Save the hot water, stick the lemon in the microwave for 10 seconds or roll it around on the counter with the heel of your hand. Both will produce a greater volume of juice!

-In the morning I heat a pot of water for tea in an electric kettle (the most efficient way to heat water - beats the microwave and the induction hot plate when I tested them with a Kill-a-Watt Meter) and place the extra water (enough for 2 more cups) in a small Thermos to use later.

-If I can't bake bread in the solar oven, I bake in my Sharp Convection/Microwave oven. Two loaves of bread bake in 25 minutes and no preheating necessary. Cost? Three cents.

-I do a lot of thermal cooking. I make beans, rice and oatmeal in a small Thermos just using boiling hot water for the task, but I can do large cuts of meat in a Thermal Cooker - the non-electric slow cooker.

-Another great energy saver in the kitchen is an induction hot plate. I rarely use my regular cooktop anymore. It cooks things much faster and keeps a lot of heat out of the kitchen.

-To do after-meal clean-up and the dishes we don't put in the dishwasher, we use a small plastic tub for the task and 1-gallon of "saved" water - total. Saved water is that 1-gallon of cold water in the pipes before the shower gets hot. I heat 5-cups of water in an electric kettle (5-minutes and .11 kwh of electricity), add approx. 5 more cups of cold water and use the remainder of the gallon to rinse with.

-Ice tea concentrate. I use one tea bag for two cups and then save them in a container in the freezer. To make ice tea concentrate I use 4 c. of boiling water, a weeks worth the used tea bags and one new tea bag. Brew for 15-minutes. Place the tea concentrate in a recycled plastic container in the refrigerator. When we want a glass of ice tea we add tea concentrate to water and ice.

-Grainlady

I nominate Grainlady for "Most Frugal". Saved water is the most frugal idea I've ever heard of.

Jim

I'll second that, Jim!

I know I'm living as frugally as I can (years of practice!) but I'm sure there are other things I can do.

~ reuse parchment paper when baking; if it has not been scorched brown in the oven and if there are no grease spots, just shake off any crumbs and fold it up to re-use

~ wash and dry zip-lock bags to re-use, except those that have had raw meat in them; I hang mine in the laundry room where they are out of the way

~ buy pantry items such as oatmeal, dried fruit, beans, other grains and flours from bulk bins whenever possible; you can get just what you need so there is less waste and less packaging also

~ make it yourself whenever possible - granola, baked goods, desserts, slaws and salads, meatballs, soups, etc. are all less expensive made with your own ingredients than buying pre-made convenience items

~ many meats specials that appear on Wednesday are marked down considerably by Sunday evening and Monday morning for further savings!

Teresa

Teresa, Peppi gave me a great little bag dryer which sits on top of my dryer. They dry quickly there.

Grainlady, I've done rice and oatmeal and lentils all in a thermos but I can never get dried beans to become cooked enough, they stay too hard. Of course, I like them very tender.

Another frugal tip I've found is that I can get very frugal, but if I don't like the end result I throw it away and negate any savings. Sigh.

Annie

I have learned to temper, somewhat, my desire to cook lots of different types of food. If I crave french fries, I buy a small package; or sushi, or any other exotic dish that require lots of expensive exotic ingredients that I won't use up. Maybe I can then make enough for a thirty, but I only want one small serving or maybe two.
When we go out to eat, I usually get things I will never make at home, often Chinese or sushi.
I have stopped buying all the ingredients to make Reubens when I am the only one who likes them and I only want one sandwich.

The last time I fried (onion rings) they were very good but what a mess. And I did it outside but still had to clean the pan and dispose of all the oil.

If I'm entertaining, I'll do it, of course, but just for me, not so much.

I nominate Grainlady for "Most Frugal". Saved water is the most frugal idea I've ever heard of.

Jim

Annie-

Tips for cooking in a thermos:
1. Soak your bean overnight or at least 6-8-hours.
2. Preheat the thermos with hot water.
3. Add water that has come to a full boil.
4. Lay the thermos on it's side, not upright. That will disperse the water better.
5. The older your beans are, the longer they take to cook. After several hours of "cooking", check for doneness. If not as done as you'd like you may want to dump the hot water and add boiling water again and set for a couple more hours.

-Grainlady

Grainlady, with my gas stove, I'm afraid it would cost as much to bring that water to a boil more than once as it would to just stick them in the crockpot while I'm at work.

It's great, though, for when the power is out. I can light the gas stove with a match but can't run the crockpot without electricity. Oh, and I've successfully cooked macaroni that way too.

Annie

When I cook a roast in the crockpot, I always save the juices. Pour into a glass measuring cup and de-fat overnight in the fridge. Use the juice to cook beans in the crockpot in the next day or two. Cook lots and freeze the extras. Same with making extra rice.
I always have "instant" rice and beans available!

Alternately, I use the roast juice as a base for veggie soup. Not vegetarian, obviously, but enough meat flavor to satisfy our carnivore cravings. LOL

I buy very few packaged goods. Mostly just basic ingredients that I can turn into many different meals.

I also use a bag dryer to save on plastic bags. I save bread bags and such to repackage homemade breads.
The "green bags" have save a lot of produce for us.

I also use reusable containers for packing lunches rather than ziplocs/baggies for the most part.

I use my pot of canning water to kill weeds in hard to reach places (between steps, edges of yard/pasture, etc.
Boils 'em dead! No danger to animals or nature.

I repurpose all sorts of containers from the store products I do buy.
Cottage cheese containers become seed starters.
Spice jars are refilled.
Ketchup, mustard bottles can be use for a number of things like homemade salad dressings, bleach solution in my chicken coop, lavender water for my hair, etc.
Glass jars hold dry goods, homemade yogurt, nails, sewing supplies, whatever!

I love the idea of saving the shower water, grainlady.
I need to implement that one! Shouldn't take too long to get DH on board.

I'm sure there's more....just not thinking right now.

Deanna

My dear mother, a product of the Great Depression, was a staunch proponent of recycling, composting and saving water. She would carry buckets of bath water to water the lawn. Not only was it saving a natural resource, but the soap was a pretty safe insecticide.

Deanna, I just love those Lock N Lock containers, since I carry leftovers for lunch and ziplock bags cannot go to recycling.

Abundantblessings, I remember Grandma washing outside in an old wringer washer, and the drain hose Dad hooked up ran right out into her rose garden. On Laundry day she'd move that drain hose around to make sure everything got watered. That rose garden was her one splurge in life, but she sure wasn't going to waste water that cost electricity to pump, so it went on her roses and the raspberry and gooseberry bushes.

I'm not quite that good, my laundry water goes down the drain, but Grainlady has a good idea, because I have city water and I pay for it by the gallon. While I'm waiting for the water to get warm, I'm usually filling the dog dish and my watering can for the indoor aloe plant and outside plant hangers, but it doesn't take that much every day so some always ends up down the drain.

Annie

Posted by jimster "I nominate Grainlady for "Most Frugal". Saved water is the most frugal idea I've ever heard of.
Jim"

I agree, Grainlady is Brainlady when it comes to frugality.

To save water, detergent, and time (time is money), I made dinner tableware out of Teflon pans.

There are Teflon pans that are very inexpensive. They can last a long time if you don�t cook with them.

After each use, they can be rinsed clean in the sink very quickly with cold water. Nothing sticks. No need for dishwasher, soap, hot water. Give them a little shake and all the water droplets fall of the plates and they are dry.

dcarch

dcarch -

I've never seen a convertible pan, so aren't you the clever one. One suggestion... I'm a paper napkin saver (along with being a water saver). We go to one Mexican restaurant where they toss a stack of extra napkins on the table, while the one they wrap the flatware in is more than enough for the task. We've driven through McDonald's for an ice cream cone and the 12-year old at the window gave us 20 napkins. (You get the picture...) Being frugal, I bring those home with me from the restaurant since they will go into the trash anyway, and you can only stuff so many of them into the glove box of the car. Now you have a source to clean out your pan, besides water.

I don't use paper towels. I have a roll that is a couple years old on a cute holder, but we use saved napkins (kept in a cute napkin holder) for wiping out and polishing our stainless steel cookware with powdered cleaner. A saved napkin is tucked into hubby's lunch box and that one is used to polish a pan in the evening when doing dishes for a double use. Draining bacon, picking up that dropped egg... Otherwise I'm a rag-using kinda' gal ;-).

Oh, and Annie, ask for an electric kettle for Christmas. Every home needs an electric kettle. The only thing faster at producing hot water is an instant hot water maker, but I can't justify the cost. Because the water is in contact with the heating element, it takes less energy to heat. With a kettle on the stove, you heat a lot of air surrounding the kettle, plus the kettle, and eventually the water gets heated.

For 5-cups of water:
Sharp Convection/Microwave Oven - 13-minutes (.29 kwh)
Induction Hot Plate - 8-minutes (.15 kwh)
Electric Kettle - 5-minutes (.11 kwh)

-Grainlady

"I don't use paper towels."

Inspired by dcarch's suggestiion a while back, I bought a big pack of red shop rags from Harbor Freight when I saw them on sale. They've been serving me well. When I get to the bottom of the stack they will go into the laundry.

Jim

Our habits, which I think serve taste and health as well as financials -

- Buy meat, poultry, and fish in as large and as unprocessed a form as we can handle. Cryovac packaged meat cuts (alas I can't handle a half cow)rather than individual servings, whole chickens rather than individual pieces, whole fish rather than fillets. You can do a better job of portioning and butchering than most stores do today, it is cheaper, and the trimmings and bones make good stock.
- Learn to cook the cheaper, tougher cuts of beef and pork with more connective tissue and fat - the shoulders and shanks - these often have more innate flavour than the expensive lean cuts, and are the basis for some of the greatest classic dishes. Don't overlook the organs, these are delicacies that get sold cheaper than the lowest-grade ground beef. Similarly, get familiar with all the fishes, the mackerels and catfish and sardine, not just the expensive halibut and tuna.
- Shop at the Asian grocery! Inexpensive! Demanding shoppers! High volume and fresh meat/live fish!
- Make stock in a pot that lives on the burner all the time, put all your trimmings in there - this is sort of the old-time pot au feu method. Then use this stock instead of water. Adds a lot of flavour, less salt and money than packaged stock.

John, I do agree with the Asian grocery being inexpensive. Elery and I go to the one Nancy (wizardnm) found in Ann Arbor whenever I'm down there.

Grainlady, I save the napkins, but since I seldom go out to eat, I never have a surplus.

I don't use paper towels much either, I have those bar mops I buy in packages of 18, plain white terrycloth that I can bleach if I wipe up something that stains. They are not worth a darn for draining bacon, though.

And yes, I have a "grease can" for the bacon grease and since I use little of it, I mix the leftovers with bird seed, freeze it and use it as a treat for the wild birds in the wintertime.

Annie

One tip I read in one of those little books you pick up next to the checkout at the grocery store, for draining bacon. Instead of using a big stack of paper towels, just use a stack of newspaper with one paper towel on top to be clean. I suppose if you didn't have any newspapers, any sort of paper leftovers would do, anything what would absorb the grease.

Don't throw away day old coffee or unused coffee, you can refrigerate it and then microwave when you are ready to drink it.

And for heaven's sake, don't throw away milk or other dairy products just because the date is no good. Usually they will stay good for a really long time past the date. I've had sour cream that was weeks overdue and still tasted good.

Like John and Annie said, Asian markets have great prices.

For example:

1. Razor clams in Eataly are $9.50 a lb, in Asian store, $4.75 a lb.

2. They always have pork bones, chicken backs, beef bones for $1.00 a bag. Make all the stock you want.

3. Asian stores and a few Spanish stores around my area, they always have $1.00 bags of vegetable or fruits. These are very large bags of brusied veggies and fruits, they may not be very good looking, but they are not rotten. $1.00 for more than $10.00's worth. Great stuff for making apple pies or fruit smoothies.

dcarch

I see those bar rags for sale around here often. I'm so used to using my dishcloth for wiping up spills and they get stained. I don't have a dishwasher and buy my dishcloths and tea towels (for drying dishes, not sure if you call them that) at Costco.

I wonder if it would be worthwhile to use the bar mop rags for cleaning and wiping. Now you've given me something to think about.

I also use the microfiber cloths for washing windows, dusting (no need to use furniture spray), cleaning the glass tables, etc.

I don't have any surplus napkins, either. When we do go out, we take what we need.

I think the best way to drain bacon is on a wire rack over a cookie sheet, instead of sitting on any kind of paper.

I'll have to check on bar mops. I've always used old towels, t-shirts and cheap terry washcloths - a dozen for $3.00 - for all my cleaning. They also fit a swiffer handle perfectly!

Careful with those red shop rags... the dye bleeds and will color things red. Forgetting one in the back pocket of my work pants will turn a whole load of laundry pinkish.

Saved coffee is not real good but drinkable. I turn my pot off as soon as the coffee is made... then warm it in the microwave. Often I find myself drinking yesterday's coffee while wait for a new pot to make. Third day it will have mold on top so no coffee from outside the fridge more then a day old.

Save all my bacon grease. Fat is fat and bacon grease has no more calories then canola oil. My cholesterol levels are just fine... both low and balanced. A hamburger or egg fried in bacon grease tastes twice as good. What is the salad they make with bacon grease?

Don't over frugal. Most of the time it is cheaper to use a paper towel then to wash and dry a load of rags. To get any savings rags must be hung to dry. I'm single and buy the 16 roll package... half the price per roll of the smaller packages. Same with TP. If a paper towel just has crumbs or is not yucky I'll save it for a nasty chore like cleaning up cat yak... I have a pile of slightly used paper towels.

I have a couple small liquid hand soap bottles with the pump... they are over ten years old. When empty I scrub them clean with my nail brush and refill from a bulk container (made be a husband job as the jug is heavy). The dispensors look and work like brand new.... you would never know they are getting ancient.

Consider restaurant supply places. Michigan has GFS that will also sell retail. A 2lb box of ground cumin costs the same as 2oz in the grocery store... and it is fresher tasting. It goes bad after a year but even throwing some out I come out ahead.

I also hit the institutional section of the local grocery store. When the garden does not keep up with my tomato demand I can buy a 6.6 lb can for what two little cans cost... perfect size to make a 12qt pot of chili.. or tomato soup (ahh homemade tomato soup with onions). I take baked beans to our company potluck dinners... Bush Best comes in 6.6lb cans!

Flour tortilla can be made from a bagged mix. Hardest part is getting them thin... nice thick bready totillas are not bad taco wraps at all. They also taste better... my cat Tuna used to sit up and beg when I cooked them (dry iron frying pan). Brush a fresh one with garlic butter and roll it up... better then restaurant bread sticks.

Frugal is not all about money. I open fewer cans and often have better food. If it is extra work I don't do it... paper plates and plastic cups cost no more then heating dish water. I live far enough from town that I can't just run to the store so bulk/econo sizes were a natural direction. With the cost of gas avoiding even a single extra run to the store saves real money... at least enough to buy me a beer.

: )
lyra

Lots of good logical tips lyra...I've also wondered about how practical it is to wash ziploc bags when you think of all the water you use and that a ziploc only costs a few cents. I do reuse some of the time when they only have a few crumbs in them. I also use paper towels but I use them to the max, over and over until they are totally used up.

jasdip, I use those bar mops as dish towels too, I have some "display" towels that are pretty to look at, but I always have one of those barmops over my shoulder. I use them as dish towels and when they start fraying or getting stained, then they turn into cleaning rags. Also great for dusting and washing the Jeep, and folded up they are trivets and potholders in a pinch. I spread a couple on the counter when washing produce to set the colander on too.

When they are finally so bad I won't use them for anything, I give them to Dave and they become garage rags.

I use cloth napkins too. Yes, I know they cost money to wash, but I do one batch of white towels/napkins/bar mops/etc per week and it osts the same to run that load whether or not I'm tossing in bar mops and napkins or not.

Yes, most of my towels, wash cloths, napkins and bar mops are white, an so very easily bleached.

Lyra, I always have a cup of coffee in the morning while I'm getting ready for work. Since I'm not a morning person, I don't much notice what I'm drinking, so I make half a pot of coffee, I drink a cup or two the morning it's made and then microwave the rest the next day.

Annie

Annie

I wash plastic bags when I do dishes (a three-times-a-day opportunity on most days - 4-times on baking day), so there isn't any additional water needed just for a bag, nor would I waste water on a bag only. We only run the dishwasher every 4-5 days - when it's completely full. A small plastic dishpan is used for after meal clean-up and washing any dishes we don't put in the dishwasher and it takes one-gallon (or less) to do the job by hand.

I disagree that fat is fat. Heated fat is also oxidized and that makes it a body damaging free-radical - which isn't frugal at any price.
"A recent study found that a toxin called 4-hydroxy-trans-2-nonenal (HNE) forms when such oils as canola, corn, soybean and sunflower oils are reheated. Consumption of foods containing HNE from cooking oils has been associated with increased risks of cardiovascular disease, stroke, Parkinson'?s disease, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, various liver disorders, and cancer. Once absorbed in the body, HNE reacts with DNA, RNA and proteins affecting basic cellular processes."

The same reason I avoid deep-fried foods at McDonald's is the same reason I wouldn't save bacon grease or any other oil that has already been heated. If I want bacon grease for flavoring, I'll fry some fatty bacon ends and use it freshly-cooked.

-Grainlady

Thanks for so many GREAT tips. I will have to look for an electric kettle. Thanks Grainlady.

I also save the water. I even use my dish water to flush my toilet. Rinse water from hand washables goes on the plants on the balcony.

Instead of buying rags, cut up old t-shirts. They make excellent rags.

I knit my own dish rags. Pretty pattern, pretty colors, and totally reusable for years.

Thanks everyone for your tips.

Moni

I bought a whole pork loin the other day...Cut off the loin chops and brine and smoked the smaller portion. We now have tons of Canadian Bacon.

Linda

I don't use my range or water heater to heat up the water for boiling potatoes, etc, I use my electric tea kettle to boil the water, then pour it into the saucepan to give things a head start.

When planning to reheat coffee, it helps a whole lot to cool it down quickly by adding ice cubes or milk or putting it in the freezer. It seems to be the sitting around hot after you brew it that makes it taste bad, rather than the actual reheating. Also Coffeesickles or coffee slushees are great in the summer. I like to pour mine in the ice cream maker to make the slushee.

We almost always use cloth dinner napkins for all meals. Recently, we have been taging the used ones with napkin rings to be used for a couple of days. Then they go in with the colored wash.

Great tips, but what is this stuff you call 'leftover coffee'?

Very good frugal tips!!!

Chas045:

I think the stuff they call leftover Coffee, started during WW2 when everything was rationed.

Food, Coffee, Gasoline, Etc. were some of the items.

My father and mother were lucky, having a few farms in the family.
In the city, people went just outside the city limits, to raise Victory Gardens.

The ground was owned by someone who plotted off sections for use, by individuals.

Back to coffee. When someone made a large pot of Coffee,
whatever was left in the pot was cooled fast and
placed in a glass jar with a lid and into the " ice Box ".

It was reheated by whoever wanted a cup.

This was " Leftover Coffee "

The grounds were saved to put around Tomato Plants.

I sort of do the same thing now.
Make 6 cups in my Brew Station , take out the seeds and
turn it off.

When I want another cup later,I heat it in the Micro Wave.

********************************

They also had a small Bunn Warmer back then.

It was an Alluminum Pan with a lid ( 6 inches high ).

Inside there was a wire basket,with legs, the bunns, bagles, bread or
whatever you wanted freshened were placed in it.

About 3 or 4 tablespoons of water, were poured on the bottom and the lid was put on.

This was set on the gas range for a couple minutes.

Everything came out like " just baked ".

*****************************************

I have a Well and Septic System, so I have to be careful,
using too much Water or Detergent for washing.

So I do use paper towels but not like my DD-s.
They make me crazy when they come up.

If they spill a half cup of water, out comes 3 feet of paper towels.
They laugh at me for ripping one in half and a comment,
" Paper Towels are so cheap "

I explained why I do this and if everyone in the US did it, that will mean less trees to be cut down.

They still did not get it but when I went down for a visit,
there were half sized paper towels.

**************************************

Another thing was the amount of dish detergent.
They would squirt it out of the bottle like no tommorrow.

The sink would be full of suds.

So I dilute the detergent. Now I get" why do you do that "

I explained when you Squirt some of the thick soap into a pan, it has to be diluted anyway.

**************************************

Another way to save water !!!

You can use 1/3 the amount of water to flush a standard toilet, if you hold the Handle part way down,

just until the water just starts to Swirl and then let up.

It will go around counter clockwise and drain all the way.

Takes a little practice.

*************************************

Sorry to talk about cooking after the toilet thing,l but

****************************************

Tonight I was cooking some Rigatoni for dinner and I had an ear of Corn to cook also.

I was thinking of this Post, so I Shucked the corn, rinsed it off and put it in with the Pasta, to cook.

Tasted good !!! Did not change the taste or flavor of either.

***********************************

I had about 4 or 5 tablespoons of Spaghetti Sauce leftover,
so I saved it for breakfast tommorrow.

I put it in a frypan, heat it slightly, put 2 eggs in and put the lid on.

Eggs Poached in Spaghetti Sauce, !!!

Good for dippin bread.
Has anyone else ever done this.

************************************

My Grandson-s Girlfriend brought me a bag of Chocolate Chip
Oatmeal, Raisen and Walnut Cookies on last visit.

I told her there was something wrong with them and I would try to figure it out.
I ate half the bag.

The next morning the were hard, someone left the bag open.

I put some Bananna peels in an open sandwich bag and put it into the Zip lock with the Cookies.

They left the next morning. When I checked the Cookies they were softened and had a great flavor.

You can do this with Apple Peels too.

****************************************

I Proof a bowl of Dough in my oven.

Turn it on for a minute,to get it warm, turn it off !!!place the bowl on the top shelf.

Cover with a damp towel.
Put a pan of hot water on the bottom shelf.
Close the door and turn the Oven light on, if you have one.

Should rise i about one half hour.
*************************************

That-s it I Quit !!!

My PC is working as good as me. Freezes every couple of words.
Took an hour and a half to type this.

LOU

Thanks LOU for the "how to proof dough in oven"! Sometimes it's not very warm in the house! Good to know!

WARNING: I wanted to remind folks that are using bleach in the kitchen not to mix it was some dish liquid soaps because of the chemical reaction it can cause! Be sure to read the label and make sure there's no warning not to mix with Bleach as mine says on the bottle of Palmolive Antibacteral!!!!!

If you use the preheated oven method, be sure to check the actual temperature before popping dough into the oven. If it is too hot the yeast on the surface will die. Yeast dies at 140-degrees F. When I use the oven for proofing, I turn the light on while preparing the dough. It's a near perfect proofing temperature (75-80-degrees F) the farthest corner from the light.

-Grainlady

Arkansas girl:

Thank You !!!

I made a Proof Cabinet a long time ago, for a friend.

We used an older refrigerator, that was in good condition,removed the motor etc.,

Cut a small vent hole in the top, placed an electric Fry Pan on the bottom, with water.

The Pan was set on very " Low " heat. The lid had a vent with a butterfly, to regulate the humidity.

This was better than the one I built for my Pizzeria.
- - - - - - - - -

A newer type Refrige can be picked up in a Scrap Yard for a few Dollars. Newer models are foam insulated.

Shelves can be purchased in Dept.Stores.

There are laws governing the releasing of Freon into the atmophere.
You may want to leave the motor etc. intact.

If you get a refrige to use and not know it-s source,

I would cover it with a large plastic and place a Raid Fumigator in it, to kill whatever.

Not the Aresol!!!

Dcarch :
I wanted to tell you about the " Proof Box " in another Post but my PC is not working too good.
***************************

TIP OF THE DAY !!!

If you overcook Waffles, etc. a little, do not throw them away.

I use a Plant Mist Sprayer; with water, before I put them into the Toaster Oven, from the freezer.

Also use a Pastry Brush on some.

Pizza-s can be touched up with water, on some parts that are overcooking, to bake them evenly.

Have a GOOD ONE !!!
LOU

Check this out:

dcarch

Here is a link that might be useful: Worth reading

Grainlady, I am finally getting around to trying thermos cooking, and it's cool! I made seafood with noodles the other day, and turkey chili today.

The one thing I couldn't get myself to do was reuse napkins. I tried for a while using washcloths thinking that would be a good napkin, easy to wash, but the thought came to me to use it more than once, then it hit me how gross that idea is. So you'll use a lot of them if you're going to use cloth. After all, you can reuse paper too if you're trying to be that frugal. To me, given how filthy the human face is, mouth, nose, eyes and face it, people wipe them with napkins, you could be cleaner wiping your butt then reusing it. Nope, that one I won't do, I'll use a little paper!

But to me the all-time Bible of frugality is The Tightwad Gazette series. This is required reading for anyone serious about a frugal lifestyle. You don't use everything she does. You go with the ideas and the basis for what is being done. It's for an attitude adjustment. The re-thinking what we do an get out of the we've always done it this way attitude. Her recipes? Interesting but I don't recall ever using one unless I've already been doing something similar. It's a book you should read occasionally to refresh yourself. I enjoy it as reading material. It's light reading. You can read a paragraph and set it down or read chapters or the whole thing at one time. I found myself taking notes as I went through the book. I was raised to never write in books! Hard to change that.

Another thing I do is since I use a lot of hamburger I'll cook up a bunch at a time, often with some onion in it and freeze it. It costs very little more in energy to cook up 5# than 1# and cleanup is generally equivalent if not the same. Then I can freeze a bunch in serving sizes and pull out some and make a quick sloppy joe, some pizza topping, quesadillas, spaghetti, hotdish or whatever without the grease cleanup.

I also got tired of throwing away so much celery and onion since I don't use a lot at a time. Then it hit me, why not freeze it? I mix up some "cajun trinity" and freeze it. Pull out some when needed and it's ready. Saves prep and cleanup time too, in addition to the elimination of wasted food and money.

I don't do it often but when I do, it does save money, and that's menu planning. Plan out, use pantry stuff, buy what you need, make things that will make several meals, for instance cook the hamburger and onions for sloppy joes, then use some next day for spaghetti, then the next day for dirty rice, then a pizza, etc. Plan side dishes that would go with all or last so it gets used. Problem is I often don't know if I can cook that day so it's not as convenient for me anymore.

Another thing that should be done is learn prices. Use a pricebook as a guideline and using one is great if you'll maintain it, but at least learn prices of your common purchases so you know when a "sale" is a ripoff or a bargain. Make notes about quality differences. Why buy it if you don't like it? But learning a few prices is a good way to ease into price-watching instead of being overwhelmed.

Cynic:

I have been thinking about your first paragraph ,
( how filthy the Human face is )

I would not be able to give my Great Grand Daughter,
DD-s, Friends, etc.,

a greating kiss, on the cheek.

What a discouraging thought.

If I kept thinking this way , I would have to live in a Bubble.

Then I got to thinking about what our family doctor told my wife, years ago.

Do-nt clean the kids and everything so often,
you are making them sick.

They have to build up some resistance to Bacteria.

It worked for a few years until they got older and started thinking on their own and
reading everything that is published.

I take in everything now, with a grain of salt and
I am not from Missouri.

Just that so many things that they said are bad, were reversed in the last ? years.

Think I will continue giving my GGD a kiss on the cheek.

Cynic, don-t be such a Cynic !!!

And have a good one. Live dangerous!
LOU

I agree LOU! In fact my husband and I were just talking about how germaphobic everyone is NOW and how it must have been if a person lived say 100 years ago or more or not even that long ago but when we didn't have the luxury of the indoor running water how people most likely just used a knife over and over and over without even washing it. I will use a paper napkin for my finger tips over and over until it's about torn up...it's so funny but I haven't died yet and I am NEVER SICK! It's not like I'm running around with poop on my fingers or something...sheesh!

I can't even remember the last time I went to see a doctor and I'd only take an antibiotic if it were a matter of life or death or if I was so sick I wished I were dead.:)

Arkansas Girl:
In the late 30-s and early 40-s, my father had a small Vacation Cabin in NJ.
No electric or bathroom.( There was a small house with a
One Quarter Moon cut on the door ).

We bathed in a cedar water Lake.
Had a hand pump in the kitchen sink, Kerosene Lamps and Cookstove and
of course Monopoly, Michigan Rummy and Card games.
We had a great time then, with Basics.
*******************************************

Funny, when I started reading your Post I opened an email,
from a friend, on my older PC.
It is titled " Banjo Tour of Dixie "

Takes you on a Photo tour of Dixie. Great Music and Photos,
Superimposed on a map of the Southern States,
from Texas to Washington ,DC.

If you want, I will send it to you.

Your Yankee CF friend,

LOU

I am reading this and shaking my head!! Are you all being frugal, or just clinging to nostalgia? I guess I'm not frugal at all, but I like a good deal and I put up fruits and vegetables and make stock and bake for the freezer. When you get old, it doesn't matter how many re-washed ziploc bags you have in the drawer! Get on with it, stop counting and be happy. Annie's philosophy!

I am looking to contact GrainLady. I've read your posts here and other forums and would greatly love to talk to you.

I am venturing into grinding/cracking my own grains and need some direction and mentoring. There is so much information and I don't know what to believe. Thanks!

I re use cloth napkins all the time. Never a problem. Most times, when you wipe, there is nothing showing on the napkin at all. Mine only get washed when there is more than one stain on them. :)

A few germs never hurt you, unless your body is used to NO germs at all.

Moni

Before you water your garden, do check the weather 10-day forcast first.

You can save on your water bills and a lot of time.

dcarch

One rule I've always followed is my grandmother's - "Never bake an orphan." Before visions of the witch in Hansel and Gretel start forming, she meant that it's a waste of electricity to bake only one item in the oven.

If I'm baking a nut bread, I'll put in some acorn squash for that night's dinner or potayoes to make twice-baked ones for another night. If I'm baking a chicken, I can add a pie crust for a chiffon pie. A meat loaf will mean baked potatoes instead of mashed or a casserole of peas cooked with lettuce leaves or some other baked vegetable.

I have unfortunately thrown out waaaaay too many bananas in my lifetime that turned black before I learned this trick. When bananas are at the ripeness that you like them, put them in the refrigerator. The skins will turn dark, but the bananas will stay fresh for up to a week.

I have a roll around Island, that holds a trash container.
It takes a 13 Gallon Draw String bag.

I save some small long bags ( like bread bags ),
to put my Garbage in and seal.
If I only put in a small amount, I will close it with a tie
and use it again , then seal.

This eliminates odors, until the Trash pickup day.

That makes it hard to classify a Bag as Garbage or Trash???

I am in Pa. and Garbage is known as food scraps or waste.

I think in NYC it is know to be anything and is pronounced
" Gaaa bidge " .

LOU

Dcarch, I find the best way to make it rain is to spend a few hours watering.

Posted by bumblebeez "Dcarch, I find the best way to make it rain is to spend a few hours watering. "

LOL!

In my case, it's washing and waxing the car. :-)

dcarch

"I find the best way to make it rain is to spend a few hours watering"

"In my case, it's washing and waxing the car"

I've been trying both methods for months.
Neither have worked. :>)
Even the tropical storms fizzle out
Before they get here this year.

Any other ideas that might work? ?

I've even begun practicing Grainlady's
Water saving methods.

Rusty