Waiting for Spring

I'd like to extend a warm welcome and thank you to my newest followers: EG Wow of Canada and Tash of the UK.

It's just around the corner.

 

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My Top 30 Ways for Saving Money on Food Costs

Thank you to my newest followers, Linnea, a talented photoblogger, Alexie who is a young blogger

and my Russian reader though I don't know your name.  Welcome to all.

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I mentioned in my post here, that I would begin a series on the steps I've been taking to save money. I'm not a financial expert or an advisor of any kind. I'm just a woman trying to be a good steward and use her money wisely so I can bless others as God has blessed me.

I will be presenting my strategies in different areas of expenditure starting with my strategies for saving on food costs.  Just this week, I read that the world's food costs are rising. Some countries have it worse than others. We in North America are still blessed that food costs do not yet eat up the entire monthly income.  Even so, our other costs of living are very high.  Saving on food costs is a great way to try and stretch the dollar.

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1. At home, I make my own coffee and never pay more than $10. for 975 grams of coffee. Folgers or Maxwell House blends are usually the ones on sale. In the past,  I bought the higher priced coffee and ground it myself because I can tell the difference between gourmet and regular coffee. What I have found though, is if you get just the right balance of regular coffee grounds and water and you drink the coffee hot and fresh, you can still get a good cup from Folgers or Maxwell House. I also don't drink as much coffee now so the taste differential is not so important.
2. I make my own muffins with lots of strawberries or blueberries. Buying store bought muffins is way too expensive and they are way too greasy.
3. I buy fresh berries and wash and freeze them for later use. Alternatively, I buy gourmet frozen berries when they on are on sale for at least $3.00 off per bag. These berries are good for making muffins and  smoothies.
4. I bake my own bread on a regular basis, both oven bread and machine bread.
5. I do buy bread from time to time. Sometimes I buy artisan breads but only when it is 50%. I can find marked down bread regularly at my local supermarket and it is fresh enough to use if you eat it within a day or two. I also buy sprouted grain bread on occasion when it is $2.00 or $3.00 a loaf. I freeze it for later use so I only buy 2 loaves at a time if there is room in the freezer.
6. I make a lot of my own treats like cookies and cinnamon rolls. More recently I've learned to make pizza dough and pie dough. Even though I don't make pizza or pie very often, I'm glad I can for those occasions when I want.
   
   

   
7. I buy popcorn kernels for those rare occasions I want to have popcorn. I don't buy the gourmet popcorn or microwave bags of popcorn because of the additives. I just buy regular kernels and pop them the old fashioned way in a pot on the stove top.  I can also use my air popper which has the added advantage of not needing any oil though I do add salt to taste.
8. I buy my own extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and mix it for dipping artisan bread. Paired with a nice entree like baked salmon and salad, this is positively delicious and a fraction of the cost at a higher end restaurant.
9. I've learned to make some fabulous yet simple salads so I don't have to eat them at a restaurant, especially since I seldom go to restaurants now.  Here is my cantaloupe and shrimp salad.
   
   

   

   
   
10. I've learned to make hummus, salsa and guacamole. This is good for those times when you want a healthy snack with pita bread or nachos. I sometimes make nachos for dinner when I feel like a splurge. I use olives, onions, tomatoes, cooked ground burger and lots of cheese. This is spread over the nacho chips and baked in the oven until the cheese is nicely melted.
11. I buy bulk spices like peppercorns. garam masala and other spices to make my own curry seasonings, etc
12. I purchase bulk legumes (kidney beans, navy beans, garbanzo beans) and soak and cook them ahead of time when I know I want to use some beans. This is much cheaper than buying canned beans and is salt free or at least if you add salt you know what you've added and how much.
13. I do buy certain canned goods if they are in bulk packs, like baked beans, mushroom bits or tomatoes.
    
    

    
14. I make food ahead where possible. I have limits on what I can make ahead due to lack of freezer storage.
15. I use all my leftovers and seldom throw anything out. I sometimes make a new dish out of leftovers but I don't scour cookbooks to get ideas. I'm quite content to simply warm them up and eat.
16. I use all my vegetables before they go bad. I used to waste so much produce because I was never home to cook them and I'd overestimate what I needed.  Nowadays any wasting vegetables will go into the soup pot or juicer.
17. I purchase large packages of meat and fowl, sometimes big slabs of meat that can be cut up and repackaged in the right portions.  Yesterday I purchased a side of center pork loin for just under $31.00.  My educated guess is that I saved approximately the same amount of money I spent by buying this large piece of meat and cutting it up myself.
    
    

    

    

    
    
18. I do not buy organic produce unless it is leafy, like swiss chard or kale.
19. I buy vegetables in bulk and prepare and clean them myself.  I also freeze some for soups.  This makes a considerable savings and takes only a little time to clean and prepare them. All the scraps can be placed in your kitchen compost bin and added to your outdoor compost as needed.
20. If there are luxury food items I want like specialty teas, I will purchase several when they are on sale. This way I don't feel deprived and I won't need to buy any again for a very long time. For example, last week I bought three boxes of specialty tea. The regular price was $4.98 and I think one for $4.59. I got each box for $3.49. I had a savings of just over $4.00 overall. Even one box of these specialty teas cost me less than one fancy tea in the tea shop and I can enjoy tea for weeks and weeks.
    
    

    

    
    
21. I buy 20 kg. of brown rice at a time (we don't use white rice) and it lasts for quite awhile before I have to buy more.  I don't buy it in larger quantities because it would likely go rancid on me and I don't have enough space in the freezer to store it.
22. I only purchase smaller packages of meat when they are on sale so I watch the flyers for my local supermarkets.  One of them usually has a sale on something we can use for the week.
23. I purchase as many food items on sale as possible.  When there is a sale, I might buy 2 or more items at the same time depending on the item. This means I may have to forgo buying something else so I don't automatically purchase more of an item just because is on sale.
24. I make a lot of soups and stews with less expensive meat and fowl (hamburger, turkey and sometimes chicken). This stretches my meat and fowl provisions and also helps me cut back on the amount of meat and fowl I eat.
25. For an inexpensive yet tasty meal that is quick to throw together  I will make a bag of Japanese noodle soup to which I add chopped onions, chopped broccoli and perhaps some zucchini. Sometimes I add a few frozen shrimp or a half can of tuna.
26. Seafood is very expensive where I live.  I have found a place where I can purchase a bag of large, good quality shrimp, for under $5.00. I use these in the soups mentioned above, in a stir fry and in salads.
27. I purchase spices in bulk and refill my spice containers as needed.
28. I purchase nuts in bulk for snacks and for baking.
29. I always buy my eggs at the pharmacy where they are almost half the price of the grocery story.
30. I very seldom buy juice or soda. This is largely due to my diabetes so I try to eat fruit or make my own juice. If I buy a juice or soda drink it must be on sale and I will not drink the diet stuff. The diet stuff is junk and harmful to my body. If I'm going to have a soda it might as well be the real thing.  It has taken me awhile to get to the point of really limiting the soda intake. Now it isn't a problem.
    
    

    

    These two cards of 25 stamps each now entitle me to a $25. gift card which I can use to buy anything in the supermarket, whether it be food or household items, on sale or regular price.  I don't always get to benefit from these kinds of promotions since you have to spend a certain amount of money to get a stamp.  I will not spend for the sake of getting a stamp but if I need to buy something or stock up on something, I will gladly spend it.   This month's shopping has been more expensive than usual as I've had to replenish some things that run out every few months like: olive oil, a large bag of flour, baking powder and baking soda, various bags for wrapping food, large bags of rice and pasta and specialty teas.  I was able to benefit on this promotion since I filled two cards and now I will get $25 instead of  $10 for one card.  It will help with the next grocery bill.

    
    

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    Well there you have it. My list of top 30 strategies for saving money on my food costs. If you have more ideas to add to this list, please share them!

    
    

    Come back again soon for more of my top strategies for saving money and stretching my penny until it snaps :-)

Baboons of Nakuru Park

Thank you and a big welcome to my newest followers: Alan (an awesome photoblogger), Ms. Burrito (a 5 year old emerging blogger), Paco (who has an artsy photoblog) and Cathy Lookabaugh. Cathy you don't have a website link so I can't visit you.

There is so much to see at the Nakuru National Park and I've had to split the photos into several posts (you can find the links to these and to my other travel posts on Kenya at the bottom of this post). In today's post, I bring you to Baboon Point one of my favourite places in the park.

One of the reasons I enjoy Baboon Point on Baboon Cliff is because of the spectacular views. Here from high up you have a fantastic view of Lake Nakuru.  Another reason is to see the troop of baboons. Baboons like to live in groups or troops of 20-100.  Each troop is protected by one or more dominant males.

A baboon is basically a type of monkey and is easily recognizable by a large head and cheek pouches.  The baboon also has a long jaw and this enables them to store food in their cheek pouches just like a chipmunk.

Isn't the view stunning? I love that I can see the winding dirt path that brought us from the lake to the cliffs.

This photo is taken just a little more to the left of the photo above.

This is one place where it is gratifying to see a lot of locals and African visitors.

There are so many baboons to keep everyone occupied in watching them, hence the name "Baboon Cliff".

I tried to zoom in on the lake.

These baboons are ignoring me.

These baboons are doing what baboons love to do.  They love to explore cars and will get into them if you are not careful.

Something inside this car has caught this baboon's eye.

Baboons have long, powerful limbs and can travel at high speeds.  Their buttocks are hairless and are often a bright colour.  Their fur is coarse and usually short and they can come in a variety of colours from blondish to a dark brown.

The baboons seem oblivious to humans but I wonder if they would like to tell us to 'get lost'?

Here a baboon is grooming another.

Just chillaxin'

Another spectacular view.

Pondering life's big questions.  The baboon is a very intelligent animal and can be trained.

I tried unsuccessfully to capture a photo of the baby baboon with it's mother under this picnic table.

Baboons are social creatures.  The female baboons are about half the size of the males and they produce one baby baboon after carrying it for a 6 month period.

I transferred my attention from the picnic table to take a photo of this mother and her baby.

A group of baboons is called a troop.  Unfortunately they are big pests for Kenya's farmer and can inflict a lot of damage on crops.  So while we tourists may like the baboon,  the local farmers do not.

Even baboons get tired. Maybe this one is bored with the tourists that day! LOL

Baboons eat a variety of things like worms, insects, reptiles, small mammals, fruits, vegetation and eggs. I didn't get to see any baboon having a meal that day. Perhaps another day.

Please come again for more of my expedition to Kenya.  If you haven't been on the trip before today you can catch up by checking out the links below.  Thank you for visiting!

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Click here to read Part 1 in this series. It starts with my stopover in Nairobi, Kenya.

Click here to read Part 2 in this series in Kenya. It continues with my sojourn in Nairobi, Kenya.

Click here to read Part 3 in this series on Kenya where I stop to view a stunning lookout.

Click here to read Part 4 in this series on Kenya where I stop at Lake Elementeita.

Click here to read Part 5 in this series on Kenya where I talk about some hotels in Nakuru.

Click here to read Part 6 in this series on Kenya where I show you some tourist sites around Nakuru.

Click here to read Part 7 in this series on Kenya where I show you the Castle Without a Princess.

Click here to read Part 8 in this series on Kenya where I feature a collection of scenes from around Nakuru. 
Click here to read Part 9 in this series where we enter the park and begin to tour it. 
Click here to read Part 10 about the flamingos and water buffalo. 

Click on the MW badge above to see more of our spectacular world and please do leave a comment below before you go.

My Safari at the Nakuru National Park Continues

A big welcome and thank you to my newest follower, Maus Tratos ao Idoso Denuncie, which I understand translates to Report Abuse of the Elderly. This is indeed a worthy cause.

For those of you who have been following my travel series to Kenya, I'm happy to report that I will resume the series.  At the end of this post you will find links to the other posts in this series.  I've also started a new series on frugal living and, I will continue to post about little Kigen's progress on this blog also.

When I left off the tour in the last post on this park, we were seated in the car discussing which road to take. We decided to turn right.

Amongst the trees you will find a group of zebras. Did you know that a a group of zebras is not called a herd but a harem?  I just learned that by looking it up on line today.

A close up of the water buffalo with some kind of white bird in the foreground. I'm afraid I don't know what it is. (Graham from Namibia tells me they are egrets.  Thanks Graham!).  There are also several species of birds behind the buffalo.  You can get a better view by clicking on the photo to enlarge it.  The ones at the far back are Lesser Flamingos and Great White Pelicans.  There are so many kinds of birds that feed at this lake but the largest in  numbers are probably the flamingos.

A snapshot of the lake's beauty.

A Kenyan water buffalo grazes on the wet grass while two flamingos fly overhead. I was delighted to capture the flamingos in flight.

A Thompson gazelle grazes on the grass.

I want to get a closer look at the flamingos.  They are much farther away from the shoreline than they usually are. That is because there has been so much rain and the lake has been artificially enlarged but the flamingos remain where the lake's natural shoreline is located.

The water buffalo in the foreground and the flamingos in the background make for a pretty picture.

This is about as close up a shot as I could get on this trip. I don't have a fancy camera with the ability to zoom right in.

I believe these birds are called the Helmeted Guineafowl. My driver didn't know the name of them as he isn't a tour guide. He just kept telling me that the bird tastes very good.

Here is a close up.  We came across these birds several times during our tour of the park.  I think the spotted pattern on the feathers is so pretty.

The Great White Pelican. I love the look of their beaks.  If you click on the photo it will enlarge and you can see the beak up close.

I am not fully certain but I think this blue bird might be the Lesser blue eared Glossy starling.

I thought it was so pretty and it ran across the road several times during our trip.

Come back again soon so I can show you more of this beautiful country called Kenya.

Click here to read Part 1 in this series. It starts with my stopover in Nairobi, Kenya.

Click here to read Part 2 in this series in Kenya. It continues with my sojourn in Nairobi, Kenya.

Click here to read Part 3 in this series on Kenya where I stop to view a stunning lookout.

Click here to read Part 4 in this series on Kenya where I stop at Lake Elementeita.

Click here to read Part 5 in this series on Kenya where I talk about some hotels in Nakuru.

Click here to read Part 6 in this series on Kenya where I show you some tourist sites around Nakuru.

Click here to read Part 7 in this series on Kenya where I show you the Castle Without a Princess.

Click here to read Part 8 in this series on Kenya where I feature a collection of scenes from around Nakuru. 
Click here to read Part 9 in this series where we enter the park and begin to tour it.

Click the badge above to see more wonderful scenes from around the globe.

 Click on the badge above to join others for Blue Monday.

What's Happening with Little Kigen?

I want to welcome my newest follower, Nelson Issangya who originally hails from Tanzania and now lives in Oregon. Nelson I do hope you find some of my blog posts worthy of your time and interest. I've never been to Tanzania but I imagine it looks a lot like Kenya :-)

I hope you're having a pleasant Sunday. The clocks had to be set forward by one hour here last night so I am behind on things and catching up after losing an hour.  It is also still very overcast and rainy but I have some "sunny news".

Little Kigen is doing better. Jonah went to see him in the Moi hospital in Eldoret Sunday. I guess the little guy was asleep for most of the visit but Kigen's mom reported that he is getting better and being treated with ointment for the wounds and medication for the ears and eyes until he has surgery and further consultations with specialists later this week.

The hospital entrance.

The younger child, Tikitiki, is doing much better too. He is Kigen's little brother and his eyes are now clean looking and he can see too. We praise God for that report.  The mother is adjusting well to the hospital environment in the big city of Eldoret and she has been able to make some friends which is so important when you are far from home.

Jonah takes a bag of food to the hospital. When you are in hospital in Kenya you must bring your own food.

Some good nutritious food and water.

Currently there are many sick patients at the hospital.  This means that where possible, people are being doubled up in the available beds.  This includes little Kigen and his brother Tikitiki.  We are thanking God that the little boys are now able to stay together because initially they were in different wards due to their age difference.  You can imagine that for little boys so far from home and in a big, strange, place, they are far happier being able to stay together.

Since Kigen has arrived at the hospital they have given him IV treatments and blood transfusions in readiness for surgery. The skin specialist has been booked for tomorrow (Monday) and Wednesday is the surgery day. Just note that things can change without notice in Africa so we will update you when the actual surgery and skin study are completed.

Kigen being examined and prayed over.

I understand that Kigen's mom left behind a child in the village that she is breastfeeding so she has had some breast pain this week. Jonah is glad that she is with the boys in Eldoret as this makes the care of the children that much easier.  Please pray for these little ones, their dear mom, the surgeons, doctors and Jonah.

We gratefully accept donations to assist in little
Kigen's medical mission.

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There is a donate button at the top right.

Updates on little Kigen will be posted when they come available.
Photo credits:  All photos taken by Jonah.

Saving Money

I want to say a big "welcome" to my newest follower Jan. I hope you find something here of value. Please feel free to join in the conversations.  I am honoured you chose to join my blogging family.

Lately, I've been spending time thinking very specifically about the ways I've been learning to save money and stretch my dollar's spending power. I've made a list of the things I've been doing for the last few years and I hope to share them with you soon.  I'm doing this because it helps me to see how far I've come and how many changes I've made along the way.  The changes haven't been difficult.  In fact, many of them have been quite pleasurable. Now that I'm not working, I see saving money and running my household more efficiently as my job. I do it because I no longer have salary increases and my expenses are more or less the same except in a few areas. I do it because I have debt to pay down. I also do it because I want to minimize waste and have money to give to charity, particularly Missions of Hope in Kenya.  As a believer and follower of Christ, I take it as one of my joyful duties to give to my neighbour. Even if I wasn't a believer and follower of Christ, I still would want to help my neighbour.

I'm going to share the things that I've done and maybe it will inspire some of you who don't have a big income or who have gone from a large income to a smaller income, like I have now that I am retired. My hope is that in encouraging you to save money you can help others by giving them a hand up.  So with that little introduction, I will share something simple today and in pictorial format. 

One of the big changes I've made in the last year or so is to buy bulk beans instead of canned beans.  I've always loved beans but been intimidated by making them from scratch even though I knew they were much cheaper.  When I worked I was always super busy and when I had time off it was only enough time to try to clean, shop for food and personal needs and catch my breath.  Nowadays I purchase beans regularly in bulk and use them in a variety of ways.  This small step is not only good for the pocket book but also great for your health since beans are a wonderful source of protein and a great alternative to meat.

Here is a bowl of garbanzo beans I soaked.  I bought these close to where I live.  The unit price was 55 cents.  For cost comparison, it would cost me 75 cents per unit for dried and packaged garbanzo beans in the local grocery store which is actually a few steps further from where I live than the place where I bought these beans.  I can actually probably find these beans for less than 55 cents per unit but that would defeat the purpose since it would take more of time, energy and transport costs.

I am also soaking some kidney beans.  I bought these at the same place where I bought the garbanzo beans and the cost was 35 cents unit.  I forgot to price the packaged kidney beans at the grocery store tonight but am pretty sure these bulk beans are cheaper.

Here I have the kidney beans boiling on the stove. I hope they don't take too long since I have to get to sleep soon. I bought the beans late in the day and so their soaking time has been cut short.

Here are the boiling garbanzo beans. I have them on a gentle roll so they don't break apart. In a taste test they seem almost ready. Looking in on the beans later, I realized oops, I overcooked them a bit, lol.  They'll have to be used for hummus. Yummo1

The kidney beans will be rinsed with cold water after they cool and  be packed in containers and stored in the fridge for use during the week. We use them as an accompaniment to meals, in soups, chilies and salads.

The other thing I like to do to save money and which is also a form of entertainment, is to browse the thrift stores. I donate a fair bit to the thrift stores because I am undergoing a major decluttering effort at my home.  Sometimes though I am the customer and last week I was looking for a doll (more about this in a later post.).  While I was searching for the doll, I came across some brand new clay pots with clay tray bottoms.  I picked them up for $2.00 each which included the trays for catching the water when you water your plants.

At the same time, I found this fabulous clay, glazed garlic storage pot.

I say fabulous because it is in black and matches some of my canisters in the kitchen. Perfect!

And the best part is, it only cost $2.00 and it has never been used.  My guess is that it would cost at least $10.00 in the store.  The clay pots were $2.00 a piece and  I bought two.  The price is the same in the store but I would have to pay another $3.00 plus, for the trays.

Well there you have it.  Some of my small efforts at savings and they were such little steps, enjoyable steps and yet easy to do. I hope you will come again for many other savings strategies I've been using.  In closing, let me say that for years now I've read other people's strategies for saving money.  But I always found the ideas hard to implement.  The ideas always seemed daunting because they related to goals for substantial savings that seemed unreachable, for example: saving $50,000 or more for a down payment on a house or saving some exorbitant sum of money each year that perhaps I didn't have as disposable income.  In the end, I just had to learn that I can only do what I can do at any given time. I can try my best and I can take baby steps. I also had to have goals that were more meaningful to me which included ways to live and have shelter while at the same time, keep giving to missions.  While I was working I also made sure I had insurance and saved money each and every month.   What I was not good at was keeping the credit card balances paid off each month and so that is a key reason I am on restricted spending now.  I hope whatever I've learned might be useful to someone.  Until next time.