Make-it-work Wednesday: back-to-basics of bartering...

Since giving up my big-girl job and becoming a stay-at-home Mom, I've had to find some pretty creative ways to stretch a dollar.  The most fascinating thing I've discovered about this whole transition period, is that it's a little like getting in Doc's Delorian and going back in time.  If you don't have money anymore, you have to find a different way to acquire things.  Since stealing and hooking are still morally out of the question for our family's list of resources, we've gone back-to-basics on a lot of our "purchases."

There is no more, "I want that.  So I'll just buy it."  It's more like, "I want that.  So I either need to sell something to earn the money for it, trade something for it, or decide if I really want it bad enough to part with one of my things, or some of my time to get it."  Think Hunger Games...  You want bread?  Kill a squirrel for the baker.  Luckily my husband makes pretty awesome bread, because squirrels are fast and small, and don't make easy targets.  And if you want to get super technical, Back to the Future and The Hunger Games are both set in the future, not the past, but just hear me out and go with it...

Just to give you an idea of what I mean by all this, here are a few things that we've bought, sold, traded, or otherwise creatively acquired without spending my husband's paycheck since downsizing to one income:    

~ 4 sessions of babysitting = 1 dining room table...  We needed a new table, my friend had one that was too big for the dining room in her new house, she needed a sitter, I had some free time, everyone wins.

~1 afternoon of helping a friend move = 1 giant jar of maple syrup.  Same friend that the table came from.  Folks you need to go get a friend like this... just not this one.  She's mine.  

~1 big box of old clothes = a few articles of "new" clothing... Each season I go through my closet and pull out any clothing and accessories that haven't been worn since the last clean-out.  I box it all up, bring it to the 2nd hand shop, take whatever money they'll give me for it, and use the money to buy some new clothes.  *Bonus:  To help rid my house of unnecessary clutter, I swing by Goodwill afterwards and drop off anything that the 2nd hand shop wasn't interested in buying.  If I was willing to part with it in the first place, than it doesn't need to come back home with me.

Source: bleubirdvintage.typepad.com via K on Pinterest

~100 gallons of unused heating oil + 1 fuel tank = 1 new sports bra, a faucet for the new master bathroom shower, and a week's worth of groceries...  We recently upgraded our ancient old oil heating system to a new propane one, and the fuel company was going to charge us to pump the left-over oil out of the tank.  Not to mention having no idea what to do with the giant oil tank taking up valuable storage space in our basement.  My husband found a guy on craigslist that was interested in buying the oil, and the guy also happened to know of a church that needed the tank.  We took a loss on what we originally paid for the fuel, but instead of us paying even more for the fuel company to get it gone and having to figure out what to do with the tank, the guy paid us to take it all.  

~A few yards of fabric = 1 haircut...  I've recently started going through my monstrous fabric stash and selling some of it on Etsy.  This frees up storage space in our home, and gives me a few extra buck to get my shaggy 'do spiffed up.  

~A few bottles of my homemade cleaning products = fence posts for the chicken yard...  I make the stuff for use in our home anyway, so when I make a batch, I make extra, bottle it, and sell it on Etsy.  It doesn't sell like hotcakes, but it sells enough to put a a few extra dollars in my bank.  Over the course of a couple months, it became enough to purchase a bunch of fence posts with.


Thanks for stopping by,
-Lindsey

     

Manic, Talking Tuesday: a mash-up of a skipped Manic Monday post with today's regular Talk-it-out Tuesday post...

This is where we left off with the coop construction last night.  Looks pretty darned sweet if I do say so myself...that is until I finish it up by using old doors as siding.  Sorry, but there's no way in hell that I'm going to spend as much on my chicken coop as we have on our master bathroom.  Whatever's left in our yard for scrap material is what's being used to finish this thing.  

For the last several days things have been a little crazy at our house.  We're now down to crunch time on getting our master bathroom finished, because we're in the process of re-financing our house (at almost a full 3 points less of an interest rate than when we bought it, thank-you-very-much), and need it finished before the appraiser comes over.  In the midst of all the bathroom-building chaos, we're I'm also way behind on getting our my chicken coop finished.  My chicks are going to arrive in 2 weeks, and right now their poor little unhatched souls are slated for a future life of homelessness.

I came to the realization this morning that we're pretty much adding a master bathroom in our house to make up for the colossal de-valuing that's taking place by putting a chicken coop right outside our front door.  I have taken into consideration everyone's comments suggesting that I should have built it in my back yard.  I agree whole-heartedly with them, but all I can say is....Whoops.

Thanks for stopping by,
-Lindsey

Farm-fresh Friday: Manual labor brings a family together...whether they like it or not...

   Having a kid means having an extra set of hands for chores that isn't allowed to quit, and can be paid in LEGOs.  Now before you report me to social services, hear me out...

Doing manual labor forces families to spend time together.  It might not be as fun as a family trip to an amusement park, but it teaches the whole family a lesson that can't be learned anywhere else but at home.   It allows kids to see the work that goes into maintaining a house, or a garden plot, or a chicken coop, and the rewards that come from the hard work.  Want a warm house?  Help me bring in firewood (as pictured above).  And you know what?  It turned out to be a wicked lot of fun for The Kid to get to push the wheel barrow around.  Who knew, right?  

Now, I can tell you flat out that a 7-year-old doesn't make for the most efficient firewood stacker.  I could probably stack it all faster on my own, but I've had some of the coolest conversations with my kid while doing chores, and I wouldn't trade that for any of the time I could have saved by doing the work myself.  

I'm also going to let you in on a scandalous secret that 7-year-olds around the country will probably all hate me for telling their parents...

Kids will actually start enjoying chores if you let them.  If you make it a "chore" to do chores, then they'll hate you for it forever.  But if you make it into a lesson of cause-and-effect, they'll thank you for it... someday.  My kid is certainly not the poster child for motivation, or for self-starting chores, but once started, the satisfaction on his face for accomplishing a grown-up task on his own is pretty awesome.

Thanks for stopping by,

-Lindsey 

   

Thrifty Thursday: Don't be sucked into the hype...

A few years back (and still going strong today), anything sold in a brown paper or cardboard package with green font on the label was playing into the latest "Green" trend.  Consumers were...well...consumed...with the need to buy green goods.  Manufacturers caught on quickly and started packaging products in a way that fed the fire of the trend, and prompted folks to buy their wares (which were exactly the same as before, but in a new package that duped you into paying more money for the same old stuff, and think they were getting a planet-friendly karma boost).  Currently the of-the-minute trend is Urban Farming.  Go me!  I'm on trend!  Super...

So, here's the deal... Most established "urban farmers" are pretty clever and are already in the dirt DIY'ing the hell out of stuff.  So they're probably pretty safe from hype-mark-up products like this "Chicken coop predator kit" from Williams-Sonoma (yes the place with the fancy plates and coco mixes is now selling "supplies" for your chicken coop)...

Source: williams-sonoma.com  

But for those of you just starting out (like me), who may not know any better, please educate yourself before going shopping, or you're sitting ducks.  Folks, please just visit your local farm, feed, or hardware store and buy the stuff from this "kit" for a fraction of the price.  That wire material is otherwise known as hardware cloth, and is usually sold by the roll in wider and longer lengths than the one above, for about a third of the price.  And I've yet to set foot in a single hardware store that doesn't sell nails and washers...

Other current trends to be aware of:
~Organic and natural products for babies (since those little buggers happen all the time, and people just can't help but throw mad amounts of money their way, I think this one's here to stay)
~Local (I have mad amounts of respect for this one, but for the love of God, please scream with me next time you hear something like, "buy local; support your local Walmart").
~Anything made from a pallet (this one was super creative in the beginning when you could still scrounge them up for free, but now that you have to pay solid gold for a one to destroy to make a coffee table out of, it's not really the same, is it?)

Thanks for stopping by,
-Lindsey

Make-it-work Wednesday: New Master Bathroom!!!

This is my inspiration photo for our master bathroom...

Source: fortheloveofahouse.blogspot.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

I'm totally kidding.  This bathroom is bigger than all 3 bedrooms in my house combined.  And although it's totally gorgeous, the practicality in me kills the dream of it.  All I can think of is how dirty that chair is going to get when my kid jumps on it, and how bad that rug's going to stink when it gets wet.

OK, so here's my actual inspiration room...

Source: frolic-blog.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

I know this picture doesn't show much of the room, but it has the stuff I'm shooting for; Bright walls, subway tile, classic sink that'll never go out of style, and just a few pops of color from accessories that can be redistributed elsewhere if I get sick of them.  I change my mind pretty often, and I like the option of being able to change out colored towels rather than repainting a colored wall.

Getting a bathroom for our master bedroom was a bitter-sweet decision.  You see, in order to have a master bathroom, we would need to sacrifice my closet.  Nooooooooooo!!!!   I'm slightly obsessed with my closet.  I could spend hours in there pulling things out, reorganizing, putting things back, and making it just the right amount of OCD awesomeness.  But then, I saw the light.  Having a master bathroom would add mega value to our house (essential right now, since we're working on refinancing it), it would keep our grown-up bathroom stuff separate from The Kid's bathroom stuff, and it would save me having to march my scantily clad behind through the house at 2am for a potty break.  All of a sudden my perfect, color-coded, sleeve-length specific  piles of sweaters didn't seem so important anymore.  OK, not true.  They're still just as important, but I'm now willing to find a different home for them.

So it began...

Before:  Our bedroom (still without flooring at the time of this picture) as it was since we moved in 3 years ago.

During:  My dad came over and helped demo the wall between the bedroom and closet, and frame in the new space for the bathroom to go.  We lost about 3 feet from our bedroom, but we won't have to share a bathroom with a 7-year-old that is somehow capable of getting toothpaste on every single surface each night when he brushes his teeth.  So totally worth it.  

Where we stopped yesterday:  Certainly not an "After" shot here, but progress made.  The flooring is done (in our room too!).  Still to-do:

~Run plumbing and electrical

~Put up final drywall sections

~Install shower pan

~Tile shower walls (this will be my first ever tile project, so please wish me luck)

~Make (yes make) sink base

~Prime and paint walls

~Make shower curtain 

~Cut giant hole in exterior wall (that we just put new siding on 2 years ago), and install a window

Just a tiny to-do list... 

I'll keep you posted as we move further.  Hopefully we're not far off from having an "After" to show you.  

Thanks for stopping by,

-Lindsey

Talk-it-out Tuesday: Local Love...

I'm sure you've already had the "Buy Local" message beaten into your brains more times than you can stand.  Just in case you have room in their for one more beating though, here I come with one...

You see, Vermont is lucky enough to have Al's French Fries call our state home.  And Hubby and I happen to be lucky enough to have most of our in-town errands be just a quick drive away from the culinary bliss that is Al's.  It's is not fancy, but it's good, it's cheap, the staff is always friendly, the place is spotlessly clean, and they've been open since the 1940's making the same great fries.  They've been decorated in the same old-fashioned black, white, and red diner colors since the beginning, and play awesome music from the era when it first opened.  The atmosphere can't be beat, and literally, The Husband, The Kid, and I can all eat there for less than $25.00 (total for the 3 of us), and come away with happy full bellies.  This place has been an institution in the Burlington area for as long as I can remember (and I'm sure long before that as well), and up until recently, there was simply no one who could compete with them.  And to be perfectly honest, I don't think anyone local would ever be rude enough to try.  You just don't mess with something that the locals love as much as they love Al's.

then a couple months ago, a Five Guy's opened on the other side of town.  Yesterday when we were in town, Hubby and I decided to try it out to see if it was worth all the hype.  For those of you who aren't familiar with them, Five Guys Burgers and Fries is a franchise that was started in the Washington DC area in the late 1980's, and has been popping up locations all over the country, with a cult-like following ever since.  They've made quite a reputation for themselves serving fresh-off-the-grill burgers with about a bazillion different combinations of toppings, and, yes, fries.  It's quick, it's cheap, it's good, and decorated in old-fashioned red and white diner colors.   Sensing a trend here?

Understandably so, the staff at Al's was a bit uneasy when Five Guys came to town.  Well, fellas, I'm hear to tell you that Al's is safe and sound, in my opinion.  While the burgers at Five Guys were a bit bigger than the ones at Al's and there was an option of getting spicy fries (which we did, and they were good), it cost us easily double the price, we had to listen to the staff scream out burger and dog quantities the whole time, and we both had horrific gas later that evening.  I'm sure you're thinking that's TMI, but that's an accurate food review folks. The aftermath is an important thing to factor in.  Am I right, or am I right?

So there you have it.  Buy local...or purchase air freshener on the way home...

Photo sources: travelthewriteway.com and fiveguys.com  


Thanks for stopping by,
-Lindsey

Manic Monday: There's a Tea for that...

When a Mom gets sick it's the equivalent of the captain of a ship becoming incapacitated.  It's not good.  Rough waters are surely ahead when the one most experienced can't be at the helm.  So I'm a big fan of good old preventative medicine.  I like to try and knock down whatever's trying to get me before it has a chance to take hold.  Basically, I feel that if I get it taken care of before I have to reach for the conventional medicine, I feel quite a lot better all around.  I ward off the worst of the ailment, and don't have to deal with any side effects of the medication.  I love the hell out of a few Advil when things get really tough, but it most cases, I try tea first.  Here's what I've found quite effective...     

I start drinking this stuff as soon as anyone else in my house has the first sign of a sniffle to give my immune system a little extra boost to fight off whatever's about to come my way.

This is totally amazing on a sore, scratchy throat.  I also use this one when I've been overzealous and gone out in chilly weather for a very brisk walk, jog, or snowshoe.  You know that ouchy feeling in your throat when you've overexerted yourself, and have been huffing and puffing freezing cold air for too long?  Well, this tea helps erase the consequences of my idiotic behavior.

This is their Christmas blend, but I try to keep it on hand all year.  It has ginger and peppermint in it, both of which are awesome for easing upset tummies.  It's tough to find in July though, so either stock up when you see it during the holidays season, or you can usually find plain peppermint, and plain ginger tea all year round.  You can either mix them together and recreate this one, or use them on their own. 

This stuff is terrifying, but extremely effective.  Fortunately, I've only had to use this once.  And I keep a box on hand, just in case, but it sits FAR back in the tea cupboard, as to not be confused for anything else and brewed on accident to ruin anyone's afternoon... 

***Disclaimer:  I'm not a medical professional.  I respect the hell out of those who are, but I would never in a million, tra-fillion years ever have the patience (no pun intended) to stay in school for that long.  So everything I just told you is how I, personally, choose to fix some of my minor ailments, and not what I would necessarily recommend for every single person on the planet.  As the boxes of tea themselves will tell you, it's not recommended for women who are pregnant or nursing to drink herbal (not-regulated by the FDA) substances, and it's advisable to see your actual doctor, as opposed to reading an urban farmer's blog, if you have a medical condition that persists, and is beyond the repairing abilities of a cup of tea.

Have a good, healthy day!
Photo Sources: Celestial Seasonings, Yogi, Stash Premium, Traditional Medicinals.


Thanks for stopping by,
-Lindsey