Todays cute findings

I want this for my bedroom in my future house! Isn't it cute? :)

With her nose stuck in a book...

 A. A. Milne for inspiration today

Not sure why I have Winnie the Pooh and A.A Milne in my head tonight, but here's one of his illustrations. I thought it looked the most like 'being frugal' which is mostly the reason for tonight's post. I see this picture and think how kind Christopher Robin is by trying to repair something he loves so much and using what materials he has. Simplicity--love it. 

I consider myself to always have been frugal. Growing up our family was always aware of not being wasteful and thinking about saving rather than spending. It was something I was good at. I still am. You talk about someone who saved pennies. I remember taking rolls of them to the bank to be deposited. That bag was pretty heavy, but nonetheless it was logical practice. Something I am still grateful to have even today when it is perhaps appreciated and understood more than in my younger years. I understand why it is so important now because I have become a grown up. 

I never realized how money can put such a damper on things until now. I dread having to worry about one day being in debt or not being able to provide for daily necessities. Is our world really getting to be that bad? Well, yes yes it is. as much as I wish I had the dream job I always wanted I am very grateful to be in the good position I am in. Although I am in the beginning stages of moving away from home (hopefully permanently) I am humbled that my parents have never forced rent upon me or daily payments on such things as insurance, groceries, and phone bills.  This is not to say that they shouldn't be compensated, and I plan on giving them a 'thank you for being so supportive' stipend, but that they understand what it means to struggle and wish to keep me from that while they can. They are very merciful you see. :) Furthermore, I see them struggle more now than ever before and it makes me think twice about superfluous expenses and things I could really do without. 

Some things I have done to help save some $$$, though they may be small and silly...

•  Coupons. Although I am not nearly as awesome with this as some people.  
• Name brands aren't everything as long as it is quality. Sometimes this is hard to do, but I have been going more or less for the cheaper lesser known brands. And most of the time it's just as good. 
• Thrifting. You would not believe how much money I have saved. Clothes are so darn expensive! Save a few bucks and supporting recycled goods at unbeatable prices. 
• Similarly to thrifting I have been trying to go for cheaper stores such as Big Lots and Dollar Tree. Although some things are not any cheaper and aren't readily available, you can still save a few dollars by getting specific items there that you know are cheaper than anywhere else. Just make sure you aren't being jipped by quantity.
• Grocery shopping wise Aldi does a pretty good job of offering low prices and pretty decent food items. Granted they are much smaller than the average grocery store, you still save by buying items here. Anything else we can't find there we buy at our regular grocery store but it's all about trying to save yourself some money to use for other important things.
• Need vs. want. We all struggle with this one, but since money is so precious nowadays I have really begun to think twice about what I need to get and what I really should be getting. I have saved alot of money just be dealing with this idea. 
• Investing in the purchase. This is somewhat a vague idea, but I have been applying it to things by asking myself how much it will last compared so another item and if it is worth paying the extra 30cents. Some things that you may not realize are that for example some bars of soap last way longer than say liquid soap. Little things like that can save you from buying some items so frequently.
• Using a smaller amount of toothpaste. Okay I know this one is silly, but seriously they say on the back of the tube that a pea-sized amount is what you should use! Come on people you can use half that and still have a quality clean brushing. And your toothpaste will last longer by months!

I am also trying to pay off my loan at twice the minimum payment to get that debt down alot sooner. I want to be able to proudly say I am debt free and to stay that way. I think I am lucky in that it's manageable and could easily be paid off in full at this very moment, especially so fresh from graduating. (Not sure I want to do that though and leave myself with very little cushion..) Regardless, the thought of getting behind in payments and not using my money wisely scares me. It keeps me on my toes and lets me know the reality of the situation our country is in. We need to practice healthy spending and saving.

Those are my world-saving tips for the day. I hope they were meaningful. Happy saving, friends. :)

Mmm... mmm good!

For weeks I have been wanting to make this. It looks soo yummy! So today I set off to check the butternut off my list of squashes and pumpkins my dad bought me. I admit butternut was not something I grew up eating.. ever. My beloved is the one that introduced it to me and after making it just a few times I love making soup out of it. I don't know why we didn't buy it before. It's cheap, makes alot of soup if you use it for that sort of thing, and its very nutritious and healthy. Win! Plus it's perfect for those fall and winter weather days. Or just because. :)

Taste wise I guess it could be considered similar to a sweet potato and a vegetable. Really nice flavor and if you add the right spices it gives it a a nice balance of sweet and savory. Plus I love the rich, creamy texture it leaves once you blend it up. Beautiful!

I have to say I didn't have all the ingredients, so what turned out to be a raiding of the spice rack and a few less vegetables turned out some pretty awesome homemade butternut soup. This was my version still following the directions, but with some variation in ingredients.

•  1 Butternut squash
•  1 Medium Onion
•  1 Tbs olive oil
•  3 or so garlic cloves (some were tiny and one was huge--go by taste)
•  LOTS of spices--salt&pepper, rubbed sage, thyme, allspice, and dried basil
•  1 can of chicken broth
•  2 cups or so of water with chicken bouillon added. 

(You might have to add more water once you  blend as it does thicken up nicely)

Even though I didn't have the celery or the carrot the canned broth ended up having some of that in it anyway, and I thought the allspice would give it a nice sweet flavor to go with the savory thyme and sage. Seriously this was some good soup! I definitely think roasting the garlic and the squash bring out more flavor and it very easy compared to say boiling. I have heard you can microwave it, which is faster, but I like the taste the roasting gives it. Also, I just want to say, get an immersion blender! It will save your life and makes soup making so easy. I ended up finding one randomly in my mom's pantry drawer never used. Love it! I might have to steal..erm borrow hers. Shhh! ;) After being in England I found it was a common household item there compared to here. They seem to be big soup makers, something I really admire and hope to me more like myself. I see now how enjoyable and beneficial it is in terms of time, quality food, and in saving money. You can make soup on a very low budget and it lasts you awhile depending on the size of your crowd.

Seriously try this. You will love it!
PS. Check out the recipe and Cook Your Dream's blog. I stumbled upon her site when spending a whole afternoon drooling over recipes all over the internet. Love her creations :)

Being... green?

Peak District, England. Isn't it pretty? :)

Today I find myself thinking of things I would like to do. Simple things like being 'more green'. I have always despised that term. It makes me think of being too much of a hippie, or an environmentalist. I don't get into those kinds of things (Sorry I don't mean to offend), however, I think the term lends itself to something that we should pay more attention to without being too political or crazy. Let me explain :)

 One such thing I would like to is to have a clothes line outside. Not only would this save energy in the summer by taking advantage of the lovely hot weather and bright sunshine, but there is just something refreshing about fresh, clean clothes on the line. Call it old fashioned but I miss seeing it so much in England. They use them everywhere and it made me think how practical it is if you have the right amount of space and sun.

Another said 'being green' idea I brought back from England was the idea of composting. Now this more useful if you have a use of it, like if you have a garden. I'll get to that later. ;) I loved how they saved things like egg shells, fruit and vegetable peels and coffee grounds. I remember as a child I started a compost pile once. It was fun to ask the family to save me things that they normally just threw away. I understand waste more so now that I have grown up. Americans can be so darn wasteful! It truly is saddening sometimes, but this one simple thing of saving to reuse was something that made me think how wonderful and yet simple. It's the little things in life, you know?

I <3 gardens. I think in the past few months or years I have come to this conclusion. Homegrown food is just the way to go and I think there is some comfort and pride in harvesting something you worked so hard to grow. And yes my ever growing love of cooking has also made me love gardens alot more too. Unfortunately our land has never been growing material--this Georgia red clay is truly a curse--but my grandparents have always had a large garden and every summer we come home with bags and bags of fresh tomatoes, corn, peppers, okra, and squash. Someday I wish to have my very own garden choc full of yummy veggies, herbs, and maybe some fruit bushes and trees. The only thing I wish I knew how to do or to explore more is canning. That will definitely be a must!

All this say, getting in touch with what our grandparents and great-grandparents knew about raising food and saving things is something I truly admire and wish to get closer to. After all it means so much more when you cultivate and do these things yourself. I for one think so anyway.

Of squashes and time...

Since graduating I feel that I have begun to explore my life in depth. No longer are my days and nights filled with homework, lectures, rehearsals and studying. I feel that I am able to actually use my time for simple life things that aren't consuming me or making me feel that I have too much routine. That is a word I am starting to hope I never have too much of.. Routine! What I hope for myself is to not become boring and ordinary. Does life really become like this? I hope not! I want to be free and enjoy doing new things while enjoying things I have always done too. There has to be balance. I finally feel like I have time for some of my loves. Actual time to delve into them and broaden them in so many ways. 

I love to cook. Perhaps I should have gone to cooking school and become a chef. Right now I am so happy spending the entire day in the kitchen slicing, stirring, baking, and of course seeing the beautiful results. Taste is always good too, but call me crazy I just like to make it! I feel that since I have come back from Europe and am finished with school that I have become more in tune with ingredients and foods that I have come to love and never had much before (or never). I have become what I like to call a foodie but I consider this to be a very good thing. Think of all the smiles that come from people tasting it. Right now my obsession is with squashes. Acorn, butternut, spaghetti, pumpkin, and a whole mess of others that I am looking into making things from. I am loving this! This week has also been the creation of pickled peppers as well as dried. I feel like I truly am a renaissance woman and would very happily love to have a garden, some herbs, and a sweet country house. But I do like my coast houses too. Maybe one of each if I'm good? :)

I also am happy to have the time to start writing again. It has been too long since I have been able to focus on my fiction and nonfiction. I like to devote all my time to it rather than dabbling here and there with it, which is why I think I have been out of it for so long--too much going on in the way of ed-u-ca-tion. However, this degree is something I am very proud to have and also a great help in making my writing better than before. I am very much hoping that my time in Poland this coming year will be the start of more writing. I feel like a children's book. What say you? 

Goodnight my dears.

Psalm 27:14

 "Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord"

Poznan

I think I can finally stop holding my breath! God is so good--It's official! I got the au pairing job overseas! Dear readers meet Poznan, Poland, my new home come the new year. This is sooo cool :)

I love the beautiful colours.