Materialism?

I like to delude myself that I don't really need much.  I am relatively frugal because needs must, but in truth I am probably as materialistic as the next person.  I think that if only I had the perfect set of kitchen tools, or organic underwear my life would be ordered and complete.  I believe that once I make the next purchase I will turn into a domestic goddess and keep the living room spotless just so I can house said object.  If I can but have beautiful objects I would of course appreciate them, take care of them, and not need anything else.

So here are a few things I am convinced I need.

• A whole new wardrobe.  I am sold on Gok Wan's idea that we only need 24 key pieces.  And my key pieces would be organic, fairtrade and/or vintage.  Plus organic undies, pajamas, and yoga pants.  (I would probably keep my Shetland wool cardigan which belonged to my grandmother).
• New dishes.  I technically have enough dishes to feed quite a few guests--although I don't have a table which will fit quite a few guests.  But over the years my dishes have by way of breakages become a mix and match set.  Need?  No.  Want?  Yes!
• Books.  Well there are always more than a few books on my amazon wish list!
• Greenhouse, Chicken Coop and Chickens, oh and a new wheelbarrow
• More memory for my computer (enough to house all of my music and films)
• New winter coat, jacket and snow boots

Moral dilemnas Part 1

We are bombarded with messages of what we should and shouldn't eat these days.  From studies touting cholesterol reducing margarine, to companies claiming their vegetables are picked and frozen quicker, it can be a challenge to decide who to believe.  Just some of the things I have been looking at in the last few days have told me that I need to do the following--or my health is at stake:

• Eat 5 fruit and veg a day
• Eat only low fat dairy products
• Eat only raw, full fat dairy products
• Eat lots of meat
• Try to eat meat free several times per week
• Eat only new age margarine and sparingly
• Eat only natural oils such as butter, coconut oil, and cold pressed olive oil
• Take supplements
• Supplements are not necessary

I already knew that my diet isn't perfect before I got scared to death by the above statements and their accompanying research studies.  I eat sweet treats, lots of fruit and veg, a mix of grains (including white bread sometimes, shock horror!), some chicken, fish, meat, eggs....  And I think I kinda do ok. 

Ideally I would take the time to eat a whole foods diet.  We try to grow our own and buy locally when we can.  I go for Fairtrade items regularly (but not always), and buy free range when our budget does not stretch to organic.  We work hard to reduce waste and compost as much as we can.

I would love to grow more, raise chickens, goats and bees.  And I hope to manage some of these things soon.  But at the moment it is difficult to fit them in to my current lifestyle.  In addition, it is difficult to know what to grow, and eat when faced with all of the decisions outlined above. 

An oldie but goodie

One of the items I lugged across the Atlantic was my Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook.  I have the 1996 edition.

It was a gift from my mother and it is in regular use in my house, especially when I am missing some of my favourite American recipes.  Although touted as a basic cookbook  (---it will tell you how to make cakes, muffins, pies, soups, roasts, etc), it has some really modern and interesting items too. 

The recipes which get used the most in our house include:

Busy-Day  Cake with Broiled Coconut Topping.  In fact if I have friends over for a barbecue or party they demand it!  It is super quick because it is made in one bowl and you can do it with only one measuring cup and one measuring spoon if you want to.  My other favourite cake in here is the Hot Milk Sponge.  I used to make it a lot in college using whole wheat flour and it was always wonderful!

Wild Rice Stuffing  This is a very different stuffing and the only one we ever have in our house.

There are also a number of grain casseroles and salads we like a lot, such as Mixed Grain Casserole and Cabbage Rolls with Bulgar and Vegetables.  It is hard to find them elsewhere.  I am constantly using the recipes for Puffed Oven Pancake, Baking Powder Biscuits and Muffins.  You can make many muffin variations.  I change the type of flour I use sometimes and add fresh, frozen or dried fruits as well as oatmeal.

Ads and Vegetable boxes

Well one of the rules is that I am not allowed to click on the ads on my own site.  But they are so tempting since they are mostly related to what I write about.  Like this morning when I logged on and saw the ad for
graze.com.  They have such good looking goodies and I will likely try some when I have finished with my being really frugal and eating from my cupboards experiment.

I am on the lookout for a new vegetable box scheme.  I am hoping since my last search that more have popped up in my community!  I actually really liked the one I used to use.  They had veg, meat, eggs, and some fish.  They made their own sausages and cured their own bacon.  But I had a few problems.  One was that I was really hoping to find one which sold dairy products.  And after a year or two eating their products I got really tired of eating their meats!  They were lovely organic, free range cows and chickens they raised themselves.  (They do pork as well, but we don't care for pork).  But they tasted so gamey to me.  Now this would appeal to a lot of folks I know, but not to me I am afraid.  So I have been heading to the grocery stores and farm shops for meat more recently.

I do try to grow a lot of my own vegetables, and so cancelled my box a couple of years ago.  But I have been having so many problems with my soil that my yield has been very poor in the last few years.  (More of that in later posts).  So I might peruse the web this morning in search of something new.  Or have a look at my old scheme and see what they are offering these days.

If I won the lottery...

What would I do with the money?

Well that depends on what I have won.

If I win £20 I will buy food or something essential.  If I won a million, I would start with a haircut.  Then a house.  (Large enough to fit the family, a large vegetable garden, chickens, and possibly two goats...)  If I won two million I would be able to make a major career change!!

I dream of having a home of my own, one with central heat (preferably a ground source heat pump and small wind turbine).  Sure I would like a new car and in an ideal world I would have an indoor swimming pool, housekeeper, and regular massages.  But my true dreams are these:  To create a therapeutic community for people with mental health problems and to build a medical clinic in Africa.

There are some fantastic sheltered work programmes for individuals with mental health needs.  They are holistic, teach job skills, provide group therapy, and a temporary home for people to find their feet.  I would house the community on a farm with a whole foods diet, art workshops, and living accommodation. 

I have been wanting to do some aid work in Africa for some time now.  And lately I have been thinking a lot about medical centres.  Maybe because I am pregnant.  And I can't stop thinking about my friend's stories from her time volunteering in Zambia a few years ago.  She described working in the birthing centre and I can't get these images out of my mind.  I have been reading about natural childbirth and hypnotherapy techniques and can't help but think that they could be used more liberally throughout the world.  But especially in traditional and remote societies.  We often see images of people suffering from AIDS, malaria, and other illnesses as well.  And sometimes it doesn't take much to help.

To fund these various projects I would create a Charitable Foundation, called Heartbeat.  Or something like that if the name is already taken.  I would have to hire some people to handle things like publicity, money, fundraising....because while I have a bit of a head for numbers, I am more of a doer I think. 

What would you do with a big win?

One of those days!

I am having one of those days when all of my resolutions have gone out the window and I would rather be in bed.  This pregnancy has done a number on me and I do get days when I really just want to curl up in bed with some magazines and nourishing broth.

After spending the early morning trying to convince my 4 year old to watch cartoons and let Mummy sleep in a bit longer (and failing miserably). Then I had a go at my Other Half who was having a lie in.  I stumbled out of bed to fight with my Internet banking (I had forgotten my password and am now locked out).  Then I struggled with a few call centres trying to pay my bills, which was also fruitless since I seem to have forgotten a few more passwords and "special reminders." 

Then I spent a few hours in the hospital to see the specialists about Baby #2, only to have my blood pressure checked and given three more appointments with three different departments.  I spent money in the shop on a drink, snack, magazine (research of course), and lottery tickets.  Then £3 on parking. 

Came home to take a nap and woke up to find my son already gone to bed. 

So no quality family meals, spent money, didn't pay money to my credit card, and very little joy. 

The good news is that my new magazine outlines 4 weeks to the new you.  So when I can get my glasses fixed (which broke yesterday), and can think straight I might have a go.  Tomorrow is another day.

Budgeting

We have created a New Year's Resolution for 2011 to pay off our credit card debts.

A quick look over our income and outgoings tells me that we will have to make a few drastic changes in order to achieve this goal.  At the moment this is roughly what we look like:

Income: 

• One full-time salary
• Plus overtime shifts on occasion
• One part-time salary, reduced a bit by long term illness
• Expecting some money back from a Payment Protection Insurance Claim

Outgoings:

• Food
• Petrol
• Utilities
• Council Tax
• Entertainment
• Child Maintenance
• Childcare
• (We housesit, so do not have rent or mortgage)

Upcoming expenses:

• MOT both cars next month
• Tax Disc for one car next month
• Haircut---would like one since it has been two years and I have split ends
• Tax disc for one car in June
• Items for new baby May onwards

Debts:

• Two Credit cards
• One overdraft
• Two outstanding loans