My Frugal Life: Waste Nothing

When growing a garden and preserving your harvest, make sure to use it all. If you have too many green beans, make dilly beans or make homemade soup to freeze or can. Make up casseroles and freeze for busy days. Use vegetable scraps for the chickens or compost pile. Sell extras or give away. Offer it to be gleaned, as the Bible says. Boil corn cobs for jelly. Save the corn husks for crafts and the "hair" for teas. Save squash seeds and dry (like pumpkin seeds) or wash them, air dry them and use them to grow more next year.

Fruit is the same way. Make a juice from the peach seeds or apple cores and make jelly. Make leathers when the fruit is to soft, just add honey and dry.

Air dry or sell all your herbs. Make combination to sell or use such as "Itailian" or "Tea Mixtures". Press and dry flowers for crafts or better yet grow ones that are edible. Dry them and include them in your mixtures.

If you have too much bread that is getting stale, dry it for stuffing, bread crumbs, bread pudding. Save eggshells for any plant that likes lime. Save coffee grounds for acid loving plants. Save tea bags and banana peels for roses. Waste Nothing. By doing all this and more in every aspect of your life, you not only save big but you don't impact the planet in a negative way.

Don't forget to compost the dead plants from the garden. Also, if you have 1/2 cup of any vegetable or meat, keep it in a can in the freezer until there is enough for soup, stew or a pot pie.

And save your glass jars to store things. It recycles and keeps you away from plastics. I love to share and am always looking for ways not to waste and save money. Good luck on your saving adventure - it is FUN to see how much you can save!

By Tightwade from West Middlesex, PA

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