Skinnyflints

Haircuts can be really pricey but they don’t have to cost a ton. When I was first hired at my last job, I decided to celebrate by splurging on a super expensive cut at a fancy salon-I’d never had a posh salon haircut so I wanted to see if it was any different from my regular average salon. I probably spent $250, including tip, on a wash, cut, and blow-dry for what ended up being a mediocre haircut. Yes, they brought me fancy tea while I was waiting, and the surroundings were quite posh, but I felt no hotter walking out of the expensive salon than I did after a normal $50 cut at my neighborhood salon. I decided then and there that I would try to find a great haircut for even less.
Luckily, a co-worker came in with a cute new ‘do a couple weeks later, and when I asked where she got it, she let me in on a little secret-she was a patron of the Aveda Institute in NYC. I looked it up online and found a great salon menu with shockingly low prices. I love Aveda products (a lot of them are vegan!) so I was excited to have a chance to experience an Aveda salon without a crazy price tag.
A few months later, I booked an appointment and after that cut, i knew I had found my new salon. For about $25 (including tip), I got the total lux salon experience (tea included)! I have been back many times over the past few years and have always had a great experience. I even had an updo done for a wedding once and it was beautiful-I got a ton of complements!

A couple of tips to help you avoid becoming a beauty school dropout:
-Weekend appointments tend to get booked pretty far in advance, so you may have a better shot at getting a weekday appointment if you need a trim ASAP.
-The stylists are students in training, but everything is monitored by their teachers, so no need to worry about hair disasters.
-Since the students need to consult with their advisors, these cuts take a bit longer than you may be used to (maybe 15 minutes longer), but the results and the savings are worth it!
-There are Aveda Institutes in many cities around the U.S. To see if there is one near you, look here .
-If you are offered an aromatherapy scalp massage, SAY YES!

posted by K

One of the first questions people ask when they come to our apartment for the first time is ‘where’s the TV?’ Our answer, which seems to confuse and amaze people, is that we don’t have one.

The apartment’s TV-lessness started out as an accident. About six years ago, I was cleaning and I bent over and knocked my TV off its stand with my ass. Seriously.

It was an old school TV (not a flatscreen or LCD) and it fell on its screen, the glass shattered and it was kaput. Basic cable was included in the maintenance fees for my apartment, so i could have easily picked up a cheap used TV on craigslist, and not thought twice about it. Instead, I decided to try out not having one for a while and found I quite enjoyed being forced to figure out something else to do when bored-I started going to the library more, listening to NPR instead of watching trash TV while cooking, taking my dog on more walks, and chatting with friends in other cities on the phone more often.  

Since there are TVs in the gym in my building, if I wanted to watch something, I made myself get on the elliptical machine so I could work out while watching. I found that my interest in TV shows waned and I stopped caring what was going to happen on the next installments of my (formerly favorite) shows. Not being exposed to the constant ads was a huge plus as well.   If you don’t want to give up your favorite shows, but want to get rid of your TV, see if your show is available to stream online for free. The New York Public Library has an amazing collection of TV shows and movies on DVD and they will ship anything you want to your local branch for pickup-and it’s all free.

When my boyfriend moved in last year, I asked him if he wanted to get a TV for our apartment (he didn’t have one either) and he said no. He likes watching sports, so if a game he really wants to see is on, he goes to a bar that has the game on, works out in our building’s gym while watching, or he streams it on his laptop.  

Cable is no longer included in the apartment maintenance fees, so it would be about $45/month for basic cable if we wanted to get a TV now, which is $540/year.  We’d rather spend that on beer at the bar. 

posted by K

Our parents are cheapskates and they taught us well.  Here are my favorite 10 lessons in thrift:

1) Keeping up with the Joneses is stupid, and the Joneses are probably broke.

2) Always live below your means.

3) Cooking at home is enjoyable, relaxing, doesn’t have to be complicated, and can save you thousands of dollars every year.

4) If you can’t afford to pay cash, you can’t afford it period (houses and tuition are exempt from this rule, provided the debt burden isn’t too high).

5) Don’t buy if you can borrow-the library is a fantastic source for endless entertainment & education.

6) Rescue dogs love you more than dogs you can buy at pet stores or breeders.

7) Paying full retail prices is a waste of money-you can find high quality clothes at thrift stores and discount stores like Marshall’s and TJ Maxx.

8) Just because something is cheap, it doesn’t mean it’s worth it-only buy what you need, and quality matters.

9) Pay your credit card bill in full every month.

10) Always have an emergency fund.  (A shoe sale doesn’t count as an emergency!)

posted by K

Ingredients (makes 3 servings):

Carrotcini:

6 carrots, scrubbed and peeled

Rawfredo Sauce:

Juice and zest of 1/2 lemon

Almond pulp from one batch of Homemade Almond Milk

1/4 c Homemade Almond Milk

1/4 c nutritional yeast

1/4 c raw flax seeds

Salt, to taste

Step 1: Sice the carrots into ribbons with a mandoline or veggie peeler.

Step 2: Blend all of the sauce ingredients except flax seeds & salt on high until sauce is as smooth as you can get it (it will be very liquidy). Slowly add the flax seeds and continue to blend until the sauce has thickened (you don’t need a Vitamix for this- my 12 year old Hamilton Beach blender works great!). Add salt to taste.

Step 3: Toss the sauce with the carrots and mix well. Serve at room temperature with a sprinkle of parsley or micro greens (optional).  Keeps well in the fridge for 2-3 days. 

While a deal such as my sister’s Stuart Weitzmans is rare, if you do find a cute & high quality pair of shoes in your size (or 1/2 size too small!) at a thrift store, and you think you will wear them often, I think it makes sense to buy them even if you could buy a new pair that looks similar for less money elsewhere.  Say what?

You heard me.  Shoes are a fashion necessity that take a serious beating if you are a skinnyflint in NYC.  (None of that taking cabs everywhere bullshit like those Sex & the City spendthrifts! Provided it’s not too late at night, skinnyflints take public transportation and hoof it the rest of the way home!)  

Shoes are one area where I strongly recommend paying up a little bit for quality if you are going to wear them often.  P could probably find some cute cheap pumps at Payless or Target for $15, but they would probably barely last a year (I’ve owned several pairs of cheap quality shoes and they never last long, and every time you get a new pair, you have to break them in which can = big time blisters).  Since she’s a skinnyflint, I know she’ll take good care of her new-to-her Weitzmans, and they will serve her well for several years.  

So is $25 for used shoes a better deal than $15 for new ones?  It depends on the quality!  I took a shoe-making class several years ago (yes, it was awesome), and I learned that well-made shoes are made to last (excuse the pun-in case you aren’t a shoe nerd like us, a last is the form that shoes are molded on).  

This is not a fairy tale: Eight years ago, I found three pairs of Salvatore Ferragamo boots (in Caramel, Dark Brown, and Black and sizes 8.5-9 (I’m a 9)) at a consignment store on the Upper East Side for $100 TOTAL.  Dear reader, I bought them.  I wore them every winter until I became vegan and wearing leather made me feel weird , so I passed them on to my sister and she is now a proud owner of 3 pairs of fabulous boots in fabulous condition.  These shoes are at least eight years old.  I wore them a LOT.  I also took great care of them, getting them re-soled several times, and keeping them shined and polished.  Those boots will probably last for another 8 years, or more.  Meanwhile, the cheap vegan (ie non-leather) boots I bought last year for $75 are dying despite a recent resoling (damn you, vegan conscience!).

Happy thrifting!

posted by K

If you love thrift store shopping as much as I do, there will come a day when you find an incredible bargain on beautiful designer shoes…that are a half-size too small. Rather than pass up this amazing deal, you can use the following simple technique to stretch out your shoes:

1. Douse a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol, and carefully apply it to the inside of each shoe. Slip on a pair of old socks and wear the shoes for about 20 minutes. The warmth of your feet will help to accelerate the stretching process. Repeat this for a few days until you can wear the shoes comfortably.

2. Invest in a pair of shoe stretchers. Mine are plastic and cost less than $10. You can find similar products on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Stretchers-Keeper-Women-Shaper/dp/B004QDWBEU. Keep the stretchers in your shoes when you’re not wearing them to ensure that they don’t shrink back to their original size.

This technique will only work if your dream shoes are about a half-size too small, so don’t be greedy and buy a pair of size 6 shoes if your feet are size 9! 

About six months ago I found a gorgeous pair of barely-worn black Stuart Weitzman loafers at my local American Cancer Society thrift store for $25. Such pairs normally retail for $250 to $300, way more than I would normally be willing to pay for work shoes. Sadly, they were a size 8 (I wear 8.5). I wasn’t sure that they could be stretched, but they were such a fabulous deal that I figured it was worth a try. I’m happy to report that after using the stretching technique described above, the shoes are quite comfortable and they are now my go-to work shoes. :) 

- posted by P

I love Zooey Deschanel. She’s funny, gorgeous and has the best fashion sense ever. And I love how she rocks her chocolate brown locks without feeling the need to get highlights (unlike every other female Los Angeles resident with dark hair), thus saving herself at least $150 a month on hair color alone. So imagine how delighted I was to learn that Ms. Zooey has been touted by the press as a ”relatively frugal spender.” It turns out that everyone’s favorite Manic Pixie Dream Girl is filing for divorce from her husband Ben Gibbard, and in her divorce papers (filed in January), she’s disclosed the following details of her financial life:

Monthly salary (for her role on New Girl): $95,000

Monthly expenses: $22,500 (including $2,000 a month on clothing, $500 a month on dining out and $1,500 a month on charitable donations)

Net worth: $3,916,300 (including stocks, savings and real estate worth $693,000)

Credit card debt: $0

For most of us, monthly expenses of $22,500 would in no way be considered frugal, but let’s suspend our disbelief for just one moment. Ms. Deschanel lives in the alternate universe known as Hollywood stardom, where celebrities regularly purchase $10 million homes, carry $34,000 Hermes Birkin bags, and are spotted by the papparazzi eating every meal of the day at pricey restaurants. This is also a universe in which highly paid stars such as Gary Busey (who starred in Point Break and Lethal Weapon) declare bankruptcy after years of reckless financial decision-making and good old-fashioned squandering of resources.

Although her monthly expenses are rather staggering to the average skinnyflint, Zooey is apparently a rarity in Hollywood—someone who spends far less that what she makes. Assuming a tax rate of 45%, Zooey’s expenses total just a bit more than 50% of her take-home pay, leaving about $20,000 at the end of each month for retirement accounts and other savings. And with a market value of $693,000, Zooey’s house is far more modest than the homes of many of her Hollywood compatriots (not to mention many of my fellow attorneys, who live in homes worth twice that yet bring home a fraction of Zooey’s monthly earnings). Even though it’s cheap by L.A. standards, our dear girl’s abode is stylish and artful, disproving an acquaintance’s pronouncement that “you can’t buy a nice house in L.A. for less than $1 million.” 

Even if New Girl was canceled tomorrow, with a little bit of budget trimming, Zooey could probably live on the interest from her investments for a good long while until she figures out her next venture. She clearly enjoys her money, but also plans for the future. And in my book, that makes her a skinnyflint.

-posted by P

Cuz I love her. Just like for people, healthy dog gums = healthier dog bodies.

I did not start regularly brushing my dogter’s teeth until her last dental cleaning, which scared the bejeesus out of me (and cost a pretty penny too). For a proper dental cleaning, dogs must be put under general anesthesia so the vet or dental tech can get to all of the areas that need attention. General anesthesia is scary, and gets even scarier as your dog gets older. Those that offer anesthesia-free cleaning are basically committing malpractice, according to a friend of mine who is a vet-they can’t get to the worst of the tartar/decay and are giving you a false bill of health once they finish, while the bad stuff remains on the teeth they couldn’t get to.

One way to reduce the frequency of professional dental cleanings is to brush your dog’s teeth regularly. The cleaner her teeth are on a daily basis, the less often she will need scaling & polishing done by your vet. Treats like Greenies and Flossies can help clean your dog’s teeth, but nothing beats brushing.

Nina hated getting her teeth brushed until I decided to try seafood flavor toothpaste (she rejected peanut butter, chicken, and beef flavors). Now, tooth brushing is a treat! (for her…I don’t particularly enjoy the seafood breath)

Next time you are at the vet’s office, ask your vet to show you the right way to brush your dog’s teeth.

In the meantime, begin training your dog to enjoy the tooth brushing experience. Here’s how:

Be sure to get a toothpaste for pets. Try out different flavors if your dog doesn’t seem to love the first one-you want the toothpaste to taste so good that your dog participates in the tooth-brushing process.

Give more praise than you ever have throughout the training process, and every single time you brush your dog’s teeth!

Start out by letting your dog lick a tiny bit of toothpaste off your finger once a day for a couple of days. Once she is used to that, slowly progress to rubbing some toothpaste onto her teeth with your finger, first only her front teeth, and then, as she gets used to it over the next few days or weeks, moving to her back teeth. Once she accepts that, slowly introduce a toothbrush.

I use a soft kid’s toothbrush for Nina, since her mouth is pretty small. After the brushing, she likes chewing the bristles for a bit to get all of the toothpaste out.

It takes less than five minutes once you get the hang of it, and it’s a piece of your dog’s health that you can control!

Good luck and three cheers for doggy dental health!

Posted by K

The brightness of lemon + the earthiness of pumpkin = a fantastic combination! 

We’ve been having ABC Bran Muffins for breakfast for the past 2 weeks and it’s time for something new. I was too lazy to go to the grocery store today so I had to use what I had on hand.  We’ve had a big bowl of mashed pumpkin in the freezer since the fall, when pumpkins were on super sale at the farmers’ market. I bought too many, roasted them, scooped out the flesh and froze it for a rainy (or not so rainy, as it turned out) day.   You can use canned, or freshly roasted pumpkin or any other sweet winter squash for this recipe (Butternut and Kabocha squashes would probably be amazing).

Ingredients (Makes 12 muffins):

Dry Ingredients: 

2 c whole wheat flour (I am partial to Bob’s Red Mill’s organic flours)

1/3 c granulated sugar (I like Florida Crystals’ Organic and Vegan certified sugar)

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinamon

Wet Ingredients: 

2.5 c mashed pumpkin or squash

1/3 c lemon juice

1 tbsp minced lemon zest

1/4 c maple syrup

1/4 c canola oil

1/2 c non-dairy milk (I used Homemade Almond Milk)

3 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer, whisked with 4 tbsp warm water until frothy

Preheat oven to 400 (F) and place paper liners in your muffin tins, or grease lightly.

Step 1: In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Step 2: In another bowl, combine the wet ingredients and mix well.  It’s okay if there are small chunks of pumpkin, but break up bigger ones with your spoon. 

Step 3: Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir until just combined. 

Step 4: Spoon the batter into the lined or grease muffin tins.  The batter will go above the top of the tins, that is fine.  They will look something like this:

Step 5: Bake for 30-40 minutes, until a knife inserted into a muffin comes out without batter on it.  Remove from the oven, allow to cool in tins for 5-10mins, then remove from muffin pan and cool on a wire rack (or if you don’t have a wire rack (i don’t), use another muffin tin turned upside-down, and place the muffins so air can flow underneath them so they will cool without getting soggy). 

These books have all forced me to really think about how I think about money. Check them out at your local library!

1) Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin, Joe Dominguez, and Monique Tilford
A classic. Their theory: money = life energy. What are you spending yours on?
2) The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas Stanley and William Danko
You may be surprised to learn that most of America’s real millionaires don’t live ‘Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.’ They are frugal, hardworking people who prefer financial security to living like the Joneses.
3) The Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn
Amy and her husband took frugality to the next level-and live a happy and fulfilled life on far less money than most people think they need to survive. An indispensable resource-I bought my copy after borrowing my sister’s (she bought hers after checking the book out from the library and realizing she would use it often enough at home to justify buying it).
4) Affluenza: The All-Consuming Epidemic by John De Graaf
An enlightening treatise that shows consumerism for what it truly is-an unsustainable way of life. They also provide the cure for the epidemic!
5) The Money Book for the Young, Fabulous, and Broke by Suze Orman
A great primer on personal finance. Not just for the young and broke!

Posted by K

I joined the YMCA last summer after a herniated disk forced me to stop all exercise except swimming (thanks to extensive physical therapy, I’m all better now). The Westside Y, on 63rd between Broadway and Central Park West, has a beautiful Spanish tiled indoor pool that is kid-free, which was a major selling point for me as I am squeamish when it comes to public pools (i like most kids, just don’t like the thought of swim diapers…ewww). They have a separate pool for swim lessons for the little ones. When I joined, I decided to sign up for the citywide membership option, because it was only $4 more per month than just joining the Westside Y.

Citywide membership is $97/month which was a no-brainer for me when I was employed, because my employer reimbursed me for my gym membership fees. Now that I’m unemployed & have to pay for it myself, it’s still a great deal for me because I am addicted to yoga and ballet and I get unlimited classes at every Y in the city.

Yoga and ballet classes in NYC are $15-25/class at private studios. I take 1 yoga class and 3 ballet classes at the Y in an average week, which would cost me anywhere from $60-100 per week, or up to $5,200 in a year, vs $1,164/year at the Y. The Y also offers financial assistance, so anyone who wants to join can, regardless of their ability to pay the monthly fees.

My Kundalini yoga class on Monday mornings at the Westside Y has kept me sane this past few months. Cathy is hands down the best yoga teacher I’ve had anywhere in NYC (and I’ve taken yoga at several gyms and studios). Ballet at the McBurney Y on 14th street is taught by John Ollom, a professional dancer who has graced stages all over the world. His depth of knowledge is incredible, and his teaching style suits me perfectly-he is funny, warm, charismatic, and makes me want to be a better dancer. John teaches 5 ballet classes each week, and also offers one cardio jazz class, and a core conditioning class. Adult ballet classes are taught by different teachers at the Midtown East, Park Slope, and Park Slope Armory locations.

In addition to my regular classes, i have access to the gym, pools, sauna and steam room, and I’ve tried several fun and beginner-friendly classes, like Masala Bhangra (Bollywood style dance), Vinyasa yoga, kettlebells, and Pilates. Once summer rolls back around, you can bet I will back in the pool at least three days a week. Could I save even more money by not having a gym membership at all? Yes, but the joy I get from every class is worth even more to me than what I spend on membership. Plus, I’d be bored out of my mind if I didn’t have regular classes to attend!

But the best part about the Y? I feel like I belong.  Members are friendly and kind to one another, there are people of all ages, sizes, colors, and classes, and there is none of the competitiveness and snobbery/elitism that I have witnessed at other gyms in the city.

posted by K

Nina hadn’t had a bath in a while, and thanks to the warm weather we’ve had the past few days in NYC, she started shedding like a mofo. So yesterday afternoon was doggy bath time, an experience neither of us enjoys, but we both sucked it up and got through it.

I started bathing Nina at home after a trip to a groomer soon after I adopted her left her shell-shocked and trembling. If your dog is skittish around new people and/or hates getting wet, getting hosed down by a stranger can be a very scary experience, no matter how nice, gentle, and talented that stranger is.

Dog grooming services are also quite expensive, with baths alone running upwards of $50 in the city. If your dog doesn’t need a special haircut, ear cleaning, or anal gland expression (ewwwwww), and just needs a bath, it’s easy to do at home (you can do the haircuts and other stuff at home as well, but since my dog thankfully doesn’t need any of that, I can’t tell you how).

Here’s our method:

Step 1: Prepare: Remove anything that you don’t want to get totally soaked from the bathroom (bath mats, people towels, etc). Get a pile of towels to dry your dog off with and place them as far from the tub as possible. If it’s winter, turn up the heat to help your dog dry off faster. Fill the tub with warm water to a level that will be halfway up your dog’s legs. Take the cap off your dog shampoo and put it next to the tub (I use an all-natural puppy and kitten shampoo that I got from my local pet supply store). Get a plastic bowl to use for pouring water over your pup and a washcloth for her face. Wear clothes that you won’t mind getting wet. Grab some treats.

Step 2: Get your dog into the tub and give her a cookie as soon as she is in. Be sure to tell her what a great job she is doing the entire time she is in the tub! Remove her collar and get the washcloth wet, squeeze out excess water and gently wipe her face and top of her head with the washcloth.

Step 3: Use the bowl to pour water over her from the neck down. Doggy ears are sensitive and getting water in them can cause ear infections if they aren’t dried properly, so try to avoid getting them wet. Rub the water into her fur with your hands to make sure it gets into her undercoat and to the skin. Grab the shampoo and pour some into your hands. Work it into a lather and massage it into the fur. Use the bowl to pour water all over your dog and get all of the shampoo out of the fur. Even if you think all of the shampoo is out, do another rinse just to be sure. Give her a treat.

Step 4: Begin to drain the tub and let your dog shake off a couple times. Help her out of the tub (it will be slippery if you don’t have a rubber mat on the bottom of your tub & she may not be able to get good enough footing to jump over the edge). Once she’s out, let her shake off again, then grab the towels and begin to dry her off. I like to wrap Nina up so only her face is showing and carry her around for a little while. She looooves being wrapped up so I feel like it takes away some of the discomfort of being wet.  Change out the towels as they soak through.

Step 5: Once she is completely dry, give her a good brushing and take her out on a walk so she can strut her stuff.

Next time your dog decides to get as dirty as possible, you’ll know what to do!

Last Spring, someone wanted to roll in the mud. I let her. You’re welcome :). 

posted by K

By no means autentica, but deliciosa nonetheless! 

I’ve become a little obsessed with casseroles lately, and I don’t know why. I do know that this is a great casserole to use up leftovers from a taco dinner-because that’s what inspired this recipe.  It’s fantastic with a margarita! 

Ingredients (Makes 8 servings):

1 recipe Homemade Tortillas (10-12 corn tortillas)

4 c veggies of any kind (We had onions, kale, peppers and carrots on hand, so that is what I used)

1 tsp canola oil

1-2 c cooked beans, vegan taco meat, reconstituted veggie protein, or any combination thereof (use whatever you have on hand-we had about 1/2 c black beans and 1 c vegan ‘ground beef’ leftover from taco night; to make the recipe gluten and soy free just use beans and skip the fake meat)

1/4-1/2 c shredded vegan cheese (we had 1/4 c cheddar Daiya leftover)

Pipian Sauce:

1/2 c finely diced onion

1-2 cups salsa 

1/4-1/2 c finely chopped cilantro

1 tbsp ground cumin

2 c canned or fresh tomatoes, diced

1 cup pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)

1 cup water

Salt, to taste

Preheat over to 375 (F). 

Step 1: Simmer the sauce ingredients over medium heat for about 30-40 minutes, until pepitas are relatively soft.  Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly while you prep the veggies.

Step 2: Cut the veggies into bite-size pieces and saute over medium heat with a tsp of oil, adding a little water as needed so the veggies don’t stick to the pan: 

Step 3:  Once the veggies are just cooked through, remove from heat and set aside.

Step 4: Transfer pipian sauce to your blender and blend carefully (I usually cover the blender with a kitchen towel so steam can vent while blending).  You may need to blend in batches, and if you need to add a little bit of water to get it to blend properly, that is fine.  Once blended, add salt to taste. 

Step 5: Pour 1/2 c of the blended pipian sauce into a casserole dish, add 1/4 c water and spread around the bottom of the dish.  Layer 1/3 of the tortillas over the sauce, cutting some to cover most of the dish if possible.  Top with 1/2 of the veggies, and all of the beans/protein.   Pour 1/3 of the remaining pipian sauce over the veggies and protein and spread evenly.  Layer on another 1/3 of the tortillas, top with remaining veggies, and 1/3 of the sauce.  Cover with remaining tortillas, spread the rest of the sauce on top and sprinkle with cheese:

Step 6:  Bake (uncovered) for 30 minutes.  Serve with a dollop of spicy guacamole made with lots of lime juice and/or salsa. 

posted by K

Friday night was taco night at our apartment, and I decided to teach myself a new skill-tortilla making. I was a little nervous, but it turns out it’s way easier than I had anticipated, and the tortillas came out REALLY good- way better than the commercially prepared stuff.  

Rolling the dough out between 2 Ziplock bags makes it much easier to release the dough from the rolling surface without ripping the tortilla. 

Ingredients:

2 c Masa Harina (a 24 oz bag of Bob’s Red Mill brand was about $4.00 at Whole Foods in NYC)

1.5-2 c Water

1 tsp Salt

1 tbsp High-heat canola oil, for cooking (I like Spectrum’s organic version)

Step 1: Mix masa harina, salt, and 1.5c water in a bowl, adding more water just so the dough comes together-you may not need all of the water! Allow the dough to rest for 20mins.

Step 2: Break up the dough into 10-12 even sized pieces and roll into balls.

Step 3: Heat a skillet on high with a drop of oil.  Place a ball in the center of one of the ziplock bags: 

Step 4: Flatten the ball with the palm of your hand, cover with another ziplock bag and roll out as thin as you would like your tortilla (we don’t have a rolling pin so I used my Klean Kanteen to roll, you can use any kind of round bottle if you don’t have a rolling pin): 

Step 5: Gently peel off the top bag and then flip the tortilla onto your palm and peel off the other bag:

Step 6: Place the tortilla on the hot skillet and allow to cook for 30 seconds to one minute, flip and allow to cook another 30-60 seconds.  Flip again and use your spatula to press down on the tortilla for about 10 seconds, this will cause the tortilla to puff up.  Roll out the next tortilla as the first one is cooking and repeat, adding a drop of oil to the pan before cooking each one. 

In a word: kinda.
Over the weekend, the NY Times had an article called “When Today’s Deal is Tomorrow’s Regret” about online deal sites. This is a topic I’ve been pondering for a while, as I’ve purchased several Groupon, Living Social, et al deals over the past few years, and I’ve had mixed experiences.
Some deals, like the one we got for Pure Food and Wine, a raw vegan restaurant I had wanted to try for years, and a Groupon I got for organizational help from Cut the Clutter, were well worth it. Others, not so much (especially the ones which I allowed to expire, eek!).
So here are some rules I have come up with to help me navigate the online coupon world without getting burned:
1) Ask yourself (and be honest!) if you would be comfortable paying full price for whatever you are buying. Often, if your coupon expires, you still get a credit for the amount you spent on the deal (ie for my Housing Works Thrift Shop Groupon, I spent $20 for a $40 credit. It expired because I didn’t find anything I really really wanted in the weeks before expiry, but I can still use the $20 at Housing Works at a later date.). You aren’t really saving money if you wouldn’t have felt comfortable spending there in the first place.
2) If it is a restaurant deal, read the fine print. Is there a separate menu for the deal? Is the deal voucher valid on alcohol? If not, will you be ordering enough food to use the entire voucher? Check the menu to make sure there are options that you will want to and can eat (especially if you have dietary restrictions-if the menu says no substitutions, they usually mean it). If you plan to go with someone, is there something they will want?
3) If the deal is for a place you have’t been to, read online reviews before you buy-Yelp is a goldmine.
4) Location matters. Is the money saved worth the time and money it takes to get to the deal location? Ie is it worth it to drive or ride the subway for an hour each way to save $10? If you have to pay tolls or subway fares, it might not be.
5) Check the expiration date before you click the purchase button. Will you really use the voucher before it expires? How many other vouchers do you have already? If you have 10 restaurant deal vouchers, only go out once a week on average, and this one expires in three months, are you really going to get around to using it in time?
I turned off email notifications from the deal sites so I wouldn’t be tempted every day. My boyfriend and I have 5-6 vouchers we have to use up, and I don’t want to buy more unless it’s someplace I love or have been dying to try. In my case, that means vegan restaurants, & I know that my vegan friends on Facebook will usually post about such deals, so I don’t feel compelled to scour the deal sites daily.

Posted by K

Giving up the daily gourmet coffee out is a hackneyed budgeting tip, but for good reason. Rather than ramble on about all the plusses and minuses, let’s just do the math.
All examples assume 240 weekdays, giving you free reign on weekends, and ample vacation, holiday, and sick days.
Buying already-made coffee:
Crappy coffee from your local deli: $1.50/12 oz cup x 240 = $360
Good plain coffee from your local coffee house: $2.50/ 12 oz cup x 240 = $600
Fancy pants coffee creation from Starbucks: $4.75/ 12 oz cup x 240 = $1140

Making coffee at home (this assumes you already have a French Press, drip coffee machine, or single cup brewer):
13 oz canister Folgers Medium Roast ground coffee from Dollar General (they say it makes 90 six oz cups, but if we use the same measurements as for the 1lb of good coffee below, I get 13 oz makes approx 28 12 oz cups (35 cups x 13 oz /16 oz)): $4.75 (approx 17 cents/ 12 oz cup x 240 = $40.80)
Good Fair Trade & Shade Grown coffee from your local coffee house/roaster: $18.00/pound (depends on how strong you like your coffee but assume 1lb makes 35 12 oz cups; 51.4 cents/ 12 oz cup x 240 = $123.43)
Single-serve coffee pods: up to $1/pod x 240 = $240 (some people like the pods, but the Fair Trade coffee we buy & brew from The Sensuous Bean in our neighborhood is infinitely tastier than the pods (& I used to drink 3 pod-brewed cups/night at the office when I worked the night shift!))

You can still indulge in going out for coffee, but if you make it special and not an every day occurrence you can save yourself a lot of money!

posted by K

My sexy boyfriend asked if I could make muffins for him to have for breakfast, instead of buying a pastry en route to work every morning.  He likes bran, I like blueberries, and we both like carrots.  This is a good recipe to use up almond pulp from 2-3 rounds of almond milk-making (if you don’t have almond pulp, substitutions are listed under Ingredients).  They freeze well and can be re-heated in 30 seconds in the microwave.  They are scrumptious with a dab of vegan cream cheese (think carrot cake with cream cheese frosting, but for breakfast)!

I try to use organic ingredients whenever possible- better for the earth, and better for the body! 

Ingredients (Makes 12 muffins):

1 c grated carrots 

1 c oat or wheat bran 

1 c almond pulp, thawed if it was frozen (leftover from making Homemade Almond Milk, you can substitue 1/2 c grated carrot + 1/2 c bran OR almond flour if you don’t have almond pulp)

3/4 c granulated sugar (I use Florida Crystals brand which is Vegan Certified)

3 tbsp molasses (I like Wholesome Sweeteners Organic Molasses)

3 tsp baking soda

2 c whole wheat flour (Bob’s Red Mill’s organic flour in the five pound bag is cheaper by the pound ($1/lb) than the organic whole wheat flour in the bulk section of my local grocery store ($1.49/lb)!)

1/2 c canola oil

1 c water

6 tsp ener-G Egg Replacer

1 c frozen blueberries (or fresh if you are lucky and they are in season!)

sprinkles of: nutmeg, allspice, cardomon, and cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 400 and put liners in your muffin tins (I use If You Care Unbleached Totally Chlorine Free paper liners) or grease lightly. 

Step 1: Mix the almond pulp, bran, flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, and carrots in a large bowl, add spices and mix well. 

Step 2: In another bowl, whisk the ener-G Egg Replacer and water briskly until frothy (a minute or two). Add oil and molasses and whisk for another minute.  

Step 3: Add still-frozen (or fresh) blueberries and ener-G and oil mixture to the large bowl, and stir to combine (don’t overmix or the muffins will get tough).  

Step 4: Spoon batter into muffin tins. The batter will go over the top of the liners a bit- that is fine, they don’t spread out too much when baking.  The unbaked muffins will look like this:

Step 5: Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes (until a knife inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean-if it has batter on it, give them another 5 mins in the oven and try again). Allow to come to room temp before freezing. 

posted by K

Yep. Here’s why: produce sold in bulk by weight needs to meet the labeled weight at a minimum.  Which means, that 2lb bag of carrots has to weigh at least 2lbs, but could weigh a little more.  

I read this tip a long time ago, and I can’t remember where (it may have been The Tightwad Gazette-I’m not sure), but ever since, I’ve been weighing my bulk produce and getting more food for less dough.  A 2lb bag of organic carrots at my local grocery store is $2.99, which would be $1.495/pound, but I’ve found bags that have as much as 2.75lbs in them, which makes it $1.087/pound, which is like getting 27% off!

The same applies to bulk produce sold by the number of items.  Those lovely organic avocados were $5.99 for a bag of four at Whole Foods yesterday. My bag weighed in at 2lbs ($2.995/pound). Other bags were 1.5lbs ($3.993/pound).  Mine were 25% cheaper than the 1.5lb bag! 

Who cares if people think you are crazy for weighing your bulk produce- you are paying less than they are for the same groceries!

posted by K

One of the most important skills that a skinnyflint can acquire is learning to do a spa-quality mani/pedi at home. Watching my sleek, polished fingernails flip through Black’s Law Dictionary delights me to no end; even better is the thrill I get from slipping on a cute pair of sandals that show off my brightly colored toenails. Being well manicured makes me feel posh and pulled together in a way that nothing else can. Yet professional mani/pedis can cost a pretty penny; even the cheap places in West L.A. charge $25 per session. That adds up to $1300 per year if you go once a week; $650 per year if you go biweekly. With that as your nail budget, think about how many bottles of OPI polish you could buy!

The skinnyflint in me prefers to do this at home. Not only do I save tons of money, but I also don’t have to worry about getting staph infection (which is becoming increasingly common at nail salons). Over many years I’ve settled on a DIY mani/pedi routine that takes a minimal amount of time (1 hour, tops) but still manages to feel luxurious. I’ve found that my DIY pedicures tend to last about 2 weeks, but I do need to change my fingernail polish about once a week (this is due to the fact that fingernails grow about twice as fast as toenails). 

I do fingers and toes at the same time in order to save time. 

So here goes:

1. Remove old polish from fingers and toes using a cotton ball and nail polish remover. Time: 1 minute. Cost: $0.99 for a bag of cotton balls, and $0.99 for polish remover, which can last for up to a year.

2. Trim nails with a nail clipper. Nails can then be shaped with an emery board by filing across in one direction, and then gently rounding the edges. For toenails, the length should be just below the tips of the toes; for fingernails, anything goes! I think that short fingernails (filed just below the tips of the fingernails) tend to look classiest. Time: 5 to 10 minutes. Cost: $1.25 for a pack of 15 Trim brand emery boards. 

3. Buff fingernails with a nail buffer. After trying many different kinds, my hands-down favorite is Revlon’s Crazy Shine buffer. Time: 5 minutes. Cost: $2 for the buffer (it’s $3 and I used a $1-off coupon). NOTE: Steps 2 and 3 can be performed while watching a trashy TV show.)

4. Soak fingers and toes in warm, soapy water for at least five minutes. Time: 2 to prepare the soaking water; 5 minutes to relax and enjoy. Cost: virtually free.

5. Apply cuticle remover to fingers and toes; wait 30 seconds and then push back cuticles with an orange stick. Time: 3-4 minutes. Cost: $5 for cuticle remover. NOTE: Be careful to keep cuticle remover away from both your eyes and your pets! My tube of cuticle remover warns that the gel can cause blindness. Yikes!

6. Slather hands and feet with exfoliating cream and rinse off. Scrub off calluses on feet with a pumice stone or foot file. Time: 5 minutes. Cost: $5-7 for exfoliating cream; $5 for a pumice stone. Check out Ross Dress for Less for great deals on mani/pedi products.

7. Massage lotion or cream into hands and feet. Time: 2 minutes. Cost: $5-10 for a tube of hand lotion.

8. Clean nails again using a cotton ball and nail polish remover. The goal is to remove any oils that the skin cream may have deposited on your nails so that the polish can adhere better. Time: 1 minute.

9. Separate toes using a twisted strip of paper towel. I find manufactured toe separators horribly uncomfortable and avoid them like the plague. Time: 1 minute.

10. Time to paint! Apply basecoat; allow to dry for 2 minutes. Then do two thin coats of color, waiting about 2 minutes between coats. I’m told that the secret is to coat each nail using three strokes (one stroke down the middle of the nail, and then one stroke on each side), but I’m never quite able to pull that off. So I just try to make sure that the whole nail surface is covered, but not swimming, with polish. Time: 5 to 10 minutes. Cost: $2-10 per bottle of nail polish.

11. Watch a movie or go for a long, leisurely walk as the paint dries. Just don’t use your hands! Time: 1 hour. Cost: free.

12. Back home, apply a quick-drying top coat. Time: 1 minute.

You’re done, and the whole process took less than an hour (minus the drying time, of course)! Next week, you can keep it simple: your pedicure is likely still pristine, so leave it alone. Your manicure, on the other hand, is chipped and battered, but under your polish, your nails are still in excellent shape. You can simply remove the old polish and apply a new color (see Steps #10 through 12) without going through the whole rigamarole.

Because I save so much money by doing my own nails, I do feel justified splurging on nail polish colors every once in a while. My favorite brands are OPI, Essie, Revlon and NYC Quick Dry Nail Polish. As with all things, I NEVER pay full price for nail polish; I always use coupons when picking up drugstore brands & I’ve found ways of getting discounts on the higher-end brands. My secret: an independent beauty store near my office sometimes reduces prices on OPI and Essie by up to 60%, and that’s when I pounce. In fact, just this very evening on my way to exercise class, I picked up 2 bottles of OPI polish for $3.99 each (normal retail price is usually $9). In this way I’ve amassed quite an amazing collection of colors that I hope will last me a long time. Happy polishing!

-Posted by P