Indebted Servitude

The Vanier Institute of the Family recently released a report that said that the average Canadian family holds $95,000 in debts. The study did not say whether mortgages accounted for some of that burden, but I would like to believe yes, mortgages do factor in. If the opposite is true... well what does that say for our nation's ability to keep consumer debt at bay.

If you would like to read an abridged version of the report (aka the Cliff's notes) check CBC.

I found this study interesting for many reasons. It makes the connection between the 1990s as the decade that savings took a dive, compared to the new century which saw overall household debt increase substantionally. It would seem as a nation we are very good at making money, and very good at spending it. In fact we are so good at spending it we spend more than we make. This is not good.

As a general rule I hate debt. I see debt as a four letter word. Any amount of debt means servitude, you are restrained from living the life you want today because of the overspending you performed yesterday. It's a never ending cycle. You are not only indebted financially but you are indebted with your life. That couch, that car, that shopping spree (all bought on credit) is banked on your ability to produce income tomorrow. And as the last two year have proven your ability to make money may not entirely be in your own hands.

Not only are you required to pay it back but you will be required to pay it back with interest.

No one can argue that getting out of debt is the single most important thing for your financial future. Keeping track of your spending today keeps your future earnings free and you have bought yourself some well earned freedom. The old saying, "A penny saved is a penny earned" is a misnomer, it should be "A penny saved is two pennies earned".

To get out of debt, you need a plan. First things first, find out what you owe. You'd be surprised by the number of people who don't do a regular tally of their indebted servitude. Next is to find out your interest rates. Some loans, like car loans, can be as low as 5 per cent, credit cards creep up every year. That card you applied for last year at the 6 per cent interest rate is probably well over 12 per cent or even higher now. Make a point to check interest rates every time you receive your statement.

If your credit is in good standing and you have been making regular payments call and ask for a reduction in your interest rate. This works, trust me. You can do this twice a year. If you've made some bad decisions, raked up a large credit card debt and missed a few payments your rates will be over 20 per cent. Doesn't have to stay that way. Buckle down. Make your payments before the due date and call in a few months to ask for a reduced interest rate.

Make sure you check your statements for the payment due date. These change frequently. If you are good at checking your bills, you will notice the due date used to be the 15th of the month, but then suddenly the money is due on the 13th. This is how banks make their money. They expect you to not check your dates. "Would you look at that you were two days late! Poor baby..." they can now charge you extra interest or can up your interest rate which doesn't go down until you call.

There is some old advice that says you should pay off the card with the highest interest rate first, but I have a different approach. You should pay off the card with the lowest balance first. Let's say between you and your spouse you have three credit cards one with $10,000 balance, one with $5,000 balance and another with just under a $1,00 owing. If it were me I would pay the $1,000 card off first even though it may be the card with the lowest interest rate. Being able to cut up a card and scratch it off your list is a major boost to debt conquering endeavors. The card with a $10,000 owing is going to take a long time to bury and you are more likely to get discouraged along the way. It's best to keep the momentum and take care of it in steps and stages.

Get out some books at the library on personal finance, read, read, read. Take control of your finances and make a plan. It may take years to accomplish your goal but a worthy goal it is. For a little comic relief along the way check Confessions of a Shopaholic out of your library. Just make sure you bring the books back before the due date...the library charges interest too.

My newest Quilt project

I needed to make a table cover for my small end table. The colours of my living room are red, white and black but I wanted to start incorporating a bit of blue.



I recently realized what style I am as far as home decorating. After years of having an eclectic mix of this and that I discovered the style I am most passionate about is primitive, rustic country. So over time I collected items at second hand stores and I have crafted my own treasures to come up with a very comfortable home. It's a work in progress, but I am certainly not the type of person to run out and buy what I am looking for. More often, I have an idea and I watch the store and wait. Sometimes I wait for months before finding what I was looking for.

Life gives ya lemons...

make some yummy lemonade!

Looks like we may be staying here for a bit longer. Bad news is we won't be buying our homestead as soon as we thought. Good news is I can probably get one more season out of my garden back there! Yea!

Blog Awards

I have recently received two blog awards.

One was given a while ago, that I hadn't gotten around to doing the legwork for. Thank you Mama at Moo said the Mama.



The second one is from Sue at Living the Good Life. Thanks Sue.



Both these awards were a nice surprise. I like having an excuse to list and provide links for blogs that I feel are top notch. However the one blog award requires me to award 10 other bloggers, while the second blog award requires me to to award 15 bloggers. That is A LOT of work!

So since I am a rule breaker at heart, I have decided not to list 25 bloggers (I have always hated chain letters). Below you will find a list of the blogs I like and hopefully you will click to their sites and leave a comment. A comment is like a payment for the time people invest in their blogs.

At Home In Logs
Follow this family as they build their own cabin in the woods...I am so jealous!

Becky's FarmTV
Becky is so sweet. She have many videos pertaining to life on the farm.

Consumption Rebellion
A blog that gives readers lots of think about.

Crazy Mom Quilts
Lots of tutorials for novice and experienced quilters

Down to Earth
A very popular Aussie blog with an accompanying forum to connect with other country and environmental types. Many tutorials can be found here.

Eat At Dixie's
Again, a blog with lots to ponder.

Poverty Jane
A very awe-inspiring blog.

Birth of A Homestead
Some newbies like me who have land and are a bit farther along than me

This Handmade Life
Aussie blog with this and that

Towards Sustainability
An abundance if info can be found here. Another Aussie blog... I spend my winters fantasizing about moving to Australia.

So there you have it, my list. Thanks again Sue and Mama for the awards. And thanks everyone for visiting my blog and leaving comments.

Soda can kill you!

Hello, my name is Tracy and I have a cola addiction.

It saddens me and embarrasses me to say this but I am a heavy user...or should I say former heavy user. I can thank this lovely article in the Globe and Mail. As someone who consumed (way) more than 2 sodas a week I am 87 per cent more likely to develop pancreatic cancer.

I have always known my propensity for sugary drinks was not good for me, and I had some real plans to kick the habit, some day. I don't drink alcohol. I don't smoke. I have never done illegal drugs and keep my prescription usage to only when necessary. I enjoy a relatively natural lifestyle and my sugar addiction had to go.

I have been soda free for almost two weeks. My primary beverage is now water and I feel great! My skin looks nicer, more rosy and overall I just feel healthy. Kicking the soda habit has also helped me lower my snacking overall. I crave sweets less and less each day. I am really starting to take my health seriously. I am buying more organic food than I ever had.

Saying no to Cola and supermarket meat is really making a difference for me. I have lost 6 lbs, have more energy and look forward to more dietary changes for me and my family.

Winter Updates

Winter drags on. It has not been a terrible winter. We haven't had a storm since before Christmas and this is an area famous for once a week dumpings of white stuff.



My daughter's birthday is in a few weeks and my son's is quickly there after. Once preparations for her birthday begins I know it is the beginning of the end.

I think I will start decorating for Easter/Spring soon. I am not even sure what date Easter falls on this year (we haven't bought a calendar yet) and so I am most likely way too early, but hey, anything to get me through these last few weeks.

I don't think I have posted about my new course I started in January. I have gone back and forth about whether to register for years now and finally realized there is never a good time so I went a head and I did it. I am studying to be a Library & Information Technician. I hope to obtain a part time position at a library in a few years, once the kids are in their mid-teens and homeschooling them won't take up so much of my time. This diploma should compliment my Journalism and Creative Writing diplomas. Perhaps one day I will actually bite the bullet and start working on my University degree but then again maybe not.

Make Ahead Lasagna

I like preparing meals two or three at a time, eating one the day I make it and freezing the other two for meals later in the month. The meal I make most regularly this way is Lasagna.




Making three at once helps save money as well, this is how...

When I make 3 lasagnas I purchase two boxes of noodles, two cans of sauce, one 500 ml tub of cottage cheese, 1 package of frozen chopped spinach (I use half) and 2 cups of mozzarella.

Already it is obvious I only buy two or less of each item, however if I was making just one I would still need to buy at least one of each. Buying multiples and dividing it up among 3 pans maximizes materials and time.

Here's my recipe:

While noodles are boiling, mix together 500 ml of cottage cheese and 1/2 package of frozen chopped spinach (about one cup). Add salt and pepper. You can also add some mozzarella to this filling, but I do not to save money.



Once noodles are boiled, drain. Open two cans of pasta sauce. Start layering, noodles, sauce, noodles sauce. Some where in the middle pour 1/3 of the filling and spread out evenly.

Finish with a layer of sauce, and top with shredded mozzarella cheese.

Bake one at 350F for 30 minutes. Wrap other two pans in tin foil** and freeze. Lasagna can keep in the freezer for about a month and a half.

When ready to cook, de-thaw in fridge overnight the day before then when ready, place in oven bake at 350F for 30 to 40 minutes. I have also de-thawed at room temperature for 8 or so hours if I forgot the night before.

** the tinfoil can be folded gently and used again, or in my area tin foil is recyclable.

Less Meat and Our Health

Since scaling back our meat consumption I have noticed my energy level dropping considerably. We haven't gone completely meatless. We stick to organic meats. Even still, we only consume about one meal a week with meat in it.

At first I did not make the connection between my energy and our change in diet. One morning, a few hours into my day, and I was struggling to keep my eyes open. I wondered if my sudden drop in energy could be related to a vitamin deficiency and after a bit of googling I found what I was looking for.

Iron is a mineral which for most of us is consumed via red meat. Iron can also be found in leafy greens, diary poducts, beans and iron-enriched pasta. Because we are not eating as much meat I know I need to pay closer attention to our diets.

I purchased daily vitamin supplements for my kids and myself. I compared each brand to find the one with the most iron. A vegetarian friend of mine recommended I cook in my iron skillet, which I do fairly often. And I have also decided to included a salad rich in leafy greens with every meal.

Since implementing these things over the last four days I have seen major improvements in my energy level. By jove, I think it's working!

Whole Wheat Raisin Bread

Oh so good and good for you too! Molasses gives it the rich brown colour and adds a taste of downhome cooking.


In a large 4 cup liquid measuring place:

2 1/2 cups of warm water
4 1/2 tsp of yeast

Mix together set aside.

In a large bowl, place:

6 1/2 cups of whole wheat flour
4 tbsp of margarine or butter
1/2 cup of sugar
3 tsp of salt
3 tbsp of molasses
3 tsp of cinnamon (or more if desired!)

Mix together and slowly add water/yeast mixture. Mix in mixer or with hands until dough pulls away from side and forms a round dough in centre of bowl.

Add 1 cup of raisins.



Knead by folding dough and pressing with your palm. Knead until dough is uniform.

Place tea towel over bowl and place in Off Oven with oven light on. Let rise 40 minutes. Knead once again, and rise 30 minutes. Form into loaves and place in greased loaf pan. Allow to rise again. Bake at 350F for 30 to 40 minutes until golden brown, and pulls away from the edge of the loaf pan.

Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes before slicing. Enjoy!

Staying at Home

Yesterday I posted about the Real Housewives of Orange County, today I am back from fantasyland and will be talking about real bousewives, you know, the kind of woman who acts as cook, chauffer, nanny, maid, guidance counsellor and CEO practically single handedly.

This is not a post about the choice between career and home. There is enough lively debate on the internet about such things. I firmly believe that the feminist movement was a catalyst for choice, whichever you choose. Because of my choice, I will spend most of my time talking about being a stay at home mom, a housewife, or as I like to dubb myself, The House Mouse. I have been on both sides of the counter and for the time being I like being a housewife.

Housewives tend to be underrated in our society. Sometimes they are often viewed with scorn or jealousy. Somewhere in our modern ways of the two-income trap, housewives became associated with luxury. The choice to stay at home, thus foregoing a second income, is out of the realm of possibility for many. There are numerous women out there who have to work. It is because of these women who have to help the family finances, that I feel there is a monocure of luxury involved with being a housewife.

It certainly isn't luxurious by way of work load, or stress or even time to one self. Staying home requires work in that money can often be an issue and moms at home need to be relentless in minding the budget and pursuing money saving activities to keep the home running smoothly. In that respect, it is not luxury.

I often tell my husband that I am spoiled. I am not spoiled in the sense that I get whatever I want, or that I am living the high life. I feel spoiled in that I have a choice. I choose to make laundry soap, cookies and muffins so that our family can survive on less income. I stick to a tight budget and plan menus so I can stay home. I clean toilets, scrub ovens and dust so that the world will be a better place -- okay so I made that last one up.

Being a housewife or stay at home mom can be challenging but it can also be wonderously rewarding. I used to have a career. I worked in newspapers interviewing mayors and town councillors. I was working out of my car and staying up late at night to file a last minute story. I was trying to have it all but it just wasn't working for me. Luckily we were not saddled with a large debt so the choice to stay at home became a simple mathematic equation. Money in, money out. I let go of my career and sought out other creative outlets. In the last three years since I have been strictly a housewife not much has changed.

I still lack a clear direction in my life. I still flip flop about what I would like to do or where exactly I see myself going. But I tell ya for all the uncertainty in my future, I know one thing that will most definitely come to pass; my children will continue to grow day by day. One day, not too soon I hope, I will turn around and they will be fully grown, registering for university and asking to borrow the car. We are on borrowed time and this luxury of staying home will be but a memory. I might as well enjoy this time while it's here even if it means scrubbing a toilet from time to time.

The Real Housewives

Here we see the Housewife in her natural habitat, a glass of wine pinched between her long slender fingers showing off her manicured (often fake) nails and blinding rings. We see the attention to detail in her bleach blond choif no doubt straightened and sprayed with an interesting array of toxic fixatives. Housewives in this region are often seen wearing Prada, Gucci and Vuitton, often spending thousands of dollars for petrol-derived fabrics and materials. A rare breed, these women are often associated with a self-centred nature and inability to see beyond the gates of their community of million dollar mansions and lifestyle of leisure. This is a stellar find, ladies and gentlemen, a rare glimpse into the lives of these ellusive creatures.



I don't know why I enjoy watching The Real Housewives of Orange County. I laugh at them. Make fun of their selfish children and get a genuine kick out of their stunned faces when any adversity comes their way. Maybe it's my replacement for gossip. Rather than people in real life bearing the brunt of my scorn, I feel no guilt lavishing judgement on these horrendously self-centred women. Call me crazy but given the fact that they signed up for this gig, a job made from being in the spotlight, something tells me they are just dying for attention, good or bad, ergo I do not have to feel guilty.

When I think about it though, this show can be very depressing as well. Here I am, and many others in the voluntary simplicity movement, are making significant changes in our lifestyles to lesson the burden of over consumption on our planet. We "simple people" are foregoing gigantic houses, room-size closets and oddles of bling in an attempt to make a difference in our world. It's show's like this that really put the spotlight on the sabotoagging efforts of others. It goes back to that old quote:

Live simply that others might simply live.

~Elizabeth Seaton

I am under no illusions though. I realize that my choices do not directly benefit have not's in this world. The meat I do not buy is not sent to starving children. The designer clothes I choose to do without do not end up warming someone in need. I make these simple choices for the bigger picture. By not eating supermarket meat, I am telling farming corporations that I would rather eat grains and legumes. By saying no to diamonds from the Congo I am directly refusing to participate in the strife in that region. By making these choices I am creating an effect. Albeit a relatively small effect however if my choices influence the choices of others (through this blog and the relationships I have in real life) it can have an amazing effect on our world over our lifetime.

There will always be high maintenance people, people who chant "Because I deserve it" in their heads whenever guilt over their consumption strikes them. There will always be gluttonous people who think nothing of the effect their purchasing habits has. I can not stop my beliefs because I meet an adversary. I will not stop these changes because the task seems so impossible. I say let these women have their bling, their vacations, their spray on tans, I want a real life, a true existence whether my efforts matter to them or not.

Garden Planning...not this year.

It seems odd to be into February and I am not planning out my garden as I have in winters past. Planning my garden, day dreaming and plotting out everything has been a great comfort to me during our sometimes relentless winters here. This winter's weather has been fairly mild, so I wonder if perhaps Mother Nature knows an extended winter stay would not be the best thing for me this year.



I am not planning a garden because we are not going to be living here long enough to harvest anything I grow. I have to seed over my little plot so the grass is nice and thick when we move.

Yes, we are moving and it's about time. Where we are moving has yet to be determined. We have a few possibilities on the table but nothing concrete. It partly depends on my son's diagnosis and follow up care requirements, but also partly based on how we feel. It's been a long time coming and I must say, I am a bit anxious to be moving on.

Crazy Life

Life for us is hectic right now. And some days I get overwhelmed and bogged down by it all. My son is currently undergoing a battery of diagnostic tests. We've been to the city, twice in the last two weeks just to visit the hospital for tests. We are not done. There will be more and probably for the rest of his life, he will need to be monitored.

I know as a mother I am suppose to worry and I know our imaginations can often run off course imagining the most horrible of possibilities. But this stress is not a mother freaking out about a trivial health concern. I am a mother praying we find no malignancies. I am holding my breath waiting to hear the world "benign". When I hear that world I can relax and enjoy this life again but for now my days are a zombie walk of uncertainty.

I found this video, searching for some comforting poems. I posted it with the thought that maybe someone else out there is searching for some comfort as well.

Opting Out

A few weeks ago I posted about a show, Kill It Cook It Eat It, which created some much needed discussions in my house about the meat we eat and where it comes from.

I cringe when I think about how industrialized and factory-like the meat industry has become. Farm animals are slaughtered by the thousands in a single day to maximize profits. Animals in huge farms are raised too quickly using growth hormones. Chickens are bred to generate meaty breasts that cause them to fall over. These birds often never see the light of day, they can barely walk around with all that weight and even if they could move their legs under their weight there would be no where to go because of the shear number of other birds crammed in around them. Laying hens are not much better off and spend their entire lives in cages laying eyes and then dying.

In my mind this is deplorable and I will not be a part of it. We are simply opting out.

That is not to say we are vegetarians. We have no qualms about eating meat. However my husband and I have developed an interesting strategy that frees us from the cycle of the meat industry. We will only eat organic meat and free range eggs. That is for the time being while we have no farm of our own, we will purchase meat that is certified organic because this means the meat was raised slowly, without hormones or pesticides. The cost, although much more than supermarket meat, is better reflective of the actual price to keep and raise animals in way that values their lives. We will not consume meat at restaurants.

Because of this increased cost, and anticipated health benefits, we plan to only consume meat once or twice a week. This was easy enough done to our current recipes by making vegetarian chili, or not adding meat to our pasta. Many meals were already meat free so this has been an easy transition.

Eating less meat is a common suggestion for minimizing your eco-footprint. Acres upon acres of prime farmland are used to grow grains for animals which in turn feed us. If as a society we eat the grain instead of the animal there would be enough food for everyone.