Pinching Pennies # 3

Here is this week's installment of a few ways we pinched pennies. It helps me stay motivated as we power through our 10th year of debt repayment on a single income.

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Homebirth

I've got to lead with the most exciting news. Our new baby arrived on May 7 at 9 days "overdue." And it's a boy!

Of course, the whole family (but especially me) is head over heels in love with baby Harry. Every time it feels like I am even more in love with the newest member of the family. I've been keeping to my room and just soaking in these newborn days. They go so quickly.

We don't have homebirths for frugality's sake! However, with our current insurance plan, the birth was less expensive than what we would pay for co-pays and co-insurance for a hospital birth.

We feel so fortunate that I am healthy and low-risk and that skilled homebirth midwives work in our area to keep homebirth a safe and joyful option!!!!

Cheese Sandwiches

My kids love cheese! And I love filling them up with high-quality foods (like imported aged cheese) over other lunch options like sweetened yogurt, jelly, or even sweet fruits. I am a believer in keeping all sweets, even natural ones, at a minimum.

We are often able to find several pound hunks of imported cheese at discount grocery stores or Mennonite markets for $2/lb. But, you need something other than a knife to cut it into reasonable slices.

For the last 6 years, we've been using an inexpensive handheld cheese slicer we received as a Christmas gift. It came with an extra wire which we used to replace the first wire a couple of years ago. Finally, the replacement wire broke, so we were in the market for more wires or another slicer.

Since this device allows me to slice hundreds of pounds of high-quality cheese we often get for around $2/lb, it probably saves us more than $50 a year versus using a supermarket deli. And the cheese is higher quality too!

We bought a new one on Amazon because there was also something wonky about the screw on our current model. I used a $5 Amazon gift card we earned on Microsoft Rewards so we only paid $5.30.

Greens

It has now been six years since we grew our first backyard garden. That year, it was just a 4 by 4 square foot garden, but we've added to it over the years and even expanded to a plot at our local community garden.

A new baby in May will give me a lot less time to work in the garden, but the important part is that I got all my early seeds in the ground before he was born.

I can see my snap peas, bok choi, kale, lettuce, carrots, and chard coming up. Every year it is a revelation!

I focus my efforts on things that grow well for me and then we have green food to eat literally year-round . . . . once I turn pounds and pounds and pounds of bok choi into kimchi, that is!

Even though I consider food to be our medicine, it is hard for me to spend a lot on it. The garden allows me to binge on all the wonderful green things in their season and eat probably 10 times more vegetables than I otherwise would.

Meal Train

In our season of life with tight finances and young children, we've tried to find ways to live abundantly with what we do have. Gifting useful stuff we no longer need to friends and family, giving our time when possible, and practicing hospitality have been a few ways we have tried to share what we can.

One way that I have particularly enjoyed supporting community members is through giving meals to families welcoming babies, through birth or foster care. And I try to give meals to anyone I find out about, whether I even know them personally or not!

Now, it is my turn to be completely pampered and blessed by a meal train! I cannot tell you what a huge relief it is to enjoy all the delicious meals that have begun arriving at our home since baby Harry arrived. Many of these families are ones who I have brought a meal and many are those that I will be bringing a meal in the future. Others are just dear friends who we share our house and table with as often as our busy lives permit.

And truthfully, besides being a huge logistical support allowing me to rest and recover, it is also a helpful financial support during a brief period where convenience must trump frugality for everyone's sanity.

I am a very lucky woman to have such a warm community around me and I'm so, so grateful!

Cloth Diapers

Harry's umbilical cord fell off so we have started using cloth diapers again.

I have been cloth diapering nearly exclusively since my first baby was born in 2010. Every time I add a couple of used items to my stash and weed out the most shredded items.

Months ago, I purchased a small stash of pocket diapers for $20 to replace some of my originals that had seen better days. I was also gifted some used diapers, cloth wipes, and diaper pail liners by a friend. Finally, another friend lent me some newborn covers and diapers to use during the first couple of months. I can live without newborn size diapers, but they sure do look cuter than the HUGE onesize diaper on my little guy.

With such a small additional investment this time around plus with my love of the laundry line, I know I'm going to be saving money with my cloth diapers! Plus I love how they look and smell, especially when dried in the sunshine.

What frugal successes have you had this week?