Hacks: Starbucsk-like coffee for cents

Enjoying the finer things in life, like a fancy coffee, usually hits the top of the "must go" list if you're saving money. But when I was I student, sometimes people just want to chat over a fancy coffee or a cup of tea. Here are a few of my recipes for fancy, yet inexpensive drinks. Thanks to the power of powdered milk, you get the frothy top without special equipment:

"not-quite" French Vanilla Cappuccino:

2 tsp instant coffee (I recommend a flavoured one like French vanilla)

1 tbsp powdered milk (or see alternative)

1 tbsp sugar

1-1.5 cups boiling water

1/4-1/2 cup milk

Combine the lot and throw it into a blender (I use a magic bullet). Enjoy.

*As an alternative I use 4 tbsp of powdered milk and skip the regular milk completely. It makes for an extra frothy drink.

** If you don't have a blender never fear, simply stir the drink vigorously for a 30 seconds and you will get a similar effect.

"not-quite Caramel Cappuccino:

2 tsp instant coffee (I recommend a flavoured one like french vanilla)

1 tbsp powdered milk (or see alternative)

1 tbsp Caramel Syrup (like you would use to top ice-cream)

1-1.5 cups boiling water

1/4-1/2 cup milk

Frappiccino

Same as for a Cappuccino, except, only add 1/4 cup of boiling water.  Fill the rest of the cup with ice cubes and blend.

Raising a baby without a lot of expense - Part 1 Cloth Diapers

Most people seem to use cloth diapers for environmental and idealistic reasons, I cloth diaper (CD) to save money. That leads to some interesting conversations, because everyone seems to need to save money these days. In that spirit the next few posts deal with the least expensive way to get started with a baby.

Cloth Diapers

Previously I posted about the basic types of cloth diapers. The least expensive, least complicated way to diaper a baby in my opinion is with the Econobum brand diapers.  These are basic one size fits most (8-40lb) prefold diapers and covers. As the name suggests they are designed to be inexpensive, but these are good quality diapers made by Cotton Babies, who also sell the ever popular Bumgenius Diapers. (Check out this video review)

A box of 12 prefolds, 3 covers, and a pail liner runs $60, and you will need 2 boxes to diaper full-time.

In addition, I recommend a snappi ($3.50), which helps to keep the runny newborn poop from exploding everywhere.

Folding

Prefolds (known as ‘snappi diapers’ in our house) do require a little folding (think 5 seconds), but that means they can be customized to girls, boys, heavy wetters, etc. Here is a quick picture tutorial on a few diaper folds.

The easiest fold is the tri-fold. Fold over one third of the fabric from each side of the diaper to form a long rectangle and lay this in the cover before fastening onto the baby. If your baby only poops occasionally (3 times a day) this will work, but anymore and you will need a lot of covers because it does not stop the mess from reaching the cover. You may also want to fold down some of the front or back fabric to adjust the size.

We love the jelly-roll fold. Simply lay the diaper flat, place the baby on the diaper, with the diaper at baby’s waist height, then roll in both sides to form a cone shape. Fold up over baby’s crotch, fold down any extra fabric and snappi in place. (Check out these tutorials http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9UId1SKn1c ; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LjFJ5bxMnr8&feature=related)

The angel wing fold is also popular. Simply tri-fold your pre-fold and pull out the back edges to snappi it to the baby.

Covers:

The covers with this system are one size fits most. The cover  uses a series of snaps that can be used to make the diaper smaller and larger.

It is important to make sure that the diaper cover covers the prefold completely (nothing sticking out), and that you can’t see air between the baby’s legs and the cover (otherwise mess will escape).

Washing:

Before you use cloth diapers you will need to wash them a full 3-5 times to remove the oils still on the diapers and make them absorbent. After that you can use them, but they will only reach their most absorbent after about 10 washes.  Simply add a little (about ½ the normal amount) of detergent to 2-3 washes, then dry the diapers, then repeat.

Typically you need to use a clean rinsing detergent with diapers. The easiest is Arm & Hammer Essentials (NO fabric softener), but there are many specially designed detergents available (Try Rocking Green or Tiny Bubbles).  Rinse the diapers on cold, then add detergent and wash on hot, then do an extra rinse on cold. You want to avoid letting detergent build up on the diapers because it makes them less absorbent and can give the baby a rash. The extra rinse makes sure all the bubbles come out.

If you find there are lots of bubbles in the last rinse, try reducing the amount of detergent you use or adding another rinse.

Line dry the covers and either tumble dry or line dry the prefolds.

Laundry issues:

There are a few problems with cloth diapers that may pop up from time to time, but most are avoided by washing every 2-3 days:

Stains:
Stains happen, but if you have washed the diapers, then just like the mustard or ketchup stain on your shirt, it is nothing to worry about the diaper is still clean. However, line drying the diapers in the sun will get them sparkling again. Adding a little lemon juice to a really stubborn stain before sunning a diaper will also work.

Leaks:

1.       Check that you are tucking the fabric from the legs and back into the cover at each change.

2.       You might have detergent build up from the wrong type of laundry soap, using too much soap, or using fabric softener*.

a.       Solution: Wash your diapers in hot water several times without detergent until you don’t see anymore bubbles in the water.

*You will need to strip your diapers like you did when they were new if you used fabric softener

Strong Urine/ammonia smell:

1.       The urine may not be washing out completely. Add an extra rinse, to see if it resolves

2.       If not, soak the diapers in detergent and hot water for 30min-1 hr then launder as usual with an extra rinse (I have a bag of Rocking Green for this purpose).

Really Stinky Diapers:

Typically your diapers smell okay out of the wash, but stink as soon as they are wet.

1.       Soak the diapers in detergent and hot water for 30min-1 hr then launder as uses with an extra rinse. You may not be using enough detergent, try increasing the amount you normally use.

If these don’t work, or it’s something else check out the Forum on DiaperPin. The members are very helpful for trouble shooting.

Yeast:
If your baby gets thrust or a yeast rash you need to sanitize your diapers throughout the treatment period and for 5 days after the rash clears. The easiest way to do this is to wash the prefolds in very hot water with 1-2 tbsp of bleach. DO NOT Bleach Covers. You don't want to bleach the covers because it can damage the elastic and the PUL that makes the cover waterproof.

Alternatively, 10-20 drops of grapefruit seed extract in a hot water wash will also do the trick.

Diaper Creams:
Typically you DO NOT want to use diaper creams with cloth diapers. But if you need to, make sure to use a cream that is specifically listed as cloth diaper safe, or use a flushable diaper liner to protect the diaper from the cream.

Dealing with the mess:
The biggest question everyone seems to ask is "what about the poop?". If a baby is breastfed the poop is almost as runny as urine and diapers can simply go straight into the wash. Once the baby starts solids, the chunkier poop needs to go into the toilet. Options include tipping it in, scraping it off (people often have a spatula that lives in the bathroom or use the wipe), spraying it off (with a diaper sprayer or handheld shower head), using a flush-able liner, or dunking and swishing. I prefer the first option, but everyone has there own preference.

If your baby was in disposables, the poopy clothes (any there would be many) go in the washer without a thought. The washer can handle the diapers too.

For more articles check out:
The New & Green Baby Company
Bummis FAQ page

or simply search your question online.

Growing your own salads- Part 4

Planting the containers:

While we only have a 2.5 x 4 foot garden, the local dollar store also provided 6 large size planters for the tomato and pepper plants. Since these are in the front garden each container has a mix of plants with different colours, shapes, and sizes to make them visually appealing.

Pots Layout:

3 Pots with the following seedlings:

·         1-2 tomato

·         2 head lettuce

·         1 salad bowl purple lettuce

·         Several bunching/green onions

·         1 pansy

·         1 basil plant

3 Pots with the following

·         1 Sweet pepper

·         1 basil plant

·         1 pansy

·         Several radish seeds

·         Several parsley seeds

2 Hanging planters with:

·         Mixed lettuce, spinach and swiss chard direct seeded

Growing your own salads- Part 3

Planting the garden:

The strategy for getting the most out of our small space involves successive plantings. We plant, enjoy the produce, but continue planting and pulling up dead plants throughout the season.

Starting in March peas, lettuce, spinach, and radishes as well as all the herbs were direct seeded. The herbs to indoor pots, everything else to the garden. (We inherited the strawberry plants from the previous tenant, so those were already planted).

Garden Layout:

2 ft row peas

2 x 2 ft row leaf lettuce

2 x 2 ft row spinach

2 x 2 ft row radishes

Border of nastursums (supposed to deter pests)

Growing your own salads- Part 2

Choosing the plants:

The biggest complaint I hear is never having all the needed ingredients ripe at the same time to enjoy a meal. By selecting several varieties of vegetables that have roughly the same growing time frame we have managed to circumvent this.

I also looked at companion plants to try and prevent the need to use fertilizer or pesticides.

Early & Late Season: Peas, lettuce, spinach, radishes and chives all go into the ground the earliest and provide a reasonable salad quite early in the spring (in about 4 weeks). These were planted in mid-late March.

Year Round: The herbs all grow inside, with extras outside of the types we use most. I start them from seed as this is the least expensive option. It also allows me to re-seed and that may die. These were planted in the first week of March.

Mid-Late Season: Tomatoes and Peppers provide a later crop of veggies to go with the fall plantings of lettuce and are planted later in the summer. Ours went into the ground in the last weekend of May.

Growing your own salads- Part 1

The majority of my posts involve food and grocery shopping because I think that is the easiest recurring expense to cut back on for most people. This year we finally have a garden (somewhat limited in size) that gets a reasonable amount of sun. The next few posts will talk about the ins and outs of choosing the plants and planting the garden and containers to get a reasonable return on our money.

We have leaf lettuce, head lettuce, red salad bowl lettuce, baby spinach, peas, radishes, basil, chives, thyme, oregano, mint, parsley, green onions, tomatoes, sweet peppers and strawberries.

We also have nastursums and pansies since it is the front yard.

Cost: Less than $35

Plants $14.50

Seeds $4

Pots $10

Tomato cages $5

Results:

Since early May we have harvested 1-2 salads per day by cutting the outside lettuce leaves and tops off the green onions. I also pull a few radishes from the most densely seeded areas. The peas mostly died out.

Starting this week we have had 1-2 handfuls of strawberries daily

The herbs seem to grow faster every time I cut them to using in a meal.

I expect that we have saved at least the $35 originally spent and its still early June.

Quick Chicken Salad

We make up plastic containers of the lettuce and tomatoes, and little bags of chicken to keep in the fridge for a quick work lunch.

1 head red lettuce, washed (our your favourite lettuce)
1 box baby tomatoes
2 cooked chicken breasts (sliced)

1. Rip lettuce and divide between 4 containers. 
2. Divide tomatoes between containers.
3. Place 1/2 breast of cooked, sliced chicken into each bag, seal and place on top of Salad.

Feta Dill Dressing (1 serving)
2 tbsp low fat mayo
1-2 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
1-2 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp dill
1 tsp parsley
1/8 tsp garlic powder

Mix ingredients together and pour over your salad, our place in a container to take with the pre-made salad.
salt and pepper to taste

2 Minute Banana Muffins

A quick snack that wont heat up the house:

1 egg
1/4 cup milk
2 tbsp oil
1 tsp lemon juice
1 banana mashed (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup wheat germ/bran

Mix the first 7 ingredients well, add the remaining ingredients and stir till just mixed. Pour into a silicon muffin tray.  (Ours came from the dollar store, and holds six small muffins)

Microwave 6 muffins at a time at 70 % for 1 min then 100% for 45 seconds, or until cooked through. Enjoy.

Makes 12 small-medium muffins or 6 large muffins.

Staying cool this summer

Summer is here and so are those hot days that make me wish I could move to the Arctic. Since that isn't feasible and we don't want to run our air conditioner too much we have created a plan.

Every night, once it cools down, we will open all the windows and let the breeze cool the house. Early in the morning all the windows are shut, and the curtains stay drawn to prevent the sun from heating the house. We are also minimizing cooking that involves the oven and stove top where possible, or moving it to nighttime when the windows are open.

Hopefully this means we wont need to turn on the AC too often and can save on our electricity bill.

Cloth Diaper Essentials

In our on going attempt to decrease our costs we are using cloth diapers with our little guy.  First, realize we're talking about these not the large squares of cloth most people envision, but often look like colourfull disposable diapers.

Costs:
Cloth diapers can cost anywhere from $200-$700 to have a reasonable stash of diapers till the baby is a toddler, plus detergent and washing. Disposables can run upward of $2000 in the same time period (if you buy noname brand). Increase the savings if you have more than one child.

Basics:
Cloth diapers come in a variety of types depending on your preference and budget:
All-in-ones (almost exactly like disposables)
All-in-twos (Two parts, goes on like a disposable, but after washing there is some very quick assembly)
Pockets (Two parts, goes on like a disposable, but after washing there is some quick assembly)
Prefolds (a square of sewn fabric with a 8 layers in the center and 4 on each side, requires a cover)
Flats (old-school diapers your mom used, requires folding and a cover)
Wetbag (a waterproof, air tight, bag used to store dirty diapers)


Washing:
The clear difference from disposables is that you wash the cloth diapers. In the breastfed stage that is as simple as tossing the diaper in the wetbag (there is NO water in the wetbag, it just holds wet diapers), then tossing all the dirties and the bag into the laundry every 2-3 days. Once the baby eats solids any chunky poop gets dumped in the toilet. Some people use flushable liners or a diaper sprayer (think handheld shower head with higher pressure) to spray of anything nasty, but it's not necessary. You use a no residue detergent (like Arm & Hammer Essentials) and do an extra rinse compared to regular laundry.

Example laundry routine:
Rinse in cold water (no detergent)
Heavy wash in hot water (detergent)
Hang to dry or toss in the dryer
Assemble diapers if needed

If you're running to the store to get new disposables, that involves packing the baby into the car seat, then the car, then getting the baby out of the car, into the store and reversing the process. I'd far rather spend 5 minutes turning on the washer.

Material:
Cloth diapers come in hemp, bamboo, cotton, and microfibre on the inside and PUL (Polyurethane Laminate), fleece, or wool for the outside. You can have them organic and unbleached if you prefer, although this costs slightly more.

So far this is turning out to be easy, and we have many fewer poop explosions than we had with disposables.