Trades of Hope - Empowering Women Out of Poverty

About a year ago I became a Compassion Entrepreneur for Trades of Hope. In case you've never heard of Trades of Hope, in a nutshell it is a fair trade organization that helps create sustainable business for artisans around the world; particularly in areas where women are devalued, unable to get an honorable job, or have been freed from slavery.  In honor of my one year "anniversary" I though it appropriate to talk about why I love this fair trade organization so much.

Trades of Hope's tag line is "Empowering Women out of Poverty."  It's nice, it's catchy, but what does that really mean. I'm going to use some pictures to explain the profound impact of those five little words.

This is my daughter, nearly 4, sporting the new turtle backpack from Trades of Hope, made in Guatemala. The bright colors are so fun, this picture doesn't do this lovely soft pack/friend justice! She can put quite a bit into that backpack, the shell is quite spacious!

This is "Jayanthi" who was one of the 27 million slaves world wide. That is until International Justice Mission (IJM) freed her and the other slaves who were working at a rock quarry and rice mill. (Picture from IJM's FB page.) This adorable little girl doesn't look much older than my daughter or nieces. And yet she grew up living and working in slavery. I'll just let that sink in a bit while you look at her stunning "I'm now free" smile.

This is "Yulisa" who was stripped of her innocence when she was 5 years old and left for dead. In her case her family actively sought justice with IJM, but in many other cases families are so poverty stricken that they sometimes sell their children to the sex trade or other form of slavery to survive.  Other children are stolen and are part of human trafficking. (Read my book review of "Terrify No More.") Living in a land of plenty, I cannot even begin to fathom what that might be like. And the fact that there are millions of slaves makes my eyes start to glaze over because of the sheer number. BUT that's not where the story ends. This is where hope begins.

Why am I telling you about "Jayanthi" and "Yulisa"? What do they have in common with my daughter. And what do they and IJM have to do with Trades of Hope?

I'm so glad you asked! See, girls like "Jayanthi" and "Yulisa" are NO different than my daughter. They didn't ask to be slaves, to have childhood stripped from them before they even experienced innocence, to be sold and used like property. When I see these girls, I see my daughter.  Each child is precious and a blessing. Life is precious. 

Organizations like IJM help free those who were slaves. But that's only part of it. What else is there for them? What prevents them from having to go back to slavery?  That's where organizations like Trades of Hope come in - teaching women a trade so they can become artisans and provide for their families. Not a handout, but skills to live. Making a difference to that one. Not only is the Trade useful but Hope is very powerful and contagious.

Products like the Guatemalan Turtle Backpack help little girls like this, so they don't have to live like many children in Guatemala do; being street children, or Living in the city dump.  Women of many walks of life: mothers, grandmothers, widows, single women, in the USA and around the world can have an honorable job and provide for themselves and their families. Meet our Trade of Hope artisans.

Please take time to check out all the beautiful, handmade, fair trade items available at Trades of Hope. New items are being added throughout the year. They are beautifully crafted and economically priced (all items are under $50!). You can bring hope to artisans all over the world by purchasing items, hosting a party, or becoming a fellow Compassion Entrepreneur. You can help create sustainable business that changes the course of lives when purchasing items you would purchase at a department store anyway! Pretty cool huh?

While my daughter sports the adorable and fun turtle backpack, another woman's daughter has the hope of a better life. That is why I love Trades of Hope, that is why I love being a Compassion Entrepreneur.

Used Parts for Appliances and Cars

This is a post for those of you handy-women or handy-men out there (or those of you married to one).  I'm very blessed to have a husband who does all our car repair work.  He also does most of the fixing around the house too.  I'm a rather handy gal myself but the ways of the car elude me.  Not to mention it's rather difficult to fix the washing machine with a tot and a preschooler climbing on me.

So where do you get that random part needed for the washing machine or car?  Well you could go to the store and buy one. OR you could go to your local junk yard.  Wait wait! Don't run away! I think we all have a picture of a big nasty place piled high with garbage bags when we think of a dump. I'm not talking about that.  I'm talking about the junk yards that hold large appliances and cars.

Did you know, most people will toss BOTH the washer and dryer if only one of them isn't working? (Most not be overly frugal people right? ^_~) Well if you need a part for your washer or dryer you can harvest the parts off the ones in the junk yard for a good price.

We upgraded our seats in our vehicle to leather by buying them from a junk yard.  Now our vehicle has safe head rests for every member of the family, front and back seats.  And yes, we sanitized the seats.  Which is much easier to do with leather than cloth I might add.

Obviously use your common sense with buying parts from the junk yard.

Buy Local

Find out what's unique about your area, perhaps there's an orchard nearby, perhaps a dairy farm, a farmer's market, etc.  Chances are you can get the best deal around by going there to buy it.  And chances are that it is organic.  How cool is that? Inexpensive and organic?!

Cereal

Here's an Omma Brand shout out to Three Sisters Cereal.  All their cereal comes in ziplock bags to save on packaging (part of the savings is passed on to you too).  It's natural cereal that tastes great.  My little girl likes the Three Sisters Honey O's over the name brands.  AND you can really stock up when there's a sale, waaaay cheaper than the regular boxes of cereal.

Shop Around

I have become my grandpa's granddaughter and have started going to different grocery stores to get the best deal.

1) This all stems from knowing how much something should cost and what a good price is.
2) Then it is shopping all your local stores to find out who has the best price.  If you get the newspaper or have the internet, you can check the fliers weekly to see where the best deals are.
3) Make a list for each store (I prefer this to circling items on the fliers, helps me get everything I need).  Put the coupons you need with your list so everything is all together in one spot.
4) Pick a day of the week to do all the errands or go to one store a day.

Coupons

I used to get the paper for the coupons.  BLAH!  Waste of money.  I was getting lots of use out of the coupons sure but I had all that paper piling up, the cost of which kept going up, and I was clipping coupons to pay for my paper!  Arg!

So I canceled the paper and use the Red Plum flyers instead.  They are free, they come in my mail, what's not to like?

You can also go to their website and print them out.

If you like a particular brand, company, etc. you can go to their website and print coupons or get their free e-news and get coupons that way.  I have a "junk" email account that I use just for these sign ups so that my regular email doesn't get bogged down with tons of newsletters and spam.

You can also "like" a company or brand on Facebook and get the "inside scoop" on deals and coupons there.

Rummage Sales

My mom is the queen of rummage sales.  She can spot a sign for one a mile away!  She can haggle a price down like a pro.  I have my kitchen table is thanks to my mom who not only haggled the man down on the price but got him to deliver it as well!!

I love rummage sale season.  You never know what you will find.  I usually have some general items that I keep an eye out for when I go rummaging but they're rummage sales, you never know what you'll find.

Clothes for kids are a big one.  I love to stock up with I find a great place that's selling clothes for ten cents a piece.  I pick up clothes for my nephews and nieces at that price! (I'm so generous, I know. ^_~)  I have gotten both of my jogging strollers at rummage sales.  They cost $200 and $400 new (single and double) and I paid a max of $25/piece for them.

And by the way, many rummage items make good gifts.  Sometimes they are in the original packaging too yet.  Growing up we would get many items for Christmas or birthday that were from rummage sales.  (What? Doesn't everyone do that? ^_~)  That's not to say we never got anything new but much was from my mom's thrifty finds.  There were many years where things were extremely tight for my parents and my mom made sure that no one was without presents on special occasions.  I never felt like I had to do without because my mom was a frugal shopper.  In fact, one year I was surprised that our family was picked by the church for the annual "Family Charity Christmas box" as I have never felt poor (and we had, in fact, contributed items to that exact same box).  That was mostly due to my mom who could pinch pennies so hard they screamed!  Valuable skills she picked up from her Grandma, Grammy A.  Grammy A could find awesome gifts at rummage sales.  I have in my living-room, a reproduction of DaVinci's "Last Supper" that my Grammy A got as a wedding gift for my parents that she found at *drum roll* a rummage sale! 

So that just goes to show that you don't have to spend a lot of money to make it look like you've spent a lot of money.

Day old food

It's amazing what one little day can do.  One day the grocery store can charge full price, the next they legally can't sell it.  It's that little thing called the "sell by date."  I know some people do a major part of their shopping this way but I don't have time for that.  But if I happen to see something that's a day or two past the "sell by date" (depending on what it is of course, let's not be cheap) I'll throw it in the cart and get it for free.  Saves them from having to throw out that box of Mac 'n Cheese that I'll promptly cook up for lunch.  Isn't that nice of me to take that off their hands?  ^^

Case Discount

I happen to live near a Whole Foods store.  They have great bulk items, inexpensive natural and organic foods and household items, and case discounts.  Other stores have this too but I LOVE Whole Foods and their case discount.  Everything in the store has a case discount, it just depends on the item how much of it you have to purchase to get said discount.  I found this out quite by accident buying formula for my son.  I had three canisters and the very helpful check out clerk says "did you know you can get 10% off if you buy one more?"  When I looked dumbfounded he explained how the case discount works.  I can get organic formula for less than a regular store brand with this discount.  Best.thing.ever!  I buy yogurt, shampoo, lotion, all case discount.  I've asked at some of my other stores that I shop and they also do discounts on certain items.  It pays to ask if you can get a case discount!

Free Shopping

Ok, this may be a less popular post but hang in here with me to the end.

I'm going to talk about dumpster diving and garbage picking.  YIKES!  But Frugal Omma, doesn't that cross into cheap?!  It can extremely easily but let me explain.

All the generations before me that I have known have "picked garbage."  (Did you know you can actually get a license to partake in these activities by your local government and you just flash it to people if they ask you what you're doing?)  But the key is for only certain things and at certain times.  For dumpster diving I have gone to high end local colleges at the end of the year.  Why?  Because students with seemingly lots of discretionary money throw out what they can't pack back home.  Those living farther away throw out perfectly good furniture.  Now, that being said let's draw the line somewhere shall we?  No cloth covered furniture and no beds or bedding.  I'm talking lamps, tables, chairs you can wash/disinfect, bookshelves, etc.  Stuff you can clean and not worry about bringing in lice and other nasty stuff with it.  That is where you get cheap and it is ultimately expensive to fix that mistake.  (Same holds true for hand-me-down furniture, you have to know where it's coming from.)  You also want to make sure it hasn't rained.

You never know what you might find driving around the nice end of town on garbage day.  You find things people haven't bothered dropping off at Good Will and just want to get rid of it.  I've picked up perfectly good big wheels and other outdoor toys for my kids this way.  While my Grammy A would do the polite thing and ask someone if she could take an item I do the "it's by the side of the road on garbage day so they obviously don't want it" stop, throw it in the car, and drive away.  I started out with the polite asking but people just look at you like you're crazy and go "Um yeah, I'm throwing it out so knock yourself out."  One has to know the difference between "it happens to be in the lawn" and "it's clearly being thrown out" or you could get into trouble.

Buy Bulk

I buy just about everything I can in bulk.  I can get organic flour for less than the prepackaged regular stuff.  You can invest in some nice canisters or just have bags in your pantry.  My DH found some great glass canisters on a great deal for flour and sugar so I don't have to haul out a huge bag every time I want to bake.

Some of the regular grocery stores are getting into bulk items.  Just be savvy about it and know if you are actually getting a good deal.  Just because it is in the bulk section doesn't mean it is automatically less expensive (especially if you're considering upgrading to organic).  I have noticed that my local co-op and natural foods stores have more bulk items and for less money.  I can get just about anything bulk.  Dried fruit, protein powder (great for shakes), pasta, flour of every type, cereal, granola, etc.  In fact, I have shopping list for the three stores I visit based upon where I can get the best deal.  They all have bulk but I can get flour cheaper at one place and another has dried fruit for less.  Being organized helps me save money.


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Word to the wise about flour, put bay leaves in it.  Don't eat them, but they will keep bugs from visiting, living in, and eating off your flour (more common in spring/summer).  I don't know about you, but I have a hard time eating that flour once bugs have been eating it.  Bay Leaves.  Works every time.

Ethnic Foods

Shop your local ethnic food store if you have one.  You may be surprised to see how close one actually is to you.  The foods there cost MUCH less than at your regular grocery store. 

If you do a search and can't find a local grocery store, ask someone at your local ethnic restaurant where the store is hidden.  Chances are they buy from somewhere local and can help you out.

We make many Asian and Mexican dishes and I buy what I need at our local ethnic stores.  My son loves these outings as well as he usually gets a bag of his favorite Korean snack.  ^_^

Juice

As we've had a number of illnesses running through our house, we've gone through a fair amount of juice.  So let me tell you about juice!

I first off, love the V8 and Ocean Spray fruit and veggie blends.  I find that Ocean Spray is generally cheaper but sales and coupons sometime make V8 win out.  I have declared this juice "hands off" to everyone but our son.  Super picky eater toddler and this is a way to get some veggies in him.

For the rest of us in the house, we get the frozen concentrate.  Because really, many of the pre-made juices are from concentrate but cost 2-3 times as much.  I stock up when they have them on sale and keep a stash in my deep freezer.  When mixing it I have found that adding 1/2 cup extra of water will make it go a little bit longer.  But generally I can't go a full cup extra as then it looses it's taste quality.  (Again, going to cheap and not staying frugal.)  Unless you like watery tasting juice then have at it!  ^_^

Coupons

I love coupons!  I love double coupon days! I love free sample days!

Things to know about coupons.

• If you don't normally buy it, don't bother clipping the coupon for it (the generic brand is probably still cheaper even with the coupon)
• If you normally buy it, clip it!
• Organize your coupons and keep it in your purse or with your shopping list (if you can't find the coupon, you can't use it right?) 
• Find out when double coupon day is at your local store and then shop that day
• And don't forget to use reusable bags, many places give 5-10 cents a bag (sometimes you have to remind them)
• What is your favorite brand?  Chances are they have a website and a Facebook page.  Check it out and you can usually get some great coupons through their mailing list, email list, or Facebook special.  (And if it is something you use a lot of, print multiple copies of it to use for future shopping trips.)

When I've Crossed the Line

This post is in memory of my dad who would always remind us "Be frugal, not cheap." 

I usually know when I've "crossed that line" into cheapness.  Like when I bought that value pack of Babies R Us diapers and if I didn't know better I could have sworn that I put the diaper on inside out...(and they weren't all that much more inexpensive than Huggies by the way).  Or that value pack of paper towels of the "Clear Value (R)" brand and they are almost like not using anything at all to clean up messes.  Cheap.  No longer a deal when I have to use twice or more as normal to get the job done.  And I can say that I'm not going to purchase that brand again as I've had a number of bad encounters with their products.  Shortning being another one...

The store brand for many of the same items is only a few cents more and usually of a higher quality so I get that.  But a word to the wise, check the label.  Usually items are very similar but not always.  Sometimes one item will sneak in something nasty like MSG or high fructose corn syrup.  Or maybe they both have HFCS but it is the first or second ingredient for the one and the second to last for the other (thus signifying less of the substance).  I've found that by reading labels I can pick the healthier item and sometimes it surprises me that it is the more generic brand.  So read labels!

There are some things I don't skimp on.  Milk, meat, apples, and potatoes.  All suffer from high levels of something like pesticides, hormones, etc.  Apples and potatoes are the most susceptible to pesticides.  You can't buy everything organic but these are ones you should try to find organic so that you're not feeding your family a vial of nasties with their food.  Both freeze really well too.  I grow potatoes and enjoy them when in season.  When it gets to the end of the season I make a big batch of mashed potatoes and then freeze them in smaller containers.  Lasts until the next season.  Apples work great in sauces, etc.  And those all freeze really well too.  Most areas have a local farmer's market where you can get apples for under $1/lb when in season.

Milk and meat might surprise you.  I have learned through the years, mostly but trial and error, which are good and which are bad.  I have endometriosis and can tell within 30 minutes of eating either of those items if they've had hormones added to them (one of the benefits of having a messed up body ^_~).  I get all my meat from Whole Foods or the Outpost.  I stock up when it is on sale.  If you shop around you can find organic meat for just as cheap as the "other stuff."  I also like Sassy Cow and Whole Food's 365 milk.  And they cost just the same as the "other stuff."  I believe in good milk and meat so much, I will give up most other things before giving these up.  What good is it to save a few pennies or even a dollar if it means feeding your family the equivalent of a birth control pill with every glass of milk or hamburger?  Endo Assoc.