"IT MAKES CENTS TO ME FRIDAY" FOR FEBRUARY 10th

Hi everyone :) :) :)

It's time for another week of "It Makes Cents To Me Friday".  Right now my goal is to simply track what I spend my money on. That includes anything I spend on items for myself, for my father, for us as a tiny family.  I had a bit of a difficult time this week. I'm still buying "treats" for myself and my dad. These are actually things that are nice to enjoy once in awhile. However, these are definitely not needs for me right at this point in time.  In any case, here's what I did for the week of February 4th (Saturday) till today, February 10th (Friday).

These are just a few things that I puchased yesterday and today.  The Cottonelle wipes and the batteries were purchased at Rite Aid.  The clementines and oranges were purchased at Whole Foods this morning:

Friday - February 4th at Whole Foods:  Total spent $46.82

--- 1.11 pounds of trail mix (from the Whole Foods trail mix bar) This is really nice, especially if you like trail mix. You can pick from all these different things, to mix it to your tastes
--- 1, 20 oz drip coffee with cream and sugar "want, not a need"
--- 2 organic dark chocolate bars "Want, not a need" One for my father & I. The other one was for the friend who gave me the ride to the store. She wouldn't take gas money from me, but she did take chocolate ;) :)
--- 1 Clementine gift box
--- 1 Classic rotisseri chicken, from the hot deli counter "Want, not a need" especially since I have fresh, frozen chickens in my freezer. Once in awhile we just don't want to cook. Today was one of those days.
--- Almond meal flour, Bob's Red Mill
--- 1/2 pound of fresh raspberries
TAX: $0.72


Tuesday - February 7th at Whole Foods: Total spent $32.44
--- 2 organic dark chocolate bars "Want, not a need" One bar for my father & I. The other bar for another friend. Same situation: this friend wouldn't accept gas money, but I could pay her in chocolate ;) :)
--- 1 jar of raw raspberry honey
--- ** Parissa cold wax strips It's a cheaper solution than going to the salon. I prefer going to the salon for waxing, but I can't afford it right now. So this is the next best option :) :) :)

--- Lemongrass deodorant (Tom's of Maine) I bought this, just in case my coconut oil dedorant didn't work. It actually turned out perfect. So now I have two options for keeping myself smelling great :) :) :)
TAX: $1.09

My camera batteries were almost gone, so I decided to buy some more batteries yesterday. My digital camera uses AA batteries. Normally I buy just regular Duracell Coppertop batteries. However, I have found that they don't last very long. At the rate I take photos, batteries that last a long time are a MUST.  So I purchased lithium batteries. They are more expensive, but they last a LONG, LONG  time.  I'm also keeping track of how long they last versus regular batteries:

Wednesday - February 8th at Whole Foods: Total Spent $21.36

--- 2 pastries "Want, not a need". One was for my father, the other for me.  Oh, and did I mention that I'm GLUTEN FREE? Well, I'm struggling with that this week, too
--- 3 squares of dark chocolate "Want, not a need"
--- Classic rotissere chicken from the hot deli counter "Want, not a need".  Oh, I just realized that I bought one of these the other day. I have fresh, frozen chickens in the freezer. So add to my list "learn how to roast a chicken for myself"
--- Local newspaper "Want, not a need"  However, I do like to keep up with local happenings every once in awhile.
--- TAX: $0.78
Apropos chicken, I've got a whole, organic chicken (from Trader Joe's) slow-cooking in my CrockPot. It will be ready in another couple of hours.  This is one of those items that I had in my freezer already, so I didn't spend any money on that this week. The price for this chicken was $2.49 a pound at my local Trader Joe's. The photo doesn't look like much right now, but it's sure smelling good in the house:

Oooopss, looking at that last photo made me realize, I need to CLEAN...sigh.. :) :)


Wednesday - February 8th at Safeway: Total Spent $10.36
--- 4 of those 2.something gallon containers of drinking water
--- $0.40 cent recycle deposit
This I consider a need, especially if you don't have a clean source of drinking water.  Our water here is clean and okay to drink. It's just the taste that I don't like. It's a little too salty for my taste. Plus we also have hard water in our area. So I purchase this for drinking. It's a great alternative.


Thursday - February 9th at RiteAid: Total spent $47.15
--- $19.99, 8 pack of AA Lithium batteries Whenever I load my cameras with new batteries, I ALWAYS have a spare set in my camera bag.  These are expensive, but they last a VERY LONG TIME. I'm keeping tracking of exactly how long they last. The goal is to see if they really do last a lot longer than a regular set of batteries. That and if they do, does it justify the cost? So far, the answer is yes. Only time will tell.
--- $7.99 ea. 140ct of Cottonelle flushable wipes, 3 sets - $23.97 I stocked up on these because my family uses them quite a bit.  That and I want to have plenty on hand, in case there's  time I can't get to the store.
--- TAX: $3.19

Thursday - February 9th at Whole Foods: Total spent $11.23
---20 oz. drip coffee with cream and sugar "Want, not a need"
---2 breakfast sandwiches (from the hot deli counter)
"Want, not a need".  I could classify anytime I buy either of these things as "wants" and not needs, especially since I can easily make these at home. My father really wanted these yesterday. However, it's something I'm working on/struggling with. It's one of those things I LOVE to purchase, but don't HAVE to have.

Friday - February 10th at Whole Foods:  Total spent $33.90
---3.76 pounds of organic navel oranges These are only $1.49 a pound. That's not bad for organic produce, in my humble opinion.
--- 1 pound of lean ground beef
--- 1 pound of bulk dry rub applewood bacon
--- 1 Clementine gift box This was really expensive at $7.99 for a box. I just threw them in my cart, because I know how much my dad loves to eat these. When I got home, I told him the price and he felt bad. I told him it was OKAY!!! I was happy to purchase them. However, from here on out, it'll be oranges, unless clementines go on a super sale!!!!
--- 2 small breakfast sandwiches, from the hot deli counter "Want, not a need".  This is a want and not a need.
--- One local newspaper "Want, not a need"
TAX: $0.41

That's everything I spent my money on for the week. I spent a total of $203.90.  Of that money, $139.63 was spent on food (including the items I classified as "wants" versus "needs") So divided between my father and myself that works out to $69.82 per person. That's way too much. So I overshot my goal by quite  a lot.  Lesson learned...and I'm just going to keep plugging away at this and move forward.

That's about it for today :) :)  It just started sprinkling outside. It's what I jokingly called a "California downpour".  I'm so glad for the rain. We really need it, even here next to the ocean. Lots of farmers in our area, who grow really good food. They need that good rain.

Thanks for coming to visit me everyone. Your visits and comments always make me smile :) :) Have a great weekend!!!  That's the news from the ocean shores of California today. Love and hugs, Heather :) :) :)

FEBRUARY'S JOY DARE FOR FEBRUARY 9, 2012

Update:  I haven't been able to leave comments on some blogs. It's only the Blogger blogs that require a word verification, in order to leave a comment. I think it's just  a glitch. It should work itself out on its own. However, if you have trouble leaving a comment on my blog, would you please let me know? Thanks!!!

Hi everyone,

This is a surprise post.  I was at a women's Bible study last Tuesday. One of the ladies there had printed out Ann Voskamps "A Year of Graces" from her site A Holy Experience. Click here if you would like to visit. She also printed a copy of January's Joy Dare, even though we're in February :) :) So when I went home I printed out the Joy Dare for February. I've decided that one of the things I want to foster this year is an attitude of gratitude for the small and big things.  Each day is filled with different things to look for. Today is:

"3 gifts that were surprises - unexpected grace":

The first surprise was receiving this beautiful card with a quilted teacup on the front from my sweet friend Dorothy. Click here if you'd like to visit her blog, Notes from Mémère.  I love all things vintage, including quilts.

The second surprise came when I opened the card.  There was a lovely bag of Scripture tea.  I won't open it till I'm ready to drink it. When I do, I'll let you know what Scripture verse is on the tag:

The third unexpected surprise came when I saw what was on the back of the card. This made it even more special, because I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE vintage things.  When I saw that this was a repurposed quilt, I immediately wondered about the person who lovingly put the fabric pieces together. Now I have a piece of that quilt, an unexpected blessing:

These are the unexpected gifts that I've found today...so far.  I just had to share this with you all right away. I couldn't wait.

Tomorrow I'll be sharing about what I spent this week.  I think I might of went a little overboard, but it's all a learning process.  There was one item that I stocked up on.....well, actually it was two items. More on that tomorrow, too.

That's the news from the ocean shores of California today. Love and hugs, Heather :)

COCONUT OIL DEODORANT

Hi everyone,

How are you all today? I'm doing fine. We were supposed to have some rain yesterday, but all we got were some sprinkles. Maybe it will come later this week. We could really use the rain, even here on the coast with the ocean nearby :) :)

In my effort to lead a healthier lifestyle, I am also learning how to make more beauty/healthcare products at home.  Why?  It saves money. I know exactly what goes into the product. It is less toxic for my skin and body. Also, since I'm still "in between" jobs, this really helps to stretch my dollar a long way.

So one of the things I've made in the past is deodorant with coconut oil. There are quite a few websites with excellent recipes on how to make this for yourself. I followed the recipe that Amy blogged about over at Homestead Revival. Click here to visit the post. She's a really nice lady who is really doing a lot to be more self-sufficient at home. Plus, her blog is a delight to visit and you'll be glad that you did. Oh, and if you're on  Facebook, you can visit her here. Either way, let her know that I sent you over :) :) :)

You will need the following three ingredients to make this homemade deodorant:

YOU WILL NEED THE FOLLOWING THREE INGREDIENTS: BAKING SODA, CORN STARCH AND COCONUT OIL.

What proportions of each of the three ingredients do you need to measure out:
Baking soda - 1/4 cup
Corn starch - 1/4 cup (you can also use arrowroot if you prefer)
Coconut oil - 5 to 6 Tablespoons ( or up to 8 Tablespoons. It depends on how thick you want to make this.  I also use unrefined virgin coconut oil. There's no reason for that, other than I really like it and it smells FABULOUS.)

First, I measured out 6 Tablespoons of coconut oil.  At room temperature it is a bit hard, so my measurements weren't totally exact, but for this project, it's okay.  I haven't noticed any issues with the quality of the deodorant when it's finished.  Now the last time I made this, it was really hard to mix the coconut oil and the other two ingredients together. So this time, I put the 6 Tablespoons of coconut oil in a glass measuring cup. Then I placed that measuring cup in a warm bowl of water. The gentle heat from the water will help to soften the coconut oil. That's okay, but when you're done it will solidify back to it's former state.

WHILE YOU ARE LETTING THE COCONUT OIL SOFTEN UP A BIT, I MIXED THE BAKING SODA AND CORN START TOGETHER.

While the coconut oil is getting softer (and easier to mix later), I mixed together 1/4 cup of baking soda and a 1/4 cup of corn starch together in a plastic container.  Now plastic is what I have on hand. However, when I find a good deal on a Mason jar or glass storage container at the thrift shop, then I'll buy that.  This is what it looks like when you mix the two powders together. Real exciting..not..but for being so simple, this work FABULOUS:

Now it's time to mix the coconut oil together with the corn starch and baking soda.  I use a fork to mix everything together really well.  Once it's all well-mixed together, it kind of has the consistency of vanilla frosting from a can. This is what mine looked like:

This makes up under a cup of homemade coconut oil deodorant. You can store it in a small glass Mason jar or other container of your choice. I did put the lid on mine and placed it in the refrigerator. That helps to firm it up again.  I took it out this morning and let it sit at room temperature. That's how I'll store it, too. It'll be easier to use that way.

This morning I took my shower. After I was finished, I applied some of the homemade coconut oil deodorant.  I take a very small amount and apply it with my hands. I let it sit against the skin for a few seconds to let it melt. It will start to melt with your body heat. Then I rub it around to cover my underarm area very well. That's it.. It works great. It smells fantastic and it's better than anything I've ever purchased in a store.

The baking soda cost me less than $1. The corn starch was just over $1. The coconut oil cost me about $9.99 at Whole Foods.  However, coconut oil has MANY uses, so it's worth the cost. You don't need much for this deodorant. It's also good as a moisturizer on the skin. It's also fantastic to use in cooking, as an alternative to butter.

If you make this, let me know how it turns out.  This stuff smells nice and does the job very well.

That's the news from the ocean shores of California today. Love and hugs, Heather

IT "MAKES CENTS TO ME" FRIDAY.

Hi everyone,
So I really struggled with what to call this post. I've been noticing on a few blogs, people are keeping track of their spending, some just on food, others on anything they spend money on. So that got me to thinking. Maybe I can keep track of what I spend my money on for the next three months...no strings attached...and then after that, I'll see where I can start saving money.
OH, and I had a hard time coming up with a catchy title...but I came up with "Makes Cents To Me".  My aunt (my dad's sister) helps pay most of the bills, since we're living in her house. She's been so good to us during this really tough time for my little family.  Once certain bills are paid, my father and I have a really limited budget to work with. This budget has to cover food, gas and maybe other incidentals for the entire month.  My "month" started today on February 3rd and will end around March 2nd. Although that might be subject to change. Also, my dad and I are both "in between" jobs, so that adds an element of excitement to the mix. Hey, being out of work is no fun, but it is vitally important not to lose our sense of humor :) :) :)

Here are a few of the items that I purchased this morning at Whole Foods market.  There was quite a bit MORE in today's purchase, but I'd put most of it away, before I realized that a photo would be needed for today's post:

.

My father and I are on a real food journey. We're committed to eating organic food, as much as possible and staying within budget.  We believe that you can't put a price tag on healthy eating/living, especially since the alternative (hospital bills) can be exhorbitant.  If you can't afford organic food, don't worry.  The primary goal is to shop the perimeter of your supermarket, buy fresh produce and meat. Make all of your meals at home.  It will automatically be healthier and save you money.

I know that I'm forgetting to write down some stuff here, because I'm really excited and really nervous about this post. Excited, because I know that it's possible to live healthy on a really limited budget.  Nervous because I am putting myself out there. However, I hope to encourage you because I'm just your everyday person trying to make it work in a recession.  That and I also want to prove that it's possible to live within your means and still be happy :) :) :)

Budget for the month of February: $Not sure if I want to reveal that just yet.  Once the bills are paid, there isn't much left over for food or other incidentals, like the phone ;) :) Maybe later...

Monday spent so far this week: $146.50 (for food and non-food items)

This is what my purchase included today:

--- 3 dozen organic brown eggs

---3, 8 oz packages of Kerrygold Irish butter (for making ghee, which is clarified butter)

---12 oz of organic, cherry tomatoes

---**Martha Stewart Living magazine (a want/not a need)

---**20 oz. organic drip coffee, French roast (a want/not a need)

---2, 32 oz bottles of ultra-purified drinking water with bottle desposits included

---1 jar of Himalayan pink salt

---1 container of Trail  Mix from the trail mix bar

---1 pound of organic, grass fed ground beef

---1 pound of bulk dry rub applewood smoked bacon

---2 Dagoba, organic dark chocolate bars

---1 botle of leave-in conditioner from 2Chic by Giovanni

---1 bottle of Aubrey Organics "rosa mosqueta" shampoo

---1 tube of natural whitening toothpaste

---1 small tub of organic cottage cheese

---organic, salted butter (Whole Foods brand) for Dad

---2 packages of frozen, organic blueberries (really overpriced, but I didn't have a chance to buy the 10 lb. organic bags of frozen blueberries at Costco)

---1.28 pounds of organic carrots

---1.54 pounds of organic broccoli crowns

---1 bottle of Earthworm family-safe drain cleaner (more on this stuff in another post...fantastic product, great price and safe around pets and children)

---2 cans of canned wild salmon

---2 cans of wild albacore tuna

---7.56 pounds of organic, navel oranges

---**2 fresh croissant breakfast sandwiches from the hot deli bar(a want/not a need...but so tasty good when you don't want to make breakfast in the morning)

---Organic silk, dental floss

THIS HIMALAYAN PINK SEA SALT IS REALLY NICE. I LOVE THAT IT IS PINK. HOWEVER, SEA SALT HAS A LOT OF HEALTHY MINERALS THAT ARE SOMETIMES REMOVED FROM TYPICAL TABLE SALT. FOR A LINK TO SOME OF THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF THIS TYPE OF SALT, CLICK HERE.

I bought the Himalayan pink salt for my father. It came recommended from our naturopath, as a healthy salt that my dad can consume.  Last month he was in the hospital because he had an arrythmia fibrillation of the heart. The hospital put him on a low-salt diet.  It's not so much about low-salt as it is about "healthy" sources of sodium. So we decided on this for my father.  It is really flavorful, and because of that you use much less of this type of sea salt, than you do with regular table salt. When I make my organic chicken/vegetable soup, I always add a teaspoon of Celtic sea salt. It's fabulous....and provides wonderful flavor.

What else? Well, let's see...the non-food items were a total of $38.34. That is $38 dollars and 34 cents...Blogger fonts make it hard to see the "dot" seperating the dollars from the cents :) :) :)

So I actually only spent $108.16 on food itself. So divided between my father and I for the week, that's $54.08...that's not too bad for the week.  Also keep in mind, that we still have a lot of food in our refrigerators and pantry, so that's going to help cut down on our food expenditures for the month.

Remember, I am new at this...so be kind to me, especially if you have advice/words of encouragement :) :)

These are some Whole Foods market freebies. They have a monthly health magazine, FREE to customers, whether you make a purchase or not. They also have a bi-monthly coupon booklet as well. So look for those two things, when you go to your local Whole Foods store (or any store, look for the store's sale ads).  Whole Foods also has a weekly sales sheet, that I grab as well.  Although today ,there weren't any available.

I am learning how to carefully study the sales ads. Even at stores like Whole Foods, it is possible to eat healthy and stay within a budget. So that's what I'm setting out to do.  Oh, Whole Foods also has a really cool booklet that comes out that includes a few meals/recipes. They each can feed four people for under $20.

Why am I shopping at Whole Foods today? Well, I'm studying to get my California driver's license. I'm in my 30s and never learned to drive...Shocking, I know...but I'm just a late bloomer and that's the simple, plain truth when it comes to my driving. My dad cannot drive for another three months. That is a mandated CAlifornia state law for people who experience a heart problem (like my father did)..so I'm relying on the generosity/loving kindness of my neighbors and church family. So I'm really careful to limit where I shop to save gas.  Whole Foods has everything I needed for this week, so I didn't need to go to the produce market in Pacific Grove, like I normally would. Does that make sense?

In any case, that's my "It Makes Cents to Me" post for this Friday.  I'd love to hear your thoughts and your ideas. I realize that eating organic is not for everyone, whether it be personal choice or because of finances. However, I know we all like to save money. So I'd welcome any thoughts and comments. Just keep it kind towards me and the others who comment here :) :) Also, I'm just a young lady trying to make it work in a recession. You can have "champagne" tastes and still live well-within a soda pop can budget :) :) :)

I'm participating in the following blog-hops this week:

Living Well Blog Hop over at Common Sense Homesteading.

Your Thriving Family. Click here to visit. Or check out the the blog button on my right sidebar :) :) :)

Raising Homemakers. Click here to visit or check out the blog button on my right sidebar :) :) :)

Thriving on Thursdays at Domesblissity. Click here to visit or check out the blog button on my right sidebar :) :) :)

Lil' Suburban Homestead. Click here to visit.

The Homestead Barn Hop over at The Prairie Homestead. Click here to visit. Or click on the blog button on my right sidebar.

There are lots of really cool blog posts. If you have some time, check out some of the other people participating in this link-up :)

That's the news from the ocean shores of California today. Love and hugs, Heather :)

MY FATHER AND YARD SALE TREASURES

Hi everyone,

My dad returned home from the VA last Thursday. I was really happy to see him. Here is a pic of my father and I together. A friend of the family picked him up at the VA and brought him home :) :) She kindly took the photo for us. Here it is:

THIS IS MY FATHER AND I JUST A FEW MINUTES AFTER HE CAME HOME.  NOTICE THE SMIRK ON  HIS FACE? I THINK MY DADDY WILL BE JUST FINE.


When I saw my father pull into the parking lot with our family friend, I started jumping up and down and clapping. I was so happy to have my father back home. Even the dog could tell something was different about that day, because she kept sniffing around the house looking for him. When my dad walked through the door, the dog's tail started wagging so fast, you could have used it as a fan :) Isn't my daddy handsome? 

Oh, just a sidenote, in this photo I have lost a total of 60 pounds. You can't tell very much, because I've had that faux suede blouse since BEFORE I started my healthy living/weight loss journey.

I was having a bit of cabin fever and wanted to get out of the house this weekend. My friend P. told me that she had some errands to run. I asked if I could come along. She said yes.  Then we were coming back to the house to watch Downton Abbey on Netflix.  So we found a yard sale on the way home, and yes, I bought two things. Here's a look at what I found...all for $2.25.

The first item was a super cute satin pink pajama set for $2. It actually fits me. I washed it and now I feel really pretty and feminine when I go to bed :) Here is a glimpse of the fabric:

THE PAJAMA BLOUSE IS A REALLY BEAUTIFUL PINK DAMASK STRIPED TOP. THE PAJAMA PANTS ARE JUST PLAIN PINK SATIN. I REALLY LIKE THIS SET BECAUSE IT'S PINK. WHEN I WEAR IT, I FEEL REALLY FRILLY AND FEMININE.

The next item was just a small Christmas item that I spotted. This was only $0.25.  It's actually a dark green pillow with an embroidered center that was hand-stitched. It says "Christ is Born!" I gave this to my father, because I knew he would LOVE IT...and he does. It's sitting on his desk, in front of some books.

I'm working on a pair of socks for my aunt's really, really , really late Christmas present. I started them back in November. So when I actually finished them, I'll post a photo for you and maybe a tutorial, too, in case you want to make a pair for yourself :) 

That's the news from the ocean shores of California today...speaking of which, the weather has been a really interesting mix of sunshine/rainy clouds today.  I really like it a lot. Love and hugs, Heather :)

DAD IS HOME !!!!!!

Hi everyone,
Dad came HOME yesterday afternoon. I'm so excited :) :) He looks really good. He's out and about and moving around, albeit a little slowly...but he looks wonderful :) :) I'll post a pic this weekend :) :) :) That's the news from the ocean shores of California today. Love and hugs, Heather :)

p.s. I'll have more vintage, crafts and other stuff up next week :) :) Thanks for visiting me. I LOVe visitors. You are always welcome here :)

HEATHER'S BLOG DESIGN ADVENTURE UPDATE

Hi everyone,

Wow, I finally managed to use up all my image storage space on Blogger. So I had to go back to my Picasa web album (which I forgot I even had still) and delete a bunch of unused photos. Plus, I deleted all my blog posts from my first month of blogging, to create space without having to pay for extra storage. I just can't afford to purchase more space, even though it's really cheap.

Have any of you ever experienced this?  Well, the one good thing is I've figured out how to create my own header ;) :)  So that is a step in the right direction :) :)

I did finally figure out how to add my own background image to  Blogger. Now I have to figure out how to make it fit the whole screen instead of repeating itself over and over. Uggg..I hope you don't mind my experimenting with my blog layout and design :)

If you want to read the update on my father, you can click here.

That's the news from the ocean shores of California today. Love and hugs, Heather :)