under construction

Based on the positive feedback that I have received about "Our Little Green Home" I took the leap and bought a domain name!

We will be relocating to ourlittlegreen.com ASAP.

Since I'm kinda a interweb newbie, forgive me for any bumps in the road during this transition.

THANKS!!

Why I shop at Wal=Mart

Most "frugal" types will tell you they never shop at Wal-Mart. They prefer to compare prices and sales elsewhere and use coupons. Well, I'm just not that organized! Here is a quick response I posted on another blog about why I DO shop at Wal-mart. Check it out!

I actually do most of our shopping at Walmart and the local farmers market. It is convient for us, and try as I may, I'm not much of a coupon clipper! They also are much more environmentally friendly than many people think. If you happen to be there again, take a look at some of their packaging (only concentrated laundry detergent for example), their "Locally grown" produce signs, their brand clothing made from "transitional" fields (to encourage farmers to transition to organic) and the sheer number of "made in USA" products that they have. They are also the first large company to start requiring their suppliers to show a "chain" of production so consumers know what really went into that "organic" product. I think its fabulous and should be applauded that a retail giant has realized the importance of sustainability. They have to potential to reach a vast number of people who otherwise may not have ever been concerned about being "green". I only wish that they would stop with the plastic bags all together...no matter how much everyone would whine and complain about having to pay for them :)

Motivation for organization

So my BFF, her daughter and her dad are coming to stay with us for a night on their way moving back to TX. (Her hubby's coming back from deployment sooner than expected!) Our only little problem was that the "guest bedroom" at our house had this living in it.

Yup. All those boxes that are packed last and get labeled "stuff". We called it the corner of shame...it was next to the closet of shame. That's tomorrows project. Anyway, I spent a couple of hours sorting through all this stuff and reaffirming my belief that if you know where everything is, you save money by not buying more.

Now the linen closet looks like this

And the guest bedroom like this

And I am appreciating what we have and parting with EVERYTHING that we really don't need/love. Everyone should do this.

Take a critical survey of what you have. If it's been in a closet or a box for a year, you obviously don't miss it. That being said, if you come across something that you realize you now can use, you just saved yourself from buying another.

If you think about it, there is a lot of waste that comes with overconsumerism (I made that word up) being a conscience consumer is green in every sense. So look at what you have and work with it!

Do-it-yourselfer

So this weekend Murphy (as in the one with the Law...ya know, when it's going good, somethings gotta give) was hanging out at our house.

1st of all, I tried to run the garbage disposal with some nasty faux crabmeat down it. The 20 year old disposal was on the fritz (unbenownst to me) and said crabmeat went into the drain...and stayed there. Then stinky nasty water started leaking through the disposal. The smell was AWFUL!

So S.O. says "call a plumber". I said "no too expensive". So I proceeded to Google such phrases as "clogged kitchen sink", "leaking through bottom of disposal" etc. Most of the things they suggested, we had already tried so I went out and bought a drain auger/pipe snake. This is basically a manual "Roto-Rooter" tool that you insert and turn to free the clog.

~Sidenote: there are tons of enviro-friendly ways to clear drains, try these before using any chemicals.

So I spent most of Saturday under the sink, unscrewing pipes, poking around with the auger and pulling out bits of nasty crabmeat (seriously, vomit...this is why plumbers get the big bucks!). It was then determined through internet research and the fact that the inside of the disposal appeared to have rust in it, that we should invest in a new disposal.

So we did. And despite S.O.'s grumbling that he doesn't know anything about plumbing or electricity, I left him alone to figure it out. Several trips to the hardware store and much cursing later, he did it!!!

Sadly, the drain was still clogged far into the wall. After trying LITERALLY every green method possible...we broke down and bought the Draino. Yuck. Never again.

I will do environmental penance...any ideas?

Point is, that although it was a bit frustrating and time consuming, we spent under $100 to fix our drain and replace the disposal. With a little research and common sense, you can DIY!!

money money money money...MONEY!

...that was like the song, in case you missed that :)

OK. So. Half the point of this whole blog experiment, is for me to get a hold of my finances and destroy my debt. As previously noted, I've finally become serious about slaying this dragon as I have come to realize certain things.

1) I am spending as much on old debt monthly as I am on living expenses.

2) Once these are all paid off, I'll have an extra ~$600 a month to save/invest/blow on lots of candy and booze (the latter is probably not the best choice...most fun however)

3) If I EVER want to be able to start my own business (wedding/event planning) or eventually be a stay-at-home mom (I said EVENTUALLY!) it would be much easier for me to come up with the $700 a month for living expenses rather than the $1300 that it cost me to live each month now!

SOO...I started putting it all in the checking account and writing down where it goes. Having to use the debit card for one Diet Coke and then record it, makes you think twice.

I know there are tons of financial gurus that tell you to use the "envelope" system (put your budget for the month for groceries in an envelope and when its gone, its gone etc). I have discovered that if I use the "electric envelope" system on Mint.com and actually keep up with it, it helps me to see where everything is going. Plus, they email me with all of the finance charges that the credit cards slap me with and email me my apr, so it's right there in my face. This helps to keep me pissed off enough to decide that paying more on these cards is better than buying a new pair of shoes.

I am also singing the praises of ING Direct for their savings accounts. Now many people use them for long term savings because they offer a 1% interest on savings (!), but I have found that the ease to transfer money from my Chase account to my ING accounts PLUS the fact that it takes a few days to transfer it back to my checking (No "emergency" shopping trips!) has made it the perfect place for me to hide money from myself.

I currently have one account for paying off CC's and another for "house" related savings. The CC payment account is only $120 short of paying off my Express bill!! WHOOHOO!!

Bottom line is that, you CAN do this. I never believed the "every little bit counts" towards these huge CC balances, but by knowing where all of those "little bits" went, and by transferring a "little bit" at a time into an ING account, I can really see how it adds up!

Good luck to everyone who is trying to slay this dragon with me. We're totally St.George and can do this! Just takes some weapons!

Being green by being frugal.

So you may have noticed that although this blog is about being frugal and green, I don't really push a whole "green is the new black", "everything solar powered" agenda.

This is because I feel that too many people think "Hey, I'd love to be 'green', but there is no way I can afford a Prius, or solar panels on my home, or to raise my own food". My point is that if you look at the bigger picture, being environmentally friendly is about more that being trendy and "green". It's living the way your great-grandparents did during the depression when you couldn't afford to throw anything away or spend your money on something that wouldn't last.

Examples in my own life include:

1) No paper towels or napkins in our home. We use rags to clean up spills and cloth napkins to eat. Is it really THAT much harder to throw them in the laundry with a load of towels? Nope. Do we have to spend $ on that stuff at the store? Nope.

2) I use my homemade cleaner for just about everything in our house. 1/4 part white vinegar with 3/4 part water and some orange oil for scent in a spray bottle. No nasty chemicals in our house and it costs about $0.50 to make a full bottle. We also use dusters and a vacuum for most of our cleaning...cleaning chemicals give me a migraine...and you would be amazed at how much you an clean with all those attachments on your vacuum!!

3) We reuse the containers that food comes in as "Tupperware". I have found that using a piece of masking tape on top with the date/food on it helps us to not forget that there is really steak in the cottage cheese container.

4) We also reuse tin-foil and ziploc bags as many times as we can. I HATE the thought of throwing away a ziploc bag just because it was used. I even wash them in the dishwasher on the top shelf with some heavy duty rubberbands holding them down!

5) We NEVER NEVER NEVER buy bottled water! Tap is where it's at! You're already paying for your water, so buy a filter (if needed) and drink it! Reusable bottles come in every shape, color and design now. I love my old Nalgene bottle, and it's practically indestructible!

6)I don't eat meat. Now this is based more on my issues with the meat processing industry and the lack of regulations as shown through various recalls among other research. But, it is also cheaper to not eat meat, and it reduces your carbon impact on the environment. I will occasionally buy sustainable, responsibly raised local meat...but thats another post!

7) Use EVERYTHING up! We don't buy a new toothpaste, shampoo, clothes etc until the old one is totally gone. (EXCEPT if there is a too good to be true deal on something, then we stock up!) I also have not bought any new clothes in MONTHS. I want to see how long I can go with what I have...which is a TON of clothes!

8) Lastly, stay organized and clean at your home? How much have you wasted because you bought milk when you went to the store without a list and there was already a gallon at home? Or you couldn't find that one little thing that you needed right then so you bought another. I can tell you we have about 1000 nail files, 6 tweezers, tons of (old) cleaning supplies, and countless other duplicates that were bought simply because we were not organized.

Buying more than you honestly need is wasteful to both your wallet and the environment. You can always find a "greener" solution that the one that is portrayed to you by the mass media and consumerism in stores. So think about how your Great-Grandparents would have done something before you take the easy way out.

Happy Monday everyone!

Snow and Cookies...perfect day!

First of all, I'd like to say that it SNOWED today! Not much for any of you northerners, but for a deep-southerner like myself, it totally counted!

Secondly my S.O. bought me a fabulous new Calphalon Cookie Sheet/Jelly Roll Pan. So to try it out, I decided to make some Valentines Day cookies to bring to work tonight...even though I work on VDay, figured I'd bring them today since it's going to be Mardi Gras madness down there tomorrow!

I LOVE baking, and I find that in general, I always have everything on hand to make sugar cookies so I can experiment with the recipes based on whatever else I have laying about!

Anyway, this is possible one of the easiest Sugar Cookie recipes ever. Not that any are complicated, but whatever. I was going to chill this dough and make rolled out cookies, but I didn't have time. So instead, I used some pink sugar that I found in the dollar section at Target a while ago (side note, great place to find seasonal sprinkles etc...I always find great Halloween stuff there for our Annual Drunken Pumpkin party...that's for another month though...) and I rolled balls of the dough in the sugar before I baked them.

First attempt: I did not "smush" the dough balls before I baked them.

Result: Puffy cookies

Second attempt: I "smushed" the dough balls.

Result: Cookies that sorta collapsed in the centers.

Conclusion: flatten cookies till they are about the same thickness as if they were rolled out.

Here's the recipe:

3/4 (1 & 1/2 sticks) butter softened...or microwaved for about 30 seconds

1 c. sugar

1 t. vanilla

1 egg

2 c. flour

1 1/2 t. baking powder

1/4 t. baking soda

pinch salt

Preheat over to 350.

Mix butter, sugar and vanilla with a mixer. Add in egg and beat well.

In a separate bowl blend flour, baking powder and soda and salt together.

Slowly add dry mixture to wet, blending well each time.

(I switched to the paddle on my stand mixer for this)

Roll each dough ball with your hands, flatten to about the same thickness as rolled cookies.

Coat in colored sugar if desired.

OR - Wrap in plastic wrap, refrigerate until firm, roll out and cut with cookie cutters.

Bake for about 10 minutes. Cookies will not change color or spread out much, so touch to determine doneness.

Let cool..or eat hot like I did and risk burning your tongue!!

Happy Valentines Day weekend everyone! Don't get too caught up in the consumerism, your sig-other would much prefer well thought out gestures from you!!

Easy living room update

So as previously discussed, I believe that paint can fix a lot of flaws in a home. That being said, choosing the right color (from the selection of oops paint, of course!) as an accent in a room can totally transform a room in a few hours.

An easy way to chose an accent color is to look to the furnishings and decor you already have. You will be able to tell at some point from my pics that S.O. and I both share a love of the color teal/turquoise/blue-green...whatever you call it. So when I stumbled across a pint of this color in the oops pile at Wal-Mart, I had found my answer to our beige living-room.

Now, on that note, the living room was already painted a cafe aulait type color when we moved in. I am not usually a fan of neutrals, but it really works in here with all of our bright colors elsewhere. Maybe i'll repaint it someday, but not in the near future. Come to think of it, I think this was the color of the living room in the house I grew up in...hmm.

So here is our built-in/fireplace wall before...

And here is after

(Man, I have the HARDEST time getting these pics to go where I want them to!!) I will try to take some pics later today of the rest of the living room so you can see how this color really works in here with all of our stuff.

PS- the one on the right is current...the pic above the fireplace on the left was a bit too much, even for us.

FUNdue night!

So being a young person with no children, I have found challenges with how to be frugal and still be social. Everyone has heard over and over again "well don't go out, dinner out and bars are a waste of money". Well sadly (for me) it took me QUITE a few years to realize the truth in this.

Honestly, working as a bartender helps alot:

~ I have to work hours when everyone else is going out.

~ After being around a bunch of loud, drunk folks all day at work, the last thing I want to do is spend money to be around them after I get off work.

~ I've met alot of other service industry types in the area where I work, translation:discounts!

Plus one night out, I actually added up for my S.O. how much he spent on just one night.

$20 for drinks + tip at bar #1 (my one martini for the night)

$14 for cover at bar #2 (friends band was playing...don't mind paying for this)

$40 for drinks +tip at bar #2 (he drunkenly bought a round of Jagerbombs = $21)

$26 for cigarettes and snacks at gas station on way home

TOTAL = $100!!! WTF?!

So I have decided that one day a week will be dedicated to entertainment without spending a ton. And I don't mean "go to the park or the museum on free pass day" either...although those can be fun as well.

Last night we used the fondue set that S.O. had bought me for Christmas. The menu was shrimp and flank steak (to be fondue-ed), roasted red potatoes, balsamic mushrooms, cucumber and tomato salad (nobody ate the tomatoes...note to self for next party) beer bread, smore fondue with bananas, strawberries, marshmallows and graham crackers. A friend brought appetizers (buffalo chicken cheese dip and stuffed jalapenos) and a bottle of wine.

So just as good as that shmancy Melting Pot place! And we all agreed better because you didn't feel like you HAD to stuff yourself to get your money's worth!

Party cost breakdown:

Shrimp - $10

Steak - $2 (on sale!)

Onion - $1

Cucumber - $1.50

Tomatoes - $2

Mushrooms - $2

Potatoes - $2

Beer - $7 (for bread and for S.O.'s belly...)

Graham Crackers - $2.50

Marshmallows - $1

Chocolate Chips - $2

Bananas - $1

Strawberries - $5 (the hard freeze down here caused them to be expensive!...worth it)

TOTAL (for 5 people) - $40!!!

Isn't that WAY better than the $50 per head that fondue restaurants get?

So for those who haven't tried it, I suggest it! Here are some great recipes that I used for dipping sauces and for the smore dip!

Happy Fondueing!

Cooking day

So the internet is working sporadically. I will post when it is working and once they fix it on the 10th, I'll be back to daily postings.

Since I have today off of work (after an exhausting weekend, I might add), I am trying to start my monday recipes on here. My goal is to bake something each week and to share some of my favorite recipes that are frugal, healthy and easy. My bigger goal for myself is to figure out how to do this whole meal-planning thing so that I can cook on my few nights off and then have bases to turn into easy meals for the other nights when I am at work.

I will also try to add pictures as I can, but today is an unorganized day as we were finishing installing our flooring yesterday (YEA!) and everything is pulled out of the office. Other goal for today is to get the office set up...

So...for today, how about some easy Mexican that can be quesadillas, tacos or nachos? and for baking, the easiest bread ever (I soo shouldn't be revealing my secrets!)

EASIEST BREAD EVER!!

Ready for this?

3 cups self-rising flour

(add 3 t. baking powder and 1 t. salt if using regular flour)

1/4 cup sugar

1 12 oz. can beer

preheat oven to 375 degrees

1) Mix dry ingredients together. Sift them if you can, but if not, meh.

2) Add beer. Mix together until a dough forms

3) Pour into greased loaf pan. Pour 1/4 c. melted butter over loaf if desired.

4) Bake for 1 hour. Remove from pan and cool.

5) Bask in the compliments and amazement from your friends that you made homemade bread!

Outside of bread will be crusty and inside soft. Perfect as a side for chili, soup, spaghetti etc.

Feel free to experiment with ingredients. I've had good luck with whole-wheat flour and dark beer, just play around with it!

Let me know how it turns out!

I was going to include my "recipe" for Mexican...but its basically browned meat (or soy meat in my case) simmered with sauteed onions and a can of salsa...then you can do whatever you want with it.

My mom always did this for chicken tacos and EVERYONE always wanted her "recipe".

Now you know our family secrets.

Have a great Monday!