1 cup water

 1/2 cup almond castile soap

 1/2 cup glycerine

 1/4 cup borax powder

 Mix all of the ingredients together and pour into a clean bottle or washed out shampoo bottle.  Allow the mixture to thicken overnight.  Shampoo as you normally would and rinse with cool water.

Check out this great article. It has a printable list and a pdf file you can download.

Grocery Stockpile List: Non-perishables

By Erin Huffstetler, About.com

Ready to start stockpiling groceries and other household essentials, but not sure what to include in your stash? Then, refer to this list of non-perishables for help. Just cross out the things that you don't need, and add the things that you do. Let the stockpiling games begin!

How To Make Wool Dryer Balls

Great tip . Saves money and no chemicals!

The Benefits of Using Vinegar as a Fabric Softener

Vinegar Will:

• eliminate static cling
• remove soap residue from your clothes
• soften your laundry
• make your towels more absorbent

Vinegar Won't:

• add harsh chemicals to your laundry
• imgregnate your clothes with synthetic fragrances
• cost you a lot of money

Tips and Warnings

1) To give your clothes a fresh scent, add a few drops of your favorite essential oil to the vinegar.

2) Have a fabric softener ball? Fill it with vinegar, and you won't have to watch for the rinse cycle.

3) Keep vinegar out of the reach of children and pets.

Did You Know?

 Made from Recycled Barrels!
 
Cut your water costs, lighten the load on your sewer and municipal
system, protect nearby rivers and streams, help recycle industrial
food grade barrels, keep water away from your foundation, and come
out with a great looking yard and garden to boot - all using the
rainwater that falls on your roof. Rainwater is oxygenated, un-
chlorinated and warmer than tap water, which makes the Rain Barrel
Rainwater Collection System preferable for watering your plants,
garden and lawn, and for adding moisture to compost. These rain
barrels are childproof and animal-proof.
 
Why Use Rain Barrels?
* Source of natural water storage
*Recycled Food Grade Barrel
*Fully enclosed unit to be child proof and for pest control (see lid
options)
*Expandable capacity
*Buffer storage for drip irrigation system
 
Many homes with downspouts in certain metro areas are now (or soon
will be) required to disconnect from the sewer and storm drain
systems to splash blocks by order of the municipal bureau of
environmental services. As in most urban areas, this will become a
mandated environmental protection policy to help protect our rivers
and streams. You can be proactive with the Rain Barrel Rainwater
Collection System.
 
The 57 gallon rain barrels (food grade barrels recycled from
caper/pickle/vitamin C factories) catch and store rainwater from
your downspout. A brass spigot at the base is ideal for either
connecting a watering hose or irrigation system. There is a 1.25"
overflow tube on both sides at the mid section of the unit to
connect a hose to redirect rainwater into flower beds, a garden, dry
well, other barrels for storage, or gravity-fed irrigation system.
Our linking kit connects multiple barrels for water storage that can
be expanded to 114 gallons, 171 gallons, or even more.
 
1 inch of rain on a 1000 sq ft roof yields 623 gallons of water. If
you multiply the square footage of your roof by 623 and divide by
1000, you will know your yield.
 
These are using a recycled 55-57 gallon commodities barrel (food
grade) made of 5/16" UV protected Plastic. Since recycled commodity
barrels are used as they become available, color and exact
dimensions may vary somewhat.
 
I would actually reccommend the black or blue ones as the white ones
might be more prone to algae growth. The black ones, if exposed to
direct sunlight will heat up via solar.
 
This is a from a site that sells rainwater barrel kits, but you may
be able to figure out how to make a set or series of them on your
own.

Abundant Earth

Collecting rainwater and saving water on the homestead should be on your priority list. Her is a good link to 100 Ways to Save Water.

It has a clickable map for your region and tips on how to conserve.

HUGS!!

This is a great Newsletter from Arcamax.

The Everyday Cheapskate

Keep Your Home and Utility Bills Cool This Summer
Mary Hunt

Worried about the cost to run your air conditioner this summer? Don't. Just make sure you follow a few wise tips, and you'll be able to keep your bill low and keep reasonably cool, too.

Using ceiling fans can help lower your cooling bills. In the summer, moving air gives a "wind chill" effect. This means you can set the thermostat at a higher temperature yet still have a cool feeling. For example, you can set the thermostat at 80 degrees with a fan running, and it will feel like 72 degrees in the room.

The direction your ceiling fan should spin in the summer depends on the type of fan you have and at which angle the fan blades have been set by the manufacturer (or you, if you altered them).

First look for a switch marked "Forward" and "Reverse." If the blades are angled properly, you want the fan to spin forward during the summer and in reverse during the winter. When it's set to go forward, the fan blows air downward, directly on you.

During the winter, you want to set the fan to "Reverse" so that it blows air upward to the ceiling, forcing the hot air down to warm the occupants of the room. Set it on a slow speed to make sure you are not creating a draft.

Another way to keep your home cool inside is to make use of your draperies. Open them at night, but as soon as day breaks or it begins to heat up outdoors, close the drapes or other window coverings to reflect heat from the sun.

And finally, the old question about whether to leave the air conditioning on when you are not home. There is a school of thought that says it's cheaper to keep your home cool than to cool it down from, say, 80 F or warmer. Is it true? Michael Bluejay, "Mr. Electricity," says it's a myth. Here's why:

Heat goes to where it's not. With the AC off, your house will absorb heat from outside, but at some point, it will be so hot it can't absorb any more heat. When you come home and turn the AC on, the AC needs to remove the accumulated heat only once. But if the air conditioning is on when you're gone, your house is absorbing heat constantly because your AC constantly is cooling down the house. The AC basically turns your house into a heat magnet.

Let's say you leave the AC off, and your house absorbs 20,000 British thermal units and then stops because that's all it can absorb.

Now let's say that you have the AC running instead. The house absorbs 5,000 Btu, so the AC kicks in and removes it. Then it absorbs another 5,000 Btu, and your AC kicks in and removes that. Repeat that process several times during the day.

Bluejay says this is not a gray area, and there's no question about it. Running the AC when you're not home wastes energy, period.

========

Mary Hunt is the founder of DebtProofLiving.com and author of 17 books, including "Debt-Proof Living." You can e-mail her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. To find out more about Mary Hunt and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

Check out this great article.

Build A Solar Food Dryer

Kid's Stepping Stones

Materials

Bag of cement (buy at hardware or home store, about $3.00 for a big bag, get the kind that says premixed - just add water. Nothing fancy, just the end line stuff)

Small, durable mementos to place in cement I like coins, old lockets and pieces of china. Buttons and marbles are gret also. A small matchbox car or even the dog tag of a favorite pet is good.

Round 9 inch disposable cake pans (check to make sure children's feet fit in these, if not, use a larger size)

Directions This project is easier than it sounds :) Do it outside, because it gets messy! Mix cement with water according to directions on bag. Pour in tins. Let it sit until it is firm enough to hold a print. Place child's foot in center of tin and smoosh :) Try to not go all the way to the bottom! Place small knick knacks around foot print like a toy, etc., as listed above. Cement is hard to write in, but we were able to do initials with aquarium rocks. Let set. Cover with water to cure according to package directions. Let these set for a few days before removing from the tins. These can be buried in the garden as stepping stones, left out on the deck, or anywhere outside. Once hard, they are quite durable!

Wow, TipNut really came had a good one today.Check out these great printables.

21 Free Kitchen, Household & Crafty Printables

 Are you plugged in? If you have ever left rechargers or unused appliances plugged into the electrical outlet, you may be in for a bit of a shock. The U.S. Department of Energy tells us that not only do appliances continue to draw electricity while the products are turnecomputers, and kitchen appliances all use energy while not in use. You may have noticed how a cell phone recharger can be warm even when not attached to a phone. The best way to prevent unnecessary energy expenditures is to do a clean sweep of your home. Here at the office, we’ve gotten into the routine of unplugging our water cooler at night. The process is a bit of a hassle at first, but hassle quickly turns into painless habit.

 In the average home nearly 75% of all electricity used to power electronics is consumed by products that are switched off.

VCRs, televisions, stereos, products can’t be designed to prevent this sort of passive energy use? Is it simply laziness on the part of the manufacturers, or is there a real design constraint at work?)

The good folks over at Ideal Bite have previously tackled this issue and suggest the following:

·         Use power strips to turn off TVs and stereos. You’ll save the energy equivalent of a 100-watt light bulb that is always on.

·         Unplug chargers (think cell phones and iPods) when not in use. Only 5% of the power drawn by a cell phone charger is used to charge the phone. The other 95% is wasted when it is left plugged into the wall.

How To Turn One Stick Of Butter Into Two 

From Choosing Voluntary Simplicity

During the World War II food shortages, people were forced to make the most of what they had. With today’s escalating grocery prices, one hint from that time still makes a lot of sense (and cents!)… how to turn one stick of butter into two. This extended butter has the same taste and texture as regular butter. It’s frugal… half the cost… but it’s also healthier… because it has half the fat and half the calories of regular butter. You can use extended butter almost anywhere you would normally use butter, but remember that it contains only half the amount of fat, so you cannot use it in any dish that depends on a certain fat content. This is why you cannot use it for baking.
 Extended butter is easy to make. Just beat one half cup of lukewarm water into one softened stick of butter. If you use a mixer, start slowly to prevent splattering. Add small amounts of water at a time and keep beating until the water is thoroughly incorporated into the butter. The mixture will be smooth and fluffy, and you will end up with one cup of soft butter. After this soft butter is refrigerated, it will become as firm as regular butter. I make up only one stick at a time and usually store the butter covered in a stainless steel measuring cup that lost its handle some time back. If your preferences run to something fancier, try shaping it or putting it in a pretty dish. This butter will also pick up detail nicely from a mold.For more frugal tips, visit Frugal Fridays

Coffee Creamer Recipes

French Vanilla

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 cups nonfat milk
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla

Almond Orange Cappuccino

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 cups nonfat milk
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1/2 tsp. orange extract

Amaretto

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 cups nonfat milk
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. almond extract

Almond Cappuccino

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 cups nonfat milk
• 1 tsp. almond extract
• 1/2 tsp. orange extract

Chocolate Almond

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 cups nonfat milk
• 1 to 2 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. almond extract

Chocolate Truffle Mint

• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 1/2 cups nonfat milk
• 3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tsp. peppermint extract

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a glass container. It is best stored in glass mason jar. Remember to shake before pouring, as the condensed milk will settle to the bottom. This will keep for 2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Tip: substitute low fat sweetened condensed milk for regular for a healthier alternative.

Liquid coffee creamer base can also be made by mixing 1 cup of dry coffee creamer with 1 cup of hot water. Mix until dissolved. Add 1 cup of cold water. Store in a mason jar in the refrigerator.

Try creating a powder from your favorite candy. Candy canes now come in many flavors. By adding bits of candy to your food processor and processing until the candy bits are a powder, you can add new flavors to your coffee creamer with a fraction of the cost of commercial flavored creamers. Simply add the powdered candy bits to your liquid coffee creamer and shake well to dissolve.

Source: Sent to me by a friend

Great post at tipNut. Check it out.

20 Things You Can Use Twice Before Tossing

Imagine for a moment that I'm standing in front of a gigantic chart that tracks the movement of the stock market from almost the beginning of last century. You see a series of peaks and valleys corresponding to various historic events. There is a serious downdraft during the Depression. But look. After it bottoms out, the line goes up. Invariably goes up.

Notice the 1987 stock market crash. See that abrupt drop? I remember that one. The feeling that swept the nation was that the market would never, ever come back. But look. It did. Look at the new highs the U.S. stock market achieved in the 1990s.

The markets are a lot like life. Things happen. There are peaks and valleys. And there are events that send our lives plunging -- sometimes to record depths. We think we will never, ever recover. But we do. Things get better.

So what does the chart of your life look like? Peaks? Valleys? Where are you now? If you are in a valley of unemployment and uncertainty with fog and darkness all around, grab onto this truth: This will not last forever. Things will change. For sure there are upswings and new peaks in your future. There are seasons of joy and prosperity ahead.

One day you will look at this chart of your life again, in another context, from another vantage point. You'll be able to see the upturn that followed this difficult time. You recovered. You'll look back and wonder how you ever made it through. But you did! I'm certain that you'll say that as difficult as it was, you are grateful for all you learned, for all the ways your character was strengthened and for the ways this season of your life prepared you to handle what was, and is, to come.

Just hang on to that truth right now. Mark today's date on your calendar. Write about it in your journal. And whatever you do, don't give up. You may be in a valley right now, but an upturn is coming!

========

Mary Hunt is the founder of DebtProofLiving.com and author of 17 books, including "Debt-Proof Living." You can e-mail her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. To find out more about Mary Hunt and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

TipNut comes through again. Check out this great post.

Printable Recipe Cards For Homemade Cleaners

The Anatomy of a Supermarket

Mary Hunt

I never had thought much about the intense marketing logistics behind the supermarket business until one day when I was in a tremendous hurry. I dashed into my favorite market, only to find it had been rearranged completely the previous night.

The harder I searched for the items I needed the more frustrated I became. Finally, I went to the store manager to register my complaint. He told me that this is business as usual for a profit-conscious modern-day supermarket. He then gave me a "behind the scenes" tour of the supermarket business.

It seems that stores that are the size of typical supermarkets allocate a large portion of their advertising budgets to appealing to customers' compulsive shopping habits. They count heavily on customers who make their buying decisions on the spot. That means it is critical that every item on every shelf is placed strategically to capture the fascination of the customer.

It's a proven fact that the typical shopper quickly memorizes the layout of the store, knows exactly where to find the items needed, and becomes oblivious to everything else. But by turning the place upside down every year or so, the store can "introduce" its regular shoppers to thousands of products they might never have noticed if the store remained unchanged.

If that is the goal, it certainly worked on me. In my quest to find the regular stuff, I saw all kinds of things I never had seen before.

I learned the average food shopper spends more than an hour every week shuffling up and down the aisles of the all-American supermarket, snatching item after item, building an expensive tower in a basket. At the end of the exercise, the score is tallied, and in most cases, the supermarket is the clear winner.

The most expensive and frivolous items usually are placed at eye level. Baking staples such as flour and sugar are commonly on low shelves or so high up you have to reach for them. Eye-catching displays with lights, bells and whistles usually promote junk-type and expensive items, even though they are piled up to appear to be on sale.

The center aisles usually house the prepared and brightly packaged over-processed food items. Either a hot deli or a bakery in the store will be emitting heavenly smells to appeal to your senses and get those compulsive buying juices flowing. The perimeter of the store is the safe zone: produce, dairy and meat.

You probably can't avoid the supermarket completely, and it is difficult to remain completely true to your shopping list and financial plan. But you can enter the supermarket with extreme caution, fully aware of the many ways your compulsiveness is being tested. And you can walk in with personal protection: a shopping list and only the amount of cash you intend to spend. Leave all of the plastic and your checkbook at home so you will not be able to overspend.

========

Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com and author of 17 books, including "Debt-Proof Living." You can e-mail her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. To find out more about Mary Hunt and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

This week, I turned off the TV. Well, I did watch "American Idol" (I've decided the winner), but for the most part, I just turned the darn thing off. I tell you, the media has a way of spinning basic information into something so sensational it's difficult to know what's real.

I'm referring to the state of the economy and all the predictions of a recession. Look, I'm not saying the economy is not slowing or that a recession never will happen. But the truth is a little bit different from what we may be hearing every day on the evening news.

First, a recent survey of reputable economists shows that there is a 40 percent chance we will have a full-blown recession in 2008. That means there is a 60 percent chance we won't.

Unemployment dropped from 5 percent in December to 4.8 percent in January. Not exactly runaway unemployment as the media seems to be shouting, even though 62,000 jobs were lost in February.

I could go on, but my point is this: It's easy to get all wound up in knots of fear and dread based on reports about the national economy. And that does us absolutely no good. We need to be focusing on our personal economies. Unemployment figures only matter when it's your job that goes bye-bye, and then the rate for you is 100 percent, regardless of what the Bureau of Labor Statistics is reporting.

Rather than sitting and stewing about the national economy, turn your attention and your energy to assessing your personal economy.

Do you have an emergency fund? You need a savings account with money in it from which to pay your bills if you go through a season of unemployment. If you don't have that now, start crash saving. And if you don't lose your job, hooray! You will have your emergency fund standing guard over your personal economy.

Are you keeping up with inflation? Your gross household income should be increasing by at least 2 percent each year just to keep up with inflation. Check it out. If you're behind, find ways to add to your income by working extra hours or a side job.

Is your employment secure? Are you keeping yourself cutting-edge on your job? You may need to take some classes or clean up your work ethic by always being on time, staying late as needed and doing more than is expected of you. After all, if they need to cut back, you want to be the employee they couldn't bear to lose.

Whether you are going through rough waters right now or not, remember this: Your time will come. You can plan on it. And when it does, be strong, knowing that tough times don't last, but tough people do.

========

Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com and author of 17 books, including "Debt-Proof Living." You can e-mail her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. To find out more about Mary Hunt and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.