Kirsti's Homemade

2011-08-10T12:28:00.000-07:00

I really hate when there's more month than money. I'm going to have to do something drastic soon....

I've gotten to the point where i'm frustrated beyond belief job hunting. The temp agencies here are seriously unhelpful, and i'm really tired of the attitude here. Ugh. AND I hate interviews. REALLY hate interviews. Enough with the b.s. already!

Anyways, I'm hoping to find something (even in retail/bar) that will help me get through this joblessness.

Other than that, I had my first tomatoes from the balcony today for lunch. They were good! I baked bread this morning, almost have all the dishes done (I also hate washing dishes, but I like them more than interviews!), and I have food in the kitchen. I'm doing okay. I have a Boy who likes me, friends who love me, and i'm still mostly sane...

that's good, right?

Unemployed again...

2011-05-31T07:12:00.000-07:00

Yet again, i'm out of work. I hate that feeling where you're broke and can't afford anything because you have no money coming in. Here are some of my frugal tips for surviving on almost nothing:

* find an apartment that is all inclusive. My rent covers my apartment, my electricity, and my water, which makes it that much easier than having a stack of bills and trying to rob Peter to pay Paul.

* grow your own food. I have a north facing balcony that still gets the afternoon light. I used containers that I had on hand, and potting soil the Boy bought for me last summer. Luckily for me, he got a HUGE bag, and I still have lots even after i've planted. If you don't have a balcony, your plants will still grow in windows.

* learn to cook. Even if it's only basic things you can make, it's still better for you than buying pre-made or convenience foods that aren't very tasty and are full of chemicals. I bake my own bread, make my own sauces (with the exception of gravy, but it's still good). I haven't much storage, but I have a bookcase in my kitchen that holds a lot of dry goods stored in containers. I'm trying to go completely 'no plastic', but that will have to wait until I can afford more glass containers. It's almost canning season, and large jars hold a lot.

* learn to wash your clothes in the bathtub. I like to use a pail and a clean plunger (from the dollar store) to clean, then rinse in the tub in cold water. If you're not sure, start small with socks and underwear then move on to larger items like tshirts and jeans. It's hard to squeeze all the water out, but hanging to dry actually makes your clothes last longer. Also, you don't need as much soap as you think you do. There are a lot of recipes for laundry soap on the internet, and they clean better (I find) than the commercial stuff.

* have an interview outfit clean and mended, ironed if possible. If you don't have a good interview outfit, check Value Village or other second hand stores. You can almost always find a nice 'suit' jacket or a nice blouse in relatively good shape there. If your funds are really low, just buy a piece at a time. Interviewers are usually more interested in you, not that your clothes are fashionable. Clean, neat and tidy are essential, though.

* learn to sew, or at least mend. Replacing buttons is easy, sewing seams just as easy. It just takes time and practice. Ditto ironing. It's a lot cheaper than sending it out to be cleaned! Just be careful of the settings - the more synthetic a fabric is, the lighter the setting. Natural fibres (wool, cotton, linen) can handle a higher setting, but don't leave the iron on the fabric or it will burn. Silk requires a lower setting.

* the library is your friend. You can borrow books to read, or learn how to effectively job search. You can also borrow music, videos, and access your internet there if you can't afford it at home. You can often find books with more hints on frugality (the Tightwad Gazette for one), or basic cookbooks to teach yourself how to cook.

* ask people you know to teach you things. You have friends, and they probably know things you don't. Talk to them, talk to older people (awesome if you can find someone who lived through the Great Depression!), they know a lot!

* if you can buy it, you can make it. Remember that everything had to start out somewhere, being made by someone by hand. I've made my own pillows, nightgowns, bathrobes, menstrual pads. There are free patterns for just about anything on the internet. All you have to do is search it out.

* find alternative uses for things around the house. Real Simple magazine has a lot of hints on this, and a lot of things you might think only have one use can be used in other ways as well. Reuse is easy and awesome.

You might read some of this stuff and think 'yuck! how can she do that', and really, it's out of necessity. I've not suggested dumpster diving, but that is also a 'poor skill'. You have to work with what is comfortable for you. Maybe you'll surprise yourself.

yes, I am here!

2011-02-20T14:36:00.000-08:00

No pictures today, but life's been crazy busy recently. Been working at a temp job that's giving me overtime and weekends, but not much in the cash department.. not good. At least I have a well stocked freezer, and a tiny emergency fund that will come in handy in the next several weeks.

Today (after doing some work), I felt like cooking, and ransacked the freezer for inspiration. I grabbed the leftover lasagna noodles, a half of a meat loaf, a small back of spinach, and the frozen grated mozzarella.. and the bag of manicotti. I picked up the manicotti (premade, no sauce) for $10. It will make a lot of meals, I still have half of the bag in the freezer. I only used 9 of them. In one (square) pan, I made manicotti with home made tomato sauce (I canned for the first time this past summer, and what a difference between that and canned! mine is sooooo yummy!) topped with mozzarella and grated parmesan. In a loaf pan, I made a lasagna with the spinach, and the meat loaf sliced thin (about 1.5 cm thick). I used a jar of store bought pasta sauce, and some of the cottage cheese I had in the fridge.

Healthy premade lunches for next week. Yay!

My next step is to make iced tea to take with me next week, and breakfasts.. I hate to eat before I leave, I find it gives me an upset stomach. .. so, anyone have ideas for breakfasts?

I have achieved pictures!

2010-11-29T11:47:00.001-08:00

so, this is what i've been up to... polish on the toes!

Decorating ornaments...

Stickers from Dollarama are awesome sauce. As you can tell, I've used the blue ones. I'm not sure what I'll use the silver ones for yet.

today..

2010-10-26T08:32:00.000-07:00

the to do list:

jobsearch
dishes
fill flour bin
ironing
fix shoes
mix bread

not much in the way of crafty goodness today, but frugality abounds. I also have to run out and pick up groceries... i've been having a craving for home made baked beans.. YUM!

K

It's raining out...

2010-10-20T18:46:00.000-07:00

..and very soon it will be snowing instead of raining. That makes me a little excited.. I get excited about the cold weather for about a month, then I want spring again.

I haven't made anything today, except food.. I made a lemon chess pie today. It's in the oven, so it will be ready for breakfast. I don't have pics of it up because i'm not used to having a camera.. I have to start remembering to take pics.

I did, however, spend some time drooling over pics of craft projects online for most of today. That's something, isn't it?

Hello!

2010-10-19T07:54:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's been a while. Life happens. Now I have time again.

Haven't been 'making' much recently, but I have been cooking a lot, and mending.. oh the mending NEVER ends! Especially with the Boy working contractor type jobs! (no, this is not the same boy from before. He wasn't worth my time!).

Things I have done this year: Canning for the first time, hunting for food, tried making root beer (it didn't work out, but i'm optimistic enough to try again), foraging, four wheeling, putting my frugal learnings into practice... I lost my job in February, and I haven't been able to find one since. I won't say it's been easy, but the Boy has been so awesome about helping me out when i'm stuck, it's been easier than I had thought it would be.

Today, I put the finishing touches on his 'deer wand', and hopefully get some ironing done.

I'll update more tomorrow.

2008-12-17T09:00:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm frantically trying to make xmas gifts. Today is my one day off in the past week and a half, I'm back at it tomorrow. I'm trying to make the most of today, but it's going to be a cleaning day.. my one day off. *insert stream of swear words here*.

Well, I'm off to get dressed and finish the cleaning in the kitchen before it goes moldy.

*sigh*

And this is not my idea of a good time.

2008-11-03T07:18:00.000-08:00

Sometimes, I wish I was a guy. Just for a week. Really.

Anyhow, today is a long shift at work so i'm not going to be making anything but breakfast ;)

Plans are in the works, however!

I'm off to shower and consider the pantry....

Makin' Stuff!

2008-10-29T08:12:00.000-07:00

Today is my big push day for my sweetie's costume. I basically have to finish the pants for him, make the vest, and put the drawstring in his sleeves... oh! and make the fabric we picked out into a wearable sash.

*IF* I have time after that, i'll be trying to unpack/resort stuff from the boxes...

This is gonna be a long long day....

2008-10-28T08:26:00.000-07:00

Life has exploded in the way it usually does. Work is driving me mad, so I'm not as creative/crafty as I'd like to be.

I'll have more up sometime in the next month or so, really. I promise.

*yay for sweeties, though*

slow updates

2008-10-07T13:21:00.000-07:00

Today, we got unpacking done. A whole whopping four boxes. YAY ME!

I also found broken glass.. which means stuff got broken. *sigh*

I was mainly working on my books, as they have a home to get set into. I have to wait on my kitchen stuff, since I came to a pretty much fully loaded kitchen in the move. And I have enough kitchen stuff (minus silverware and dishes for eating off of) to fully furnish probably two kitchens still.

Oh, and if my mom remembered to mail off my bolts, I should also have a bed of sorts sometime soon. My next magic trick will be acquiring a mattress for said bed. Any help would be appreciated (- I'd prefer foam rather than spring... I find foam warmer, and since my abode is in the basement of our townhouse, warmer is better!), so think happy mattressy thoughts for me!

Quickie

2008-10-02T05:28:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to say that i'm in a 'block' period, will be making more stuff when i'm a bit more organized..

Yay for moving and unpacking :P

Ready For Sale!

2008-08-06T08:48:00.000-07:00

well, I have a bunch of stuff to be shown now.

Sets are $20.00, Necklaces are $15.00, Bracelets are $10.00.

I apologise for the images, the photographer's hand was a little unsteady!

We'll be UP soon!

2008-07-30T05:50:00.000-07:00

Am in the process of setting things up and moving, once that is done, i'll have pictures of stuff for sale!