tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50536595228126335192024-03-13T10:56:55.378-05:00The Broke FilesMrs.Kaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07122788489654614810noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053659522812633519.post-52409112363225039382011-08-11T20:12:00.000-05:002011-08-11T20:12:00.381-05:00Stawberry JamWant to know how to make strawberry jam minus the pectin? All you need is 2 lbs of Strawberries (fresh or frozen, I used frozen), 4 cups of white sugar, 1/4 cup of lemon juice and two jars. I had a 1 lb bag of frozen strawberries in my freezer so I just cut the recipe in half so I will tell you the measurements I used plus what the original recipe calls for.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Strawberry Jam</div><ul><li>2 lbs fresh strawberries (I used a 1 lb bag of frozen strawberries)</li>
<li>4 cups white sugar (I used one and 1/2 cups of sugar for the 1 lb bag)</li>
<li>1/4 cup of lemon juice (I used 1/8 cup)</li>
</ul><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g6hFefinDVc/TkRkw48Ul6I/AAAAAAAAAEg/yYElhIo9rv8/s1600/IMG_3087.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g6hFefinDVc/TkRkw48Ul6I/AAAAAAAAAEg/yYElhIo9rv8/s320/IMG_3087.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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I started out by letting my strawberries thaw for a bit. Also, place a plate in the freezer. We will be using this for later to test if the jelly is ready for canning. Once the strawberries have thawed a bit I put them in a food processor.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZUFGLc_-bzg/TkRlysyFLBI/AAAAAAAAAEk/eZIl6e80yHw/s1600/IMG_3090.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZUFGLc_-bzg/TkRlysyFLBI/AAAAAAAAAEk/eZIl6e80yHw/s320/IMG_3090.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>It chopped them up pretty well but I still wasn't happy with it so I used my potato masher. You could also use a blender instead of a food processor. If your following the original recipe and have 2 lbs of strawberries you should end up with 4 cups of strawberry puree. I ended up with 2 and 1/2 cups of puree from 1 lb.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lRpqieG34yE/TkRmV8fLyoI/AAAAAAAAAEo/GoXAuwqjV0g/s1600/IMG_3091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lRpqieG34yE/TkRmV8fLyoI/AAAAAAAAAEo/GoXAuwqjV0g/s320/IMG_3091.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nqh4R0tPq_I/TkRmojZvVUI/AAAAAAAAAEs/VBq4H0LOgyM/s1600/IMG_3092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Nqh4R0tPq_I/TkRmojZvVUI/AAAAAAAAAEs/VBq4H0LOgyM/s320/IMG_3092.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Next, you want to take your jars and boil them in water along with their caps. You need to sterilize the jars to put the jelly in and if you do this you also can store your jelly for months in the refrigerator without it going bad. It is very important for you to do this step because if you end up touching the insides of your jar mold may grow. <br />
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Place all the ingredients in a heavy bottomed sauce pan and slowly bring to a boil. I increased the temperature a bit every 5 minutes until it was at a rolling boil. Stir your strawberries constantly so they do not burn to the bottom of the pan.<br />
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You want to keep raising the temperature until it reaches 220F. Once it does let it boil for 10 minutes while you constantly stir so it does not burn or boil over... I checked the temp wearing a heat safe glove because it gets VERY hot...<br />
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Here is my very handsome helper stirring away while I was preparing something else...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9XUT7HKNE00/TkRsUr3BjWI/AAAAAAAAAFA/bjICY4VrLLs/s1600/IMG_3103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-9XUT7HKNE00/TkRsUr3BjWI/AAAAAAAAAFA/bjICY4VrLLs/s320/IMG_3103.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>To test if the jelly is ready take your plate out of the freezer and put a little amount on the plate. Place the plate in the freezer for one minute. Drag your finger through the jelly (which will look like liquid) and if it doesn't try to run back together it is ready to be canned. <br />
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</a></div>Now it is ready to can. First set up a bowl of cold water to stick your jelly in and put it off to the side. Be careful during the canning part. I left my jars in the water and used my glove and tongs to pull it out right before BUT if you want you can leave it drying upside down over a clean towel before hand just don't handle the inside of the jar with your fingers. Pour the strawberry jelly into the jar and leave about 1/4 - 1/2 of space in it and screw the lid on tight. Immediately place it upside down inside the cold water. This helps seal the jar. Leave in like this for at least 10 minutes. I left mine in until it cooled and I could place it in the refrigerator. Leave it alone for 48 hours. After that it should be set and ready to eat! <br />
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Mrs.Kaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07122788489654614810noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053659522812633519.post-15332825400995049542011-08-09T20:32:00.000-05:002011-08-09T20:32:55.450-05:00Making your own bread without a bread machineI don't own a bread machine and I don't have the money to invest in one. What I DO have though is the ingredients in the house to make bread! If you have the time I think it is well worth the time to make. If you haven't noticed yet I like to know exactly what is in everything I eat. I don't want the basic boring box foods. Cooking for me is a passion and can be great bonding time for you and your kids. Especially this recipe when you get to the kneading part and the dough punching part! I also like making my bread because I can tweak it however I want. I can add cinnamon for bread to eat for breakfast, I can leave it plain to make my kid's peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at lunch and with the consistency of homemade bread it is GREAT as garlic bread or along side your plate of spaghetti for all that extra sauce. :) This recipe I use is great and turns out perfect but you have to remember when working with yeast that you need to be pretty precise with water temperature. Ingredient wise you should try to stay exact too but nothing will mess it up like not having your water warm enough or even too warm. If your water is too hot you will kill the yeast and if you don't make it hot enough it won't activate. OK so hopefully now I haven't scared you away! It is easy! I promise!<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">White Bread minus the Bread Machine</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FU4Vaf3GmcA/TkGKzgiTyPI/AAAAAAAAADw/8VcPzYNeasg/s1600/IMG_3029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FU4Vaf3GmcA/TkGKzgiTyPI/AAAAAAAAADw/8VcPzYNeasg/s320/IMG_3029.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><ul><li>Thermometer (I used a meat thermometers)</li>
<li>Three loaf pans </li>
<li>Two tablespoons of Yeast</li>
<li>Two cups water </li>
<li>Two tablespoons vegetable oil</li>
<li>Two teaspoons of salt</li>
<li>Two tablespoons of sugar</li>
<li>Five cups of BREAD flour, divide them apart. Two to make a sponge and three to add in later on.</li>
</ul>Start by putting your two cups water in a small pan on the stove. Heat it up. Once you start noticing it is getting a little hot stick your thermomiter in and check to make sure it is between 95F - 115F. Once it is that hot you can pull it off and make the "sponge".<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WMhe_Zpa8sI/TkGclxxp0vI/AAAAAAAAAD0/emxzG6NSSsQ/s1600/IMG_3030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-WMhe_Zpa8sI/TkGclxxp0vI/AAAAAAAAAD0/emxzG6NSSsQ/s320/IMG_3030.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>A sponge is created to activate the yeast. Pour your two cups hot water into a bowl and two cups of the bread flour. Stir. Once mixed add the yeast, sugar, oil, salt and stir again. Once it is properly mixed let it sit for 10 minutes. <br />
After about 10 minutes your mixture should be bubbly looking, like this:<br />
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</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2Fkk4nkset8/TkGdtzweNrI/AAAAAAAAAD4/yEkzxMkNo2w/s1600/IMG_3031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-2Fkk4nkset8/TkGdtzweNrI/AAAAAAAAAD4/yEkzxMkNo2w/s320/IMG_3031.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>After the 10 minutes and your mixture is now bubbly you can add the next three cups of bread flour. Stir. Once it becomes too hard to stir anymore take it out and place it on a clean counter-top pre-coated with a small amount of flour (you do this so it does not stick).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yXauCwQMsgE/TkGeg8SQesI/AAAAAAAAAD8/XJaJMy6WdGo/s1600/IMG_3034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-yXauCwQMsgE/TkGeg8SQesI/AAAAAAAAAD8/XJaJMy6WdGo/s320/IMG_3034.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Knead your bread for 10 minutes. If you do not know how to knead bread here is a good video for you to watch: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wyXz3Yl9arQ">how to knead dough </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Once you are done kneading put the dough back in the bowl. Take a slightly damp dish towel and cover the dough. Turn on your oven to pre-heat it to 375F. I stick my bowl then on top of the oven while it is warm/preheating because it helps the dough rise. Leave it alone for an hour. By the time you go back to check on it the dough should be doubled in size. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now punch the dough down! Have fun and pretend its your boss, your husband, whoever the heck annoyed you today and go to town. :P </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AYkcOgG2FPY/TkGhufksqlI/AAAAAAAAAEA/ZMCCsvWidHw/s1600/IMG_3035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-AYkcOgG2FPY/TkGhufksqlI/AAAAAAAAAEA/ZMCCsvWidHw/s320/IMG_3035.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Divide it into three parts for the three pans. I used two. One round (to make garlic bread with) and one loaf pan for normal bread. Spray your pans down and stick your dough in them. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mlzl-SpALLc/TkGiDcgWeGI/AAAAAAAAAEE/RA7L3pxAwKg/s1600/IMG_3036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Mlzl-SpALLc/TkGiDcgWeGI/AAAAAAAAAEE/RA7L3pxAwKg/s320/IMG_3036.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Place the dough back onto the pre-heated oven and cover with your damp towel again. Let it rise until it reaches the top of the pans like so:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BDy175fQFoA/TkGiaMLnFcI/AAAAAAAAAEI/nj0-pPfL5s8/s1600/IMG_3037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BDy175fQFoA/TkGiaMLnFcI/AAAAAAAAAEI/nj0-pPfL5s8/s320/IMG_3037.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I forgot to take a picture of it on top of the oven before I stuck it in but I opened the door to show you what it should look like when you place it in. Bake for 25 minutes on 375F. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6IfqrAdUR0s/TkGi-kpxqXI/AAAAAAAAAEM/Qv4WS5IchJI/s1600/IMG_3038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6IfqrAdUR0s/TkGi-kpxqXI/AAAAAAAAAEM/Qv4WS5IchJI/s320/IMG_3038.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>When you pull the loaves out stick them onto a cooling rack. Here is my rigged rack, I used a metal grid that goes into my refrigerator (I think, we don't use it) and propped it up on the ends with a couple boxes so that the bread could properly cool.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RTQWlvKWlGU/TkGjkVtvHAI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/p47sAJuqvvc/s1600/IMG_3040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RTQWlvKWlGU/TkGjkVtvHAI/AAAAAAAAAEQ/p47sAJuqvvc/s320/IMG_3040.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>After a few minutes dump the loaves out of the pan to completely cool on the rack.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zv3z9ByDUaA/TkGkAwjU96I/AAAAAAAAAEU/LABLYO7G9ug/s1600/IMG_3043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-zv3z9ByDUaA/TkGkAwjU96I/AAAAAAAAAEU/LABLYO7G9ug/s320/IMG_3043.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Yum! Breakfast! </div><br />
Once cooled you can store your bread in zip-locs or an old bread bag. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Hope you enjoy your bread!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Reminder this recipe can be used more than once on the same bag of flour. With one bag of bread flour you can make this recipe three times or 9 loaves of bread. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">FINAL COST BREAKDOWN: </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One Bag of bread flour: 2.75, for 5 and 1/2 Cups Bread Flour: $1.23</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Activated Yeast: $.75 for 3 packets</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2 Cups of Water: Free</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2 Teaspoons of Salt: $.04</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> 2 Tablespoons of Vegetable Oil: $.10</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2 Tablespoons of Sugar: $.05</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Total Cost: $2.17 to make this recipe a total of 3 loaves of bread. Each loaf would cost roughly 0.72 cents to make.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Competitors cost per loaf: $2.45 PER LOAF</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LLIAs8-YnKY/TkHfTdAxufI/AAAAAAAAAEY/BivhZxNa5E4/s1600/IMG_3044.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LLIAs8-YnKY/TkHfTdAxufI/AAAAAAAAAEY/BivhZxNa5E4/s320/IMG_3044.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">PB&J!!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">FINAL REVIEW:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My family loves this bread. It tastes like regular white bread but the crust is a little harder. It reminds me of Italian bread or the consistency of garlic bread. This recipe is also so changeable, you can put whatever you like into to turn it into cinnamon bread, garlic bread, wheat bread... so many possibilities. :) I also don't even think my daughter noticed a difference between breads because she said nothing and she is a VERY picky eater.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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Mrs.Kaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07122788489654614810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053659522812633519.post-80098383264569948352011-08-08T20:20:00.005-05:002011-08-08T21:01:25.232-05:00Replacement for Disinfecting WipesHave you ever actually read the directions on these things!? I bought a store brand disinfecting wipe but I doubt the directions are much different than the clorox ones. Were you aware that to properly disinfect according to the directions that you had to use "enough" wipes to keep the surface your cleaning wet for 10 minutes? TEN MINUTES!? Using these things they'd dry within a couple of minutes. So, does that mean that they are not properly cleaning my counter-tops? Also it says once you use them on food surfaces that you have to then go back over the area with water. Wow, I did not know... maybe I'm dumb but when I bought these things I thought it was a no brainer situation and that the directions would be as followed... take out wipe, clean surface, let dry, throw away. Geez. On top of the fact that these things never last long in the house they are expensive and dangerous to children and animals according to the packaging. When I clean my little one likes to with me. Granted I've never handed her a wipe but she will usually follow behind me with a wet paper towel playing clean-up. After putting a lot of research into how to replace these I've found that you need to use bleach. Not very child friendly but at least you know what the ingredients in these are! I've found several clever ways to make these and now that my container is empty I'm ready to go! First off, you can use socks, cut up fabric or t-shirt material to keep things reusable but you can also use paper towels. On an earlier post I said I was going to use my old socks but I think the easiest way to go with this would be to experiment with it first using paper towels and then use t-shirt material because it would be much easier to keep using my socks as "gloves" to dip in the solution in the bottle and clean with rather than fully submerge them. If you choose to use the socks by submerging them in the cleaner your hands will probably dry out. I really like wearing mine on my hands because I can really get into things like corners and grout lines with my fingers that way. Anyway, enough babbling here is the recipe:<br />
<br />
DISINFECTING WIPES:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9W_dhxdoFdM/TkCNVFgt_iI/AAAAAAAAADs/M-epA7OGKwg/s1600/IMG_3006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-9W_dhxdoFdM/TkCNVFgt_iI/AAAAAAAAADs/M-epA7OGKwg/s320/IMG_3006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
2 and a 1/2 cups of water<br />
1/4 cup bleach<br />
a roll of paper towels<br />
<br />
Place the 2 and a 1/2 cups water on the stove to boil.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-78glfUwjtLE/TkB9ow6Y4wI/AAAAAAAAADM/akVK5k3Tz2M/s1600/IMG_3007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-78glfUwjtLE/TkB9ow6Y4wI/AAAAAAAAADM/akVK5k3Tz2M/s320/IMG_3007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
In the mean time take your roll of paper towels preferably the heavy duty kind. Cut the roll in half with a serated knife or if you have one an electric knife. <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3SX4qBQWY0U/TkB-DVi1m8I/AAAAAAAAADQ/cJnpcYI5Ydw/s1600/IMG_3008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-3SX4qBQWY0U/TkB-DVi1m8I/AAAAAAAAADQ/cJnpcYI5Ydw/s320/IMG_3008.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JFI4ZtmfXI0/TkB-YXsvQpI/AAAAAAAAADU/h7345IRLTBI/s1600/IMG_3009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JFI4ZtmfXI0/TkB-YXsvQpI/AAAAAAAAADU/h7345IRLTBI/s320/IMG_3009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Once your water has reached a boil pour 1/4 cup of bleach into the water and turn off the stove.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0ZRyiFrLP9w/TkB-vACyeeI/AAAAAAAAADY/ZgF0CP0q0WM/s1600/IMG_3011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-0ZRyiFrLP9w/TkB-vACyeeI/AAAAAAAAADY/ZgF0CP0q0WM/s320/IMG_3011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Put the paper towels into the container you are using (I used my old wipe container) and place the container into the sink. Slowly and carefully pour the boiling water/bleach mixture over the paper towels.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nlDI5lpo_Zs/TkB_Tbjl4MI/AAAAAAAAADc/PSnbHeO_BHM/s1600/IMG_3010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-nlDI5lpo_Zs/TkB_Tbjl4MI/AAAAAAAAADc/PSnbHeO_BHM/s320/IMG_3010.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-DZ2U5rwYelc/TkB_1L3mDyI/AAAAAAAAADg/NVYQAKL0wfQ/s320/IMG_3012.JPG" width="320" /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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Once the mixture has been poured in carefully remove the middle cardboard. It should come out easily.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1uGNoCRzB6A/TkCAalvE-JI/AAAAAAAAADk/Ik-78f5uXhY/s1600/IMG_3015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-1uGNoCRzB6A/TkCAalvE-JI/AAAAAAAAADk/Ik-78f5uXhY/s320/IMG_3015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Once done you can put your lid on and you them whenever you feel ready to. I left my container in the sink until it cooled off just in case the plastic might melt. The container held up and did not melt! :)<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DwkTDY22240/TkCA4dcJWhI/AAAAAAAAADo/kaqio1rYAuA/s1600/IMG_3021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-DwkTDY22240/TkCA4dcJWhI/AAAAAAAAADo/kaqio1rYAuA/s320/IMG_3021.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>FINAL REVIEW: I used them right away and they cleaned up the mess I had made in the kitchen very well. The only thing I did not like about these was the strong bleach smell. Maybe once the canister cools down and sits for a bit the smell will calm down too. Overall they seem to clean great.<br />
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FINAL COST BREAKDOWN:<br />
One pack of blue shop /car towels (I used these because they are very heavy duty): 4.99. I used half so lets say 2.50. I am sure to save more money you can use any other heavy duty paper towels but I had these around the house and my other paper towels were thinner.<br />
One gallon container of bleach: 1.00. 1/4 cup of the bleach: 0.17 cents<br />
Total: 2.67<br />
The last canister of wipes that I bought cost 3.48 and contained 75 wipes. So, total savings for this is 0.81 cents. Over time if you continue to use these or use cheaper paper towels I'm sure your savings will be more! <br />
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*** UPDATE FOR THE FINAL REVIEW*** Once I let the wipes cool off the over powering bleach smell went away, it was still there a bit but it was a normal smell now. I used one of the wipes to clean up my stove after dinner (splattered vegetable oil) and it cleaned it up no problem. They work great!!!<br />
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Mrs.Kaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07122788489654614810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053659522812633519.post-73607617434057473412011-08-07T22:51:00.002-05:002011-08-07T22:58:35.163-05:00Cheap, yummy, low-fat, HOMEMADE potato chips!Sorry I haven't done made any cleaner recipes in the last few days but my hubby has had the car and has been busy helping some friends move and I was supply-less. Instead today I decided to share with you my favorite recipe for making your own potato chips. All you need is a micro-wave, either olive oil or cooking spray, a potato, a potato peeler and whatever you would like to season them with.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wjY3bftnMCk/Tj9Tc2hKTBI/AAAAAAAAACQ/ZY5cEqvjyeY/s1600/IMG_2979.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-wjY3bftnMCk/Tj9Tc2hKTBI/AAAAAAAAACQ/ZY5cEqvjyeY/s320/IMG_2979.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Peel your potato and choose which you would like to use, either cooking spray which will keep your chips low fat or olive oil. Which ever you choose spray or spread generously on the plate (micro-wave safe only).<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hVrE-tvQtfk/Tj9T9idEbFI/AAAAAAAAACU/-jvlkNRffSM/s1600/IMG_2980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hVrE-tvQtfk/Tj9T9idEbFI/AAAAAAAAACU/-jvlkNRffSM/s320/IMG_2980.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Once you have the plate coated peel the potato on the broad side like this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gzuh2wO0PSI/Tj9UdJ6AoXI/AAAAAAAAACY/6NrowF2UC6g/s1600/IMG_2982.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Gzuh2wO0PSI/Tj9UdJ6AoXI/AAAAAAAAACY/6NrowF2UC6g/s320/IMG_2982.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Place all the pieces you peel flat down on the plate and make sure they don't touch. It is ok if they touch a little bit but when they are done you will have to break them apart from each other. This is what your plate should look like:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vttxPgSIMKs/Tj9U-LHxKEI/AAAAAAAAACc/hfkr4AVFYdg/s1600/IMG_2985.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vttxPgSIMKs/Tj9U-LHxKEI/AAAAAAAAACc/hfkr4AVFYdg/s320/IMG_2985.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Spray or sprinkle olive oil on the top of the potato pieces and whatever you choose to season them with. I used olive oil spray and salt.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7A7aplabpQk/Tj9VhuDgcLI/AAAAAAAAACg/co89U4GACMw/s1600/IMG_2984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7A7aplabpQk/Tj9VhuDgcLI/AAAAAAAAACg/co89U4GACMw/s320/IMG_2984.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7OoOx0OvdjM/Tj9WDTQBuyI/AAAAAAAAACk/zDetGplMli8/s1600/IMG_2983.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7OoOx0OvdjM/Tj9WDTQBuyI/AAAAAAAAACk/zDetGplMli8/s320/IMG_2983.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Once done stick the plate in the mirco-wave for 5 minutes.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ku3bdcIzSlA/Tj9Wj9uiMRI/AAAAAAAAACo/KF1vgO4aCJU/s1600/IMG_2988.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ku3bdcIzSlA/Tj9Wj9uiMRI/AAAAAAAAACo/KF1vgO4aCJU/s320/IMG_2988.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Let them cook the entire 5 minutes and when they are done they should look like this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hWJE2Qx9Ucg/Tj9XKdGDfAI/AAAAAAAAACs/UnaLrgCPkHM/s1600/IMG_2991.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-hWJE2Qx9Ucg/Tj9XKdGDfAI/AAAAAAAAACs/UnaLrgCPkHM/s320/IMG_2991.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hcli2mzWdHE/Tj9XjTGFjuI/AAAAAAAAACw/t3A_fF-z3Fk/s1600/IMG_2993.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-hcli2mzWdHE/Tj9XjTGFjuI/AAAAAAAAACw/t3A_fF-z3Fk/s320/IMG_2993.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Continue this process until you use the entire potato. Eventually it will get harder to cut the potato so I flip it to the side and start doing a "shoe string" type cut like this:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PDML1EofDC8/Tj9YMy8jhCI/AAAAAAAAAC0/eaRSRNq-DOo/s1600/IMG_2998.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-PDML1EofDC8/Tj9YMy8jhCI/AAAAAAAAAC0/eaRSRNq-DOo/s320/IMG_2998.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I then lay them together in a weave like pattern just because I'm a weirdo, want to use my entire potato and I wanted to make one big super chip.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u9J38pIm7gM/Tj9Y0AVt7wI/AAAAAAAAAC4/1_weRPp1k2k/s1600/IMG_2999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u9J38pIm7gM/Tj9Y0AVt7wI/AAAAAAAAAC4/1_weRPp1k2k/s320/IMG_2999.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>One large potato when done fills a normal sized bowl with chips. I had to do this process about 4 times.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4UJdX7PrqY0/Tj9ZIrqBM7I/AAAAAAAAAC8/i5nCFq_cB4o/s1600/IMG_3000.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4UJdX7PrqY0/Tj9ZIrqBM7I/AAAAAAAAAC8/i5nCFq_cB4o/s320/IMG_3000.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XupmKvRT8vg/Tj9ZQFusPoI/AAAAAAAAADA/UwMZtmAyiY4/s1600/IMG_3001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-XupmKvRT8vg/Tj9ZQFusPoI/AAAAAAAAADA/UwMZtmAyiY4/s320/IMG_3001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>FINAL RESULT: If your like me and living on a tight budget "snacks" are not essential and you end up baking a lot of cookies, cakes, brownie ect. Chips happen to be my FAVORITE junk food so this for me is well worth the time it takes to make them. They are very easy and prep to get them on the plate each time is about a minute, its just waiting the five minutes for them to cook. They are DELICIOUS!!! My husband loved them. In fact, I bugged the crap out of him with the camera while he was eating them. He said they taste like pringles to him and that he prefers them over regular chips. With this recipe not only do you get to make them to the way you want them to taste you are knowing and controlling every calorie going into them. Each spray of olive oil is about 5 cal and one potato is about between 77 calories to 258 calories depending on the type and size of potato your using. Also, what I like about this recipe is that once they are gone they are gone and you did not accidentally eat an entire bag of chips. :) <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xnCtwHovduY/Tj9cqIzCMDI/AAAAAAAAADE/9iYuQAstrvk/s1600/IMG_3002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-xnCtwHovduY/Tj9cqIzCMDI/AAAAAAAAADE/9iYuQAstrvk/s320/IMG_3002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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FINAL COST BREAKDOWN:<br />
1-5 lb bag of potatoes: 4.99, I only used one. about .33 cents per potato.<br />
1 can of store brand fat free olive oil spray: 3.99. I can't say how much I used but lets estimate for the heck of it 1/8th of the can. 0.15 cents<br />
Total cost: .48 cents for some very natural fat free chips that taste ultra yummy. :)<br />
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ANNNDDDD just for your amusement here is my husband being a creeper over my chips which he loves.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0OPcQCceBIg/Tj9db3hyMTI/AAAAAAAAADI/TfPhdF2j6sE/s1600/IMG_3004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0OPcQCceBIg/Tj9db3hyMTI/AAAAAAAAADI/TfPhdF2j6sE/s320/IMG_3004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Mrs.Kaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07122788489654614810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053659522812633519.post-54904249996033250292011-08-05T20:22:00.001-05:002011-08-05T20:22:56.900-05:00Easy way to clean your garbage disposalFirst off I want to thank everyone for reading my blog and giving me such nice feedback! Yesterday I also got my first request from a very sweet friend of mine, Meg for a way to make an organic enzyme cleaner for her garbage disposal and dishwasher. Ask and you shall receive! I hope this helps you Meg. :) I have researched both today and there are a couple of really cool things that I'd like to tell you about with my findings. I really wish today I could do a tutorial on how to make enzymes to clean with but I need to get supplies first. I think sometime next week that will be coming. I do though have around the house many things and ways to clean the garbage disposal quickly and easily plus a few tips on how to keep it running at its full potential. There is no better way to save money than to properly care for and maintain the things you own so here is what I found. The most surprising fact I've learned today is that using your garbage disposal for everything is actually bad for the environment. To throw your food out and let it decompose in a landfill is better than sending it into our water supply. This is called nutrient pollution. Nutrient pollution helps create dead zones. Dead zones are low oxygen areas in the ocean. If you'd like to know more about dead zones here is a link for you: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_zone_(ecology)">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dead_zone_(ecology)</a>. In fact, I've learned we have them here off the coast of Texas as well, eek! Long explanation short one way dead zones are created are from our own water treatment plants. They can't handle the amount of junk (this includes chemicals as well) thrown at them and in turn our own water treatment areas (which are suppose to be cleaning our water!) are becoming huge polluters to our oceans. If you don't like throwing food away in the trash you can always compost. Which, I will be doing later this year once we move and have more space! So lets get to it, cleaning your garbage disposal for very little cost and time! Every week I throw ice cubes, lemon juice and salt down the disposal to loosen things up and keep it clean. No big trick but it does help keep it smelling nice and working great. I would suggest though if the odor problem is bothering you that you use a real lemon and use both the peel and lemon pieces. If you do really want to take it a step further though and make an actually cleaner here is the best one.<br />
Drain Cleaner:<br />
<br />
1/4 of a cup of salt<br />
2 cups of distilled white vinegar<br />
1 cup of water<br />
<br />
Put it all in a pot on the stove and bring it to a boil. When it reaches a boil turn it off and add two drops of dish soap. Then, pour it all down the drain (while still hot). Let that go for 20 minutes while you bring another pot of water to a boil. After the twenty minutes are up pour the next boiling pot of water down the drain.<br />
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FINAL COST BREAKDOWN:<br />
Water: free<br />
Two cups of Distilled white vinegar: (I bought the entire gal of 1.60) 0.20 cents<br />
One fourth cup of Salt: (Container cost 2.09) 0.12 cents<br />
<br />
In total it would cost you 0.32 cents to create this drainer cleaner which beats out buying a 10.00 bottle of chemically laden liquid lightning or a 4.00 bottle of drain-o in the future! <br />
I like this recipe and I've done it in the past. I have never had to use drain-o down my kitchen sink so I'd say it is great to use to help maintain your drain.Mrs.Kaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07122788489654614810noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053659522812633519.post-40599662372582433342011-08-05T00:18:00.004-05:002011-08-05T15:00:12.913-05:00The Lonely Sock Club...I am SO tired of finding socks without a match around here that lately I've been using them in replacement of other things. They literally have their own basket! Because of this I figured there must be a lot more uses out there and after a little research these are the most interesting uses I've found for those annoying extra socks. I already use socks for cleaning. They are great to put on your hand to scrub down tubs, sinks, table-tops, fan blades, blinds anything that needs dusting and when your done you can wash them and use them over again. Why bother buying special cleaning towels and scrubbers?<br />
<br />
*What about putting your bars of soap in a sock and using that as a scrubber? The life of a sock as a body scrubber would last much longer than a loofa.<br />
<br />
*You can also turn them into kitchen scrubbers. Start by folding a sock into a square. Next, take one of those mesh bags oranges come in and cut a square big enough for the one side. Top stitch the two squares together. Instant cheap scrubber pad with a soft side as well.<br />
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*I use tube socks to make heat packs. My husband taught me this one and honestly I love mine more than ones I have bought. Fill the tube sock with rice and tie the end off. If you'd like to sew the end off I'd wait until you use it once or twice so the rice spreads out enough to become soft to form around you. Just stick it in the microwave for a few minutes at a time and it will hold the heat for a while and of course it is re-useable.<br />
<br />
*You can also make a travel pillow with a tube sock. Like the heat pack fill it with rice and try it for comfort. Once you get it the way you like you can sew a piece of fabric together and slide it in to make it look a little cuter if your going to use it outside of the house. If your not the best at sewing just sew it up the side with the fabric inside out so the stitching doesn't show and tie the ends off with ribbons.<br />
<br />
*Old socks can easily be turned into stuffing for old toys or pillows that need a little extra fluff. Heck, you can probably start a new project and use them in replacement of stuffing. Experiment first with if you like the way it feels/looks with it cut into pieces or left in whole.<br />
<br />
*You can fold and cut socks (and if you want to make it really nice sew it) up to fit under the the legs of your furniture (so they can't be seen) and stick them under so they don't scratch up your hardwood floors or slide around (which my sofas always do). Also, they can just be stuck straight under the legs of a sofa to move it around the room and not damage the floor while your figuring out how you want to rearrange things.<br />
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*You can make car seat strap pads out of a couple of socks layered. My kids always complain about how the strap annoys them. Just sew them together in a couple of places and cut the ends off to slide them on. If you want to get creative and make them look nice you can dye them, cover them ect. This works great for car seats and children in boosters as well as any other selt belt in the car that is uncomfortable and digging into your neck.<br />
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*If your short like me you can stick the sock on a ruler or something else long and secure it with a rubber-band. Once you do that you can reach the corners of your rooms for cob-webs or any other small hard to reach places.<br />
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*You can stick a tube sock over your swiffer instead of buying the refills.<br />
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*Tube socks can sewn together and stuffed with extra socks or rice to use as a draft protector to stick at the bottom of your doorways.<br />
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*Dog toy! Stick a tennis ball in the bottom of a tube sock and tie off. Its a great way to play fetch and tug of war with your dog.<br />
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*Socks are great for throwing messy kid's things in like chalk. I hate that chalk always gets all over everything!<br />
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*You can make a sock blanket. Cut socks into strips. Either dye the strips or keep them the way they are. Then weave them together. I've also heard you can make rugs out of them.<br />
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*Make a rifle rest bag. Fill it up with rice and tie it off. Use it to steady the fore-end of your rifle at the shooting range. You can also use another to put under the stock and to improve your accuracy.<br />
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Tomorrow I am making a post on how to recycle socks to use in old clorox cleaner containers and a home-made recipe to go along with it!<br />
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So there are all the cool things I've been doing with socks or found on socks. Eventually I will try them all.Mrs.Kaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07122788489654614810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053659522812633519.post-8723929439254839002011-08-04T17:36:00.000-05:002011-08-04T17:36:46.522-05:00Home Made Fabric SoftenerMY DRYER BROKE!!! WHY!? Of all times for the dryer to break it just HAD to be now. Such is life I guess. :) Luckily for me it is summer and I live in the south so my dryer isn't really needed. The only reason I use it half the time is because currently I only have a very tiny covered porch area on the second floor. There usually isn't a ton of room to dry things. Because of that I have been hanging clothes in both the bathrooms on hangers over the tubs (yeaaa I'm know how funny this is) and also on the back porch. The only issue with this is that the clothing dries VERY stiff and they feel scratchy and hard. Being on a tight budget I'd rather not invest in buying fabric softener every week (I do a lot of laundry) so I've decided to make my own. I looked around online for a while and found out that basically they are all just about the same. The ingredients were simple, they were things I had around the house and the recipe I chose to use was very simple. The entire process took 5 minutes.<br />
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You Need:<br />
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1 cup baking soda<br />
6 cups distilled white vinegar (do not use apple cider vinegar, this could stain your clothing!)<br />
8 cups of water<br />
Also, an optional item you can use is fifteen drops of essential oil (if you have it). I think lemon, orange or lavender oil would be great to use. I didn't use any though.<br />
One towel to contain any mess that may result. :) I didn't have a mess because my bucket was big enough.<br />
I recommend using a bucket because the baking soda and the vinegar fizz up when mixed. Use at least a one gallon container. You also need a jar or bottle to store it in. I always keep my jars from anything I buy just for situations like this. I used a 3 gal glass applesauce jar to store my mixture.<br />
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1: Add the baking soda to your bucket.<br />
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2: Add ONE cup of water and mix.<br />
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3: Start adding your vinegar slowly now, I added one cup at a time and stirred between because each time you add a cup in the mixture it will fizz up. In a bucket this wasn't a problem but if your using a smaller container like a mixing bowl beware on this step.<br />
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4: Now, add the rest of the water (7 cups) and stir.<br />
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5: Lastly if you decide to use essential oils add them now. Just remember though if you choose to use essential oils in your recipe shake or stir your softener before every use because it will separate.<br />
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6: Once everything is dissolved and properly mixed transfer it to the container you will be storing it in. It may help you to use a funnel if your transferring it from a bucket.<br />
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TO USE:<br />
Add one cup to your final rinse for every load. This makes 15 cups.<br />
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FINAL REVIEW: I actually like it. It did help a little and I will continue to make and use this. Keep in mind that vinegar is a natural whitener and can help keep your clothing brighter. Also, if you dry your clothing in the sun it is a natural stain remover. This is a great trick all cloth diapering moms use to get the stains out of diapers. If the sun can get stains like that out it can most certainly bleach out any other stains. All around ditching the dryer is going to cut down on electricity as well so this entire process was a win-win and well worth my time. My clothes are softer, brighter, have less stains AND I saved money.<br />
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FINAL COST BREAKDOWN:<br />
(keep in mind this is what I paid for my supplies at my local grocery store)<br />
1 16 oz box of store brand baking soda: .50 cents. In total I used half the box (8 oz or one cup) so .25 cents.<br />
1 one gal bottle of store brand distilled white vinegar: 1.60. I used 6 cups so about .10 cents.<br />
8 cups water: free from the tap :P<br />
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The cost of a bottle of store brand liquid fabric softener in my store was 3.78 and was 51 oz or 60 loads. If you break that down and follow the package directions per use that is .63 cents per load.<br />
Ingredient wise the cost in total to make this recipe comes out to .35 cents for 15 loads of laundry. Now, if I make enough to do 60 loads of laundry I would be spending 1.40. that beats buying softener in the store ANY day!<br />
Total savings per bottle: 2.38<br />
Total savings for 6 months (a load of laundry every other day, about 96 loads. Roughly that is making this 6 1/2 times). 15.47<br />
Total savings per year (a load of laundry every other day, roughly 192 loads. Making this mixture 13 times): 30.97.<br />
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If your on a tight budget you can use up 65 minutes of your year by investing the time into making this and saving 30.97. On top of that I used this site: http://michaelbluejay.com/electricity/laundry.html to break down how much I will save a year by continuing to sun-dry my clothing. I also always wash my clothing on cold. It is not necessary to wash your clothing in hot water. According to this site it wastes enough electricity in a year washing on hot water as it would for you to keep your refrigerator open 24 hours a day for a year. OUCH. On top of that your clothing will last longer, stay brighter longer and not shrink. Per year according to the above website I spend 164.00 in electricity to run my washer and dryer. Cutting my dryer out I am spending 95.00 a year to wash our clothing. Combined with just my fabric softener recipe I am saving 99.97 dollars a year making this change alone. :DMrs.Kaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07122788489654614810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053659522812633519.post-48185690559312336362011-08-03T12:27:00.000-05:002011-08-03T12:27:05.717-05:00PART ONE: MY PANTRYIt took me a bit to settle down and actually have the time to write this but I wanted to make sure once I started this that I would make this a daily thing. So, that being said I took care of all the stuff I needed to and here I am. :) <br />
This week I have 65.00 dollars to buy groceries. Yup, groceries for a family of five with enough meals for two weeks... aka the next payday. Heres the breakdown of how to do such a crazy thing without feeding your family complete junk. COOK! The easiest route is to stock up on good ingredients. Also it helps if you have a pantry stocked with basics. Luckily our pantry is stocked with the basics before we got to the point of living on such a crazy amount of grocery money a week. I like to have my "basics" around the house BUT that being said when one item runs out I have to replace it or there goes doing things the cheap way. I never let too much run out or I know that could equal some big money by the next shopping trip. I also usually only buy store brand.<br />
Heres what I consider MY basic must haves sitting in the pantry:<br />
Rice, the big bag kind takes a while to cook, not minute rice. This is much more cheaper in the long run. More time is needed to cook but it is worth it for me (brown and white)<br />
Dried Beans (Kidney, Black Beans, Pinto Beans, and Chickpeas) This also requires time but if you can throw a pot of dried beans on the counter full of water in the morning before work (or the night before bed) they will be ready to cook once you need them.<br />
Bag of Sugar<br />
Store brand splenda type sweetner<br />
Bag of Brown Sugar<br />
Distilled white Vinegar<br />
Apple Cider Vinegar<br />
Lemon juice<br />
Flour, white, whole wheat and self rising<br />
Jello<br />
Bag of Potatoes<br />
Oatmeal<br />
Kool-aid mixes for emergencies (hey I know it isn't always the healthiest but use splenda!)<br />
Bisquick<br />
I always also have a couple boxes of cheap cake and brownie mixes around for lazy days.<br />
Cornstarch<br />
Onion soup mix<br />
Tuna<br />
Salsa<br />
Chicken and Beef broth<br />
Saltines<br />
Breadcrumbs<br />
Peanut butter<br />
Jelly<br />
Ranch Dressing<br />
Italian Dressing<br />
Dried Creamer<br />
Raisins<br />
Nuts<br />
Taco, Chili and Italian seasoning mixes<br />
Dried Pasta (always have at least spaghetti but I usually have a lot more)<br />
Apple Sauce<br />
Box of Ramen (hey the noodles are great for stir-fry!)<br />
Olive oil<br />
Honey<br />
Veg. oil<br />
dried milk<br />
Evap milk<br />
cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup<br />
tomato puree<br />
canned stewed tomatoes<br />
can of diced tomatoes<br />
Taco shells<br />
Frozen veggies<br />
and of course the usual condiments like mayo, ketchup, mustard, relish, pickles, soy and bbq<br />
THEN... I also always have spices. essentials really are just garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper. :)<br />
I LOVE my spices though so I have a ton of other odds and ends.<br />
That is my necessary list. If you actually want to build a pantry stock that big do a couple things a week. I like to have a little of everything because like I said I like to cook and bake. My pantry allows me to do that without having to run to the store for extras all week.Mrs.Kaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07122788489654614810noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5053659522812633519.post-13658143224284765762011-06-25T23:25:00.000-05:002011-08-03T11:29:22.245-05:00My First Post!So the whole point of this blog was that I have a lot of time on my hands but not enough people to complain to about it. I'm joking... but in a way its true. I have a goal. That goal is to cut down our family's spending. It is kind of a necessity right now. I'm not going to into detail and bore you but an emergency came up and now everything is blowing up in our faces like a "big bomb" of your broke crap. Right now we are a one income family. It will stay this way until all the kids start school full-time because my husband is in the army. If you know anything about army life you know that nothing is concert. There is no magic, "oh this is the time my husband gets off work", or "oh my husband works these days on these hours". Unfortunately for us, it is easier now for me to stay home until we know what hours I can actually work without losing my job every couple months. Anyway, back to the point. I am trying to stock-pile money away and I'm going to let you laugh at me while I do it by telling you exactly what is working and what isn't. My goal here is to be cheap and I mean ULTRA cheap. On top of all that I LOVE to cook and find great recipes online (it is kind of my hobby!) so any amazing cheap meals I find I'll show you and break down the costs. I'm going to try making whatever I can from detergents and cleaners to anything else I can find to cut costs. If you have suggestions for me I'd love to hear them! If anything comes about from this I'd love to just make this a place to vent and find help you figure out how save a little money too. :)Mrs.Kaunhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07122788489654614810noreply@blogger.com0