Tipnut’s Hit List – February 2010 – Popular Tips
If you’re new to Tipnut or wish to revisit a few of the goodies, here is a list of popular tips from last month (based on page views) that you won’t want to miss. They’re in no particular order.
The next set has a thank you and introduction to a few bloggers that shared Tipnut with [...]
- Also See These Tips:
- Tipnut’s Hit List – January 2010 – Popular Tips
- Tipnut’s Hit List – February 2008 – Popular Tips
- Tipnut’s Hit List – February 2009 – Popular Tips
Continue reading Tipnut’s Hit List – February 2010 – Popular Tips …
From TipNut.com.
Olive Oil Tip~Guest Blogger Lisa
I try to buy in bulk at all times—that can make for some pretty BIG sized packages and containers to lug around the kitchen. As I was pouring some Olive Oil out of the 55 gallon drum container (okay maybe it was only a few gallons) and OVERpoured, again, had a lightbulb moment . . .
I grabbed an adorable little gravy pitcher (that does not get enough use to justify its home here, but hey… it was from a set of china my Dad gave me…hence it’s still here) and poured it almost to the top with Olive Oil, and set it off to the side of the stove. Now I have it handy for pouring a bit of Olive Oil in the cast iron, adding a bit to a recipe, greasing a dish/pan, or my hands for kneading bread & my counter top without lugging out that 55 gallon drum (I mean large bottle of oil) everytime!
Just a little tip from our homestead kitchen to yours….
Lisa
Marc, Lisa & The Whole Tribe!
www.HomesteadOriginals.com
Continue reading Olive Oil Tip~Guest Blogger Lisa …
From Econobusters.
Olive Oil Tip~Guest Blogger Lisa
I try to buy in bulk at all times—that can make for some pretty BIG sized packages and containers to lug around the kitchen. As I was pouring some Olive Oil out of the 55 gallon drum container (okay maybe it was only a few gallons) and OVERpoured, again, had a lightbulb moment . . .
I grabbed an adorable little gravy pitcher (that does not get enough use to justify its home here, but hey… it was from a set of china my Dad gave me…hence it’s still here) and poured it almost to the top with Olive Oil, and set it off to the side of the stove. Now I have it handy for pouring a bit of Olive Oil in the cast iron, adding a bit to a recipe, greasing a dish/pan, or my hands for kneading bread & my counter top without lugging out that 55 gallon drum (I mean large bottle of oil) everytime!
Just a little tip from our homestead kitchen to yours….
Lisa
Marc, Lisa & The Whole Tribe!
www.HomesteadOriginals.com
Continue reading Olive Oil Tip~Guest Blogger Lisa …
From Econobusters.
Paper Crafts Saturday: Freebie Printables (List 4)
Wow, I haven’t organized a freebie printables list in almost a year! Here’s a fun mix of goodies I’ve bookmarked just waiting to be shared, enjoy!
Printable Hot Cocoa Envelopes: Perfect for gift baskets or with some nice mug sets. Fill the envelopes with your favorite Cocoa Mix.
25 Holiday Quotes for Your Pages: When you find [...]
- Also See These Tips:
- Paper Crafts Saturday: Freebie Printables (List 1)
- Paper Crafts Saturday: Freebie Printables (List 3)
- Paper Crafts Saturday: Freebie Printables (List 2)
Continue reading Paper Crafts Saturday: Freebie Printables (List 4) …
From TipNut.com.
Paper Crafts Saturday: Freebie Printables (List 4)
Wow, I haven’t organized a freebie printables list in almost a year! Here’s a fun mix of goodies I’ve bookmarked just waiting to be shared, enjoy!
Printable Hot Cocoa Envelopes: Perfect for gift baskets or with some nice mug sets. Fill the envelopes with your favorite Cocoa Mix.
25 Holiday Quotes for Your Pages: When you find [...]
- Also See These Tips:
- Paper Crafts Saturday: Freebie Printables (List 1)
- Paper Crafts Saturday: Freebie Printables (List 3)
- Paper Crafts Saturday: Freebie Printables (List 2)
Continue reading Paper Crafts Saturday: Freebie Printables (List 4) …
From TipNut.com.
IT’S HERE, IT’S HERE, IT’S HERE!!!
If I sound excited, that’s because I am! After a great deal of hard work, my membership site is up and running! And what a bargain it is! See those two spaces up above the gray search bar in the upper right corner? That’s where you’ll log in to access all your goodies.
Each monthly Digest costs $4.95, but when you subscribe to a Molly Membership for only $3.95 a month (cancel anytime!) you receive not only my monthly Digest, but a whole lot more. For instance, if you sign up now, you’ll get the March Digest which isn’t even in the store yet. The theme is “Spring is in the Air – Frugality Everywhere”. We have info on gardening, outdoor furniture, grilling, and lots more.
(If you want to purchase just the March Digest, and not subscribe to a Molly Membership, you can. Just click the cover above.)
Now, when you log on to your special member pages, you’ll not only find the Digest link, but also a main page of resources and links that we’ll add to over time. Then . . . you will have a link to a page of free downloads and links to articles and resources appropriate to that month’s theme. We several free downloads in March including a 50+ page sampler of my new Molly Makes $7 Slow Cooker Suppers cookbook, The Green Spring Clean (homemade cleaning supplies), a Vegetable Gardening Encyclopedia and Herb Guide and some healthy grilling recipes! In addition to the downloads, you’ll find all kinds of fun and helpful links.
And yes, the $3.95/mo price on this is amazing. I’ve seen other membership programs online and they tend to run twice the price with MUCH less to offer. The monthly Digest alone is a bargain at $4.95, let alone $3.95. So join up and check it out!
Like I said, this has been a long time in the coming and I’m thrilled that it’s finally available. Oh yes! Another great thing about this program is that your info will always be available. You’ll be able to access links to the past Digests directly from your member page, as well as the monthly links and downloads. As long as you’re subscribed, you’ll have access to your current and past subscriptions. Many programs wipe out the old content and start fresh each month, but we’ve worked hard to tweak our program so that is not the case.
I’d love to hear what you think once you sign up, download the March Digest and check out the links and resources. Also, be sure and leave comments regarding what you’d like to see in the future.
Note: As of today, we are only accepting Paypal for memberships. But if you don’t use Paypal, just check back. Within the next day or two, we should be all set up for credit cards. I just couldn’t wait until then to share with all of you!
Continue reading IT’S HERE, IT’S HERE, IT’S HERE!!! …
From Econobusters.
Packing the college kid’s care package
My daughter is a junior in college.
My husband and I usually send her a care package every semester exam week, courtesy of a school organization fundraiser that sends parents a letter with a range of care package prices and hints that you don’t want your daughter to be left out on goodie day!
Oh, yes, my husband fell for that pitch when she was a freshman.
But, actually, the school fundraiser worked out pretty well. The two least expensive options didn’t cost much more than to buy and ship our own goodies, and the daughter told us those selections were plenty enough for her. Sometimes she was bringing home unopened popcorn bags and Pop-Tarts at semester break!
Do I need to tell you my husband also would also follow up on the spring flower fundraiser pitch sent from school?
So that’s $20 to $25 spent in the fall; and $40 to $45 spent in the spring, for goodies we ordered on her behalf.
This semester, the daughter is in South Africa on a study abroad program. Yes, students on financial aid can do such things, and you can to follow up on my archives where I discuss international student exchanges if you are interested in those details.
Before the daughter went overseas in January, I asked her “Do you want a care package sent?”
The answer was yes. We planned it so she would receive the box just before Easter.
During the past few days, I’ve been stuffing treats into the box. Do you know how DIFFICULT it is to find non-chocolate Easter candy? Yes, we love chocolate. But we cannot ship chocolate in a box that has a two-week delivery time. She’s getting Peeps, her favorite brand of jelly beans, a sugar egg and assorted other goodies. We also put in one box of Girl Scout peanut butter cookies. There is a request for a specific flavor of gum that I’m looking for before I close that box and ship it out.
Those of you who ship packages know about Flat Rate Boxes from the US Postal Service. We started using them a few years ago when we had a couple of relatives serving in the military overseas and were sending them care packages.
Flat Rate Boxes work for international shipping too.
The medium box that costs $10.70 to ship in the U.S. or to an APO/FPO address will cost me $43.45 to ship overseas.
And my mom paid $55.95 for the larger box that is normally $14.50 for domestic rate. She sent her care package out last week with some of the daughter’s favorite grocery foods (Mexican ingredients, to be specific).
That’s a lot of money for shipping one box, but then I thought about it:
It’s spring semester.
My husband would normally have ordered flowers and a semester exam care package from her home campus. So that’s $45 right there.
The candy and cookies I’m sending are about $15 at most – and she would have received most of that in her Easter basket here at home.
So while it’s an expense we normally don’t bunch up in one week, it is money we would have spent on the girl anyway during this semester.
It will be a budget-friendly box of happiness from Michigan.
Continue reading Packing the college kid’s care package …
From Monroe on a Budget.
Window Cleaner~Guest Blogger Lisa
It’s that time of year.. . .SPRING CLEANING ! Do you want to spring clean those windows and mirrors? The easiest, cheapest old-fashion clean will come with a couple old rags and straight white vinegar. Yes, it is really that simple.
Just take a couple of old rags (cut up old towels work great), dab a little straight vinegar on one and wipe your glass, then wipe dry and you will see the cleanest glass ever!
I just did a few of my windows last week and we’ve been getting some glorious sunshine lately–you could really see all the fingerprints, etc. Not now–-they are crystal clean and now I can see through them!
Hopefully this week I can get to the rest of the windows clean. Vinegar is an EXCELLENT, cheap, non-toxic, and SIMPLE window and glass cleaner!
Stockpile vinegar — it is cheap and has so many uses!!!
~Lisa
Lisa is blessed to be a Wife to Marc, a Mama to 4 blessings, and a Keeper at Home! They live their off-grid, homestead adventure in the mountains of the Northwest. Seeking the trail, ‘off the beaten path,’ that the Father has called them to follow, they homeschool, homechurch & work from home. They operate their family run business, Homestead Originals where they specialize in wonderful handcrafted goodies! Lisa is also the author of the Homestead Simplicity E-book series that focuses on Encouragement for the Homekeeper, Simple Family Living, Natural Cleaners, and Making Everything from Scratch! Come on by and visit Lisa’s Blog for great ideas, tips, freebies and contests too! To contact Lisa, email Lisa@HomesteadOriginals.com
Continue reading Window Cleaner~Guest Blogger Lisa …
From Econobusters.
Knitting Goodies
My neighbor has been teaching me to knit this year. I don’t have a lot of time to spend on it so have mostly made dishcloths. My basic pattern is the Idiot’s Dishcloth. No comments on whether it’s aptly named or not, please! 
However, I just finished a more involved project. Take a look at my first felted bag. This was a fun project. In fact, I think I’m ready to start another. The fun part was seeing how it changed from before felting to after.
See how much it shrunk in the felting? It’s SUPER sturdy and thick, though.
For any of you interested in taking up knitting, or if you already enjoy the craft, FaveCrafts is offering a free afghan pattern book. Enjoy!
Free eBook: Wrap up with 25 Afghan Patterns from Red Heart Yarn
Homemade afghans are the perfect project for those who love yarn. With free patterns, crafters can create afghans which are both functional and decorative for the home. Red Heart Yarn presents this FREE collection of 25 afghan patterns, with projects for every style and skill level. With 4 afghan knitting patterns and 21 afghan crochet patterns, crafters are sure to find just the right afghan for their next project. In this eBook you’ll find:
- 53 Pages of Free Crochet Patterns and Free Knitting Patterns
- 10 Colorful Stripe Afghan Patterns
- 4 Floral Theme Afghan Patterns
- 2 Eco-Friendly Afghan Patterns
- *Hot* Afghan with Sleeves Pattern
- And many more!
You can get this eBook free at:
http://www.favecrafts.com/Crochet-Afghans/Afghan-Patterns-eBook-from-Red-Heart-Yarn
Hope you have a great weekend!
Continue reading Knitting Goodies …
From Econobusters.
Giving is Living
Money is counter-productive — it prevents happiness.
~Karl Rabeder
The above comment was made by this gentleman, a millionaire in the process of giving away many of his luxuries and greatly downsizing his home and lifestyle. (I’m not sure exactly what a “bedsit” is, but it sounds like it’s a simple apartment) Growing up in a very poor family, Rabeder equated happiness with wealth and luxury. But over time, he says he kept hearing the internal message that he should stop all this luxury and consumerism and “start your real life”.
After finally gathering the courage to give up his many comforts, Rabeder is selling off many of his goodies in favor of helping others. The money will go to a charity that will provide small loans and advice to self-employed people in El Salvador, Bolivia, Peru, Argentina and Chile.
I remember reading a year or so ago about this family in Atlanta, GA, who downsized their home by half (OK, so they still have a massive home!) with the sole purpose of donating the $800,000 they made to support The Hunger Project, which would distribute it to over 40 villages in Ghana. I love this quote from their daughter, Hannah.
Everyone has too much of something, whether it’s time, talent or treasure. Everyone does have their own half, you just have to find it.
Even Dave Ramsay strongly supports tithing, even as you work to pay off debt and control spending.
And check out this inspiring video.
We do tithe regularly and always have, regardless of our financial position. However, as we gain more control of our finances, I find it enjoyable to be able to share even more. And, like the above quote mentions, giving need not only be financial. We have talents, time, and resources we can share as well as just money.
Regardless, our quest toward financial freedom and security should always involve an awareness of bettering the lives of those in the world around us. Certainly, we can enjoy special luxuries and treat ourselves on occasion, but I think we are truly living, when we are using our resources to help others.
What about you? Do you have creative ways of giving or an inspiring story to share? Have you been able to give in spite of difficult financial circumstances? Have you experienced financial blessings that allowed you to do something meaningful for someone else? How did that affect you? What would you like to be able to give if you could?
Giving works for me!
Continue reading Giving is Living …
From Econobusters.