The Waste-less week and the inconvenient root vegetable

I've done it again, yet another waste-less week (hence no pretty picture).  Once a month or so I like to eat my fridge bare and restock.  So things are looking pretty spartan in my fridge.  This cycle greatly reduces the chances of me accumulating ingredients in my fridge that get forgotten about.

Unfortunately I currently have a inconvenient root vegetable, namely parsley root, sitting in my vegetable drawer.  Originally it was bought for an experimental recipe that ended up being no good, leaving me with a bunch of leftover parsley root that need to be used up.  Unfortunately I know of no recipes that contain parsley root.

On the other hand I do know how to use Google.  So it looks like I'm in for some Parsley Root Soup this weekend, I hope it turns out better than my last kitchen experiment.  (Usually I average one successful experiment for every three tried, so I'm giving this one 50/50 odds.)

On the subject to soup . . . I've become rather fond of soups since going (casual) vegetarian.  There are so many out there, and there are loads of ways to slip some plant based protein in.  Some of my current favourites are:

-Pea soup (split peas provide the protein)
-Lentil soup (lentils are the protein, though you could throw these into any vegetable based soup with out changing the flavour much)
-Squash soup (no protein in the soup, but goes well with cheese and crackers)
-Salmon Chowder (a little rich so I don't make this too often, but it's a great way to fill up fast)
-Tomato soup with lentils (lentils for protein, though I still haven't found a good from scratch recipe)

I'm itching to learn how to make mushroom soup from scratch, maybe I'll have time in the next couple weeks.  Might not even have to add an extra protein source because most mushroom soups have milk as a base.  So many recipes, so little time . . .

Time Management

Time management is somewhat of a sticky subject for me.  In some ways I'm a pro.  I never fell behind on a project at work and when teaching swim lessons I never felt pressured that my student's weren't going to pass because we hadn't hit all the subjects yet.  In those cases it was easy.  I prioritized, figured how much needed to be done in what amount of time and got things done as planned.

When it comes to personal time management on the other hand I'm not so good.  I went into last weekend with a 22 item to do list, some of which would take 2+ hours to complete.  Seven of the twenty-two went undone.

Obviously I wasn't idle.  That said, some of the important paperwork oriented house work got neglected, some of which has been successfully side stepped for over a month.  While I can work my tail off for a weekend I can still walk away feeling like I'm behind on my work.  As far as I can tell this is a combination of two things.

1) Difficulty prioritizing in the personal domain
2) Biting off more than I can chew

I guess the first one isn't too hard to figure out.  Who doesn't chose to work on the fun projects first?  What I need is a way to get the not so fun jobs to stay on the top of the list instead of perpetually sinking to the bottom of the list.  My strategy, which at this point is entirely untested, is to have 2 to do lists running.  One will be for things that keep the basics of my life running.  Paperwork, co-ordinating my Master's, finances, and basic house hold chores will fall into this category.  One of these items must be done every day.

The other to do list will hold most everything else.  House projects that are fun rather than necessary, my writing (both on this blog and fiction), baking, gardening, and crafts will all fall under this to do list.  My goal will to be to do a part of this list every other day.

As for the second problem that is always a bit more complex.  I detest being idle and any appreciable amount of down time will inevitably have me searching for a new commitment.  As it stands I can firmly say that for the moment I will take on no more new projects until my current projects are done.  That includes no new crafts until all three current crafts are done, no new around the house projects until the current five are done (unless they are necessary to keep the house standing), and no more students for tutoring.

On top of that I believe that it is time to let a couple of things reduce their prominence in my life.  Most notably I won't be taking any more students to tutor once my student lets off for the summer and won't be looking to pick back up with her in the fall.  This blog has shifted to, and will continue as, an every other day event.  (Not that I'll stop writing to you, it's fun and makes me work on an area of my life that would otherwise go neglected.  That said I am dropping it from a 8 hour a week commitment to 4 hours a week.)  Add to that I am looking forward to having my brother's wedding present done so that I don't have my crafts of a schedule.

I am looking for other areas in my life which can be cut back without too much suffering, especially once I start my Master's in September.  I have always been able to swallow what I have bitten off, though it has not always been without difficulty.  However, I am coming to realize (at my advanced age of 23) that if I want to accomplish a lot in the areas that are important to me I can not fill my time with a hundred different types of commitments.  At the same time, I need to have a healthy balance of work and recreation; science, literature, and art; hobbies; and the fun of being a handy woman.

Any advice for a novice at time management?

Pay Day June 2013

So my monthly pay check is in for a total of $3,598.39

Housing 40% - $1,439.35

Mortgage - $646.62

House Maintenance - $315.00

Housing Taxes - $182.50

House Insurance - $72.00

Utilities – $223.23

Total – $1,439.35

Savings 10% - $359.83 – All going to my RRSP

Debt 10% - $359.83

Transportation 15% - $539.75

Bus Pass – $68.25

Train - $0

Other - $0

Car Savings – $471.50

Total - $539.75

Life 25% - $899.63

Emergency Savings - $240.10

Travel - $175

Food - $160

Cell – $30

Internet - $50

Health Insurance – $23.52

Clothes - $10

Gifts - $10

Misc - $20

Big Ticket Item - $100

Entertainment - $10

Social/Sports - $5

Financial Planning - $5

Slush – $55.01

Total - $899.63

On top of my regular paycheck in May I brought in $165 from tutoring and $400 from renting one of my rooms.  Property Taxes are due this month and I have $1,057.62 set aside from regular monthly savings.  I expect that the bill will be a tad more than that, but I have $264.70 in my Slush Fund, which should more than cover any difference.  

Food Waste Meets Goal Review End May

It being both a Friday and the end of the month I get to do a double post!  First off the only food that got binned this week was the remnants of a kitchen experiment.  Meet the not so tasty split pea salad that I made and tried to eat.  I did manage to eat most of it besides the fact that it was decidedly bland and had way too much onion.  At this point it’s a bit to old to consume to I’m tossing the rest with a certain cense of relief.  The next part is my monthly goal review. 

Financial

- Set up RRSP investments with my return of value pension from the military and contribute $359 a month for the year, along with any tax refunds. CHECK [My RRSP and Locked-in Account are all set up and I just keep setting aside my 10%.]

- Pay off house in 5 years.  I should be able to accomplish this by doubling up every payment and paying a 10% lump sum every year.  CHECK [Revised my mortgage plan to make sure it was still do-able.  Also bringing in some extra money by renting out one of my rooms to a colleague for $400 a month over three months, as well as tutoring three hours a week.]

Educational

-Start Masters of Science / Masters of Science in Nursing in the fall.  CHECK [Met with my thesis supervisors, which was great.  They seem to be really interested in what I want to do and preparing me for life/job after Masters.]

Social

-Join two new clubs in the local area.  Kind Of [I skipped off quilting club over the last month to tutor.  It’s shutting down this month for the summer.  The writing group is struggling a bit to get consistent meeting attendance, fingers crossed.] 

Other

-Have my novel accepted to be published.  I plan to have it ready by the end of the month (January), so I can start sending it out. CHECK [My query letter got answered!  They wanted, and I sent in, the first three chapters of my novel.  Got to say I’m a bit on cloud nine.]

-Become a respite foster parent. CHECK [Medical’s been completed and I started my training course, 2 classes down, 8 to go.]

-Take a big backpacking trip solo. CHECK [Saving is going as planned and I haven’t touched my vacation days yet.] 

-Finish my current crafting projects.  Kind Of [One month left to get my most important project done, it may be a tad bit tight.] 

I’ll give myself 87.5%.  A couple of goals have been lagging but the goals that I have made progress on have grown by leaps and bounds.  In June I want to focus on a couple of things.  1.GET MY EMBROIDERY DONE (and wrapped in time to be given as a gift). 2. Take a good long look at my travel plans.  3. Do some studying in preparation for starting my Masters (I’m kind of straddling two very different fields and I need to make sure I am ready for the more technical portion.) 

A stitch in time saves nine

We live in a disposable era it seems.  If something breaks/rips/tears it goes in the garbage and we go to the store.  Not only does this get expensive it is also terrible for the planet and decreases our self-reliance. 

Take a look at the following picture; that is the cushion of the new (to me) couch in my sitting room.  It had developed a tear a couple of inches long the length of one of the seams.  It took about a minute and a couple of cents worth of thread to fix (I can’t give you a more exact estimate as I’ve had that thread for over a decade and have no idea what it originally cost.)  The other option would have been to ignore the rip until such a time that it offended my sensibilities and then replacing the whole thing for several hundred dollars.  Give that any one can learn the sewing that I did in less than 5 minutes the obvious economic choice is to grab a needle and some thread. 

Of course the indiscriminant tossing of stuff results in completely unnecessary strain on the natural environment.  Resulting in tons of stuff in a giant hole in the ground requiring a couple of centuries to break down.  Also resulting in the over production of consumer goods (using up precious natural resources) meant to replace the stuff rotting in the ground. 

Finally relying on stores, or professional trades persons to fix and/or maintain our stuff makes us dependant on the stores and professionals and ultimately, on money.  Sure most people can go out and earn more if they have to, but what if that is no longer a possibility?  What if the economy is in the midst of a recession or you are too sick to do your job?  Cultivating and refining the skills required to take care of your stuff (be it sewing, cleaning, carpentry or basic plumbing) gives you options other than running to someone else with a fistful of dollars or watching your possessions crumble.  

FP - Clothesline

It’s slick, it’s silent it’s . . . my brand new clothesline.  (I’ll give you a moment to appreciate it.) 

There we go!  Isn’t it lovely?  Conceived and designed by my father and constructed by yours truly, it is indeed a work of art; which coincidently also saves me money. 

How much you ask?  Well there is no such thing as an energy efficient dryer; they’re all hogs.  Mine will use an average of 950 kWh per year (79 kWh per month.)  I estimate that I can (aka am challenging myself to) use it from April until October.  Seven months use and five months in the dryer. 

I pay for electricity based on time and day.  There are three levels and cost as follows:

On-peak – 0.11800 $/kWh

Mid-peak – 0.09900 $/kWh

Off-peak – 0.06300  $/kWh

So depending on when you do your laundry, in my area you could potentially save anywhere from $9.32 to $4.98 per month.  I'll go with the higher amount because the line also frees you up to do your laundry whenever it is convenient.  Every year this simple construct (which was amazingly fun to build by the way) will save me $65.24.  The materials cost me a max of $25, which means that it will pay for itself in two and a half months, everything after that is gravy.  

I expect the line to last a long while and it was loads of fun to build.  It was certainly worth the investment!  

Food Waste - Double or Nothing

The good news first.  I had no waste this week.  (Please stand up and cheer . . . ok you can sit down now.)  The bad news, that means no photo for you today.  (Maybe tomorrow though.)

I'll admit it was a bit of a close call.  My split pea salad was hanging around my fridge for days.  Probably because I messed up on the recipe some how.  Way too much onion, definitely not enough (or not strong enough) dressing.  Such is life, but you won't see that recipe on my table again any time soon.

On the bright side I've been doing "Double or nothing" meals all week and loving it.  A double meal around my place means one meal that makes two suppers and two lunches in the same week.  (As well as the possibility of frozen meals in the freezer.)  I have read of some people eating the same meal for weeks to save money and time.  I'm not sure my pallet would be happy with the same thing day after day, however I have no problem eating the same thing for four meals a week.  (Especially if it is something as tasty as split pea soup from scratch.)  Plus, it frees up a whole bunch of free time, which I think will be really useful when I start my masters in September.

Have a question?  I'd love to hear it!