Sorry this is late everyone. It was a busy day yesterday! I was at stitch-in yesterday morning for the first time in three weeks, having been home sick for awhile. I caught up on everyone's lives and even managed to finish the borders on my hardanger bellpull. Also was into the fibre drop-in to try spinning some of that Coopworth wool I picked up in Nova Scotia. It is much nicer than dyed Romney to spin! I am trying to spin a bulky yarn consistently. I'm managing it just fine with the Coopworth. It was a challenge with the Romney.

Yesterday afternoon was spent at the church sorting through the library and updating things with the minister. Also I went on our first mega grocery shopping trip since coming back from vacation. It was $135CAD for two weeks groceries for two people. Granted, most of it was organic and healthy fare...which is quite a bit more expensive here.

And then in the evening I had a friend over and we watched the first DVD of Dr. Mullen's series. She brought the popcorn. I made gingered pears. And I knit while watching. It's my fourth time through that particular DVD.

So no time to post yesterday. However...today I'm making up for it. Today I'm posting some frugal books that have helped me over the years.

Frugal Cookbooks

"Make Your Own Groceries" Daphne Metaxas Hartwig (I notice she has a newer one out called "More Make Your Own Groceries")
"Dining on a Dime" Tawra Jean Kellam
"More with Less" Doris Janzen Longacre (the cookbook)
"Dinner's in the Freezer" Jill Bond

Frugal Books period!

"Cut Your Grocery Bills in Half" Barbara Salisbury
"Encyclopedia of Country Living" Carla Emery (worth it for the recipes alone!)
"Frugal Families" Jonni McCoy
"Miserly Moms" Jonni McCoy
"Living More with Less" Doris Janzen Longacre
"Talking Dirty Laundry with the Queen of Clean" Linda Cobb
"The Complete Tightwad Gazette" Amy Dacyczyn (older, but filled with great frugal philosophy and attitude articles.  Also great tips.  My bible of frugality.)
"Total Money Makeover" Dave Ramsay"
"Your Money or Your Life" Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robins
"Educational Travel on a Shoestring" Judith Waite Alle and Melissa Morgan
"How to Save Money Every Day" Ellie Kay
"Mary Hunt's The Complete Cheapskate"
"Money Doesn't Grow on Trees" Ellie Kay
"Shop, Save, Share" Ellie Kay
"The Cheapskate Monthly Makeover" Mary Hunt
"The Frugal Gardener" Catriona Tudor Erler
"Unplug the Christmas Machine" Jo Robinson & Jean C. Staeheli

Happy reading!

I received a plaintive email from Lisa the other day, begging for my help in decorating their apartment. They've been really good about saving money and putting it down on debt all summer and fall. Now her mother-in-law and sister-in-law are coming for a visit before Christmas. She's starting to panic. "How to I make it not look like an impoverished student's home Mom?" Poor Lisa.

Lisa specifically mentioned the Victorian style, "but I don't want it to look like a bordello Mom!" Hmm...amazing what your kids think you might do to them! ;) Actually, I know her mother-in-law, and I don't think it will be near as bad as she thinks it will be, but...in an effort to help the Lisa's of this world, here are a few ideas...

• Check the library and Internet for pictures/books/magazines. You want to thumb through them and use a sticky note to tag every page that has something on it you like, or that appeals to you.
• Recognize there is the expensive way and the cheap way to get any look. Trust me. My sister once gave me an apartment decorating book that was great. It had the expensive photo and prices on one page, and the inexpensive version photo and prices on the other page. It was great for expanding my decorating possibilities!
• Decide on a colour scheme. Sometimes this can come from a single piece that you absolutely love. Like picking a colour out of a very precious piece you own. Other times you just go with what makes you feel good!
• When we redid our main floor we decided to go with earth tones because we wanted a relaxing place. Think about the function of the room before picking colour. Probably bright orange isn't a great idea for the bedroom...
• If you can't paint walls, as most apartment dwellers can't, then plan to put your favourite colour in draperies and furniture somehow...even if it's just the throw cushions or quilts or afghans (I know...so 70s) on the sofa. Or maybe an area rug on the floor.
• Make everything from scratch that you can. Sew the curtains. It is very handy to learn how to sew. This is one skill it pays to learn. It can be used many ways in your life. Sew the cushion tops.
• But also check the library for books on no-sew decorating. They're out there! You can even come up with nice window treatments without sewing a stitch. So don't think you have to learn how to sew!
• Cheap fabric can be found in the bedding/curtain section of the thrift store. Don't forget, 100% cotton can be overdyed in the washing machine and your landlord will be none the wiser.  that means that ugly orange can be toned down by adding green to make a nice rust or brown colour...or blue and yellow to make green...or whatever you want to do!  Use RIT dyes available at Walmart, Zeller's or a hardware store near you. 
• If you can braid, hook, weave, etc. a rug...go for it... But if those are too time consuming and expensive for your taste, try painting a design on canvas and coating it with a few coats of polyurethane before putting it on the floor.  It'll liven the place up. 
• Be aware that some rugs attract dirt and dust and are hard to clean.
• Be aware that cats sometimes like to pull on the pile in rugs with their claws.
• Be aware that rugs do occasionally need cleaning. In an apartment this might be problematic. They usually need to be beat (or vacuumed) and sometimes washed...depending on type. 
• If you're not crafty, head to the local Home Depot or Rona for rugs. 
• Also check out antique stores or vintage stores.  I found Belgian rugs selling for $30CAD each the other day on a half price sale at the local antique store.  And of course, check the thrift store first!
• At any rate. The ceiling and walls should be dealt with first. So if you're going to change any lighting do that first...with your landlord's approval. Then the walls include colour and drapery.
• Furniture can be had free or cheap on-line through Kijiji, Freecycle, Full Circles, and other such sites. Don't forget, you can always sew or cover it with a slipcover if you like the style but not the colour!
• The cheapest places for fabric are the above on-line sites, or visit the bargain wall and bins at your local Fabricland/ville, Atlantic Fabrics, or discount fabric stores. I consider cheap to be under $4CAD/m. I often try to buy cotton at under $2.50/m...for everything...
• You can also buy pillow forms at the fabric stores, though they tend to be a bit expensive there. You might want to check the upholstery stores in the area. Some DIY places have foam dirt cheap. They'll even cut it to size for you. Don't go with the cheap foam at Zeller's or Walmart. It simply isn't firm enough to give good support. You want higher density foam...but that's up to you. There are many things to fill a cushion with and books have been written about them! You'll have to check the options in your area to see what is cheapest in your locale.
• Anyway, once the ceiling, walls and furniture are done...look at the floor and decided how to handle it. I put the floor here because in apartments you usually are not allowed to do anything other than put rugs on it. Normally I'd deal with the floor before the furniture in a house. But in an apartment you're limited. Be aware that there are non-slip mats you can buy at the Dollar Store to put under area rugs so they don't slip when people land on them. This is a safety issue folks! Use them! I've also seen them selling in IKEA and SEARS. 
• I especially like to check out the SEARS bargain/clearance center for furniture.  Some really good deals there.  Sears itself can be expensive.  So check for furniture clearance/outlet places in your community.
• Wall decorations come next...that's paintings, mirrors, stitchwork, etc. Black frames look classy. In fact, a bit of black in a room is good. It anchors the room...even if it's just a black accent item...like a black candle plate.
• Then add accents...lamps, plants, knick knacks, etc. I like to add green in every room. Haven't managed it in this house. But a green plant in a room just makes people relax. It also freshens the air in the room...depending on the plant.  Think flea markets, garage sales, etc. for finding accents.

Hope that list gives you a few ideas of where to find things cheaply.

If you want new furniture easy to knock together, try thinking of alternative uses for things already in existence. The old concrete/brick and board bookcases we used to make as university students comes to mind. But if you have basic carpentry skills, you can knock together a couple of modular boxes in a weekend to house books too...if the landlord will let you do it in the parking lot! Or you have someplace you can do it.

If not, check out the modular units available at Home Depot and other hardware stores. Canadian Tire usually has storage units on sale in the fall. Not sure if the sale has gone past now or not. I buy my plastic storage units for craft supplies from them.

Keep your mind open and think outside the box. I have the drawers from one half of an old vanity, thrown out by the garbage bin one day by a neighbor precisely because it was broken, painted and holding office supplies in my sewing room.


You don't have to be a great artist to do these things...as you can see! You just need to be able to judiciously apply some paint in a pleasing pattern to you. If you don't like it...you can always paint over it. I hear spray paint is quick! (I love the stuff!)

If you don't like the look of something, but you like it's function, buy a can of spray paint! It's amazing what you can do! I spray painted some magazine archival boxes to match the decor of my sewing room. I really didn't want office black/gray in my sewing room. I also picked up a metal basket from a garage sale that wasn't the right colour. I spray painted that to match my sewing room.  And I spray painted a bulletin board as well. Don't be shy! Think outside the box!

But for Lisa doing Victorian theme.  Love...use lots of glass, crystal, beads, china, chintz, velvet, layered window treatments, crazy quilts (easy to make from old hankies actually), and knick knacks.  And good luck keeping it from taking on that bordello air!  Just remember honey, Victorians loved stuff!  Theirs was an age of abundance...in fabric, in things.  Head the to the thrift store for some cheap fabric!

Have fun decorating everyone!

We've been back a few days so far and let's see what's been accomplished...

I've been baking again.  I found a couple of healthy chocolate recipes in "Health by Chocolate" and made them for snacks.  Because of my diet I can't eat (or shouldn't eat) the stuff people put in front of me at various gatherings.  It occurred to me that at a couple of these I could take my own goodies.  So I made a pan of squares to take to knitting this weekend.  They are very rich...being basically peanut butter, honey, cocoa and various nuts.  One lasts a long time!  I also made a chocolate milkshake using no dairy ingredients.  It was great!  I didn't have ice either, so it tasted more like a deluxe chocolate milk.  And the sugar in it was 1 tbsp. of agave nectar!

I made mayonnaise and granola as well.  I bought apples at .48/lb. and I am slicing, dipping in Fruit Fresh, and freezing them for winter eating.  I also bought a super large pumpkin for $2.98 to bake and freeze for winter months.  I am keeping a close eye on the grocery store this time of year.  I saw tuna .80/can, which is cheap here, and bought the limit of five.  I may go back for more today.  Also cranberries were .48/pkg.  Normally they're over $1 a package.  I picked up 2 packages.  They go great in crisps and muffins.

Paul and I have been walking places.  I've walked to a couple of meetings so far.  Plus I've had friends drive me places.  Plus I've had friends come in.  And, when we can't get together, we've been talking on the phone.  Paul and I have also taken the opportunity to go to the gym on our gym pass...which is cheaper than paying every time you go.  We bought the passes last winter and had visits left on them.

I've been working on projects already in the house.  I cut out Paul's flannel pajamas yesterday.  I also pinned the final pieces of my Experimental Quilt together.  I was disappointed as they seem shorter than the rest of the quilt by about an inch.  But I will repin today and see if I can ease the difference in the length of the quilt.  I've finished spinning some Romney wool I have.  I'll be working on plying it this weekend. 

I cancelled out of some stressful groups I've been involved in.  Funny how you don't notice how stressful something is until you go away on vacation and come back to it.  It was like having a weight lifted off my shoulders.  I feel much better for saying "no".  The people in the groups are pretty gossipy and cliquish.  I just am tired of it.  I have more than enough to do this winter.

I've been watching some sewing instructional DVDs by Sandra Betzina I have in the house.  I am hoping to do more sewing this winter.   I have a ton of fabric that needs to be used up.  Plus I need new clothes now I'm 15 lbs. lighter.

I have also been reading a library discard book called "French Women Don't Get Fat".  I already eat like French women and I am still fat.  It's due to medication.  But I plan to keep up my exercise and diet regimen this winter.  I want to lose at least another 10 lbs. by Christmas.

Guess that's all my frugal news so far.  I am planning a busy weekend...and week ahead.  I'll post when I can.

I have been trying to move things upstairs and have been thwarted every time today.  The plastic storage units I thought came apart don't.  So instead I put some art supplies into a smaller unit, and moved that unit's contents (sewing supplies) to the taller storage unit.  Meaning that I know have 4 tall units of sewing supplies, and 2 small units of art supplies...plus another tall unit of art supplies.  You'd think I did art or something.  Personally I haven't done any for years.  Most of it was my mother's stuff.  I think I severely need to trim the fat here by donating to the needy.

I've been reading up on organization of sewing rooms today.  I've been bitten by a few bugs.  Some ideas I'd like to try:

~ a whiteboard to track projects.
~ a bulletin board to tack up pattern instructions and pertinent information to a project.
~ a magnetic knife holder to hold metal sewing tools...mine are currently in a plant pot that keeps falling off my sewing desk.
~ Those cardboard photo boxes to hold notions and supplies.  I like them because they have a place for a label on the front.
~ a wire mesh cutlery drawer divider screwed to the pullout keyboard part of my sewing desk (used to be a computer desk).  I can corral little things in them...maybe not mesh after all...will have to think about that.
~ Pegboard mounted inside the closet door for large scale objects and ironing tools.
~ a full length mirror outside on the closet door.

I've already placed some wire stacking bins in the closet on one side for projects in progress.  And the other side has some shelving already to store boxes of fabric. 

My one hitch is I'm not exactly sure what I want to do with patterns yet...I have everything from the small envelopes up to 8 1/2 x 11" patterns.  Makes it a bit awkward to keep them all in one place.

Because I was stymied on the moving front today, I decided to take some time to fix up the rooms we've already worked on.  I made the bed in the guest bedroom and found some cushions I picked up for free on Full Circles for it.  I used some of those cushions on the love seat in the family room area too. 

 I noticed the bookcase heading upstairs to the studio actually had some art magazines on it.  So I moved them to the bookcase by the art stuff.  These magazines are in fancy magazine holders.  I have other magazines in not so fancy holders that will have to be fixed up I think for the studio.  No problem.  That'll be a fun job.  I'll need some more for some needlework magazines a friend gave me.

I've been making a list of things I'll need to finish this redecorating.  So far the most expensive thing we'll need is a new kitchen table.  I'm scouting on-line for cheap, nice, solid wood tables that seat 6-8 people.

I'd also like a decent sewing/computer chair.  My current one is falling to pieces and hard as rock to sit on for long.  I'm due for a new one...and this will have to be a special one.  I'm short and most office chairs don't fit me.

On a more frugal note...I walked to the bank to do banking and then stopped by the grocery store on the way home for ingredients for a special meal for Cam and Lisa tonight.

Well, that's where I'm at today.  Paul just came home with more boxes.  So it's up to pack stuff off the sewing unit I go!

I finally was able to give away most of my denim (which I acquired for free) to a friend.  I've been trying to connect with her for a couple months now.  She came by with one of those pull along shopping carts on wheels.  Good thing!  We filled it to the top and then some!  I had a lot of denim.  She and I were talking about various projects we have on the go...or need to get under way.  I mentioned Paul needing a new set of pajamas.  She just happens to have some new white flannel sheets that were given to her.  She has offered it up for his pajamas.  We'll see if there's enough.  I need the equivalent of 4 1/2 meters.  I can always dye it to his favourite colour -- green.

I have another friend who will be getting together with me over the summer to quilt some star quilts.  This friend is great for frugal and creative ideas.  She has a great handle on frugal luxuries too.  She shares her knowledge willingly.  We've shopped the thrift store together with great success.  She is just plain a lot of fun to do things with.

And I have another friend who shares her garden produce readily.  In exchange for some I will be processing some for her this fall.  And another friend offering crabapples from her tree this fall.  I'll process them and pass them around to various people.

Frugality and saving money works much better when you have support around you.  People who give you as good as they get.  Sharing and caring is what life is all about.  I love having frugal friends.  And I think they are amazingly creative people.  All that support just makes you want to stay on the frugal bandwagon.

I phoned the church and was able to put the spices on a table with a sign saying "FREE" for anyone who wants to pick them up.

I walked to a meeting of stitchers today. I was able to work on my hardanger bellpull, and my fifth prayer shawl. A lady there offered to help me figure out how to sew quilt blocks where all the corners meet in the middle (think lots of skinny triangles/diamond shapes). She also spent time evening up the edge of my silk shibori scarf so I can hand hem it.

Just so you know what I'm talking about, here are the pictures...



If you look at the closeup, you can see the actual marks left by the rusty nuts and bolts used to make the pattern in this fabric.



It is hand dyed...started out off white. It is soaked in a mordant, then wrapped around rusty stuff, spotted randomly with natural dyes, and then left to process for awhile in steam. The end result is this fabric.

Here's the prayer shawl...it needs to be 5' long. I've got a ways to go!



Here's the hardanger bellpull. It too, has a ways to go!



On a more frugal note...

I had perogies for lunch...with leftover onions I fried up in butter for overtop...and some fat free sour cream.  Don't know why I bother with fat free sour cream when I cook the onions in butter!  But the onions taste soooo much better in butter.

Breakfast was homemade blueberry muffins, almond butter and raspberry jam.

Snack was some almonds baked in soy sauce.  Nice and salty...and crunchy.

Supper is fish tonight.  Not sure if it will be salmon burgers or scallops I bought on sale last week.

Entertainment has been affordable this week.  Paul and I have been watching library and home DVDs, as per usual.  We've also taken to playing card games in the evening, and sometimes other games as well.  I'm also reading a bunch of books that have been loaned to me or borrowed from the library. 

The library did have a book sale this week.  I was there and picked up four books for $3.50.  Gotta love it when they're that cheap!  They were good basic books too.  One was on the DASH diet for hypertension.  Our family needs to be on that diet, and this is much cheaper than printing it off the Internet.  The basics of the diet are available for free, but the cost of ink and paper has got to be over $1....it's fairly long.

My friends and I continue to share things amongst ourselves.  One lady is slowly cleaning out her freezers in preparation for the upcoming gardening season.  I am the beneficiary of a lot of fruit, vegetables and baked goods.  In turn I give her first crack at things I am getting rid of...like those spices.  I also save ice-cream buckets for her to package fruit in for sale. 

I had loaned some of Mom's Bible videos to a special needs girl who attends our church.  She loved them and returned them, asking for more.

I've spent some time sorting through my fabric stash.  I have one bag ready to leave the house.  I want to spend time doing more sorting.  I figure the more I get rid of, the less I have to store or sew up.  Meaning more space and less money for storage containers.

I had to return "Getting Things Done" to the library.  Other people put holds on it!  But I'm kind of at a point with my filing cabinet project anyway.  It wouldn't hurt to finish a few projects and do some serious filing of information.

I went through some stitchwork I'd like to have framed and have put aside three pieces to do.  Two are for other people...things I've promised.  Then I have several pieces for myself.  I am going to speak with Paul about doing a few at a time.  I want to see how much I can do myself first.  I think some of them can be easily laced and inserted into frames.

I guess that's the extent of my Frugal Friday.  Most everything was reported as it happened this week.  Hope everyone is having a good time!  I'm off to sort through Mom's photos...

For me the start to my frugal journey was twofold:  my diagnosis and Paul.  He was forever blaming me of spending us in the hole with my credit card (which was paid in full each month), while he was an absolute paragon of virtue - the miser!  He never spent a cent, and he expected me to run the household like that.  On top of that, with the advent of medication in my life, it became apparent I would never have the energy to hold down a job again.  My working life had effectively ended.  I was greatly disturbed by the spectre of a less than enjoyable retirement (think: bag lady!). 

Serendipitously, about that time I tripped over "The Tightwad Gazette" I, II and III at our local library.  I was absolutely entranced.  I had no idea that people could be that 'tight' with money.  I started out with an "I'll show you!" attitude towards Paul.  I was going to be so cheap he screamed for mercy! LOL  Well, Paul was a little confused at first.  But I was even more annoyed when I found, despite my best efforts, he was still blaming me for spending all the money. 

It was then I sat down and started analyzing his attitude towards money.  I spoke with his parents and siblings and with him and found out he had a few money hangups that were getting in our way as a couple.  Slowly, over the years, we've worked on those issues, trying to clear away the fears and myths and concerns, to get to the real heart of the matter.  We're still working on them.

For me, the initial wonder of the "Tightwad Gazette" books led to a determination to see frugality as a creative challenge - a hobby, and eventually a game.  I started with a simple challenge to myself.  I chose ten things that would save me $1000 in one year.  I actually saved much more.  My initial 10 things?

1. We changed the phone plan off a bundle to basic local with YAK Communications for long distance. (saved $50/mth...or $600/year).
2. I figured out comparative costs of buying foodstuff vs. making my own. In particular I looked at buying meat from the butcher vs. the grocery store. No real savings there. So instead I simply cut back on the amount of meat we were using and selected cheaper cuts.
3. I made a list of cheap breakfasts I could make (homemade muffins, homemade oatmeal, homemade pancakes, etc.) and set aside one day a week as my baking day to make sure we had enough in the house for the week.
4. I went through supper plans to find frugal supper recipes that still provided variety and health. Decided to do leftovers for lunch so we wouldn't throw out so many.
5. I learned to bake my own bread. It cost 27 cents to bake a healthier loaf than the 98 cent white fog sold in the store. We went through a loaf every two to three days...that's $130 worth of savings on bread alone in 1998 when I started.
6. I learned to make my own yogurt. We used 175 750 ml. tubs a year. It cost $2.59/tub, or $455/yr. I could make it for $78/year, saving $375 per year.
7. I made my own jams and cut the cost of jams in half on a yearly basis. We went through a jar a week, easily. At $3/2 c. jar in the store. That's a savings of $75 in jam a year.
8. I figured out how to make hm pizza from scratch - crust, sauce and toppings - and saved myself a bundle in pizza delivery, which we usually had every two weeks. In 1998 a pizza for the 4 of us cost around $20cdn. The hm version cost all of $5. So...that's an annual savings of...$390cdn.
9. I started hang drying clothes...and cut our electric bill by $20-40/mth. ($240-480/yr)
10. We also took up gardening and freezing the produce. I figured one year in veggies alone, we put in approximately $20 of cost, and saved over $80 in just the veggies we froze...not counting canning anything. We rented the garden space, all prepared, from a local community garden. It was cheap - $10 for the entire season.

All told that is...

$600 (phone)
$3000 (groceries - I saved $250/mth. off our bill)
$480 (electricity)
$4880

Not bad for the first year of my frugal journey.  I made it a game to add $1000 more of cuts every year.  Focusing on the ten biggest changes I could come up with.  It's amazing how much fat you can trim from a budget that way.  Finally, come year five, I couldn't think of anything that would save me over $100 per year to do.  At that point I started looking at the smaller frugal tips, with the idea that small things add up to big bucks.  I was right.

The net result?  In ten years of frugality I have seen our expenses go up from $25,000/year to $30,000/year.  That's seems like a lot.  Shouldn't the figure be going down, instead of up?  But it actually works out to the cost of inflation during that time period.  Meaning our expenses have not necessarily gone up. 

What has gone up is our standard of living!  We are getting a lot more bang for our buck these days.  I've learned how to garage sale and trade and barter with friends and on-line.  I've learned where I can get things for free or next to free.  Our savings account has grown phenomenally for us.  We've been able to put money into the girls education (not as much as we'd like, but still, some).  We were able to pay out our mortgage six years early...on one income.  We've been able to have more fun on our income and upgrade our furniture.  We were able to pay cash for a new-to-us car.

So my advice to those starting out on their frugal journey is to make it a game.  Be creative.  Find just one tip a month to work on that will save you over $100 over the course of the year.  You'll be surprised how it all adds up!