Pinching Pennies

Here is a reader submission from JONNITA. Jonnita is one talented Mama. She is crafty and resourceful. She shares some of her favorite tips she uses to save her family money:

• Check books out from the library instead of buying books. My kids are young so I save book purchases for them for really special books. Also, I use the library catalog and hold system online so when we go to the library, we can spend our time in the kids section and when we’re ready to go, I grab my books from the hold area.
• Rit Dye To freshen up work clothing. Often, my dress slacks don’t “wear” out but the color begins to fade. To keep them fresh and looking new, I’ll spend a couple bucks on Rit Dye and drop them in the dye bath. Basically $3.00 and 45 minutes of my time, I’ve saved a pair of $50 pants.
• Coupons and rebate offers. This one I’m working on right now. I’m looking for coupon offers and rebates for the stuff I buy. I struggle with buying more than what I need or stuff I wouldn’t normally use. I’m working to plan menus around what is on sale, not necessarily what I crave that day.
• Bartering. I sew and make bags and other stuff so I want to trade others for their services and goods. So far, I’ve traded sewing projects for artwork and a pair of knitted socks, and pickling cucumbers!
• Recycling. I’ve used the HazoHouse at our local landfill to get free paint for different projects. You can leave paint and take paint but they ask you to sign a waiver. As a matter of fact, I painted my bedroom accent wall with paint from there! I also visit a local business, Sound Builders Re-Source, that sells used/recycled building supplies. All proceeds go to the Habitat for Humanity. The stock always changes but it is interesting to take a wander through every so often. They have stuff like tile, wood flooring, industrial carpet, doors, windows, hinges, doorknobs and other hardware. I got new globes for the light fixtures in our house for $4.00 each. (I'm sure you have something like this in YOUR neighborhood!).
• Thrifting. I shop at Value Village and Goodwill looking for clothes and fabric mainly. I got a replacement coffee carafe when I broke mine and salad plates for when we had friends over. We always wander through the whole store, though – just in case!
• Dining out. We eat out less. I search the Internet for recipes for our favorite restaurant food (Olive Garden’s Toscana soup) and make it at home.
• Bulk cooking and baking: I make big batches of meals and freeze portions of it for quick meals later. I’ll make up two lasagnas (cook one and freeze one) then write the contents and baking instructions on the one to freeze. Beef stew and soups also freeze really well. This helps with the temptation to eat out for the reason of convenience!
• Canning and baking: We harvested apples from trees on our property in the fall and made them into apple butter, applesauce and apple pie filling. I canned and froze corn and peaches too. Canning pickles are also a must for our family!
• Coupons and discount stores: Grocery Outlet offers good bargains on food – you do have to check the expiration dates but this is one of the first places I go, then the next stop is Big Lots. I shop at the Dollar Store for some stuff – some spices, zipper bags, drinking straws, latex gloves.
• Meal Sharing. I’ve talked to friends about an “entrée swap” but haven’t followed through with organizing one yet. It would work like this: Say you have four friends who participate and each makes five of a selected entrée (set the serving size as no more than four). Then swap them. This way your family gets to try different recipes AND it is convenient, you just have to bake or reheat the entrees. You’d have to agree on the entrees up front to ensure variety – so you don’t get four spaghetti casseroles!
• Web sellers. If you are looking for something specific to buy or just want to check out what folks are trying to offload – don’t forget Craigs List. We also have a local site called 2good2toss.com. Check it out!
• Money-Saving Literature. I’ve gotten a bunch of ideas from this booklet I got from the library several years back. It is called the Thurston County Home Waste NOT Guide. Next time I’m at the library,  I need to see if there is a newer edition – mine is dated 2004-2005!
• Chickens! Yes, we have chickens. We save all of our food scraps for our chickens, plus they provide us with delicious eggs!
• Laundry Detergent. I make own laundry detergent. It is easier than you think, works great and much cheaper. Here is the recipe!

My Three Money-Saving Goals for This Year Are:

1.      Reduce single use/portion waste.

2.      Reduce paper towels, paper plates, and other disposable items.

3.      Barter more!

What are your tips on how you save time and money?


Great ideas, Jonnita! Do you have a story, suggestion or information to share? E-mail us!

Down With the Mommy Mafia!

This is going to be a tricky post to write. Yet, it is important and I want to get it out somehow. See, there’s this big elephant in the room nobody warned me about before having a baby. Here it is – here’s what no one told me or if they did – I never understood it.

There is a ridiculous amount of judgment, insecurity and guilt that comes with being a Mom. The part I didn’t get was I didn’t realize how much other parents (usually Moms) would compare themselves and that their insecurity could equate to strong feelings and even hurtful judgment.

I have only been a parent for six months. During that time, I have heard the following:

·         I’m so jealous of you.

·         You call that fussing? My baby cries way more than yours does.

·         I don’t want to read your blog and hear about how everything is going so well for you.

·         You have the perfect life.

·         Wow, your nursery is so perfect – I feel bad I didn’t do anything like that for my son/daughter.

·         Really, your baby is sleeping through the night? What am I doing wrong?

·         You have her dressed so nicely – my baby is always in a sleeper.

·         Cloth diapering? Wow, I never even thought of that. Makes me feel like a bad Mom.

·         Now, you’re making your own baby food. C’MON!

First, do people think sharing those things with me makes me feel good? Guess what? It doesn’t! The funny thing is I think half of these people actually think they are paying me a compliment! Now, I do have many supportive people in my life who comment on the same topics, but say it in a different way, “I’m so happy for you, Courtney. She’s a really good baby” or “Great job on the nursery, Courtney. I can tell how much love you put into it.” I didn’t make any of these parenting choices looking for compliments, but I am a little tired of the judgments and comparisons. And unfortunately, it comes from many different directions.

More than anything, it makes me SO SAD. Why, oh why, do we have to compare ourselves? First, I am so not perfect. Oh my, far from it. I am not Supermom. I will say, I have always been responsible - always. I’ve always been one to research things. I love trying new ideas. And loving my baby does come incredibly easy to me. However, I am NOT perfect and I have a ton of insecurities myself. I feel like I am incredibly open about my flaws, fears, and imperfections with those close to me.

Most often, these comments are coming from people who are amazing parents. They have sweet children and they are doing a great job. I am so proud of them and my heart breaks that they are being so hard on themselves. I really don’t get it. Every family is different. Every child is unique. Why can’t parents encourage one another? Let’s celebrate our victories and love one another – and be happy for each another. There has to be this balance between sharing our thoughts and sharing things in a hurtful way.

Really, I never saw this coming. And, I hate it. I'll close with excerpts from this article, written by Jen Klein on CNN.com:

“Being a mom is incredibly hard work, and there’s no way to be absolutely sure you are doing it right. Kids don’t come with instruction manuals and checklists. There is no annual performance review with incentive awards for successes and improvement plans for less-than-successes...

Insecurity about our own efforts combined with the appearance (good or less-than-good) of others’ efforts makes conditions ripe for judgment and lashing out. Even among close friends, it’s easy to slide into this not-at-all productive dynamic — whether we want to admit it or not. Best friends or worst enemies — or both — the social dynamic among moms is a complicated, two-faced beast. It’s the “mommy mafia.”
Ah, yes, the mommy mafia. Enforcers of local social structures and norms and judgers of all who dare to do things differently. The mommy mafia can be brutal.

Here’s the thing: We’re all figuring it out as we go along. Every last one of us. There is no single right way to parent and we all parent differently by necessity — and none of us are perfect. We all have a different set of circumstances, different strengths and weaknesses, and a different set of lenses through which we make decisions for ourselves and on behalf of our families. From the ones you have judged to the ones who have judged you, we’re all doing the best we can, imperfections and all.

And if we all did parent exactly the same way? Sure, the noise around parenting issues would be much quieter, but it would also be a much more boring world. But those differences don’t have to slide into mommy mafia turf, either. Learning to accept that we’re all different and imperfect as parents is hard, however, especially when we want so much to do a great job.

It starts with accepting ourselves and the choices we have made. We each make a set of choices based on our life, knowledge, resources, and the information before us. No two sets of circumstances are exactly the same either, even within the same family — and when you are making decisions for your family, the response of the local mommy mafia should be the last thing on your mind...”

- Courtney

Monthiversary - Capturing Baby's Changes That First Year

What is a Monthiversary?

This is a way to document your baby's growth and development month-by-month (or week-by-week or even day-by-day if you're really feeling ambitious)! Take a photo of baby in the same location, generally wearing the same outfit (different sizes) and documenting the age either on their clothing or labeling the photo. You can also put baby next to an item (like a stuffed animal) to show how much they've grown. I'd never heard of this until I was about four months pregnant and starting seeing them everywhere:

Making it Lovely starring sweet pea, Eleanor. Nicole probably has one of the most beautiful versions of this idea. She puts her daughter, Eleanor, in a rocker wearing a pink onesie with a little felt pin listing the month. She made the pin herself (here's the how-to). She is photographing Eleanor through age two and it sure has been fun watching her grow.

My Life in Transition's version with super-cutie, Truman. Julia photographs Truman each month in homemade onesies sitting in a colorful chair in his nursery.

Young House Love's spin of their dear Clara (weekly photos). Sherry places Clara on a different piece of fabric each week and takes her photo wearing a plain, white onesie against the colorful fabric. Sherry uses Photoshop to include the week identifier. Here is their how-to.

Etsy sellers offer pre-made monthiversary onesies. I did this for a friend before I decided to give it a whirl for myself. It is considerably more expensive than doing it yourself, however it is less work! Argyle Violets is the seller I used on Etsy. Oh my, good thing I didn't know about her owl version. Too cute!

As for my little one? Elyse happens to have an amazing chair in her nursery that provides just the right backdrop. She also has cute little owls throughout her room, so I always take photos of her with one of her two owl pillows to show how she's grown (switching back and forth each month, of course). It has been pretty easy to do and I've been asked a couple of times how I do it. So, here we go!

Tips and Lessons Learned on Making Monthiversary Onesies:

Purchase light-colored onesies (or other clothing). Dark colors need special transfer paper and trust me - you don't want to mess with it (see above for some failed projects). I use plain white, long-sleeved onesies. These are great for layering and it is chilly here in the Northwest. We need sleeves here! I purchase mine as I go because I never know exactly what size Elyse will be in the future. This is ideal, however, if you are planning ahead or making gifts, you can guess on the size. I'd recommend buying a size bigger than you think. I'd rather have the onesie swimming on baby, then have a fussy baby with a tight outfit.

Buy Avery brand stretchable fabric transfer paper and it works great. Do not try a different brand. I ran out one day and got some store brands. One didn't work at all (it would NOT adhere to the fabric) and the other wasn't the "stretchable" type, so as Elyse moved around the image broke up a bit.

Use this template from Mama at Home to create your image. You can create your own if you are are feeling super creative, but these are easy to use templates made these using Word 2007, but any version of Word should open these without a problem. You can change the colors and the font if you want. I did - I didn't want different styles/colors every month. I wanted consistency and something that matched the backdrop.

Print out your images. Try to get two images on one sheet, if you can, to save paper. Choose the iron-on or mirror image option in your print properties so it prints correctly (backwards!). Cut around your image - OK to leave a bit of space, but make sure you cut somewhat evenly.

Time to adhere the image. (Please read the instructions that come with your labels, but here are my own tips). Heat up your iron on HIGH, ensuring you've poured out any water and are using the "No-Steam" setting. Place your image on the onesie. I hold mine up to the light, so I make sure I've placed it the right way and it is centered appropriately. Iron on a hard surface (NOT an ironing board). I use a window seat in our guest room or on a hard book that I don't mind getting hot. Put a pillow case over the image and press down firmly. Do not rub, but press hard and ensure you are taking time to press down on the edges. I flip over the onesie and do the same thing on the back. I set it aside and let the fabric cool. Once cooled, gently pull at the edge and remove your image. Voila - you will have a crisp, clean image adhered to your fabric!

Time to Photograph Baby! Decide when a good time of day is for your little one. Elyse is usually happiest after her first snooze of the day. Make sure they are happy and not hungry. I open up all of the blinds in her room, turn on her lamp and overhead light and even bring in an extra light to make it as bright as possible. You do not want to use a flash, so even if using a point-and-shoot, turn the flash off. Without the flash, you need all the extra light you can muster! I started using a tripod and remote after a couple of months (they are very cheap!) and it made things a ton easier. You are going to be trying to entertain the little one, keep her from falling over (when she is a newborn) and it is nice to be able to just click when you want to take a shot. Plus, a tripod helps eliminate the blur you often get when not using your flash indoors.

Take a ton of pictures. I just click away. Month one, Elyse was good for the first pic, but got fussy immediately afterward. Fortunately, I had just one that one photo. Don't get hung up on the picture not being that great. That first picture of Elyse? I didn't really like it at the time. I wished I had smoothed her hair and got a sweeter face from her. You know what? I LOVE that picture now.

I've had so much fun with this. I made iron-on shirts for all of our nieces and nephews with their names on them for Christmas.

I made Elyse a little shirt with her name and a pink owl when she was tiny. I have kept it as a special keepsake.

Use these steps to personalize whatever you want. I see a personalized doggie shirt in my friend Linda's future once she reads these instructions. Have fun and please share your projects with us!