Top 5

A few weeks ago my sister called to ask what she could do with a bunch of green peppers, without having to 'stuff and freeze' them. I suggested she slice them up any which way she liked and fry them up with an onion and some garlic, then puree them and use the concoction as a sandwich spread. She ended up julienning them all, and eating the peppers as a raw snack.

I love kitchen conundrums.

Another thing I love is overcoming my temptation to dial 416-439-0000, and order a party size pizza - easy on the cheese, fresh garlic on one side. Last night was one of those 'what do I serve the kids tonight', because it seemed our cupboards were bare, and most importantly I was feeling quite lazy after a long day of park and backyard play.

Luckily, the frugal angels and the rat that sit on my right shoulder veered me away from the phone and through the supplies. Dinner was simple, but when it was over I was glowing knowing we were $25 richer.

The Menu:

Appetizers
2 peeled and sliced apples
2 peeled and julienned carrots
hummus
corn chips

Main
Annie's Bunny Pasta


Dessert
N-O-N-E, because village son did not eat his pasta; village daughter didn't care because she loves food and simply dug into her brother's untouched pasta

Village Papa made himself a gorgeous steamed salad of kale & broccoli & eggs drizzled in a cocktail of healthy oils (pumpkin, hemp, olive) + lots of fresh-pressed garlic. I ate three day old leftover mush: red quinoa, tofu, mushrooms, swiss chard, and the hummus I scraped off the kids plates.


Thank you to these top 5 that always seem to populate our cupboards/produce crisper:

apples
carrots
quinoa
hummus
pasta


What are your top 5?

Limited Warranty Politics

A few weeks ago our barely one year old humidifier's motor died. The rest of the unit, the water tank, the base, the motor housing are fine. The 5 Year Limited Warranty states that 'normal wear and tear' are not covered under their warranty.

The humidifier has been sitting in the hallway waiting for me to make the next move; I've been mentally debating offering the parts on freecycle or packaging it up and putting it on our front steps with a 'free parts' note.

I've been stalling based on a landfill experience from last year when our coffee bean grinder's motor died. Village Papa tried fixing it but didn't have the right miniature tools. Then I went to three repair shops who all told me to throw out the unit and buy another one; no one wanted to repair it, 'too expensive to repair' was the excuse. Throwing that grinder in the trash made me feel terrible; I felt paralyzed from my inability to repair/reuse, and mostly reduce our family's contribution to the landfill.

Imagining our humidifier's next incarnation as landfill mass provoked me to call the Consumer Service Centre. They have said they WILL replace it with a brand new one. I should be elated, but
I have no idea what they'll do with the one I send them. They couldn't tell me that because they haven't seen the unit.

So here I am grateful for the new humidifier we are going to get (the one that keeps nose bleeds at bay), but I feel guilty that the motor I send them may just end up in the landfill anyway. Anyone have any cheerful warranty/repair/non landfill ending stories to cheer me up?

Canadian Contest - $500 prize!

PC.CA Product Developer Contest Details:
http://www.presidentschoice.ca/FoodAndRecipes/PDForADayEn.aspx

Good luck!

Wallet Wealth - Rat Style

Some of this might be redundant, but it's worth repeating in this 'year of the rat'.

* Make sure your kids' savings are locked into high interest paying accounts. Up until recently our kids' savings were earning them point one percent, yes '.1%' in children's accounts.

I never got a logical explanation as to why the bank wouldn't have suggested a higher interest savings account given the large sums of birthday money we'd saved. I guess it's just one of those things about educating ourselves...anyway, now they earn 3.25%!

* If you are plagued with credit card balances that never go away pick up the phone NOW, and negotiate a no interest or lower interest period. The first agent may say 'no', so ask to speak to the manager, if that person says 'no', ask for the next person up, and so forth.

One time I threatened to close all my bank accounts and cancel my credit card, they put me on hold for about 40 seconds and 'miraculously' came back with a 'yes, we'd love to help you'.

* Forced savings will help you save.

On the first of every month my bank transfers $50 ($25 for each kid) into their RESP. I used to think 'it's ONLY $50', but in no time thousands have been saved - plus we've benefited greatly from the government's 20% top up.

* Leave credit card(s) at home. There will always be a sale, a bargain, something to justify pulling out our plastic impulse card. If we buy something on sale but don't pay the balance in FULL, on time, we end up paying interest which means the 'deal' we got bit us in the ass.

* The best thing a credit cousellor ever taught me was to pay my credit card debt on a weekly, sometimes daily basis. Instead of waiting to pay the minimum on its due date, pay the debt down every time one has extra money. If I got birthday money I'd deposit it to my CC; if I had an extra $5 here and there I'd deposit it to my CC; if I'd lent someone lunch money and they paid me back I'd deposit it on the CC.

* To be fair, there is ONE plastic impulse card which you can't afford not to have with you at all times: a library card; free books, magazines, movies, music, free knowledge! This institution is so awesome it even offers toy libraries home delivery and hospital services.

* Crunch numbers/re think the leaks/stop letting them rob you blind. I speak from experience, though no time for a sob story. Three things you can change today, that'll free up money you can use to pay off debt or transfer into a high interest savings account.

1. Cell phone. Need it? Ok, fine, keep it, but shop around, lose lots of sleep over this until you've got the best deal. Here's something and something else to get you started.

2. Credit card(s). Need it/them? Ok, fine, keep it/them, but why are we paying them a yearly fee? Absurd, we pay them so they let us buy things, mostly on impulse, and then we pay them back late and they punish us badly. Absurd.

3. Slavery - car style. A highly educated, well read, resourceful, handsomely paid married couple we know only owns one car. They travel all over the world, often, they fine dine a lot, they entertain at home - no holds barred and they dress well.

When I asked them about only having one car they broke it down to research they'd done, questions they'd asked, information they'd gathered which totalled about $12,000 a year! Yep, even with a seemingly afforable car lease, a car will make you its slave, mostly disguised in unexpected expenses.

In 2001 my husband and I shared the above true story with a close friend, someone who always complained about overwhelming money shortages and unfulfilled travel dreams. It took seven years for the facts to sink in, but horray for inner growth, said person is selling their car, opting to invest in a car share program, using local transport, walking, and using much freed up funds to travel. Bon vogage!


Would love to hear your little steps to large wealth victories. In fact, I'll give the best idea CAD $5. Deadline February 15.

Thankful

Thankful for blogging. My links section is a work in progress, but definitely check out some of what inspires me daily.

Thankful for the creativity expressed on a local sandwich board - its strength put my latte factor at $2. That belly warmin' Americano was worth every single penny.

Thankful for creative brainstorms with my children.

Thankful that we have a warm, comfortable home, child-stuff strewn home.

Thankful for my children's health.

Thankful for mother nature's bountiful playground.

Thankful for the oversized trucks that bring squeals from jr cookie monster.

Thankful for many wonderful mama friends and their children.

Thankful that friends call to share joyful news of first time and second time pregnancies. Yay Mama K and yay soon to be Mama S!!

Thankful for our now almost vintage, 5-CD player from which the kids and I blare music all day long. This week's five were: Cold Play, Ray Lamontagne, Dave Matthews, Dave Matthews Live, and live Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds.

Village Papa went out dor dinner with a client last night. I was at home, exhausted from a week of too many interrupted sleeps and still having to juggle a delightfully hyper and wide awake toddler (who I'm trying to wean) and her high fevered, sadly delirious brother. So, so, so thankful for the delicious, mouthwatering Italian cuisine take-out village papa brought home. Yes, he ordered from the menu, especially for me. His tenderness is always expressed in bountiful gestures like this.

Thankful for surfing in Tofino.

Thankful, grateful, amazed, delighted, can say with all honesty, almost being married to village papa for seven years (anniv Feb 14) is a real manifestation of magic.