Finding Balance

Alice has started walking again. This fills me with both tremendous hope and anxiety. I love to see her walking around again, confident enough to follow after her siblings when they are moving too quickly for her to keep up... and yet, I know this kind of mobility comes with risk. We'll have to pray that the rods in her upper legs do their job, and that her lower legs can handle it.

I'm still working on simplifying routines and organizing the house. I haven't really unpacked anything all winter. We just keep moving things around to make more room (which then gets filled with whatever is coming in.) I have to admit, this is an overwhelming job. There are days when I just want to throw everything out on the curb with a "FREE" sign and hope someone hauls it all away so we can start over. But I know that a lot of it is just poorly organized... and most was already pared down when we moved. I need to get creative with our limited space. Thankfully the kids have no classes on Fridays this semester, so we'll be spending more time homeschooling and I'll have more flexibility with my own time.
I am getting the hang of frugal shopping (or rather not shopping unless we know we need it or will get a lot of use out of it.) The couponing was an interesting year-long experiment... I felt like I had to try it out to the fullest and ended up with some things I decidedly didn't want my family to eat. It is a very easy thing to do - most coupons are for packaged/processed (GMO-laden) food. Some people insist that free is free, and a couponer should always get the deal if they can - they could always give away the stuff they don't want to the food bank... but that presents me with an ethical dilemma. If I wouldn't want to feed it to my family, do I really want to give it to people who have no choice but to shop at the food bank? Not really. Besides, I know that food banks can buy in bulk and would rather have cash from donors than packaged food anyway. I also believe in the notion that my dollars have power - what I buy or don't buy makes a difference in what continues to be manufactured. Whether I actually spend the money out of my pocket or use coupons as currency, if an item is "purchased" it creates an empty space on the shelf which then must be filled. I'd rather use my purchasing power to let food producers know that I'm not interested unless it is organic and as fresh and free of chemicals as possible. So, I'm still clipping - I'm just very choosy about which coupons I print or clip. If it is organic or a household staple item, then I go for it. If not, I don't clip it. It is much easier to pass up the incredible deal on sugary fruit snacks if you don't have the coupon. And it means my shopping trips are quicker and much less complicated. I've also stopped buying commercial shampoo and baby wash - it really is amazing what a little basic soap, baking soda, and vinegar/water solution can do! I'm currently trying the oil method of cleaning my face, and if that works out I'll stop buying face wash and moisturizer too. (Crazy! I know!) There are a few other things I've done to reduce our grocery budget that may not be available to everyone - but ask around. You might find that they are actually there just waiting to be discovered!
1. I've been volunteering for a gleaning organization. These help reduce waste by picking up perishable items from grocery stores, bakeries, and other places that are just going to be thrown away. This food includes bruised fruit, day-old bread, and dairy/deli that is close to or at expiration. Those who volunteer and go to pick it up have first choice in what they take home for their families, and the rest is shared out to the community. I've done this now for about a year and a half, but have decided to reclaim my time at home. I sort of miss baking my own bread. It is rewarding work though and did help us out financially while I was trying to get a grip on the couponing strategy. The best part was getting to take home organic produce in exchange for my volunteer time. Soon I think we'll go back to ordering from a CSA or organic produce delivery service.
2. I joined a couple of bulk buy email groups. These are great if you can get onto a group's list. These groups either order bulk grains/beans/other dry goods from trusted sources at an affordable price because it is a group buy, or arrange for group pickups of fruits and vegetables direct from farmers - this is especially handy when it comes time for canning. I like to shop farmer's markets as well during the summer, but these prices are usually better.
3. I found out which of my friends had chickens and offered to buy or trade for their eggs. This has turned out to be a money-saver for me, and has helped my friends who are buying bags of chicken feed and have loads of eggs on hand. My family loves to eat eggs and we go through at least a dozen a week. The eggs from my friends' farms are of the best quality, and fresher than anything I can get from the store. I usually pay $3-4/doz, but I recently did a trade for nearly a year's worth of eggs from happy well-treated chickens. Can't beat that.