Monday Q&A | Pickle Juice, Cloth Diapering, and Technology
Every Monday, I answer a few of the questions that my readers send me. If you have a question you'd like me to answer in a future Q&A post, just leave me a comment here or email me (thefrugalgirl [at] gmail [dot] com) and put Q&A in the subject line. I look forward to hearing from you!
Now, onto some reader questions!
I wanted to know if you know of any uses for left-over pickle juice. I buy the big jar for our family movie night (Wednesday's special is buy one get one free, so we get two for 99 cents), and I always end up with a bunch of pickle juice left and can't seem to find any use for it. I hate to throw it away.
Thank you, hope you can answer my question.
-Jovi
We don't go through a ton of pickles at our house, but I know I've read of people putting sliced cucumbers into pickle juice and then letting the jar sit in the refrigerator for a few days. The result, from what I hear, is a kind of raw pickle.
I've not personally tried this, though, so I can't vouch for the effectiveness of this trick.
Given that your balance of concern for budget and the environment is similar to my own, I was wondering what you did for your children when they were in diapers? I am having my first in Sept and am at a loss. I hate the idea of using disposables, but I'm concerned about the cost of cloth services or even my own water bill should I go alone on cloth. I'd love to hear your take.
Jennifer
I wrote a post a while back to answer the question, "How much baby stuff do I need?", and in that post there's a small section on cloth diapering. For various reason, I never got into cloth diapering, so I didn't have a lot of helpful advice to offer, but in the comments of that post, many of my readers shared helpful tips and opinions. This FAQ page has some more specific info about the dollars and cents aspect of cloth diapering and the Green Baby Guide also addresses this question.
I was curious what you do about tv, video games, and the computer. When I have children I don't want them to have video games or free reign over the tv or computer. I was curious if you let your children earn tv or computer time or do you give them a certain amount of time per week? I don't watch tv and the only reason that we have a television in our house is that my husband likes to watch good movies every once in a while (maybe once every two weeks or so) and old tv shows on DVD or BBC tv shows on DVD. We don't have internet either and I don't really see a reason to use the computer other than doing research for school projects or typing...that is the only two USEFUL things that I used the computer for during school.
Oh and cell phones... what are your thoughts about kids having cell phones? I am pretty serious about not giving my children them until they are driving and then it will be only for emergencies.
-Faith
We do own a TV (though it is not hooked up to cable...we just have an antenna in our attic), a wii, and several computers, but our children don't at all have free reign over them. I think that the technology we currently have in our culture is amazing, wonderful, and useful (especially the internet! How would I blog without it??), but I think that it's good to exercise care in the way we use these things. Of course, different families have different needs, so the way we handle technology isn't the perfect method for everyone, but since you asked, here's how we operate.
TV
We watch TV very, very rarely, mostly because there's not much on that we perceive to be edifying. We did watch some of the Olympics, and my husband and my son sometimes watch football games together, but TV isn't even close to being a daily thing here. We do sometimes borrow movies from the library or rent movies from Redbox, but this also is not something we do on a regular basis.
Computers
My older two kids use the computer for their schoolwork (the younger two don't know how to type yet!), and they both use the internet for typing games. Joshua has an email account, which carbon copies everything to my account so that I can keep an eye on what he's sending and receiving, and he also sometimes reads articles about cars and checks the scores of various sports teams. Excessive internet use hasn't really been a problem yet, so we haven't had to place any time restrictions on internet activities. We'll adjust this in the future if necessary, though.
Video Games
My kids all get 30 minutes per day to use on video games, but this half hour can only be used after their schoolwork is all done, checked, and corrected, and when their rooms are cleaned. This ensures that video games don't take higher priority than they should, and it also motivates them to get their work done without delay.
They don't always choose to use their video game time, though...there are often days where they decide to use their free time for something else once their work is done, and that is more than fine with me.
Cell Phones
None of our kids have cell phones, and I don't anticipate that changing anytime soon (I hardly even use a cell phone!). Since we homeschool, our children are almost always with either my husband or myself which makes the need for a cell phone pretty insignificant.
I know that even as an adult, I have a hard time resisting the urge to spend more time on the internet than I should, and I'm quite sure that my kids would have difficulty resisting the distraction of a phone with texting and internet capabilities. I think we probably need to be less connected to our technological devices and not more connected (this is why I turn off my computer after I publish my blog post, and leave it off until I'm finished with my necessary tasks for the day). So, I don't think we'd really be doing our kids any favors by essentially offering them 24/7 internet and texting.
Not Just Frugal
Though the way we handle technology does save us money (we have no cable bill and our cell phone bills are minimal), we also feel fairly strongly that having less access to TV, internet, and cell phones is better for us. Because of the way we approach these things, we're less distracted and are more likely to talk to each other, do things together, read books, play outside, go for walks, and just generally spend our time in more productive and healthy ways.
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Readers, as always, please share your advice in the comments. 🙂
I never got the "Video games poison your minds" camp of people who won't let their kids do anything. The last time I was on jury duty I started a conversation with this woman who felt the need to tell me how her kids aren't allowed to watch cartoons and how videogames are a poison that destroys kids' minds. I told her that I'm glad she's not my mom.
30 minutes a day is a fair amount, though in some games you may need more than that so you can get to a save point.
Regarding cloth diapers, I have found the cost savings to be so significant ver buying disposables that the added cost of laundry doesn't matter. I currently have a 22-month-old and a 2-month old who are both in cloth diapers... I wash a load about every 1.5 or 2 days. Part of my diaper stash came from consignment stores, which made them even less expensive. Cloth has worked really, really well for our family!
Jennifer -
My sister-in-law is an environmental biologist and she uses "G-diapers" for her twins. It's kind of like a cloth diaper with a disposible (and bio-degradable) insert. The best of both worlds!
Pickle juice - it's a great add in to dressing for potato salad. Thin out the mayo base dressing with a bit of the juice. It adds that little bit of zip to your salad. You could use it for dressings of macaroni salads too.
Hi there,
I use pickle juice in salad dressings sometimes. I love your blog and plan to make your whole wheat bread recipe this week. I just started my blog and would appreciate any feedback you may have.
http://www.artisticpantry.com/
Thanks,
Cocoa
I have a question for Mr FG - I wonder if he ever feels pressure or just gets comments from co-workers or others regarding your families' frugal choices? My husband receives comments frequently from male co-workers regarding the older (but paid for!) car he drives, the small amount of "spend" money he takes every paycheck (only $20 every two weeks), the fact that he doesn't eat lunch out all the time like they do etc. I don't think this bothers him too much but maybe a little in that he mentions their comments to me. Of course these same people or in terrible financial straits and constantly borrowing money too!
For the CD questioner: I have one 18-month-old and have been cloth diapering since she was about a week old. The expense is all upfront. We bought rather expensive cloth diapers and spent approximately what we would on disposables for a 2-year period, but they have been completely worth it. They fit 8-35 pounds and, even after a 18 months, are in almost-new condition. We also made cloth wipes from thrift store blankets and pajama pants. I've never washed more than 2 or 3 times a week, and the household cost of adding 2-3 laundry loads is minimal; we didn't notice any increase at all. Also, if and when God gives us another munchkin, we'll have NO upfront cost. I'll be happy to answer any other questions or point you to the online resources I found most helpful, if you're interested.
Re: Pickle juice: I'm not sure if this is very healthy, but I love using the leftover brine from jars of olives and spicy peppers to poach fish or to roast chicken thighs (no pickle eaters in our family). I worry a little about the preservatives put in the brine, but it gives a lot of flavor.
"Since we homeschool, our children are almost always with either my husband or myself which makes the need for a cell phone pretty insignificant."
Since you homeschool, what do your children do to socalize with other kids outside of Church on Sunday mornings? Is there a homeschool play-group you are part of or do they go to friends house's or anything?
My kids play with neighbor children on a regular basis, they play with their cousins (we're fortunate to have a lot of family living nearby), and they play with the siblings of my piano students each week. My son, who is 10, just spent the weekend with his friend's family.
My kids definitely have no lack of social interaction with others, and when they're home, they have lots of social interaction just with each other (which gives us plenty of opportunities to teach them how to properly relate to and get along with other people!).
Used pickle juice works like that? Really? It sounds like something worth trying, I love pickles!
That seems very fair. I like the way you have worked it out. It is so refreshing to read about a family that spends time together. That makes me happy. Thanks for answering my questions.
On cloth diapers: if you choose to use a diaper service, you probably won't save significant amounts of money (if any). We've definitely noticed a difference in our water bill washing diapers at home, but the cost of extra water definitely outweighs the cost of buying disposables. On an environmental front, I'd rather use the extra water than contribute hundreds of diapers to landfills, where they'll sit for years and years. Not to mention, I'm uncomfortable putting plastic and chemicals so close to my daughter's skin. Just my take on it.
Kristen, I must admit...I cringed when you said your son's email is immediately copied to you! I think it's important for children to have an expectation of privacy, but then again, he's very young--will there be a point in time when he's older and wiser and his email stops being copied to you? I had a friend whose parents monitored her emails all the way through high school, and it was very damaging to her relationship with them. (Not to mention, she circumvented the rules with a yahoo account she accessed from school, so it didn't seem to do much good anyway).
I like your rules regarding video games and TV. We had the same video game rule when I was growing up (at least, when my parents felt like enforcing it 😉 ) and I think it worked very well, though as a previous commenter said, sometimes it's hard to play certain games for only 30 minutes because of save points and such.
Cate, we will most definitely change things as he gets older (he's only 10 right now, and is still learning how to properly do email, i.e. not forwarding things that aren't true, or that promise a surprise when you forward it to 10 people!), and not just with the email thing. We hope to be able to gradually let go of control in pretty much every area of his life as he grows older and is more able to handle things himself. We don't want it to be shocking for him when he leaves home, you know? We want him and the rest of our children to be mostly out from under our thumbs by the time they're ready to leave home instead of keeping close tabs on them and then suddenly letting go.
Oh, and I asked him last night how he felt about having his incoming emails copied to me, and he said it didn't bother him at all. 🙂
Believe it or not, pickle juice provides 30x's more electrolytes than Powerade, and 15x's more than Gatorade, due to it's salt and acetic acid content - much better in the prevention of dehydration than the isotonic drinks containing citric acid. Pickle juice is also good at settling a sour stomach. But, personally, it takes a true pickle-lover to even try this ... which excludes me. 😉
Just curious, I remember reading somewhere about your family vacationing. Can you provide any tips on planning the perfect getaway without breaking the bank?
My 14-year-old son does not have a cell phone and is THE ONLY ONE of his friends in this situation. He really doesn't care though, as he's always within arm's reach of someone whose phone he can use, and he'll use the phone in the school office if he needs to reach me.
Having said all this, he did get an iPod Touch for his birthday, which gets internet access and is next-to-impossible to "police," as I don't know when he's on the web. Seriously, even when I turn off the wireless for the house, he can pick it up from neighbors.
I could take it away from him, but he uses it to listen to music.
Ahh . . . modern parenting.
😉
Katy
We just went through a similar issues with our 14 year-old's iPod Touch (which she earned). She was using neighbor's wireless to access the Internet, and we have the iPod for the time being. We try to respect her privacy, but I am the only one with the password to her email account so that I can monitor who is writing to her, and all her Facebook actions come through her email account so I can watch those too. My husband and I also have "drive-by" privileges to her Facebook account. We are both "friends," and anytime we ask, she has to open her account to us without hesitation.
I'm all for giving kids their privacy, but two months ago, I opened my 14 year-old's email and discovered messages from one of her teachers, a 34-year old single man. We discovered that he had established an secret, online relationship with our daughter, and was texting her and chatting with her for hours every day (while she was in her room supposedly doing homework, after we went to bed at night, etc.). Thankfully we discovered it before anything criminal took place, but it was and is still VERY scary. Our daughter considered him just a "friend" and still can't emotionally figure out what was so wrong, but after going through the number of messages and the content of ones we found that were saved, we think he had become obsessed with her. This was a gifted teacher that we and the community trusted completely, but obviously there was this other creepy side to him (he was removed from the classroom immediately when this was discovered and is not teaching).
Monitoring teens (and younger) is a good thing. Our daughter doesn't have a cell phone any more and seems to be doing fine. If she wants to text with a friend, she borrows my phone now.
My husband and I are polar opposites. Our values and beliefs are the only things that we mainly have in common. I grew up in a frugal home, him in an frivolous spending home. I grew up with left over meals, him in a different meal everyday, because they sometimes went to the store everyday. Therefore, sometimes we clash when it comes to budget, menus, and spending. That email idea you had posted was priceless for our family. i do want to know does he have a say in menus, especially when he comes home and he has a taste for... Does he crave having a new 'big boy toy'. My husband has an expensive car habit when it comes to old cars and their parts. Did he grow up in a frugal home.
We went roller skating a few weeks ago and they had "pickle pops" for sale on the snack menu. Frozen pickle juice posicles! Wouldn't be for me, (I don't think) and I like pickles.
Oh my goodness. That sounds so gross! lol
Some people have taken boiled eggs with the shells removed and poke it with a toothpick. Then add eggs to the pickle juice, wait a few days and enjoy. Personally I don't eat them but I'm the only one in my family that doesn't.
As the poster states above, the skating rink freeze them and sell them for a quater.
The kids seem to love them; I know mine do.
Whodathunkit?
It's so refreshing to hear about someone who doesn't watch a lot of TV. We recently cut our cable and now I have so much free time. I guess I lacked a little self control when it came to TV. Our baby is only 6 months old but when he's older I want him to spend his time playing outdoors and watching a limited amount of TV.
I use pickle juice for tuna salad, egg salad, potato salad, etc. Anything you would put
pickle relish in. I just chop up some pickles and add the juice. That way I'm not buying pickles AND pickle relish.
I love pickle juice with tuna! For a quick lunch to bring to work I just drain a can (packed in water)...mix in a couple tablespoons of pickle juice to moisten it, add some slivered almonds and you're pretty much set to go! No need for mayonnaise or salt. 🙂
Pickle Juice- A reader of Cook's Illustrated (August 2009) sent in a tip for leftover pickle juice. Slice onions very thin(julienated) and put them in the pickle juice for 3-4 days in the refrigerator, you will end up with a whole other condiment for hamburgers, hotdogs...etc.
I use pickle juice to add tang to creamy dips, in potato salad and in cooked carrots, cole slaw, any place that you need vinegar, really. It's a cheap source of tangy flavouring! Don't throw it away!
Mr FG:
As the main income earner in your family, do you ever resent the way you have had to compromise in order to remain frugal for your family? In other words, do you ever wish you could just blow the wad on a 42 inch flatscreen and to heck with the emergency fund? Just wondering. Thanks.
lol! That's an awesome question. Adding it to the list...
After hard boiling some eggs I put them in the leftover pickle juice in the frig and make pickled eggs. You have to leave them set in the juice for a few days.
My children are grown now, so internet and cell phones weren't really an issue around our house. We did have the old pac man and Super Mario Brothers video games, but those did not take up much of my children's time. My sister has children at home and home schools them, and she says that many of her teenaged children's friends think they're strange since they don't have cell phones. My sister only allowed them to get a phone once they were driving, and then they are required to pay for it themselves. I cannot tell you the wonderful benefits you will reap by spending time together instead of with the tv, computer, and video games. Kudos to you for raising your family this way!
A few years back I began making "homemade" pickles. When we get a new
glass container of pickles, I would immediately empty the pickles into a
different container for storage in the refrigerator leaving the juice in
the original container. I would then heat the juice for approx. 2-3
minutes or until it would just come to a boil. I would then add sliced
cucumbers to the hot mixture. I usually leave the container on the
counter until cool and then store in the refrigerator for a week or two
before eating. This method seems to set the flavor into the pickles
better.
I can vouch for the cucumbers in pickle juice - love it - but mostly I use our left-over pickle juice in a fabulous tuna sauce that was my dad's specialty. Serve it over biscuits (toast, if you're lazy) or rice. Mix up a basic bechamel but replace some of the milk with a little pickle juice and mix in a can of tuna, liquid and all. Seriously, it's so tasty.
Pickle juice- take leftover juice and use as a marinade for pork chops. Marinade all day or overnight, then grill. I used boneless pork chops. A good friend shared this tip with me a few years ago. We are a pickle loving family, so I will be trying some of these other great tips.
pickle juice is also good as marinade for chicken; in college I worked at Chick-fil-A and they use pickle juice to marinade their chicken (at least 12 hours) + the spice package (not sure what's in it)
Pickle Juice- I do not care for it my self but I also have heard of people putting hard boiled eggs in leftover pickle juice. My dad use to buy pickled eggs, it would probably be cheaper this way since the juice is getting tossed anyways.
Christina
About diaper choices: there have been a lot of studies about the environmentalism of cloth diapers vs disposables. I've read studies and abstracts from US and UK studies and there's no consensus about which is greener. Disposables fill landfills, cloth requires a lot of hot water and puts lots more waste into the sewer stream. So from an environmental point of view, take your pick. (The studies all assumed that the diapers were dried in a dryer.)
Fun fact for the day: a firefighter in southern California noticed that disposable diapers seemed not to burn, even if the house around them did. An amateur chemist, he experimented and discovered that it was the liquid-absorbing gel that did the trick. It is now the basis for the most commonly used flame retardant sprayed onto houses in active fire zones.
That is an amazing fact!
One thing i have used pickle juice for is to pour in the dirt around my hydrangea bush. It helps to turn the flowers darker pink or light blue.
I used leftover pickle juice to make a great "fake" tartar sauce - just mix mayo, a little pickle juice, salt and pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and dill together. I actually like it better than real tartar sauce...
I'm not sure how much you're used to paying each month but my husband and I have been using Net 10 ever since I worked for a cell company and realized how many taxes were attached to a monthly plan and bill. The fees were set in place of course by state and federal mandates, but those taxes are awfully high for something that's considered a necessity instead of a luxury that it really is.
We get the 150 minutes for $15 that's only available online, and it's drafted from our bank account each month. We never forget about it, but we're not big phone users either. The minutes roll over and when we first signed up for some reaosn we were getting an extra 100 minutes each month free.
Right now we have over 1000 minutes because we're always together (I don't drive) and we only have 1 phone. Even for those who need 2-3 phones I think this is usually cheaper than a family plan unless somebody uses a phone a lot. I have known people who do so that's where plans save money I guess...
As to how to use pickle juice... I learned to save dill pickle juice for acidic-soil loving plants like gardenias. We just save the juice until someone takes it outside and pours it near the roots of the plant. My mom also uses the juice of sweet pickles to make a MEAN potato salad dressing-- she mixes the pickle juice with Miracle Whip.
On the cloth diapering front, if you can knit, making wool diaper covers is one of the few times when knitting something by hand is significantly cheaper than buying it already made. (I do like knitting socks, but I'm not saving any money even when I use the cheapest sock yarn I can find, compared to buying a 6-pack of Hanes socks at Target.) I've been able to knit up diaper covers for my baby for under $5 a cover, and haven't seen them sold anywhere for less than $30 (and often more). Plus, they're fast to knit up. You just have to lanolize them before you use them.
There's also a number of sites out there for diaper swappers. I used hand-me-down cloth diapers from a cousin with my first and now, since I passed them on, am using prefolds that were offered to me by a woman I know online, who has had her youngest out of diapers for 8 years now. She air-dried her diapers outside, and they look as good as the brand new prefolds I have. If you know cloth diaperers, there's a good chance you'll find somebody who has some diapers or covers to pass along.
Oh, and all of this talk about pickle juice is making me laugh, because there is nothing I find more disgusting than pickle juice. I don't know if it's the smell or the color or what, but it just grosses me out. I don't like pickles, anyway, but my husband and son do, and if anybody gets pickle juice on the floor or counter, I won't go near the kitchen until it's cleaned up. So however you choose to reuse your pickle juice, please keep it away from me! 😉
Amazing how many comments on pickle juice uses lol.
I've made some fast homemade hamburger barb-a-que
and normally always pour some pickle juice into it.
Last night I used the last of my sister Linda's wonderful canned beets.
I found myself thinking now what would the Frugal Girl do...
Pickled beet juice mixed with some corn starch & brown sugar makes a nice sweet & sour sauce.
i had read somewhere about pickle juice for plants can someone inlighten me on its use for plants...thanks
Leftover pickle juice can be used to pickle all sorts of veggies. The longer they sit, the more pickle tasting they get. I currently have leeks, garlic, peppers, and carrots in the fridge. Great for prolonging the life of veggies that might otherwise got to waste.
Pickle juice--I have actually sliced up some cucumbers and dropped them into the jar of leftover juice and let me tell you--yummy! You can peel the cucumber and leave it whole but I'd suggest taking a fork and poking holes all over it so the juice can seep through easier. Doing slices or the last way I mentioned usually takes about 1-2 weeks in the fridge to get the taste I prefer. If you leave the skin on it will take MUCH LONGER! (I've been doing this for a while--haha).
99c for two its very cheap
I just had my first baby in June and have been using FuzziBunz cloth diapers. I love them and although I haven't run the numbers, I know they are saving us a lot of money. We use disposables when we go out and at night (although I have friends that use them at night too). The initial investment seems expensive, about $100 for six (I like having 18 on hand), however, I have friends that have used them for multiple kids. It is very easy to soak the diapers at night in cold water, then wash them the next day in hot water. You can line dry them or dry them on low. The instructions say to only use 1/4 of the amount of detergent for a regular load and one of the best brands for cloth is Arm and Hammer dye/perfume free which is very cheap. I highly reccomend giving cloth diapers a try!
Try poaching fish in pickle juice. Delicious!
Hi - I have a use for a little pickle juice - mix some in with mayo and tuna or canned chicken or ham and it is a delicious addition to a sandwich!
On pickle juice, sounds strange but very true, if you or someone you know gets leg cramps, toe cramps ( the kind that your toes look deformed, & you can't walk) not just regular leg cramps in the calves, I'm talking about excruciating painful cramping in the thighs, inner thighs being the worse (I think) I have these almost nightly for some reason they started about 2 years ago, I have found that if I drink about 1/2 cup of dill ( not sweet pickle juice, however I've never tried it, it may work also) pickle juice I do not have any. However I do forget & if I have one I just get a cup & drink it & it will go away almost instantly. Someone told me to try this & I was VERY skeptical but I tried it & it does work like a charm. I've told many others & they are skeptical also but they ALWAYS come back & tell me they can't believe it but it works for them, so far it has worked for everyone. My problem is I need to find someplace that sells just pickle juice, because I don't eat pickles except in some salads. Currently I buy the gallon jar of pickles because its cheaper, to get the quantity I need, however some people just drink it when they have a occasional cramp. If you hate pickles you might try "stopsLegCramps.com" made by the Amish it runs about $ 10-12 a bottle for 8 oz. it works ok for me, but pickle juice works better. The problem I have with it is it has a VERY strong vinegar taste that takes my breath away & nauseates me, you may not have that problem. I 100% recommend pickle juice, cheaper, tastes better, (you may have to try a few brands to find one that you like the taste better than another) easily accessible, no shipping/handling/tax, etc., try it I hope it works for you as we'll as it works for me.