18 Potato Salad Recipes To Try
I fired up the barbecue for the first time this year (the weather has been unusually nice lately) and now I’m on the hunt for this year’s first batch of potato salad–I’m looking for something new to try. This week’s Recipe Hit List is a great selection of recipes I’ve found around the ‘net, some [...]
- Also See These Tips:
- 12 Homemade Salad Dressing Recipes
- 27 Pasta Salad Recipes To Try
- 12 Egg Salad Recipes To Try
Continue reading 18 Potato Salad Recipes To Try …
From TipNut.com.
Financial counselor speaking on March 10
This post is for my readers in Monroe County, Mich.
Bettina Pearch, financial counselor at GreenPath Debt Solutions, was scheduled to speak about how to avoid foreclosure and deal with mortgage modifications at noon Wednesday Feb. 10 at Summerfield-Petersburg Branch Library, 60 E. Center St., Petersburg, Mich..
Because of the weather, her program has been rescheduled for noon March 10.
Ms. Pearch has given several educational presentations in the Monroe area. GreenPath is the southeast Michigan agency that is part of the Consumer Credit Counseling network.
Continue reading Financial counselor speaking on March 10 …
From Monroe on a Budget.
The Simple Dollar Weekly Roundup: Resolution Updates Edition
I thought I’d update you on my progress with my 2010 resolutions.
Resolution #1: Lose 40 pounds I lost three pounds in January, so I’m more or less on pace with this one. My biggest challenge here is the weather, which makes it very difficult to just get outside and take a long walk, something I love to do every day when the weather is nice.
Resolution #2: Pay cash for a replacement for my truck I have an adequate amount of cash ready to go. I’m just merely waiting for the right replacement vehicle to come along. Oh, and I’ve had additional truck troubles in the last month, so I have even more incentive to switch.
Resolution #3: Learn to play the piano After testing out two piano teachers, I’ve been taking weekly hour-long lessons from a teacher for the past three weeks. I’ve also been practicing a lot at home. So far, I can read most simple sheet music if I go slowly and I can play a few simple songs at a reasonable tempo.
Resolution #4: Reduce my entertainment and hobby spending by 50% This is going really well so far, as I spent just a few dollars on entertainment in January. If the rest of the year goes anywhere near this well, this one will be easy to do.
So, to put it simply, #2, #3, and #4 are very much on pace, and #1 arguably is. I’m pretty happy with that.
Here are some personal finance posts to enjoy.
Star Trek and The Time Well Spent Continuum In the last Reader Mailbag, I argued that MMORPGs like World of Warcraft and Star Trek Online could be potentially good ways to reduce your entertainment spending. This article actually makes the opposite argument. (@ debt free adventure)
The Hypocrite Test: Should Rich People Pay More? As with many such fundamental political issues, I think there are valid arguments on both sides of the coin and that some reasonable compromises can be reached. The only problem is that people don’t sit down at the table and rationally discuss such issues today – instead, they resort to arguing, insulting, and “straw man” representations of the opposition. I have little interest in that, whether it’s Keith Olbermann or Glenn Beck – I wish they’d both shut up. Whatever happened to the Lincoln-Douglas debates? Such thoughtful coverage of the issues of the day went away with the advent of fifteen second news blips. (@ awake @ the wheel)
Does Renting Make Sense? J.D. pulls out the P/R ratio to take a look at whether renting is more worthwhile financially than buying. The problem, though, is that it doesn’t really take into account individual financial situations. (@ get rich slowly)
How is disorganization and clutter affecting your job performance? In my own case, I notice a serious downturn in productivity when my office gets disorganized and messy. I’m far better off just stopping for a bit to get things in better order than I am just charging ahead. (@ unclutterer)
Continue reading The Simple Dollar Weekly Roundup: Resolution Updates Edition …
From The Simple Dollar.
Organizing Your Time~Week 2
Taming Technology
Do you have a love/hate relationship with technology? I know I do! What did we ever do before Internet? I use it for just about everything–from staying in touch with friends to paying bills to checking the weather. In some ways it saves huge amounts of time and effort. The downside is that I can also squander HOURS online if I’m not careful. Maybe it’s the same for you.
Phones, too. My cell phone and home phone are tools I just can’t imagine living without–yet sometimes I allow myself to be interrupted by a phone call, and end up feeling frustrated and resentful. Enter caller id. For a long time I resisted having it, even though it was free through my phone provider. I do use it now as well as my answering machine. I really started using these tools shortly after we began homeschooling. It was unfair to my kids for me to answer the phone and get caught up in a conversation when we were in the middle of a math lesson, for instance. So it’s not about showing disrespect to those people who are calling . . . it’s about managing my time so that I talk to them when I am best able to listen and give them my full attention.
Telemarketers are people too . . . and they are just trying to make a living. Please don’t be rude to them. Just don’t allow them to persist to the point where you’re irritated. Just a simple “Thank you, but I am not interested. Please remove me from you list.” CLICK. Don’t wait for an answer.
Keep a phone log for a few weeks. Include the name of the caller, the time they called, and the length of the conversation. Analyze that to see what changes can be minimize interruptions and time wasters.
Here’s another log to keep–though it might be painful. Just a sheet of paper is all you need, but I challenge you to keep track of all the time spent on the Internet for a week. Ouch. Prepare to be surprised!
If you have favorite blogs, try subscribing to them so they’re delived to your email inbox, or following them in a list. Set a timer before getting online–predetermine how much time per day you want to allow for Internet. When the timer goes off–you’re done!
Email is a problem for many of us. Here are a few tips for managing email.
Set a schedule–determine that you are only going to check email, say, twice a day, or whatever works best for your situation. Stick to it! Take a few minutes to reply to emails if necessary, then shut down.
Sort email into folders. I subscribe to several online newsletters and blogs. I have folders set up in my inbox to sort newsletters until I can block some time to read them. It helps keep my inbox somewhat clearer.
Use email subject lines for easy identification, and change the subject line if the subject of the email thread changes.
Keep emails clear and concise and to the point.
Please be selective about forwards. Not everyone enjoys receiving them. It’s polite to ASK before forwarding power point slide shows, political jokes, or the “forward du jour” to everyone on your list.
How about you? How do you use the phone and internet to save time? And how do you avoid wasting time on them? I think this is an area in which many of us continue to struggle. I’d love to read your feedback and suggestions.
Continue reading Organizing Your Time~Week 2 …
From Econobusters.
Fifteen Things to Have in Your Car This Winter
As Christmas approaches, my wife and I will be doing quite a bit of driving to visit various people for the holiday season. With winter conditions and three young children in the car with us, we’re going to be quite cautious about our trips.
The first step in that journey is to make sure that we have everything we need in the car in case of an emergency of some kind. These supplies are the ultimate form of insurance – they help ensure that we’ll get through a real emergency safe and sound. Here are fifteen things that go into our automobiles in November and stay in there until April.
Blankets are the most important thing you can possibly have with you. If you bury your car in a snowdrift and it won’t start, the ability to keep yourself warm is going to be absolutely vital. Blankets are the best way to do this. I also keep a few hand warmers, too.
A spare charged cell phone will allow you to call 9-1-1 in a pinch. Keep this wrapped up in the blankets so that it’ll be likely to survive a crash without suffering irrepairable damage.
Flares will help rescuers see you. If they’re searching and all they can see is white, a flare will make all the difference in your discovery.
A wind-up radio lets you keep tab with the weather regardless of whether or not you have electricity in your car. A simple winding will do the trick and let you know when conditions have improved and what the state of roads are.
A first aid kit will be vital if someone is hurt in an accident. Perhaps just as important is knowledge of how to use it, because knowing how to apply a leg splint can be very, very important in such a moment.
Extra winter clothes will help you keep warm, especially if you need to leave the vehicle. Layers are key – the more layers of clothes you can put on, the warmer you’ll be down at the surface of your skin.
Jumper cables come in extraordinarily handy on cold mornings when your car doesn’t start. Quite often, it’s the result of a battery that became overly cold overnight and can be started with the help of another vehicle and some jumper cables.
A bag of sand not only adds weight to your car (improving traction) but can be spread to help you get traction if you get stuck in a bad position.
An ice scraper – preferably one with a brush to help remove snow – comes in constant handy throughout the winter. Without it, it will be very difficult to keep your windows cleared.
Dried foods like beef jerky and granola bars are perfect for this type of situation, as they’re energy dense. Don’t keep water or other liquids in your car – they’ll explode if stored below freezing for a long period and you can likely get plenty of liquid in a blizzard – just look outside.
Emergency tire sealant can enable you to get to the next twon in a pinch rather than being stuck beside the road with a flat tire.
Flashlights allow you to see what’s going on and also aid in signaling help. Although flashlights operated by human action exist, they’re not very bright – get one with a very bright bulb and make sure it’s charged.
A shovel will help you to dig out in a pinch. I used to keep one in my truck when I commuted – there simply isn’t room in the car, however (I wish we did have room).
A small tool kit can allow you to fix minor problems yourself on your car. Make sure you have everything you need to (at least) change a tire and loosen or tighten some bolts.
Extra batteries for the flashlight and the radio (assuning you don’t have a wind-up one) are vital. The last thing you want to do is to get stuck, pull out the radio or the flashlight, flip ‘em on, and find that they don’t work.
These tools will help you survive almost any winter weather accident, no matter how bad the storm. By keeping warm and safe and making sure that you can signal to help, you’re doing everything you can to ensure your future.
Continue reading Fifteen Things to Have in Your Car This Winter …
From The Simple Dollar.
Homemade Hot Cocoa
I don’t know about you, but when the weather turns cold like it has recently, we tend to drink a lot of hot chocolate. This can be a really huge expense if you have very many people in your family. Even buying the $1.00 box from your local grocery or dollar store can be a strain with large families.
I recently began making my own hot cocoa mix. It make a large storage bowl full and usually lasts us all winter long. Today, I thought I would share the recipe with you:
Hot Cocoa Mix
4 Cups Powder Milk
2 Cups White Sugar
3/4 cup Baking Cocoa
Pinch of Salt
Measure it all into a blender and blend it up for a 1 or 2 until it’s mixed really well and a fine powder. This is key because it helps it to blend into the water. Use as much mix as you like in your mug and then add hot water. It’s fun to stir it with a peppermint stick during the holidays.
You could also use this as a gift mix. Spend $1.00 at your local dollar store for a pack of 12 bakery bags. These bags are already Christmas decorated. Scoop in some of the hot cocoa mix, tie it up, and then add a gift tag with the directions on how to make this scrumptious cup of cocoa. OR, scour the garage sales and find coffee mugs that are being sold for .05 or .10 cents and use a small sandwich bag with cocoa and place in the mug along with a candy cane, then wrap with a bakery bag. Either way, this special homemade gift would be one worth giving to anyone!
What kind of homemade goodies do you give as Christmas gifts?
Continue reading Homemade Hot Cocoa …
From Econobusters.
Bread Baking
I haven’t tried this but it sounds interesting. If anyone does and gets everything transfered from metric let me know the results and I will post it. Tawra
From: Helene
Thanks for your informative article on bread
baking, especially the tip about using potato
water to feed the yeast! This advice was new to
me!
I would like to share with you my FASTEST and
EASIEST and most frugal way of making bread,
because the dough rises very quickly in the
microwave oven, and it also does not need any
kneeding whatsoever!!! I certainly hope you will
find this recipe so easy and fast and effortless
that you will start baking again!!!
(This recipe makes four big loaves.)
Mix 1 1/2 kg white flour with 1 1/2 tablespoon
dry yeast, 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt, 1 1/2
tablespoon of sugar (if the weather is cold) and
about 8 to 10 dl warm water in a mixer for 5
minutes.
Put the dough in a microsafe bowl and let it
rise for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes in the microwave
oven at a heat of just below defrost!
Put the dough on the table, no kneading needed,
or half a minute at the most! Cut the dough in
four parts and immediately shape them into
loaves.
Put them on a greased bakingsheet and let them
rise for about 10 minutes, or until the dough
rises after you have pushed it lightly with your
finger.
Put in 225 degrees Celsius warm oven, and
immediately lower the temperature to 200 degrees
C. Bake for twenty minutes, first in the middle
of the oven, then at the lowest rack.
Close the heat and let the loaves stand for
another twenty minutes in the afterheat.
They will come out just lovely, with a soft
interior and a crispy exterior.
Continue reading Bread Baking …
From Living On A Dime Blog » Living On A Dime Blog.
Missing Your Weekly Dose of Weekend Wonders?
With the garage sale season coming to a close in most parts of the country, we are putting a hold on the Weekend Wonders posts until later on in the spring when everyone begins to open up their garages after all those long months of colder weather.
So, when the spring arrives and the itch to get out and find the great yard sale deals comes back, Weekend Wonders will resume. Thank you for your loyalty and interest!
p.s. When Weekend Wonders does start up again, send in your favorite finds, and you just might find them posted here!
Continue reading Missing Your Weekly Dose of Weekend Wonders? …
From Econobusters.
Day 25~Frugal Family Fun: Scavenger Hunt
One fun and frugal family activity is a fall scavenger hunt. Have fun with just your family, or invite a few friends to join in the fun. You can wrap up the festivities with pie and ice cream. Ask each family to bring a pie to help keep things simple.
Use your imagination to make your own list of items to find or use one of the lists below. Give each individual, family, or group a list of items to find and a bag for their goodies and you’re off! A digital camera can be used as a fun way to record items that are too large to carry.
Here is a great Scavenger Hunt list from EverythingMom.com. It’s unlikely you could find everything on the list, but it would make a great contest to see which team could find the most items. Or work on the entire list as a family, maybe taking more than one outing to find all the items.
Or try this ABC checklist or this more simple list of items to hide and find. Here is a pretty, ready-to-go list that involves getting to know your neighbors.
And you don’t need to freit if the weather is uncooperative. Simply use this fall newspaper scavenger hunt to have some fun!
Enjoy! (And don’t forget the pie and ice cream once you get home!)
Continue reading Day 25~Frugal Family Fun: Scavenger Hunt …
From Econobusters.
Prepping Your Home for Winter~Guest Blogger Lisa
Ah…..Autumn…it’s here….yay! Truth be told, Winter is fast on its heels in my neck of the woods!
So is your homestead prepped for Winter?
To keep on top of all the chores that need to get accomplished, I love to use this “Basic Household Cleaning List” from DonnaYoung.org, (to find it, scroll about a 1/4 to 1/2 way down the page and look for the title of “Basic Household Cleaning List” and you can click and download a copy for yourself 
it helps me look at the seasonal things that we need to do to keep our homestead running somewhat smoothly…and remind me of those ‘once a year chores’ that I may otherwise forget! 
I also love the weekly section that lists areas that I can fill in with those monthly/weekly chores that will, and do, slip my mind without this great chart to keep us on track! Things like flipping the matresses and cleaning the coffee pot…things I ‘intend’ to get done, but without my reminder chart….tend to get forgotten!
I was looking over my chart today, as I stood in the kitchen, tanking down that first cup o’ coffee and noted we had really got a lot done and are pretty much ready if the snow that is being predicted does fly, starting this evening. My husband is really the one who does the bulk of the outdoor prepping, but all in all the whole family participates in one fashion or another 
This year we needed to really get our wood stocked back up, and thanks to much hard work by my husband, it is done! Kindling and all!!
The faucet covers are on to help protect our water system from freezing up, hoses have been drained and put up (ah back to hauling water to the animals!) & we needed a bit of weather stripping around a particular door, and that is done as well.
Tools that won’t be used over winter are stored (great to store with a coat of WD40 on them , or in a bucket of sand and olive oil, to keep them from rusting) tools that will be used, such as the snow rake, snow blower, snowshovels, wheelbarrow (for hauling wood from the main wood pile to the racks we have on the deck to hold a few days worth at a time), etc are ready to roll! Machines that won’t be used are cleaned up and made ready for winter (riding mower and such).
Gutters are cleaned and ready for the snow and ice–as ready as they can be.
All the childrens outdoor toys and such are put up, covered up or otherwise tended to… all their ‘treasures’ from down at the creek are picked up and put up til next year (if you don’t pick them up the creek WILL take them far, far away downstream during the annual flooding we tend to get! The creek goes from peaceful babbling brook in summer to raging river in late fall/early winter! Or the annual windstorms will take them away!).
We have the stove cleaned and it’s already keeping us warm and fed! Using a real stove/chimney brush (easily used and saves on having a chimneysweep come out and do this for you) keeps creosote down and ensures a great draw! I love to keep pots of soups or chilis going on the stove during the cold months, we also keep kettles of water on the stove–that we can keep moisture in the air with, and add essential oils, such as Eucalyptus, Lavender, Peppermint, etc for colds, sniffles, or just ‘cleaning the air’.
Fuel! We have our propane tanks and smaller fuel tanks full, we’re holding out on filling up larger fuel tanks, hoping prices will DROP! When winter hits with a vengence–it’s nice to have propane for using our outdoor heaters / cook stoves if need be, and gas for snow blowers, chainsaws, etc. or even filling a vehicle if caught in some sort of longer than a few days, winter event.
If you use rock salt, get it now–have it at the ready. Cat litter is another help (although messy to clean back up) to get traction for feet or tires!
Vehicles are ready, with the exception of snow tires, which legally, here, we can’t put on til November 1st–antifreeze, ice scrapers, tire chains, jumper cables, and emergency bags are all taken care of in both rigs. Althought I DO need to get my G.O.O.D bags (’get out of dodge’) repacked with extra clothing and blankets, couple candles, etc., etc. (etc = whatever you think your family will need in a “Get outta dodge” situation–I’ll leave that to your imagination) back in the vehicle–I took them out to got thru the clothing and wash it, etc. Need to get that on the list of immediate TO DO’s!
Now is also a great time to put extra straw in the goat barns and dog houses (or whatever critters you have on your homestead!) for the animals to stay snug and warm during winter! Also to get a rubber hammer out break ice up, in animals water containers.
I also try to have the pantry totally stocked by this time of year, so all I need to do is keep up on things, rotate and can soups, stews, chilis–meals, as I make big batches I also make sure all blankets (extras included) get a good washing and are ready for tossing an extra on the beds in cold weather, the camper has a few extras, and for using as indoor window coverings in extreme cold.
Another thing we do each Fall, is ‘inventory’! Does each person have a good pair of snowboots that still FIT them? What about snowpants? Coat? Gloves? Hats? What can we toss or donate, and what can be passed down to the next person? What about our emergency medical supplies? Do you have a family member that needs certain medications? NOW is the time to be sure those things are on hand, rather than get hit by a freak ice storm or something and not be able to get them (and that is a good plan for the entire year, emergencies don’t just happen in winter–man made disasters can happen at any time, we’ve all been witness to that!)
Last but certainly not least…just for fun–make sure you have a few decks of cards, and games (with all the pieces) handy, some hot cocoa mix, coffee and teas and OF COURSE candles-(you KNOW where to find candles don’t you!?)-so when your power goes out or you have a winter weather event, etc.– you have some comforts that make things more pleasant than they would be without them
Let the snow fly…
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 Prepping Your Home for Winter~Guest Blogger Lisa …
From Econobusters.