On the edge of frugality

Let's think of some ways that you can exercise your frugal personality and also perhaps help this old Earth a bit.

Reusing aluminum foil and plastic zip/fold-over bags has always been a great way to stretch your pennies. Just be sure you don't reuse the bacteria that clings. Yep a few cracker crumbs or something can be "sudsy-water-washed" out and you're o.k. A bologna sandwich baggie washed out might be trickier and remember you don't want any of the bacteria to travel with the foil or baggie when you reuse it.

I cut tops off the bottles of lotion and use a small-blade plastic scraper (spatula) to get the lotion clinging to the side and very bottom out. I then put it in a small margarine tube (w/ lid) and use it all. Jergens stress lotion is particularly thick and hard to get all out unless you do this.

Any cooking water is great to save to use for soups, sauces, or veggies. (Now you may want to draw the line on collard greens or turnip greens ?????) You save this vitamin rich and flavorful broth in Coolwhip container or (square is better if you have it) other containers and place it in the freezer to use later. Veggie water or meat broth (chicken, ham, fresh pork, beef) is great, and you can use the water from cooking potatoes or pasta as well. You can use it for soups. If you don't add salt to the initial cooking, this liquid can even be used to reconstitute concentrated soups that you purchase. The meat broths can be used to cook fresh veggies as well as the base for soup. These veggie and meat broths make great liquid bases for your sauces and gravies as well.

I don't save liquid from cooked fruit. Usually it takes such a little and I usually add sugar so the fruit is cooked pretty "low." These liquids left over are simply great to "eat out of the pot" or pour over a bit of ice cream. Now if you cook your own preserves or jams from fresh fruit, and if you somehow end up with more liquid that your preserves need, you have an absolutely wonderful syrup to pour over your waffles or pancakes.

Pepperidge Farm and Arnold breads are close to $4 a loaf now. So ever-so-often I go by the outlet and stock up. It costs $1.89/loaf there. Usually though, they have a "featured" bread or so on the counter that is going for $1 a loaf. Also, on Tuesdays they give 10% off to seniors. (just another perk for going grey) So every three weeks or so, I run by and buy our bread They have crackers at about $1 box as well as cookies. Sometimes they have Godiva coffee. I bring it home and place it in a plastic bag, and place it in the freezer. Yesterday I got a pack of 8 Pepperidge whole wheat hamburger buns ($2.89/pkg) for $1. Really nice buns.

When I save my "bread bags," I make sure to shake out all the crumbs. I then "roll" them. Later, when I need a baggie, I can then peel one off and they take less space to store.

In Him there is hope

Found on the web and thought it worth sharing. If you can't read the small print in the pictures, try to enlarge.

Vindication of frugality

Through the years I have received "the look" that said, "Really!" when talking about things I did around the house. Some things for example:

• Catching the water potatoes were cooked in during draining to use in soup, gravy, or for cooking other veggies in.
• Catching the water pasta was cooked in during draining to use in soups and gravy.
• Taking old towels and cutting them down into wash cloths and hemming the edges. Or making a smaller towel to use as a hand towel out of a bath towel.
• Remaking clothes to fit smaller bodies.

Now I have been vindicated! I was reading "Nature's Place," a free magazine distributed at Food Lion grocery stores. There is a mini article that I will quote below:

savings, al dente
Has a large pot of pasta water ever seemed too heavy to hoist? Don't laugh - mericans cook around a billion pounds of pasta a year, and besides muscle, we use lots of energy and water to do it.

So here's some welcome info: you can cook pasta in about half the water called for. Save energy and water (and your strength) by using three to four quarts for a pound of pasta. Gradually add it to boiling water, stir until water returns to a boil, and cook to your liking, stirring occasionally. Besides tasty noodles, you'll end up with thick pasta water you can add to sauce. Even better, use whole-wheat pasta; it's nutritious and results in flavorful water for sauces and pestos. (Selected Sources. "How Much Water Does Pasta Really Need?" by Harold McGee, New York Times. 2/25/09, "How to Cook Pasta," www.savvyvegetarian.)

Now the funny thing about this whole article is simply that I always felt that the amount of water called for in the directions to boil your pasta was too much, so I have NEVER used as much. Yes, my water was kinda thick, but that was so much better for my later uses of it.

So get cracking, folks, and save your strength using less water and save your pasta-water to use later. You'll be glad you did. You'll be being frugal - by not wasting ANYTHING - and you'll get every smidgen of good out your food products.

Rethink what you are throwing away! Save the water any veggie is cooked in. You can use it in soups, sauces, etc. You'll be glad you did.

And while you're thinking pasta, you might want to look at The National Pasta Association website.

Rolling the "r-r-r-r-r-r's" a bit on an old song.....

As we step into the month of March, we see all about us signs that the Irish and their green clovers and other green items are everywhere. Why, you'da thot we was all Irish in these United States of America. However, that is not the case. But I'll agree there is a bit of the Irish in a heap of us. Myself included. You see..... my granny said that on "her" side of the family they were Scotch-Irish. Now whatever does that mean? Well, I'll be tell ye all, it means that on some songs you tend to roll the "r-r-r-r's a bit. On some tunes you feel your step lighten or maybe jig a bit. In fact, you might even be inclinded to wear a bit of green around the middle of March like all the real Irish will be a-doing. Anyway, here are the words to an old hymn. Now I don't know from whence it came; but whenever we sang it in church, I'd feel the "r-r-r-r-r's" rolling, my voice had a special lilt, and I felt the music roll over me in a way that is hard to describe. I can't find the midi file online so you can hear it, but see if you can get the cadence of the words.......

STILL SWEETER EVERY DAY
To Jesus ev'ry day I find my heart is closer drawn;
He's fairer than the glory of the gold and purple dawn;
He's all my fancy pictures in its fairest dreams, and more;
Each day He grows still sweeter than He was the day before.

His glory broke upon me when I saw Him from afar;
He's fairer than the lily, brighter than the morning star;
He fills and satisfies my longing spirit o'er and o'er;
Each day He grows still sweeter than He was the day before.

My heart is sometimes heavy, but He comes with sweet relief;
He folds me to His bosom when I droop with blighting grief;
I love the Christ who all my burdens in His body bore;
Each day He grows still sweeter than He was the day before.

The half cannot be fancied this side the golden shore;
Oh, there He'll be still sweeter than He ever was before.
by--- W. C. Martin

You know, folks, it just might be the Scotch in me that loves the song so much. Who knows?

Pennies make dimes, and dimes make dollars

There was a recent article online about concern by health professionals that as the economy worsens, the people in the US will grow fatter. The concern is that those who have been trying to eat healthy with whole grains and lots of fruits and veggies will not be able to continue to afford them and will opt for foods with lots of carbs and empty calories. I can see this happening. However, I can also see that those who are health conscious will still find ways to serve nutritious meals without lots of the stuff that is harmful to our bodies. Processed foods are oft times more expensive than those you normally cook from scratch yourself. However, if coupons are continue to be available and if stores continue to have coupon doubling and special sales that can be matched with coupons, some processed foods will be virtually free. For example: Hamburger Helper.

However, some shoppers will surely still choose to maintain as healthy a food plan for themselves and their families as possible. How they will do this frugally will be a challenge unless, of course, they have the opportunity to grow some of their own food or have access to reasonably priced fresh produce, etc. During WWII (no I don't remember all this first hand 'cause I was too young), even people who lived with tiny patches of yards managed to grow a "Victory Garden." So you may need to plant cabbages and tomatoes, etc., between the bushes in front of your house and in other little spots of dirt you have. Each plant you can harvest is something you don't have to pay full price for, and it is good for you. Do I know how to do this? No, and it's a bit late in life to learn and be able to do, but it is a possibility for most people.

So formulate for yourself a plan to further your methods of frugal living and saving pennies.

Pennies make dimes, and dimes make dollars, and dollars put food on the table and pay the electric bill.

Ladies Skin in Winter

We are in Winter. Clearly, January is Winter! And when you are somewhat in the Winter of your life, then you had better take heed to what you do to your skin. When you're young, you can ride the crest of the wave and ignore it somewhat as I, out of necessity, did. However, you would do well to heed the advice of dermatologists and cosmetologists and apply a bit of cream and ultraviolet blocking screener.

I have found that ANY cream at ANY price is better than NO cream! So ladies, take heed and get some cream on your face, your hands, your neck, your legs, your feet. You will be glad you did for not only will they look better now and in the FUTURE, but they will most certainly feel better right now and in the future.

You can purchase a pretty good line of creams and skin care items from Yves Rocher online. I have used them for several years. I love Lancome products and use them whenever I can. I particularly like a Lancome creamy lotion (it is white) to cleanse the face and also a Lancome hydrating toner (it is pink). These are wonderful, but they are pricey. I do use Lancome foundation regularly, and it has a good sun screen in it. I always purchase my Lancome items when they offer their "gift" packages. You get wonderful freebies this way.

The Yves Rocher line is a good one to watch as they have really tremendous sales where the items are half price. They also offer some free item/s whenever you make a purchase.

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