Re-use Egg Cartons

There are several uses for leftover egg cartons, one I used today, one I use all the time, and there are others:

• Use the indvidual craters for different paint colors
• Jewelry sorting
• sorting other small items like beads

any other good uses?

DIY Sites

I personally love DIY type websites, partly because of the creativity, partly because of what you learn, and partly because DIY is usually much ceaper than non-DIY.  So here are a few of the sites I love to check out when I want to do something.

http://www.instructables.com/
http://www.ehow.com/
http://www.doityourself.com/


Have fun doing it yourself!

Summer savings

I find myself  in the same dilemma every late spring/early summer - what can I do to help my husband's income stretch as far as possible?  So this year is no different.  Many of the things I will try to do are rehashed from years past, and some will be experimental, but here is where I am so far:

• Meal planning with baking scrutiny - what I mean here is that in the summer it is hot, and the AC is on trying to cool it down, so the more I bake, the more heat I'm putting out into the room and the more the AC is having to work to counter it.  That means using more elctricity.  So, I'm working on my meal planning to include multiple meals so that I can have one or two baking days, but still have food for the week without having to heat my house up every day or 2 for baking.  Stove heating only takes a few minutes and doesn't heat up the house nearly as hot or as long, so that I don't mind.  Of course this also means planning my baking days around the coolest days o the week also to help the AC bill - we'll see how that one goes
• Hanging clothes on the clothesline
• Using our fans
• Going outside more
• Drinking lots of cold liquids
• Keeping extra bottles of liquid in the freezer to freeze and help keep the temperature in the freezer steady, and it helps keep the freezer from running so much, the trick is tospread the bottles out a bit.
• Keep unused electronics off when not in use.  You would be suprised how much heat a computer and other electronic devices create when they are not being used.  They also could use a cooling off period anyway to rest the motors.

Plug away and save that cash -

Harris Teeter Triples

Triple Coupons on April 28-May 4 ! The usual rules apply :)

Preparing ahead in warm weather

It's spring, and if you're a typical frugalie, your windows are open, fans are on and oven is off as much as possible to keep the heat down.  But you still have to provide lunch and dinner for your family.  Oh poo. 

Sunday was a beautiful day, and I still had to cook, so since my kitchen was hot already, I cooked extra to be prepared for the week so I would not have to heat the kitchen up again quite so hot.

Here's a brief list of things that are easy to cook extra of on Sunday afternoon (or any day) and keep for several days in the fridge:

• Noodles - something fun like penne or farfalle are very versatile, just add a sauce or heat in a pan with some butter and salt.
• Rice - I'm thinking rice as a quick side dish, added to burritos, fried rice with leftover meat and veggies, etc.
• Bread - if you're heating up your oven for 1-2 loaves, why not go ahead and make 6-8 and freeze the extras
• Veggies - if I'm making frozen peas for tonight I can double the amount and have them again a couple of nights from now as another side
• Potatoes - twice as many mashed potatoes means potato cakes later in the week! Or shepherd's pie topping ready to go!
• Meat - this one is a little trickier because meat is best on the first go around, unless it's sauced or seasoned for a specific dish, then you can't really tell.  For intance, if you are having meatball subs on Monday and Tacos on Thursday, go ahead and cook all of the ground beef while the pan is hot, ten your taco dinner just took 15 minutes less and you didn't have to heat up the pan or the room all over again.  Chicken can be done similarly if you're heating up your oven for one, can you fit a second one in there if you are having another chicken dish in the near future?

Be creative, use your time wisely and see if you can do little extras that take little to no more time but keep you from having to work as hard another day of the week.  This can be helpful for busy moms

Craigslist

I have recently become a big fan of craigslist.  I have purchased from it and I have sold on it.  I have also had a little spam from it, but that's pretty easy to identify.

I purchased a Vera Bradley bag brand new from an  exchange list (I'll describe this is another post later) for $30 shipped, carried it for 6 months, and now I want something different, and so I listed it on craigslist for $30, and got an offer.  So if I sell it, I basically got to carry a $98 Vera in perfect condition for free!

Plus, craiglist has no seller fees, except for  a few things, but I'm not sure what.  It also has local branches kind of like freecycle so the participants (generally) are local folk.

Have a wonderful day and go see craig and his marvelous list!

Razor Blades

Do what!!  Yes, it says razor blades, and let me now tell you why:

• Cost - about 1.50 for a pack of 10 single edge (which is what you want)
• Grout - after you scrub grout, there is usally this little bit of gunk you just can't get out, well, I get it out with virtually no effort with a razor blade
• Gas cooktop - you know what I mean, the little bit of dried oil, butter, food, etc that get burned, brown and stuck on right there under where the flame comes out, a razor blade takes them off easily, just be careful not to dig so you don't scratch your surface
• Nonstick cookware - **don't do this if you have any type of warranty because it will nullify it.  But if you have the cheaper kind, I personnally have used a razor blade to get stuck on pam spray off before.  My hubby is usually the only one to use the nonstick and clean it, and sometimes if little bits of the spray gets left on, it will burn on and it's hard to get off -
• Glass - get stray spray paint or other stuck on matter off of glass in a cinch - I personally love to do this on my toaster oven because it's hard to clean the door
• Small appliances - I have a kitchen aid stand mixer that I use almost daily.  I wipe it down after I use it, but sometimes I like to take if apart and just give it a good bath.  Well, since I make a lot of flour products, bits of flour dust get left behind when I wipe it down, and because it's not far from the stove, grease particles maket he flour stick, and sometimes you get gunk around the screws in the back of the machine, so when I give my mixer the spa treatment, I get the razor blade out and scrape gently around the joints and screws and my baby comes out clean as a whistle.
• I use a clean razor blade to slash bread tops before baking too, you can get pretty creative with the art this way because the slashes are so clean.

The razor blade is fast becoming one of my good friends, however there are a few instances when a razor blade should never be considered:

• On humans - do I really need to get into this, just don't use it on people
• On animals - can't think of  a good time to use it on critters either
• If you have a mentally unstable person living with you - then you may want to forego razor blades in the home at all

So, I like to use razor blades for certain jobs, but I keep them in a safe place and far away from where my kids could find them.  I also store the little case they come in inside of another container, to further hide them.  Used cautiously and responsibly though, they can be handy little suckers and save you a lot of cleaning time and headache.  Plus they are dirt cheap themselves.

**Please read disclaimer to the bottom right of this blog!

Free Healthcare!

I was having a conversation with a woman from my church not long ago about healthcare and related things and her comment to me went something like this:  "When I was a kid, we never went to the doctor unlss we were really sick.  If we had a cold, momma prayed over us.  If we had the flu, momma prayed over us.  If we had a headache, momma prayed over us.  Nowadays, people take their kids straight to the doctor or emergency room for every sneeze, sniffle, fever and vomiting.  It's needless and stupid.  If people prayed over their kids again and used their common sense, they'd save a ton of money and time in the doctor's offices and on medicines they don't actually need."

There are some things that need medication, but as this wise older woman has so clearly pointed out,  people don't take the time, put their hands on their children and fervently pray.  They also don't use common sense.  They say things like "Oh, it's just a $20 copay" or "Medicaid is paying for it anyway." 

People please - there is no such thing as free healthcare - that is except for taking the time to pray over your sick loved one.  There is no charge for prayer.  Medicaid costs, copays cost, even free clinics need donations because they cost money to operate.  Prayer is and always will be free of charge. 

Common sense if free too, if you don't have any, I suggest you find someone who has some and begin to ask them questions so that some seeds of common sense and wisdom may be planted in you to cultivate and grow and use yourself - then pass it on to another person in need of more common sense so that one day, it may actually be common again!

Workout DVD Rentals

I haven't posted about renting DVD's from the library in about a year and a  half, so let me reiterate.  Most libraries have an online catalog that you can search and hold specific items, including DVD's.  I do this often, and each free rental is 3 weeks long.  Here is  list of titles I have gotten recently:

• Jungle Book 2
• The Rescuers
• Jillian Michael's 30 day Shred
• Denise Austin Pilates
• Denise Austin Yoga
• Disney Classics Collection (includes Casey at the Bat, Morris the Midgette Moose, Ben and Me, and several others on the same DVD)

This is a very small sample of available titles.  If your library is like ours (and we are NOT in a large town at all) then it is linked to several local libraries and they transport titles back and forth for you for free.  There is also the opton of interlibrary loan, which is sometimes free, and for us, sometimes it costs $1 - which is still cheap for a 3 week loan.

Take a few moments, and find a good DVD/book/CD from your local library system and entertain for free!

Healthcare Tips

For those of you who don't already know this, I am a Registered Nurse, and when I do work (which not very often anymore, only about 2-3 times a month) I work in the Emergency Room.  With this healthcare bill passage looming, I think it's time to post a few tips for you because, I believe as a nurse that this bill is going to seriously hurt a lot of Americans, and most of my cohorts in the Emergency Room agree based on what we deal with on a regular basis.  So it's going to be more important than ever to stay healthy and not have to use the healthcare system except when you really need it.

• Vomiting one time is not a medical emergency.  Vomiting many times and not being able to keep any liquids down to compensate for the fluid loss, or adding in fever or diarrhea deserves a call to your doctor (who has your medical history available and can make the determination on whether or not you need immediate medical attention).  And remember vomiting has a functional purpose too, it's not all bad.
• Fever of 100.5 is not a medical emergency.  A fever of 105.0 however, is a different story - and please don't not treat the fever because you don't want to 'mask the fever', we want you to treat a fever that's high instead of letting it just get higher and higher and possibly have febrile seizures.  If the fever is 102.0, treat it and call your doc to see what they think-.  Also remember that fever too has a functional purpose and is also not all bad - it's your body's way of killing off bacteria and viruses.  Most health professionals don't even recommend treating a fever under 101.0, but if you're concerned or want to hear the opinion of someone who knows you personally, ask your faily doctor or nurse since they know your history and can give you more personalized information based on your medical history.
• Eat healthy - people who eat nothing but junk don't have the optimal physical condition to naturally fight off infections
• Exercize - people who exercize regularly are generally healthier (this doesn't mean you need a membership, this means get your butt off the couch and clean your house, cook your own meals, work in your flowerbeds, walk the dog, play with the kids, go for a walk, etc)  MOVE MORE!!!!
• Wash your hands - this can't be said enough, but wash your hands with plain old soap and water several times a day - when they are dirty, before you eat, after using the bathroom, and after play.
• Don't be a germa phobe - things like over using hand sanitizer, scrubbing every surface with bleach like a mad woman and spraying lysol on everything is not necessary.  DO take precautions, DO practice good hygiene, but DO NOT obsess to the point of craziness.  And believe it or not (and you can research this for yourself) exposure to normal germs is good for your immune system.  Now I'm NOT saying to go lick the dog or the gas station bathroom floor, but if your kid eats a God-knows-how-old Cheerio out of the corner of your living room, don't head to the ER to get his stomach pumped either.
• Call your doctor's office for questions, that's why they are there
• Invest in one of those home remedies or home medical manuals, they have lot's of great informaiton out there (and you can find them at most thrift shops)
• Get plenty of sleep - this also helps you fight off infections
• Get annual exams, once a year check ups for healthy adults is a good way to catch problems before they become BIG problems.  Regular cholesterol, glucose, triglyceride screenings are helpful in making sure you are doing your part in maintaining good health.
• Immunizations - this one is controversial, so all I'm going to say is to do your research and make your decision then take whatever precautions are necessary depending on what your decision is.  We personally did not get the H1N1 vaccine, but my kids are also not in public school or daycare, so our risk was lower than some other groups.

Anyway, more to come on this later - I'm not into writing posts that may make your eyes pop out :)

PAID OFF AGAIN!!!

As of today, my minivan is PAID OFF!!!

Our family's overhead is now decreased by $650 a month.

Next up , the computers!!

Homeschool Planners

If any of you homeschool, or have just looked at some of the websites, you know that most every company also has their own pretty little planner with 'everything' in it.  Some cost as much as $40.  $40!!! 

There are also, several sites that offer free printables for homeschool planning and household planning.  My favorite is http://www.donnayoung.org/ and the best part is, she is still adding to the free database.

So go check her out, there are tons of homeschool planning resources, but there are other things too like household planners with calendars, timers, checklists, etc.

Free, did I mention Free!  Not $40!

White Vinegar for Urine Odor

I have a 3 year old who is potty trained but still has accidents, and not all surfaces can be thrown in the washer.  Case in point - your car's seat cannot be put in the washer.  So, I have heard before that white vinegar added to your washload will get the urine scent out of clothes - and that is true, I have used it for about a couple of years now.  A couple of days ago however, I had to get the scent out of something - so here's what I did, I used clean towels to soak up as much as possible, then I took my White
Vinegar and Water Cleaning Solution and spray and medium mist (enough to dampen the surface - more than a light mist, but not a soaking either) and I just left it there.  It took a couple of hours to air dry but the urine scent was gone.  The area does not smell like vinegar either.  I mean if you stick your nose right up to the surface (I did just to check to make sure the urine odor was gone) you can get a faint vinegar smell.  But it's very very faint, and only if your nose is stuck right up on it.  Move 3 inches away, and you can't smell it at all.

I have used febreeze a lot for many household surfaces, and it works well, but urine and feces are tough odor and vinegar generally kills both odors well.  This is very important if you have small children :)


*** I generally use a 1:10 white vinegar:water ratio for my home all purpose cleaning, and this same stuff is what I sprayed on the area.  If you have pets it may take a higher concentration, or even straigt white vinegar spray.  Let me know if you try this.***

Cash for Groceries

Most people have heard of this 'cash only' system for buying groceries - I have wanted to do it, but keep getting back into the debit card rut.  We definitely do not use credit cards - for anything, but it is easy to lose track of extras when you're swiping the debit card.

Can I do it? Can I really go to a cash only?

My husband gets paid on Monday, and when I deposit his check on Tuesday morning I am going to keep out $75 for groceries, and try to do $75 weekly on the cash system and see if I make it - I'll let you know if I can pull it off or fall on my face!!

Homeschooling

This post is not going to try to convince you to homeschool.  However, if you are interested in learning about it, email me and I'll be happy to give you any info I have.  Anyway, this post is about spending wretched amounts of money on homeschooling.

There are too many types of curriculums to list, but I will say that the 'all-in-one' packages can easily be $1000 per student per grade level.  The only time I would recommend one of those is in the case of Missionaries, who are going to be overseas and need everything handy at any given time or if you live in a remote area where you either can't get to the library easily or you plan on being snowbound for a few months.

I personally put together several things to form my curriculum.  I start by going to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction Website and looking at what the state has the other kids doing in that particular grade level.  I actually print it out and as we cover the topics, I check them off in red ink so I can have the visual of 'complete.'  Anyway, the only real curriculum items I purchase are math and learning to read materials.  Things to complete Science and Social Studies are easily found at even small libraries, and literature is probably either in your home already, at the library, or in the thrift store.  I do Handwriting and Grammar at the same time through copywork.  I read my son the sentence, have him look at the words and we work on pronounciation, then I write it on writing paper and skip lines so he can copy it on the line directly below.  We talk about how words are spelled and what types of punctuation are used and why.  a Kindergarten doesn't need to diagram sentences, but when we get there, we can do it the same way.  Plus, he gets practice writing lots of different letters instead of a boring page of nothing but the letter p which would bore both me and him stiff in about 10 seconds.  I would rather kill 2 or 3 birds with the one stone and one time frame and move on.  Plus copy work helps with retention.

Anyway, everyone has their own particular style of homeschooling, but just because someone tells you to 'buy this because it's the best,' don't jump into it, just wait and look around.  Best for their kid is not necessarily best for yours!

Ultra concentrated Bleach

Don't be fooled by this gimmick.  Bleach, whether it's regular or 'ultra-concentrated' is only 6% sodium hyperchlorite 9the chemical compound that makes bleach the whitener and disinfectant that it is.  Ultra concerntrated also has 6% which means, it is not really concentrated, it's just thicker because of the other compounds they put in it, water is not removed, other stuff is added.  Read your bottles of bleach and you will see that all of it, regular or concentrated is 6%, don't be fooled. 

Spring Planting

This is also a reminder to get your flower beds, gardens or porch pots ready for spring planting - a homegrown tomato is cheaper and tastes better than the grocery store variety, as does lettuce, green beans, herbs, cucumbers, and most any other thing you can possibly grow - plus, if you start from seed, it is even cheaper!  A packet of about 100 tomato seeds costs about 1.50, one tomato plant costs about $2.99.  If you're planting a whole garden, that makes a huge impact on your start up costs - and if you have tons of produce, sell it on a roadside stand and recoup virtually all of your investment.

PAID OFF!

Hey! Look to the right!  As of today, ourtruck is paid off!  Next one up, the car, followed by the computers, followed by the boat!!!  Of course I will eventually change the boat from years to dollars, but it's embarrassing!

On a motivational note, if you have a 'pay off list' or 'debt snowball' that you're working on paying off, please post it somewhere that you will see it everyday to remind yourself of your goals!

Breakfast Choices

Breakfast can get expensive quick - for instance, if your kids eat poptarts, they cost about $2.50 for a box of 8, and let's face it, since they come 2 in a package your serving size is 2 even tough the package says the serving size is 1 (at about 300 calories per 1) - so anyway you get 4 servings of poptarts for $2.50 which makes them cost about .63 per serving.  Now if poptarts were a nutrient dense, filling and lasting breakfast, it would be okay - just a little on the pricey side.  Now let's look at some other options:

• Eggs - currently $3 for 18 = .17 per egg, full of protein and other vitamins and only about 70 calories each, and oh, by the way, they are nature made not chemically concocted - although that can be debated a little depending on your egg supplier - I get mine from local farmers, but still a regular grocery store industrially laid egg is closer to as God intended than a poptart ;)
• Oatmeal - about $3 for the 42 oz round box (not the instant stuff) = .10 per serving (1/2 cup dry which equals almost a full cup cooked), and 30 servings per package.  A complex carbohydrate powerhouse, minimally processed, few if any chemicals added
• Pancakes - the homemade kind are cheap as dirt, they cost about .65 per recipe and one recipe feeds more than one person, and of course, the homemade kind are less polluted by stuff you can't pronounce
• Muffins - there again, the homemade kind are about .75 per recipe and one recipe makes 12 muffins, and you can feed several people on those also
• Cheese toast, waffles, biscuits - CHEAP> CHEAP> CHEAP!!!

The best options, I think is to mix and match.  Serve each child a scrambled egg with a side of pancake, muffin or oatmeal.  The next day, give them cheese toast or something simple like that on your leftover homemade bread (use real cheese of course).

My kids rarely eat boxed cereal or poptarts, or anything like that.  We eat homemade pancakes, biscuits, muffins, waffles, cheese toast, etc.  They enjoy the occasional cereal treat, but that's what it is, a treat, not a daily staple.  And while my kids are realtively picky eaters, they do well with breakfast, and that makes me happy since it's the meal that carries them through their busiest part of the day and the part of the day most of their intense learning takes place.

Vacation Spending

My family and I are on vacation in the western part of NC this week.  We love to ski, and skiing is very expensive, there are a few ways to save a few bucks on this wonderful sport though:

• Clothing - we buy our ski bibs, goggles, etc at yardsales through out the year.  The boys have bibs that cost $1 each and they worked fine.  We also have hand me down coats that fit well (thank you snippity!), and we purchased new waterproof ski mittens out of the 'sale box' at the local ski shop here for $13.
• Ski Days - go during the week, because the weekends are usually marked up $10-$15 dollars per person per day, ditto for the night skiing - opt to sleep instead. 
• Food - the resorts generally have lockers you can rent for .75-$1.50 each, so rent 2, put your shoes, etc in one and pack a lunch cooler to put in the other because a bottled soda is $2.25, a cheeseburger is $5, a grilled cheese is $3.50 and French fries are $3.50.  It's cheaper to pack the cooler and pay for the locker a couple of times if you need to go into it more than once than to even buy one soda!!!
• Purchase ahead - if you have a set week you go on vacation, many resorts will offer discounts for buying your tickets at least 2 weeks ahead
• Special discounts - the resort we ski at offers family value packages for skiing, and they also give you 50%-100% off of a child's lift ticket if you bring your receipt or proof of rental for hotel/condo locally

That's all I have for today - please enjoy your favorite sports, but don't go broke doing it!!  Plan ahead and save your hard earned money for other things, like more sports!

Homemade blocks

In my household, we love blocks. We are pretty hard on them too!

I have purchased cardboard blocks. They work pretty well, but can get expensive. However, since we are so hard on our toys...they get messed up. I've come up with a solution to add to our collection, while making use of what would be waste items. I saved cardboard food boxes. I stuffed them full of shredded paper and crumpled newspaper. Seal closed with packing tape or hot glue, and you have a great toy. Pictured are pasta, bacon and easy mac boxes. I've also used frozen waffle and cereal boxes. My kiddos use these to build castles and towers...but these are versitile, because the kids use them in the kitchen area to cook and grocery shop.

Homemade Toffee

I have never made toffee, until last night.  A relative of my husbands called me to get an opinion and bounce off some ideas about a recipe he was trying that wasn't coming out to his liking.  So we talked and went over some things, and he led me to a toffee recipe on cooking for engineers.  So I went to it and BAM I fell in love  - this may be my favorite cooking website because it goes into wonderful, readable technical information about cooking, which is right up my alley.  Anyway, the recipe was easy, had plenty of pictures, and I made the toffee which turned out perfect.  When I calculated the cost, the homemade is about $1 less (or more) per batch than buying the bag of pre crunched toffee bits, and I use those a lot for different recipes.  BTW  one batch and one bag are approximately equal weight.

Follow the link and enjoy some homemade toffee.

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/recipe/159/English-Toffee

Budget Billing

I don't know if this one actually saves you money so much as making how much you need available for bills each month more predictable.  Dominion North Carolina Power offers a service called budget billing, which means they average your past 12 power bills and just bill you that same amount every month.  This way, you don't have those large upswings in summer and winter.  I just started it this month, so I'll let you know how I like it.  It was easy to sign up for, right on my account page on the website.  They do reevaluate their average every 4-6months, so it's not a free for all for leaving all the lights on either;)

Popcorn

Here is a really easy, fast and cheap way to make popcorn in the microwave.
Items you need:
popcorn kernals (the big, cheap bags work fantastically!)
a brown lunch sack
a piece of scotch tape

Open your brown bag. Add 1/4 cup unpopped kernals. Fold top of bag over once. Tape it closed. Place in microwave, and cook until popping becomes slow.(Just like prepurchased microwave kind...mine took 1:30). Remove from microwave and open carefully. You can add a little bit of spray butter & a sprinkle of salt if you don't want to eat it plain.

This is so much easier than pulling out the air popper...and WAY cheaper and healthier than storebought! The brown bag can be reused many many times...

Public Domain Books

Public domain books are basically books old enough that the copyright is expired.  That means you don't have to buy a copy in order to read it, you can read it for free online, and I'll list several sites for you.  The trick to public domain is that the book was initially copyrighted prior to 1923 or the author has given permission for it to go into public domain.


http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

http://www.authorama.com/

http://www.feedbooks.com/publicdomain

http://www.clasic-literature.co.uk/

Another great find!

yesterday, I found a near perfect Matthew Henry's Commentary in one volume for $2.  now I normally read this online for free, but at that price and in such great condition, I can have a printed copy too!!

Leftover Bread

One of the pitfalls of making your own bread is that it goes stale pretty quickly - usually within about 2-3 days.  Alas!  My heart distresses over waste! (Yes, I'm embellishing a bit :)  Anyway, when my bread is going stale, I just go ahead a replace it with a fresh loaf and slice up whatever is left of the stale and put it in the freezer in a big (gallon or 2 gallon) size ziploc bag.  You see stale bread is perfect for french toast  or bread puddings or those casseroles that require stale bread.  I personally love to use my stale bread for french toast in order to create my favorite concoction ever - the Monte Cristo!  And with a sandwich like that, you need your bread to hold up a little :)

If you want to know what to do with the bread loaf heels - buzz them in the food processor and freeze them - you now no long have to purchase bread crumbs!!!

Syrup Update

I don't know how may people actually try some of the things I post up here, but I hope a few people do.  A few months ago, I posted a Homemade Syrup recipe.  Now, I actually use this recipe and I will say that I haven't purchased pancake syrup in about 6 months - but I have also learned a few things about doing this that I would like to share:

• don't place syrup into jar until it is completely cooled or you will have crystallization issues (of course if you are a homeschooler and need a science project, this a perfect example of crystallization project)
• If you over-sugar the mix in order to get it really thick, you will get crystallization because a liquid mixture can only hold a certain percentage of sugar molecules before they start reforming again, when the mix is heated, it can hold more molecules, when it cools, if it is too concentrated, they will reform.
• If you get crystals and don't want to waste the syrup, put the liquid and the crystals back in a pan with some water and reboil (I love organic chemistry).  then you can cool again to package, or serve warm.
• If you serve the syrup warm or hot, your pancakes don't cool down very much while eating

Okay, that's about it for the kinks I've noticed in doing this - enjoy!

Half.com

This is my new go-to books website.  You just type in the name of your book (or ever how much you can remember of it) and it pulls the list for you.  You click on the correct title and wha you get is not a file on 1 book (like Ebay), but a list of all of the books of that title and edition for sale listed by condition.  For instance, if you type in 'Nourishing Traditions' you get a few book covers to choose from, you click on the one you want and then your list pops up.  You get several listed under new, very good, good and acceptable.  There are also further descriptons available and you can see how sellers are ranked with the star system just like ebay.  You also pay with paypal.  I have purchased several books from them and so far I highly recommend it as a go-to source so you don't have to pay full price for a book you may need to buy rather than just rent at the library.  Of course finding it at the thrift shop is still cheaper most of the time, but you have to ravel to many and dig and you still may not find it.  I have a long term list for things to pick up 'just in case I see it on a thrift shop shelf' but more urgently needed items I get at half.com


****Correction - I was mistaken!  You can't use paypal - I hope you can soon though :)

Proofing Bread

I am a breadmaker, and by that I mean that I make bread several times a week.  I can honestly say that so far in 2010 my family has not eaten commercial bread except for hot dog and hamburger buns - Partly because when i made my hot dog buns, my dough didn't rise for a looooong time and I ran out of time and had to buy some.

Anyway, I used to use the 'proofing bread' setting on my oven from time to time to control the temp so that my dough would rise properly, but now I use a different method.  Instead of leaving my oven on for 1 hour at the proofing bread temp, I just turn my oven on at 350 for 2 minutes and then shut if off.  The oven gets warms enough without geting hot, and the stays warm long enough to get the job done!  and of course it uses less electricity.

Stainless Steel Cleaner

I have a lot of stainless steel appliances, and they need to be cleaned A LOT!  Stainless steel cleaner is pricey - usally about $4 a pop, so I have been working with some things I alredy have in my home that are cheap, environmentally friendly and kid friendly.  Oh yeah, and I don't want it to streak - turns out white vingear in water (1:20) does a good job, and so far, no streaks.  Cheap, easy, and if the kids get into  it and drink some - no worries!

**Ooops - 1:10 on the vinegar and water, course you can go higher if you need it!!

For parents of active little girls

I have found that my youngest daughter loves to wear dresses! With the extremely cold weather...she has to wear some sort of covering on her legs. Tights are pretty, but my daughter loves to play hard! Tights are expensive, especially if your child is very active. Almost every time she wears tights, a hole appears. Our solution is to put on pants under those everyday dresses. They are easier for children to pull up & dress themselves, plus they offer more warmth than tights and are extremely durable. We save the tights for church or other more formal occasions. We have also found that when some dresses still fit up top, but are getting a little too short in the length, Using the pants helps extend the life of the dresses as well. Too-short dresses worn with pants or leggings (that you already have!) is so practical!

The Experiment & Cream Cheese

Well, the shampoo is a bust, my hair felt nasty and I had to wash it with regular shampoo - I will have to work on that formula.

The Dollar Tree cream cheese was okay - the texture is not as smooth as regular cream cheese.  I used it in a recipe where it was melted and it did just fine.  I have not baked with it, and since there are texture differences, I probably won't.  It doesn't spread very well either, it crumbles.

15% off at Gap

Had to go to gap tonight and get hubby dear some workpants, at the check out the cashier gave me a slip of paper to fill out a survey online for a 15% coupon - I did it and I got it, it took me all of 7 minutes to complete.

I have been watching some of those 'how things are made shows' on HD TV in the past couple of days, and I'll tell you, it's a bit scary to see what goes into our food, bath, beauty and even cleaning products.  So, over the next couple of months I will be performing some experiments in my home and on myself and I'll let you know how it goes.   I don't know if they will all be money saving because some of the conventional products I'll be substituting for are dirt cheap because of the cheapness of the chemicals they are made from.  They WILL however, be cheaper than the organic or all natural variations you could go buy in the store.

Experiment #1 - Shampoo

• Have you ever really looked up what those chemicals are in your favorite shampoo? - Well, i would suggest that you do so you know how many carcinogens you are putting on you very vascular scalp while it's pores are wide open.  
• My mix:  2oz castile soap, 2 tbsp baking soda, 1 tsp olive oil, 1/4 tsp glycerin
• test time - 7 days (will be used for every shampoo)
• hair type - for those of you who have never seen me, my hair is average texture, slightly thicker than average, shoulder lenght, not colored, and curly (well, not keri russel curly , but maybe the julia roberts slightly more than wavy type of curly - something along those lines)
• I will not be using a conditioner or any other styling product during this time EXCEPT a curling iron when needed and a little hairspray.  no gels, foams, creams, glossers, puttys, etc.

Anyone else ever done anything like this?  What were your results?

New Year Thrift Shop Sales

With Christmas and New Year's comes decluttering - and therefore, the thrift shops are abounding with donated goods and having sales.  Just today I went thrift shopping and the sales were 50% all clothing or bag sales or basket sales with all the items in the bag or basket for $5.  I loaded up one with 5 tops and a book that I had been wanting for a while, all for $5.  The book was Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon which you normally have to pay at least $15 for plus shipping - so I was psyched to say the least!!!!

So take your want/need/wish list and hit the thrift shops and save some dough!

Dollar Tree & Noteworthy!

On a recent trip to our local Dollar Tree I found a few note worthy and stock up worthy items I'll share with you:

Mott's Organic Unsweetend Applesauce 23oz jar

Apple & Eve 8oz. Juice Boxes 3 pack

Metal 8x5 Loaf Pans (not the toss away kind)

Metal 6 Muffin Pans (not the toss away kind)

1 Dozen Medium Eggs

8 oz Block Cream Cheese

Tin Cans

I try really hard to find interesting and useful ways to reuse things so as to #1)keep them from being garbage and #2)save some money.  Let's take tin cans (from veggies, fruit, etc) - I wash them out, let the kids decorate them with colored paper, or you can use a piece of cloth and some glue and actually make them kinda pretty and wah-lah, you have pencil holders, sorting cans for change, screws,etc, and you could probably use them to start seedlings.  They are a free with purchase item, and reusing something in a creative and useful way is even better than recycling because even recycling uses energy and emits greenhouse gases. 

What other common household item could you reuse creatively?  I'd love some ideas!

Cosmetic Bags

If you don't already own one, please don't buy one - I was in wal-mart today and those things cost anywhere from $5-$25 depending on how fancy you want it to look.  Really?  $25?  For a glorified ziplock bag?

Okay, I personally vote for the ziplock, if something spills inside of it, it's contained, and you can just ditch the 3 cent bag and get another one.  If liquid spills in a cosmetic bag, it's going to leak out through the zipper or the corners and you need to toss the whole bag.

Still don't want to use the ziploc, need something a little sturdier - look around, many items you normally buy come with a sort of baggie - for instance, if you purchase clinique, about twice a year you get a free bag with it; chances are at least 2 of the men in your family have received one too many shaving kits in their lifetimes and never threw away the bag - use it, they are VERY sturdy; pencil holders are made of nylon or burlap, these are very sturdy also and may have more than one compartment; go to the dollar tree and get one, but my Lord, don't pay $25 for one!

What can you do with the saved $25:
1 - milk, eggs, flour, sugar, butter, coffee, half n half, cereal
2 - underwear
3 - socks for 3 people
4 - a movie
5 - a new book
6 - new makeup for your bag
7 - gas for the car
8 - a christmas present
9 - groceries for someone in need
10 - enough packs of seed to plant a full garden in the spring


See, that $25 can be used so much better than on a cosmetic bag

Credit Card Bonuses

Okay - there are some that like the little bonuses you get with credit cards like sign-on points, purchase points, airline miles, gift certificates, etc.  These are nice and they can save you money.

But. . . . . if you are trying to get out of debt, that means you already have a problem with debt and self-control when it comes to money and getting another card or putting everyday things on a card 'just for the rewards' becomes self-defeating.  You adding to your debt just so you can keep trying to pay it off and all of that hassle is just for 'the free stuff' that may or may not even be useful -

If your debt is under control - of course if you have debt then by virtue of having it means it is not completely under control - then go for the points, but beware of being beholden to a company for 'stuff'.

When you are in debt to someone, you are then under their control in one form or another - always beware of that fact.

Debt

Debt is such a bad word - kinda like saying stupid.  I tell my kids all the time "don't say that word!"

I have analyzed our debt situation, and have a few goals:

House:  Refinanced 2008, not going to worry about putting extra on it to pay it off until the following other things get done -

My Car:  will be paid off in March '10

Husbands Truck:  will be paid off in April '10

Boat:  currently at a not-so-lovely interest rate, when car and truck get paid off, will refi at the credit union and then work our butts off to pay it off in a couple of years or less if we can manage

Computer: relatively new, old one crashed, balance is about 1000, will pay off with tax return



Currently our budget is very tight, it drives us nuts sometimes, but, we don't mind too much because we know that 2 of our cars will be paid off very, very soon, and when that happens, that will be 650 of new 'wiggle room' to put more into savings and into eliminating the boat debt.  We also never use credit cards, and haven't used them in about 3 years now.  If you ever me whip out a vise, it's the debit card, not the credit card.  We agreed a long time ago that we would rather pay cash than put it on a visa/mc/discover, etc.  My husband was looking at our home one day and was making mention of how other homes are so modernly decorated with beautiful carpet and fancy furnishings, my comment was "yeah, but I wonder what their credit card bill looks like."  Enough said there -

I am a decent budgeter, and am relatively creative in how to save a few bucks, but even I have moments of weakness that can be difficult to get under control from time to time.  When things get hairy, I just have to take a step back, look at the big picture, then pull the 'ol bootstraps up and get to work again.

Another Homemade Deodorant Recipe

This may be the easiest one I have ever seen;  thank you to the creative soul who came up with it :)

http://www.debtfreeadventure.com/category/homemade/

I implore you to explore their website for more interesting ideas, I added their link to my sidebar.

Milk Prices

What happened?  2 weeks ago milk was 3.29 a gallon and yesterday it was 4.09 - did all the cows in America go on strike?

Holiday Leftovers

What does a frugal girl do with holiday leftovers?  (Because you know, we hate to throw away money like that!)  So here is my short list:


1)  Leftover Turkey and Ham:  cut off the meat and freeze in small portions to add to soups, beans, salads, etc.;  then take the turkey carcass or ham bone - and boil it to death for homemade stock to divide up into quart sized portions and freeze (say goodbye to Swanson's broth - or any other for that matter). 
Toss what is left of the bones, or grind them down to a powder to add to your garden

2) Cranberry Sauce:  cut it into 1" cubes and place between layers of muffin mix and bake to make  a cranberry filled muffin; use as a sandwhich spread - this is expecially good on turkey sandwiches; repace the grape jelly in cocktail meatballs with cranberry sauce - just as delicious and zesty (maybe just a tad zestier, but it's wonderful)

3) Stuffing - you can freeze it in appropriate portion sizes

4) Green Bean Casserole - I actually don't have a good idea for this one, do you?

5) Pies & Cakes - Freeze them

6) Sweet Potato Casserole - Freeze it

Beans

Dried beans are an excellent source of protein, and are way cheaper than meat.  Unfortunately, they are pretty boring by themselves.  So, you have to be creative about how you spruce them up.  Things that I have found to work the best are chicken/beef/ham stock for both the soaking and the cooking liquid, plus I add salt to the cooking water.  This improves their flavor significantly.  Then, I also add them to other dishes instead of just having them as their own dish (except baked beans at a barbecue - love those).  For cooking tips and recipes on beans, check out The Family Homestead and click on her kitchen link and she gives you several tutorials on bean cooking.  Then you can also visit sites like all recipes, cooks.com, simply recips, etc and check out their bean recipes too.

Link

I peruse websites from time to time, and there are always a few that I go back to time and again.  The Family Homestead is one such site.  http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/ it provides a plethora of information as well as meal planning ideas, cooking tutorials, craft ideas, all done from within a budget (one income family homeschooling 8 kids).  She also does this while slowing incorporating more organic and natural food choices for the conventional ones.  You go girl!

Chicken Chili

Chicken Chili

1 leftover chicken carcass
3 quarts of water
*Boil these 2 for about 45 minutes until the water has become a broth and the meat begins to fall off. Remove the chicken from the pot to cool, continue to boil the chicken broth

1/2 pound pinto beans
1 tbsp salt
1 quart water
*add these to the chicken stock and boil about an hour and a half (until beans are tender and done)

chicken meat from cooled chicken
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 diced onion
1 clove garlic
1 tbsp chili seasoning (purchased or homemade)
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne (optional)
1 tsp cumin
*add these to the pot and simmer for about a hour


Get creative and modify this to your taste - enjoy!

top with sour cream, cheddar and fresh cilanto

Home Decorating and Organization

I am not the most well organized and managed woman on the block - not by a long shot.  Of course I also don't claim to be.  However, there comes a time in every person's life when they realize that they need to be more organized and more managed because they need to be more responsible with their time and energy.  So I have been perusing the websites to look for good ideas, great pictures of ideas and of course, cheap ideas.  So, I have added a new link box to the right for Home Organizing/Management.  Enjoy the links, and if one doesn't work, let me know so I can fix it.

Harris Teeter is back to triples!

From November 4-10, Harris Teeter is offering triple coupons again - face value up to .99 which means your highest possible total value of the coupon is 2.97. ***However, make sure you look at your coupon closely and make sure your coupon does not say 'do not double or triple' or 'face value only'

Happy Shopping.

'Tis the Season

This is a wonderful season with Thanksgiving and Christmas fast approaching.  However, there are many who are strapped because of job loss, etc.  Please consider adding an extra bag of rice or beans, mac & cheese, canned goods, etc to your cart with every trip to the grocery store and donate it to a food pantry or local family.  If you attend church, you can organize a group to bring foods together to donate to needy families. 

Please remember those in need  - most of the grocery store chains will be running wonderful sales in time for Thanksgiving, so please consider buying a bit extra to share.  You never know when your turn to be in need will come.