Protein Power

I've discovered seitan! I've known about it for years, had it at restaurants, but never bought it because it was far more expensive than tofu. Now I've discovered how easy and cheap it is to make. It's just wheat gluten and vegetable both and some spices! And on top of it being cheap and easy, it is packed with protein! Oh, the simple joys that make me happy :) Now that I know I like it I'm going to make a big batch and freeze some. Here's the simple and easy instructions I used: how to make seitan

Is a gym membership wasteful?

Is a gym membership an unnecessary expense? This is one of my expenses that I feel is extravagant- only the rich go to gyms, right? I could just go for a run or walk at a nearby park or in my neighborhood. It would be free and I would also save the world my carbon emissions getting to the gym. I try to be frugal, but this is one thing I've struggled with. My main dilemma is that I really enjoy going to the gym. I love the classes and the instructors and the people. I am far more motivated to move at the gym than when left to my own accord. Many times I've gone for a "jog" and ended up walking and not going as far or as long as I planned. I realize that I'm not willing to part with my gym at this point so I'm trying to justify my spending. I try to think of it as an investment in my health that will pay off later on in health care and insurance costs. I did shop around and wait for a special membership price: a little over $20 a month. I figure that's not a bad price to pay for all types of classes from kickboxing and yoga to belly dance and aerobics and I even use the weight machines there. Now that I've attempted to rationalize my guilt for spending, I've decided one thing I can do to get my money's worth and drive less is to shower at the gym and head straight to school rather than driving home to shower. It takes more effort to pack a gym bag, but in return I get free shampoo, conditioner, body wash and hot water! I wonder how many showers a month add up to $20??

Beany Ways

On my quest to save money, I've turned to beans. I eat beans often, but I use canned beans for convenience and because pressure cookers frighten me. My new money saving challenge is to cook one meal a week centered around dried beans. Super cheap and really not that hard to cook (I will also be working on my fear of pressure cookers!). This week I've begun my dried bean challenge and made a lentil loaf: Vegetarian "Meat" Loaf
It's cooking now, so no reports yet on whether my first bean challenge meal is yummy. (And lentils cook quickly without pressure cooking, so I haven't faced the cooker yet!)

Take a hike...

to the polls. Make a difference in the direction of our nation- VOTE!

Piles of Peppers

I had my first garden this year. I started out a bit too optimistic and made a 600 sq ft garden. I thought getting it started was most of the work. Silly me! All that weeding, trying to outsmart pest , harvesting and wow it was a lot more work than I was expecting. We've had our first frost here and I had to pick all the remaining bounty and figure out what to do with it. So today is official pepper day. I have been chopping and freezing bell peppers. Along with making stuffed pepper and eating quite a few along the way! I had a total of 133 peppers over the season (definitely got my money's worth)! I was so spoiled with red, yellow, orange, purple and even lilac peppers! Oh so yummy. Luckily some of summer will stay with me for a bit longer in the freezer :)

Halloween

Every year I say I'm going to skip Halloween because I don't know what to wear. Then every year, the parties sound too fun and I end up wanting to go. This leaves me searching for a costume at the last moment. Due to my lack of planning, my costume will have limitations. No elaborately sewn costumes. However, I do not want to run out to the costume shop and shell out too much money! Time to devise something more than a sheet over my head, but without spending much. I found some good websites with creative and easy costumes:

http://justshootmenow.wordpress.com/2008/10/11/easy-and-frugal-halloween-costume-and-makeup-ideas/

http://www.stretcher.com/stories/971001a.cfm

http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf176315.tip.html

Just as I was sorting through my closet and craft supplies, I had friends to the rescue. A friend suggested costume swapping. Brilliant! Now I have a great costume for free! Gotta love frugal friends :)

Gift giving

Giving gifts for weddings, birthdays and holidays is a challenge. What to give that will be liked, but won't break the budget? This weekend we went to a house warming party and I needed a gift to bring. This couple moved in a month ago and their house was already full. Their yard was a different story. A brand new subdivision where they clear out all things green before building (a huge pet peeve of mine). So I went to my garden and got some chocolate mint- super easy to grow, yummy in teas and desserts and pretty purple flowers. An all round great plant for those that are new to growing. I potted up some mint in a ceramic pot, tied a ribbon around it and made a cute label with how to plant and use. A nice, simple gift that was well received and cost pennies (next time I'll take a photo).