<![CDATA[Two Blessed - Family Room]]>

<![CDATA[Two Blessed - Family Room]]>Wed, 23 May 2012 08:18:31 -0800Weebly<![CDATA[Herbal Infused Oils]]>Sun, 20 May 2012 19:27:47 -0800http://www.homesteadmel.com/12/post/2012/05/herbal-infused-oils.html

1. Place DRIED herbs in a clean mason jar.

2. Pour oil (I used Apricot, a good Extra Virgin Olive Oil works great as well) into the jar, making sure to cover herbs by at least 1” of oil and leaving at least 1/2” of space at the top of the jar so that the herbs will have room to expand.

3. Put on lids and shake lightly.

4. Place the jar in a sunny and warm windowsill, and shake once or more per day.

5. After 4-6 weeks, strain the herbs out of the oil using cheesecloth. Make sure and squeeze every precious drop of oil out!

6. Pour into clean jars or brown glass bottles, and store in a cool dark place. The oil should keep for at least a year.

I used Calendula ( my favorite, picture left) and Chamomile (picture right)

]]><![CDATA[Homemade Laundry Detergent]]>Tue, 08 May 2012 07:01:05 -0800http://www.homesteadmel.com/12/post/2012/05/homemade-laundry-detergent.html

Ingredients:

    1 bar of Fels Naptha soap or soap of your choice, grated

    1 cup of borax

    1 cups of washing soda

    1 large bucket to hold at least 3 gallons of liquid, I got my bucket at Home Depot for $2.95

Directions:

·       In a saucepan heat up 4 cups of water, do not boil the water.

·       Grate soap (I bought a grater at the dollar store and keep it with my laundry supplies)

·       Add soap shavings to the hot water

·       Simmer on low until the soap melts completely into the water.

·       Take of the stove

·       Add borax, washing soda and baking soda to the hot water and stir stir stir until dissolved

·       Add 3 gallons of hot water to the bucket.

·       Add the mixture to the hot water.

·       Stir until well combined, I use the handle of an old Dollar Store broom J

·       Let cool overnight.

·       You will notice that it turns into a thick gel or in most of my cases “curdled milk” consistency; the
consistency will not impact the cleaning power.

·       Use 1 cup of this homemade laundry detergent per load of laundry

This is a low suds recipe, so you won’t see lots of bubbles!
This recipe yields 50-52 loads of laundry detergent.
Cost per load ranges between 2-5 cents depending on your local prices for the ingredients.
Average price with store bought detergent is around 25 cents per load.

My bucket

Grated Soap

Dissolved soap

Stir Stir Stir

Finished laundry detergent

]]><![CDATA[2012 Challenge]]>Thu, 12 Apr 2012 07:39:51 -0800http://www.homesteadmel.com/12/post/2012/04/2012-challenge.html

]]><![CDATA[Frugal Friday]]>Sat, 25 Feb 2012 19:05:40 -0800http://www.homesteadmel.com/12/post/2012/02/frugal-friday1.htmlFrugal Choices this week:

- All meals and snacks cooked at home and mostly from scratch
- Air dried as much laundry as possible
- Mended some torn sweatpants and pajama pants instead of buying new ones (can't even tell where I fixed them)
- Created Lenten crafts with inexpensive salt dough
- I won't be adding any change to our change jar, spare change is going in

Frugal Deal of the week:
I am not an Extreme Couponer, I think my highest coupon count was 20 coupons used once, cooking from scratch is still cheaper for us. BUT I read about this great deal for deodorant at Walgreens.
I bought 4
Regular Price $4.49 each
On Sale Buy 1 Get 1 Free + my coupons $3/2
Final Price: 75 cents each

]]><![CDATA[Frugal Friday - Container Gardening]]>Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:30:13 -0800http://www.homesteadmel.com/12/post/2012/02/frugal-friday-container-gardening.htmlFrugal Choices this week:

- All meals and snacks homemade
- Cooking from scratch, cheaper than shopping with coupons for us
- Air dried as much as laundry as possible
- Lowered the thermostat by 2 degrees during the day
- Donated some goods and received a coupon worth $5 for the Thrift Store :)
- Started taking online surveys again, earned $5 for 2 surveys, time spent answering questions 35 minutes
- Bought 10 pounds of organic onions on sale for 39 cents/lb, chopped and froze them in small batches
- Received a nice loyalty discount and a free pack of soup bones from our Rancher for our grass-fed/finished beef :)

Frugal Tip: Grow your own

Growing your one fruits and veggies is cheaper & healthier than buying them at the store.
The best part you do NOT need a large garden to grow them, many fruits and vegetables can easily be grown in containers on your porch, patio or balcony.
To save even more $$$ start your plants from seeds, it is easier than you think.
I always use heirloom seeds, since they are not genetically modified.

Here are my Heirloom Tomato Seedlings :)

]]><![CDATA[Frugal Friday - Coconut Oil]]>Fri, 03 Feb 2012 12:25:26 -0800http://www.homesteadmel.com/12/post/2012/02/frugal-friday-coconut-oil.htmlFrugal Choices this week:
- Air dry as much laundry as possible
- Replaced all "old-style" light bulbs with new energy efficient ones
- Turn off lights when leaving a room
- Used 1/2 recommended amount of laundry and dishwasher detergent, same results when using the recommended amount
- Cooked all meals and snacks at home, no eating out
- Stuck to menu plan
- Saved all spare change in January & made a deposit $20.89 into our Change Jar account

Frugal Item of the Week: Coconut Oil

So many different uses and a little goes a long way:
-Baking
-Frying ( In olny use 1 teaspoon for a big pan when stir-frying)
-Hand Lotion
-Body Lotion
-Baby Lotion
-Facial Cream
-Chapstick
-Hair Conditioner
-Frizz Tamer
-Ointment for scrapes and cuts
-Smells Yummy :)
-Antioxidant properties

I keep one jar in the kitchen and one in the bathroom.
Make sure to buy Extra Virgin coconut oil!

]]><![CDATA[Frugal Friday]]>Sat, 28 Jan 2012 16:02:26 -0800http://www.homesteadmel.com/12/post/2012/01/frugal-friday.htmlFrugal choices this week:
- Air dried as much laundry as possible
- Used only the minimum of laundry detergent, dishwashing liquid, dishwasher detergent etc.
- No eating out
- Cooked all meals at home and most of them from scratch
- Enjoyed some free story-time at the library (along with lots of books)
- Stuck to our menu plan
- Saved all the change and added to the Challenge Jar

Bargain of the week:
Our local Children's Consignment Store had all their Fall/Winter clothes from last year on sale
for $1 !!!! Including sets, dresses, sleepwear and shoes!
I had saved up $100 to buy 2012 Fall/Winter clothes for Miss Munch, I was just waiting
for a good sale.
I walked out of the store with 10 pairs of shoes and 53 Outfits/Dresses and Sleepwear for the next two years for a total of $66.78!
Savings: $373.50

]]><![CDATA[Change Jar]]>Sun, 15 Jan 2012 21:10:49 -0800http://www.homesteadmel.com/12/post/2012/01/change-jar.html

On January 1st we started, once again, our Change Jar Challenge. We save all of our change and deposit the coins once or twice a month into a bank account, which we opened just for the change deposits.
We have no checks and NO ATM card for the account to avoid the temptation of a quick withdrawal of the funds.
Our fund is intended for Birthday and Christmas Expenses.
Balance as of Jan 13th: $24

Frugal Choices this week:
- Air dried as much laundry as possible
- No eating out
- Lights off when leaving the room
- Turned down thermometer whenever possible
- Baked and cooked from scratch when possible
- Dried apples and made applesauce for a quick and healthy snack

]]><![CDATA[Frugal Friday - $6 Children's Reading Corner]]>Fri, 30 Dec 2011 17:46:38 -0800http://www.homesteadmel.com/12/post/2011/12/frugal-friday-6-childrens-readin-corner.html

You can turn any corner of your home into a Reading Corner for your little ones.
These "shelves" are actually vinyl rain-gutters, we paid $5.99
for a 10 foot piece at Lowe's.
My wonderful husband cut the 10-foot piece into 3 shelves and screwed them to the wall, the third one is going in my sewing corner.
We will use the top shelf as our seasonal shelf and the bottom for Emily's favorite books.

]]><![CDATA[Top 100 Items to sell out during a disaster]]>Mon, 26 Dec 2011 15:49:13 -0800http://www.homesteadmel.com/12/post/2011/12/top-100-items-to-sell-out-during-a-disaster.html

Top 100 Items to sell out during a disaster:

1. Generators
2. Water Filters/Purifiers
3. Medication
4. Seasoned Firewood
5. Lamp Oil, Wicks, Lamps
6. Coleman Fuel
7. Guns, Ammunition, Pepper Spray, Knives, Clubs, Bats & Slingshots
8. Hand-Can openers & hand egg beaters, whisks
9. Honey/Syrups/white, brown sugars
10. Rice - Beans - Wheat
11. Vegetable oil (for cooking)
12. Charcoal & Lighter fluid
13. Water containers
14. Mini Heater
15. Grain Grinder (Non-electric)
16. Propane Cylinders
17. Survival Guides
18. Mantles: Aladdin, Coleman, etc.
19. Baby Supplies
20. Washboards, Mop Bucket w/wringer
21. Cookstoves (Propane, Coleman & Kerosene)
22. Vitamins
23. Propane Cylinder Handle-Holder
24. Feminine Hygiene/Hair care/Skin products
25. Thermal underwear (Tops and bottoms)
26. Bow saws, axes and hatchets & Wedges (also, honing oil)
27. Aluminum foil Reg. & Heavy Duty
28. Gasoline containers
29. Garbage bags
30. Toilet Paper, Kleenex, paper towel
31. Milk - Powdered & Condensed
32. Garden seeds (Non-hybrid)
33. Clothes pins/line/hangers
34. Pump Repair Kit
35. Tuna Fish (canned)
36. Fire extinguishers
37. First aid kits
38. Batteries
39. Garlic, spices & vinegar, baking supplies
40. BIG DOGS (and plenty of dog food)
41. Flour, yeast & salt
42. Matches ( "Strike Anywhere" preferred. Boxed, wooden matches will go first.)
43. Writing paper/pads/pencils/solar calculators
44. Insulated ice chests (good for keeping items from freezing in Wintertime)
45. Work boots, belts, Levis & durable shirts
46. Flashlights/LIGHT STICKS & torches, "No.76 Dietz" Lanterns
47. Journals, Diaries & Scrapbooks
48. Garbage cans Plastic (great for storage, water, transporting - if with wheels)
49. Men's Hygiene: Shampoo, Toothbrush/paste, Mouthwash/floss, nail clippers, etc
50. Cast iron cookware (sturdy, efficient)
51. Fishing supplies/tools
52. Mosquito coils/repellent sprays/creams
53. Duct tape
54. Tarps/stakes/twine/nails/rope/spikes
55. Candles
56. Laundry detergent (Liquid)
57. Backpacks & Duffle bags
58. Garden tools & supplies
59. Scissors, fabrics & sewing supplies
60. Canned Fruits, Veggies, Soups, stews, etc.
61. Bleach (plain, NOT scented: 4 to 6% sodium hypochlorite)
62. Canning supplies (Jars/lids/wax)
63. Knives & Sharpening tools: files, stones, steel
64. Bicycles...Tires/tubes/pumps/chains, etc.
65. Sleeping bags & blankets/pillows/mats
66. Carbon Monoxide Alarm (battery powered)
67. Board Games Cards, Dice
68. d-Con Rat poison, MOUSE PRUFE II, Roach Killer
69. Mousetraps, Ant traps & cockroach magnets
70. Paper plates/cups/utensils
71. Baby Wipes, oils, waterless & Anti-bacterial soap (saves a lot of water)
72. Rain gear, rubberized boots, etc.
73. Shaving supplies (razors & creams, talc, after shave)
74. Hand pumps & siphons (for water and for fuels)
75. Soy sauce, vinegar, bouillon/gravy/soup base
76. Reading glasses
77. Chocolate/Cocoa/Tang/Punch (water enhancers)
78. "Survival-in-a-Can"
79. Woolen clothing, scarves/ear-muffs/mittens
80. BSA - New 1998 - Boy Scout Handbook
81. Roll-on Window Insulation Kit (MANCO)
82. Graham crackers, saltines, pretzels, Trail mix/Jerky
83. Popcorn, Peanut Butter, Nuts
84. Socks, Underwear, T-shirts, etc. (extras)
85. Lumber (all types)
86. Wagons & carts
87. Cots & Inflatable mattresses
88. Gloves: Work/warming/gardening, etc.
89. Lantern Hangers
90. Screen Patches, glue, nails, screws, nuts & bolts
91. Teas
92. Coffee
93. Cigarettes
94. Wine/Liquors
95. Paraffin wax
96. Glue, nails, nuts, bolts, screws, etc.
97. Chewing gum/candies
98. Atomizers
99. Hats & cotton neckerchiefs
100. Goats/chickens

]]>