Allan has a question he’s hoping some of you can help answer! Specifically those of you in the Maritime provinces:
I read your “about me” page and saw you mention Dave Ramsey… I am not sure how much you are “in” to Dave Ramsey’s program, but I have a question for you. I am wondering if you know of any personal finance investors in the Maritime Provinces who follow Dave’s model of investment in mutual funds? On the Dave Ramsey website, one can find “Endorsed Local Providers” (ELPs) who have taken Dave’s course and who Dave has vetted and trusts; however, he does not have any relationships with Canadian personal finance people and, therefore, has no ELPs in Canada. Just wondering if you are aware of any?
Have you ever wondered how much money you can save when you grow your own herbs? The truth is, you can save a significant amount by growing your own as opposed to buying them at your local grocery store. And just think, with all of that money you save, you can buy that new patio chair you wanted, or perhaps some more flowers to beautify the yard. Take a look below at how the savings can break down for you and how much you can pocket after just one growing season.
First, let’s look at the cost of fresh herbs via your grocery store:
At my local grocery store, a small package of fresh basil is about $3. The cost of a basil plant at my local farmer’s market or greenhouse is $2. As it grows throughout the season, I can easily pick off three times that amount of leaves. So to buy 30 leaves fresh at my grocer it would be $9. Growing it on my own it costs $2.
Now, let’s look at the costs associated with growing your herbs:
To grow your herbs you will need some pots or land, soil, and fertilizer if you desire. You will also need to water regularly. While these supplies do cost money, they are not necessarily expensive and a little goes a long way. You can rest assured that growing your own herbs is inexpensive and does not take any real chunk of money out of your budget.
And remember, you only pick what you need:
When you grow your own herbs, you don’t pick them until you need them and you only pick what you need. This way, you avoid waste. If you bought a package of fresh herbs at your grocery store, you may not get to them all at once and some will certainly end up in the garbage. That’s like throwing money away! When you grow your own, you avoid this and only pick and use what you need for a particular recipe.
Over the course of a growing season, suppose you planted five herb plants at $2 each. For about $10, those five plants can easily grow $30 or more of fresh herbs. That is a wonderful investment and return on your money.
Try growing your own herbs and you will not only eat fresher, you will save money in the process.
One of the biggest ways you can waste money is to let produce go bad before you use it. This often happens when we buy too much of something, get too busy to use it as intended or even forget about it in our fridge. It is almost maddening to open the fridge and see produce you now have to toss in the garbage because it has gone bad. Here are some tips for using up produce when you know you won’t be able to use it up in time for what you bought it for instead of tossing it in the garbage.
Tips for Using up Produce Before it Goes Bad:
Use your freezer.
If you have onions or peppers that are turning over-ripe, dice them and place them in zipper bags in the freezer. The freezer will stop the ripening process and it will allow you to use the vegetables for things like omelets, casseroles and slow cooker meals in the future.
Get Creative with bananas.
Pretty much everyone knows that over ripe bananas are perfect for banana bread, but you can also use them for pancakes or for thickening up milkshakes. Just cut the bananas into chunks and flash freeze by placing on a cookie sheet for a few hours and then storing in plastic freezer bags.
Start a compost pile.
If you have scraps from vegetables or fruit or you have some produce that is totally unsalvageable, this is the perfect start of a compost pile. Composting is great for gardeners as well as just fertilizing bushes, trees and even your lawn.
Over-ripe produce is perfect for soups.
No one will know the difference. Soups are historically known for being created out of need to use leftovers. In fact, some of the best soups ever made were made up just from what people have at home needing to be used up.
Fruit that is starting to go bad or is bruised can be used for pies, tarts, sauces and compotes.
Simply throwing some apples in a small slow cooker with some seasonings is all it takes to make a delicious applesauce.
If you are a big fan of smoothies, don’t go out and buy expensive frozen fruit for them.
Instead, look for ways to turn discounted produce at the store and fruit like bananas, berries and pineapple that you have at home into smoothie-ready chunks in your freezer.
Don’t assume that because part of the fruit or veggie is bad, all of it is.
With some fruits like berries, this is usually true, but with many, it isn’t, and you can use part of the vegetable or fruit with no problem. We are so used to buying produce that isn’t blemished or bruised that we think one that is, is no good any more.
Make Homemade baby food.
If you have a baby who is on solids, produce that is starting to turn (but is not moldy) or is bruised is perfect to make baby food with. Just stick it in a food processor and you have homemade baby food ready to go.
One way to avoid having produce waste is to only buy it as you need it or shop organic or local. While it may seem more expensive this way, it actually saves you a lot of money if you are the type that throws out produce frequently because it will have a longer shelf life in general.
I’ve got a question for you today! I’ve been doing a bit of daydreaming lately, specifically about things I want to do here at Simply Frugal. So yesterday while I was driving around town, I was thinking about you all. So…:
I’m Wondering: What skill(s) do you wish you knew that could impact your finances positively?
This could be budgeting skills, sewing skills, canning skills, learning to have fun without spending…etc
With summer quickly approaching, you might be thinking of hitting the road or the air for vacation time. There's just one thing...you're on a budget and what you have been envisioning for a vacation, is just not going to factor in. What to do, what to do.
Enter the Staycation: your vacation on a budget. No packing, no sore rear ends from sitting in a car, no airport delays. Simply enjoying what your city and surrounding areas have to offer.
Here are a few of my tips to make your Staycation memorable:
Spend the week before playing catch up
This doesn't sound fun but believe me, when there are no chores or work to distract you during your staycation, you have no reason but to enjoy your family, enjoy time for your favourite hobby, and enjoy your break from your regular routine! If playing catch up the week before really doesn't sound appealing, make a conscious effort to deliberately avoid household chores or work during your staycation.
Order your local Entertainment coupon book
Currently, Entertainment coupon books are on sale for $12 each with free shipping. That's a great price for a book that's jam packed with coupons for your local attractions. More often than not, the coupons are for 2 for 1 admission! You can order your Entertainment coupon book here, if you'd like. The books also feature dining coupons and shopping coupons.
Be Adventurous
Try a restaurant with an ethnic cuisine you're not used to. Hike the tallest mountain in your area. Take a local art class. Try something you've always wanted to try, but you've kept putting off because you've been scared or lacking the push to be confident!
Enjoy what your area is famous for
Why do all the tourists flock to your city in the summer? Where I live, we're famous for our wineries, orchards and lakes. It wasn't until we had family come for a visit, which I partook in my first winery tour experience. Even though I'm not a wine drinker, I thoroughly enjoyed the history and even the free wine tasting!
Know it's okay to splurge if the budget will allow
You're on vacation. Eat every meal out if you want. Or spend your entire budget on that river rafting excursion you've been saving for. Step out of your normal every day, non-vacation, routine.
So, are you excited to start your fabulous Staycation? I sure am! I've got some great ideas going through my head!
Along with baking soda, I’m also a huge fan of using vinegar around the home. My current favourite way to use white vinegar is in the dishwasher (instead of Jet-Dry) and in the washing machine (instead of fabric softener).
But, there are a ton of other ways to put vinegar to use!
Here are 10 uses for Vinegar:
#1 – Clean Your Bath with Baking Soda and Vinegar: The bathtub can get quite dirty after a lot use and neglect. That doesn’t matter though, because you can clean your bath quickly and easily with both baking soda and vinegar. Just give dirty areas a good dusting of baking soda, follow with vinegar, and scrub vigorously with a sponge while the mixture fizzes away. Clean away any leftovers with water.
#2 – Clear up and Prevent Bruises: All of us have suffered a nasty spill of some kind (and I’m not talking about the kind where someone drops a drink) and those bruises can become extremely sore after a while. However, you can make all those nasty bruises go away; just soak some cotton gauze in a bit of vinegar, apply it to the bruised area, and let it sit for around an hour.
#3 – Brighten Your Laundry: You have a choice, spend a pretty penny on some fancy “all-color, stain-fighting, super-effective” laundry agent, or you can spend a couple of bucks on some plain, white vinegar. Just add 1/2 a cup of that stuff to your wash cycle to reinvigorate and brighten all the colors in all of your laundry loads; reds, blues, greens, yellows, blacks, and whites!
#4 – Hot Vinegar Drain Cleaner: Is the sink not draining as quick as usual? Chances are it’s probably a little clogged up by grime and such. This isn’t a problem though, all you need to do is pour roughly a half of a cup of vinegar and a half of a cup of baking soda down your drain, wait a little more than 15 minutes, and then follow it all down the drain with hot (preferably boiling) water.
#5 – Frost-Proof Your Windows: We’ve all had to wait that dreaded 5 minutes every winter morning; the windows are slowly-but-surely clearing up and you’re already 10 minutes late for work. You can help keep the frost off your windows by spraying a solution that’s 3 parts vinegar and 1 part water on your car windows every few weeks.
#6 – Deodorizer: Hate having to hold your breath when open your trunk to put the groceries away, or maybe that musty old closet is getting to be a little too unbearable? You can freshen up the smell of these places quite easily! All you need to do is give a slice of white bread a soak in some white vinegar, place the soggy piece of bread on a plate, and keep it in that closet or trunk for a night. Things will start smelling good again in no time!
#7 – Clean Fresh Produce: Whether you are the gardening type or you just took a stroll through the produce section at your local grocery store, you never know what’s clinging to the surface of your fresh fruits and vegetables. If you’re not feeling safe about your food, you can always wash them with 1 tablespoon of white vinegar mixed with 1 1/2 liters of plain water for a nice, bacteria-cleansing wash.
#8 – Clean Rust Off of Old Tools: So, you’ve finally gotten grandpa’s old tool box open, expecting gold and treasure, and just got some rusty old Depression-era hammers and screwdrivers. You can clean up grandpa’s old tools easily; just submerge them in some plain white vinegar for a couple of days until the rust is all gone.
#9 – Streak-less window cleaner: If you have some vinegar, water, and dish soap lying around, you can make a window cleaner that outperforms most others. Put 2 cups of water, 1/4 of a cup of plain white vinegar, and 1/2 a teaspoon of your favorite dish soap all into a spray bottle then have clean, clear windows in no time at all.
#10 – Keep Pests off your Pets: Is Fido biting and scratching away at himself because flea season has started? You can keep those bugs away by filling a spray bottle with equal parts vinegar and water and applying it to your dog or cat’s coat before rubbing it in. Be careful with cats though, they’ve been known to get a little resistant and violent when vinegar and its “horrific” scent get involved.
