Class Warfare

I have had a lot on my mind lately.  It is funny, when I was a kid, I never paid attention to politics.  But now, as an adult I pay a lot of attention.  There is lot of talk nowadays about class warfare, whether or not the wealthy should pay more taxes, etc.  I thought about it, and you know I think it is class warfare, but it started a long time ago.  The first jobless recovery I ever paid attention to was under George W. Bush in the 2001 recession (http://www.forward.com/articles/7308/, http://www.usatoday.com/money/economy/2003-07-17-recession_x.htm).  I mean, how can you have a jobless recovery?  This is not a blog about blame.  What I noticed is that when these jobless recovery occurred, the middle class and poor took the hardest hits.  Many people never recovered from that time, but the unemployment percentage was still low.  Employers began cutting salaries.  Also, the laws changed for overtime pay, so if you made over a certain amount, the employer only had to pay the employee straight time instead of time and a half.  The plan was to lower employers’ expenses so they could hire more employees, but what ended up happening is that they just asked their employees to work overtime at straight time pay, and since salaries had been cut, the employees worked the overtime because they needed the money.  I didn’t just read about these trends, but I experienced them as well.  As a technical writer, I had one position that paid 39/hr, and all overtime hour was straight time.  My regular salary would have been around 78K, however one year I earned over 120K.  Now you could say that was a great year, but working that amount of hours started affecting my health.  The other thing that I experienced as a writer was more work in job descriptions and training.  Many companies were sending many of their positions overseas and they were hiring technical writers to write the job descriptions and training instructions for their co-workers’ positions and later their own.  This gave a whole new meaning to working yourself out of a job.  This trend continued on throughout the 1^st decade of the 21^st century.  At the same time our children, spouses, and parents who were in the military were going to war.  For some, this was an income increase, but for others it was a strain, because they had to leave their regular jobs.  However, the middle class and poor continued to suffer because many of these men and women had to write to their loved ones for military armor, but when they got to Iraq or Afghanistan it was not available for them.  Many families got a crash course in military armor design, its cost and shipping.  Now as all of these things were occurring the deficit was running out of control and the banks had decided that they could gamble with the economy.  It is funny, all of us were beginning to see people suffer or struggle, but many of us believed our politicians when they said that the economy was sound, especially if we still had a job.  And for many people in the middle class, “we still have a job” was how it was described, because our pay had been lowered, our hours extended, and our job conditions lowered, our basic expenses increasing (gas, rent, utilities and food).  I don’t know if some of you remember, but in 2008 there were riots in 3^rd world countries over the large increase in the cost of food.  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007%E2%80%932008_world_food_price_crisis, http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7331921.stm )  Americans did not riot, but we did notice that our grocery bill increased (http://financiallyfit.yahoo.com/finance/article-113449-10939-1-4-rising-food-costs-that-will-hurt-your-wallet?ywaad=ad0035&nc) and we had to re-evaluate our budget.  So, I guess it is“class warfare” because the poor and the middle class have been getting the crap beaten out of them on a regular basis, for a long time with no relief.  As I would say in my younger days, "not even a reach-around".  So, I think that it would be fair if the wealthy paid more in taxes.  After all, it would only be temporary, because they would find a way to get out of paying their fair share as soon as the economy improved. 

Depression Dishes

When money was tight in our home, my grandmother would start making what she called “Depression Dishes.”  These were meals similar to the ones she had that were prepared by her mother during the Great Depression.  Usually when my mother came home and saw what was cooking, she usually turned her nosed up, but by the end of the evening, and she was having second helpings.  These dishes were economical, but they were also comfort food and they were filling.  Also, during tight times, she would go to the butcher to purchase meat, one place that she liked to go is Piquette market, http://www.meatdeal.com/.  I haven’t been there in years, but their website name is correct.  They always had some type of meat package deal going on.  It can be a good way to save money on meat, instead of going to a grocery store.  Depending on the size of your family a $50 package can feed the family for a month. 

What is funny is that in today’s economy some of the healthy cheaper meals that she made are no longer cheap.  For example, oxtails are now pricey.  Once or twice a year, we would have oxtail stew or soup, and it was very good and filling.  In this blog, I am going to discuss, economical dishes and how to obtain some of the more expensive ingredients.

I wanted to do the Depression Dishes blog right.  So I did some research.  I wanted to find meals that were still economical and healthy.  And, I thought it may be smart to review some of the recipes of America’s past during the depression.  I found a few sites: http://www.homeeverafter.com/printable-menu-plan-great-depression-recipes/, http://www.homeeverafter.com/printable-menu-plan-great-depression-recipes/ and http://community.tasteofhome.com/community_forums/f/30/t/44025.aspx.  Then, low and behold I found this site:  http://www.greatdepressioncooking.com/Episodes.html .  The cook and show’s host is Clara.  Clara is 96 years old now.  Anyway, there is a cookbook and a youtube series of Clara with her recipes and stories during the depression.  A lot of things that she makes, you can buy at the store for a reasonable price.  But, I really do believe, that non-processed food is better.  Clara is Italian, and even during the depression, when people pretty much had the same ingredients, you could tell the difference in the cooking, she uses a lot of Olive Oil.  As an African American whose family is from Texas, our Depression Dishes were Southern and Southwestern based.  One recipe book that my grandmother had was Big Mama's Old Black Pot by Ethel Dixon.  You can get it on Amazon.  For health reasons, you should make some changes (smoked turkey instead of pork, oil instead of lard, replace some salt with sea salt and etc…), but there are some economical meals and recipes in that cookbook.  One thing that you will notice in a lot of the meals is that there wasn’t a lot of meat.  People either purchased cheaper cuts or very thin cuts of meats.  Protein usually came in the form of beans, lentils and eggs.  Also, there were a lot of meals that were prepared in one pot or pan.  There were some casserole dishes but not that many.  I have added some other Depression dishes that you may want to consider.

Easy Ground Beef Casserole with Potatoes from About.com

By Diana Rattray

An easy ground beef *casserole with potatoes and cheese.

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

·        1 to 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef, browned (ground turkey can be substituted)

·        1/2 cup chopped onion

·        salt and pepper

·        3 large potatoes, sliced

·        2 Carrots, shredded

·        1 can cream of mushroom soup

·        1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Preparation:

Brown ground beef in a skillet with chopped onions; cook until onions are tender. Drain off excess fat; transfer ground beef and onion to casserole dish. Add layer of sliced raw potatoes, sprinkle with salt and pepper; shred carrots to cover potatoes. Put soup over carrots. Bake at 350° for 40 to 50 minutes, or until potatoes are tender. Sprinkle shredded cheese over top and bake for about 5 minutes longer, or until cheese is melted.

Tamale Pie Recipe from About.com

This tamale pie recipe is made with ground beef, onion, peppers, tomatoes, corn, olives, and cheese, and has a cornmeal and cheese crust.

Ingredients:

·        1 pound lean ground beef (ground turkey or a vegetarian version - black beans)

·        1 cup chopped onion

·        1 large green bell pepper, chopped

·        1 large can (15 ounces) tomato sauce

·        1 large can (28 ounces) tomatoes, cut up

·        1 can (16 ounces) whole kernel corn, drained

·        1 small can (4 ounces) sliced ripe olives (optional)

·        2 cloves garlic, minced

·        1 tablespoon sugar

·        1/2 teaspoon salt

·        2 teaspoons chili powder

·        dash black pepper

·        1 cup grated Cheddar or Mexican blend cheese

Crust:

·        3/4 cup yellow cornmeal

·        1/2 teaspoon salt

·        2 cups cold water

·        1/2 teaspoon chili powder

·        1 tablespoon butter or margarine

·        1/2 cup grated Cheddar or Mexican blend cheese, for topping (optional)

Preparation:

Brown ground beef with onions and green pepper; drain well. Add tomato sauce, tomatoes, corn, olives, garlic, sugar, salt, chili powder and black pepper. Heat to boiling; reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, or until thickened. Add cheese; stir until cheese is melted. Set filling aside.
In a saucepan, combine cornmeal, salt, water and chili powder. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Stir in butter. Spread half of the mixture into a baking dish, about 12- x 8-inches. Spoon filling over bottom crust; spoon remaining cornmeal mixture over filling. Bake at 375° for 45 minutes. If desired, sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over the crust about 5 minutes before casserole is done.
Serves 6.

Chilli Beans

Ingredients

• 2 (10 ounce) cans diced tomatoes with green chile peppers
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 (1.25 ounce) packages chili seasoning mix
• 3 cups dried pinto beans

Directions

1.      Rinse the pinto beans and soak them in a bowl of water overnight.

2.      The next day, rinse the pinto beans and pour them into the pot. Add a piece of a smoked turkey wing or turkey leg.  Pour in enough water to cover the beans and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until the beans are very tender, about 1 1/2 hours, adding extra water as needed.

3.      Add diced tomatoes with green chile peppers, yellow onion, garlic powder, ground cumin and chili seasoning mix.

4.      Cover and simmer for 30 minutes

Chilli beans can be served alone or over rice.

Crock Pot

If you have a crock pot, you can place all of the ingredients in the crock pot after you have soaked the beans overnight.  Usually, I place all of the ingredients in the pot in the morning and set the crock pot to medium or low.  When I come home from work, my meal is ready.

Dark Days

Well today was hard.  I had some good news; I found out that I had an old small 401K plan that was available.  The company that I used to work for, merged with another company, and all of the plans were frozen until the merger was complete.  Now, I could roll it over or cash it out.  Rolling it over sounded like the best thing to do.  It was the smartest thing to do.  After all, I am a Frugal Diva.  It was only a couple of thousand, and I am at the age where I need to save as much as I can.  Also, when I had that job, I had taken a position with lower pay (10k pay cut), because it was supposed to be one of those Temp-to-Perm deals (It didn’t work out, but I got a job reference from my boss out of it.).  However, I still did the 401K.  Working in DC is expensive, but that pay really hurt my budget.  The only saving grace was that I got paid weekly.  I have found that you can make it on a lower salary, if you get paid weekly, because you just have to make it to the next check.  However, this year was harder.  It was 2008, yep right before the bank crisis.  I am sure everyone remembers that summer because everyone’s pay kept covering less and less.  And, a lot of people started borrowing or withdrawing from their 401K, just to pay the bills.  So, the fact that I was contributing to a 401K at the time was amazing, because my budget was tight.  I didn’t buy any clothes.  I had to take the MARC train and the Metro into DC every day.  I took the MARC because it was cheaper.  Train tickets were $10 roundtrip and I didn’t have to pay to park.  Also, if I purchased the monthly pass I saved $75 and I could ride the train as much as I wanted.  I didn’t go out to lunch a lot, because it could be expensive.  If I did go out, it would be on Fridays at Potbelly’s.  I also saved money on gas, because the train station was only 15 minutes away, so I would only use about ¼ of a tank a week.  Also, I ate a lot of vegetarian meals and what my grandmother used to call “Depression Dishes” (This is going to be a separate blog.).   But, I digress.  My point is that I sacrificed to save that little money.  I called this blog Dark Days, because I decided to take the penalty and withdraw the money this morning.  I hate doing it, but I feel like I am back in 2008 and my check just isn’t going as far.  I am trying to keep my head above water all over again.  And, since I refuse to lose this economy, I have to take the money and try to do some catching up.  It took my 3 days to make this decision, partly because I remember how hard it was to save that money.  I don’t feel that much like a Diva today...  

Share and Share Alike

Share and share alike, that is what my grandmother, Sweetiepie, would say.   But, growing up, I saw her perform this action much more than I heard her say it.   My grandmother always had a vegetable garden, so there were always cucumbers, peppers (green and jalapeño), onions, cabbages, collards, mustards, corn, yellow squash, zucchini, tomatoes, potatoes (white and sweet) and pole beans.  Strawberries and grapes use to grow on the back fence, but they were there from the previous owner, and my grandmother let them grow wild for a long time.  However, even when our house was full, we still didn’t consume all of those fruits and vegetables, so she gave them away to friends and neighbors.   Sometimes, she traded with others, for cherries or apples.   I liked the trading part, because, usually meant that I was sent to the garden to pick the vegetables.  As a little kid, that was my favorite job.   But, it wasn’t just vegetables; she also shared plants as well.  And bartering, my grandmother used to do my cousin’s taxes, and in return he would mow the lawn on Saturdays, or other yard work.   I never thought much of it, but these were great survival skills.  And, they are skills that can be used today.

Those of you, who read my status on FB, know that I work in a rural area.   One benefit has been that people bring fruits and vegetables from their garden to work.   So, bags of squash, tomatoes, onions cucumbers, zucchini, corn and apples have placed on the table in the cafeteria.  People walk by and they help themselves.  I walk by and help myself.  Granted, I don’t have a garden, so I am getting the better end of the deal.  However, this Frugal Diva needs all the help she can get; my commute to work is 165 miles round trip.  I am taking the produce.  J

But, seriously, when was the last time you traded or shared?  Heck, I have to ask myself the same question.   One of my favorite places to shop for some items is Costco.  But, I am by myself and I live in an apartment, so I don’t do a lot of Costco shopping.   But, my mom does, so we share a membership.   Ok, I pay the membership, but she has paid in the past.   I pay online, and she doesn’t do the online thing.   However, if you have a sibling with a large family, you can share a membership and only pay half for the membership fee.   Another example, I like to order from Omaha Steaks from time to time, and they can be pricey.  Also, I don’t need all of that red meat.  So, the next time I order a package on sale, I am ordering with a friend.   That way, we can split the cost and have a good steak every now and them. 

One thing that I haven’t mentioned is that this frugal tip relies heavily on friendship, trust and reliability.   There is nothing more disappointing than to offer to go or go half or with a group on something, and the person or more than one person bails out.   I should know, because I lost money on a trip to Vegas once that way and a New Years Eve party and...   What am I saying?   That money is gone...  That is not frugal.  Ignore this blog!!  (sob, sob..)L 

***Happy Thoughts… Happy Thoughts… Happy Thoughts… Happy Thoughts… Happy Thoughts… Happy Thoughts!!!***

OK, no, that is not what I am saying.  You have to know the people that you are dealing with.  You have to know what your friends or relatives can deal with.  (Reality can cramp a Diva’s style, can’t it??…)  But if you know them, this can work out quite well on both sides.   And, if it doesn’t, don’t close yourself to other opportunities.   Wait a while, lick your wounds and choose someone else.  J

Those Bastards!!!

Yeah, you know who you are.  I walk into a store in August and you are putting up Christmas signs.  Halloween hasn’t come yet, oh yeah, that display has been up for a week.  Those Bastards!!!  Frugal Divas don’t like to be caught off guard or empty- things handed.  So, we must use some holiday strategy.  I love Macy’s, Nordstrom, Saks and Neiman Marcus.  But , they do not befriend the Frugal Diva until a few weeks before Christmas and afterwards.  And, first they do it online and then at the actual Mortar and Brick stores. 

I have done many interesting things (Frugal Diva, frugal and just plain cheap) in the past for Christmas shopping.  And I am willing to open my vault of secrets for Frugal Diva shopping.  First, determine your budget now!!.  It’s early and if someone gets on your nerves, you can cross them off the list, just kidding….Well, you can maybe put them in the cheap gift pile.  Second, determine your Frugal friends (stores).  I have online and bricks and mortar friends.  I don’t shop at all of give of my friends, some friends just give me ideas. 

                    Online                                                                    Bricks and Mortar

Overstock     http://www.overstock.com/                                            Target 

Amazon        http://www.amazon.com/                                              Tuesday Morning

Figi       http://www.figis.com/                                                             TJ Maxx

Farmpac (Texas Treats)    http://www.farmpac.com/                         Ross (Dress for Less)

Forzieri (ideas)    http://www.forzieri.com/                                         Odd Lots / Big Lots

Macy’s     http://www.macys.com/                                                      Dollar Stores

Nordstrom’s    http://www.nordstom.com/                                          Marshalls

www.4greatcandy.com  

(Money Candles – great office gift exchange)

In extreme frugal times, I have made baskets as gifts.  For example, one year I made spa baskets.  This included a robe, slippers, turban, bath gel, body scrub, lotion and an eye mask.  Making a basket also made more sense because our family has a lot of allergies, and you can make sure that you purchase safe products. You can go to an Arts and Crafts store; however, I have been successful at getting all of my supplies at places like Tuesday Morning.  I have gone to the Dollar store for plastic wrap.  I usually prefer Tuesday Morning’s tissue paper.  Also, the baskets were sturdy enough, that their use continued for many years to come.  My mother uses her basket for holidays, sometimes even as a centerpiece.   

Since, the holidays are coming; I am going to share a few blogs on Holiday Shopping.  Your Frugal Diva has much more to share.

Piano Lessons

My friend Terrill is teaching beginner piano lessons in Detroit.   If you have a small business.   Tell me about it, and I will post it on my blog as well.

Attention Parents! Beginning piano lessons for children ages 7 to 16.
Very reasonable rates. For further information, call (313) 529-3090. Ask for Terrill Wyche. I also teach adults.