I LOVE baking soda!
It is so versatile.
Have you ever scrubbed and scrubbed those pesky tea and coffee stained cups?
Wet your finger, dip it in the baking soda and swirl it around the cup.
Tah-dah! It's that easy!
I use baking soda to:
- clean dishes; even those greasy ones
- face exfoliate
- body scrub
- cleaner for dirty little boys!
- tub cleaner
-sink cleaner
- you name it cleaner
- laundry detergent booster
- baking (LOL)
- deodorizer
- substitute for shampoo
- to put out grease fires
- cleans combs and brushes
- mixed with vinegar to unclog drains
I found this neat blog on this very topic.
If I can't get my household cleaner for FREE,
or pay rock-bottom prices,
then I make my own cleaners!
I can my homemade laundry soap for pennies a load!
When cleaning my windows, I use newspaper to dry them.
The windows turn out AWESOME!
(Don't use newspaper on mirrors because the ink rubs off onto them.)
Are you using homemade cleaners?
Check out a couple of websites here and here for some GREAT recipes!
~Candy~
Thrifty Thursday has kept me busy in the kitchen today.
I have been cooking freezer meals.
2 - pots of chili
1 - large meat loaf
1 - taco meat
12 - hamburgers
These have all been thrown into the freezer for some quick and easy
meals later in the month.
I also cut up that arm of beef, so we had a nice steak dinner tonight.
I was able to put an additional nine packages of beef into the freezer.
Each one of those packages will be enough for 2 to 3 meals!
Have you done anything thrifty today?
~Candy~
For Thrifty Thursday, I want you to stop and think about something.
You can NOT groan though.
I want you to stop and think about Christmas, winter birthdays
and any other winter time gift-giving days.
This is the BEST time of year to buy winter clothing!
You can buy those winter outfits that are (or will be) on your list, for a
fraction of the cost right NOW!
For example, Dollar General has sweat shirts for only $2.00! If you buy
them now, you could get five for what one will cost next winter!
Hats, gloves, scarves, winter clothing, slippers, boots, coats, ski pants, etc.
are dirt CHEAP right NOW.
Strategic Shopping doesn't just mean using COUPONS, although you can
use COUPONS on clearance items.
Strategic shopping means having a well-laid out plan.
A few moments of planning will save you A LOT of money!
Jot down what type of winter clothing you will want this winter, then head out
and hit those clearance racks!
Happy shopping!
~Candy~
For Thrifty Thursday, I am making up some pretty things for my kitchen.
Someone gave me some very cute curtains, that I don't need, so I have
cut them into large squares. I took an old ragged towel and cut that into
squares also.
I am going to sew them together for some really nice and cute quilted
potholders.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Last week, I bought a BUNCH of stuff at our local thrift shop.
You can see my pics of that awesome shopping trip here.
I ended up with 40 different items for a total of two bucks!
There was a stack of 100% cotton sheets in that deal.
I cut them up and dyed them.
I am in the process of sewing them into about 300 cloth napkins.
That's about 64 100% cloth napkins for a penny!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
These projects are extremely THRIFTY!
They don't take up a lot of time either.
As a matter of fact, I usually work on such projects during family movie
or reading time.
These little projects also work great for teaching children how to sew.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What thrifty projects are you working on?
~Candy~
The clocks have been changed; we have sprung ahead. The days are getting longer.
With daylight lasting so long, I tend to loose track of time.
Supper-time has a way of sneaking up on me.
This reminded me that it's time to get back into freezer cooking.
Freezer cooking not only saves us money, but it takes off A LOT of stress.
Plus, one of my favorite parts, I can still serve healthy meals to my family,
even on those short on time days.
By pre-cooking some of our favorite meals, and throwing them in the freezer,
I am able to enjoy the longer days of this time of year.
Some of my favorite freezer meals are:
Roasted chicken - This is so easy to do! Just throw in an extra chicken the
next time you are roasting one. I put my into a tin roasting pan, wrap it
with foil, then pop it into the freezer. When I'm ready, it is easily taken
straight from the freezer to the oven.
If you use a cooking bag, you don't even have to remove it from the bag
before freezing. .
Meat loaf - Undercook a little, so it won't overcook when heating.
Hamburgers - Again, undercook a little.
Spaghetti sauce, chili, goulash, and lasagna
Taco meat
Pizza
It doesn't have to be complicated to get started.
Simply, cook a little extra while doing your regular cooking.
Even a couple of meals in the freezer will save you money and
keep you from stressing out when time just seems to get away
from you.
~Candy~
Last week, we talked about the value of Meal Planning.
Today, let's discuss using up those left-overs.
First, get the idea of eating the same thing over and over out of your mind.
Eating left-overs doesn't have to be boring!
Want a couple of examples?
Monday - baked ham dinner
Tuesday - boiled dinner - ham, potatoes and carrots
Wednesday - split pea soup and fried dough
I managed to get 3 different suppers out of one ham.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday - Baked chicken dinner
Tuesday - sweet bbq chicken and rice (by cutting chicken from bone)
Wednesday - chicken noodle soup (by boiling meat off from the bone)
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's another one:
Monday - roast beef dinner
Tuesday - beef stew
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You could also serve the same main dish, but add different sides.
Monday - spaghetti with bread and butter
Tuesday - left-over spaghetti with garlic toast and toss salad
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One of my favorite ways to get the crew to eat up those left-overs
is by making our noon meal the big meal of the day when possible.
For some reason, everyone is more apt to eat left-overs a few hours
later rather than the next day.
This idea may work for you!
The day after serving spaghetti, you may hear,
"What, spaghetti again!"
If served at noon, however, you may hear later in the day,
"Hey, is there any of that spaghetti left?"
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One more left-over trick is to make extra on purpose, then
freeze it up for a quick meal later in the month.
~Candy~
For Thrifty Thursday, I thought I would share some of my thrifty ideas.
Let's talk about menu planning.
(Stop rolling your eyes!)
Start out by scanning the pantry and freezer.
Think about the meals you can make from items on-hand.
Make a list of different meals you could make.
Do NOT write down which day you will eat each meal; just make the list of meals.
Post your list, and scan it each night.
Decide which meal will work for the next day, and be sure to thaw out whatever will
be used.
Do NOT feel like a meal plan ties you down.
Many people complain that they just don't feel like eating what they originally put
down for that day.
That's why the list works much better!
Any meals still left on the list at the end of the week can easily be transferred to the
new week's list!
Menu planning is not only eliminates 'What's to eat, Mom' stress, but it saves you from
spending all of that money on a last minute rush to the pizza shop!
~Candy~
