Doing without saves money

-We use cloth napkins and occasionally use hankies
-No cable for us, on the cheapest Netflix plan we get to have a TV shows and many movie nights at home
-We filter our water at home and carry a water bottle everywhere we go... I don't remember the last time I paid for bottled water.
-We do buy seasonally at the grocery store, if not I would eat an expensive salad in the winter. $3/ea for cucumbers--no way!
-I often dig through my pantry for meals and try to empty my refrigerator before grocery shopping
-We still have a house phone but the plan is bundled with our internet and costs us little.


Other things we do to save money...
-I hem and do minor sewing repairs on clothes.
-We thrift shop whenever possible, I am currently wearing a top and jeans outfit that cost me $8... if thrift store clothes looks good then you know it will continue to look good once you bring it home. When you buy new it can go either way.
-I pack a lunch or a snack with me when I know I'll be out for the day.
-I pick fruit from abandoned trees or after asking the property owner and make jam or freeze the harvest.
-I don't go to the mall or out to "shop" instead I go the park, library, hiking and visit people at their homes.
-We don't buy $3 coffee, we make our favorite morning drink at home.

What do you do to save money?

OH MY!

It has been a very long time since I last blogged. Oh My!
School took a front seat these last two months and well my time has been limited.


The good thing is that I am very teachable.


Even my cat helps me learn that napping is important especially after my clinical rotation.


For Lily's sanity and mine we did get out for some hiking.

I also got a chance to finish a couple of knitting projects.
Swallowtail shawl knitted in Knit Picks Shadow.

365 for January 24-30

Sunday is my day to get ready for the week. I usually cook several meals, on this occasion I baked two loaves of oatmeal cinnamon bread. Most of my baking is done late at night, so when I woke up on Monday I was able to admire my handy work with fresh eyes.
01.24

This cute bench is located along busy 3rd Street behind the downtown library. It is a treasure and a spot open for everyone to enjoy.
01.25

Thomas is working on some sales material for work and asked me if he could take my camera. When I downloaded the pictures on to his memory stick he had taken 150 pictures of this. So I decided to make it the picture of the day.
01.26

When I need to decide which picture to post and I have taken so many good shots, I just cannot. So Here are three pictures for you to enjoy.
Love getting mail, but most of the time I get bills.
01/27

Our Daphne is blooming. The amazing fragrance it emanates is hypnotizing.
01/27

A self portrait of sorts.
01/27

Lunch on Friday was take-out veggie sandwich on light rye, light on the mayo and mustard. Thomas had a turkey sandwich on sliced sourdough with jack cheese. We were celebrating. I survived the first test of the semester. I have a test every other Friday for the next 16 weeks.
01.28

It rained overnight on Friday and part of the day Saturday. After a long day at school on Saturday I walked outside to find puddles everywhere on the parking lot asphalt. Reflections are so magical.
01.29

It is T's birthday today but he had to work. So I spent the day cleaning house, taking Lily to agility, and getting ready for another week of school. Sometimes I wonder if the direction I am going in is the right one, especially when life is crazy busy.
01.30

"I just think that is pretty." Dave Mathews exclaimed on his Radio City Tour CD just as I drove past this tree. I think he is right.
01.30

Bread, cheese and more yogurt.

This week was bad compared to the last few weeks. I discarded the last butt of some homemade bread that just molded in the bag, the rest of the yogurt I made two weeks ago and about a 2-inch brick of goat cheese that was lost to some hairy blue/green bacteria.

So when I bake two loaves of yummy bread, Thomas and I cannot possibly consumed them fast enough before other critters get to them. I do freeze but these were two different types of bread. The cheese just got lost in the bottom drawer. The yogurt, well lets just say I have failed again at making yogurt.

Truth be told, I also discarded a cup of black-eyed peas. We were just not thrilled with the way they tasted after we cooked them up. We tried to save the beans and ended up making something that was just not edible-worse than the first try. I feel bad and even embarrassed, but I am learning.

365 for January 15-23

As I am anticipating my school load to increase I have been getting some sewing done. This is a quilt I started a month ago thanks to an online tutorial. I am thinking of making 21 of these Dresden circles for a queen size quilt.
01.15

Baking bread for Thomas to enjoy with his morning coffee. I love the no-kneed bread recipe done with sourdough starter.
01.16

Spring in Northern California is notoriously cool and damp in the mornings followed by a spectacular 74 degree day.
The contrast is fantastic.
01.17

We won this Wii at T's company holiday party and it is still in the box. A long time ago someone described outdoor people vs. indoor people. I can confidently say that we are outdoor people so we are thinking about selling the Wii.
01.18

Shiloh Park near Windsor is one of my favorite hikes. I was able catch some me time after school so I went on a hike.
01.19

When I got home from school I found Tuxedo catching some sun
01.20

and Oscar playing with the Japanese Maple in front of our house.
01.20

Oscar on the fence. He was watching us while we were working with the bees.
01.21

There are several b-days in January. Every year we celebrate in some way with the Paine-Amerlan clan. This year we went bowling and then to dinner as a group. It was fun to see the family. Aidan the youngest addition to the family is growing up fast. He is 13 months and full of energy.
01.22

This is the lake just a block away from our house. Many birds hang-out here before taking flight again. Every time we do a creek walk we pass by this lake and every time it looks so different to me.
01.23

Death of a hive

Every bee keeper will at one time or another grieve over the loss of a hive. This winter has been a sad one for us we have lost what we considered a strong hive.

Thomas found the bees in a tight small cluster at the center of the hive.


Their numbers dwindled so much as a group they couldn't keep warm. This bundle of bees froze to death.


We found some dead bees on the bottom screen. No real evidence of disease, mites, or other problems.


They still had a full frame of capped honey, but no queen and not enough bees to make it through the winter.


So we begin to try to figure out what happened to the bees.

Food Waste Friday: Almond butter

This is a first. I had to throw an almost full jar of raw almond butter away this week. My heart sank as I was dishing out the rancid content into the trash. The jar has been in my fridge for way too long. What can I say, we have been into peanut butter lately. After I tasted the almond butter and made a face and promptly noticed the "use by" date of 9/2010. I am not one to get crazy around expiration dates but it was nice to get some confirmation that the almond butter was past its prime. Last week I tried making yogurt again. Half the batch came out and half the batch did not. So those two containers were poured down the drain. That is it for my food waste this week.