Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Is there enough sleeping going on in your home?

As I sit here totally wiped out at 3:30pm in the afternoon, I began to ponder why? I am not designing my schedule with enough time in it to sleep. I say design because a mother chooses the day. We set the tone and the schedule. And when I am tired, I am more cranky and the tone I set isn’t as good as it could be. Also my youngest isn’t sleeping as well as she should be, again I ask why? So what to do?

Well first I remembered an article I read given to me by my doctor. Most adults need 8 hours of sleep every day. That means in 24 hours 8 of those hours should be dedicated to sleeping. You may need a bit more or a bit less because it’s an average. If you are tired consider that you may not be allowing yourself enough time to sleep.

So what could you cut out to get yourself more sleep? I would say the first thing is some of your TV watching time. I am sure it will be hard to give up those shows, but maybe just start with ½ hour and go to bed ½ hour earlier. If you are able to, when you lay your kids down for a nap take a nap yourself. This one is hard for me to do because nap time is when I get things done. Recently I have tried napping and it has helped a bit in my attitude in the evenings.

Are you KIDS getting enough sleep? My pediatrician told me that kid should be waking up on there own, if they need an alarm clock or you to wake them up, they need more sleep. (unless they are like my brother who just would rather stay in bed for days then get up …… LOL teenagers!) Smaller children need 12 hours in a 24 hour period. So add up nap time and night time sleep and see what you get. If its less then 12 and you are having to wake them in the mornings, start putting them to bed a bit earlier. Also when kids (this is until they stop growing) may need up to 14 hours of sleep during times they are growing. WOW! That is a lot of sleep. But hey if it helps them grow up healthy and strong … its worth it. And just think of those 6 hours you could be getting NOT driving them everywhere! Naps for everyone!

How to fold a t-shirt in 2 seconds!

I promised time savers ... How about this one?

http://www.videojug.com/film/how-to-fold-a-t-shirt-in-2-seconds-explained

Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Renew Reuse Recycle – its called Upcycling!

I have mentioned that I love recycling. I truly believe we need to start taking better care of the Earth, the environment, and our communities. And I believe that it starts with me. If everyone had this belief I think we would be in a lot better place(s). Something I hear is “but what can I do?” like just one person wont make a difference. Well you probably wont go down in history for it – but you can make an impact in your life and the lives of those around you.

You don’t have to do big things. You can do small things that maybe no one will notice, but you will. OK so what am I aiming at? I got to thinking today as I was rummaging my local thrift store that I need to help teach people how to use a thrift store. There is so much to be found there that is still useable, albeit with a little effort. There is a new term for this and its called Upcycling.

Clothing – LOVE IT! I get a lot of my kids and my clothing from thrift stores. My Husband is a brand snob and wears larger sizes that I just cant find there, so he gets his clothes new, and we can afford that because we save on other clothes! When you see something in a thrift store, don’t just see the item and think of using it how it is, maybe you can alter it in a way that will be pleasing to you! On of my favorite magazines is “Altered Couture” every issue is jam packed with ideas on how to make something from something else! Maybe just dieing it – will make it new again! Maybe there is one stain on an otherwise awesome shirt, how about an appliqué to cover the stain? There is some much you can do. Also in the fancy dress section, I look at color and textures and amount of fabric in the dress …. I can take it apart and make something completely different from one or two dresses for a fraction of the cost of buying the materials new! This is call upcycling.

I don’t buy used socks, undies or swimsuits. Sometimes shoes but only if they look barely worn. And check out the home goods section, a chair that sat in a little old ladies room and barely used would be a great addition to your house! And if the kids ruin it – no biggie…..

I have kids – I see no point in buying a huge set of matching dishes that will get chipped (that doesn’t bother me in the least) or cracked or just plain broken. A thrift store is a great place to buy pieces …. Not whole sets. I have also found lids to my corning wear that had gotten lost over time. Glasses to drink from. My two favorite stirring spoons are giant old silver spoons – yup you guessed it, thrift store finds! Take them home, run them threw the dish washer with the sterile cycle … and poof! No worries about the germies!

Bedding – honestly I don’t buy that in thrift stores, I can go to discount stores and buy it new for just a few dollars more.

So the lesson is – go try out your thrift store and if they don’t have what your looking for, is there some way to get what your looking from pieces of what you can find?

Monday, March 9, 2009

How to make Tostadas

OK another easy on the budget – yet delightfully tasty dinner! This has been a staple in my family since my mom was a kid. My grandmother was a 6th grade school teacher at Jackson School in Phoenix Az. Back then and she got this recipe from one of her students grandmothers, a little old Mexican lady named Mrs. Leon. You won’t find this kind of food even in Mexican restaurants!

Pinto Beans:
2 cups beans* (or more) cover more then 2 inches of water and let sit over night in the pot your plan to cook them in. Soaking overnight will reduce the gas the beans give you the next day! Then drain and rinse and refill to 1 inch above the beans.

*You must sort the beans. Measure your two cups, and then take a few at a time and inspect them and put the good ones into a seperate bowl. Any broken bits you toss, some beans are shriveled up toss them too. The most important reason to sort is sometimes the packages have small rocks that have accidentally gotten in the bags and you don’t want to chomp down on those!

Add:
cut up 1 med white onion
2 chicken bouillon cubes (or for vegetarian use vegetarian bouillon)
bring to boil then let simmer for 1 hr or more till the bean smooshes softly when you pinch it between your fingers, when close to done, let some water boil off – helps to enhance the flavor

Poor remaining water (now brown) into a cup/bowl and set aside
Place beans in a larger dish and use a metal potato masher and mash up the beans … if too dry add some bean water. Go slowly you don’t want it too runny. Keep the bean water in the fridge if you have leftovers – add some of the water the next day when reheating and they are just like fresh!

Mrs. Leon’s Hot Sauce:
1 can crushes tomatoes (15 oz)
¼ teaspoon crushed red peppers (more for hotter)
1 teaspoon prepared garlic (more for fun!)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon onion salt
1 teaspoon ground oregano
let sit over night – the longer it sits the hotter (and better) it gets.

Tostadas:
1 tostada shell
layer of beans
layer of lettus
layer of hot sauce
layer of grated yellow cheese (fresh grated is the only way to go – pre-grated just doesn’t taste as good)
sliced of olives (buy then whole and slice yourself to save money)
(one of my daughters also likes a layer of sour cream)
(you could also add some chopped green onions or chopped red onions, but we never have)

Great as leftovers … if there is any!

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Where to save money on store bought clothing

This depends on hard you are willing to work at finding a good deal. I have a discount store that sales last years department store leftovers, at a discounted price. I have found many a deal there, but the problem is they really only have a few of each item, you might see something you like and it’s not in your size. Also there are times you will not find anything nice at all. You need to be willing to walk out without buying anything. And since there is only a few of each item you have to go threw every item of clothing in your size to find something for you. The hazards of this kind of store is you could be drawn to something you don’t need just because it’s a good deal. You have to learn shopping control in these stores.

Another place that I find good deals is on eBay. But again I have to work and consider the price of shipping. eBay can be dangerous because you get into the thrill of bidding, and when you are out bid you up your bid past the point where its reasonable. What I do to prevent this is “snipe” the item. I use a snipping program where I put in my top bid and the program bids in the last 10 seconds, and if someone out bids me – then that is it and that is OK. It keeps me from bidding higher then I need to.

Thrift stores are also awesome ways to save money on clothes. Especially if you are buying play clothes for you kids – why should you buy new clothes for them to run around outdoors in? Learn what the more durable brands are and skip over the brands that you don’t know. This will help your money go farther if the clothes last longer.

Places I don’t cheap out on are shoes, underwear and socks. Buy good brands of these, because when those items are uncomfortable you are uncomfortable.

Also never put clothing on credit cards. You may have gotten a deal at the time but unless you pay it off immediately it will cost more then full price in the long run.

Wednesday, March 4, 2009

Orange Chicken and Rice Casserole


In an un-greased backing pan (9 by 13) put 2 cups uncooked rice. Put 2 cut-up chickens (or parts – they are cheaper) skin side up on top of the rice. Mix together 1 can cream of mushroom soup and 2 cups of orange juice. Pour over the chicken and rice. Sprinkle one envelope of onion soup mix on top. Cover with foil. Bake 2 ½ hours at 325 degree F.

Serve with a salad, remember your veggies!
*Note: I made this with boneless skinless chicken because that is all I had. Don't do it, it really needs the fat drippings from the skin to balance this dish out. Also next time I may stir the liquid and rice mixture first then put the chicken on top and pour a little bit on top of the chicken and then the soup mix ..... Still tasty as ever!

What to do with your left over fabrics?

Ok so you have made an outfit, what do you do with all those leftover’s? I know people who just toss them in the trash and I shudder! But what you can do with the leftovers depends on the fabric and the size.

One of the first thing I do I make doll clothing for my daughters. I refuse to make Barbie clothes - just too tiny, but I have friends who do that. I do make them for my daughters Cabbage Patch Kids and American Girl Dolls, both of which has patterns you can buy in today's pattern catalogs.
Then from the scraps of dolls clothing, I cut out 3 different sized squares. I went into the quilting section and then found different sized squares so you can easily cut them out. I am planning on making a scrap quilt just like my great grandmother used to make. But if you don’t want to make a scrap quilt - you could match the colors of the scraps and sell them on eBay to a quilter. I will add that quilters are picky and you need to cut very carefully and only on the bias if you plan to sell them, you wont get rich but you will be keeping the landfills from being over full with useable items. But seriously, just make a quilt for your spare room or for those super cold winter nights. When the lights are off the person only cares that it is warm, not what it looks like.

Cotton fabrics are good for quilting, all other fabrics I would save for doll or baby clothing. And consider if you make something for your daughter, make it for her doll too, you will be the best mom on the block! Other craft ideas to consider are covering a photo album, accessories like a purse or head wrap, belts, vests or maybe clothes for you pet? Just look through the pattern booklets you may be inspired!

Can you save money by sewing your own clothing?

Ok this question has confused many a person lately. In the olden golden day's, the answer was unequivocally yes. In fact if you didn’t sew or know someone who did, your wardrobe was severely impaired (unless of course you were rich).

But what about today? In the days of super discount stores, mass production in third world countries and eBay? The answer is still yes you can save by sewing your own clothing, but its conditional. Its conditional on what you are making, how much you are spending on fabric/patterns and who you are sewing for.

What are you making? Well don’t sew things like t-shirts or underwear, you just cant make them as cheap as you can by them at some superstore. (unless you get the fabric for free – but who wants to sew underwear in there spare time?) What you can save money on is expensive items of clothing. A wedding dress is much cheaper if you make it yourself. The same with the special occasion dressed like, proms, dances, and church functions. Its very hard to learn to tailor men’s suits but if you are patient enough to learn you can save a lot there too.

How much does your fabric and patterns cost? My fabric store constantly mails me 40% off coupons, and I use them diligently. Every time I get one I use it. I have built up quite a fabric stash because I have noticed that most outfits use less then 4 yards of fabric. So I buy 4 yards of a fabric I like and then when I have time I go to the fabric store when there patterns are on sale for .99 cent/each, 1.99/each or 3.99/each (for Vogue that is the cheapest I can find them). Then I just pick and choose what pattern for what fabric. Beware cheep fabric, there is no easy way to teach you this over the internet, but you will learn by experience, as you handle the fabrics before you buy them.

Who are you sewing for? Baby clothes are so cute and there are so much out there you can probably get what you are looking for cheaper then making it. Unless you want to make that baby dress … go buy it! Now if you want a mother daughter matching dresses and your daughters are sizes are 6 months, 4T, size 7 and size 14 – along with your not so youthful size 16W, there is no WAY you could find matching dresses in mass produced clothing. In this case buying your own fabric and sewing it is the only way to achieve your hearts desires!

Also – plan ahead if you know you are going to be making an Easter dress then watch the sales after Christmas untill what you want is on sale. Find the dress pattern you want first. Then find the fabric. Buy it all on sale and then you should still have plenty of time to sew leisurely instead of staying up all night the night before finishing, at that point you are too tired to look your best anyways!

The benefits of sewing your own clothing?? Well first if you sew it well and correctly it will last longer then almost all store bought outfits. Take a look at store bought clothing, it really isn’t sewn with much care – the focus is on getting the largest numbers sewn and out the door to sell. I also like that whatever I make is almost always one of a kind. I have really never seen anyone sew the exact same pattern I used and the fabric I chose. Also when you are cutting out your pattern pieces, you can tailor them to fit your body – give you a better looking wardrobe and you will look better in your clothes. And when you sew it yourself, you can get exactly what you want!

Note: If you are serious about sewing clothing for you and your family I highly suggest getting a serger as well to finish off all seams – this adds durability to your outfit, and a more professional look too.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Saving Money on Food

Our family spends a lot of money on food. So I am willing to bet it’s the same for your family too. So how do we make our food budget go father? Even more important, how can we afford to buy some extra so if something big and unexpected comes up – would we (you) be able to deal with it because you know you can live off what food you already have?

The first thing I recommend is getting a stand alone freezer. And everyone CAN find room where they live for one. We live in a tiny apartment and we have the smallest freezer they make. But our tiny freezer has made a big difference in our food budget. I am able to buy a lot more when it’s on sale and just skip the meat department when things aren’t on sale. We also have a HUGE stock of frozen veggies, bottles of frozen juice and some frozen bread.

I cut coupons from the Sunday paper. I get coupons in the mail and email and print them out and use them. I shop the local farmers market for fresh fruits and veggies. We are lucky living in Southern California that we have farmers markets year round. And one other place we get extra money for our children’s food is WIC (Women Infants and Children) it’s a state run agency that give checks each month to families under certain incomes with children under 5 years of age. Look at your states web site or Google to see what your state offers. Many people may qualify and don’t know it. You can get up to $60 a month per child under 5 in California. It’s a HUGE help for us. And the larger your family is (total) the more money you can make and still qualify, but only the children under 5 years old will qualify for the checks. You pay taxes … see if you qualify and use every resource you can. They are there to HELP you, not look down on you.

And the last thing to spread your food budget farther … is learn to make a few more items from scratch. Now I am all about saving time but something’s you can do with your kids for fun and save money too. A simple example is making cookies. You can go out and buy the refrigerated cookie dough and just spoon them onto a cookies sheet and bake. Yes super easy, but for a whole lot less you can make cookies from scratch and have a lot more cookies! Do I suggest making your own bread every morning?? Not unless you love doing it! But once in awhile fresh baked bread is a nice treat!

A one Income family

Today’s economy is not geared to a one income family. In fact, as my mother tells it, back in the 60’s when women started working to earn a little extra cash to improve there family’s financial status, an interesting side effect occurred. The business realized that people had more money to spend so they started upping the prices, because now people wanted things more and could afford them. 40 years later – how many families can live on one income and have the middle class American Norman Rockwell family life of the 1950’s?

Not many people can afford to do that. In fact I was reading last night that when politicians talk about the “middle class” or “the back bone of America” for things like tax breaks … usually its $65,000 – to 200,000 a year. However when taxes payers were asked if they were middle class, people earning $45,000 – 200,000 considered themselves to be middle class.

Now how many people can earn 65,000 a year these days on one income? Not as many as you may think. And certainly the back bone of America is the working class, which is mostly UNDER those middle class numbers.

So now why should you make the decision to be a one income family? The best reason is you are the best person to raise your kids the way you want them raised. Kids need the love and attention of there parents, and always having a parent at the ready will help them grow up secure. Being with your children so much will also help you be more aware of there needs and any problems they may be having. You will be more alert to when your children need you the most. And at the end of your life, you can take nothing with you except the memories and love of the ones your shared your life with. Would you rather have memories of strangers at work? Or memories of watching your children and grandchildren grow up? I promise you if you make the decision to stay at home and raise your family, it will be worth it in the end.