The Actual Numbers

I transplanted petunias into 72 pots on Sunday. (Each pot has four or more sprouts in it, so that's really 288 plants, but I'm only counting pots for this exercise.) Meadow Farms has petunia flats for sale, three 6-packs for $25. That's $.72 per plant. So 72 of them would cost about $52.

(I was guessing $50... I was pretty close!)

And I started a new Jiffy pack of petunias. This time trying to be more careful about how many plants went into each cell, so I can actually leave them in there until they are ready to go in the ground.

Mystery Solved

I've often wondered how much money you really save when you make food from scratch.  Someone already has done all the work to answer that question!

 

http://www.slate.com/id/2216611/pagenum/all/

 

I just wish there was more.  One of my friends has even gone so far as making pasta from scratch, and it would really have been nice to see this article cover more than just six basic items.

The Value of Cheap

I frequently engage in internal debates about the value of being cheap.  If time = money (as everyone says) then you can slap a dollar figure on how much your time is worth, and calculate exactly how much money you are saving (or not) by being cheap.

 

Yesterday was a prime example.  I spent the whole day transplanting petunia seedlings.

 

The.  Whole.  Day.

 

See, first I had to make pots for the little guys.  My husband made me a nifty little tool to wrap newspaper strips into pots.  Cost of pots: $0 (recycled newspaper, reused tool)   Time to make pots: 2 hours.  No, seriously - I made over 70 pots.

 

I filled all the pots with a mix of compost and peat, in the style of Mel's Mix (sans Vermiculite because I ran out and didn't feel like dashing up to the store).  Cost of dirt: maybe $.25 per pot?  The pots were only two inches tall so they didn't hold much dirt.

 

Transplanting the seedlings took hours.  I lost track of time.  Petunia seeds are so tiny, many of the cells in my Jiffy starter had a upwards of a dozen seedlings.  I picked through the seedlings and only transplanted the healthiest ones.  (Being picky is time-intensive!)  Most of the seeds actually came from our own plants from last year once they had gone to seed, but I also bought a seed packet for variety.  Cost of seeds per pot: $.02

 

I could buy petunias.  There is no reason to spend an entire day in pursuit of annuals.  Seventy plants, already flowering, at the local nursery would probably run me $50 or so - I may even call to find out for sure.  Is saving that money really worth losing a Sunday of my life?

 

Well, this time the value isn't just saving money.  Playing with seedlings gives me a peace of mind which is very hard to come by - and can't be bought at any price.  When transplanting seedlings, you can't think about how things are at work, and did you say the right thing on the phone yesterday, and what are we going to have for dinner tonight, or any of the ten million things always running through the heads of people who think to much.  The moment your attention wanders, baby plants get hurt.  Even my regular hobbies can't force me to be so present and aware of what I am doing.  So regardless of whether I "really" saved money, on this occasion cheap was definitely the best value!

The Arguments against Cutting Costs

There are two major reasons I use to jusify why I don't save more money (particularly in the grocery arena): not enough time, or not enough space.

I know it will save money if I cook everything from scratch instead of buying pre-packaged meals. But how much is a person's time really worth? If I spend one hour making bread from scratch, is it really "savings" over buying a loaf for $3.00?

I could also save some money if I bought more units when non-perishables are on sale, or bought more products in bulk. On the other hand, how much does clutter end up costing? (Especially when I buy great organizing doodads that never quite seem to work out like the ads would have you believe!)

Why do I mention all this? Well, today I just did something I never expected. I bought discounted holiday products to use next year. The local grocery store had PAAS Easter Egg dyeing kits for 75% off. Two of them (one of which included glow in the dark paint!) only cost $1.25. They won't go bad, and I know they'll get used one year from now. I've never done it before because I didn't want to be "that mom" whose home was cluttered with "just in case" sale purchases. But I think - at least this time - buying merchandise after the holiday turned out to be a great deal!

Two in One Day!

Here's another website to find recipes by specific ingredients!
http://www.recipekey.com

Where have you been all my life...or at least since I became cheap?

Best new website EVER: Recipe Puppy: http://www.recipepuppy.com

 

You've whittle away at your grocery shopping splurges, and you haven't been to the store in a week.  Now you are staring at your pantry shelves, trying to invent a tasty dinner from what you have on hand.  If you fail, you will almost certainly end up eating out, the pinnacle of monetary waste.

 

Recipe Puppy to the rescue!  Enter an ingredient or two, and the website recommends recipes for you.  You can even incrementally add ingredients to narrow down the list.

 

I was just yesterday wishing there was a site like this. 

 

My next wish, if anyone on the interwebs is looking for an idea: a "Cost Per Serving" website that aggregates cost data for a wide variety of grocery items, and - based on a given recipe's ingredients - generates an approximate cost per serving for that recipe.  I found some sites for individual types of food items (mostly meat), but nothing quite on the scale I was hoping for.  If "they" can come up with Recipe Puppy, hopefully "they" can come up with this website too!

Signs of the Times

It is now cool to be cheap!

 

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/04/18/AR2009041800113.html

 

If You Think You are too Broke to Give to Charity...

I spent five minutes this morning performing emergency repairs on my umbrella. Not just because I am cheap, although obviously that is a factor: why pay money for a new umbrella when this one only needs a few new stitches here and there?

But this umbrella represents so much more. I got it as a "free gift" from the American Red Cross when I donated blood for the first time last year. A time when I had two mortgages, with no sign of the old house ever selling. A time when I was so broke I couldn't even pay attention. I've always felt like it was important to give back, to remind yourself not to take your gifts in life for granted. So, lacking cash, I screwed up my courage and went to a local blood drive.

Now I tote that umbrella around as a reminder to myself and others that you don't have to have a lot of money to make a difference in someone's life.

The Hard(ening) Truth

I am good at starting seedlings.

"Hardening off" so they are ready to plant outside - not so much.

So far I have lost about half of my first indoor babies (various brassicas, spring onions and celery) to the vicissitudes of the outdoors. The wind, the rain, the sun, all have taken their toll.

I started off with plenty of seedlings in a Burpee Ultimate Growing System (which I adore, btw).  They germinated like crazy, and after a few weeks I transferred them to peat pots.  I used a mix of soil from my own garden, and potting soil, since some websites say that it's best to get the babies adjusted to their ultimate home.  That probably was not the best idea, ultimately, since my garden is largely clay, and the seedlings always seem to be drying out too much.  I lost a couple in the first few days due to the abuse of being repotted.  A few days to adjust to their new environment, and then I started the hardening off process.

So far, this has not been a terribly positive experience.

The crazy valley wind has broken stems, which were too long and spindly due to inadequate indoor light.  The sunshine - however gradual - has been too much for their little leaves.  Trying to keep them sufficiently watered has caused many to die of damping-off disease.  Right now I am just really... really... discouraged.

The Skinny on Cheap

In my pursuit of cheap, I noticed certain tradeoffs must be made between various "minimalist" goals.

For example, a paper towel isn't just a handy cleaning implement: it is a resource that gets consumed, and even if I compost it, I can't avoid the impact from producing that paper towel. A tree was cut down with gas guzzling equipment (the tree itself was probably a cash crop planted just for this purpose, so I don't lament it quite so much); some factory processed the pulp; the towels were packaged into a roll, wrapped in plastic and shipped to my local store; etc. Ultimately, how much waste does that paper towel represent, compared to using a cloth dish towel? Which also had to be manufactured, packaged and shipped; which to be cleaned and reused necessitates electricity, water, and laundry detergent (with its corresponding manufacturing process). Which wastes more, the paper towel or the fabric towel? I don't really know.

I've run into a similar conundrum with food. Waste not, want not you think as you "clean up" the scraps of food left on your kids' plates. Someone left out candy your office's designated up-for-grabs spot, and who are you to pass up free food? The company is buying lunch so you splurge on a fancier (and probably higher calorie) dish than usual - after all, it's not your money. All you can eat buffet... free refills on soda... the never ending bread basket... "Super sized" portions that cost almost as little as the "regular"... On the other hand, when you are cutting back on everything else, sometimes you feel like you need a little self-indulgence. How do you live cheap and still eat skinny when there are so many "deals" surrounding food?

Note that I am not talking about the long term cost savings of being a healthy weight - thousands of dollars in medical expenses can be saved by even modest weight loss. I'm looking for more tangible, quickly realized "minimalist" benefits that can encourage Cheapies (starting with myself) to manage their weight.

None of the items below are new, or groundbreaking, as much as I might like to flatter myself on my creativity. They tend to require a little more time, some extra planning, additional forethought, and of course, commitment. But if you weren't committed, you wouldn't have read this far!

1. Eat in. And eat off a smaller plate. The higher ratio of food-amount to plate-surface will help spare you from having “eyes bigger than your stomach” and then forcing yourself to eat everything.
2. Find smaller portions. Some cooking websites have tools to scale back the number of servings a recipes produces; see www.allrecipes.com for example. Find your favorite recipe, adjust the servings and voilá - only cook the amount of food you are actually likely to eat. If you are dead set on dining out, investigate restaurants that offer smaller portions of popular meals. T.G.I. Friday's is one restaurant that offers "Right Portion. Right Price." options on its menu.
3. Eat breakfast. Preferably something with protein.
4. Sneak in some veggies. These will add fiber with a minimum of calories, which will encourage the "full" sensation. I always add corn to a batch of chili; chopped frozen spinach is easily worked into a lot of casseroles.
5. Bake the sweets yourself. Nothing kills a spur-of-the-moment sweet tooth like knowing you'll have to clean up the kitchen afterwards. Don’t know what to make? Here are some ideas, courtesy of Land-O-Lakes.
6. Chew your food to death. Chewing burns calories (at least a few!), and also contributes to the "Hey, I'm full and should stop eating" message from your stomach to your brain.
7. Do not drink calories! Unless it's SEL (Somebody Else's Liquor) or water, it's going to cost you money, and however good the deals are, I guarantee you a Brita pitcher and tap water are cheaper. Additionally, liquid calories are not as filling as food calories, which has been shown to lead to overeating later on. Even artificially sweetened drinks are suspect.
8. Have a garden. Even apartment-dwellers have some options for indoor-produce, and for people with patios, plenty of books and articles describe container-based garden. For the larger outdoors gardens, gardening also serves as a source of exercise.
9. Walk or ride your bike on your errands. Again, nothing new: leaving the car behind will save on gas and burn some calories. And we're not even talking long distances. I have seen people drive their car to a different store in the same strip mall... I might have even done it myself once or twice!
10. Eat lower on the food chain. A pound of fruits and vegetables will almost always cost less than a corresponding pound of chicken or beef (unless you are buying out of season cherries or ground chuck past its prime!). Additionally, the amount of energy needed to produce the produce is probably a lot less, especially if you are buying local crops in season. (Of course, the actual energy cost of one pound of beef depends on who you ask! I didn’t post any links here, because I found so many websites on both sides of the argument.)
11. I was going to stop at 10, but then I thought of one more: Go less processed. The bag of dried beans is nowhere near as pretty - or convenient - as the canned version of the same beans. But you’ll pay less per serving if you are willing to plan ahead to cook the beans yourself. Besides, have you checked the ingredients label? A lot of canned beans have added salt, sugar, and other, mysterious chemicals. I will probably never reach Alyclepal’s zeal for making things from scratch, but every little bit helps!

There - eleven tips of eating cheap and eating thin. I’d love to hear other people’s suggestions!

Waste Not: One Squishy Banana

Whenever we have three bananas which have gone brown, everyone in the fam gets excited. Three brown bananas means mommy will soon be baking banana bread! (For the record, I use the recipe out of Cook's Illustrated Best Recipe collection, with one secret ingredient: substitute sour cream for the yogurt. SLURP!)

But what do I do if I only have one squishy banana? This happens a lot, and I have been stumped as to the best use for this one banana. I can always save them in the freezer for future banana bread awesomeness, but using frozen bananas instead of fresh COMPLETELY changes the texture of the bread.

And then: I realized. One squishy banana = smoothie!

1.) Freeze the banana for at least a few hours.
2.) Chop it into smallish pieces, and blend with some orange juice, some yogurt, and some fresh fruit of a flavor compatible with the yogurt. (A lot of smoothie directions say to use plain yogurt, but if you are making a strawberry smoothie and strawberry yogurt is what you have, then why not?)
3.) If the smoothie is too thick, add more orange juice; if it's too thin, add more fruit; if it's not cold enough, add some ice cubes.

Voila. One squishy banana saved from waste!

(And one more banana peel to add to the compost bin!)

Thank you, Frederick County

In today’s “Minimizing your impact to the landfills” news, Frederick County, MD has expanded its curbside recycling program to cover the whole county.

Including those of us in the middle of nowhere.

Our shiny new bin just got delivered today.  AWESOME!

No more filling up our dinky little bin to overflowing, then schlepping it to the nearest recycling center, precariously piled cans and jars falling everywhere every time the road curves or we hit a bump.  No more deciding to put recyclables in the trash “just this once” because the bin is already full and no telling when it will get emptied again.

Thank you, Frederick County!

Waste Not, Want Not

So what do we do with seven leftover corn bread muffins? I made an extra big batch over the weekend, thinking the fam would eat them all.

Not so much!

Tonight, we will be eating corn bread muffin casserole!

1.) Crumble the corn bread and pack it into the bottom of the casserole dish.
2.) Layer on some cooked white rice.
3.) Layer on some beans (refried, kidney, pinto, whatev).
4.) Layer on some browned meat, cooked with some kind of yummy seasoning (like taco).
5.) Sprinkle on some cheese!

Bake till cooked through - 350 for 30 minutes? Might want to cover it with foil until the last 10 minutes so the cheese doesn't over-brown.

Top with sour cream, chopped tomatoes, onions, or whatever sounds good!

Cheap Trick of the Day

If you use the Quicker Picker Upper, aka Bounty Towels, you really can rinse out the towel and use it again.  I was pleasantly surprised at how long the towel lasted while cleaning up after dinner.   I don't know how many towels I would have to reuse how many times to actually see cost savings, but it's comforting to know that even by such a small action I can cut down on my expenses and my impact to the environment.

What's even better, a dye-free paper towel can be added to the compost bin!

Green is Contagious

It seems like the new corporate buzzword is "green".  Everything is green.  Everyone is talking about their commitment to the environment, renewable energy, reducing the footprint, etc, etc.  It's easier to believe some companies than others, although you can't always tell whose riding the advertising wave and who is seriously committed to a minimalist corporate existence.

Enter: The Compostable Envelope.

No s*$@!  Kudos to CareFirst Blue Cross Blue Shield for chosing a biodegradable envelope.  I will be honored to throw this puppy into my compost bin!

Recontextualization

Sweet potato "muffins" (aka baked dough bricks) aren't so bad when warmed and smeared with cream cheese. When enjoyed with coffee, I could almost close my eyes and pretend I was enjoying a pumpkin spice latte.

...Almost...

Cheap Trick of the Day

"Nitpicker" from Peaceful Valley: $3.99

Two Ice-EE straws from the Super Wal-Mart in Frederick: free.

The implements of seedling transplantation!

Think of them as mini salad tongs.

Happily transplanted lettuces!  Look at all that room they have now!

*Shiver*

The thermostat this morning says 33 degrees. That's after about an hour of morning sunlight on the backyard, so I'm pretty sure it must have dropped below freezing last night. I planted peas, carrots, and radishes in the garden last Sunday and the lows have hit at 32 twice since then. Curse you, date of last frost!

(This is why I've started so many plants indoors this year! My library looks like a greenhouse...)

Mmmm, tasty

Living cheap thought of the day: Leftovers Omelet. I had just a few spears of asparagus left from dinner two nights ago; three slices of deli turkey; some "Italian blend" cheese. All of which would have been destined for the trash can after a few more days in my fridge.

Add two eggs, a splash of milk, some salt and pepper and voila. Leftovers Omelet. Cost nothing, and kept just a little more stuff out of the landfills. And it tasted so good. *burp*

Waste Not, Want Not

For almost two years now, I have operated by this principle. A little history lesson about "why" later; for now, my "waste not" thought of the day.

Dude. Sweet potatoes.

I baked two of them last night, then nobody in the family wanted to eat them but me. I cleaned off the skins, chopped up the flesh - it looks like I have about 2 cups to use in a recipe. Sweet potato muffins, maybe?

Compost Happens

Or not. As the case may be. Somehow, I have managed to fail at so basic a process as rot. I have two lovely black plastic bins, Soilsaver brand. They bask in the sun. But the compost never heats up. I move it from one bin to the other every other week or so to help aerate the maturing rot. And yet nothing happens.

Part of the problem: big bits. I haven't been the best at rendering the future soil into itty bitty pieces to make the process go faster.

But I think my compost has been too dry as well. When I was turning the pile today, it looked, well mummified! No kidding - I spent longer today watering my rotting vegetables than my newly started vegetables!

Rant the First

How come all the good blog addresses are already taken, primarily by people who haven't posted in years ...or ever? "Cultivating Cheap" was not my first choice, by a long shot. But it does nicely embody the main idea of this blog: documenting my ongoing efforts to reduce my footprint from both a financial and environmental perspective.