Free materials for artists & students

Created with Admarket’s flickrSLiDR.

Frugal can be beautiful.
I love oil painting, especially experimenting with textures. Most recently I have employed the aid of layering tissue paper on the canvas. I also layer in feathers and sparkles for texture, and I love using palate knives, coarse hair brushes and other non-traditional methods of slathering paint onto the canvas.

So recently, I was intrigued when my Mom told me about a website called Artist Terms that provides ideas on how to create paintings around texture, using items such as bubble wrap, elastics, even sesame seeds.  After I took a look, I couldn’t stop noticing all the crafty materials I had in my own apartment that would be perfect for painting.  I thought I would take a few pics to share my ideas with you, (as shown in the slideshow above) and the results turned out to be somewhat artistic in their own right; the materials became beautiful before they even made it to the canvas! (If you want to know what each item is, just click on the picture to see the title.)

Right now, there is quite a mess in our soon-to-be office.  The cardboard, packing paper, styrofoam and styrofoam paper strewn about looks like a disaster as a whole, but close up, each becomes a work of art.  The other items you see are from my craft cupboard, such as the sea shells I purchased from the dollar store, and the tiny bag they came in.  

There are two lessons in my photographic discoveries.  First, if you are an artist, a student, or someone who just feels like being creative, you need not frequent an expensive arts & crafts store for your supplies.  Just look in your kitchen.  I discovered netting that held oranges, avocados, clementines, and garlic.  Peek in your tool box or garage for old brushes, sponges or other materials you can recycle. Secondly, take the time to appreciate the beauty in the world around you - something as ugly as cardboard can provide pleasure to the eyes when given the right attention.

Healthy eating made convenient

My post, “Take the high cost out of low-brow foods” was my most popular blog post yet!

We all rely on convenience foods now and then, but there are ways to build convenience into your lifestyle without having to pay for it.

It’s easy to throw money out the window on things like take-out coffee, fast food, and “instant” or frozen meals.  If you don’t plan ahead and get everything you need, it’s easy to find yourself in need of a quick meal.  And if you are exhausted, with little food in the fridge, it’s easy to rely on a take-out window, a box, or even a telephone for dinner.

Here’s an alternative that can literally save you thousands of dollars each year.

Set-aside some time.  Pick an afternoon (say, Sunday) where you dedicate a few hours to making a few large meals that will get you through an entire week. 

Plan ahead.  Think about what your family needs to eat for the week - for all three meals, plus snacks.

Look at what you’ve got in your fridge, freezer and pantry, and think about what you can make with what you’ve got.  Be creative!

Don’t just make a single meal; make large batches of food that can freeze or keeps well in the refrigerator.

Portion out meals in individual tupperware containers so they can be plucked from the freezer or fridge and taken to work or school and are easily re-heated.

Use the same ingredients in multiple ways - if you are using carrots for the soup, cut some up to take for lunches or snacks; dice one or two and add them to a pasta or chicken salad; shred the rest of the carrots and use them in carrot muffins. By using one ingredient in multiple ways, you will save time.

Get some help.  If your partner is willing, ask him or her for help.  You might end up enjoying your time together.  If your kids can help, ask them too.  Baking or cooking together can act as bonding time.  If you’re alone, try to enjoy the quiet time.

Need some examples? Here are a few of my favourite tips:

Make a large batch of soup and/or chili.  Let it cool and portion out the soups into round tupperware containers and store in the fridge or freezer. Tupperware can be purchased at the Dollarstore. Through the week you have single-portion soups that are easily microwavable or heated up in a saucepan on the stove.  A healthy, instant meal.

Roast a chicken - you don’t have to eat it right away; in fact you can shred it, use it in chicken salad (see my favourite recipe here) or save a portion of it for roast chicken salad (just add to some leafy greens with a vinaigrette).  As mentioned on this weeks’ Saver Days, 1.14kg chickens are on sale for under $5.  By preparing chicken salad ahead of time, you’ll have a sandwich filling ready all week.  Prepare a quick sandwich for your lunch in minutes - this can be done the night before or in the morning.

Make a batch of egg salad - this is an alternative to the chicken salad.  By preparing a healthy sandwich filling in advance, you cut down the time needed to prepare lunch significantly.  

You can also chop veggies for the week and keep them in the fridge or freezer.  I have heard mixed responses to the idea of having cut veggies sit in the fridge, but no matter what, it’s a better alternative than to relying on fast food or going without the veg all together.  If the veggies are already prepared, it’s easy to add them to a quick pasta or stir-fry.

Prepare cold pasta or potato salad. Pasta salad is a very cheap, easy dish to make. Potato salad takes a little more time, but is another affordable side dish.  Both make excellent partners to the chicken or egg salad.

Bake some healthy muffins or banana bread. Using up bananas in the freezer to make banana bread or baking muffins perfect for mornings on the go will eliminate your need to pick up take-out breakfasts; they also add to lunches or serve as tasty snacks in the afternoon or evening. Slice the banana bread and wrap each piece, and each muffin, in saran.  If you don’t need the muffins to be carried “to-go” then you can cut-down on this waste by storing it in a container.  Also check out my list of “10 suggestions for breakfast on the go.”

Whip up a batch of hummus or other healthy snack that will substitute for fast food cravings.

What is your tip for adding convenience while decreasing costs?

An extra 5¢ makes peppermint hot chocolate

Are you craving the gourmet goodies that you used to indulge in at your favourite coffee shop?

If you’re giving up your Starbucks addiction, fret not.  You can make yummy drinks that will warm your soul right at home.

One of my favourites: Peppermint hot chocolate.

First, whip up a batch of instant hot chocolate powder (see the recipe I use here) and spoon a few heaping tablespoons into a mug.

Then add one peppermint teabag.  Remember to seek out the best deals here so you are not over-charged. Hint: don’t pay more than 99¢ for 20 bags.

Alternatively, if you have a grow mint in the summer, you can dry the leaves and then steep the water using a tea ball.  If you have an indoor greenhouse or a window sill that gets a lot of light (or if you live in a southern climate) you can do this right through the winter, enjoying fresh mint for an initial outlay of about $2.

Then add boiling hot water from your kettle to the mug and stir.  Let the tea bag steep a little as you normally would, and remove.  You can add a little milk if you desire.

The peppermint flavour really comes through and is not at all smothered by the chocolate.  

Enjoy this delicious winter treat by only adding an extra 5¢ to the cost of your hot chocolate.

My favourite grocery deals this week

Welcome to Saver Days!  

Each week, I will pull out my favourite deals and freebies from the grocery and drug stores. Below, you have a chance to contribute great deals in your area.

From now on, this regular feature will be published on Saturdays.

This week, my favourite deals are:

PRICE CHOPPER

Kellog’s cereals, 750ml - $2.49 - use $2/2 coupon found in store - $1.49

Catelli healthy harvest whole wheat pasta - 2/$3 - use $1/2 coupon in store or from save.ca - $1.00

Broccoli - 99¢

NO FRILLS

Europe’s Best Frozen Veggies - $1.99

Downy fabric softener - $3.99 - use $1 off coupon from Canadian Living magazine* - $2.99 

*if you use 75¢ coupon from save.ca, the price is $3.24

Mr. Clean all-purpose cleaner or multi-purpose spray - $2.99 - with $1 coupon from save.ca- $1.99

FOOD BASICS

Astro Fat Free Yogurt (12×100g pack) $2.99 - with 50¢ coupon in store - $2.49

Prime fresh whole chicken, 1.14kg  - $4.99

Ristorante pizzas - $3.99 - with $1.50/2 coupon from save.ca - $3.25

High Liner Salmon fillets - $3.99 - with 75¢ coupon from Canadian Living/Homemakers - $3.25

Avocadoes - 79¢ ea

Roma or Florida tomatoes - 99¢/lb

Red Peppers - $1.29/lb

METRO

Oasis Fruit zoo juice - $1.29 - with 75¢ coupon from Canadian Living - 54¢

Pantene Pro-V shampoo & conditioner - 2/$7 - with $2.50/2 coupon - $2.25

SHOPPERS DRUG MART

Kotex maxipads or lightdays pantiliners (14s-24s or 34s-48s) - $2.99 - with 75¢ coupon from Canadian Living - $2.24

Electrasol Finish Dishwasher Detergent - $2.49 - $1 coupon from Canadian Living - $1.49

Catelli healthy harvest whole wheat pasta - 2/$3 - use $1/2 coupon in store or from save.ca - $1.00

Ristorante pizzas - $3.99 - with $1.50/2 coupon from save.ca - $3.25

If you found a great deal in your neighbourhood, please link in with Mr. Linky or leave a comment.  If linking in, please put the link directly to the post that shows the deal - not your homepage.  Thank you!

The Truth about Breadcrumbs

After writing my previous post on breadcrumbs, I took a look at that store-bought No-Name breadcrumbs I had in my pantry.  When I looked at the expiry date, I couldn’t believe my eyes: 2509.

What kind of food expires in 500 years?

Update:

Reader Sam points out that this probably means they expire on Feb 25, 2009. I guess this means I shouldn’t rely on the store-bought breadcrumbs to get me through the recession and beyond, after all.  Here I was thinking that in my old age, grey and wrinkled, I’d still be able to reach for those breadcrumbs in a moment of desperation.

Easy bread crumbs for meat or fish

Cross bread crumbs off your grocery list for good.  Tasty bread crumbs are easy to make with leftover ingredients around your kitchen, and they take mere moments to prepare.

If you have stale white bread lying around, don’t pitch it. Just cut off the crusts, throw it in the food processor along with some fresh herbs (I used parsley here) and parmesan cheese, and you have yourself a delicious breading for fish, pork or chicken.

The inspiration comes from Gordon Ramsey’s Fast Food - a great recipe book that encourages you to cook at home, using simple but delicious ingredients.

Bread crumbs might not cost a lot to begin with, but this recipe provides yet another example of how we can waste less, spend less, and all the while eat food that is fresh and flavourful. 

The high cost of “low-brow” foods

On Monday, the Globe and Mail published an article titled, “Really cheap eats: how low will we go? Sorry foodies, canned meat, condensed soup and Jell-O are making a comeback.”

Sigh.

Apparently the economic recession has led Kraft foods and other makers of cheap crap pre-packaged processed convenience foods, to score massive profits as consumers mistake their products for affordable, nutritious foods.

The spokeswoman for Kraft said that, “we certainly are benefiting as consumers eat at home. We feel that in this challenging environment we’re well positioned to win.”

I wrote the following as a letter to the editor in the Globe and Mail:

Why are shoppers purchasing processed foods when they can boost their budgets by going back to basics? Relying on convenience food is the single biggest mistake you can make when attempting to cut costs. Baking supplies, legumes and root vegetables may appear more expensive because they are sold in larger quantities than single-serving convenience snacks. But compare the cost-per-serving and you will see the difference. To get more for your money, I recommend keeping things simple. Survival foods like carrots, cabbage and chickpeas will stretch your meals and stave off hunger. Dried lentils and beans provide protein for pennies, and homemade stews will go much further than single-meal soups from Campbell’s. The added bonus? These nutritious foods will cut, not contribute to, your health care costs.

It bothers me to think that people who are trying to get by on less are automatically fueling up on goods that can be, depending on how frugal and creative you are in the kitchen, more expensive that home-cooked meals. But the problem doesn’t stop there. As was pointed out in the Globe article, empty carbohydrates that come from, say, Kraft Dinner, leave you hungry and sluggish, leading your productivity at work to wane, and providing you with cravings for more food a few hours (or minutes!) later.

But what really bothers me about this is the idea that being frugal means self-deprivation.  Cheap eats can come in the form of delicious, warm and satisfying meals, shared with your family, and lovingly made. It doesn’t have to come in a box or a can that leaves you starved for flavour and texture.  A lot of our daily pleasure comes from food. By relying on powdered cheese for flavour, you are ignoring other delicious culinary delights that can spice to your life. Deprivation will leave you desperate for a boost and you won’t come out ahead.

Comparing Campbell’s to the real thing

Price Chopper had a sale on this week - Campbell’s soups were 2/$1. Great deal, right?  Well, let’s compare the price to a delicious homemade soup - one of my favourites - Coarse carrot and ginger soup.  Ironically, I found this recipe in a magazine - it was in a Cambell’s soup advertisement for Carrot Ginger Soup.

Let’s compare the costs of our soups.

Coarse Carrot and Ginger Soup - courtesy of Campbell’s

2 cups coarsely chopped carrots

Price Chopper had a sale on this week - 5lb bags of carrots, onions or beets were $1 each. Purchased 5lb bag at Price Chopper and used 3 carrots - each carrot approx. 7¢ - 21 cents

3/4 each, coarsely chopped onion and potato

Purchased 5lb bag of onions at PC and used 2 onions, or 1/5th of the bag - 20 cents

Purchased 5lb bag of potatoes for $2.99 - use 1 potato, or 1/25th of the bag - 12 cents

1 tbsp butter

Purchased butter for $4.19 after coupon - use 1 tbsp - approx. 8 cents

1 carton Campbell’s Ready to Use Organic Chicken Broth

Make your own from chicken bones and vegetables that have already turned (free) plus one onion - 10 cents

1 1/2 tbsp minced fresh ginger root

Bought .055 kg of ginger for 12 cents - use 1/3rd for 4 cents

1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Purchase in bulk - one cent

1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Could easily omit this since a lot of people hate this herb, but I love it and think it’s worth the money - assume a price of $1.69 a bunch in the winter, use 1/10th - 17 cents

Your total price: 93¢ - But this recipe serves FIVE - where as the Cambell’s soup serves two, at best.

The price of the homemade soup: 17¢ per person

The price of the Campbell’s soup: 25¢ per person. We’re also assuming here that the soup you bought is mixed with water only. If it is a cream based, add more cost for the milk. We’re also assuming that no taxes apply.

Not only is the homemade soup cheaper, it is far more nutritious, hearty and packed with the delicious flavour of ginger and cilantro.

The bottom line: eat and enjoy yourself. It’s not just about eking out an existence, it’s about finding ways to experience great flavours - and all the other joys of life.  And you can do so without compromising your budget.

Fabulous freebies!

P&G’s brandsampler is back!

Want to get a bunch of freebies for body wash, shampoo, floss, and even razors?  Visit Proctor and Gamble for their Brandsampler - an array of free samples.  Register and fill out a quick survey and then choose the samples you want.  The samples are available for a limited time only, so hurry!

Satisfying self-discipline

Did you resolve this year to live more frugally?  Finding it difficult already?

At a yoga class last week, our instructor left us with this message to encourage at-home practice throughout the week:

Discipline means remembering what you really want.

I thought that this idea was perfectly relevant to staying on a budget. Discipline, when applied to budgeting, or any other goal, should not be an exercise of self-punishment or deprivation.  Far from that.  In fact, discipline should be used to continually remind yourself of what is important to you, and be used to make choices that help you achieve that reality which you truly crave.

To help you achieve discipline towards your financial goals, I have come up with five ways to help keep you motivated and on track.

1.  Decide what you truly want for yourself.  If you have drawn up a tight budget without thinking about what kind of a world you hope to create for yourself, you may have little motivation to actually get there.  If your goal is to get out of debt, decide what being debt-free means to you.  Think about what you want - a better relationship with your spouse, more fun in your life, the ability to afford a vacation or even just fresh flowers every week. Imagine in detail what kind of a lifestyle you want to create for yourself that can be obtained by changing your financial habits.

2. Visualize your goals and make them real by creating visual representations through collages.  Use scrap magazines to cut-out pictures of the things you wish to feel, do, or have that will be made possible by your new financial plans.

3.  Calculate the long-term impact of your short-term savings. If you are cutting back your spending, make the effects real by calculating the savings over a longer period of time.  You will realize that avoiding small purchases can add up to big savings.  If you spend $10 on lunch and coffee every work day, you’re spending $2600 a year.  What does that $2600 mean to you? A trip to Europe? Imagine what you will do with your savings and actively remind yourself that these little sacrifices add up to big rewards.

4. Don’t say “no” - just say “no for now.”  If you’re in a store itching to buy something, allow yourself just 24 hours to think it over.  It won’t feel like deprivation because you’re not saying no - you’re just giving yourself time to decide.  After you’re home, you will probably realize that life goes on without that new “thing” you wanted to buy and that you don’t really need it after all.  Or even more likely, you’ll forget all about it. 

5. Boost your spirits. If you’re feeling isolated because you can’t afford all the exciting activities your richer (or less responsible) friends are planning, or start to feel deprived, do something nice for yourself.  Plan a spend-free get together with friends.  Yes, you can do the old “pot-luck” stand by, but you can also plan a board-games night, a knitting night, a winter ice-skate or hike, or a chat session over a pot of coffee and cookies.  Or treat yourself to something small - some new bubble bath, a book from the library; even a cute new pair of undies or PJs can go a long way in lifting your spirits for under $10.

What is your favourite way of keeping yourself motivated and disciplined?

$2 off coupon for Kashi Seven Whole Grain Cereal Bars

Today is a good day for coupons!  Click here for a free $2 off coupon for Kashi Seven Whole Grain Cereal Bars.