Frugal Tip - Heels of Bread

In my family, no one seems to want to eat the heels of bread.  Yes, I am included, unless the heels are still fresh.  What do I do with the heels?  I don’t throw them out!!  I keep a bread bag in the freezer and put the heels of bread in a bread bag until it is full.  I use them up by making French toast, use as bread crumbs in a meat loaf recipe, make homemade croutons, brush with butter and sprinkle with a little bit of garlic for garlic toast, or make grilled cheese sandwiches by buttering the outside and putting the heel towards the cheese slice.  I would make bread pudding, but I am the only one that would eat it.  As a last resort if you run out of bread, you at least have a bag of heels in the freezer to use.  

Higher Prices, Lower Wages

There was an article in the Des Moines Register today that confirmed what everyone already knows, prices have gone up.  The premise of the article was that many people have not recovered from the Great Recession because prices have gone up and wages have gone down.  Okay, I already knew that, but the article gave statistical information which I found quite interesting.

In Iowa the median household income in 2007 was $52,371 and in 2012 was $50,957.  In the U.S. as a whole the median household income in 2007 was $56,189 and in 2012 was $51,371.  Americans are paying about 12.5% more for household goods.  In 2007 a pound of ground beef cost $2.40 and in August of this year a pound cost $3.46.  A loaf of whole wheat bread in 2007 cost $1.71 while in August of this year a loaf cost $2.04.  A pound of coffee was $3.50 in 2007 and in August of this year a pound was $5.21.  Gasoline has consistently fluctuated over the past few years and has increased to the point that it was not uncommon in Iowa to pay an average of $3.37 by the end of August this year.  Fortunately as of today, the price of a gallon of gas in our area is $2.97. 

Many Americans continue to feel the pinch as they are still cutting back, have tried to adjust to lower wages, higher costs, have lost their homes, jobs, are having problems paying their mortgage and have increased credit card debt in order to pay basic bills. 

The recent fiasco in Congress created more financial problems for many people which has led me to believe this:  we are on our own people.  I have stated this recently on this blog.  While thankfully there are programs that can be helpful for families, many people don’t want to have to need these programs.   It is comforting that they are there to help but when the government shut down occurred some of these resource programs were suspended such as the W.I.C. program (Women, Infants and Children).

I believe it is becoming the responsibility of each of us to take care of each other.  If you have a little extra and you have a neighbor in need, it is up to us to take care of our neighbors.  Sometimes we may not have a lot, but a loaf of bread or a half a gallon of milk can go a long way for someone who does not have much.

Recently I had an individual comment and ask what I am doing to combat higher prices.  I cut out some frills in our budget such as getting my nails done and working out at Curves to help our budget, but there is more that I can do.  I have become a little lax, but with retirement only 13 years away and the desire to continue to be a stay at home wife and grandmother, there is more I need to do. 

You know what it is like, you sacrifice for such a long time, you need a vacation from the sacrificing.  You get tired of counting pennies and you just want to go out to a restaurant and spend some money on a great meal.  I have been there.  Funny thing is this:  I can buy a 16 oz. steak on sale for $6.99 (recently $4.99), cut it in two, grill it, add a potato, small salad and a homemade dessert for a lot less than I will spend for the two of us at a great restaurant and it tastes better.  The same is true if I marinate some inexpensive chicken breasts and grill them with some vegetables.  The point is that sometimes you need to take a break from the scrimping but you don’t need to throw the budget out the window.  Sometimes it is creating a special meal and serve it by candle light OR as we did when our kids were little, having pizza on a blanket on the living room floor in the winter  - our version of a winter picnic.

When it comes to scrimping and getting the most out of your hard earned money, there is one thing that will save you a lot:  being aware of what you are doing daily.  I know it sounds weird, but think about it.  Are you aware when you run the water for a shower or bath how much water you are using?  When you squirt dish soap into the dish pan to wash dishes, are you using too much soap, the same being true for dishwasher detergent? When you cook a casserole could you get by with using less meat and more vegetables or pasta and rice?   Instead of purchasing ice cream bars and cones as a treat, buy a half gallon of ice cream on sale and put it in your own cones.  Sprinkle a few inexpensive sprinkles on top and you have a cheap treat for your kids.  Treats are great to keep us going during hard times.

One thing I know is a fact, you can still get great results in cleaning products by using less.  You can save even more money by making your own products or by using plain water to clean extremely dirty windows and then spritzing on the cleaner to finish them off.   The same is for dirty services of any kind.  Get the dirt or grime off as much as possible with warm or hot water and then spritz on the cleaner at the end to finish the cleaning process.

Be aware of what you are doing throughout the day and you will find ways to save money.  

As far as combating food prices, my main tool is my freezer and a storage space for pantry items.  Buying meat and frozen vegetables when they are on sale is a great tool.  If you only have the freezer above your fridge to use, then use it for expensive food items that go on sale such as meat. 

I am a believer in Ivory bar soap.  I can get it on sale with coupons all the time for about 15 cents a bar.  I am steering myself away from the shower gels which are costly.  I don’t need the fragrance as I spritz on a very light amount of perfume after I dress.  No need for the scents of a shampoo with a shower gel and then a lotion along with perfume.  Don’t buy into all of the hype and instead find a bar soap that is cheaper that you like. 

When I am at the store if I need a product and don’t have a coupon, I always give the store brand a try.  This is true for many items.  I am not brand loyal and I am always looking for a cheaper alternative.  For basic items such as canned tomatoes, pork n beans, and such I can virtually not see or taste a difference especially when these items are going into soup, chili and casseroles.  I have always added my own ingredients to pork n beans (ketchup, mustard, brown sugar and vinegar).  Why would I care if they are name brand, store brand or generic?  The same is true of laundry detergent.  If I get a name brand on sale at a really great deal, I buy it (during the summer I can get a great deal on Tide).  I reserve a bottle of  Tide, Wisk, Oxydol or other name brand for those wicked stains that won’t come out.  Then I mix the rest half and half with a store brand that I get on sale.  Once a year a store here in town has their store brand detergent on sale for $1.00 or less for a 29 load size.  I have also done the same with mixing sale bought name brand powdered detergent with the Fels Naptha powdered laundry soap recipe.

I use ivory bar soap (rub it into the stain and let it sit) or a small amount of liquid Dawn dish detergent for pretreating stains.   And since we are on the discussion of laundry, does each family need a ton of clothes in their closets? 

If you have children in the home and you are working, you will have a much more difficult time in saving money because you are busy and you may not have the time to do some money saving tasks.  I am going to address this in another post this week as I have been there and I am also there a little bit now with watching my grandson 4 days a week.  What questions do you have about saving money in general or in a specific area?  What help or ideas do you have or need?  Where are you at in your household budget?  Are you discouraged and struggling?  We may be facing a different America than was there 20 or 40 years ago, but if you are willing to put forth effort and keep a smile on your face, you can make it.  It is sometimes about attitude and the willingness to not give up. 

Leave a comment and I will address them.  

Renewed Focus

I have been back from vacation for two weeks.  Over vacation I started to think more and more about this blog and how I seemed to have writer's block.  After all it has been close to 4 years since I began this blog and what more could I say about frugal living?  Then it dawned on me this morning that with watching my grandson 4 days a week, I have so much more to contribute, so I will not abandon this blog that I love so much.

I will try to post every other day what I have been doing and give you a glimpse into my daily life which has changed tremendously from 4 years ago.  So let’s begin this new journey together.

Last week was the second week that I watched my grandson Ryan while his mom works at her family business and coaches volleyball and while his dad teaches math at the high school and coaches cross country.  Ryan has lots of aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents including a great-grandma that lives nearby.  I raised my kids living in the Midwest while my parents lived in New York and my in laws moved from the east coast to the west coast.  We were on our own when it came to caring for our sons, but we didn’t think anything of it as it was our normal way of live.

It would be hard to watch Ryan if it wasn’t for his good nature.  He is happy, and good natured.  Ryan has the same temperament that his daddy had when he was a baby.  About the only time he gets fussy is when it is nap time.

The one thing I have learned from watching Ryan is that basic items that you need to have in your home to care for a baby have gone up in cost tremendously.  Also there are more and more “necessities” for baby on the market. One day I went to purchase a pacifier for him to keep at my house.  There were about 50 different kinds of pacifiers to choose from.  When my kids were little I think there were just 2 kinds.  Also there are all sorts of unnecessary things that you really don’t need.  I don’t need a baby monitor or a wipe warmer. 

 I have purchased items as I have needed them.  For example, I purchased a Graco portable crib/play pen.  I bought it new and on sale for one reason.  Many times items are recalled and I knew that this one item was important for me to buy new.  It has 3 levels so that I have been able to raise or lower the bed as Ryan has grown.  This has been a big help for my back. 

I purchased the exact stroller that Ryan has at home.  It fits his car seat and it is a heavy duty jogging stroller.  I looked at a lot of strollers and I found more and more had wheels made of plastic.  Knowing how much a stroller can be used even for more than one child, my mind was made up to research and buy quality.  Again some online shopping paid off when I found a heavy duty jogging stroller on sale for $20 less than offered in a store along with free shipping.

Ryan is almost 6 months old so I added a walker and high chair as the final things I need for him.  I searched at local consignment shops for these items but found that I could get them on sale with free shipping to me for a bit more money.  In fact, the walker was only $5 more new and the high chair was only $30 on a close out clearance sale. 

I give Ryan a bath every now and then as needed.  I refused to pay $25 for a baby bath.  I simply put a folded towel in the bottom of the bath tub and took another towel and rolled it up to for him to rest his head on.  Then I simply lower him on the towel and wash him and let him kick in the water.

As far as items such as baby bath, lotion and powder, I went to the Dollar Tree and bought these items for $1.00 each.  I keep a large bottle of hand sanitizer near where I change Ryan’s diapers.  This was also purchased for $1.00. 

I have purchased a few toys along the way at garage sales.  Anything that is plastic such as rattles and the sort I wash and dip in boiling water to disinfect them. 

My son and his wife provide diapers, formula, cereal and jarred baby food for Ryan.  I supply the baby wipes.  Normally I would have just purchased white cheap wash cloths and used soap and water to clean him, but I came upon a deal at Wal-mart.  I was able to get 400 baby wipes for $6.00.  These are really thick wipes and even with a messy diaper, I only need one wipe.

I really enjoy caring for Ryan.  It is almost like I have been given a do over in my life.  I always wanted to stay home with my kids when they were young, but we just couldn’t afford it.  Now I am home and helping to care for my grandson and I am loving it. 

So, this is the challenge of my new life:  caring for my grandson a few days a week, managing my time and home along with continuing my dedication to frugal living.

Tips for Today: 

1.  The advantage of having a stockpile of pantry and freezer items has become invaluable to me as I don’t want to run out to the grocery store for one item with a 6 month old in tow if I don’t have too.

2.  I had been making my own hair detangler but discovered that a 10 oz. bottle of children’s hair detangler only cost $1.00 at the Dollar Tree.  It works great on my hair hair.  Also my hair is dry so I use conditioner in the shower.  After towel drying my hair I squirt a little conditioner into my palms and rub it on the bottom 3 inches of my hair.  I rub it into my ends and I let my hair air dry.  Air drying my hair helps to keep it from being damaged by the heat of the dryer and the additional conditioner helps to keep my hair moisturized.  

When you're out of laundry detergent . . . .

. . . and you don't have the money to buy any.

Here is a tip for if you are out of laundry detergent and you need to do laundry but you don’t have the money to buy laundry detergent.  Find whatever soap you have on hand.  This could be bath bar soap, soft hand soap, shampoo or dish soap.  Many times just water will get your clothes clean unless you have been rolling around in mud and grease.  For an example let’s say you have soft soap hand soap on hand.  Gather your clothes and look them over for any possible stains or dirt.  Take a little soap and rub it into any stain.  For any shirts, blouses or tops, dab a little soap on the underarms as this will aid in stain removal and under arm odor.  Again use just a dab on the stains or underarms as soft soap will have a lot of suds when the water starts to agitate. 

Take about 1/8 cup of the soft soap (around 2 tablespoons) and mix it with some warm water to dissolve and pour this into your washing machine.  Start the water on the machine and add the clothes.  Then set your cycle so that it is on a longer timed wash.  Let the clothes wash and agitate for as long as possible.  It is the water and the agitation that will help to get the clothes clean. 

This is something that will work in a pinch BUT the next time you buy laundry detergent on sale, you may consider buying an extra bottle and set it aside for a rainy day when money is extremely tight.

photo credit: jim212jim via photopin cc

Thank you Grandma

I draw much of my frugal inspiration from my maternal grandma.  She was born in 1900 and raised a family during the Great Depression and died in 1985.  Grandma left me with many tips of how to live frugally.  Though many were never spoken, I learned these tips by watching her.  Here are a few:

Don’t spend money unless it is necessary.  Use up what you have on hand.  Grandma would carefully unwrap presents and save the wrapping paper.  Then before she stored it away she would iron the paper on low heat to take out the creases and restore it to near newness.  In fact, many times she didn’t use tape to wrap presents.  She would simply fold and wrap the paper on the box and keep it in place by tying the package with a ribbon.  That is what they did when she was a kid as they didn’t have scotch tape. 

How many times do you run to the grocery store for 1 item?  Grandma lived on a small farm in the country and you just didn’t run to a store for 1 thing.  In fact, you didn’t go to the store unless it was absolutely necessary.  So, she managed and she managed very well.  If there is one frugal tip she taught me it was not to run to the store for 1 thing but to see what you could substitute or just make do.

When you open a package of a block of cheese, don’t take all the plastic wrapping off.  It is the touch of your fingers on a block of cheese that causes it to mold.  Always hold it with some of the plastic wrapping on it when you slice or shred it.  If you do have cheese that goes moldy, cut or shred the moldy piece off and go ahead and use it in cheese sauces or casseroles. 

When you are laying out a pattern onto some fabric, keep your pins pushed into the base of an old candle such as a votive candle.  The wax makes the pins go into the pattern and fabric easily. 

If you are frying potatoes for supper and there are more people coming than

expected, Grandma would take a few slices of bread and tear them into pieces and fry them along with the potatoes.  Don’t knock it, it was very tasty and stretched the potatoes.

Grandma always saved the grease from frying bacon and used it to fry her potatoes, eggs or even in cooking green beans to give them a bacon flavor.  She knew just the right amount to add as her food never tasted greasy.

Grandma only made simple old fashioned cookies:  oatmeal, sugar, and molasses. She wasn’t into fancy kind of things.  She had variations for these cookies such as making oatmeal molasses cookies, oatmeal raisin cookies, adding some orange peel and a little juice to the sugar cookie recipe and even some stale Rice Krispies and Corn Flakes to the cookie dough.  Nothing went to waste.  If something was stale such as some potato chips or bread, it was put in the oven to make the chips crisp again and to refresh the bread. 

If you want to save money, find someone who has lived through the Great Depression or World War II rationing and you will glean the very best advice ever for saving money and living on a budget.

Caring for my Hair and the Cost

Recently a reader of my blog e-mailed me about any frugal ways of caring for my highlighted blonde hair. Haircare, makeup and skincare products can eat up a budget if you aren’t savvy.

Here is what I know about my hair: I am blonde by birth but as I have aged my hair color has obviously gone darker and greyer. If I don’t get it highlighted, my hair will be a dark blonde or dishwater blonde as some people refer to it. My hair is thin but does have a little wave to it when it gets wet. On a humid day my hair will not stay perfectly straight, the wave comes through and as it grows out I have a little bit of curl at the ends.

I have my hair highlighted by my stylist every three months during the warm months and about every four months during the winter months. It turns out beautiful and lightens my hair with what appears to look like natural highlights.

In the winter months I am able to get by with my hair being darker so I go four months between highlighting. The cost for getting foil highlights (in three shades of blonde) is $60. Yep – It is probably the most unfrugal thing I do. Highlights make a big difference in my appearance and I feel it is worth it. However, in saying that, if I could not afford professional highlights I would find a way to get my hair highlighted perhaps by a friend whom I trusted. I am not confident in highlighting my own hair. I have had numerous discussions with my stylist about stories of hair coloring/highlighting gone bad and the cost of fixing those mistakes.  Also when it comes to putting chemicals on my head, I would rather leave it to the experts.

The first year I was home full time, I didn’t get my hair highlighted at all as our budget was beyond tight. I had the choice of grocery money or hair money and frankly, we needed to eat. As we paid off bills I was able to free up some money for getting professional highlights in my hair.

For me to pay someone to do the job right, is worth it, but it is up to me to keep it looking good. How do I do it? I don’t shampoo my hair every day. I shampoo every other day. Think of your highlighted/colored hair like clothing. The more you wash your clothes, the more they fade. The same is true of highlights. I also use Suave Color Protection Shampoo and I only lather once. Yes, I use Suave or Pantene when I can get it on sale such as I did yesterday with a great coupon deal. I don’t buy shampoo at the salon. It is just not worth it. Also, I use conditioner every time I shampoo. While I towel dry my hair I apply a liquid volumizer that I have diluted so that I get the volume but I extend the bottle so it lasts me a year.

I blow dry my hair alternating between the high (hot) and low (cool) settings. In other words when my hair feels warm I switch to cool to cool off the hair strands and I use the cool air to blow the hair around. By alternating from high to low I don’t wreak too much heat damage to my hair.

As my hair has grown, I have found that I don’t need to flat iron it every day. Some days I blow it dry and apply a balm to it to help the small amount of natural curl that I have. I scrunch it and it ends up looking pretty good, especially if I use a little barrette on the side, and I leave it at that. If I am going to be home all day, my hair does not need to be picture perfect. In fact I find that as the day goes on and I get a little a natural oil in it, it tends to look better. The next day I skip the shampoo and I may pull my hair back into a pony tail or I pull it back and leave the sides down. I use a flat iron to straighten the sides and back into a flip. Some days after shampooing and drying I flat iron my hair and let it be straight for the day.

By not using a flat iron every day and by being careful with the heat settings on my hair dryer, my hair does not get the damage that it used to get when I was shampooing, drying and ironing or curling every morning. Therefore because my hair does not get the damage that it used to get, I am able to grow my hair out and not get the ends trimmed as often. I am now at about 7 weeks for a trim when I used to go in every 4 or 5 weeks. 

If you have a shorter hairstyle, it takes frequent trims to keep the appearance looking good. I have found that as I have let my hair grow to shoulder length (and the goal is to get it 2 inches longer than that), I have the option of going longer between trims with my hair still looking great. If my hair starts to bother me and I have another week to go before a trim, I simply pull it back.

To sum up: I never use a curling iron or flat iron two days in a row. I blow dry my hair alternating cool and high to prevent further damage. Because my hair is getting longer, I have options of pulling my hair back with a clip, putting it into a pony tail or using a barrette to pull one side back. I only shampoo every other day and I only lather once and I always use conditioner.

Although I have never tried it, I have read that chamomile tea sprayed on your hair while you are out in the sun will help your natural highlights show up. I have never tried this as when I am outside in the sun I tend to wear sunscreen and a hat. I have read that lemon juice will do the same thing but lemon juice dries out your scalp.  Also, I am not in favor of putting acid on your hair.

Back to the cost of highlighting, at $60 for every 3 to 4 months, I have to save $5 a week to find the money to pay for this. I can afford $5 a week.


Next post:  makeup on a frugal budget.

Dateline Episode - "America Now - Lost in Suburbia"

I watched tonight's episode of Dateline with great interest. It profiled 3 families living in the Boulder, Colorado area. One was a single mom and the other two families consisted of two parents with children. All three families were going through unemployment.

All three were getting assistance from a local charity, Sister Carmen Community Center, with housing assistance and access to a food pantry. It was very interesting to watch this as the job losses occurred in 2011. In the news we have been reading about how things are getting better, and they are in certain areas of the country. In our area for example there have been "real" jobs advertised in the newspaper and things seem to be picking up. This isn't the same for other areas of the country.

Here are the basics of this broadcast.

1. People live in denial when they lose their jobs. Denial is part of the grieving process of losing a job. They feel they can easily find another one soon and don't feel there should be much trouble finding work. I think that since they had been employed they have no idea what the job market is like until they lose their job. It's still rough out there and when these families found themselves unemployed they were then faced with the immense struggle of finding work. I felt awful for all three families.

2. Each family cut back and got assistance. Each family struggled with accepting assistance, feeling shameful that they were needing the help. The one thing that I thought was good was the counseling they received through the Sister Carmen Community Center. In one session the counselor tells one of the women that she feels that they are still living above their means and need to cut back further while another family was doing everything they could to cut back expenses. They cancelled cablevision, after school activities for their children and cut back on their internet service.  I know families that wouldn't have done these three things to save money as they would have thought that these were necessities. 

3. Each family had savings that they used up quickly.

4. Each family had to face the fact that they may have to take any job that came along even one that they were immensely over qualified for. Temporary jobs are better than no jobs at all.

5.  The middle class is becoming a forgotten class.

What did I learn from this broadcast?

1. I learned that it could happen to my family. No one is ever immune to unemployment and we should always be prepared for the possibility.

2. I also realized that I could cut back to the bone if I needed to in order to survive. During the broadcast I started to think of ways that I would save money if we needed to live on next to nothing. How about this? Turn off the lights and go to bed when it gets dark in order to save on electricity. Get up earlier when the sun comes up. Save your water from the first wash load in order to use again to wash the dark clothes. Use minimal of everything including laundry soap, shampoo and so on. How about taking a short shower every other day and on the off days use a sponge in a pan of water to wash up?

Bottom line, always be prepared for the worse to happen and pray that it never does. In the meantime you will have the security of knowing if the worse does happen, you can survive because you are prepared.

I needed to watch this as a wake up call to get more money into savings just in case the worse would ever happen. The worse may not be a job loss, but it could be the need for more money for retirement.

Giving up on Non-Stick Cooking Sprays

I have been trying to find more ways to save money in my household and while some would think this wasn't a good reason, I do. I have decided that I am not going to buy cooking sprays anymore. Why? Because they are too costly and they leave a horrible brown residue on your pans that you have to really scrub to get off. Usually it takes a good scrub with a paste of baking soda and water. 

I use cooking sprays quite a bit and when I reached for the spray today I realized that I may be using it a little too much. It seems as if I go through this stuff quite fast.

The can says that a "serving" is a 1/3 second spray. Yeah, right. When I spray a pan with a light coating, it is more than a 1/3 second spray. I don't over coat, but it doesn't take long to go through a can of this stuff. 

Today as I was checking the grocery ads they had canola oil on sale for $2.99 for a 48 oz. bottle whereas the cooking spray was on sale for $1.99 for oil thinned with water with an emulsifying agent (lecithin) added. 

I've decided that while it is nice to have the convenience, I am going to give up on the cooking spray. I would rather spend the money on a 48 oz. bottle of canola oil. A drop of oil spread around a pan with my finger tips will do the same job with a little less convenience and it will be one less thing I have to store in my cupboard.

I have searched the net and yes there are "recipes" for making your own cooking spray by mixing water and oil in a spray bottle, but honestly I would rather not go to the bother of having one more item in my cupboard.  A quick swipe with my finger tips will do a great job.

The best cleaning scrub

When I was cleaning our shower last week, I decided to abandon what I normally use to get it clean - Mr. Clean Shower Eraser.  The main reason - the harsh chemicals and the cost.

So I did some experimenting.  The floor of the shower has the rougher surface that the soap scum clings to and it ends up being the hardest part of the shower to clean.  Here is what I did.  I divided the shower into three sections and cleaned one with baking soda; one with baking soda and salt; and one with Oxy clean - the dry powder. 

I was looking for a way to clean the shower without too harsh chemicals but it also had to be easy on my arm. In other words, it should cut through the scum and get the job done without my having to ice my shoulder.

               
                                


The winner was the baking soda and salt.  Baking soda is already a natural safe scrub in itself but alone it took too much scrubbing.  The addition of some table salt gave the baking soda more scrubbing power.  As to the Oxy Clean, the baking soda did better than it did. 

So from now on it is just a sprinkle of baking soda and a sprinkle of salt.  It's easy on the environment, easy on my arm and best of it all - it is cheap.

Pie Crust, Face Wash and Corn

First of all, it is raining! It is absolutely pouring and after a heat wave that has had a heat index of up to 128 degrees here in Iowa, it is so wonderful to see rain fall from the sky. I sat on the back porch for a while and I watched the birds flying through the rain. It is such a wonderful sight.

Today I am going to share three recipes for pie crust. The first is my mom’s no fail recipe.

Never Fail Pie Crust

3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups shortening
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
5 ½ tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon white vinegar

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening until it resembles coarse crumbs. Mix together egg, water and vinegar. Pour into flour all at once and blend with a fork until dough forms a ball. Do not over mix. Wrap with plastic and chill in refrigerator. Use as directed in recipe.

Pie Crust Recipe 2

3 cups all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening
About ½ cup ice water

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in shortening until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add water. (When adding water to any recipe I don’t just dump it in. I pour it in slowly while I am stirring the dough with the fork. Sometimes you don’t need as much as you think.) Stir til mixed and form a ball. Wrap in plastic and chill in refrigerator.  Use as directed in recipe.  The key to a good pie crust is not to work the dough too much as this will toughen the crust.  

If you have never made a pie crust, you need to try it.  It may take a few attempts, but once you have mastered this, you will be able to turn out all kinds of pies.  Pie making is becoming a lost art these days.

No Roll Pie Crust

1 cup flour
½ cup margarine, softened
1 tablespoon sugar

Cut ingredients together. Pat into a 9 inch pie plate. Fill with filling and bake.

Now on to my face wash or soft soap recipe. As I get older I have taken on a more basic regimen as to my skin. Over the past few months I have become more and more disappointed with face washes. My skin never felt good. So I thought it was time to make my own.

I decided to use what grandma used and that was “Kirk’s Original CoCo Castile Soap.” It is a pure coconut oil soap and it doesn’t leave residue on the skin. Coconut oil is very moisturizing too. I am able to purchase it at a local grocery store for 99 cents a bar.  Dove bar soap is a great option also.

So I made a soft soap out of the bar and I had so much of it that I had to put the bulk of it in an old spaghetti sauce jar and the other is on a small dish detergent bottle.

Here is the “recipe” and my modifications.

Grate some soap bars and add 3 cups soap flakes to a bowl. Set it aside. Boil a pot of water and pour 3 cups over the soap flakes. Stir with a wooden spoon until the flakes are dissolved in the water. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and continue to mix all of the ingredients with a wooden spoon. Pour into containers and soap is ready to use after it has cooled.

I modified the recipe by using a stick blender to the melted concoction (after the olive oil has been added) and I emulsified it as the soap flakes didn’t totally melt and mix with the water. It turned out very, very creamy but still a little too thick for my personal preference so I added a little more boiling hot water until it was the perfect consistency.

I made this at the end of June and I can’t remember how many soap flakes I got from the one bar of soap. I think it was 1 ½ cups of flakes came from 1 bar of soap so I simply halved the recipe.

I use this for my face wash and I love it. I hate using a bar of soap to wash my hands or face as the bar gets a little messy over time. This recipe, especially when emulsified, makes a lot of “face wash” or “soft soap” and it will last a much longer time than simply using a bar of soap.

Using this also as a hand soap keeps your hands soft than a harsher store bought soft soap.

Now as to corn.

Corn is in a lot of food products and most of this is in the ingredient high fructose corn syrup. However, other corn products that we use quite a bit are cornmeal, grits, frozen corn and canned corn and, especially here in Iowa, gasoline with an ethanol blend. Here’s the problem, due to the floods and droughts, the corn crops have not been very good. This means higher prices for corn products for us and feed products for animals. Higher feed prices once again means higher prices for meat.

Perhaps to offset this is that many farmers have been selling off their animals early due to the severe heat. So, it may be that meat prices may or may not go up. It’s hard to say. But for now, let’s look at corn.

Cornmeal is something that I love to have as part of my pantry. Aside from cornbread it is good for breakfast as fried cornmeal mush and I also use it in some multi grain bread recipes. Cornmeal is a good food. I’m not sure how much we will be paying for cornmeal in the future, but I am not willing to take that gamble.

I purchased cornmeal on sale at Wal-mart recently and I froze it for 24 hours and then I have it in a container with bay leaves to keep any bugs away.

I was able to purchase about 18 cans of corn a couple of weeks ago for only 29 cents each. I like having canned or frozen corn on hand for casseroles and soups and I know that 29 cents is an incredibly low price that I may never see again.

Keeping my pantry stocked with basic foods that I can use in numerous ways is a priority for me. Storing them properly is equally important so no matter what, only buy what you can use in a reasonable amount of time. I have plenty of flour on hand – probably around 100 lbs. Yes, I know that is a lot of flour, but I do a lot of baking and I give a lot of my baked goods away. 50 lbs. of that flour was found on clearance at Wal-mart when they were having a clearance sale on their huge containers of food. I was able to buy 25 lb. bags of flour for only $5.00.

For some individuals having and maintaining a large stockpile of food is overwhelming. I understand that. If that is true for you I highly recommend at least maintaining a good quantity of basic baking items such as flour, sugars, cornmeal, oatmeal and other grains. You will save money and you will only concentrate on this area of your pantry.

Tomorrow we will look at some more tips from the Tightwad Gazette III.

Tips from the Early Years of my Marriage

Back in the early 1980’s I started to collect some tips for saving money. These tips were supplied by women at my church and from women’s magazines.

I would write the tips on an index card and file them alphabetically in an index box. At some point I lost this box, at least I thought I had. I came across it recently when I was going through some boxes of books. Opening that box brought me back to the early years of our marriage when I was hoping that I would be able to quit my job and stay home. As I looked at the tips I realized that I had forgotten so many of them.

Here are a few:

Coffee Carafe: Remove stains with a wet cloth dipped in baking soda.

Eggs: Add hard cooked eggs to sandwich spreads to stretch the meat.

Floor Wax: Dilute floor wax with two parts hot water. It will go a long way and dry faster.

Kitchen floors: Stick moleskin to the bottom of your table and chairs to prevent marks on the floor.

Floors: To remove soap film, mop with ½ cup vinegar and 1 gallon lukewarm water.

Floor Wax substitution: Add ½ cup cornstarch to a gallon of lukewarm water and mop. It will make your floor shine.

Black Heel Marks: Remove from floor with a damp cloth and baking soda.

Citrus Peels: Freeze lemon and orange rinds. Grate frozen as needed.

Fruit Juices: Save unused canned fruit juices and freeze. Put on broiled chicken or use in a fruit punch.

Wrapping Paper: Use newspaper and red ribbon for an all occasion wrapping paper.

Inexpensive Gift: An index box of family recipes

Clogged Iron: Pour white vinegar into the iron and let it steam for about 5 minutes. Unplug the iron and let it cool for awhile. Empty vinegar and rinse the iron thoroughly by pouring water in and out.

Iron with built up starch: Scrub cool iron with nylon net or toothbrush and a little baking soda.

Jams and Jellies: Put bits of jams and jellies in 1 jar. Use melted as a baste for chicken, ham or lamb.

Time to Dust off those Tightwad Gazette Books

As I work around my house or as I am cooking a meal, my mind tends to wander. This can be a problem if I am baking cookies and can’t remember if I put in the baking soda. As a side note, I think someone should invent colored baking soda that loses its color when baked. Then you can see if you added it to your cookie dough or not.
I’m a dreamer, a thinker, and maybe I think too much on certain things to my own detriment.

But high prices are on my mind and have been for several weeks. How do you effectively fight higher prices? Shopping sales, using coupons, driving less are some great examples, but what else?

I surf the web and I am constantly on the lookout for any new money saving ideas. I haven’t found any in a very long time. I do have all three Tightwad Gazette books that I refer to sometimes.

After a lot of thought I feel that the key to fighting higher prices is with “time”. The more time I have, the more time I can spend on saving money. Here are some examples: I can save money on gasoline by walking or riding my bike, which take more time. I can save money on groceries by spending time on the internet scouring for great coupons, clipping coupons and organizing them. I can save money on good whole wheat bread by making my own. I can save money on clothes by hanging them up to dry so that they last longer, by making repairs to our clothes on my own and by shopping at thrift stores. I can save money on groceries by making more and more items from scratch. I can save money on gifts, by making them. I can save money on haircuts by cutting my DH’s hair. Doing our own home repairs saves money. What about gardening and preserving your own food?

All of these examples take time in order to save money. I don’t have a job outside the home so I do have the time to do all of the above. And because I am home, I feel obligated to do as much as I can in order to save money in order to combat high prices.

I mentioned the Tightwad Gazette earlier. If you have ever read these books, you will undoubtedly come to the conclusion that there are definitely a few categories of saving. Many of the tips in these books involve different levels of frugality depending on, in my opinion, how much time you have on hand and what your financial situation is like. I have followed many of the tips in these books but some I never used due to time. Not anymore.

I am making it a point during the month of March to begin to go through these books and really look at every tip. I need to re-read these books in the light of today’s economy. So, not only will March be Random Acts of Kindness month for me, but it will also be Amy Dacyczyn month. Yep, I am going to go through her first Tightwad Gazette book and hopefully each day I will post a frugal idea from the book and see if I can save some money. I will also discover how much time each idea or tip involves and see if it is something that will work for me.

In April I will continue with the second book and then in May I will finish with her third Tightwad Gazette book. March 1st begins on Tuesday. The book starts on page 3 and ends on page 295. There are 31 days in March so we I will need to read and review 9 to 10 pages each day. So, are you with me? Do you want to read along with me and look at these books from a new perspective?

It’s time to get serious. I feel as if I am at war with this economy and with high prices. So, ladies (or any gentlemen that read my blog), dust off those Tightwad Gazettes and let’s start going through the first book together.

My Entryway - Golden Walls, a Recipe and a Tip

Yesterday I put on the second coat of yellow paint on the entryway walls and tomorrow I start the faux finish on the walls.  Notice the radiator.  I will be painting it a light, pale yellow when I am done with the walls. 

With everything that is going on in the world, it is nice to play with paint and relax. 

Now for the recipe.  I buy hot dogs.  I buy them on sale, with coupons and I buy the ones that are lean and without the nitrates in them.  Here is a casserole that my family loves.  It is one of those Saturday night dinner kind of recipes. 

Corn Dog Casserole - this is my simple version

1 lb. hot dogs
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
2 - 8.5 oz. pkgs Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix

Slice the hot dogs linkwise and brown in a little butter or oil.  In the meantime mix the eggs, milk and the corn muffin mixes.  Pour this mixture into a greased (I spray with Pam) baking dish - 3 quart size works great.  Then top with the browned hot dogs and bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

This tastes just like a corn dog and without the deep fried mess.

The original recipe calls for sliced celery and onions that you brown with the hot dogs and it also calls for sage.  My son doesn't like the celery and the onions.  I don't use sage as I didn't notice that it did much for the flavor and it turned the corn muffin mixture green.  Not very appetizing.  Also, the original recipe called for 2 cups of grated cheese on top.  I leave it off as we like it without the cheese.  This is a very frugal main dish.

I like to serve this with baked beans and it tastes really, really good.

Ground Beef Cooking Tip

Here is a great way to cook 5 lbs. of ground beef all at once. 

Remove the ground beef from the package and loosely crumble into your crockpot. 

Turn the crockpot to low.  You can stir the meat during cooking if you want to.  7 hours later (depending on your crockpot), drain the meat.  You can rinse the burger crumbles and crumble them smaller after they've been drained.  Let the meat cool and then package into ziplocks for the freezer.

No Spend Month - First Week & Frugal Ideas

I spent $55.93 on groceries last week while I only had a budget for $40.00.  This is due to my big find on hamburger at only 80 cents a lb.  It was worth it to go over budget even if it was a No Spend Month and I am trying to reduce expenses. 

Today I went to the grocery store to buy several items that were on sale and that I had coupons for.  Here is what I spent today:  After coupons I spent $8.58 for a 25 lb. bag of Tidy Cat Litter for $1.99, 3 boxes of Kleenex for only 38 cents each, 3 bags of New York Brand Texas Toast Croutons for 49 cents each, 3 pkgs. of Farmland Sausage links for 70 cents each and a ½ gallon of 1% Milk for $1.49. 


I spent a total of $64.51 on groceries in the first 7 days of the challenge.  Which means I have $95.41 for the rest of the month on groceries.  I know I can do it and if I hadn't taken advantage of the hamburger sale, I would be right on track.  Even so I have 21 more days in this month and $95.41 is a lot of money for produce and dairy.

BUT I saved about $25 in other areas.  So I am at least $25 towards my goal of saving $200.  I can do it - I know I can.


It all comes down to being focused on the goal.  I spent yesterday pondering my spending and how I am able to stay on track more often than getting off track. 


Number One.  Staying on track and spending less pleases my husband.  Okay perhaps that shouldn't be the Number one reason, but honestly, it is.  He sees how hard I work at staying on a budget and he knows I am working towards the same financial goals as he is.  We are a team.  He earns the money and he loves the way that I respect how long it takes him to earn it and how I am careful not to overspend. 


Number Two.  Staying on track and spending less means more money in savings and more money to debt repayment.  It is very gratifying to see one debt paid off after another.


Number Three.  Staying on track and spending less means that I am learning a skill.  I am learning to live with what I already have and saving up for what I would like to have. 


For two years I have wanted two new kitchen chairs.  The 1940's (original) dinette that I own was purchased at an antique store for $40 about 8 years ago.  One of the chairs broke 18 months ago and I keep trying to save up for new chairs, but that purchase keeps being put on the back burner.  I have learned that having to use a folding chair in place of the broken chair is okay for now.  I will be able to buy new chairs by the end of this year.  BTW - here is a picture of my dinette and here is a picture of the chairs I want to buy. 

Over the past several months I have been able to get name brand laundry soap on sale and with coupon at $1.50 for a 32 load size and $1.99 for a 48 load size jug.  I have continued to make my homemade laundry soap and I have been measuring 1 tablespoon of the name brand soap into the 1/3 measuring cup I use to measure out the homemade laundry soap.  Then I fill it with my homemade version.  I've been doing this for a while to give even more cleaning power to the homemade version while adding a slight fragrance.


Also I have noticed a big difference in how much warmer our house feels in the winter due to putting plastic on the windows.  We use budget billing each month for our electricity and natural gas and while these are going up, our bill hasn't gone up since we took the precautions and put the plastic up.


I'm trying to think of other ways to save money.  Sometimes it's hard to come up with something new.  Last week I purchased 15 lbs. of potatoes for $3.50.  I quit buying tater tots and french fries since I can get more "potato product" out of the raw potatoes.  For a tater tot casserole I don't use a cream soup but prefer to brown the hamburger, drain the fat and rinse the hamburger.  Then I take a pkg. of onion soup mix and add about 2 cups water to the hamburger.  Bring this to a boil and thicken as for gravy.  I put this in the bottom of the casserole and top it with frozen California Mix vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower and carrots) and then I would top it with the tater tots.  Not anymore.  Now when I make homemade mashed potatoes I make extra and freeze them.  Yep, I freeze mashed potatoes.  Then when I am making "Tater Tot Casserole" I thaw the potatoes and spread the mashed potatoes on top of the vegetable layer, dot with a little butter and bake in the oven til bubbly and browned.  Yeah, it ends up being more like a Shepherd's Pie, but my family loves it. 


Instead of fries I take the potatoes and dice them, toss with a little olive oil and then sprinkle Italian salad dressing mix or any other mixture of spices such as italian seasoning or chili powder with garlic powder and onion powder, and well, you get the picture.  I bake these or roast these in the oven at about 350 degrees, stirring about every 15 minutes until they are golden, crispy and browned.  


So does anyone else have any other frugal tips?  I'm open to any ideas.

Food Prices are Going, Going - Have Gone Up

This article was in the Des Moines Register yesterday.  It is worth reading.  Here is the link.

I posted several months ago that food prices were predicted to go up and in our area of the world they have gone up.  When I went to the grocery store last week I noticed a considerable increase in staples from the previous week.  From flour to meat to bananas to milk, prices have gone up around 10%.  Also some experts are warning that this is just the beginning and prices will be going higher.

For those who are unemployed and living on Social Security, this will definitely be disheartening news.  The food pantries will now be used more than ever to supplement those individuals who don't have enough money to buy food.

But what is a little more disturbing to me beyond food prices going up are the other predictions. Some economists are saying that IF corn prices rise this year due to bad weather, then the shortages of corn will continue.  Farmers have already shrunk their herds of cattle and hogs due to the high price of feed and will continue to do so.  This means that meat prices could skyrocket due to the low amount of animals going to slaughter.

It's not just meat that is going up.  It is other commodities such as sugar, flour, coffee, produce and pretty much everything.  Gasoline prices have gone up so the cost of delivering goods to market have gone up.

So, what is the writer of this blog who focuses on living a frugal lifestyle going to do?  Get prepared and not panic. 

I have been able to cut back our budget over the past 18 months so that we can absorb the increase in the cost of food.  However, I am going to do my best to continue to use coupons and buy items on sale to save money and want to keep my food budget in check.

Last week at Fareway I was picking up a couple of cans of Progresso soup that was on sale (and I had a great coupon).  As I reached for the soup I looked over at the meat case and there was a large sign "Hormel Cure 81 Spiral Hams 99 cents lb." Holy Cow!!! This is a top of the line bone in ham that sells for close to $3.00 a pound before prices went up. I checked the sell by date and it was February 12th. I bought the last one - it was 18 lbs. and I will put it in the freezer for Easter. This is a delicious shank ham that makes excellent lunch meat for leftovers and I always cook the bone and use the broth for soup.  This is why Fareway is one of my favorite grocery stores.  When things get close to their sell by date, they reduce the prices on those items. 

Other ways I am saving:
 
I have been reducing the amount of meat I serve at a meal.  Also when I brown ground beef for a casserole I remove 1/4 cup and put it in a ziplock bag in the freezer.  I then use it for pizza or soup or I use it in another casserole.  So far, we have not missed that 1/4 of meat in a recipe.

I'm becoming more and more conscientious about ingredients in baking. I have been decreasing the amount of sugar in some of my recipes and have not noticed a difference.  For a basic cookie recipe I take out about 2 tablespoons of the sugar. 

Every week I plan to pickup at least 1 bag of flour and sugar to add to my stockpile. I easily go through 1 bag of flour a week in my baking.  This week I will be picking up a large bag of cornmeal before the prices get too high.

I will be making more and more of our homemade bread and rolls and I am going to try my hand at bagel making. 

One thing I have been doing to save some money on water is that I don't wash my hair everyday. I know to many people, this isn't a new revelation. For me, I have found that with going back to my shorter hair style that my hair looks better the day after I wash it. So on those days I take a quick shower - less than a minute and I let my hair go another day. I have been doing this for over a month now and my hair has adjusted and I love not having to wash, dry and style it every day of the week. What a time saver.

My son comes home for lunch during the day as he is a Senior in High School  and is allowed this opportunity. My husband also comes home for lunch. Twice a week they eat leftovers for lunch. These are leftovers that aren't enough for the three of us to eat the next night for supper. I always seem to have a little bit of this or that so with both of them at home for lunch, those leftovers are being put to good use.

This summer I would like to try my hand at soap making. After my pasta supply in the pantry is used up, I plan to make my own pasta. I want to get better at making bread and would love to get a flour mill. Also, I have the opportunity to buy 1/2 a hog from a local farmer for meat for my freezer. I just have to find one other person to take the other 1/2.

The hardest part about food going up in price is to determine a new target sale price for many items.  For example, my target sale price for 85% hamburger has been $1.60 lb., for boneless chuck roasts $2.25 lb., for 5 lbs. of Clementine tangerines $4.99; 8 oz. blocks of cheese - $1.50; 8 oz. bags of shredded cheese - $0.99.  These have been normal sale prices over the past couple of years.  Having a target price helps me to know when a sale is a sale and when to stock up.   

It's unsettling to see prices go up on food, gasoline and utilities.  I think a lot of people thought that come 2011 we would start to see some relief in the economy but it looks like we still need to stay on top of things and watch those pennies.  To coin a phrase from President George H.W. Bush, we need to "Stay the Course" and continue to do our best to pay down debt, reduce expenses and continue to meet our financial goals.

I know of people who will probably give up and throw their hands up in the air and say what's the use, it's just too hard.  They're right. It is hard to live differently from others and cut back and save and be frugal - but it is also very gratifying to watch debt go down.

So, no matter what the financial news brings us, stay the course.  We just have to dig in, learn new ways to save money and help each other by sharing tips and news.

Frugal Tip #3 - Using less paper products

Each week I have tried to incorporate a few frugal tips that I have learned along the way.  Today's post is about the benefits of using less paper products.  This is one area I didn't change until last week. 

I went to buy a package of Handiwipes at the Dollar Tree and they weren't selling them anymore.  I have always liked Handiwipes to use in my kitchen as they dry quickly.  When they start to smell I can wash them once and use them again and then throw them away.  This isn't very economical in the long run.

So I stood there looking at my choices and I picked up 3 - 2 packs of dish cloths.  I now have 6 dish cloths to use in the kitchen.  The reason for using the Handiwipes was due to how a dish cloth can smell after a while.  (Yes, I have a dishwasher but I still have to handwash pots and pans and such.)  Now I use them for a day. Sunday's and Saturday's dish cloth can cover both days.  Then each evening I toss the dish cloth into my laundry sort pile.  No more smelly dish cloths and no more buying Handiwipes.

I took all of my old dish towels and put them in a container under my sink.  These are for my DS's use.  He likes to use a dish towel as a napkin.  It was a losing battle as day in and day out he took the dish towel that I had hanging up to use as his personal napkin.  Now he has his own stash and I don't have to worry about if a dish towel I am using to dry dishes was used as a napkin.

While at the Dollar Tree I picked up a few packages of terry cloth bar towels.  These are being used for all of those paper towel clean ups.  In fact, I prefer using a towel to wipe up a spill as compared to paper towels.

Next up - cloth napkins.  I need to buy or make cloth napkins for our table.  Actually I am starting to think that my DS may be on to something in using terry cloth dish towels as a napkin.  Think about it, they are absorbent and thick and they wash up great.  So I may be heading back to the Dollar Tree to get some dish towels for our every day use.  When it comes to company, I have plenty of paper napkins on hand.

Micro Fiber cloths - I bought a stash and keep them with my cleaning supplies.  I also have some in my bathrooms to use for daily clean up.  I love micro fiber cloths.  They do a much better job on cleaning mirrors, sinks and faucets.

Dust cloths and lambs wool - I have quit buying swiffer dust cloths. I don't think they were really that great in the first place.  In their place I purchased some dust cloths and I invested in two lamb's wool cleaning tools.  These are like sticks that have lambs wool wrapped around them.  One is long so I can reach and get all those high spots and the other is smaller for getting in and around places to dust.

I have quite a supply of paper towels on hand as I purchased these at some great sales with coupons.  I am using these for cleaning up pet mishaps.  Lately it would appear that my cat loves to chew on grass and then comes in the house and gets sick.  Paper towels are great for that purpose.

Kleenex - sorry, I will continue to buy these on sale as I don't think I could start to use a hankerchief like grandma.  All of grandma's hankerchief's were beautiful embroidered works of art, so I don't think she ever used them anyway.

Toilet Paper - no way am I going to use pieces of cloth. I draw the line.  Toilet paper is bought on sale with a coupon and always will be.

Of all of the frugal tips this one was a little harder for me to start.  It just seemed more convenient and "clean" to reach for a paper towel or a napkin when I needed it.  Now it is just as easy as I have plastic bins of these items under my sink right next to where I keep a small roll of paper towels. 

Frugal Tip #2 - Clean Showers

I spent the afternoon cleaning out my basement and getting my pantry organized along with my laundry room.  We had water in a portion of our basement two weeks ago and I needed to spend some time sweeping and putting some things away.  Laundry day is tomorrow and I am almost giddy at the prospect of doing the laundry in a neat laundry room. 

One thing is true and that is to live a frugal life you must be organized.  If you are disorganized, you end up going out and buying stuff that you probably already have stashed somewhere.  I found a few things that I had been wondering where I had put them.  I'm sure it's not age catching up to me - just being in a hurry and not putting things in their proper place. 

I couldn't let the weekend end without sharing another frugal tip that I have tried and liked.

I was never comfortable with the daily shower cleaners on the market.  I didn't really want to put those kind of chemicals on my shower every day and besides it is money better spent elsewhere. 

I have a daily routine for keeping my shower mold and mildew free, especially during the warm summer months.  I am the last person to take a shower in our house each day.  After I turn off the water I take a cloth that I have hanging on a hook in the shower and I wipe the shower walls and doors down.  This doesn't dry them off, as that is not my intent, instead it wipes off any soap scum or shampoo residue that may still be on the shower. 

Then when I get out of the shower I lightly mist the shower with a bleach water solution.  I take 2 to 3 tablespoons of bleach and pour it into a spray bottle and fill the bottle with water.  I do not use a recycled spray bottle as I don't want to take a risk of mixing any bleach with leftover chemicals that may still be in a recycled spray bottle. 

As to the bleach, I watch for sales and I always buy the scented bleaches to use in my shower mist.  Then I don't have that bleach smell in my bathroom.

Lastly I leave the shower door open for the rest of the morning in order to help the shower air dry.  And that is that.  Since I have been doing this, my shower stays fresh and clean inbetween the regular days I clean the bathroom. 

I have found that this same principal can work in the toilet.  Give the toilet a quick swish with the toilet brush and then mist with the bleach spray each morning. 

For the price of an old washcloth and about 2 tablespoons of bleach I have a frugal alternative to the daily shower cleaners on the market.

Frugal Tip #1 - Mascara

I like to wear some makeup even if I know I am going to be home for the day.  I always purchase a good quality foundation, usually from Merle Norman.  It lasts close to 6 months and for $20 that is a good deal in my mind.  I buy name brand mascara and eye liner from Walmart.  The rest - eye shadow, blush, lip gloss/stick I purchase on the cheap from the dollar store.  I have never had a problem with allergies and I have always been satisfied. 

No matter what brand of mascara I buy, after about 2 weeks, it always seems to glop and it is hard to apply to my lashes. I am sure it is the result of air getting into the tube as I push the mascara brush down each time I use it.

I like to put on one coat of mascara and not several coats of thick mascara on my lashes.  At my age (51), less is definitely more.  This morning I tried a tip that I had read about a long time ago.  Before I got in the shower I took my tube of mascara and set it in a cup of very hot tap water and let it sit in that water until I was done with my shower and had dried my hair.  I didn't cover the tube with the hot water but only let the water come up to the lid of the mascara.

When I went to apply the mascara it was warm, melted and perfect for applying to my lashes.  It gave me a nice smooth coat, no glops and I was very happy with the result.

Now, I don't recommend keeping makeup for a long time as it is not sanitary, but I do expect mascara not to get gloppy after only 2 weeks.  Mascara usually runs around $5.00 without a coupon and most of the time I have at least a 50 cent or $1.00 coupon to use.   I am sure that I will be able to get at extra month's worth of mascara, without the glops, from doing this simple tip. 

Hmmm - maybe I should invent a mascara warmer and sell it on the internet.

Picking up the Pennies

Am I the only one that is willing to bend down to pick up a penny?  I always do because it makes me feel happy.  Yeah, I know, it doesn't take much to make my day.  Sometimes we forget that pennies are not worthless, they are valuable when accumulated.

As part of my $150 challenge, I will be trying out some frugal tips and I will post what has worked for me.  Just like reaching down to pick up a penny off the ground, I will take those pennies (frugal tips)  and watch them grow into nickles, dimes and dollars.