Archive for what’s in my hand?
The New Quilt
Several years ago we purchased our first home. The master-bedroom had been painted a beautiful, pale shade of blue, and below the wainscotting we had lovely old fashioned blue floral wallpaper to match. The flowers were light and delicate, the old fashioned wood floors suited it perfectly, and the funny slanted ceilings and wavy glass [...]
Chicken, Tuna, Spam and Measuring Costs
We’ve been discussing food slumming and how people mistakenly assume expensive foods like Velveeta are actually frugal choices over on my regular blog. In one recent discussion on meat prices, somebody said that canned tuna was one far from a good bargain, as at .75 for five ounces, that made the tuna 2.40 a pound, [...]
What’s In Your Hand Winter Salads
These recipes are very much based on what you have in hand, mix ‘n match as needed- Take two cups of raw or steamed veggies: cauliflower, broccoli, peas, green beans, steamed rutabagas- you choose the combo based on what you have. Mix with one or two cups of cooked beans: garbanzos (also called chickpeas), lentils, [...]
CPSIA and You and Me
In 2007 there was an epidemic of unsafe food, toys, jewelry, and clothing recalled because of lead, small unsafe parts, or other malfunctions and poisons. These came from Chinese manufacturers. In response, Congress passed the CPSIA, a sweeping bill that will change how we shop, how we supplement our income, and add crippling costs to [...]
There are no short cuts.
Part of what I wanted to say last week ended up in this post, and bits and pieces of my ideas are still swirling around in my head like so many will-o-the-whisps- no sooner do I look at one directly but it disappears from sight. One thing I’ve been thinking about for a while is [...]
Overload, Chaos, and Organizing My Pantry
I started out to write an altogether more philosophical sort of post, but I couldn’t get it done the way I wanted to in the time frame I gave myself, so I’m working on that for next week. I sort of introduced my topic over on my other blog- you can click through here to [...]
The Lowly Toilet Brush
Almost three years ago (unless it was two, we are having a family debate) we moved from the little one bathroom house up the road to this larger (much larger) four bathroom house. Yet it was only last month when I decided we could not keep shifting the single toilet scrubber we owned from one [...]
Christmas Cards
One or two Christmases, back in the days when we were not on speaking terms with our income because we had not been properly introduced, I repurposed the Christmas cards we’d received the previous year and resent them as post-cards. You carefully tear or cut the front of the card off from the rest (the [...]
Frugal Hacks for Winter Clothes
These are basically hillbilly ways to stay dry, but like many hillbilly hacks, they work. The most important thing about keeping warm in the winter is to keep dry. Children who insist on ‘sledding’ down a hill without the sled tend to get lots of tears in their snowpants. These tears let in moisture, which [...]
What Most Of Us Probably Have on Hand Today….
At least the Americans.=) Here are some recipes for using up leftover turkey and other Thanksgiving meal items: Soup and broth, of course. I hope you saved the turkey carcass. Take a hammer and break a few of the larger bones, and then read these directions for a nourishing soup. Use leftover stuffing to make [...]
Frugal bed-risers
Hi! I saw the other gals are introducing themselves, so I thought I would, too, even though y’all have seen me around for a while. I am the DHM, DeputyHeadmistress, and my regular blog is The Common Room, where sometimes other family members join me as well- when I can twist their arms.=) We blog [...]
Seasonal Foods
One of the most important things to learn with frugality is to look at what is available when planning a meal instead of ‘what do I feel like eating.’ When it comes to fresh produce, what I feel like eating is berries, in and out of season, but out of season they can be five [...]
Plant stand, foot stool, small child’s stool, end table, wedding decoration….
The place we’re having the wedding (TOMORROW!!!!!!) doesn’t have pews. There are stackable, movable chairs. We can’t put up anything on the walls. So we’re going to set these stands at the end of each row and put plants on them. Where did we get these stands? We started with this: Buckets from the deli [...]
What to Do With a Sweater with Frayed Sleeves
I would like to say that I thought of this brilliant idea all by myself so you could all think how clever and smart I am (it’s an insecure day), but the truth is, I bought this really cute shirt at a thrift shop and then, when I got it home, realized that somebody else [...]
Assorted Trifles
What’s in my hand? Some old ash trays- no, nobody here smokes, but my grand-dad did, and my uncle collected colored glass, so I ended up with three or four. They make GREAT candle-holders, especially nice for the larger pillar candles. Old scarves- stitch them together (just a simple straight edged stitch) for a warm [...]
