Bag Lady

Here is a vintage apron that a child-who-shall-not-be-named got silver paint and tacky substances on.  To be fair, the apron was given to this child in desperation that clothing not be ruined in experiments that parents generally despaired of, but still.  I salvaged some unstained parts, including the pocket, and made it into a produce bag for my market cart. I have a lot of pretty bias tape, and I've been using it on purpose recently I guess so I can feel free to find more at the thrift store. That's a weird little mind trap!

I did a sewing-for-massage trade with a friend (so wonderful!).  The piece she asked me to resize was from Nepal and when the scraps where tumbled on my floor, I suddenly saw a bag to make.  The solid colors are so great and strong together, and that pretty ruffle is just right.  I actually used the scraps entirely to make this bag.  Satisfying.

The last bag ushers in a new era: an e-reader.  Oh my.  I do adore books, but I could not picture fitting enough books in my luggage and carry-on to keep me happy for an upcoming trip.  Obviously an e-reader is the way to take 40 books along, most for me but a few for my husband and kids just in case.  I only bought two with a coupon that came with the e-reader.  The rest are free downloads, mostly old books whose copyright has expired and have been digitized for such a time as this. Here is the helpful article that led me to books I wanted to read.

The e-reader seems sturdy enough, but I still feel pretty protective towards any screens I have purchased (and let me tell you, it has been a new phone and a new iPad recently, too, and I am sick of it). So I made a little padded bag - sturdy upholstery fabric on the outside, batting scraps in the middle, and lined with a flannel shirt scrap from my husband - with the pocket positioned to hold the charger.  I'm very pleased with it. 

A New Charger Envelope for a New Phone

I meant to tell you that back in February, my cell phone died.  It was not a smart phone.  I was wary of getting a smart phone - so much to manage!  to understand!  And the cost of not understanding could be high because you could incur charges for going over your data plan.  But my dumb phone could not handle the attachments that Ben's soccer coach was sending and other things like that.

As a thrifty person who likes to comparison shop, I find technology purchases extremely frustrating.  It's so hard to figure out if I'm comparing products appropriately, or which features I would actually use in real life, or if the inexpensive option is actually a short-lived piece of crap.

When I struggle with questions, my husband's solution is to "just google it."  So I did.  I searched "simplest smartphones," and "best cheap smartphones," and things like that and found out I'm not the only one willing to have a slow phone with less storage for a modest price.

I found out I could buy a Samsung Galaxy 3 Express for $40 at my AT&T store (we have our plan through AT&T), and it suits me just fine because I tried to think carefully about what I wanted to use my phone for.

I mostly use it for texting, occasionally calling when I'm away from home, and then some Google Driving for navigating on trips.  I snap a few photos here and there, but I mostly use my nice camera.  I rarely use the internet on my phone and I never check or reply to my email on my phone; I do that on my laptop where I feel less claustrophobic with a bigger screen (am I the only one who feels claustrophobic with small screens?).  I use the phone's timers and alarms and calculator.  I do have it synced with my online calendar, but it's not reliable; I don't think that's unique to my phone! The only app I downloaded is a money-tracking app (Dollarbird), and although my kids have asked, I don't know if there are games on my phone because I'm not interested.

The nice AT&T guy did convince me to buy a $25 case and $89 headphones for the phone.  I was so relieved to be getting a working phone that I ignored my typical rule of taking time to think through purchases and do a little research on price first.  When I sheepishly showed my purchases to my husband, his face confirmed my sneaking suspicion that I needed to return the headphones and case and comparison shop.  Sure enough, I got a case on ebay for $5 and still haven't purchased headphones because I just don't listen to music or podcasts on my phone (but I could be convinced!).

I made a charger envelope for the new charger.  But this time, I included a pocket on the back for the USB car converter, and I keep the envelope in my purse.  It's nice to grab-and-go without worrying about battery life.

So I've had my smart phone about three months now, and I do like it.  I feel like I've hit my goal of phone-that-doesn't-exclude-me-from-socializing-and-networking-but-doesn't-cost-a-fortune-for-bells-and-whistles-I-am-not-using.

What other thrifty smartphone tips do you have?  Or is this an area where you are willing to pay for convenience, functionality, and security? (I have those areas, too).  I'd love to hear how others manage!

Phoebe TV

This post slides onto the thrifty blog by saying that you don't need to buy electronics to entertain. Phoebe is better than a screen, but there are several considerations: her sound cannot be muted and she requires care and feeding even when no one feels like watching TV.  So the thrifty thing to do is borrow a baby, yes?

 

Under the arch of toys, looking in the mirror.

photo by Genevieve - the first Phoebe smile we managed to capture on camera!

I'll write about actual thrift in some upcoming posts.  I may be sleep-deprived and submerged in work, but nothing gives me satisfaction like worming out some creative, thrifty solutions.

Happy City

"If you woke up this morning and decided to try a completely different method of getting to work, could you do it?  Could you walk there?  Ride a bicycle? Or catch a bus or a train that would get you there in the time it took to read the paper?  Could you mix and match your modes?  Now take it further.  Does getting to a grocery store or a doctor's office or a restaurant without a car seem like a pretty big chore?  Can your children walk or cycle to school safely on their own?  If you think these are unreasonable questions, then chances are, real choice has been designed out of your city.  You may still benefit from the tremendous utility of your automobile, but the system is impoverishing you and your family and friends in ways you have never imagined.  How do we build systems that truly make us free in cities?"  Charles Montgomery, Happy City: Transforming Our Lives Through Urban Design

These are photos of Ben from last summer.  

And the quote is relevant to discussions my husband and I have been having recently, especially in light of a pecha-kucha on walkability he took part in and some work he did with Jeff Speck.  Living downtown, we walk to our destinations quite often.  Also, our city church has recently launched a challenge to the congregation to try a more earth-friendly way of getting to church every fourth Sunday. 

Old Cell Phones for Kids

My children are digital natives.  They speak the language of computers and accept their presence as unquestioningly as I accepted telephones and record players when I was a child.  I have deep worries about the way screens seem to absorb us and distract us while real life unspools in front of us.  I want to shield my children from screens for a while as I teach them (hopefully by example!) how to use computers and technology for good purposes in disciplined ways.

One of the teaching things that my husband and I stumbled into began when he cleaned out a drawer of stuff.  Ben asked if he could have the old cell phone.  There was no sim card in it, so my husband handed it over with the charger.  It still plays a few ring tones, takes pictures, and has a few simple games.  Ben adores this little dose of adult screen time.  Then Genevieve got the next old cell phone, which can also make short videos. She adores making little films of her life, filled with kid jokes, inappropriate noises, and strange blurry angles.

Any time they use the phones inappropriately (usually when specifically told to put the phone away, bringing it to the table, or playing on it instead of doing chores), my husband and I confiscate the phones.  One child had a phone removed for three weeks.  That child is a much better listener after that loss of privilege!

No need to buy DS systems or other electronics for kids like their friends and cousins have!  The children love controlling their own little cell phones.  It's a very thrifty way to let kids interact with screens!

What access do your children have to screens and their own personal electronics?  I'm sure this only gets complicated as they get older. Thoughts and advice, please.

A Leather Envelope for the Tablet

There's a new technology baby at our house.  My husband bought a tablet for less than $100.  After several weeks, this is how it is used:

1.  quick checks in the early morning to see if school is delayed or cancelled
2. Downton Abbey watching from a comfier spot than our desks
3. resource at meetings away from home
4. math flash cards for Genevieve
5. alarm clock
6.  Tetris for the kids - occasionally

There is some overlap with our computers, of course, but I've been surprised at how handy the tablet is proving to be.  By way of reference, we don't have smartphones, ipods, or GPS.  Our laptop is ancient and slow - my husband mainly uses it to practice for exams. We have a TV that we use for playing DVDs only.

I sewed it a leather pocket with a closure like an old-fashioned envelope.  I used a "leather needle" (whatever that does) in my sewing machine and a piece of soft, beige scrap leather from our local fabric outlet.  I mainly use the leather envelope when I'm taking the tablet out of the house.

My husband is interested in the kind of tablet cover that opens like a book and holds the tablet to one leaf with elastic loops.

The children hover around the tablet like bees around a flower.  I'm sure we will need to discuss appropriate technology use with them, but for now, we're just winging it and hoping we're decent role models.

Christmas Through a New Lens

This lens (but purchased at a local camera shop, thank you, dear husband). I'm so pleased with how the lens handles the low light inside.

old lens - I didn't open my present yet.

the remains of Christmas breakfast in the sun

Ben's best trick with his new skateboard.

G with Barbie and Skipper, my (now-vintage) ones from childhood

 

 

 

We had a lovely Christmas - I hope you did, too!  And now, let's get on with the rest of winter.

Water Usage Math for Washing Dishes by Hand

We don't have a dishwasher because we stopped short of putting in our planned kitchen island 7 years ago.  We were tired of renovating and the accompanying drained bank accounts.  Instead, we kept on washing dishes by hand as we had in the years before we were home owners and home renovators.

In the meantime, with all that time spent in the dishpan, I have been thinking.  And then I did a little research.

I figured out how many gallons of liquid my dishpan holds without messy pouring of water:

Length in inches x width x height = X, then X/231 = volume in gallons

14" x 11" x 6" = 924"  and 924/ 231 = 4 gallons

My dishpan was 3/4 full after washing that full dish-drainer-load, plus a pan on the stovetop (we use the stovetop like an overflow dishdrainer if no one is drying dishes) and the bag-dryer.

I figure I routinely use about 3 gallons of water total to wash a small dishwasher load of dishes. I've been around dishwashers enough to know their general capacity.  In my research, I read that the average Energy Star dishwasher uses 4 gallons of water per cycle and the others use about 6 gallons (although Energy Star says it differently).  And here is another article with food for thought.

The way I use so little water to handwash that many dishes is thus:

1.  squirt dish soap in pan and run in an inch or less of hot water.
2.  Wash a dirty something and turn the water on over the dishpan briefly, rinsing the soapy thing.
3.  Place the clean wet thing in drying rack.

See, I capture the rinse water right in the dishpan and use it to build up my dishwater. One of the things I didn't see addressed in the articles is that if you ideally wait to run the dishwasher until it is full, then you might need to have more dishes than I do.  I can wash a small load, and often do if I'm clearing the decks for a canning or baking project, with the same efficiency as a large load.  I also re-use dishes for several projects rather than getting a clean item every time; for example, tonight during supper prep, I used the same glass measuring cup for milk for biscuits, cream for a pie, boiling water for the same pie, and tomatoes for a soup. 

The hidden problem in my dishwashing scenario is that it takes a long time to get the hot water up to our kitchen faucet, so sometimes we run the water for a while to get hot.  In the right mood, I capture this water in my houseplant watering can.

Actually, I'm not a militant water-saver.  I started researching dishwashers vs. handwashing out of curiosity and it suits my personality to discover how little water I use in contrast to what the bigwigs think I use.  Humph.  I like the intricacies of kitchen life, that's all.

Dealing with Photos

I knew it was coming and I procrastinated:  my father's birthday is tomorrow and he adores and expects a photo calendar of our family.  What this means is that I upload all of the prior's years photos to Shutterfly (ideally I would do this monthly), and then I have the photos to select from to make a new calendar.  I've done this for several years now and it really is the perfect gift for loved ones who have everything.

Sunday afternoon, February 2012. 

But. 

I had to force myself through an entire year of photos.  While this could be inspiring, entertaining, and nostalgic, today it was sheer slog; some months had 300 photos before I went through with a razor-sharp click-and-delete.  The sun was shining, and I would have rather worked on the binding of Ben's quilt. 




No-bake Cheerios cookies - March 2012.  They were delicious.  I should make them again and blog about them this time.

 But.

I love my dad and he doesn't ask for much. . . except for the cherry pie and peach pie ("I want crumbs on top") that I baked tonight, too! 

I hope I'm more generous than I sound here.  I think the main thing I've thought all day was:  isn't modern life awful in the overabundance of photos from every angle of every activity? What's so terrible about having 20 photos total of an entire childhood?  They would be precious photos, indeed.

Never blogged about the failed marshmallow and coffee mousse.  May 2012

Ironically, this is also the day the children and I ran by the library where my book on digital photography had come in.  I'm not going to stop photographing things, but I'm rather sick of photos after today.  There's a lesson in something here somewhere and I'll just have to figure it out later.

Two Fun Ice Cream Toppings

Cocoa crumbs.

Caramel sauce.  I want to eat this with peaches and homemade vanilla, but so far I pretty much eat it straight from the jar.  Well, once we had caramel sauce, toasted coconut left from the gado gado, and homemade vanilla.  Amazing.

Both bloggers raved about these recipes on their sites.  There is nothing left for me to say except. . .

sorry for the sub-par photos.  I'm sort of starting over with my camera because I'm shooting in manual.  A more dedicated blogger would keep making bowls of ice cream until she got the pretty shot, but ice cream melts too fast and I'm not going to waste it in the compost or on my hips. 

Report on the Letter-Writing Experiment

It's been lovely.  I have written approximately one letter a month since last fall to various friends far away.

I've gotten some letters back, which oh! made my heart beat fast in a way I had forgotten!  I realized that in having instant communication via the internet with practically anybody, I'd forgotten the thrill that comes to the patient letter writers.  Plus, there's such a broad palette for prettiness in the paper, the ink, the envelope, the stamp(s).  That is a thrilling exercise, to root around my supplies.

So I'm going to keep up the letter writing.  When I have a letter in mind that I want to write, I often write it on the bus ride to my job.  It's a 30-minute ride and I often get most of the letter finished.

Tried Recipes + Reviews

I have a Pinterest board called "Tried Recipes + Reviews."  I am making Pinterest useful in my life, not just another waste of time online when I myself could be making something, could be engaged in my life.  It is so easy to just float along admiring other people's projects! Or getting jealous and feeling inferior, which is corrosive.

So.  I look through the recipes I have pinned occasionally, and one or two usually pique my interest and I try them.  Some of the experiments don't end up here on the blog because I didn't take a photo or the photo is bad (that didn't stop me in the early days of this blog!).

Have you tried some new recipes recently?

What I Do on Pinterest

I bookmark my favorite ideas that I find online.  That's it. 

I don't usually spend time looking at other people's pinboards (cool as they probably are), nor do I usually re-pin things that surface when I first login to the site.  I could disappear down the internet rabbit hole!

I am seriously concerned about my screen-time and the effect it has on the people around me, who need me here with them.  It's much more fun to be flitting through cyberspace, but it's a habit I know I would regret if my relationships in real time wither.  We don't have a TV, right, but the computer comes to almost the same thing in our life sometimes.  Crazy.

However, Pinterest is great for organizing the ideas I come across.  So I'm on it, but I'm not evangelizing you to get on and follow me unless you want to (see the button, for your convenience, in my sidebar).

Are you on Pinterest?  Why or why not? (And did you know that Pinterest members are 80% women?)

The Vintage Soda Siphon

Where did my in-laws get this thing?  It's so beautiful and luxuriously heavy.  I keep forgetting to ask.

Not very thrifty, sadly, as a $1 cartridge makes a liter of seltzer

and scares the little boy when it snorts the first drink out. (At this point, I put down the camera and comforted him).

He came around.  We do love carbonation so very much in our family.

Do Real Letters Still Exist?

I was sorting through old letters the other day when it occurred to me:  I don't receive or send real letters any more!  Mass mailings like Christmas letters are not what I'm referring to.  I mean a newsy little sheet sent to friends and family far away, maybe with big news or maybe with daily vignettes.  I don't even exchange emails like that anymore!  People tweet, text, blog, and email, but not with the composition of a letter.

What happened?  (Are you sending and receiving real letters?)

In case the pleasure of a letter is not enough, the act of starting a letter, getting into the news, switching topics, and drawing it all to a close are skills that frequent letter-writers are working at subconsciously.  Writing skills are thinking skills, training our brains in a way that talking and texting cannot.

Ok, it's July, and I'm making a resolution:  I'm going to write one real letter a month until Christmas (I had a hard time deciding what is realistic - first it was four, then two, then one - sighhhhh).  After Christmas, I might try to enlarge the habit.

Of course, you could rightly point out that stamps are getting expensive - email can be free - so thrifty!

Well, yes, but money is the wrong bottom line for some things. 

There are other factors to consider in this case: community, my brain, my pleasure in the paper and stamps, choosing to invest in a tradition I want to see endure. . . and I got my new Philatelic the other day, and promptly went online to buy all the cool new stamps: Mark Twain! modern industrial design! groovy Love! Gregory Peck! a cool car for the Indy 500!

Just think of the fun I will have, sitting down to a little cherry writing desk in my peignor with a cup of tea, dealing with the morning's correspondence and then ringing for Jasper to take the letters to the post. . .

(linking up with Leila's pretty happy funny real collection today)