… make homemade applesauce!
That’s exactly what I did tonight. I picked a few apples at a fellow Master Gardener’s home and then inherited a small variety box from my parents who couldn’t eat them all. I had about 30 apples to deal with. Apple crisp only uses 6-10 apples and I really wanted to get rid of all of them at once.
This article originally appeared on December 8, 2008.
My husband and I enjoy going to movies together, and try to make it out a couple times a month. Unfortunately, at nearly $20 just for tickets to a single show, and another $10 for food, the cost becomes somewhat prohibitive. Fortunately, there are many ways to save a little $$ when going to the movie theater.
Here are a few of the things we try, generally using these tips you can reduce the cost of going to the movies by over half, and it doesn’t have to involve sneaking in food in your purse or coat 
About a week ago, I wrote about my first experience making soap and included instructions. I was curious if it was more economical to use the homemade soap. I went ahead and figured out the entire cost of the batch. Here goes…
GRAND TOTAL equals $34.90 for about 4 pounds of soap. I didn’t cut it evenly, but it’s about 20 bars. (Yes, an accomplished soap maker will frown at me, but hey it’s my first attempt!) 1/2 of a circular bar lasted me about 1 month. Considering I go through a lot of shampoo due to my extremely long hair, this is a bargain! In the past I bought Nature’s Gate at the grocer which costs $4. So in 9 months my shampoo will have paid off, but it should last me a few years! This kind of surprises me. Looking at the numbers and doing the math, I about freaked out when I saw that I used almost $12 worth of essential oils! Just imagine how cheap it could be if I made the old-fashioned animal fat and lye soap.
My Opinion
The first time I tried the new soap, my hair came out oily. I ran online to look up an excuse for this and found it. Basically our head secretes oils. By using regular shampoos, you strip all the good stuff off of your hair… yuck!
(As a side note, this “stripping” is why many people have to use conditioner. Funny how that works – you buy shampoo, it strips your hair and makes it feel funny, leading you to purchase conditioner to make it feel soft again!)
Anyways, by stripping the natural, good oils from your hair, your body compensates for this by overproducing the oils. This is why people like me have to wash their hair every day to every other day, otherwise we look like grease-balls. So you’re wondering what does this have to do with the homemade shampoo? When you switch to a shampoo that simply washes and doesn’t strip your hair, the follicles are still overproducing the oils. It may take any where from a few days to a few months for your hair to stop over-producing oil. To help with this, you can sprinkle baking soda on your hair while in the shower to help absorb some of the oil. If you feel the need for “conditioner”, apple cider vinegar does the trick.
I’m now able to go about three days without my hair feeling greasy. My hair looks really good too! I have to go through the extra step of baking soda for now but it’s worth it. The soap is cheaper, more spa-like, and natural (no parabens or sodium laurel sulfates here), which is just the way I like it!
Hi! For this week’s Food Friday, I’m putting up a recipe for a basic oatmeal bread. Although the recipe is easy, the taste is anything but basic! Being new to bread making, I expected little bits of oatmeal in the bread when it was done baking – this isn’t so, as the oatmeal bakes right into the bread, leaving it soft and flavorful. This is currently our favorite bread recipe, so I’ve made it a few times. I cut off a couple slices for dinner and warm them up – add a little dab of butter/margarine and YUM!
*You can see in the above photo how D started attacking the top and sides when I ran to get my camera. He couldn’t even wait 10 seconds for another slice – that’s how good it is…
Oatmeal Bread
Yield: 2 loaves
What you need:
What you do:
Enjoy!
Are you looking to save some extra cash each month? Who isn’t? Fortunately, one of the easiest and cheapest ways to save money is to start by looking at your grocery bill. In the United States, the average family of 4 spends nearly $1000 per month on groceries. Fortunately there is a easy solution to this problem and all it takes is about 15-30 minutes a week.
When looking for ideas to help cut our grocery bill, I found a new website Spend Smart Eat Smart. It was created by a dietitian at Iowa State University.
At this website, you can find ideas and tools to:
PLAN YOUR SHOP:
Shopping at the Store
Preparing Meals
There is even a blog where people can write in and discuss there food buying ideas and cooking tips.
I especially think PLAN AHEAD portion of the website is valuable for saving money. Studies have shown that when you make a shopping and meal plan for your family and grocery shop according to that plan, trips to the grocery store will cost a significant amount less. In fact, families on average report saving %10-15 on groceries when they go to the store with a list on paper for buying food for planned meals. With your plan in hand, you are more likely to resist one of the most expensive habits of grocery shoppers, impulse buying.
It’s simple, plan ahead and save. For 30 minutes a week you can save $100 a month, or $1200 a year. Now that’s a tasty deal!
For more information, either visit the website or watch this video to lean more: http://www.kcci.com/video/18817115/index.html
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