Carrot Wishes and Cilantro Dreams

Grocery Challenge Update - Week 3

2011-11-05T12:40:00.002-04:00

My goal of not spending more than $40 a week on groceries has been going somewhat well. The somewhat has to do with this past week. I did great at the store itself, but on Monday I realized I didn't have any candy for potential trick-or-treaters. While I never get trick-or-treaters, I know I'll feel bad if someone does come by (and there are several kids in my building, so it's a possibility.) What a mistake! I ended up going when I was starving and that ... is never a good idea. I spent as much on that trip as I did on the stock-up trip and for half as much food. The deli counter and prepared foods are the enemy of any budget, I think.

I've also ordered out a couple time, which has been my own fault, and I will be reaping the consequences. I'm sticking to Aldi this week and only getting what I absolutely positively NEED as I do not intend to transfer money out of my savings just to cover my poor habits. I plan on spending less than $16 this week and hopefully that will tide me over (except for milk and a few veggies) until payday, which occurs mid-month.

All in all, I'm finding it easy to spend less than $40. In fact, I have usually spent less than $35 on groceries (including papergoods) for me. Whether or not it's feasible on a long-term, however, is the question. And honestly, I'm not entirely sure. To do it, I'll have to continue to coupon clip (which is fine!) and comparison shopping. The big hurdle will be the mid-week trips which, if I'm serious about this, I need to cut out entirely unless it's an emergency. Oh, and not go when I'm hungry.

Grocery Challenge: Week 1

2011-10-16T15:44:00.002-04:00

This week, in preparation of not spending more than $40, I did a good bit of comparison shopping. I went onto the websites for my two preferred grocery stores (Giant and Wegman's), CVS, Target and Walmart. The latter two didn't net me much information grocery-wise, as the prices online are not applicable at my local store. The first three, however, were a goldmine of information. (And I am keeping the inserts for Target and Walmart from the paper I bought today!) I even figured out how much more it would be to go to the cheaper grocery store (Wegman's) that is 20 miles from my house. (I'd need to save $4.39 in groceries to make the extra miles worth it, gas-wise.)

I downloaded three separate coupon apps onto my phone (Android), as well as a spreadsheet onto my laptop that helps in figuring out how much I will spend. I was prepared to spend $29.95 before tax. I had input the prices I was willing to spend into my grocery list app as well, so I was ready!

Since most of what I needed was fresh produce, I didn't end up using any coupons this week, so I didn't take them with me. That was a mistake! I had a coupon for free eggs if I bought 2 packages of a certain brand of tomatoes, and lo and behold, I think those tomatoes were BOGO. I might go back!

Despite a few things that didn't go as planned, I am pretty pleased with my trip to Giant. I didn't end up getting bagels because they were .80 more than I had anticipated (glad I had my list of prices on my phone!), but I did end up buying a pound of lentils that wasn't planned since my 'special rewards' indicated I would get .25 off any bag of dried beans, which I can always use. My grocery store has those nifty scanners you take around with you as you shop so you can keep a running tally! Sometimes special coupons will pop up for your trip and while most of it's stuff I don't buy, I have received a few good deals! I just need to remember to check for it in the future when it pops up on the barcode scanner.

I also bought the newspaper since it was a double coupon issue - woot! I am sure that my savings will more than make up for spending $3 that I didn't anticipate.

With my scanner coupon, getting $.05 back for each bag I brought with me, I spent a grand total of $29.05! I have plenty to eat for this next week (and beyond) and I even got a treat for myself - apple cider.

I think that I just might be able to do this ...

What are your tips for keeping your grocery shopping trip to your budget? Does your grocery store give special extras like barcode scanner gun coupons or cents off a gallon of gas?

Grocery Challenge

2011-10-14T20:19:00.000-04:00

Well, it has come to my attention - mostly through my own looking at how much I'm spending per month and comparing it to frugal bloggers like No Debt MBA and Money Saving Mom (even though I'm not a mom) - that I spend way way way too much on groceries. And that's not even counting what I spend when I eat out.

I am single. I have two rabbits. There is no need for me to be spending upwards of $200 - at a minimum - a month on groceries. None. Absolutely none.

How do I know this? Well, for one, No Debt MBA spends $25 a week for her and her SO. That's half of what I was budgeting for one person (and I wasn't being very good at staying within my budget, in all honesty.) Half.

Secondly, I don't need to. This week was a tight one for me as I came up on paycheck day. I had a few un-planned (and unplannable) hits to my budget this month and I didn't want to take anything more out of my savings account. So I didn't, and this past week I've eaten what I have. I spent a little less than $10 at the grocery store last week because of it.

Therefore, I am giving myself a grocery challenge. With some other unexpected expenses cropping up this month - and there being five weeks between now and when I get paid again - I'm going to have to stick to a budget this month. I am letting myself spend $40 a week on groceries. Yes, that's still a good bit more than a lot of other people, but if I can lessen it month-by-month it won't seem like such a drastic change.

So here are a few rules for myself:

1. Don't spend more than $40 a week on groceries - this includes paper goods and toiletries.
2. Shop around for the best prices. I downloaded 3 apps onto my phone to help with this, though I don't know if any of them will be useful at all.
3. Eat what's in the freezer! I've got a lot of stuff pre-made that I should eat.
4. Use what's in the pantry. There's plenty for several meals in there. (I should take a picture of this, once I organize it...)
5. Buy toiletries and paper goods at CVS/Target/Aldi. Use CVS Extra Bucks to pay for these items as much as possible.

I think those are good goals for the first month. We'll see what happens and how well I stick to it! I'm going grocery shopping on Sunday, so I'll let you know what my totals are!

Do you have a grocery budget? How do you stay within budget - meal planning, couponing?

My garden - it is a-growin'!

2010-05-24T22:18:00.000-04:00

Well, my garden is growing away, which I'm quite pleased with. I even have two yellow boy tomatoes tomatoing (yes, that is a word ... at least it is now.) Some of the leaves of that plant are turning yellow, though, and I can't determine if it's not enough sun or too much water. We had a big rain yesterday and it got a drenching. I think I'll let it dry out a bit and see if that helps (I also just added some organic fertilizer.)

That's the Yellow Boy on the left with the Riesentraube cherry tomato right next to it. A pathetic and gangly lettuce is next and then my perennial failure: rosemary. Bought a start last year and killed it, got a plant for Christmas last year and killed it, and these were cuttings. They are dead. I don't think I'm destined to grow rosemary. I've got several basil plants in the rust colored planter that are doing well. Basil, at least, doesn't hate me!

You can see two of the basil (a LOT more of my basil seeds germinated than I intended, so lots of fresh basil this summer and then some yummy pesto in the fall. Mmmm. Next to the basil is my cilantro, which I grew from seeds. I'm really proud of the cilantro, actually, as it's my bunnies' preferred green and it's so darned expensive if purchased at the store (and never lasts very long, either!) I've got a hanging pot full of it (along with a volunteer basil which apparently came from last year's basil bolting as it's a different type than this year's).

These are two of the Thai Striped White Eggplant that were free seeds from the seed company. I wasn't so sure they'd survive at first, and I don't think they're going to get enough direct sunlight, but there wasn't really any reason not to plant them. The leaves have a bit of fuzziness - less than an African Violet, but almost the same texture. It's very interesting and I'm anxious to see how they turn out. As I've never had this type of eggplant, I'm curious how it'll look and taste!

My Sugar Snap Snow Peas are growing gangbusters! They're already outgrowing the trellises I bought the other weekend at the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival, so I don't quite know what I'm going to do next. Down at the bottom there's the beans - not sure if they're the blue lake bush or the golden wax, as I forget what I planted where. It'll be fun to find out, though!

In other garden-y news, my garlic seems to be doing well, but the lack of 100% direct sunlight may hurt my crop. If I even get one bulb, I'll be tickled, honestly. There's only so much a girl can do with a teeny porch, after all! My sage is growing well, too, and I have new tenants.

If you recall from last year, I was slightly concerned (okay more than slightly when they swooped down near my head) by the barn swallows that took up residence on my porch. Well, they returned this year, and after a few days of discouragement, I gave in and admitted that Mother Nature had won. Barn Swallows: 1, BunnyChick: 0.

Things were going along fairly well for several days. They remembered their part of the bargain - don't kill me - and I remembered mine - don't bother them. It was working out well. Imagine my surprise when I go out one morning to water the plants and I find, not my friends the barn swallows, but rather two mourning doves, who had built their nest on TOP of the mud nest of the barn swallows. For those who aren't familiar, mourning doves are a great deal bigger than barn swallows. And they've got beady eyes. It seems like the swallows gave the doves the low down on the Do Not Kill The Human agreement, but I'm still wary. f

And sad to say, I miss my barn swallows.

The Joy of Budgeting

2010-04-17T11:48:00.002-04:00

This past month is the first month that I've ever really given myself a firm budget and stuck to it. I downloaded a 'Personal Monthly Budget' from MS Excel, input all the necessary information (including taxes, health insurance premiums, car insurance premiums, etc.) and knew exactly how much I'd have leftover. I then used that 'leftover' money to pay down my debt. I am happy to report that I have paid off my credit card this month (just the interest charges from last month - a total of $6) and my student loan (7 months early)! Next month, I'll also pay off the bed that I financed, so other than my house, I'll be debt-free. After that, the plan is to build up my emergency fund. (The concept for this type of budget and the impetus to actually pay off my bills early despite the twitching it caused when I wrote big checks is credited to Dave Ramsey. If you're interested in budgeting and paying off debt, I highly suggest checking out his Baby Steps, either on his website or by borrowing one of his books from the library.)

One of the best things I did last month was to open a savings account. I've learned that if the money is in my checking account, I will spend it. I now have a modest emergency fund that I will be paying into for the next year or so in order to get the 6 months of expenses that experts recommend. I've also consulted a financial advisor to see about putting my emergency fund into a money market account. I'll likely keep what's in my savings account there, as I like the ability to just transfer it into my checking account for a small emergency (and wanting to buy a new television is NOT an emergency), but for the main part of it, it'd be nice to get more interest than .05%. Yes, that's five hundredths of a percent. I earned a whole $.04 last month. At that rate, I'll be a millionaire ... never. ;)

It's amazing how much more in control I feel because of the budget. I know what I'm spending, how much I can spend, and if I buy something not in the budget (as in the case of a book I've been waiting for for months), it has to come from somewhere else (in this case, it ate into - forgive the pun - my food budget a little.) Now, it's not to say that seeing I had exactly $12.93 in my checking account for a good week before I got paid didn't make me begin to panic. However, it did make me realize that I can't go out and spend whenever I want. What a concept, right?

Overall, I have to say budgeting has made me a much calmer person (except for the mistake I made for counting one receipt twice which threw off the totals!). I don't know why I kicked and screamed for so long about having a formal budget. I was always okay with 'If I have enough in the checking account to cover it all, then I'm good' method of budgeting. And while that's fine and good for some people, it's not enough for me. It ignores one very important facet: it doesn't allow me to become financially independent with savings and retirement accounts. Budgeting will allow me to build my savings and eventually contribute more to my retirement savings.

I like that.

Garden Update

2010-04-11T18:37:00.005-04:00

Thanks to the lovely (and sometimes terribly hot) weather we've been having lately, my garden is doing extremely well. In a few months, I'll have a nice crop of sugar snap peas, yellow wax beans, green beans, tomatoes, eggplant and lots of yummy herbs!

To the left are a basil plant (far left) and two Riesentraube tomato plants. For a while there, I really didn't think any of the tomatoes had sprouted, but 2 out of 4 ended up producing and one of those little tubes has two plants in it. I know I should be thinning them out, but I feel guilty for killing one of the poor things. We'll see how well they grow and if I can transplant them separately. I've two more basil seedlings that are in various stages of growth. I've never started basil from seed before, so it's a learning process (as are the tomatoes).

My mom also gifted me with a Lemon Boy hybrid tomato plant for Easter. It already has flowers on it - 3 so far - and while I was off this past week, I moved it around my little porch so it would get maximum sun. I can't do that now that I'm back at work, but if it keeps growing as it is, then it'll be producing before too long. Pity it's a hybrid, though. I don't think it'll reproduce itself if I save the seeds (though if I'm wrong, please tell me!) That doesn't mean I won't try, though.

A few of my lettuce seeds (which I purchased last year but did not plant as I also bought starts at my local organic farm) have come up. Just like the poor tomatoes, I can't bear to thin them. I tried transplanting two, to moderate success. One died, the other seems to be doing alright. We'll see how it goes.

My peas are doing absolutely brilliantly, though. I put my makeshift (and extremely homemade) trellis over it (with duct tape, no less, to hold it in place) and one intrepid plant is already wrapping around it. The other two aren't tall enough to do so yet.

Both sets of beans are coming up, and the garlic is doing quite well, too. I have high hopes that it'll actually produce bulbs this year, with consistent watering and enough sun. Cilantro is actually beginning to look like cilantro, too! Woot! I will have to bite the bullet and thin the parsley, though, as I clearly overseeded it and there are a ton of seedlings sprouting. I'll do that next weekend, I think. The eggplant is one little sprout, so my fingers are crossed that it'll grow and produce. (Is now the time to admit I've never, actually, tasted eggplant?)

All in all, my garden is doing quite well for almost mid-April. How about yours?

Garlic, Budgeting, and Meal Planning

2010-03-26T19:43:00.011-04:00

So last weekend, I finally got my seeds planted. So far, no signs of germination, but that's normal. I planted cilantro, basil, tomatoes, and soapwort in small containers. The parsley went in the hanging tub, to keep it from taking over, and the peas are supposed to be directly sown, so I put them in one of the big tubs. I'm waiting on the beans, as they're supposed to be directly sown, once chance of frost is past. Since it's getting below freezing tonight (have to bring my parsley pot in), it was a good choice to wait on those. Perhaps next weekend, when it will (hopefully) be warmer.

The little brown things in the middle are toilet paper rolls. I wish I could say I thought of it myself, but alas, like most good ideas, I got it from another blog. The trick is keeping the soil moist. I expect when I finally do get to planting them (four tomatoes and a basil, hopefully), the paper itself will be pushed aside by roots and eventually biodegrate into the potting soil. At least that's the plan, anyway. Not sure how it'll work, though, since I don't plant in the ground. Guess I'll find out!

In other news, the garlic I planted back in January or February (yes, I know, later than the winter equinox or sometime in November) is coming up! I hope it will be do better than last year's did (though I planted that set very late - May, I think.) Regardless, this time I'm more on the proverbial ball.

I'll also plant one or two of the eggplant seeds that I received free from the seed company. Admittedly, I'm not much of an eggplant fan (alright, I admit it, I haven't actually ever had eggplant). Hopefully having 'Thai White Ribbed Eggplant' will convert me.

In financial news, I've started a budget. I downloaded a 'Personal Monthly Budget' spreadsheet to use with Excel and I've now planned out my budget (loosely, since some months I'll need more gas or fewer groceries) for the next few months. I know when (when!) I'll have my credit card/student loan/other charged things paid off, and I know how much I'll start putting away in the savings account, which I've actually started! *gasp* Hopefully, I'll have several months' worth of expenses tucked away, with a bit of planning and not spending my extra on ordering out.

And that brings me to the fact that, along with the budget, I'm also doing meal planning. I went a bit off script today (getting fish tacos since I had $5 free, so my meal only cost me $2.33!), but the macaroni and cheese in my freezer will keep. So far, I'm really enjoying it. It's a weight off my shoulders not to have to wonder what I'll be having - or if I'll have everything I need. That was usually half the reason I would order in (the other being laziness).

So if anyone has any tips on gardening, budgeting, or meal plans, I'd love to hear them! :)

Ooops

2010-03-13T09:12:00.005-05:00

Wow, sorry, blog. It's been nine months or so since I last posted. A lot's happened in that time period, in my personal life, and suffice it to say that I got very distracted and overwhelmed, and the blog was the thing that fell by the wayside.

An update on my garden from last year:

Beans did fairly well. I didn't have enough to can, but they were tasty while they lasted!
Tomatoes also did well.
Herbs ... were a mixed bag. I fail at rosemary (I think it didn't have enough room for the roots), but basil, parsley and sage did pretty well. Cilantro bolted early and often due to the heat. I'll try to keep it inside this summer.
Lettuce - did well until it got hot. Bolting lettuce is very interesting to see, though!
Garlic - failure! I didn't plant early enough so they didn't form bulbs.
Cucumbers - epic failure! Although they were the size of cucumbers, they were very very bitter. I don't think my porch gets enough direct sun.
Sunflowers - I got another couple flowers, which were very pretty, but I did not harvest seeds.

One of the main reasons why I didn't have enough of anything to can is because I went on vacation in August and the plants didn't get watered once a day. I had asked someone to look in on them, but I apparently wasn't specific enough. Alas. The plants were wilted and shriveled by the time I got back.

This year so far, I have ...

Planted garlic in January (alright, a bit late from winter equinox or November, but it was bitterly cold in February so I think it'll be okay).
Ordered seeds!

Top (left-right): Blue Lake Bush Beans, Golden Wax Beans, Sugar Snap Peas, Soapwort (new to me - I'm curious about using it for making shampoo).

Bottom (left-right): Riesentraube tomatoes, basil, parsley, and thai white ribbed eggplant (a freebie from the seed company).

I also plan to use my cilantro seeds from last year and see if I can get any plants from it. I also want to buy a sage plant (Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, where I bought seeds from, was out of sage seeds). Overall, it's a bit tamer than last year's garden, but most of last year's insanity was due to getting free plants. Well, and a little over-buying on my part!

As I don't plan on taking trips this summer (then again, I never do ...) they should produce enough for me to have some to can. A friend has agreed to teach me to can in exchange for some seamstress work on his shirts. Fair trade, I think!

I want to start my seeds this weekend (at least those that recommend indoor starts). It's a pouring, depressing day, and expected to last all weekend. I guess I've found the plus of a covered porch garden - bad weather isn't necessarily a deterrent!

Happy gardening!

Forgive me blog, for I have neglected thee

2009-06-16T15:09:00.006-04:00

Well, it's been far too long since I posted something. My only excuse is that a lot's been happening with the end of the school year and my mom doing something to her knee (that was fun, let me tell you!)

But there's been some exciting developments in la casa de Bunny! (The next couple of descriptions will be for The Growing Challenge!)

This was (notice the verb tense - it's now an ex-tomato) my first tomato! Since doing something with only one cherry tomato is, well, silly, I cut it in half and shared it with my mom. We both agreed that it was absolutely delicious. I've since had several more - though, those I incorporated into dinner.

I have to admit I never really put much stock in the 'it tastes better if you've made it yourself' business, but it's so true! I've just recently (within the last year or so) taken to tomatoes and had I had a tomato like this from the beginning, I would have been a convert years ago!

I purchased another tomato plant which I neglected to ask how large it would grow before purchasing. It's also a grape variety, but I had to get a tomato cage ($2.11 at Home Depot - I had it staked before but I saw it leaning out into the open air yesterday and decided enough was enough - good thing the roots are strong!) In the process of putting the cage over the tomato plant, I managed to break off the top - which had several flowers and two lovely teeny tomatoes. I'm kicking myself for not being more careful, but I'm hopeful it'll bounce back.

In better news, my sunflower opened up this past weekend! I wasn't at all sure if it would get enough sun to actually do so, but it has and I'm thrilled. As the plant was free, I wasn't going to be upset if it didn't flower, but it's so pretty, isn't it? It makes me cheerful just to go see it outside.

You can see parts of my homemade trellis there, too (the yellow yarn). As frugal as I am (aka, cheap), I'm trying not to spend a lot more on my garden - I've spent too much already - so when I saw a need for a trellis for the sunflower, as well as two of the cukes and a spare green bean, I eyed the wood leftover from constructing the bunny cage. Yes, I've kept wood in the corner of my living room next to a bookshelf for four and a half years. I knew it'd come in handy some day!

I nailed the two long pieces to the short piece and then stringed the yarn in criss-cross. I then staple-gunned (is that a verb?) the ends of the yarn so it'd have more stability. So far it's working exceedingly well. The cucumbers are clinging to it, it's giving a bit more support to the sunflower and one of the green beans that's next to it has also sent out feelers to use it as well.

The picture to the right shows the trellis a bit better. You can see the beans in the background on my $11 Salvation Army shelf (just needed a bit of tightening of the screws to be really stable). The other yellow flower next to the sunflower is one of the cucumbers. Judging by how many tiny cucumbers I see on it and all its little friends, I'm going to be up to my ears in bread and butter pickles by the end of the summer. (Yay fun gifts!)

I was also able to actually pick six green beans at once (as opposed to the one at a time which, like the first tomato, was eaten by itself). I sauteed them up and again - homegrown is so delicious!

In the Doing Not Thinking Challenge, I have made more progress! My linen cupboard (really just a sectioned off spot in my walk-in closet) has been cleaned out. Watching this video from the ladies of Living on a Dime on how to fold a fitted sheet really helped me make things neat! I also came to the conclusion that not only do I not need six sets of flannel sheets (many with penguin motifs, at that), but I don't need twenty sets of towels, either. I'm just me. I don't go through that many towels before I do a load of laundry! So everything is neatened, refolded, and I've got two big trashbags full of things to go to Salvation Army/Good Will. I'm also keeping up with everything else staying neat as well. It's amazing how much calmer I feel when I'm not surrounded by clutter!

How My Garden Grows

2009-05-23T14:39:00.005-04:00

My porch garden is growing fairly well, I'd say. I've gone from teeny tiny seedlings to actual plants, which is exciting. (You can also see the yard sale find of the week - the bench that's holding the plants. $7 and it fits perfectly!)

I seem unable to grow rosemary, though. I had a rosemary tree given to me at Christmas and it died within a month. The rosemary plant I bought at the end of March/beginning of April is now also almost gone to meet its maker. I don't think I do rosemary.

My cilantro is also looking rather pathetic. I don't think it's getting enough sun, though I'm now moving it into the sun at all possible times.

In good news, the hanging basket of tomatoes is doing well, as is the cucumber. I've got one bitty cucumber, and eight green tomatoes so far. The beans are also doing well, if only coming ready one by one. I'm sure that will change.

This growing season has already been a true learning experience, and I'm discovering my porch doesn't get nearly as much full on sunlight as I thought it did. I don't know how my onions, carrots and garlic will turn out. If they don't do well, I won't plant them again next year, but so far, I'm enjoying it all!

I also have a new set of porchmates. Please ignore the fact that my window obviously needs cleaning desperately (or the screen does, at any rate). They're barn swallows. So far, we seem to be getting on fairly well and staying out of each other's way.

I'm also working on (well, letting it sit) a batch of fertilizer tea. We'll see how it works (I'll try it on a few of the plants that aren't so far along first, I think, just in case I did it wrong.) If I can make my bunnies' poop useful, that'd be great!

The doing not thinking challenge I haven't organized anything else (yet), but I'm keeping what I have organized neat and clean - that's something, isn't it? I've also donated the things I decluttered. Slowly, but surely ...

A Journey of Self-discovery

2009-05-18T18:28:00.004-04:00

Over the past year or so, I've been on a journey of self-discovery, though it was entirely unintentional. One discovery led to anothere, which led to another, and so on and so forth. I find it rather heartening to look back and see how far I've come, especially as this time last year, I was a good bit unhappier and less satisfied than I am now.

I've learned that I can lose weight (despite the fact that I've been maintaining the last six months or so). I am going to refocus this summer, when I can concentrate on it and hopefully have another successful summer in the weight loss department. From my desire to eat healthier ...

I've learned that I can cook! I knew this, sort of, but I've become a much more confident cook. I attribute a lot of this to various food blogs (Green Lite Bites, for one), but also to Cooking Light. Both have fabulous recipes and scrumptious pictures that make me want to try! The interest in making food led to a curiosity of what else I could make and...

I've learned how to sew! With the gift of a sewing machine from my mom for Christmas, I discovered that I can actually make things - gifts, things around the house, etc. The idea of not having to go out and buy a new comforter was freeing (if a bit daunting!) I plan on my next Christmas to be much more a homemade holiday than any previously, because who doesn't like to get gifts that are handmade? From learning how to do things by hand, I wondered what else I can do around the house and ...

I've planted an organic garden. My cucumbers are forming, I've eaten a green bean (yes, A - it was good!), have several tomatoes on one of my cherry tomato plants, and everything else is growing pretty well, too. Except the rosemary. I have no idea what I've done to it, but it was clearly WRONG. This weekend I even constructed a trellis for the sunflower/beans/cuke out of a couple pieces of old wood and some yarn. This interest furthered ...

My curiosity about all things "green". I've set up a recycling center in my kitchen, tried to compost with worms (emphasis on the 'tried'), and now use vinegar-water solution for cleaning countertops. Now, these are hardly jaw-dropping feats, but every step I take improves things. Speaking of improving things ...

I've also become more financially independent. I paid off my car and will pay off my credit card bill next month. This is exceptional timing as I'm downsizing at work in a few months (which I'm totally okay with!). I also called my "extras" companies (cable/internet, cell phone, Verizon) and got them to lower my bills, saving me $75 a month. It's amazing how much these companies are willing to work with you when you tell them that their service is too expensive and that you're thinking of switching! I've also switched myself over to a food budget of $200/month. Last month was a dismal failure, mostly because I wasn't serious about it. This month, with the inspiration of the girls at Standing in the Cash Only Line, I have an envelope with my month's money (16th-16th), and I will do this!

This entire post came about because of this:
My very first loaf of homemade bread. I used the recipe on the back of the bread flour bag and it was surprisingly easy and very rewarding. Not only did I get to nibble on still-steaming bread (YUM), but I also found that I really enjoy kneading bread! Who knew? Fresh bread is going to completely replace storebought in my house - not only is it cheaper, but I know what's going into it, another big thing!

So, what have you all discovered about yourself?

Updates, Challenges and more

2009-05-10T17:57:00.002-04:00

Well, I am saddened to say that my foray into vermicomposting has come to a bad end. In looking into my worm bin this afternoon, I discovered that they were all dead. :( Suffice it to say that I am rather upset about this because I was doing my best. It'll be a bit before I try again (but I will). I may want to get one of those fancy ones, rather than using the one I made. Not sure what was wrong with it, exactly, but oh well.

Doing Not Thinking Challenge Update
1. Organize and declutter in the following areas: kitchen, desk area, sewing/craft area, closets. Give away or recycle the things I no longer need/no longer work. This is going rather well. My desk is now neat and organized, as are several kitchen cabinets and drawers. I've given away the things that were making my desk cluttery and am gathering the kitchen stuff to take to Good Will. Yay me!

Oh! And I reorganized my pantry and now nothing's falling off the shelves. I also donated some things I wasn't going to eat to the Mail Carriers Food drive that happened yesterday, so my organizing and decluttering benefited others, not just me.

It's amazing how much calmer I feel without so much crap junking up my drawers. It's almost all perfectly usable, but since I sold kitchen products for the past two and a half years (I've recently stopped), I am up to my eyebrows in products I earned for free. Time to get rid of the things I used before I had the 'good stuff'.

2. Learn how to can! I’ve got lots of veggies growing on my porch and I’ll need to do something with them when it comes time to harvest them. Nothing to harvest, yet, so I haven't done this, though my mother has promised to show me how. Yay!

3. Exercise at least 3x a week, bumping it up to 5 in the summer when I don’t have work. I've been less good about this - I'm at 2x a week definitely. I supervise a gym 3x a week for about an hour, but my days keep getting booked with other things, so hopefully that'll stop soon.

Growing Challenge

Things are going well! I repotted my blue lake bush beans and moved a lot of the ones that were indoors out (and repotted into bigger pots). My first cherry tomato plant has several little tomatoes, I've got a couple beans on one of my pole bean plants, and one of the cucumbers is flowering. Garlic's doing well, as are the onions, carrots and herbs. I also planted a couple more cilantro seeds, as there's always somebunny around here to eat it (two, actually!).

If I can produce enough cilantro to keep my bunnies in greens year round, I've figured I'll save $52 a year, plus tax. That's nothing to sneeze at!

Of Worms and Seedlings

2009-05-02T19:04:00.003-04:00

It's been a banner week in my household. Not only are all the seeds outdoors (onion, carrots, cilantro and garlic) sprouting into lovely little seedlings, but I also inherited five pole bean plants, two cucumber plants and a sunflower from work. It literally made my day when I realized that they were there for the taking! Now, I am giving two of my inherited bean plants to a friend, because I already have nine and fourteen total bean plants would produce enough beans to feed far more than me for a year (should it all go well!), but I am still thrilled. I'm not quite sure where I'm going to put all of them, but a coworker is bringing in some pots I can use/borrow/have so that will help a little bit too. I think my windowsills will be getting quite the work out from all the plants that are small enough to be kept indoors.

I am now also the proud mama of approximately 800-1200 worms. It may be less than that now, though, as I don't think they all made it, sadly enough. I do admit to shuddering a little when I spread them out. It seems I have absolutely no problem with picking up single worms, but when they're clumped together, I'm embarrassed to admit that I get a little skeeved.

This was especially apparent when on Friday morning, I got up and went to check on them.
I pulled off the top of the worm bin (I used the method outlined here to make my bin - and even bought a drill to accomplish it!) to reveal that many of my new "darlings" were attempting to escape. Predictably to anyone who knows me, I shrieked, probably waking the neighbors at 6:20 in the morning. I then used a bit of cardboard to "encourage" my new guests to get back into the darn bin. And then I discovered that several had fallen/migrated out the holes in the bottom - I was terribly grateful to have put another bin without holes underneath the original bin, rather than just using the extra lid to catch worm tea, otherwise I might have had worms everywhere. The whole thing went on the porch.

In the day since that happened, I have become a bit less freaked by multiple worms, especially when (wearing a rubber glove - I'm working on weaning myself away from it, really!) I rooted around in the damp newspaper to see if they were eating the feast of Cheerios, stale bread and stale rice that I had ready for them. Enough were happily munching away (and producing vermicompost) for me to be quite pleased. My apple core and a few small slices of cucumber also went in this morning. I'm feeding them lightly for the first week, as per instructions. I hope they'll work up to bunny droppings as well, as that'd be a great way to get rid of them other than tossing them in the garbage. Aanyone know if worms can compost Carefresh, a recycled paper litter? I'm also a tad worried about the urine being too acidic for them, so that might be out.

A Sprout!

2009-04-27T20:08:00.000-04:00

My plants have (mostly) been moved outside. I've added six (now five due to my stupidity) lettuce plants to the bounty on my porch. I've been watering twice daily since I woke up on Saturday morning and found my cucumber and two bean plants wilty. Water brought them back, so I've been trying to keep up, especially with the horrendously hot weather we've been having.

In doing my evening checks (I also seem to be getting up earlier and earlier so I can get the watering in before I go off to work and after I feed the fish and the buns), I discovered something that had me racing for the camera.

It's cilantro sprouts! There are several of them, which might mean I have to find some more containers eventually, but I am ecstatic! Not only do the bunnies adore it, but I do too so the more the merrier, in my opinion. I have this vision of looking up at my condo from the ground and seeing cilantro plants in every window. It'll be cheaper than buying it at the store for .99 a bunch at least (and it won't travel all the way from wherever!)

The cilantro I planted outside isn't sprouting yet, which worries me a bit since they were planted at the same time. I'll give them a few more days though. My carrots and onions are also not sprouting. Packet says 10-21 days for them (10-14 and 14-21), so I'm still hopeful. The tomato plant continues to get blossoms, though the rosemary isn't doing as well as I would like, nor is the sage. The oregano is off like gangbusters as is the parsley.

In other garden-related news, I've started a worm bin and the red wigglers (Eisenia Foetida) are enroute. Wish me luck!

New Beginnings

2009-04-21T20:27:00.000-04:00

It's rather appropriate, considering the name of this blog (Carrot Wishes and Cilantro Dreams), that my first blog will be about my first garden. Oh, I've had gardens in the past, but they were at my parents' house, bought with my parents' money and used my parents' resources. But now I'm living in my own little condo and have decided to start container gardening on my teeny tiny porch. There were several reasons for my decision (other than it being spring, of course, though that certainly helps). The first is to offset my carbon footprint. While my teeny tiny plants won't do a huge amount, every little bit helps, and hopefully my teeny tiny plants will grow into bigger plants - that is the point of it, after all.

Secondly, the expense of buying fresh herbs for a recipe is astronomical. At my local grocery store, I can get herbs imported from Israel (I think?). Israel. For herbs. Yes, I love herbs, and my sage and prosciutto chicken isn't the same without the sage. Yes, I love my basil in my Basil Shrimp with Goat Cheese Orzo. However, importing it from halfway around the world seems a bit off to me. A package of the herb of your choice is something like $4 and of course, I put the rest back into the fridge, where it sits until I either remember it in time to use it again or I start to notice a smell that's a bit off. The amount of waste going into that little package of herb makes me cringe.

Thirdly, well, truthfully, I need a hobby that gets me away from the computer all summer! There's only so many hours I can sit and stare and check my favorite blogs.

So I chose instead to plant a garden which has set me back almost $100 with plants, seeds, containers and soil, but hopefully it will be a good investment (and is already fun!). I've had good luck with herbs at my parents' house a few years ago (almost a decade, I think), so I hope that good luck has followed me here.

In my first foray into organic container gardening, I've planted basil, oregano, cilantro, sage, rosemary, cucumber, beans, carrots, garlic, onions, and cherry tomatoes. I'm feeling ambitious, though I didn't have space to plant the lettuce seeds I bought. I'll need to get some more containers (I'll be repurposing some things instead of buying the expensive ones from the home store) to thin out the beans, carrots, and onions when the time comes.

Honestly, I'm a bit nervous about the plants I'm starting from seed (carrots, onions, cilantro), and the garlic probably won't be as prolific as it would be if I were planting it in the fall (which is when you're supposed to), but I've got my fingers crossed. After all, if I can get the stuff to sprout in the crisper, why shouldn't it also do well in soil!

The plants will face a Southernly exposure which I hope will be good enough, especially as some won't get prime spots on my 4x6 porch.

Wish me (or rather the plants) luck!