Dang TV

fresh baked bread and rolls .. pic by Mrs. Mac

We have been TV free for over two years .. saving $1,440 .. and giving us back countless hours of time to devote to renewing .. relearning lost life skills.  Now .. my son-in-law brought over a $10 TV antenna .. to get about eleven 'free' channels.  I'm finding myself getting 'sucked' into the TV vortex from the 'newness' of this old habit .. and must once again break free from it's hold.  I have put down the remote .. and will bake bread today!  Turn on some nice music .. and get to work.  Daylight is burning.  If I can just learn to monitor my viewing .. it will be a nice pastime to sit and knit after all chores are done for the day.  We get quite a few cooking, nature, outdoorsy shows to choose from .. plus local ABC, NBC, CBS, FOX .. etc.  If you're paying too much for cable or satellite TV .. you might want to make a small investment in a 'rabbit-ear antenna' and ditch your monthly bill.   

Frugal (read cheap) Green Cleaning & Family Health

Mrs. Mac's Cleaning Arsenal

Since we ditched our anti-bacterial soap/cleaning products several years ago.. the family has had fewer colds and flu .  At one point in my homemaking career .. I tried to eradicate every germ on every surface with an arsenal of highly advertised products .. (liquid soaps .. scrubbing bubbles .. etc.)  Fast forward .. and remove yourself from current society .. just think back on how homes were cleaned a hundred years ago without modern products ... one has only to turn to the kitchen pantry to find alternative (cheap) cleaners.

For windows I use a recycled spray (window cleaner) bottle and fill it with one cup white vinegar with two cups tap water and a small squirt of dish soap (adding a drop or two blue or green food coloring .. so the family will 'think' it's effective;).  This can be used on windows .. stainless steel appliances .. sinks, bathtubs and toilets.

Squeaky Clean Tub .. pic by Mrs. Mac

For cleaning sinks/tubs .. try just a small drop of dish soap and sprinkle with baking soda .. use a soft clean rag and a little water .. rinse.

Toilets .. same as for sinks but use a few extra drops of dish soap.  Any hard water rings can be safely removed with a pumice stone.  Spray your window cleaner on another cloth to wipe down the seat and rim.

Mirrors .. a soft cleaning rag (lint free) and a little window cleaner is all that's needed.

Use caution on marble (any acid such as vinegar or lemon juice may dull the surface if not wiped immediately) .. I find no problem using the window cleaner on sealed granite counter tops .. just wipe well after spraying.

Three products:  Baking Soda, Dish Soap & White Vinegar will clean your home just as well as those expensive products .. saving you a ton of money .. and the environment each year. (2 gallons white vinegar & 13.5 lbs of baking soda cost under $10 and will last a very long time ... purchased in bulk at Costco).

Essential Oils .. a little drop goes a long way!  pic by Mrs. Mac

I often use a small drop of an essential oil on my damp cloth (such as Rosemary or tea tree oil) giving the cleaned areas that refreshing health spa aroma. 


More money saving tips:  Using cotton rags (made from old washcloths, torn up towels, flannel sheets, sweat pants, etc.) works better than paper towels .. if you stop using fabric softener (Downy or Dryer Sheets) .. and instead use 1/2 cup of white vinegar in the wash rinse.  Fabric softeners tend to leave a filmy residue on fabric and may streak mirrors. 

Bar soap .. and 20 seconds of scrubbing = clean!

When using bar soap, invest in a little footed insert for the soap dish .. it keeps the soap elevated and out of any water .. making it stay cleaner and last longer.  A single bar can be cut into four smaller sized pieces .. perfect for hand washing.

Dabbling In The Kitchen ... again

This has been an exciting week kitchenwise.  First with the arrival of our green coffee beans .. then the wheat grinder .. and today my supply of Tattler reusable canning lids.  Come payday I'm off the get the wheat berries and give fresh ground wheat a try. 

I had such a nice quantity of milk kefir grains (see previous post) that I started to research about using them to make flavored water kefir.  The grains were divided:  half continue to make milk kefir .. and the other half have been designated for water.  So far I'm on my second quart of fermenting the water variety.  I used fresh organic ginger and some organic lemon peel to flavor the first batch .. it came out very refreshing .. now to try it on the family :).  The second batch I hope to flavor with some tangerines.  Soon I'll post some pictures with directions. 

The seeds that were sprouted earlier this week are ready to use in salads .. and I'll start on a second batch to sprout.  They greatly add flavor and crunch to our meals .. as well as good nutrition.

Last year I injured my right shoulder installing 6 foot metal T-steak posts and fencing around our three fruit trees (to keep the moose out) it has bothered me for about nine months.  Well .. after amping up my use of the milk kefir, calcium tablets made from seaweed, and consuming bone broth soups, it is finally on the mend ... just in time for the coming gardening season.  If you have the time .. it's well worth the effort to make your own rich soup stock.

Broth Is Beautiful
Taking And Making Stock
Bone Strength Calcium Supplement
Tattler Reusable Canning Lids

Newby - Home Coffee Roaster

Just arrived .. green coffee beans (pic by Mrs. Mac)

Here's what green coffee beans look like (pic by Mrs. Mac)

Our shipment of green coffee beans arrived this week.  We purchased beans grown organically in Bolivia for $4.99 a pound, including shipping.  They have a AA rating.  Being a newby roaster, I still have much to learn about the process.  It is rather exciting to roast beans at home .. and the more often you do it .. the better you are able to judge how well they are roasted.

Make sure your skillet harbors no previous cooking flavors :) (pic by Mrs. Mac)

I am using a big black cast iron skillet on top of the stove and have my exhaust fan turned on high to remove the smoke.  Some people use pop corn poppers .. others use bread machines with heat guns (used for paint removal) .. I'm using a method surely used by my great grandparents.  So far .. so good.

The beans start turning color and the skins pop as moisture is released (pic by Mrs. Mac)

And I must admit that this particular organic-fair trade coffee is good .. yes .. I'm still limiting myself to a cup a day .. with no problems .. which is rather hard to do ;)

Once the beans are roasted, it's important to remove them from the pan to cool .. and to remove the chaff.  Transferring them between two colanders in a breeze outside (or using a blow dryer) removes the chaff.  Now you must wait about 24 hours for the full flavor to develop (the hard part;)

So far .. the family gives a big thumbs up for the process .. and the outcome .. I roast only enough for one week's worth of coffee, storing the beans in an airtight glass jar .. once they have developed their flavor after resting 24 hours.  I thank my friend Maria for sharing her coffee roasting venture.

links:
Invalsa Coffee Company
How to Roast Coffee At Home
How to Store Green Coffee Beans (prior to roasting)
Why Organic & Fair Trade Coffee?
Fair Trade Coffee
 

It took about 20 minutes for the beans to roast .. (pic by Mrs. Mac)

Why Bother Canning Food At Home

Canning is a lot of work.  But, I am finding like many other 'lost' homemaking skills, it is much easier and less time consuming once you get the hang of the process.  And .. another plus .. the jars are reusable year after year .. so less waste in the landfill or to recycle.  Winter is the perfect time to can beans.  So far our storage pantry is nicely stocked with Boston baked beans, pintos, and now red beans.  The pintos are so easy to mash to make re-fried beans to serve with tacos.  The red beans will be added to our newly canned beef chili for quick winter meals.  For easy to learn canning procedures, check out the Ball Blue Book Of Home Preserving .. it has recipes for both water bath and pressure canning .. lots of pictures and diagrams .. easy instructions for beginners. Can food with a neighbor if you are hesitant .. you might even share the  equipment until you decide whether or not home canning is for you.  The biggest boon .. quality .. and no preservatives added .. BPA free jars ...for the most part by-passing big ag .. and .. Walmart! Do you can?  If not .. find a friendly neighbor and barter for a lesson or two. 

Resources:

Tattler Reusable Lids

Current Day Canning Movement USA Today article

Feeding Six on a Pound of Hamburger

I never know what is for dinner most days .. until mid-day .. or a family member calls at 4PM to ask, 'what's for dinner tonight .. I'm starved' .. There are so many things to weigh (LOL).  What green to serve (salad, slaw, broccoli, green beans .. and what have we already eaten this week .. have to mix it up) .. what veggie .. what starch .. what meat.  I try not to serve heavy meat dishes but once a week .. that means the other dinners will be in the form of soups, stews, pasta, rice or potato casseroles .. salads .. or even breakfast in the form of omelets, waffles .. etc.  Last night I made .. let me think what to call it .. humm ..??  Sauteed mushroom/ground steak gravy .. served over mashed potatoes .. with a side of fresh garden corn on the cob (plucked from the freezer), and a delicious tangy coleslaw with vinaigrette dressing.  Hummm .. HOBO gravy .. nah .. Steak gravy .. nah .. How about:  Mrs. Mac's Meaty Mushroom Gravy?

I swear .. the family thought they had died and gone to heaven with this dish.  Tasted as good as a Sunday afternoon pot roast meal .. at about 1/4 the cost and time to make.
 

Mrs. Mac's Meaty Mushroom Gravy

1 pound ground beef (ya know the kind .. grass fed and local;)

1/2 cup dehydrated mushrooms (soaked in 1 cup of water .. save the water) .. or substitute a cup of fresh mushrooms .. sliced or diced as you like

1/2 cup diced yellow or white onion

salt, pepper .. dash of soy sauce if you wish .. few drops of Kitchen Bouquet for color if you have it on hand

2-3 cups beef stock or mushroom water or a mix

2-3 tablespoons organic corn starch

Directions:

In a large hot cast iron skillet .. put a pat of butter and add the mushrooms .. let them sit a bit to brown before stirring them .. then add the onion and saute them for a minute.  Push the mushrooms and onions to the sides and add the ground beef .. searing it before stirring .. you want it to brown up to give the gravy good flavor and color.  Mix well with the mushrooms and onions.  Really break up the meat to a fine consistency. If the meat has a lot of fat .. drain off all but about 1-2 tablespoons.  Mix the 2-3 cups liquid with the corn starch in a shaker jar.  Slowly add it to the browned beef and stir it well .. it will start to thicken.  You may need to add more liquid. Stir well.  Add/taste/adjust the seasonings.  Serve over mashed potatoes or rice. 

Turkey .. Ten Ways

Turkey sandwich meat .. photo by Mrs. Mac

I'm getting the hang of cooking from scratch.  Making as much from my little kitchen laboratory as possible.  With the food budget money this month I splurged and bought a 18 pound minimally processed .. small farm .. turkey.  It was expensive at $56 .. the price you pay for having plain turkey without all the additives.  This turkey was dissected and made into TEN different turkey products packaged for quick use from the fridge and freezer.

Cajun (spicy) style roasted turkey breast ... photo by Mrs. Mac

Some of the broth, meat & gravy .. photo by Mrs. Mac

1. Cajun style breast meat roasted .. sliced thin for SANDWICHES ... 3 pounds
2. 6 quarts stock for SOUPS
3. 2 half pints of rich pan drippings for GRAVY
4. 3 quarts meat for use in CASSEROLES
5.  and TURKEY SALAD
6. Legs and wings baked TERIYAKI style for dinner and lunch (8 pieces)
7. Leftover teriyaki chopped for use in FRIED RICE
8. neck bones, heart, liver pressure CANNED as a nutritional supplement for our dog
9. Bones boiled second time to make BROTH to serve over my dog's dinner
10. Leftover by-parts/products .. from second batch of broth used to make a gallon of DOG FOOD

teriyaki turkey .. photo by Mrs. Mac

 About two or three pounds of bones is all that got tossed out.  If it wasn't the middle winter with two feet of snow on the ground, I'd have added the bones to the fire pit and used later on the garden.  Maybe next time I'll freeze the bones and do just that.

Buying In Bulk .. and better home management

Well .. the new year is starting off good.  The family seems to be on board to purchasing groceries in bulk.  We are slowly switching from a monthly supply of goods in the pantry .. and adding six months of supply.  This means .. and here is where the adapting comes in .. that I don't have to take any grief if we are out of a particular item.  Say mayo .. or .. bread .. or a hundred other things they complain about if we are out of.  I have been making mayo (for example) for the past six months.  If we are out .. it's because I may have just one farm fresh egg left in the fridge for an emergency .. so make your sandwich with mustard and get over it (LOL).  Too much 'want' .. instead of basic need .. this is 'a-changin' ...  hallelujah!  We are saving up for a flour mill.  I hope to have enough money by the time we have used up our current supply of flour.  And .. my friend, Maria .. at Shallow Thoughts From Iowa .. buys her coffee beans (fair trade) green .. and roasts them herself at home ... will attempt this as the organic grind I buy is pushing $11.50 a pound.  Please share any cost savings tips you may have.

bread ready for final rise .. by Mrs. Mac

Hubby is reading 'Food Rules' and 'The Omnivore's Dilemma' .. both books by Michael Pollan.  I think I will be writing out the food rules on little 3x5 index cards and drilling him ..  maybe even add a few of my own rules.  It's a step in the right direction.  Yesterday .. he mentioned he'd like to learn to make bread.  There's always hope of reforming a 'Wonder (white squishy) Bread' boy, eh? :)

Today is our monthly budget day.  This, again, is an area hubby wants to gain knowledge of the process .. Oh, yes, he sees the end result .. no debt .. nutritious food on the table .. his cash envelopes filled.  But he is wise to see how it's done and to have a look-see at all the budget categories.  Just knowing that he wants to try and eat healthier when away from home .. or when I am out of town .. and how to manage the finances .. is music to my heart. 

homemade bread .. by Mrs. Mac

This week in the kitchen I'm tackling making and canning chili (meat and beans separately), making waffles to store in the freezer for quick school morning breakfasts, and looking into buying more food items in bulk .. which means figuring out where and how much to purchase, and how to store it all.  Any suggestions for bulk ordering would be helpful. 

Ants are creatures of little strength,
   yet they store up their food in the summer

Proverbs 30:25

Doing What You Can .. In a Toxic World

Some days I get antsy reading the headlines on the sidebar of this blog.  GMO foods and crops .. to soak or not to soak grains .. raw -vs- pasteurized milk .. toxic money .. etc.  Yes, it is good to be informed.  Taking in the news and trying to eke out a common sense approach to life is important to having a quality life.  There is just too much living to do that one needs not to be in fear of living.  Just breathing is dangerous it seems some days.  I get the most enjoyment trying to figure out how to make products at home.  Be it soap or green cleaners.  Trying to save money and not always needing the latest gadget.  Being content with thrift store shopping.  Growing as much food as possible for summer use and winter storage.  Can I do it all? NO!  .. and I have learned that being a good homemaker means not only keeping busy at home with the garden, etc. .. but also seeking the best local produce, eggs, meat, etc. in the community and not worrying that I can't do everything.  Big sigh :)

Making Every Dollar Count

Yesterday was budget day a The Mangy Moose Lodge.  I have been working with a household budget for the past eight months; it's getting easier.  Allocating our spending categories at the beginning of the month ..  makes for good spending habits.  Its' easier to say "NO" to impulse buys.  Christmas shopping is easier with cash set aside in an envelope.  When the $ is gone .. no more shopping :).  Our youngest daughter is just starting out in life .. albeit .. still at home .. but learning good foundations that will carry her through life.  Being able to live on a fixed income AND budget will be vital for her future success.  Today I helped her type up an easy to read budget form that she can print out each month and fill in with pencil.  Learning to live within your means at an early age is a very good thing.  Our economy and government could use a good dose of living within a budget .. my wouldn't that be a saving grace!

Speaking of making every dollar count, look at the good turkey stock and meat that was made from cooking the turkey carcass after Thanksgiving.  We had a small 13 pound bird that gave us enough for an additional three meals ...

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday ... (a day late;)

Indian Summer & the clothesline

second crop of berries

bialy (roll) dough

autumn colors still lingering

some of today's garden pick

Small Steps

Big gains. 


It's hard to remember shopping with store coupons for ready made food products.  Our food bill was about double what it is now.  The change to eating whole foods started off slowly and has snowballed.  A little step here and there has added up to a total makeover with more changes to follow.  Having a set amount of cash to shop with each month, slowly stocking up on single item pantry/freezer goods (flour, eggs, veggies, meat .. etc) .. makes for quick meal preparation and planning.  Purchasing went from several times a week to once or twice a month.  Honestly .. yesterday was big shopping day for the month of November.  Our budget is $400 cash (family of four); this does not include much meat as that is separately budgeted and purchased from a local ranch each summer and kept in a chest freezer.  Having a well stocked pantry, I came home with only four bags of grocery staples.  Milk, cheese, spices, potatoes, tea, chips, etc. leaving me $220 until the end of the month.  Over the summer, the garden and local u-pick farm supplied fresh produce, much of which has been frozen, canned or dried for winter's use.  Buying and growing locally usually ensures better quality.  Getting to know the farmer and their farming practices helps when making choices outside of your own garden.  Separate freezer space allows for extra gallons of milk to be stored until needed, eliminating that dash to the market (that turns into a $20 shopping spree).  Milk and hard cheese both freeze beautifully.  Just remember to pour a little out of the carton to allow for expansion; the extra can be put in a wide-mouth labeled mason jar and frozen.  When we are out of milk it's nice to have a few cups in the freezer to tide us over until shopping day.  Learning to budget food has taken about six months.  Eliminating convenience foods has freed up dollars to buy good quality staples such as flour, oil, milk, produce, etc.  With the exception to canning and bread making, cooking from scratch takes no more time than ready made convenience food with practice.  Adapting our favorite family recipes to be more nutritiously prepared has won over my family to eat better. 

photo by Mrs. Mac

Yesterday's lesson:  Everyday I try to learn something new in the kitchen.    My husband and daughter still prefer those yummy-foo-foo sweetened (FAKE) creamers.  Thinking outside of the BIG BOX store mentality, (and not having the money in the budget for their 'desires') I purchased half-and-half and doctored it up, making it a little less sweet and without all the FAKE chemicals.  We call it Autumn Carmel Spice Coffee Creamer, they're hooked :)  .. I'll drink mine black or with a splash of milk.  You can make flavored creamers using a similar method and your flavor of choice.

Autumn Carmel Spice Coffee Creamer:

1/2 pint good quality half and half (the only ingredients should be cream and milk)
1 Tablespoons organic sucanant (unrefined sugar)
2-3 Tablespoons organic raw sugar
dash of cinnamon
small pinch of sea salt
1 Teaspoon good quality pure vanilla flavoring (watch the ingredients .. they should all be pronounceable and familiar ones:)


Put a few tablespoons of half and half in a small sauce pan.  Add the sugar, cinnamon and pinch of salt.  Stir over medium heat for just a moment until the sugars dissolve.  Do not let it come to a boil or the butterfat will separate and float on top of your coffee (bleck).  Slowly add the additional half and half and the vanilla.  Stir until well mixed.  Cool and pour back in the carton .. marking it as flavored coffee creamer.

The road to better nutrition is as individual as each family.  Do you have a favorite shopping strategy?

You Can't Always 'Trust' Thrift Tags

vintage white 'hobnail' bedspread

It pays to be patient when 'thrifting' :)

Today was 'date' day with Mr. Mac.  We were supposed to go to the hardware store (hey, it's raining;) but decided to stop at a few thrift stores on the way.  My favorite hangout was having half off the entire store .. so that was the first stop.  A few more USA made vintage diner pieces were picked up (plates and bowls @ 2 for 25 cents and 2 for 50 cents :) .. afterward we ventured to the Goodwill and I spied a hobnail (double) white bedspread.  Impressed, I checked the tag .. it read 'Dog Blanket' .. $1.99.  What?  I had stumbled on a rack of older bedspreads that the store thought would make good pet bedding.  Well, I checked the bedspread over pretty well (no fleas;) .. just a few small surface stains near the top edge.  After treating the spots and adding a smidgen of bleach with the blanket in the washing machine .. viola .. a perfectly good spot free bedspread .. with just a few minor snags.  A similar spread was priced at $58 when this bed was added to our guest room.  What do you think?  Is it a keeper?

Junk Products

Since building our home in 2007, I have been very disappointed in some of the kitchen appliances.  We did not buy cheap .. but middle of the road quality/price.  To date, my microwave, dishwasher, and fridge have all needed some repairs.  Even the range, which had an electronic starter go on the fritz has been worked on.  Our high efficiency washing machine purchased in 2004 was replaced in 2006 with a less high tech model that uses more water and has no electronic brain.  I'm not sure the dishwasher will get replaced anytime soon should it completely go kaput; I can envision a nice calico curtain on a rod with storage shelves for my cast iron pans in this space.  Product quality seems to have been replaced with customer no-service ..  or at the least ... expensive repair bills (or extra insurance policies) that are about half the original cost of the product.  We need to re-invent quality USA made products instead of importing junk.  How did our country come so far as to send a man to the moon ... and yet have such poorly made foreign products for sale .. and a HUGE percent of the population out of work?  Government manipulation, big unions, and a less than united front in the workforce have contributed to this demise.  My pocketbook has been emptied .. but no more.  This same trend has not been just for large ticket items.  I have had countless small appliances (shall I mention coffee makers) that have stopped working just as the warranty expired.  Next up will be my rant about dinner plates!

Free Advice

... given to my 20 year old daughter (over the past five years;)

Don't be in a big hurry to move out until:

• College classes finished and no student debt
• A paid-in-full used car
• An emergency fund of $1,000
• Know how to balance a checkbook
• Only use a credit card if you have the money in the bank already ... and it can be paid off immediately ... better yet, don't have one.
• Learn to cook using whole foods

Advice I gave my daughter before she should ever decide to get married:

• Make sure you and your future spouse are equally yoked; both spiritually and philosophically.

• While you are a DINK (double income no kids), live on one paycheck and bank the second, even if that means living in a mobile home or tiny apartment.
• Stay home with your children while they are small.  Daycare is so expensive, and granny daycare (well, let's just say ... granny will be too old and worn out by then;).  They are only small once and the window of opportunity to shape their future is very slim.  If you have followed the DINK suggestion, then this one will be much easier.  You don't have to keep up with the Jones ... just a rambunctious toddler or two.

Old Fashioned Inspirations

Hubby and I are watching Season One of the old TV series, The Waltons.  There are a lot of simple lessons to learn ... just by watching how this family struggles through the Great Depression with barely two nickles to their name.  I love watching the interactions between the grandparents .. the parents .. and the children.  John Boy is always weaving family history as he writes down lessons learned.  Parents have authority over their children and guide them with love and discipline.  There are many lessons to learn just by watching this amazing family working together for the good of the family unit.  Some evenings I even catch my daughter, Ann, watching an episode (don't tell her I told you so;).  Inspiration from another era ... it's a good thing! 

End Of The Month Round Up

Yes, $350 +$20 from fire fighter son has been a tight squeeze for food funds.  We have four days to go until PAYDAY ...  You can bet I already have my shopping list ready and waiting!  Hubby was looking for   crackers today ... sorry ... you have to WAIT until shopping day (I haven't bought crackers for months because most are filled with JUNK).  I offered him some carrot sticks and a chunk of cheese ... saying dinner is in 45 minutes ;)  (He survived)  Our freezer food is being used up ... and fast.  If my planning is good, we have just enough frozen berries, freezer jam, and hopefully beef to last until summer when I restock for the year.  Tonight I made venison meatloaf (no one asked about the 'mystery' meat), steamed carrots, and potato salad.  The ten pounds of organic carrots earlier this month was a good buy.  They come in handy for snacks ... and as a side dish. The hardest part of making all of our food is not running out of bread.  I have to stay on top of this .. which is not always easy; one day soon I'll stock the freezer with a few extra loaves.  I have $2 and some spare change from this month's budget, Yippee!  Proposed meals from what we have on hand this week:

Dinners

• dinner omelets with biscuits and jam
• turkey noodle soup with a green salad
• buffalo stew
• tacos with refried beans

Lunches

• egg salad sandwiches
• veggie sticks with grilled cheese sandwiches
• leftover soup with veggie sticks
• taco salad (from leftover dinner tacos)

Breakfasts 

• buttermilk pancakes
• oatmeal
• blueberry muffins with smoothies
• eggs & toast

Ten Day Countdown

This week I entered our budget on my computer program's spreadsheet (Microsoft Works Monthly Home Budget).  This has proven a much better option to pen and paper as I can do a little fudging with the numbers much easier than erasing and correcting the paper version.  Also, at the beginning of the month I can enter a minimum (fixed) salary amount ... and in the next column enter the actual salary after payday.  This is very helpful for people that have fluctuation in their monthly pay.  I set the budget on the minimum fixed amount so I know the least amount of money to budget.  It's a blessing when I can go back later and enter the actual salary and fatten up some of the categories if we get more income.

We're in the final stretch of April.  I have exactly $50 grocery money to last to the end of the month.  I think this is doable!  This means our family of four (often 5 & 6 from son and grandson) survived on $370 worth of whole food groceries ... a family record!  Do you keep track of spending?  It's amazing how much more aware you become when you have a budget worksheet to keep you on track.

picture image from here

Just Say No

I've had to practice saying the word NO ... not today ... not in the budget this month to my family.  Being the keeper of the purse strings is a big responsibility that can not be taken lightly.  With daily practice ... it is becoming much easier to just say NO.  I find it utterly pathetic how our society has been hoodwinked into believing we needed so much stuff.  Stuffitis is definitely a mental disorder!   I'm going to into the garden for some therapy!  Spring weather and gardening and reacquainting myself with God's word are the best cure-all.  Enjoy your day.