The Budget: A verdict

Do you have a budget? Use the jar or envelope system? Or just try to live within your means?

I’ve been using a budget very carefully for the last two months and the verdict is… I love it!  In August, I started by tabulating all my costs - writing down every single thing I bought and putting the number into a spreadsheet.  I didn’t use the “jar system” - I still used my debit and credit cards - but recorded everything I spent.  I lived as frugally as possible, and then at the end of the month, used those numbers to draw up my September budget.

Here’s how I wrote my September budget:

1. Averaged out my expected income for the next 4 months (until the new year) to give me an expected monthly salary

2. Deducted fixed costs

3. Created a budget for my variable costs.  I used categories inspired by Gail Vaz-Oxlade: food, clothing & gifts, entertainment, transportation and other.

4. Using a spreadsheet, I inputted a formula so that at the end of each column I would be able to see how much money I’ve spent in each category, as well as how much I have left to spend.  I also created a formula that would show me how much I have spent overall and how much I have left to spend in total. (This is especially helpful when you take more from a particular category.)

The budget is a big stress-reliever.  It provides a sense of control. There is an excellent article at Fighting Foreclosure - Conversations on the benefits of having a budget - which is a terrific read.  Contrary to what most people say (that budgets deprive you) I find that my budget has helped me to relax and enjoy my spending more, because I know that the items are already accounted for. It’s a bit like dieting - if you focus on all the foods you can’t eat, you’re doomed to be miserable.  But if you make a list of all the meals you could possibly enjoy using only healthful ingredients, you’ll feel as though you have an abundance of options.  A budget gives a similar feeling - it’s putting focus on the money that you do have to spend, as opposed to what you don’t have.

I recall an episode of Till Debt Do Us Part when one woman asked “do people really have time to [write down everything they spend?"] What’s funny about that comment is really how little time it takes.  When I come back from the store, I open up the spreadsheet on my computer and type in the number.  That’s it! Done!  It’s literally seconds of time for a big pay-off.  Like many things in life, it’s all about changing habits.  Writing down your expenditures as opposed to just stuffing the receipt in your pocket and forgetting about it does take some energy, but overtime it becomes natural.

Please share - do you use a budget?  What’s your system for keeping track of your spending?

Eggplant & Sweet Corn Pita Pizza

Thank you so much for everyone’s best wishes for my blogiversary!  It was so nice to read all your warm wishes and kind comments. I really mean it when I say the best part of writing the blog is having the support of all of my readers.

I hope you were able to enjoy my trip down memory lane and revisit some older posts in absence of fresh material this last week.  I’ve been so busy with so many different projects, I’ve barely had time to breathe.  

But I guess this means it’s a perfect opportunity for me to post this recipe that I’ve been saving: Pita Pizza.

I love making pizzas, but when you’re in a pinch, you might not have time to make the dough yourself. In fact I almost never have the patience to do it, and I usually resort to making a yeast-free baking soda dough.  I’m usually willing to sacrifice some flavour and texture in order to get dinner in my mouth earlier. One day last week I got really impatient and decided to skip making the dough altogether - I decided to try making pizza using pita bread.  (Ahem, store bought pita bread.)

This might not be news to everyone, but I was astonished at just how delicious the pita pizza turned out to be.  And I credit part of its crispy, crunchy deliciousness to my pizza stone.

Actually, I technically do not own a pizza stone.  My pizza stone has long since cracked.  It was replaced by a lovely terra cotta saucer, which was purchased at a hardware store for under $10.  After a quick wipe down, it’s flipped over and placed on the bottom of the oven.  And it works perfectly. Thank you to my soulmate, Alton Brown, for this amazing tip.

As for toppings, the sky is the limit, but I thoroughly enjoyed using these two time-savers.  One is a make-ahead roasted garlic puree.  This is made with whole roasted fresh garlic, squeezed out of its peel and mashed up with some olive oil. It’s a perfect pizza spread and it lasts in the fridge for days!  The other time-saver is oven-dried tomatoes.  With minimal work you can have a delicious topping suited for pizza, salads, pastas, or paninis.  Make the garlic puree and the dried tomatoes at the same time, and you maximize your oven’s energy efficiency.

So, do you want SQ’s recipe for the pizza in the picture? Of course you do - it was amazing! I mean, really, really tasty.

Here is the break-down:

Eggplant & Sweet Corn Pita Pizza

Sauce: Roasted garlic puree and extra virgin olive oil

Toppings: Thinly sliced eggplant, fresh sweet corn, oven-dried tomatoes, and a small handful of bitter salad greens, tossed in a light vinaigrette. (This goes without saying, but make sure to add the salad after the pizza has finished baking!)

Cheese: Baby parmesan and chevre

Spices/herbs: I added a little thyme, parsley and also some paprika, but you could experiment here.

Bake on the pizza stone at about 400 degrees, until nice and crispy-crunchy, and a slightly golden colour.  To cut, use a knife or pizza cutter and serve.

Do you make substitutions in the kitchen? What is your favourite food that does double duty?

It’s Saver Queen’s one-year anniversary!

I can’t believe it, but it’s Saver Queen’s birthday today! That’s right, it is exactly one year since I began the blog.

I took a trip down memory lane and looked at a lot of the old posts, picking out a favourite from each month for you to enjoy. 

Looking back, my writing style and focus has changed a lot. Instead of giving tips and strategies, I began writing more on the philosophy of frugality & sustainability, and the blog has become a document for my homemade frugal crafts, decorating ideas and recipes. 

I’ve had over 50,000 visits in the last year, with visitors coming from 110 different countries.  However, over half of my readers are Canadians. It’s cool to think that frugality is a topic with universal appeal, and it’s also nice to know that I’m putting out content that is uniquely Canadian.

The best thing about writing this blog has been the relationships I’ve made with my readers. Thank you so much for your comments, your emails, and your support during difficult times. Blogging has been a lot of fun, and I really appreciate each and every one of you, who has faithfully read and commented on the blog. Thank you to those who have been with me since the very beginning, and thank you to those of you who are just joining me on this journey.

Please enjoy “The Best of Saver Queen” according to the Queen herself!

September

Thanksgiving pumpkin vase

October

Zen and the Art of Coupon Clipping

November

The Tea Party

December

My day in the kitchen

(Also please read Reflections on a Christmas budget - I love the comments from the readers on this one, especially Catherine’s comment.)

January

The high cost of low-brow foods and How to have your own put night at home

February

My search for the perfect frugal snack: a mystery solved

March

How much should your food really cost?

April

How to cut your grocery bill in half - part one and part two

May

This was a tough choice! I made homemade cards, repurposed junk, reorganized my kitchen with recycled materials, thrifted and went antiquing, answered my readers’ questions, and made a comic book holder out of an old box of salt. But since it generated so much interest, I’d have to name this post as my favourite:

Homemade junk food, part one - pizza pops

June

An end and a beginning

This is a very sad post, but I was overwhelmed with the kind support my readers gave me.

July

Reflections on abundance

August

Four weeks of frugality: eating great, spending less

And that takes us to September!

Thank you again, my readers!

Please share: what has been your favourite post from Saver Queen over the past year? 

Fields of gold

Nothing, I believe, captures the essence of life’s beauty, wisdom and enchantment, quite like nature. When I was a little girl, I spent quite a bit of time on my nana’s farm, traipsing through the woods, building forts and rafts and playing in the gully with my sister and my cousin.  In the fall, my favourite time to explore, I loved the hearing the crunch of the harvested soybean fields under my feet, climbing on top of hay bails, and admiring the colours of the surrounding trees. Spending time in the country at an early age meant that as an adult, I’ve been able to respect and appreciate the secrets that can be found in a fall day, a field or forest. It’s a great gift.

This weekend we were blessed with some of the early-fall weather one hopes for on labour day weekend.  Warm sun, low humidity.  Gentle breezes. Evenings cool enough to demand a sweater and a pair of jeans, days warm enough to do, well, just about anything you feel like.

My nana’s farm has just been sold, and this weekend I went out one last time to explore. I was accompanied by both my parents. We spent our time collecting wild elderberries for a pie, and my mom helped me pull together a nice collection of wild flowers, which I will experiment with, by drying.

We collected enough elderberries for at least 2 pies, which we will make for Thanksgiving. To preserve them, we picked off all the berries from the stems, placed them in an air-tight plastic bag along with a paper towel to absorb any moisture, and froze them.

This weekend we were also blessed with the opportunity to see some wildlife.  While we were eating dinner one evening, we looked out the window and saw a beautiful hawk, sitting at the feeder.  He wasn’t feasting on bird seed, but was eyeing a much more satisfying treat - the plump, naughty chipmunks who like to gorge themselves on, well, everything in the feeder.  

Earlier that day, as my Mom and I sat outside, reading magazines in the sun, a hummingbird buzzed between us, circling around my Mom’s head. I’d never seen a hummingbird that close-up before, and hearing its little wings whirr like a piece of machinery was a true treat.

At the farm, I also discovered a black and yellow garden spider, an orbweaver apparently common to this part of Ontario and frequently found around this time of year. It loves goldenrod, and a big patch of goldenrod is exactly where I found it.  Normally, I am deathly afraid of spiders, but somehow this majestic insect captured my attention in an awe-inspiring, rather than panic-inducing, way. Its colours, interesting web, and unique shape and size, are actually quite beautiful and fascinating.

What many of us are seeking in our lives can really be found quite easily, quite simply.  It’s easy to always want something more - a luxury vacation, new clothes, more stuff. But truly, we make life more difficult than it really needs to be. A lot of peace and fulfillment can be found in a field of goldenrod, an elderberry bush, and even, if our hearts are open enough, a spider web.

Random Acts of Kindness: The best kind of frugal luxury

It’s a post I’ve been meaning to write for a while now. A recent blog post at The Thrifty Chicks (one of my favourite blogs) called Ever Been Claimed made me feel inspired to finally write it. 

Living on a frugal budget means looking beyond material possessions in order to find fulfillment, inspiration and joy.  The frugal life requires more attention to “natural highs” that come from natural beauty and the many joyous experiences found in simple moments.  When I read in Tracey McBride’s book, Frugal Luxuries (Tracey also writes a blog called Frugal Luxuries by the Season) that random acts of kindness could be considered a frugal luxury, it inspired me to look out for such inspiring, heart-warming moments, and savour them as if they were precious gifts.

It has also made me pause with gratitude to think of the random acts of kindness I’ve been a recipient of.  There have been a few spectacular ones, but only one that really had a major impact on my life.

It happened in January, 2008.  Josh and I had been hoping to get a kitten for months, but hadn’t found the right opportunity.  We’d found some kittens we loved at a vet clinic in the summer, but were too far down on the waiting list, and the kittens were taken by someone else.  Finally, though, Josh came home one evening with great excitement: he’d found us a kitten, and she was beautiful.  It was through a local adoption, facilitated by a pet store.  The next night, after work, we decided to go and get her.  Unfortunately, the pet store was quite far north of where we lived in the city, and the weather was terrible.  The alleyway, where we parked our car, was full of snow and ice.  We had to dig our way out, and defrost the car.  The driving was terrible.  After only going a few blocks we knew we wouldn’t make it in time before they closed, so we vowed to go the next day.

We did make it to the pet store the next day. I walked in, took one look at the adorable kitten, and was sold.  She was perfect.  Her colours were gorgeous, and Josh had already told me that the pet store owners had said she had a lovely temperament. I knew I wanted her.

But this was all from the sidelines, watching as she was cradled in another woman’s arms. I couldn’t wait for my chance to hold her. That is, until I heard the woman say, “I’ll take her.”

I couldn’t believe it! If only we’d left earlier the night before! If only the weather had been better! If only we had covered parking! If only…

My eyes filled with tears and I walked swiftly out of the pet store, not wanting to cry in public.

The woman chased me out of the pet store a few minutes later, still holding the kitten, saying,”If you want her, you can take her. I have an English bull dog at home anyway.”  If I really wanted her, she was mine.  

I couldn’t believe it! The woman actually gave up a potential addition to her family, just to make me, a total stranger, happy.  I happily accepted the kitten, thanked the woman, and from that moment on, had someone new and special become a part of my life.

Butternut and I have a very special bond.  She purrs when I get home, licks my face, sleeps next to me at night, and reserves all of these special treatments just for me - no one else is shown quite so much love.  (Weelll, occassionally my sister, but we are twins, so Butternut probably just gets confused!)

Butternut loves participating in my crafts, watching me while I cook, and snuggling at night.  She is incredibly affectionate, very playful and gets into everything.  She’s not aloof like cats can be - she shows me a great deal of attention and love. She’s certainly been important to me during the difficult experiences I’ve had in the last 1.5 years, such as unemployment, illness, and most recently, a break up. (I got full custody.) She makes me smile everyday. It’s like she was meant to be my cat!

I sure wish I could thank that woman who gave me one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever been given!

Please share - what is the greatest random act of kindness that you’ve ever received, witnessed, or given to someone else?

A new season

It’s the first day of September, and to me that means it’s the start of a new chapter. It’s the start of a new season.

I can’t say I am thrilled that summer is coming to a close, but I’m actually somewhat excited for the new season.  I think it’s because I’m looking forward to change.  The Aboriginal Medicine Wheel, which I believe is pretty universal across the First Nations, has helped to shape the way I look at the meaning of the seasons and cycles in our lives. In the Medicine Wheel, the black component represents fall, which is a time of abundance, a time of harvest, a time of planning and preparing ahead for a long winter. It is a time of change.

As I venture out towards my new career path, I am simultaneously seeking changes to my lifestyle.  Changes to my routines. Changes to my budget. Changes to the way I organize and manage my time.  But I also want to make changes to my spirit.  

This September I want to focus on a abundance and joy.  I want to be grateful for what I have, live fully in the present, but simultaneously work hard to create a new, exciting future for myself. 

There is a lot of open space in front of me.  Some of it scares me.  But I have to be grateful for the amazing gift that I have: my freedom.  Not everyone in this world can say that, and I want to be cognizant of that, and also to what it means for me and my happiness.  

Even though it’s not the start of a new year, it feels like it’s the start of a new life.

This September I will share my journey to find joy and abundance on a tight budget.  That is, a very tight budget.