Tithe Your Time

"Yeah. I know we can't do everything to solve all of the problems of the world, but it does seem like we can do something more..."

This was the end of a long conversation I had with one of my children about the weight of the world and how to make a difference in it. It came at an opportune moment as we stand at the crossroads of our next fourth quarter experiment.

Photo Credit

Each previous experiment brought life altering perspective and semi-lasting change to the way we view the world around us. I say semi-lasting because with each experiment we had things that carried over into the rest of our lives and routines, and we had areas where our commitment faltered and requires a recommit. Here's a rough recap.

1. No More Grocery Shopping - October 2008
Experiment Parameters: During this experiment we were at the height of our financial ladder and decided it would be good to start preparing for a rainy day. We went almost six weeks without going to the grocery store and saved $1000 in our budget just by not going to the store, eating out, spending gas and time away, etc.

Carryovers: a)my aversion to going to the grocery store, b) my delight at finding local producers that don't really sell in grocery stores, i.e. bountiful baskets and farmers markets, and c) our use of a pretty substantial basement food storage. 

Recommittals: AVOID the grocery store. More to come on what this will look like this time around.

2.Buy Nothing New - October 2009
Experiment Parameters:This experiment came during our year of un/self/under-employment. This was the year we bought NOTHING new for christmas. We shopped everything second hand, home made gifts and got creative and avoided the whole holiday rat-race altogether. As stressful as that year was, the holiday season was so peaceful. We got to Christmas and Gordon was working for a classy outfit that didn't believe in paying their executives over the holiday season. Thankfully, we had chosen this experiment before we realized we wouldn't get a pay check until January.

Carryovers: We always have home made things for the holidays.

Recommittals: Buy less stuff in general, especially during the holidays. Get more creative about second hand and repurposed items.

One of my best, "nothing new" finds - a bunch of Bionicles in a bag at a thrift store,

 enough to build at least dozen guys, all for $3

 

3. October 2010 - We sort of took the year off. I think I was tired.

4. Live On What You Give - October 2011
Experiment Parameters: This was our best experiment yet. We all learned a lot about giving to those in need and living on less than we think we need. We cut our grocery budget in HALF. We went from spending over $600/month on groceries to about $300, helped people around us, connected with what it is to live on less-than-food stamps at our dinner table, and witnessed 10 major and minor miracles. We had enough and to spare. We received A LOT more than we gave.

Carryovers: We kept our level of giving where it was during the experiment for another several months beyond and increased it again when we got a better job.

Recommittals: We need to LIVE on what we give again. While we are living within our means, we could really do better, especially on discretionary funds that get spent on food.

Hoping for more of the same from this year's experiment,  I went to bed that night pondering the points made in the conversation, particularly the end, and prayed for inspiration on what to do next. I woke with these words in my mind.

"Tithe your time."

What do you think of when you hear those words?

Birthday Wishes and Freezer Meals

This week I did one of the worst things.  I forgot my little sister Katie's birthday for the first time in her life.  I remembered it earlier last week, and I talk to her almost every day, but when the day came, I totally blew it off.  I did not even think of what the date was once that day.  So bad.

To make it up to her, I promptly went to work on a request she made of me lately, "Will you please write down what you are doing for meals and send it to me."  In this she was referring to my plan to make and freeze several dinner dishes.  I responded in the moment with a half-committed, "Sure,"  as in, "Sure.  Like I ever write down what I'm doing."  Asking for a recipe from me is like asking me for an inventory of my cupboards.  I know approximately what I've got to work with, but recording it is another story.  I live broadly by intuition in the kitchen, and sadly, my intuition isn't that organized.    

Luckily, this time, I had a scribe in my freezer meal making endeavors, and she was an excellent recorder.  I also had another partner at the stove watching everything I was adding to each stock pot and sauce pan. When we finished making 4 recipes and 10 meals, most of what we had done was documented.  Hurray!

So, when I realized, in the middle of the night, TWO DAYS AFTER I'd forgotten Katie's birthday, I thought, "It's okay, I have the perfect gift: freezer meal recipes."  I know what your thinking. What kind of lousy sister gives freezer meal recipes as a sorry-I-forgot-your-birthday-gift?  Me.  And, that's just what I did.  Now I'm sharing with all of you.

Now for some interesting notes about the meals themselves:

• we made Chili, Chicken Ala King, Enchilada Casserole and Bacon Fried Rice
• all of these are gluten free
• all but the Chicken Ala King can be made vegetarian
• both of my culinary partners were amazed at how easy and delicious all of these recipes were
• when I broke down all the costs it was $50 for ten meals, Rock On!

And, the best part was, we made all those meals in three hours and promptly gave them away.  It was awesome.  In fact, it was so great, that I suggest when you make these, you give one or two away.  See how rich you feel.

And now for the recipes you've been waiting for.....click here.

Four Recipes - Ten Freezer Meals

10 Family Size Freezer Meals

 Chili: 4 Quarts

Ingredients

1 large onion, finely chopped and sautéed

2 red or green peppers, finely chopped and sautéed

4 cans of tomato sauce

4 cans diced tomatoes

2 cans of black beans

2 cans of white bean

5 Tbs. chili powder

3 Tbs. cumin

3 Tbs. garlic powder

2 Tbs. salt

2 Tbs. pepper

3, 12ounce cans of chicken, with the broth

               

Instructions

Combine all and bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer. Taste, taste, taste.  Does it need more garlic or chili powder, salt or pepper.  Season to taste.  Simmer at least an hour for flavors to stew together. Allow to cool.  Measure into quart size freezer bags.  For added safety, put each quart size bag inside a gallon freezer bag.  Reheat in microwave.  Enjoy the deliciousness.

Enchilada Casserole: 2- 9X13 pans

Ingredients

5, 16ounce cans tomato sauce

2 Tbs. cumin

¼ cup chili powder

1 Tbs Garlic powder

½ Tbs. salt

½ Tbs. pepper

36 corn tortillias

6 cups shredded cheese

3, 12ounce cans of chicken, drained and broken up

Instructions

In a large sauce pan, combine tomato sauce, spices, salt and pepper for the sauce.  Heat to a boil, then simmer for ten minutes.   Spoon a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 cake pan.  Add a layer of corn tortillas, overlapping and broken to fit in corners.  Crumble chicken on top of tortillas, top with cheese, then sauce.  Begin the layering process again.  Repeat until you have three layers ensuring sauce is the final layer so the cheese won’t stick to foil when baking.  Make both casseroles.  Cover well with heavy duty freezer foil.  When ready to eat, bake in a 350 oven for about an hour or until piping hot through the center.  Top with cheese if you wish.

Chicken Ala King: 3+ quarts sauce, three bags rice

Ingredients

3 cans of chicken with broth

1 sautéed green or red pepper

2 lbs frozen broccoli, chopped

2 cans of cream of chicken soup (This recipe can be made gluten free by omitting the cream of chicken and adding a little more of your other wet ingredients and chicken bullion. With a little extra lemon and garlic you can't tell)

2 cups of sour cream

1 cup of mayo

1 8ounce pkg of cream cheese

2 cups shredded cheese

¼ cup lemon juice

1 Tbs garlic

1  Tbs. salt

2 Tbs. pepper

1 Tbs cornstarch dissolved in 1 cup of cold milk

Keep separate: 12 Cups Cooked Rice

Instructions

In a large soup pan, combine all ingredients.  Bring to a low boil being careful not to scorch the bottom of the pan.  Once a low boil is reached turn the heat to a low simmer for 10 minutes.  Stir until the cheese is melted and worked in.  If your sauce still seems stringy with cheese, dissolve a little more cornstarch in cold milk and add to the sauce.  Stir until it a thick, smooth sauce.  Taste, taste, taste.  Does it need more garlic or lemon, salt or pepper.  Season to taste.   Measure into quart size freezer bags.  Measure rice into separate quart sized bags.  Put one sauce bag and one rice bag into a gallon size bag.  When ready to serve, heat sauce and rice in their bags, separately in the microwave.

Fried Rice: 2 - ½ gallon size meals

Ingredients

3 Tbs vegetable oil

2 Tbs sesame oil

1 lbs carrots, thinly sliced

1 lbs broccoli, finely chopped

1 onion, finely chopped

10 oz cooked crumbled bacon

10 cups of cooked rice

3 Tbs soy sauce

4 tsp of granulated bouillon or 4 ramen flavor packets

1 Tbs garlic powder

1 tsp ginger powder

1 tsp salt

1 Tbs pepper

Instructions

In a large sauce pan or wok sauté carrots, onion and broccoli over medium-high heat till tender.  Add bacon and sauté for another minute or two until the bacon has a nice crisp to it..  Turn heat down to medium, add rice, soy sauce, seasoning, salt and pepper.  Taste, taste, taste.  Does it need more garlic or soy sauce, sesame oil or pepper.  Season to taste.  Stir thoroughly till all rice is well coated with seasoning and light brown in color.  Cool and measure into gallon size freezer bags.  To serve, reheat in the freezer bag.

Overdue Reflections

So, we made it to the end of our experiment.  We cut our grocery budget in HALF.  We went from spending over $600/month on groceries to about $300.  We had enough and to spare.  We received A LOT more than we gave.  Here are some of the blessings and epiphanies that came about through our experiment:

1. We can live on WAY less than we previously thought - "What were we buying before?" one kid asked,  "Because I can't tell any difference in the food we're eating."  Perfect, no deprivation, only changes in the choices we make at the grocery store.
2. We are seeing evidence of the principle of compensation at work in our lives.  Before we began all of these adventures we had a lot going for us in the way of income, a free car, money in savings, storage rooms full of food.  A year of self-employment and another year of inconsistent paychecks depleted all of that.  Now, we are seeing a restoration of many things we had to let go of on our journey to this point.
3. Our two businesses that were in hibernation mode for the winter woke up early bringing unexpected income. 
4. We got an amazing refi deal on our home.
5. We paid down our auto loan to less than half what it was before we began our experiment and only have a few months to go before payoff.
6. Our family time has freed up in some significant ways.  
7. We had 10 incredible Christmas miracles during one of the busiest Christmases of our lives.  Some of these include a perfectly-timed rescue when we were on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, tickets for our entire family (including Heba) to go to a memorable Christmas Concert at Temple Square, new tires on the car that prevented additional problems on our Christmas road trip, a changing of the guard in our church responsibilities.
8. We can give more than we think.
9. Our kids provide generous examples of how to give and not regret.
10. Our family has grown more united in purpose to give, save and move toward common goals.

I'm still pondering our next experiment.  Any thoughts?

Honesty Part II - A First Step to Recovery

Just after writing my last post, I found that the LDS church has adapted the original 12 Steps of AA to fit the framework of our beliefs.  It is a beautiful program, and while I don’t mean to make light of people struggling in deeply addictive situations, I have to say that even those of us stuck in less serious habits can benefit from the principles of this program.  Since grocery shopping is slightly less weighty than drug addiction, I’ll lighten up the content to fit this topic.  Again, no intent to offend.

So, I already tackled the first step without even knowing it.  I’ve borrowed from the words I found on the LDS website and adapted my own here, too.

Step 1 - HONESTY.  Admit that you, by your own power, are unable to overcome your bad habit and that your life is less manageable because of it.

I’m Mariah and I have a problem keeping track of how much money I spend, especially at the grocery store, because I love food, and I love to feed people, and sometimes, convenience wins out over convention and at certain stores I can’t be trusted to leave without spending at least $100 (Costco).  This has made my financial life less manageable than it otherwise would be.  Honestly, even when I get my rebate from Costco each year, which is 2% of my annual purchases, I have spent it ten times over in my mind before I even walk into the store.  And, when I come out, I have far overspent my “free” money reward.

There you have it.  Step 1.  The other part of honesty is that when I have this public forum to be accountable to, I am more honest with you all than I am with myself alone.  So, by my own power I have not been able to overcome, but with divine help, and encouragement from friends, I am on my way to living a more manageable abundant life.  It is already evident in my accounts.

Here’s a record of expenditures and meals for the last week:

1/2  - With a miracle ham, a hannukah feast (yes, I just said those two in order), the Sicilian fest my family threw, hosting a farewell for neighbors (which was potluck), and the annual Christmas Eve finger food party behind us I have ………...................................................................................................................$200

1/3 - Bountiful Baskets with extra bread, fruit and olive oil....................................................................$45

1/4 – Costco (I’m getting better)..........................................................................................................$35

1/6 – Shakey’s Pizza (they loaded us up with freebies because they were out of one thing we ordered.  We came home with two boxes of food.)...…………………….........................................................……$30

1/9 – Smith’s Groceries………….......................................................................................................$30

1/10 – 10 days to go, this may be my highest amount yet at this point....................................................$60

Monday 1/2 - Sandwiches

Tuesday 1/3 – Tacos

Wednesday 1 / 4 – Spaghetti carbonara and a red sauce

Thursday 1/5 – Egg rolls, rice, eda mame

Friday 1/6 – Shakey’s Pizza

Saturday 1/7 - Date night, kids fend for themselves

Sunday 1/8 – Pulled pork, rolls, goat cheese and spinach salad, baked potatoes, carrots, olives

Honesty

I put this video here so you could appreciate the chorus of this song and we could all reflect on the level of HONESTY we do, or do not, indulge in.  I'm about ready to confess a few things, so I just wanted to prepare you.

 

 

I made it to December 15th with $20 left of our $300 budget that was meant to last until the 20th.  The boys' birthday dinners were planned and I thought we were going to be fine.  One wanted buffalo wings, the other asked for chicken cordon bleu.  Then, we all split up on a Saturday to do some shopping and I sent half the troop to Costco.  I did NOT say, "By the way, you only have $20 or you'll go out of bounds on our experiment."  I just let them go, and $70 later the deed was done.  Here's how the money went:

 

12/10 - With 10 days, and 2 birthday dinners to go..........................................$46
12/13 - Bountiful Baskets................................................................................$16
12/15 - Breads................................................................................................$10
12/16 - Birthday dinner purchases....................................................................$70
12/19 - Last day of Experiment Period 2..........................................................-$50

Then, the Christmas Holidays hit.  I'm ashamed to admit that I let the whole experiment fly right out the window.  No tracking, no budgeting, no care for how much we'd spent. Looking back it was about about $100 on extra food and specialty items spent between Dec. 24 and Dec. 31.  I will say that we gave our treat jar away, and all the kids added extra money to it before we sealed it up. It was exciting and almost made up for the reckless abandon of birthday dinners and holiday purchases.   Still, even though technically we lived on what we gave, by the letter of the law, we went over budget.

So, it's over and I'm sorry.  I hope to not do it again.  Failure is not defeat, unless I abandon the whole experiment.  But I'm not sure what to do now.  Should I -

1. Pick up where I left off and say, "We spent a $100 of our grocery budget in 5 days, now we only have $200 for the rest of the month,"  or,
2. Reset and say the Holidays were a freebie, we'll be better in the future and get back on track. 

 Let me know what you think.  I really need some direction. 

Homemade for the Holidays - Secret Treasure Book

This is my favorite non-food, homemade-for-the-holidays gift idea this year.  We love antique books at our house and have found some pretty cool looking books, that we don't necessarily want to read, at thrift stores.  If you have a book lover, antique hound, or someone who likes to keep a stash hidden away, this is a thoughtful, fun gift you can make with very little equipment.  Your most important tool for this project will be a sharp utility knife.

I'm not recreating the wheel here.  So, follow the link below for detailed instructions.  Thanks to the author of the Polish the Stars blog.  She documented how to do this very well.  Go check it out.

http://www.polishthestars.com/2010/11/secret-hollow-book.html