Homemade Dishwasher Detergent, Is it worth it?

One of my favorite books is called Your Money or Your Life. It had a profound impact on how I saw my relationship with money. It's a great text, and I highly recommend it, but in a nutshell, it boils down to this basic concept:

You are constantly trading minutes of your life for some item of value. You have limited minutes, so choose wisely.

My regular readers and friends know that I like to do experiments with frugality, it's sort of like a game to me. Someone recently told me it wasn't worth their time to make their own cleaning products, which got me thinking about how I value my time and whether or not the task is worth my time.

I'm starting with Dishwashing Detergent. It's a simple recipe that takes me less time to make than it will take me to write this blog.

The recipe is equal parts Borax and Washing Soda. Easy Peasy. I usually mix it up two cups of each at a time, since that's what  fits best in the container I use.

I'm using Amazon for pricing, even though Walmart is actually cheaper just to make comparison easy.
Borax: $9.89 for 76oz or $.13/oz
Washing Soda: $8.99 for 55oz or $.14/oz
Or I can get both of these items in a package deal here.
Combined: $16.09 for 131oz or $.12/oz

Cascade Powder, which is comparable to the product I end up with, costs $15.02 for 75oz or $.20/oz

4 cups = 32oz, so if I save $.08 per oz, then I trade my time making it for $2.56

I keep these two products on my regular grocery list so I don't spend extra time shopping for them, and I use them for other things around the house. I make dishwasher detergent whenever I notice the container is low. The process consists of grabbing two boxes from my cleaning supplies, pouring two cups of each into the container, closing the lid and shaking it up.
I open the lid back up and replace the 1Tbsp. sized scoop, then I'm done.

The whole ordeal takes less than five minutes, so if I calculate its value based on a per hour rate, my dishwashing detergent nets me a value of over $51 per hour.

That might not be enough to make it worthwhile for some people, but that's big bucks to me, so is it worth it to make my own? I'd say it sure is.

Notes from Stephen King and Dean Koontz

I've always loved reading and writing. I taught myself how to type just so I could write stories faster... it takes me about an hour to add 1,000 words to whatever I'm working on. I think that's pretty fast.

And, my writing is pretty good, some of it is salable even, but I'm always trying to get better.

Stephen King is one of my favorite writers of all time, even though I haven't read a lot of his fiction in the past decade. The stories I remember had such an impact on me as a young writer because of the way he made the characters and the places come to life.

Over the years, King has always been the author most able to suck me in to a story. His book On Writing is one of my most cherished books.

The more I studied the craft, through assignments and journalism and coursework, the more it became about formula and marketing. So, while I still read the textbooks, I try to remember that the fun of writing is really in the story, even if it doesn't sell.

This last week, I've read Feast of Fear, Conversations with Stephen King and Writing Popular Fiction by Dean Koontz.

I hardly ever read a book without taking notes. When King says "...when you write or you do anything that's creative, there comes a moment when you see stuff that somebody got paid for and you say, 'I do better work than that. I don't care if I'm getting paid for it or not. I know I do.' So, that's like the big first step in becoming a creative person who's paid for what he does." I'm like, yeah, that's where I'm at.

King says Don't say to the reader - "It was so horrible that I don't want to tell you about it." Because then, they'll think you don't know what you're talking about.

He also says, "If you're not willing to go for the throat, you ought not to be in this business."

Oooooh...

I just finished a novel I thought was pretty dark, but when I read this quote, I was like 'Ah, he's talking to me' because I want to be brave, but when I think about the story I just finished, I totally held back. I'm terrified to tell it like I really see it in my mind... I am a pastor's wife after all... won't people think I'm sick?

He says you have to grab the reader by the throat and not let go... so, when I heard back from one of my test readers and she said...

" I read it all in one sitting!"

I said YAY!

When I read these comments:

"I was surprised by it."


"I was greatly saddened and I wanted to reach out to the 

girl in the story and hug her..."


"I was angered..."


"I wanted to yell..."


"I was sickened..."


"It was such a sad story, but I felt I could not put it down, 

which I did not."


I was yelling, "YES, YES, YES!!!"

At the same time, I'm thinking, but this is just the first draft and I could add so much more to the story and I could explore this element and that, and constantly questioning myself. But, then, I read Koontz who says,

Write the first draft right the first time.

"When you've finished a piece, send it out straightaway and get to work on something new. You're a professional. You have all the confidence in the world."

WHAT?!?

I'm thinking about everything I've learned and thinking that's crazy talk, it's called first draft because it comes before all the others, but, then, I'm all about getting it right the first time.

I read it again, and couldn't help but say, "Yeah. That."

So, today I find myself torn between tearing apart that "first draft" so I can really go for the throat and studying the 2014 Writer's Guide so I can get this "first draft" on it's way and start working on something else. Oh, the agony of choices.

Should Parents Be Embarrassing Their Children on The Internet? How Far is Too Far?

Can I use my children to promote my writing career? Is that crossing a line?

What if they are so funny, I just can't help myself?

My 15 year old is taking driver's training. First, she had to complete three weeks of classroom training, none of which actually teach anything about the actual act of driving a vehicle.

Then, she is supposed to go to six driving sessions, including riding along with another driver and behind the wheel time too.

The first scheduled behind the wheel session happened to fall on the same day as our first big snow storm. Even the instructor said he would have rescheduled if he had known how bad it was going to be.

So, that morning during Bible study, I asked for prayers for her.
I also may have jokingly said that she had never been behind the wheel of a car before and didn't even know the difference between the gas and the brake.

Well, those ladies couldn't let that go... they just had to tease her about that.

So, now I'm posting a blog about her reaction because I just can't help myself.
After being teased by the ladies at church, she came home and yelled at me, exclaiming the following:

"I DO SO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE GAS AND THE ACCELERATOR!"

It only took her about two seconds to realize what she had just said, but it took me another five minutes to stop laughing. Now, I'm sharing it with the world... have I gone too far?

I know one girl who thinks I have.

When the book is finished, success is bittersweet

Today is the last day of NaNoWriMo and I could be scrambling to find another 3,000 words to write into my story, but I'm not.

In one way, that means I have failed. I've failed to meet the challenge to write 50,000 words in 30 days. Now, if you add in my blog posts, well, then I would be way over the word count. But, my story doesn't have 50K words, so technically I've failed.

I'm competitive. I'm persistent. I'm stubborn.

But, I'm done now.

Why?

Because the story is finished. I've reached the end. Agatha has reached her resolution, the only one available to her, so what else is there to write?

I printed out the 99 pages yesterday and thought I might try to read through it today and try to figure out a way to squeeze another 3,000 words in. But, it wouldn't make the story better, it would just be for pride.

And yet, really I don't feel like I've failed, because I've accomplished the real goal, and that was to get this story written down. It's been bouncing around in my head for several years, begging to be told.

I am relieved to be rid of it.

I am delighted with how it turned out.

But, now I have this strange feeling that something is missing from my life. This project that has consumed me for the last thirty days is now over.

I'll spend more time with my family, of course and I'll catch up on some chores, but I'm already thinking about the next story.

Because, for me the stories never end.

The story's climax, a writer's dilemma

It's coming into the final countdown for me and my fellow WriMo's.

Just three days left...

I'm staying up late to chase the clock and I've just topped 40K

I'm coffee'd up, exhilarated and speed typing.... ZOOM!!!

But, oh, poor Agatha. She just can't seem to get it together.

Guilt and shame are nasty bedfellows and they are weighing her down.

They speak to her in her weakest moments.

They lead her astray...

Sometimes, oh, many times, I've wanted to save her. I've been so tempted to have compassion on the poor girl and just give her happiness. But, happiness doesn't come that easily in this sinful world, and it's not fair to pretend it does just because I want it to be that way.

Agatha has to overcome (or not) all on her own. It's her story and it has to be her ending.

This is when I am most glad that I have a strong outline and sketch before I begin. Because it is now in this home stretch that I am most tempted to lie to my readers, to say it will all be hunky-dorey for Agatha, but once you've been with her this far into the story, you know that there really is nothing in Agatha's life that is, ever has been or ever will be hunky-dorey.

Like all of us, Agatha has a few things to cling to for hope, and at this point we have to follow Agatha to her ending, because we know that all hope is not yet lost for her, and we want to be with her when she overcomes (or be there for her if she doesn't).

Either way, this is it.

The end is near.

Fart is Air AKA Life with boys

Some days I think I could write a whole separate blog about life with boys... they do things my girls would NEVER do. Like the time they giggled all the way to play practice in the back seat, because they had discovered a new smell coming from the older boys armpits.

Today, for example, while I was teaching the 11 y.o. how to make spaghetti, the 4 y.o. stood in front of my 1y.o. daughter's high chair, sharing goldfish crackers and tantalizing conversation.

Soon, I heard his little voice explaining vital biology.

It went something like this:

"I have a butt crack, you have a butt crack..." at which point, I said...

"That's not nice talk." And, he said...

"But, everyone has a butt crack." At this point, I decided to let it go, and he happily moved on to less bathroom oriented conversation.

In an entirely different conversation, immediately after this, my 7 y.o. came in and asked to help with lunch. I said he could stir the fruit salad.

Boy: "Why are there bubbles?"

Mom: "When you stir, it makes air bubbles?"

Boy: "Oh. Fart is Air!"

Mom: "Um."

Boy: "When I fart in the bathtub, it makes bubbles. So, fart is air."

Mom: "Well, yes, it is air from your intestines."

Boy: (yelling very excitedly to 11 y.o.) "Hey, Ethan! FART IS AIR!!"

Mom quietly stirs spaghetti sauce and ponders the conversations that will occur in the next few decades of life with boys.

Why I Care Where You Go To Church

I like people. I mean genuinely like them, and encourage my children to interact, greet and engage in friendly conversation with all people.

But, when one of my children expresses delight in a new found friend, my first question is usually "Where do you go to church?"

My oldest finds this annoying. So, I tried to explain to her why it matters.

I care about the people who will be my children's friends and loved ones. I care about their earthly life and their salvation. But, even more so, I care about how they will walk alongside my child.

If you don't go to church at all, then I have to wonder where you will learn forgiveness? I mean the kind of forgiveness that can overcome all misunderstandings, and erase all sins. The kind of forgiveness that keeps a marriage or a friendship together until death. The forgiveness that can only come from Christ Jesus that not only forgives the transgression but remembers it no more.

If you don't know that forgiveness, then how will your relationship with your friend, my child, manage when one of you sins against the other? It will happen. I want to know what you will do about it.

If you do go to church, I want to know where. Did you know there are now atheist churches? The word church doesn't mean what it used to and I want to know what it means to you, my child's friend.

Who do you think God is?
Who do you think Jesus is?

I want to know when my children are in trouble, and their father and I cannot be there, who will walk beside them. What kind of advice will you give? Will you pray with my child in times of need? Who will you be praying to?
Will you read and study and cherish God's Word and encourage your friend, my child, to do the same?

I want to know.

If you go to a church that is nominally Christian, but practices irreverence, will you have enough respect for God to seek out His Word and follow it? Or will you encourage your friend, my child to disrespect God, family and the traditions we hold dear?

My children love people, and they will be listening to what you say, and they will be watching what you do. When you become friends with my child, I'm going to ask you "Where do you go to church?"

The Middle of the Story (NaNoWriMo 2013)

I promised that I would give some "teasers" about this year's NaNoWriMo...

First, let me say that I am super excited about my technique this year. As I've mentioned before, the first year I just wrote every day until I'd pounded out one thousand six hundred sixty seven words and went wherever the story took me. It was a haphazard mess.

The second year, I started with a story concept and got mixed up every time there was a distraction, so it sort of went flat at the end.

This year, I spent the month of October developing my story from beginning to end and creating a fairly detailed outline. So, since November 1st, this journey has been one of simply telling the story. I already know what is going to happen, in fact, in my mind it is like the events have already happened and now I am just relating them to my readers.

The story is better, makes more sense and the words come faster. I don't have to stop and try to remember who's who because it's in my notes...

So, with that said, and I do feel like I can't say enough about this as a creative writing method... where is the story now?

As I approach the 20K word mark, I really feel for Agatha. As soon as she works her way out of one abusive relationship, she finds herself plunged into another. The struggles in her life are intense and tragic, but she is strong and she keeps fighting back.
She has just given birth to her second child and things seem to be working out in her favor as she is working, earning her own way, and learning to save money. She is still young and there is a lot she doesn't know, but she is learning to grieve for her losses and make better decisions.
It seems at this point, that she has the highest hopes of anywhere in the story and all are cheering her on toward a happy ending.

But, it's only 20K words.
And, if you know anything about a story, you know that if it seems too good to be true, then it probably is.

It's like that point in a movie when you think everything is working out and you think the hero has solved the problem and overcome the villain, only to realize that there is still an hour left in the movie and so the story can't be over.

That's where we are with Agatha. It's too early in the book for things to be this good...

Even Mom Can't Read This Math Book

Awhile back someone asked me what the difference is between a Christian textbook and a secular textbook. "I mean how do you make Math Christian?"

Isn't the standard the same? Especially with Common Core, everyone should be learning the same thing, right?

People seem to recognize that Science would be different if provided by a Christian publisher since it would emphasize Creation and teach the Theory of Evolution, whereas a secular Science text would ignore or disregard Creation altogether and teach Evolution as fact. People generally seem to understand why we would purchase Christian Science materials and not be happy to use the same materials as the public school system.

But, with Math? Why does it matter if the publisher is Christian?

Well, the biggest difference that I've noticed is that Christian publishers tend to have problems such as this:
"The Matthews family gives a tithe of $200 every month to the church. They also give $50 to missionaries and $25 to help a young man go to a Christian college. What is the total amount of their gifts?"
(BJUP, Math 5)

Pretty straight forward question. It certainly includes a Christian bent, but it is also easy to read and understand.

This year we are using secular math materials with our older children (Grade 5 and up). I'm using Spectrum, which advertises right on the front of their workbooks "meets common core standards".

Last week, my fifth grader came to me with a math question he could not understand. Generally, this child is excellent at math, and works independently. So, when he didn't understand the question, I was concerned.

It started out like this, "Danielle, Tamequa, ..." He was stuck on this second word. It wasn't like any he'd ever seen before.
The sentence continued, "Danielle, Tamequa, Rashawn, and Joaquin are in Mrs. Thompson's fifth-grade class." By Joaquin, my boy was completely confused.

I tried to explain that these are children's names, even though we've never heard them before. Then, he asked me the question that knocked my argument out of the water.
"If these are names, how do you pronounce them?" Out of respect for the parents who choose these names, I didn't even try.

I understand being politically correct, and I understand wanting to include all sorts of people groups in the representation of story problems. What I don't understand how they expect the average fifth grader to read this.

Go ahead and use hard to pronounce and phonetically awkward but unique and interesting names in literature, but isn't the mixture of numbers, letters and symbols in Algebra confusing enough without giving the poor kid story problems he can't even read.

The House on Amber Road, Day One, 201 Questions

It's the first day of NaNoWriMO and I am pumped!

This year is the most exciting year yet as I venture to write a novel that I've actually planned.

The first year, I wrote by the seat of my pants, just sort of making things up as I went along. That method caused me to constantly back track into the story to make sure I wasn't saying something that contradicted something I'd said earlier or having characters do things that didn't make any sense based on their back story. It was very unorganized and sort of haphazard - HAH - Sort of how I write my blog.

The second year, I had a general plot line in my head, but not well planned out enough because it got totally derailed when I went into labor.

This year, I've been sketching ideas, taking notes, and drawing character sketches for awhile now. If you are wondering if that is cheating, it's not. These are all well within the NaNoWriMo Rules.

But, I sat down this evening to write and all I had to do was lay out my notes and look at the first item in my outline and then write out that portion of the story. Easy-peasy! Well, at least way easier than the last two years.

So, where are we at the end of day one?
Well, Agatha Briggs has been asked by her teenage daughter to answer 201 questions about herself. Events in Agatha's current life collide with the memories that are triggered by these questions. Agatha struggles to complete the task in time for her daughter's English assignment. Some of the questions are hard to answer, not because she can't remember, but because the memories are painful and she doesn't want to share this pain with her daughter. She must choose her words very carefully.

That's one Bad Kat

It is November 1st and NaNoWriMo has officially begun at our house. We didn't stay up and start at midnight, although I was tempted to. But, we went to chapel, completed our morning chores, finished our math and history, and then warmed up leftover lasagna for lunch and we are getting started on our family Novel Writing project.

I am using a text called Written & Illustrated by...

The first step is to create a publishing company. Now, this is easier than you might think because children are good at brainstorming.

However, it is also quite difficult for the following reasons:

1. Boys like to come up with names that are offensive. One suggestion for our publishing company was "Books of Poop" I used my ultimate authority to rule that one out even though it got a majority vote.

2. Many names that seem like a good idea, like "Johnson Publishing House" from our last name, are already taken. We did not want to misrepresent ourselves by using the name of an already existing publishing company.

3. Getting five kids to agree on a name unanimously is just plain challenging.

But, it's just past noon and we have done it... We have named our publishing company.
So, may I present.... (drumroll please) the publishing company created by the Johnson family for the sole purpose of publishing our own written and illustrated creations...

Bad Kat Publishing Co.

Gearing up for NaNoWriMo 2013 "The House on Amber Road"

National Novel Writing Month begins in ten hours...

I have my outline ready and I'm convinced this will be my best year yet. So good, in fact, that I have decided that this years story will NOT be posted on the blog. Seems backwards, doesn't it?

Well, this year, I've decided to write a story that has been brewing in my mind for many years. I have a box full of notes, character sketches and now a basically fully fleshed-out outline. I am so excited about the possibilities of this tale that I am planning to publish it. (Wish me luck, this is a scary proposition)

I have taken on no paying customers this year.

My writing be interrupted by the birth of a baby.

So, this is the year that I have no excuses. I get to devote the hours to my novel. For those of you who are disappointed that the full novel will not be available here this year... I know some of you have been waiting all year for a sequel to last years romance... I'll be posting hints and teasers, and maybe even some sample chapters instead.

Look for posts that have the title "The House on Amber Road"

What can I do with a KitchenAid mixer?

Lately, I've been thinking a better name for my blog is "The Incompetent Housewife"

My meal planning is about as lame as my blog; when I get around to doing it, I have good intentions but it seems to fall flat.

It hurts my heart to hear my husband say, "I'm hungry" at 9pm every night. It's a sign that our dinners need to be more substantial... or maybe our dinners need to be later than 5 o'clock. But, with evening meetings and classes, it can't be later or he wouldn't have time to eat at all, so 5 o'clock it is.

When it comes to cooking, I'm just not motivated. I feel like I get up and have to feed people, and by the time I get one meal cleaned up, it's time to start the next one.

I tell people that I don't cook, I feed the masses. Some meals, okay most of our meals, are served and eaten in an assembly line fashion. The kids line up with their bowls and I scoop out a plop of some various meat/starch/veggie combination casserole or stir fry and they stroll off to find a place to eat it.

The food is hardly ever "really good".

My husband, knowing that I struggle in this area, bought this...

It's got a sticker price of $350, so now I have to figure out how to get our money's worth out of this tool.
But, I don't know what to do with it.
So, help me out...
What can I do with this machine that will help me cut $350 from my grocery budget?

I can't wait to read your comments!

Being the Memory Maker

Photo taken at Heartwood Resort. 

I don't get out much. I like being at home. But, when I leave home, I like to go somewhere with a view.

I've been called "culturally illiterate", and it's probably true. I don't read the paper or watch the news or spend time keeping up with the latest entertainers. I don't know what movie stars are having babies or who their baby daddy is and I didn't watch last nights game. I don't keep up and I generally just don't care that much.

I often feel like Temperance Brennan on Bones when someone makes a cultural reference and she replies with a matter of fact

"I don't know what that means."

But, I'm just busy caring about and thinking about other things, and time feels short. Maybe it's because I'm getting older...
A young mom asked me the other day, "How do you know all these stories?"
I laughed, but after thinking it over, I realized that I have just lived. I listen to people talk, I watch their lives go by and I remember. I've had a lot of experiences, so I have a lot of stories to tell.

I have memories.

Not all of my memories are good. Some are horrible, and tragic. Some bring me to tears. Some memories send me to my room to hide under a blanket and wish I never had to come out. Some of them are just that bad.

But, I am made up of memories. My fears and joys, my hopes and dreams are often built upon these memories.

I know that my kids will have a lifetime of them, how ever long that life will be. So, today, instead of keeping up with the Who-nots in Hollywood or watching the ball players in the stadium, I am going to be a memory maker. I'm going to do my best to sprinkle in some really good ones, the kind that make you smile, and even cry tears of joy just to think of them.

The Business of Baby book review

I'm reading a lot these days. Mostly because I'm making it a priority in our home. Some books are easier to read than others. I could read "There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly" over and over again.

But, The Business of Baby by Jennifer Margulis has taken me a long time to finish - almost 9 weeks. In fact, I've read several other books in the mean time, as I gradually try to take in all that Margulis offers in this text.

It's not overly academic or difficult to understand, and it's not boring - actually, the journalist in me loves to read the stories of other moms, and this book is filled with them. Margulis has extensively interviewed parents, doctors and various experts for her book.

My difficulty is the book often sends me to my room in tears... So much of what these mothers tell has been my own experience. As mothers, we often isolate ourselves. Even if we work outside the home, we don't bring our concerns to other experienced moms for advice and we don't offer our experience to new moms we meet. Perhaps we are afraid that we will come across as ignorant if we don't know enough or judgmental if we appear to know too much or have strong opinions. Either way, it's rooted in fear.

The Business of Baby is summed up in this paragraph found in Chapter 11, "Yet we [the United States] have one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the industrialized world, we offer medically unnecessary 4-D ultrasounds at the mall, we wash our newborns with baby soap that off-gases formaldehyde, we vaccinate at birth against a sexually transmitted disease, we aggressively advertise products that undermine breastfeeding to pregnant women, let corporations give bleary-eyed new moms breastfeeding and potty training advice, and we put starch, food coloring, sugar, and unhealthy additives into food products for babies. We continue these practices despite the science, best evidence, and common sense that show us they are harmful."

Whether or not I (or you) agree with all of her points, the vast expanse of trust that we as parents put into so called experts without regard for their intent or motives, while at the same time, disregarding the wisdom of women who successfully navigated parenting before us, is frightening.

It should be more frightening than the fear we feel about turning to one another for advice and guidance.

As our family makes a new home in a new town, I love to hear the stories of my neighbors. I want to learn from those who've been here all along - why would I feel any differently about learning from those who've been moms for longer than I have?

I long for the camaraderie that comes from hours of conversation over coffee while children play nearby. It will come, one playdate at a time. For now, I hear the voices of other moms and their struggles as I finish the last few pages of  The Business of Baby.

Homeschooling: What Do You Have to Prove?

A couple of my friends recently shared this article on their Facebook pages. I was excited to read "Homeschooling: Win Over Your Church" because being the only homeschooling family in a congregation is a unique challenge. I was especially intrigued as I read the first paragraph and learned that the author is a pastor's wife.

But, as I read her suggestions, I thought,

THAT DOESN'T WORK!

or at least, that doesn't work for us.

Granted, this article was written about 15 years ago, and at that time homeschooling was not as common or accepted as it is today. In fact, homeschooling today is quite common in some church denominations and we know families who have chosen their church based on the homeschooling network that exists there. In fact, there was a time when I also made my decision on where to attend church based on nothing more than where my homeschooling friends attended.

Since then, I've learned a lot about doctrine and theology and I understand that every church is not the same. In choosing where to attend based on law and gospel preaching and sound teaching, I ended up back in the Lutheran tradition that my father and his father before him were raised in. Among Lutherans, Christian education is a high priority; so much so that they highly value their Lutheran school system. But, homeschooling is still in its infancy among Lutherans.

I have been the only homeschooling mom in a congregation where nearly every other child attended the attached school, in a congregation where every other child attended the small nearby public school, and in a congregation with one other homeschooling family. Today, I am married to the pastor of a congregation in a small town where everyone attends the local public school except for a few who make the drive to attend a Lutheran school in a nearby town. We are once again the only homeschooling family in our congregation.

Her first piece of advice is that "You don't have to be perfect..." and I'm going to come back to that. Her second piece of advice is "Show Off Your Home Economics Skills". When I read this, I laughed, because I have none and I have no idea what that would have to do with homeschooling unless I was trying to convince people that my daughters will one day be good hostesses.

I believe that we are all uniquely gifted and how we are able to use our gifts depends on our circumstances. Some of my friends are great at hosting and I love to visit them, and sometimes I'm a little jealous of their skills, but it's not my gift. I love to have people over, but to relax, drink coffee and share a little reality - company is a welcome interruption to my day - not a way for me to prove the benefits of homeschooling. If I had to live up to that standard, I would never allow anyone into my home.

Next, she suggests that you "Choose Appropriate Ministry Projects", and suggests things for the children to be doing. We do choose carefully what activities our children will participate in based on who they are and what they need, not based on how the congregation will perceive their faithfulness. When we serve it is for the purpose of serving, not of showing off.

She says, "Do Not Grandstand as a Leader" and she means that one shouldn't use the pulpit to promote homeschooling. Well, of course. First, I'm not going to be saying anything from the pulpit - EVER! because I'm not called and ordained. And, my husband, who is called and ordained to serve this congregation, understands full well that his vocation is to preach law and gospel to the people of the congregation. Homeschooling is not LAW, even if some Christians would like to present it as such. (Proverbs 22:6)

My experience in each new congregation is that where our kids go to school is not the first topic of conversation that people want to have with me. In most cases, it isn't something they even think of. I don't bring it up either. I mean, if your kids go to public school is that the first thing you say to someone you just met?
Usually, it takes time to get to know new people and a new area, so I'm busy asking for directions and trying to figure out who is related to who. Gradually, as friendships form, the subject comes up. We state matter of factly that we homeschool and we try to answer honestly any questions that people ask. We have found that even the most adamantly opposed to homeschooling have a hard time arguing against it when they genuinely like you and your kids.

My advice is
1. Go ahead, invite friends over. Because you like them, not because you are trying to prove something. If someone is interested in judging my housekeeping or culinary skills, they will be very disappointed.
2. Let the pastor preach and teach. Let your children be servants because God has given them a heart for service, not so that people can see what a great job you are doing.
3. Stop trying to prove something. This took me a long time to learn. If I had read this article when it was written, I would have taken all these things to heart and tried to live up to them completely. (I was kind of caught up in fulfilling the law back then - now, I understand that Christ fulfilled the law for me)
I have learned a lot about friendships over the years too. People actually like me better when I'm not trying to be perfect - isn't that strange? I used to think that I had to live up to people's expectations, but the expectations were always of my own making.

Homeschooling might be easier in a congregation where everyone else is doing it, but I go to church to receive God's gifts to His people, not to hang out with like-minded educators. That's what homeschool conferences are for. I don't need to win my congregation over to homeschooling. My vocation is as a wife and mother and that includes Proverbs 22:6, but it's not my job to convince you of that.

Why Kids Lie book review

Every once in awhile I actually get to finish a book I'm reading. I love to discuss the books I read, and am pleased to share my thoughts with you. I just finished reading "Why Kids Lie... How Parents Can Encourage Truthfulness" by Paul Ekman, Ph.D., 1989.

There is also a 1991 edition, but I'm not sure how they compare.

I found the subtitle misleading. The emphasis of this text was on the scientific data concerning the whys of lies, particularly in children. From the first chapter on how people define a lie; for example is "I enjoyed that meal." a lie if the food was really awful? Should you lie in this case to save the feelings of the cook? How about if the cook is Gramma?

Is something a lie simply because it isn't the truth?

What about concealment? Is that lying? If you don't tattle on your friends, is that they same as lying to their parents? Is it lying if you see someone cheating and you say nothing?

Is something a lie simply because it isn't the whole truth?

If we say that anything that isn't true, or completely true, is a lie; then, do we have a hierarchy of lies that we all agree on? Is complimenting Gramma's bad cooking the same as stealing money from Gramma's purse and saying you didn't?
Do we define the lie by the truth it conceals? Does intent determine whether or not we consider a statement to be a lie? Do we consider motivation in our judgement of a lie? Are some lies more socially accepted than others? Are some lies even socially desirable?

Dr. Ekman explores the statistical analyses of children's answers to these types of questions. The first few chapters contain some interesting case studies where children's ability and willingness to lie is tested in comparison to the actual "hidden camera" behaviors of the children when tempted to lie and given opportunity.

Ekman's wife chimes in at the end with a couple of chapters from her experience as a divorce lawyer; evaluating the effects of children's lies on our judicial system and vice versa.

The only real advice for dealing with children who lie comes around the middle of the book. They recommend telling children how lies hurt others rather than simply focusing on the evil of lying. They also suggest that parents try to get to the root of the reason for the lie - such as fear of punishment. Punishment for the misdeed being covered up, such as stealing, should be separate from the punishment for the lie. Understand that all children lie for various reasons - that are explained in depth in this book - however, if the lying becomes compulsive and uncontrollable, you should seek professional help.

If you are looking for specific parenting techniques to deal with lying, you won't find them here. If you are looking for some fascinating and ground breaking science on the psychology of lying in children, this book is filled with facts and data in an area where limited research has been done.

While this book was published in 1989, Ekman's work continues to be at the leading edge of research in deception and the television show Lie To Me was based on his work.

Homeschooling: Counting the Hours

The state of Wisconsin requires "...a minimum of 875 hours of instruction each year..." That's five (5) hours per day for one hundred seventy-five (175) days. That sounds like a LOT. I mean, that's a lot of instruction time. 

The thing I like about requirements, after coming from two states that had none, is that it gives me an excuse to make my children work through the days when they just don't feel like it. 
I can say, "Hey, it's not me, I would gladly let you take today off, but the state says we have to log these hours."
It's also a good excuse to get started early this year. We took some time off to move and get settled into our new home, and during this time I've been working on organizing my library and writing lesson plans. I am excited to get started. When the kids resisted, I just reminded them that have hours to log (I even made each child a piece of graph paper with their 875 squares). I said we might as well get a head start or we'll be crying in June when all our friends are done and we're still trying to fill in our squares. They relented, and the school year began.

So, I'm thinking about these little squares and wondering, besides sitting at the table while I talk at them, what activities do we count as worthy of filling in a square? What hours count as "hours of instruction"?

I had planned for today to be a day off, so no hours to log, right? We did our household chores - I scrubbed the grout on my kitchen floor and it's awesome... but, that's a blog for another day. After chores, we spent the rest of the day at the beach. That's not "instruction" is it?

But, then, Noah learned how to catch frogs, and how to let them go. Life Science 

Jacob learned that somersaults in the sand and somersaults in the water are entirely different things, but both are fun. Gravity, water tension, buoyancy...  

Ethan learned to use his goggles without letting them fill up with water. suction, air pressure, water...
 pressure...

Tyler learned how to identify the backs of snails in the dirt and recognize them among the rocks, and when he accidentally swallowed some water that he was sure had a minnow in it... our day quickly led to a lesson in the human digestive system. Geology, biology

Caitlin found a clam? or maybe an oyster? that she brought home and dissected in hopes of finding a pearl. biology with lab

This group looks like a class to me.

 I've never dissected a clam before...

 "Can we make clam chowder?"

"Whoa! Intestines??"

How can I not count these as "hours of instruction"? With this in mind, I wonder what will happen when I've chalked up 875 boxes and I still want them to sit at the table and listen to me talk at them... How will I convince them to go along? It may be time to hide the graphs.

BTW: We confirmed that Caitlin's catch was a clam, so no pearl, but she did get a pretty neat souvenir shell.

Peek into my Dining Room

Whenever I run across a book or magazine article that claims to tell me how to save money, I take notice. However, after decades of earning and spending, I find that I almost never see anything new. The tips and advice are generally the same in every book or article. Some are better than others; my all-time favorite is The Complete Tightwad Gazette, and I think everyone should read it, although I do think it's time for someone to create an updated version.

Anyway, I'm thinking about this because most of the tips in these books are old hat for me, not because I'm so smart, but because I've been living frugal for a long time and they have just become habits. So, when someone asks me "How do you manage a grocery budget of $400?"
I have to stop and think about it. My initial reaction is "I just do it." But, I've realized that's not very helpful advice for someone who has never tried to live within such a strict budget before.

First, let me say that everyone's situation is different and where your family needs to cut back is unique. But, I'm going to offer another peek into my cooking habits. See more articles on Frugal Living here.

A day in my dining room:

First, I put a whole ham in my crockpot with water and seasonings. This particular ham was a gift, but if I had bought it, I would have paid about $1.50 per pound (this was a bone-in ham). It was ten pounds (so $15) and will be the meat for three meals.

Then, breakfast: Oatmeal costs $1.99 for 30 servings. That's 6.7 cents per serving. Plus, toppings (we like brown sugar, honey, maple syrup, milk, etc. - not all at once, of course) So, I add about 10cents per serving for toppings that children choose. That means I have a cost of
  17 cents X 8 eaters = $1.36 for breakfast

Snack: Sliced apples (I usually put a fruit or veggie out as a snack in the morning while we do our schoolwork) I don't currently have a great source for produce as we recently moved and I haven't found all the great shopping yet, so I paid $4 for 12 apples in a bag. That's 3 apples for $1
Total Cost of Snack = $1

Lunch: PB&J sandwiches. 16oz loaves of bread are 50cents at the KwikTrip gas station. This means 6cents for bread. I pay $1.79 for 18 oz of peanut butter and about 1.5 times that for jelly. So, my cost for these sandwiches is 6cents for bread, 10cents for peanut butter, and 15cents for jelly (each sandwich).
 That's 31cents per sandwich X 8eaters = $2.48

Dinner: Back to the ham in the crockpot. I've got $5 just in meat, and although this was a gift, I am calculating it into the cost of the meal. We made Augratin potatoes - I wish I could say that I bought bagged potatoes and made this from scratch, but even this frugal mama needs to be lazy sometimes. I bought these at Big Lots (items and prices vary at this store, but the one near us does 20% off your entire purchase sales periodically). I got my potatoes at $3.50 for 6 family size boxes - five servings per box (-20% of course), so $2.70 for 6 boxes, 45cents per box X 2 boxes for dinner, plus 50cents worth of butter and 20cents worth of milk. I also served a salad made of Iceberg, Romaine, Spinach greens which makes a dinners' worth of salad for about $1, plus $1 worth of salad dressing (The dollar store is a good place to get this).
So, I've got $5 worth of meat, $1.70 in potatoes, and $2 for salad.
Dinner costs $8.70

We generally drink water throughout the day, but we also go through about one gallon of milk per day. The local KwikTrip has milk for $2.98 a gallon. So, altogether my grocery costs for today's meals would be:
$16.52 for the whole day, but because the ham was a gift, 
my actual costs are $11.52.

This day is a little over budget, but consider what I will do tomorrow with the food I made today. We made two boxes of potatoes, but only ate half of it. So, the leftover potatoes were mixed with about 2lbs of ham (shredded) to make a casserole for tomorrow. I shredded some ham and put it in a freezer bag to add to another meal in the future, and threw some scraps back into the crock pot with the juices, added water and some potatoes which will cook over night and we will eat the soup tomorrow when we get home from church. This way, tomorrow's cost will be well under budget.

The Insecure Extrovert (aka: The Uncontrollable Pressure Valve)

My friends post articles about introverts and how misunderstood they are. They don't talk much. It's not because they are stuck up or even shy; it's not because they are mad at you... they might even like you. They are just thoughtful. They patiently wait their turn to talk, they think about what they will say before they say it, they are okay if they never get a turn, and when they do speak, it's important.

Wow!

I'm not like that at all. I'm an extrovert, desperately waiting for a chance to talk... sometimes even talking right over the top of someone else (sorry about that).

I'm not alone all day, I'm actually surrounded by people. But, they all want to talk also.

Remember the seagulls from Finding Nemo? Now, imagine the seagulls that attack diners at beachside eateries... it's like that.
All. The. Time.

They chase me around, begging for food, and squawk "mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy mommy..."

When I do get an opportunity to talk, I'm like a pressure valve, building up for days and weeks, waiting for someone to share with - and when that opportunity comes along, I burst. And, like a pressure valve, there is no controlling what sprays out.

I try to control it. I really do. But, I can't. Then, I go home and replay entire conversations over and over again in my head, feeling sad or stupid for the things I've said.

So, if I may, I'd just like to take this opportunity to apologize in advance for anything that I might spray on you.

What's in a name?

When I started this blog I named it OneCrazyLady because that represented how I felt most days. I struggled to find like-minded folks. I was raising six kids as Confessional Lutherans while spending our days in homeschool fellowship with Baptists and Pentacostals. We were all confused.

Our calendar was always packed.

I was trying out all sorts of things that seemed crazy in the culture we were living; like diapering with cloth, birthing at home, nursing for more than a year and writing my own curriculum. It was a busy time and I often felt like I was crazy. I was trying to get everything perfect, and live up to the standard set by the "perfect women" who kept "perfect homes", and had "perfect children". I felt like I had to be "good enough" to be their friend.

I'm still doing all those crazy things, but I have since found a whole community of like-minded ladies, who live  and breathe the same moments that I do. Those friends have helped me to discover that I don't have to do everything perfectly to be their friend. In fact, the more I fail, the more they like me. Good friends are funny like that.

I still struggle daily to get things right; the right balance of chores, schoolwork and fun, the right curriculum, the right materials, the right discipline. But, I have learned that I am not crazy and I am not alone. Instead, I am surrounded by women who are trying to keep their homes organized, raise their kids and make sense of daily life. We all feel crazy sometimes and we all fall flat on our face when we try to be perfect.

I thank God for these women who have taught me so much. I thank God that we are forgiven when we fail.

So, as I begin a new life adventure in a little Midwest village where I am the pastor's wife and everyone knows me, but I know no one, I still wonder how I will get everything done around the house. I still spend my days trying to find a balance between chores, schoolwork and fun. I still struggle to get the curriculum and lesson plans just right. I still fail daily. And, again, I am left to wonder how I will find like-minded friends.

But, I don't feel crazy anymore. I sort of feel normal, and I think of my friends who are facing all the same daily challenges and I pray for them. There just haven't been as many things to write about anymore, because my life seems so average. So, when a new friend asked if I had a blog, I said, "Yeah." But, "My blog is lame," and I decided to change the name.

Pot Pie Generic Recipe

Because of this post on our $400 a month grocery challenge,  people have started to ask me about finances in general as a larger than average family. We've just started this particular challenge, but I've been assessing our finances, evaluating cost vs. benefits and writing about Frugal Living for years. Here are the articles that I've actually posted in this blog.

For a general overview of my frugal philosophy, read this.

If you think you're already as frugal enough, see if you've tried these ideas from Ms. Cheap.

If you think there is no such thing as too frugal, you better read this one.

If making freezer meals sounds like a nice idea, but you aren't sure how to do it in a practical way, try this idea.

One of my best ideas is a Price List. If you don't know what I mean, read this article. This list is 2 years old and it's time for me to post an updated one, I suppose, but this will give you an idea of what it looks like and how it works.

If you want to know what we are eating tonight...

It's Chicken Pot Pie again (and ham pot pie too. This is one of our common meal ideas. Here is a breakdown of how I calculate the cost of this meal:
This is a meal that can be made in a variety of ways, which is probably why I like it so much.
It requires a meat, some veggies, a gravy of sorts and some dough.
My amounts are based on making two casseroles (8x8 each) and baking them at the same time. This usually feeds us one dinner and one lunch the next day.

Meat: 2 lbs. ($2-3) per lb - in this case, I used one lb of chicken and a lb of leftover ham I had in the freezer from Easter.

Veggies: 32 oz bag of frozen or about 4 cans of various kinds. I paid $1.89 for 32oz of frozen. It is cheaper to buy these as separates rather than buying a "veggie mix" but we use enough volume that I can do it this way.

Gravy: straight flour and water works okay, but I like to use cream of mushroom soup to add flavor. $1 per can.

Dough: Pie crust, or refrigerator biscuits, etc. I used Kroger biscuits that I got for 49cents each (1.5 cans per casserole.)

Directions: cook meat, then mix together in large bowl everything except the dough
Pour mix into casserole dish - I put half into each pan. In tonight's case, I actually poured in the mix, then added the meats since I was making two different kinds.
Top with dough
Bake 350 for 30 minutes

COST: $9.50 (for two meals)
If you use this dish as a way to use up leftovers, it gets even cheaper

The actual cost of batch baking waffles

As we work on our grocery budget,  I wanted to explain how I calculate our costs. For this recipe, I started out with the hypothesis that waffles could be an economical food item, especially when batch baked and frozen. Here is how our experiment went. (Someone please let me know if my math is wrong)

Betty Crocker recipe X4  from this cookbook.

Items used and cost (bulk items can be purchased cheaper, but I used the regular Kroger prices as a baseline for this experiment, figuring most people could get these items at these prices at most any time.)

8 eggs: $2.99 for 30 = 10c per egg = $.80

8 cups flour:  $1.99 for 5 lbs = approx. 3.33 cups per lb. according to this chef . giving me a cost of 12c per cup = $.84

7 cups milk: $2.99 per gal. = (1 gal. = 16 cups) = 18.6c per cup = $1.31

2 cups veg. oil: $2.99 for 48oz. = 6cups = 49c per cup = $.98

4 Tbsp sugar: $2.99 for 5lb = using the Domino sugar conversion chart, I get 1lb = 2 cups, so 5lbs =10cups; 1cup = 16Tbsp, so 5lb = 10cups = 160 Tbsp. giving me a cost of 2c per Tbsp. so $.08

16 tsp. baking powder: 79c for 10oz. (My 10oz. container says it contains 59 tsps.) = about 1.3c per tsp. = $.21

1 tsp. salt: $1 for 26oz. I used the conversion table at this site  which says 1oz of table salt = 4.98 tsp. (I used 5tsp per oz for easier calculations) 26oz = 130 tsp., so about 8/10 of a cent per tsp. rounded up to 1c for this recipe.

When I add up all of the ingredients in my 4X recipe, I get a total cost of $4.23. This made 44 waffles for an approx. cost of 10cents per waffle. This frugal mom  has Eggo waffles (which are smaller and less filling than the ones we just made) listed as a "deal" at $3.89 for 8, so approx. 49c per waffle. 

Time is always a factor. We spent about 2 hours making these. Twenty minutes was spent preparing and mixing the batter and we cooked four at a time in about 5 minutes. During this time, while the waffle iron did the work, I looked up prices and calculated our costs, took some pictures, helped kids with their schoolwork, nursed the baby and wrote this blog. We ate them for lunch and we will freeze the rest.

Now, waffles don't make a complete meal, so additional costs might include, butter, syrup, fruit, scrambled eggs, sausage, etc. We ate 11 of the waffles that we made, so $1.10 for the meal, plus butter and syrup and half of a $1 cantaloupe that I cut into bite size squares, so another $.50. I estimate this lunch cost us about $2; but would cost more if we added in a protein. But, we don't need protein with every meal, and we will have meat with our dinner.

The Lowest Possible Grocery Budget

Can we feed a family of 9 on $400 a month? That is the question I’m trying to answer, and it just leads to more questions. I tend to get a little obsessed over things that people tell me are “impossible” or “can’t be done”.  I want to be able to answer the question, “why not?”

Why can’t I feed my family of 9 with a $400 a month budget?

If $400 is too low, then what is the bottom? What is the lowest amount of money that we can spend?

I think of it as a challenge, sort of a puzzle. I like puzzles.

So, before we go any farther in the debate about whether or not it can be done, I need some parameters, sort of like rules for a game.

1. Nutrition. There won't be any meal plans that include "an $8 bag of shrimp today and we'll fast tomorrow." The government is in the middle of changing the guidelines for what constitutes healthy eating, due to come out in 2015. And, I know people have their own opinions about what's good for you or not good for you, but that's an argument for another day, and I need a standard now. So, we'll be trying to follow the general guidelines provided by Health.gov in 2010.  We'll also be using Choosemyplate.gov as the standard for serving sizes.

2. Inventory. Food already in my freezer or pantry doesn't count against me. I'll be using what I have on hand and purchasing items as necessary to go with my on-hand inventory. I won't be adding in the cost of items I already have into my monthly budget. Because, I'm not trying to see if I can do it for one month, I'm trying to see how low we can go on a sustainable budget. So, we'll be looking at the actual grocery receipts, but mostly working on meal plans, eating habits and recipes that save money over the long haul and can be done consistently.

For example, we currently have a membership to Sam's Club. If I buy items there, I won't be calculating the membership cost into my grocery budget because it's already spent. However, if I choose to renew the membership or join somewhere else, then I will calculate that future cost into the budget.

3. Coupons. I will be using the normal cost of items usually. I will not be considering coupon use into the budget equations unless it can be repeated on a regular basis, as with toothpaste. Seasonal sales will be considered as this can be planned into the schedule and repeated as often as the sale cycle comes around.

4. Food/Non-food. We are aiming for a monthly budget of $400. This amount breaks down into a goal of $10 per day for a total of $300-310; $2 per day for toiletries ($60 per month); and $30-40 per month for non-food kitchen supplies, like Ziploc bags, aluminum foil, etc.

5. Humans. My children help me cook, so measuring varies and waste is an issue for us. But, part of this process is to teach my daughters to be economists in their homes and teach my sons some money lessons too. So, who are these 9 people in the experiment? One adult male, one adult female (nursing an infant), two teenage girls (15&17), two preteen boys (10&12), two kindergartners (6&4).

I invite you to join me in this challenge. Not just to see if you can make it on $400, but to see 

HOW LOW YOU CAN GO!!

Send me your meal plans, daily budget busters, tricks of the frugal, and favorite budget saving recipes. 

Running myself to death

I thought this was supposed to be getting easier. It's a like a war going on between my body and my mind. It starts out before I even get out of bed.
M: You need to go run
B: no
M: You must
B: no
M: Move
B: no
M: Get up!
B: no
Then, my mind tries to shame my body into running.
M: Remember those Honey BBQ wings you ate last night? And, that cheeseburger? That is why you have to run. If you don't run, you will be fat and lazy.
Apparently, my body has heard this too many times...
B: Yeah. So?
M: Oh, I give up.
Then, suddenly, my arm throws off the blanket and my body says, Okay, let's go
M: Coffee first?
B: Nope
And, the next thing I know, I'm standing on the sidewalk in front of my house with my running shoes on.
M: Okay, we're doing it. This is good. Love the music. Love the app 
After the first run segment, my body is complaining about the hurt, my lungs are burning because I can't breathe, I think I'm going to throw up blood...
B: This sucks
M: Suck it up, buttercup
I get to the second corner (about 1/4 mile into this 1.5 mile trek) and a man pulls up to the stop sign in his pick up truck. He is cuddling a poodle as he drives. He looks like the guy from Silence of the Lambs, and he yells, "Run faster. You're going to be late." Then, I start to think about my friend who offered this motivation: "Pretend zombies are chasing you."
I imagine Buffalo Bill getting out of his truck and chasing me, and I realize that I would not be able to outrun him, and it's a good thing that my fight or flight instinct is usually fight. I'm thinking about all these things as the voice in my app keeps telling me "Begin walking now." and later "Begin running now"
B: My calves are burning. My shins hurt.
M: We still have a mile to go.
Voice on the app: Begin walking now
Body and Mind: Thank God
This continues until I hear the voice say: Begin cool down
M: Ugh. I'm not even going to make it the same distance as the last time I ran. I'm supposed to be increasing my distance, not decreasing it. 
To my body: You suck!
I turn on my phone and push repeat on my favorite song that just played.
M: I might as well enjoy these last few minutes as I face my failure...
I can see the line where I ended my run on the previous day.
Voice on the app: One minute to go
M: One minute? I can reach that corner in one minute 
Finally, my body complies and I run like I've never run before... chasing down that imaginary line. I pass it and run another ten feet, when the voice says End workout

I walk the rest of the way home and my husband says, "Every time you run, you look younger."
I laugh and say, "Really? Every time I run, I feel days closer to death."

Learning to shop without the Seminary clothing co-op

I talked about re-learning good, frugal grocery shopping habits in a previous post, so now I'll talk a bit about shopping for clothes; specifically kids clothes. I've been the same size for about 17 years, so I don't really buy new clothes for myself. I have gotten some great items at the co-op, and updated my closet. But, prior to Seminary, my wardrobe didn't change much.

My kids are a completely different story. They either grow out of or destroy clothing at a fairly rapid rate, and we are constantly replacing items. I used to have the best prices memorized. Ten to twenty-five cents per item was awesome and $1 per bag sales were usually my favorites, because I'm an excellent packer and I can fit A LOT of stuff in a bag. Saturday mornings always began with yard sales...

But, the clothing co-op had my shopping eye jaded pretty quickly. Even at ten cents, I was quick to exclaim "How can I waste this dime when I can probably find something just as good at the co-op?!?"
Now, as we prepare to leave the Seminary, I am struggling to find my treasure hunting, yard sale scrounging personality... I just keep thinking about how much I am going to miss the clothing co-op. When I go "shopping" anywhere else, I have to keep reminding myself that
"THIS STUFF ISN'T FREE!"
It's so easy to forget, and I find myself filling my cart with whatever random thing strikes my fancy, and then backtracking to look at the prices. Yikes! This has me terrified. I have forgotten how to shop... and when I say "shop", I mean get things my family needs for next to nothing.

So, as I'm thinking about this, here are a few of my old habits that I need to re-establish.

1. Yard sales, obviously. But, here's what I look for: 

• High quality brands - I love OshGosh, Old Navy, and Levis. 
• Bulk buying options - like $1 per bag
• Up-sizes - I try to buy the next few sizes up for each child, so that we never have to panic over a growth spurt.
• Good Condition - It's not worth 10cents if it's already all used up; and yes, you have to watch out for sales where people think it's okay to sell stained items.
• Shoes - we always need shoes. I think feet are the fastest growing body part, although I have no scientific proof.

2. Thrift stores. I look for the same types of items, but usually I stock up over time from my yard sale hunts and use thrift stores to fill in sizes that I don't have much of. 

I sort all of the clothes by size and store in bins or boxes. The cheapest way is to recycle and label cardboard boxes, but as my family grows, I am seriously considering investing in some clear, easy open, lidded containers, so that I can see what's in them without opening every container. Because, time is a valuable asset too.

Each container has boy or girl clothes of one size, and when my kids NEED an item, these bins are where we shop. I started doing this when my oldest was born and prior to Seminary, I only HAD to buy item (at retail price) in 12 years, and that was because my oldest boy grew three shoe sizes overnight, in January (no yard sales and he couldn't go barefoot), and I had only stocked for two up-sizes that winter. 

It was a great system. Since Seminary, the availability of new items whenever we need them has become a crutch, and I have not kept up with my clothing storage and organization system. 

My first task after we move? Hitting up the yard sale circuit in my new neighborhood. We will grab a map and spend our weekends learning about our new community as we explore yard sales and learn how to shop the resale market again.

Learning how to shop without the Seminary food co-op

I wear my frugality like a badge of honor. When people say, "You're the cheapest person I know," I swell up with pride. Or when someone calls me "Tight with money," I consider it a compliment of the highest order. But, lately, I've lost my frugal touch.

I blame my frugal ineptitude on our time at Seminary. Having no income means having no budget. Then, there is the overwhelming support of congregations and individuals that has allowed us to have things I wouldn't have purchased otherwise. (Gift cards are a joy to spend, while cash is not).

Because of the generous donations to the food and clothing banks at the Seminary, along with generous gifts to us directly, we have only had to purchase a few clothing items for our children, and thus I've forgotten how to shop for kids clothes. My food and household budget are jaded because so many of these items have been provided for us.

As we near the end of our years at Seminary, I am forced to ponder our budget for next year. Of course, I have no idea where we will live, what shopping will be like or what my husband's salary will be; but, I do know that as the economist of this household, I don't want any of it to go to waste. So, now is the time for me to relearn how to shop, study the retail and resale market of items we will need and polish up my old tricks of the trade.

Here are a few of those old tricks.

1. Throw together meals: In the United States, we waste, as in throw away, 40-50% of our food.. I have learned over much trial and error to mix and match items in a wok with some oil and seasoning, or in a crock-pot to make a new meal. Some people say, "Oh, my kids won't eat leftovers." But, when you are working on a strict budget, I say, "My kids will eat leftovers or my kids won't eat."
Another way to use up leftovers is as snacks. When there is just a small amount of something, one child can have it for a snack.
Or, if you have several leftovers that don't seem to go together in one new dish, you can have a special day of leftover buffet. Set out all the various things from your refrigerator in a sort of buffet style presentation and let the kids make their own plates. This makes for a great, fun lunch. For example, today, two children are thrilled to get egg salad sandwiches, while the others are happily eating Tator Tot Casserole.
This is an area that I have been a little lax in over the past few years; but, now is the time for me to get back into my old habits.

Our goal for next year is to get our food budget down to $10 per day. That will require no waste and carefully planned meals.

2. Batch cooking & freezing. Some people like to do freezer meals, but they are mostly a replacement of the freezer meals that can be purchased at the grocer; like lasagna. My family doesn't really eat foods like that, so the amount of work that would be involved in making up a bunch of recipes that I don't normally use and don't know if my family will like doesn't seem like the best use of my time. Plus, I don't like buying a bunch of ingredients just to make these recipes. Instead, I batch cook more like this. Buying potatoes in bulk is a waste if I don't use them up, but her method allows all of the potatoes to be processed and frozen and it replaces the purchase of frozen potatoes, like tots, and fries.

I also like the way she cooks up bulk hamburger. My plan is to purchase a case (about 80 lbs) of meat from Sam's Club and cook it up 10 lbs at a time in my 20 qt stock pot. Another good option that we may or may not have available to us next year is to buy meat directly from a local farmer. It is not always the least expensive, but is usually a very high quality meat for your dollar.

We will also batch cook waffles in a four-square waffle maker. The ingredients for waffles; like flour and sugar are generally inexpensive and easy to buy and store in bulk. A huge batch of these size waffles can be made all at once, cooled and frozen for later. They fit nicely into a toaster (like Eggo's) and make a great, quick, convenient breakfast or snack on the go. My kids will even eat these cold right out of the refrigerator, but you can add fruit, butter, syrup or other toppings as well.

I am planning to try doing something similar with a pancake mix, but I haven't found a recipe that freezes well and is easy to heat up (I like the McDonald's ones, but am still working on replicating them.) If someone can send me a link for that, I would be very grateful. (I could eat those McGriddles all day long - see what gift cards do to me?)

This is longer than I'd planned, so I'll talk shopping for clothes in another post