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Good to the Last…

A few weeks ago, I was the matron of honor in a friend’s wedding. At the salon, we were putting on our make-up, and I pulled out my charcoal eyeliner to give my eyes that POW! effect. I have one of those automatic eyeliner pencils. Click, click, click – nothing. It’s out. The eyeliner is there – I can see it, but it’s flat as a pancake, right up against the sharp plastic edge of the dispenser. Ouch. Hmm, I could make my eyelids bleed for beauty…

Suddenly I think to myself, gee, if I can see it, there must be more than that inside. So, after spending about 30 seconds deciding that the pencil doesn’t come apart, I proceed to crack that puppy in half, pull on the little spring and inner piece that actually holds the eyeliner. Bingo! There’s easily a centimeter of eyeliner left inside the pencil. Nearly three weeks later, I’m still using it.

Almost everyone obsesses over squeezing out the last bit of toothpaste. It’s a cultural expectation – “hey, there’s still some in there!”. But how often do we throw away perfectly good product just because the packaging doesn’t make it easy to get to the last bits? I’ve got a tube of travel lotion in my purse that I bought a replacement for months ago, thinking that it would run out any day, but it seems to keep squirting out a little bit more each time. Now, I’m thinking about cutting the tube open when it stops coming out, obsessively scraping the last bits from the walls.

What do you use up? That gnarly little bit of soap? Do you swish out the dish washing liquid with water? Post your obsessive-compulsive frugal savings in the comments!

More Dresses than I’ve Ever Owned

There’s something growing inside of me. With the nefarious intent of…

…making my pants not fit.

Okay, so maybe that’s a little dramatic, I’m sure she doesn’t intend to render my wardrobe useless, but nevertheless…

Going on 5 months now, and the wardrobe items are dropping off one by one.  Only one pair of my work pants still work with my hair band latching technique, and I have one pair of jeans that still fit well going into the fall.  Everything else is getting pushed down until it falls off the hips.  I’ve heard about fancy belly bands and what not, but I’ve heard from some people that they are uncomfortable, and I’m trying to desperately avoid anything that won’t be useful after I have the baby.  So…dresses!  I am admittedly a tomboy at heart – this haul from Plato’s Closet brings my dress stash up to a level previously unknown to me:

All of these thrifted beauties are mine for about $32 – not bad I say.  The second one needs a little work (missing belt, button replaced), but they should all be useful with tights and cardigans for the upcoming fall weather.  The greatest thing is that they won’t become obsolete when I’m no longer pregnant.

Any super-duper maternity tips to share?

Low Effort Local

None for me?

I love the farmer’s market.  Nothing gets my weekend started like tossing the shopping bags in the back of the car and heading down to see what new discoveries await me this week.  In addition to eating healthier than I would otherwise, I’m also eating local.  Why is this important to me?

Well, for one, my juicy red apple from Washington state traveled about 2,500 miles on a truck to get to me, using up fossil fuels and blowing fumes into the air the wholy way.  Gee, that’s an awful dirty apple.  However, my just-as-juicy red apple from North Georgia traveled about 30 miles to get to me – much better.  (Although, I do not have the advanced economics degree to explain to you why they cost about the same – sigh.)

Also, if you buy local food, more money stays in your local economy – a lot more.  Why not give your neighbor farmer a helping hand?  You’re much more likely to actually see some reciprocation.

However, this brings up a huge dilemna for me.  What about bananas?  Lemons?  Limes?  Currants?  Rice?  Lamb?  All items that either aren’t or can’t be grown here in the southeast.   Many of these ingredients crop up in many recipes, and some are staples in my diet.

So, in the spirit of improving myself (this is Jessie:Improved after all), I’ve decided on a compromise.  I’m going to buy local whenever a local option is available to me, but otherwise, I won’t worry too much about it.  I’ve estimated that this will make about 50% of my grocery shopping local, especially since I’ve found a great source for meat and poultry.  I’d say that’s a big stride forward.  Who knows?  Now that I’m keeping a local eye out, maybe my cooking style will lead me even more in that direction.

Are you trying to eat local?

Image credit public-domain-image.com

Food Waste Friday – Back on the Bandwagon

Hi everyone!  It’s been a little while, I know, but I’m back and ready to get my blog started back up.  I’ve been busy over the past few weeks – trip to Ireland, matron of honor for my friend’s wedding, and I’ve been posting over at Wardrobe Refashion.  If you’re not sure what that is, click over to my initial post about the site.

Anyway, this post is about food waste, so here goes!

From left to right:

• 1/2 lime – geez that is gnarly
• a few ounces of cheese that we did not wrap up properly, so it dried out
• some potatoes I cut up, then we didn’t cook
• 3 moldy strawberries
• a container of really old macerated strawberries (maybe 3 or 4 strawberries?)
• a cucumber from the garden

So, it’s a lot this time, but in fairness, I’ve missed a few weeks of food waste, so some of this is pretty old.  The cucumbers I’ve had a hard time keeping up with – my plants are prolific!  I’ve already used about 10 of them along with some onions to make a marinated salad that I put into the freezer in containers.  I’ve really got to get back into this, or the picture may look just as bad next week!

I’ve got a few posts cooking, so I hope to get my blog started back up in earnest.  Stay tuned!

Free Sample: Bear Naked

Get a free sample of Bear Naked cereal or bars here: http://www.bearnaked.com/discover/.

Note: I wasn’t compensated for this in any way, other than getting *my* free sample!

Wardrobe Refashion Pledge

I am venturing out into new territory…

I have signed up for a 2 month pledge on Wardrobe Refashion, beginning today, September 1.

I, Jessie, pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of “new” manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 2 months. I pledge that i shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovoted, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that thy thriftiness brings!
Signed, Jessie.

Since I’ve recently discovered the joy of thrift store shopping, I though that this would be a good way to take it one step farther. I can improve my sewing skills and broaden the scope of what I can pick up from shops (which is great, because I don’t really fit an average size).  The next time I walk into Goodwill, I expect to see the store in a whole new light.  Stay posted for updates on my escapades in refashioning for the next 2 months – or beyond!

Image credit wardroberefashion.net.

Free Museum Tickets September 26

I just found a great offer over at Mindful Momma – the Smithsonian is sponsoring a free museum day on Saturday, September 26. Museums all over the country are participating, including my own hometown’s Atlanta High Museum of art!  What a great way to spend a frugal Saturday and get some learnin’ in at the same time (^_^). Head over to the Smithsonian’s website to sign up!

Image credit smithsonianmag.com.

A Frugal Beach Trip

Our Beach View "On a Technicality"

Man, am I exhausted.  I just got back from a weekend trip to St. Simons Island, GA for a bachelorette party weekend.  One of my best friends is getting married on October, and I am her matron of honor (I feel so old when I call myself a “matron” ^_^).  A few hours of sleep each night is just not enough for someone who is about 4 months pregnant!!

You may remember I did a post several weeks ago about this upcoming trip, discussing how our new frugal choices have made this trip affordable in light of a bigger international trip and our greatly anticipated new arrival.  Many of the other ladies on the trip are also on budgets, so the bride and I conspired to make this the most frugal weekend getaway that we could.

First of all, the location was a good choice.  St. Simons Island is a lovely little place, but a lot cheaper than some of the other nearby destinations.  Also, since it’s a Georgia beach, everyone carpooled and only drove a few hours, saving a lot of money on gas.

So how did it break down?

• 7 ladies in a two bedroom condo that sleeps 6 – $87 per person
• $10 per person for groceries (I ended up buying them and spent $90, but I brought the leftovers home)
• $15 for dinner on Saturday night (the only night we went out, I split a plate)
• $50 of gas split with another girl (so $25 for me)

That comes out to a grand total of $137 per person.  I also bought 5 matching Beatrix Potter books from a used bookstore, and a souvenir magnet for a combined $25, bringing my total to about $162.  Not bad at all!  The condo with a kitchen really helped.

I would like to hear about your frugal vacations.  What have you done to save money on trips?  Please share in the comments section below.  Thanks!

The Lure of the Barcode Scanner Part 1: It Beckons

This is the first post in a multi-part series where I document my adventures in registering for and receiving gifts for my unborn first child.  Join me in my quest to keep from falling into too much of a consumerist pit.

It’s waiting for you.  Taunting you.  “Come on, it’s so easy.  You don’t even have to buy anything!  Just click my little button, and you’ll be on the road to happiness in no time…”

So it has begun.  I have received my first phone call offering to host a baby shower in my honor.  “So, where are you going to register?” Well, uh….

All things considered, we came out pretty well from the gifts we registered for during our wedding engagement.  We didn’t go overboard, only registered for what we though we’d actually need (aka no fine china or fondue pots, although we received three of the later anyway), and actually received most of what we registered for.  And yet, we bought/received all shiny new products for our life together, including a living and dining room full of brand new furniture.

My values have changed considerably in that amount of time.  Now, I’m looking at an empty nursery, dreading the idea of buying anything new for an infant – such a transient human state.  Cribs, strollers, car seats, mounds and mounds of “plasticrap” – the idea of it makes me shudder.  I imagine my house turning into a colorful plastic jungle, threatening my bare toes and my mental state at every turn.

My husband does make a good point however.  “Jessie, they’re going to want to buy that stuff for us, and it’s going to be new, and you’re not going to be able to stop them.”  He’s absolutely right.  I will be thankful for the generosity of my friends and family.

Luckily I’ve already scored most of a nursery full of secondhand furniture.  The items will require a bit of paint to “coordinate”, but I think it’s well worth it.  Now all that’s left is to walk into the big box baby score, scanner in hand, dread on my face…

Thursday Gardening: Bounty of the Harvest

Well, I have yet to post on one of my biggest improvements to date – gardening.  Not only does it save us money, but it will also help us live a more healthy lifestyle.  So, every Thursday I think I’ll give my readers a bit of a gardening update.

A few harvests this week, first off some potatoes:

These potatoes were a complete save, because they came from a grocery store yukon gold that had sprouted in the cabinet.  They were mighty tasty in corn chowder!

Next up, my very first cucumbers.  I planted several things later in the summer for a fall harvest, and I have a feeling this is going to be a prolific producer:

The first two are just right, but the third one I didn’t notice because it was sitting on the ground.  My cucumbers are on a trellis so most are hanging up in the air.  They’re quite prickly!

I’m excited at the idea of supplementing our diet with home grown vegetables.  We have been herb gardeners for years, but this is the first year I’ve forayed into full fledged veggies.  I know I can provide a healthy and cheap diet for my family this way.  Look forward to more garden-y posts in the future!