the Waste-Not Blog

This is a tough one. On the one hand, my husband and I are living proof that with hard work and frugality it's possible to save money and even start a homestead on an income well below the poverty line. On the other hand, there are days when I stop and think about how much sooner our goals could have been realized, how much more stability our lives could have contained, if we'd chased down a better job for my husband years ago instead of months ago. There are a lot of reasons why people might choose not to pursue a more lucrative position. Maybe you don't currently have any skills and the cost and effort to obtain the skills you need seems prohibitive. Maybe the last time you hunted for a job you found the process to be stressful and unpleasant, and you aren't keen on boing through it all again in the near future. Maybe you have a great relationship with your co-workers or a great enjoyment for your current employment, and feel that seeking more pay would be at the ex...

A lot of parents treat picky eaters like a given. Memes about kids who eat nothing but cheerios and chicken nuggets abound, as do memes about animal crackers all over the house and kids who aren't hungry at dinner but want a gogurt twenty minutes later. "Oh, yeah, mine do that too." "Have you tried letting him put ketchup on it?" "Wow, your kid eats raisins? You're lucky, the only fruit my kid eats is Welch's Fruit Snacks." So when people meet my kids and see their eating habits, they are... incredulous. Because my kids eat literally everything. I've had to stop them from picking up the baby's... used... animal crackers off the floor ("But we like baby slime!"). So how did this happen? Did I starve them for weeks so even the most repulsive foods became desirable? Do I put ketchup on everything? Did I hire a voodoo practitioner to pull the stuffing out of a voodoo doll with my kid's name on it, to make their stomachs fee...