Pantry Challenge Day 31

It is the last day of the Eat From Your Pantry Challenge and I am quite happy with my performance.  Once I got over the fact that I do have a shopping habit I can now officially stand up and say,"Hello, my name is The Frugal Fraulein and I am a compulsive grocery shopper".  I am quite serious.  I have recognized that sometimes I buy things just because they are there and I really don't need them at all.  I am curbing my ways by shopping with a list, making menus, not shopping hungry, and stopping and thinking before I buy.

I did buy some items this month.  I bought two containers of half and half, 1 dozen eggs, dried garbanzo beans, tamari, tortilla chips, oranges, a lemon and a package of cinnamon rolls (see previous post) for under $25.  Those were the items that I purchased and consumed.  I did buy some other items that were on sale and did not use them purposely.  I put them away in the rear of the pantry.

I put away $127.87 towards my Save 2010 in 2010 plan.  I used the rest of my budgeted money to buy some staples and some items for a new craft hobby of mine (announcement coming soon!).  I am going to try to put the money I "save" on groceries into this jar instead of just writing it off and using it for something else.  I have learned that instead of really saving I used to reabsorb the "saved" money by spending it on something else.  I feel ok if I use the "saved" money to take care of another need that I had not budgeted from or to put it towards items that are on a limited time only reduced price.

I tried a hummus recipe and loved it.  My next venture it to find a cracker recipe that I like or make my own tortillas for tortilla chips.  Hummus is a great lunch with crackers and raw veggies or spread on a sandwich.  I looked at a small container in Trader Joe's and it was $3.89.  I can make it for much much less at home and season it to taste to boot (extra garlic, hot pepper flakes and some chopped cilantro or parsley doctors it up really well).  I am sure it adds extra fiber as evidenced by some trips to the loo!  Oprah and Dr Oz would be proud.

I can see a difference in my refrigerator and don't have any leftovers growing mold.  I have cleaned out my refrigerator freezer and found two bags of pea pods from last summer's garden that I stir fried with a small steak one night and made friend rice the next.  The pods were sweet and very tasty.

I am going to continue on this month eating from the pantry as much as possible and working on cleaning out the chest freezer.  I know there are some dead bodies in there that need to be taken care of.  So don't accept an invitation to a BBQ from me this week!

Learning to be a Couponista

In my quest to be a Frugalista, I am now learning to be a Couponista. I found a local blogger who blogs solely about coupons.  Because she is taking about the stores I am familiar with I can follow her instructions.  Kim from Puget Sound Prudence is my new Couponista mentor.


I found out there is a whole language to learn when couponing.  I am still looking for a good key to all the initials they use to describe different kinds of coupons.  I saw reference to a Catalina coupon the other day and thought it must be something I would have to go to California for.  I sent her an email asking what Catalina coupons were and she responded by posting this article What Are Catalina Coupons. I suggest you go and check out this link to read up on Catalinas.  I had been getting them all the time and frankly did not even look at them most of the time.


Yesterday, I did a bit of homework and thought I would give her method a try.  I saw there was a special running on Pillsbury refrigerator rolls.  Now I am working on baking my own bread and moving toward whole wheat products and buying local, BUT, I do slip once in a while and like a fast easy hot gooey cinnamon rolls or flaky rolls with a bowl of homemade soup.  Bingo I was motivated.


First, I went to the Pillsbury website.  There are all sorts of interesting things there like recipes and coupons.  I downloaded the coupons and made two copies.  Fred Meyers, a local grocery and department type one-stop-shopping store, was offering Pillsbury rolls 2 for $3.  Usually they are $1.99 apiece.  Right there I would have saved $1 buying two.  I had coupons $1 off when you buy two.  So buy buying four, using the coupons they cost me $1 a piece which saved $4.  At the cash register, I was given a Catalina coupon for $4 off my next purchase.  The four packages of rolls were will in effect be free when I make my next purchase on anything in the store!!!!  You know FREE is my favorite word.


I did the same transaction for my Mother who was with me.  She was confused till I showed her the receipt and spelled it all out.  Now she is going to look for coupons for me in the newspaper.  She gets the paper and I don't.  I might begin to get the Sunday paper at the local Dollar Store because they sell it for $1.  I think it will make a good investment.

While I was standing and ogling the cheese, a woman began to talk with me.  She is a seasoned Couponista and had a well organized coupon holder that was color coded and full of coupons.  We were looking for the same offer from Kraft.  She said since the store was out of the Kraft cheese we were looking for, to go and ask for a store rain check and come back later on in the week when they are stocked up again.  I will end up getting two packages of Kraft cheese for $.75 each.  Ann, the Couponista, gave me a few tips and I told her about the new blog I was using.  She asked for the URL and I wrote it out on the back of a receipt for her (free paper) and shared my blog address with her.  I hope she will contact me and we can share coupon lore with one another.  It would be fun to make a new friend and learn another way to save pennies.  It is like finding a new hobby!  It would be especially nice to find someone local so we can share local bargain tips and be able to run out and make the best of sales.  I found a coupon holder in my stash of stuff and will begin to sort and organize my collection of coupons today.


I am aware that coupons are only useful if you use the product and won't buy items just because I can get them free.  Ann did share with me that sometimes she does get the free or very low cost items and then donates them to the local women's shelter!  What a wonderful suggestion.

So here I am writing this posting while my Cinnabons cook in the oven.  I can smell the yummy sweet aroma and my mouth is watering for a Cinnabon roll.  Mister T, the Chairman and Founder of The Frugal Fraulein Fan Club was distressed that the shopping bag did not have a new toy.  But, now he is sitting her in my lap drooling over the smell coming from the kitchen.  I will have to share my breakfast with him.  Just think if you were here I would invite you over coffee (a free package of Geneva coffee that came in the mail) and a cinnamon roll.  All for freeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

P.S.  The rolls were yummy!  I ate 1 1/2 rolls and Mister T ate the other half and begged for more.  The coffee was delicious too.  Geneva has an offer that if you give them $10 they will give you a coffee maker to keep and some coffee to try out.  If you do not like the coffee or do not wish to sign up for their delivery service you cancel and keep the coffee maker.  Pretty good deal for a little effort and the coffee tastes pretty darn good.  

February is National Hot Breakfast Month

Did you know February is National Hot Breakfast Month?  Keep reading for a brief history on how this celebration came to be and some fun recipes to try!

The term breakfast means breaking the fast and is widely known to be the most important meal of the day. Janice Hermann, Oklahoma State University Cooperative Extension nutrition specialist. Says “Breakfast is the first chance your body has to refuel its blood glucose levels. Glucose is the main energy source of the body and helps fuel the muscles needed for physical activity throughout the day.” The nutrients digested from this meal begin the day for the body after its night of rest and recuperation. The vitamins and minerals that might or might not lie in breakfast foods give the body’s cells the fuel to carry out their functions and get the motor running.  Skipping breakfast does not give the message to the body to fully wake up. This is why there is an emphasis on a good breakfast for children and lead the federal government to create a breakfast program for schools.  Children who eat a good breakfast perform better and are more alert in school.  The same goes for adults.  A good breakfast will supply about a fourth of the daily nutritional needs necessary to reach peak performance.  Fiber, complex carbohydrates and foods low in saturated fat are recommended.

The Jimmy Dean sausage company, now owned and operated by Sara Lee, researched and found that two thirds of Americans were not eating a hot breakfast, saw a great marketing opportunity and established the National Hot Breakfast Month celebration.  Sara Lee commissioned a survey to find out which American city’s residents most often ate hot breakfasts.  The winner was San Diego.

For an optimal performance, begin your day with a hot well rounded breakfast.  Here are a couple of breakfast recipes to try.

Do It Yourself Oatmeal Packages

Why buy expensive oatmeal packet’s that might have other unwanted ingredients when you can make your own customized packets?  Packets can be brought to work or are easy to travel with.  Personalize them to fit your tastes.

Quick cooking oats

salt

Creamora (optional)

Sweetener

Sealable sandwich bags

Mix ¼ cup of oats, ¼ teaspoon of salt (a pinch) 1 tablespoon of cream substitute (dry milk tends to mold and could be used if the packets will be consumed in one week) and sweetener (sugar, brown sugar, artificial sweetener, stevia etc).

Add your own flavorings such as cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla powder, maple sugar crystals, raisins, dried cranberries, blueberries or other dried fruit, nuts

Pack in individual sealable baggies.  Label baggies by flavors. 

Add 1/4 cup water and microwave for 60 seconds.   If you did not add Creamora, ¼ cup of milk can be substituted for water.

If you like thicker oatmeal, add 1 tablespoon oatmeal flour.  Oatmeal flour can be made by taking some of the oats and powdering them in a blender

Cranberry Syrup

This syrup is yummy and easy to make and a refreshing taste change .

1 cup water
2 cups sugar
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
Dash each cloves and cinnamon
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. maple flavoring
Combine water, sugar, and cranberries in saucepan. Heat on medium high until water is boiling gently and cranberries begin to pop. Use a fork to mush the cranberries slightly, enough to release the juice, but leaving the cranberries mostly whole. Simmer for about another minute.
Remove from heat and stir in cloves, cinnamon, and maple flavoring. Serve over pancakes, waffles, French toast, hot cereal etc.  Leftover syrup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Frugal Tip:  When making pancakes and French toast make more than needed for breakfast and freeze for quick meals when you don’t have time to cook.  Place in toaster or oven and heat.

Oprah on Food Inc.

 Oprah Winfrey had Michael Pollan , a food expert who has studied food for over 20 years on her today.  Pollan was responsible for the documentary Food Inc. .  Great minds run on the same track!  I am thrilled I wrote about this amazing enlightening movie just the other day.  Here are some things I heard on today’s show.

• Do you know where your food is coming from? 
• Did you know there are only 7 main slaughterhouses now in the United States? 
• Did you know that pound of hamburger could have parts from thousands of cattle in it? 
• Did you know chickens have been genetically redesigned to have large breasts because Americans like breast meat more than dark meat? 
• Did you know seven weeks a chicken can weight 5 12 lbs but are unable to walk because their inner organs and legs have not developed enough to carry the weight?  These are not the same chickens our Grandmothers cooked on Sunday for dinner.

Why do we support the feedlot system of growing animals for food?  Why do we continue to buy food with antibiotics, hormones and steroids when we know they are present in our food? How do we feed America without mass producing food?

We can’t afford to eat healthier.  It is cheaper to buy fast food due to federal subsidy policies and programs.  Some Americans can not afford to buy healthy food and resort to making less expensive choices.  While the cost of less healthy food has decreased in the past 10 years the cost of healthcare has increased dramatically. 

The consumer is the biggest voice.  We vote with our forks and vote three times a day with each meal we eat!  We can vote with consciousness bt making better choices at the store and WE CAN change the food plight we are in!  

If you go to the link I have supplied above and order Food Inc. before midnight Friday it will cost only $9.99 (63% off the regular price).  Please go and purchase this film and share it with everyone you know.  Michael Pollan's other books are all must reads!

Recommended New Website Recipe Key

How often do you look in the pantry and refrigerator and go blank trying to figure out what to have for dinner with the ingredients on hand?  This month while participating in the Eat From Your Pantry Challenge I have faced that dilemma over and over again.  I stand in front of the pantry and look at all the items and a spark of inspiration does not appear.  Then I think of something and realize one key ingredient is missing.  I ponder again and am sure there are 100's of combinations I have not tried.  But what are they?

Today I found a website that will take the ingredients I have on hand and with the click of a button, list out possible recipes that can be made.  I am thrilled!!  Recipe Key is super simple and user friendly.  Foods are listed in categories like vegetables.  Click on vegetables and a page including pictures of vegetables in alphabetical order appears.  You simply click on the pictures of all the veggies you have on hand and send them to your virtual pantry.  You can choose if it is a main ingredient or a secondary ingredient then search for recipes that contain only the ingredients you have.  It is a wonder, a miracle, a solution to my hours of debating what to have and then resorting to a can of soup or bowl of cereal simply because my creative juices are just not flowing.

Recipe Key has thought of so many things like allergies, a blog, a forum and a way to add recipes.

I am going to spend some time today and enter in the contents of my pantry.  It might take hours but I think for someone like me it will be a great tool and another internet marvel to make life easier and more convenient.

After thought:  I just finished entering all the ingredients they had pictures for and it did not take much time at all!  In fact, it gave me some ideas to add to my shopping list and things to keep in my food storage.  What an easy way to know what you have on hand and be able to at a glance make a shopping list and a weekly menu!  I am sold.

Who is Loosing Weight?

Well, certainly not me!  It is the packaging companies.  More and more consumer goods are coming in smaller packages with lesser amounts of product for more money.

Take tuna fish for example. When I was young a can of tuna made two very healthy sandwiches and there would be some leftover. I have always been partial to tuna sandwiches so I remember things like this.  The first boy I ever invited over for lunch was served a tuna sandwich and bowl of tomato soup (made with milk instead of water).  The first time I ever experienced sea sickness was during a cruise from Camden, ME to Marblehead, MA when I ate a tuna salad made with tuna packed in oil.  Needless to say,  I have never and I mean never eatten tuna packed in oil again.  There is nothing worse than chumming in a stiff wind.

Tuna cans used to contain 7 ounces of tuna.  Then the same cans were packaged with 6.5 ounces of tuna.  Now there are only 5 ounces of tuna in a can and it seems the quality is getting worse.  Unless you pay the premium price for solid white tuna, the tuna is more like cat food.  Some of my cat friends actually buy it for their feline friends.  Personally, I now can my own fresh Tuna .

Products like ice cream, bleach, cereal, spagetti sauce, candy bars and on and on are being sold in smaller amounts for more money.  Downsizing seems to be the new business plan across the board.  My favorite product packaging to watch is coffee.  Remember when a package of coffee beans was really a pound or16 ounces?  Now you have to be careful how many ounces you are buying so you have enough coffee to get through the week.

 Be a good shopper.  If you keep a price notebook jot down the size of the item and keep track of the packaging.  This practice is going to continue and the only defense is to be educated and watch for the best deals.  When items you use frequently are on sale, stock up.  Over a short period of time a product will not only go up in price but the weight will go down.  It used to be that groceries were sold in simple sizes: 1 lb, 2 liters, 1 quart, a pint, etc. Now you might have to do conversions because labeling might mix units of measurement. How many times have you been stumped by the unit pricing stickers?  Bring a calculator.

I bought two cases of Clorox bleach (when you could still get a gallon plastic bottle) and watched the price go up and the package shrink.  I bought the gallon for $1.00.  A gallon is 128 ounces which figures to .0078 an ounce. The cCorox bleach bottle holds a gallon of bleach, and the small one holds a half gallon. Ultimate Care™ holds 1.87 pints (30 fluid ounces, or 887 milliliters). Now, if I remember the conversions correctly, two pints make a quart, so this little bottle contains less than half the amount that a small bottle of regular bleach contains.  Now you pay .074 or $2.23 for the smaller bottle.  These numbers are not for other brands of bleach that have lower concentrations of bleach.  Watch out for those other brands and consider what is in the bottle and how much you are paying for it.

So while I might be dismayed that my poundage is not dropping I can be sure products around me are.  Maybe I should just market myself to Proctor and Gamble have them design a label for me and over time watch the price go up and the weight go down.  If only that would work.  Please don't send me your latest diet or magical weight loss product!  It is the connection between my brain and my elbow that is going to do the trick.

Dedicated to Christina

Ode to the Passing of a Great Spirit

Pantry Challenge Day 24

Another week has passed by for the January Pantry Challenge.  This week I noticed the refrigerator really getting bare.  The fresh veggies are gone, store bought bread and cookies are gone and ice cream is gone.

I went out to the garden and found some nice carrots.  A couple of them had bore holes in them which I cut around.  I grated them and made some carrot salad with raisins and a bit of mayo and sour cream.  It was sweet tasting and delicious.  I also checked out the beets and they are waiting to be picked this week along with more carrots.  There wasn't much else out there that looked appealing.  The weather has been very wet with little sun so the winter seeds I put in did not do well.  I will build cold frames this year to plan for next winter's garden.

This week I will make bread in the bread machine.  I find it so easy to just pour in the few ingredients and let the machine do the work.  I also plan on making a batch of some kind of cookie to take care of my sweet tooth.  I do have quite a few boxed cake mixes that were bought on sale in the pantry.  For some reason they are not as appealing.

Mom cooked a chicken in the crock pot yesterday and said she will give me the carcass to make soup.  I would like to try a white bean soup with onion and chicken.

Since the end of the month is coming I have been looking at how well I have done.  I did buy cream for my coffee and some odds and ends that were on sale that I put away and did not use this month.  I have more food store than I know what to do with at this point and have decided to continue on eating from the pantry and freezer in February. I will get a few fresh veggies but otherwise will stick to the freezer.  This has been a great excercise in really thinking about what to have for dinner and not resorting to going to the store for added ingredients.

The pantry could use some sorting out and the inventory needs updating.  The spice rack on the wall works well for easy access but the larger containers on the shelf get buried too easily and I can't find things.  I need to develop another system in my small space.  I noticed that a couple of the Hubbard squashes that were stored in the garage must have caught a bit of a freeze because they are showing spots.  They will be cut up and cooked this week.  I love squash baked, boiled, steamed or put in soup so I will try and come up with something creative.

Now that I have seen the movie Food Inc., I will be rethinking what I buy at the store and what store I buy it from.  There is a local butcher that only uses local grass fed animals.  I will have to go out of my way to buy there more often.  The prices will not be cheaper but the quality will improve and will be worth it in the long run.

A dilemma I have is about coupons.  I have been cutting them from the newspaper and circulars that come in the mail but I find few are for products I actually use.  In my attempt to be as frugal as possible I use coupons when I can.  I just watched a video from Coupon Mom and she bought a whole basket full of groceries for one cent.  But I was unable to see what was in her grocery cart and if those groceries would feed here family in a healthy way.

 The dilemma is this:  could the power brokers who are behind the food industry be manipulating coupons to further seduce the public into buying products that are full of genetically altered ingredients furthering their own objectives?  I don't see coupons for fresh organic veggies that were grown from hybrid seeds or sales on free range, no hormone, healthy chickens.  Is the coupon craze a scam???

I keep coming back to growing what I can in my small garden and carefully selecting the other groceries carefully. I will do my best to buy locally.  I do not see a solution at this moment for the overall picture.  If each one of us began to take baby steps with our choices, grew a small garden or even some containers of salad greens, asked the grocer where food was coming from on a regular basis we might begin to change the situation.  What other ways can we help?

Food Inc. The Movie

This is the poster from the film

If you have not seen the movie Food Inc. I strongly urge and implore you to see it.  My neighbors invited me over to see it with them tonight and I was stunned to see so much information put so eloquently in one film.  So that I will not face the threat of being sued, let me just say please watch the film and you be your own judge.

Remember a wise person always holds their own council.

Eagle Watching

This is the eagle that was watching me from his perch along the side of the road.

Yesterday, my Mother and I drove towards the Cascade Mountains to see the annual spectacle of migrating eagles.  We took a two and a half hour scenic ride to the Skagit River between the towns of Rockport and Marblemount nestled below Mount Baker where the eagles stop on their migration from the coastal Pacific Northwest to California.  It was a beautiful clear day and the snow topped mountains were magnificent.

Seeing bald eagles is an experience that everyone should have at least once in their life.  They are majestic and regal the way they perch in the trees and scan the countryside.  Their white head and yellow crooked beak are a sharp contrast to their dark feathered large body.  Their white head makes them easy to spot in the trees.  Eagles can have up to an eight foot wing span and can weigh up to 15 pounds.  Female eagles are generally larger than the males.

We drove along the river and suddenly an eagle swooped down over the road and landed in a cottonwood tree beside the road.  I stopped the car and parked safely on the side of the narrow winding road.  While we fumbled to get our cameras and binoculars, the eagle sat turning his head and looked at us.  I got out of the car and slowly walked under his tree.  He cocked his head and looked at me through his right eye as if examining what I was doing.  He never fluttered or fidgeted.  I have to admit his attention span was longer than mine and I returned to the car after thanking him for letting me take his picture and have a good look.  We drove on down the road to look for more.

The traffic was not heavy and I was able to drive very slowly.  By looking in the trees and focusing on white I was able to spot them.  It was just amazing to see them perched in the trees looking up and down the river.

The eagles are looking for dead salmon.  It seems that the Skagit River hosts five different species of salmon.  From November through January, the Chum salmon have finished their spawning, are exhausted after their long journey from the Pacific Ocean and die.  Mother Nature has designed an elegant recycling plan to clean up the river banks.  Eagles and some mammals arrive in time to clean up the dead carcasses.  What a perfect disposal plan.

If you ever have a chance to visit Washington this time of year, I suggest you include a trip to see the eagles along the Skagit River.

Check out my recently published content on Associated Content:

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/2624463/spectacular_skagit_river_eagle_watching.html"> Spectacular Skagit River Eagle Watching in Washington

Recommendations and News from The Frugal Fraulein

Simply Canning is one of my favorite canning websites and an excellent resource. Sharon has developed her site to be able to help beginning to seasoned canners avoid some of the common canning mistakes .  The site is well laid out with a table of contents and easy to navigate.  Finding someone so dedicated to helping others is a rare thing these days and Sharon should be applauded for taking her time to fill this role.

Simply Canning also offers a great newsletter posting submitted questions, recipes and suggestions.  I subscribe to it and look forward to learning new things each time I read it.

Best of all, I love the free downloads she has prepared on the basics of canning.  What a wealth of information to have at hand!  I strongly suggest all you canners out there go and look at Simply Canning, bookmark the page, sign up for the newsletter and check out her downloads.

When I grow up, I would like my blog to be just like hers!  Bookmark and keep an eye on her site because I might just be a listed as a contributing visitor author soon!  

More news from The Frugal Fraulein

I am now publishing articles on a site called Associated Content.  I would love it if you would go to my page http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/715053/abigail_haddock.html  (sorry the link would not copy as a hyperlink).  Be sure to click on each of my entries and leave me a comment.  I am compensated by the number of hits the articles receive.  I will be posting articles regularly so save the page and visit once in a while.  Please share this page with your friends.  If you have any ideas for articles, let me know and I will get right on it!

All you fledgling authors out there might want to try your hand at publishing articles!  It is easy and an opportunity to be paid for your thoughts!  Just go to their home page and sign up.  All material must be original and not previously published.  Good luck and if you do publish be sure to let me know and I will click on your articles!

What is a Locavore?

It seems new labels are appearing daily. I read a newsletter from Food Matters and a recent article on How To Eat Your Way To A Better World begins:


Ever heard the word "locavore?" This was the New American Dictionary word of the year for 2007. A locavore is a person who chooses to eat food that has been grown and produced locally.

I would sincerely like to do my best to eat food that has been grown locally this year. This really is an undertaking because we have become used to so many foods that are not local. From the rise of transportation the entire grocery industry changed dramatically. Trucking, rail, sea and air transport makes the movement of produce easier and faster enabling us to access more and more products that years ago would have been unavailable. Just think if you lived in Maine in the 1800's how rare it would have been to have oranges and if you lived in Utah how rare it would be to have fresh crab? We don’t think how far something had to travel to get to our table. We take groceries for granted.

Americans have become very spoiled with access to such a huge variety of foods. Changing our eating habits is going to be a huge change and one that will take a lot of education and focus. We have to look at the bigger picture regarding reducing our carbon footprint and eating the best food possible. Please check out the article for suggestions and tips on how to begin to change your habits.

I am not planning on exclusively eating only local produce but plan on being very conscious about what I do choose. That is a good way to begin. I will supplement what I grow myself by shopping at local produce stands and Farmer's Markets and surely will can produce grown in my state. I am not willing (yet) to give up oranges and citrus for example. I will attempt to eat citrus when it is in season and learn what other foods are in season in Washington and America.

One hundred years ago when a family went on a picnic they brought foods that were available locally or food they grew in their garden. The average family did not have cheese from France, olives from Portugal, wine from Australia in their picnic baskets.

So to Frugalista, Urban Homesteader, Blogger, Canner, Trainer, Teacher, Apronista, Crafter, Cook I will now have to add Locavore to my identity list. I think I am having an identity crisis.

Earthquake Preparedness 103 Bedside Earthquake Safety Kit

What is a Bedside Earthquake Safety Kit?


Each family member should consider having a personal Earthquake Safety Kit next to their bed. The kit contains a hard hat, leather work gloves, shoes stuffed with a pair of socks, a flashlight and a whistle. Other items can include a small pry bar, goggles, headlamps or light sticks.

The need for safety precautions is not only necessary during the seconds and minutes the earth is moving but during the period after a quake when response and recovery occurs.

Most injuries are caused after an earthquake subsides. Research indicates the majority of injuries happen to feet due to broken glass and debris. Having a hard hat, leather work gloves, shoes and socks will protect the body.

The kit should not be expensive. Used hard hats can be purchased at Goodwill, thrift stores or yard sales for $5-10. Label each hard hat in large letters with their names with an indelible marker or reflective tape. All items can fit inside the hard hat or kits can be easily stored in used canvas bags and hung from bedposts or off hooks at the head of the bed. It is recommended that adults add a pry bar, plastic safety goggles and a head lamp to their kits for added safety.  The entire kit can be put together for $25 or less.

Free animal alert stickers are available from the ASPCA that can alert emergency response personnel that there are pets in the home. Leashes are a recommended addition to an earthquake kit.

Prepare an earthquake safety kit for each member of your family and prevent injuries. Practice earthquake drills at night. Put on your safety equipment and meet at the family meeting place. Do not move away from your bed before you put on your safety equipment even if you are going to help the children or other loved ones. If you are going to help someone else always protect yourself first. Be leaders in your neighborhood and start a trend. Prepare a bedside earthquake safety kit today. Studies indicate if you don’t do it today you probably won’t do it at all. Will your family be safe in the event an earthquake occurs?

Earthquake Preparedness 102 Family Meeting Place

What is an emergency family meeting place?  It is a previously agreed upon location outside the house where all family members meet in case of an emergency.

The best place would be away from fire hydrants that is easily accessible.  The mail box is a popular choice as long as it is on the same side of the street as the house.  Teach everyone to stay at the meeting place until the parents say "SAFE".  Teach everyone the steps involved in calling 911.

In an emergency all family members should be taught and drilled to go immediately to the meeting place so they every one can be accounted for. Talk about the need for a meeting place with the family.  Everyone agree upon a location.  Practice going there over and over again.  One family I know gathers at the meeting place before leaving in the car to practice.  They made up a silly song singing out each family member's name.  The kids enjoy the activity while practicing and imprinting what to do in an emergency.  Knowing what to do in an emergency can mean the difference between life and death or avoiding valuable time looking for family members.

Pantry Eating Challenge Day 18

Where has the month gone?  So far tahini, lemons and corn chips are the things I have purchased that were not in my pantry and none of them were necessities.  The other meals have come from the pantry or freezer.  I can honestly say my refrigerator freezer is looking slimmer which is a good thing.  Now there are frozen veggies from last summer's garden and a few leftovers in there.  If anything, this challenge has cleaned out the freezer.

My next door neighbor and close friend, Maggie, told me about a site based on  Hummus  and Middle Eastern foods.  Even though there is a collection of hummus recipes in my file, I wanted to try an authentic recipe. This blog inspired me to finally make some.  What I really appreciate about the blog, were the tips on soaking the garbanzo beans. I now am changing the soaking water more than once during the process and skimming off the foam when the beans are cooking.


Although I have a 25 lb white bucket of garbanzo beans in my storage, I decided to go to the store and buy a couple of pounds. I did not want to break the seal on my stored bucket yet.  To my surprise I could not find a bag of garbanzo beans at Albertson's, Safeway or Top Foods.  I did find them in the bulk section of Top Foods.  So that made me wonder if the locals are only buying garbanzo's in the can and not cooking the dried beans.  It is so much less expensive dollar wise to buy the dried beans.  Yes, there is some effort in cooking them but for those of us wanting to make things from scratch it is well worth the effort.  My request is that you ask your local grocery store managers to carry bagged garbanzo beans so they can be more readily accessible to all of us.


Then I had to buy tahini for the first time.  There were two brands on the shelf.  I chose the one that was the least expensive.  When I read the ingredients I found there all sorts of things in it including garbanzo beans. I checked the site and a pure tahini has just a few things in it.  I don't know where to get sesame paste around here to make the recipe offered in the blog but I am going to be checking around.  We are hoping we can still make a better tahini and then a better hummus.


Can't offer any new create recipes today.  I have been having oatmeal with brown sugar almonds and dried cranberries for breakfast.  Leftovers for lunches and common dinners like broiled salmon, baked pork chops and hamburger patties.


Cooking for one is not as rewarding as cooking for two. I really have to push myself to cook up something yummy.


I am interested if any of you are keeping up with the challenge.  Please leave a comment if you are.  I know my budget is doing well and my change jar is filling up with coins and dollars.  I am thrilled to be able to save some money in the face of adversity.  As you know my goal is to save $2010 in 2010.  I am up to about $80  so far and it is a bit over half way through the month.  If I save $167 a month I will be able to reach my goal.  I know there will be more to add to the pot since I am not buying many groceries this month.  I just might keep the basics of the challenge going next month too and only purchase staples to keep going. 

Shock and Awe at My Energy Bill

I have been sharing my journey reducing my energy bill and up until now I have been proud to say I have reduced my monthly usage.  Well, let me eat some crow.  A new bill came in that is almost double last months bill!  I just got off the phone with three nice customer service representatives from my local power company.  Here is what I learned.

1. The rates did go up on January 1rst.
2. My usage jumped from 441 KWHS to 876.75
3. I am charged one rate up to 600 KWHS and a higher rate after that.
4. My average daily useage jumps around quite a bit.  I am sure that occurs on days I do not use any electric heat and heat with wood.
5. There are not any free programs in my area to do energy audits.

I told them I have unpluged everything possible to avoid phamtom use.  I use the appliances at night.  They said that will not cut down my bill but helps with overall peak useage which should help the power company keep rates down.  Obviously, I must be the only one doing that!  I heat only two rooms and keep two rooms blocked off when not needed.

I have not used the wood stove every day.  Sad to admit but I have been some what lazy since I began to live alone and do not relish getting wood when it is pouring out.  I have moved a pile of wood nearer to the house and put it well under cover.  Guess I will have to suck it up and make hauling wood a fun and rewarding excercise..ya right!  For double the bill I will use it more often.  We did have a cold spell here and that is when I turned on the heat.  Wrongo in the congo.  That is when I should have fired up the wood stove.  There also has been a burn ban ongoing and woodstoves are only to be used if they are the only source of heat.  Well, I guess when the smoke Natzi comes to the door I will have to lower my muffler, take off my gloves and show him my electric bill.

They did have one suggestion I had not heard before.  They suggested I shut of the breakers for the rooms I am not heating.  It will involve checking to see if the electric baseboards have seperate breakers in those rooms.  I am sure those rooms are not getting any heat because I have thermometers in all the rooms that I check for kicks once in a while.  If the rooms were warm in any way it would be noticed.

I called a few friends and everyone was shocked by this month's bill.  We are all going to have to suck it up and put on another layer of clothing and get out another afgan.  Oh, by the way, I got one of those snuggie things for Christmas last year and it didn't work well for me.  The quality of the fleece is very poor and it was not as warm as an actual piece of good quality polar fleece.  Yes, the design is cleaver but the darn thing was not warm enough for me even with Mister T laying in my lap.

I am off to haul in some wood and turn off the electric heat!

Earthquake Preparedness 101

Drop Cover and Hold is the chat school children are now taught to remember what to do when an earthquake occurs. It is recognized internationally by emergency management experts as the safest response procedure and the one recommended to be taught. It is very simple: drop to the floor, cover your head with a table or piece of furniture and hold on tightly. Children practice this response but adults do not. This is evidenced by most every video you see depicting how people act during an earthquake. Adults will stand or remain sitting and look around the room in a daze. Some will yell, “earthquake”, some will have a nervous reaction and laugh, while others will begin to run for an exit. These videos are primers for what not to do.

A wise person will acknowledge something is happening. Yell, “Earthquake, Drop, Cover and Hold”, drop to the floor and find cover, remain calm and wait for the shaking to cease. Once the movement stops, remain where you are for a few moments. Aftershocks can occur creating more structural instability and dangerous conditions so remain where you are until you are sure it is safe to move. Yell out to those around you asking if anyone is hurt. Calm those who are upset. Then carefully head to the nearest exit. Try to go in groups and once outside establish everyone has safely exited.

Indoors  If you are unable to get under a piece of furniture, lay down beside a piece of furniture and cover your head. There could be a pocket of space created which might be safe. This procedure is called The Triangle of Life and is controversial with some Emergency Managers and Public Safety First Responders. If you are disabled and unable to get out of bed, pull the pillow over your head and pull up the covers. If you are in the bathroom get into the bath tub and cover your head. If possible move away from windows and exterior walls and shelter yourself from breaking glass. Do not use elevators.

Driving  Pull over to the side of the road, put on the safety brake and shut off the car. Remain in the car. If the car is hit by powerlines do not try to get out. Wait for safety personnel for assistance. Try not to park on bridges, overpasses or near buildings.

Near a lake, river or ocean shore   Drop, Cover and Hold on until the shaking stops. Estimate how long the shaking lasts. If severe shaking lasts 20 seconds or more, immediately evacuate to high ground as a tsunami might have been generated by the earthquake. Move inland 3 kilometers (2 miles) or to land that is at least 30 meters (100 feet) above sea level immediately. Don't wait for officials to issue a warning. Walk quickly, rather than drive, to avoid traffic, debris and other hazards.

Theaters and stadiums Stay in your seat and cover your head. Do not try to exit until all shaking has ended. Remain calm and exit slowly and carefully.

Below a Dam Dams can fail during a major earthquake. Catastrophic failure is unlikely, but if you live downstream from a dam, you should know flood-zone information and have prepared an evacuation plan.

Outdoors  Move away from electrical lines/poles, trees, building, vehicles and other objects to an open area. Drop, Cover and Hold. Stay away from openings in the ground as that is unstable ground.

Call out to children and elderly family members and tell them to remain where they are until an able bodied person can come for them. Keep talking to them to assure them someone is coming and keep them calm.

According to the experts at Earthquake Country “many seismically active parts of the U.S. and other countries, strict building codes reduce the potential of structure collapse. This is most often the case in areas such as Southern California, where codes are among the most stringent. However, there is the possibility of structural failure in certain building types, especially unreinforced masonry, and in certain structures constructed before the latest building codes. Rescue professionals are trained to understand how these structures collapse in order to identify potential locations of survivors. The ONLY exception to the "Drop, Cover and Hold On" rule is if you are in a country with unengineered construction, and if you are on the ground floor of an unreinforced mud-brick (adobe) building, with a heavy ceiling. In that case, you should try to move quickly outside to an open space. This cannot be recommended as a substitute for building earthquake-resistant structures in the first place!”

Practice Drop, Cover and Hold with your family, coworkers, church members and other groups. If they laugh at your suggestion to hold a drill, ask them to take a minute and envision the sights seen recently in Haiti. A two minute practice drill could provide the training necessary for everyone to know what to do when and if an earthquake happens.

Talk about Drop, Cover and Hold tonight at the dinner table and practice a drill. You might save a life.

Earthquakes Magnitude 6.5 and greater since 1978

New Take on The Ant and The Grasshopper

I love the fable of the Ant and the Grasshopper and proudly consider myself an ant.  Today I was reading a blog called Rural Revolution Rural Revolution  by Patrice, a housewife from Idaho.  She had a new slant on the fable and I want to share it with you.  I recommend you take a moment and read it.

The Ant And The Grasshopper

Are you an ant or a grasshopper?  What have you prepared today?

Frugal Earthquake Preparedness

Haiti has just experienced a dreadful devastating earthquake that should be a warning call to all of us no matter what country we reside in.

My background is in emergency management and preparedness and I would like to share some tips with you.

Earthquakes occur all over the world most often without warning. It is important to prepare and do some simple things to protect your family.

1. Teach your family how to respond in an earthquake and practice response often. Practice DROP, COVER AND HOLD. Immediately drop to the floor and try to get your head under or beside furniture. Hold on and cover your head till the shaking has ended. Do not run when a quake happens. If in bed, drop to the floor and either get under the bed or lay beside it.


2. Identify a Family Meeting Place outdoors away from the house and power lines. Teach the family to exit when safe and meet at this place. Practice often. Have a plan.


3. Put together a Personal Earthquake Safety Kit beside each bed in your home. The kit will contain simple items that can be stored inside the hard hat or inside a canvas bag.

• Hard hat
• Leather work gloves
• Safety glasses
• Shoes with socks stuffed inside
• Flashlight or light stick
• whistle

In an earthquake it is important to protect your head, hands and feet. Most injuries happen to the feet from broken glass and debris. Even if you are not able to reach the kit while the shaking is occurring, it will be useful afterwards during the time of recovery. My kit is kept in a canvas bag right under my bed for easy access. I also included a small ….tool. Every member of the family should have a kit. My kit cost me under $20. New kits are available online.


4. Prepare a Grab And Go Kit.


5. Earthquake proof your home.
• Do not hang large items above beds
• Secure all mirrors, frames and artwork to walls
• Secure furniture, media equipment and bookcases to walls
• Keep evacuation routes and exits clear
• Tie down home or know how home was constructed


6. Store food, water and simple medical supplies.


7. Take a First Aid and CPR class and keep certification current.  Red Cross


8. Take a C.E.R.T, Citizen Emergency Response Training class  C.E.R.T.


9. Share the Map Your Neighborhood class with your neighbors  Map Your Neighborhood 


10. Store Family Emergency Information in a readily accessible location

If you have not done these things and have procrastinated begin today. Make a list and complete one item at a time. Engage the entire family in the preparedness process by making it a family goal. By preparing you will reduce the amount of fear associated with emergencies and disasters, and you will have a plan and know what to do in case something happens.


In the next few blog postings I will address each of these steps and will give further information. Begin today by talking about the news, earthquakes and what to do if an earthquake occurs during dinner time with the entire family. No one is too young to participate in the planning process. Even young ones will gain empowerment knowing their parents are preparing.

January Marmalade Canning Class

My blogging friend at Thrifty Coupon Deals has just posted mention of my canning classes.  What a lovely surprise! Thank you so much for the advertisement and a big frugal welcome to new readers!  I love reading the Thrift Coupon Deals and finding new ways to save money and be frugal. There is a wealth of information provided in the archieves and well worth the time to fish around a bit!  I recommend you all sign up for the free newsletter.  If you have not met me, free is my favorite word.


This year, in 2010, I am focusing on shopping locally and buying goods that are in season .  To go along with this theme I face the challenge of living in the Pacific Northwest and being somewhat limited by our growing season. 

During months when crops are limited I will refer to the United States's seasonable produce list .  For example, in January the citrus crop is being harvested.  Oranges, grapefruit and lemons are available and affordable.  Since there is a shift in weather and the Florida orchards are being affected there could be in higher citrus costs for the rest of the year.  Also California is being challenged by insuffiicient water resources and therefore some farmers are cutting down orchards.  We will feel it not only in citrus but in the price of nuts.  A wise person would learn to can.  When produce is available and affordable put some up and prepare for leaner times.

I will now be offering monthly canning classes based on seasonable produce.  I will share a wealth of canning, food preservation and frugal tips with humor and love.  Don't miss this opportunity!

Announcing  January Marmalade Canning Class

 The class will cover the basics of hot water bath canning making marmalade.  Each participant will go home with a jar of marmalade!  The cost of the class includes all equipment and materials.  The class will be approximately three hours and will include hands on participation.

Canning experience not required.  All ages and genders welcome!


Saturday January 23rd at 10 am  6-8 participants
Wednesday January 27th at 6 pm   6-8 participants
Cost $30.  Paid pre-registration only. No refunds.
Olympia, Washington

Special Offer:  If you register 5 pre-paid participants your registration will be free.  Now that is a frugal deal. 

If you would like to plan a canning party call me.  Birthdays, anniversaries, girls night out, Mother's Day, Father's Day can all be more special and memorable with a canning party.  Learn something new and take the goodies home.  Will provide classes in my home or yours.  Large classes or specialty classes available too.

Call 360-705-9818 to register or ask questions.  Come do the Can Can with The Frugal Fraulein.

"If it isn't moving, I will can it!"