In a Pinch: Makeshift Mascara

A couple Sundays ago, I started getting ready for church only to realize that I'd left my entire make-up bag at my parents' house. My son and I had spent the night there while my husband was camping with the scouts. What was I going to do? I couldn't skip church, especially since I was teaching a class that day, and I couldn't quite justify going to the store on Sunday for just for mascara. So what did I do? Like in so many other instances, I turned to Google.

Turns out, there are bunch of recipes for homemade mascara. Now, I'm all for saving money with homemade things, but there are a few instances where the trouble isn't worth the possible savings. I will say now, for the record, I will most likely never make my own mascara regularly. I'll just keep buying the kind that comes in the green and pink tube (with a coupon, if I can get my hands on one). However, I found an easy recipe for makeshift mascara, specifically for someone in a pinch like me. To my surprise, it worked quite well.

For some makeshift mascara, all you need is some Vaseline (the site I got the recipe from also suggested unscented chapstick) and some eyeshadow. In a small bowl, combine a few pea-sized globs of Vaseline with some eyeshadow. You could use any color for this -- brown, black, blue, whatever. I happened to have a sample of dark grey eyeshadow that I only really use for Halloween. Mix the Vaseline and the eyeshadow together with a chop stick, the end of a brush, or some cotton swabs with the ends removed. Basically, mix it with something besides your fingers. 

The trick is to find some kind of brush to apply it. You might have to get creative with this. I lucked out because I had an extra mascara wand on hand -- I saved and washed one from a previous tube and I have been using it as an eyebrow comb {random reuse!}.

Like I said before, the makeshift mascara worked surprisingly well. It definitely didn't have the consistency I'm used to when it comes to mascara. It felt a little weird and gummy when I put it on, but once it dried it was fine. My eyelashes actually felt a little softer afterwards, too. Make-up emergency averted.

I'm Dreaming of a Debt-Free Christmas...

As much as I love a great deal on something, I don't do the Black Friday sales. I just can't think of anything I want bad enough to get me to push through crowds, camp outside of stores, or lose hours of sleep. More power to you if you're braver and less lazy than me -- you've earned the savings. 

In any case, I thought Black Friday would be an apropos time to mention budgeting for the holiday season.  It is totally possible to stay afloat and on-budget during the busy Christmas season. Granted, it's not always easy and it does take some planning and extra work, but it can be done.

As an article on DaveRamsey.com says, "If you pay for your holiday festivities with credit, you're bringing a stalker home for Christmas. The holidays will follow you around all year long."  For some people, the money they spend on the holiday festivities follow them for months in the form of bills and interest. Ever heard of Blue Monday?  It's a Monday in mid- to late January that is deemed the most depressing day of the year. One of the reasons it's so depressing is because that's when the post-Christmas credit card statements start coming in.  Sad, but true.

So, to help you avoid "bringing a stalker home for Christmas", here are a few ways you can stay out of debt and cut back this Christmas season...

Create a Christmas budget.
This seems obvious, but it can make or break you when it comes to staying out of debt this Christmas season. For the last couple years, before we start our Christmas shopping, my husband and I plan out our Christmas budget. It's nothing fancy or complicated. After we've paid our regular, monthly expenses, we figure out how much money we have left to spend on all things Christmas. We figure out a specific amount that we can spend on each other and a specific amount for our son. After that, we move on to the extended family -- our parents, siblings, and nieces/nephews. We also set aside a little extra money for other miscellaneous expenditures (gifts for friends and neighbors, decorations, activities, etc.).  Having a budget is like having a game plan. It sounds simple (though it does take discipline), but it works.  If you're intimidated at the thought of budgeting, there are sites like Mint.com that can help you track your expenses.

Use cash.
One of the main keys to sticking to our Christmas budget, I've found, is using cash. Not even the debit card, but actual cash. I've written about using cash and envelope system before, but I'll mention it briefly again: When you spend cash, it actually a little painful because you see and feel the connection. With a credit card, spending is abstract; with cash, it's anything but.

Once we've made our budget, we head to the ATM and withdraw the amounts we specified in our Christmas budget. A certain amount of cash for me to spend on my husband and a certain amount for him to spend on me and so on. We do this for everyone on our shopping list. And once the cash is gone, it's gone. Purposefully leave your credit card at home. If we do online purchases, we make sure to stay within our budget and transfer the money accordingly. Not only does this keep us on budget, but it also makes us do our research to get the best deals and most for our money.  We've been using cash for the last few years and while it does take a little more discipline and work, the peace it brings later is totally worth it.

Make a list.
Check it twice {ha ha}.  Knowing what you want to buy before you buy is really important.  Impulse buys can wreak havoc on your budget and debt-free goals. My husband is awesome about giving me very specific lists of things he wants, making budgeting and shopping easier. Before you go shopping for anything, be specific. Once you know exactly what you want to buy for each person in your Christmas budget, you can find the best deals and choose accordingly. Which leads to the next tip...

Do your homework.
Once you have your budget set and your gift ideas in place, it's time to do some research. For each item you're going to buy, do a Google search. Doing a search will give you an idea of the cost and where you can get the best deal. Visit the websites for the stores you are planning to shop at and compare prices. There are also great deals when you skip the stores and shop online -- and it's easier to resist the temptation of impulse buying when you buy online.

Start early.
I feel like a hypocrite even mentioning this because I always seem to procrastinate all of my shopping until a week or two before Christmas. However, I have friends who get their shopping done months before Christmas. Spreading purchases over an extended period of time is a great way to avoid debt during the holiday season.

Go homemade.
You can save a lot of money making your own gifts and decorations during the holiday season. Plus, like I always say, giving something homemade means more because it takes time and extra thought. While some crafts and projects can be difficult and take a lot of skill, there are even more that don't require a lot of expertise.  Over the next few weeks, I'm going to be posting a bunch of ideas, recipes, and links to help with your homemade holiday endeavors.

Alter your expectations and perspective.
It's too bad that our society places so much importance on the gift giving aspect of the season. Don't get me wrong -- I love getting and giving gifts. But I think it's sad how the most joyous time of year can become the most stressful too. So this Christmas season, don't be afraid to cut back on how much you spend, how much you give, how much you bake, and how much you decorate. I went to a presentation once where an organization expert suggested just cutting back 10%. She said that was enough to give yourself a break without changing too much.

In the end, the most important thing is to make the Christmas season memorable. Sure, people will love the gifts you give and they may remember some of them.  That said, the season that is now upon us is more about enjoying the love of family and friends and celebrating the greatest of all gifts, the gift that came so many years ago in Bethlehem. When we remember those two things, family and faith, our priorities will fall into their proper place as we realize that "maybe Christmas doesn't come from a store" after all.

One of My Favorite Thanksgiving Side Dishes (a.k.a., the only yam recipe I like)

I understand that yams can be pretty divisive. Most people either love them or hate them. If you like yams, I think you'll love this recipe. If you don't like them, I'll just ask you to keep an open mind. I mean, there are no marshmallows in this recipe. The yams are mashed and sweetened and then topped with sugary pecan crumble. So it is different than the others I've seen. Maybe you won't hate this recipe?  Like the title says -- this is the only yam recipe I like. Give it a try.

There are two parts to this recipe: the mashed yams and the toppings. To get started with the mashed yam mixture, you'll need:

3 cups of mashed yams (how many yams this is totally depends on the size of the yams you use. I used about 4 large to medium sized ones)
4 Tbsp. of butter, softened
2 eggs
1/2 cup white sugar (this year, my mom substituted some of the white sugar with pure maple syrup -- gave it a nice flavor)
1/2 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Boil the yams, with the peel still on, until tender (if you can stick a fork all the way through them, they're ready).  Once they're cooked, transfer them to a clean surface and peel; the peel will come off easily.

Once peeled, mash the cooked yams like you would mashed potatoes. I used my KitchenAid, but you could also use a hand mixer or mash it with a potato masher. Get it nice and smooth.

In a mixing bowl, combine the mashed yams with butter, eggs, sugar, milk, vanilla, and salt.  Once mixed, pour it into a round or square baking dish.

One nice thing about this recipe is that you can break it into different days -- you can make the mashed yam mix days before you need them and then on the day you're going to serve them, mix up the topping and bake.

For the topping, you'll need:

4 Tbsp. butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix the butter, sugars, flour, and pecans. The topping resembles one you'd see on a fruit crisp -- yum!

Sprinkle the topping all over the mashed yam mixture.  Bake for 45 minutes.

And there it is -- the only yam recipe I like. It's really good -- a sort of cross between a side dish and a dessert. Like I said, approach it with an open mind.

Speaking of desserts...

I couldn't help posting a link to this 'pie' I made today. It's the Pioneer Woman's Nantucket Cranberry Pie.  I just baked it. It was so, so easy to make and it smells AMAZING!

Happy Thanksgiving!

For the Holidays: Homemade Pumpkin Purée

Unless you're crazy like one of my brothers, you will probably agree that one of the best parts of fall, Thanksgiving, and Christmas is pumpkin pie. What's not to love about cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and sugar mixed with pumpkin and baked in a flaky crust? And the whipped cream on top? Double delicious. My brother is totally nuts for not liking pumpkin pie.

Anyway, I thought I would show you how to make your own pumpkin puree. It's not nearly as hard to make as you think, I promise. Plus, fresh pumpkin purée tastes better than the processed stuff (though I use the canned pumpkin quite often). Pie and sugar pumpkins can be found in just about any grocery store throughout the holiday season and they don't cost very much. For even greater savings, you can grow your own pumpkins, make the purée, and freeze it.

The recipe below makes about 2 cups of purée, but that can vary depending on the size of your pumpkin.

To get started, you'll need:

• A pumpkin (obviously) -- be sure to use the pie or sugar varieties. The big ones you buy around Halloween aren't great for purée because they have a grainier texture and aren't nearly as sweet. If you really want to use the big pumpkins (like the jack o' lantern types) you'll have to add a lot more sugar and puree it longer. Take my advice and just use the pie or sugar varieties.
• A spoon and a sharp knife
• A baking sheet
• A blender or food processor
• Water

Step 1 -- Clean out and slice up the pumpkin.

Remove all the seeds from the pumpkin. Slice the pumpkin up into wedges, each wedge about 2-3 inches wide. Cut off any stringy parts with a knife.

Step 2 -- Roast the pumpkin slices.

Arrange the pumpkin slices on a lined (we used parchment) baking sheet, skin side down.  Cook the pumpkin in a 350 degree oven for 20-30 minutes, or until tender (use a fork to check).

Step 3 -- Scoop out the pumpkin flesh, then purée.

Once you've cooked your pumpkin slices and once they've cooled, scoop out the flesh with a spoon. If you've cooked your pumpkin long enough, scooping it out will be no trouble at all. If you find that it isn't coming easily, roast the slices a little longer {that's what my mom and I had to do with the larger wedges}.

In a food processor or blender, purée the pumpkin with a little bit of water. The water will help the pumpkin mix better. I'd recommend starting with 1/4 to 1/3 cup of water; if the pumpkin is still not getting smooth, add some more water, just a tablespoon or two at a time.

You can either use the purée right away or you can put it into Mason jars and freeze the purée for later use.

That's it -- pumpkin purée in just three easy steps. And then, when you make your pumpkin pie (or cookies or cake or bread) this season, you can tell your guests that you used fresh pumpkin. They'll be impressed. It's up to you, though, if they find out how easy it was.

And the winner is...

According to the results from Random.org, the winner of the subscription is...

...Heidi!  {sidenote: she's my old piano student from high school! How time flies!}

Thanks to the TWO people who entered! {What happened?}

Don't worry, Tara...I've got something for you, too!

For Your Monday: A Promotion AND a Giveaway

I'm not one of those Monday-haters. Well, most of the time I'm not. But today I'm dragging. Hopefully you're Monday is going better. In any case, whether you need cheering up or not, I'm sharing not only a great promotion at a website, but I'm also doing a giveaway {better to give than receive, right?}.

First, the promotion...

Since I'm having a boy in March, baby stuff is on the radar yet again. So, naturally, I think everyone feels the same way, too. The promotion is for a free nursing cover from Udder Covers (oh, the names people come up with...)

How I would have loved to have one of these back when my son was nursing! Uncoordinated lady that I am, it took all my focus to wrangle a blanket and a squirming baby without exposing myself.  I can already tell that it's going to be an enormous help for me the second time around. These nursing covers usually cost $32, plus shipping and handling; if you enter the promo code "Thanksgiving" at check-out, the cover will cost nothing! You do have to pay shipping and handling (which is $9.95 - about the same cost, if not less, to buy the materials to make your own, which is what I was going to do until I got the promo code).  The promotion is for a limited time only, while the stock is available, so if you're going to get one, get it soon!

You don't have to be an expecting mother to take advantage of this great offer, either -- I got mine last year, long before baby #2 was even a twinkle in my eye. They also make for a great baby shower gift -- and with the promo code, you can't beat the price!

Now, the giveaway...

I love Family Fun magazine.  When my favorite parenting magazine, Wondertime, had to shut down (stupid recession), I got the remainder of my subscription filled with Family Fun issues. While not as awesome as Wondertime was, I love this magazine because it's not one of those alarmist parenting magazines, full of safety warnings and articles about the latest disease your child can contract. Instead, Family Fun is just about enjoying your children. It's full of ideas for games, art projects, activities, family vacations, and parties, as well as having lots of kid-friendly recipes and gift ideas. It's a sort of parenting sigh of relief for me.

Anyway, the time has come for me to renew my subscription and I received an offer to get a free gift subscription with my renewal. So, I thought I'd give it to one of my dear, lovely readers. To enter the drawing for a free, one-year subscription to Family Fun:

• Leave a comment. To make it interesting, tell me how you get out of a funk on a Monday (or any other day of the week). What do you do to improve your mood? This hormonal pregnant woman will take any advice she can get.

For extra entries:

• Become a follower of this blog.
• Mention this giveaway on your own blog or Facebook.
• Post a 'Parsimonious Princess' button on your blog (see the sidebar for a link).

You can do just one or all three of the extras to get the extra entries - just leave me a comment when you've done any of them. If you have already done one of the extras in the past, you can mention it in your first comment.

You can enter the giveaway up until 11:59 PM (MST) on Wednesday, November 17. I'll announce the winner on Thursday morning.

I'm feeling a little better already...

Good luck!

Random Reuse: The Spaghetti Sauce Jar

I'll admit it: I like to cook most of my dinners from scratch, but I have one 'cop-out' thing I buy -- pre-made spaghetti sauce.  Some nights, it's all I can do to just dump some spaghetti into some boiling water and heat up a jar's worth of sauce. Cheaper than eating out, right?

The upside of this not-from-scratch item on my shopping list is that the jars are great for reusing. I always wash and reuse these jars. Call me crazy, but I feel weird throwing glass away (since our city's recycling service doesn't accept glass).  Here are a few of the ways I've reused them:

• Leftover soup (on the far right -- it's PW's corn chowder with chilies. YUM!)
• Honey -- I buy mine in bulk, so I store it in a jar, along with the wooden honey wand. I've also stored agave nectar in reused jars
• Nuts -- also purchased in bulk.
• Popcorn kernels
• Chocolate sauce
• Garage storage -- good for nails, screws, etc.
• Insect zoo -- my Cub Scout den made little habitats for crickets in the jars I saved to pass off their Naturalist badge.

There are a bunch of ways to reuse these jars; I've only named a few that I've done.  You can go to this link for 10 simple reuses for spaghetti jars for even more reuses for that spaghetti sauce jar. Delicious spaghetti sauce and a practical container for storage and less trash? Everyone wins.

Saving Money with Cloth Napkins

Since the cold and flu season is now upon us and we happen to be passing around a little bug to each other here at my house, I decided to cut up some old flannel material for some new handkerchiefs. As I was doing this, I was thinking about what to post on here since it's been a few days. Having just posted about cloth diapers (thanks, Nisha!) and making cloth handkerchiefs, I realized that I haven't written about one of my other uses of cost-cutting cloth: cloth napkins.

Back in early spring, I read a post on SouleMama about the importance of family dinner and was struck by how she set the table, as if it were a special occasion. Placemats, cloth napkins, napkin rings. Granted, family dinner is a special occasion, but I hadn't given much thought to setting the table like that. I mean, it's just me, my husband, and a four-year-old. Determined to make family dinner a special time, I set off to make my own homemade placemats like SouleMama and bought a bunch of cloth napkins. Though we haven't been perfect about dinners, we have used the placemats and napkins every day since.

Cloth napkins are a great way to save money. Before, we'd use paper napkins or even just a square from the roll of paper towels. The paper towels stopped being an option when I quit buying them almost a year ago. So, still needing some kind of napkin, I used to buy the colorful paper napkins from Ikea, 50 of them for $2, putting them at 4 cents each. These would, of course, run out and I'd have to buy some more. Then I read about the cloth napkins.

I went to Ikea and bought a few packs of their white cloth napkins (they were called Iris, but I couldn't find them anywhere on the site) - each pack cost $3.50 and contained four napkins. This put the cost per napkin at almost 90 cents each. If I remember right, I bought three packs of them so I'd have plenty in rotation. In the end, each napkin was the cost equivalent of about 23 paper napkins. The great thing is that, unlike the paper ones (of course), the cloth ones can be used over and over again. We've been using the same set of napkins that I bought in early April and they're still holding up great.

One other benefit over paper napkins: each of us used one paper napkin per meal. Now with the cloth napkins, we can stretch their use over a couple meals, if not all three. My son will use a fresh napkin at breakfast, use it a couple times to get the maple syrup and milk off his chin. It's not that dirty at all. At lunch, he'll use it to get the peanut butter off his cheek a couple times. Still, not that used. After dinner, it's been well-used and ready for the laundry. I keep his napkin at his placemat all day and that seems to work. Granted, he has had messy breakfasts and lunches, so we don't always stretch out the use of a single napkin, but most of the time we do. My cloth napkin inspiration, SouleMama, uses napkin rings assigned to each member of the family to keep track of napkins from meal to meal. Cuts back on laundry, for sure.

There are lots of fun, colorful, and cute cloth napkins you can buy, but I love the white ones because they can be washed in hot water. In the summer, I hung all my cloth napkins on my clothesline and any stains they had disappeared. These napkins have been through messy spaghetti dinners (my son almost always needs a bath after spaghetti), as well as sloppy joes, tacos, hot dogs covered in ketchup and mustard, peanut butter and jam sandwiches, among many, many other meals. The stains always come out with a little sunlight, vinegar, some dish soap mixed with water, or some hydrogen peroxide (I love my go-to stain removal chart. Works like a charm.). Plus, they keep getting softer with each washing and let me tell you, once you're used to using cloth napkins, paper napkins feel really rough.

You could take the cost-cutting methods even further and make your own cloth napkins. I have yet to do that. I found this link on Skip to My Lou about how to make cloth napkins. It looks really, really easy.

A paper-free home (with the exception of toilet paper, of course. I just can't do cloth there - though others have) is not as impossible as some may think. With a little transition and a little investment, cloth can save you lots of money in the long-run.

To Cloth or Not To Cloth: The New Baby Question

Introducing my first guest poster ever...Nisha, from Healthy Mom's Kitchen!

Hi Parsimonious Fans! I'm excited to guest post for the Princess herself today, but just wanted to give her some bloggy love first. This blog has helped me make quite a few changes in my own home and I'm glad Heather is the guinea pig for most things frugal so we can benefit from her learning. I typically err on the side of practicality over frugality, so I'm a little surprised at myself that I'm writing on the topic of cloth diapers.

I made the switch to cloth about 6 weeks ago. "Why?...YUCK!?" you may be thinking. Most of my friends just keep saying, "Wow, you're brave." And I keep responding with, "It's not as bad as you think it would be!" I have two kids - Sophie, who is turning 4 in December and still pees the bed all night long, and Landon, who is 14 months. Back in February before my husband lost his job, we stocked up on disposable diapers and wipes from Costco. We used the Kirkland brand for both kids. We were just about out of diapers at the end of August and I couldn't stand the thought of buying more and more diapers - NEVER ENDING diapers! Especially for my almost 4 year old. I just felt like it was the biggest waste of money. Luckily, one of my good friends, Betsy, had recently been blogging about cloth diapers over at Eco-Novice: Going Green Gradually and while her blog is about saving the earth and living frugal and I am not a tree-hugger (as most cloth diapering parents are stereotyped to be), her posts opened my eyes to the ease and practicality of cloth diapers.

Betsy recommended I start out by doing the "Changing Diapers, Changing Minds" trial program through Jillian's Drawers. For $10, you can use a variety of cloth diapering systems for 21 days. Doing this helped me to see what diapers fit my kids best. I kept and paid for my favorites that came with the trial and ordered more prefolds and Thirsties covers. I kept some bumGenius pocket diapers because they are just like regular diapers in how you put them on (only one piece to figure out), so those would be best for when babysitters are over or my husband is with the kids (he's not a big diaper changing guy). I realized after a few weeks that my son leaks out of the prefolds and covers when he sleeps because he sleeps on his belly so the pee stays concentrated in the front, rather than absorbing through the entire prefold. So, I ordered more bumGenius (v.3 for a great deal when the v.4 came out!).

I will admit that the first month was difficult. Landon has very sensitive skin and I had to do some trial and error with detergents because he had pretty awful diaper rash. He still gets diaper rash more often because cloth diapers fit snug even when wet, whereas disposable diapers sag low and hang down when they are wet. Same goes when kids poop in disposables; with those, it's not right on their bum. When L poops in the cloth diaper, it stays pretty tight to his bum, so I have to make sure I change him quickly. I did find a diaper rash creme I love that my doctor recommended called Calmoseptine which has helped a ton!

It also took me some time to experiment with different ways of folding the prefold. The way Betsy folds the prefold works for her kids because they are chunkier. Mine are so skinny, so I had to fold it a different way to prevent them from leaking out the sides at night.

Now that I have figured everything out, I love cloth diapering for the following reasons:

It saves us a TON of money (Sophie and Landon can wear the same size! The makers of cloth diapers are pretty brilliant about making them very adjustable), my house smells LESS (yes - because I do laundry more frequently than I would take the trash out when we used disposable diapers), and it's healthier for my kids and the Earth (check out this video on disposable diaps and chemicals - YUCK!).

So, let's get right down to the savings. I have purchased 8 Thirsties covers (some snap, some velcro) and 8 bumGenius diapers as well as 16 prefolds. I also bought a Kissaluvs diaper pail liner and have spent $280.01.

Let's say, hypothetically, that I use these diapers and don't spend any more on cloth diapering until Landon turns 3 when he's potty trained (knock on wood ;). Just for two years of cloth diapering L, I spent $280.01. If he were still in Kirkland diapers (based on 208 count boxes of size 3s and 8 diapers a day), I would spend $45 on diapers every 26 days. In two years, I would spend $1,263.46 on disposable diapers for him. That's not including the money I save on Sophie's diapers or the savings for future children. I'll use these diapers on my future kids (although I will need to buy a few more small ones since infants need diaper changes much more often). Do you see the savings adding up?! To me, it's a no brainer. Yes, it does take a little bit more planning to make sure I get the diapers in the wash when he's wearing his last one. I usually can time it just right so I'm doing laundry as soon as he's in bed or first thing in the morning.

Now, there are few things I haven't mentioned yet that you may be wondering about. I am still using disposable wipes because we also stocked up on those back in February and still have plenty, but when they're out, I'm going to cut up a few of the prefolds to use as wipes. I have extras of those. I didn't go into the details of how I clean the poop off L's diapers: I actually have a shower head that I can take down and it reaches over my toilet, so I spray the poop off in the toilet. You can buy a diaper sprayer for $40 if you don't have a shower head like this. At first, I was grossed out about wringing the diaper out in the toilet, but I got over that pretty quickly.

I also didn't factor in laundry costs. Honestly, I don't know how much it costs for me to do a load of laundry. I have energy efficient and front loaders, so it's not as costly as older models. I did buy extra diapers so that when I did wash them, I would at least have a fuller load.

So, what do you think? Are you at least a little bit intrigued? Or seriously considering cloth? My brother and sister-in-law who don't yet have babies have seen Landon in his cute cloth diapers and they are excited to go the cloth route! It's a pretty easy sell when you know someone who does it and loves it. Feel free to email me with your questions. Maybe we'll do a follow up post or I can point you in the right direction. Betsy's site as well as Simple Mom have great information out there about cloth diapers, but I also know it's helpful to talk to someone about it. I called Betsy with a zillion questions before my first order. Don't hesitate to contact me at admin (at) healthymomskitchen (dot) com.