The handle came off the kettle this morning: My husband said, “Maybe this would be a good time to get that electric kettle we’ve been talking about [for the last several years, on account of electric kettles are more efficient, I've heard.]“ “Sure,” I said. “But I think I’ve got a handle that will do [...]
Filed under: Day-to-Day, Good With My Hands, Home Skills | Tagged: frugal, repair | 2 Comments »
Feeling contrary and sick, I don’t want to talk about the election or Osama bin Laden today, so I’m going to talk about food instead. Here is my strategy for using convenience foods that don’t have extra ingredients to put dinner on the table in under half an hour. These are not gourmet meals, but [...]
Filed under: WorldView | Tagged: food, frugal, PostADay2011 | 6 Comments »
I have been teaching my children to cook since they were very small. It is one of the greatest gifts I can imagine giving them, since it is a skill that leads to cheaper food, more control over their preferences, and healthier eating. Even if they cook something high in fat and sugar, it won’t [...]
Filed under: Day-to-Day, Recipes | Tagged: children, food, frugal, PostADay2011, self-sufficiency | 3 Comments »
(I’m going to tell you how much I spend on utilities, in real dollars! Eventually.) This is a part of my daily life that has been growing for years, so I think it deserves a mention. It’s partially frugal, partially environmental, and partially an exercise in testing limits – how little can we use? It [...]
Filed under: Day-to-Day, Home Skills | Tagged: environment, frugal, PostADay2011, power, SolarPowered | 1 Comment »
I’ve had this song stuck in my head since I went dancing last weekend: (Contains the word “fuck” a couple of times. Visuals completely acceptable in public.) I started off thinking, “But, I don’t want to be a billionaire.” Now that I’ve read the lyrics, and watched the video, I’m smitten. Love the song, love [...]
Filed under: WorldView | Tagged: frugal, good-enough, music, PostADay2011 | Leave a Comment »
Today, my mechanic added a useful skill to my repertoire. Specifically, he taught me how to start a car with a burned out starter motor, and it does not involve hotwiring. What is more, he did this over the phone, thus saving me the $50 tow fee to get my car from my back yard [...]
Filed under: Good With My Hands | Tagged: feminism, frugal, PostADay2011, self-sufficiency | 1 Comment »
I am in the middle of reading a book on greener cooking. I’m finding it a difficult read, as it is mostly composed of lists, I can’t tell which “tips” are the most important, I’ve found a couple of glaring errors in the scientific analysis, and the prose is chirpy. All in all, it is [...]
Filed under: Recipes | Tagged: environment, food, frugal, PostADay2011 | 7 Comments »
Last fall, I went to purchase a mattress for the youngest member of our family. I went to the furniture store, gave them my number, and then realized that I had left my wallet at home, so I said I would come back for it the next day. I went out, got into my car, [...]
Filed under: Day-to-Day | Tagged: frugal, PostADay2011 | Leave a Comment »
The Price Of Gas!
Oh! It is time to run in circles and flap our hands! Gas is going up! Food will cost more! Who could ever have predicted this??? Here is one of the places where the division between structural analysis and the personal impact becomes glaring. It has become apparent to me over the last few years [...]
Filed under: Essays and Musings, Family, Rural Living, WorldView | Tagged: environment, frugal, peak oil, PostADay2011, self-sufficiency, social commentary | 4 Comments »