Handmade gifts are in!

Feel the crunch of christmas shopping expectations and what the budget allows?

You are not alone and before panic sets in... take a moment and be part of the 2009 christmas shopping trend.

Buy locally, handmade arts and crafts for gifts. Support your local economy and feel good about what you give and where the money is going. Buying or making handmade gifts are the "thing " this year and your family and friends will truly appreciate your efforts.

Happy Holidays and Happy New 2010!

Finding Chanterelles, a frugal gourmet adventure....

...Chanterelles are expensive in the grocery store ( $10 and up...) and some people pick them and sell the on Craigslist to make good money during the mushroom season. We, being frugal minded was hoping to find some to enjoy fresh ( stir-fry with some garlic) and to keep some in the freezer for winter.
During the last few falls we've been trekking through the woods occasionally, trying to find some but this year we finally had some luck. It's a great adventure and the chanterelles gleam like gold in the green underbrush. It's a treasure hunt.
Not only can you find gourmet food for free but you get great free exercise!
No gym needed. To preserve the mushrooms, we quickly sauteed them in olive oil ( or butter) and froze them in freezer bags.
A little goes a long way with this fungus. Well, worth a day-trip for the whole family.
But you have to swear to secrecy...no one tells on another persons Chanterelle location, ever...

It's the code among mushroom hunters.
Also, make sure you know your mushrooms well. It's always good to join with
an experienced mushroom hunter before venturing out on your own.
The Chanterelle is one of the easiest to identify .
Happy hunting!

Raising too many chickens, a frugal failure...

We have always loved raising chickens. Just seeing them walking around the property makes us happy. Wonderful personalities, all different kinds of breeds... great super fresh eggs... keeping the yard pest free... All that and more until one day, we came to the realization that what started with a few baby-chicks are now a group of about 30 of chickens! Many chicks have been hatched by carefully hidden eggs by creative mama-chickens since and many of them are roosters...  Not a single egg can be found in the egg-collecting- boxes  and the feed prices have gone from about $ 7 (for a 50 lbs bag) to $12 per bag!  
The short version- a frugal failure. 
We are now downsizing. 10 chickens (only the youngest ones) and no rooster ( not needed for egg production) and rebuilding the chicken coop to fit a smaller group and make the layer-boxes more attractive. 
Also, a light in the coop, set on a timer to produce a couple of extra hours of "daylight" can keep the chickens laying  eggs further into winter and sometimes all the way through the darker months. They require at least 8 hrs of light per day.
The love for our chickens have not changed. 
We just had to find the balance between over-abundance and sensibility.
And I think a smaller group makes the worry of finding food and the pecking order easier for the chickens themselves.

Maybe now we'll have happier chickens too!?

Building a "stairway to heaven"...

"Craigslist" is my husbands favorite website and he recently found an outdoor staircase for sale. Somebody had torn it down but left it in sections. After an interesting loading and hauling procedure we had a big heap of cedar stair parts next to the house. A good friend helped recalculating the stair structure and made a cardboard-model that now is turned into a fully functional set of stairs. Every piece of wood from the original parts have been used and including some extra bolts, cement and a few boards, the total price: $150.

Estimated cost if we would have bought the material new..a couple of housands!
Ok, I have to brag yet again, T is brilliant. He wanted to build a set of stairs, he found the ad, saw the potential and ran with the idea. And he built it all by himself.
Frugality goes hand in hand with living "green". A heap of wood, destined for the dump, revitalized and beautified. Our own "stairway to heaven"...the beautiful meadow above the house...

Free music for the frugal!

First, I have show off a little....I have a friend who plays in the famous, classic rockband,  The Brymers, from the 1960's. They play great 60's garage rock. Great dance music and Indie rock.

They had many great hits in the past and the group is still very actively writing and recording music.

I was telling my friend about my blog and he offered to give away free CD's to the first 3 people who go to The Brymers web page and mention my blog there! I am honored.

You can check out the music, videos and photos on:  www.thebrymers.com

The CD that you'll receive is called "40 year brotherhood".( 19  tracks of rock-n-roll!)
I already have one and now you can have one too. For free!!!!

Movies to your mailbox!

Having no TV reception at our house we relay on Eugene public library for movies. But we also subscribe to Netflix which deliver the movies right to your mailbox. I go to the website, make my choices and the movies arrive within 2 days. Great selection, many different plans from 4.99 and up. Once you set up an account you can switch the plan easily. We use the 3-at-the-time plan but if we find that we don't watch the movies right away we change the plan for a few months. If you have fast speed internet you can watch movies instantly- anytime and as many as you want  as part of your "unlimited" plan.
The shipping is free and the return fast. Once in a while a disc might be broken in the mail, just email a report and they will send a replacement. No questions asked.  Also, sometimes a disc has scratches and might get stuck.
Netflix will send replacements if you ask them. We've used Netflix for many years. TV series, new movies and foreign films are our most rented items. Easy to sign up, easy to cancel.
Nothing to loose.

The Fruit-fly Trap

All you need is a jar ( any container will work), a small piece of plastic wrap,

a rubber band, a bit of applesauce, apple cider or something 

else fruity and sticky, for fruit-fly "bait" and a toothpick.

*Pour the bait into the jar.

*Put the plastic on the top, tight and wrinkle free.

*Hold it down with the rubber band.

*Use the toothpick to make 5-10 small holes in the plastic wrap.

Place the trap near the favorite fruit-fly hangout in your kitchen.

It takes a day or two for it to work but it will.

After the flies are caught, bring the trap outside, rinse the jar, replace the bait
and re-use the plastic for the next round if needed.

What to do with bruised, over-ripe fruit?

Use a food dehydrator!
The very ripe pears, apples, plums make the best tasting snacks for kids and adults alike.
A good friend picked bags of pears of the ground in her garden and gave it to us to feed to the chickens.
The happy egg layers we have roaming around the barnyard sure got their share but I kept the best ones for ourselves.
It takes some time to cut off the bad parts, slice them and load the dryer but it's well worth it.
Food dryers is an item often found at Goodwill for a few dollars. Or if you want to, you can build you own. There are many plans on line.
After the pears are dried ( no more "moister"-pockets ) I put them in bags and store in the freezer.
When winter comes around and fruit is expensive and tasteless in the grocery store, you have your own, healthy, preserved fruit waiting. Perfect for a day on the ski slope, the hike, the school lunch...

Warning: Fruit-flies! Don't store the over ripe fruit indoors. You'll have fruit flies hovering in your kitchen and they are hard to get rid off. I'll post my favorite fruit-fly trap in the next post

To can or not to can, that is the question...

Canning season is in full bloom and if you are the lucky owner of a big garden/ orchard or the recipient of free fruits and vegetables from a friend, don't get overwhelmed by the prospect of canning.
It doesn't have to be whole day event that leaves you exhausted and a kitchen in need of serious scrubbing.

It can be done in smaller batches and very simply. I canned peaches yesterday and it took an hour from start to finish for 7 quarts ( one batch in the canning pot).
The dishwasher washed and sterilized the glass jars while I was peeling the peaches and  took out the pits.
The tea kettle heated the water for the "sirup" and I had the big canning pot full of water pre-heating on the stove.
After the peach pieces were packed in the jars, I added 1-2 Tbsp of sugar to each jar and poured in the boiling water from the teakettle (leaving 1/4 inch from the top). Then I attached the sterilized lids and rings and into the canning pot the jars went for 20 minutes
While I kept an eye on the timer I quickly cleaned up the kitchen.
It was fun, easy and I'm looking forward to opening a jar of home-canned peaches during the dark winter months.

Favorite coffee shops in Eugene

( the not so frugal part of our lives...)

Usually we make all our coffee drinks at home with the stove-top espresso maker but ones in a while, hanging out in a coffee shop is a very nice treat.
Also, the fast speed internet now available in almost every cafe' is a bonus when you usually only have access to dial-up.
 
Wandering Goat coffee Company (268 Madison St, Eugene)
VERY good organic coffee. You can buy green beans for $5/Lbs and roast them to your own perfection in a popcorn popper! Yes. That is the only frugal part...
The lattes are beautiful art creations to perfection. 2% milk or whole milk are the only options for drinks with milk. Great atmosphere and WIFI is free.
Prices? Fairly high but well worth it when you have a need for a splurge. As my mother said after her first visit: "the best latte I ever had"


Vero (205 E 14th Ave, Eugene)
A new coffee shop in a beautiful old house. Very nice staff and good coffee. Old furniture, close to downtown. The play great old jazz in the speakers and serve coffee in large mugs
WIFI, big tables for larger groups or meetings are also a plus.


Barry's Espresso  Bakery & Deli (2805 Oak St, Eugene)
One of the best bakeries in Eugene. Great coffee drinks, staff, homemade breads, cheese-sticks,soups and sandwiches.
No WIFI unfortunately but great lunch! And at very good prices. Our teenagers love the "Black & White" cookies.
Owned locally by Barry and his family.

Thinking of renting a movie...check out your local library first!

A huge amount of great movies are available at you local library. Books on tape (disc), magazines and newspapers along with a billion books of course. In Eugene we can simply book any movie on line and receive an email when it is available. But you can also just walk in and find something worth watching.
We don't have TV reception at our house and have saved tons of money by using the Eugene library.
The newest buzz  is Library2Go, a website that you can use with your library card. Lots of media is available and more is added daily.

Looking for a great wine at a great price?

Go to the Grocery Outletware on River road in Eugene!
They have a wine guru"  there named Andy who used to work in Seattle in a very fancy wine shop. He is knowledgeable, very nice and happy to help. The prices are great but the true quest for the frugal wine shopper is the best quality for the best price. Andy knows his trade and can help you find the perfect wine for any occasion for the perfect price. Right now we are testing a variety of Merlots with the assistance of Andy. You can also ask to be put on Andy's mailing list and receive a newsletter with all the latest news in the wine department.
When you find one that you like, rush back because some wines are in short supply. We ended up buying a whole case of one that we enjoyed at a price under $5. The original price per bottle was $15.
Grocery Outlet has tons of other great deals for the frugal shopper. Many luxury items like fancy cheeses, crackers and frozen dishes. Dairy products, vegetables, fruit and nuts are plentyful, fresh and affordable. A fun place to shop and also, they have a drawing every week. You can win  the amount that you ended up saving at the cash register. Enjoy your shopping.

Hunting for treasures....

...and Goodwill is one of the greatest places to find them. My husband and I probably spend too much time roaming the isles of the second hand stores in Eugene and Junction city but to find the best stuff you have to have patience and use creativity. Building supplies, light bulbs, electronics, kitchen tools.....

Our french doors and some of our windows in our house was found at Goodwill! 

The trick is to not buy stuff just because it's there...and that it might come in handy... sometime in the future.

And also, to donate stuff that you don't want any more back to the store!!!! 

I guess we keep the circle going. Donate-buy-donate back....Good for the environment (re-use,recycle) and for the Goodwill organization and people who work there.

However, look out for high prices! Some stores seem to think their "stuff" is worth  more than when it was new.

They should remember- it was DONATED in the first place.

Give us frugal people a great price and we'll keep coming back for more treasures...

"Costco is God!"

Talking about saving big bucks and getting cash back in the end of the year~" Costco is God" as a friend said to us on one of our trips this summer. He referred to the amazing price of a already cooked chicken, (under $5.00) for when unexpected company arrive...

My favorite part is the 4% cash-back on the gas when you use their AMEX and their lattes for $1.00!

My husband's favorite is the hot-dog with a soda -deal, $1.50!

Lunch is always great, the pharmacy cheaper than most places, big packs of things you really need a lot of (paper products, coffee beans, ink....) and Costcos return policy is amazing. Bought a printer there last year and it started to have problems recently. I called Costco, they took it back, no questions asked and gave me cash in hand! With that kind of policy it was worth going back to the electronics department and replace it right away. What did I have to loose?

High quality,consistently but beware, stick to your shopping list and don't get sidetracked. 

Any food that you end up throwing away is the same as throwing dollar bills in the trash- something we frequently have to remind ourselves of when we go to Costco. What doesn't fit in our bellies/fridge/freezer gets to stay on the shelf.

So the big question, is it worth the yearly membership?

We think so. Many options for different memberships makes it work well for any family.

Their services for small businesses are also worth checking out... meanwhile  your very large, delicious cheese pizza for $9.99 is being cooked and ready for pick up in a few minutes...

Did we mention, Costco is God.....