Sex In The City Girls Night Out

Tonight I'm going to see the "Sex in the City" movie. Truthfully I didn't watch the show (I was too cheap to pay for HBO). I have seen it before, but have not followed it.

I don't even care really because I haven't seen a movie in about a year. And I haven't seen a movie at night for like 3! (I mean what does a full price movie even cost these days?!?!?)

Before the movie I'm going to Deanna's house for a girls night out party complete with Cosmos and girl food. Deanna is the "Queen of themes" in my world (Heck people, she had a pub night a few months ago and wrote graffiti on her own bathroom walls! ) so in addition to drinking and eating, we'll all be wearing our best cute shoes. I'm bringing deviled eggs.

$10 for a movie (maybe) and a plate of deviled eggs and that promises to be a great frugal girls night out for me! (of course, it's less frugal for Deanna who is hostessing the party) So perhaps the frugal tip is have friends who throw great parties.

Um.. No, actually what I wanted to say is that anytime I get to have a girls night out and eat and drink with my friends is a great time. Spending money is optional because the real wealth is surrounding yourself with wonderful women to hang out with!

Edited to add: Another frugal tip at the movies is to get there and go find your seat while your best friend gets her popcorn (you buy nothing) save her a seat. She'll sit next to you. Eat her popcorn and drink her large drink! ;-)(I swear, I really WAS NOT hungry when we got to the movies Deanna! )

Trash Pickers Beware!

It's no secret that I like other people's garbage.

However, after a near divorce last weekend over an incident involving a neighbor's corner cabinet on the side of the road ("We DON'T trash pick from neighbors Chris") don't tell my husband this next story.

There I was Saturday morning. The weather was beautiful. My parents had my daughter because we had been out the night before. I got up early. I made some coffee and I was off to go garage sailing!!! I was in the zone. Tomato Cages that I needed for $0.25, a Ralph Lauren sweater for my daughter, $2, 2 hand made punched tin chandelier's for $10 each. I was on a roll. I pulled into the nicest street in my town, thrilled to be out and about, enjoying the view and the prospect of untold treasure.

At my very favorite house- MY VERY FAVORITE one, at the edge of their driveway next to the road were the 2 copper planters that I have been admiring for like 3 years. OH. MY. GOD. I pulled over. I got out. I picked them up. Smith and Hawken ,$60 price tags still on the bottom! SCORE!!! I paused before taking them to the car. These seemed to nice to be trash. (but ever thinking about the wastefulness of others, I wasn't surprised.)

Someone opened the door. I turned to see a fellow kind of confused to see a woman in his front yard holding his planters. I held them up,

"Are you getting rid of these?"
"Um I don't know, hang on."

And so I waited and waited and waited. More and more aware that my unwashed hair pulled up in a plastic clip probably looked a little white trash in that neighborhood. Apparently the owner of the planters was going out and decided to get into her car before driving down the driveway and approaching me. The whole time I'm holding the planters. A very nice coiffed woman stopped a very nice car. My hair suddenly looked even worse.

"Can I help you?"
"Um yes, are you getting rid of these?" (holds up planters)
"No."
"Oh, OK, (still holding the planters) because they were at the edge of the yard almost in the street there and I thought you were throwing them out."
"Well I'm not getting rid of them. I'm having them re-soldered"
"Oh, well then you might want to move them away from the road because I almost just stole them from you" (said with a laugh and a smile.)

No smile was returned. Nothing more was said. I quickly unhanded the planters and walked with as much dignity as I could muster back to my car. I didn't look back. I kept thinking how good it was that I actually paused before hopping in the car with her planters. Can you imagine? I'm 36 years old and I'm practically stealing from people in nice neighborhoods.

Seriously people, the weather is nice and I'm out and about. If you have something you want to keep I suggest you don't store it right next to the road.

I'm on the loose! (and maybe next time I won't hesitate before jumping in the car!)

The Best $8 You Can Spend On Your Face

Lest anyone think I've stopped shaving my underarms because of all of this environmental garden talk lately (as a friend of my husband's suggested :-)) I'm hear to tell you it isn't so.

In fact, yesterday I went to the (not very expensive) salon where I got a haircut, highlight and got my eyebrows done. I've been having my brows done for about 7 years now. I'm not an-at-all-hairy person so I never thought I needed it before then. But what a difference after they were done! Even if you pluck at home you should try a salon job at some point.

A nicely shaped brow frames your eyes nicely and can make you look better than just about any beauty treatment I can think of. And it's the cheapest beauty treatment I can think of as well. I've spent anywhere from $5-$13 on this service. Even at $13 it is a bargain. Yesterday's brows cost $8. For the unshaped brow novice you don't have to do them as part of another treatment. You can just go for your brows alone. Try it! You owe it to your face.

Localvores

Gas is nearing $4 a gallon, that is no secret.

Did you know the average salad travels 1400 miles to get to you? That's a lot of gas.

You can grow salad in your backyard VERY cheaply-A pack of seeds is under$2.

Why are we eating 1400 mile salads? Why are we surprised when the cost of out of season produce (our own season that is) costs so much?

One of the reason is because we've come to expect things like salad whenever we want, rather than when salad is in season in the place that we live. Sometimes we don't even know what is in season in the place that we live.

Another reason is that some people don't want to grow their own salad. I get that. Some people, left to their own devices growing food would starve.

Everyone though, can start eating a little more locally.

During the past year, I've been becoming increasing interested in eating more locally. It makes sense to me on so many levels:

-Food is Fresher and tastes better-Who hasn't eaten a crappy tomato in January?
-Food is (marginally) cheaper
-The environmental impact of your food traveling to you is considerably less
-Less packaging, less waste.
-You are supporting your local economy
-Supporting locpal farms keeps ever single inch of your world from being taken over by suburban sprawl or in other words, by buying foods grown and raised closer to where you live, you help maintain farmland and green space in your area.
-You become more in touch with the seasons. You appreciate the juicy strawberries of June and the tart apples of fall.
-You can meet the people who grow your food

There is a current movement of people calling themselves Localvores-People who try and only eat things that originate within 100 miles of them. Barbara Kingsolver is just one of those people and she's written an incredible book, "Animal, Vegetable, Mineral," about her year of eating locally with her family. Nothing I can say can convince you as well as this book can. Read it! You'll thank me! It's a truly enjoyable read too!

Eating locally isn't as hard as it sounds. Start with your vegetables. Go to your local farmers market, join a CSA, grow your own garden. I also happen to live by a Wegman's, and in the summertime I have to say, for probably the past 10 years, they have been doing an excellent job of showcasing local produce. So for some of us, it's as easy as making good choices at the supermarket.

It's not more expensive than what you already do, it's just more fun, better for you, and better for our world!

Garden Math

I calculate the cost of EVERYTHING.

When I worked it was easier, as I sat next to a calculator all day long. Deanna would call to discuss something (financial or not) and more often than not she could hear me tapping away.

"Um, did you know those individual applesauce containers cost you 34% more than a jar"

"Um thanks....."

One place I don't add up costs is in the garden. Granted, I don't spend like a madwoman but if I budget a certain amount for plants, know I'm gonna spend it.

Today at the garden store I bought a bunch of vegetables. The 6 packs were more than they have ever been. $2.99 a six pack. Individual plants were $1.49. Hmmm..... I did the math-$1.49 each or $0.50 each. In some cases I didn't care and bought the single plants, in others, I economized and bought the 6 pack (though I remember what 6 zucchini did last year!) I may try and plant some zucchini at my parents and in-laws.

A six pack of broccoli means $.50 a head for broccoli (organic the way I grow it) vs $2.50 in the grocery store (non-organic) plus the little side shoots that can be sauteed or used in a salad. At least I like to look at it that way. I'm not adding up the soil I just purchased or the water that I use watering or the bricks I plan on buying to edge the beds. Some things I just don't want to look too closely at. I know it's fuzzy math as they say, but I don't even care. I don't garden to save money (though I am CERTAIN I do) Just don't ask me how I know, because truthfully I don't.

This year I've planted (or purchased today to plant) the following so far:
Garlic
Horseradish
Strawberries
Onions
Sugar Snap Peas
Regular Peas
Turnips
Broccoli
Broccoli Rabe
1 cauliflower
Thyme
Spinach
Arugula
Sage
New to me-Kohlrabi and Colorful Swiss Chard
Some kind of surprise squash
Cherry Peppers
Sweet Peppers
Leeks
Parsley
Rosemary
3 kinds of Tomatoes
Scarlet Runner Beans
Zucchini
Watercress
Carrot
Salad Greens

Print Your Own Postage

With the cost of postage going up yet again this week, I thought I would share a money saving tip that I discovered today.

Due to my eBay business, I do a lot of mailing. Sometimes I print the postage online and sometimes I drive to the post office.

I discovered today, that with the new postage rate hike, the post office has a new thing they are doing for postage printed online. All priority postage printed online is $.25 cheaper than it is to mail it at the post office. Some days I print up to 10 labels. That $.25 will add up pretty quick for me. (and in addition, I save gas not driving to the post office.)

You can print your priority mail postage online at the United States Postal Website. It's really easy. You don't need a postage meter. Just a scale and a regular computer printer. I don't even use adhesive labels as I found it was cheaper to just use packing tape to secure the postage printed on regular paper (actually recycled 7th grade social studies handouts that my husband brings home from work as scrap paper.) to the box. I bought a new postage scale for $25 on eBay and I would suggest that if you plan on doing any volume of mailing you get one too. However I used an accurate kitchen food scale prior to that with no problems at all.

Happy Mother's Day

My Present:
4 yards of soil that my husband has been moving into my new garden for the past 2 days! (I also got a lovely framed picture of my girl and I
and a gift certificate to a local garden shop.) My husband also took my girl to see her grandparents and give me some uninterrupted time in the garden. We'll be grilling later. Pretty frugal, pretty fun and relaxing.

I will be having a mother's tea on Wed for the ladies in my life-done frugally and beautifully of course!!!