Filed under: The Environment
Next time you take a shower, plug the bathtub. My, what a lot of water we waste staying clean. The next day, do the same thing but take a navy shower. For those who don’t know, that’s when you only run the water to wet hair and rinse off.
A four minute shower uses about ten gallons of water. A Navy shower uses about 3. That’s a lot of water if you do it on a daily basis. Not only do you save water, but you save the electricity it takes to heat that extra seven gallons of water. And it’s so much better for the environment.
Filed under: cooking
Today I cooked a roast for my husband. He still adores meat so I placate him while meat is on sale. While I was at it, I scrubbed a bunch of potatoes and threw those in to bake. I’ll make different fillings for them, stuff them, and finish them off in the microwave tomorrow and the next day.
Oh, and before the roast went in, I baked some healthy muffins for breakfasts and some more cookies to go in the freezer for occasional treats.
After you are finished getting multiple uses out of the oven, run the clean cycle if it really needs it.
Filed under: Beauty
Okay, not as catchy as the commercial, but it works and it’s cheap. Put some epsom salts in your bath water, add a few drops of essential oil, and enjoy. Add a little bit of baby oil if you want to really feel luxurious. Do this before a pedicure and your feet will feel wonderful. I sometimes plug up my bathtub, put a small amount of epsom salts in the bottom, and shower as normal. Not as water wasting as a bath but oh so refreshing for the feet.
Cider vinegar makes a good rinse for oily hair. If your hair has a lot of hair spray or hair gel build up, put a little shampoo in the palm of your hand, add some baking soda, wash as usual.
I buy those disposable latex gloves to put under my gardening gloves. During the winter when my hands are prone to get chapped, I take some petroleum jelly mixed with a dash of olive oil, rub it all over my hands, slip into those latex gloves, and leave on for 30 minutes. Oh, so soft. And the gloves can be reused. Just turn them inside out and give them a wash.
Olive oil makes a great makeup remover. Makes a pretty good shaving aid as well. Forget the expensive shaving creams.
Don’t buy the expensive anti-dandruff shampoos. Apply a bit of lemon juice to your hair before you shampoo. After you shampoo, rinse and then apply two cups water mixed with two tablespoons lemon juice.
This weekend I made a huge pot of black bean soup. While I was at it, I soaked and softened two bags worth of beans so I have gobs left for other things such as black beans and rice and black bean stuffed potatoes. After my soup was done simmering in the crock pot, I portioned it out for eating and freezing. A quick wash of the crock pot and in went a whole chicken, some water, and some seasonings for chicken soup.
For my family, I made some bread which only cost pennies per loaf. It only takes a few minutes if you have one of those good kitchen aid mixers with a dough hook. After the four loaves of bread were done baking, I baked some smaller loaves of my gluten free bread. While the oven was still hot, a few cookies for guests went in.
Then I made a bunch of flour tortillas for family and some corn tortillas for myself. It’s time consuming, even with a tortilla press, but saves a lot of money and the flavor can’t be beat.
Boom, clean the kitchen real well and we have enough meals for the week. Of course, the first couple of weeks you do this, you have to cook some regular meals during the rest of the week or you’ll be eating the same thing day in and day out. But after three weeks of cooking large batches of soups and stews, you have enough of a variety of things from which to pull lunches and dinners without getting too bored. And the shopping list for each week is nice and short and the total cooking time is only a couple of hours rather than the whole day that it usually takes to cook for the month.
Most people think of dieting as some sort of deprivation. Don’t eat this, don’t eat so much of that. I approach it in a slightly different manner. I make additions to my daily consumption.
I add lots of water. It has zero calories. It fills me up. My skin loves it. It helps keep things moving and it does help prevent fiber from bulking up and causing problems. So, add 8 ounces per day until you’re consuming that 80 ounces or so of water. Drink a glass 1/2 hour before eating. Drink a glass when you wake up. Most definitely consume water before and during exercise.
Add a snack. That’s right. I have actually added a snack to my diet. Around 4:00 p.m. I have an apple with a bit of peanut butter (the kind without any additives) and, you guessed it, a glass of water. It will spoil my dinner you say. That’s right. That’s part of the idea. Eating a smaller dinner is helpful if you’re attempting to lose weight. It’s healthier as well since going to bed on a full stomach is not a good idea.
Add some legumes, slowly. They’re cheap, especially if you buy them dried. They contain lots of good proteins, vitamins and fiber. They take a while to digest so you feel satisfied for a longer period of time. So, today, start your dinner with a nice bowl of lentil soup.
Add vegetables. If you normally squeeze in one vegetable for dinner, tonight cook two types. If you’re making soup, throw in one or two more kinds of vegetables than the recipe calls for.
Add fish. A nice dose of fish for lunch or dinner gives you your Omega-3′s, selenium, antioxidants, and protein.
Add dessert. No, I don’t mean cheesecake. I mean a nice healthy bite of fruit. Slice a peach. Yum. The idea is to add so many healthy items into your diet that you no longer have room for high calorie unhealthy choices.
Filed under: The Environment
Saving the environment benefits everyone. One step is to concentrate on reducing the amount of garbage your family produces.
Buy from bulk bins as much as possible to reduce packaging. 33 percent of what we throw away consists of product packaging.
I use plastic containers to store leftover food instead of foil and cling wrap. I take my own lunch to work and use a thermal lunch bag and those plastic sandwich containers which I can take home, wash, and reuse.
Use canvas bags when you shop or take the plastic bags back to recycle or reuse. We like to find at least one additional use for items that we throw away so, when we do end up with plastic grocery bags, we use them to pick up after our dogs while out on walks.
Compost fruit and vegetable scraps, coffee grounds, egg shells, etc… We shred our bills and other scraps of paper and compost that as well. Just make sure it doesn’t contain any hazardous inks.
Buy fruits and vegetables in bulk in season and freeze rather than relying on canned items.
Recycle your paper by making paper out of it. http://www.pioneerthinking.com/makingpaper.html has some great directions. It’s a bit time consuming but a fun craft for family.
Read news on the internet instead of buying a newspaper.
Recycle clothing by giving the good stuff to a charitable organization and finding another use for the stuff that’s too worn to give away. Old shirts and towels make great rags. Cut up some old clothes and use them to stuff the dog bed. You get the idea.
Filed under: Gardening
Landscaping can add curb appeal and resale value to your home. Buying plants can be expensive but propagating and filling in with seeded perennials can help.
I can spend $1 or more for each perennial or get a packet of seeds, make a sterile seed starting mix, and grow my own. Nasturtiums are easy to grow and it’s easy to harvest seeds for the next year. I also do gazanias but I buy those seeds each year. Each seed packet yields the equivalent of a $12 perennial flat or so. I grow some vegetables and herbs as well, always choosing those that are easy to grow in my area. I can usually fill my freezer with zucchini and enjoy it all year long. My favorite seed starting recipe is 1 part perlite, 1 part peatmoss, and 1 part ground or milled sphagnum moss. The seed packets will explain how deep to plant each variety.
Division is a great way to expand irises, hostas, daylilies, and some grasses.
I increase my bush collection with propagation. Hydrangeas are extremely easy to propagate. Take a hydrangea cutting early in the summer, remove the bottom couple of leaves, cut the largest leaves down to half their size, dip in rooting hormone, place in a good sterile starting medium (damp vermiculite works well), place a couple of stakes in the pot to hold up the plastic bag cover, and place in a spot out of direct sunlight. Don’t over water. You’ll have a rooted cutting in a few weeks.
Water consumption can be very high in the garden. In order to reduce it, I grow plants that are indigenous to my area and I use mulch. There are many ways to mulch but I prefer living mulch known as ground cover. It’s a bit pricey to begin with but does reduce the total amount spent in the long run and is much easier to deal with, in my opinion, than the traditional bark and bark dust which must be replaced periodically.
It’s never too early to start planning for spring garden additions.
Filed under: Cleaning
Use to clean and disinfect counter tops.
Make some ice cubes out of vinegar and then run them down the garbage disposal to clean and deodorize.
Clean the microwave by putting some vinegar and water in a microwave safe dish, cook until it boils up and splatters the side. Wipe out and you have a clean and odor free microwave.
Clean any greasy kitchen area with straight white vinegar.
Of course, we all know it’s great for cleaning those coffee makers. Regularly run the vinegar through the coffee machine and then run it two or three times with plain water.
Clean plastic containers with straight vinegar if they are stained or have an odor.
Salt and vinegar mixed together makes a dandy cleaner for brass, copper, and pewter.
Soak a rag or paper towel in vinegar, wrap around faucet or wherever you have calcium deposits, let it soak for a few hours, wipe clean.
Clean grout with white vinegar and a toothbrush.
Use it for cleaning your shower door or shower curtain.
Vinegar is also a germ killer so use it to wipe surfaces such as door knobs and light switches.
Try it as a stain remover in the laundry room. As always, test on an inconspicuous part of the clothing first.
It makes a pretty good weed killer and is environmentally healthy.
Pour it on anthills.
One part vinegar and one part water sprayed on slugs will kill them and is a bit safer for your garden than the old ammonia trick.
Filed under: Travel
Travel during the off-season. That might vary from area to area so check ahead of time. In our town, we have a weekend event in the middle of winter during which hotels all charge top dollar. People who are traveling during that time and are totally unaware of it end up paying a premium when fatigue overcomes their desire for a less expensive alternative 45 miles down the road. You can always call hotels and ask if there are any special events occurring during the time you wish to visit their towns.
Many hotels, if less than half full or so, have negotiable rates. Check some of the online reservation services for prices before traveling and then stop by a few of the hotels to see if they’ll price match. Please, don’t go to an ocean front hotel and attempt to get the rate you were just quoted for the local flea bag. Be reasonable and you’ll find that most front desk clerks will work with you.
If you are going to be traveling during peak season, reserve your rooms as early as possible. For some hotels, rates go up as projected occupancy increases. If you book several months ahead of time, you can often get a rate that is less than the “walk in” price will be.
There are times when checking in early in the day will get you a better rate than if you wait until 10:00 p.m. Large hotels have more rooms to fill so, if it’s early in the day and they are still unsure of how many people they will get walking in, they will often offer a discounted rate. If you notice the hotel parking lots filling up, you may have waited too long to get the best bargain. But, if traffic is light, wait until later in the day because they’d rather have you in at a discounted price than leave the room empty and, at those times, they get more desperate about filling the rooms later in the day.
Be nice to the front desk clerk. Rudeness will get you nowhere.
Go camping. We got away almost every weekend during the summer when our children were young. We met lots of nice people in the campgrounds. And, by sleeping in a tent and cooking our own meals, it was very affordable. It’s also a good opportunity to explore the state in which you live. In many areas you won’t even need a tent if you book far enough in advance because more and more campgrounds are acquiring yurts.
Take day trips. When I was a child, money was very tight. But we always had enough to throw a chicken in the cooler and go up to the mountains for the day. Depending on where you live, you can explore and explore the closer parts of your state without every running out of new opportunities.
Filed under: Cleaning
I buy baking soda by the ten pound bag at the local restaurant supply store.
It makes a great presoak for diapers.
Add 1/2 cup to a washer load for better cleaning.
Use it as a wash for fruits and vegetables.
It’s a great cleaner for formica counter tops and fiberglass bathtubs.
Sprinkle some in the bottom of your dishwasher occasionally to keep it clean and smelling sweet.
Sprinkle on a pan that’s hard to clean. Add just enough water to moisten. Leave overnight.
Once per week, put 1/2 cup of baking soda down your drains and flush with hot water.
It makes a great toothpaste. I brush my teeth as normal with a small amount of toothpaste. Then I dab some baking soda on my toothbrush and give my teeth another brush. The last time I went for a cleaning, it was over very quickly because I didn’t have much tartar at all.
Add a small amount to legumes as they are cooking to reduce their gas producing properties.
Equal parts borax and baking soda can be used as a dishwasher detergent.
If you’re doing dishes or pots and pans in the sink, add some to your dishwater for better cleaning.
Bugs stuck on your chrome bumper? Yep, gentle clean with baking soda paste.
Deodorize your carpet by sprinkling with baking soda 1/2 hour before vacuuming.
Use it to clean your toilet. You can also add it to the tank before going to bed and flushing in the morning to clean tank and bowl.
I add a dab to my shampoo to help clean the hairspray build up out of my hair.
