Frugal Living | One Hundred Dollars a Month

One Man’s Trash is Another Man’s Treasure

May 7, 2013 19 Comments

I went up to Girly Girls house to borrow some pine nuts for my Spinach and Basil Pesto Farfalle recipe and noticed another neighbors trash was overflowing in to the street.

Our neighbor had these 3 fake Cinderella pumpkins sitting alongside her trash can waiting for Mr. Garbage Guy to pick them up.

Oh I don’t think so!

After a quick 3 second inspection all I could find wrong with them was a little damage to one of the ribs on a pumpkin. Nothing a little glue and paint can’t fix.

Wahoooo!

I love it when other people throw away good stuff!

What do you think?

Trash, or treasure? Would you have swooped these babies up off the side of the road or would you have kept driving by?

~Mavis

Filed Under: Frugal Living, Weekly Shopping Trips Tagged With: frugal living, One Man's Trash is Another Man's Treasure, pumpkins

The Tacoma City Marathon with Mavis, Amberlina and Nick

May 6, 2013 24 Comments

If you are looking at this picture and thinking, holy crap, these two looked like they just rolled out of bed, you would be correct.

The Handsome Husband dropped us off exactly 2 minutes before the Tacoma City Marathon started. There wasn’t even enough time to pee.

We hopped in line, then found out we had to run over to a race official and let them know we were starting early, hop back in line and then ask the lady behind us to take our picture.

We turned around as the announcer was saying something over the loud speaker, snapped this photo of a soldier with a backpack on and then we were off.

Amber is a jogger, I am a walker, so after jogging the first mile I basically thought I was going to keel over right then and there. But I didn’t.

Instead somewhere around the second mile and once we were on the Tacoma Narrows Bridge, we picked out a couple of “slow joggers” that we wanted to keep our eye on. Or in other words, our carrots. We wanted to try and keep up with them the whole race.

But somewhere around mile 3 they picked up their speed {or we slowed down, not sure which} and we lost them.

And then we found Nick, a soldier from Ft. Lewis.

Amberlina and I quickly went into cougar mode and stuck up a conversation with him.

We each had a different game plan as to how we were going to finish the race. Nick would walk a for a while and then run. Amberlina jogged {the entire time!} I walked fast and then did a little jogging.

We would catch up to each other for a little while then separate, then find each other and give encouragement.

But shortly after mile 12 I lost Amberina and Nick. Then, at a switchback around mile 19 {?} I spotted Nick. “Where’s Amberlina?”

She’s coming… Right around the corner.

I saw her, told her to keep it up and then didn’t see them until they passed the finish line.

Can you imagine running and walking 26.2 miles in fatigues and a 50 pound pack?

I forgot to mention that Amberlina rolled her ankle around mile 8 {ouch!}.

Nick was such a cool guy and had come to the race all by himself, so Amberlina and I took him to lunch afterwards. Even though it was hard, and none of us {even Nick!} had done any marathon training, we had a blast.

Mavis – 5:48:33
Nick- 6:13:54
Amberlina- 6:15:50

Yes, we are all in a world of pain today, but we did it.

Peace Out Girl Scouts,

I need a nap!

~Mavis

Filed Under: Frugal Living, Random photo update Tagged With: Ft. Lewis, Tacoma City Marathon

Meet Mavis at the Mother Earth News Fair

May 5, 2013 4 Comments

Have a burning question for me that you’ve been dying to ask? Want to pick my brain full of gardening tips and tricks {I can’t guarantee they’ll be useful tips so consider yourself warned}? I’ll be hanging with my gnomies at the Mother Earth News Fair in Puyallup, WA from 9 am to 5 pm on Saturday June 1st. Plus, as an added bonus, my online boyfriend Ryan from Botanical Interests will be there too. So come on by and tell him what a hottie he is!

The Mother Earth News Fairs are family-oriented, sustainable lifestyle events, packed with hands-on workshops and demonstrations on renewable energy, small-scale farming, green building, organic gardening and more.

Come on out and say hi, get all educated and maybe even get in on some charitable giving. Yep, I’m turning the Mother Earth News Fair into gnome man’s land! I’ll be bringing a truckload full of gnomes and you can adopt a gnome right then and there for only $10. 00 and 100% of that $10 donation will go towards the “Send in the Gnome Project” and benefit St. Jude Children’s Research hospital.

So start searching those couch cushions for loose change now, mark your calendars and maybe by June 1st you’ll have scrounged $10 in loose change. Or pocket lint. Could go either way.

See you there!

~Mavis

Filed Under: Frugal Living Tagged With: Gardening, Mother Earth News Fair, Ryan

10 Tips to Avoid Late Night Snacking

May 3, 2013 8 Comments

It’s Friday and that means tonight is movie night!

Whenever I stay up late, I always get the snackies. And by snackies, I mean, I want to eat carbs, and lots of them. If you are looking for ways to cut out or avoid late night snacking, here’s a few tips:

Eat enough during the day, and make it high quality. It will help stave off hunger.
Avoid “white foods” {i.e. sugar and flour}. They don’t do much for your body nutritionally speaking {though, your taste buds will probably tell a different story}, and they cause insulin spikes that make you feel hungry right after eating.
Distract yourself with a hobby. Whenever the snacking mood strikes, lure yourself away from the pantry or fridge with something else you love to do {looks like I will have the BEST planned garden ever}.
Brush your teeth. {This one is my favorite–I don’t know why, but I never want to take the two minutes to re-brush my teeth, so I avoid eating.}
Have a glass of water instead. Sometimes thirst is mistaken for hunger. {If only water tasted like cookies.}
Go to bed. Crazy idea, I know, but sometimes, the best thing is to just go to bed hungry {or at least, thinking you are} with the promise of a tasty breakfast running through your dreams.
Watch for triggers in your nightly routine that make you want a snack. Maybe it’s when you sit down to watch T.V. or when you sit down at the computer? Try to change the triggers or make a conscious effort to resist the snacking urge when the triggers are involved.
Exercise. It will distract you, help you sleep better, and act as a natural appetite suppressant.
Embrace the snack. Instead of letting the desire to snack sneak up on you, embrace it. Plan for it each night and choose a healthy option, like a piece of fruit or some yogurt with granola.
Call a friend. Sometimes snacking isn’t the result of hunger at all, but boredom.

How about you, how do you avoid late night snacking?

~Mavis

Filed Under: Frugal Living Tagged With: 10 Tips to Avoid Late Night Snacking, frugal living

How to Grow Dill {Start to Finish}

May 2, 2013 2 Comments

I planted my dill seeds this morning! If you love canning your own pickles or dilly beans then having fresh dill on hand for the growing season is a must!

Brief description: Dill is an extremely aromatic herb. It is a perennial or annual based on where it is grown. It’s a popular seasoning to add to fish, pickled veggies, and soups.

Where to Plant Dill: Plant dill in raised beds, garden beds or containers {dwarf varieties}.

Dilly Beans Recipe

Planting Seeds: Plant seeds 1-2 weeks before average last frost. Sow seeds at the surface of the dirt, as they need light to germinate. When seedlings are 3″ tall, thin to 1 every 12″.

Growing Tips: Dill prefers nice warm weather, and is super easy to grow. It is extremely drought tolerant, as it has a pretty long tap root. If you are not growing dill in groupings, you may need to provide a bit of support so it doesn’t topple over.

How to Harvest: You can snip off leaves as needed. To harvest dill seed, wait until the plant flowers, then collect the seeds once the blooms have dried out completely and gone to seed. Don’t wait too long though, because if seeds have a chance to disperse, you will have dill ALL OVER your yard.

Are you ready to start your garden but you’re not sure when you should plant your seeds or set out your transplants? Head on over HERE and you’ll be taken to a handy dandy chart that is broken down into what vegetables should be planted {or transplanted} each month in your area.

Anyone can do this. Dirt + Seeds+ Water = Food!

~Mavis

Fun Fact: Humans have been consuming dill for a LONG time. Remnants of dill were found in Swiss Neolithic settlements dating back to 400 BC.

Filed Under: Frugal Living

Creamy Broccoli and Spinach Pasta Salad

May 1, 2013 3 Comments

I whipped up a quick and easy creamy broccoli and spinach pasta salad with some of our homegrown spinach today. I am a BIG fan of pasta salads because they usually last a few days and they’re are great for a quick and easy lunch.

Here is the recipe. I hope you like it, we sure do.

Ingredients
16 ounces spiral pasta
8 ounces fresh broccoli florets, chopped
2 cups fresh spinach leaves, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup sliced sweet peppers
1/2 cup sliced olives, pitted and quartered
2 tablespoons chives, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Directions

Prepare the pasta according to package directions, drain and cool.Place the broccoli, spinach leaves, olives, sweet peppers, and pasta together in a large bowl and stir together. Set aside.

In a small bowl whisk together the mayonnaise, red wine vinegar, sugar and salt until smooth. Pour over pasta mixture and stir until the pasta is evenly coated. Garnish with chives and refrigerate for 2 hours or until ready to serve.

Filed Under: Frugal Living

Sale Cycles – What’s on Sale in May?

May 1, 2013 5 Comments

One thing I’ve learned over the past few years as I’ve whittled my family’s grocery budget down from $800 a month {2008} to $100 a month {since 2010} is that there are specific times of year when groceries, household items and other goods go on sale.

Just because a certain fruit or vegetable isn’t in season in your neck of the woods, doesn’t mean grocers are not willing to have it trucked in from somewhere else to offer you a great price.

May brings Cinco de Mayo, the official kick-off for grilling season, Mother’s Day, Memorial Day, and most Farmer’s Markets will be up and running. It is a busy month, with lots of sales.

While you are out this month, look for:

{Recipe : Roasted Chicken with Cranberries Salad}

Food

Marinades
Steak Sauces
BBQ Sauce
Condiments
Salad Dressings
Hamburger Buns/Hotdog Buns
All things Mexican food
Pickles
Grilling Meats {ribs, steaks, hamburgers, chicken breasts, etc.}
Chips
Ice Cream
Bottled Water

{Recipe: Rhubarb Cinnamon Jam}

Seasonal Produce

Zucchini
Artichokes
Asparagus
Spring Peas
Broccoli
Lettuce
Cherries
Strawberries
Pineapples
Radishes
Rhubarb
Swiss Chard

Non-Food Items

Paper plates, cups, napkins, tablecloths, etc.
Flowers, Chocolates, Greeting Cards {on clearance after Mother’s Day}
Cinco de Mayo Decorations {on clearance after Cinco de Mayo}
Vacuums
Cookware
Grill Supplies {charcoal, lighter fluid, etc.}

Is there a particular item you always notice for sale in May? Let us know in the comments below and I’ll add it to the list.

Saving money is cool!

~Mavis

Filed Under: Frugal Living, Money Saving Tips Tagged With: frugal living, money saving tips, sale cycles, What’s on Sale in May?

How to Store Fresh Basil

May 1, 2013 11 Comments

The other day a friend asked me if I knew that you weren’t supposed to refrigerate basil.

Um, no I did not. I guess I have actually never thought about how to store basil because I grow my own and I usually just cut it as I want to use it. She told me the produce guy at her grocery store said it affects the flavor and texture when you stick fresh basil in the fridge.

Huh, who knew?

So, in case you didn’t know either, Mr. Produce Guy suggests that if you are not using it right away, don’t just pull off the leaves, cut it off at the base of the stem. Then keep it in a vase or jar of tepid water on the counter. It will last several days and maintain its flavor.

How easy is that?

Do you store your basil this way too?

~Mavis

Filed Under: Easy Kitchen Tips, Frugal Living Tagged With: easy kitchen tips, frugal living, How to Store Fresh Basil

Mare from Woodland Fairy Village Sends Mavis a Fairy House

April 26, 2013 4 Comments

It’s been so exciting opening all the boxes people from all around the world have sent in for our Send in the Gnomes fundraiser for St. Jude Children’s Hospital.

Yesterday we received a package from Mare. You might remember her and her outstanding custom fairy houses. I shared some of her Woodland Fairy Villages last month after spotting them on Etsy. Her fairy homes are clearly a labor of love and are such a joy to look at.

Imagine my surprise yesterday when we opened one of her creations.

My very own One Hundred Dollars a Month sign!

And check out all the loot she set out on the bed of glittered grass. Garden boots, a watering can, baskets of vegetables. Mare! This is so lovely.

Look! There is even corn.

And birds.

Eucalyptus leaves and moss for a roof. I love it!

Look at the detail!

Mare, can you make this life size? Because I totally want to live here.

The back of the fairy home is just as beautiful as the front. Oh my goodness.

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! And thank you to everyone who has sent in a gnome for our Send in the Gnomes Project. So far we have collected 197 gnomes {you can see them all HERE} That is $1,970 raised for St. Jude Children’s Hospital so far.

Wahooooo! Thank you so much!

~Mavis

You can find more of Mare’s on of a kind fairy homes at her Woodland Fairy Village Etsy shop.

Filed Under: Frugal Living Tagged With: send in the Gnomes

Happy at 100 – Portraits of Centenarians

April 25, 2013 4 Comments

If you are wondering what you might look like when you are 1oo years old, you need to check out these awesome photos taken by Karsten Thormaehlen. You can find his book online where you’ll find detailed descriptions about the people behind the photographs, but I think the pictures on his website, {especially the then and now section} are just as cool.

I look half as good as these woman do at 100, I will be thrilled.

~Mavis

Filed Under: Frugal Living Tagged With: Happy at 100 - Portraits of Centenarians, Karsten Thormaehlen