it was a story on the NPR show Marketplace that aired on December 28. Entitled, "It's Repugnant, But Hey, It's Efficient!" the story is based on the idea that economists are more likely than the general populace to embrace a repugnant idea if it is the most efficient idea. They illustrated this idea with a few stories from 2010 and I found myself thinking (let's face it, saying out loud) "Yes! Why not? That's the way it should be?"
So do these ideas make sense or are they repugnant and I should think about becoming an economist?
1. A new law in Israel, aimed at boosting the nation's low organ donor rates, gives priority to those on organ waiting lists if they've signed up as a donor. So if you are willing to donate your organs and then end up needing one, you're tops on the list. Golden Rule, bitches. That's not repugnant, right?
2. A councilman in Modesto CA has proposed to treat sewage waste water and pipe it to farmers who need water to water their crops. Um,what do they think happens to treated water from the water treatment plant? It's not shipped to the Nevada desert in double-walled stainless steel containers and buried alongside radioactive waste.
Yeah, I don't really get what's so repugnant about these ideas. I'm know there are some things out there that make economic sense on the personal level (money savers) that I find repugnant (like this and this) and I'm sure there are other ideas out there that may make economic sense but are repugnant ("SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE!") but you're going to have to get a lot more repugnant to out-repugnant this non-economist.
_______________
I never thought I would be telling people what I ate in such close proximity to a Soylent Green reference.... That is repugnant.
Breakfast: Toast, peanut butter and marmalade 35 cents
Lunch: Chili and Crackers/Cheese/Salami/Cucumbers $1.72
Snack: Free chocolate and then I gorged myself on Girl Scout Cookies 60 cents
Dinner: Free Pizza. I don't count it because Husband bought it. Also? He didn't realize he bought Diet Dr. Pepper instead of regular Dr. Pepper until he was reading this blog. Also? If you feel bad about laughing at Husband jokes, don't. He reads them and laughs with you. Also? If you're not laughing at my jokes, maybe you shouldn't expect to find something serious when you Google "Poor Man Snacks."
Total: $2.67
So do these ideas make sense or are they repugnant and I should think about becoming an economist?
1. A new law in Israel, aimed at boosting the nation's low organ donor rates, gives priority to those on organ waiting lists if they've signed up as a donor. So if you are willing to donate your organs and then end up needing one, you're tops on the list. Golden Rule, bitches. That's not repugnant, right?
2. A councilman in Modesto CA has proposed to treat sewage waste water and pipe it to farmers who need water to water their crops. Um,what do they think happens to treated water from the water treatment plant? It's not shipped to the Nevada desert in double-walled stainless steel containers and buried alongside radioactive waste.
Yeah, I don't really get what's so repugnant about these ideas. I'm know there are some things out there that make economic sense on the personal level (money savers) that I find repugnant (like this and this) and I'm sure there are other ideas out there that may make economic sense but are repugnant ("SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE!") but you're going to have to get a lot more repugnant to out-repugnant this non-economist.
_______________
I never thought I would be telling people what I ate in such close proximity to a Soylent Green reference.... That is repugnant.
Breakfast: Toast, peanut butter and marmalade 35 cents
Lunch: Chili and Crackers/Cheese/Salami/Cucumbers $1.72
Snack: Free chocolate and then I gorged myself on Girl Scout Cookies 60 cents
Dinner: Free Pizza. I don't count it because Husband bought it. Also? He didn't realize he bought Diet Dr. Pepper instead of regular Dr. Pepper until he was reading this blog. Also? If you feel bad about laughing at Husband jokes, don't. He reads them and laughs with you. Also? If you're not laughing at my jokes, maybe you shouldn't expect to find something serious when you Google "Poor Man Snacks."
Total: $2.67
Friday, January 21, 2011
Striking a Balance
Wednesday, Gretchen Rubin posed a list of tough questions we face when trying to create a happy life on her blog The Happiness Project. The first question, "How do I balance what makes me happy now with what makes me happy in the long term?" is very appropriate for me right now.
I recently made my own tough decision about whether or not to spend money for something that would make me happy. But, of course, spending the money puts me that farther away from my year's goal of doubling my savings.
The dilemma forced me to think about whether I'm being frugal or miserly. And whether or not I'm being frugal or miserly in the correct situations. A list of my own tough questions floated through my mind:
When do my financial goals become an inappropriate damper to living life? (Am I just being miserly?)
When is unplanned spending appropriate?
Would I rather have money or x? (In this case, a great weekend with great friends.)
A few years ago, this wouldn't have been an issue. Savings were an afterthought. While some people took "you can retake a class but you can't retake a party" as their personal mantra, mine was more like "you can pay off your credit cards when you're old and no fun." (If you're a 22-year-old who happens to be reading this blog, just know that you will never live long enough to be no fun and if you do, you'll be too old and sick to earn money to pay off your fun years. Strike a balance now.)
Of all my resolutions, I really didn't think the one I'd be worried about so quickly was "double my savings." I was so proud of my progress so far. But it was hard to figure out where to strike my own balance. I couldn't answer my big questions without figuring out how I felt about some smaller ones. These are the questions I came up with (in no particular order):
1. Do I have enough cash for this?
2. Can I pay back my cash stash for this expenditure within the year?
3. Where can I tighten my belt to make up for this expenditure?
4. Is this something I would encourage Husband to do if he were in my shoes?
5. Is this or a similar opportunity likely to present itself anytime soon?
6. Does this expenditure fit with my values?
7. What are the drawbacks (short-term and long-term)?
8. Do I feel pressure or guilt compelling my decision?
9. What factors would make this decision easier for me?
10. What are the benefits (short-term and long-term)?
In the end, (after dodging that potential car repair bullet) I decided to go have a great time with my friends and I couldn't be happier about the decision. Just the anticipation of getting together with friends (some of whom I haven't seen for a long time) is boosting my mood. I know I will treasure the memories made for a lifetime. And the cost? It's not really that much, but I will have to work harder to meet my end-of-the year goal. I'll just keep plugging along, doing what I'm doing, saving money day by day and watching it grow. And that, too, is something that makes me happy.
_______________
Breakfast: Oatmeal, peanut butter, 1/2 banana 21 cents
Lunch: Hamburger Helper 42 cents
Snack:Orange and Christmas Chocolate 17 cents
Dinner: Thai Restaurant $14.00
Total: $14.80
I recently made my own tough decision about whether or not to spend money for something that would make me happy. But, of course, spending the money puts me that farther away from my year's goal of doubling my savings.
The dilemma forced me to think about whether I'm being frugal or miserly. And whether or not I'm being frugal or miserly in the correct situations. A list of my own tough questions floated through my mind:
When do my financial goals become an inappropriate damper to living life? (Am I just being miserly?)
When is unplanned spending appropriate?
Would I rather have money or x? (In this case, a great weekend with great friends.)
A few years ago, this wouldn't have been an issue. Savings were an afterthought. While some people took "you can retake a class but you can't retake a party" as their personal mantra, mine was more like "you can pay off your credit cards when you're old and no fun." (If you're a 22-year-old who happens to be reading this blog, just know that you will never live long enough to be no fun and if you do, you'll be too old and sick to earn money to pay off your fun years. Strike a balance now.)
Of all my resolutions, I really didn't think the one I'd be worried about so quickly was "double my savings." I was so proud of my progress so far. But it was hard to figure out where to strike my own balance. I couldn't answer my big questions without figuring out how I felt about some smaller ones. These are the questions I came up with (in no particular order):
1. Do I have enough cash for this?
2. Can I pay back my cash stash for this expenditure within the year?
3. Where can I tighten my belt to make up for this expenditure?
4. Is this something I would encourage Husband to do if he were in my shoes?
5. Is this or a similar opportunity likely to present itself anytime soon?
6. Does this expenditure fit with my values?
7. What are the drawbacks (short-term and long-term)?
8. Do I feel pressure or guilt compelling my decision?
9. What factors would make this decision easier for me?
10. What are the benefits (short-term and long-term)?
In the end, (after dodging that potential car repair bullet) I decided to go have a great time with my friends and I couldn't be happier about the decision. Just the anticipation of getting together with friends (some of whom I haven't seen for a long time) is boosting my mood. I know I will treasure the memories made for a lifetime. And the cost? It's not really that much, but I will have to work harder to meet my end-of-the year goal. I'll just keep plugging along, doing what I'm doing, saving money day by day and watching it grow. And that, too, is something that makes me happy.
_______________
Breakfast: Oatmeal, peanut butter, 1/2 banana 21 cents
Lunch: Hamburger Helper 42 cents
Snack:Orange and Christmas Chocolate 17 cents
Dinner: Thai Restaurant $14.00
Total: $14.80
Thursday, January 20, 2011
How I Really Save Money When I Shop
It's Thursday (obvs) and usually I'd do a recipe blog on Thursday but I'm cold and had to shovel the snow when I got home from work. I know, at first glance it may seem like I have a loser unemployed husband who won't even shovel the snow. But in actuality I have a loser (kidding) unemployed husband who has a leg that is hurting and the memory of a not-quite-a-year-old back surgery. So I'm cold and hungry and excited about some things and bummed about others. Therefore, enjoy this post I wrote yesterday. I hope you can agree and disagree along with me.
Tuesday someone wrote over on Wise Bread an article called, "How to Really Save Money When You Shop." You don't have to read it, because I did and here's what the author says: You're not really saving money if you're buying something on sale. You can only save money if what you're buying either: A) lets you avoid consuming something or B) lets you produce something. He also mentions buying things you would rent repeatedly and investing.
I agree and disagree and here's why:
Agree: Avoiding Consuming. Last month we purchased two doo-hickies (technical term) that you put in your water faucet that aerate the water and lets less come through. These two doo-hickies cost about $6. So far as we can tell, we've already saved $20 in water in one month. So they've more than paid for themselves twice. The verdict is still out on some of our other purchases: LED lights (Christmas and regular bulbs), insulated curtains. And there are yet other things that may/will never pay for themselves in terms of savings by consuming less energy: new doors, windows, hot water heater.
Disagree: One of the things he mentions in category B is knitting needles--which is interesting because I just finished my first knitting project: a scarf. I don't remember how much I paid for my needles or yarn (well, actually I think they were a gift--so nothing, but for argument sake...) but I guarantee you that I could buy a scarf for what my time, the needles and the yarn cost. Factor out my time and I would still bet that I could buy a scarf on clearance (with gloves) for less than the yarn and needles. If I keep knitting and get good at it, then yes, I could save money with my knitting needles, but I'd still have to buy different sizes of needles and yarn isn't cheap. It would still be possible (likely?) that any project I make could end up costing more than a similar item bought on sale or at a thrift shop or garage sale. The same is true for sewing--clothes are often cheaper to purchase (new) than patterns, material and notions--not to mention the cost of a good machine and the other tools you need. Again, same with the stuff you need to can produce from your garden. This stuff is only cheaper if you are persistent enough to get good at it and use these tools over and over.
Disagree: Obviously, I'm a big believer that buying something on sale (or with coupons) will save you money if these are things you would buy anyway and use. I've often fallen into a trap of buying something like a bag of apples only to not eat them and have to throw half the bag--and half the money I used to buy the bag--away. But if you're smart and don't get caught up in the marketing aspect of sales, deals and coupons, then yes, buying things you need on sale is absolutely saving money.
So here is what I ate today. And guess what? I saved money by not eating out.
Breakfast: Peanut butter on toast 17 cents. That snow-day bread was a good deal.
Lunch: Free delicious beef stroganoff. Yeah, I get by with a little help from my friends.
Snack: Orange and free applesauce. 17 cents. I have ways of getting free applesauce.
Dinner: I feel like it should cost 17 cents. Instead I'll continue the free theme with sweet potatoes. Sweet potato fries with Greek Yogurt (Here's looking at you, Amb.) and a Grilled Cheese because I'm 5. 70 cents
Total: $1.04
Tuesday someone wrote over on Wise Bread an article called, "How to Really Save Money When You Shop." You don't have to read it, because I did and here's what the author says: You're not really saving money if you're buying something on sale. You can only save money if what you're buying either: A) lets you avoid consuming something or B) lets you produce something. He also mentions buying things you would rent repeatedly and investing.
I agree and disagree and here's why:
Agree: Avoiding Consuming. Last month we purchased two doo-hickies (technical term) that you put in your water faucet that aerate the water and lets less come through. These two doo-hickies cost about $6. So far as we can tell, we've already saved $20 in water in one month. So they've more than paid for themselves twice. The verdict is still out on some of our other purchases: LED lights (Christmas and regular bulbs), insulated curtains. And there are yet other things that may/will never pay for themselves in terms of savings by consuming less energy: new doors, windows, hot water heater.
Disagree: One of the things he mentions in category B is knitting needles--which is interesting because I just finished my first knitting project: a scarf. I don't remember how much I paid for my needles or yarn (well, actually I think they were a gift--so nothing, but for argument sake...) but I guarantee you that I could buy a scarf for what my time, the needles and the yarn cost. Factor out my time and I would still bet that I could buy a scarf on clearance (with gloves) for less than the yarn and needles. If I keep knitting and get good at it, then yes, I could save money with my knitting needles, but I'd still have to buy different sizes of needles and yarn isn't cheap. It would still be possible (likely?) that any project I make could end up costing more than a similar item bought on sale or at a thrift shop or garage sale. The same is true for sewing--clothes are often cheaper to purchase (new) than patterns, material and notions--not to mention the cost of a good machine and the other tools you need. Again, same with the stuff you need to can produce from your garden. This stuff is only cheaper if you are persistent enough to get good at it and use these tools over and over.
Disagree: Obviously, I'm a big believer that buying something on sale (or with coupons) will save you money if these are things you would buy anyway and use. I've often fallen into a trap of buying something like a bag of apples only to not eat them and have to throw half the bag--and half the money I used to buy the bag--away. But if you're smart and don't get caught up in the marketing aspect of sales, deals and coupons, then yes, buying things you need on sale is absolutely saving money.
So here is what I ate today. And guess what? I saved money by not eating out.
Breakfast: Peanut butter on toast 17 cents. That snow-day bread was a good deal.
Lunch: Free delicious beef stroganoff. Yeah, I get by with a little help from my friends.
Snack: Orange and free applesauce. 17 cents. I have ways of getting free applesauce.
Dinner: I feel like it should cost 17 cents. Instead I'll continue the free theme with sweet potatoes. Sweet potato fries with Greek Yogurt (Here's looking at you, Amb.) and a Grilled Cheese because I'm 5. 70 cents
Total: $1.04
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