Frugal Living in the WWII Generation

I thought I'd pass on another great article I found.
This is a beautiful eulogy to a friend who grew up in the Great Depression.
Personal Finance Advice

There's so much we can learn about what is truly important in life (and not just "stuff") by seeing what it's like to live without. I don't mean to romanticize the Great Depression, but those who lived through it learned a hard lesson about wants and needs that most of us today have not learned.

Hybrid vs. Gasoline

I came across an interesting article comparing hybrid cars to their gasoline equivalents, and I thought I'd pass it along. Million Dollar Journey

It's strictly based on how long it would take to repay the premium price of a hybrid with the gas savings. It isn't the final word on gas v. hybrid, but it does present the straight up price comparison very well. However, there are still many factors to consider, such as:
-Do you drive mostly highway, or mostly city/in traffic?
-How much would you pay for decreased emissions (aka, 'the green factor')?
-What's the depreciation?
-How much more would a hybrid cost in maintenance?

Personally, I would get a hybrid if my situation were different. We currently have two sedans with decent gas mileage, our primary vehicle gets around 35mpg, our secondary gets about 24mpg. We're finishing off the loans for both vehicles, and plan on keeping them until they fail us. Perhaps when that time comes (please don't let it come for at least another 100,000 miles!) the market will be a bit different and we can consider a hybrid.

"100 Thing" Challenge!

Are you up for it? A growing phenomenon has been attracting new believers since last July, when a blogger guynameddave came up with the concept on his site.

We actually came upon a reference to the article not more than a week ago through Time Online, after dave announced he'd be rebuilding the site to show his progress towards the 100 piece goal. I personally think it's a fantastic idea, though a little bummed that we haven't heard of it sooner. It seems to have fallen into our hands at the right time, as we are trying to make sense of unused items to make way for baby.

As far as our own personal revisions, clothing isn't too much of a clutter issue, it's the rest of our junk sitting in a closet that is. Realistically, we don't make use of most of the stuff. Those items have just been getting shuffled back and forth to make room for more junk that's never used. So with this in mind, I'm going to spend most of my time this week making a list of what's important to our family. Whatever doesn't fit on this list, well...it's going to be hard. I'll let you know what happens along the way.

MSG does home facials.

There’s nothing like a treat for both your face AND your bank account! For today’s post, I have decided to share some really easy facial scrub recipes that can be found in the kitchen. I’m not sure about you, but I have personally jumped between homemade and commercial scrubs for as long as my face has needed attention, mostly to find something that actually works!

Quick background: I’ve learned a ton over the years that I should have been sticking to the natural regimen the whole time. Being a teenager in a wasteful town it was hard to stick to my “real guns”. I remember it was the poor person’s way to use homemade facials (which my mom ALWAYS made me try to stick with, but whenever I saw a fancy colorful bottle at a friend’s house I got really needy and embarrassed when they poked fun at my plain reusable jar.) But ever since I’ve come to my senses for a few years now (a big WTH-were-you-thinking here, and an apology to my mom there), my complexion has never been better!

Here are some recipes that I’ve used throughout my life. Some from the family, an antique cookbook, and one from a cosmetologist friend of mine. Enjoy! (Notes: These aren’t intended for everyday use. Most of the time your face only actually needs specialty scrubs two or three times a week. My personal preference is to rinse with water only every other day. I need to also mention that these recipes are not perfect for every single skin type. If you feel weary of breakouts, try a test patch first.)

1) Set aside at least 10-15min (or 20min to include mask) to take care of your face, as most natural scrubs and masks need to set before you rinse.

2) Always rinse/soak/steam with comfortably hot water to open your pores.

3) (optional) If you have small children, let them help you mix it up…It’ll keep them occupied, give you help, and teach them about being MSG! J


Peppermint Steam:
1 peppermint teabag
1 1/2 – 2 cups boiling water

Boil water. Add teabag and water to large bowl or container and allow to steep 3 minutes. Lean over bowl; cover head with towel and sit for 10 – 12 min. while breathing deeply.


Simple Exfoliating Salt Scrub:
2 tbsp. sea salt
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

Mix two ingredients together until a textured paste begins to form. Apply to face with circular motion, avoiding eye area. Once salt fully dissolves, rinse remaining oil from face with warm water. Pat dry. (I have also been told that lemon juice is a good substitute for olive oil but have not tried that method myself.)


Honey Mask:
1 egg white (normal/oily skin) OR 1 egg yolk (dry skin)
1 equal part honey (1 – 2 tbsp.)

Mix ingredients together. Spread evenly over face, avoiding eye area. Leave on 10-15 min. or until dry. Rinse with warm, then cool water.


Easy Oatmeal Scrub:
1 tbsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. plain oatmeal

Combine ingredients by using enough water to form a paste. Apply to face and neck using circular motion. Rinse off. Pat dry.

New Aspirin Mask:
1 tsp. water
1 tsp. honey
3- 4 uncoated aspirin

Dissolve/crush aspirin in water. Should mix with honey to form a thin paste. (If not, crush in another aspirin) Apply to face and let sit for 15-20 min. Rinse with warm, then cool water. Pat dry.


Last word...all of these recipes can have substitutions and/or additions, so don’t feel limited. Bananas can be added for wrinkle prevention, avocado for its moisturizing attribute, or yogurt for pore refinement. Feel free to let me know what works, as I’m always up for something new!

There's no place like home.

It’s been too long…

During the past couple of weeks, I was hoping things would work out a little bit better than they have been—I never expected to meet the other half of my new family over a death. Nonetheless, the trip had to be taken. And with it, we discovered our own economical way to make things work. How, you ask? Here’s your answer:

Since our home usually only has one working vehicle at any time, (with our luck it usually turns out that one car needs to be repaired immediately after the other was fixed) we decided to look into fast and efficient ways of getting down to Kansas from Wisconsin instead of trying to use one of those cars. Amtrak, car rental, carpooling, Greyhound, plane tickets…we had a lot of options to go through in a short amount of time (being that we had only about 12 hours to get there). Luckily, my sister-in-law hadn’t left when we got the news, so we let her and our nephew get in on the decisions. She agreed that any of those choices would be fine along with using her Blazer as a last resort, so we began narrowing down our options.

The first to be crossed off was the plane ride of course, with tickets obviously expensive in a twelve-hour time frame ($600 and up each). Next was the Greyhound. Not necessarily because of price, (about $580 for 3 adults & 1 child round trip) rather he fact that it would take almost twenty-four hours to get to our destination, when the trip straight through should take no more than eleven, and we would need to rent a car in Topeka because everyone who left before us also carpooled. The same was for Amtrak, although it was a bit cheaper than Greyhound (coming in at about $550), we would have wound up paying a weekly car rate in Chicago, which was the only available station traveling to Topeka, so with driving one of our cars, plus the parking rate, plus the rental car fees and mileage around Kansas…you get the picture.

Our last feasible option was turning out to be the rental car. However, the first obstacle in our way was the fact that none of us have a credit card. Yep, you read that right. Each of us deserted that crutch years ago, which happened to be a funny story we all learned about each other. (I call it a crutch for several reasons, and hopefully one of these blogs I’ll get around to it.)

Anywho, this was not something rental car businesses enjoy hearing. We took turns calling, and almost every place asked us the same idiotic question: “Why don’t you have a credit card?” When each of our responses was to say, “Because we don’t believe in using credit cards. Cash is just fine.” the general responses were to either laugh, or tell us we could rent a car as soon as we could provide them with a card number. Seriously? That question, to me, is like when friends ask me why I don’t have a new car. Or a new house. Or tons of shoes and clothes. (One shouldn’t really have to explain, especially to a stranger and/or company as long as you’ve got the money,) I guess now that I’ve looked at it in this manner, they all go hand in hand. If you don’t have a credit card in today’s world, you’re somehow not considered to be a reputable citizen.

So, after our FIFTH attempt to secure a vehicle in little ol’ Appleton, we found one place that would help us. (It turns out that cash works for car rentals if the city has non-airport locations to rent vehicles.) So we rented the car and took the trip. Everything wound up working perfectly.

I’ll skip the middle story (it’s a sad one anyway) and let you in on a little secret—this was the most economical and affordable way for us to travel. I know there are some of you out there who would disagree, but for those who have older cars, or nothing at all, this is your best bet. Who could argue with a new car that gets incredible gas mileage for its size, full insurance provided, unlimited mileage, and comfort in knowing that if something were to happen to the car, a replacement would be swapped? Here’s what we paid for about a week:

$150 cash deposit
$213 car rental fee (2008 Mitsubishi Galant figured at a full-size price, plus 1 wk deal)
$75 full insurance on the vehicle
$45 unlimited mileage for our use
$150 gasoline (our trip cost; mostly highway - we came up with 27.85 mpg each fill up)
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
$670 with tax
- $150 deposit
- - - - - - - - - - -
$520 ($173.50 each person)

Not too shabby considering our “last resort” Blazer only gets between 14 – 15 mpg highway and the transmission was on its last leg. I would much rather pay for a rental car than have the stress put on our family because of an iffy car. The price of course will vary throughout the states, but comparatively it still seems reasonable. Not to mention that new cars have emissions ratings, so the Galant we drove was an Ultra Low Emission Vehicle. This means that it spared the state of Kansas from either one of our cars’ (a ’91 and a ’95) moderately high hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides emissions. That also seems VERY reasonable.

ULEV and SULEVs (Super Ultra Low Emission Vehicles, like hybrids) are usually available upon request at any car rental business, as several chains are trying to phase out vehicles that aren’t as “ozone-friendly”. We were told that some SULEVs will be harder to come by because of demand, so if there’s an emergency like the one we had, chances are slim. Nonetheless, it is nice to see that environmentally friendly options are available for anyone wanting to rent a vehicle.

In addition to the rental, we chose to bring food from home for the trip there which consisted of fresh fruit, juice and tea in reusable glass jars, and doughnuts. Upon our return we received “take home snacks” from family in Kansas, and only stopped to eat once on the way back at a local restaurant. Essentially we were only paying for a couple of meals, so some good advice to anyone who’s on a strict budget would be to take what you have at home in a cooler—dollars to doughnuts it won’t be good when you come back anyway! And try to eat locally wherever you can…this choice not only extends your funds (local restaurants are usually cheaper than chains), it supports local economies and keeps the vacation fresh.

Vote with your dollar

Whether you think it will help the economy, or make things worse, you've got stimulus money coming. If you're planning on spending that money, spend it on things you believe in.

When it comes down to it, companies aren't going to do things that don't make them money. It's not a difficult concept, it's the foundation of capitalism. So if companies can make money by doing the right thing, they will. It doesn't make them evil (although greenwashing does).

With that knowledge, you have tremendous power to change the world with every dollar you spend. When you purchase anything, you are voting your support in that product, that company, and that company's policies. That doesn't mean you need to understand all the dealings of every company whose products you buy; it just means you should shop your values.

If you don't like the lack of standards and horrible human rights in products made in China, stop buying things made in China. If pesticides give you the creeps, buy organic. It's pretty simple, and it will have a change in the way companies run.

I've found an excellent resource on this topic, http://www.biggreenpurse.com/. It is geared primarily toward women, since according to the site women spend $.85 of every dollar in the marketplace. The site features info on how the power of your dollar can lead the environmental movement, and easy ways to shift your spending to greener options.

I'm especially fond of the Big Green Purse Shopping Principles :

1) Buy less.

2) Read the label.

3) Support sustainable standards.

4) Look for third-party verification.

5) Choose fewer ingredients.

6) Pick less packaging.

7) Buy local.

And I love the bottom line from that same link:

Ignore boasts that a product is eco-chic, earth-safe, or planet-neutral. Stick to the principles above to ensure that your Big Green Purse has the kind of big green impact that will make a difference both in the marketplace and on the environment.

That sounds like MSG if I've ever heard it!

Photo credit: http://www.garrisonphoto.org/sxc/

Mainstream Green Does Kids' Birthday Parties

My daughter recently turned two. Here's how I made it Mainstream Green, and suggestions to help you do the same for your next party:


Decorations

Use things you already have. My girl's party was teddy bear themed, so we put groups of her teddy bears on the tables and an over sized bear to greet the guests.

Find natural rubber balloons, which are biodegradable. (Remember to closely supervise young children playing with balloons, and take away any that pop.)

Use beach balls instead of balloons. These cute ones would be great for a tropical theme (maybe next year). They would also make nice take home favors.

Skip the crepe paper and paper table cloth. No one really remembers those, anyway.

Make the snacks double-duty. Find snacks that go with the theme, and put them out in bowls. We used Teddy Grahams and gummy bears. Colored Goldfish crackers would be great for that tropical theme mentioned above.

Food

Let's NOT do lunch - or dinner. A morning or afternoon party with snacks, cake and drinks is just fine. Since my daughter naps in the afternoon, we planned a light brunch.

If you can, Enlist help for the food. We are fortunate to have three sets of grandparents all willing to help with their granddaughter's party. If you can get help, use it!

Keep the menu simple to prepare, and more healthful, too. In my experiences, fresh fruit or a plain fruit salad goes over better than any whipped cream or marshmallow fluff concoction. And it's easier to prepare, too. Just keep an eye out for what's in season, as fruit can be pricey.


Location, Location, Location

Hold the party somewhere centralized. Both my husband's family and my family live about 30 miles from us. It made more sense for us to drive that distance than to have everyone come to us. In green terms, we had one vehicle driving 30 miles instead of six vehicles.


Invitations

Use the phone. I have graphic design experience, so this was a difficult decision for me. But in the name of all things green, I skipped the paper invites and picked up the telephone. Just be sure the guests know that the call is the official invite.

If you must do paper invitations, use postcards. You'll save on postage and use less paper, too.

The typical birthday party leaves parents with an empty wallet and a bag of trash. Concentrate on what's really important (for me, celebrating with all sides of my family) and cut the unnecessary. By thinking outside of what is "expected" for a kid's party, you can save cash and be a little greener.

The Cat Litter Chronicles Part I

I’ve been struggling to find a decent cat litter at an affordable price. We have two cats in our apartment, so odor control is very important.

I’m concerned about the environmental impact of traditional clay litters. They are strip-mined, and there is some concern about the effect clay dust can have on a cat’s lungs (mentioned in this treehugger article).

However, alternative cat litters are more expensive. And since different types of litter have varying weights, it can be difficult to compare price per pound. Pine litter, for example, is very light-weight. There is a greater volume of litter for the weight. To add to the confusion, every type of litter seems to receive mixed reviews in terms of quality and environmental friendliness.

I am currently trying out Feline Pine Scoop clumping litter. On their website they offer a rebate for one free 4 lb box, so it was easy to justify trying it out.

A four pound box of Feline Pine Scoop costs $7.99 at Petco, as compared to Petco's brand of clay litter, which costs $6.99 for a 16 pound refill jug. (You pay more when you first buy the jug, and get a discounted price when you refill it. Even that is a step in the right direction!)

At first glance, that seems like a huge price difference, but I found that the four pounds of Feline Pine last almost as long as the 16 pounds of clay litter. As I mentioned above, the pine litter is much lighter for the same volume. In that light, you are paying $1.00 more for nearly the same supply of litter.

The Feline Pine doesn't scoop as tightly as clay litters, but it does a fairly good job. It does MUCH better with odor control than some of the clay litters I have used. The only time we notice a cat box odor is right after they go, and I don't think there's a litter in the world that could tackle that! There is a little bit of a weird smell when I scoop, but it's a vast improvement over the overwhelming dust or fake floral smell I've encountered before.

My one complaint about Feline Pine is that it is too light. The closest I can come for comparison purposes is pencil shavings from those old crank sharpeners in grade school. The cats carry some of it out of the box with them (one of the cats actually sat in the litter, and it clung to his fur). This also makes it more difficult to scoop; the clean litter doesn't sift through as quickly as clay litter.

Overall, I am pleased with the quality Feline Pine Scoop. I wish that it were a little bit heavier, and a little bit less expensive (we are on a tight budget). I'm going to continue searching out different solutions for the litter box.