Author Archives: Peg

Favorite Free Thing: the Library

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This post kicks off a new category called Favorite Free Things. Free is one of my favorite things. Free gifts. Free events. Free food. I love them all. And one of my favorite free things to do is go to the library. *

I can’t remember exactly how old I was when I got my first library card; I think I may have been nine. But I do remember where I got my library card. It was at the beautiful and magnificent Huntington Beach Public Library (HBPL).

The HBPL is located in a 350-acre park and is several stories high (and low with sublevels) with a theater, indoor fountains, a spiral staircase, quiet study rooms, a big bank of computers, a gift shop and more. It is HUGE. And apparently has only become more huge since I was there in the 1970s and 1980s. In the mid-1990s, the library underwent a 43,000-square-foot expansion. Whenever I think back on my childhood, one of the things I am most grateful for is that I lived close enough to walk to this amazing library.

I love the way a library smells. The smell of old paper is very comforting to me. I love seeing so many books in one place. The possibilities of what you can learn! It’s mind-blowing. I like touching books. I remember as a kid I would walk through the many, many aisles and I would trail my fingertips on the spines of the books as I scampered by.

I truly believe that one of the main reasons that I am good at reading and writing is because I spent so many hours at the library. I was there practically every week from age nine to eighteen. It was a quiet refuge away from my critical, bickering parents. I read there. I watched movies there. I volunteered there. I even got kicked out for talking too loud while studying with my friends. I had many, many good times there.

Thank God for public libraries. I googled where libraries come from and found one of the better explanations at The Straight Dope. Turns out that in the old days, rich people had social libraries; bookstores and printers had circulating libraries; and schools had school libraries. In 1833, the town library of Peterborough, New Hampshire, combined these three principles to create the U.S.’s first public library. Hats off to Peterborough!

Next time you need a break, go to the library. You can use a computer. Read a book. Browse the magazines. Listen to an author give a reading. Watch a preview of a play or opera or musical. Watch a video. Take a workshop. Got a question or a dilemma? Talk to a librarian–some of the most amazingly resourceful people in the world–and I will bet that they can help you find an answer or solution.

Or try my better-than-retail-therapy-way-to-beat-the-doldrums-or-the-blues: go to the library and pick a book at random. EXPLORE AT RANDOM until you find a book that calls to you. Then check out that book and take it home to read. I guarantee you will feel better.

* Some of you are going to say, the library is not free, it’s funded by our tax dollars. This is true. All of us who pay our taxes help to sustain public libraries. Because of taxes, libraries remain free to anyone whether you are poor or rich or somewhere in-between. That is pretty amazing.

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Super Frug Heroes: Herb & Dorothy

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I look for inspiration every day. I don’t do it on purpose, I just try to notice when the spark happens. When inspiration hits, I try to do something with it–even if it’s just sitting still for 5 minutes to think about how I can incorporate that spark, that learning, that catalyst for action, into my life.

I was incredibly inspired when I watched the movie Herb & Dorothy earlier this year. These people are some of the most bomb Super Frugers you will ever meet! They inspired me to live my life doing what I love. And who cares what other people think.

I was so inspired by their story that I had to watch the movie twice. I keep it on my Netflix streaming queue on my Roku so I can watch it anytime I want. (For $7.99/month, Netflix streaming on a Roku gets the Super Frug seal of approval.)

Here’s what the story is about. I am quoting directly from the movie’s ABOUT page.

HERB & DOROTHY tells the extraordinary story of Herbert Vogel, a postal clerk, and Dorothy Vogel, a librarian, who managed to build one of the most important contemporary art collections in history with very modest means. In the early 1960s, when very little attention was paid to Minimalist and Conceptual Art, Herb and Dorothy Vogel quietly began purchasing the works of unknown artists.

Devoting all of Herb’s salary to purchase art they liked, and living on Dorothy’s paycheck alone, they continued collecting artworks guided by two rules: the piece had to be affordable, and it had to be small enough to fit in their one-bedroom Manhattan apartment.

Within these limitations, they proved themselves curatorial visionaries; most of those they supported and befriended went on to become world-renowned artists including Sol LeWitt, Christo and Jeanne-Claude, Richard Tuttle, Chuck Close, Robert Mangold, Sylvia Plimack Mangold, Lynda Benglis, Pat Steir, Robert Barry, Lucio Pozzi, and Lawrence Weiner.

After thirty years of meticulous collecting and buying, the Vogels managed to accumulate over 2,000 pieces, filling every corner of their tiny one bedroom apartment.

“Not even a toothpick could be squeezed into the apartment,” recalls Dorothy.

In 1992, the Vogels decided to move their entire collection to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. The vast majority of their collection was given as a gift to the institution. Many of the works they acquired appreciated so significantly over the years that their collection today is worth millions of dollars. Still, the Vogels never sold a single piece.

Today Herb and Dorothy still live in the same apartment in New York with 19 turtles, lots of fish, and one cat. They’ve refilled it with piles of new art they’ve acquired.

Watch the movie. It is an incredible example of how you can follow your heart and live the life you want to live, even on a modest income.

Herb and Dorothy Vogel, you are my Super Frug heroes. And props to first-time filmmaker Megumi Sasaki for making such a fantastic film.

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Create a weekly menu

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Ever find yourself looking in the fridge at 6:00pm and wondering, what am I going to have for dinner? You’re hungry as a bear, too tired to go to the store, and you’re trying to save money so you don’t want to eat out again.

What’s a busy Super Fruger to do?

Create a weekly menu.

Not only does it help you to simplify your grocery shopping, but you’ll never be at a loss over what to cook for dinner again.

For years, I called my weekly menu Le Menu. I’d write it on an index card and post it on the fridge. Sometimes I’d stick by it and other weeks I wouldn’t. In any case, it helped a lot to know what we needed to buy at the grocery store every week and what we were cooking every night.

Now, I’ve simplified our menu even more. Marcus and I thought about our favorite kinds of foods and created a weekly menu based on that. To give you an example, here’s our menu for last month.

Spaghetti Sunday
Beans & Rice Monday
Taco Tuesday
Vegetable Wednesday
Thrilling Thursday (chef’s choice)
Pizza Friday
Soupy Saturday

The dishes change every week according to what we feel like eating. For instance, one Monday we’ll have Louisiana-style red beans and rice, and on another Monday we’ll have Latin-style black beans and Mexican rice. This way, we get more variety in our diet and we don’t get bored.

By cooking more and eating out less, we save a lot of money. Also, we always make enough food for dinner and for lunch the following day. It’s so nice to not have to think about what you’re having for lunch and dinner every day. We save time and money. Bonus!

What dishes do you love to eat? What dishes do you enjoy cooking? Brainstorm, write them down, and have fun creating your own Le Menu!

October 2013 Update: Our weekly Le Menu has changed immensely since I started the Paleo Diet. Now, every day, we cook some kind of meat or seafood and lots of vegetables. For snacks, we have fruits and nuts. Except for a little white rice (because it’s easy for me to digest), we no longer eat grains or legumes.

The changes to our health and well-being has been amazing. I used to have IBS issues regularly and they’ve decreased immensely. Marcus’s acid reflux has also reduced immensely. If you’re interested in learning more, read this informative and amusing post on The Beginner’s Guide to the Paleo Diet by NerdFitness.

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DIY cleaning products

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I can’t stand the smell and fumes from cleaning products. It makes my eyes sting, my nose water and my throat scratchy.

Even if you aren’t sensitive to cleaning chemicals, you can save a buttload of money by using DIY (do it yourself) cleaning products.

ALL-PURPOSE SPRAY CLEANER
Get a spray bottle or better yet, save the cleaner bottle that you’re already using and rinse it out well after it’s empty. Fill the bottle with 1/4 cup of white vinegar, 2 cups of water and one squirt of liquid soap like Dr. Bronner’s liquid castile soap. Put the cap back on and shake well. Spray counters, toilets, showers and floors and wipe off with a clean towel. The vinegar smell will disappear after a while.

TOILET CLEANER
Pour 1/4 cup of baking soda in the toilet. Add 1/4 cup of white vinegar. Watch it bubble and fizz. I love that part. Add a squirt of liquid dish soap. Scrub well with a toilet brush. Flush.

NOTE: After cleaning this way a bunch of times, I don’t even measure anymore. Now, I just eyeball how much I’m using.

TUB SCRUB
This stuff is fun to make. Pour about 1/3 cup of baking soda in the tub. Add liquid soap and mix with your gloved hand. You want the consistency of cake frosting. Plop some of your “tub scrub” on a no-scratch scrub sponge and scrub away. Rinse.

SINK CLEANER
Plug the sink. Slosh a tablespoon of vinegar in the bowl. Add a tablespoon of baking soda and a squirt of liquid soap. Let it all bubble and fizz and then scrub with a non-scratch scrub sponge. Turn on the faucet and add some water–not a lot. Rinse the sink and the sponge several times. Unplug the sink and drain. Rinse your sponge and wipe down any leftover cleaner and suds from the sink.

FLOOR CLEANER
If you want something stronger than the all-purpose cleaner for your kitchen or bathroom floors, get a bucket and add in a cup of vinegar, a few good squirts of liquid soap, and then a good amount of HOT water. Mop with this mix then pour it out and mop with fresh water. Dry with old towels. I do this by skating around on the towels with my feet. And no, you can’t sue me if you end up falling down and hurting yourself.

Know your limits. If you don’t have good balance, then you shouldn’t be skating on towels on your just-mopped kitchen floor. Also, f you have marble counters or floors, you’ll want to check to see if it’s okay to use vinegar and baking soda on them. Be smart. Clean at your own risk.

Last but not least, buy vinegar and baking soda in bulk or when it’s on sale. I buy my vinegar, baking soda, and scrub sponges in bulk at Costco.

If you clean this way, not only will you save a ton of money, but your mucous membrane and lungs will thank you. Happy Super Frug cleaning!

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Best sunburn remedy

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When I was a kid, I used to tan so easily. I never burned. Then one day in 5th grade, after being lectured about wearing sunscreen, I whacked on a bunch of SPF lotion before going on an outdoor field trip. I broke out in painful red bumps all over my arms and legs and I got a raging sunburn on top of it.

My skin was ruined. The doctor told me that I would be sensitive to the sun from now on. Unfortunately, he was right. I will curse those chemical sunscreen lotion manufacturers until the day I die.

This tip is for all you folks out there with sun-sensitive skin like me. Next time you get a sunburn, get a few bags of cheap black tea (Lipton or Red Rose works great) and soak them in warm water. Take a short, cool shower. Lightly dry off and then dab the tea bags all over your sunburn. Lie on the bed and let it dry. Then dab more tea on. Let it dry again.

NOTE: if your tea bag starts to disintegrate, use a cotton ball soaked in tea. Then put on an old t-shirt that you don’t mind ruining with tea stains and rest in a dark, cool place or go to sleep.

Next morning, you will be amazed. Your sunburn won’t hurt at all and you won’t peel. Don’t put any lotion on for a few days, until your sunburn has turned to a tan and isn’t red or pink anymore. Lotion actually traps heat closer to your skin and you don’t want that.

The next day, you can use cotton balls or a cotton pad to apply more tea to your skin. It’s okay to use the leftover tea from the night before. Just make sure that you let your skin dry before you put on clothes.

I learned this tip from Sunny, the trainer at my CPR/First Aid class. I couldn’t believe it. Tea? Really? But the week after taking the class, I got too much sun on my face. I tried her homemade tea remedy. It worked like a dream. A month later, my back got sunburned (stupid mistake during an outdoor picnic) and I tried the tea treatment again. AMAZING. A month later and my back is still tan with no peeling. Thanks, Sunny!

HAT TIP: My face got burnt because I forgot to wear my hat. I’ve had this Rolled Brim Hat by Solumbra for years. You can fold it, roll it up and take it with you anywhere. When it gets dirty, toss it in the laundry and hang it up to dry. It costs more than your average hat but it will last a lifetime; thus following the Super Frug philosophy of quality over quantity.

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