But you gotta get a head start on these things! Here's what I've been up to the last few days:
Christmas!
Let me know what you think... you're my editors and critics at large. ;)
Friday, November 20, 2009
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Got your Christmas shopping done?
Waiting until the last minute, whether it's shopping for Christmas or a vacation on the beach will usually cost more. I hate to put it off, because I won't have time to shop for bargains, to compare prices, to wait it out to see if I can find something better (cheaper, better quality, bigger...).
If you're waiting on a pay check or something else prevents you from starting yet, don't just sit on your hands. Look around, decide what you want to buy and find best prices while you're waiting. Then when the money comes, you'll know where to go and how much it's going to cost.
If you're waiting on a pay check or something else prevents you from starting yet, don't just sit on your hands. Look around, decide what you want to buy and find best prices while you're waiting. Then when the money comes, you'll know where to go and how much it's going to cost.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Fresh pumpkin soup
I finally baked the pumpkin my daughter got for me today! I don't know why anyone would buy canned pumpkin when they can get fresh pumpkin. I have enough in the freezer for pies for both Thanksgiving and Christmas and plenty for pumpkin bread and cookies and even pumpkin soup, all for about two dollars. Ten cups of fresh pumpkin!
There was a little over a half cup left when I'd portioned it out for the freezer, so I made pumpkin soup for supper. I read a couple of recipes then I winged it because I didn't have everything they called for and I didn't have enough pumpkin anyway.
I made a cup of chicken bouillon, added about a teaspoon of dehydrated onion and a couple of shakes of powdered garlic. I cooked that, then thickened it with flour (mixed in cold water), then I put in the pumpkin, some salt and pepper, a strip of bacon that had been cooked and crumbled and a good dollop of plain yogurt.
Wow, was that good! The problem was that I can never duplicate the exact flavor because I didn't write any of it down and most of it wasn't measured to begin with. I'll try again, though, because this is going to become a stock recipe in my kitchen!
There was a little over a half cup left when I'd portioned it out for the freezer, so I made pumpkin soup for supper. I read a couple of recipes then I winged it because I didn't have everything they called for and I didn't have enough pumpkin anyway.
I made a cup of chicken bouillon, added about a teaspoon of dehydrated onion and a couple of shakes of powdered garlic. I cooked that, then thickened it with flour (mixed in cold water), then I put in the pumpkin, some salt and pepper, a strip of bacon that had been cooked and crumbled and a good dollop of plain yogurt.
Wow, was that good! The problem was that I can never duplicate the exact flavor because I didn't write any of it down and most of it wasn't measured to begin with. I'll try again, though, because this is going to become a stock recipe in my kitchen!
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Heating tricks (Caution: extremely frugal tips ahead)
Winter time is coming on! If you haven't had a spell of cold weather yet, you probably will soon. Here are some extremely frugal tips to help you through.
Wait until you're ready to relax to put something in to bake. Heat from the oven will help heat your house and you, while you're not moving around.
While you're baking, put several stones in the oven to heat up, too. When they're hot, remove them (remember, they'll be hot) and put them in a heat resistant container where they can help heat a room. You'll be surprised how much radiant heat you can get from them.
Not baking? Stones or other solid objects soak in heat from the sun, so if you use them wisely, you can use this stored heat to raise temperatures somewhat. Put stones, cast iron or other solid objects where they will be in direct sunlight. When they get very warm, put them in your cold room or area and they will slowly radiate stored heat. The more you use, the more heat will be radiated.
Water will hold and radiate heat, too. Put barrels or other containers (metal or glass) of water in windows where they will be heated by the sun until you draw the curtains - then it will radiate its stored heat.
Don't run hot water down the drain. Let it set, even in a glass or cup, until it's radiated all of its heat into the room.
To warm yourself or family members, sun or oven heated stones (wrap in cloth if they're too hot), and bottles, jugs or cans of hot water, capped tightly, make great foot or hand warmers.
Use passive solar heating as much as possible, by opening windows to the sunlight - but close them as soon as the sun goes down or behind clouds.
Keep windows on the north covered with drapes, thermal blinds, or - new idea - bubble wrap.
Take advantage of small things, like heat from candles. Group several together in an area that doesn't get a lot of air flow and the area will be warmer.
Place lamps as low as you can, so heat from lightbulbs warm the air closest to you first instead going straight to the ceiling.
There are other ways to stay warm than turning up the thermostat.
Wait until you're ready to relax to put something in to bake. Heat from the oven will help heat your house and you, while you're not moving around.
While you're baking, put several stones in the oven to heat up, too. When they're hot, remove them (remember, they'll be hot) and put them in a heat resistant container where they can help heat a room. You'll be surprised how much radiant heat you can get from them.
Not baking? Stones or other solid objects soak in heat from the sun, so if you use them wisely, you can use this stored heat to raise temperatures somewhat. Put stones, cast iron or other solid objects where they will be in direct sunlight. When they get very warm, put them in your cold room or area and they will slowly radiate stored heat. The more you use, the more heat will be radiated.
Water will hold and radiate heat, too. Put barrels or other containers (metal or glass) of water in windows where they will be heated by the sun until you draw the curtains - then it will radiate its stored heat.
Don't run hot water down the drain. Let it set, even in a glass or cup, until it's radiated all of its heat into the room.
To warm yourself or family members, sun or oven heated stones (wrap in cloth if they're too hot), and bottles, jugs or cans of hot water, capped tightly, make great foot or hand warmers.
Use passive solar heating as much as possible, by opening windows to the sunlight - but close them as soon as the sun goes down or behind clouds.
Keep windows on the north covered with drapes, thermal blinds, or - new idea - bubble wrap.
Take advantage of small things, like heat from candles. Group several together in an area that doesn't get a lot of air flow and the area will be warmer.
Place lamps as low as you can, so heat from lightbulbs warm the air closest to you first instead going straight to the ceiling.
There are other ways to stay warm than turning up the thermostat.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Holiday articles
I'm going to send you away from the blog today, to a few articles I've written that are appropriate for this time of year.
First, are you wondering what to do with all that Halloween candy? Read this:
The Many Uses for Excess Holiday Candy
Then, if you're thinking about decorating for Thanksgiving, do it frugally:
Natural and Free Thanksgiving Decorations
And finally, cooking a Thanksgiving dinner can be ultra traditional and save you a lot of money:
The First Thanksgiving Menu - It Wasn't Your Grandma's Menu!
Enjoy. Or complain, commment, whatever. I feel like saying "Welcome to the holidays!"
First, are you wondering what to do with all that Halloween candy? Read this:
The Many Uses for Excess Holiday Candy
Then, if you're thinking about decorating for Thanksgiving, do it frugally:
Natural and Free Thanksgiving Decorations
And finally, cooking a Thanksgiving dinner can be ultra traditional and save you a lot of money:
The First Thanksgiving Menu - It Wasn't Your Grandma's Menu!
Enjoy. Or complain, commment, whatever. I feel like saying "Welcome to the holidays!"
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Organic and frugal skin care
I do what I can to use organic products, but I don't feel as if I can afford all of it. I haven't come across any organic skin care products that I could afford regularly and none locally, but I haven't given up looking. One thing I have looked into is using naturally occurring products.
I use yogurt for a facial now and then and plain organic yogurt is good for minor fungal infections as it has the "good bacteria" that fights yeast and other fungi. It's as good for us on the outside as it is on the inside!
Honey is antibacterial, soothing, and promotes healing of scratches, cuts and even larger wounds. It keeps wounds moist, but safe from bacteria so they heal faster. Honey used to be used a lot more before antibiotics were discovered. Since it's a completely natural substance with no chemicals added, it has to be safer than antibacterial ointments.
Olive oil makes a good moisturizer if you put it on while your skin is still wet from the shower. It's also good to comb through dry hair. Soak your nails in it, then wipe and buff and they'll look and feel great.
Then there's vinegar. That can be used in so many ways I hate to even start here. Hair rinse, face peel, sunburn soother, diet aid and denture soak for starters.
Those are very frugal substitutes compared to over the counter medications, even if we buy the organic version of them.
I use yogurt for a facial now and then and plain organic yogurt is good for minor fungal infections as it has the "good bacteria" that fights yeast and other fungi. It's as good for us on the outside as it is on the inside!
Honey is antibacterial, soothing, and promotes healing of scratches, cuts and even larger wounds. It keeps wounds moist, but safe from bacteria so they heal faster. Honey used to be used a lot more before antibiotics were discovered. Since it's a completely natural substance with no chemicals added, it has to be safer than antibacterial ointments.
Olive oil makes a good moisturizer if you put it on while your skin is still wet from the shower. It's also good to comb through dry hair. Soak your nails in it, then wipe and buff and they'll look and feel great.
Then there's vinegar. That can be used in so many ways I hate to even start here. Hair rinse, face peel, sunburn soother, diet aid and denture soak for starters.
Those are very frugal substitutes compared to over the counter medications, even if we buy the organic version of them.
Monday, October 26, 2009
Gardening into the winter
It seems to me that it's getting cold early this year. I've been hobbling about with an infected toe and haven't been able to finish digging dandelion roots and I haven't even touched the Jerusalem artichokes or the horseradish root. Who can dig when you can't even wear a shoe?
I was glad, in a strange way, to see the first frost of the year; maybe because it was such a strange summer that the garden seemed like a battle. Even with that feeling, it was with a tinge of regret that the garden tools, the hoses, the snips and the rakes and hoes, have all been put back in their places to stay for months and months.
I'm definitely missing the taste and convenience of fresh produce already. There is no grocery store in the nation that sells a cucumber that tastes as good as one fresh off the vine, or a handful of baby yellow crookneck so fresh that they taste like squash blossoms themselves.
I'm not going down without a fight, though. This year I will grow leaf lettuce and radishes and maybe some spinach or wild spinach (lambsquarter) on my windowsill. If I can come up with a deep but narrow container, maybe I'll grow some dandelion greens, too.
And some green onions! I have onion seeds saved from a couple of onions this summer.
Maybe I need a wider shelf under the window...
I was glad, in a strange way, to see the first frost of the year; maybe because it was such a strange summer that the garden seemed like a battle. Even with that feeling, it was with a tinge of regret that the garden tools, the hoses, the snips and the rakes and hoes, have all been put back in their places to stay for months and months.
I'm definitely missing the taste and convenience of fresh produce already. There is no grocery store in the nation that sells a cucumber that tastes as good as one fresh off the vine, or a handful of baby yellow crookneck so fresh that they taste like squash blossoms themselves.
I'm not going down without a fight, though. This year I will grow leaf lettuce and radishes and maybe some spinach or wild spinach (lambsquarter) on my windowsill. If I can come up with a deep but narrow container, maybe I'll grow some dandelion greens, too.
And some green onions! I have onion seeds saved from a couple of onions this summer.
Maybe I need a wider shelf under the window...
Friday, October 23, 2009
Speaking of tea bags...
Whatever you do, don't throw them away once they're used. If they're the kind with strings, pull the strings off and use them to tie things together, hang decorations in a window (with a thumbtack) or put a couple dozen together, tie in the middle, trim and you have a cotton pompom. Tea bag strings can be dyed easily with generic kool aide, tea or coffee. Don't make up a packet of kool aide for that purpose, but when you're making it anyway, take out a tablespoon or two before you add sugar and dye the cotton string with that.
Oh, and if you soak the tea bag strings in borax and salt dissolved in water then let them dry for a few days, they make good candle wicks for short candles.
I'm not through yet. Use the tea and the bags themselves to compost, or dry them completely and throw them in the fireplace or wood stove. Put them on your houseplants before you water them.
Just because tea bags are used, doesn't mean they're not still useful. Now, go apply that to everything you can think of.
Oh, and if you soak the tea bag strings in borax and salt dissolved in water then let them dry for a few days, they make good candle wicks for short candles.
I'm not through yet. Use the tea and the bags themselves to compost, or dry them completely and throw them in the fireplace or wood stove. Put them on your houseplants before you water them.
Just because tea bags are used, doesn't mean they're not still useful. Now, go apply that to everything you can think of.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
A new furnace, "quality controlled"
I bought a new furnace last fall to replace the one that was installed when this house was built in the mid 50's. Yeah, it was that old and yeah, it still worked. I replaced it "just in case," and to save on natural gas. (With higher price of gas last year, I couldn't tell the difference!). The new furnace is nice. It's smaller and uses electronic ignition rather than a pilot light. The fan is stronger so the house is more evenly heated. But... it only has a 10 year warranty.
I'm still not sure if it was the wisest thing to replace the furnace that ran without trouble for 60 years with one that's guaranteed to do so for only 10 years.
Is that what they call quality controlled? Controlled to last a much shorter period of time than it could and should last?
Your refrigerator, your kitchen range, your slow cooker, your TV, your iron... they're all designed to fail within a certain period of time.
It used to be a matter of pride to manufacture a furnace or a washing machine that didn't need repairs. Pride? What's that? Now it comes when the company turns a profit, meaning they sold a lot of products. The more the better, so they manufacture them to become obsolete or to break down irreparably within a few years so people will have to buy new ones.
Such is "progress."
I'm still not sure if it was the wisest thing to replace the furnace that ran without trouble for 60 years with one that's guaranteed to do so for only 10 years.
Is that what they call quality controlled? Controlled to last a much shorter period of time than it could and should last?
Your refrigerator, your kitchen range, your slow cooker, your TV, your iron... they're all designed to fail within a certain period of time.
It used to be a matter of pride to manufacture a furnace or a washing machine that didn't need repairs. Pride? What's that? Now it comes when the company turns a profit, meaning they sold a lot of products. The more the better, so they manufacture them to become obsolete or to break down irreparably within a few years so people will have to buy new ones.
Such is "progress."
Monday, October 19, 2009
Cheapskates and tightwads
Did you ever wonder how a word came to be? I do, all the time, so I looked up these two words. According to Dictionary.com, cheapskate comes from " 'miserly person,' 1896, from cheap (q.v.), second element perhaps from Amer.Eng. slang skate 'worn-out horse' (1894), of uncertain origin."
Worn out horse? Well... ok. What about tightwad?
Again, quoting Dictionary.com"'parsimonious person,; 1900, from tight in the sense of 'close-fisted' (1805) + wad. The notions of stringency and avarice also combine in Mod.Gk. sphiktos 'greedy,' lit. 'tight.'"
Greed? Stingency? Avarice?
I like the word "frugal" better, but all these are all used to mean the same thing, at least in certain circles. Let me put it this way: Sometimes I can be a definite tightwad in the sense of close-fisted. The rest doesn't apply. I'm not sure about the cheapskate.
Are you miserly? Do you grasp and hoard and try, even with a little avarice, to "get things"? I didn't think so.
Frugal, I am and I'm not ashamed to admit that. The rest... well, I'll leave that to others.
frugal: "1598, from M.Fr. frugal, from L. frugalis, from undeclined adj. frugi 'economical, useful, proper,' originally dat. of frux (pl. fruges) 'fruit, profit, value,' related to fructus (see fruit). Sense evolved in L. from 'useful' to 'profitable' to 'economical.'"
(Also from Dictionary.com. I'll let you look it up yourself.)
Worn out horse? Well... ok. What about tightwad?
Again, quoting Dictionary.com"'parsimonious person,; 1900, from tight in the sense of 'close-fisted' (1805) + wad. The notions of stringency and avarice also combine in Mod.Gk. sphiktos 'greedy,' lit. 'tight.'"
Greed? Stingency? Avarice?
I like the word "frugal" better, but all these are all used to mean the same thing, at least in certain circles. Let me put it this way: Sometimes I can be a definite tightwad in the sense of close-fisted. The rest doesn't apply. I'm not sure about the cheapskate.
Are you miserly? Do you grasp and hoard and try, even with a little avarice, to "get things"? I didn't think so.
Frugal, I am and I'm not ashamed to admit that. The rest... well, I'll leave that to others.
frugal: "1598, from M.Fr. frugal, from L. frugalis, from undeclined adj. frugi 'economical, useful, proper,' originally dat. of frux (pl. fruges) 'fruit, profit, value,' related to fructus (see fruit). Sense evolved in L. from 'useful' to 'profitable' to 'economical.'"
(Also from Dictionary.com. I'll let you look it up yourself.)
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