I heart this house
Oat Mix
- 1/4 cup oats
- 2 tbsp hot cereal
- 1/4 cup vanilla soy milk
- Lots of water
- Chia seeds
- Pinch salt, vanilla (? I have been forgetting these!)
- Maple Quinoa Galaxy Granola from my sample pack
- Justin’s Hazelnut Chocolate Butter (loving it more and more, also a sample!)
- Nutty’s Peanut Butterscotch (? made the bowl!!)
I have not had a perfect bowl of oatmeal since moving here, and I just figured out why! We bought rolled oats in bulk from Whole Foods and they are NOT GOOD. There IS variation in rolled oats and these are thick and they do not turn creamy. I need to go find myself some Quaker, as I do think they are the best.
To answer> a few questions from last night’s grocery comments:
I don’t want to appear holier-than-thou – I don’t really want to write a list of tips because every family is different! And also because I do get a lot of food samples through the blog. But here are some of the changes I made two years ago that drastically cut our bill:
Allowances
- $200 / month does NOT include toiletries or going out to eat. That’s a separate allowance.
- I give us both spending allowances, a grocery allowance and a “Family” allowance each month. Our spending allowances we transfer from a joint account to personal checking accounts and it’s spent how we please. Groceries are FOOD only. The Family allowance is everything else – out to eat, toiletries, car repairs, household stuff, etc. The Family gets a lot more money allotted than we each do 😉
- I keep track of these budgets with an app in my phone called LOOT. I used to have SPEND on my iPhone but LOOT is a droid one and I like it a lot.
Grocery Shopping
- Our grocery cart is 90% fruits and veggies, often with a sprinkle of dairy, some canned goods, dry grains and the occasional meat. Think about what you want your dinner plate to look like when you fill your cart.
- I think about the cost per serving when I eat. For ex) sardines = super cheap per serving. Deli meat = very expensive. I generally put one “expensive” thing in my cart each week, like goat cheese, smoked salmon, olives. If you get all the expensive ones at once, you’ll eat them all before you know it!
- When I do buy meat, I get only the portion that we need for one meal – like half a pound of grass-fed beef or two fish filets. I rarely buy meat frozen or in bulk, mostly because I don’t think it’s that appealing that way.
- I rarely buy things in boxes (used to buy Kashi crackers and cereals all the time!). I try to use what I do have and what is much less expensive – oats, bulk grains, homemade bread instead of buying it pre-made in a box. Chips are the exception!
- Most of our dinners really do revolve around vegetables with the exception of one or two each week. Save expensive meats for restaurants when you’ll already be spending more anyways and eat cheap beans while you’re at home.
- I rarely buy desserts at the grocery store. I’ll wait to get a dessert (like a box of chocolates) as a gift or just save dessert for going out for yogurt or something.
- Learn to make bread. Not having to buy bread makes SUCH a difference in our budget. If Matt didn’t bake at Great Harvest, he’d probably make it all at home (like he used to before he started working there!) These days we’re buying a little GH when we get stop in and making the rest.
In The Meantime…
- We’re starting our Great Harvest location search from scratch after backing out of the location we had picked earlier this summer for various unblogable reasons. As a result, the bakery probably will not open until late next spring. We have 2 locations we like now though.
- Opening the business is still keeping Matt very busy with planning, and I am a full-time blogger + writer until the doors open (or the marketing needs to begin!)
- And just because I know people are wondering, we’ve been saving for a year anticipating a period without two incomes, so don’t hate when we’re out hiking mid-week. We’ll be working our tails off again soon enough.
Comcast just came and went – hopefully our internet is on the mend!
Going to give noontime Bikram one more go-around…
Wow – so glad you cleared up the 200/mo thing! I was seriously wondering how you did that with toiletries, etc. It is very doable on just food!
That first photo is gorgeous! And thanks for the grocery tips!
great pics! your home is beautiful and i love that morning light!
Kath, I’m not used to you posting so late in the morning!! 🙂
Every family is so different when it comes to money/groceries. I love hearing about what works for different individuals.
That porch swing shot is gorgeous. So glad you’re enjoying your new home!
Thanks for all the info.
No matter what the reasons for the delay, I know you guys will start your GH and it will thrive!
I’m definitely a bread baker
I make bread at home all the time and it is amazing!
Kath, thanks for all of the budgeting tips/ideas.
Your new house is beautiful!
I only wish my husband and I could go out for hikes in the middle of the day — I am happy that you and Matt have this time together and I know you work hard on this blog (and everything else the two of you do). Keep it up and don’t let others get you down.
It’s so true-it’s easy to be jealous of those who seem to work less and have money at a young age to play with,but noone REALLY knows inside another’s business or lives ot financial set ups.
I think because we read about so many details in your everyday world we get a little curious on
how you can do it(and of course so many readers are bloggers too and are dying to know how they can make it into a successful fulltime job so they can ditch their 9-5 office job! Such is our human nature … 😉
Mid-week hiking rocks! Not everyone has to be in an office 9-5 to make a living. I have my own law practice, but I structure it so that I’m only in the office 4 days a week and can escape to the mountains early on the weekends. From there I can respond to client emails, work on a marketing project or communicate with my Virtual Assistant about work she’s doing for me.
You guys both have unconventional hours due to your work – was anyone hating when Matt was getting up at 3am??
Take advantage of your free time now!
Thanks for the bakery update! I never doubted that you guys had saved plenty in anticipation… looking forward to following your journey to the new bakery! And I love the grocery tips!
In the meantime, enjoy those mid-weeks hikes- awesome, especially with fall coming soon 🙂
Great tips and beautiful photos! It’s too bad you feel you have to justify hiking mid-week. I think it’s great you guys have planned ahead for this time. Good luck with the GH location. We have three of two of them where I live – LOVE GH!!!
Great tips and beautiful photos! It’s too bad you feel you have to justify hiking mid-week. I think it’s great you guys have planned ahead for this time. Good luck with the GH location. We have two of them where I live – LOVE GH!!!
You take such beautiful pictures! And grocery shopping/budgeting is such an ordeal, huh? It makes me feel bad for my mom when I was a kid and thought I could get whatever with no big deal. LOL
i love your budget tips…it honestly seems like you and matt are in a good place financially (whatever that means) and i know that i could learn a lot from y’all! keep it coming 🙂
Isn’t it interesting how as blog readers we feel we have a “right’ to question you and your husband’s personal finances? I think in the days before people’s lives were so accessible to everyone else, no one would have DREAMED of asking you those questions, especially when we would have been perfect strangers!
Great budgeting tips! I think this will help me when I’m in college… which is in three years. But still. Never too early to learn!
Hmm, I thought the bulk rolled oats I bought from WF on my latest trip seemed a little funny. They looked different (slightly different shape and thicker) than the bulk oats I’d been buying at a small local grocery (Local Harvest Grocery in StL), and I suspected that there was a mix-up and maybe they put wheat flakes in the rolled oats bin at WF. But maybe they just sell a different variety. I’m sticking with the bulk organic version at Local Harvest.
Kath, don’t let people give you a hard time about having this down time. One of the things about owning your own business is you have to take down time when you can get it!
We have friends to hassle us about grocery shopping during the day, etc. but I always ask them what they do on the weekends and at night. That is when they do the stuff for themselves. My Dh & I are on work appointments in the evening and weekends. Makes a huge difference. Like I said, owning your own business has a lot of benefits and you need to take advantage of those. If you don’t, you’ll just be a working fool.
I hope everything works out with one of the new locations. I can’t wait till you open the bakery!
Now that you are a Registered Dietician, are you using that degree?
Good luck on the business location search. It is such a key component to success.
Take your time and make sure you are 100% convinced it’s the right place.
YES – as a blogger, writer and bakery owner
Are you going to do online consults? I think you were doing them a while back as an intern, but I wondered if you were still going to? You know, in case you don’t have enough on your schedule already. ; )
I’ve had the whole foods rolled oats too. You’re right, they are a totally different texture! I bet they’d make GREAT granola though! Maybe you could use them up that way and buy your Quaker for actual oatmeal making
Beautiful photos and great tips! I was also wondering about the $200 dollar/month because all of the household goods and toiletries add up – guh, I just hate how expensive those things are!
These are good tips, you can save SO much money eating less meat and going vegetarian for a large majority of the week. I usually want to order fish or meat at a restaurant too, so it makes good sense to save it for a special occasion. I definitely need to get better at making bread, I know a couple yeast-less great recipes that are easy, as well as a few ones with yeast that I LOVE, but they take SO much time. What are your favorite recipes for everyday bread?
The picture of the bed covers makes me want to go home and jump back into mine.hehe…There is just something fun about pictures.I always love seeing them on your blog.I’ll be saying some prayers for your new location.Of course,I wish we had one where I live:-)cc
Hope you have a good Brikam class! Tonight Whit and I are going to treat ourselves to some hot yoga at Y2k 😀 This’ll be my first time going there, and I’m sure I’ll love it! Not to mention, $5 classes are freaking awesome.
BTW..I think it’s great that you and Matt set goals for your budget and what-not. It’s a smart way to shop. I know how you feel about the ‘we’ve saved up for this and have more free time for now’ thing. I just ended my job of 4 years so that I could finish this last semester at school, and some people think I jsut don’t like to work! And that’s totally not the case. I’ve saved up for this 6 months of unemployment, and I’m working towards a goal..once I’ve become a dietician, I’m back in the game 🙂
Fabulous tips!!!! Especially the food shopping ideas…that is where I get killed in the budget world. I get too overly excited about the glorious foods we can purchase. 🙂
We’ve been saving here for over a year as well so I could leave my full time job (which I did last Nov) to start my wellness & fitness coaching business. It’s been such an adventure thus far and I wouldn’t trade it for anything!
“so don’t hate when we’re out hiking mid-week”<—lol.
Thanks for sharing your budgeting tips! I use to be alot better about keeping track of where my money went, but this past year, I got a little wild. This certainly reminded me to get back on track. 🙂
Hey Kath,
I was wondering when you and Matt were opening your Great Harvest. I am obsessed with the cinnamon raisin walnut bread lately. We’re vacationing in Northern Michigan and a friend brought me a loaf from the Ann Arbor store. Oh my gosh, it’s so good, but I’m not sure if the Nashville location sells it. I’ve been told our Nashville franchise is not the best – wish you and Matt were opening up one there instead! 😉
I am obsessed with Justin’s chocolate almond butter. Love the hazelnut butter as well, but the almond is my favorite. Not a huge fan of the peanut – not enough chocolate in my opinion.
Thanks for sharing your morning with us. Lovely photos. 🙂
Northern Michigan!? Where at?!
Ashley J,
Near Traverse City. Love it up here!
Great tips for the money saving trips I need to be making soon. Wow so you guys are opening a Great Harvest? Very cool. Very cool.
Isn’t it funny that people think you need to be in white coat in a hospital to “use” your degree? Do they not read your blog? 🙂
You and Matt are perfect examples of balance: following your passion, living in the moment and planning for the future are all topics you seem to know well. You and Matt have deserved this respite–and you’ve earned it after all the hours you’ve spent studying, blogging, and writing and he’s spent kneading and baking. I can’t wait to watch as you open the bakery. It’s such an exciting time for you both. I wish you the best of luck with the new business.
Oh, and a question: Okra. I keep buying it and trying it, but when I try to make “fries” it tasted like–as you put it the other day–grasshoppers. How should my okra look and feel at the market? Thank you!
I have no idea why some okra is like that. I would say to cook it longer (that’s Matt’s suggestion). We just bought some more too. Also, the smaller the pods, the more tender it is, so buy the smallest ones you can find.
Thanks, Kath. I’ll just keep trying and seek out the smaller ones. We don’t each much okra in Ohio, so it’s one of the rare vegetables that I don’t eat regularly.
Well, just to play devil’s advocate here…..you could be in a non-matriculating program and take the same classes, never sit an exam, and still have a very informative and useful blog, bakery, writing career, what have you. But you can’t wear the white coat.
Yeah, definitely needs a longer bake, especially if you’re cooking it whole. I think it really helps to get its internal moisture steamin’!
Try grilling it – the hot heat really breaks it down well. Or cut into little nuggets (possibly coated with some cornmeal or bread crumbs?) and bake.
I was having this same issue…. I just starting cutting them into smaller pieces and I started using the convection bake option on my oven. Now they come out perfect everytime. Convection Bake is seriously genius.
Wow, you guys have two checking accounts? I am always interested in what married couples do about money. Everybody is different! My husband and I just have a joint. Its all from the same pot right?
We put everything into the joint account and it becomes the family’s money. Then we take out a little each month for spending. I think money in a marriage should be shared equally no matter who makes more (ME in our case right now!) so we dump it all into our joint account and it’s all shared. Funny because Tina + Mal have the exact OPPOSITE approach and it seems to work perfectly for them.
I gotcha! We are lax with our spending money…my husband usually just takes money out and divides it up. I hardly ever use cash though. I love my debit card too much!
We are obsessed with Dave Ramsey and his financial wisdom! We do try to be on a budget too, for everything!
My BF & I have the same system as you, Kath. We did buy a house together and for now, that’s probably about as married as we’re gonna get. When I tell people we have 3 accounts I hear “You should be able to trust he’s not going to spend all of the money” and things like that. It’s not that we don’t trust each other, but it’s really nice knowing that we have money to do whatever we want with and we don’t have to worry that the bills aren’t going to be paid. We have household and personal credit cards, too.
We do the opposite. We have our own accounts – and incomes – and we each put into the family account. 🙂 It’s worked well for us for going on 39 years!
Between my husband’s, mine, and our son’s accounts, I manage 7 different checking/savings accounts. And that doesn’t even include our investments or retirement accounts. It’s a good thing I work in a bank, otherwise I’d be in WAY over my head! I am trying to convince my husband that we should consolidate our accounts a little more, just because it would be less hassle for me in the long run, but so far, he’s a little resistant to the idea.
Love hearing your grocery tips! I’ve been trying to make bread at home a lot more and it does make a huge difference! I haven’t found the perfect sandwich bread yet though – any tips/recipes you can share?
Great tips! I think dairy might be our biggest punch in the budget. The husband loooooves drinking milk and can easily go through a gallon in a week. Plus, I’m a little picky about cheese. And yogurt. A quart of organic yogurt here is about $3.50, and it’s so hard to choose that one sometimes when the store brand is $1.50. Plus, quality nut butters are becoming a moer common expense. About once a month I’m having to buy a new jar!
Michelle,
I recently started making my own yogurt to save on the cost. Its very easy. I started with a recipe I found from another blog I located through Kath’s blog roll at http://www.101cookbooks.com
Give it a try.
Oops, don’t see 101 Cookbooks on Kath’s blogroll now, so I’m not sure how I found it, maybe through a google search. Anyway, good recipe with instructions about the whole yogurt making process.
Thanks for the great overview of your finances. I will soon be on my own trying to figure out my own budgeting soon. Great planning of knowing that you won’t have two incomes for a while.
Hi Kath! Just stumbled upon your blog recently and love it so much. Found a few others through you, too, i.e. Emily’s http://www.thefrontburnerblog.com/. Enjoying reading through the archives in addition to new posts. So curious to try Great Harvest and see there is one in S. Pasadena. I’m going to make a special trip, soon. Anyway, love the blog and inspiration for all things healthy, thrifty, and blogging it is providing me. Thanks for all the hard work!
Loved this. 🙂
Great pictures and I LOVE the bowl you have your oatmeal in! So cute!
My fiance and I are opening up a Firehouse Subs Franchise in Albuquerque, and we went through hell trying to find our location. We’ve finally had some luck though and looks like we’ve found our first site! Good luck on your continuing search!
Great post. I’m always curious about how others handle their finances. And yes, I have to say that I’m jealous of most of the blog world for being able to hike ro do yoga mid-day….or even make oats on a stove in the morning…haha! I just have to save those little luxuries for the weekend. Good luck with your new GH location…any chance one will open in western MD anytime soon??? 😉
Goodness, I might spend more on myself, just downloaded loot! I do receive a bi-weekly veggie and fruit share from a local farm and it rocks!
I know that it must be hard to share all this personal information, but I find it so interesting! I mean, I’m single right now so all I have to worry about is sharing groceries with my roommates, but I’m an accounting major and I always wonder how people do it when they are in a couple and married for money. Like you said, Tina from carrotsncake.com just posted how she and her husband do it, and its different from you, which is really interesting since both couples seem very happy with money.
I guess it really comes down to having a plan as opposed to just winging it (which might be why some couples fight about money); but obviously from reading your blogs, I can see that it doesn’t really matter what the plan IS, just as long as there is one, and that it works for you.
As for okra, I live in Ontario, and it’s something I have almost never seen in the stores, and to be honest the one time I tried it I thought it was the grossest thing ever.
Such gorgeous scenery to wake up to every morning!! 🙂
And hope you have fun at Bikram if you decide to go.
Bulk WFs oats are thick and tough–although you said you liked the AllieBars better with WFs oats vs. Quaker 🙂
I am a Quaker oats kinda gal too.
Wonderful pictures, Kath!!! It is great to see how much you love your new home 😀
Speaking of not buying things in boxes, I have a homemade cereal post on my blog. I made homemade bran flakes and homemade granola and placed these in jars. I also have jars of dried fruit, nuts, etc. When I’m ready for cereal, I can mix and match to make my own flava.
Nutrition stats for the bran flakes and granola are posted with the recipes for the healthy living folks 😉
Those are some really great tips!! It’s making me re-think all the boxes in my pantry…as much as I love cereal, it’s a) expensive and b) has more sugar than some other breakfast options. Definitely food for thought!
Like you said, you’ll be working hard soon enough 🙂 Enjoy those mid-week hikes!!
Lovely pictures! I love all stones/stone animals you have outside and in the garden. It’s the little touches. 🙂
Lovely pictures and great budgeting tips.
We are really trying to cut our grocery bills so I am trying to do a price comparison between 3 different grocery stores for products we buy a lot (milk, yogurt, flour, canned goods). I’m hoping that will help us save a little money!
Heather,
I recently did my own comparison and it was very interesting, and worth it! It does stink to have to do a couple trips to different stores, but it really is true that certain stores are better priced on certain things. I have no doubt that you will save some money.Good luck!
Love your comment about cheap beans! I eat beans + grain + veggie or salad for most of my at-home meals.
I rarely comment (but do enjoy reading your adventures)… just wanted to say what a lovely, reasoned response this was. Insightful, interesting and tactful. Good on you and Matt for figuring out what makes you happy, planning for it, and making it happen. 🙂
Thanks 🙂
What a beautiful tableau of photos! I love it. Also, thank you for the grocery shopping insight. Cheap bulk grains are definitely my wallet’s best friend, as our pantry staples (brown rice, beans, quinoa, tuna, sardines, etc.) and frozen fruits and veggies.
I heart your bowl!!
Super money tips too 🙂
Really interesting about the rolled oats… I hadn’t noticed a difference when I tried a generic brand.
Thanks for the tips, Kath! You are so disciplined and reading your blog inspires me to get my eating, exercising, and shopping habits in check.
I buy the rolled oats at WF and they’re just fine. Seriously. WAY cheaper than buying the store-brand (Safeway) oats.
I have to admit I smiled when you said you didn’t want to have a “holier-than-thou” attitude. Cause that seems to be your attitude on food in general. I couldn’t care one way or another whether food is local- if it’s cheaper than I’ll get it, which is (thankfully) the attitude of most people. 90% of my groceries are also fruits/veggies/whole grains- all good stuff, just not local. All coming from Safeway across the street from me =)
You are really lucky to have your own in-house baker! I have no interest in baking bread nor the time. When you live in a city, there’s way more better stuff to do.
I eat meat during the week ’cause my fiance gets it- I don’t get it myself. Beans are not an option for him.
Why are you thankful that most people’s attitude is the cheaper the better? I’m not! Obviously if money is tight you do what you have to, but if people can afford it I think it’s good to think about the ethical issues (local, organic, fair trade, etc.).
Also: I live in a city and I still enjoy baking bread, canning, and other domestic skills. “Way more better stuff to do” is really in the eye of the beholder.
I’m sorry to belabour the point but this comment really irked me.
Thankfully 90% of people don’t worry about the enviromental impact of shipping foods? With my budget I can’t purchase a lot of local stuff either, but I’m not PROUD of that fact.
And that sucks about your fiance’s bean allergy, that must be a drag. Because, P.S. unless you have an allergy everything is an option. My husband prefers meat too, and perhaps when he’s a doctor he’ll just eat himself a cow a day, but for now, with his knowledge of the ethical implications of eating cheap meat, he eats a lot of beans.
I wish I could hike mid-week! AWESOME!
Kath, your honesty is awesome!!! I’ve been an avid reader for almost a year and am so excited for you guys and your bakery project – and I’m sure it’s frustrating that it can’t all happen at once, but you are right – you’ll be working your butts off before you know it:) Hang in there and keep doing what you are doing – it will all come together!!!!!! I LOVE GH, we have a franchise in Eau Claire, WI and I wish they sold some of the things you talk about on your blog, but they are still fantastic!! YOU also inspired me to start budgeting last year for my husband and I. I need to be better at keeping up with it – it’s hard to manage all of the accounts sometimes. This grown-up stuff is hard work!
Hi Kath!
Thank you for posting ideas on how to save money! I’m going to download the LOOT app when I get home…. I am crossing my fingers that its free!
I swear, magazines would probably pay you some awesome money for those photos of your home. It’s gorgeous!
Those are some great tips for grocery shopping. I’ve been thinking about experimenting with bread making soon because I think it would be delicious – and make my house smell equally so! I admire your ability to stick to your grocery budget. That’s a huge weakness of mine and I really really need to work on it!
I just switched from instant oatmeal (I know, I know!) to rolled oats from the bulk section of whole foods! I was wondering why they weren’t getting mushy and staying “bulky” and you just answered that question. So thanks! I have a jar of Justin’s and it’s AMAZING! Just like Nutella–just a little bit nuttier and…grainy?
Does your Whole Foods just sell one type of oatmeal in bulk? My store has 3-4 different types of organic oatmeal not including steel cut oats. I can’t remember the types at the moment, but they are different. You should ask if they have any others types of oats.
I enjoy the thick cut oats and I find that if I cook them a bit longer that they get a bit softer. I also like to toast my oats in the pan first. Toasting adds a extra bit of yummy nuttiness to the oats.
Mother’s Natural makes good oats too and so does Arrowhead Mills
http://www.mothersnatural.com/
http://www.arrowheadmills.com/
I know they aren’t in bulk, but if you have trouble finding a bulk oatmeal you like these are two good options.
i love your pictures! the lighting and perspective are amazing… have you ever taken photo classes?
Thanks! I haven’t ever taken classes. I could use a bit more knowledge on lighting and all though
Enjoy the time you have together for now because before you know it you will both be running around like crazy!
Loved seeing the tips and clarification on the groceries. Enjoy those mid-week hikes…you deserve them but I’m still jealous! 🙂
VERY well said! Thank you. I like how you did this and I think everything you said is important for everyone to know. We all come from different needs, but how you put this is good basic information that everyone can put to use in there own lives. Enjoy your class today!
Your house looks so cozy. I heart it too:) I just discovered they have a Great Harvest in Nashville and I am so excited!!! I’ve been eating gluten free, but I’m finally able to try introduce it back into my diet. I can’t wait to try the GH bread.
I love your zebra bowl and K mug. Too cute!
Hope your Bikram goes well this time.
Great post!! I am in love with my bread machine, so I’m anxious to try some of the bread recipes on here in it.
As for the budget thing and the whos, whats, whens, etc. of when, where, how, you guys have $$$… I have to give you a high 5 for keeping cool and answering questions. To have a blog to the degree of your is a full time job in itself. Keep up the great work and enjoy the time you and Matt have together before the full fledged craziness of another business comes on.
I don’t like the shape/texture of the loaves that come out of my bread machine, but I do like the convenience, and the lack of mess. I usually use it on the dough setting, and then take it out and shape it in bread pans for the second rising and baking. I do heart homemade bread!
Hi Kath,
I have been an admirer of your blog for a few months now. Those pictures are absolutely beautiful! And I must admit I am very jealous of your schedule. Hanging out with the hubs and exploring your new city must be a blast. Really, you’re just doing research for the bakery ;)! Which I might add I am also jealous that you guys are doing that. It’s definitely a dream goal later on in my life to have a little bakery as well. Enjoy your time together and keep up all the awesome work you are currently doing! You are certainly and inspiration to many as is!
It sounds like you have settled into the new house nicely. I agree thatv Quaker oats are the best and I hate ones that are too big and not creamy.
Where is your bowl from!??? I’m in love!
Homegoods
I know it’s frowned upon to be disagreeable on blogs but I just can’t help but wonder how Matt feels about things like being given an “allowance”, being instructed on how to cook dinner for YOU while you go to yoga, shop, etc. You actually said the other day that you pretended not to realize it was time to cook dinner so that he would do it and you wouldn’t have to help! I would feel so guilty doing that to my husband. I just don’t get it but it seems like you’re always trying to get people to do things for you rather than with you. I know I’ll be “hated on” for pointing this out and told that I don’t have to read the blog which is true but I’m still willing to risk that with my comment.
I think it’s not that SHE gives HIM an allowance, it’s that they EACH get an allowance, i.e. personal spending money. Probably she is just the one who does most of the day-to-day handling of finances (I am in my marriage too), which is just division of labour, each person doing some of the household tasks — whoever’s better with money does that, whoever’s better or enjoys gardening does that…
I think it really depends on the relationship you have with your significant other. I’m sure Kath wouldn’t talk about it on the blog if Matt had a problem with it. She gets an allowance, too. My BF and I have a pretty playful relationship and joke around a lot and I get the impression that Kath & Matt do, too. I tell him and others that’s there’s my money and his money, which is my money. I’m the one who manages the accounts and does the allowance transfers. He does 95% of the cooking. He enjoys it (I do, too, but he enjoys it more) and doesn’t like cleaning, so I do that. In front of friends, I talk about him making what I want for dinner. I asked him about it once because I’ve dated guys who would have been bothered by it, but it doesn’t bother him. And if if did, I’d stop.
I’m sure it’s a mutually agreed upon “allowance.” I think Kath and perhaps her husband are just very structured people that keep a tight reign on things like money/spending, what time they should start cooking dinner, etc. Each to his/her own, right?
Also- isn’t it strange to be commentating and speculating so closely on someone else’s lives?
Everyone else pretty much summed it up. The word “allow” always has negative connotations, so think of it as a Personal Budget (which is what we call it). We decide together where the personal budgets should be set, trying to be reasonable based on our income. Remember, the personal budget is “no guilt” money – essentially it’s used for items that are non-necessities, which are the kind of things that a lot of people are always scared to spend money on. Dying to buy that expensive dress? No problem – personal budget. How about that $20 bottle of beer? No problem. I love our budgeting system because it gives us the freedom to SPEND! I remember how we used to go out to a fancy dinner, and in the back of my mind I would have some guilt as I thought, “Should we be spending $100 on something I can make myself? Can our checking account handle that?” I guess we’re just savers when it comes to money, and we need a system to actually encourage spending.
As some have noted, Kath is definitely the organized one of the two of us. If she’s willing to do the extra work to be Nerd KERF and create spreadsheets and calendars for our budgets, that’s just fine with me. And that’s a good segue into the cooking – haven’t you realized how much I like preparing food? And it’s not like Kath is always coming up with the meals and telling me what to make, though when she does that, I’m thankful that the decisions have been made and all I have to do is make it taste good! Frequently our meal planning is, “Let’s buy some of this, that, and this, and make something out of those on Wednesday.” That’s what happened with the chicken two nights ago.
The thing is, everybody projects their own family dynamics onto other families. When I see blog readers post stuff like, “I wish my husband could cook like that!” I think to myself, “Man, why the hell can’t they?!?! Cooking is fun!” There’s so much you don’t know about us despite all you read. And there’s even less you know about ME because the blog is through Kath’s eyes.
Your disagreeing comment would have been totally cool except for one line: “you’re always trying to get people to do things for you rather than with you.” Who says that? Really, did you think you WOULDN’T get hated on for saying something that rude? Besides being a bold statement, it’s also false, and you can’t make claims like that without supporting evidence.
A+ for a supportive husband 🙂
Great post Matt! My husband and I also handle our money exactly like you two. It has worked perfectly for us the last 8 years! We love knowing we can use our “little pot of gold” on whatever we want because bills/savings are already taken care of.
I agree with the others – you’re projecting! Of COURSE our allowance amount was agreed upon. I don’t command Matt to do anything. Sometimes I type in a joking manner and perhaps you take it too literally?
Kath, I totally wish you would budget for me and give me an allowance. I wouldn’t even mind if we called it an allowance 😉
The KERF budget is on the NERD KERF page!
I actually clicked over there RIGHT after posting this because I thought it would be, and I need some inspiration 😉 Thanks!
I get an allowance, too! (We call it discretionary income, but allowance is easier to say 🙂
I put a similar post up last night (http://braisetheroof.com/2010/08/25/break-it-dahn-nah/) about how to save money on groceries- these are great tips, Kath! I agree with you about the meat- I buy chicken to cook at home, but usually save most kinds of fish and meat for when I eat out!
Have you tried Justin’s Maple Almond Butter? AMAZING! I’m truly addicted.
Thanks Kath, for all the information! It is really interesting to know what works for you and other people. That’s what blogs are all about, right? We get to see into the lives of other people to get great ideas (nut butters!) and new ideas (separate+joint accounts). That’s why we keep coming back.
Claire, I don’t think anyone has a problem with you being “disagreeable” but I think (from using Kath’s budget tool at NerdKerf) that Kath is saying that they both get separate allowances of an agreed-upon amount…not that she is dolling out money for him to spend. And it seems to me that Matt really likes to cook, and since Kath buys the groceries, she gives him guidelines as to what food is available to cook. My husband is always at a loss of what to make because he’s not sure what’s in the fridge, so I tell him what is there. I don’t know, but I get a very different feeling than you about how Kath and Matt manage their household and their time. Marriage is all about leveraging and agreeing on what each person is best at. If Kath’s strength is organizing (budgeting, arranging), and Matt’s strength is creating (baking, cooking, drawing on packing boxes) then that is what works for them.
beautiful pics! and one way to help on groceries is couponing. i know people into eating whole foods and the like typically think coupons aren’t for them, or they’re just offered for packaged foods but that’s not true at all. i get coupons for produce and meats from places like kroger, and if you’re willing to not be brand-specific you can get great quality toiletries for free (yes, free!) for playing the drugstore game. i started getting really into this by reading moneysavingmom.com. what a great resource! i haven’t paid for toiletries in about 2 yrs, and get enough for my husband & i and then give the rest to family, friends, homeless shelters, etc. give it a try!
I hear ya! we, also are in a transition where we are about to move so we are both just working PT until some things “line up” I cannot yet discuss. I always hope people dont think i am lazy or a bum, I have been working full time since we got married until now lol!
LOVE all the pictures btw!
wow, great tips!! definitely something for me to think about.
your home is gorgeous, as are you!
My fiance makes all of our bread at home and it has made such a difference in our grocery bill. We spend an average of $55/week, and the most expensive items are usually cheese or Chobani yogurt.
I’m excited to read about when the bakery opens. I’d love for one to come up here in MA.
@ Canadian- Why are you NOT thankful that most people’s attitude is the cheaper the better? If I can get veggies/fruits/whole grains, etc at cheaper prices than a farmer’s market, I’m going to buy it. And I’m sorry, if you live in a city and are spendig time baking bread, canning, etc, you are REALLY not enjoying all the great opps a city has to offer- cultural opportunies, museums galleries, various exhibits, access to travel spots, etc etc. A
Also: I live in a city and I still enjoy baking bread, canning, and other domestic skills. “Way more better stuff to do” is really in the eye of the beholder.
Meggie, I think she just meant to say that when fruits and veggies are grown locally we know that they haven’t been shipped across the globe (causing pollution), and that we are supporting our community. Generally, when you are buying food in season, you can find local options that are just as cheap, if not cheaper, than the produce shipped in from New Zealand or Guatemala.
Because I care about 1) the health of the planet and the sustainability of food systems, 2) the welfare of local farmers.
I like baking bread AND cultural stuff. Luckily I get to do both. Is that hard to understand? I also get to enjoy running AND reading. Knitting AND walking. Cycling AND museums. Cute little cafes AND big public libraries. Picnics AND video games.
And, although I enjoy baking my own bread, I am fortunate that I live in a city with great bakeries like Première Moisson, which makes awesome bread with real ingredients, including some organic breads, for when I don’t have time to make my own.
To clarify, if you want to buy local/organic/fair trade blah blah, feel free! But there’s no reason to develop a superiority complex about it.
Absolutely. The topic about whether or not local = more ethical/responsible/right/better/green is actually controversial. Not saying what I believe; only that there is no clear cut right OR wrong way to buy food, only personal preference. There is no room for superiority.
I don’t think having a preference makes one superior. I too support local agriculture and am grateful that I can do so. But each person does what’s right for them. What’s right for me isn’t right for everyone. I just wish more people were aware of why certain fruits and veggies are cheaper. Bananas are cheap b/c they are grown on huge plantations where they are picked by workers who do not earn a fair living wage. Then they are sprayed and sent a long long way. How can they come to my grocery store in CO and cost only 49 cents a pound? Cheaper doesn’t always mean better for the planet. I recognize that for some people cheaper means they actually get to eat fruit that week. I don’t fault anyone for making choices. I just don’t think it’s necessary to get defensive about personal choices. We each make the best choices for our individual situations. (and no one is perfect…I still love bananas!)
Those are some great tips. Thank you so much for sharing them. =)
Beautiful pics! I am so loving your blog:)
Loving your “K” mug too- where did you get that?
Anthropologie
@Meggie Some people value supporting local farms and consider the extra cost to be worth it. Some people value buying only organic and consider the extra cost to be worth it. Your priority is to find the foods you like for a cheaper price because those other benefits aren’t that valuable to you. To each their own. And that applies to what one finds value in when living in a city. I’m pretty sure a balance can be found between domestic endeavors and cultural opportunities. Nothing has to be “either/or.”
i heart your house too! a place like that in LA would cost at least a million dollars – no joke!
I’m loving Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter. I buy the packets of the almond butters to keep in my desk at work. They are great for convenience but sometimes I feel like they are a little wasteful.
What great tips! That are also completely doable.
@Sloan
I agree with the buying food in season- I mean, I don’t eat apples now cause they taste like crap anyway! But if my cherries/grapes are on sale and come from Chile, so be it. They taste great and I know I can’t get them year-round.
I am so glad you love your new house. 🙂 I like your grocery shopping points. I seriously wish the husband and I could spend only $200/mo on groceries. I guess we just like to eat. :p
Way to be prepared and thoughtful! I love it. I am planning a major life change in the next few years, and while it is scary, it’s nice to see that it can be done. I mean, I KNOW it can be done, but it’s nice to see someone doing it well.
Kudos to you! Pics are beautiful, too. Nice and simple, yet so pretty.
Kath,
Such beautiful photos! Please enjoy every hike, yoga class and all that you and Matt can do in Charlottesville together. I am sure you chose the area for qulaity of life you can have there, so why not enjoy it to the fullest. 🙂
Er, oops. That would be “quality.” Doh!
You had mentioned that you spend about $200 a month on groceries and you also supplement with your blog swag and Matt’s baking.
I’m sure supplementing with blog swag helps to cut down your grocery bill.
If you had to spend the money each week on the food that you get from blog swag, what would the retail value be?
I know nut butters, coconut butter and granola, etc…can be expensive. Do you think they add $20 to $50 in retail value a week or month to your grocery bill?
I hope this does not sound intrusive. I am just curious what your total food bill would be with the blog swag added in. And the reason I am not asking what the retail value of Matt’s baking is, is because you are still buying the raw ingredients and those are included in your grocery bill.
Good luck with the two potential spots for your bakery!
I really have NO idea. Honestly, I’d say only about 15-20% of the stuff I test out I actually go and buy myself. Most of it I wouldn’t buy otherwise and would replace with more homemade stuff. For example, I’d make more homemade granola and wouldn’t buy it. Or make homemade bars and wouldn’t buy those on a regular basis.
Thanks for the reply!
I hope your hand feels better.
hey kath! im a new blogger, working on a joint blog with my best friend, and we absolutely love your blog and photographs. your eating style is so balanced–i love that you center your meals around vegetables, but allow yourself meat and cookies sometimes. it’s everything we strive to do. thank you so much for the inspiration!
p.s. your new house photos have such a CLASSIC feel to them. love it.
Good tips Kath. Budgeting like that is so important and you leave room for fun too, at least it seems like you aren’t tooo stressed about it. And amazing that you planned ahead saving for this move, I am happy for you that you love the house!
When my boyfriend and I get married in the next year or two, that has always been our plan to have two joint accounts and a family account. I will be the budgeter because I am good at that stuff. 🙂 That is how my parents have always done things and they have always made it work really well. I hope I can always have as good of a rainy day plan as them (but yet be a little more ready to live life up sometimes than my Mom – she goes too far with the obsessing over the budget sometimes to the point where she restricts herself from fun)! 🙂
Lol, “don’t hate when we’re out hiking mid-week.” You saved for that time, you enjoy it!! You’re making your dreams a reality and you KNOW the hard work that will take.
Good luck!
If I had butterscotch flavored peanut butter I think it would make it onto every plate and into every bowl too!
I’ve really enjoyed your blog since you moved, Kath. I love seeing the new city and the charming shots of your new house. Call it living vicariously (which I’m sure many of are doing with our blog reading), since it seems so different from where I live, and a place I’d love. Darn my husband for not wanting to move. 😉
No education is ever a waste….def. agree on the above points. I have often had funny looks when I tell people I got my master’s degree in social psychology and now I write a blog and own a bakery. But the truth is, you can use a degree in many ways. I now use my psychology background to help others, but it just happens to be online and not in a lab doing research or in a therapist’s office. The internet is the way of the future and many careers are transitioning there. thinking outside the box is a GOOD thing. 🙂
I also agree about the point of taking time for you when you own a business. It is easy to go months without a day off. You will have your busy time again soon enough like you said.
Also I think that shot of the swing + oatmeal should be a future header pic. 😉
@ Canadian- glad you enjoy cooking/baking-I hate it, thus leaving me more time to grab stuff at Safeway and then do cultural stuff 😉
Thanks for sharing so much of yourself Kath. I hope you’re not getting any negative comments because although I know I’m not the only one that loves reading about your life, you don’t owe us any information about your finances. So, I hope no one is making you feel that way. I think it’s so nice of you to share it though. I love hearing people’s tips on grocery shopping. It’s one of my favorite things to do. 🙂 And good for you for anticipating a time when you will only have one income. There’s too many people out there who don’t consider planning for time such as these.
Maybe someone already asked this… but do you still bake bread when it’s a bazillion degrees in the summer? I love baking bread but my recipes usually call for a super hot oven and it heats my whole house, which would result in more AC use on the hot days.
Hi Kath,
I’ve been reading your blog for about a year now and just love it! Kudos for consistently making good choices with your diet and finding the time to exercise no matter what your circumstances are. That along with your creative flair for photography makes your blog one of my absolute favorites.
It’s very motivating to see someone succeed on a daily basis. All of your smart little choices are what make you so healthy. Thanks for inspiring me to do the same. 🙂
Oh- and I even tried one of your book suggestions not to long ago: Sarah’s Key. Loved it!
Susan
I personally really love seeing how people spend their grocery money. It’s like peeking into their carts at the grocery store. Of course, I’ve been at the Frugal Healthy Simple thing for quite awhile now – and what I’ve learned is that it’s all about what, where, and when.
What you eat makes a huge different – meat vs. veg, organic vs. not, dairy or no dairy, local vs. bulk purchased. Where you live is also a big deal. I live in So Cal, so I have access to reasonably priced local produce BUT the cost of living factor means that everything – EVERYTHING costs more. A coworker just moved here from TX and he’s been comparing Walmart vs. Walmart and it was an eye opener (don’t get me started on Walmart). And the “when” – how much time you are going to spend. It takes time to bake bread, cookies, crackers. You have to balance, for your own family, how much time you will spend and on what. For me, I know that we do pretty well at about $400 a month for three, $80 of which is our CSA. I can go lower – last year for 9 months I averaged $320 a month with the CSA, but BOY was I exhausted at the end of that. It’s quite a bit of work when you have a full time job and a kid.
I know my grocery bill goes up when I start hitting the crackers, snacks, and mini-yogurts that my four year old loves so much.
As for mid-week hiking, it’s so easy to look at that and be jealous. I’ve got friends who’ve taken 6 months leaves to travel the world. Friends who go on long camping trips 7-8 times a year (seriously). Friends who spend lots of time at the beach. But much of that is a choice. I have a full time job. My spouse has a full time job. We own a house in Santa Barbara because we work very hard. The house is a benefit of our choices. We could play more and work less, but I have this thing about financial security.
On the other hand, I’ve been going swimming in the ocean at 10 am every Thursday. And I leave work at 4:15 pm every day. I get funny looks at work, but …on Thursday, I start work at 6 am so that I can take that mid-day break. And every other day, I go in at 7:30 am and take a really short lunch, and take work home on the weekends, so I can pick up my kid from school. A lot of people don’t see that. They don’t “see” me in 2 hours before they come in.
I heart that bowl!!!
Hi Kath,
I’ve been following your blog for a while now and I rarely comment. I cannot say how much I love your blog and how much I look forward to reading it on a daily basis. It makes me said that some people can be so critical of your lifestyle. I admire how motivated, energetic, and happy the two of you are. It’s not like you are sitting on your butts doing nothing all day. You work and save for what you want. And to you, buying local process may be something that is important to you.
It is certainly important to me to buy healthy, local and sometimes organic foods. I don’t splurge on other items like fancy clothes (like you I LOVE Target) but I do have guilt spulrging on food. Thats good though. It means we are feeding our bodies with the nutrients they need to keep us healthy and live a happy life.
Keep your chin up and don’t get discouraged by negative comments. No one has a right to judge your choices. You do them because they work for you and they are probably increasing the quality of your life. I get weird looks at the lunch table at work when I am eating my fresh produce, greek yogurts, etc etc like how can i afford that. Simply put, its important to me so I budget for it (like you) and don’t spend on things that don’t really do it for me (fancy clothes, make up, jewelry, elctronics, etc etc etc).
I know I am rambling I am just saddened by the fact that people can be so judgemental with out knowing the full story!!
Keep up the good work and I will continue to look forward to reading your blog and hopefully one day have the courage to start my own.
Jackie 🙂
Thanks Jackie 🙂
Can you guys hurry up and have kids so you can give us great ideas on how to feed them so many veggies? Only kidding. Enjoy this time as you will never stand in this same place again. Thank you for all the tips and just the happiness you project in your daily writings. You guys are an inspiration for happy, healthy, BALANCED living.
Kath,
I discovered your blog recently, it’s my favorite now! I’ve been loving all the balanced meals with whole foods and seasonal cooking. The lifestyle you and Matt are living is exactly what my husband and I are striving to build for ourselves, and the journey is so fun.
I have struggled with my weight forever and I thought that I would have to give up my “inner foodie” to reach a healthy weight, but you are all the proof I need! I started running in January and am now training for my first marathon this coming January so I love reading about your runs. Another coincidence, I am starting school shortly to become an RD (can’t wait to read more about this in particular in the archives)!
Yours is the first blog my husband has caught me reading that he was actually interested in (we’re budding homebrewers)! Not to sound creepy, but I feel like I KNOW you guys and am just catching up with an old friend when I read your blog, ya know?
Anyway, I’m not usually a commenter but the nosiness and hating is so annoying! Sheesh! I didn’t realize how judgemental people could be until I started reading blogs. You share your life and interests in the hope of spreading some entertainment and happiness around. In return people give unsolicited advice, criticism and ask prying questions without knowing even close to the whole picture. You have responded with grace and I hope that the haters are in the minority. Keep on truckin’!
Thanks,
LauraLee
🙂
Hi Kath!
I am a relatively new reader…I found your blog through The Front Burner (I’m Emily’s soon-to-be-sis-in-law) and I have to say I was wondering what you and your husband did for a living (not hating, I promise!) and why you moved to Charlottesville. Good luck on the bakery. That sounds amazing!
I have to say, I love the photography on your blog…you really have some talent! And your new home is adorable.
You have (kind of) inspired me to make my own bread. I just need a little more time and a lot more practice.
Hi Katie! Matt and I are opening a Great Harvest Bread Co. here in Cville (#1 reason why we moved here). I just became a Registered Dietitian (3 years of school) and Matt worked for Great Harvest in Charlotte. We’re preparing to open now, so we’ve got some downtime.
HI KATIE! 🙂
Those pictures reflect everything that I love about the mornings!
Thanks for the update on life and the bakery. That’s too bad that you have to start the location search again. Best of luck.
Thanks for the tips! I think this post was done very tactfully. 🙂 One thing I admire about you is that you are super-disciplined. I also think you and Matt have such a great relationship….anyone who is a regular blog reader can take a look at all of the thumbs-up pictures and know he is supportive! Definitely projecting here, but my husband would never pose for or take the amount of pictures you guys take!
I read the hateful comment about mid-day hiking and it made me cringe. Totally tacky. I admire you for thinking outside of the box, career wise and you certainly should NOT feel like you need to “clock-in” here on the blog and/or recount/justify how you spend your hours.
Keep up the good work!
Thank you for the tips – I moved out a few months ago and am still figuring out how to budget properly. My expensive chocolate habit keeps messing things up… 😉
Kath – love this grocery tip post! Cville groceries are expensive in general, but so worth it for all the local flavors. Have you discovered The Organic Butcher in Main Street Market yet?!? During the farmer’s market months we get our meat from the market, but if you miss the market, or during the Winter, The Organic Butcher rocks. Definitely check them out!
fab tips missi! your house is totally beautiful!!
Just wanted to say I admire you guys for being so responsible. It’s admirable to see young people saving, making good food choices, going outdoors and opening a business! I love coming here and seeing all your adventures.. its truly inspiring!