Ode to my Diva cup

**Warning: This entry deals with gross TMI topics.**

I love my Diva Cup. It has to be the smartest $30 I have ever spent. But I have not always been a convert; no I am a very recent devotee of the Cup. It all started when I was reading a chat board and came across some posts about Diva Cups. I had no idea what this was so I looked it up on Metacrawler. The Diva cup is a menstrual cup made in Canada. It is a small cup (imagine a tulip shape) made of silicone that is put in your vagina to catch menstrual blood. Every 4-12 hours (depending on flow) you take it out, dump it in the toilet, wash it in the sink and put it back in. Well this looked interesting but I put it out of my mind and went about my life. Pads were what I have always used and I saw no reason to change.

Then, after I had my son, I stopped in a local store that sold cloth diapers. I came across the Diva Cup. I talked to the store owner who said that she loved hers. I asked how long the cup lasts and she said 10 years. I was amazed. That is 10 years of not having to buy tampons or pads. That makes the $30 worth it. This is what sold me at first, then I started using it. Menstrual cups have a wide learning curve very much like cloth diapers. It took me two and a half full cycles to get the hang if it and no longer need pads at all, but once I got the hang of it, I fell in love. My cycle is fairly even medium flow for 4 days then tapers off. I only need to empty the cup every 12 hours. This is wonderful! I no longer have to change pads in the middle of the night, or when I am out and about at the store or mall. I don’t have to worry when I am at a park with no trash can to put my garbage in. I only think about it when I get up in the morning and before I go to bed. I also love that clean feeling. No more slimy feeling down there. It is as if I am not on my period at all. You may wonder how this is any different from tampons; I hate tampons because they always feel so big to me (even the smallest size), they dry me out, when I take it out it chafes me and I hate when you pee and the string gets wet, so gross. I have none of those problems with a cup. I even cut off the little stem on the bottom of the cup so I don’t feel it at all. I also should point out that you no longer need to worry about carrying extra pads or tampons with you. If you already have the cup in you don’t need to bring anything and if you don’t, the cup is small and comes with a little bag that fits in a purse. Best of all I an reducing my foot print on the earth by reducing the amount of waste I produce.

Now just to be fair, menstrual cups are not a new idea, they have been around since the 1920s. There are many different kinds that come in many different sizes but mostly the same shape. There is one that is made in the US called a Moon Cup. I bought a Diva because that is what the store sold. I don’t like ordering on-line if I don’t have to but you can order any cup, from any country, on-line. I also should point out that the package for the Diva says that it lasts one year. All of the other cups say 10 and I was told the Diva used to say 10 but the health laws in Canada now require them to say 1 year. I see no reason why a silicone cup can’t last 10 years. If you have problems with your cup I would say keep trying and look up any questions on the internet. Diva did not come with very good directions so I had to find my answers on-line but it was worth the effort. My Diva is super easy to use now, super cheap, and I no longer dread that time of the month. I even converted my mom. He he he.

Tips for traveling with baby

There were many good ideas that I came across and implemented in my vacation last October with my six month old. I think the best idea was to bring a sling or carrier with you. It was so nice not to have bring a big stroller or car seat to carry the baby in at the airport and when going sight seeing. We brought my homemade Moby sling. It is just a long piece of fabric so it was light weight and folded up fairly small. My son loves being carried in his sling above all else so it worked very well for us. He has a habit of losing his socks and slippers when we go places so when we were at the airport, he was in full footsie pjs. This way, there were no extra pieces to fall off and get lost.

We stayed with my grandma for the first half of the trip. She does not have any baby items at her house so we were worried that our baby might have to sleep in bed with us. He does not like to be touched when he is sleeping and wakes up if you even get up to go to the bathroom, so I really did not want to have to do that. Luckily my grandma lives in Sun City. They have a free service to rent baby items for up to a week at a time. They had a very nice, clean Pack N Play for us to use during our trip. So before hauling along things like play pens, check to see if the people you are staying with can borrow some items for you. If you are staying in a hotel, you can just ask if they have certain items. They will most likely have a portable crib available to use. I did bring along our Bumbo, which we got at a used baby stuff store for $20. We used it as a high chair and a place for our son to sit when we went out to eat. It is light weight and fit in to our suit case. He can’t sit on his own so the Bumbo was very helpful.

We cloth diaper our son so we just brought the diapers with us. It was cheaper then buying a week and a halfs worth of paper diapers. We just washed them every three days like we do at home and kept the dirties in a trash bag near where he was changed. We were staying with relatives so this was easy to do. I did not bring any jarred baby food because it costs money and he was not eating much solids at the time. When we got to my grandma’s, I found a sweet potato in her fridge and just cooked it up and fed it to him. When we went to my sister in laws, I cooked up some carrots to feed him. It did not cost us a thing. Over all we had a very pleasant trip and can’t wait to go again next year.

Traveling with baby

Traveling with children, especially infants can be very stressful, but with a little planning and a lot of luck, you can have a pleasant trip. We just got back from our first out of state trip with our 6 month old. I have to say it was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. All together we had five plane trips and many long car rides. Our son was great on the planes but not so good during to car rides. He is also teething right now so he did not do so well with sleeping away from home. At home he went from waking up once a night to four times a night. During vacation, he would not go to sleep with out a fight and then woke up every two hours after that. Needless to say, sleep was not something we got much of on our vacation.

To save money, we used an employee pass to go to Phoenix. My husband’s dad works for Alaska Airlines so we were able to do this. It only cost about 10% of the going rate for a ticket. The catch is that you are flying stand-by. I have flow stand-by before and my best advice is to get the first flight out or the last flight out. Those are going to give you the best chances of getting on right away. For our flight, we arrived two hours earlier of the last flight and got right on. There was a woman sitting near us that had been waiting all day to fly stand-by. She could have saved herself a lot of grief if she knew that it is not worth trying for middle of the day flights when you fly stand-by. The only exception to this is if you are an airline employee with a good deal of seniority.

We flew two different airlines to visit all of the family we wanted to see. One was Alaska and the other was Delta. I love Alaska. Very good service, free bags to go over the car seat and Jones soda on the plane. They let families with small children pre-board and don’t mind helping you with your child on the plane. Delta on the other hand was a pain. They charge $5 for a bag (a clear trash bag) to go over your car seat, don’t let families pre-board and are just rather rude over all. After flying with them four times, in four different planes with four different crews, I feel that I can say it was not just someone having a bad day. The worst part about Delta is that they do not let you keep your baby in a sling or carrier when taking off and landing. You have to hold the baby in your arms. I fail to see much difference in the two but I will tell you that I have strict rules against waking sleeping babies. I also have been blessed with the only baby in the world that does not want to sleep in my arms but will sleep in the sling. I was lucky that those flights were not ones that my son wanted to sleep on. Now I know, just stick with the best. Alaska is normally cheaper anyways but we were flying in to a very small airport that Alaska did not fly to.

Cheap Recipes

Here are some quick, cheap, and mostly healthy meal ideas. I have collected these from the backs of cans, my favorite food magazine (Everyday food) and websites (like hillbillyhousewife.com).

Enchiladas (From back of enchilada sauce can)

• 4 tortillas
• 1 can of green or red enchilada sauce
• 1 pound of beef or 1 can of refried beans
• 1 and ½ cup of shredded cheese
• ½ cup of salsa

Heat oven to 350. Heat up beans or cook beef, add 1/3 can of enchilada sauce and ½ cup of salsa to meat or beans. Put equal amounts of beans or meat in the middle of each tortilla and roll up, place tortillas seam side down in pan. Pour the rest of the enchilada sauce on tortillas and sprinkle on the cheese. Cook for 20 min and serve with Spanish rice.

Spanish rice (From Everyday Food magazine)

• 1 cup of rice (I use regular white rice)
• ½ cup of chipped onion
• 1 T. of olive oil
• 1 can of chopped tomatoes or stewed tomatoes
• ½ t. of Thyme
• 2 cups of water
• Salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil on med-high until hot, add onions and let brown. Add rice and cook until light brown. Add water, thyme, salt and pepper, and can of tomatoes, get it boiling and then turn down to med-low, cover and let cook for about 10 min. Time will vary so check often.

Garlic chili shrimp, peanut noodles and broccoli (From Everyday Food magazine)

Garlic chili oil

• 6 chopped garlic gloves
• ½ t. red pepper flakes
• 4 T. vegetable oil

• 8 ounces spaghetti
• 2 T. peanut butter
• 2 T. soy sauce
• 1 T. rice vinegar
• 1 T. brown sugar
• ½ pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 ½ pounds of broccoli

Mix up the stuff for the garlic chili oil and set aside. Cook noodles and rinse with cold water. Mix together the peanut butter, soy sauce, vinegar, and brown sugar until smooth. Add to spaghetti and season with salt. Simmer broccoli in a pan with 1 T. of the garlic chili oil with the lid on until done. While this is cooking, mix shrimp with remaining oil. Put the shrimp on a pan and in the oven on broil for 5 min.

Healthier tuna casserole (My own)

• 1 can of Campbell’s Healthy Request cream of mushroom soup
• 1 ½ t. basil
• 1 ½ t. oregano
• 2 cans of tuna (I love Chicken of the Sea, it is chunky)
• 2/3 cup frozen veggies (I use FMV veggie mix because it is cheap and has no lima beans)
• 1 t. pepper
• ½ bag egg noodles
• Sliced or shredded cheddar cheese (enough to cover the top of the bowl)

Heat oven to 400. Cook noodles, while they are cooking mix together tuna, seasonings, veggies, and soup in a med size oven safe bowl. When noodles are done, drain and mix them in the oven safe bowl. Slice or shred cheese and place on top of mixture. Cook in oven until cheese is melted and a little crispy. Should be about 25 min.

Lentil chili (From hillbillyhousewife.com)

• 1-1/4 cups dry lentils (half a pound)
• 4 cups tap water
• 2 tablespoons oil or bacon grease
• 1 to 2 tablespoons dry onions
• 3 beef bouillon cubes
• 15 oz can tomatoes
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• Dash hot pepper flakes or Tabasco sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Place the lentils and the water in a large pot. Put the pot on the stove and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat so that the lentils are simmering gently. Cook for 30 minutes. Do not add the other ingredients until after the lentils have cooked. If the lentils begin to get dry, or if their water boils away then add more water. You want the lentils to remain juicy while they cook. When your 30 minutes are up, add all of the remaining ingredients. Simmer the chili for 15 to 20 minutes and serve with crackers or cornbread or over rice. Makes 4 servings.

Hoe Cakes (From hillbillyhousewife.com)

• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 cups corn meal
• Any seasoning you like
• 1 tablespoon oil or butter

Boil the water and mix with the corn meal and the seasoning. Heat pan with oil or butter to med-high. Drop ¼ cups of the mix on to the hot pan. Let cook until golden on both sides. Serve with chili or soups of any sort.

Cheap Cooking tips

Last week I wrote about how it is possible to buy healthy food and stay in a budget. My biggest tip was to make your own food. This way you are in control of what goes in to your food. Well, I know that many people are thinking, “That will take forever!” As a person that has been making dinners for myself and my husband for the last five years, four of those years I was a full time college student and three of those years I was also working full time, I know what it is to be dead tried and not have much time.

There is a way to make healthy food for your family that does not take a lot of time. I have some basic rules that I go by to help me when I am planning my meals. First I keep it simple, only three items of food per meal. So for example I would have fish, baked potato, and salad. Second I try to do one protein, one starch, and one veggie. This way you know that your family is at least getting a semi healthy meal. The last tip, (the most important in my opinion) is to never ask what anyone wants for dinner. In my house the cook gets to decide what is for dinner unless it is someone’s birthday. I am not evil about this, I don’t make something that I know the people I am feeding hate, but on the other hand I am not a short order chief. You don’t need to be making separate meals for everyone. It is a waste of time and money. You may also find that just because your spouse or children turn up their nose at something, does not mean they don’t like it. Just yesterday I made cheese ravioli, butternut squash, and salad for dinner. My husband comes in, sees the squash and says “Ewww, what is that”. But I paid no mind to him and served it anyways. He was very surprised to find that he likes butternut squash. This scene plays out often in our home.

I also want to clarify about making food from scratch. I do not mean everything. There are plenty of things that I buy in cans or frozen but it is not the whole meal. Beware of anything that claims to have a whole meal in a bag or box. Side dishes in a box are also something to be wary of but some things are fine. Like canned beans, frozen veggies, frozen ravioli, and canned tomato sauce. You probably don’t have time to make everything from scratch but getting as close as you can is always a good idea. I make my own corn muffins from scratch because it takes the same amount of time as from a mix, tastes better, and is cheaper but I buy canned tomato sauce because it is cheaper and a more efficient use of my time. Once again it just comes down to doing a little research on your part and finding what works for you. Next week I will share some of my quick and mostly healthy recipes.

Healthy Food Options

I have read many articles in the news paper that have people quoted saying that they have a hard time buying healthy food because it is so expensive. When I started buying food for myself and my husband I believed this to be true. It took a few years and some thought before I realized that being cheap and being healthy can go hand in hand. When I started buying food for my family, I went shopping with my mom to get the scoop on the good brands and what to avoid. She spends more money on food then I do but she makes a lot more money then I do, so this is understandable. I realized early on that my mom’s budget would not work for us so I had to rework things and substitute until I got to a reasonable amount. She buys things like whole wheat pasta, organic milk, and flavored water, healthy food that costs a little bit more. I was sure that by reworking things, I would have to settle for food that was not healthy, highly processed, and high in sodium. It does not have to be that way! You can have healthy food for your family and keep your budget in line.

I have learned that food gets expensive and bad for you when it is prepackaged, and made to be “convenience food”. The cheap prepackaged food is the worst for you. The best way to avoid all the junk they put in to this kind of food is simple: make it from scratch! You would be shocked at what they put in that shrimp scampi you are heating up or in that Hamburger Helper but if you just make it yourself, you have complete control over what goes in to the meal. Just to clarify, I am not talking about things like caned beans or frozen veggies. You don’t have to do everything from scratch to be healthy. Let’s take Hamburger Helper; the meal requires that you buy some hamburger, milk, butter and have some water on hand right? Well how about buying some egg noodles, hamburger, milk and butter and just adding some garlic powder, salt and pepper, and cheese? Chances are, you will have enough egg noodles to make another meal with them and you have spent the same or less money on a meal that is healthier for you. Another item that people often complain about is the price of juice. If you get the sugar water juice, it is cheaper then the 100% juice. Well that is an easy fix, don’t buy it! In Washington, water (yes from the tap) cost .001 cents a gallon. It is clean, tastes good, and is good for you. I realize that not everyone lives in a state with clean, good tasting tap water but if you do, take advantage of it. So, the lesson that I have learned is to make the food yourself and remember that there is often a simple, cheap, and healthy alternative to many food problems. Tune in next week when I answer the question “How do I find the time to make all of this cheap, healthy food?”

Warehouse shopping

Shopping at warehouse stores can be a great way to save money. It can also be a great way to spend a lot of money without really realizing it. You go in to one of those warehouse stores without a list or a clear plan and you will spend at least $50 more then you meant too. There are some great deals to be had and there are some not so great deals, just like any other store but it is easy to become overwhelmed. When I first went in to one of these stores to just “see what they have” and came out having spent about $100 for this little tiny pile of stuff I was shocked. The next time in went in, I vowed to do better. This time I got caught up in the frozen foods. You can really spend a bundle on frozen foods at those places. I said to myself “Wow that will keep in my freezer, my husband will love that in his lunch and so on.” So I came out and once again I have spent $100 on this tiny pile of food. Now keep in mind that I am just trying to feed two adults here, not an army. If you need to feed a large family, expect to spend some money at one of these places. It will save you money in the long run but, if like me at the time, you are feeding two adults and have to store all of this in a 500 sq. foot apartment, you should not need to spend more then $50 a month.

It took a long time to get a good system for warehouse shopping. First of all, not all of the food in those places is a deal. Compare with the normal grocery stores; don’t just assume that because you are getting 20 of the item, you are getting a deal. The warehouse stores don’t have the best sales either. The grocery stores beat them in that category. A good rule of thumb is that really basic items are almost always a good deal. Items like flour, sugar, peanut butter and such are cheaper in bulk. Look at what you use all the time that will not go bad before you can use it all. For me that is flour, sugar, granola bars, peanut butter, canned tomatoes, toilet paper and vitamins. Another good rule is to make a list and stick to it. It is way too easy to get side tracked. If you make a list then you can plan for how much you are going to spend. If you don’t, you will regret it. Don’t take your spouse along if (like mine) he or she will try to talk you in to buying things that are not on your list. Buying a 20 pack of ice cream bars was sooo not on my list. I go to Costco because I get a free membership through my mom. When you pay for a membership, you get a second one free to go to any family member over 18. If you can’t get this kind of deal, then try to find a Cash n Carry or other warehouse store that does not require a paid membership.

A Store Near You

When I moved in with my future husband, I took over all of the grocery shopping. His idea of shopping was to get some Top Roman, Tuna Helper, pancake mix and some plastic wrapped cheese and call it good (although I have to say the man has a gift with pancakes). I love to cook and any cook knows that these few items are just not enough to make a decent meal with, so to the store I went. At the time we lived near a Safeway so that is where I started. It took me awhile to figure out how to buy all of the food I needed without spending a small fortune. At first I fell in to the trap of buying too many frozen items, and then I would not get enough food to last for two weeks or I would get to many “treats”. After awhile I got the hang of it but along the way I discovered that where you shop has a great deal to do with your ability to keep everything within the budget.

First, if possible shop at a store near you, and pick one store to do most of your shopping at. There are some cheap food stores that send me fliers every week but it is just not worth the gas to go so far out of my way. My favorite place to shop is Fred Meyers (no, I do not work for them and they are not paying me, I just really like the store). I love that they send me really good coupons every three months when I use my card. I realize that other stores have a card too but come on; everyone knows that they are just making you use the card so you don’t get ripped off. Those “deals” are not deals at all. I also hate when I forget my card and don’t know what number I gave them, and they charge me a load of money. Fred Meyer will give you the sale price with or with out the card. Then every three months I get a $5, $3, $1 coupon and random ones like $2 off any dairy items over three dollars. I have done my monthly shopping at many stores but I just can’t seem to find everything I need at the prices I need anywhere else. Of course this depends on what you are buying. I have some friends that swear that Safeway is cheaper but I have not found this to be true for myself.

Fred’s has everything. If you need to get groceries, motor oil, a pie plate and a tomato plant they’ve got it. The prices on non-food items are not as great as the food but they are not bad either. With the price of gas these days it’s worth not getting the few dollar difference to drive across town. I believe that Super Walmart or whatever it is called also it like this. We do not have a Walmart in my city so I don’t go there very often. Bottom line is to shop around the stores near you and find out which store meets your needs best. Just because you have always shopped there does not mean it has the best deals.

The Price of Food

The soaring price of food itself has been all over in the news lately. I have not personally seen my bill go up but many people have and I believe that it has a great deal to do with what you buy. When I plan out my meals, I always pick things that are fast and easy to make. The easy part means picking meals that don’t require a lot of ingredients in them. This keeps cost down as well as my sanity when I am cooking. I also do not include any meat in my meals. This is because I happen to be a vegetarian but it also has the effect of saving us money. Meat is expensive! I do splurge on some fresh wild salmon when it is on sale but most of our protein comes from cheese, beans, shrimp and tuna. Beans are a wonderful source of protein and they are cheap. That is why they are one of the staples of the people of Costa Rica (named one of the healthiest places to live because their people have the longest life expectancy). There are many wonderful meals you can make with beans being in the main dish or side dish that are very yummy. Like Mexican pizza, Costa Rican beans and rice, and bean enchiladas. You can find more ideas for meatless cheap food at one of my favorite web sites hillbillyhousewife.com. I would challenge any family trying to cut costs with just serving two meatless meals a week. See if it cuts your food bill just a bit. If you just can’t put down the steak, shop the sales and warehouse clubs, and make friends with a hunter. Maybe they will share some of that deer or moose they get with you. Unless they are feeding five children chances are they will have plenty left over after winter.

I am a big believer in store brand food. Look down people! All the way to the bottom shelf, that is where you find the deals. At Fred Meyers (a Kroger store), they even have the cheaper then the store brand. It is called FMV (For Max Value). Now I am not saying that you can go generic with everything but some things are the same no matter what brand they are and some things are better when they are store brand (like the FMV frozen veggies, the only mix with out lima beans all for $0.89). For instance, some store brand items I buy are mayo, mustard, ketchup, eggs, yogurt, canned fruit, rice, sugar, and hot dog buns, but I will buy brand name tortillas, tea, refried beans, fish sticks and bread. It is all about your tastes and the quality of the item. It just requires a little bit of experimentation on your part.

Cheap Date

One of my favorite ways to save money is to play with my food budget. We spend for a family of two (the baby is still getting all of his food from me via boob) $250 a month. That is $200 at the grocery store and $50 at Costco. My husband does not go out to eat for lunch so this figure includes the lunches I pack for him. For some families, $250 is a lot of money for food, but many people struggle to keep there food budget in line. One of the ways that I keep my food budget reasonable is by making a menu of dishes for two weeks and just buying what I need for those meals. I do not schedule what we are going to have on a particular day, I just look at my menu and pick from there. This way I only have to go shopping every other week. This saves on time and gas. It may sound like a no brainer, but I see people running to the store for this or that all the time. It is such a waste! A little planning will prevent this. I also believe that having meals on hand has prevented us from going out to eat many times. We have all been there; you get home from work and look at your mate and say “what’s for dinner?” “I don’t know, let’s go get something.” Trust me, it’s a lot easier to resist that impulse when you have a few meals to pick from and know that you have what you need to make them. Now I am not saying that I follow my menu exactly but I find that having the ingredients to make 14 breakfasts, lunches, and dinners makes it easy to change things up. For instance, I might buy shrimp, veggies, and rice for shrimp scampi, veggies, and seasoned rice, but I can just as easily make garlic chili shrimp, lemon garlic veggies, and plain rice (assuming of course that you have the right spices on hand). Tune in next week when I go over the tips I have learned to make sure you get cheap quality ingredients for your meals.

Hello World!

So here I am blogging, I suppose that I should start out by telling a little about myself. I am a 23 year old stay at home mom to one 3 1/2 month old boy. I have been married for three years to my wonderful 30 year old Harley riding husband. I live in the Pacific North West near Seattle. As the name of the blog says, I am extremely thrifty. Saving money is always on my mind and I love to share my discoveries with anyone willing to listen. Some of the things that I love to talk about are home births, cloth diapering, coupon clipping, home cooking, do it yourself projects, babies (especially mine) and anything that involves saving me, my family or anyone else money. So there you have it.