DIY: Mandarin Orange Zest

In my quest to achieve frugality, I'm *attempting* (and often failing) at trying to waste less. And, seeing as I am now addicted to those darling Cuties mandarin oranges, I was excited to find a blog post that talks about how to turn those peels into fabulous mandarin orange zest. Orange zest brings such life into foods and sauces, so I'm totally stoked to try this.
How to Dry and Use Mandarin Orange Peels

At Long Last....

After a few years, and several attempts at reorganization, I finally have my modest food storage organized and shelved the way I like it. The hubby would like for me to move it into the basement, but I really appreciate having it handy upstairs because it is more easily rotated, and I can see it better. The pics really don't do it justice. I'm so, so pleased with the work. It's still a work in progress, but the organization is getting better--finally.

Battle of the Ages

I have been participating in a war that others have fought, and lost, for centuries. Every day is a new battle, a new skirmish, another setback, but I refuse to be another casualty.
I'm waging war against my dirty house.
It never ends. When you have two little ones, it's a never ending cycle of clean this, wash that, scrub there, wipe off here, vacuum this, sweep that. It never ends.
I am not a "good" housekeeper, really. This is something that doesn't come naturally to me, and is one of my greatest day-to-day struggles, especially now that I am chasing after little ones. I even have help with them, thanks to my mom-in-law, and I still can't always get everything accomplished because I am tired, and I relish the quiet time too much to want to clean.
I make a to-do list every day, and whatever doesn't get done, I have been carrying over to the next list. I have items that have to be done, and others that I hope to get done, but I had been classifying them as things that needed done during the day, instead of prioritizing.
I realized the other day that my lists were including 40 items, in one day, on average. It is no wonder that I am always feeling behind and that I am never doing a good enough job keeping up with the mess. No one can do that unless it's your 40 hr. a week job, and even then! Let alone if you have kiddos...it's impossible.
So, today, I am striving to make the lists shorter, focus on what truly needs done, and maybe a few daydream items and a couple fun items. It's going to take time to get into a new routine, but I really can't keep going on 40 items or more a day.
It most definitely is a war, and one I intend to win.

38 Principles of Self-Sufficiency, Part Two

Earlier today, I posted a link to a list of 38 principles to self-sufficiency, that I found on The Survival Mom, and I wanted to do a self-assessment of where I am at, and where I need to be.

38 Principles of Self-Sufficiency

by Don McAlvany

This list contains some challenging, provocative thoughts and some real pearls of wisdom. Leave a comment and let me know which principles hit home with you and if you have any to add to this list.

1. Change the way you look at everything. Rethink your entire lifestyle. I am such an emotional shopper--really, I'm just an emotional person. In addition to this, I have a bad habit of comparing myself to others and their possessions, and I also am trying to learn how to "save for a rainy day," which is hard because I don't tend to save $$, period. So, my foray into this is taking my newfound passion for food storage and emergency preparedness, starting there, and using it to then build up to other things, like monetary savings, home improvements, and the big ticket items. I am a creature of habit and routines, and trying to change how I look at things and reconsidering my entire lifestyle is something that I am working on (a couple years ago, I didn't really have food storage, and I laughed at 72 hour kits), but is very hard for me, as well.
   
2. Develop discernment about people. I tend to have a decent intuition when it comes to allowing people into our lives, or whether to avoid certain individuals, but I do make mistakes, and I need to make better assessments so our family can be surrounded by people who will support us, love us, and lift us up, rather than bring us down.
   
3. When you invest, invest first in the right people. For a long time, I have always enjoyed spending time with people who were right along with me--shop-a-holics, people drowning in debt, like we are (though we're working to get out of it), and I am finding now that I am miserable around some of those individuals. I also am hurt that some make fun of our goals. If you can't accept me at my worst, you certainly don't deserve me at my best.
   
4. Look at yourself honestly. What are your strengths and weaknesses? Strengths: I can be good at judging situations. I feel I am good with words. I am a champion bargain huntress. I am passionate about developing a self-reliant attitude. I have a fun sense of humor. I try to share my mistakes so that others learn from them. Weaknesses: Impatience. An inability to see the big picture at times. A short fuse/temper. I'm a world class procrastinator. I get discouraged easily. I sometimes struggle putting others' needs ahead of my own.
   
5. Seek the counsel of others you trust. I think I am doing a good job, or at least a better one, when it comes to this area.
   
6. Find like-minded people who can be part of a mutual support group and who you can cooperate with. I feel like I sometimes struggle finding people with the same goals and passions. I do have them, but I also feel like some in my life are poking fun at our goals, or think we're being too cautious or silly. I would love to find people as interested in "prepping" and self-reliance, particularly in our own age group.
   
7. Find alternate methods for doing everything. Very difficult for someone who loves routines and falls back on habits. But, I am attempting to remedy this, and I have loved ones who are helping me, especially my husband.
   
8. Develop an instinct for what doesn’t feel right. No matter how good something looks or sounds on the surface, go with your gut feeling, your instinct, your intuition. I trust my intuition, and I feel I am doing well with this principle.
   
9. Eliminate non-essentials from your life. Eliminate all time wasters and money wasters, and things you don’t need, i.e. clothes, furniture, junk, etc. Eliminate television from your life. What do you mean I need to give up my T.V. and my Facebook? I don't know if this is something that necessarily needs eliminated from our lives, but I definitely wonder sometimes if I spend too much time on the computer, and might have what is termed a "computer addiction" because I sometimes feel like I HAVE to check my mail or my Facebook account, even when I don't really have anything new to see. We are working on purging out things we do not want anymore.
   
10. Simplify your lifestyle. Learn to say no to things or activities which do not make you self-sufficient. Doing this. It's a struggle. I am worried I am losing friendships as a result, but my family and our goals come first.
    
11. Develop physical, mental, and spiritual discipline. When it comes to physical discipline...well, let's just say I had a goal to exercise three times a week starting this year. I have purposefully done one exercise session. I am also a snacker and need more control in this area. Mentally, I am working on this, but it is hard. I have needed to seek outside help. Spiritual discipline is a hard one for me because I feel sometimes as though I am so different from my fellow church members when it comes to my views on life, politics, current events, etc, and I find that it can keep me from church at times, which certainly doesn't help me develop spiritual discipline when I am struggling in my relationship with my God and my Savior. I need to work on this.
    
12. Learn to treat everything as if it were irreplaceable. Working on this.
    
13. Buy things that will last, even if they cost more. We started doing this with our first child, when we realized we were buying cheap items over and over again. Spend more on something nicer, and you don't have to buy it again.
    
14. Acquire tools that do not depend on electric power. I don't know where to begin on this goal. I need to do some research.
    
15. Learn to spend time alone with yourself in total silence. Think, reflect, reminisce and plan (or strategize) in silence. Doing this. I am learning to love my quiet moments of meditation and reflection, especially when you work part-time and have two children...these moments are sacred.
    
16. Learn to spend time with your family without any superficial entertainment and distractions. Need to work on this. I constantly feel like we have to "do" something in order to have quality time together.
    
17. Learn something from every situation you are in. Everything you hear, see, touch or feel has a lesson in it. Learn a principle from every mistake you make and from everyday life situations. I do try to live by this principle.
    
18. Make sure your trust is in the Lord and not your own preparedness. Pattern your preparedness according to the guidance of the Lord. Listen to what He puts in your heart. Don’t use only your reasoning power. I do trust the Lord and his guidance and plan for my life. I might struggle sometimes feeling a spiritual connection or peace, but I know He has me in His care.
    
19. Learn to enjoy simple pleasures from the smallest things. Have a measure of joy and happiness that doesn’t come from creature comforts or entertainment. I am trying to do this. I watch my children and see the joy they derive from such simple pleasures. They are an example to me.
    
20. Store up memories for times of isolation or separation from your loved ones. Doing this via blogging, Facebook, photos, etc.
    
21. Establish priorities for all areas of your life, including relationships and current and future needs. Set goals for areas to become proficient or self-sufficient in. Set a schedule or a timeline to reach those goals based on the money and time you have available. We are trying to do this as a family. We struggle at times, but we are trying.
    
22. Examine the concept of civil disobedience from Bible times throughout history. At what point should the people of Egypt have said no to killing the male babies in Moses’ day? At what point should the people of colonial America have said no to King George? At what point should the people of Germany have said no to Hitler? At what point do we say no to the despots of our day when they take over our money,property, guns, our children and our freedom? Decide what is your choke point. When do you move toward civil disobedience? For many throughout history it was when evil leaders handed down edicts that were directly contrary to God’s Word or commands. Don’t set your choke point too early or too quickly, too late or never. Think through and calculate a strategy. Then never look back. This is such a personal question. What might be important to me might be contrary to someone else's beliefs. I try to follow my heart and the guidance of the Spirit, and I rely on my conscience and strive to think about my loved ones in all that I consider when it comes to the world around me.
    
23. Learn to ask the right questions in every situation. I'm great at asking questions and getting the answers I need, so this is a strength of mine.
    
24. Bring orderliness into your life. If you live in disorder, it will pull you down and break your focus. Think focus vs. distraction. Eliminate the distractions from your life. Working on this, but at times, I feel my life is so chaotic with everything that we try to accomplish. I need to keep trying.
    
25. Self-sufficiency or survival principles are learned on a day-to-day basis and must be practical. I spend time every day researching ways that we can accomplish our goal to become self-reliant.
    
26. Always have more than one way to escape, more than one way to do something. Have a plan B and a plan C. This is a concept we are just starting to put into practice. I recently attended a fire safety class, and the local fire chief admonished us to plan two exits out of every room in the event of a fire. I think that is applicable to life as well. In every situation, try to have a back-up plan. It also would help to eliminate discouragement when things don't quite go your way at first--you have a fall-back plan.
    
27. Every day life, and especially life during a crisis, requires up-front systems and back-up systems if the first line of defense, or the up-front system, fails. Researching this, on so many levels. Hence, our passion for preparedness at this point in our lives.
    
28. Real education only takes place when change occurs in our attitudes, actions, and way of life. How very true. Dave Ramsey allows people to share their experiences in his debt-reduction books, and I remember a woman talking about bankruptcy, and how the first time was hard, and the second bankruptcy was a bit easier, and then the third, and it was the fourth bankruptcy that made them realize that this wasn't a grand fix. They needed to completely change their attitudes, their habits, their way of life, and their goals. Once they did that, they completely got out of debt and no longer rely on credit. But, THEY had to completely change EVERYTHING.
    
29. Wisdom is making practical applications of what you know. It is not enough to know everything you need to know. It will only serve you and others if practical application is made of that knowledge. It's like the hubby says about shooting--you won't know how to shoot that gun and handle it safely if you only go out with it once a year. You gotta keep up the skill level, so safety and correctness become habit.
    
30. Fix in your own mind the truth about your capabilities. In a crisis situation, this will keep you from being too cocky and will provide you with confidence. I'm pretty sure I won't be feeling too cocky in the event of a crisis. I actually worry about the opposite problem--being too panicked and unsure of myself.
    
31. Decide ahead of time, before a crisis arrives, how you will react in a given situation so that you are not swayed by the circumstances, the situation or your emotions. That is why we are working on these goals--so we won't be swayed by emotion and can think rationally in an emergency.
    
32. Beware of being spread too thin in your life. Decide on the few things in life that you must do and then do them well. Think focus versus distraction. Make sure that unimportant, non-essential distractions don’t keep you from achieving your important objectives. I need to work on this.
    
33. Learn to quit wasting things. Be a good steward of all that God provides. I can be so wasteful. I need to value and take care of all that we have.
    
34. Buy an extra of everything you use regularly and set that extra one aside for the time when such items may be difficult or impossible to obtain. Doing this. Yay!
    
35. In every situation, train yourself to look for what doesn’t fit, what’s out of place, and what doesn’t look right. I think women excel in this capacity, don't you?
    
36. Teach your children, and learn this yourself, that you are not obligated to give information to a stranger. You don’t have to answer questions that are none of their business, not even to government officials. AMEN!! I need to stop being so willing to give up my info for freebies, though.
    
37. Sell or give away things you don’t use or need. Consider giving away or selling half of your stuff, the non-essentials. Simplify and streamline your life, lifestyle, and possessions. We are working harder to give, rather than toss our unwanted items.
    
38. Find someone who lived through the Great Depression and learn from them. Find out how the became self-sufficient, how they made do with very little, and how they found joy and contentment in the midst of hard times. Will do!
    

Validation of My Parenting Style, Or, Why My Son Wants Breast Implants

I was raised in a pretty liberal Mormon household, as far as television, music, movies, and books were concerned. Although counsel in the Mormon church is to steer clear of rated R movies, I was allowed to watch them, provided my folks had viewed them first, and it was then that I developed a love for slasher flicks--along with classic rock, cerebral and often controversial literature, etc.
I had vowed to be as accomodating to my children's tastes as possible and within reason. I see parents asking questions on Facebook about letting their 10 or 12 year olds watch or read this or that, and I was thinking how I probably would have seen or read whatever they were talking about by the age of seven. And I think it's OK, provided there's parental moderation. I wasn't one of my fellow Mormon classmates who was sneaking out to go see rated-R movies, and I also felt comfortable asking my parents questions about life, sex, violence, etc, instead of searching for answers where I shouldn't. Also, I feel like ANYTHING can be taken out of context and made "bad" with the right material.
Case in point: the most innocent movie in the world, and one of Goob's personal favorites, Toy Story 3. He LOVES this movie, and has watched it...oh...about 900 times.
The other day, after watching it for the 901st time at his grandparents', I noticed he was walking with a swagger, a high pitched voice, and with makeshift boobs and a grin. I cautiously asked him who he was, and he excitedly answered, "BAAARRBBIIEE!!!" He spent an hour of his life being Barbie and wishing he had boobs.
ANYTHING can be taken wrong. Unless it's pornographic or intensely obscene, the key is parental moderation. My son now wants breasts thanks to Pixar. Will I ban the movie? Heck no. But, it did validate my idea that it's less to do sometimes with the material and more how we explain things to our children. Each parent has individual standards, but nothing is OK unless we provide answers to questions and a careful eye. I'd rather moderate than censor.

38 Principles of Self-Sufficiency

I LOVE this blog entry on The Survival Mom:
38 Principles of Self-Sufficiency

What We Store and How We Prep: Personal Hygiene/Toiletry Items

One of the many things that we store in the event of an emergency/financial downturn (in our home) are personal hygiene and toiletry items. I do this for several reasons:
1) I have tricks to scoring them in bulk, for minimal cost.
2) Generally speaking, a lot of this stuff doesn't expire. (I ask you, have YOU ever had a box of tampons "go bad"?)
3) In an emergency, maybe, for example, deodorant isn't something that will save your life, but if you are already sacrificing a lot of comfort, maybe not being stinky will make you feel better. I remember someone saying that they would pack a razor because smooth legs would be comforting to them. If it makes you feel good in a time of crisis, why not?
We stockpile toothbrushes/toothpaste, deodorant, hand and bar soaps, body washes, shampoos, razors, lotions, tampons/pads, and toilet paper. I'm sure I might be forgetting something, but you get the general idea. Sometimes, I'm not as good with keeping up with a stockpile of pads and such, but I try to keep at least some excess around the house.
So, what are the tricks to getting these items for little $$?

• Utilizing warehouse stores. You can find stuff like deodorant for really inexpensive prices. For the amount of two bars of it at a normal store, you can snag four at a warehouse club. And they do carry name brands, like Secret, Dove, and Degree. Warehouse stores are also excellent for toilet paper, feminine hygiene products, body washes, shampoo, razors, toothbrushes/toothpaste, soap, etc. If you're not much of a couponer, you can still get great deals using this method.
• Shopping sales. The weekly circular of your local grocery store is key here. A lot of grocery chains will post their ads on their websites (I know mine does), if you don't wanna pay for a newspaper (I know I don't). A lot of times, stores will have "stock-up" sales, which are where you will be able to find these items for less. For example, at my local grocery store, I picked up Dial hand soaps for $1 a piece. 8 hand soaps for $8 is pretty good. Items like toothbrushes and toothpaste can be good deals going this route, as well.
• Coupons. I am NOT a coupon sort of gal, but I do use them on a few items, and this is one aspect of my storage where I am known to use them on occasion. I can get low-cost, swanky razors this way, along with pads/tampons, lotions and shower gels, shampoos...the coupon market seems to love this subsection of the grocery store. And, once again, you can find many coupons online, or have a friend save the circulars out of his or her newspaper, if you can.
  

To give you some rough figures, we have 11 bottles of hand soap, 24 bars of "normal" soap, about 6 9-roll packs of toilet paper, more body washes and shampoos than I can count, same with lotions, two large pump bottles of baby wash (and I mean LARGE), four large bottles of kid-friendly shampoo, about a dozen (plus) toothbrushes, three full sized, unopened things of toothpaste, plus numerous sample sized ones (we also like hoarding sample sized products when we can get them)...I say this not to brag (OK, maybe I am a little), but to show that getting a good stockpile is POSSIBLE on a LOW budget. We have a grocery budget right now of about $300-500 a month, which includes all food, emergency prep items, long term food storage, extra for our short term food storage, personal hygiene stockpile, cleaning supplies, kitchen utensils and small appliances/supplies, AND our children's clothing budget and formula/diaper budget. With the right tools, you too can do this. If my terrible-at-finances self can do it, I promise you...YOU CAN, TOO!! Get motivated, and start stockpiling/preparing for a rainy day!