A few months ago we purchased a Groupon for a service that works similar to a community supported agriculture program (CSA).  I was excited because for $15 we would receive a box worth $35 that contained mostly local and organic produce.  The first time it arrived, we were excited to get into it and see what we got.  Right off the bat we noticed that the organic strawberries were all moldy and inedible.  I told Mr. Money to email them a picture explaining what we got and see what they would do about it.  They said they would credit our account $5 toward our next purchase.  As you probably guessed, I hadn’t planned on purchasing another box due to the cost and the fact that they sent us rotten strawberries.

We decided we would give it another try, and in two weeks we were charged $30 for the box (they took the $5 credit off).  The box was much better this time, with no rotten produce.  However, I decided that for the price we could do much better if we purchased the items in the store.  One of the things Mr. Money liked (that I coincidentally didn’t) was that when you get the unique ingredients you’ve got to figure out what to make with them.  Me? If it’s not something I normally eat, I’m not as likely to get creative and dive in.  Bad, I know.

Of course, the next week we forgot to cancel it and received a $35 box of produce.  Fine.  I made sure that before the next time we received a delivery that I canceled our standing order.  The deliveries are made on Thursdays.

On Friday I came home and realized there was a box on the front porch.  I was livid. First of all, I had canceled the service.  Secondly, now I have spent $35 on a box of produce that may or may not be good because it’s sat outside in 100 degree heat.  I took the box inside and luckily everything looks fine.  That didn’t stop me from sending them a nice email telling them that we had canceled and still received a box.

Here’s what we received in our box for $35.

-14-16 oz of yellow crookneck squash
-1 cantaloupe melon
-1 lb. of strawberries
-6 oz of local blackberries
-24 oz of red potatoes
-1 broccoli
-3 yellow peaches
-1 cucumber
-1 green bell pepper
-1 bulbing fennel
-1 lb of roma tomatoes

I don’t think that’s a good value for $35.  I guess I would feel differently if this was an actual CSA from a local farm.  I’d feel much better about supporting them. I don’t like that we’re purchasing this from a corporate company that I don’t know how fairly they are paying the farmers for their produce.  I’m also disappointed about the quality of some of the produce we’ve received.

Do you think it’s a good value?

The other day I ran into Michael’s to look for some wool yarn to knit these baby longies that I’ve been making. Longies made of wool are popular throughout the cloth diapering community because they absorb moisture without feeling wet. They are great to use as a cover over cloth diapers and are so cute! I’ve ordered some wool online, but I wanted to check and see if Michael’s had a specific brand before I ordered more. They didn’t end up having the specific brand I needed, but they had skeins of wool in the color that I wanted and just a different brand. They were on sale, so I decided that two would work and that the color was more important than the brand.

I had some time to kill, so I decided to wander around the store and see if there was anything I needed or could use to help decorate my house. I couldn’t find anything that I needed, so I went up to the checkout. When I got there, the cashier asked if I was signed up to receive the Michael’s coupons, and I said no. I filled out my name, address, and email address and she assured me that I would be added to the list so I’d get the coupons. If the Michael’s coupons are anything like JoAnn’s coupons, I’m going to be so excited! The JoAnn’s coupons are 20% off one item, and normally I can get out of there with just one or two items.

Michael’s Coupons

After I checked out and paid for my yarn, my receipt and an extra Michael’s coupon printed out: 20% off one item! I was so excited until I read the small print: it wasn’t valid until the next Sunday, and it was only good for a week. I’m not going to go back there just to use the coupon because by the time I take the extra time to go across town to use the coupon, I’ll have spent the savings on gas and it’s just not worth it to me. I’ll probably end up ordering some more yarn online because it’s cheaper anyway.

I’m thankful that Michael’s does offer coupons but I wish I could have taken advantage of the deal that day instead of waiting half a week. I’m sure they want me to come back to the store so I spend more money.   Of course, the most frugal option would have been to look around for a Michael’s coupon before I left the house, but I just didn’t think about it.  Next time I’ll be sure to look for one, or hopefully I’ll receive a printable coupon in my email.  That would be even better!

Do you look for coupons before you go to specialty stores? Do you sign up for their lists?

Every Wednesday I’ll post about how many items I’ve decluttered for the 365 Declutter Challenge. I’m going to keep a running tally of how many items I’ve decluttered. If it seems that 365 items is an easy goal and I meet it quickly, I’ll probably strive for the 2011 items goal. It’s a little scary, but hopefully it will challenge me in a good way!

This week I focused on cleaning out my bathrooms.  As you can see in the before picture below, we had a plethora of towels. I counted the number of bath towels that we had. 28. 28 towels for two people! I realized that was crazy, so I weeded out the towels that weren’t the greatest quality or were showing signs of wear. I also went through our wash cloths and hand towels and separated the good ones from the bad. In addition to towels, I also went through beauty products and makeup and ditched things that I didn’t use.

Before:

After:

And here’s the pile of junk that I donated this week to Goodwill:

This week I got rid of 27 items, which brings my total to 95 items.  Not bad!

If you want to post on your blog that you are participating in the challenge, here is a button that you can share:

<div align="center"><a href="http://ultimatemoneyblog.com/decluttering-challenge-365-in-2011" title="Declutter 365 Items in 2011" target="_blank"><img src="http://i257.photobucket.com/albums/hh217/ultimatemoneyblog/declutter125b.gif" alt="Declutter 365 Items in 2011" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Just copy and paste the html! It’s as easy as that. Thanks to Mrs. Accountability from Out of Debt Again for the wonderful buttons!

If you’ve participated in the challenge, please link to your posts here:

Minimalism really speaks to me for many reasons.  Living with less is truly gratifying if it’s something you are interested in. A few of the reasons I like the idea of minimalism is because I save money by not buying new things, my existing things don’t cost as much money as if I had the upkeep of more items, and I’m not contributing to the consumerism.  I hate supporting large companies that don’t care about their workers, the environment, or anything other than their bottom line.

I love the idea of not keeping things in my home that aren’t useful or that I love.  If it’s not something that I use on a regular basis, it’s gone.  If I don’t absolutely love it, it’s gone.  Of course, some things (like holiday decorations) are excluded but not exempt.  This year I went through my Christmas decorations and donated some items that I had been hanging onto just because I had the room.

Even though it may seem like I’m always decluttering and donating items, I don’t think I’ll ever be a 50 or 100 things minimalist.  I like knowing that I have the flexibility to be able to get rid of things at any time, and that I haven’t formed attachments to Stuff.  I like going through my clothing and getting rid of things that don’t fit well, are worn, or even just don’t look good.  What’s the point of keeping something because “I’ll fit into it someday” or “I love the way this looks on the hanger!”?

One misunderstanding about minimalism is that minimalism = not comfy and cozy.  I think there’s a way to balance minimalism with practicality, and keeping things that make a house a home (but not cluttered) are absolutely necessary. I don’t want to live in a sterile environment!

I think a minimalist lifestyle helps save money and live green in many ways.  The most obvious is that you aren’t spending money on purchasing the latest and greatest items that come out.  Thinking about purchases and figuring out whether you really need that new item helps you figure out what’s really important to you.  Less consumerism means more money in your pocket and less crap in your house and then eventually in the landfill.

There are many times that I struggle with spending money.  I have to force myself to realize that when I need something or want something and have saved up enough to pay cash for it, then it’s okay.  Sometimes I think that being frugal and being a minimalist means that I don’t deserve nice and new things.  That’s totally a distorted way to look at it, but it’s how I feel.  I have to remind myself that as long as I am good 80% of the time, the other 20% of the time it’s okay to live a little.

Minimalism is all about balance.  I wouldn’t be happy if someone came in my house and removed all the items except for a select few.  I also wouldn’t be happy if someone brought a bunch of crap to my house either though!  Finding a happy medium in a minimalist lifestyle is so individual that no matter how many blogs you read about it, they still won’t be able to tell you what’s important to you and what you need to keep and what you need to get rid of.  That’s completely up to you.

What about a minimalist lifestyle interests you?

The past six years have been a financial roller coaster for us, and we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel (finally!).  When we moved to this state for my hubby to go to school, we incurred moving expenses.  Then I was the only one working while he went to school so our income was pretty low.  In addition, culinary school ended up costing over $36,000 so we took on student loans. After culinary school, we continued to live frugally to be able to pay down our consumer debt.  We ended up paying off that debt this year and it couldn’t feel better.

Fortunately, (or unfortunately) I’ve continued the mindset of OMG we need to save as much money as possible! and I’m getting tired of it.  Not to mention, I feel sometimes like it’s hindering my happiness.  Now, I know that money doesn’t buy happiness, but what I am saying is that maybe being a little less stingy with our money would result in more happiness.  I received a comment the other day that really struck home.

I like your blog but there is one down side that has made me tune out a lot; you seem to very often put money waaaay before happiness. I get the importance of being financially responsible but I think IMHO that you often cheat yourself just to save. I’d rather have sufficient and modest savings but live happily and in sync with my values than maximize my money but sacrifice a lot of what makes me happy. just my opinion.

First off, I’m glad that the person actually said this.  I don’t think that I would have had the guts to post this because I’d be worried I would offend someone.  Truth be told, this is one of the best comments I’ve ever received.  I think there’s a lot of truth to it, and I’m going to do my best to focus more on being happy than worrying about money.

Over the years I’ve worried a lot about money.  We had debt, we needed to save for this, we need more money to pay this, etc.  Money is stressful!  Now we’re debt free, focusing on new goals (which can also be stressful), and I want to really enjoy life more.  We are not bound by debt (except for our mortgage) any more.  I want to continue to live frugally but not miserly.

One of the things that really stresses me out about budgeting is eating out.  We really enjoy eating out and as much as I try to cook at home all the time to save money, Mr. Money isn’t happy unless he can eat out.  Maybe I need to compromise and plan for one meal out a week so that way we are both happy.  Instead of looking at it like “we’re wasting money eating out and it could have cost me so much less money if we ate at home”, I need to look at it like I am blessing my husband and we are using our money wisely because this is something we both enjoy.

Obviously, budgeting is a huge struggle for me.  I don’t know how to tackle this.  I’m thinking about two solutions.

1. Make a budget with all of our bills that have to be paid (but not things like groceries) and include some savings goals in it.  After all the bills are paid, don’t worry about how much money we spend.  It’s not in our nature to go overboard, so our spending would be reasonable.

2. Make a budget and include the things like eating out.  Give us a set amount of money each month to spend on restaurants and fun things.  This option seems more stressful because I’d feel restricted.  Is that a good thing though?

I guess my main focus with our finances now is to start enjoying life a little more and stop acting like we’re dirt poor.  I don’t want to be 70 years old with a million dollars in the bank and wish that I had spent more time doing things that would have cost me a little money.  It’s all about balance.

Do you struggle with spending money? Or do you struggle with saving money? Which do you think is worse?

Last year I questioned whether or not secondhand gifts were acceptable.  My reasoning behind that was that I wanted to purchase my niece some clothes for Christmas, and I could purchase a lot more when I shopped at second hand clothing stores.  In the end, I ended up purchasing new clothes for her on sale.  I just didn’t want to create an awkward situation.  I will say that if someone gave me a gift that they really thought I would like that came from a thrift store, I would definitely not be offended.  There are many times people have given me things that were used that were unique and I ended up loving.

This year I want to focus on making gifts for people, as I do every year.  I’ll end up purchasing gifts for some people on our list, but I’d rather make things as a creative outlet, to show people I really care, and to help save money.  I really like when I make someone a gift that while I’m making it, I think about them.  I think about how much they will love the item I’m making, and how much I care about them.  It’s awesome.

I started to get self conscious about my homemade gifts.  Sure, I enjoying making soap, knitting dishcloths, and making candy cane sugar scrub.  Last year when I gave my aunts reusable cloth bags with soap, tea, and handmade dish cloths, they all really enjoyed them.  I have given my neighbor a few dishcloths and some lotion as well, but I can’t help that my gifts are inadequate compared to what she’s given us.  There are many times she’s asked us to let out her dogs, and we happily do.  Every time we let them out, she gifts us with a $10 Starbucks gift card, or a neat picture that we really like, or just a nice little trinket.  Each time we tell her it’s unnecessary, that we’re happy to help her out, and she continues to give us gifts.  I’ve been trying to tell myself that if she didn’t want to do it, then she wouldn’t.

I worry that some of the recipients would be happier with a store bought item, so I’ve decided that this year I’m going to figure out who would really appreciate something hand made and make something for them.  For my father in law, I’ll probably get a photo that I’ve taken printed at a professional lab and frame it.  I did that a few years ago and he still talks about it.  It’s nice because he’s hard to buy for, and I like that he appreciates my photography.  With my sister, for instance, I’ll end up purchasing something for her.  She wouldn’t like a handmade scarf or socks quite as well as some Bare Minerals makeup, so I’ll end up buying her something like that.  I’ll make sure to ask her first what she wants.

I’d love to just get everyone a $25 prepaid gift card that they can spend wherever they want, but I don’t think that’s a great present (I’d be happy with it though!).

When it comes to homemade versus store bought gifts, which do you prefer?

I’d like to introduce you to my friend Kendra at New Life on a Homestead.  Kendra is an inspiration to me, as she strives to live a frugal and simple life while creating a homestead for her family.  Today she’s sharing her journey to a simpler life on their homestead.

Only three years ago, my husband and I were living a dramatically different life. We were renting a noisy apartment in the middle of town, he was working his full time job and I was keeping kids during the day so that I could stay home with our four year old daughter and newborn son. We were very frugal, yes, but in such a mainstream way. We didn’t shop at the mall, but bought our clothes second hand. We didn’t own a new car. Actually, we only had one vehicle which my husband had most of the day. We used coupons for groceries and toiletries. We did what we could to save money… but there was always something bigger that seemed to be missing.

On a warm Spring day in 2008, my husband and I loaded the kids up in our van and drove to a local farmer’s market for their grand opening. We’d been thinking about eating a more natural diet, and figured this would be a good way to start. Little did we know that this day would change the course of our lives forever. I met an amazing woman there, who has since become my mentor. I was looking for a source for raw milk, but what I found was more precious than any treasure. She is the True Queen of Frugal. Ms. Addy opened up her humble home to me and my family, and has taught me how to save money in ways that had never even been a possibility in my mind.

That same year, my husband and I found a repossessed 2200 sq. ft. modular home- a major fixer upper! After several negotiations with Fanny Mae, and after selling the land the home came on, our initial investment was $22,000! I wish I could say that was our total investment, but we knew it would take a lot to make it livable again, plus, there was the major expense of moving the home onto an acre of land that my father so generously gave us.

We worked on this home for about eight months. Every day, my father and I would spend hours and hours cleaning, repairing, painting, and trimming. We did most of the work ourselves. We bought almost all of our materials from a salvage yard, or found them used (or even free!) elsewhere. Although it took us much longer to finish, it saved us a ton of money doing as much as we could on our own. It is amazing what you can learn to do when you put your mind to it! (For those of you who are curious, our total investment ended up being about $80,000- still a good price for such a large home.)

By November 2008, we moved into our new place in the country. Surrounded by nothing but trees and nature, a mile away from our own mailbox, and no neighbors in sight, we finally had a place to call our own. And it was heaven! But the changes did not stop there. No, this was just the beginning!

Now that we had a place away from the city, we were eager to put to use the advice I’d been gleaning from my new friend, Ms. Addy. Through all of those months, she’d been sharing with me everything she knew about saving money: how she grows and cans her own food, how she milks her cow and makes her own cheese, how she makes a head-to-toe shampoo bar for her family to use instead of store bought soaps. I sat at her feet, fascinated by what she was telling me. Honestly, in all of my life, it had never occurred to me that I had the ability to can my own food, or make my own soap, or do any of the other amazing things she shared with me!

She showed me her fruit trees, and invited me over when they picked apples and made fresh apple juice (or cider) with their cider press. She dug up some of her blueberry bushes so that I could have some of my own. She shared her herbal remedies with me, and showed me her favorite herb books. She told me everything I needed to know about raising chickens for meat and eggs. She took me to a hidden Amish Community, which I never even knew existed, and we browsed their general store in awe of all the neat things they sold. She shared her family recipes with me, and encouraged me to try making my own bread. She gave me raw cream from her cow and showed me how to turn it into fresh butter. My eyes were truly opened to a whole new world of frugality, and my appetite for learning more was ravenous.

But the most important lesson she taught us, the main theme of everything that she said, was the invaluable wisdom of learning to become more self sufficient. To Ms. Addy, the whole reason for learning to do all of these things wasn’t merely to save money, but to be able to provide for her five children should the world around us suddenly begin to crumble. She didn’t want to live depending on others to supply her most basic of needs. If electricity was lost, if grocery stores were empty, she had peace in knowing that she could still go about her daily life pretty much unchanged, and her children would hardly notice a difference. The more I thought about this philosophy, the more I clung to it.

My husband and I began implementing this mentality in our own home. We immediately put in a large garden (our first attempt ever at growing anything!). We planted fruit trees and bushes. We got a couple of milk goats. We got chickens for eggs and meat, rabbits, and even a pig!! We put up a clothesline for drying our clothing. We purchased cloth diapers for our babies. I learned to cook from scratch, and how to grind my own wheat for bread. I bought a couple of canners and learned to can our own food. I make our own cleaning supplies, including laundry detergent. We bought a wood cook stove to cook on without the use of electricity, and an old hand crank washing machine. Slowly, over the past two years we have learned to do everything that Ms. Addy has shown us, and more! The internet has proved to be an invaluable tool for learning to do many things.

We definitely aren’t there yet. We’ve still so much to learn. But as you can see, we are taking great strides toward self sufficient living. And everything that we’ve done has been on the strictest budget, especially since my husband lost his full time job at the beginning of the year. We definitely make the most of any free materials we can get our hands on, and always… ALWAYS… buy used.

For us, learning to homestead has been for three main purposes: saving money so that we can pay of our home and shed the slave’s shackles of debt, living and eating healthier and more naturally (on a budget), and learning to live life without depending on anyone but God to take care of our every need. I hope that you will be inspired to look into your own life, whether living in the city or a rural town, and ask yourself if there are things you can be doing to stretch your dollar and your resources even further! I’m betting there’s still more that you can do!

The other day I received an email from an old coworker who works for the same company I do.  She was asking me if I wanted to purchase Boy Scout popcorn from her son.  The first thing I thought was “Boy Scout popcorn is expensive!” and then I thought about how we don’t own a microwave.

I informed her that we didn’t have a microwave, and she said that was okay because they sell prepopped popcorn as well.  It was around $30 for a tub.  Now, I don’t know about you, but every time I have gotten a tub of popcorn it was stale.  I wasn’t about to buy stale popcorn, especially not for $30!

She then also mentioned that they are selling magazine subscriptions that are $10 or $20.  I thought that would be more reasonable because I have been wanting to get Real Simple magazine, and if this was an excuse to do so, at least I would be supporting a good cause by purchasing my magazine subscription from the Boy Scouts.  She faxed me over the cost sheet, and on it was the magazine prices.  Of course, the Real Simple magazine was one of the ones that cost $20. Grr. At this point, I felt like just saying no, I wasn’t interested.  I could save my money because I don’t really need a magazine subscription or popcorn.  I don’t like wasting money.

I decided that because I was supporting a good cause, and that I was kicking around the idea of getting the subscription any way, that I would just go ahead and do it.  $20 is not going to make or break us, so I don’t see any harm in buying one magazine subscription.

Sometimes my frugality gets in the way of doing good things.  With buying this magazine subscription, sure I spent $20 I didn’t need to, but in turn I am helping to financially support a good cause, and I’m also benefiting because I’ll be receiving a magazine that will hopefully help inspire me and will be something I will enjoy.  I could have told her no, I wasn’t interested from the beginning, but I just didn’t have the heart to do so.

I like donating to charities that I believe in, and the Boy Scouts is a great program, so I feel good about my money going there.  I think it’s great to be able to budget in some extra money to donate to good causes, and I’m glad that we’re in a position financially where we are able to do so.  It makes me feel good to know that we can afford to give to things we believe in, and not put our financial future in jeopardy doing so.

Sometimes you just have to relax a little with money and be generous.  It is a great feeling to know that we’ve helped out a young boy, and I hope that even though $20 is not a lot of money, that it will be used to bless the young boys involved in the Boy Scouts. I do have a confession: last year I was not smart enough to buy a magazine subscription, and instead bought the cheapest box of popcorn that was available.  It turns out you can cut open the bags and pop the popcorn on the stove.  Good thing, because that would have been a waste of money!

Do you support the Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts by purchasing cookies/popcorn?

This post was included in the Festival of Frugality at Budgeting in the Fun Stuff!

Borax is a naturally occurring substance that is mined from the Mojave desert and other US States.  While borax is a natural substance, care should be taken when using borax.  It has been known to cause skin irritation in some people.  I use gloves when my skin is going to come into contact with it.  Better to be safe than sorry!  While mining the borax is not the most environmentally friendly option, it’s still greener than using normal toxic cleaners.  I buy borax now to make laundry detergent and clean my house, but there are many more uses for borax than that!  Here are some tips on how to use borax.

-Borax can be a natural flea killer. Sprinkle borax on your carpet, let it sit for a couple hours, and then vacuum up! Make sure you vacuum well so you don’t leave any behind.

-If you have an ant or roach problem, try mixing powdered sugar or honey with borax and leaving it in the problem area. The pests will be attracted to the sweetness, eat it and die from the gas caused by the borax!

-Borax is safe and effective as a natural drain cleaner. Mix one cup of borax with a half gallon of boiling water, pour down the drain, and wait. It will help remove grease from your drain! Borax is a great substitute for lye. It works just as well and is much easier to find. Lye is caustic and dangerous, and borax is not.

-Are you looking for a great toilet cleaner? Sprinkle one half of a cup of borax in your toilet and let it sit one hour. Go back and scrub the toilet with the solution. Your toilet will be sparkling clean and odor free!

-Do you avoid flame retardants in your children’s clothing? You can use borax to make the clothes naturally flame retardant. Mix 9 ounces of borax and 4 ounces of boric acid in a bucket with one gallon of water. Dip the item of clothing in the solution and hang dry. Since it’s a natural flame retardant, it will wash out in the wash, so do keep that in mind.

-Remove rust stains from your bathtub by mixing together borax and lemon juice to make a paste. Rub on the affected area and let it sit for a few minutes if it doesn’t remove right away.

-Do you have hard water? Borax can be used to soften water. Add 1 Tablespoon per quart of water to soften. Soft water will make soaps and shampoos work much better!

-Searching for a natural weed killer? Place borax in cracks and near the base of weeds you want to kill. Of course, be careful to not get borax near plants you want to keep as it will kill them!

-Borax is great for deodorizing. Use it in litter boxes, garbage pails, diaper genies, and other areas you want smell free. You can use borax in a similar way as baking soda; just be careful to not handle it too much.

Borax is an inexpensive cleaner that’s great to keep on hand. Pick up a box and keep it in your laundry room. You never know when you will need it!

Do you use borax? What have you used it for?

It seems like the majority of people are realizing that less is more, and a minimalist lifestyle is rapidly gaining popularity.  I definitely lean more towards minimalism, and I’m always decluttering and trying to make more space in my house.  I feel better when I don’t have a bunch of stuff laying around and taking up space.

One day I was listening to my mother tell one of her friends that I don’t even like my attic cluttered.  Maybe I’m a little OCD; maybe I just don’t like stuff.  It’s probably a little bit of both.  After I thought about her statement for awhile, I started to sway to keeping more things.  I’ve got the space, so why not keep it?

I think having more Stuff in your house can cost you time and money.  When you’ve got more stuff in your house, you have to keep it in good condition, clean around it, put it away, and maintain it.  It’s much easier to clean when you don’t have a ton of knick knacks cluttering your shelves.

On the other hand, I know there are times when I look at something I’m going to donate and then I can’t do it because I think I may need it someday or I can repurpose it into something new.  Nine times out of ten, I really won’t need that item in the future.  About half the time I keep the item and then end up not repurposing it.  That makes me crazy!

I guess overall I believe you shouldn’t store things just because you have the space.  Do you think you should keep it if you can store it?