Epic fail…

Tags

hope

So this last week I totally failed. Instead of cooking and writing about it, I just cooked and ate it. I made some delicious foods for cheap or free, and even took some pictures. But I just never got around to posting.  Shame on me!
This last week has been pretty tumultuous for me. Ive been put under a lot of stress recently. Hosever, I have always found that turning stress into determination and hyper-focusing on what I want will help me get back on track.
So… ive been studying for my GED, looking at college, and trying to figure out how to get myself healthy, happy, and motivated.
I dont know if anyone reads this or even cares, but I am going to reach out to you, behind that screen. What drives you? What motovates you? Inspires you? What keeps you going right now? Id love advice on things I can do as a young woman with her hands full. I know im supposed to be showing you how to do things… but today, I am asking you to take the 2 minutes to inspire me to keep going.
So, is anyone out there?

Stuff it…

this sunday I had decided to take a random trip to Oreon’s largest asian market, Fubonn. I love this place ( up on 82nd. ave) for multiple reasons. inexpensive chopsticks, fresh and unusual produce, and cultural immersion are just a few to date.

the staff and customers there are so friendly and helpful, so if you take a trip there do not hesitate to ask questions!

I had originally gone to pick up some chopsticks, because I love the variety and the price. I snagged up a five pair set of steel chopsticks for 2.49 this trip, and I love how simple and sleek they are. chopsticks are a must in our household, not just for asian foods but also for salads and light meals.

while at Fubonn, I was able to snag up a big bag of bean sprouts for 38 cents, asian pears for 99 cents each, and a GIANT zucchini for just 99 cents. the zucchini gave me the idea to make a stuffed zucchini for dinner. I had never made stuffed veggies before, so I had no clue what I was doing. it cant be too difficult, can it?

so here is the list of groceries I needed for stuffed zucchini, along with the costs of food stuff and where I picked it up!

Fubonn:

1 large green zucchini, $0.99

1 large carrot, $0.49

Trader Joe’s:

1 lb. ground beef, $2.69

1 beefsteak tomato, $0.79

1 green bell pepper, $0.79

1 [16 oz.] bag mild cheddar cheese, shredded, $2.99

various spices I had in my kitchen, and you probably do too.

so here is how I made it:

cut Zucchini in half lengthwise and scoop out the middle section, leaving a little on each side. it doesnt have to come out in chunks, I shaved a lot of it out.

preheat oven to 425.

set the middle pieces aside. in a pan, brown 1 lb ground beef. drain the fat, place back on the stove, in the same pan, at a medium heat. add 1 tbsp garlic salt or powder, 1 tsp pepper, 2 tsp. soy sauce, 1 tbsp bbq sauce, 1/2 tsp ceyenne pepper, and a dash of salt.stir into the meat and let it soak the flavors up.

pt zucchini “shells” into the oven for ten minutes, then let out and let cool.

cut any chunks of the zucchini that are large into smaller chunks. place zucchini pieces and shredded zucchini pieces in beef. dice carrot, put in seperate pot with water and boil for a few minutes to soften up the carrot. while the carrot boils, add in diced tomato to the meat. you can add other veggies now too, I chose not to.

when the carrots are still firm but not crunchy, mix into the beef.  take the zucchini shells and place the beef and veggie mix inside them. turn the oven down to 350. put the zucchini in while the oven is still dropping in temp. let it cook for 25-30 minutes.

remove from oven, add cheese to top. I used maybe a half cup. then I also sprinkled some fresh green onion from the garden over it. pop it back in for five minutes.

then your done! you  can alter and give/take with this recipe easily, which I really like. I didn’t follow anyone else recipe with this other than pre cooking the shells for a few minutes. it turned out pretty darn good for having no idea what I was doing.

total cost of the meal: $9.23

time: 1 hour

fed: four adults ( more like two women and two men with the appetites of teenage boys)

skill level: be safe around the stove and dont cut your fingers, like I did. if you can guess how good something is by it’s smell while cooking, you should be fine.

if not, just follow the directions and you should be fine too.

or you can just order take-out. your call.

happy DIY-ing, carrot and pear crunch w for a recipe maybe? or chicken stuffed cheesy pockets…. I don’t know yet.

Recipe week!

This week, we are hosting a recipe week! We’re going to add a new recipe everyday, that are either made from scratch for dirt cheap, or provided by friends and family.
since this blog is about trying to do things on a tight budget, we will do our very best to provide you with places and prices that are local, fresh and inexpensive.
I hope you enjoy our recipes and I look forward to providing them for you!

Greenhouse beauty…

Tags

build, DIY, eating, foods, Garden, greenhouse, grow, healthy, homemade, local, nursery, plant, project

Although it has been a work in progress, and continues to be, the new green house is finally up and running. As much as it is a serene place to step inside and be at peace, the green house has also been a family project, a time-consuming build, and more than anything else, an inspiration to my family.

The entire garden idea was originally spawned from my want for better, more cost-effective foods for my family. after all, if I grow it myself, I know what I’m putting into it. I pay for my plants from a local nursery within walking distance, and I find the prices to be far below what I pay in-store for just a pound of each veggie.

I had no idea I would stumble across such a beautiful green house, so well built! It was sheer luck and a true blessing to have it gifted to me.

at the bottom of this page, I am going to also list some of the plants we have bought, along with some of the cost- effective ways we have been growing them… just to give you a realistic look at what you can expect to spend to grow a few of your own fruits and veggies this year.

but first, The journey of the green house:

The green house was sitting cozy in the backyard of someone who had listed a freebie on CL that we had gone to pick up. upon meeting this wonderful lady, we were bestowed with more than we could have asked for to keep our projects going. I saw the green house and complimented her on it. she turned to me and asked if I wanted it.

can you imagine my kid-in-a-candy-store look when it was offered to me? man, I was so excited! Hubs took A and lil’ man, as well as myself, back home to drop off the five bajillion pieces of wood we had hauled for the day. he snagged A back up, power tools in hand, and headed off for the green house. they had to disassemble a portion of it to haul it home, and it came rolling along afterwards on our trusty trailer.

then… it sat. we moved it here, then there, than a few inches to the left, spun it around, and discussed the hundred places we could put it. When we finally figured out the details of the green house and garden, I was so ready to just put it on the ground and finish it! I was tired of seeing my little green house look sad and empty. However, I was DEAD WRONG on the simplicity of this project!  Fortunately for me, Hubs came through! with his background knowledge in building and concrete, he dug me a semi-level and flat area for the green house to sit on. we grabbed up some brick and pavers from that sweet lady who keeps giving us awesome stuff, ran back to the house, and laid the pavers. I was so excited to put the green house down now!

The ground was still uneven. Mind you, the closest thing I have to a level is a 2×4 and a phone application, which doesn’t truly work as good as the real thing. we got it figured out and finally put the green house in it’s new home, on pavers. I was so ready to move all my new plants in!

but first, we had to put the glass windows back on. Between hubs and I, we got it done in 30 minutes. Then, we had to re-install the shelves. another 45 minutes. After all of that, we took a short break. Then, FINALLY, I started moving my plants into the greenhouse. and as always with a new space, I had to move things here… then there…. a few inches left… turn them around… hike in my tools, soil, compost, gloves, plant food…. where did I put that planter again?

but after a nice, long week, a few treks off the beaten path, and with lots of help from multiple people, I have a beautiful new little green house.

( the little plant on the brck is actually a single piece of green onion my lil’ man planted)

I can’t wait until the rest of the garden is done now!

to build a green house like this, I have no idea the cost. We were very, VERY lucky to be gifted this green house. Hubs says the panels of glass run about 7 bucks. If I get enough comments, I can price out a DIY green house from new materials for you all, on another day.

GREEN HOUSE:

wood: $0.00

glass : $0.00

screws: $0.00

pavers: $0.00

(All were included, thank you Judi!)

time: a few days if you procrastinate. we could have put it together in a weekend if we buckled down.

Skill: you need someone with basic construction skills for this project. we’ll call it “Intermediate.”

THIS PROJECT WAS SO WORTH IT!

Happy DIY-ing!

PLANT NOTE:

I purchase all my plants from a local nursery in my area. check your area for a local nursery! they are often more cost effective than a big-name store or gardening center. also remember, I paid for starts on all my plants. I did not plant any seeds this year.

Hood strawberries: $1.99

red & green bell peppers, pepperocinis, cayenne, zucchini, cucumber : $1.99 ea.

snow peas: $1.29

watermelon: $1.79

Early Girl Tomato: $4.99

Black Monnuka grape ( well established): $9.99

spinach, romaine, leafy greens: $2.39 – 6 pack of starts.

I think total since I began gardening, I have spent $32.00 on soil ( the first 20.00 being a waist of pre-mix I ended up tossing out!). I spend 7.99 on compost ( per cubic foot) until my own compost starts working. I have only had to buy 1 bag of compost so far. I splurged a whole 6.99 on some plant food pellets to add to the soil, and I’ve only used a few scoops of a small bottle. I bought a pair of new gloves for gardening, at 4.99, and they were an investment worth making as I have used them for more than just digging in the dirt!

Point in case, I am TIRED of paying for foods that I can’t promise aren’t sprayed with chemicals. I am TIRED of paying 1.00 for a cucumber when I can GROW 6-8 for the same price! I am SICK of being told what I can and cannot eat, how much I have to pay for them, and the guilt trip of the farmers markets… where I buy the same thing growing in someone else’s yard for three times the costs, because it’s “local.”

can it get more local than my own backyard?

dirt, brick, fire pit!

Hi all! once again we buckled down after a nice rest today to get things done. first thing was clearing the trailer of glass for the greenhouse to go haul in some bricks and wood from the same wonderful lady who gave us the greenhouse, the wood crate, a front porch swing, and a rubber-maid shed ( not to mention countless gardening baskets and wood supplies!). we went and thoroughly enjoyed shooting the breeze with her as we hauled out some fifty odd bricks.

I want you to take a second, if your reading this, to look at that last paragraph. this wasnt just some quick CL freebie. This woman has provided so much to us to help us accomplish our goals and dreams for our projects, singlehandedly. I don’t know how I could ever repay her. that is an AMAZING person!

earlier today, I must mention, I hit my face pretty good with a bungee cord. I must stress to you that if you haul anything in the rain and are not fully awake, either get help or wait to do it. otherwise you will pay for i like me! I’ve got a nice little welt, but I should be fine tomorrow and was very lucky that the snapping cord didn’t break my nose or catch my eye.

back to the point now! we get home, eat, and wait for me and Hubs coveralls to dry, then get to unloading these wonderful bricks and pavers! before we even got them off the trailer, we were stacking them in a nice little circle. once the first circle was done, Hubs began layering in a few inches of dirt in the base to protect the patio concrete from fire damage. before I knew it, the fire pit was finished and Hubs was lighting it up for a test run!

and here it is!

viola! Thanks to a chance meeting of one of the most interesting and innovative ladies I’ve ever met in Portland, not to mention the most giving, we have a gorgeous new fire pit!

now who wants to come roast s’mores?!

just a note…. yes that is my cute little greenhouse, also gifted by the same lady, in the background.  I know it is unfinished, but in just two hours tonight it has come a far ways from being just a frame. hopefully it will be finished in the next few days and I can cover that next week! granted, a greenhouse takes a lot more time than a fire pit, they are both awesome and I am forever grateful to Hubs, my friends who help, and the wonderful people who provide me with something worth writing about!

until next time…..

 

1- HOUR FIRE PIT: 

BRICKS:: 47 TOTAL, $0.00 (Thank you  Judi!)

TOPSOIL: aprox. 1/2 yd, $0.00 (backyard dug out)

BURNING WOOD: scrap pcs. from previous projects or unusables from free hauls, $0.00

TIME: 1 hour

SKILL: you need to be able to lift about 5 lbs. repeatedly, but otherwise I’d say even get the kids into it!

 

SIDE NOTE: I HIGHLY SUGGEST that you  1: put pea-gravel or sand inside any firepit for safety reasons. we will be moving it and placing a new base under ours later on. 2. KEEP A FUNCTIONING HOSE OR FIVE GALLON BUCKET OF DIRT NEARBY AT ALL TIMES. 3. never leave kids unattended around a fire pit, even if the fire is out. 4. watch pets around a burning fire, ours seems to think it’s just a decoration. and 5. think safety with your fire pit! if it’s too close for comfort, move it! if it’s too low to the ground, stack it higher! and NEVER PUT GREEN WOOD OR PLASTIC/GARBAGE/CHEMICALS in your wood fire pit! I know I probably sound like “your mother,” but you would NOT BELIEVE some of the stories we hear about irresponsible burners.

happy (and safe) DIY-ing! hopefully next week I can reveal my epic mini-garden!

please pardon typos, my face is still a little swollen from the bungee cord attack and I have a hard time seeing.

The new greenhouse …

This week has been busy! Filled with five.plus projects, a new plan for the back patio, and hours spent in search of craigslist freebies for wood and bricks. But in our luck, we managed to shake loose a small and free greenhouse from a wonderful lady in portland! Originally we had gone to relieve her of a free crate, but this lady had so much kindness she offered us far more. Its not finished yet! We still have to install the glass panels. But when it is done, i will post pictures.
It just goes to show that with a little kindness and a lot of searching, you can find wonderful things free in this world!
Happy DiyIng!

Family Fun…

Tags

borax, cities, countries, culture, decoration, distance, dtergent, fabric, febreeze, fels naptha, fun, Garden, lands, Laundry, places, post, refresher, soda, time, washing

Well Today was wonderfully busy with laundry, house work, and I even cleaned the garage! then two of my friends stopped in to visit and clean out their car for a trade-in. I am so excited for my friend to get her new(er) car!

Anyway, I didn’t get much time today to do any crafting, but I did realize how much I can appreciate the way I clean and save money at the same time, by making a lot of my cleaners. Now don’t get me wrong, I am a lysol addict, and at 2.00 a bottle I feel it’s well worth it for kitchens and bathrooms! When I reach fo my Laundry soap, fabric refresher or even want to scrub those stubborn little rust spots off a kitchen knife, I am forever grateful for my research on home made house cleaners.

on to my craft for the day. I have actually been wanting to do this for a long time, and it Just so happens that a piece of the lattice I got the other day was PERFECT FOR IT!

 

I call it the “How far pole.” I’m sure you’ve seen pictures of posts with various signs on them, pointing you in the direction of many places. well, this is my family fun spin on it.

I used (1) 6′ piece of broken lattice, that had already had little pieces of equal size attached to it. grab a paper and pen, and sit your family in front of the computer for this one!

so I chose, instead of making my signs arrows, to actually write the distance of exacly how far, in a straight line, I am from certain cities. How do I figure that out? well, I didn’t grab a map book and as we all know, google can’t be 100% accurate on everything, all the time. but you can even get the kids involved on this one by letting them pick cities to see how far they are from it. go online to:

http://www.timeanddate.com

click on world clock, and look for distances. you can also put in your city and see how far it is from another city! how awesome is that resource?! what a great way to teach children about distance and time, space, length… you get my drift.

Well, I chose nine cities, and had my family help me boil down to seven.then I snagged up some acrylic paints and a fine paintbrush, and got to work. granted, the picture isn’t the best, I love our little post, and now whenever I come home, it reminds me of how small ( or big) this world we live in really is.

those are the distances from Portland, OR, to each individual city, based on a straight line, exception being tijuana ( based on google maps). Each city is a place I’d love to visit, a thought or dream of some far off land, and a different culture. It is kind of also a reminder of how America came to be, and that there aren’t just “races,” but there is history in every one person.

 

Enough with the warm fuzzy. do you know how to make your own laundry soap? I do! and it works well, is fun to do, takes five to fifteen minutes. oh, and have I mentioned, I haven’t had to buy laundry soap for 3 months now? and I’ve barely used ANY of the homemade stuff, because it doesn’t take much at all! so here’s my recipe, pirated from pinterest, plastered everywhere, and if you haven’t tried it, invest the eight to fourteen bucks and DO IT.

 

1 box 20 mule team borax

1 box arm & hammer super washing soda

1 bar fels naptha

1 bottle Purex crystals, or your choice of laundry booster.

( I originallym ade mine without the purex crystals, and it works fine and still smells great. I only recently added it to mix things up a bit.)

now that you’ve blown a whopping fourteen bucks, grab a large tupperware container or someting of the sort. pour in equal amounts of borax and super washing soda until you can’t anymore. You should have some more borax left over, and that’s fine, save it for another day( I put 1/4 cup of borax in my dishwasher to remove spots and I never pay for jet dry!).

now grab a cheese grater and grate that fels naptha bar into itty bitty flakes. pour the whole thing in. Stir well, unless your using tupperware… then you can just put the lid on and give to a hyperactive five year old to shake.

lastly, add your optional purex crystals. stir or shake, toss a little cup or 1/4 cup measure in there. I only use about 3 tbs. of this concoction per full load. no, it does not ruin my darks, yes my whites come out clean ( if they are super dirty I add lemon juice to the water anyways.),  my clothes smell great and I love skipping the super expensive or low quality detergent aisle at the store! I really didn’t think it was going to work when I first started using it, but now I am a forever fan. ❤

 

homemade fabric refresher:

there are a hundred recipes out there. mine is simple. grab a spray bottle, fill 7/8 of the way water. about 2 tsp. of vinegar, and as much smelly goodness in essential oils as you like. I know oils are expensive, but you can make your own if you have the time…. and when you contemplate that teeny 4.00 bottle, remember that five drops goes a heck of a long way!

 

Lastly, I’d like to Shoutout to a little local business today in Gladstone. if you know where the safeway is on McLoughlin, go check out Virginia’s in the strip mall, next to the nail salon. her little clothing store is wonderful, and they have new and recycled goods, for a super fair price. Plus, Virginia’s helps directly in our community by donating to local shelters and giving jobs to a select few in need. so pats on the back to Virginia’s, tell them I sent you.

that about wraps up my extremely long and interesting day. hope you all have a wonderful night.

 

HOW FAR POST:

trellis piece: ZILCH

paints: .50 ea forever ago.

brushes: dollar tree find, 1.00

total time: 45 minutes

difficulty: if fish had fingers, they could do it.

 

LAUNDRY DETERGENT:

borax: 4.98

super washing soda: 3.89

fels naptha bar: 1.29

purex crystals: 4.58

total time: 15 minues

difficulty: so simple my husband could do it.

 

 FABRIC REFRESHER:

spray bottle: 0.96

water: faucet free

vinegar: 2.00/bottle

essential oils: 4.00 -7.50 per bottle

difficulty: it makes me feel like a little scientist.

 

well, that’s it for tonight folks. see you in a few days. remember to check back often, and leave a comment! we love your input!!!

 

A trip for three….

Tags

Cheap, Easy, Free, Garden, Hanger, Organize, tools, Trellis

Today I was fishing around on Craigslist, like I often do, for anything that may be useful to me. I came across a post for free pallets! while I’ve been dying to work with pallets recently, they also posted that they had “scrap wood.” so I load up my “1.75 year old” ( as my husband likes to call him) and my husband, hook the Ol’ Jeep up to our trailer, and off we go to a nice, quiet neighborhood in Portland.

When we arrived, the nice Lady ( we will call her Lilly) came out and gave us not only pallets, but GOBS of scrap trellis! I was so very excited! we get home, wash off the pallets and toss them out back with a make-shift mat (until I can get to tearing them apart), and then I get to work with the trellis pieces. My husband had to claim his piece, which is fine as it will work for our garden grapes. but I am sitting here with all these odd-shaped trellis parts and no idea what to do. so here are two little projects I did!

THANK YOU “LILLY” FOR THE WONDERFUL WOOD!!!! YOUR BEAUTIFUL FRONT YARD INSPIRES ME!

1. Tool Rack: turns out a few finishing nails and three pieces of trellis actually made an adorable holder for my spray bottle, watering can, hand tools, and even sunglasses! this will keep the pesky kids and pets from running off with them! I eventually will turn this rack into a stand alone bench, but for now it sits wedged between a table and a wall and works just fine!

measurements here are approximate, but I’m sure if you scrounge CL like I did you will find something similar!

(2) 6′ tall trellis pieces, about 6″ wide

(1) 2′ long trellis piece, about 1′ wide

(2) unevenly cut 2×4 pieces, totaling about 24′ when it was whole.

first, I used 8 finishing nails to nail down the 2′ x 1′ trellis piece, long side wide, to the ends of the long, thin parts. then, I decided to add the 2×4’s to the bottom for sheer weight and structure for right now. I used 1 1/2″ nails for the 2×4’s. then I simply tucked it behind a dining table I use outside to keep my potted plants off the ground. viola! I spent nothing, NOTHING on it. I believe we even had the nails given to us when we moved into this house, so we really didn’t pay squat.

and there it is, a cute and practical way to keep all those little garden things I keep losing in plain reach. I intend, at a later date, to install hooks and maybe even little baskets, as well as make it a stand alone bench, but for now, it works!

and for my second fun little project, you’ll have to tune in tomorrow! I know, I know, you want to know what it is, but I am tired and I promise you, it is adorable and worth the hour I spent on it.

again, thank you Lilly, it’s people like you who make it fun for people like me to hunt you down and take your spare wood off your hands!

TRELLIS TOOL HANGER:

Time: 45 minutes

Cost: NOTHING!

Tools: hammer, nails

Difficulty: Kindergarten kids could do it if they wouldn’t smash their fingers!

Hello world!

Hi! My name is nikkie. Together with some of my close friends, we are going to be posting our tips, tricks and DIY secrets to making life better on a budget. from recipes and household chores to crafts and hobbies, we’ve got it covered. hopefully we will also be able to introduce a taste of the “Portland life,” by sharing information about wonderful, local places to get inexpensive and even free goods! I plan on posting a new project each week, so check back often for all the great things we have to share with you!

just so you can put a face to the name, this is a picture of me and my husband from our days in the semi truck we used to travel in!