Hello Frugal – Come On In (Part Deux)

In my last post I began a wee series of posts on living frugally. This next “part” is about clothing. Before I launch into my tips for procuring clothing for you and the fam at low cost, let it be said that I am not a brand hound nor a high maintenance gal but I like good quality stylish clothes by (preferably) small-run and independent labels (not always cheap). And so…these are my ways to save.

• Quality over quantity: A number of years back I used to indulge in a cheaper is better philosophy. Within a few washes my 2 for $25 shirts were piling and stretching and my Payless shoes were still hurting my feet months later. So I now I allow  myself the odd, “cheap” purchase and then really focus more on buying good quality key pieces that will last a very long time. See next point which is really just a continuation of this point.
• Get away with less: I have been trying to think more consciously about how many of any one thing I might need. If I get a hole in a pair of socks does NOT mean I need a replacement. How many socks do I need? (I have a sock thing. I love ‘em – wooly, long, stripey, yummy socks.) See this great article on Slow Fashion where the author includes a cost per wear analysis.

• Buy second hand. I did go through a physical shift lately where I realized I had lost some weight and my clothes were looking not so professional. Some consignment stores are good for brand names and more tailored items but some good scores can be found at Frenchy’s, The Salvation Army and Value Village if you have the time to look.
• Watch for end of season sales: End of season sales are good ways to buy a few fun “on trend” cheap add-ons. There are some good buys for the kidlets at The Superstore (Joe Fresh) at the end of a season. Buy for next year if you prefer new.
• Swap. A Swap party is a great excuse to clean your closet, inject your wardrobe with some new duds, and have a fun evening with friends.
• Convert some of your goods. If there are things that no longer fit – can you bring them in? Can you let them out? Can you put a cool applique on it to make it more you or disguise the stain? Can you make your daughter a dress or you baby a pair of pants from one of your old shirts?
• Take care of what you’ve got. For almost everything I own I follow this strategy: cold water wash, hang dry. My clothing lasts a long time. I also mend any small holes where/when I can.

Hello Frugal – Come On In (Part One)

Without giving you the boring details, the long and short of my family life is that I am in year three (still new) bricks and mortar retail shop selling handmade (not lucrative) and my husband works in Children’s Television Animation (when there is work to be had). This past year, A stayed home with Ollie on paternity leave when one contract finished up and the animation work well had dried up. We are by no means an example of how to live on less (because I am sure we make major mistakes. Seriously Gail Vaz-Oxlade would have a field-day with us.) But I think we do a lot of things right. And because I don’t think our situation is unique, I thought I would share some of our family’s tips on frugal living.

Part one is about food….

• In general, we don’t buy fast food. The odd special adventure day, we take the kids to McDonald’s (but more for the playland than anything else). Let it be noted however, that McDonald’s gave away free coffee for a week in the fall and we loaded up once a day and this past week they gave away free biscuits and again, we took advantage.
• We rarely buy packaged “convenience” foods. Instead we try to as much as we can to make from scratch – treats, muffins/loaves, bread crumbs, snacks like popcorn. A big bag of flour is cheaper than lotsa mini bags of mixes. A big bag of popcorn kernels is cheaper than lotsa little bags/boxes of popcorn. Plus it is better for you.

• As much as possible, I try to have snacks and water with us whenever we are “going out”. I even have some things hidden in the car for emergencies. That way I can squash the “Iiiii’mmmm hunnnnnngryyyyyy” whinning and not waste money on emergency crap.
• We grow food and herbs. This takes commitment but if you have young kids, they will also enjoy being part of the gardening adventure. Start small – a pot with some herbs and a pot of cherry tomatoes. Maybe add a bean pole to your flower garden. You don’t have to have huge vegetable beds to grow your own food.

• We look at the flyers. We don’t drive around the city going to three or four different markets but we do watch the flyers and choose a supermarket that has many of the things we want/need on special.
• We shop at Costco but VERY carefully. We discovered that Costco can have some great buys on certain food items but you really have to watch the price because you can often pay more or pay the same for not the same quality. Our favorite Costco buys: 3 bricks of tofu for $2.79 (at the supermarket it is that price for one brick if you are lucky), a massive bag of baby spinach (environmentally not a great idea but the price rocks) for around $3, two and a half dozen eggs (again not a local source and have some guilt here), jars of artichokes, beets and olives are pretty good, big things of extra-virgin olive oil are well priced as are my favorite garden burger. That all being said, I am not sure if I save money taking the $50 membership into consideration. I think so but I have never done the math.

• I think I have figured out what my daughter will and won’t eat at school so that food is not wasted (and I don’t lose my mind). With that in mind I also only serve both kids smallish portions of any one thing (milk as an example) so that I am not wasting (if it tips over or if there is slurping/backwashing and then isn’t finish).
• I try to plan out the week of meals so there is no last minute desire to just pick up a quick and dirty premade meal. The planning also allows me to double ingredients up in different ways. (Check out this adorable download for weekly planning by How About Orange.)
• We primarily eat vegetarian which is cheaper than a meat-based diet.

• When we can get there, we buy from farmers and farmer’s markets. In part this choice is ethical but this weekend I scored a huge squash for $2.50 – which was converted into a massive meal of squash risotto last evening and we still have 3/4 left for soup and ?? for the rest of the week.

Stay tuned for part 2 – clothing…

Funk

As in the mood not the music. It is probably the lack of sleep (seriously O what is up with the 3 am and then 6 am cry fests?). Or feeling guilty for being a working mom and not a stay-at-home mom. (It usually is just a whisper - today it is a roar.) Or the penny pinching. Or the slow business time. Or the freezing cold. Or not having had a moment to myself in forever. More than anyone of these, it is all of these. I overload myself. I always have. No matter how busy my life gets, I am always struggling to achieve a mindset that is this:

This gorgeous Halifax sunrise taken by Shelagh at Alice in Paris Loves Art and Tea is how I want to start each day: hopeful, bright, and ready.

But it doesn’t always happen that way. Like today.

And then I happened upon Ali Edwards blog where she talks about getting life to run smoothly and writes:  ”I don’t want to always be working on trying to find that magic place where everything runs smoothly. I don’t want that to be my focus. I’d much rather simply focus on being engaged with my kids when it’s that time and engaged with my work when it’s that time and engaged with Chris when it’s that time and engaged with myself when it’s me time. I’m acutely aware when my attitude is heading downhill. I’m working on taking a deep breath and refocusing on what’s most important.” “It’s easy to get trapped in the cycle of always trying to find that elusive perfect balance when in reality what you have at any given time might be just right.”

Maybe life is not about waking up to the sunrise (of our mind). Maybe life is about being open to the calm, new light of sunrise, but knowing it is ok if we can’t find it right away.

For the Love of Art

Parents: At the end of your day, what items are you picking up off the floor in multiples? Cars? Finger puppets? Rocks? For me it is paper. Big 8 x 10 sheets, post-its, cut scraps, big sheets folded into tiny wee envelopes. These pieces of paper can have lists of names, lists of numbers, drawings, or drawing beginnings, or just a mark of some kind. And while I love that my kid loves to write and draw, I sorta curse the day we introduced her to art and craft, pencils, paints, crayons, and scissors. Our fridge is covered. Our counters are piled. Every nook in the house has art whether we put it there or not. (Yup. My kid art bombs our house.) Admittedly, some of this artwork is really awesome – pictures of her and her friends, portraits of our family, various animals and scenery – but I find myself drowning in it from time to time.

In my efforts to wrangle the “stuff” in our lives, paper is my biggest obstacle. (I admit here that the paper is not just M’s artwork, it is flyers, bills, notices from school, the weekly entertainment paper, our Saturday Globe and Mail, etc.) I tried using a cool retro hand-me-down school desk with the “undershelf” for containing works in progress and completed works (in a velcro folder) but this cubby got jammed and eventually all the paper fell out. I up graded to a big paper box which sits in her room. As things come in from school or afterschool or her weekend project roundup, they are put in this box. Everyonce in awhile I go through it, salvage the ones I love, mark a rough date on the back and put them up and away in a file folder. But my file folder now runneth over and she is only in grade primary. And whether or not O is going to be as crafty and arty as his sister remains to be seen, but the truth is, I will soon be bombarded by more paper and projects.

I have yet to come to any more of a conclusion than my box and folder strategy but I recently came across some great ideas that I thought I would share for any parents in the same boat.

One of my favorites is this one from Bea of The Zero Waste Home. What an awesome weekend DIY.

My other favorite idea is this – making one big poster.

source: Style Files

And then here are two versions are “art rails”. I have tried this in M’s room and it works well but is hard to convince her to “rotate” if she loves some of the older pieces. Plus you do get crackling dried papers after awhile.

Source: Oh Dee Doh

Source: Martha Stewart

Other ideas I have or heard/read about:

• Scan or photograph them and make a CD
• Scan them and have one of the one-line photo books made
• Laminate them and make placemats for family
• In our house we save larger sheets for wrapping paper
• See How She Does It for 28 ideas on displaying kids art

Fawning Over Friday: Cabin Life

In my intro/about section, I talk about being half city mouse and half country mouse. In my ideal world, I would have a house in the city and a cabin/house eyeshot to the ocean and surrounded by green. In the winter when I feel like doing nothing at all, I crave that dream cabin/house and the life that this dream allows – no need to leave, spend my days making bread and soup, reading by a fire, drawing/painting, wearing my big Uggs and sweaters and watching wildlife come and go.

This week via Lake Jane, I found some lovely images of a barn conversion by Shed. And I had barn envy right away.

Bliss also tempted me with her post about a Maire Claire Maison showcase of a converted barn.

I am ready for soak in that tub! Also via Bliss, I saw a wee English cottage barn that also has some great “cabin-ey” effects like exposed beams, rough planked cupboard pantries, and of course, stacked wood in a nook. And then on a quick peek at Cup of Jo, I saw a post about this rental in Hudson Valley, NY – If you want vacation home envy, go press “this rental” and prepare to turn green.  It is a bit more ‘luxe’ than my cozy cottage fantasy, but I’ll take it – if only for the fireplace and the heated towelrack.

Not Leaving Your Mark

The theme of this blog is really about my attempt to find balance and simplier living in an overly rushed, hyper consumerist (North American) world. I am exploring things like gardening, quilting, and making preserves. I am trying discover a ”slow” life in my own busy hectic world of kids, marriage, work….life. One area I am really conscious of as of late, is the amount of stuff we have in our life: random papers, toys for the kids, coats for all sorts of weather, condiments in our fridge… I am trying a new process of being conscious of what I bring into the house. “Do I really NEED this?” “Do I really LOVE this?” “Do I have something that is suiting the same function and still working alright?”

And then I read this article about a SoCal family who has brought their waste down to almost nil.

What I like about their “no waste” lifestyle:

• using Netflix (instead of having piles of DVD’s)  – I really like this concept. Could I do it? I think so. I would need a few downloads of favorites for those nights when I just want the comfort of an old standby like Amelie or Lost in Translation.
• using a transformable sofa and table - I am down with any “double duty”  furniture. I dig dog.  
• gifts of gift certificates - for active adventures, I love this! What kid wouldn’t get more out of an hour rock climbing than more Lego or another Barbie? (But I am not dissing Lego. I am a big fan of Lego. I may be dissing Barbie. Really, I am just saying sometimes more of anyone thing is just more of anyone thing.)
• making their own cleaner - I have tried this. I use vinegar alot in my house. I really want to make my own cleaner using Castile soap but I can not find it anywhere.
• buying dry goods in bulk (and bringing their own sacks to put them in) – this makes so much sense. I don’t always do it for lack of time but I really do try. And this cupboard is so freakin’ sexy! I am totally turned on.

• no papertowels - I totally agree with this one. Everytime my dad or father in law visit, they ask where I keep the paper towels. My dad actually bought me a couple of rolls once. I just don’t see the point. I use newspaper or soft cloths for my windows and mirrors, I use washable soft cloths for dishes and counters and dusting (unless I use a sock) and reuseable napkins at the table (and we use these for the week and then wash them with our weekly tea towel and kitchen dishcloth).
• donating toys your kids outgrown - big agree. I am in favor of getting rid of anything anyone in the family has outgrown. There are tons of organizations that can use anything from unused diapers to underused shoes. Bag it up baby!
• the minimalist look (free counter space!) - drool. period.

What I am hesitant or unsure of in their “no waste” lifestyle:

• no art??? - Really? I love plants but a plant wall does not give you the same feeling as supporting an artist and being totally taken an image/sculpture. No. If. Ands. Or. Buts. (for me).
• the clothing list - This one maybe makes sense in California but does not make sense for a four season climate like East Coast Canada. What I had to laugh about was the pyjamas. ONE PAIR PER KID? Having just had some bouts of the flu go around in my house, I am thinking any parent knows you need some backups. Did your kid never pee or puke all over his jammies??
• shopping with your own jars - shopping with your own “plastic” bags or produce bags – sure. But your own jars?? First, for a family of four to bring jars for things like pickles, peanut butter, Becel… is alot of physical effort and planning. And most grocery stores are not going to go for this. I don’t even think Bulk Barn would have the capacity to measure out your jar empty before you fill it. And while this probably deserves its own point…bread frozen in a pillowcase? I am skeptical at best.
• bulk toilettries - I am definately not a high maintenance girl. But.. I prefer not to use basic drugstore shampoo. I usually buy JASON (a natural personal care line that does not have Lauryl/Laureth Sulfates
  in it and has only natural scent if any at all). I use these products on my kids too. And while I am sure “bulk” shampoo is probably better than commercial Dove, Pantene or any other brand, buying bulk shampoo scares me.

I am stuck in the middle on the following points:

• Using the library instead of having stacks of books and magazines - We already do this quite well. And in theory I totally support this. If there is a subject I want to read about and know I won’t use the book as an on-going resource, I order the book up from the library. The library also helps keep my kids from book/reading monotony. (And great for kid and adult movies and music btw.) But – and here is the but - there is comfort in certain re-readables (some amazing fiction, certain resources items, and kid favorites – kids love memorizing books and knowing them from beginning to end). I have stopped buying magazines all together but – another but – there are a few great ones that you can not get at the library (quarterly or biannuals – Uppercase, Somerset’s Art of Journaling) nevermind the fact that I pour over these again and again and get something out of them everytime. Plus, I use some of my magazines for collagey/journaly/artworky stuff. See? Definately on the fence on this one. I guess it depends on the quality/kind of material.
• Heirlooms – I suppose the fur coat is a good example if you don’t wear it but if you wear it often then I am on the fence. My house is filled with heirlooms – granny’s sofa/chair, granny’s teaset and dishes, great grandmother’s bowl, great aunt’s sweater knit for my mom, some of my own baby clothes (which my kids both wore), a jacket of my dad’s that I will save for Ollie, great grandmother in law’s quilts… For me, those things make my house a home. There are stories about where I or my husband come from in these items. There is history and love and struggle and family and function and beauty in these items. Now, could I do without them? Of course. But I don’t have to. And for me, a photo of the quilt is not the same as lying underneath it.
• Toilettries -  I adore the idea of using hankies instead of tissue for the everyday sniffle. But when one person gets a cold in our house, we all have it. And our wee baby gets the crazies snot globs you have ever seen. Too much information? So we have tissues in every pocket of every coat and pair of pants during sniffy season so we can dive it and swipe before a hand, finger, or shirt is used. I can’t even begin to think hankie. Not yet. As for other toilettries, we are pretty good. Toothbrushes are used in cleaning after they are used in our mouths. Facecloths are used for face cleaning/makeup removing. I use very few “makeup products” and try to pick ones with little packaging. Regarding the no Bandaids.. Bandaids are a right of passage for kids. It is a badge of honour, a sticker for a job well done, a feel good for a booboo. Sorry, but a gauze and paper tape does isn’t gonna make your kiddo feel better.

I do love this stunner minimalist bathroom though – especially that shower. Now THAT is something I fully support.

And even if one of the Johnson’s is secretly gorging on a package of Oreos while idling in (one of) their car(s) after buying a trunk full of paper towels, I think this article serves to give us all pause. It did for me anyway.

Manifestation

We are into month two of 2011 and I am in need of rejuvenation of my intentions for the year. (In the dead of winter it is hard to stay motivated and focused. It is much easier to say “sod it” and hide under the covers.) While most of intentions for the year involve getting my head back into my business and home needs, there is a component of tending to me – physically and spiritually (creatively). So for me the manifestos I have come across have everything to do with creative life and I am hoping will give me a little umph where needed.

The first manifesto that I came across last month was The Incomplete Manifesto by Bruce Mau. This list has lots of great nuggets including loving experiments, capturing accidents, take fieldtrips, skat, and ”___________________. Intentionally left blank. Allow space for the ideas you haven’t had yet, and for the ideas of others.” My favorite? #9 Begin anywhere.

BEGIN ANYWHERE. That is my new mantra when things feel full, complex and overwhelming. 2010 really buried me – in my work, financially, physically, mentally, and spiritually. Looking around and observing all the wreckage gets to be too much sometimes. But if I can just remember to BEGIN ANYWHERE, I might be able to make some strides.

Designer/ceramisist Grace Lee has a sweet manifesto for creative life. In particular, I like #8 tangents, failures, setbacks – all mandatory for progress. (As per above, relates to sooo much more than just creative life, non?)

Hugh MacLeod’s How To Be Creative has some great little nuggets: Put the Hours In (kinda a no-brainer but I forget sometimes, don’t you??) and Don’t Try to Stand Out From the Crowd; Avoid the Crowd Altogether.

And Ms. Scoutie Girl has her own Creative Manifesto which includes thinking outside the box, finding abundance in simple things, not worrying about the mess, and embracing struggles as well as the clarity.

“A creative life is one lived in conversation with yourself, your surroundings, your community, and your raw materials – whatever they may be. Living a creative life is a philosophy, a way of thinking, not a label, an education, or a profession. Living creatively is knowing the rules and occasionally – or more often – ignoring them. It’s coloring outside the lines and sometimes on walls. It’s daring to be different when everyone tells you to be the same.” (Tara Gentile aka Scoutie Girl)

Finally, this song is very sad but incrediable beautiful. But the line “throw your soul through every open door. Count your blessings to find what you look for..” has really stuck with me all week. Enjoy.