Cheap stuff for frugal living ( add yours )

[SoCalDem]

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[predfan]

1. If you don't have one already, get a Crock-Pot............

eat a few more meals at home.

[SoCalDem]

2. I have one, but I'm probably the only person on earth who does NOT like crock-potted food

I prefer my pressure cookers or using the oven.. I am home all day, so I don't need to cook things a long time..

I do use the crock pot to put my homemade chili into, when I take it to pot-lucks & for cheese dip for a crowd

[predfan]

9. I cooked some cabbage and smoked sausage in the crock pot

for about 6 hours the other night, and my wife damn near divorced me over the smell permeating the whole house. But that cabbage and a little hot sauce, and, as we have down here, corn bread, my God what a treat.

[jtrockville]

53. * inhales deeply * mmmmm smells good from here

[riqster]

90. We have an enclosed porch

...where I crock-cook odiferous (but tasty later) food.

[rhett o rick]

239. Love the cooked cabbage. I don't have a sense of smell so it doesn't bother me. nm

[SoCalDem]

352. I don;t like boiled cabbage, but browned in a skillet with a little butter

is to die for ..we like it raw too

[rhett o rick]

381. Tell me more about browning in a skillet, plez. Is it chopped? nm

[SoCalDem]

382. Yes.. just sliver/slice it , melt butter..cover for a little on "low"

to soften it & then turn the heat up to brown it

My husband loathes it, but the kids & I love it

cut it into strips..not chunks or grated like for coleslaw..

I cut the head in half, and then in 1/2 to 3/4 wide cuts & then break it up with my hands.. I cooks Waaaay down..like greens

[rhett o rick]

384. I love cooked greens. Have you had ribolita soup? Italian cabbage soup.

I had it in Italy and had to get recipe. Cabbage, Great Northern beans, onion, celery, carrots, garlic and broth. Add stale bread just before serving. You saute the onions, celery, carrots and cabbage then add to broth. And tomato paste also.

[SoCalDem]

385. That sounds yummy. I'm making a big pot of chili tomorrow

..This is going to be a busy cooking week for me..

oatmeal/raisin cookies, sugar cookies, apple squares, chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin bread, zucchini bread, chex-mix..and then 3 tri-tips on Tues & 3 tri-tips on Wed..and two big pots of scratch baked beans

[rhett o rick]

387. I am making a big pot of bean soup. I love bean soup with white beans, either small white or great

northern. Edited to add lots of onions.

[CTyankee]

427. I discovered it in Tuscany a few years ago and by coincidence the NYT ran a recipe for it

about the time I got back from Tuscany. It doesn't include the stale bread but it tastes very good nonetheless...

[ieoeja]

40. You are not the only such person. I don't care for it either. n/t

[grace0418]

69. I don't like all things in the crock-pot, but it makes EXCELLENT chicken stock.

Take a whole chicken (or pieces, but there must be bones), big chunks of carrot, celery, and onion, and wrap in cheesecloth. Put it in the slow-cooker with bay leaves, salt and pepper, and water. Then let it cook for however much time you have to give it, but at least 6-8 hours.

Take the chicken out, let it cool, then pick off the meat. Throw the bones and veggies out. Skim however much fat you want to remove off the stock and voila. You can then make chicken soup or use it in any number of ways. The cooked chicken can go in the soup, or over salad, in sauce, on pizza, in a sandwich (or all the above, it goes a long way).

I did this with the turkey carcass after Thanksgiving.

[SmileyRose]

136. point of order

don't throw the bones and veggies out after picking the bird. Boil them a second time or even slow cook them a second time. You'll be shocked at what good stock you get out of them.

[grace0418]

143. I usually cook them until there is nothing left to extract from them. But certainly

if you slow cook them for a shorter time it's worth it to cook them again.

[demokatgurrl]

104. Here's a recipe

get a roast of some kind. Salt and pepper it and put it in the crockpot. Throw in a bottle of beer (I use Hoegarden but probably any beer will work). Put the crock pot on low and leave it alonefor about 8-10 hours.

Optional: saute up some onion and garlic and layer it on the roast and put some in the beer.

I've yet to serve it to anyone who doesn't like it.

[merh]

132. The pressure cooker has become my favorite way to prepare food.

A roast with some seasoning, olive oil and cooking sherry in a pressure cooker comes out so tender that it falls apart and is still juicy.

I use the crock pot like you do, to transport food or to keep the food warm when serving the extended family.

[SoCalDem]

139. Bed Bath & Beyond has a fantastic bargain on them

right now.. I guess it's an annual thing.. 19.99..and it's a great little pressure cooker. I bought two for my annual raffles & got each kid o'mine one too Denmark is the brand..

[merh]

140. thanks for the heads up

I may have to get another and then get another couple for gifts

[sendero]

144. You are not the only one..

... I don't care for crock pot food either. I refuse to eat from them any more. They just don't work.

[JVS]

189. what's the problem?

I don't have one and would like to know if I should avoid getting one. What are the features that make the crockpot food bad?

[SoCalDem]

193. Every time I have had something cooked in a crock pot, everything

tasted all the same..and veggies were mooshy..

[sendero]

283. It's not the pot..

... it's the entire method of cooking. Soups, stews need boiling action. Food needs to actually cook, not just float in situ in warm water for hours.

Meat always comes out tough.

The proof is in the pudding. I've never had a meal from a crock pot that I couldn't have made a lot better using conventional techniques.

If you want a convenient way of cooking food that comes out right, use a pressure cooker.

[pipi_k]

298. Yeah, that's part of the problem...

in addition to the texture, there's that whole, "It's been sitting around in bath water for 8 or 12 hours" thing that makes me go ewwwwwwwwwwww.....


and unless you brown the meat first, it looks sort of unappetizing

[sendero]

302. Crock pots..

... are one of those things that sounds good and you really wish would work, but they don't

[CTyankee]

428. I essentially throw together my chili ingredients, saute first and then put in the crock pot.

Of course, I brown the meat first. I put it on low for just 4 hours and it's fine. I don't understand the "sitting in warm water" thing at all...

[kath]

192. Check out recipes from America's Test Kitchen or the Cooks' Illustrated website (same outfit)

They test their recipes *to death*, tinkering with many variables, in order to make them the best they can be. They have quite a few crock pot recipes in "The Best Make-Ahead Recipe" that are very good. They agree that many crock-pot recipes are awful, so they have tinkered with the methods and ingredients in order to improve them. In some (or most) of the recipes they eliminated the pain-in-the-ass pre-browning of the meat step. Instead, they saute up the aromatics first (onions, garlic, etc.) before putting them in the crockpot. The meat goes in raw. A bit of Soy sauce (or sometimes stock or other flavorings) is added to give the rich flavor that the browning is supposed to give. Sounds weird, but it works.

Many of their recipes, but not all, are available on the website. For full access, you can get a free two-week trial membership.

I LOVE their cookbooks. I had "The Best Make-Ahead Recipe" taken out of the library so many times that I finally broke down and bought my own copy off Ebay. Also have "The Best Recipe" and "The Best 30-Minute Recipe".

[Connonym]

417. have you seen their new "Family Baking" cookbook?

that and the "Family Cooking" are excellent for beginning cooks because they explain all the techniques and why certain steps can't be left out, etc. Not to mention some excellent recipes.

[kath]

419. Do you mean "The ATK Family Cookbook" - red cover, in looseleaf binder format?

I don't have it, but it's another one I've had out of the library multiple times. GREAT cookbook - perhaps the best one out there if a person was to have just one comprehensive cookbook. I've got one ordered to give as a wedding present.

[Connonym]

422. there are 2, one for general cooking and one for baking

This is the baking one http://www.amazon.com/Americas-Test-Kitchen-Family-Baki...

I've checked them out from the library but love them so they're on my xmas list. I've asked my kids to read through the instruction section so that they'll be more familiar with the reasons why it's important to do things in a particular way (this after watching my daughter make banana bread by just dumping all the ingredients in a bowl at the same time). I love both of the books.

[pipi_k]

292. That makes two of us

although I will sometimes make oatmeal overnight in my small crockpot. I'm not really a morning person, so I like having it already cooked up. If I add cinnamon to the pot it simmers slowly all night and smells good...and if I add cut up apples, it's heavenly...



But anyway, I did have a large crockpot I never used and ended up giving away. I'm home all day too, and don't need to have something cooking all day. With a pressure cooker, I can do a spur of the moment thing in less than 30 minutes, most of the time, depending on what it is.

It took me a long time to trust pressure cookers after being frightened by the one my mother used to have when I was a kid. But they're much safer now than they used to be.


I also use my rice cooker and wok quite often, and one of my favorite things to cook is a stir fry or lo mein meal using pork or chicken, frozen vegies, and something called Mr Yoshido's sauce. I make it all up and put it over rice or use those ramen noodles and make a lo mein from it.




oops...upon reading the rest of the replies, finds out there are way more than two people in the world who hate crockpot food

[SoCalDem]

328. I had to finally replace the gasket from my grandmother's pressure cooker

that I still use.. I looked all over online, and ended up calling a place with the number on the bottom of the pan.. The lady I talked to laughed & said "Honey, it's TIME for a new one.. that one quit being made in 1954"...but I eventually found a place that had a gasket for that old darling pressure cooker..free shipping too..and it only cost me $11.99..so the old pot is now good for another 50-60 years

I also have an 8-qt modern one that I use for chili & beef/noodles & chicken/dumplings..and my new $20 4 qt one I just got

[deaniac21]

435. If it doesn't blow up.

[ZombieHorde]

330. Why do you hate America?

[stuntcat]

12. NEVER eating out...

never eating out has saved us more than anything. I don't waste food, I use coupons and looks for deals and stuff, and in the Spring and Summer I grow veggies, I have a freezer full of tomato sauces I made when it was warmer.

It takes up time but I also pack husband's lunch and cook breakfast every day. At first he thought I was just being cheap but now that he's seen what it saves us he's into it! Besides the bills food is our main expense so we save all we can now. We're okay as long as his car doesn't give out *fingers crossed*

[crikkett]

47. we shed our car

and rent when we need one. The cost of a rental for a weekend is what we used to pay in insurance alone.

We're keeping the pounds off by walking/riding and, it's nice to be outside. I'm lucky to live in a place (and in a way) that lets me pull it off.

[sarcasmo]

68. I wish we didn't live in the burbs and could shed the car, that is a huge financial burden.

[SoCalDem]

49. If you are "of a certain" age, you can eat out and very cheaply

We have started sharing one entree and getting two salads.. there's always enough food, and it's nice every now and then to take a break from cooking at home

[stuntcat]

54. I'm gonna remember that

The only time I go to restaurants now is when my husband's parents are buying. I always order the cheapest thing, or just a salad and a side of peas or something. His family thinks I'M the strange one!

[pipi_k]

294. We don't share stuff, but we do

go out to eat Chinese once in a while. For the cost of a luncheon or dinner combination platter...less than $8.00....I can get three or even four meals from the leftovers.

[kath]

194. Yep - best budget-cutting advice there is. Eating out, even fast food, is HUGELY more expensive

fixing your own food.

[pipi_k]

299. Not always...

it depends on how you do it and where you go and what you order.

I certainly wouldn't recommend eating out as a way to save money, but people like to have something fun to look forward to once in a while...

[kath]

342. Sure, do it once in awhile for a treat - but fully realizing that you could fix it cheaper at home.

Every body needs a treat sometime.
For about a dollar, you can make a quarter pound burger - fast food places charge at least $2-2.50.
Baked potato off the dollar menu at Wendy's probably weighs 10-12 oz., and taters are easy to find at 50 cents a pound or so (and quite a bit less when the big bags are on sale.)
Soda costs 2 bucks or so out, and it's mostly ice. I can buy Coke or Dr. Pepper by the twelve-pack so that it comes out to 25-30 cents per can, sometimes as low as 21 cents a can.

A couple scoops of ice cream, cup-and-a-half or so of milk and a couple squirts of choc. syrup in the blender makes a delicious shake for much less. Throw in a banana for another quarter or so -- deeee-lish!! And it's a REAL shake - not that chemical crap they serve at most places.
Etc, etc, etc. I'm curious to know what you think you could order for cheaper when you eat out.

Even fast food meals often cost 5 bucks+ these days - for that you could buy a fairly decent steak (not a huge one, and not filet mignon, of course) or a couple of pork chops and bake up a potato and make a salad... Give up two fast food meals and you can eat shrimp or fish or expensive steak and even throw in real blue cheese dressing for the salad and an inexpensive bottle of wine...

[SoCalDem]

344. But there IS something to be said for NOT having to eat in the daily clutter

of our daily lives..every so often

and for having someone ELSE bring the food, cook the food & clean up..and if you have a recalcitrant homebody of a husband, there's always.."while we OUT, let's go to...."

[4_TN_TITANS]

110. Even crockpots are at bargain prices lately...

$15-$20 on a crockpot, and there's no end to the cheap delicious meals you can eat. Better yet, they cook by themselves while you're at work or out looking for work.

[MadinMo]

116. I saw 3 at the Salvation Army yesterday. I didn't check the

prices, but I'm betting they were less than $7.50 each.

Which I guess is my tip for living frugally --- Shop at thrift stores! You can find some wonderful bargains. While at the SA yesterday I bought two long sleeved t-shirts for myself and a Margaret Truman paperback all for $3. The shirts were discounted from their regular $3.00 everyday price and the book was 25 cents.

Now if I could just convince my teens that shopping there is cool. I've tried giving them cash and then telling them that the cash will go MUCH further at thrift stores, but they have their own ideas.

[silverojo]

209. NEVER buy electronics at a thrift store

Unless there's an electrician in your house, you don't know what condition the wiring is in. When you're down on your luck, a fire is the last thing you need.

[riverdeep]

233. And I guess your post summarizes the concept of one of our original Americans

who thought about this stuff a lot, being 'penny-wise and pound-foolish'. Of course, when you're desperate, those odds are things you're willing to take, because next month's bills are blinding you terribly.

[SoCalDem]

236. some thrift shops allow to to plug them in & make sure they work

usually you can tell by looking at things, if they were a thoughtless gift that no one used much, if at all..

[B3Nut]

425. Just plug in and test

I have yet to find a thrift around here that doesn't have a power strip for testing. Small appliances are usually easy to ascertain the condition of. Many appliances use standard cords, if the original looks dodgy a good hardware store will usually turn up a new one.

Don't get me started on vintage hi-fi...I've brought home quite a bit of that from the thrifts...

Todd in Cheesecurdistan

[shugah]

240. second hand shopping!

my favorite way to shop! i'm more inclined toward garage sales and estate sales than thrift shops (we don't have any good ones around), but da-amn! you can find some great stuff! we re-did a whole bathroom for about $50- included new sink and vanity, floor tile, light fixture, faucet, medicine cabinet, door handle, wall paper, shower curtain, towel racks... it took quite some time to get everything - you have to be patient if you want to second hand shop. but if you have the patience, you will find exactly what you want, at the price you want to pay (next to nothing, please, in my case ).

i have picked up some wonderful and beautiful things dirt cheap. art, antiques, books, DDR hard pads, movies, music, kitchen items, window dressings, frames, furniture, dishes...

i'm a real scrounger, tho. i would never pay $7.50 for a crock pot! i might pay $5 for one that was brand new, if i needed/wanted it, but i'd probably try to get it for $3

[Sub Atomic]

3. I LOVE Zenni Optical!!

I've turned on about 8 other people to them.

[Le Taz Hot]

4. I've posted this before

but here's my bread recipe that can be made for about 35-cents a loaf:

1 Cup + 2 tsp. warm water
1 Tbsp. butter (or margarine)
1 Tbsp. sugar (or any sweetener, including honey)
1-1/2 tsp. Salt
3-1/2 cups flour (if using wheat flour, 2 cups wheat flour and 1-1/2 cups of unbleached four)
2-1/2 tsp. fast-rising yeast (buy it in the jar, it's MUCH cheaper than the packets).

BREAD MAKER:
Combine the first 5 ingredients, in the order listed. Make a "bowl" in the center of the flour and add yeast. Set to "French Bread," 1-1/2 pound loaf. Let the bread maker do the rest.

Note: I'm haunting thrift stores these days and finding bread makers for about $5.00. If you want a new one, I've seen them on sale for about $35.00. This is one of those investments that pays for itself fairly quickly.


One more: If you use dryer sheets, a half a dryer sheet does the job just as well as a whole one.

[SoCalDem]

5. I buy the liquid softener, but I saved an empty bottle and I dilute it 50%

works just as well

[Richard D]

13. A little vinegar

in the rinse water works too, and without the wax buildup and weird smells that fabric softener gives.

[stuntcat]

16. I do that too!

exactly!
Also I heard that the dryer sheets could block vents in dryers which could make the machine use more energy.
The best thing to do would be to hang everything up though, which I might start next Spring. I don't run the dryer too long anyway, I usually hang things up when they're not quite dry.

[demokatgurrl]

106. I use absolutely no fabric softener of any kind-

many articles of clothing say not to. I got a couple of "dryer balls" (I ordered online from Gaiam but I think you can buy them in a place like Bed Bath & Beyond). They work as (moderate) softeners and shorten drying time.

Of course if you don't use a dryer you are spending less money and this isn't an option.

[arikara]

265. Me too...

and I take anything that wrinkles out after 5 or 10 minutes and hang it. No ironing, no static, no foul toxic dryer sheet odor. Of course weather permitting everything goes out on the clothesline.

I've heard reports of housefires started from the dryer sheet /fabric softener chemicals gumming up the vents in the dryer. Not an issue if you don't use it.


on edit: typo.

[alfredo]

112. Cheap shampoo like VO5 is cheaper than liquid hand soap refills.

Fels Naptha soap is a good stain remover, and lasts forever. Can be used for dishes too. In the army we took a coffee can and punched holes in it. We put a loop handle on it and hung it from the faucet. We then put the Fels Naptha in the can then turned on the hot water. It makes a real sudzy wash water.

Baking soda is a very useful substance. Works as good as tums, makes a good tooth paste. Shines stainless steel sinks.

soups are cheap and good.

Put on a sweater, turn down the heat.

Last night it got down to 19 but we kept the heat off. It was 50 in the house when we got up.

[tblue37]

135. Careful. Keep your temp at least at 55, or you risk burst pipes and water

damage all over everything!

[alfredo]

175. The house is extremely well insulated, the pipes have not frozen at 20 below.

When the power went out during an ice storm, the temp inside the house got down to 38 degrees. It took 18 hours to get there.

[KoKo]

167. Progresso's 45% less Sodium Soups are really good and filling

and if you need a little more a slice of whole wheat bread with a slice of cheese toasted with some mustard of your choic of flavors and a slice of lettuce is a great Lunch. Good on fat and low in calories and less salt.

[alfredo]

180. Tonight it was curried potatoes, broccoli with lemon juice, and

whole wheat Chapati. The curry wrapped in a Chapati is so good. The broccoli swings you from the sweet to the sour. It's a nice ride.

I've never tried their low salt. I've cut back on canned foods.

You don't need much meat at all. Meat is expensive in so many ways. Being creative with vegetables makes cooking so much fun.
*insert the dirty joke here*
Perverts

Learn Middle Eastern cooking, and the other cuisines of the Mediterranean. You soon learn how good and inexpensive food can be.

[KoKo]

232. Chick Peas are really good, too. Mashed with lemon and yoghurt and in salads

to fill them out and even mixed with some fresh spinach, yoghurt, cucumbers, sliced red onion and baby tomato on pita bread. Filling and nutritional.

[alfredo]

256. Hummus. I used to eat roasted and spiced chick peas when I lived

overseas.

[crim son]

403. Thank you!

I'm eating vegetable curry right now, homemade, as a third and last time leftover. Same with Indian curries, from which you can easily cut the fat and skinned meats and make a WONDERful meal. I eat curries three - four times a week, minimum, and they save me time and money.

[iris27]

178. you can also save your too-thin-for-the-shower soap scraps

and blend them with some water for liquid hand soap.

[SoCalDem]

190. oops a dupe..nt

[SoCalDem]

191. I take home hotel soaps

Last trip to vegas, they gave us a big ole suite with soaps all over the place.. the kitchen the shower the tub the double sinks in the bathroom... & I asked a maid for extras..

It's from Bodyworks.. Verbena-Lime-Coconut... I'm still using them.. & the mouthwash & lotion & shampoo & creme rinse

the paris has wonderful "oatmeal soap"..still have some of that too

My husband's a soap-snob... has to be small bar of YELLOW dial..don;t ask me why

[alfredo]

217. It was probably Dial his parents used. I might start making my own

soap. It'd be interesting.

[greenmutha]

242. Warning!

Soap making is very addictive! (I started making it in 1997... I now make 24 different kinds of soap and always want to try new combinations.) Not only is it addictive, but it can get very expensive if you start using some of the more exotic oils. (No dumpster diving to get liposuctioned human fat for me!)

[alfredo]

257. Any good resources, and how to's?

[greenmutha]

262. Gobs of them!

How To's:

http://www.millersoap.com /

http://www.teachsoap.com /

Ingredients (and recipes):

http://www.essentialwholesale.com /

http://www.fromnaturewithlove.com /

http://www.soaperschoice.com /

http://www.rainbowmeadow.com/HTML/index.asp

http://www.brambleberry.com /

http://www.snowdriftfarm.com /


I could go on for days and days, but these links will certainly get you started.

[alfredo]

318. Thank you

[arikara]

311. I started years ago by taking a book out of the library

and eventually bought one myself, The Natural Soap Book: Making Herbal and Vegetable-Based Soaps by Susan Miller Cavitch. I now only make 2 types of soap, both vegetable oil base.

One is the basic white unscented which everyone loves, and I melt down the bits from this to use for shampoo and even laundry. The other is a never fail goats milk honey oatmeal which smells and looks good enough to eat and is excellent for exfoliating and for scrubbing garden dirt off hands. I also barter this one to gardeners for produce, they love it.

I get a rash on my hands when I use the chemical soaps and these ones are mild and gentle on the skin.

[alfredo]

320. Thanks, I will look for the book.

[silverojo]

205. I recycle my soap scraps differently

I lay the old, thin soap scrap on top of my new bar of soap. It adheres well, and in just a few days' time, it completely melds with the new bar of soap.

Zero waste!

[alfredo]

221. Good idea.

[greenmutha]

241. More uses for soap scraps!

-Stuff them into mesh bath gloves and then just grab the whole glove, squeezing the hand opening shut as you rub it all over your body to lather up. This has the extra bonus of exfoliating your skin, too!

-Make your own laundry soap!
Use the equivalent amount of scraps to equal one large bar of bath soap, (or you can just use one whole bar of Ivory or Fels Naptha), and 1 cup of washing soda (I use Arm & Hammer brand).

Grate the soap with a food processor or hand grater. (If you are using really small soap scraps, you can omit the grating part. If you are using your food processor, make sure you clean it really well afterward!) Put the grated soap in a sauce pan and add just enough water to cover it; heat over medium-high heat to melt the soap, stirring occasionally.

While the soap is melting, heat 5 quarts of water in a big pot. Bring it to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer. When the soap is melted, pour it into the large pot of simmering water and add the cup of washing soda. Stir well until it is all blended together with no lumps. (Takes about 15 minutes if hand stirring, but if you have an immersion blender, just whiz it together until it's well blended.) Immersion blenders rule!

Pour into a large container. (A 2 gallon plastic bucket with a lid is the perfect size for this.) If you want to, add a small amount of your favorite fragrance and stir well. (Sweet Orange, Lemon or Lime Essential Oils are a fabulous choice for their degreasing properties.) Let the mixture sit overnight and it should turn into a gel-like consistency.

Use one cup for a normal size load, one and a half cups for a big or extra-dirty load (the Fels Naptha soap works wonders for really dirty, greasy clothes). Keep the scooper cup in the soap and give it a quick stir each time you use it before scooping out what you need. (I use a glass pyrex one cup measure and just hook the handle over the edge of the bucket.)

[yy4me]

268. I save my soap scraps until I have 5 or 6 and take out my

trusty "Oscar" food processor and dump the soap slivers in with a tiny bit of water (you have to play with the amount, I probably use about a teaspoon or so). Pulse until the scraps are tiny bits, then, if the consistency seems right, I remove the mass and press the bits into a measuring cup. If it looks like I have about a half cup of tiny soap bits, I use that size measuring cup, press hard with the bottom of a glass and then pop the chunk out, mold slightly until it looks like a round cake of soap. Let it dry out for a week or two. There you have it, a free cake of soap. I always use the same soap so there will be no problems of the "not sticking together" type.

Been doing it for years.

Also, speaking of soap, I buy liquid soap for the dishes but I transfer the contents to a container with smaller holes.. The holes in the original bottle are too big, you use too much of the liquid. The holes in the container I bought at the craft store allow just enough to do the dishes and not waste. I think the bottle holds 8 ounces and you cut the top of the cover to just the right size. Start small with the cut. Enlarge if necessary.

[havocmom]

358. or, put them in a knee-hi that has runs and needs retiring

Just grab the nylon full of soap scraps for a scrub, hands at the sink, body in the shower, OR put outside in the garden during the spring and summer for cleaning up after chores.

It's a two-fer recycling.

[CoffeeCat]

216. Yes, our soap dispensers are filled with Suave...

...shampoos that I get using coupons (usually for under 30 cents for a big bottle). The coconut flavor of Suave shampoo is
really creamy, and it's like soap. I add a bit of water to it so it comes out
of the dispenser easily.

I've never used Fels Naptha, but many people talk about that being a great stain remover, and they also use it to make
homemade laundry detergent.

Thanks for the reminder about the Fels, I need to check that out!

[predfan]

6. Google up solar oven, and look what you can do for almost nothing

[silverojo]

208. I've been solar cooking for ages

It makes even cheap frozen food taste a lot better!

[madokie]

15. I'm going to dust the ole bread maker off and make this recipe today

I'm a sucker for good bread

[nichomachus]

80. I also use my bread machine

to make dough for pizza.

You toss the stuff in, put it on the "dough" cycle and 90 minutes later, you're ready to roll. A little canned pizza sauce, some veggies, and some leftover meat -- a sprinkle of cheese -- and you've got a great pizza at a fraction of the cost of Dominos. I like to saute onions and peppers and mushrooms first, so they don't give off so much water while baking.

But you don't need much in the way of toppings and it's a good way to get rid of leftovers.

Also, I've found that putting the pizza in a cold oven and turning it on to 400 (bake not preheat) works best. You have to keep checking it and take it out when crust looks done. But, it gives you a really nice crust.

[madmom]

85. I love this, I make my own pizza crust with mine, much better and my own sauce as well.

[csziggy]

125. That looks good! I have a light multigrain bread recipe that my hubby loves

Light Multigrain Bread

1/3 cup oil (I like corn or canola oil)
1/3 cup honey (the type of honey will affect the flavor of the bread - I use locally grown tupelo honey)
1 cup + hot water (I have not measured it, but I usually add a tablespoon or two above the cup measure
1/3 cup buckwheat flour
1/3 multigrain cereal (7 or 10 grain health food type)
3 Tblspn wheat gluten
1 - 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1 - 1/3 cup unbleached bread flour
1 - 1/2 tsp salt
2 - 3/4 tsp yeast

Add ingredients to bread machine in order given. Process on Dough setting. Knead lightly, shape dough, put in 4x12 inch greassed loaf pan. Put pan in oven with a large pan 3/4 inch deep with hot water underneath and let rise until doubled - about 1 to 1 - 1/2 hours. Remove loaf and pan of water, heat oven to 350 for regular oven, 325 for convection oven. Bake for 40 minutes. Turn out on a wire rack and cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Makes an approximate 1.5 pound loaf.

Since I learned to make bread from old recipes that were trying to raise the amount of protein and nutrients, I usually add 2 to 3 tblspns of dry milk powder. I buy the honey, buckwheat flour, cereal, wheat gluten, and whole wheat flour from the local health food coop - they sell bulk items for excellent prices. If you make this without the wheat gluten, use 1 cup whole wheat flour and 1 - 2/3 cup bread flour - otherwise it ends up very heavy.

I've found it makes the best bread if the dough when first mixed is very sticky - the cereal and whole grain flours absorb a lot of liquid. I found my longer loaf pan a local kitchen supply store - they have 16 inch long pans that would be the right size for 2 pound loaves.

[Bigmack]

173. No Knead Bread...

No Knead Bread

3 cups bread flour
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast
3/4 tablespoon kosher salt (or 1 teaspoon table salt)
1 1/2 cups warm water
Covered pot (five-quart or larger cast iron, Pyrex, ceramic, enamel...something that can go into a 450F oven.)

1. Mix dough:  The night before, combine all ingredients in a big bowl with a wooden spoon until the dough just comes together. It will be a shaggy, doughy mess. Cover with plastic wrap and let sit 12-20 hours on countertop.

2. Shape & preheat:  The dough will now be wet, sticky and bubbly.  With a wet spatula, dump the dough on a floured surface.  Fold ends of dough over a few times with the spatula and nudge it into a ball shape. You can use your hands if you like, just keep your hands wet so that the dough does not stick. Generously dust a cotton towel (not terrycloth) with flour.  Set dough seam side down on top of towel. Fold towel over the dough.  Let it nap for 2 hours.  When you've got about a half hour left, slip your covered pot into the oven and preheat to 450F.

3. Bake:  Your dough should have doubled in size. Remove pot from oven.  Holding towel, dump wobbly dough into pot.  Doesn't matter which way it lands. Shake to even dough out. Cover. Bake 30 minutes.  Uncover, bake another 15-20 minutes or until the crust is beautifully golden and middle of loaf is 210F.  Remove and let cool on wired rack. 

[druidity33]

282. Mother Earth News? nt

[Bigmack]

290. Yup... I think it's originally from NYTimes. nt

[kath]

421. Cook's Illustrated took the NYT no-knead bread recipe and tinkered with it a bit.

It was in their magazine earlier this year, and is probably on their website.

Okay, Here's the article: No-Knead Bread 2.0
Published January 1, 2008.

A no-fuss recipe that is revolutionizing home baking trades flavor and reliability for ease. Could we improve the bread's bland taste and make it rise high every time?

The Problem
A no-knead approach to bread baking can produce loaves that look like they've been baked in a professional bakery, but the bread varies in size and shape and the crumb lacks the complex yeasty, tangy flavor of a true artisanal loaf.

The Goal
We loved the ease of this approach and the extraordinary crust on the bread, but we wanted our loaves to have a consistent shape and deeper flavor.

The Solution
No-knead bread is easy because it eliminates kneading, the mechanical process that forms the gluten (a strong network of cross-linked proteins that traps air bubbles and stretches as the dough bakes) necessary for bread structure. Our starting recipe (first published in the New York Times) uses two approaches to replace kneading: a very high hydration level (85 percent—meaning that for every 10 ounces of flour, there are 8.5 ounces of water) and a 12-hour autolysis period that allows the flour to hydrate and rest, (see "Autolysis" for further discussion). A preheated Dutch oven creates a humid environment that gives the loaf a dramatic opened crumb structure and shatteringly crisp crust. However, we found two significant problems: the loaf often deflated when carried to the pot, causing misshapen loaves, and the loaf lacked flavor. We first needed to give the dough more strength. We did so by lowering the hydration and giving the bread the bare minimum of kneading time (15 seconds) to compensate. We also figured out a way to transfer the bread without doing any harm. To solve the lack of flavor, we needed to introduce two elements that a starter adds to artisan breads: an acidic tang with vinegar and a shot of yeasty flavor. from mild-flavored lager.
list of recipes
Almost No-Knead Bread
Almost No-Knead Bread with Olives, Rosemary, and Parmesan
Almost No-Knead Cranberry-Pecan Bread
Almost No-Knead Whole Wheat Bread
Almost No-Knead Seeded Rye Bread
Baking in a Dutch Oven

The basic recipe:
Almost No-Knead Bread
Makes 1 large round loaf. Published January 1, 2008. From Cook's Illustrated.

An enameled cast-iron Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid yields best results, but the recipe also works in a regular cast-iron Dutch oven or heavy stockpot. (See the related information in "Making Your Dutch Oven Safe for High-Heat Baking" for information on converting Dutch oven handles to work safely in a hot oven.) Use a mild-flavored lager, such as Budweiser (mild non-alcoholic lager also works). The bread is best eaten the day it is baked but can be wrapped in aluminum foil and stored in a cool, dry place for up to 2 days.

Ingredients
3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (15 ounces), plus additional for dusting work surface
1/4 teaspoon instant or rapid-rise yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons table salt
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons water (7 ounces), at room temperature
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons mild-flavored lager (3 ounces)
1 tablespoon white vinegar

Instructions
1. Whisk flour, yeast, and salt in large bowl. Add water, beer, and vinegar. Using rubber spatula, fold mixture, scraping up dry flour from bottom of bowl until shaggy ball forms. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 8 to 18 hours.

2. Lay 12- by 18-inch sheet of parchment paper inside 10-inch skillet and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer dough to lightly floured work surface and knead 10 to 15 times. Shape dough into ball by pulling edges into middle. Transfer dough, seam-side down, to parchment-lined skillet and spray surface of dough with nonstick cooking spray. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature until dough has doubled in size and does not readily spring back when poked with finger, about 2 hours.

3. About 30 minutes before baking, adjust oven rack to lowest position, place 6- to 8-quart heavy-bottomed Dutch oven (with lid) on rack, and heat oven to 500 degrees. Lightly flour top of dough and, using razor blade or sharp knife, make one 6-inch-long, 1/2-inch-deep slit along top of dough. Carefully remove pot from oven and remove lid. Pick up dough by lifting parchment overhang and lower into pot (let any excess parchment hang over pot edge). Cover pot and place in oven. Reduce oven temperature to 425 degrees and bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove lid and continue to bake until loaf is deep brown and instant-read thermometer inserted into center registers 210 degrees, 20 to 30 minutes longer. Carefully remove bread from pot; transfer to wire rack and cool to room temperature, about 2 hours.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

261. I make yeast bread in my Cuisinart.

Kneads everything together quickly.

Then I have to dump it out and let it rise twice, but at least I don't kill myself kneading it.

Good stuff!!

[knitter4democracy]

413. I make my own using the Amish Friendship Bread starter.

It's a pretty similar recipe, and it makes a very good bread. We're sticking to that, for the most part, these days.

[Mnemosyne]

7. I pour some cheap liquid fabric softener onto a wet washcloth and throw

it into the dryer. I can never hit the washer at the right time to add it, as I suffer from CRS. I've saved quite a bit not buying dryer sheets.

I tried those dryer balls, but things were so static it was painful.

I know that soda is bad for us, but rather than paying more for HFCS soda, I buy Jones Cola for $2.77 for an 8 pack, way cheaper than P or CC.I also shop the outside edge of a store, less crap in your food and little packaging.

I was hunting down some of that spray to waterproof boots and realized that I had the same ingredients in a protective glass spray for windshields. Used it instead, paid a dollar for 8oz at a surplus store, WallyWorld wanted $5 for a couple ounces.

My feet are nice and dry now.

[SmileyRose]

138. Wait - is that accurate?

the spray can of waterproofing for suede is rainX with a propellant?

[Mnemosyne]

201. I had a spray bottle, no propellent. Seems to have worked great. n/t

[SoCalDem]

204. My grandfather used to rub parafin into his workboots

[Sabriel]

8. Sites for sore wallets

Two sites that post hot deals, freebies, coupon info, free shipping codes, etc:

http://www.fatwallet.com /

http://www.slickdeals.net/

[iris27]

177. www.retailmenot.com

enter the website of any retail establishment you want and see if they have a coupon or two for it.

saved me $15 on my christmas shopping just with a few seconds of URL entry.

[CoffeeCat]

10. I often get free/nearly free groceries...

...at SuperTarget by going to this Web site and printing coupons:

http://www.afullcup.com/?vbseourl=cmps_index.php&page=c...

Scroll down and you will see coupons that you can click on and print. You can
print as many as you need.

Right now, you can get FRESH broccoli and cauliflower at Super Target for 37 cents. There's
a $1 off coupon on this Target Coupon generator and the broccoli/cauliflower is 37 cents at
Super Target this week.

Also, there is a "$2 off Archer Farms Ham" coupon. Go to the deli and get 1/4- 1/3 lb of ham--which
should be around $2 (depending on prices in your area), that's free or nearly free HAM.

There's also a $1/1 Archer Farms coffee. There are trial-size (one pot) bags of flavored coffees
for around $1.19...so 19 cent bags of coffee.

A while ago, I got free baby carrots and free grapes. I get free stuff nearly every week.

IMPORTANT POINT: You know the coupons that you get in the Sunday papers? You can combine
those Sunday-newspaper coupons with these Target coupons! That's how I get a lot of free/cheap stuff.

People really need to start clipping the Sunday coupons, if you don't all ready. Kmart is doubling
coupons this week (all coupons up to $2). I got $400 worth of stuff for under $50--including cat litter,
medicine, cereal, shampoo, cleaning supplies, first-aid supplies, soap, etc.

Clip those coupons!

[stuntcat]

the Sunday coupons..

Last night I got the most groceries I have in months (stocking up til next year because we have 2 trips to take over the holidays) and even though I got $260-some dollars of groceries the bill was just $210 because I saved about $50 with the coupons from the paper and with my Giant Club card.
I got five cents for each of my own bags I took too I'm glad I'm done *shopping for the year!

[CoffeeCat]

34. Great job!

People often throw away those coupons, but you can really save a lot of money.

Good on you...no more grocery shopping until 2009!

[grace0418]

45. The problem with the sunday coupons (aside from the fact that I no longer get a paper) is

that they are usually for a lot of processed and canned stuff that I don't eat anyway, or cleaning products that I don't use. It's good when they have sales on produce, but generally speaking the only coupons I use are for toothpaste.

...Edited to say that's awesome that you're able to find great deals though. It just doesn't work out as well for me.

[CoffeeCat]

48. I'm seeing more coupons...

for frozen and canned fruits and veggies.

There are also many coupons for just about every OTC medicine you would want.

There was a $1 coupon for Green Giant Steamfresh veggies a couple of weeks ago, and they
were $1 at Walmart. I got 50 bags for free.

I agree with you about the processed stuff, and I don't buy a lot of processed stuff. However,
there are some good coupons in there. It may just be 2 or 3 that you will use--but if you get
multiple copies of those Sunday coupons---and find a great sale--then you can get multiples of
the stuff you WILL eat/use.

Coupons are a great way to stockpile, and combine your coupon with a sale price. Stockpiling
can save thousands per year.

[SmileyRose]

142. HOW did you get 50 coupons for Green Giant Steamfresh?

I use coupons religiously but I have no idea how people acquire that many coupons.

Hint please?

[CoffeeCat]

150. Ok, I'm a nutjob...

I know it sounds crazy, but I save so much money doing this!

Two of the local convenience stores allow me to come in Sunday night at about 10:00 p.m--a couple of hours
before they close. They let me remove the coupon inserts from the unsold papers. I gently remove them,
leaving the newspaper intact. The store returns the unsold papers to the newspaper and gets a credit for
them.

The coupon inserts would have been thrown away, anyway--so the convenience store owners have been very
nice about letting me do this.

If you want to get into doing this, I highly recommend www.refundcents.com It does cost $4 per month
to belong, but you'll save that much money in a week with the deals you learn about. If you use
coupons, you really need to check out that site. People from all over the country post deals they
find at Super Target, Walgreen's, CVS, Walmart, Kmart and other national stores. There are even
individual messageboards for about 40 grocery stores. As you know, the key to saving tons of
money is combining your coupons with a rock-bottom sale--for free or nearly free items. Those
are the deals that people post at refundcents. It helps to have an entire nation of frugal
couponers posting the deals they find. No one person can find every deal!

Do you use the Super Target coupons from www.afullcup.com ? Those can be combined with manufacturer
coupons from the Sunday paper.

As far as acquiring coupons--many people acquire them from relatives who don't use the Sunday coupons. There
are coupon-clipping services such as www.couponclippers.com She sells Sunday coupons, usually for 5 cents each.
That sounds nutty, but if you can spend 5 cents for each Steamfresh coupon--and get free veggies, it is worth it.

Some people live in areas where you are allowed to rummage through recycling materials. I know many people
find tons of thrown-away Sunday coupons at their recycling centers. There are many people who have businesses
selling coupons--and they get them from recycling centers. Some people get hundreds.

Do you shop Walgreen's? It's crazy-insane all of the free stuff you get there, just by couponing. I haven't paid a
dime for toothpaste, shampoo, razors, soap, lotion, or make-up for more than four years. They have a booklet
of coupons, that can be combined with your manufacturer coupons from the Sunday paper. Plus, they have "Register
Rewards." The cash register triggers them, when you buy certain products. They had a sale on Dove Shampoo ($3), and
we had $2 coupons. When you purchased 4, you received a $6 Register Reward coupon--good for anything in the store.
So, I paid $4 for 4 bottles of shampoo, and then I got a $6 coupon! So, I made $2 on that deal. I ended up with
more than 60 bottles of shampoo. I give items to our local homeless shelter as well as stockpile for our family.

You can get great deals like this almost every week at Walgreen's.

Did you know that Kmart is doubling coupons up to $2 this week. Saturday is the last day.

This is a good free site for basic couponing information: http://rebeccasbargains.wvblogger.com/?p=8

This is probably more than you wanted to know, but once a person realizes that they can pay so little
for groceries and other items, it becomes a way of life. I feed a family of 4 (and 2 cats) for less
than 50 per week. Plus, we have an entire room full of stockpile food, paper goods, health/beauty items.

You can PM me if you want more info. If you want to get started, I will happily mail you an envelope full
of Sunday coupon to get you going.

[WolverineDG]

161. Holy cow!

I went to the target site, then to its homepage & found a forum for my local grocery store chain. Now, another post in this thread gave a bread recipe & I decided to try it, getting the stuff at the store tomorrow. Connection? I found out on this website that I can get the flour for FREE if I buy a certain brand of yeast!

dg

[CoffeeCat]

214. That's terrific!

Let us know how the bread turns out.

You guys are making me hungry for homemade bread.

I might have to find a breadmaker somewhere...

Yum!

[WolverineDG]

297. But wait, there's more:

I was certain that the yeast would be more expensive than the "free" flour (that's usually how the buy 1 get one free things work, right?), but it was the other way around.

dg

[SmileyRose]

163. No you are not a nutjob.

Great info and I sincerely thank you.

[CoffeeCat]

212. Your very welcome...

Keep us posted on how you're doing, if you want to share!

Best of luck to ya.

[SoCalDem]

166. Made me wistful.. I used to be a refunder

My friend and I even used to make "dump runs" in New mexico for pops..

I once made the paper when I "bought" $427.00 in groceries for $7 & change

but then I had 3 boys to feed..& now I rarely even use coupons these days.. I used to love getting the mail.. Id' routinely get free stuff & checks for $1-$10.. My biggest "haul" was the day I got $172.00 in refunds..

But I was also a stay-at-home Mom who had time to "alphabetize the trash", as my husband called it

[CoffeeCat]

210. There is a woman in my local...

...couponing group (just stamp uber-geek on my forehead) and she has been couponing/refunding for decades.

Like you, she used to keep every POP, and she had them filed. She said that you never knew when a refund
would come along, then you could go to your stash of POPs and send it in.

Now, the require receipts and UPCs.

I remember her telling us about the great P&G deals "back in the day".

The first year I was couponing, P&G had an amazing deal. For every $20 you spent, they sent you a $10 Harry & David
gift card. That month, P&G had a $1 any size Crest coupon. I accumulated more than 200 of these coupons (by trading
with other couponers) and I purchased trial-sized Crest toothpastes, which were $1---FREE! I also ended up getting
$100 in Harry & David gift cards, and I spent nothing. That was fun! $100 doesn't get you too far with H&D though...
I think I got a pear and a brick of cheese.

I'm sure you have loads of fun stories too.

And wow, $172 in refunds in one day! That's amazing.

I often wonder if my couponing will slow down, once the kids are older. They're 7 and 8 now.

Hey, guess where my family is going tomorrow? A waffle breakfast!! LOL! If I had your waffle
iron, I could host my own waffle breakfast, right?

Thanks for sharing your refunding stories!

[SoCalDem]

215. I used my refunding m,oney for extras..bought a tv one year

for the family room.. and I have shitloads of premiums still hanging around..

anyone need a Kelloggs-rubix cube

or a DelMonte jigsaw puzzle

[CoffeeCat]

219. Kellogg's rubix cube!

You need to Ebay that.

You never know...it could be a rare collectible that could make you a millionaire!

[SoCalDem]

222. gotta FIND it first.. a guy in England offered to buy my original Jarts game

Buy I'm keeping them for now..

He was overjoyed that the box still had handles intact

[CoffeeCat]

224. LOL!!!

I'm laughing so hard I can barely type!

We had those...JARTS! LOL!

I'm laughing because it's INSANE all of the dangerous toys that used to be out there!

It's like something from an SNL skit.

You'll shoot your eye out kid!

Man, those are lethal weapons. The fact that they call it "a missile game" is hilarious! How many stitches can one family get in a summer???

[SoCalDem]

225. The price tag is still on it.. $3.95 from Sears

the UK guy offered me $200

[CoffeeCat]

226. Wow! $200....

That's quite the profit!

[SoCalDem]

228. remember when Moms used to wash out GLASS JARS so we could catch bugs

and dadd woould SHARPEN stick for us to use as play swords

kids today are helmeted-gloved, padded, Nerf-kids

[MorningGlow]

415. Seriously?! $200?!

Our Jarts set is in the exact same condition as yours! Hmmm...!

[kath]

380. When I was in med school, they showed us an x-ray of someone with a Jart firmly embedded in his or

her skull. EEK!!

[SoCalDem]

383. That's why they are banned... you cannot even advertise them on ebay

except as a "collectible"..hahaha

[kath]

389. Yes, VERY dangerous - imagine someone coming into your ER with one of those puppies sticking out of

their head!
When they showed us the X-ray, Jarts had already been banned for at least a few years.

"collectible" - yeah, right!

[Raksha]

332. There are also eBay vendors who sell food coupons,

in case you don't want to track them down and clip them yourself (or can't find a good source). In fact, eBay has an entire section devoted to food coupons...

http://home.shop.ebay.com/items/Food-Coupons__W0QQ_saca...

I've bought from a couple of the coupon vendors in the past. It's a great way of getting multiple couples for some specific item you use a lot. Of course they can't sell the actual coupons. All the listings have a disclaimer saying the charge is for the time spent collecting and clipping, not for the coupons.

[CoffeeCat]

360. Yes, that is a good point...

You can get coupons from the Sunday newspapers.

I also purchased a Home Depot 20 percent off coupon for $5. We used it to purchase a washing machine, and
the coupon saved us nearly $200.

You can also buy gift cards at discounted rates. You can usually get the gift cards for around 80 percent of
their total value.

When we bought that washer, I also purchased 3 $100 Home Depot gift cards for about $82--so we saved another $55 on
the washing machine.

[SoCalDem]

362. I bought my washer & dryer from New York City..free shipping

and no tax.. they delivered it right to my doorstep


This place has great prices & a large supply & they ship everywhere
http://www.ajmadison.com /

[Trailrider1951]

392. Another source for free coupons is your apartment complex mail

room trash can. When I lived in an apartment in Houston, we would get coupon flyers from stores and restaurants every Tuesday. Of course, some residents didn't want the flyers and threw them away. I would always scrounge through the trash can on Tuesday and Wednesday for the coupons I wanted, and save the extras for later in the month.

[ejpoeta]

that is on coupons.com the green giant steamfresh one.

[cherokeeprogressive]

111. Gotta watch that though, there are DU'ers who resent ANYONE holding up the line...

whether it be with coupons or having to count coins because maybe you're having a rough time. There was a thread the other day that called anyone who would hold up the cash register line "insensitive", "rude", and "idiotic".

[pitohui]

126. who cares, when they pay my bills i'll stop using coupons and coins

i don't get too many good coupons any more but i still use coins, it's like free money to be able to buy something with coins found in the sofa or dropped on the floor or wherever

if you have only a few items and would like to go ahead and i don't see you, for crap's sake, just ask if you can go ahead, i can't remember ever saying NO!

or else check out in the "express line" that's what it's there for!

[CoffeeCat]

146. Wow, they would despise me!

I try not to hold up the lines. I break up my orders and go through the line 2-3 times, so I don't hold people up.

However, it does happen.

I will tell you this. I am always apologetic, and I try to be very nice, but there are a lot of real pain in the ass
jerks who are RUDE beyond belief when they are held up for all of 2 frickin minutes.

All of the eye rolling, sighing and snarky looks are much ruder than someone who holds up the line for two minutes, because
they're trying to save money by using coupons.

Everyone thinks they're entitled to everything NOW, at no inconvenience. Reminds of me Goldie Hawn in "Overboard" when she
snaps at the hired help who brought her a drink, "I ALMOST had to WAIT!"

[Goat or Panic]

431. Some of us are cool about it.

I was in line behind a woman with a hand-full of coupons the other day. She bought 67 dollars worth of groceries for 30 dollars and change. Color me impressed. I think people are more envious of people like you than annoyed.

[kath]

198. I love that site! Thanks for mentioning it here (I think I found out about it here at teh DU)

[Mari333]

11. stuff that I do

1. hang a clothesline in basement. dries clothes just fine. or hang one in house somewhere.
2. use energy efficient light bulbs.
3. use only one light at night if you need light.
4. cut your own hair.
5. put a brick in the tank of your toilet. cuts water usage.
6. buy all clothes from second hand stores, or recycle clothes you have by sewing and patching.
7. stop buying meat, or if you must have it, buy bones and make stews for meat flavor.
8. unplug the microwave and clocks when you arent using them.
9. energy efficient plugs for major appliances are available for outlets.
10. cook every meal, no restaurants.
11. close off all rooms you dont use and close off vents for heating.
12. plastic on windows to keep cold air out.
13. shop at discount groceries where you bag your own, bring your own bags.
14. no cable tv, get a landline, no cell phone.
15. throw all vegetable and fruit scraps into a compost heap all year and use it for a garden in the spring.
16. garden if you can.
17. take a vacation in your back yard or your imagination.
18. generic prescriptions
19. unplug the light bulb in the fridge
20. get rid of the grass in your yard and plant wildplants or wildflowers or herbs

21. allow yourself one vice or you will go crazy.
i know not everyone can do all this, its just what i do.
not eating meat and dairy has really saved me a lot of money.

[stuntcat]

19. I cut my own hair lol!

Also all my clothes are either 10 years old or from thrift stores, that's saved us a LOT I think. And I compost..

I'm gonna put the brick in the toilets right now, I forgot to do it before.

[SoCalDem]

22. We have a very "sheddy" tree that makes compost for us..

I'm far too lazy to sweep the leaves off the back patio, and every so often, I take out a big dustpan and scoop it all onto the yard.. free soil

[iris27]

199. Us too (actually it's our neighbors' tree, but all its leaves end up in our yard).

It's one of the many reasons I'm glad I don't live in an area with a homeowners' association. Simply by avoiding raking, we have helped our back lawn fill in SO much!

[lady raven]

123. About the brick...

After time, the brick will start to degrade and could clog the lines in your toilet.

I used to use a big jar that had bath salts in it. We are going to take a soda bottle and put water or sand in it and put it in our tank. It will displace as much water as the brick without the risk of crud getting loose in the tank.

And it'll keep a bottle out of the landfill. lol.

[stuntcat]

130. oh yeah..

That's even better, I'll just save a big juice bottle from the recycling and fill it with water. Thanks

[SmileyRose]

145. DO NOT PUT A BRICK IN YOUR TOILET

but a plastic container filled with water will work fine. We found out the brick can create problems when it's contents slowly dissolve in our water and messed up the toilet tank fittings.

[stuntcat]

152. I went with the water bottle!

This thread ROCKS

[iris27]

195. If you fill it with just water and no sand/pebbles, make sure the

bottle is big enough to stay clear of the toilet's mechanisms. When I first tried this, I used a 20 oz. and it kept wanting to get stuck under the flapper!

[stuntcat]

321. soon as I finish some bottles of juice..

I couldn't do it right away like I said because they'd JUST taken all our recycling yesterday morning. I'm gonna finally do it though!
I'm glad for this thread, every idea in it is helpful and it's finally gotten me to do the thing to the toilet tank. I've put it off for like years, probably paid for a TON of water we didn't have to pay for.

[FedUpWithIt All]

32. Very good advice and easy enough to accomplish.

[wryter2000]

44. Definitely garden

Besides, the vegetables you get are much better than what you buy in the store. If you have limited space or only a sunny deck, a couple of Earthboxes will allow you to grow lots of tomatoes and squashes. My one problem with them is the company vastly overestimates how many plants you can put in one. I limit myself to two tomatoes, two squashes, or four peppers per box. Two sunburst squashes will make dozens of yellow patty-pan squashes. (You may have to hand pollinate squashes.) Two early girl tomatoes will make dozens and dozens of tomatoes.

You can use your Earthboxes for years and years. I have some I've been using for probably 10 years, and they're just as good as when I got them.

www.earthbox.com

[screembloodymurder]

127. And canning.

My son makes up ready to use tomatoes (w/ onions, green pepper and garlic) that can be used in so many recipes. They're easy to use and they taste so much better than store bought.

[knitter4democracy]

414. I didn't do enough of that this year.

The marriage-falling-apart thing got me messed up on my canning. Next year, though, I'll do all my canning again.

[OnionPatch]

273. Another idea for limited space

Even if you have a small yard and no room for a garden plot, you can replace some of your ornamental lawn plants with something that actually bears food. Fruit trees are pretty and make great shade trees, but also feed you when your ornamental won't. Leaf lettuce makes a great ground cover around the base of the roses or other tall shrubs. I tuck broccoli, eggplant and pepper plants into the flower beds, too. Sunny fences and walls are perfect places to grow vine-type beans, peas, cucumbers, squash and tomatoes. Mix in some annual morning glories or cardinal vine seeds when you plant to add some "pretty."

[Matariki]

81. unplug the clocks when you arent using them!!!

I LOVE that one. I'll just plug them in when I want to know what time it is

[SoCalDem]

84. & take the batteries out of your pacemaker when you are sleeping

[InvisibleTouch]

86. I prefer wind-up clocks, really.

Good luck if you can still find one. But I hate the thought of having to buy batteries or using power for a clock, even if it's just a tiny bit. I grew up with wind-ups. Betraying my age, perhaps, or just my latent luddite tendencies.

[tabbycat31]

108. a landline isn't always cheaper

my parents pay about $50 a month for the landline phone that they almost never use. I personally will NEVER have a landline because i refuse to pay extra for my privacy (they charge for unlisted numbers which is a crock of shit to me). My cellphone (a Sprint Basic plan) cost me just under $40/month when you count taxes and text messaging, and I have one phone that i can be reached at all the time.

[dixiegrrrrl]

133. How to have an unlisted number without paying for it.

I have been doing this for years.

When you order a landline, they will ask you how you want it listed in the directory.
If they don't ask, ask them about your listing choices.
Never say you want unlisted.
given the option of having it listed, then give them a name you made up.
If pressed, say an ex-boyfriend has been stalking you, so you want a name he won't recognize.

You can use George Smyth if your name is Smith,
or G. smithers
or your cat's name ( Murphy Baggins is my choice)
or just about anything that sounds like a name they won't question.

Then, if you want someone to have the number, tell them what you are listed under.

A side benefit, when I get a call for the made up name, I know it is a sales call, and tell them I have died.
I don't get sales calls anymore.

You can also request a name change for your number which will show up in the next directory published.

[lonestarnot]

276. LOL funny.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

429. I had some graduate student friends who did something similar

They lived in one of those big communal houses, and people kept moving in and out, so they kept having to change the name on the phone.

Finally, they got together and decided that they would invent a person named Paul Eucalyptus as the "official" owner of the phone account. Just in case the phone company questioned it, they got one of their professors to pose as Paul Eucalyptus, and they added "P. Eucalyptus" to the names under their mailbox.

The phone company did want to check, so the students gave out the professor's office number, and the prof confirmed for the phone company that he was indeed Paul Eucalyptus.

[LeftyMom]

179. Yeah, I pay $52/mo for unlimited calls and long distance on my cell.

A landline with similar features wouldn't be much less, and would do me little good since I'm very busy and almost never home.

Plus, I can't count the number of times having my phone on me has saved my ass due to car trouble or a situation that needed tended right away with the family business, or just coordinating one thing or another that really couldn't wait until I got home.

That's a corner I'd rather not cut. I'd go with a cheaper cell plan if it met my needs, but I'd go cell phone only long before land line only. I think pretty much anybody who isn't homebound would be better off that way.

[Patiod]

288. "Paying for privacy"

Why does anyone need an unlisted number? Telemarketers, pollsters and survey researchers use random-digit-dialing, so an unlisted number isn't going to help you avoid the calls you most want to avoid.

But I agree on the cell phone, if you can stand the quality of the signal.

[riverdeep]

188. no. 14,

or just get a cellphone, prepaid, and don't use it for anything other than needed calls. No landline. It can be cheaper. For example, I paid $20/month for landline, and $20 every three months for a Virgin Mobile cell phone. If you talk a lot, then this isn't going to work, obviously.

no. 12- invest in a carbon dioxide monitor, if you don't already have one. Sealing off too much outside air can cost you dearly.

no. 6- wash these clothes thoroughly. Sometimes they come infested with lice or ticks or other unpleasantries. This is especially important when buying second hand mattresses or couches, which are often infested, and are difficult to wash. A few things are worth purchasing new.

edit: duh, that's carbon monoxide, not dioxide. As a background in chemistry I know this, but it's late and my fingers are so much faster than my brain.

[SoCalDem]

196. Hahahahah... you reminded me of this true story

My friend bragged about the free firewood her husband brought home.. he piled it on their service porch so it would not get wet... Wasn't too awfully long before he came up out of the basement one day, and stepped right through the kitchen floor..

Their free firewood was infested with TERMITES

She never let him forget it

[iris27]

207. I pay $100/year for my TracFone.

Granted, I don't talk much. But last December I bought a 400-minute/double-minutes-for-life card...of the 800 that gave me, I have 128 minutes left.

My more talkative DH has a $40/month Sprint plan. No land line.

[riverdeep]

229. More and more people are getting rid of landlines.

The younger people are leading the way. The danger? One, not all 911 calls are handled the same way as with a landline, although most of the major carriers are now, thanks primarily through legislation. Two, in an emergency situation, like a power outage, not all cell towers function. Does this happen with some frequency in your market, and if it did, would you be destroyed by it? If not, you may consider making the switch.

It's a way to add some amount off your commitments.

Oh, and here's a crapload of other things, some of them echoed previously:

("Get a grip on savings: 101 ways to boost penny-pinching ways")
http://www.tri-cityherald.com/915/story/401091.html

[iris27]

250. Heh...I live in St. Louis, and in the BIG power outage we had summer

2006, my cell worked when our downstairs neighbor's land line was dead...yeah, the storm had been THAT bad. (Another great thing about tracfone is that they use everyone else's towers, so I can still get signal when we visit my in-laws in the boonies, while DH's Sprint phone can't get squat because Sprint doesn't build towers anywhere that's not along major highways. Though he still had signal in that power outage too.)

I would advise people against bundling their phone in with their cable and/or cable internet, though. My mother did that for about a year, and nearly any time lightning flashed, her land line was out for a week.

[pipi_k]

295. I had Tracfone for a long time

because it was just for road emergencies. We're very rural here and didn't get much of a signal unless we went up to the top of the hill, but anyway, I had accumulated over 500 minutes and things were going fine until they started screwing up in their automatic billing and I had to go through the aggravation of calling and having the phones reactivated each time it happened.

Finally I just gave up and went with a regular Verizon account.

The cheapest family plan we could get gives 700 minutes. We use MAYBE 20 minutes a month. They must be laughing their asses off.


Anyway, I can get a weak signal at the top of the stairs to the second floor and out on the deck, but hope for better coverage when Verizon puts up a local cell tower sometime next year.

[arikara]

314. One of my friends used to cut her own hair

She told me that one time she missed a piece at the back, 3 or 4 inches longer than the rest and nobody pointed it out for a couple weeks. She also used to bleach her own hair and lived in an area where they added a lot of chlorine to the water. The hair on the back of her head turned green from standing in the shower under the chlorine water and she didn't know it for ages. She always had a good sense of humor about it all.

[DUgosh]

14. I put my clothes dryer on the curb 10 years ago

I am clothes line exclusive! I have a clothes horse for rainey days, but it's been a drought for years, can't remember the last time I had to dry inside.

[riqster]

63. Wrong climate for us, in winter at least

But I do have one of those diverter gizmos for the dryer hose, and can re-direct heat from the dryer into the house at need.

[SoCalDem]

67. We had no dryer in Wyoming & my brother's diapers

were like frozen cardboard

[riqster]

71. Yeah, and I tried the trick my great-aunt showed me

of hitting frozen laundry on the line with a ball bat to knock off the ice. Only partly effective.

She also claimed it softened the fabric: I called it 'tenderizing' instead of 'softening'. The old bat actually laughed, it was a great day for us.

[iris27]

211. I have a line strung up in the basement - helps add humidity to

the dry inside winter air.

'Course I use it year-round...I'm lazy, it's right by the washing machine, and when I DID hang outside, I had to rewash a couple clean shirts that got divebombed by passing birds.

[riqster]

326. Wish I had a basement nt

[Thegonagle]

373. Never use one of those exhaust diverters with a gas dryer!

Those are for electric dryers only.

If my dryer wasn't gas-fired, I'd use one for sure. However, with a gas dryer, one could "divert" a large amount of carbon monoxide into the home if the dryer's combustion isn't perfect. (In my area, virtually every home has natural gas piped in from the street for heating, so incidentally, gas dryers are probably more common than electric, as they are cheaper to run, and can dry clothes faster.)

[a la izquierda]

158. Wish I could, but I would never, ever...

get the dog hair off mine and the hubby's clothes.

[iris27]

213. I cheat...10 minutes in the dryer, then leave hang to dry the rest of the way.

Picks up the dog hair AND beats out the wrinkles, so I don't have to iron.

[a la izquierda]

274. That's what we do in the summer...

but in the winter, in Oklahoma...not an option unless we want frozen underwear!!

[crispini]

17. Kick and r

[H2O Man]

18. I make candles

and bake bread.

[CoffeeCat]

20. GREAT Website for making your own...ANYTHING...

I love this Web site...funny name, but very useful!

www.hillbillyhousewife.com

There are recipes for making homemade granola, cheetos, maple syrup, bread, rice mixes and other convenience foods.

Here's the page that lists the recipes by category:

http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/recipeindex.htm

Lots of good stuff on this site!

[SoCalDem]

21. making your own salad dressing is a snap.. & takes all of about 45 seconds

[lady raven]

304. We make our own for health reasons

Most salad dressing at the store is CRAP! If it's low fat or fat free, it's loaded with preservatives and high fructose corn syrup. No thanks.

We have two bottles- One is made with red wine vinegar and one with balsamic. It has olive oil in it and whatever herbs and spices struck our fancy when we met it. Pretty good stuff and if we use a little too much it's not that big a deal.

[SoCalDem]

329. I love to make a "salad" that my grandmother used to make

and the "dressing" from it is delightful:

cut up tomatoes
sliced cucumbers
sliced raw onion rings

oregano flakes (I don't use fresh, but you could)
vinegar
oil

put it all in a tupperware container & shake it up..chill overnight..

after we eat all the veggies, the left over dressing is fantastic

[AwakeAtLast]

371. My aunt calls that "Cucumber Cooler"

She also adds green pepper. The more it sits, the better it gets!

[youthere]

96. I used her recipes when we made the switch to dry milk...

We mixed it with a little non-dairy creamer and a touch of sugar to make the transition a little easier, and then gradually reduced the amounts. Now we just drink it mixed with water per the instructions on the box. It's about 1/2 the price of regular milk.

[SoCalDem]

149. Go online & order some used copies of HP Make-a-Mix cookbooks

Some Links

The ones I have are from the 70's but I'm sure they are still around online somewhere

You can cook way less than buying the prepared mixes

[Qanisqineq]

249. Here's another good site for making stuff homemade

http://www.pioneerthinking.com/main.html

[riqster]

23. "Follow the Sun" with drapes and blinds

In the winter, open up drapes and blinds for windows that are getting direct sunlight. Close those in shade. As the sun moves throughout the day, adjust drapes and blinds accordingly.

In the summer, reverse the practice.

Saves quite a bit on heating/cooling costs, especially if you are diligent with weatherstripping and caulking.

[CoffeeCat]

25. Yes, great point!

I slowly discovered this in our house. I live in Iowa, and it's about 20 degrees here today.

Yet, I can open the front door (which exposes the glass/storm door, and also the drapes on the front windows---and turn off the heat during most of the day--because the sun coming in from the front windows and doors is so toasty!

Great reminder.

[SoCalDem]

28. Also...plan baking for especially cold days, and leave the oven door open

when you are done... unless there are small kids wandering around the kitchen ..free heat

[riqster]

56. Also, don't drain a warm bathtub

Let that heat radiate for a while. And, if possible, open the bathroom door while showering in winter. Humidifies and heats the area around that space.

[riqster]

55. Cleaning windows is also one of those little details that get overlooked

...lets more of that free solar heat in!

[SoCalDem]

59. aaah..but that "protective coat of grime" on the inside

probably protects you from UV rays & adds extra insulation

[riqster]

60. LOL, well in SoCal that's probably a good thing!

If it's still like it was when I lived there in '90, anyway.

Here in Ohio, we are grubbing for every BTU we can get our mitts on, and will be for the next few months.

[CoffeeCat]

147. ....and my windows look like holy hell...

Thanks for that tip!

:wave: ...back at 'cha!

[riqster]

327. I'm not sure what it says about me

That I wash windows not because I like them to be clean, but because I'm a cheapass.

[Lars39]

24. I make my own Spray n Wash...

To fill an empty Spray n Wash bottle:

3/4 cup ammonia
3/4 cup Whisk detergent
3/4 cup white vinegar

Gently shake.

****Do not use this with bleach!!!****

[SoCalDem]

26. Bleach & ammonia... eeeeek... I hope all grownups know that

glad you put that reminder in...

[Lars39]

31. You'd be surpised...

Had a friend almost die from accidentally mixing the two while trying to clean tile in his bathroom. <shakes head>

[SoCalDem]

35. My mother did the same thing.. ended up in the hospital

[tblue37]

137. It produces chlorine gas and, depending on the ratios, other toxic chemicals. nt

[formercia]

51. Bleach and Ammonia make Nitrogen Trichloride

a very powerful explosive that detonates on contact with most any organic material. It's probably one of the most dangerous materials you can make.

even a small pop will spray you with corrosive solution that might blind you.


Beware.

[FedUpWithIt All]

27. Wow, thanks for this. Frugal ideas? Board games instead of video.

saves on power, is more family interactive, the games can be more variable and stay interesting longer and board games are usually cheaper than video games.

We pay $30 for an unlimited, no late fee, video rental plan at Hollywood Video. They also have a $14 and $24 plan. We use that thing like crazy. The whole family camps out in the living room with a cheap snack or the DH and i have a kid-free movie and home cooked dinner date night. We save a TON of money with the thing. Taking out family out to a movie one time can easily cost us over $60. It also helps me monitor what the kids are watching. The other way the rental plan saves us money is that we only have limited basic cable. Local channels. It keeps the kids from veggin out in front of Disney.

We shop at the local Aldi and BJ's wholesale. Have really cut down on groceries. You have to be careful with wholesale stores though. Make sure that what you are purchasing really is a deal.

Making patches for jeans can be fun and a creative outlet for kids. I also just taught my kids how to use a Knifty Knitter loom. My 9 yr old just made a hat in about 30 minutes. She is going to start working on a matching scarf. This thing is SUPER easy to use and can be used in a wide array of projects.

I have been sewing since i was a very young kid. I am going to tech my girls sewing over the holiday. Sewing is not always economical now but if/when things get more difficult, sewing may become a VERY valuable skill.

We have always been pretty handy people and we have lived through some lean times already. We found that the lean times were filled with some of our happiest and closest moments. There is a lot of communication that happens when all the electronics are turned off.

Knifty Knitter.
http://www.provocraft.com/products/detail.php?cl=knifty...
Knifty Knitter project ideas.
http://www.robertscrafts.com/projects/projects.php?view...

[SoCalDem]

30. Shop for fabric in the discount sheet bins.. Nice BIG pieces of fabric

and there are so many cool patterns now...

I used to buy little appliques and use fingertip towels & bias tape to make the cutest baby bibs..One cut & about 5 minutes to sew it up..and they NEVER wear out

[FedUpWithIt All]

42. Yes. I LOVE the fabric store clearance bins.

I am such a sucker to the appliques and bright cheery patterns. When my older children grew out of bright and cheery clothes/things i stopped sewing as much. LOL

[grace0418]

65. I make things out of old sweaters from the thrift shop. You know the kind, where

the sweater itself is cute but has a huge heart or something knitted on the front. Or it's just worn out or stretched out in a way that makes it not good for wearing.

The sleeves make great hand warmers, just finish both ends of the tube, then stitch together one end about 1.5-2" in from the side. Then pull it over your hand and put your thumb through the hole you created with the stitch. It's great when your office is cold but you need to use a keyboard. I'm wearing some right now.

The material along the waistband makes a great hat. Cut two rectangles (long side along the waistband), place them inside-out facing one another, and stitch together the three unfinished sides. Turn them right side out. Make two pom-poms for the two corners that will sit on top of your head, or just stitch them together to look like ears.

The rest of the material makes great sachets. I wash them in the washing machine (who cares if they shrink for this), then line them with some interfacing. Stitch them into little pillows and fill with cedar chips or lavender to keep bugs out of your closets.

I also make funny little stuffed creatures with the scraps. And even stitch together pieces to make patchwork scarves.

[FedUpWithIt All]

83. Recycling old sweaters is a great idea. I would have never thought of it.

We LOVE thrift stores.

[grace0418]

91. Thanks! The more I do it, the more uses I find for them. I even saw a cute wreath in

a catalog made of pieces of old sweaters cut into rough squares and threaded on a wire (like you would popcorn for the Christmas tree). The wire is then attached at both ends to make a wreath shape. The second I saw it I wanted to make one (it was way too expensive to buy and way too fun to make). We're not decorating for Christmas this year for a number of reasons, but next year I plan to try it.

[eridani]

129. Just wondering-

--if it's worth the trouble to unravel and reuse the yarn. Might take two sweaters to make a "new" one?

[grace0418]

141. I imagine that would be a possibility if you knit. I don't knit so I don't know if

that would present special challenges. But maybe someone who does knit would know.

[Raksha]

172. I just posted about that before I saw your note.

It's definitely worth it for quality natural fiber yarn, but you're limited by the amount of yarn in the sweater. But it's not that difficult to find men's extra-large wool sweaters at thrift shops, and they usually have enough yarn in them for whatever you might have in mind. If it's an extra-small sweater but you love the yarn, plan on making a scarf out of it.

[LiberalEsto]

355. My mom did that a lot

She lived in a European refugee camp after WW2. They were so poor that she got into the habit of salvaging every last piece of yarn for the rest of her life.

[Raksha]

169. I take thrift shop sweaters apart and unravel the yarn.

I have yarn recycling down to a system after all the years I've been doing it. I can make it look just like new yarn that would cost 10 times as much as the old sweater, because I steam the kinks out of it before rewinding it. I ONLY do this with quality natural fibers like mohair or cashmere or alpaca. Cheap acrylics simply aren't worth the time involved.

Oh yeah...NEVER try this with a cut-and-sew sweater!!! You can tell by looking at the inside seams. They should be clean-finished on the inside, with no machine stitching over the edges. If the seams have been finished with a serger, the sweater has been cut and you'll end up with a lot of useless two-yard lengths of yarn.

[SoCalDem]

183. Instant cat-toys:)

I used to rubber-band odd sizes of yarn together, and hang over a chair for my kitties to bat around

[Raksha]

316. That's an idea!

I used to have a cat who would actually go LOOKING for my yarn stash so he could get creative with it! He'd get into the plastic grocery bags on a high shelf where I kept some of it and have lots of fun with it. The other cats would wait for me to start untangling it or rewinding it before they would get involved--after all, why should Mommy have all the fun?--but not this guy! When it came to yarn, he was on a perpetual search-and-destroy mission.

[pipi_k]

347. Even the little pieces aren't bad, though...

I made a couple of hats with acrylic yarn that I simply knotted together and knit. Make sure to leave "tails" of about 1 1/2 inches or so.

For kids, it makes a real cute hat with lots of little knots that make it look like coarse "fur"...or "spaghetti monster" hats...

[SoCalDem]

218. My crafty friend made the coolest throw pillows from thrift store men's jackets

she even put ties on some of them.. She hates the fringe-y fluffy ones..They have black & grey leather furniture and the suit jacket pillows give it an edge

everyone asks her where she got her cool pillows

I think she paid $5 for the most expensive jacket she bought

[grace0418]

246. That's great! I make so many things out of thrift store clothes. I can't tell you the

number of times I've seen stuff that had really cute pockets but the rest was horrible, or really great in the back but the front was worn out. It's so easy and fun (and cheap!) to recycle them into something awesome and useful.

[wordpix]

280. start a web-based business with this and I'll buy some pillows from you

[SoCalDem]

331. I made a quilt for my son from all his soccer jerseys

with the little size XS (he was 5 yrs old) in the middle.. Gave it to him when he was 18..he cried..

It ended up pretty nifty, if I say so myself

[grace0418]

340. Awww! That's so sweet!

What a great idea!

[SoCalDem]

343. He would put them in the Goodwill box, and I'd fish them out..

He'd razz me for "saving all that old junk he didn;t want"

[grace0418]

339. You know, I've thought about it. I used to own my own business with a friend of mine.

We made handmade cards, books, sachets, and other gifty items. But once you start doing that stuff to make money it starts not being as much fun. When people get a gift like that from you, they love it to death. When people *buy* an item like that, suddenly they start getting picky about "Oh I wish this was a different color" or "This seam is crooked" or whatever. Some people do not get the concept of home-made, one of a kind stuff. Plus, you can never get what the item is worth (in time spent making it) unless you charge outrageous amounts of money for it. People have gotten used to their goods being made in China in sweat-shops and have a hard time understanding why they should pay so much more for a hand-made item.

Thank you though. If I ever do start a business, I will let you know!

[pengillian101]

366. How cute is that!!! "My 9 yr old just made a hat in about 30 minutes."

[FedUpWithIt All]

367. Right now, my three daughters are in the living room knitting.

My 16 yr old is knitting a toy tote for her 10 month old brother. My 11 yr old is making leg warmers for her nine yr old sister. My 9 yr old is making a scarf for her friend at school. My 16 yr old's boyfriend is knitting me a scarf to match the hat the 9 yr old made me. The baby is sleeping soundly. I could not be happier. They are all home, healthy and creating.



Tomorrow we start our first sewing lesson.

[Withywindle]

374. Wait a minute - you've got your daughter's boyfriend knitting a scarf for you?

Now THAT'S the way to run a household!

[FedUpWithIt All]

375. LOL. Yeah, fun isn't it.

[global1]

29. A While Back I Gave Up Drinking Soda And Started Drinking Vitamin Water......

I've lost a lot of weight based on stopping the soda - but the Vitamin Water is expensive and it is fructose based. I tend to like flavored water versus just plain water so I now go to a Sam's Club and buy a case of Aqua Fina Water - I think there are 32 bottles in the case - costs about $4.88 and then flavor it with Lipton's Wild Raspberry White Tea powder. I use about a teaspoonful of the powder from a 4lb 4oz canister. I saved a lot of money thus far. I know that I can do the same if I just use tap water - but the Aqua Fina has a fresher/cleaner taste.

[stuntcat]

38. I'm too crazy about fruit juice :(

It's expensive but I can't quit it, I go through so much of it. I make it last twice as long by watering it down 1/2 and 1/2 with tap water, it tastes just as good that way.

[librechik]

99. Try this--get a bottle of lemon juice concentrate

I get 2 huge ones at Sam's for 3 bucks. Put half a cup of the juice in a pitcher along with sugar or splenda (or molasses, if you can stand it--it's got lots of B vitamins) Fill th pitcher with water for lemonade which can slake your juice cravings for a fraction of the cost. Sometimes I stir in a little raspberry jam, if I have some, for a special flavor treat.

A lot of commercial bottled juices are very little more than citrus, sugar and flavorings anyway.

[yowzayowzayowza]

121. This iced tea drinker replaced the sugar with splenda...

and 25lbs jus melted away!!!! Good stuff.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

266. did you know Splenda has chlorine in it? Just FYI.

[yowzayowzayowza]

325. So does the water.

Therez always a tradeoff!!!

[tabasco]

334. You stole my idea!

I put 1/3 of a pack of dollar store koolaid in a 2-gal. pitcher of water.

Big splash of lemon juice.

4 little packs of equal.

Makes a nice light drink without sugar.

[tabbycat31]

107. i gave up soda 2 years ago

and never looked back. I now almost exclusively drink (tap) water. I have a water bottle in the car that I refill as needed.

[AwakeAtLast]

372. Two words - Brita pitcher

You would save way much more using a Brita pitcher and a Clean Canteen or some other steel container.

I love my Brita!

[tandot]

33. K & R for later reading. Great tips! n/t

[Schema Thing]

36. It looks cheesey and un-slick, but MagicJack really works

right out of the box. Just got one; nothing could be easier (or cheaper). 40 bucks for your first year, 20 bucks for the next year. Free calls in US and Canada. Very cheap rates to Europe.



Also, with PagePlus cellular, my average cell phone usage is about $35 per month - total. I purchase 80.00 worth, which gives me minutes for 5.7 cents and text for 5 cents each. If I got into a situation wherein I couldn't keep my usage under 800 minutes, I'd probably switch to MetroPCS. But for now, this is the best deal going, and if I want to save more money, I'll just make sure to talk more on my magicjack phone and less on my cell.

[SoCalDem]

37. Skype used to be free..don't know about now

www.skype.com

[KitchenWitch]

115. We got Magic Jack a couple of months ago!

There are some quirks but it is a good home phone solution.

[ejpoeta]

253. we have that too. so we have a phone at home. been cell only for years.

but sometimes the kid gets home before me, so i want her to be able to call me. anyway, they have a special for like five years going on right now too. but i was skeptical at first, but it works well for what we need it for.

[global1]

260. Do You Get In-Coming Calls On MagicJack?........

and if you have to be connected to the internet - don't you have to pay for that connection. My internet connection is with the telephone company.

[Schema Thing]

301. Yes, you can recieve calls

you do have to have some kind of allways-on internet connection.

My ex just got DSL, and I'm encouraging her to drop her phone service and just go with a VOIP like magicjack.



Or if your neighbors have unsecured wi-fi

[frazzled]

39. Eggs

I made an old Julia Child recipe from back in my grad school days in the 1970s the other night: just four eggs and a bit of leftover cheese makes a huge souffle. With a salad and some crusty bread (use the homemade recipe above), you've got a tasty dinner for very little dinero. Make it with spinach and it's even better.

We frequently have what is called "breakfast supper" in our house.

[SoCalDem]

46. Sunday waffle night at our house..

a couple of cups of flour, 2 eggs, 2 c buttermilk, 1 tsp soda a pinch of salt, 1/4 c oil.. and a 39 yr old waffle iron..yummmm

[CoffeeCat]

50. I covet your waffle iron...

I can only imagine how sturdy and wonderful your 39-year old waffle iron is.

That's when they made them to last.

Ahhhh....I can smell the maple syrup from here!

I looked at waffle irons last week, and they all looked so cheap--even the $60 ones.

[SoCalDem]

52. Manning & Bowman.. with a melted/fused breadwrapper

from when one of my boys put the bread on it while it was hot

It has a FABRIC cord .. I watch it like a hawk when I use it and unplug it immediately
My oldest son wanted it, or one like it, and I found one close to it, ..paif $60..and he still wants to "trade".. Mine's broken in

[CoffeeCat]

151. Ahhhhhh....fabric cord...

I can picture it, in my mind!

I seem to remember a toaster my parents had, that had a fabric cord.

I bet that thing is so sturdy!

Think of me, when I purchase a crappy one at Walmart and it breaks in a week!

We're coming to your house for breakfast!

[Fireweed247]

315. love "breakfast supper"

but where's the recipe for the souffle? That sounds good...

[Trailrider1951]

394. Here's my recipe Marty

1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup milk
1/2 to 2/3 cup shredded or cubed cheese. I like cheddar or colby/jack. Or both!
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 450. Prepare a straight-sided souffle baker (or other oven-proof bowl or pan) by generously greasing and flouring it. Separate eggs, putting the yolks into a small bowl and the whites into a large one. Melt butter in a sauce pan. Add flour, salt, paprika and pepper. Stir and heat until bubbly. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a wisk until thick and almost boiling. Remove from heat and add cheese, stirring to melt. When cheese is melted, add beaten egg yolks. Whip egg whites until fluffy. Add cheese mixture and fold in with a large spatula. Put in prepared baker and set in the middle of the oven. After 5 minutes, reduce heat to 400 and bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Souffle is done when puffed up and browned on top. Enjoy! I serve this with a salad and baked sweet potatoes.

[Fireweed247]

409. Thanks!

Maybe I will make this tonight...

[CitizenPatriot]

41. is this eyeglass place for real?

I just ordered a pair on another site, paid 400 dollars (which is why I waited ten years) and when I got them they aren't right, but restocking is 50% fee, so I was screwn.

I checked out this site and honestly, it brought tears to my eyes. I didn't know what I was going to do. I can get my glasses now...Thank you.

Editing to add" Passive solar is a great way to save money. We do the same thing. We also have all of our appliances on power strips so we can turn them off during the day with one flick of the switch. Never eat out. Farmer's Market for produce, don't eat meat. I've been cooking big batches of stuff and freezing half of the dinner for the nights when I've been working 12-18 hour days, because frozen meals are expensive. I've been freezing soups, lasagnas, etc in individual size portions. Some food on Amazon is cheap when you buy it bulk. I google for coupons before I buy online and always find at least 10 percent off. I have an electric heater so we can turn the heat way down in the rest of the house and just have the bedroom warm enough to fall asleep. We watch old TV episodes on Hulu for free (the old Bob Newhart shows! they have tons of great shows- new ones, too). Library books.

[SoCalDem]

43. YES!!

I printed out the paper thingie and had my opthalmologist's nurse fill it out for me, just in case.. another person on this thread has used it too

[Codeine]

160. It's real and it's great.!

Seriously, it's been a revelation to me. I saved $800+ this year with them, and had a better selection of frames to boot.

[Juche]

252. Yeah

Just make sure you like the frame. I bought a pair and the frame didn't fit. Luckily they were $14 total. I bought another pair for $20 (hinged frame with bigger eyeglass piece) and they work really well.

[OwnedByFerrets]

258. Yes, its a wonderful place to purchase glasses. I got 4 pairs for $72

and love them. They are a bit smaller than I'm used to, but I have no prob with that.

[Mnemosyne]

57. Awesome thread, SoCalDem! Thank you! Error: already rec'd! n/t

[grace0418]

58. Make your own lotion, it's easy.

You do need an immersion blender for this but if you don't have one, it is an amazing and inexpensive kitchen tool. It has a million uses, from making wonderful pureed soups, sauces and even salsas to making smoothies, and it takes up far less room than a blender or processor (and is way easier to clean). It's my favorite kitchen tool.

I buy a bunch of 100% aloe vera and one container of coconut oil. Coconut oil is a bit expensive, but this will stretch a loooooong way. Put the aloe in a container with enough space to allow for blending. The coconut oil will be solid, but needs to be only heated briefly before it will turn to a clear liquid. Start with just a small amount, at most 1/4c, and heat it in the microwave, over the stove or even in the oven. It will liquify quickly.

Once it's liquid, pour it over the aloe and start blending. The mixture will turn from clear gel to a pure white lotion in seconds. It's crazy! At this point, test it to see if you like the level of oil. I personally have oily skin so I need more soothing aloe than oil, but I make one with more oil for my husband. It is the best lotion and has no weird ingredients. Coconut oil is very stable so it stays good indefinitely. It's especially good for those who are sensitive to fragrances, it has only the faintest coconut smell. It soaks in quickly and doesn't feel greasy on your skin.

[nichomachus]

87. Do you have a substitute for coconut oil

I can't stand the smell of coconut. So, I'd need to use something else.

[grace0418]

89. You could probably use almond oil or any other oil that is normally used in

body lotion. If it's already liquid, you obviously wouldn't have to heat it, but you might have to play with the proportions so it doesn't get too wet. I haven't tried any other oil myself, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. Although you could try smelling the coconut oil before you say no to it. It's extremely faint, I don't smell it at all and my husband barely smells it. He loves the smell of coconut and wishes it smelled more like it.

If you try something else, let me know how it works!

[greenmutha]

247. Olive oil is *great* for skin.

Just make sure you get the cheapest you can find. Extra Virgin is the first pressing and it still has a very distinctive olive odor. The lowest grade is Pomace. Look for the lightest colored one you can find and it will basically have very little, if any, scent. (You can get a 5 liter jug of lower-grade olive oil that works perfectly for making lotion at Costco for less than $25.)

Or use Jojoba Oil, it is the closest thing to the natural sebum of your skin.

[pipi_k]

120. I don't make my own, but I do

save the dispensers/bottles when the level gets too low for the pump to work...when I have about four or five, I add just enough water to each to make the lotion pourable, then mix it all together in another pump bottle and shake well.

[HamdenRice]

61. Price of 1 whole chicken = price of chicken breast

This is a pet peeve of mine because both me and my SO are fanatics as cooks, and she grew up in a restaurant.

The prices of chicken parts varies insanely. Often the price of boneless, skinless chicken breast is about the same as the price of an entire chicken. With chicken breast, you are paying for (1) the supermarket's labor costs of deboning the chicken, and (2) the risk that the supermarket cannot sell the rest of the chicken.

How anyone buys chicken breast -- let alone boneless, skinless chicken breast -- is utterly beyond my comprehension. I realize it's healthy, but come on!

The key thing is owning a sharp knife and knowing how to butcher a chicken. Every single part of the chicken can be used, especially if you learn how to make stock, which as an ingredient makes everything taste wonderful. I even buy chicken feet, add a few to stock, which adds a gelatinous texture to your stock.

So, buy whole chicken or even more economical, buy the cheapest, most delicious cut, chicken quarters (leg, thigh, a little back). If you want fillets, learn how to fillet one big leg/thigh (delicious) and save the bones and carcass for stock.

In my neighborhood bagged chicken quarters are $.49 per pound, while breasts are $2 or more. Whole chickens are about $.89, the second cheapest cut.

Learn how to cut up a chicken. Skinless thighs and legs are every bit as healthy as skinless breasts, but better yet, eat the skin and eat less of everything. If you love chicken wings (unreasonably expensive), save them from each whole chicken in the freezer.

I even save the nasty globs of yellow fat in baggies in the freezer. Following the famous Jewish recipe, I render it with onions and garlic to make schmaltz, which while not as healthy an oil as say, olive oil, in small amounts is a miracle ingredient.

Everything in the chicken has a use.

[SoCalDem]

66. I freeze chicken bones & meat scraps. & when I get in the mood for soup

I have all the fixins' for broth.. One day I thawed out some meat & then discovered it was SCRAPS...My husband took me out to dinner

[demigoddess]

93. you do it if as a child you watched chickens being killed and butchered and

felt like a cannibal when you ate chicken.

[tabbycat31]

109. what gets me about chicken

is that a raw or frozen whole chicken costs more than the precooked rotissery chickens that the grocery stores have. At one point on sale, it was 20 cents cheaper than the already cooked one. I would have used more than 20 cents worth of energy to cook the thing.

So I buy the rotissery chickens and then boil down for the stock. I give the fatty pieces to my cat.

[eridani]

370. I make pate out of the liver and giblets. Not much of it, but then it isn't exactly health food.

I do the breast halves for one meal, and then cook the rest of it for stock and meat that I use for soups and casseroles.

[stuntcat]

62. (speaking of glasses..)

I FOUND a pair of glasses on the ground in a parking lot that are almost my exact prescription. Almost is alright for me because I can't drive and my eyes are funny anyway from a brain injury. The glasses have a little pink heart on each corner so they must have belonged to a teenager.. they fit my grown-up head though! That's seriously economical when you can find what you need in a parking lot.

They won't last me forever though and everyone I know wears glasses so I'm bookmarking this site, thanks.

[Sequoia]

64. Thank for this.

[SoCalDem]

70. and when you google..start with "cheap,free shipping" & then what you are looking for..n/t

[Patiod]

289. And any time you are shopping online, google "coupon codes"

first, although retailmenot.com is almost always the one place that will have them, if any are available.

Anything from 5% - 20%, or free shipping is often available.

I have to buy pants online because of my height (good luck finding Tall size pants at the thrift store or outlet center), and online coupons have usually saved me the cost of shipping.

[KurtNYC]

72. Re-use boxes, pack with newspaper, ship bookrate

don't buy bubble wrap.

[SoCalDem]

75. We use the "shreds" from our shredder and then our son uses it in his fireplace

or to cover his plants when it might freeze

[WolverineDG]

73. k&r

I'm going to dig out my bread maker & make bread.

dg

[trof]

74. Saving on postage.

Stamps are 42 cents now.
That's almost half a buck!
I've set up almost all of our monthly bills to be paid by credit card.
It's amazing how many companies will do this.
Even public utilities.
It saves them money too.

AND they'll take my Discover card, which pays me at least 1% cash back on every purchase.
I just collected a Discover cash back check for $300.

The few who don't accept credit cards will do automatic bank drafts.
Last month we wrote and mailed exactly THREE (3) checks.
Of course one was for the Discover card who won't accept the Discover card to pay the Discover card.


I know a lot of people here think credit cards are The Great Satan.
Used irresponsibly, they can be.
But credit, used responsibly, can save you quite a few bucks.
And we pay the entire amount, every month.

[InvisibleTouch]

78. I'm getting rid of all my credit cards, but...

...I use my PayPal debit card a lot. It also gives me 1% cash back, but I don't get sucked into the downward spiral of running up credit. The trick is to use it "as a credit card," even though it is actually a debit.

I'm also big on setting up automatic payments and direct withdrawals, because I have the bad habit of forgetting to mail such things, and then getting hit with late fees. (You see why I'm getting rid of my credit cards!)

[JitterbugPerfume]

102. I pay most of my bills online

they are taken directly out of my checking account. There is no paper and I have instant access to my account

Also I use little spiky balls in my dryer instead of softner . They take care of static cling


I buy eggs ($2 a dozen) directly from a farmer and I also buy meat and produce direct when possible and put it in the freezer My two freezers were the best purchace I have made in a long time. I also LOVE thrift shops --especially Goodwill

[riqster]

76. Two words: Thrift Stores nt

[trof]

77. Oh yeah, free note paper.

I take all the junk mail with a blank back page, cut them in quarters, and use them for note paper.

[InvisibleTouch]

82. The many uses of junk mail:

I use the blank-backed pages too, but I keep them intact and write on them. When I was in school I used them for note paper; now I just use them for anything that's needed - keeping records, making notes to myself, first-draft creative writing when I don't have access to my computer, etc.

Envelopes are wonderful for writing shopping and to-do lists. They don't have to be intact, just need a blank side. Reply envelopes that are sent with credit card offers are great to store seeds for the winter, because they have the seal intact.

And paper with writing on both sides goes through my shredder to make bedding for my pet mice.

The glossy stuff, which is useless even as cage liner, gets wadded up and used as padding for mailed packages.

[SmileyRose]

153. I steal the scratch paper from work

the garbage off the fax - the mistakes off the copier - the meeting printouts that would just get tossed after the meeting. When I've collected more than my holder at work will hold I bring it home and use it there for odd things I have to print. Anything that is proprietary or financial would never end up in my scratch pile anyway as it goes through the shredder sitting right by the copy machine at work. I did get permission first.

However, my skeem is getting harder and harder to pull off as more co-workers are standing in line for "trash" to use for notes to self rather than store bought note pads.

[SoCalDem]

79. Sunny Kitchen (furniture) free shipping.. great prices

http://sunnykitchen.com /

we have gotten several things form them...FANTASTIC stuff

http://reviews.pricegrabber.com/sunny-kitchen/r/7111/

[NMDemDist2]

291. and HomeReserve for couchs, chairs, loveseats etc

I was amazed at the quality, and you can buy new covers if you need a change (instead of new furniture)

http://www.homereserve.com /

[lumberjack_jeff]

88. #1 TVP

TVP is Textured Vegetable Protein. It is made from soybeans after the oils are removed. Much cheaper than hamburger.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Textured_vegetable_protein

#2 Soy Flour makes an excellent egg alternative in baked goods.

#3 No cable. No dish.

#4 No phone long distance. Use a calling card and program the pin into your phone.

#5 Buy in mass quantities. I currently have #150 of flour in my pantry.

#6 Woodstove. (if you have to buy the wood, it might not be as good a deal)

#7 Library. Books, movies and access to vast online resources.

#8 Car insurance: Liability insurance only. No personal injury insurance because it is redundant to your normal medical insurance.

#9 Change your oil frequently and religiously (yourself) with the cheapest oil and filter you can find. If you're familiar with your car, most breakdowns can be avoided, and you won't be intimidated by fixing the ones that occur yourself.

#10 Plan ahead and shop for groceries no more than twice a month. (naturally, perishables like milk must be purchased more often)

Bonus #11 Garage sales... but only if you know what you need. $5 for a VCR might seem like a good deal, but not if you need a bigger house because you already have six.

[SoCalDem]

95. My aunt used to put dry oatmeal in a processer & mix it with hamburger

to make it go futher & to keep it from falling apart on the grill

[stuntcat]

97. I JUST ate some

I use it in my chili, which I just had a bowl of! We used to have to go to special stores miles away for it so I hardly ever had any but now my Giant around the corner has it, they have a whole isle for stuff like that now.

We buy soy milk instead of milk now because it last for 6 or 8 weeks.

[lumberjack_jeff]

103. It's good for you too.

We use it as a meat stretcher, not as a replacement. So 10% fat hamburger becomes a 5% fat meal with more fiber and the same protein.

It makes especially good taco filling.

We buy ours from Honeyville grains
http://store.honeyvillegrain.com/soytvpproducts.aspx

By the case, it's $7.91 for a 2 1/2 pound can. This yields about 20# of 0% fat reconstituted "meat", or about $0.39/pound. So 2 pounds of taco meat costs about $2.90.

[stuntcat]

113. good idea for tacos, TY

I eat bean and rice tacos but my husband eats meat, so I'll start mixing a little tvp into his

All I buy is the one brand they have at Giant, it's Bob's Red Mill, but this site shows so many kinds, I'll have to check them out.

[Fireweed247]

319. Someone on DU told me about the veganstore.com

It also has really inexpensive health foods, meat substitutes, baking substitutes etc.(not just for vegans)

I talked them into getting flat rate shipping boxes so the shipping is reasonable now...
http://www.veganstore.com/

[tabbycat31]

92. don't use the clothes dryer

I have a $10 drying rack that I bought at bed, bath, and beyond last year.

It's more than paid for itself in energy savings. It's sunny (but cold) outside adn I have it outside loaded wtih clothes. I rarely use the dryer anymore.

[Blue Diadem]

94. Great thread SoCalDem!

Thanks so much.

K&R!

[librechik]

98. Diet For a Small Planet

http://www.amazon.com/Small-Planet-Frances-Moore-Lappe/...

helps you design a nourishing but cheap and eco-friendly diet using food combinations. For example, you can easily get enough whole proteins by eating meat. But if you prefer not to, you can get half the protein from one food, and the other half from another food, thus making the proteins a complete amino acid treat. Potatoes and milk, when eaten together, make a whole protein. (mm, mashed potatoes with cream cheese and cheddar!) Beans and corn, when eaten together, make a whole protein (Tostadas!)

Mmm-my son's favorite is Dal, an Indian standard blend of rice and lentils (together make a whole protein) You could eat it at every meal with a few greens and fruit for dessert--spend very little and "starve" healthily.

OOOmmmmm!

[iris27]

248. It's even easier than Ms. Lappe originally thought.

"Diet For a Small Planet" was written in the 70's...since then most dieticians have come to believe that you don't need to create complete proteins with food combos at each meal. So long as you are eating from different vegetarian protein sources throughout your day (grains, legumes, nuts/seeds, etc.), your body will be able to make complete proteins.

And milk (any dairy actually) and eggs contain complete proteins by themselves, as they are still animal products.

[librechik]

401. heh--i knew when i went to Amazon and saw all the revised versions

that i must be missing something...

welcome to DU, Iris!

[youthere]

100. Here's how we've saved money:

1. Got rid of satellite television. The basic package ran about $60 a month and we only watched seven or eight channels. Our television is digital capable, and a lot of networks are already broadcasting digitally, so reception is not an issue (we live in the country). We decided to choose between internet and satellite, and internet won out.

2. We got rid of the extra cellphones. My husband has one provided by his job, so he did not need a personal one. I keep a cellphone and we keep ONE cellphone for the kids..rather than them each having their own. We went from $97 a month for cell phones to $45 a month...the kids don't like it...but they haven't died yet.

3. Powdered milk. Really, it's not as bad as it used to be. It's about half the price of regular milk, and with the money I save I can afford to buy powdered chocolate drink mix (I buy Ovaltine) so the kids can have chocolate milk when they want and I'm still money ahead.

4. This summer I got a really good deal on a small greenhouse. We attached it to the back of our outdoor wood burner for the radiant heat and I'm growing a crop of radishes, lettuce, spinach and other mixed greens in there. So far so good. If it works well for me this winter (I live in Iowa) I'll get a little more adventurous, but even the small amount of produce I'm growing in there is saving us money. I bought the seeds from the nursery at the end of the summer when they were on clearance.

5. I personally stopped eating meat a couple years back, and one of my daughters quit last year. My husband, son, and other daughter still eat meat. We raise rabbits, chickens, ducks, pigs and recently added goats on our acreage, and my husband and son both like to hunt. I do not purchase any meat in the grocery store..my freezer can't handle anymore. We also collect our own eggs. my chickens have been prolific and I have more eggs than I can use, so I've been giving them to people who need them. Same with the meat in the freezer. We always have more rabbit and venison than our family can eat so I give a lot away. I suppose I could sell it, but I like to feel like I'm helping someone out.

6. We no longer eat out. My husband and I used to go out once every two weeks for dinner and a date, and the family went out once a week for pizza. Now we make pizza at home, and my husband and I "date" after the kids go to bed. We'll watch a movie together or play cards or something.

7.I do not rent movies anymore. We go to the public library and check them out for free.

8.My kids do not eat lunch at school. We pack their lunches every day...including a thermos of Kool-Aid or chocolate milk, rather than them purchasing milk at school for 50 cents a carton. We don't qualify for reduced price lunches, so for my kids to eat in the cafeteria it would cost us $6.00 a day ($1.50 for the meal per child plus the cost of milk). I can pack lunches for much less. I'll bake a batch of brownies, banana bread, muffins or cookies and pack that in their lunches. I purchased some nice thermos containers to send hot foods in, so if I make a casserole or soup for supper, they can take hot leftovers the next day.

9.If I can make it...I don't buy it. I make our bread. But I also make my own pancake mix, flavored rice mixes, seasoning packets (like for tacos), biscuit mix etc...I also make my own taco shells, and chips from corn tortillas rather than purchasing them premade. If I could make a tortilla worth a crap I would.

10. I buy fruit when it's on sale and freeze it. Cubed cantaloupe freezes beautifully, the kids like it in their lunch, and it serves as an ice pack, keeping things cold until lunch. Bananas freeze well for smoothies or banana bread.

11.I've changed how I cook. Rather than sticking by the old: meat, potatoes, side dish model, we live off of soups, stews, casseroles and stirfries.

12. I canned a ton of food from my garden. We switched back to bar soap instead of shower gel...if needs be, I'll learn how to make my own soap. I make my own personal products now (face cleansers, astringents and moisturizers). I kept an old mouthwash bottle and now mix it 1/2 and 1/2. I took all the old blankets that were sitting in the linen closet and hung them on the windows on the "cold" side of the house (it doesn't get any sunshine) underneath the curtains.

We've cut back a lot more than we HAVE to, but quite honestly I see things getting a lot worse in the coming months and I'd rather be a little ahead of the curve.

[BelgianMadCow]

122. This thread is great (needs KnR though) and so is your post

I am trundling along the same road..

[pitohui]

128. in our area dry milk is as costly as fresh milk

if you are afraid of the fresh milk going bad too soon be aware that you can put some of it in the freezer (leave room for the milk to expand in the container, altho it won't expand as much as water)

because of the high cost and inferior taste of the dry milk i actually switched the other way, to fresh milk, i just make sure to freeze some of it in individual containers since it's just the two of us

a gallon might last a month for us

the cost of canning supplies has been way too high down here for years, a more practical method is to freeze garden vegetables and herbs, i can't exactly run lab tests in my home but at least in theory freezing preserves more vitamins than canning does also

i love the freezing bananas trick, and bananas are something frequently found on sale compared to toher fruit -- my banana trees never give fruit so i have buy them -- most years i do get half a year's citrus just from my mandarin orange tree

soap is free, i would never deal w. lye and soapmaking again, there are too many ways to get free soap -- for instance, when you travel, they usually put out several bars of soap but you use only one in a week, take the rest home, people always want to give you soap for gifts for reasons best known to themselves, also if you STILL need soap you can get it from freecycle when people are giving away boxes of stuff, and finally very occasionally big bars of soap are given away free through various free-bates programs such as walgreens -- in short, i have a lifetime supply of soap barring some disaster that washes away my home (no doubt in a froth of bubbles!)

[SmileyRose]

157. hot lunch in the thermos

40 years ago my mother sent me to school with soup in the thermos (usually tomato because it was so cheap), she stuck a string through the end of a hot dog and hung it in the soup, and gave me a bun. We did not have cafeteria lunches then, we had bring from home lunches with the little milk hut. the other kids hated me for my hot lunch.

I still pack my lunch every day for work - but we have microwaves now........

[youthere]

393. Hey, that's a great idea!

I've sent soup..and I've sent hot dogs before,but I just put them in plain old hot water in the thermos. What was I thinking? LOL! Thanks for the tip!

[mzmolly]

101. Might it be time for a frugal living discussion area?

I often use an online grocer as it helps me stay within a budget. (Less impulse buying and I can see the total as I shop.)

[stuntcat]

114. the Frugal and Energy Efficient Living Group, if it was more active..

Not much happens there.. maybe it's time for the group to start picking up!

[MadinMo]

119. Great Idea!!!!!

[riverdeep]

176. There is one.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.ph...

[mzmolly]

187. Whoops!

Thanks.

[demokatgurrl]

105. Are they made in China?

[SoCalDem]

148. might be, but if the alternative is paying $400 or having no glasses... Here are some reviews

It sounds like some people have had bad experiences (but that's true with a lot of order-by-mail/ionternet stuff).. The majority seem quite pleased, as were we

http://www.yelp.com/biz/zenni-optical-san-rafael

[stuntcat]

117. save water with this shower head:

There are much fancier versions of this (this kind of shower is marketed as luxury or something?) but the simple one is about $10 at Home Depot:


Instead of the water needing pressure to come from the wall it can just drop on your head so you can turn the pressure WAY down. My husband turns it down by half but I turn it down to a trickle most of the time I'm in the shower.

It cost us $10 a few years ago so it might have gone up, but it's saved a ton of water, it's worth it.

[Burma Jones]

118. Freecycle........Also, you can eat at home very inexpensively....

I spent much of my Childhood on Campus as my Dad earned his BS and MS in Bloomington, IN and Chapel Hill after leaving the Navy. As Dad was a student with a wife and three sons, we had a frugal as hell food budget. Mom made Potato soup at least once a week which consisted of Potatoes, an Onion or two, Celery, Water and Milk. We would have this with grilled cheese sandwiches and it was filling and tasty. We ate a shitload of spaghetti too. Red Beans and Rice was popular once we headed to the New Orleans area so Dad could attend Tulane for his PhD, but by then he was a commissioned officer, we lived off Campus and got groceries at the commissary. We still didn't start going out to eat much until my folks started divorcing, then, sheesh, nobody wanted to be at home.....

[MadinMo]

131. I adore potato soup.

Diet for a Small Planet (I think) has a recipe made by incorporating powdered milk into the cooking water the potatoes were cooked in. MrMadinMo and I have eaten a ton of that during lean times.

[Fireweed247]

313. I just made potato cheese soup last night with grilled cheese

because of your post and my kids loved it! They have never even liked soup before so I can't believe it. They just had it for breakfast too. Thank you!!

[Lars39]

402. Nuke about a cup or so of broccoli...

mash it up and add to potato-cheese soup and you've got food for the gods and a few more vitamins in the kids.

[BelgianMadCow]

124. DU is hot! (condensed heating advice)

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/BelgianMadCow...

[SmileyRose]

154. I don't think it's safe to vent the dryer to the interior.

Unless there is a specific way to do it that makes it safe. Now I do know there is a canadian company that makes a heat exchanger than can pull the heat out of the dryer exhaust and send that back into the house. But I don't think you want the moisture or the lint that makes it that far in your home.

[Thegonagle]

378. It's not dangerous, so long as it's not a gas dryer.

If it's a gas dryer, it could introduce carbon monoxide into the home if the dryer isn't combusting the gas just right. (If it's a gas dryer, then a heat-exchanger of some sort is the only safe way to recover some but not all of the wasted heat, and IMO it would introduce technical issues of its own.)

Exhausting the dryer indoors will introduce more lint dust into the home, but I imagine one could create a way to deal with that. (An idea off the top of my head would be to build a box to house an inexpensive, standard-sized HVAC filter and run the exhaust through that.)

The other potential issue would be high humidity inside the home, but during a cold winter, the humidity in the dryer exhaust could be a benefit.

Bottom line: Use one of those indoor/outdoor dryer exhaust diverters only if you use an electric dryer.

[merh]

134. save the dryer lint and stuff the empty toilet paper or paper towel

rolls with it. Once you have a few packed, you can use them for fire starters in your fireplace or grill or camp fire.

Used dryer sheets are good to use to clean your air intake vent for the ac/heating unit and/or to use to wipe off your dryer and washer or to pick up the hair dust in the corners.

[SmileyRose]

155. my sister is a spinner and uses drying lint to make yarn and thread.

she has about 400 people saving her dryer lint. You should see her sweaters!

[merh]

156. Now that is a very neat idea

how much dryer lint does it take to make a sweater?

[SmileyRose]

162. depends on the sweater size and the weave.

she made one for the 8 yr old with a nice fine thread that only took about about 1/2 a 13 gallon tall kitchen bag's worth. The thick doubleweave super warmy cardigan she made for my size 2X football player build brother took about 1.5 of those 30 gallon trash bags worth.

She gets the bags of lint from everywhere - sometimes a gallon zippy full will just show up on her porch. She sorts basic colors and then boils them for 10 minutes just in case the donor had something the rest of us don't want to share if you know what I mean - and then lays them out on a stackable rack she got from the stacks n stacks store that's intended to air dry 7 different sweaters at once. She has plastic bins where she saves the boiled and dried colors until she decides what yarn or thread she wants to spin them into. She also has plastic bins to save the already spun yarn/thread.

She also takes in everyone's tore up messed up used up clothing or towels or any other textile she can get her hands on that is in too bad a shape for the thrift store (she collects the rejects from the thrift store) and turns them into quilts, handbags, shopping bags, clothing, rag rugs, chair pads, you name it.

She sells at craft fairs and does OK on the side with her hobby.......... we keep telling her to buy a website but she doesn't want to be OBLIGATED to produce - just wants her hobby.

[merh]

202. wow, that is incredible

she is to be admired

wish she had a website, somewhere that her items could be bought and a place to send her lint.

When you talk to her next tell her you bragged about her gift for making something useful and wonderful out of nothing and that she is admired and envied.

what a talent indeed.

[druidity33]

398. tell her about Etsy dot com...

It sounds like it could be right up her alley! You can check out my shop (link at bottom) for an idea of what it's like. Very little maintenance, very small fees and an excellent community!

[SoCalDem]

186. and there's lint ART too

pics here

[CoffeeCat]

223. Wow, that is really cool...

I remember in college, there was a girl who went around to all of the dryers on the dorm floors. She would collect
the lint from the traps. She told me she made paper with it.

I don't know how...but she did!

I bet those sweaters are cool!

So many interesting and neat ideas on this thread.

[FedUpWithIt All]

244. I think you could make lint paper by washing, blending and then laying it out on a screen to dry.

I save lint to be used as a fire starter. I put it into old paper egg cartons and pour on some soft wax. Cut the container along the compartment lines and you have little, very efficient, fire starters.

[Phentex]

322. I have been asking everybody about the stupid dryer lint!!!

Finally, here's something I can do with it!!! We don't have fires very often, but now I'll have these ready.

Thanks.

[merh]

323. here is a website you might enjoy

btw, don't use it for insulation and/or toy stuffing, it is very flammable (which is why it makes a great fire starter).

I also like putting it out so the birds can use it to line their nests.

ETA - link http://www.thriftyfun.com/tf184073.tip.html

[noiretextatique]

159. eat less meat and no bottled water

my local grocery sells reverse osmosis and deionized water for $.39 per gallon.

[pdxmom]

164. For those of you who are readers and have to actually own the books or

when the library isn't convenient or whatever. My reading material all comes from yard sales. I specifically shop for books only at yard sales. Generally, I can get them for 20-50 cents apiece. I spend all yard sale season hunting for books, and collect a box of them during the summer. Voila! There is my reading material for the winter.

Granted, I can't necessarily get new books, but I do find a lot of the bestsellers from the year before that I've wanted to read. Both fiction and non-fiction.

And if I get swamped in books, I donate them to the local library or senior center and can usually write that off as a contribution on taxes. Yard sale books are even cheaper than Goodwill books.

I do the same thing with DVDs. I can usually find them for $2 or less, and that is cheaper than a rental. I can keep them, resell them, or donate them for taxes. Same with CDs.

Basically, I just love buying other peoples' junk. It is a a society of conspicuous consumption and we've learned to use that to our advantage on all sorts of things. I have no problem taking a free leaf blower that the seller says just stopped working, putting a new spark plug in it, and then having something relatively new to use or resell.

[KoKo]

170. The great thing is...we all have so much "junk/treasures" that folks will never feel poor if they go

to Yard/Garage Sales for the next few years. Just like Wall Street is "deleveraging" there are many who are "downsizing" who have great cookbooks, appliances and other "excess" for sale "on the cheap.

It's how my family and I survived through Reagan. Kids had great clothes from thrift shops and we bought tons of great stuff stuff, that I still use from the boom that was before us kids who were starting out. It's a way of passing on generational stuff. Why go to Wall Mart when you can find good stuff from those who don't need it anymore who bought it when "times were good" but everyone else was buying the same "upscale stuff" and there's an upcoming generation who will be glad to have it like our family was way back when. It's how we Dems always get through RESSESSIONS...we buy excess from the Repug binges of those before us!

[pitohui]

184. our yard sales are SCARY mad overpriced

maybe it is how we democrats get thru a recession, but unfortunately i now live on the gop/nazi side of town and fuck these people think their shit don't stink and they're willing to sell it to you for a very high price!

i actually do better w. freecycle, if somebody can't charge $10 for something at the garage sale they'd rather give it away free than sell it because they can't be bothered w. so called "chump change"

[SoCalDem]

197. I quit having yard sales a long time ago.. I'd rather give stuff away

It always pissed me off when someone would see that the item still had the original price tag on it, and they would say "will you take a quarter"?

I had a lady ask that about a Health-Tex pair of size 2T corduroy overalls..price tag on it showed $18.00... I was asking a DOLLAR

So far this year I have given away:
a 27" tv
a leather recliner
a computer/printer/monitor/desk
washer
dryer
freezer

and boxes of clothes..

I'd rather give stuff away than have to ride herd on nosy people trying to rip me off

[pdxmom]

200. We've turned it into a science and have gotten pretty good at figuring

out where we can go just by looking at the type of neighborhood. The best are generally the older neighborhoods. My favorites are the seniors only communities. They usually have some great stuff at a reasonable price, and we've met some really interesting and sweet folks in those areas.

[pitohui]

206. yeah neighborhood is important

who-eee, i can't believe the difference it makes once you move into a "striver's" neighbhorhood

senior working class are the best, from the days when working class folk could have a hobby and now they're retired but they still remember the "old" prices -- they're actually fair

where i live now people are just insane, they want to sell at a garage sale for the same price they paid in a store, hell, the item must have appreciated somehow sitting in their garage i guess?

[pdxmom]

203. My daughter is an artist and art supplies are incredibly expensive. It never

fails that I can find some real quality art supplies (paper, canvas, oil paints, etc.) for about 1/4 of their cost at the stores. People take up a hobby and then decide they don't like it. Something goes wrong with an appliance and this is a throw-away, instead of repair society. We've gotten some fabulous stereo speakers over the past couple of years...things that we couldn't afford to buy new. But they've blown the speakers, sell the pair for $5 and for another $20 or less we can repair them.

It's an art form in our house.

[FedUpWithIt All]

245. You might want to look into the library sales too. Around here there is a contant display of books

at the library that they are trying to rotate out. They are available by donation. There was a time when i saw a book i liked but i had no cash on hand and i was able to simply take the book and come back and throw in a dollar later. We have been trying to build up a library and get most of our books second hand. The other excellent option is Half-Priced books. I LOVE that store.

[stuntcat]

324. also for cheap books..

I get my books from Alibris.com. They'll search booksellers everywhere for used copies of any book you enter. You can keep your own list there of books you want and often a few of the books I might order are at the same bookseller so I can save a little on shipping. The shipping sometimes costs as much as the book but if you just want a paperback and don't care how many times it's been read the books will only be $1.99.

My library is close but I read pretty slow sometimes and I'm so forgetful, I don't want to take a change with fees. I kinda like old books with highlighting and notes all over them anyway.

http://www.alibris.com/

[riverdeep]

165. Two quick things:

A hoody:



It's better than wearing a sweater around the house because it generally itches less, and when you put the hood up, it significantly makes you feel warmer than just a sweater. You're cocooned, baby. If you lower the temp on your thermostat by five degrees and take to wearing this instead, it'll pay for itself real soon.

The other tip is much more generic. Whatever you use, next time use half of it and see if it 'satisfies'. For example, you normally use 10 mls of shampoo, next time use five, and see if it gets the same job done. If it does, then use half again next time, until you get a true range of your needs. You'll be surprised by how much you waste, and that that waste has no real purpose i.e. you don't actually get any more enjoyment out of it. Just a simple, pragmatic way of navigating lean times, or pairing down for whatever reason.

[KoKo]

171. Gack! That think is ugly....it doesn't go with my pearls....sheesh..

[riverdeep]

174. That's something close to my style,

actually, my own is dark blue (I got it free), but I do like camo. Fortunately, hoodies come in every conceivable style at this point, and can also represent high fashion, if that's what you're into.

[KoKo]

181. Now that one is a better fit....with rhinestones...not so "deer hunting military."

Pink Hoodie....a good one.

[SoCalDem]

182. and if you wash it with jeans, you get a purplish tie-dye hoodie

[riverdeep]

368. Huh, the image isn't showing any more?

I'm not exactly computer savvy when I'm not motivated, so here it is again, because it is kind of cool:

[The Straight Story]

168. Buy a gun and hold up a liquor store instead of paying for it

Gun will pay for itself in no time...

I'm JOKING!!

[The Straight Story]

185. I bookmarked this thread, too many good things I am afraid I will forget

Thanks for starting it!

[Liberal_in_LA]

220. agreed. great thread. Thanks everyone.

[madeline_con]

227. Bottled water tip...

I seldom buy drinks in plastic bottles. When I do, I always save the bottle. I fill them halfway and freeze, then top them off, so I have cold water at work without spending $1 in the machine.

[SoCalDem]

231. we use frozen water in bottle in the cooler..instead of buying ice

Keeps stuff cold for a long time & then we drink the water


I freeze it at home until it;s almost frozen through, then whack it on the edge of the counter to break up the ice... deeeeelightfully chilled with slivery ice all through it

[madeline_con]

235. I like that. Thanks. Good for fishing trips and picnics.

edited to add:

I do that with our chest freezer, because I read they do better when full. It also means having extra water and freezer time if we lose power during a hurricane.

[SoCalDem]

238. or driving through the desert, like we do on the way to Vegas..

and when we get there, we don't have to pay $2 from a vending machine or drink the nasty tap water

[Popol Vuh]

230. Chicken Pot Pies

[SoCalDem]

234. I draw the line at ANYTHING in "potpie" form..unless I make it myself

I used to use up left over roast beef & veggies in my own concoction of a shepherds pie thing, topped with the left over mashed potatoes..

[Popol Vuh]

237. Sounds very delicious SoCalDem

But I still like chicken potpies and they're cheap..

[The Straight Story]

270. And you are inviting me over when?

[KoKo]

361. Remember years back when Swanson Chicken Pot Pies had "rat hairs" in them...

"Consumer Reports" did a study on "frozen meals" and that's what they found...YUKK!...Used to love them...good for kids, too. Could never buy another one after that. I have a great "Bisquick" chicken pot pie you can make from leftovers of those Rotisserie Chickens that are very popular these days or left overs from the "cook your own." It's quick and good and whips up in no time.

[greenmutha]

386. Would you be willing to share your recipe?

I get rotisserie chickens all the time and would love to try your "Bisquick" pot pie recipe. TIA!

[Doremus]

243. Cheap, nourishing food

http://www.angelfoodministries.com/menu_0812en.asp

I've never tried them but the ladies at another board I belong to rave about the food. There's a place on their site where you can locate your nearest pickup point.

Example:

REGULAR BOX
Balanced nutrition and variety with enough food to feed a family of four for a week.

1.5 lb. Choice Cut Beef Roast

2 lb. Breaded Chicken Tenders

2 lb. IQF Chicken Breast

1.5 lb. Pork Chops (4 x 6 oz.)

1 lb. 80/20 Lean Beef Patties (4 x 4 oz.)

28 oz. Salisbury Steak Entreé

1 lb. All Meat Hot Dogs

1 lb. Carrots

1 lb. Green Beans

1 lb. Rice

24 oz. Steak-Cut Fries

32 oz. 2% Reduced Fat Shelf Stable Milk

7.5 oz. Mac and Cheese

14 oz. Chicken Broth

7 oz. Corn Muffin Mix

Dozen Eggs

Dessert Item

$30

[youthere]

397. A friend and I did a "price comparison"...

of the Angel Food Ministries "package" and purchasing the items ourselves at Aldi's...we saved $2.70 buying it ourselves. Of course, this may not work in all areas because food prices vary so much throughout the country, but in rural Iowa, Angel Ministries isn't a huge bargain.

[SoCalDem]

404. I would not like the "prepared" part of it.. Most of those "complete" dinner

frozen things don;t taste that great

[youthere]

407. I agree. But a lot of people don't know how to cook from scratch anymore...

(or they refuse to)so the prepared stuff goes over well for the people who use the Angel Food program. I used them a couple times and just traded my friend all the prepared boxed crap for her potatoes, or dried beans or rice. Then I realized that it wasn't such a great deal because I could buy the stuff cheaper myself. But, I'm lucky that I can do that, because I recognize there are some folks who live in an area where food costs are much higher.

[Doremus]

412. Part of the cost supports the charities I believe.

I wouldn't mind donating $2.70. I'd save at least that much in gas and time too.

This is not to say that Aldi's isn't terrific because they are!

[youthere]

424. Thank dog for Aldi's...

They've saved us so much money.

[Juche]

251. You can burn human feces for warmth

Being heavy on carbon, it holds heat well.