Frugal in the Fruitlands

Sometimes I love my house. I’m getting to the point where the labor has all begun to pay off, and it’s starting to feel like home – the maple tree, the garden, the pine floors, the sun room, are all cozy and familiar. It’s a sanctuary for our four cats, my husband and me.

But I’ll be honest: sometimes I hate it.

Sometimes I get to thinking that without a ~$3,000/month mortgage, I could do a lot more with my money. Without all the maintenance that needs to be done, I could do a lot more with my time.

It’s not realistic to consider moving/downsizing. For one, my husband is against it, and marriage is, if nothing else, a compromise. For a second thing, try finding an apartment that will let you have four cats. Moreover, try living in a small space with four cats. No way. For a third thing, selling my home – let alone selling it for enough to cover the remaining mortgage – would be challenging or impossible.

But that doesn’t stop me imagining it.

I hadn’t read all of Early Retirement Extreme’s 30-Day Makeover, so I became engrossed in that this morning. In Day 1, he explains his method of finding sustainably-inexpensive housing. Here’s a quote:

I think there are three things that matter.

1. Location relative to your work.
2. Location relative to your grocery outlet.
3. Cost.

Jacob then walks you through using Craigslist and Google Maps to find some housing options that meet these three criteria. I read the article with interest, but feeling a little crestfallen that none of this was really relevant to me. Then I read his little note at the bottom of the article: Even if you are not going to move, try going through the craigslist/google maps exercise anyway just to realize that it is possible.

Well, sure, why not. Here I am killing time until my next assignment, anyway.

Since I currently work in Bedford, New Hampshire, I went to NH Craigslist to begin my search. I went to housing, typed in “Bedford,” and entered in the parameters of $400-$700 that Jacob recommends (I have to admit, I was very skeptical about this limit, since I don’t live in a particularly inexpensive part of the country, but again, killing time). I didn’t specify a number of bedrooms or the need to allow pets. In this imaginary downsizing world, I don’t have four cats, and pets do significantly limit your housing choices.

One of the first acceptable listings I found (i.e. not for a single person, not furnished) was this one, a walkout basement in someone’s home with a bedroom, living area, and bath. I had no idea if it was anywhere near where I worked or not, so I turned to the power of Google Maps. Jacob recommends that if you live somewhere where you can bike to work year-round, you should limit the distance from work to 6 miles; 3 miles if you live somewhere with a winter, so that you can walk the route if necessary. I, of course, live in the cold Northeast, so 3 miles was the limit.

Good news! Google Maps’ walking directions to my workplace clock in at 2.4 miles. The most difficult part, I knew from experience, would be the walk along Rt. 3, which is a divided highway with scant sidewalks. It was doable, though. Ironically, the walk would take 49 minutes, which is exactly the amount of time Google estimates it takes to get from my current home in Massachusetts to my workplace by car :)

Total time elapsed in doing this search? Five minutes.

What’s my point? Jacob’s way of doing things is feasible. It’s not for me, right now, but it was an interesting thought experiment. Maybe some day the markets will perk up, I’ll have paid down more of my mortgage, I won’t have four cats, and my husband will be sick of stacking wood and changing air filters. Such a move might be more reasonable then.

But for now, I’m content.

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Where I live, picking your own apples is part of a complete autumn experience. I’m no exception – I went apple-picking with my husband and his parents last week, and emerged with a bushel of Cortland and Macintosh apples for fall baking.

I’ve often wondered if picking your own apples is a good value proposition.This past week I shelled out $44 to fill two bags with apples in about 15 minutes. That seems like expensive entertainment! But the question remains if it’s a good value relative to how much you would usually spend on apples. Are you paying for the experience, or just the apples?

At the place where I pick apples, Doe Orchards in Harvard, MA, a 1/2 bushel bag costs $22 each, or $44 for a full bushel. A bushel is a volume measurement, not a weight one, and each individual bag will vary, but by the U.S. Federal standard, a bushel of apples contains approximately 48 lbs of apples. (I believe that, having tried to carry some of those bags).

Let’s compare this to another pick-your-own place, Lanni Orchards, which is just down the street from me in Lunenburg. Here, pick-your-own apples are 75 cents/lb, meaning that those 48 lbs of apples would cost me $36 there. This is less than Doe Orchards, admittedly, but part of the reason I choose Doe Orchards is that it has more trees and a greater number of apple varieties.

Let’s compare it to apples sold at a farm stand. Dick’s Market Garden, also close to me, sells Macintosh and Cortland apples for 99 cents/lb, or $47.52 for 48 lbs. If I had to buy apples on my own, this is where I would buy them – paying $3.52 more than pick-your-own at Doe Orchards, and a full $11.52 more than pick-your-own at Lanni.

And finally, to a grocery store. Macintosh apples are sold for 99 cents/lb at my local supermarket, although they’re marked down this week to 59 cents/lb. At the 99 cent rate, you’d be paying $47.52 for those 48 lbs of apples; but at the 59 cent rate, you’d only be paying $28.32. But at that point, you’re not necessarily buying local produce, which is one of the strengths of pick-your-own and my favorite farm stand.

In conclusion: pick-your-own is not a bad deal for food, but it’s probably a bad deal for entertainment. If you’re the type of person who likes to do a lot of fall baking or canning, it’s a better choice than buying apples at a local farm stand. I guess that makes sense, since you’re doing most of the work yourself.

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Earlier this week, I blogged about my experience using The Complete Tightwad Gazette’s universal crust-less quiche recipe. Today, I’m sharing what I’ve learned about the universal casserole recipe.

First of all, here’s the original recipe:

Universal Casserole

1 cup main ingredient
1 cup second ingredient
1-2 cups starchy ingredient
1 1/2 cups binder
1/4 cup “goodie”
Seasoning
Topping

Main ingredient suggestions: tuna, cubed chicken, turkey, ham, seafood.
Second ingredient suggestions: thinly sliced celery, mushrooms, peas, chopped hard-cooked eggs.
Starchy ingredient suggestions: thinly sliced potatoes, cooked noodles, cooked rice.
Binder suggestions: cream sauce, sour cream, can of soup.
“Goodie” suggestions: pimiento, olives, almonds, water chestnuts.
Topping suggestions: potato chips, cheese, bread crumbs.

Thoroughly mix your combinations of the above ingredients. If it seems dry, add 1/2 cup milk or stock. Place in buttered casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

- The Complete Tightwad Gazette, Amy Dacyczyn, p. 625

As Ms. Dacyczyn suggests in the surrounding text, I most frequently use a basic white sauce, found in any recipe book, as a binder in this. Another favorite trick of mine is to use panko (Japanese breadcrumbs), when I have them. But I guess I just have yuppy tastes like that ;)

Here’s one of the yummier casseroles I’ve concocted:

Salmon & Veggie Casserole

1 cup smoked salmon
1/2 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup grated carrot
1-2 cups of cooked brown rice
1 1/2 cups of white sauce
1/4 cup of fresh dill
Bread crumbs

Thoroughly mix the above ingredients, except the bread crumbs. If it seems dry, add 1/2 cup milk or stock. Place in buttered casserole dish. Top with bread crumbs to taste. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-45 minutes.

My notes:

• I happened to have a leftover pouch of smoked salmon from a Harry & David gift box I’d received. Canned salmon or tuna would probably work, also.
• The herbs you can use are entirely up to you. Dill works especially well, but I have also used cilantro.
• The finished casserole can be a little liquidy. You can reduce this effect by thawing the peas as much as possible beforehand (or using fresh peas), and by using the full two cups of cooked rice.
• As mentioned above, panko makes everything better :)

I hope this discussion of turning leftovers into casseroles has inspired you to branch out in your cooking :)

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