We often buy used stuff. Sometimes we buy new, high-quality stuff. Sometimes we buy new, low-priced stuff. What all our stuff has in common is that we wring every last drop of usefulness out of it! If we feel unable to do all the wringing ourselves, we pass it on to someone who can use … Continue reading Running Things into the Ground
thriftiness
Thrifty, Earth-friendly Hand Soap!
I'm a longtime fan of Dr. Bronner's liquid castile soap, the amazingly versatile, yummy-smelling, totally natural stuff in the bottles covered with interesting philosophies in tiny white letters, now made with organic and fair-trade ingredients in a 100% recycled plastic bottle! It's great stuff, but it seems expensive. The thing is, you're supposed to dilute … Continue reading Thrifty, Earth-friendly Hand Soap!
Washing Plastic Bags
It's Works-for-Me Wednesday , so here's a mundane but easy tip that saves a lot of money and helps the environment, too! We wash and reuse plastic food bags, like zip-top freezer bags and sandwich bags. I always used to shake out crumbs or maybe rinse them a little, but if there was any significant … Continue reading Washing Plastic Bags
Steel Kitchen Cabinets!
Our house was a bargain, priced about $40,000 less than similar houses in the immediate area. Our realtor said, "Well, it's a bargain to you because you like the kitchen. Most people would expect to spend about $40,000 totally redoing the kitchen." Yes, we're charmed by our kitchen decor, which dates from the 1950s: pink … Continue reading Steel Kitchen Cabinets!
Storing Cheese and Onions
Cheese and onions are the two foods I've had the most trouble storing in the refrigerator, after opening, without hosting a mold colony. I've tried various tips for safe storage and finally come across methods that work for me. They have one thing in common: glass jars, which are overall my favorite way of storing … Continue reading Storing Cheese and Onions
Rambling Sprawl Estates
Due to the troubled economy on Mars, you've decided to break into the Earth pizza market. You've developed an assortment of brands that are nontoxic and nicely inconspicuous...you think. The next step is to test-market your wares in a controlled area where you can closely observe the results. Thus, you have dispatched families of Martians … Continue reading Rambling Sprawl Estates
The Value of Eleven Cents
Find a penny, pick it up; All the day you'll have good luck. I've enjoyed this superstition since I was a child and taught it to my child, but I never seriously believed it was true. The real reason I pick up coins I find on the ground is that they're money, and I figure … Continue reading The Value of Eleven Cents
Two Easy Indoor Games
Here are two games that are easy to set up, use minimal materials, and are fun for kids about 2-10 years old at a party or holiday gathering. (See also these knee-bouncing games for entertaining younger kids!) Pass the Parcel You will need a bunch of small toys, costume jewelry and similar trinkets, coins, and/or pieces of wrapped … Continue reading Two Easy Indoor Games
How to Clean a Basement or Porch Floor AND Use Up the Last Dregs of Liquid Laundry Detergent
This technique is suitable for any floor that has either a drain or an open side where water can spill onto the ground. I learned the cleaning technique at Girl Scout camp, and years later I realized its wonderful compatibility with those "still very soapy on the inside but with not enough soap to pour" … Continue reading How to Clean a Basement or Porch Floor AND Use Up the Last Dregs of Liquid Laundry Detergent
Layered Bedding
Something that really works for me in cold weather is putting layers on my bed, just the way I put layers on my body. I'm one of those people who's easily chilled and very bothered by feeling cold, especially when I'm tired, so having a cozy bed is very important to me. Daniel and I … Continue reading Layered Bedding
Line-drying Laundry
I already wrote about clotheslines, but that article is ancient now; I wrote it for a college class in magazine writing in 1995 and later put it online. Line-drying all my laundry is something that still works for me, and now that I have 20 years of experience, I have even more to say about … Continue reading Line-drying Laundry
7 Things I Don’t Do
These aren't necessarily things nobody should do. They're things I don't do, and I'm glad I don't, and I'm going to explain why. 1. Cell phone. I do not own one and very rarely use one. I spend most of my time in my home or my office, both of which are equipped with landline telephones … Continue reading 7 Things I Don’t Do
Lentil Rice
This is a recipe that really works for me! I developed it when I was on maternity leave and wanted hot lunches and needed plenty of nutritious calories for breastfeeding, but I was distracted by the baby and often literally had my hands full. It takes a while to cook, but it can be left … Continue reading Lentil Rice
New discount grocery store in Pittsburgh!
UPDATE: At the beginning of 2011, Market Outlet moved one block southeast to 1700 Penn Avenue. It now carries a few types of fresh produce, some frozen foods, and the weird brands of soda mentioned below. Market Outlet has opened in the Strip District basement formerly occupied by KML, on Smallman Street just east of the Sixteenth … Continue reading New discount grocery store in Pittsburgh!
How Credit Cards Work for Me
One of the good things about this economic depression is that it seems to be getting a larger number of people to put some real thought and effort into living within their means. I've been reading a lot of newspaper and magazine articles on the subject and finding that, although most of the tips are … Continue reading How Credit Cards Work for Me
7 Ways to Eat Less Meat
Reducing the meat in your diet can save money, reduce environmental impact, improve your health, and reduce the calories per meal. (Obviously, all these things are affected by what you eat instead of meat!) You don't have to become a total vegetarian to experience the benefits of eating less meat. Here are some tips for … Continue reading 7 Ways to Eat Less Meat
Making Pants into Shorts
This week's Works-for-Me Wednesday is a special edition for organizing tips, so I'm linking to my old articles about the rule of One Thing and Three Things and how to organize your Girl Scout troop records, as well as posting this new article that isn't an organizing tip but works for me! This past spring, my … Continue reading Making Pants into Shorts
Vending Box News
This is originally a tip from Daniel, but it works for me, too! We still subscribe to our local newspaper, the actual paper kind, because I like to read it while eating and I don't like to eat at the computer at home (since my lunch at work, and in fact my whole day at … Continue reading Vending Box News
American Beanwich
We rarely eat meat anymore, and I don't miss it much, but once in a while I miss the particular flavor of a McDonald's cheeseburger. The soyburgers that try to taste like ground beef succeed only (in my opinion) in tasting like my elementary school cafeteria's hamburgers; I prefer the veggie burgers that don't even … Continue reading American Beanwich
Swinging for Fitness
How do you like to go up in a swing, Up in the air so blue? Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing Ever a child can do! Those are the opening lines of a poem from one of the My Book House books that I loved when I was a little girl. It … Continue reading Swinging for Fitness
The Earthling's Handbook 