Getting Help With Utility Bills?
Dont combine your incomes. You are not a couple. He lives in your house or you live in his house. Because he is an adult and not your spouse, you do not need to combine your incomes. Contact social services to get the financial help you need.
Fertilize Now For Spring Planting
I have been shoveling horse manure this week. The goal is about 10 yards. It doesnt have to be put on the garden spot immediately. I am piling it up for later, letting it cook. Right now everything is too wet for me to get in there and unload it in the garden...
Paper or Fabric? What Napkins Save the...
Cloth napkins dont get used up at every meal. They can be used for a whole day, or even longer if the eater is not a slob about it. Paper napkins are often treated with chemicals that hinder their absorbancy. Cloth napkins dont have that. And you cant count...
New Year's Resolution: Be A Better Person
My resolution from years back that I havent fallen down on yet, is to accept myself for the person I am in the moment. I believe that every person does the best he or she can to get his or her needs met. That being a humans highest goal, and when I dont like...
Donate Care Packages For Christmas
I love this idea. However, I wonder at the anonymity of it. I would sign my name. I believe what people really want is community connection. Yes, they need all those other things too... and if I had to choose between new socks and community? I would gladly...
Shopping for Contour Sheets for a King Size Mattress?
You can use the sheets you have by using those elastic straps under the mattress to tighten the corners.
Unclogging a Garbage Disposal?
Crawl under the sink with a flashlight and look for the reset button. Its usually on the bottom of the disposer.
How Do I Keep the Shower Curtain From Blowing in and Sticking to Me?
The weight of the metal clips may do the trick though. Even though they arent magnetic. I would try that first. If it doesnt work you can always use the clips in another application.
Freezing Butternut Squash?
If I was going to freeze butternut squash I would cook it first by any method. The problem with this is that you have to then use it in soups or pureed. Why freeze it at all? Keep the whole squash in a cool dark dry spot and cut it open when you want to use...
Small Bugs on House Plant?
You can make your own insect killing spray by mixing dish detergent with water 1:5 . Use that strength to kill wasps and other annoying insects. Use a more dilute mixture for spraying directly on plants.
Store Honey Bottle in a Mason Jar
I employ the ants to clean up those drips. I wasnt going to eat that dripped honey anyway. You might try raw honey. Its almost a solid and never drips.
Place Line Dried Clothes In The Dryer To Soften Up
Doesnt that undermine the savings of using the line? I just THWAP mine as I fold off the line and they soften right up.
Homemade Vegetable Garden Fertilizer?
Depends on what nutrient you are lacking. You might try Epsom salts for magnesium. If its nitrogen you are lacking, here is a country solution, literally. Make a 10:1 solution of water to urine. Water with this once a week or so. Not too much or you will have...
Reducing the Cost of Feeding a Family
I have been thinking about holding a workshop on How to make your SNAP benefits last a whole month. Checking your receipt, knowing WHEN to shop, choosing store brands over named brands, are all good tips. Maybe knowing how to work the corporate game is the...
Improving Instant Hot Cocoa
I like the science experiment of making hot cocoa. 1 TBSP cocoa, 2 TBSP sugar. dash of cinnamon, hot milk, drop of vanilla. Scratch cooking is a wonderful thing. Each child has her own personal mug. They have an appreciation for the taste of real cocoa and...
Substitute Broth in Place of Milk
Hi Shirley, thanks for sharing your idea. I like the idea of using broth in the mashed potatoes. Many people who appear to be lactose intolerant can handle cheese or yogurt better than they can handle milk. You might try using the water from the cooking of...
Buy Frugal Extras When You Shop
Nope. a can of beans looks like a can of beans to everyone. And maybe it looks like dinner.
Buy Mulch In Bulk From Landscapers
This is a good idea....however, 40 bucks a scoop is outrageous! Shop around. I *might* pay 17 bucks a scoop. To save more money on a moderate load (e-4 yards) have a friend with a truck pick it up for you for dinner and beer. Another thing about mulch- only...
Camping and Hiking Safety Tips
This is pretty fear based. Yeah, sure, bring a small first aid kit including a maxi pad and duct tape. But you dont need to be over the top about it. If you pack for every possible catastrophe you wont be able to carry your pack. Do not leave your brain at...
Saving Energy Washing Dishes?
I dont have running water at my house. We use rainwater to wash dishes and to bathe. During the summer I wash in cold water. I heat the water in winter so that my hands arent totally frozen while doing the dishes. I also wait until I have most of our limited...
