frugal Fridays: Building a Personal Library

I have a secret. I am really, really in love with the idea of having a lot of books. Actually acquiring said books, well, not so much. I have a few frugal rules that I try to keep to: 1. I don't pay full price for anything unless I absolutely have to. (No big surprise.) 2. If I have to pay full price, I research the heck out of it, to be sure it's sonething I actually need to pay full price for. 3. I find it cheaper than that. In the casr of books, I refuse to pay full price. Ever. It would have to be something so outlandishly rare and amazingly desireable for me to pay full price for a book. Why? Because every book you want to read is available free at the library, a friend or online; because you can buy books for almost nothing at yard sales and thrift stores; and you can still get them cheaper than new at used book stores and online! Why in the name of Heaven would you pay full price?! I also never buy a book myself unless I have checked it out of the library and know it is something I truly want. Ocassionally I will purchase a book because I have read another of the author's work and enjoyed it, or I have heard such amazing reviews of it that I am sure it is a sound investment. However, this doesn't happen often. I keep a running list of books I am looking for on my iPhone and in my LifeBook. If I am ever somewhere and see a book I want, I can check my list and inquire. Currently my library holds (but is not limited to): 2x The Complete Tightwad Gazette (1 copy off Amazon for $8, the other from a yard sale fot $0.25) Joshua by Fr. Peter F. Gizbone ($2 at second hand book store) The Lord of the Rings series ($1 each at second hand book store) The No Cry Sleep Solution ($5 off Kijiji) The Happiest Baby on the Block ($2 at second hand store) The Irrisistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne ($5 off of eBay) Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne ($12 off of eBay) While I enjoy reading, I do consider it to be a more expensive passtime than necessary, and so I do not read a lot of fiction (and very little modern fiction especially). I prefer research, history, or something that I feel will expand my mind and teach me a new technique, idea or mindset. I love learning new things.

The Great Pink Avalanche

Not long ago, I read a wonderful post by one of my favorite blogg...ists? (Is that a word?  Bloggist?), the great Michele of Frugal Granola, as she was guest blogging on Amy's Finer Things.  Her lovely post, which you can read here, was titled Preparing for Baby.  One of the highlights of the article, for me and my simplistic mindset anyway, was the following:

Clothing and Blankets:  I know, this is the fun part of shopping, as you prepare for the baby. But shop wisely. Don’t get too much; they’ll outgrow everything quickly, anyway. Borrow (or buy used) what you can; babies rarely wear things out! 

The Rule-of-Thumb is the quantity of 4-6 per item. This is usually enough of each item to allow for a few clothing changes per day (spit-ups and diaper blowouts will happen!), while doing laundry every few days. Add in a few extra warmer things for winter babies.   

Stock up on gender-neutral-colored basics (And your little ones don’t have to be stuck wearing yellow ducks; my babies were adorable with items such as denim overalls, red sweaters, tie-dyed t-shirts, orange pants, star-print gowns, and peapod-print onesies). If you end up having a girl, you can toss in a couple dresses and/or bows. The pink will certainly make its way into your life; it’s irresistible to Grandmas. 

 This inspired me.  Frankly, poor Little Sheep's closet was bursting with clothing.  We hadn't spent more than $10 on her entire wardrobe.  Just after she was born, I sorted everything by size and seperated it into those boxes that hold packs of printer paper.  In total there were 10 boxes, with a huge tub of unisex things I hadn't even gotten to look at.

So I gritted my teeth and dove into her closet.  I took all the boxes that were there.  I took out things that I actually liked and asked Papa Sheppard his opinion of other things.  After the first box, though, it became apparent that this was a "Mama job" because everything Papa Sheppard saw, he either said, "Oh that's so cute" or "I could go either way".

 So after one box, I tackled the rest, keeping in mind that she didn't need nearly as much as was there.  I kept the things I liked (or that I thought Papa Sheppard would like) and packaged up the rest.  In the end, I was able to whittle it down to 1 box per age group, a small box of shoes, another small box of socks and halved the blankets.  There are still some things in the big tub as well, but they are mostly snowsuits and two adorable unisex outfit sets that I didn't take apart yet.  I will save them and regift them sometime in the future.

What really shocked me was how much pink pink PINK there was!  I am not a big fan of the almighty girly pink.  And it drives me nuts when people think that just because I have a little girl, everything has to be pink.  I begged my mother to please not buy me anything pink from hereon out, and if anyone asked what they could get Little Sheep, to please tell them anything but pink clothes.


What I did discover, however, was a wonderful series of adorable animal-printed things from Carters that my mother-in-law had purchased for us while they were in the States last year.  Browns, beige, blue, yellow, orange, green!  Ducks, frogs, alligators, giraffes, birds.  So many beautiful colors!  Warm, wonderful pieces that suited my baby girl so much better than frilly bows and Sesame Street characters.

There were two sets of a Minnie Mouse outfit as well.  I have never been a big fan of cartoon characters or brand names, either, so they weren't sticking around.

After I had sorted and divided things up, I discovered I had enough to dress two other baby girls while still keeping my own baby girl in stitches without any complications.  I agree with Michele, you don't need nearly as much as you have.  After redistributing I have enough clothes to donate to both my sister-in-laws for their babies (hopefully they're girls, because if so, they'll have enough to dress them for a year each!  If they're boys, well...).

I do not desire to create another little consumer.  I desire to have created a beautiful human being who understands the value of her possessions and treats them with respect.  I want her to understand that just because we can run out and buy another piece of clothings doesn't mean we should or will.

 We were immensely blessed when we were given all these beautiful clothing items by friends and family.  Now we will immensely bless someone else with these pieces.  And hopefully our home will regain a bit more peace.  And become a little less pink.

Gifts for other little gals to enjoy!

Mom Talk: Babywearing

Thanks to International Babywearing Week, the thought of slings, wraps, and carriers have been dancing through my head.  Last night, in fact, I dreamed I had purchased two pouch slings (I don't own any) and I woke wondering how I was going to tell Papa Sheppard that I had purchased another baby sling.

He'd put a stop to them after the third ring sling.  But he never put a stop on wraps.

He put a stop to them after the second.

Currently, my cost associated with the six acquired baby carrier systems I have (three ring slings, two wraps, and one infant carrier) is $32.00.  And in all honesty, the majority of that is the cost of the Maya Wrap I purchased secondhand off eBay.  The other two ring slings came from Freecycle, and the wraps were made out of fabric gifted from my mother.

Yesterday, we went to see our family physician, Dr. G.  She is an excellent GP who has taken care of me, Papa Sheppard, my mother, three aunts, and my grandmother.  My brother was seeing her, but decided he'd prefer a male doctor, so we're trying to get my sister-in-law in to see her as well.  She's had 25 years of experience as a doctor of family medicine and has had three children of her own.  Her wall is littered with pictures of babies she has either delivered or cared for.

After seeing Little Sheep yesterday, she reported that, while she's in the 90th percentile for her height, she's still only in the low 50th percentile for her weight.  She's been that way pretty much since birth.  I personally don't think she's too skinny, but "by the chart" she's a little on the thin side.  We know that Papa Sheppard was a skinny little rake for most of his life, but Dr. G. would like to see Little Sheep with a little more flesh on her bones.  Because we are exclusively breastfeeding, and on demand, I figured the easiest way would be to just wear her most of the day.

Then we started describing a few other things we'd noticed.  A small cough, spitting up actual milk solids, arching of her back, not liking lying down in the evening.  Dr. G. smirked and said, "Sounds like she's got reflux.  I could put her on medication, but I'd rather not.  Try to just keep her upright more often."

That pretty much cinched the babywearing idea.  Papa Sheppard likes that I wear her, to an extent, but he worries she doesn't get enough "her time" and space.  I love wearing her.  She likes it for only so long, then she wants her freedom and the ability to wiggle.  So we decided to wear her more often throughout the day and nurse her more often as well.  When we go out, we'll wear her.  And when she objects and wants her freedom, than we will take her out and let her wiggle til she wants to come back in.  She's pretty easy to read at this point.

This morning, while she was in the sling, I was able to accomplish most of my morning chores with her in the wrap.  I was very pleased with this.  People always say "It's so hard to do housework with a baby".  I figure if I could just master the back carry, I'd be set for life.

Oh, and one other thing.  I recently read this heartbreaking post about the cradle carry and why it is a bad one for babies.  Little Sheep never liked that one anyway, so it wasn't often that we used it.  However, I see no reason to continue using it now, and intend to use other carries so that I don't get in that habit with the next baby.

Mom Talk: My Motherhood Goals, or "I Will Not Raise a Brat!"

The more the days go by and I better get to know this gorgeous little gift God sent me, the more thrilled I am to be a mother and especially, be her mother. Many things come to mind as time goes past, however. What do I want to achieve? What do I want her to achieve? What do I want to achieve with her, together? Where are my priorities?

Yes, Lisa and Maggie are just as bratty as Bart.  

There was one thing I kept telling Papa Sheppard, my parents, my co-workers, and friends is that "I will not raise a brat."  My objective is that my children will not whine needlessly, will not be obnoxious and rude, will not be spoiled and starving for attention.   In essence, I have no intention of raising Bart, Lisa or Maggie Simpson.

 It may sound like I am expecting Little Sheep to be perfect, which of course, I am not. I am expecting her to cry, not want to nap, hate vegetables, and grumble when I don't let her have her way sometimes.  I'm expecting her to be a child, not a brat.

Therefore, I have set several goals ahead of myself in order to accomplish my main objective.

1.  I plan to attachment parent.  This involves many different aspects.  Dr. William Sears seems to be the voice on this, but for me, attachment parenting involves the many objectives I have listed below.  Babywearing, co-sleeping, breastfeeding, positive discipline, etc.  Current belief with reference to attachment parenting is that children are brought up feeling more confident about themselves and their parents.  In other words, babies who are taught that they can trust and rely on their parents to help them are more willing and able to experience the world around them, trusting that their parents are there and will keep them safe.

2.  I plan to breastfeed for at least a year, but likely until she decides to stop, or we are blessed with another baby.  This could mean two or more years.  And that's just fine with me.  My daughter's health and well being are far more important to me than any standardized or socialized concern.  I can only see myself stopping her if I become pregnant and it becomes too difficult to nurse her.  My expectation is, however, that by the time we have our second child, she will have weaned herself.

3.  I plan to co-sleep.  We currently co-sleep during the night, which works out amazingly well for us.  Little Sheep sleeps beside me, and I sleep between her and Papa Sheppard.  She is warm, comfortable, safe, and neither of us has to get up in the night for feedings, which means more sleep for us.  Which means both of us are healthier and happier.

4.  I do not plan to let her "cry it out".  Personally, there is nothing more heartbreaking than the thought of leaving my poor Little Sheep alone in her room to cry and scream, knowing that she needs something and not understanding why it is that I am not there to help her when she calls.  I cannot fathom breaking her trust like that, and I cannot fathom doing that to her.  Papa Sheppard and I agreed to that one long before we had Little Sheep.  We want her to learn to nap independant of us, but we don't want her to cry and scream the whole time.

5.  I plan to get her involved with other children from an early age.  Currently, we participate in the Le Leche League meetings once a month, and a weekly baby massage and a weekly mom and baby group. It is important to me that she learns to interact with other kids of different ages and ethnicities.  For one, her immune system will get stronger, as kids pass around germs like politicians pass around blame.  For another, it will also teach her to share.  It bothers me to hear a kid snatch something from another and yell, "Mine!"  I want Little Sheep to know the value of giving and sharing with others.

6.  I plan on having more than one baby.  I said this long before I even wanted kids.  My brother and I grew up with playing with another little boy in our community who was an only child.  He used to beg us to be his brother and sister.  He didn't like being an only child.  True, he had all of his parents' attention and got all the gifts at holidays, but he was lonesome for a sibling.  It broke my heart.  Papa Sheppard and I decided before we were married that we would plan to have at least two, possibly three, children.  Now that I've had Little Sheep, I plan to have as many babies as the Lord thinks I can have.  This does not make me in support of the Quiverfull movement.  I believe, however, that I will have as many children as I can love and support equally, as well as have the health and mental ability to do so.  Or until I have a bad birth experience.  That might scare me out of having any more.

7.  I plan on keeping her home and life simple.  Toys are simple and minimal.  Her favorite rattle is a set of metal measuring spoons.  She loves to play with baby blankets and feet.  I see no reason to bombard her with bright plastic toys made in China.  If we had it my way, I'd have nothing plastic in her toybox.  I also do not intend to spend great amounts of money on her toys.  Why should I spend $60 on a toy she'll break in five minutes, when I can buy it for $10 on Kijiji?  Same with her clothes.  She outgrows things so quickly and will continue to do so for many years.  I don't intend to buy much new.  In this way, she will learn the truth about wealth and value.

8.  I plan to wear my daughter.  A lot.  I have three slings right now.  I am in love with them all.  I use my Maya Wrap (bought on eBay for $30) for going out shopping and to formal events.  I use my Heart to Heart Wrap (free via Freecycle) around the house and in the evenings before bed.  I wear my homemade Moby Wrap (bought at a fabric store) when walking and doing housework.  Little Sheep plays on her tummy or in her high chair most other times.

9.  I plan to keep her well-napped.  Little Sheep is not a good napper.  Well, let me rephrase that -- she is an excellent napper when she wants to be.  Right now she's going into her second hour in her swing.  But yesterday, I think she slept about 2 hours all day.  This is why it is important to me that she learns to sleep well.  I want her to be well rested and happy.  Many of the suggestions I've implemented come from Elizabeth Pantley's No Cry Nap Solution.  Check it out at your library.

10.  I plan on getting her involved with the community.  This is a big one for me.  Before we became pregnant, Papa Sheppard and I volunteered with a local men's shelter on Saturday mornings, serving breakfast and hanging out with our street friends.  Up at 5 a.m. on Saturday mornings to play cards and hang out with homeless drug addicts?  You probably think we're crazy.  But in truth, we loved it.  We had a great time and we met some great people.  When we became pregnant, my safety became a concern, and we stopped going.  But we intend to continue after Little Sheep is old enough.  We also intend to get her involved in other aspects of our community.  It will make her appreciate what she has more, as well as prevent her from developing ideals about people who are different from her.

11.  I plan on being a SAHM.  Another aspect Papa Sheppard and I discussed before we were married was my desire to be a SAHM.  It was only further reinforced when Little Sheep came along.  We both fell madly in love with our family and we know that me being home is the best thing for us all around.  Little Sheep will benefit from a good, loving family orientation, which is something I personally don't believe she will find in the care of a stranger.  What's more, it is difficult to find caretakers who will provide her with the same values and faith as we do.  And finally, based on my calculations and income, it would not be profitable for me to return to work at the cost of daycare in this city.  It's just too expensive.  It is my hope that I can instead provide daycare for my brother's child once s/he is born next year for my sister-in-law, who makes more than me and who loves her job.

Guess who my favorite artist is?

These are the general guidelines by which I plan to achieve my goal of not raising a brat.  I can hear other mothers laughing their butts off at me.  "Sure," they say.  "Wait til she is old enough to walk/talk.  Your toon will change!"

Well, in the words of our beloved British crooner, John Lennon,

You may say I'm a dreamer,

But I'm not the only one

I hope some day, you'll join us

And the world will live as one.

If you'll look to your left, you'll see a list of other mom-bloggers that I follow, who share many common thoughts as I do.  You'll see that in truth, we are not the only ones to chose this lifestyle and commitment for our children.  And from what I understand, it is a healthy, happy child that comes from it.

Frugal Friday: Mother Crockpot

If there is one thing that makes my life a billion times easier (before or after Little Sheep came along), it would definitely have to be our crockpot.  Or rather, our crockpots.

They aren't just kitchen appliances.  No, they are members of our family.  Our two beloved matriarchs who spend their time in our kitchen busily preparing our meals for us.  I imagine that, if they could speak, they'd sound like Angela Lansbury and Marla Cilley -- direct, a bit bossy, and delightfully loving.

The crockpot is the ideal kitchen appliance for new moms (and dads) because once you toss in your foods, you completely forget the bloody thing exists, until you start to smell the delicious aroma around you.  No matter what the meal, there is a crockpot version of it out there.  I cook at least 90% of our meals in the crockpot.  I think the only things we don't do in that (yet) is rice, pasta and bacon.  Almost everything else goes through the crockpot.

Your initial purchase of your crockpot, if bought brand new, can be anywhere between $20 to $60.  I would thoroughly advise looking into Freecycle, Kijiji and second-hand stores before shelling out that much money for a crockpot.  Mainly because many people don't recognize their value and often neglect them.  If you ask around, you're sure to get at least one person say, "Yeah, I have one, and I never use it!"

The reason most people don't use them is because of the misconception with regards to the foods they prepare.  Mushy vegetables, rubbery meats, on and on and on.  But a quick Google search will tell you differently.  Roasts cooked to perfection; savory vegetables; creamy soups; crystal-clear broths; smooth sauces.  Heck, you can even bake bread in them, did you know that?!

I have owned four crockpots over the last ten years.  My accumulative cost has been $10.25.  One was given brand new as a gift (and met a tragic fate during a move); another I bought for a quarter at a yard sale.  It died honorably and was properly disposed of.  Of the other two (my current crocks), one cost me $10 and I got it off Kijiji when a lady received it as a wedding gift and didn't want it.  The other one was given to me by a friend of the family who was moving and didn't want to drag it with her.  It had seen a lot of use (in fact, the cord was taped in two places), but has continued to provide me deliciousness for the last four years.  I would take any and all crockpots offered me.

When picking out a crockpot, keep in mind one thing -- don't bother with ones where the pot doesn't come out.  Trust me on this.  They are a royal pain to keep clean.  You can't dunk them in the water like you can a regular crockpot.  It's so frustrating.  If you're given one, be thankful and use it until you can acquire one with a removable pot.

Another valuable thing about the crockpot is how it saves you money.  To begin with, you can purchase tougher, cheaper cuts of meat.  Usually these come out tough and rubbery in the oven.  But when slowly cooked in a crockpot with lots of juices and herbs, you get a succulent meat that would wow even your pickiest diner.  Rather than buying instant products, such as mashed potatoes, they can be cooked all day in the crockpot, another money saver.  Homemade recipes that once seemed daunting, such as oatmeal, rice, root vegetables, tomato sauce... Almost anything that needs to be watched while cooking so it doesn't burn can be cooked mindlessly in the crockpot.  You will find when you start cooking religiously in your crockpot, your reliance on store-bought pre-prepped food drops dramatically.

Crockpots are also excellent when you are having leftovers.  For example, if you've cooked a chicken and there is lots of meat leftover, you can simply leave it in the crockpot, put it back in the fridge and reheat it on low before supper the next day.  Or, you can take all the meat off the bones, toss the carcass back into the crockpot, and simmer it away for broth, which can then be used to make soup.  Or if you've cooked a full meal in it, such as stew beef and vegetables, stick your immersion blender into the leftovers and blend until smooth and voila!  Instant soup!  In fact, that is what we're having for supper tonight!

The internet is ripe with crockpot ideas, so I won't bother posting any right now.  Our good buddy Google can help you find the recipes you need.  However, I will say that if you are looking for a specific recipe, there is a fairly good chance a crockpot version of it exists.  Heck, look for ones you don't think could possibly exist!  You'll be surprised.

One question remains:  What is the return value of the crockpot?  Since the crockpot performs the same tasks as both the oven and the stove top of your regular everyday stove, you need to compare this.  However, the crockpot cooks food for longer, so you may think that it costs as much or more to run the crockpot through a meal versus the stove.

In order to calculate this, you'd need to know the following:

How many watts it takes to power your stove
How many watts it takes to power your crockpot
And how much your electricity costs per hour

Here is an example, using the cost of a general electric stove and a general crockpot.


Cost of 1 kWh (kilowatt hour) = $0.12 (this is the cost of my own electricity at time of writing)

Stove:  2.0 kWh for 1 hour = $0.24/hr or $0.24/meal
Crockpot:  0.10 kWh for 1 hour = $0.012/hr or $0.08/meal (cooked for 7-8 hours on low)

In essence, it would take you three meals cooked in your crockpot to equal the cost of cooking one meal in your stove or oven.  If you spent $20 on a brand new crockpot (but you won't, you'll get one for next to nothing somewhere else, won't you?), you'd recover the cost of it in 250 meals (less than a year).  However, consider this:  if you didn't spend the $20 to buy the crockpot, and instead cooked 250 meals in your oven, you'd have spent $60, three times the cost of the crockpot.  So the crockpot will literally pay for itself in 1/3 of the time, or 83 meals.  In my case, of my 4 crockpots, my most expensive one, at a cost of $10, paid for themselves after only 42 meals, or in 6 weeks.  If you get your crockpot for free, you're ahead of the game.

If you want more crockpot-related inspiration, please check out A Year of Slow Cooking, in which you will be astonished at the delights this lady created using her beloved crockpots.

The Menu Plan

Many moms I see online plan their menu each week.  I can see how this is beneficial, and something I will likely find myself doing once Little Sheep gets old enough.  But for now, my plan is pretty simple.

I took the four main ingredients of our diet -- chicken, pork, beef, and ground beef.  Then I created seven different meals that each item could be used with.  For example, each one can be made into a hash, a soup, or a stew of some sort.  That's 12 meals alone!  But I also added in a pasta meal, and a rice meal, and then something different for each.  After that, I mixed them up so that we never have two of the same meal or two of the same meats twice in a row.  We'll go through 4 meals before we have anything similar.

Some of them are fairly vague (ie "Beef and Pasta") and the reason for that is to allow me a bit of variety.  For "Beef and Pasta" I might make a Beef Bourgandy, or a beef stir fry over egg noodles, etc.  That gives me some wiggle room, as well as allows me to use up excess in the fridge.

I also prep my meat ahead of time so that it is portioned out.  Because at this point it is only myself and PapaSheppard eating real food meals, I have 8 oz of meat per meal, or 4 oz each.  This is plenty of meat for us, as we treat it as a garnish, and not the main focus of the meal.  We often add a salad and homemade bread to the menu.  I bake my favorite recipe, Cuban Bread, to go with it, and we have a delicious, healthy and complete meal!

Here's my current rotation of meals.

Shredded Pork Sandwiches
Beef and Pasta
Hamburger Soup
Chicken Hash
Pork Stew
Beef Kabobs
Mashed Potatoes with Hamburger Gravy
Chicken Alfredo
Pork Kabobs
Beef Stew
Hamburger Hash
Chicken and Dressing
Pork Soup
Shredded Beef Sandwiches
Nachos with Ground Beef
Chicken Cacciatore
Honey Garlic Pork
Beef Soup
Hamburger Casserole
Chicken and Rice
Pork Hash
Beef Stroganoff
Calzones (Can be used with pretty much anything)
Chicken Soup
Sweet and Sour Pork
Beef Hash
Spaghetti with Hamburger Meat Sauce
Chicken Barbecue Sandwiches