More Expensive by the 1/2 Dozen

A friend recently sent mail with the following link. It is a website that looks at the price of food and what families eat around the world for one week.

http://ruralentrepreneurs.com/blog/?p=325

What a great site! I’ve shared it with my children and have forwarded it too many other families.

This post and a previous one about foraging in the woods has me thinking a lot about food prices lately. We’ve always been watchful of our food bill (we spend about 150/week for a family of but as the kids get older, (especially the boys) they are requiring more food which calls into play my best creative powers.

One of the best things we did for our food bill was to go to a fund raiser at the High School, for 12 dollars per person (Marc and I only took the 2 oldest kids) we each picked out a bowl that a student had made in art class and were able to refill it as many times as we wanted from a selection of about 20 different soups. Now 48 dollars for a soup dinner for 4 people sounds a bit pricey but it turned all of us on to soup. The boys each had about 6 bowls of different types of soup.

It made us look and think about soup in a different way.

When we got home, I dusted off my trusty crock pot and started making weekly soups. I usually don’t buy much for the soups but prefer to use what’s on hand. This morning’s soup used up some cans of soup leftover from our bout with the flu, coconut milk, some hummus, half of the leftover roasted chicken, some of the week’s uneaten vegetables, and the rest of the coffee in the coffee pot.

Add some crusty bread and we’ll be having a very cost efficient dinner.

Because the food prices have gotten so outrageous, not much gets thrown out these days. A roast chicken gets us three meals (the first, a soup and a chicken pot pie type thing).

Left over vegetables are put in a container in the fridge waiting for the next soup batch. Potatoes are added to just about anything (in fact there is a joke in our house, when mom’s making meatloaf, you better not go in the kitchen because if its not nailed down – in it goes).

We have also been longtime foragers of the wild. As a child I devoured (pun intended) Euell Gibbons books and would spend the day in the woods eating what I could find. One of my sons is the same way and his goal this summer is to bring a bowl to the woods each day and prepare a salad for lunch. Not a bad goal.

We routinely eat Dandelion greens and sweet clover. We brew pine, birch and sometimes Willow tea (although I’ve taught him that willow tea is more of a medicine than a sipping tea). Right now, we have some maple sap dripping into a bucket. This summer, we are going to try cattail roasted root and flour. The kids pick wild berries by the bucket that we put into muffins and breads.

There is a ton of food out in the woods. You’d have to teach yourself (you can probably find some good local classes) and I’m not sure that you could replace your groceries with them but you can certainly augment with them.

Oh we had a lovely Christmas.

It started off with what is being turned into a new family tradition.

A few years ago I read an article in the newspaper about a woman who didn’t have enough money to buy her son the 62 cent can of pears that he wanted for Christmas. She was asking for financial assistance from the community so that he son could have a “nice Christmas”.

This spurred some discussion in our house about financial planning, priorities, self-sacrifice, and creativity (or lack there-of). I realize people have financial difficulties during the holidays (hey we’ve been there ourselves) but I couldn’t understand the lack of planning or initiative that would leave a child dependent on a can of pears in order to have a “nice Christmas”.

I told my kids that Christmas was not dependent on money but on the spirit and sense of togetherness that it evoked. I declared to my 6 children that we were going to have a “White Trash Christmas” (trash as in recycled) where I was going to provide them with a really memorable celebration that would not cost a dime.

I started collecting things that came to me free, two boxes of cereal samples, broken candy canes, a bag of chocolate chips, mints from a restaurant, bit of paper, decorations, and cards and put them all into a bag.

A few days before our celebration, I pulled them all out and started creating gifts and activities.

After dinner, the night before the Night before Christmas, I called all the kids into the TV room and we started our celebration. Oh sure there were a few derisive laughs from some of the older teenaged kids who were sure that my trash Christmas was going to be just another one of mom’s “crazy ideas”.

I painted 3 white votive candles left over from Halloween pumpkins. Using red acrylic paint (from our craft box) I put a large J on one, an O on another, and then a Y on the last. We started off the evening by dimming the lights and lighting the JOY candles. I don’t care what you are celebrating, candles and lights make it that much more magical.

We then had cereal bites made with the sample cereals and some melted white and dark chocolate. “These are really good” said at least 3 of the kids.

Then we played a game called “Favorite memory” where each person drew a card that asked them to tell about their favorite school memory, or winter, or pool, or summer memories. I made the Favorite Memory game from index cards, markers and a bowl. All I did was create 18 cards that had various memory categories “Favorite XXX memory”, put them all into a bowl and then each person drew a card. The Christmas bell was a small nice sounding bell with a leather strap that I had already had.

Each person was able to play twice and we all listened as each person recounted a fun or memorable event from the past. As a parent it was fascinating to hear what the kids cherished as some of their favorite times. Every time you completed your turn you rang the Christmas bell and “earned” a small mint (thanks to a local restaurant).

Once we had played the game, I handed out small gifts to each of the kids; each child received a bookmark, and a small decoration or handout that I had received at some point in the previous month. Again there was a little bit of mocking as the older kids exaggeratedly oohed and ahhed over the free bookmarks.

But then I handed each child a hand decorated, personalized card that told them what I valued in them, how much I enjoyed them, what I saw as their strengths and how I was proud and filled with honor in seeing them develop into young, independent, intelligent people.

The older kids, who had been the quickest to mock this event, were the first ones to have tears in their eyes. The room became very quiet as each person read their cards exclaiming “oh I got a good one”, “So did I”, “I did too”.

All of the kids spontaneously fell into a group hug with Marc and me and they then placed their cards in places of honor on the Christmas tree.

We ended the evening watching an old VHS version of “It’s a Wonderful Life” and munching little broken bits of candy canes that I had dipped into chocolate.

Our White Trash Christmas celebration far exceeded my expectations and in fact, the kids (even the teenagers) requested that this become something we do every year.

I’m not sure that I proved anything other than where there’s a will there’s a way, but I did create a very fine remembrance that the kids will tuck away when they pull out memories of their fondest Christmas celebrations.

The Holidays are here with a bang. Halloween started it off and we won’t get to catch our breath until well after the Linens and Whites sales in January.

How are we to handle all the clutter that inherently comes with these days of celebration? Do you remember when Halloween was just a few cut out ghosts and moons that we taped to our front doors? When did it become overly large blow up cauldrons in which bats fly around thanks to the help of an attached air pump on our front lawns?

And when did Christmas ever start before Thanksgiving? But you know as well as I do, times have changed and with them in order to keep ourselves from drowning within all the decorations and activities, we must change as well.

I asked Sue West of SpacefourU Organizing Services and Suzanne McCarran of IOrganizeit to give me some of their best Holiday decoration tips for organizing and storage.

Define the Purpose of the Holidays

Much like any other sort of organizing activity, it helps if you define the purpose before you begin to declutter and organize your decorations. “Holidays are individual to each family.” Said McCarran “Ask yourselves what you as a family want out of the holiday season. What specifically needs to happen to ensure that you get what you want? Is it about the decorations? Is it about the activities? Is it about the food? Is it about the traditions? Only you can answer those questions and be honest with your answers.”

Once you have the Holiday purpose in mind, you can start to take a look at your decorations to see if they really fit the purpose you have defined or if they are simply clutter taking energy away from the true spirit of what you want to celebrate.

Decide What Types of Decorations You Really Need

Some questions that West suggests you ask yourself with regard to those sometimes incredibly large and overly-abundant seasonal decorations include:
• How much time do you have to put out all these decorations?
• How much time do you have to put them away?
• When was the last time you used each one?
• Do you have space to store?
• Did your children love it once but now they are older? Divide up: do you all still love this decoration or just like it?
• Does it still work?
• How many hours do you have to set aside to get all those larger ornaments filled with air, set up, checked out, etc. Is it worth the time decorating, or could you decorate with less but have more time to relax with your family.
• Do you still enjoy putting up all the decorations?
• And mostly — how much time and enjoyment is involved in “de-decorating.”

How Many Decorations are too Many?

Those beautiful homes, the ones we see in magazines often have us competing to fill every space in our house with some sort of bright, colorful or blinking decoration. But just how many are too many? And are all of those decorations worth all that work?

“How do you feel when you walk in the house and the kitchen counter is covered with papers, mail, school papers and more. You look at the pile and groan, right? How do you feel when you walk into a clothing store and the racks are so close together that you can’t move easily or can’t find what you want. For many people, more stuff makes us feel ‘closed in.’ Stressed. We can’t really “see” each individual item, because too much stuff is stressful.” Said West.

McCarran absolutely agrees and recognizes that getting rid of extra decorations may be difficult for one who is not used to decluttering. “There comes a time in everyone’s lives that they downsize, whether by choice or by necessity. As with any decluttering, you have to be really ready to let go of “things” but I think the holiday decluttering is one of the most difficult tasks for most. So many memories are attached with each object and one thinks that by throwing out or giving away the item, the memories too are being tossed. Once the realization hits that is just not so, it is easier to let go.” She said.

“I am not at all suggesting to get rid of everything, just toss the extraneous things….the excess so to speak…broken ornaments that can’t be repaired….old lights that only some or none work (save one of the bulbs if that holds a memory for you)……boxes of unused tinsel and garland that were bought in the 80’s….wreaths that have seen better days! Once that first step is taken, it somehow becomes easier.” Said McCarran.

What do We do About All Those Homemade Decorations?

They’re lovely and charming. The painted macaroni frame Christmas decoration can bring tears to our eyes. But do we really need to hold onto it forever just because our child made it? And if you have more than one child, after a few years those homemade decorations seem to take over (and sometimes away from) everything else.

“Hang a few on your tree or whatever your main holiday decoration is. And then give them their own place to hang whatever else they want to — their own kids’ corner or tree or something you make together, which you can show off. Cycle out each year, so you keep the most precious each year you add new ones from this year.” Suggested West.

And if you just can’t bear to part with any of the homemade ornaments, McCarran suggests: “As far as the children’s homemade decorations, I have a few ideas. They have these great holiday memory albums now. Have the kids pick out their favorite “keepers” and either have them displayed in a designated area for each child….their bedroom or somewhere they can enjoy them. The rest can be tossed but take pictures of them and put the pictures in one of those albums or a special photo box designated for Christmas.”

How Do You Store All of Those Decorations?

Now that you’ve at culled at least the broken and not working decorations out of your collection and given away the still useful ones that hold no meaning to you, it’s time to think about storing them for next year.

“Use bins with labels and list specifically what is in the bin, the amount you have, etc. As you pack away items this year, and notice you need more lights, immediately write this on your ‘to do’ list so you can get a deal and buy them now (vs. trying to decorate next year and having a last minute trip to do when everyone’s waiting to put up the lights)” said West.

“Store based on ‘groups’ or ‘rooms’ or type, for example. “Dining room decorations”. This is good if you have certain items that truly belong in specific rooms, and it is a fast way to decorate.” Said West.

“Document your holiday season” said McCarran “Make it a point to write down or take pictures along the way and once the holidays are over, put the photos in a designated box or album. As you dismantle your decor, think ahead. Put things away with the thought of how great it will be to open up a neat and organized box next year!”

When people find out that we have 6 children, one of the first comments we hear is “You must spend a ton on food!” It may surprise you to know that groceries are actually one of our least and best controlled expenses. By using a little organization, and preplanning, we have been able to keep our weekly food bill from $120 to $150 for this family of 8.

Having grown up in a family of 7 children, although I didn’t learn to cook I did appreciate the effort it took to feed an army. I also heard over and over about those starving children in Africa and though we never did mail them my unfinished dinners it did make me aware that food was a gift that should be appreciated.

As a parent, it is my responsibility to now teach my children the food skills they will need to survive on their own someday. With all the fast food and poor nutritional food choices out there, one of the more important skills I can teach is to make sure they know how to make healthy food choices. What we’ve discovered over the years is that when you make healthy food choices, you also lower your food costs. What a wonderful cause and effect. Some of the tips and strategies we use to keep our food bill down follow.

Plan the Week’s Menu
Every Sunday on a rotating basis, we sit down with one of the kids and plan the food menus for the entire week. By having a family member help us, they assume ownership and are more likely to be involved in the final product. For each meal we try to include a vegetable, some kind of starch (bread, potatoes) and a protein.

I keep a notebook with ‘kid-friendly” dinner suggestions (Mac and cheese, pigs in a blanket) which helps the kids to make choices. There are a few rules, we try to have fish one day during the week and we try to insert a new recipe based on what is on sale that week. This week, for example, we are all discovered what Kale was and how it could be used in recipes. Incidentally we, we also discovered after trying to eat it that we never need to buy Kale again.

Go Food Shopping as little as possible
Once we have the menu for the week, we create a shopping list. We usually do the shopping late at night without the kids, which avoids all of those requests for brightly colored sugar foods. For the most part we don’t use coupons, by buying the house brands and what is on sale we can keep our costs down. We also don’t buy in bulk, instead we buy what we need and we use what we have.

We only buy enough fruit and vegetables to last for half the week and then replenish the fruit and vegetables halfway through the week. This avoids spoilage and ensures that the produce is as fresh as possible.

Go easy on the Drinks
My kids are lactose intolerant so we don’t buy milk. That in it ‘self is a great money saver. Recent medical research has indicated that kids are gaining weight because they have access to too many high sugar drinks like soda and fruit juices We do buy juices but the kids are only allowed to drink two glasses per day and then they have to switch to water.

Use Meat as a flavoring
We save a lot by watching meat portion size and by using meat as a flavoring instead of the main part of any meal. 1 pound of ground beef is enough for chili and shells and beef. 2 pounds of ground beef mixed with cheese, onions, sauce, purred vegetables and stuffing can make enough meatloaf for two meals. ½ pound of ground sausage is enough to flavor any casserole.

Learn to bake
We make one to two baked goods a week. Even if you use mixes, you save a lot. A 99 cent box of brownie mix can make enough for a snack and still leave enough left over for lunches. A box of quick bread can make enough for a breakfast. Cookie from scratch are not as difficult as you might imagine, especially when you are making larger batches and freezing half of them for use later.

Snacks
Everyone is welcome to snacks in our house. Cookie portions (about 4 cookies) are passed out after school and then the kids have to switch to “healthy snacks”. There are always apples, bananas, and oranges. We often have pretzels and several of the kids will fix themselves a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. We also have nuts available and sometimes there are cheese sticks on which to nibble.

Watch portions
No one needs a heaping plate of food. Kids are picky eaters and we are more likely to get them to eat different foods if we include small amounts on the plates. I’d rather have my kids eat a little of a lot of different foods than eat a lot of only a few foods.

We watch portion sizes and try to stick to them. For us, a bag of potato chips is enough to last us 2 or 3 meals. Chips are not a staple and a small handful is all you need with a meal. A few carrots, 3 tablespoons of corn, a few leafs of lettuce, if the kids eat all of that then not only are they getting their vegetable allotments but they are also getting nutritional diversity. You are not doing any one any favors by heaping a child’s plate up with food.

Use Leftovers
At one point in my life, if we had any leftovers I would simply throw them out. I’ve since learned to use everything. Roasted vegetables get put in the freezer until I have enough for a stew. A roast chicken can provide two additional meals (chicken pot pie and chicken stew). Leftover meatloaf gets used for sandwiches and crumbled into pasta sauce. The old adage waste not want not comes to mind here. If you truly use what you have, you might be surprised at how much you really need.

Control those Treats
Although we do have treats in our house, they are not available on a daily basis. We do not have dessert after dinner unless there is a special occasion. Candies are passed out in moderation, certainly not every day and only when meals have been finished.

Of course holidays and celebrations are a different story. Some of our fondest memories are around special foods that we have during celebrations times. It is expected and appropriate to have holiday foods and treats as long as there is an end to those foods when the holidays are over.

Read Labels and Understand Food information
We have discussions with our kids about the calorie and fat contents of foods. Burger King has recently come out with a “Kong Burger” that checks in at 1230 calories. My older kids understand that for the average person, that is enough calories for the entire day. They understand that French Fries and heavy sauces contain a lot of fat. Our point is not to scare our children about food but rather to educate them about what they put into their bodies.

Pre-processed foods do not have the nutritional value that fresh foods have and are much more expensive. Food surrounds us everywhere. It’s used for celebrations, comfort, and for marketing reasons. By educating our kids now, it is our hope that when they move out on their own they will be able to make healthy food choices and avoid some of the health consequences of eating expensive foods that do not nourish their bodies.

Be Grateful for What You Have
We try not to take food for granted. In our house, even if you think you are not going to like something, you still have to take a thank-you bite of everything to acknowledge the effort of the person who prepared your food.

We also have discussions about people around the world who are not fortunate enough to have food on a daily basis. We have shown our kids what 500 calories of rice looks like and they know that for far too many people, that is what they get to survive on. Good healthy food is a gift and something of which all should be appreciative.

I am the mother of 6 children. I’m going to answer the questions upfront that inevitably come when people find out that I have all these kids:

• No I am not Catholic, Mormon, or Irish
• Yes they were all planned
• No I do not home school (please)
• No I’m not crazy

And

• *sigh* Yes I do know how babies are made

I am a full time mom who also happens to have a full time job as an Educational Consultant, who teaches Adult Ed classes in our town,  who volunteers in all of the kids’ schools, and who was crazy enough to throw 3 Maltese dogs into this mix.

In some ways I am the Master of Organizational Skills, I can write a newspaper article in the morning, be on an international conference call in the afternoon, be ready when the kids come home to drive someone somewhere and still have dinner on the table by about 6:00.

In other ways I am the worst, (And I mean the absolute worst) at organization skills. My kids rarely wear socks that match, we still lose homework assignments because they are misplaced and we are the family that always sends in school supplies just a little later than everyone else because we didn’t have the time to get to it.

What I’ll do with this blog, is chronicle how our family manages to survive with gymnasts, dyslexics, swimmers, skiers, junior politicians, volunteers and soccer players. Mostly though, I think I’ll use this log to share with you just how I survive and keep from walking away from it all.

Just to orient you, here are the players:

The mother:

• Wendy

The husband:

• Marc

The boys:

• Spencer – 11^th grade
• 
  Griffin – 14 9^th grade
• Trevor – 12 7^th grade
• 
  Logan  -  11 5^th grade

The girls:

• Addy – 9 4^th grade
• Emma – 7 2^nd grade

Okay, that’s it for now, I’ll be back soon with the first story.