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So, Are You Like Martha Stewart? Donna Reed?

December 7, 2012 By 15 Comments

Heather says:

When people ask what I do, after I joke about working in a bar, describe my job at FeedBlitz, talk about my app, I then have to explain Home-Ec101. This happens a lot and generally I get the confused puppy head-tilt.

I run a website on home economics -head tilt- I write about lifeskills for adults -increased angle of said head tilt-

Oh, so you’re like Martha Stewart?

Well, no, it’s a bit more basic than that. I’m not into frou-frou and I think there are a lot of people that genuinely need the basics more than frills.

I talk about cooking, cleaning, basic home repair, and laundry.

Oh, so you’re like Donna Reed?

No, not her either.

I bet your house is immaculate.

And it’s at this point that I just force a smile and try not to let out a huge guffaw. I have three kids. Who has three kids, more than one job, and an immaculate house?

Not this gal.

I know HOW to keep a clean house, but every so often in a while things -deadlines, the kids get the flu, I get called in to cover for a sick co-worker, etc all pile on and the daily chores just don’t get done.

Yesterday, if you had walked into my home, I probably would have died of embarrassment. Thank you for not coming over, by the way.

I admitted this over on Facebook -you are a fan, right?- and someone asked, “How do you get back on track after a couple days (or more) of not being able to do daily chores?”

I enter triage mode.

I either start a load of laundry -or restart it, if it was neglected in the machine for a couple of days.

I then head into the kitchen and start on the sink and dishes.

Next I clear counters and the table-papers may get put into a couple of piles -this depends on how long I have to perform the triage and everything else gets put away. The counters and table get a quick wipe down.

Next up come the bathrooms -not a deep clean- a dump some cleaner into the bowl, give it a quick swish -wash my hands, find the toothpaste cap and get the globs out of the sink. Then it’s wipe off the sink, followed by the toilet seat and rim. The bowl gets a scrub, a flush and I make sure there are clean towels.

Finally come the floors.

All the crap that shouldn’t be out and that will interfere with sweeping / vacuuming gets picked up and put away. -Sometimes I use a timer and put on music to encourage the minions’ help, but if they are at school, I just knock it out, asap.

I set Gertie -my robot minion- to go and I head upstairs to at least get the coffee cups out of my office and to vacuum the floor up there.

Everything piddly gets to wait until the next time the chore comes around in the rotation. This isn’t a perfect clean, this is a crisis clean for communal areas. My bedroom door can and will be shut until I have the bandwidth to deal with it and that’s okay. The same goes for the kids’ room.

No one is perfect. Not you, not me, and definitely not the perfectly coiffed lady in the coffee shop.

Hang in there. Things are going to eventually get better and well, even if they don’t, hanging in is the only option, so make the best of it.

 

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Food for Thought

April 9, 2012 By 23 Comments

Heather says:

It’s been a long time since I have brought up my thoughts on why I believe cooking “from scratch” is a vital life skill. Notice I didn’t say important, I said vital.

Over the weekend I had to spend some time in the car, so I loaded up a couple of podcasts, as I tend to do. The first one is only tangentially related to today’s discussion, but it’s fascinating, nonetheless.

The podcast is “Stuff to Blow your Mind” and the show is titled “Cat Parasites Conquer the World.” Right about now you’re probably wondering, “What on earth do parasites have to do with Heather going off on a rant about food?” Just bear with me for a few moments. There have been some interesting studies lately on how parasites can affect behavior. It has fairly recently been discovered that rats infected with Toxoplasma gondii are influenced by the parasite in ways that make them more likely to become prey for cats. The organism seems to make rats slower, clumsier, and even specifically attracted to the scent of cat urine. This attraction helps ensure that rats end up in the belly of the host necessary to complete the parasitic life cycle.

First of all, it’s insanely creepy to learn that a parasite may be able to not only influence the behavior of rats, but humans, as well. There have been some studies showing that 30 – 60% of the human population may have Toxoplasma gondii,  and a few studies suggest that those with the parasite exhibit behavioral changes, much like rats, not necessarily a specific attraction to cat urine, but a loss of fear that results in taking unnecessary risks. Crazy stuff, right?

I found the topic fascinating (and have been ruminating on it for the last few days). When that podcast ended the next one in my queue was WNYC’s Radiolab Show “Guts.” Which wasn’t about parasites, but rather how the bacteria we carry within our digestive track (about 3 lbs worth) may affect our mental health. See, I told you there was a segue!

Much of the show focused on a study of mice given lactobacillus, the bacteria that gives us all kinds of delicious foods including yogurt. Some mice were given foods fortified with lactobacillus and two other groups of mice were given a control food and sterile food. The mice were then dropped into containers of water and observed. In general mice paddle around freaking out for 4 minutes before giving up in despair and just floating. This happened with the two control groups, the mice acted as expected and their stress hormone (cortisol) levels did what your would do if you were dropped in a container of water and believed you were going to die (they went through the roof). The mice on the lactobacillus diet continued to paddle around until the 6 minute mark when they were removed from the water (dead mice wouldn’t do much good for the study) and it was found that their stress hormone levels were significantly lower than those in the control groups.

Now how does a bacteria in your gut influence what’s going on in your brain?

There is a very large nerve that runs between your digestive track and your brain it’s known as the vagus nerve. The study with the mice was repeated, but this time the vagus nerve was severed in some of the mice. The gut was no longer communicating with the brain. Guess what? The mice with the severed nerve responded just like the control group mice in the first study, freaking out for four minutes and then giving in to despair.

There are now studies happening that are investigating the possibility of using lactobacillus as a means to treat some mental disorders including anxiety and depression. As a person who sometimes struggles with anxiety, I find this incredibly fascinating.

So what does this have to do with processed food? The more we refine and process our food, the further we take it from the state from which we, and the bacteria we host, evolved to digest it.

We are learning that we have more of a symbiotic relationship with the bacteria within our bodies than we ever thought. (Does anyone else remember the book by Madeline L’Engle A Wind in the Door? No, I don’t believe our mitochondria are sentient, I’m just musing on the broader concept)

The next time you’re in the grocery store choosing between a food that has been designed to survive a nuclear holocaust and a food that is highly perishable, but as close to fresh as possible. . . you may be doing your body more good than we know.

If nothing else, eat a little more yogurt, it just might make you feel better.

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Obvious as a Heart Attack? Know the Warning Signs, Save a Life

February 29, 2012 By 16 Comments

Bobbie says:

As you probably know, February is Heart Month – all month long there have been events & promotions to turn everyone’s attention toward heart health. Since this is a leap year, today is like a Bonus Day – so I thought I’d share my story. I feel like the rest of my life is Bonus Days, because I would not be here now if I hadn’t been paying attention.

You’d know if you were having a heart attack. I mean, how could you NOT know, right?

Quite easily, as it turns out. Especially if you’re female:  Heart attack symptoms in women can be quite different from those in men.

I learned this first-hand on Friday May 20, 2011.

On Thursday, I’d mowed my small lawn, stopping halfway through to go inside and “catch my breath,” when I felt I couldn’t take another step. I woke up in my recliner two hours later, still worn out, but finished the mowing anyway. My arms felt extremely weak, but so did the rest of me, so it didn’t seem that odd.

Friday night I went to bed early, hoping to finally get some rest. After a few hours of tossing and turning, completely exhausted, but feeling too uncomfortable to sleep, I resigned myself to another sleepless night and got up. I’d been like that for about a week – able to catch only short naps, sometimes at night, sometimes during the day, but waking up feeling as if I hadn’t slept at all.

I attributed my inability to get comfortable in bed to indigestion, which I blamed on the spaghetti dinner fundraiser I’d attended earlier. This is kind of gross, but I had terrible gas pains in the upper abdominal/lower chest area. I’d experienced gas like this many times, but not for years, since changing the way I ate most of the time. I was burping like crazy, but it wasn’t helping. I had no antacids or anti-gas medicine in the house, so I mixed a half-teaspoon of baking soda in water – the concoction my grandparents had used as an antacid – but it provided no relief.

Utterly exhausted and living alone at the time, I decided my only choice was to drive to the store to get gas medicine, so I could (hopefully) get some sleep.

At 1:30 in the morning. Obviously, I was not thinking clearly.

In the store, I leaned heavily on the shopping cart. Everything felt unreal – as if I was watching someone else do these things. I took a dose of the gas medicine as soon as I found it, then went to pay for it and drove home. It didn’t get better. Instead, I started getting a slight tightness in my chest. No pain, other than what I’d had before from gas pain.

Something in my head said, “heart attack?” but I dismissed it. “This can’t be a heart attack. It doesn’t hurt enough. Doesn’t a heart attack feel worse than childbirth without painkillers? This is just frustrating and annoying – not something that can kill me.”

Fortunately, my brain nagged me and the internet exists. I googled heart attack symptoms and read some, which gave me a notion that heart attacks look different in women. So I searched on heart attack women and found some scary news.

It’s common for women NOT to have the “typical” chest pain associated with a heart attack, and to have symptoms not generally experienced by men during a cardiac event – making it harder to recognize what’s happening. Consequently, women wait longer to get medical attention, and are more likely to die from a heart attack.

Don’t feel stupid if you didn’t know this – it’s pretty new information. Lots of doctors and hospitals still don’t realize that heart attacks can look very different in women. How can that be? In the past, heart studies were primarily done on men, and it was assumed that the findings carried over to women. But women are not just smaller versions of men with different naughty bits. Our chemical makeup and internal anatomy affect how heart disease develops, how accurate standard diagnostic tests are on us, and how we respond to medications. It’s relatively recent that studies have been conducted on women in this area.

Heart attack symptoms that women commonly have include:

  • Unusual fatigue – much more than what is typical for you
  • Prolonged sleep disturbances (not just a couple restless nights)
  • Weakness
  • Shortness of breath
  • Indigestion
  • Anxiety
  • Lower chest discomfort
  • Upper abdominal pressure/discomfort that can feel like indigestion
  • Back pain
  • Perspiration (when you really shouldn’t be)
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Jaw pain

Actually, the unusual fatigue and prolonged sleep disturbances may be an early warning sign – some women report having these symptoms as much as a month before their cardiac event. (I’d had them for a couple weeks, and it kept getting worse.)

As you can see, none of these, taken separately, are unique and distinct signs that would make you immediately think, “I’M HAVING A HEART ATTACK,” but if you have some of these symptoms, it’s time to call 9-1-1.

I looked at the symptoms I found and realized that I had most of the symptoms and YES, IT’S PROBABLY A HEART ATTACK.  So, at about 3:30 in the morning, I made the call. The paramedics were there in less than 10 minutes, hooking up the portable EKG. I was rushed directly to a hospital in the next county, because they had a cardiac specialty unit. Balloon angioplasty was performed to install a stent in a coronary artery that was completely blocked.

If I had just dismissed the symptoms and not called for help when I did, I would have been dead before the sun came up Saturday morning.

The bottom line is this:

PAY ATTENTION to your body. Know what is normal for you so you can recognize when something is off. If you start to wonder whether you’re having a heart attack, don’t wait until your heart stops to find out if you were right. Your life may depend on it.

For a slightly humorous take on this serious subject, enjoy this video by Elizabeth Banks.

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The Dangerous Comparison Game

January 19, 2012 By 5 Comments

From a recent comment here on Home-Ec 101,

I have one child that lives at home and a teenager that moves in and moves out lol, and also another child that is with me every other weekend. When I get my house clean, it stays that way for a couple of days then it’s dirty again. I am also a single stay-at-home-mom and I homeschool my youngest child.

How can I organize the chaos?

Sometimes I seem to have it together and there are times I want to pull my hair out!

I see so many moms that always look like their house is clean, and their make up is fresh, but not me! I’m the one you see in the store with my hair just tied up in a messy knot, and if you come to my home I have to move something so that you can sit down. lol

ANY ADVICE ?????

Signed,
Frustrated

Heather says:

The first thing to do is STOP comparing yourself to other people.

You are only seeing the face they want you to see. They aren’t inviting you over when their house is a wreck, you aren’t seeing them when they first tumble out of bed in the morning, and you certainly aren’t seeing them when their kids have the flu and they’ve been under a deadline and and and and.

You cannot compare your life where you see every moment, good or bad, with someone else’s best foot forward.

It’s not a fair comparison and if you convince yourself it is, you will never measure up to your own expectations and you will be miserable.

To be perfectly honest, I stress myself out all the time with this stuff, because I have put myself out there as a resource on this subject. I feel as though my house has to be company ready at any moment. This also makes me feel like a hypocrite at times. It’s all just that internal critic having a field day.

People are more concerned about themselves than they are about you.

I know this on the rational level, I’m  still working on convincing that little voice to take a hike. Does it make you feel a little better to know you aren’t the only one?

I also have to say this. I am not a licensed therapist nor am I a doctor; if you constantly feel overwhelmed, you NEED to talk to a licensed professional about your feelings.

Still convinced you’re alone? Read this post: Feeling Desperate

My friend Angela England and I did a presentation at BlogWorld Expo in October on Professionalism and Productivity and while some of the tools and tips won’t apply to your situation, you may pick up a few nuggets and tools that will help you. Ang and I are also both homeschooling parents. And we both fully admit there are times that are rougher than others. If I ever tell you everything is absolutely hunky dory all the time, I’m lying, and I want you to call me on it.

As far as getting your house in order, understand that it’s not a sometimes thing, it’s a constant process. Once you adjust to the fact that maintaining a home requires constant, low-level upkeep, it will begin to feel a lot less work intensive.

It’s easier to quickly wipe down your bathroom every day than it is to give it a thorough scrubbing after the dirt and other nastiness has time to accumulate and adhere to the calcified toothpaste blobs.

As far as actually gaining a little control over the chaotic nature of your life, there are lots of things you can do to bring a little order into your home. Don’t attempt to do them all at once.

Finally some specific tools you may find useful:

See that yellow sticky note in the upper right of this post? (click through to the site if you’re reading via email) Click it, it’ll take you to a weekly chore chart, print it out and start following it.

Alternately, if you want LOTS of email reminders and encouragement, maybe FLYLady is more your style.

Cozi – calendar / organization, it has smart phone apps available

Google Calendar – calendar

SayMmm – meal planning tools You’ll find many Home-Ec 101 recipes on SayMmm.com

SavingDinner.com – complete meal plans and grocery lists. I used Leanne’s mailer while I was adjusting to life outside the traditional workforce, back in ’03 or ’04 (long before I started Home-Ec 101) and I’m happy to see she’s still going strong.

Home-Eccers, what tools make your life easier? What do you recommend to Frustrated?

Submit your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.

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Feeling Desperate

August 18, 2011 By 42 Comments

Dear Home-Ec 101,

I am a slob. My house is a disaster area most of the time, though I’m starting to realize a lot of it is clutter. My husband hates coming home to this chaos, and while I thrive in some forms of chaos (my desk will never make sense to anyone but me) it’s even starting to get to me. We have two young children, a 2-year-old and a 5-week-old. About this time last year CPS was involved because of the mess, and it’s not an experience I want to repeat.

Do you have any advice on slob salvation?

Sincerely,
Living in Chaos

Heather says:

You are living in one of the busiest and most stressful parenting points of your life.

You are sleep deprived. Your hormones are out of whack.

You have not one, but two tiny, irrational dictators controlling your every move.

New babies are hard. Toddlers? Hard.

A baby and a toddler? That, my friend, is very hard.

I’ve been there twice. My kids are all just two weeks shy of two years apart. (We’re in birthday season right now, they are now 7, 5, 4 -and 16, but I wasn’t around for her earliest years). I started this site while I was pregnant with my youngest and the chaos of life after she arrived made me feel like a hypocrite.

This part is very important, more important than anything else I will tell you today.

If you are fighting this feeling of being completely overwhelmed and that feeling is winning, you MUST talk to your doctor.

He or she is there to help you and post-partum depression is serious, as is antenatal depression.

Will it make you feel better to know that my desk is a mess, too? I stay on top of the rest of the house pretty well, but my work area is a constant battle of paperwork and school books, pencils, pens, and cords.

Today:

When you read this I want you to do a household triage. Today we’re not worried about clutter. Today we are only worried about the things that would cause CPS to be concerned. Today -and the hardest days- we are working around the clutter.

  1. Feed, bathe, and dress the kids.
  2. Make sure there are no dirty diapers sitting out.
  3. If there are animals in the house, all of their waste must be removed immediately.
  4. Take out the trash, especially any food waste that may be on the counters / coffee table.
  5. Dishes.
    Empty the dishwasher, load the dishwasher. If this doesn’t take care of all the dishes, fill the sink with soapy water and soak the rest.
    If you do not have a dishwasher, rinse, scrape, and stack neatly the dirty dishes. Begin washing as you can.
  6. Laundry
    Gather it in a place that makes sense. It’s ok to be behind on laundry, you just have to appear to be making the effort.

These are your mandatory things and on some days even they will feel nearly impossible.

One thing at a time, with the baby and toddler coming first and you coming in a close second. You need sleep and probably a lot more of it. The world will not end if you go to bed at 8pm for the next few weeks. You’re probably getting up at 2, 4, and 6 any how.

Do me a big favor and email me your mailing address. I’m going to send you a copy of my friend Tsh Oxenrider’s book Organized Simplicity and one of my book Home-Ec 101: Skills for Everyday Living between the two of us, I’m sure there’s an approach to getting out from under the weight of your clutter.

In the meantime, do you see that yellow sticky note in the upper right hand of this post? Right click it and open the link in a new tab. That will bring you to a breakdown of the weekly chore chart.

Each day of the week has a major chore and a minor chore, if you attend to these consistently, your house will slowly become cleaner, these two chores are outside the bare minimum which includes:

  • Do the dishes and sanitize food preparation areas
  • Wipe down the bathroom sink and toilet
  • Sweep or vacuum as needed
  • Put your stuff away
  • Check your schedule
    Currently you have well baby visits, well mom visits, etc. Do not miss those.

And please, listen closely when I tell you that life will get easier. At the moment your life has shrunk to pretty much what goes in and what comes out of your babies. It will expand again, I promise. When you have a moment, where you feel good enough to really start cleaning, here’s a strategy for when you’re overwhelmed by mess.

I know a lot of you have been in her shoes, please share with this reader what helped get you through.

Send your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com.

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I Am Overwhelmed.

January 24, 2011 By 20 Comments

Dear Home Ec 101,

I have a condition called skizo-affective disorder (skizofrenia and bipolar). My life and my house is a mess. I don’t even know where to start. Is there a step-by-step online course I can take or anything like that. Any information would greatly be appreciated.

Thank you.

Anonymous

Heather says:

Before I comment any further, I have to be clear that the advice of your physician trumps anything I have to say. Always listen to your doctor over me, I’m just a random chick on the Internet who gives out advice. Your physician knows you and your needs better than I can. If you are not under the care of a physician please, find one.

You are not alone.

There are lots of people out there who feel just as overwhelmed as you. Many of those overwhelmed people are perfectly “normal,” they haven’t been dealt a crap hand by life and still they are overwhelmed. It happens to people with stable jobs and good marriages, it also happens to people who aren’t living “the easy life”. Either way, you have lots of company.

There is a program like what you’re looking for and it is free. It’s run by a lady named Marla Cilley, but it’s definitely geared toward women. She gives a step-by-step, email-by-email-by-email approach to getting your home in order. Give FLYlady.net a look if you need that kind of guidance.

I think Marla gives sound advice, but I can’t tolerate the number of emails and I’m not particularly touchy-feely. If that’s not for you either, continue reading.

You are not going to get it perfect, ever. No one does. Aim for good enough a majority of the time.

Start with getting your kitchen cleaned up and some food -any food- in your refrigerator. If you can have something to eat without a big hassle or without having to squash down disgust at the state of your kitchen, that’s a little bit of improvement you’ll see at least twice a day. I’m assuming you have a job outside of the home, if you’re like me and work from home, that’s an improvement you’ll see three times a day.

Take a look at the yellow post-it note on my site. It is click-able and will take you to a weekly chore chart. You don’t have to do it perfectly the first week. It’s also going to take longer than it should that first week because you’re working through all the time you haven’t been keeping up your home. Even if you don’t see massive progress the first week, you’re making a difference. It will become apparent over time.

Here are 3 points to focus on over the next few days:

  1. Clean your kitchen and get food in your fridge / cupboards
  2. Make sure you have your clothes / uniform ready for work. Know where your keys are.
  3. Make sure your bills / accounts are in order. Ignoring them is not an option.

Those three things will cut down massively on the stress you feel and everyone benefits from less stress in their lives. Providing yourself a semblance of order is empowering; this sense of control can carry over into many other aspects of your life.

My thoughts are with you.

Send your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com

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Cleaning Down the Rabbit Trail

January 16, 2011 By 12 Comments

Heather says:

We’ve all heard the joke about the guy that comes home from work to find the kids half dressed with cereal in their hair, stuff everywhere, dishes all over, and the wife happily sitting on the couch. He just stares at her in disbelief. She doesn’t take her eyes off the tv and says, “You know how you ask what I do all day?”

“Yeah?”

“Well, today I didn’t do it.”

Ba da bum. I know, it’s not a great joke, but it kind of illustrates today’s point. Be honest, how often do you start in one room on a specific task, only to find yourself several hours later doing something completely different with the first task barely started? It all starts off innocently enough. Well, I’ll just make the bed. Look, there’s a sock, I’ll go put it in the hamper. Oh man, the hamper’s full. I guess I’ll start a load of laundry. Crap, who left this load of laundry in the washing machine, I’ll restart it. Hey! Who left the milk out? I’ll just put that away. What is the sticky stuff on the refrigerator shelf? So the great fridge clean out begins, only for the phone to ring, the dog pukes, or maybe the kids get into a fight. It’s always something and on your way back to the refrigerator, you find someone dumped dry -hopefully- cereal, after you step in it . . Don’t lie, you know how it is.

The worst part though? Have you ever noticed how during a cleaning or organizing job, there is this moment where everything looks like it’s gone to hell in a handbasket? It is, without a doubt, worse than before the job was even started.

When you have a rabbit trail day, all of the started chores only get to the hell in a handbasket stage.

I do this. And I do it far more frequently than I care to admit. Part of it is my personality -squirrel!- part of it is just having young children, and part of it is a lack of self-discipline on my part.

This week, I’m going to try to be more disciplined in what I’m doing. The dirty sock that derails the bed making? It can wait until the bed is made. My rational side knows this, if I can just get a few things done to completion the house will be in better shape.

How do I force myself to focus? A timer helps, 10 or 15 minutes at a time isn’t too unreasonable. The key though is that I have to STAY in the room where I start. Sometimes this means bringing in a trashbag or gathering my cleaning implements before I start.

Are you with me?

Need a place to get started? Click the chore chart post-it right up there. It’ll take you to an explanation and a printable version. I know that when I do the chores to completion my house stays clean. This week, my goal is take my own advice.

How about you?

***

On a completely unrelated note:

If you are the praying type, could you keep some of our Australian readers in your prayers? If not, just send some good thoughts their way. Some of them have been hit by the flooding. I don’t have any details, I just learned this through an automated response.

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Resolutions for the Real World

January 6, 2011 By 3 Comments

Brian says:

Yes, it’s that time of the year again.

We dust off our treadmills, stock up on classic literature of the 20th century and swear to all that is holy that we’ll never drink again. Right…

Look, there’s a lot to be said about taking the initiative and really giving this whole resolution thing the old college try, but don’t you get tired of making the same promises to yourself year after year only to greet January 24th with disappointment?

The problem isn’t the fact the you may really want to make some positive changes in your life; the problem lies with your methodology: you’re more than likely trying to bite off more than you can chew. So, instead of promising to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro, cure cancer and paint the deck all in one week, take this advice and prioritize your resolutions.

Resolution #1:

“I’m going to workout at least three times a week! Oh! I’m also going to throw some jogging in there as well!”

Real solution: If it took you an entire year since the last time to told yourself this to actually do something about it, chances are you’re probably setting yourself up for failure. One thing you must keep in mind is that staying in shape is a year-round activity. There’s no way you’re going to keep yourself together long enough to last through January, let alone the other 11 months.

Instead, put yourself on a progressive regiment. Start out with a light exercise routine once a week (yes, once) for the first three weeks or so. As your body starts to get acclimated and eventually yearn  for real physical exertion, you can step up the intensity from one to three or four days a week. By April, you’ll be a well-oiled machine that’s ready to power through the summer.

Resolution #2:

“I’m quitting smoking/drinking/etc., cold turkey, starting…NOW!”

Real solution: Haven’t you learned anything from aunt Kathy with the raspy “smoker’s” voice? There’s no such thing as quitting “cold turkey” anything. Instead, make this promise to yourself: ‘I will smoke/drink one or two less than I did the day/week before’. It’s a simple mantra, yes, but it will help you in the long run if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t like wearing those pesky patches on every part of their body.

This ‘promise’, if you will, is a lot less intrusive than a group of non-drinkers or smokers crowding around you, lecturing you on the dangers of your particular vice. Granted, more serious cases should be left up to professionals, but if you’re simply trying to cut back, the New Year’s mantra is your best bet.

Resolution #3:

“Maybe I will take that trip/learn that language/be more environmental this year!”

Real solution: No. No, you won’t. Here’s why: by using the word “maybe”, you’ve already set yourself up for failure. This can be applied to all of the resolutions that I mentioned before. Never doubt yourself when it comes to the things that you want to accomplish in your life. Set goal and stick to it.

Want to learn a language? Grab Rosetta Stone and dedicate time to it, even if it’s 15 minutes a day; you’ll at least be closer to your goal than most others. Trying to be more environmentally conscious? Great! Get involved at the local level first. Start recycling in your own home if you don’t already. Once you’ve established a goal, then you can work your way up to something more grandiose.

That’s really the point I’m getting at, people. I understand that there’s something seemingly rewarding about proclaiming to the world that ‘I’m going to be a better person this year!’, but holds very little water when you set your standards higher than the amount of effort you’re willing to put into them. Start small and work towards your ultimate goal; the trick is to turn your resolutions into your routine, your way of life.

Brian Wilder is a writer for Home Ec 101. You can also find him at Things My Grandfather Taught Me.
If you have a question you’d like Brian to answer send it to Brian@home-ec101.com.

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Sunday, Set the Week Up Right

January 2, 2011 By 7 Comments

Heather Says:

The following are goals may look a little familiar. In 2011 I will:

  • Be more prepared
  • Get more rest
  • Embrace frugality

Uh huh, sure I will. I mean those goals sounds nice on paper -or my computer monitor as it were- but how will they happen?

Having the New Year fall on a weekend tends to make the first Monday of the year feel like any other. Those carefully thought out resolutions or goals, if you must, tend to go right out the window as we slide back into our usual routines. Don’t let that happen this week.

What if today you did things a little differently?

What if you changed the way you looked at your calendar / planner?

Why not look at your calendar and instead of the usual I have x to do this week, you said. What do I need to do today to get ready for x? And then, what if you actually did it? That’s the important part, you know.

What if tonight you looked at the weather and figured out what you were going to wear tomorrow?

And then, you took it a step further and made sure that it was clean and not rolled into a ball somewhere. Are planning on kicking off the new year with a session at the gym? What if you got your gym bag packed and ready to go. It’s one less excuse. While you’re at it, find your keys.

What if tonight you went to bed a little earlier than usual?

With Hulu, Netflix, DVRs, etc. Really, what IS your excuse? I promise the news will still be the news in the morning (and the afternoon and the evening, just with more gory details and additional drama). The news is always there.

What if you set your alarm ten minutes ahead?

Showing up a little too early is not the worst thing that will happen in your day.

Arriving on time isn’t just about getting yourself out the door when you should, it’s allowing buffer time for everyone else’s screw ups.

In my opinion, buffer time is awesome time.

I used to keep a book in the car, now a smartphone fills that role. However, there’s more than entertainment to life, you could: take a walk around the building or parking lot, menu plan, meditate or pray, etc.

It’s ok to step out of busyness and just be.

What it tomorrow you had coffee at home instead of at Starbucks?

Even if you buy the fancy beans or grounds, it’s still a fraction of the cost. Let’s pretend you drink one of the cheaper options $3.00 x 260 = $780. If passing up the caramel macchiato extra whip every day makes you cry, what if you turned the Starbucks run into a Friday treat? Now, you’ve got something extra to look forward to, and you’re still probably keeping $624 or so in your budget. (I’m a plain latte or cappucino girl myself. At home it’s just cafe au lait, if you were curious.)

Please, whatever you do, don’t tell me you buy the oatmeal at Starbucks. If you need to know how to make awesome oatmeal at home, just read this post on making oatmeal at home.

Now think about the time not spent in the drive through or waiting in line. .  . Yup, you just found some more awesome time.

None of these are big changes, they are just small steps in a positive direction.

What will you do today to make tomorrow different from last year?

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Tips for Reducing the Cost of a Healthy Menu

December 3, 2010 By 10 Comments

Dear Home Ec 101,

I just got back from the grocery and I’m despairing. I’m trying to be frugal these days, but still I don’t want to intake HFCS and I like to choose organic eggs and milk when I can. And I feel like it’s a balancing game to keep my family healthy but still be able to put money in the bank.

I know I need to plan meals around sales, and currently I’m actually trying to clean out my freezer because we have a ton of frozen meat, but I’m talking about foods that you buy every week, perishables that you can’t stock up on, when you want to be cruelty free or organic or just not eat HFCS.

Signed,

Math is Hard

Heather says:

A family’s grocery budget is based on a series of compromises.. While my personal motto is know better, do better, I also realize that there comes a point where you just have to let it go.You could read articles, blogs, and papers about every ingredient, process, and dietary ideal for the rest of your life and still be confused about whether or not you’re making the best choices for your family.

You could also be hit by a bus tomorrow.

If you wanted to, you could wander down a path of fear and forget that food is meant to be savored and enjoyed.

Personally, I believe you are making good choices, wanting to avoid HFCS and choosing organic when it’s possible. My point is to make your choices and then quit worrying about it. Nutrition, is a developing field, new ideas are promoted one week and retracted the next. No one has it perfect, so there’s no reason to kill yourself pursuing perfection. (There’s never a time for that anyhow, the stress alone will undo your efforts).

Heck, there are many times where I don’t even manage to make the organic choice.

Here are a few suggestions to help reduce your bill without compromising your dietary principles.

Eat Seasonally

When you tailor your diet around seasonal produce, you’re taking advantage of produce at the peak of its flavor and nutrition.

If you have a Farmer’s Market in your area (and that stupid bill never makes it out of the House) get as much of your produce as possible from there. See if any of your local grocery stores buy locally and patronize them. Offhand I know that both Bi-Lo and Piggly Wiggly try to source produce locally when possible, but it’s still a good idea to check with your store’s manager. If your grocery store does source locally, in-season produce will likely be priced accordingly. (I can’t control for all factors, but this one is usually a given, since it’s in line with the economic principle of supply and demand).

Also don’t assume that certified organic is the only choice. Many small farmers have not been able to pursue the certification for some reason that actually doesn’t have an impact on how the produce or animal is grown. Sometimes the produce or animal producer is in the process of being certified. Find your supplier and talk to them. From what I know, many agricultural professionals are looking to open the channels of communication. It can’t hurt to try.

When seasonal produce is limited hit the freezer section for the next best option.

Don’t go for the fancy steamer pouches -who wants to bet the ads this post triggers are for exactly those?- Look at the fancy options and write down the ones that pique your interest. Typically you can make the same recipes with little extra effort, much more cheaply at home. I will admit that the coupon gurus may be able to beat me at cost per serving in this department.

Steam your vegetables and toss them with butter or olive oil heated (infused) with your favorite herbs.

Treat vegetables or legumes as the entrée.

I’m an unapologetic carnivore, but I put a lot of thought into our sides to keep our consumption in check. I know that both in the health and cost department vegetables and legumes are often much cheaper per consumable ounce than lean protein. Compare cabbage at $0.39 a pound to ground beef at $3.45. It’s easier to limit the our consumption of protein to recommended amounts when the accompaniment is not a pile of canned, overcooked soggy green beans.

On a tight budget, watch how much your recipes rely on cheese and butter.  (I am not suggesting you choose low fat options, just watch the number of cheese heavy recipes you serve in the course of a week).

Learn how to make stock.

Stock is a great way to increase the flavor of your recipes while taking advantage of items that would normally just go to waste (chicken bones, vegetables on the verge).

Watch your waste.

As a nation, we Americans (I can’t speak for our Canadian and European readers, I haven’t seen your studies) waste a LOT of food. For one month keep track of how much food was thrown away. Were leftovers in the fridge too long? Did the milk go sour? etc

There’s the possibility that you’re unintentionally buying more than your family consumes.

Try these suggestions and understand that inflation and time constraints take their toll. There is a point where you won’t be able to cut your budget any further without compromising your principles. If you can afford your principles, keep them and let the worry go.

Send your questions to helpme@home-ec101.com

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