tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1232376310085145012024-03-13T06:34:30.827-07:00Fine FrugalityHelping people to live more frugally during these depressed financial times.Angela Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12855739245530643481noreply@blogger.comBlogger52125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123237631008514501.post-28458407276785740472012-10-14T15:24:00.000-07:002012-10-14T15:24:00.067-07:00Toothpaste Recipes Links<b id="internal-source-marker_0.3624042586889118" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There are many things that you use at home that you can make for yourself, in a previous article I wrote about how to make THREE big bottles of liquid laundry soap for the price of ONE name brand bottle. Considering that I have 2 kids, and a husband with a more often than not dirty job, that can be substantial savings! ( you can find that here: </span><a href="http://fine-frugality.blogspot.com/2012/03/march-2012-article-is-here.html"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://fine-frugality.blogspot.com/2012/03/march-2012-article-is-here.html</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> ). I also posted my most recent article about how you can wash your hair with TWO items that most people already have in their own homes! You can read about that here: </span><a href="http://fine-frugality.blogspot.com/2012/03/march-2012-article-is-here.html"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://fine-frugality.blogspot.com/2012/03/march-2012-article-is-here.html</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> , and these items are VERY inexpensive to purchase! </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">If you check out my October’s Article posting here: </span><a href="http://fine-frugality.blogspot.ca/2012/10/octobers-stew-magazine-article.html"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://fine-frugality.blogspot.ca/2012/10/octobers-stew-magazine-article.html</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, you will find a few different options on how to make toothpaste. The article focuses on three different recipes, which I tried personally, and what I thought of them. There are many other recipes to be found, so I have not tried them all, but here are a few links to point you to where I have looked:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">References:</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><a href="http://www.pioneerthinking.com/health/dental/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.pioneerthinking.com/health/dental/</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><a href="http://www.diynatural.com/homemade-toothpaste-recipe-easy-and-frugal/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.diynatural.com/homemade-toothpaste-recipe-easy-and-frugal/</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><a href="http://lusaorganics.typepad.com/clean/2010/02/natural-toothpaste-tutorial.html"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://lusaorganics.typepad.com/clean/2010/02/natural-toothpaste-tutorial.html</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-health/natural-oral-hygiene-zmaz75zwar.aspx"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.motherearthnews.com/natural-health/natural-oral-hygiene-zmaz75zwar.aspx</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/Natural-Health/2007-08-01/Recipes-to-Make-Your-Own-Soap-Lotion-and-More.aspx"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.motherearthnews.com/Natural-Health/2007-08-01/Recipes-to-Make-Your-Own-Soap-Lotion-and-More.aspx</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><a href="http://mizar5.com/homemade.html"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://mizar5.com/homemade.html</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ILM4oQvsWA"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ILM4oQvsWA</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Toothpaste"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Toothpaste</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><a href="http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howtos/ht/toothpaste.htm"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://chemistry.about.com/cs/howtos/ht/toothpaste.htm</span></a><br /><a href="http://www.tammysrecipes.com/homemade_toothpaste"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.tammysrecipes.com/homemade_toothpaste</span></a><br /><a href="http://christianpf.com/how-to-make-natural-toothpaste/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://christianpf.com/how-to-make-natural-toothpaste/</span></a><a href="http://lusaorganics.typepad.com/clean/2010/02/natural-toothpaste-tutorial.html"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></a><br /><a href="http://www.naturalnews.com/029155_orange_essential_oils.html"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.naturalnews.com/029155_orange_essential_oils.html</span></a><br /><a href="http://www.squidoo.com/uses-for-peppermint-essential-oil"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.squidoo.com/uses-for-peppermint-essential-oil</span></a><br /><a href="http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/08/going-fluoride-free.html"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/2008/08/going-fluoride-free.html</span></a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Glycerin:</span><br /><a href="http://artistta.blogspot.ca/2011/04/closer-look-at-glyerin-and-whether-its.html"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://artistta.blogspot.ca/2011/04/closer-look-at-glyerin-and-whether-its.html</span></a><br /><a href="http://www.natural-health-restored.com/natural-toothpaste.html"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.natural-health-restored.com/natural-toothpaste.html</span></a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Xylitol:</span><br /><a href="http://www.tammysrecipes.com/node/2963"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.tammysrecipes.com/node/2963</span></a><br /><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylitol"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Xylitol</span></a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">mints:</span><a href="http://momsfrugal.blogspot.ca/2008/09/xylitol-mints.html"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://momsfrugal.blogspot.ca/2008/09/xylitol-mints.html</span></a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Coconut oil:</span><br /><a href="http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/</span></a><br /><a href="http://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2012/05/122-uses-for-coconut-oil-even-more-of-the-simple-the-strange-and-the-downright-odd/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.deliciousobsessions.com/2012/05/122-uses-for-coconut-oil-even-more-of-the-simple-the-strange-and-the-downright-odd/</span></a><br /><a href="http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html#.UG3QfJjAeSo"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html#.UG3QfJjAeSo</span></a><br /><a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/09/03/sci-coconut-oil-tooth-decay.html"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/story/2012/09/03/sci-coconut-oil-tooth-decay.html</span></a><br /><a href="http://sciencewithme.com/lets-make-homemade-toothpaste/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://sciencewithme.com/lets-make-homemade-toothpaste/</span></a><a href="http://askdrellie.blogspot.ca/p/ellies-system-other-countries.html"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span></a><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Here is another toothpaste recipe: ½ cup baking soda, dash of salt, ¼ cup hydrogen peroxide, 1 drop peppermint oil, and a dash of stevia powder. Mix these all together into a paste like consistency and there you go. I am not sure how well this works, as I can not use peroxide, so this would be a try if you don’t mind the ingredients. The peroxide is a cleaner and whitener, the peppermint oil is both for flavouring and for it’s ability to be cooling and soothing. The stevia powder has a naturally sweet flavour that is not sugar based, so it’s kinda like aspartame, only health for you!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">There is also Dentist Dr. Ellie:</span><a href="http://askdrellie.blogspot.ca/p/ellies-system-other-countries.html"><span style="color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></a><a href="http://askdrellie.blogspot.ca/p/ellies-system-other-countries.html,"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://askdrellie.blogspot.ca/p/ellies-system-other-countries.html,</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> who has suggestions for those who are trying to recreate healthy gums, teeth and tissue. However, some of the things that she suggests may be hard to come by in our area, and may also be cost inhibitive. But there were quite a few people who did find her “System” to work at making them require fewer dentist visits, and that it helped to improve their overall dental health. Which I guess I should try, since I fear dentist visits with a passion! I’ll update you all as to whether it does help out, or not, but that will be a year in the making unfortunately! :(</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Anyways, hope that this can help you all out, and that you find the dental toothpaste recipe that works for you! :)</span></b>Angela Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12855739245530643481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123237631008514501.post-26949403236405038002012-10-14T14:13:00.000-07:002012-10-14T14:15:11.870-07:00October's The Stew Magazine article<b id="internal-source-marker_0.2200176550541073" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So, in an effort to try new things that can both save my family money, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">and </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">be beneficial to their health, I’m tackling toothpaste! </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">You might be saying to yourself, “How can that be important?” Well, without a healthy mouth, you have a harder time digesting your food, because your digestion starts by chewing the food with your teeth. There’s also the pesky problem of cavities, plaque, and gum disease that can make you either suffer greatly, or pay a dentist a small fortune.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So in looking through the internet, I found so many recipes I could use for toothpaste that I couldn’t even begin to try them all thoroughly. I have, however, attempted to try the most frugal methods I found.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The first method that was mentioned a lot was to just use baking soda. Wet your toothbrush, dip it into baking soda, and scrub. This method does help to keep your mouth in the alkaline balance that it needs to be to be healthy, and it most definitely gets your teeth clean. The only thing I worry about with using only baking soda is that it might be too abrasive on its own for everyday use, and I found that my mouth seemed to dry out while brushing. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">A different method was to combine 3 tablespoons of baking soda, 1 tablespoon of table salt, 1 teaspoon of glycerin, then add water to get it to the paste-like consistency of your choice. This works as well as the baking soda on its own, but it’s not as dry. It also tastes salty (naturally), but I’m not that fond of salt, so I won’t use this very often. The glycerin adds a sweetness to the toothpaste, but it’s hard to say how much it might help your teeth. In my research about glycerin, some scientists believe it coats your teeth, and that this can prevent your teeth from remineralization (basically it prevents them from healing), but others believe that it is fine to use.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The final toothpaste recipe that I tried was made up of 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, 3 tablespoons of baking soda, a half packet of stevia powder, and 20-30 drops of peppermint oil. Mix it together with a fork, and it has the look and feel of store-bought toothpaste! It also worked well at cleaning my teeth and making them feel smooth like the commercial stuff. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The next batch I make, I’ll be changing the recipe a little. I will be using 2 tablespoons of </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Xylitol for the sweetener instead of the stevia. I will be also be using 10 drops of cinnamon oil, 5 drops of orange oil, and 3 drops of clove oil. </span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Why will I be making these changes? Clove oil has long been considered an herbal help for toothaches, but it has a VERY strong flavour, so the cinnamon is to help mask a bit of that flavour. The orange oil is to also help alleviate the strong flavours, but it is also a bit of an anti-inflammatory and has antiseptic properties. </span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Coconut oil is thought to be able to combat tooth decay, which surprisingly was in a CBC news article in September (</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">"Coconut oil can combat tooth decay, study suggests”</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">). It also helps prevent yeast overgrowth known as Candidus Albcans, and encourages calcium absorption into the body.</span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The reason I will be using Xylitol as a sweetener in place of stevia is that it has been proven to help fight plaque and yeast growth. In fact, many sources have suggested that 6 grams a day is needed for the best dental health! As for storage, all you need is an airtight container. I use small, glass, baby food jars — they are the perfect size for the amount the recipes make. </span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS'; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For more information about this article, head to </span><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://fine-frugality.blogspot.ca/</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">angela@thestew.ca</span></b>Angela Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12855739245530643481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123237631008514501.post-42882357698243227042012-08-22T21:40:00.002-07:002012-08-22T21:40:12.925-07:00June's Article Links<b id="internal-source-marker_0.7476430989336222" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In the olden days...WAY before my time (maybe), people washed their clothes by hand, then eventually people created machines that washed them, then you put them through a wringer, and hung them on the line. Now we have machines for both washing and drying, a technilogical time saver for all. Now you’re asking yourself, what has that got to do with you? Alot, wether you are wealthy or poor. Hand washing required no electricity, was relatively cheep to start doing (a wash tub), and had far less commerciallism involved. Does the washing machine clean your clothes better than you could do by hand? I depends on you, and how hard you work at washing them. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><a href="http://www.off-grid.net/2010/04/22/diy-washing-machine-and-homemade-laundry-soap/"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.off-grid.net/2010/04/22/diy-washing-machine-and-homemade-laundry-soap/</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/do-it-yourself/build-cheap-washing-machine-zmaz76zhar.aspx"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.motherearthnews.com/do-it-yourself/build-cheap-washing-machine-zmaz76zhar.aspx</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(wind powered)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><a href="http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=102980033168222"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=102980033168222</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(plunger like thing $22.95 US)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfsimwIKr3g"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfsimwIKr3g</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5FEnlgKmBw&feature=related"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q5FEnlgKmBw&feature=related</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(large salad spinner)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaPdcO2Hwlo&feature=related"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aaPdcO2Hwlo&feature=related</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">(Laundry POD)</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1hD-KYfmIY&feature=fvwrel"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1hD-KYfmIY&feature=fvwrel</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Wonder Wash $48 US and Mini Spinner</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><a href="http://www.lehmans.com/store/Home_Goods___Laundry___Washing___Rapid_Laundry_Washer___66RW?Args=&customField1=W9"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.lehmans.com/store/Home_Goods___Laundry___Washing___Rapid_Laundry_Washer___66RW?Args=&customField1=W9</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Rapid-Washer-Manual-Washing-Machine/dp/B002QUAPSO"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.amazon.com/Rapid-Washer-Manual-Washing-Machine/dp/B002QUAPSO</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><a href="http://www.ecrater.com/p/6538254/laundry-rapid-washer-for-hand-clothes"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.ecrater.com/p/6538254/laundry-rapid-washer-for-hand-clothes</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I found the most unusual article on the web the other day, on </span><a href="about:blank"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">www.blogher.com,</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> in their green articles section. The article was called “DIY: Hillbilly Washing Machine” by Heather Clisby. I thought it was the greatest thing I had EVER seen! It is perfect for washing your clothes in the summer, and to cut down on your electrical bill. If you are washing your clothes at a laundrymat, you can save even MORE! All you need is a big plastic bucket (I buy mine from the local ice cream place for a dollar, but you can get them from a hardware store for . you also need a toilet plunger (preferably new), that does not have an inner piece, if all you can find are those kinds , then you can just cut out the extra part of rubber.</span></b>
Angela Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12855739245530643481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123237631008514501.post-71644602944563247972012-08-22T21:37:00.002-07:002012-08-22T21:37:11.526-07:00June's "The Stew" article<b id="internal-source-marker_0.14937740750610828" style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">To plunge, or not to plunge?</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">That is a question that only you can answer, but why am I asking the question in the first place? Well, I have been reading at various sites online that some people use a plunger (a new, </span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">clean,</span><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> toilet plunger) to wash their laundry. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Now, why would a person even want to use a plunger to wash their laundry? There are many answers to that question. Maybe you’ve gone camping and traditional laundry facilities are unavailable, maybe you think it will be better for the environment, maybe you simply can not afford to go to a laundromat to wash your laundry.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">How does a person do laundry with a plunger? There are quite a few options, but the method I tried started with a new plunger, one without the additional rubber extender part (I still have no idea what professionals call this part). Put six quarter-sized holes in a circle around the rubber bell part of the plunger. These holes will help prevent the laundry soap from sudsing too much, and make it easier to rinse the soap out of your clothes. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Put some clothes into the tub along with about half the amount of laundry soap you would usually use, and add enough water to cover the clothes. Some people like to use a six gallon bucket with a lid that fits tightly, and put a hole in the lid that is big enough for the handle of the plunger to fit through (to prevent splashing, and to make it transportable). Alternatively, you can use utility tubs, kiddie pools, even your kitchen sink! </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I did use a broom handle in the place of the plunger handle, for a longer reach (the better to save my back with). Unfortunately,I believe I had too many clothes in the tub, and did not use the plunger enough to adequately agitate the laundry, as the clothes did not come out clean enough for my liking. Maybe I should have tried a technique that a friend of mine suggested — to get the kids into the tub to stomp on the clothes until they were clean. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Alas, my kids are teenagers and they looked at me like I was an alien when I suggested it, but it might work for moms with younger kids!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I also had a problem wringing the water out from the clothes — that is a lot of hard work for a person’s forearms, wrists, and hands! I had to wring the clothes out after my poor attempt at washing them, rinse and agitate the soap out of the clothes, then wring the clothes again. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I now have more of an appreciation for my grandmother, who washed her entire family’s clothes by hand every day, for seven children! I also envy the fact that she had a wringer attached to a bucket, which helped her get as much excess water out of the clothes as possible before she hung them on the line.</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I am sure that doing your laundry like this could work, if you have enough patience (which is a virtue I have yet to master), and so long as you do only a few items at a time. There are also a few other methods for doing your laundry by hand, but they cost a little more to get you started. </span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Some things that can help are: a washboard; a rapid washer, plastic or galvanized (like a plunger, but designed specifically to push water through the clothes and clean them); a wringer; an industrial salad spinner (use instead of a wringer to get excess water out, can be electric or hand cranked); a bucket; and so many more items that you may have to look online for yourself to see them!</span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"></span><br /><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">angela@thestew.ca</span></b>
Angela Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12855739245530643481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123237631008514501.post-65465731526842230742012-03-14T23:13:00.000-07:002012-03-14T23:13:01.127-07:00Pamper Yourself WednesdaySo today's post isn't to really give you a pampering recipe, but basically to find out what sort of things YOU do to pamper yourself.<br />
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I know I LOVE to take a really long bubble bath, and just soak without anyone interupting me. Sometimes I enjoy just reading a book...ALONE, with kids that can be rare! What I want to know is what sorts of things you do to relax, so that I can find things that might interest you. <br />
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I enjoy researching ideas, and figuring out how much they cost individually, and finding out which is better for the cost. I know..I'm a bit of a geek...but I like that about me! :)<br />
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So tell me what you like in the comments below, and I will try my best for you to find a pamper recipe just for you! :)Angela Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12855739245530643481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123237631008514501.post-54587912465505714742012-03-13T21:49:00.000-07:002012-03-13T21:49:19.117-07:00Links for March 2012 ArticleFor more information on the "no 'poo" method (I agree with my husband...they need a better name for it!), here are a few links to get you started! :)<br />
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<a href="http://www.naturemoms.com/no-shampoo-alternative.html" id="internal-source-marker_0.1607829719916231"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.naturemoms.com/no-shampoo-alternative.html</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<a href="http://www.wikihow.com/Wash-Your-Hair-Without-Shampoo"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.wikihow.com/Wash-Your-Hair-Without-Shampoo</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<a href="http://www.collegefashion.net/beauty-and-hair/the-no-shampoo-method-hair-care-routine-for-curly-girls/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.collegefashion.net/beauty-and-hair/the-no-shampoo-method-hair-care-routine-for-curly-girls/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<a href="http://www.collegefashion.net/beauty-and-hair/the-no-shampoo-method-hair-care-routine-for-curly-girls/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.collegefashion.net/beauty-and-hair/the-no-shampoo-method-hair-care-routine-for-curly-girls/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Go-No-Poo/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-Go-No-Poo/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<a href="http://noshampoo.org/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://noshampoo.org/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<a href="http://no-poo.livejournal.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://no-poo.livejournal.com/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span>Angela Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12855739245530643481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123237631008514501.post-13295776125945806682012-03-13T21:45:00.000-07:002012-03-13T21:45:33.242-07:00March 2012 Article is here!<span id="internal-source-marker_0.622310534761862" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The “No Shampoo” Method</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I happened to run into an article on a group of people who believe that shampoo is bad for your hair, and that going without is better, overall, for your hair. This group of people make up the “No ‘Poo Movement” and they say that all the chemicals that are in shampoo actually make your hair more oily, because they make your sebaceous glands produce more sebum oil. If we weren’t to use the shampoo, they say, the glands would stop overproducing, and our hair wouldn’t be greasy, and would be healthier overall.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Well, since I believe that the sudsing chemical in shampoo causes cancer, and that chemicals overall are not good for you if they are not naturally occurring, I decided to try this out. I started at the beginning of February, and have been doing it for just over three weeks as of the writing of this article. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I know, everyone is probably saying, “Ewwww, that’s gross!” but the way I have been doing it does require items to both clean and condition the hair. As a matter of act, these items are found in most homes already! </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For the shampoo you’ll need two tablespoons of baking soda and two cups of water (comfortably warm). Put both into an old, clean shampoo bottle and shake. To use, dampen hair, and use the baking soda solution to wash your hair. Massaging the scalp is very important! It helps to clean the scalp and hair, as well as encouraging circulation and hair growth. Rinse out, massaging your scalp as you do so.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">For the Conditioning rinse you’ll want two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar and two cups of water. Put both into an old, clean conditioner bottle and shake. To use, after washing hair, use the vinegar solution on your hair, massaging it into your scalp as you did with the baking soda solution. Then rinse out, massaging the scalp as you do so.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You’re probably thinking that I must smell like vinegar or like something pickled, but I don’t! The water and scalp massage rinses it away! I do have to say that I altered the recipe for the conditioning rinse with a few drops of essential oil, because I’m a girl and I like to smell nice. While the vinegar rinses away, the fragrance of essential oils tend to stay, though just a little.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Now to the important part: How my hair reacted to the change. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I would wash my hair every second day, as I did when I used shampoo, but in the first week my hair felt oily by the second day. My glands needed time to get used to the change, and they eventually lessened the amount of oil they released. By the third week my hair was doing well. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">However, in saying that, I have read a lot of articles covering the subject, and found that many people had to wait months for their hair to get used to the change. As well, some people recommend brushing your hair in the morning and evening to help distribute the beneficial oils throughout the length of your hair.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The goal of the “No ‘Poo Movement” is to eventually just use water to wash your hair. I myself have not gotten to that point, and I’m not sure if I ever will. I’ll just have to wait and see. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">If you wish to read more about this subject, or other topics on frugal living, visit my blog at www.fine-frugality.blogspot.com.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">angela@thestew.ca</span>Angela Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12855739245530643481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123237631008514501.post-28349512736169982762012-03-10T10:02:00.000-08:002012-03-10T10:02:17.417-08:00DIY Tuesday...a little late.Sorry, my dear readers, for the tartiness of this post. I should have done it all in advance, unfortunately I hurt my back unexpectedly, so I did not get to post it. From now on I intend to have it ready for you all sooner! My lesson has been learnt! <br />
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Since I did not get the chance to make my original plan for DIY, I am going to post one of my articles from "The Stew Magazine" from last april. Apparently alot of people enjoyed it, but I never actually put it up on the site. I did post more pictures to help people understand how it was built, so here it goes:<br />
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How To Make A Cat Tree<br />
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<span id="internal-source-marker_0.07661519272644984" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I know...most people do spring cleaning in spring, but we have an indoor cat that picked us just before Christmas from the SPCA, and she hasn’t had much to do. So we decided that a cat tree was just the thing she needed! We looked around at the ones in the stores, and although beautiful and well made, that they were out of our price range. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With a little ingenuity, after waiting for the right things to show up at the reuse shed, we gathered up the materials to make one fairly cheap. The main materials that are needed to make a cat tree are thick cardboard tubes that carpeting stores may have, carpeting or sisal rope, something that is reasonably thick and wide for a base (plywood is an excellent choice), and screws or industrial staples.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Our monstrosity of a home-made cat tree is six feet tall, has three tiers, and uses an old 80s style black-and-brass headboard as it’s base. The top tier is a thrashed drawer from an unusable desk (a little wood glue made it serviceable), the middle tier is an 18.9 liter water bottle (with the top cut off), and the low tier is a little white laminate wall cabinet (we screwed it shut). </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">With a huge stroke of luck, we managed upon two rolls of the same carpeting when visiting the reuse shed. United Carpet was kind enough to give me three six-foot lengths of thick six-inch diameter cardboard tubes, although I only used two of them. Lastly, we went to Speedpro Signs, who also gave us two thick four-inch diameter cardboard tubes.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We did have to buy some things for the constrution, such as the L brackets to secure the tubes to the base. We used three L brackets for the bottom, then three brackets for the top, for each tube. Using the brackets also required us to use nuts and bolts, along with washers, to secure them to the tubes and the base. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Now, just so you know, screws and bolts are not the same thing. Screws allow you to screw something into another thing, making it’s own hole. A bolt, however, requires that there be a hole already there. In other words, we had to use a drill to make the holes for the bolts. Also we were afraid to use screws because the sharp end could hurt our cat, with the exception being the brackets for the base, where it was more sensible. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">They always say to measure twice and cut once. Unfortunately, we learned the hard way that with carpet, you need to add to the measurement if it is really a thick carpet with built in rubber underlay. Our first cuts were about two inches short, so take into account that your dimensions may be bigger than you measure due to the thickness of the carpet. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">We also learned that cutting the boxes was affected, as our first attempt left the edges without carpeting. As well, cutting a slit to where the post (the tube) meets the box, and cutting a hole for the post, was by far a better approach than starting from inside the box. Doing it from the outside in will give it a much more finished look, because all you have to do to finish it after the edges are inside the box is cut a piece of carpet to fit the bottom.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">To start building our cat tree we had to come up with a design for the materials that we had. I wanted the tree to be six feet tall, to give our cat a challenge, and to get her away from my kids. I also wanted it to have three tiers, so that as she got older, she had easier choices on how to get to the top. I wanted the largest box (the big drawer) to be on the top, so that she could hide from view if she wanted to. With those things in mind, my husband came up with the design of the taller tubes in back, with the smallest one in front. He also figured that with the height that I wanted, and being unsure about cardboard tubes over 4x4 post, that it might need extra stability, hence the smaller tube between two of the tubes.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Holes had to be drilled into the three tubes on each end, so that the L brackets could be attached to the base and the box piece (be it a drawer, water bottle, or the like). The important thing here is that on the inside of the tubes you use washers on the bolts so that the nut has more surface to hold onto (less wear). Once you have your tubes attached the way that you want, and the boxes attached, then you need to get to work on the carpet. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Remember our struggles with measuring carpet? It’s better to have extra than to have too little. You can always cut the excess off after, but too little leaves a gap. We have a household staple gun that we used, using ½ inch staples. I have to say that with the carpeting as thick as we had, I think we may need to rent an industrial one that can take longer staples. If your carpeting is less than ½ an inch thick, you’ll be good to go.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Our final product, as you can see, also includes some sisal rope. It is not required to make the cat tree, and we had to buy it (two rolls for $16 from Rona), but we thought that it would be better than trying to put carpet on the outside of the water bottle. The rope was glued on at quarter intervals using a hot glue gun. The rope was also glued on the ends to keep it from unravelling. We also used some leftover foam board from a previous project as a balcony for the water bottle, as the cat was having a hard time getting inside it.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The cat tree we made is an oddity, but our whole family put in two weekends to make it for our cat. I am sure that if you choose to make one, it will far surpass ours in looks, but our trial and errors will hopefully help you. I will be posting some web addresses for cat tree designs that are either free or inexpensive, along with many more pictures of the cat tree, on my blog at </span><a href="http://www.fine-frugality.blogspot.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">www.fine-frugality.blogspot.com</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">. </span><br />
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<a href="mailto:angela@thestew.ca"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">angela@thestew.ca</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">I also have the link to see the photos of how my husband did it, with the materials I managed to acquire! <a href="http://www.fine-frugality.blogspot.com/2011/03/april-article-picture-additions.html">http://www.fine-frugality.blogspot.com/2011/03/april-article-picture-additions.html</a> Hope you all enjoy, and next week will be posted on time! :)</span>Angela Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12855739245530643481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123237631008514501.post-31779004908048978512012-03-02T12:00:00.002-08:002012-03-02T12:00:06.051-08:00Friday's $10 Dinner For FourWell, here it is my first "Friday's $10 Dinner for Four". Sometimes things don't go the way you planned, or maybe most times, but at least there are some cheap decent meals that can be made. So here we go! :)<br />
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Falafels <br />
by:<a href="http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/">www.hillbillyhousewife.com</a><br />
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2 cans Chickpeas, drained (2/$4 on sale)<br />
1/2 teaspoon Salt (already had on hand, but can buy a 1kg box for $1, approx. $0.002)<br />
1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper (had on hand, but can buy a spice shaker of it for $1, approx. $0.01)<br />
1 teaspoon Parsley (already had on hand, but can buy a spice shaker of it for $1, approx. $0.014)<br />
1/2 teaspoon Garlic (cost me $0.33 onsale for an entire bulb of them, approx. $0.055)<br />
2 Eggs ($2.99 for a dozen, approx. $0.50)<br />
1/4 cup Flour (had on hand, but at most $0.07)<br />
A baking sheet<br />
Oil to coat baking sheet<br />
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Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Take the drained chickpeas, mash them in a bowl, mix in the rest of the ingredients. Shape the mixture into small meatballs, and place them on the baking sheet, rolling them to coat them in the oil. Cook for about 20 minutes, until they are a nice golden brown.<br />
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I know that not everyone may have all these items at home, and that paying $10 for a bag of flour may be expensive at first. In saying that, my monetary breakdown of the meal is based on the cost for the amount used, not how much it costs to buy each item individually. So the Falafels come to a grand total of $4.65! It might be more if you don't have these things in your panrty already, but even then, it is still reasonably affordable.<br />
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Hope you enjoyed this, and I hope to add many more for you in the future! :)Angela Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12855739245530643481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123237631008514501.post-45444349626334385582012-02-29T18:17:00.002-08:002012-02-29T18:17:54.395-08:00Pamper Yourself Wednesday!<span id="internal-source-marker_0.7174917127550349" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Well, it’s my very first “Pamper Yourself Wednesday”! So I hope that this will be a good start for everyone. This may not be everyone’s “cup of tea” so to speak, but if you’re not interested, you can always check out my other posts for other things.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Now, to REALLY get started! I figured for the first one I’d go with some basics, so here goes:</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Basic Body/Facial Scrub</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">2 parts either Sugar/ Salt</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">1 part Oil</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">From what I can tell, this is the average recipe in my research. You chose either the sugar (easier on the face, and delicate areas like the stomach), or salt (which gives a better grit for scrubbing, but you have to give a delicate touch for scrubbing the face and stomach). I figure it’s up to you which one you use. I personally tried the salt, since salt is cheaper to purchase. I went with ¼ cup oil, and ½ a cup of salt. I also put in 3 drops of ylang-ylang to make it smell nice, but it is not necessary.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This was a very invigorating rub for me, or maybe it was just the fact that it was my morning shower that (thanks to my kids) was getting quite cold when I was doing this. I did wind up making my stomach and sides a little red from rubbing it too hard, so now I know not to do that (I’ll probably forget tomorrow, *sigh*). It definitely exfoliates, which is the point of a body scrub, I think that when I run out of this batch, I’ll be trying the sugar instead.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Avocado Face Mask</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This is basically taking 2 avocados, mashing them, and putting the mash on your face for about 15 minutes. It sounds horrible, but it’s really refreshing for your face. At least it was for me, after I stopped fidgeting and scratching at it, but I’m not big on facial masks (the things I do to thoroughly research things for others...and my curiosity, but that’s BESIDES the point...).</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Oatmeal Bath</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">½ cup Oatmeal</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">clean non-matched sock (I swear the washer eats the other ones!)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A tub of water</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">music and candles (if you wish)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">¼ cup of powdered milk (optional as well)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Fill the sock with the oatmeal, making sure to tie the end into a knot. Then place the sock in the tub, and start running the water. If you wish to add the milk powder, do it while the water is running. Usually at this time I grab my candles and set them up, and I try to remember the towel too (I’m occasionally successful at it too!). If you want music, please remember that this is a bathroom with water, so keep it as FAR from the water as possible (after all, if you’re reading my blog, I want you around to read them some more!) :)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The oatmeal is great for helping moisture the skin, and the milk is great for giving it softness. Oatmeal is also great for helping with getting the itch out if your skin is irritated from being dry. I know I made my kids have oatmeal and baking soda baths when they get sunburned, which is thankfully not often. I also use the sock filled with oatmeal as a scrubber, instead of getting a cloth. I don’t know for certain, but in my mind it adds that extra “oomph” to my skin. Remember to rinse off, or you might get itchy afterwards.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Well, I hope everyone enjoyed my first “Pamper Yourself Wednesday”, and hope to see you back here again. If you have any thoughts and/or concerns, feel free to leave a comment. I look forward to hearing from you! :)</span>Angela Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12855739245530643481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123237631008514501.post-31549840221702027702012-02-28T19:12:00.001-08:002012-02-28T19:12:33.698-08:00DIY Tuesday!<b id="internal-source-marker_0.8880540998652577"><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">So I have decided to make a schedual for my blog, and decided from now on that on Tuesdays I will be blogging DIY posts. This will be the first one, and I hope it will be up to snuff! :)</span></b><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Making a netbook case:</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">I know, a netbook is not exactly frugal, but it was a christmas present (a cool one at that). Unfortunately mine did not come with a cover or case, and the ones that were available were not what I wanted or needed. So I looked around on the web, and found an idea that was almost perfect for me! </span><a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Laptop-sleeve-from-a-zippered-three-ring-binder/" style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">http://www.instructables.com/id/Laptop-sleeve-from-a-zippered-three-ring-binder/</span></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">, he shows how to make a case for a laptop out of a binder. The absolute BEST thing about making something yourself is that you can make changes to suit you. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">For me, I started with the basic items I would need to make it for myself: A zippered binder ($1 from the Salvation Army Thrift store), a rubber bath mat ($2 at the dollar store), and scissors(already on hand). Here are the pictures of them:</span> <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbJCFGgU3A0oiSmFLxOg7bceivKdJExnV9mtQ6FIAm4Z_pqQs2HfhrrzMK5aFL1bbRh2dIYYCpQCp8skb70eat-pr_0lwT8Z4BI5OAXWvjkIAgf5gymcOOWyEHOHu4sTb3OZ1zfCL2W0/s1600/2012-01-11+11.57.14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbJCFGgU3A0oiSmFLxOg7bceivKdJExnV9mtQ6FIAm4Z_pqQs2HfhrrzMK5aFL1bbRh2dIYYCpQCp8skb70eat-pr_0lwT8Z4BI5OAXWvjkIAgf5gymcOOWyEHOHu4sTb3OZ1zfCL2W0/s320/2012-01-11+11.57.14.jpg" width="240" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is of the closed zippered binder.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX5g315iHavVa2zDvQzITUPR42UkhBpQahVJOsEzi5LiCj-E1RP1q1lwdpJu1A14JOw0o4uhnNNmwf4D_SkB3qtFn8skqk4s5b72Cjv0BmC4XoQTcRZjthgI6_XNKSyoFyMpClGv-lH6A/s1600/2012-01-11+11.57.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX5g315iHavVa2zDvQzITUPR42UkhBpQahVJOsEzi5LiCj-E1RP1q1lwdpJu1A14JOw0o4uhnNNmwf4D_SkB3qtFn8skqk4s5b72Cjv0BmC4XoQTcRZjthgI6_XNKSyoFyMpClGv-lH6A/s320/2012-01-11+11.57.35.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is of the binder open.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfiOpm5aWDbl8O8Q-9Jp9dlnb2Wg3qQFNyr_ZdaNd98PhnkMudgQsW0vbgTbjXoFZL2-rxyOoc2DYNAPgO3ll76BItSm4GfujIWp9oDaeP_vkKiX8vv8MSm4OKlutD4J8qqZkYpQ1yikQ/s1600/2012-01-11+12.03.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfiOpm5aWDbl8O8Q-9Jp9dlnb2Wg3qQFNyr_ZdaNd98PhnkMudgQsW0vbgTbjXoFZL2-rxyOoc2DYNAPgO3ll76BItSm4GfujIWp9oDaeP_vkKiX8vv8MSm4OKlutD4J8qqZkYpQ1yikQ/s320/2012-01-11+12.03.07.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is of the bathmat that I chose.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">First thing's first, I had to get the rings out of the binder. I was VERY lucky with the binder I bought, as the rings were not riveted to the "shell" of the binder. All I had to do was use my scissors and cut out the piece of cloth that held it in!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqhuykTDR6kzbRfRjgXCgdd7EGFUgSlgoEvQkrVlA7cQbLVCOJgdJ6_JWkPDcRjfFLEbopz2AF9iMtLzStbG3EqHJtNm31C82_ASCq2hZhHSTdMGaCpcwmuBkYmY0uM7S19YduJOMOqLU/s1600/2012-01-11+11.59.07.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqhuykTDR6kzbRfRjgXCgdd7EGFUgSlgoEvQkrVlA7cQbLVCOJgdJ6_JWkPDcRjfFLEbopz2AF9iMtLzStbG3EqHJtNm31C82_ASCq2hZhHSTdMGaCpcwmuBkYmY0uM7S19YduJOMOqLU/s320/2012-01-11+11.59.07.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Snip, snip!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIlV473ScPt4-Su8AWBh2sPmQArON1iGxqmsIvF_hVAt4ZBkUJmEChHpiCs5Rh5puT6rK9dWhycVVuHuJzjREnKmZ5TNKTqMwaLCUaFDV2wXej-H4wtWSBgAvkv9qY1gILnJfOsdccof8/s1600/2012-01-11+12.00.36.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIlV473ScPt4-Su8AWBh2sPmQArON1iGxqmsIvF_hVAt4ZBkUJmEChHpiCs5Rh5puT6rK9dWhycVVuHuJzjREnKmZ5TNKTqMwaLCUaFDV2wXej-H4wtWSBgAvkv9qY1gILnJfOsdccof8/s320/2012-01-11+12.00.36.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Datdahdahda!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Next I took the bathmat, and folded it in half, cut it to fit in the case, and rounded the corners to make it look nicer(I'm a girl, what did you expect?!)! :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUttkPZyXjL6WPUOqF8R7wx-97i7VzMuHg0l-7a5sLFinEcmkA9e5hBtRFbMUaRm6MQAC1e36mteZEjLit54jLE3AhoM4avkDOxyvhHmxMJ5jW0nMvk5z7soVe09SRw8EnQ0DGc2NLMNw/s1600/2012-01-11+12.04.35.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUttkPZyXjL6WPUOqF8R7wx-97i7VzMuHg0l-7a5sLFinEcmkA9e5hBtRFbMUaRm6MQAC1e36mteZEjLit54jLE3AhoM4avkDOxyvhHmxMJ5jW0nMvk5z7soVe09SRw8EnQ0DGc2NLMNw/s320/2012-01-11+12.04.35.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cut to fit.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_WLuPpMZYQ5GPdvF7eOTx001iluW-mtHe5ID_43ga4e3SAJIvMIE1oZ8zbnN5k6DSnnnNz5fEsT4vC44qthTrHVzeG33Wnh6Oh3I-Y5IkaxOhse2fjLZnKc7YVVdMNDXH-jrRZ_iEmU/s1600/2012-01-24+11.54.51.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_WLuPpMZYQ5GPdvF7eOTx001iluW-mtHe5ID_43ga4e3SAJIvMIE1oZ8zbnN5k6DSnnnNz5fEsT4vC44qthTrHVzeG33Wnh6Oh3I-Y5IkaxOhse2fjLZnKc7YVVdMNDXH-jrRZ_iEmU/s320/2012-01-24+11.54.51.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Rounded corners.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDlxAibFzjH6y4FWcR1UifNA1jL26z3T0-Y1b9X_UXeL7LiY94i7XsxU3hKRg99Z48bZKvD-d8TqvZC0e-3kdl_oQ9nkvK2SKvDyhVj5Jjt1BuiHM191Pm2pnDj8NNBYoIGOD7FinY6no/s1600/2012-01-24+13.28.43.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDlxAibFzjH6y4FWcR1UifNA1jL26z3T0-Y1b9X_UXeL7LiY94i7XsxU3hKRg99Z48bZKvD-d8TqvZC0e-3kdl_oQ9nkvK2SKvDyhVj5Jjt1BuiHM191Pm2pnDj8NNBYoIGOD7FinY6no/s320/2012-01-24+13.28.43.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here it is inside(I sewed the mat together with my sewing machine, but it is not a necessary step).</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wTLnRB1xS9VWPK2S1Zlmxb4FR-HKjROGYKWiqobvTO74vVMv9yU8DSX3o1m04eFt5-WEHMJ2eu4hs1_8CK1kTLrPsfJbabC2J10eyimVeJwrCu_yuBpdecqJkoBP1qtuwuRuN-buJt4/s1600/2012-01-24+13.28.55.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_wTLnRB1xS9VWPK2S1Zlmxb4FR-HKjROGYKWiqobvTO74vVMv9yU8DSX3o1m04eFt5-WEHMJ2eu4hs1_8CK1kTLrPsfJbabC2J10eyimVeJwrCu_yuBpdecqJkoBP1qtuwuRuN-buJt4/s320/2012-01-24+13.28.55.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I use the bathmat to further protect my netbook from being smashed, but it has an added benifit!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6k8gZCoupAV6oYK16eMLV4oEXSty4ftiwyim8NPLQtOSH8ARp5_JjxL5hAcLtklSqlUxIoBWLPDg1J-rcilWVH97xt3Px3WF1OF2yduYEYrcH667Tsszwuvi8lt2rp9rZ-pfvuzCQfHQ/s1600/2012-01-24+13.29.34.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6k8gZCoupAV6oYK16eMLV4oEXSty4ftiwyim8NPLQtOSH8ARp5_JjxL5hAcLtklSqlUxIoBWLPDg1J-rcilWVH97xt3Px3WF1OF2yduYEYrcH667Tsszwuvi8lt2rp9rZ-pfvuzCQfHQ/s320/2012-01-24+13.29.34.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It's a wrist mat, AND....</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioa4kVxld9I9TvLxqbb3q3DuT4mXxJzupRzQ_dd7PvsjtgtvjO0kD5VweWcg7ZHl-QTiLHNxpy_onw1_QCUPUkVE7CnLk3KjeFbwP0-uRSQO2M0roHGRwb9x3D9uBcQZ94nmoOYCp3nEQ/s1600/2012-01-24+13.29.39.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioa4kVxld9I9TvLxqbb3q3DuT4mXxJzupRzQ_dd7PvsjtgtvjO0kD5VweWcg7ZHl-QTiLHNxpy_onw1_QCUPUkVE7CnLk3KjeFbwP0-uRSQO2M0roHGRwb9x3D9uBcQZ94nmoOYCp3nEQ/s320/2012-01-24+13.29.39.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Gives my netbook extra air movement underneath it for better cooling! How's that for multi-tasking! :)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I know this may not be for everyone, but I really enjoy my new netbook case. If you like parts of it, and want to change things, or "tweak" it, I'd love to hear about it! I hope that people enjoy this post, and I hope to continue regularly with making Tuesdays my DIY post day! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Angela Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12855739245530643481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123237631008514501.post-48447673873503343772012-02-26T17:01:00.000-08:002012-02-26T17:01:41.419-08:00Links For February's ArticleMost of these links show the same, or similar recipes to the one that is in my Article for The Stew Magazine, although a few of them do have powder recipes for those who find that liquid is too messy, or dislike it. Have fun! :)<br />
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<a href="http://grocerycartchallenge.blogspot.com/2008/10/homemade-laundry-soap-wfmw.html" id="internal-source-marker_0.9900844114114107"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://grocerycartchallenge.blogspot.com/2008/10/homemade-laundry-soap-wfmw.html</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<a href="http://duggarfamily.com/content/article/30455/Homemade%20Liquid%20Laundry%20Soap-%20Front%20or%20top%20load%20machine-%20best%20value"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://duggarfamily.com/content/article/30455/Homemade%20Liquid%20Laundry%20Soap-%20Front%20or%20top%20load%20machine-%20best%20value</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.etsy.com/listing/25042203/pif-cloth-diaper-laundry-detergent"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.etsy.com/listing/25042203/pif-cloth-diaper-laundry-detergent</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<a href="http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap.htm"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap.htm</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.thefrugalshopper.com/articles/detergent.shtml"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.thefrugalshopper.com/articles/detergent.shtml</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.gingerhollow.com/herbal-recipes/homemade-laundry-soap-recipe"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.gingerhollow.com/herbal-recipes/homemade-laundry-soap-recipe</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/10267990/Homemade-Laundry-Soap-Detergent-Recipes"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.scribd.com/doc/10267990/Homemade-Laundry-Soap-Detergent-Recipes</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Laundry-Detergent/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #1155cc; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.instructables.com/id/Homemade-Laundry-Detergent/</span></a>Angela Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12855739245530643481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123237631008514501.post-62682139361661880682012-02-26T11:10:00.000-08:002012-02-26T11:10:36.479-08:00How to Educate Yourself on the CheapThis is my magazine article for "The Stew" magazine, found at <a href="http://www.thestew.ca/">www.thestew.ca</a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: MinionPro-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: MinionPro-Regular; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: MinionPro-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: MinionPro-Regular; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: MinionPro-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: MinionPro-Regular; font-size: small;"><div align="LEFT">Is there such a thing as a free education?</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">I’ve done some</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">digging on this very</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">subject and the answer</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">is surprising, and it</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">depends on exactly what</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">you want from your</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">education, whether you</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">are taking the course</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">to learn something just</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">for you, or if you want</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">the course to prove you</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">learned something.</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">If you want to learn</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">something just for your</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">own knowledge, then</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">the answer is most </div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><br />
<div align="LEFT"><i><span style="font-family: MinionPro-It; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: MinionPro-It; font-size: small;">definitely,</span></span></i></div><i><span style="font-family: MinionPro-It; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: MinionPro-It; font-size: small;"> </span></span></i><span style="font-family: MinionPro-It; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: MinionPro-It; font-size: small;"></span></span><span style="font-family: MinionPro-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: MinionPro-Regular; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: MinionPro-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: MinionPro-Regular; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: MinionPro-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: MinionPro-Regular; font-size: small;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: MinionPro-Regular; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: MinionPro-Regular; font-size: small;"><div align="LEFT">“Yes.” And there</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">are many places online</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">that you can go to learn</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">practically anything for</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">free. However, if you want</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">to take the course to</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">gain credits, degrees,</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">or certificates, then the</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">answer is, “No.” The</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">only way to actually</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">gain credits is to pay for</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">those courses, although</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">I did find out that there</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">is an online school</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">called ‘University of the</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">People’ that charges you</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">a $50 application fee and</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">only charges you $100</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">per exam.</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">There is a small problem</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">with this, however</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">— it is not an accredited</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">University in the State</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">of California, where it</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">is headquartered. In</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">other words, you can</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">do all the work with</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">this University and get</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">Associate (A.S.-B.A.)</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">and Bachelor (B.S.-B.A.)</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">degrees in Business</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">Administration and</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">Associate (A.S.-C.S.)</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">and Bachelor (B.S.-C.S.)</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">degrees in Computer</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">Science, but no other</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">school will allow you to</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">transfer any credits from</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">there. To top it off, here</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">in Canada you may have</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">trouble getting anyone</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">to acknowledge those</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">degrees.</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">If you want to keep</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">education costs down,</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">you can go to a college</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">or university to challenge</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">their courses, if</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">you feel comfortable in</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">your knowledge of the</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">material, but that again</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">will cost you money to</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">challenge each exam.</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">And depending on</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">which school you challenge</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">at, you may be</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">covering information</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">that is not applicable to</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">our province, let alone</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">Canada. And always</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">make sure you check the</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">laws and regulations in</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">your area that are applicable</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">to the material you</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">wish to challenge.</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">If you are interested</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">in a certain program at</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">college or university but</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">are unsure how well you</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">may do, then I highly</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">recommend finding a</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">free online school that</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">covers that interest. This</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">way you can discover if</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">you can do the courses</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">without spending any</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">money, plus there won’t</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">be a grade put on your</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">record if you don’t succeed.</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">I spend a great deal of</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">time reading books on a</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">variety of subjects, simply</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">because they interest</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">me. However, I have no</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">intention of going to</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">college or actually doing</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">these things for a living.</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">I am fairly sure that I’m</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">not a great acupuncturist,</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">masonist, house</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">builder, or gardener (I</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">have a black thumb), but</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">I still try to read or learn</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">about them anyways.</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">I highly recommend</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">learning new things.</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">Scientists say that it is</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">the best way to keep</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">your brain sharp, aside</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">from a healthy lifestyle.</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">With all the information</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">that you can find online,</div><br />
<div align="LEFT">in the library</div></span><div align="LEFT"></div></span><br />
<div align="LEFT"></div>Angela Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12855739245530643481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123237631008514501.post-18367322956430910682012-02-21T08:16:00.000-08:002012-02-21T08:16:05.735-08:00Make Your Own Laundry Soap!<span id="internal-source-marker_0.17926437734456924" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Well, I have recently become aware of something that I thought was great! There are recipes online everywhere for laundry soap, and that is a </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: italic; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">huge</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"> financial cost, especially for families. So I searched around for a recipe that would make a large amount for the lowest cost, and found one at The Grocery Cart Challenge blog (http://grocerycartchallenge.blogspot.com). </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This was not the only site that had this recipe, and I do not know who originally made this recipe — if I did I would definitely make sure to give them recognition. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This blogger also does a grocery cart challenge, where she only spends $60 a week on groceries for a family of six. No I am not getting paid to advertise, I just want to make sure you check her out, her ideas are awesome! </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Anyways, back to the laundry soap recipe. Here it is:</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">⅓ bar of Fels Naptha Soap (I used sunlight bars instead, at a cost of $1/bar)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">½ cup of Borax (cost approximately $6 for a big box)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">½ cup washing soda (cost approximately $6 for the box)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">32 cups warm water (free from the tap)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">5 gallon bucket (I used a REALLY big stock pot that I have had for years...so that was free)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Grate ⅓ bar of soap (try not to grate your knuckles or fingers, as I did), and put into a large pot. Add six cups of warm water and heat until the soap is completely melted (this took me about a half hour, but my soap was grated really fine). Add washing soda and Borax, stirring until dissolved. Pour four cups of hot tap water into the bucket. Add the soap mixture and stir together. Add another 22 cups of water and stir to combine. Let the soap cool and set for 12-24 hours. It will have the consistency of hand soap. You would use ½ cup for a top loading washer, and ¼ cup for a front loading washer.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Let’s see how this breaks down financially. All the materials that I paid for came to $13, but I still have enough left to make several more batches. The amount of laundry soap made by one batch of this recipe is just over 4.43 liters.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">How well does it measure up to name brands? Well, I did a weird test to find out: I used a name brand laundry detergent with a colour safe bleach on a white cloth shower curtain (left unwashed for two months) and it took three washes for it to get completely white. The laundry soap I made took four washes, but that was without the colour safe bleach, Oxy, or vinegar. Had I used any of these, I am fairly confident that it would have taken one less load. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">All in all, my laundry soap materials cost as much as one 4.43 litre bottle of name brand detergent, but it will make three times the amount of detergent. And if you spent one more dollar for another bar of sunlight, you could make six times the amount of detergent. And it took just a little over an hour (and few accidentally grated knuckles) to make! </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I’m fairly certain that you could do it too, and probably without the band-aids!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">angela@thestew.ca</span>Angela Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12855739245530643481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123237631008514501.post-4334135640911695982011-09-08T12:33:00.000-07:002011-09-08T12:33:42.910-07:00September web linksThese are the web links that I promised at the end of my article on "How to Educate Yourself on the Cheap" I hope you will find them useful! :)<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.wikiversity.org/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.wikiversity.org/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">this site has some courses available, and the courses themselves are created by people who wish to contribute. There are ten languages to choose from.They are not entire programs for all for the departments, and there is no accreditation for completion of a course/courses. This is also considered a “collaborative learning” site, where anyone can edit information, or add information that is not there. It comprises educational material from a pre-school level, all the way up to “tertiary” level (basically beyond high school).</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<a href="http://www.mymcat.com/wiki/Main_Page"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.mymcat.com/wiki/Main_Page</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This site is specifically designed to help people prepare for the Medical College Admission Test, or MCAT for short. These tests are required in both Canada and the USA for entrance to a medical program in a college or university. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<a href="http://www.gcflearnfree.org/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.gcflearnfree.org/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Goodwill Community Foundation Intl.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This site allows you to learn about computers, such as how to use the internet, computer basics, along with how to use various media programs for documents and graphs. There is a reading section that focuses on teaching adults how to read, or improve one’s reading. A section on math basics up to fractions. A career section that helps with career planning, job searches, resume writing, interview skills, job success and how to manage money. A “Most Popular” section that teaches you how to use the most popular things of interest to learn. These vary from everyday life, to business software, to social media such as Skype, facebook and the like. They also have mobile apps that allow you to learn how to use Word 2010, excel 2010, powerpoint 2010, as well as a vocabulary videos app. All useful in everyday life, but nothing that will give you credits to allow you to say that you know more than the basics.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<a href="http://www.free-ed.net/free-ed/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.free-ed.net/free-ed/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This site has a variety of courses and study programs. The enrollment is free, not textbooks to buy, you can start learning right away. However, you do not get certification, nor do you get credits for completing your course(s). They do not even hand out grades, although you can take tests to help you “assess your progress and depth of understanding”. Also, any of the laws or rules governing medicine that you learn on here may only be true for the USA, or maybe even just one state within the USA.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<a href="http://freeonlineeducation.com/education.shtml#college"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://freeonlineeducation.com/education.shtml#college</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This site basically collects web pages on education, but most of them are not free.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Exploring the universe of knowledge”</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This is similar to wikipedia, it gives the definition of the word/phrase selected, along with basic information pertaining to the word/phrase.</span><br />
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<a href="http://free.ed.gov/index.cfm"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://free.ed.gov/index.cfm</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Gives teaching and learning resources from American Federal Agencies. Not all of the information will parallel history wise with our Canadian curriculum.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.uopeople.org/groups/tuition-free-education"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.uopeople.org/groups/tuition-free-education</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">It talks about being a “Tuition-Free Online University”, but when I looked at admissions, there was a “onetime Application Processing Fee of $10-$50 based on the applicant’s place of residence and the University Grant provided”. Upon further looking, there is also an “Exam Processing Fee”. “The processing fee will range from $10 to $100 per exam based on the student’s place of residence.”. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There are also requirements in order to get in, such as being 18 years or older, have high school transcripts, and must be proficient in English, as all courses and materials are in English. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“At present, University of the People is not an accredited institution. The University is in the process of preparing the necessary materials to apply for accreditation from an agency recognized by the U. S. Department of Education. At this time no assurances can be given as to when, or if, accreditation might be granted.”</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">N</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">OTICE </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">C</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">ONCERNING THE </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">T</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">RANSFERABILITY OF </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">C</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">REDITS AND </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">C</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">REDENTIALS EARNED AT </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">O</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">UR </span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 14pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">I</span><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">NSTITUTION</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">The transferability of credits you earn at University of the People is at the complete discretion of an institution to which you may seek to transfer. Acceptance of the degree you earn in either the Computer Science or Business Administration program is also at the complete discretion of the institution to which you may seek to transfer. If the credits or degree that you earn at this institution are not accepted at the institution to which you seek to transfer, you may be required to repeat some or all of your course work at that institution. For this reason you should make certain that your attendance at this institution will meet your educational goals. This may include contacting an institution to which you may seek to transfer after attending University of the People to determine if your credits or degree will transfer.”</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Calibri; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #54465c; font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">PROGRAMS</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Currently, University of the People offers the following four undergraduate degrees: Associate (A.S.-B.A.) and Bachelor (B.S.-B.A.) degrees in Business Administration and Associate (A.S.-C.S.) and Bachelor (B.S.-C.S.) degrees in Computer Science.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.freebyte.com/education/#freecourses"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.freebyte.com/education/#freecourses</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">this site has links leading to other education sites, some free, and some not-so-free.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.docnmail.com/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.docnmail.com/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">“Free & Affordable Distance Education” - the title says it all! It has links leading to mostly low cost courses.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.ocwconsortium.org/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.ocwconsortium.org/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Open Courseware Consortium</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">has some major universities using it, and you can view the courses for free, however, these are not courses that give you credits, and are highly specialised. </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.ocwfinder.org/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.ocwfinder.org/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">allows you to find courses that use the Open Courseware program.</span><br />
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<a href="http://oli.web.cmu.edu/openlearning/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://oli.web.cmu.edu/openlearning/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">There are open and free courses available through this site in a variety of subjects. They state “No instructors, no credits, no charge”, so if you want credits, you have to pay for them.</span><br />
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<a href="http://oyc.yale.edu/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://oyc.yale.edu/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">These are Open Yale courses, which are free. There are no credits available for these lectures though, unless you apply and get accepted to yale and pay to take the course.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.free-ebooks.net/?category=Educational"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.free-ebooks.net/?category=Educational</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">You can get books for free from this site, both educational and not-so-educational, but there is a limit to how many per month. If you view the books online, it’s free all the time, to download PDF’s, documents, or Apple Apps, you can only get 5 per month. If you want unlimited amount of downloading it costs $14.95 OR MORE per month to do so.</span><br />
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<a href="http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">MIT Open Courseware. Free lecture notes, exams and videos from MIT. No registration required, but also no credits given.</span><br />
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<a href="http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">This school in the UK has 600 free courses to choose from. There are also entire programs available for credits, but those you have to pay for. It is also free to register, and will keep track of your progress in your courses.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
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<a href="http://ocw.tufts.edu/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://ocw.tufts.edu/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Has free courses that covers Dentistry, medicine, vetrenary, arts & sciences. No registration, but they will “not grant credit, degrees, or certificates” for doing these courses.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.kutztownsbdc.org/course_listing.asp"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.kutztownsbdc.org/course_listing.asp</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Has a selection of courses, in both english and spanish, focused for the entrepreneur, small business owner, or start-up business. Membership is free.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<a href="http://ocw.usq.edu.au/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://ocw.usq.edu.au/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A few courses available from Australia.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<a href="http://ocw.uci.edu/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://ocw.uci.edu/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A large variety of courses available. No credits for doing them.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<a href="http://www.khanacademy.org/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.khanacademy.org/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">HUGE selection of courses that only cover math, science and economics.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<a href="http://ocw.usu.edu/courselist/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://ocw.usu.edu/courselist/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">A selection of varying subjects.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<a href="http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000099; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline;">http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/</span></a><span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;"></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Once you download iTunes, and open it up, you can get into “iTunes U”. You go into the iTunes store, and along the top there is a tab on a black band that is called “iTunes U”. Hit that, and you can find a HUGE selection of courses. Some are free, and some are not, but it will tell you if they cost money when you want to download. It has videos, mp3s, and some books. Just dig around and you’ll probably find what you want to learn about. No credits available for any of these.</span>Angela Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12855739245530643481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123237631008514501.post-26599924639180880722011-08-21T19:08:00.000-07:002011-08-21T19:08:10.881-07:00Pantry and fridge staples<span id="internal-source-marker_0.7523634250577533" style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">all-purpose flour</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">whole wheat flour</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">cornmeal</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">granulated sugar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">powdered sugar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">brown sugar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">cornstarch</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">baking powder</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">baking soda</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">yeast</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">shortening</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">chocolate chips</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">cocoa</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">raisins</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">basil</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">bay leaves</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">cayenne pepper</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">chili powder</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">marjoram</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">dried mustard</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">oregano</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">paprika</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">red peppers</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">rosemary</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">sage</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">salt (regular & sea salt)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Tabasco or hot sauce</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">tarragon</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">thyme</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">cinnamon (ground & whole sticks)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">cloves (ground & whole)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">ground allspice</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">ground ginger</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">ground nutmeg</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">white rice</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">brown rice</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">spaghetti noodles</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">egg noodles</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">lasagna noodles (I prefer fast cooking)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">macaroni noodles</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">powdered milk</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">powdered buttermilk</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">sweetened condensed milk</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">coffee</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">tea</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">canned tomatoes(diced)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">canned tomato paste</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">canned tomatoe sauce</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">canned tomato soup</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">canned mushroom soup</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">canned fruit</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">canned veggies</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">canned mushroom pieces</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">canned kidney beans</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">canned brown beans</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">canned tune</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">canned chicken</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">Salsa</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">pickles</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">peanut butter</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">molasses</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">mustard</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">soy sauce</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">worcestershire sauce</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">mayonnaise</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">pancake syrup</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">canola oil</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">olive oil</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">balsamic vinegar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">plain vinegar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">apple cider vinegar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">honey</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">horseradish</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">ketchup</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">lemon juice</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">lime juice</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">vanilla extract</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">pesto</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">garlic cloves or dices garlic in oil</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">garlic bulbs</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">onions</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">potatoes</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">carrots</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">margarine</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">butter</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">eggs</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">parmesan cheese</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">cheddar cheese</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">mozzarella cheese</span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; color: black; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline;">sour cream</span>Angela Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12855739245530643481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123237631008514501.post-72071719705902208752011-06-30T14:45:00.000-07:002011-06-30T14:45:00.324-07:00End of the school year!I have to say, having kids means that at the end of the school year is super busy! Especially when one of your children is finishing elementary school, and taking the leap in the fall to high school! Not to mention...well I will mention it...My eldest son's Birthday falls at this time as well. He definately has big ideas, and that requires going all over town to get things that he needs. I'm not complaining, it's fun to see how he makes decisions about spending his own money, and sometimes I guide him. He wanted to buy a ton of drinks for the party, which I couldn't talk him out of, and I figured worse case scenareo was that he'd have gatorade for a while this summer. He also had his party at his Granparent's house, so he didn't want them having to pay for all the drinks. <br />
<br />
So we have been quite busy, as I am sure everyone has been. Summer is a wonderful time of year, the sun, the greenery, the liesure. I guess you can tell that summer is my favorite time of year, but I know that there's alot of work to be done. I have a garden plot at a nice gentleman's house. I was allotted it around the 16th, and I had to work the ground a bit, because the hard rains had compressed the dirt. My youngest and I weeded the plot first, then put peatmoss on top, then we dug in and flipped as much of the dirt as we could. The goal was to get as much of the peat moss underground as possible, and mix it up a little with the ground dirt. I'm hoping tht by this weekend I will have my garden planted. I know, it should be done already, but as I said, my family obligations are important to me. These are the choices that everyone makes. In making this decision, I know that my garden may not make it to it's full potential before the frost, but I am going to try anyways. I have only put in $16 into my garden, with the peat moss, and about three hours labour. Once it gets going, I hope to be as frugal as possible, and hopefully reap some tasty rewards at the end of the summer! :)<br />
<br />
I know that you are hoping that I'd be posting what we've been eating lately, but with the rush of goings on, and my son's Birthday party, we haven't been cooking much. I will leave you with a wonderful website that will give you a TON of frugal recipes for you to check out and try! Don't let the name fool you, it's fine frugal dining! <a href="http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/">http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/</a><br />
<br />
Hope you all enjoy the site, and hope to post again soon! :)Angela Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12855739245530643481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123237631008514501.post-23164970424220401512011-06-16T10:18:00.000-07:002011-06-30T13:39:35.742-07:00This past weekFor this past week I have been a bit busy, and not really in a cooking mood. That's also not to mention that alot of the meat I have in my home right now was given to us. Some of these meats are from them having their animals butchered, and made up by those butchers.<br />
<br />
Take last night for dinner, we had hot sausage with some curly fries for dinner. The sausage came wrapped in brown butcher's paper, and naray a price in sight, so I can not even begin to guess how much it might truely have cost.<br />
<br />
The night before, we beens and weinies, which is super easy to calculate!<br />
<br />
2 cans beans $1.00/can, makes them $2.00<br />
1 can of pinapple, juice drained $1.29<br />
6 wieners (we use chicken wieners, because they are cheaper) $1.98/package, so $0.99<br />
Making the grand total of that meal $4.28<br />
<br />
Another night this past week I made homemade pizza, with meat that I had seen reduced and placed promptly into my freezer for a night like this! Making your own crust only costs about a dollar to make, but for some, that's more than they can do. My solution is that a dollar store in town carries pizza crust and the pizza sauce for $2.00 each. I will include my pizza recipe after this...no worries! ;)<br />
Price breakdown:<br />
1 Pizza crust, $1 for homemade (makes two), $2.00/each for prebought $4<br />
1 can pizza sauce $0.99 (only if you made your own crust)<br />
1 package of peperoni sausage $2.99<br />
1/2 package of ham end pieces $3.24/package $1.62<br />
500g cheese $4.99<br />
<br />
Homemade Pizza Sauce<br />
1 can tomaote paste $0.50<br />
1tbsp oregano $0.09 (for <br />
1 tsp garlic, basil $0.06, $0.07 respectivly<br />
up to 3 tbsp water, depending on how thick you like your pizza sauce. Free from the tap.<br />
<br />
So here are the price totals:<br />
With dollar store crust: $14.59<br />
With homemade crust and boght sauce: $11.59<br />
The pice completely homemade: $11.32<br />
<br />
I know that the sauce doesn't make that much of a difference in this instance, but if I had waited to stock up on my tomatoe paste when it was on sale 3/$1...that could have meant a savings of $0.17 more cents. The biggest problem is the price of meat and cheese, getting these on sale is the best way to save more money. My family is big on cheese, so I am constantly buying cheese when it's onsale, and freezing it until we need it. If I can finde pregrated cheese on sale...I buy it HAPPILY, just because I usually hurt myself on the grater. Apparently people want you to work so hard that there is blood sweat and tears, but when it come to there food...not so much, go figure! ;)<br />
<br />
I will be posting the recipe for the homemade pizza dough later today, so have fun until then! :)<br />
<br />
You can use any bread dough recipie to make pizza dough, but alot of people prefer the recipes that are specifically for pizza, and I have to say that it does turn out tastier. The recipe that I am giving you is to make ALOT of pizza crusts. I know...who wants to make 20 pizza crusts at once? Well...I do...you can freeze it as soon as you have it rolled or "Toss" it to the pizza size (I am not that adventurous), or you can bake the crust for a few minutes and then freeze (this ensures that it won't do any rising after it thaws). I prefer to freeze after I get them in their shape, or else to freeze them after they are "dressed" with toppings. When I make this amount, however, I tend to go for just freezing the crust, because it makes it easier. I also have a bunch of aluminum round pie pans for just this purpose. You're asking yourself, why aluminum pie pans, I'll tell you why. My family like to have "create your own pizza night", which means individual sized pizzas. The pie pan bottoms are the right size, I can get them fairly cheeply, I can rewash them, and they take up less space than regular pie pans. I can also freeze them in stacks like that, and once frozen, I can remove them easily from the pans, and place them into freezer bags in stacks of four.<br />
<br />
I usually go with the toppings that our family likes, and I only get enough for the one meal, but if you want to follow this recipe to a "T", you can always freeze them for later! :)<br />
<br />
Anyways...at long last...here is the recipe I use from "Growlie's For Groups Online Cook Book", who is a fellow British Columbian... <a href="http://lotsofinfo.tripod.com/index.html">http://lotsofinfo.tripod.com/index.html</a> <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><b>Pizza Crust</b></span><br />
<br />
<b>100 servings </b><br />
<br />
<b>1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp Active dry yeast* <br />
2 qt + 1/2 cup Water, warm ( 110 F) <br />
6 1/4 qt All purpose or bread flour <br />
2/3 cup Vegetable oil <br />
2 1/2 tsp Salt <br />
1/4 cup + 2 tsp Sugar <br />
1 cup Cornmeal </b><br />
<br />
<b>Place flour in large mixer bowl. Make well in the center. <br />
Pour in dissolved yeast, oil, salt and sugar. Gradually work into the <br />
flour using dough hook on low speed. Knead for 15 minutes at medium speed. <br />
Divide and shape dough into 5 balls, 2 lb 4 oz each. Let rest for 20 minutes. <br />
Lightly oil 5 sheet pans ( 18 ''x 26''x1''). Sprinkle each pan with 1 oz ( 3 Tbsp) cornmeal. <br />
Place 1 dough ball in center of each pan. Flatten dough by rolling or spreading<br />
dough 1/8 '' thick to rim of pans. Keep edges thicker than center. <br />
For topping, baking and portioning directions, see Pizza With Cheese Topping Recipe. <br />
Dissolve dry yeast in warm water. Let stand for 4- 5 minutes. <br />
For best results, have all ingredients and utensils at room temperature. <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Plain Cheese Pizza</span></b><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br />
</span><br />
<b>1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Flaked basil <br />
2 tsp Black pepper <br />
1/2 No. 10 can Tomato paste <br />
1/4 cup + 2 Tbsp Flaked oregano <br />
5 sheet pans Pizza dough in pans <br />
1qt + 1 1/4 cups Fresh onions, chopped <br />
3 1/2 qt Water <br />
1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp Flaked marjoram <br />
1 Tbsp Flaked thyme <br />
3 + 1/4 gal Mozzarella cheese, shredded <br />
1 Tbsp + 1 1/2 tsp Garlic powder <br />
<br />
<br />
Combine onions, garlic powder, pepper, tomato paste, water, and seasonings. <br />
Simmer for 15 minutes. <br />
Sprinkle 12 oz ( 3 cups) shredded cheese evenly over each pizza crust. <br />
Spread 1 qt tomato mixture over cheese in each pan. Sprinkle 1 lb 12 oz ( 1 3/4 qt )<br />
shredded cheese evenly over tomato mixture in each pan. <br />
Bake until crust is lightly browned: Conventional oven: 475 F for 15 -18 minutes, Convection oven: 450 F for 15 minutes. <br />
Cut each pan 4x5 ( 20 pieces per pan). </b><br />
<b>Add more toppings if desired</b><br />
<b><a href="http://www.angelfire.com/bc/incredible/xH1pizzacrust.html">http://www.angelfire.com/bc/incredible/xH1pizzacrust.html</a> </b><br />
<b></b>Angela Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12855739245530643481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123237631008514501.post-83291637134954151932011-06-09T06:48:00.000-07:002011-06-09T06:48:45.734-07:00slackin' againI know, you are all eagerly awaiting my next food post, but I have definately hit a snag with it. I am not always the one buying the food, sometimes we are given it. With our finances not as pretty as they once were, my Mother and Father-In-Law have been picking up meat for us from Costcos when they go to Kamloops to visit family. It is in Zipper seal bags, and I have no idea how much they cost, as I do not grocery shop very often. <br />
<br />
I shall endevor to find out the approximate pricing for you, and write it up in another post. For now, I shall leave you with a few frugal family dinners we have made recently! :)<br />
Sweet Thai Chili Chiken Thighs<br />
<br />
9 pieces of chicken thighs<br />
1 Jar Sweet Thai chili sauce (I bought it at a dollar store for $1)<br />
2 cups rice<br />
1 trunk broccoli, chopped to tiny bits<br />
mushroom soup<br />
<br />
To start with, you place the chicken in the fridge with the marinade sauce on it (I use an old tupperware* container that I got from the Salvation Army* that is meant for marinading in, but any wide container will do). Start cooking the rice with the broccoli bits, and mushroom soup, cutting the water for the usual rice directions by about 1/2 cup. Shake the marinading chicken, to ensure that all of the chicken comes into contact with the sauce. Bake chicken on a baking pan at 350 for about a half hour, turning midway through. <br />
<br />
Once chicken is done, the rice mixture should be ready, so serve away! :)<br />
<br />
<br />
Sausages for Dinner?<br />
<br />
I am a believer that anything is possible, including using breakfast sausage for the meat portion of our dinner.<br />
<br />
12 breakfast sausages<br />
6 medium potatoes<br />
1/4 milk<br />
1/4 cup butter/margarine<br />
1-2 tsp. garlic powder<br />
2 cups frozen veggies<br />
1/3 cup barbeque sauce<br />
<br />
Get out a baking pan, place the sausages onto the pan without them touching one another. Use a fork, and puncture a few holes on all sides of the sausage (this is to help the grease to escape), place in an 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Cut up potatoes, and put into a pot, fill pot with water and let boil until potatoes can easily be punctured by a lightly pressed fork. Heat up Frozen vegetables. After the 20 minutes are up, turn sausages over, and smother them with barbeque sause. Bake for five more minutes, flip again, and smother in barbeque sauce. Shut oven off and let sit until the potatoes are ready. Once potatoes are ready, drain water, and start mashing (if you don't like peels in your mashed potatoes, you may remove the skins). Add the milk and margarine/butter, and mash until they are of a creamy consistancy. Serve when meal all the meal is finished cooking, and enjoy! :)Angela Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12855739245530643481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123237631008514501.post-65788571466308537022011-06-03T18:05:00.000-07:002011-06-03T18:05:13.668-07:00About the pricingI know, you probably think I've gone nuts, or off the deep end about my guestimating the costs for my dinner. I have to tell you, the amount of math I've done just to tell you how much I paid for a teaspoon of garlic powder...you'd be shocked! I actually had to find a website that could give me changes of measurement from teaspoons to grams, just so that I could find out how many grams of garlic powder goes into a half teaspoon, then figure out how much I paid per gram in the container I got. That would be how I got to the amount listed, instead of the previous posts where I just told you what I paid for the bottle. <br />
Believe me, the amount of work and effort to get to the process was long a tedious, but I felt that if I was giving you how much it costs per meal, I had better go off of the assumption that everyone has basic staples. I also have to assume that you paid as much as I did for that specific item.<br />
So with that said, I hope you like the new way of me calculating the costs, and hope it is helpful! :)Angela Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12855739245530643481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123237631008514501.post-32973643994305843302011-06-01T22:31:00.000-07:002011-06-02T23:09:16.966-07:00Monday night's dinnerI got my son to make dinner last night, because I still wasn't feeling that well. I got him to make Sloppy Joes' from scratch! He followed the recipe to a "T", too bad I never wrote in there the one change I ahd made, but anywho...<br />
This recipe came from one of my favorite cookbooks "Not Just Beans" by Tawra Jean Kellam, which has been reprinted as "Dining On A Dime Cookbook", and is available online at <a href="http://www.livingonadime.com/store/">http://www.livingonadime.com/store/</a> (and no, I don't make money from advertising, but it's a great cookbook, and is not available for some reason in any local library)<br />
<br />
<u>Sloppy Joes</u><br />
<br />
1lb ground beef $3<br />
1 medium onion, chopped, or 1/2 tsp onion powder $0.50 for an onion/$0.03 for the powder<br />
1/2 tsp. garlic powder $0.03<br />
5 Tbsp. ketchup $0.04 <br />
2 tsp. brown sugar $0.04<br />
1/8 tsp lemon juice $0.01<br />
1 TBSP. Worcesershire sauce $0.14<br />
1/2 tsp. salt $0.01<br />
6 hamburger buns $0.50<br />
<br />
All prices are approximate, and the grand total is $4.27!<br />
Now, this is the original recipe, but I make personall preferance changes to the recipe when I make it. I usually use a can of tomato paste instead of the ketchup, and add more lemon juice and Worcestershire sauce to make up the moisture difference. I also usually use 1.5lb of ground beef for the recipe instead of the 1lb, because that's the amount that I usually put into a freezer bag when I freeze my ground beef (odd I know, but my family are big meat eaters!).<br />
Anyways, here's the instructions: Brown ground beef and onion until tender. Drain fat. Add other ingredients and heat thoroughly. Serve on hamburger buns. Serves 6. <br />
<br />
Tonight it was a fend for yourself night, so leftovers, or whatever they could make (like grilled cheese sandwiches), since I hadn't planned anything and didn't feel like cooking (besides...there's plenty for them to choose from!).Angela Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12855739245530643481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123237631008514501.post-55587195449770957512011-05-29T22:33:00.000-07:002011-05-29T22:33:36.389-07:00Sunday nightWell, tonight was a bit of a home made dinner...at least half.<br />
<br />
2 packages of tortellini (Oliviari, which I got marked down at $1.99 per package) $3.98<br />
1-650g package of homemade spaghetti sauce (I cool my spaghetti sauce down then freeze it in washed out yogurt or cottage cheese containers) not fully sure of price, but approx $5.00<br />
<br />
This is usually how I make my spaghetti sauce, but not always...lol...sometimes one must make due with what they have, even tomatoe soup! ;)<br />
6lb beef $13.00<br />
2 large containers of Prego*pasta sauce $12.00<br />
A couple of tablespoons of each to taste: garlic powder, oregano, basil, onion powder $1.00<br />
2 medium cans tomato sauce $3.00<br />
2 cans tomato paste $1.00<br />
Costs about $30.00 to make this batch of sauce! I am approximating cost, as I have not made a batch in about two months, and have not purchased the ingredients to make it lately either, so I might be off on the big batch by maybe $2.00, which means that I might be wrong on the singles by maybe $0.40.<br />
<br />
Simmer for at least an hour for the flavour to merry. Makes 6-650g plastic containers worth for freezing, which works for my family of four with occasionally leftovers(depending on my kids' growth spurts). I either take the sauce out the night before the meal to thaw in the fridge, or I take it out of the freezer and use a bit of hot water to get it out of the container and into a sauce pan.Angela Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12855739245530643481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123237631008514501.post-25263801817204234572011-05-29T10:17:00.000-07:002011-05-29T10:19:01.780-07:00I know, I'm slackin'!I have the flu, so food is the last thing on my mind. Saturday hubby made 8 hamburger paaites, and thawed out more hamburger buns...his idea of a complete dinner, at least he's doing more about it than me! ;)<br />
<br />
Saturday was a vegeterian lasaugna that I had purchase for emergencies for me! My family is way more into meat than I am, so I tend to get something like that, and once I cook the whole thing, I cut it up and freeze the extra peices in single portions. Alas, as I said before, I have the flu, so my "save me from the meat!" meal became a family meal. My eldest stayed at a friend's house for the night, so the there were just three of us to feed. MY youngest and hubby said it was alright...for vegetarian... *rolls eyes* ...I guess I'm making a snails pace progress at getting them to eat less meat....but I doubt it..lol!<br />
<br />
Well, back to the food and cost of the food.<br />
Friday night:<br />
<br />
1 dozen hamburger buns (whole wheat) $0.99 (got them onslae and froze until needed)<br />
8 burger patties (these were from M&M meats, and it was 16 in the box for $9.99) $4.99<br />
8 cheese slices (from a package of 48 thin slices for $6.99 equalling $0.15/slice) $1.20<br />
So the grand total of our dinner in was $7.18 approximately, and not including taxes<br />
<br />
Saturday night:<br />
<br />
1 Vegetarian Lasaugna (bought at Walmart, not even on sale, was $12.00, cut into 4 pieces, $4.00 per person) $12.00<br />
So the grand total was $12.00 plua taxes.<br />
Yes, it was an expensive meal, but most prepackaged meals cost more than making them yourselves. With me not being well, dinner has to be easy, and it was a choice between this, or plain Kraft Dinner*...and I ate, so I was happy with the choice! ;)<br />
<br />
Due to my be tarty on some posts, I'm going to give you all another of my favorite recipes!<br />
<br />
Vaughn Nuggets<br />
By Deb Vaughn<br />
<br />
<i>Why go to the Arches when you can make your own??? This kid-tested and approved recipe is adapted from one that appeared in Better Homes and Gardens several years ago.</i><br />
<br />
1 lb chicken -- deboned and skinned<br />
1/4 cup whole wheat flour<br />
1 teaspoon parsley flakes<br />
1/2 teaspoon tarragon<br />
1/2 teaspoon sage<br />
1/4 teaspoon salt<br />
1 dash pepper<br />
1 egg beaten OR 1/4 cup egg substitute<br />
2 tablespoons milk<br />
1 cup bread crumbs<br />
<br />
Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Cut the pieces in 1 inch pieces OR pound flat and cut with cookie cutters into fun shapes. Combine the flour, parsley, seasonings thoroughly and put in a small plastic bag.<br />
<br />
Add chicken pieces, a few at a time to flour mixture. Close bag and shake pieces to coat them.<br />
<br />
Combine milk and egg in a small bowl. Put bread crumbs in another bowl. Dip the flour coated pieces, 1/4 at a time, in the egg/milk mixture and then roll them in the crumbs.<br />
<br />
Place coated chicken pieces in a single layer on a large ungreased baking sheet. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 - 12 minutes until pieces are no longer pink and the juice runs clear.<br />
<br />
VARIATIONS: add cayenne pepper, oregano, curry or chinese 5 spice to the flour mixture instead of tarragon and sage. These are really tasty and make a crowd-pleasing appetizer. <br />
<br />
FREEZE: on clean baking sheet. Remove to a freezer bag.<br />
<br />
SERVING: Remove what is needed and nuke for 30 seconds or bake at 400 for 5 minutes. SERVES: 8 (more if served as an appetizer)<br />
I had to search for where I had originally gotten this from, it is a OAMC recipe (Once A Month Cooking), from <a href="http://mysite.verizon.net/vaughnharsh/OAMC/OAMC.shtml">http://mysite.verizon.net/vaughnharsh/OAMC/OAMC.shtml</a> . I used to do this kind of cooking alot, but found it to bee too much work, so now I just make a recipe frome them, or double something I know can be frozen and double it. I put the remainder of the meal into the freezer for another night. Alot of people do something similar to that, but don't think about it, like making a big batch of spaghetti sauce, and freeze the rest in meal amounts in the freezer.<br />
<br />
Hope you enjoyed this "tasty tidbit" of a recipe! ;)Angela Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12855739245530643481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123237631008514501.post-61479965371751135222011-05-26T21:19:00.000-07:002011-05-26T21:19:24.582-07:00Thursday nightSadly, I did not make dinner tonight, ok...not so sadly for me! ;)<br />
It is my youngest sons' Birthday today, so we went to Boston Pizza , to which my Mom and Dad-in-law were so kind to pay for! My son had a wonderful evening, and got to enjoy being sang to by the staff (how sweet is that?) when they brought the cake out.<br />
Sorry that it isn't a dinner breakdown or anything, but I will share my FAVORITE recipe!<br />
<br />
Easy Chocolate Fudge<br />
<br />
I got this from the Eagle Brand* website years ago, and everyone loves it (I usually break down bits of candy cane at Christmas, or Smarties*, instead of nuts (in case someone's allergic to them).<br />
<br />
3 cups chocolate chips<br />
1 can Eagle Brand* sweetened condensed milk<br />
dash salt<br />
1/2-1 cup chopped nuts (optional)<br />
1 1/2 teaspoons Vanilla extract.<br />
<br />
In a sauce pan, melt chocolate chips, sweetened condensed milk, and salt on low heat. Once it is malted and thoroughly mixed, remove from heat, stir in nuts and vanilla. Spread evenly in an eight or nine inch square baking pan that is lined with wax paper. Chill two hours, or until firm. Turn fudge over onto a cutting board, peel off waxed paper, and cut into squares. Store in refridgerator covered. <br />
<br />
This stuff is so deliciously rich and chocolatey that I, a confirmed chocoholic, can only have a small amount at a time! Not to mention, that for fudge, this recipe is easy, and a batch can be made for under ten dollars! Hope this will tide you over until tomorrow! ;)Angela Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12855739245530643481noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-123237631008514501.post-75740357279569071672011-05-25T23:05:00.000-07:002011-05-25T23:05:56.562-07:00Wednesday night dinnerWell, tonight we had shakie bakie chicken thighs, with potatoes and a fruit smoothie. I know, not your normal dinner, and not always cheap, but enjoyable! ;)<br />
<br />
So the break down is this:<br />
10 chicken thighs (bought a family pack that I divided into three bags of ten on sale and froze for about $15.00) approximately $5.00<br />
6 red potatoes approximately $0.99<br />
Frozen fruit (I buy BIG bags of mixed berries onsale for $16.99) about 2 cups worth approx. $4.00<br />
Vanilla ice cream (bought a 4L container onsale for $3.99) about 3 cups approx. $0.60<br />
orange juice (buy in frozen concentrate for $1.25, makes about 8 cups) about 1 cup approx $0.16<br />
Milk (I buy the 4L jugs for $4.50) about 2 cups approx $0.60<br />
The grand total for the meal is $11.35!<br />
<br />
I know, not the healthiest beverage in the world, and I probably should have made another vegetable to go with the meal, but honestly, I didn't feel like it for once. I also didn't make the drink, my eldset son did it for us! I figure that technically we had all four food groups, but I do admit that the sugar and fat content were REALLY high because of the drink. I also have to say that it was WELL worth it! ;)Angela Shephardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12855739245530643481noreply@blogger.com0