Recently, I bought at Goodwill two anthologies of Calvin and Hobbes, a comic strip I enjoy reading to my six-year-old son. When we started reading the second one, Weirdos from Another Planet, we were surprised to find the following note written in metallic gold pen inside the front cover: Dear Corey, It was really fun … Continue reading An Unexpected Find in the Thrift Store
thriftiness
Cauliflower leaves are edible!
Our CSA farm does not trim the outer leaves off a head of cauliflower because they help to keep the white part of the cauliflower clean until you're ready to eat it. The farm newsletter had mentioned from time to time that these leaves are edible, too, and we'd tried substituting them for kale in … Continue reading Cauliflower leaves are edible!
All-Ages Game Night: A great community event!
I ran an All-Ages Game Night at my church last month as both a social event for our members and a way to connect with our community (and maybe attract some new members). It was easy to do, extremely inexpensive, and lots of fun! My family loves games and owns enough to fill a large … Continue reading All-Ages Game Night: A great community event!
Thrifty All-natural Anti-bacterial Moisturizing Face Wash
A lot of skin care products contain scary ingredients and are pretty expensive. Totally organic facial cleansers are really expensive and sometimes go bad before you can use the whole package--and a surprising number of them ignore organic-ness in packaging and put the stuff in a vinyl tube that slowly saturates it with carcinogens and … Continue reading Thrifty All-natural Anti-bacterial Moisturizing Face Wash
Great lunch kit for school!
Nicholas will be starting first grade in three weeks, so we've got some shopping and organizing to do, but one thing we don't need to do is buy a new lunchbox! The one he used for full-day kindergarten is still in great shape for this year and likely for several years to come. [UPDATE: He … Continue reading Great lunch kit for school!
How to use old tofu and turn ramen noodles into a full meal!
The trouble with tofu is, if you don't use the whole block in one meal, you're supposed to store it in a container of water and change the water every day. That is pretty annoying! It's easy to forget it for a couple of days. Then, when you remember, it doesn't smell so good. I … Continue reading How to use old tofu and turn ramen noodles into a full meal!
Homemade Frozen Shredded Vegetables
Like reusing glass jars, this is an idea I've mentioned before that has increased its importance in my day-to-day life to the point that it deserves its own article! When you have more of a vegetable than you can eat before it goes bad, clean and shred the extra all at once, put measured portions … Continue reading Homemade Frozen Shredded Vegetables
Our Neighborhood Public School Works for Us!
Today is my son's last day of kindergarten! This has been his first year in public school, and we are very pleased with our neighborhood public school, Pittsburgh Colfax. It's a great example of how an urban school can thrive when faculty encourage parent involvement. On "Take Your Special Person to School Day" last month, … Continue reading Our Neighborhood Public School Works for Us!
Homemade Electrolyte Replenisher (Sports Drink)
UPDATE in 2016: This trusty recipe has now carried me through seven summers, another low-blood-pressure pregnancy, another two years of breastfeeding (which increases the risk of dehydration), and several digestive illnesses! Today I've updated some references in this post and linked up with Real Food Friday, where my recent post on using up the vegetables … Continue reading Homemade Electrolyte Replenisher (Sports Drink)
FREE Earth-friendly Snack Plates!
Simply wash and reuse those plastic trays from frozen meals. If you are so environmentally aware and/or thrifty that you never buy frozen meals, I bet you know somebody who does and could ask that person to save some of the plates for you. Personally, although I try to plan home-cooked meals that we can … Continue reading FREE Earth-friendly Snack Plates!
Spring Sale Vegetables for Supper…and Breakfast!
The sale items in the produce departments of our local supermarkets for the last few weeks have included kale, Vidalia onions (at half the typical onion price--must be a bumper crop!), mushrooms, and sweet potatoes. We have favorite recipes using all of these ingredients, but I came up with a new one on the spur … Continue reading Spring Sale Vegetables for Supper…and Breakfast!
7 Things You Oughta Be Able to Do at Your Age
The idea for this article came from a friend of ours who is fifty-one years old and is becoming increasingly disgusted with twentysomething guys who are in worse physical condition than he is and, when he comments on it, mumble about how they can't afford to join a gym. They seem to be totally blind … Continue reading 7 Things You Oughta Be Able to Do at Your Age
Easy, Earth-Friendly Way to Clean a Microwave Oven!
Today is the Spring Cleaning Tips edition of Works-for-Me Wednesday, and I'm hardly an expert cleaner . . . but I actually went on a little kitchen-cleaning binge last night and utilized a tip that I want to share! I believe I originally saw this in "Hints from Heloise." When the interior of your microwave … Continue reading Easy, Earth-Friendly Way to Clean a Microwave Oven!
Costco vs. Gordon Food Service
It's Works-for-Me Wednesday! It's also Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, so you might want to check out last year's suggestions for Lenten fasts that help the environment or my musings on vanity and seeking help. I've been a member of Costco for some time, and the money we save by buying some things … Continue reading Costco vs. Gordon Food Service
My Toyota Prius works for me…but not driving works even better!
Sure, hybrid cars are advertised as saving a lot of gas, but are they really that great in real-world conditions? We've had our Prius for a little over three years, and I've raved about it before, but until now I'd never bothered to add up just how much gasoline we're using to drive how many miles in a whole year.
Grocery Spending for a Family of 3 in 2010
Our average spending per month was $320.90. Yet these official figures from the United States Department of Agriculture indicate that, in 2008, a five-year-old child and two parents in their thirties could expect to spend $422.10 per month if they're "thrifty". Our pantry is close to full most of the time, we all eat hearty snacks as well as meals, we make lots of food to share with friends as well as donating to the food pantry, and we're generally very happy with our diet and don't feel we're scrimping. How do we do it on so low a budget?
When life gives you wet socks, make a matching game!
But then Daniel passed me a large paper bag full of yard-sale stuff, and as I took hold of the top edge, the bottom fell out, dumping twenty-seven pairs of wet, dirty, smelly socks onto our kitchen floor. Well, there were enough of them (plus a few other damp garments we found) to make a full washing-machine load. Hot cycle. Oxi-Clean. It was when I was hanging the now clean and fresh-smelling socks on the drying rack that I had a brilliant idea.
Practical Stocking Stuffers
In my family, Christmas stockings are not just for children! Everybody has a stocking, and we play Santa to each other by stuffing the stockings with little treats when nobody's looking. It's no fair to peek into your stocking before Christmas morning--when we open stocking gifts first thing, before breakfast or even coffee! For the … Continue reading Practical Stocking Stuffers
Recycling Christmas Cheer
Christmas is coming, so now is the time to plan your strategy for setting out less post-Christmas garbage than any other family on your block! (We often achieve that goal, and we're in a mostly Jewish neighborhood.) Reusing things not only saves you money and helps the environment but also creates a treasure trove of … Continue reading Recycling Christmas Cheer
How to Do Everything!
This article is linked to the greatest tips edition of Works-for-Me Wednesday, where the hostess explains how to get a human on the phone when you call customer service, and more than 178 people have linked to their own helpful tips on how to do all sorts of things. Here are my own greatest tips: … Continue reading How to Do Everything!
The Earthling's Handbook 