Where to begin? With the job that sucked up the last three years of my life or the move across country to my forever dream home?
No matter, I am back with a frugal vengeance and living my best frugal life.
Discovering my dream home, pulling up roots and moving for the first time in more than three decades was a huge decision but one that took me away from a frankly toxic, degenerating urban environment to peace, calm, clean air and water, and yes, surprise for this city girl, a bit of country living.
The great thing about where we live now is that it is a small town in Northern coastal Virginia where frugal living is not only acceptable but approved of and embraced. Back in Silicon Valley, if you were counting pennies, you had better never let anyone know about it. You are looked down upon if you don’t flaunt an overpriced trendy car and throw your financial weight around with the latest in designer duds.
Fine for some but I wanted more for my remaining years. I wanted clean living, simple pleasures and most of, I wanted none of the toxic culture and hypocrisy that still permeates Silicon Valley like a seeping, deadly poison.
So, fast forward 20 months into my adventure and I now have the time and mindset to again share my tips and hacks for frugal living.
One of the first things you learn when you relocate is what is cheaper and what is more expensive. Well, coming from the outrageous cost of living in California, there was/is precious little that costs more where I now reside but there are a few things.
Take produce for one. That one has been a toughie for veggie loving me. After moving I quickly found that season produce was reasonably priced but out of season? Not so much. They have to ship everything here from other states which is not like California which has the benefit of being an agricultural mecca for most produce and nearly year-round at that. So, the first thing I did was switch to eating primarily in season when it comes to fruits and veggies. I miss grabbing bags full of buttery, ripe avocados year-round but man, is summer corn now special or what? I also found that my best prices were going to be at a local mega-Walmart which still has the best produce selection around. That and my year-round garden rounds out my everlasting quest for produce along with the frankly one-off trips to yes I’ll admit it, Whole Foods. It is the only place I can get fresh Fresno chilis. Until I learn how to grow them that is. So, frugal tip: work hard to source the best priced food you can. No matter where you live, find those frugal sources and keep track of pricing, especially for in-season produce where you can buy in bulk and then frugally prep, freeze, can, pickle, etc. My first summer in my new home I gamely planted my first test garden to learn from the local environment. Some things died from the brutal heat, but others thrived. I had so many pickling cucumbers I am still working through all the jars of pickles I canned. This year was a good ‘tomato’ year so I have been freezing bags full so I can spend a cold winter day making my homemade pasta sauce. That day is coming sooner than I suspect as the leaves are now falling. Recipe is below and as always, it allows for you to use up what you have on hand and waste nothing.
Another perk of this move: I get to experience the four full seasons of weather.
Use it Up Pasta Sauce
Ingredients:
Pounds of tomatoes, whatever you have frozen or collected from your garden. I use about 5 pounds
Two large onions, variety is your choice. I tend to try and use up my white or yellow onions for this. Roughly chopped.
One head of garlic, minced (I confess I often use prepared minced garlic for this)
Two large cans of tomato sauce (I use dollar store canned tomatoes for this) and two cans full of water
1 leftover parmesan rind (which we frugal folks squirrel away in the freezer for just such opportunities)
Two heaping tablespoons of dried Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to taste
Veggies such as a couple of carrots (they help balance the acidity of the sauce), zucchini, leeks, broccoli…just use up what is lying around in your vegetable crisper drawer (chop the veggies well, into very small bits)
Fist fulls of herbs from your crisper or garden including parsley, basil, rosemary, chives, oregano, thyme, etc. (sage is not a good choice however)
Big knob (about 1/4 cup) of tomato paste. I buy it in a large dollar store can, smear the contents onto wax paper and roll cylinders of the paste and then freeze. I cut off chunks as needed.
Method: Heat a tablespoon or two of vegetable oil in a large pot and add the onions. Soften them up for a few minutes before adding the garlic. Stir for a minute or two and add the vegetables to again soften. Add tomato sauces and tomatoes (defrosted if you have been keeping them on ice). Mix well and pour everything into a slow cooker. Add seasonings and roughly chopped herbs. Set on low for 8 hours, stirring occasionally. Keep an eye on it because the sauce can burn. In the last hour, add in the tomato paste and stir well to thicken. Adjust the seasoning to taste and if too acidic, add a tablespoon of plain, white sugar if needed. That’s a Nona hack if there ever was one. Cool and process batches in your blender to create a smooth, velvety sauce. Freeze in jars that have been disinfected in boiling hot water for ten minutes.
Variations: if you want you can add leftover ground beef, ground sausage, etc. at the end and before you pack and freeze. I like to wait and add meat for my carnivore of a partner until I defrost a jar and use it for a meal but ground meats freeze well suspended in the sauce. Be aware that the defrosted product may be a little watery so you should heat and boil it to thicken if that happens. I will add a bit more tomato paste if this happens which speeds up the thickening process.
Frugal additions: Heavy cream or even some leftover cream cheese? Add it in to melt, making for an even smoother sauce. Save up scraps of leftover meat in your freezer and add in during the last hour in the slow cooker. Add in dollops of leftover pesto if you have some lying around.
the house behind 