I've been hearing this for the last few years. Is there really a shortage of canned pumpkin?
That question was brought about by a tip in the Dollar Stretcher Tips, a weekly newsletter from Dollar Stretcher. (If you don't subscribe, you're missing some cool ideas - go here: http://www.stretcher.com/subscribe/subscribeIF.cfm and scroll down to find it.)
Anyway, the woman who wrote in said that since there was a shortage of canned pumpkin, she had been making "pumpkin" muffins using sweet potatoes because they're cheaper. (Somewhere; not here).
My question is: Since whole, fresh pumpkins are available anywhere in the fall of the year and usually at a cheap price, why would anyone buy canned pumpkin? It's easy to cook and easy to freeze and one pumpkin will yield many, many more cups of pumpkin than a can for about the same price. Besides that, it tastes better and you can use your Halloween pumpkin. Why throw it away, then go and buy pumpkin??
Sunday, May 23, 2010
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Too poor? Or too rich?
My sister in law once bought me a "rag mop" head made of strings. I guess she thought I couldn't afford to buy one, since I was using real rags, which lasted much longer and didn't come apart all over the floor.
Mom once bought me a package of paper napkins, since I was using cloth ones.
There are other examples, but I'm curious: do other people think you're too poor to buy wasteful products?
Then there are those who look at my cloth napkins and go something like, "Oh, my, we just use paper napkins; this is nice." I guess she didn't know that my version is cheaper than hers - buying disposable napkins over and over and over again.
So which is it? Poor or rich? I know one thing. I'm richer by using cloth napkins and real rags in the mop than I would be if I bought those things over and over and over...
Mom once bought me a package of paper napkins, since I was using cloth ones.
There are other examples, but I'm curious: do other people think you're too poor to buy wasteful products?
Then there are those who look at my cloth napkins and go something like, "Oh, my, we just use paper napkins; this is nice." I guess she didn't know that my version is cheaper than hers - buying disposable napkins over and over and over again.
So which is it? Poor or rich? I know one thing. I'm richer by using cloth napkins and real rags in the mop than I would be if I bought those things over and over and over...
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Two Liter Soft Drink Bottles
And what to do with them? I don't drink much of that stuff any more, but like all good hoarders, I stuck a few back... just in case.
I have used them over time. One way was to cut the top off and use it for a funnel. It fits perfectly into the tops of gallon milk jugs.
I used the bottom half to hold silverware. I wash dishes by hand so I use it to drain them. You could cut it a little shorter and use it to hold silverware or plastic ware for picnics or other informal gatherings. Be sure to trim the top evenly or you'll get scratched.
Using the bottom half again, rim the edge with colored tape and/or paint it and store knitting needles in it. Cut it a little shorter for short needles or crochet hooks, longer for long needles and long afghan hooks.
Cut one in two, then cut three or four two inch slits in the top half. Put yarn you're working with in the bottom half and put the top half on, overlapping the two edges that you slit and pushing the top half down firmly. Thread the end of the yarn you're working with through the top. Your yarn won't get tangled or dusty and the cat can't play with it. (Maybe.)
Using the same method, create a terrarium. Keep the lid on the top to keep moisture from escaping.
Make an ant farm with one. Ants can't climb up the slippery sides, especially upside down like the curving top will have them doing. Remove all labels so you can see the ants easily.
Fill one with sand or dirt for a door stop.
The bottom line is that they're containers that you can cut easily to suit your needs. When you cover the cut edge they can be used for anything that doesn't require heat. Serve salads in them, use them for planters, keep odds and ends stored in them, carry water in them, let the kids play with them without cutting them. They make grand water "guns" (more on the order of canons!).
Oh, yes... in the winter, fill one with hot water and use it to keep your feet warm. The lids close tightly so you don't have to worry about a leak and the water will stay warm an amazingly long time.
So what did I miss?
I have used them over time. One way was to cut the top off and use it for a funnel. It fits perfectly into the tops of gallon milk jugs.
I used the bottom half to hold silverware. I wash dishes by hand so I use it to drain them. You could cut it a little shorter and use it to hold silverware or plastic ware for picnics or other informal gatherings. Be sure to trim the top evenly or you'll get scratched.
Using the bottom half again, rim the edge with colored tape and/or paint it and store knitting needles in it. Cut it a little shorter for short needles or crochet hooks, longer for long needles and long afghan hooks.
Cut one in two, then cut three or four two inch slits in the top half. Put yarn you're working with in the bottom half and put the top half on, overlapping the two edges that you slit and pushing the top half down firmly. Thread the end of the yarn you're working with through the top. Your yarn won't get tangled or dusty and the cat can't play with it. (Maybe.)
Using the same method, create a terrarium. Keep the lid on the top to keep moisture from escaping.
Make an ant farm with one. Ants can't climb up the slippery sides, especially upside down like the curving top will have them doing. Remove all labels so you can see the ants easily.
Fill one with sand or dirt for a door stop.
The bottom line is that they're containers that you can cut easily to suit your needs. When you cover the cut edge they can be used for anything that doesn't require heat. Serve salads in them, use them for planters, keep odds and ends stored in them, carry water in them, let the kids play with them without cutting them. They make grand water "guns" (more on the order of canons!).
Oh, yes... in the winter, fill one with hot water and use it to keep your feet warm. The lids close tightly so you don't have to worry about a leak and the water will stay warm an amazingly long time.
So what did I miss?
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Pins: Bobby, clothes and safety
They just don't make them like they used to. Unless you want to pay an outrageous price, that is!
What started this rant? I pin my hair back, sometimes into a sort of bun, with bobby pins. I had the same ones for years, but eventually, they had to be replaced. No problem; I just grabbed some when I went to the grocery store. Done deal, right? Nope.
Well it was, kind of. I found and bought the bobby pins. I brought them home and used them for three or four days, when one of them sprung and wouldn't hold my hair any more. The next day another one went. Then every two or three days I was throwing one out, so I went back and bought a different kind and they did the same thing.
Not very frugal! I'm sure the idea was to use less or poorer grade metal and save somebody something while encouraging the public to buy more often. In reality, the company lost my business, not only for the bobby pins, but for its other products.
My sister had some bobby pins from ages ago and gave them to me. Wow, what a difference. Not only are they still unsprung (new word?), they hold my hair the way they're supposed to.
And now on to the clothes pins... but you probably know all about them. I have clothes pins that I bought at least 15 years ago and I still use them. I leave them out on the line all the time. So... I decided, that since they were so old, I should buy a few more to replace them as they broke. Bad move.
The spring type of clothespins i bought are so weak they will hardly hold themselves to the line, let alone laundry. And they're cut at such an angle that I tend to grab the wrong end. Maybe that's why they don't work very well - that and the poor grade of spring metal they use. I heard that you can still buy good quality spring clothespins. I wonder which arm and leg they'll want?
Safety pins. Safe, my foot. If a pin that bends out of shape so easily that the pointed end slips out of its notch, then "safety" is just a traditional misnomer, like car length "driveways," and city parks with no parking zones. Cheap metal and a cheap design do not equal a quality product.
Rant over.
What started this rant? I pin my hair back, sometimes into a sort of bun, with bobby pins. I had the same ones for years, but eventually, they had to be replaced. No problem; I just grabbed some when I went to the grocery store. Done deal, right? Nope.
Well it was, kind of. I found and bought the bobby pins. I brought them home and used them for three or four days, when one of them sprung and wouldn't hold my hair any more. The next day another one went. Then every two or three days I was throwing one out, so I went back and bought a different kind and they did the same thing.
Not very frugal! I'm sure the idea was to use less or poorer grade metal and save somebody something while encouraging the public to buy more often. In reality, the company lost my business, not only for the bobby pins, but for its other products.
My sister had some bobby pins from ages ago and gave them to me. Wow, what a difference. Not only are they still unsprung (new word?), they hold my hair the way they're supposed to.
And now on to the clothes pins... but you probably know all about them. I have clothes pins that I bought at least 15 years ago and I still use them. I leave them out on the line all the time. So... I decided, that since they were so old, I should buy a few more to replace them as they broke. Bad move.
The spring type of clothespins i bought are so weak they will hardly hold themselves to the line, let alone laundry. And they're cut at such an angle that I tend to grab the wrong end. Maybe that's why they don't work very well - that and the poor grade of spring metal they use. I heard that you can still buy good quality spring clothespins. I wonder which arm and leg they'll want?
Safety pins. Safe, my foot. If a pin that bends out of shape so easily that the pointed end slips out of its notch, then "safety" is just a traditional misnomer, like car length "driveways," and city parks with no parking zones. Cheap metal and a cheap design do not equal a quality product.
Rant over.
Monday, May 3, 2010
My new frugal laundry machine
The basement in this house has a set of old granite laundry sinks. I don't know how much they hold, but it's probably around 40 gallons each. It's a perfect setup, just the way it was planned to use a wringer washer.
Ok, so you're not interested in actually using a wringer washer. That's old fashioned, anyway. I mean, now you have an automatic washer that you throw clothes in and just wait... and wait... and wait. Eventually, it does all the work for you. And if you miss a stain, oh, well. You can just buy some stain remover. Or buy some new clothes. After all, you just bought maybe a hundred gallons of water.
I know most of you are not convinced. Wringer washers do take a little more of your time instead of just time, but they take less time to do a load. They take a little more energy and work to do that load, too (but I know the modern way is to pay the gym to get your exercise).
Still with me? I already wrote about the benefits of using wringer washers and a little more, too:
The Ultimate Frugal Laundry Machine
What to Look for in a Wringer Washer
How to Properly Set Up and Use a Wringer Washer
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Creative thrift store shopping
Ready to go to the thrift store or a garage sale? Put on your creative thinking cap first.
Sometimes second hand shopping is a lost cause when you can't find what you want or think you want. Those times, just a change of viewpoint can make things look altogether different.
Cast in point: Some time back I went looking for a new vase. I needed one for the table. Nothing fancy but nothing ugly, either. I looked and looked and didn't find a thing, so I gave up. (When I say I gave up, it doesn't mean I went to a retail store and paid full price for it; it means that I quit looking and did without for awhile.)
A few weeks later I was browsing a garage sale table with nothing in particular on my mind when a copper teakettle caught my eye. I suddenly envisioned it filled with fresh daisies - and voila! my new vase was in front of my eyes for a mere twenty five cents.
Looking at things creatively sometimes means seeing them for what they are and not for what they seem to be. The teakettle seemed to be a container to heat water on the stove. It really was just a container, period. A container that could be used for anything that would fit.
On the same wavelength: Sheets are big pieces of material. What do you need? A tablecloth? Curtains? Material for a new dress or shirt? There it is.
A coffee cup can hold celery or carrot sticks at dinner, or it can hold flowers or a small houseplant. It can hold pens and pencils, short knitting needles and crochet hooks or any number of things.
A pretty book that you don't even want to read becomes a door stop or a booster seat for a child.
It doesn't have to be what it looks like it is. It can be just what it really is... a container, a solid rectangle, a sheet of material.
Creatively... do you shop like that?
Sometimes second hand shopping is a lost cause when you can't find what you want or think you want. Those times, just a change of viewpoint can make things look altogether different.
Cast in point: Some time back I went looking for a new vase. I needed one for the table. Nothing fancy but nothing ugly, either. I looked and looked and didn't find a thing, so I gave up. (When I say I gave up, it doesn't mean I went to a retail store and paid full price for it; it means that I quit looking and did without for awhile.)
A few weeks later I was browsing a garage sale table with nothing in particular on my mind when a copper teakettle caught my eye. I suddenly envisioned it filled with fresh daisies - and voila! my new vase was in front of my eyes for a mere twenty five cents.
Looking at things creatively sometimes means seeing them for what they are and not for what they seem to be. The teakettle seemed to be a container to heat water on the stove. It really was just a container, period. A container that could be used for anything that would fit.
On the same wavelength: Sheets are big pieces of material. What do you need? A tablecloth? Curtains? Material for a new dress or shirt? There it is.
A coffee cup can hold celery or carrot sticks at dinner, or it can hold flowers or a small houseplant. It can hold pens and pencils, short knitting needles and crochet hooks or any number of things.
A pretty book that you don't even want to read becomes a door stop or a booster seat for a child.
It doesn't have to be what it looks like it is. It can be just what it really is... a container, a solid rectangle, a sheet of material.
Creatively... do you shop like that?
Monday, April 26, 2010
Odds'n'ends
My mood is sort of rambling today, so that's the way I'll post. :)
I like this thread in the Dollar Stretcher forums:
2010 Challenge -100 New Ways to Save Money I've been keeping an eye on it for a few months now and it's still going. I've even found a few new ways to save from it.
It's been rainy here for almost a week now and cool - too cool to do much serious gardening, although I set out cabbage plants and have mustard, lettuce, radishes and peas growing out there. It's been close to frosting the last couple of nights with more cold nights promised, so it will be awhile before the peppers and tomatoes are safe. So much for an early spring.
It's all right, though... I've been nibbling chives, eating lambsquarter and dandelion greens still. The dandelions are starting to bloom, so I picked a handful of buds yesterday to have with lunch. Boiled briefly and salted lightly, they're really good. If you try them, be sure to cut off all the green parts because they're bitter. Wild food can provide very good nutrition while cutting your grocery costs, so why not try them?
If you wait to salt fresh cooked vegetables until they're on your plate, save the cooking water to use on your houseplants or outdoor garden. There are lots of minerals and trace elements that plants need in the water. Dandelions are some of the best for this purpose because they have long, strong roots that bring nutrients up from deep in the earth that other plants can't get to.
And my frugal exercise tip: Buy a pair of walking shoes. You'll feel guilty for not wearing them... and what are they for, if not walking? So take a walk, smile and breathe the fresh air (even if it is a bit cool, as it is here). It will do wonders for your disposition and your health.
Rambling on...
I like this thread in the Dollar Stretcher forums:
2010 Challenge -100 New Ways to Save Money I've been keeping an eye on it for a few months now and it's still going. I've even found a few new ways to save from it.
It's been rainy here for almost a week now and cool - too cool to do much serious gardening, although I set out cabbage plants and have mustard, lettuce, radishes and peas growing out there. It's been close to frosting the last couple of nights with more cold nights promised, so it will be awhile before the peppers and tomatoes are safe. So much for an early spring.
It's all right, though... I've been nibbling chives, eating lambsquarter and dandelion greens still. The dandelions are starting to bloom, so I picked a handful of buds yesterday to have with lunch. Boiled briefly and salted lightly, they're really good. If you try them, be sure to cut off all the green parts because they're bitter. Wild food can provide very good nutrition while cutting your grocery costs, so why not try them?
If you wait to salt fresh cooked vegetables until they're on your plate, save the cooking water to use on your houseplants or outdoor garden. There are lots of minerals and trace elements that plants need in the water. Dandelions are some of the best for this purpose because they have long, strong roots that bring nutrients up from deep in the earth that other plants can't get to.
And my frugal exercise tip: Buy a pair of walking shoes. You'll feel guilty for not wearing them... and what are they for, if not walking? So take a walk, smile and breathe the fresh air (even if it is a bit cool, as it is here). It will do wonders for your disposition and your health.
Rambling on...
Monday, April 19, 2010
Turnoff Week is April 19-25
Turn it off! Unplug it! Join the crowd... well, the movement, anyway. April 19 through the 25 is Turnoff Week, targeting computers and TVs. Here's a link to a post on the forum at Center for Screen Time Awareness which will explain what I'm talking about.
Are you addicted? I never thought that I was until I took a few days off earlier this year and found myself slipping back in to check up on things on the internet. Since I work on the computer, it wouldn't work to turn it off completely, but I am going to try to turn it off when I'm not working. No TV doesn't bother me, so no brownie points there.
Join me? At least for a day or two? Then let me know... are you addicted?
Are you addicted? I never thought that I was until I took a few days off earlier this year and found myself slipping back in to check up on things on the internet. Since I work on the computer, it wouldn't work to turn it off completely, but I am going to try to turn it off when I'm not working. No TV doesn't bother me, so no brownie points there.
Join me? At least for a day or two? Then let me know... are you addicted?
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
What do do with leftover Easter candy
Still got a few chocolate Easter eggs around, or a fluffy marshmallow chick? Don't toss them or give them away, use them for other things.
Those cute little peeps are sugar covered marshmallows, so you can use them wherever you'd use marshmallows. Hot chocolate comes to mind! Use them in any recipe that calls for marshmallows.
Chocolate is chocolate, no matter how it's formed. Chop up a chocolate bunny and make chocolate chip cookies, or use a peeler and cut curls from it to top a cake or other dessert. Melt and dip strawberries or other fruit in it. Whatever comes to mind... just don't buy chocolate for awhile.
Malted eggs? Stick them in the blender and use as malt for... what else? Malted milk. Or any recipe that calls for malt.
We got some peanut butter filled eggs this year, so I sliced them with a hot knife and "iced" some plain cookies with them.
Get creative and use up the Easter candy... or not. It will keep for a long time. You don't have to refrigerate or freeze it - not even the chocolate, as long as you can keep the temperature below around 75 degrees. Above that, it will melt and make a mess, but it still won't spoil, so put it in a bowl or other container if your kitchen gets hotter than that.
Those cute little peeps are sugar covered marshmallows, so you can use them wherever you'd use marshmallows. Hot chocolate comes to mind! Use them in any recipe that calls for marshmallows.
Chocolate is chocolate, no matter how it's formed. Chop up a chocolate bunny and make chocolate chip cookies, or use a peeler and cut curls from it to top a cake or other dessert. Melt and dip strawberries or other fruit in it. Whatever comes to mind... just don't buy chocolate for awhile.
Malted eggs? Stick them in the blender and use as malt for... what else? Malted milk. Or any recipe that calls for malt.
We got some peanut butter filled eggs this year, so I sliced them with a hot knife and "iced" some plain cookies with them.
Get creative and use up the Easter candy... or not. It will keep for a long time. You don't have to refrigerate or freeze it - not even the chocolate, as long as you can keep the temperature below around 75 degrees. Above that, it will melt and make a mess, but it still won't spoil, so put it in a bowl or other container if your kitchen gets hotter than that.
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Did you ever set up a scavenger hunt?
Frugally, I mean... as in, not spending much money. That's a question on the Dollar Stretcher forums.
I've never set one up and have only participated in one scavenger hunt in my life, so I have no advice. (That's not really a first, no matter what it seems like!) ;)
Anyway, check out the question if you have a moment and if you have any ideas, they sure would be appreciated.
I've never set one up and have only participated in one scavenger hunt in my life, so I have no advice. (That's not really a first, no matter what it seems like!) ;)
Anyway, check out the question if you have a moment and if you have any ideas, they sure would be appreciated.
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