Honest Blogger award and Frugal...ness

I have been reading some blogs that discuss living cheaply and being frugal. Because of the economy it's becoming an ever-more-popular subject, but us college kids are experts at this sort of thing. And when I read some of the frugal blogs out there, I read and think, "I'm not even TRYING and I spend less money than that!" So when I went to the grocery store this evening I decided to take stock of what I bought and for how much. Everything pictured above cost me $26 (and 42 cents). That is enough food to feed myself and my boyfriend as well as 4 VERY hungry bunnies for several days. I read blogs where someone will spend $60-$90 on two people for a week. That sounds good at first but when you realize how much that is per month, well, it doesn't seem so great.

To cut costs, we buy stuff when it is on sale - that's a no-brainer. If pasta is on sale 60 boxes for $5 (damn, I wish they had sales like that, huh?) we buy all 60 boxes. There will always be a use for them later. If the Jesus-Christ size Ketchup bottle is on sale, we buy it - even though we RARELY use ketchup. By shopping this way, we ensure that there are always "ingredients" in the house; stuff that we can use to make a meal. All we have to do is buy the fresh ingredients to go with it. Also, we do not eat meat. David will have some occasionally, but it's usually when we go out for special occasions. We don't have to buy it for the house and that saves us a ton of money. Price of a salad from publix: $3 (serves two); price of chicken from publix $7 (serves two). So you see, not eating meat adds up to a lot of savings over time.

The bunnies don't need the freshest, best, most organic produce on the market. Yes, I would LOVE to be able to give that to them, but that's just not feasible right now. They have a warm place to sleep with space to run around and they get fresh hay and green veggies daily. I don't think they mind that it's not organic. ;) I will offer to buy wilting produce at a discount because the buns don't care that it's a day past its prime. If I'm shopping at Whole Foods (which is rare due to driving time and money restrictions) I usually get GREAT bargains this way. I've had the produce manager just GIVE me (for free) an entire basket of withering greens before. I told him it was for the buns and I'd take it off his hands if he gave me a discount - can't sell it that way anyway, right? And he just gave it to me. I was REALLY happy that night. -lol-

The biggest money-saver for us is that we generally don't eat a lot and we generally don't want a lot. Small, simple meals are better for us than large elaborate ones. I read a bumper sticker once that said, "Insatiable is not sustainable." Of course, it was talking about global warming and the environment but I think it also applies to our kitchen and our money. If we were the type to snack mindlessly every night, we'd be spending a LOT more money. Instead, we make a meal together when we're hungry, sit down, eat, enjoy, and relax together.


This was tonight's dinner. Home-made eggplant parm, pasta, and salad. I ended up eating mostly just the salad and giving the rest to David. -lol- I get full easily.




Now then, in other news, this luverly lady right here: http://lovinglifeandlaughing.blogspot.com/ (I don't know how to do nifty hyperlinks) honored me with the "Honest Blogger" award (which I thought was SO cool) because the only other award I can remember getting - EVER - was 2nd place in the elementary school spelling bee. So, here are 5 honest things about me. I will post another 5 at a later date. For now, I gotta be quick because David is waiting on me to watch TV.

1. I have a thing for rabbits. I adore them and have always felt "connected" to them. Being around them just puts me at peace. That's why I have 4 of them, and I struggle on a daily basis to resist the urge to bring home more. All but one of mine were rescues. One was abandoned outside my work in a shoebox, one was being bullied in a petstore and the employees didn't know what to do about it, and the other was found in a box on the side of the road with some little boys.

2. I would like to change careers but I am afraid of the interview process and being rejected, so I have been hesitant to submit applications. Up until today, my low self-esteem has kept me from even trying for the job I'd like. What was different about today you ask? Not much. David inspired me to "just do it." The worst they can do is say no, right?

3. I hate wearing make-up because it makes me feel oily, but I wear it fairly often because I feel ugly without it. Everything I buy is cruelty-free (not tested on or made from animals) which makes it expensive so I wear it sparingly. I cannot live without a decent concealer and some eyeliner.

4. I LOVE plants. It's almost freakish how much I love plants. I am trying so very hard to grow a garden right now, but I am not so good at it. I can start them great and if a plant is already mostly-dead I can bring it back in no time flat. But the in-between is hard for me. I don't understand it. I wish I could fill my house from floor to ceiling with house plants!

5. I want to travel but have never been able to. I want to see Canada and Norway. I want to go to Ireland and all sorts of other exotic places but A- I can't afford it and B- I'm a little afraid of culture/language-barriers. Maybe one day...

Well, right on cue, David is hollering at me from the other room. As I said, 5 more truths will follow later. I wish I could pass the honor on to someone, but the only bloggers I know of that deserve it have already received it one or more times. If I come across a new blog, or if I'm forgetting someone, I'll honor them with it. :)

On "Stuff"

Ok, I readily admit that the room above does not look very "zen" or organized. BUT, I promise you that it is. During the day time the whole room lights up so well, and that cluttered patio becomes a balcony garden with plants all over the place. Couple that with the animals and my apartment is just SO full of LIFE! I love it that way. There are cages (not prisons - more like homes) for the animals everywhere instead of furniture we'd only use if company came over. And we don't have many possessions because most of our money goes to the animals. But I LIKE it this way.

The reason I've brought this up is because my dad asked me today what I wanted for my birthday. I only have one thing I'd like for my birthday and that's a bicycle. Well, there's a perfectly good, old and used bike here. It just needs new tires. So I asked for new tires for this used bike as my birthday gift. "Why don't you just let me buy you your own bike?" my dad asked. - "Because we don't have room for another one, Dad. And this one is perfectly good. It's still in great condition it just needs new tires."

"Well, fine. But what about new clothes? Don't you need shoes or clothes?"

"No, Dad. I have all those things. I only need my two pairs of shoes - work shoes and dress shoes. And all of my old clothes still fit."

"But don't you want new clothes?"

"No, Dad. That's not necessarry. If you REALLY want to get me something more than tires, buy me some toys for the birds or pay for one of the bunnies to get fixed. We've been needing those things recently."

"But that's not for YOU, that's for the animals."

"Yes, but the animals are what make me happy and I can't always afford to give them everything they want all the time. If you buy things for the animals, it will be like buying things for me. It will make me happy."

"Well, why don't you get rid of some of the animals. Then you could afford to buy more things for the ones you keep."

"Dad, you're missing the point."

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As you can see, my dad doesn't seem to understand the idea that I don't want "stuff." I appreciate his thoughtfullness, but I don't want things that are going to take up space in my apartment. I like having "life" in my space, not "things." The animals are like my children and I love taking care of them and spending time with them. Honestly, all I want for my birthday is bicycle tires. And donations sent to Save a Death Row Dog. It's a rescue group that I've been volunteering with lately and they are all so awesome. They have a number where you can call and donate any amount you want - $1, $5, $300 - to the store where they get all of their dog supplies from. I've had a message with the number to the store and an explanation that says if anyone would like to gift me something for my birthday to please donate to the dogs - they need it more than I do - posted on my facebook page for a while now, and so far no one has donated. I don't think people understand that I really DONT want anything for my birthday. Christmas will probably end up going the same way. Every year I go through this with my family. Does anyone else have this problem?

Moscovy Ducks

If you don't live in Florida, you've probably never seen a moscovy duck. You're not missing much. As far as ducks go, people consider them the bottom-of-the-barrel, run-of-the-mill, common, boring duck. Personally, I think they're cute and have character. They always have these tumor-like growths all over their face. It's a genetic thing, not harmful to the duck at all. It's just that extra skin grows on their face. Do a google search, you'll see what I'm talking about. But I like them.

The other day David and I went to Moe's for lunch. It's a southwestern grill type of joint but they have the BEST bean/tofu burritos I've EVER had. Get one. You'll love it. Anyway, we were sitting down eating when I noticed this group of ducks outside. It was a momma duck and 9 youngsters (not babies - slightly older). They knew that when you went IN the door that you had no food, but they also knew that when you came OUT the door ... food was usually involved. So they waited outside to ambush anyone leaving and what an ambush it was. Several people were chased down the sidewalk when they refused to share their doggy bags. The ducks tried to enter the restaurant twice - much to everyone's amusement. David and I decided to help the ducks so we ordered a basket of corn chips and crunched them up into bite-sized pieces. After we'd finished eating we fed the ducks out by the nearby canal. They were so tame they practically sat in our laps! I brought spinach over for them too (we'd come from the farmer's market) but they only wanted the corn chips. I guess they like carbs.

There is also a group of ducks near our apartment that I've been feeding. Ducks seem to suddenly be very involved in my life. I'll have to research what they mean as an animal messenger/totem.

In other news, I have joined a rescue organization called Save a Death Row Dog. I'm not "official" yet but I seem to have a such a strong attachment to the group already. They rescue dogs that still have great potential but are scheduled to be put to sleep (usually due to lack of space in the shelters). Please, if you have $5 or even $10 to spare, donate to this great group. There are over 40 dogs for adoption currently. The adoption price ($100) allows the group to rescue 2 MORE dogs! Each time a dog is adopted, two more get a chance. They're increasing their rescue numbers exponentially. I think it's wonderful. Just search for "Save a Death Row Dog" and all of their various websites should come up. I am going to the ranch tomorrow to help clean kennels and photograph the dogs for posting online. I'll let you know what it's like when I get back. :3

And Sow it Begins

I started the fall sowing today. I made 20 little newspaper pots yesterday for starting seeds and today we went out to get compost and soil mixture. The seed packets pictured above are just a few of the ones we got. We left the store with two handfuls, but only half of them are fall crops. David had to go to work so I cleaned up the patio and got everything finished. We did this in the Spring as well, but with different plants. We tried various lettuces and arugula which started wonderfully and then (I guess) didn't get enough water and withered. We tried basil but that barely got out of the ground before it crashed and burned, and we had some green beans going nicely for a while but they started turning brown without warning and in a matter of days they were reduced to crumpled stalks. The only thing that survived was a tomato plant. Well, it's technically 6 tomato plants that have all grown into one MASSIVE tomato plant. We're talking 2 feet wide by 4 feet high. We have the pot sitting under a metal shelving unit designed for kitchens and the vines are just sprawling all OVER it. Here, why don't I just show you a picture? It looks perpetually droopy, but it already has tomatoes starting so I guess it's just working hard and getting tired. -lol-



These are the newspaper pots I was talking about. You can learn how to make them here (among other places).




David is obsessed with Rosemary so he INSISTED on getting this one at 8". Cost us $10 which is more than I spent on all of my stuff combined! It better be worth it. $10 is a lot as of late...



And, finally, the seeds all snug in their beds. I actually took the time to color and make cute little lables on stakes to stick in the cups but then I remembered I'll be misting inside the container and the paper lables would probably get ruined. So I am saving them for when the seedlings are ready to be repotted. For now, I drew a chart on the outside of the container so we'd know what was what. :)



If there are any seasoned pros out there, please speak up! We need all the help we can get. Oh, and I forgot to mention that most of these will be gifts. The herbs will be given as x-mas presents to friends that like to cook. I have one Swiss Chard plant for each of my rabbits (4). On christmas morning they'll get to go nuts digging up the plants and eating them in their entirety. ;) I also have some flowers growing for some co-workers. It's a gift that "keeps on giving" and they cost me less than $1 each. Plus, they'll be grown with tender loving care - what's not to like?! -lol-

Rat Tumors

Yes, rat tumors. Odd subject, no? -lol- Today was one of those days where it seemed it was "meant to be." And I like days like that so I thought I'd share. David and I were going to take a sample and do a biopsy on this ... thing ... that Dexi has growing on her side. Kahlua has a small one now, too. In the same spot - go figure. So we put them in a carrier and drove to work, where my boss was going to help us with the whole thing.

Well, when we got there, a customer came in who just HAPPENED to breed rats. And he just HAPPENED to notice our rats, and just HAPPENED to have a pet rat going through the same thing. He explained what it was, why it was, how it was, and told us what we could do about it: nothing. He explained that rats often get fatty growths or tumors as they age (which I already knew) and he said that the tumors can sometimes get as large as the rats without causing the rat any harm or pain (which I didn't know). Dexi has a growth the size of an egg on her left side, almost under her armpit. It is growing, but slowly, and it doesn't seem to be hurting or hindering her in the least so I hadn't bothered to rush her to the vet. She still eats like it's nobody's business and runs and plays with her sister without any problems. She doesn't wince or complain when I mess with the growth either, so apparently she's not bothered by it.

In the end, after much discussion and many questions we decided not to even bother taking any tissue samples. We took the girls home, gave them a treat and put them to bed for an afternoon nap. I'd been worrying all night about having to take the tissue sample, and something was telling me I ought not to bother. Meeting this breeder at work was completely by chance but he completely put my mind at ease. I just feel like I was destined to meet him when I did. He said that his rat's tumor is massive - baseball sized he said - but she manages just fine. She's lazy anyway so she just goes about her daily business with no problems. -lol- Geriatric rats - such personalities! :)

Kale

I have decided that I must have kale seeds. The bunnies have been eating it a lot lately, and I love the way it looks in pots/vases/bowls/anything. I just love the ruffly-ness of it. I love kale. It is also, apparently, a fall crop - meaning it will grow during the winter. One site said that kale can withstand up to 10 degrees BELOW zero before it gives up. And with winter at our door, I figured that's PERFECT. I am going to be making little seedling cups out of newspaper, sprouting the seeds indoors, and then transplanting them into larger pots and moving them outdoors when they are larger. We try not to spend a lot of money on things or buy things new so I am looking for unwanted pots right now. If anyone has some they'd like to donate, I'd love it. I'm going to give craigslist a look-see.

Image credit: http://lubell14.deviantart.com/art/Ornamental-Kale-104378506

Keep your temper

I've just had an argument with the boyfriend, and like usual it wasn't anything important. There is now a fist-sized hole in the wall and I am utterly ashamed of myself. I'd gone all day practicing reiki and being very kind to everyone I met. I'd had a very nice day. When I picked up David he was in a horrible mood due to stress from his job. I was sweet to him and tried to make him feel better, and after a while it seemed to work. But when we got home he asked me to listen to some music that he had made.

David insists on blasting the music, so I yanked the headphones away from my ears - way too loud! This made him angry for some reason and insisted that now I had ruined the song. "Calm down. I'll just start it over. It's fine," I said. But he said that it was definitely ruined and there was no point in me listening to it now. I absolutely lost it. I don't know why (and I hate that I did) but I cursed and asked why he had to make such a simple thing so difficult. This, of course, made him angrier and he flew out of the house saying that he "wasn't going to take this." At which point the wall got to feel my fist go through it.

I don't know why I lost my temper with him. I know now that he was just still worked up from his day at work. But he has such a negative attitude about EVERYTHING. It is very difficult to keep my Buddhist beliefs about me when he is describing how he's like to punch people. I try SO hard to just be myself and hopefully be a light for him to follow, but he continually says things like, "I don't understand how anyone could be Buddhist. I could never have compassion or understanding for people. I HATE the human population."

This blog is turning into a rant and I didn't want it to. I guess I'll take a shower and read some. That should help calm me down. I'll probably apologize to David, though I don't know if he'll do the same. I hope so. I have to figure out how to mend the hole in the wall, too. It's unusually large. This isn't the first hole I've added to our walls, but it's definitely the largest. I didn't hit it that hard, but there was nothing behind the drywall and it absolutely crumbled. *sigh*

Image credit: http://nuformz.deviantart.com/art/Argument-5660725

I haven't posted in so long. I always feel guilty when I don't post for a while. I don't know why, since I don't think anyone reads this anyway. I also feel guilty when I don't have anything amazing or substantial to say, and, again, I don't know why.

The above photo was taken at Morikami - Japanese gardens that are in the area. They have regular gardens, water gardens and rock gardens. The day that I went they were also having a koi show so I was floored. I LOVE koi. The fish they had there were 30+ pounds EASY. I have never seen such HUGE fish in my life! I asked the people there how they raised such big fish, and I was told that the man who raised the "grand champion" has a $50,000 pond with at least 12,000 gallons of water. The fish are fed several times a day with automatic feeders and his water quality is always pristine.

Oh, here's a tidbit of info for you: y'know that old wives tale that a fish will only get as big as its tank? Not true. What happens is that fish put out hormones. When their bodies register too many hormones in the water, they stop growing. They get a signal something like, "stop growing! This system can't support you if you get any bigger!" and so they stop. If you keep the water clean all the time, and do not allow those hormones to build up, then your fish will continue to grow no matter how small your tank is. At least, that's what I was told while I was there.

I've found a buddhist group near me that meets every Tuesday for reading groups, walking meditations and regular meditations. I REALLY want to go but I am afraid. I don't do well in group settings, but this is something I really want to try. I'm sure I'll end up forcing myself to go at some point. I HOPE I do. Please, if you read this, leave me some words of encouragement.

Thank you! :)