Thrifty Letter "A" with Vicki Lansky

I really enjoy these kinds of books.  They always offer something useful and often surprising.  I found so many useful things from Vicki Lansky's books that I can't cover them all in one post. 

You'll find some notable, some far-fetched, some you'll be ready to incorporate into your household routine.  I don't give everything from the book, just what seemed useful to me.  You'll find this, and several like it at your local library.

Address Labels
Stick one with your phone number inside your eyeglasses case, I wish I would've.  I might have gotten my favorite pair returned. 
Place them on school supplies, especially the more valuable ones. 
It's a great way to mark your books.
Address rebates with these.
Place one on the inside of your gas cap, not a bad idea!  We've lost one of these before, too!
Carry a few with you in your purse.
 

Airline Bags
Keep a couple of these in your car for motion-sensitive tummies.
(We ended up filling our with roadside berries on an impromptu stop.)

Alcohol (rubbing)
Can clean your paint brushes.
May remove grass & dye stains, and sticky hairspray from your curling iron.
Makes your chrome shiny again.
Kills aphids and mealy bugs on plants (dilute first)

Aluminum Foil
Crunch up a wad and polish the chrome on your old playpen or stroller.
Wrap the door knobs when painting.
Make a substitute funnel or place mat
Wrap heavy-duty foil around panel of insulation board & tuck behind radiators & baseboard heaters to reflect heat into room.
A wedge of foil makes a quick fix for loose batteries.
Remove rust spots with crumpled foil dipped in cola.
Wrap matches to keep dry.
Pot scrubber.
Cat toy.
Place inside garment when ironing on patch to prevent adhesive from spreading.
Line fireplace 4-5 in high for easier clean-up.

Ammonia
Tie a soaked rag onto your trash can to keep Fido away, maybe it works on raccoons, too. Removes scorch spots on pots & pans.
Cleans combs & brushes with solution 1:1 water to ammonia.
Window cleaner = 1/2c ammonia + 1qt water + 2 Tbsp vinegar.
 1:1 Turpentine & ammonia takes paint out of clothes; saturate several times, then wash with warm soap suds.  Rinse

pickles

Tee Shirt Scarf

This is a link-post to "Just Something I Made."



http://justsomethingimade.com/2011/02/t-shirt-scarves-the-art-of-repurposing/



Isn't this fun?  For those of you with children, for you garage sale and thrift shop fanatics, for the hand-me-down beneficiaries...this is your moment!  A profusion of cool, witty, adorable tees have passed through your prudent fingers and you sometimes hate to get rid of some favorites. 

What do you do when you've got your inquisitive hands on a really great tee, but it's the wrong size for anyone in the home?  Well, you hold on to it for months, of course, until you realize that it's time to just donate it to some other lucky bloke.  Well, no more!  Here's a practical and trendy way to put them to "upcycled" use.

Check out Cathe Holden's blog for some great instructions on how to make a lightweight or heavyweight scarf for your daughter, or for yourself.  Fun gift idea, too!  This would make a great 4H project or general fair project.  I could just kick myself for several really snazzy ones that got away!  But I've got my eye on a few soon-to-be outgrown tees...and there are a few I now regret donating.

Care For House Plants

African Violet         

Humid  +  Water well then let dry
Indirect light
Feed regularly
These like smaller pots, repot only when roots fill in



African Violet


Aloe                         

Water well then let dry  (Drier in wintertime)
Indirect Light
Feed 1x/mo.  Apr - Sep
Well-crocked + Sand/perlite surface
Do not over-water

Aloe Vera



Asperagus fern - plumosa



Asperagus Fern     

Humid  +  Moist soil

Indirect Light  +  Light shade
Feed 2x/mo.  Apr - Sep
Split when mature

Don't let these get very dry!

Great candidates for the watering bulb!



Asperagus fern -Sprengeri

                                                                     



Asperagus Fern - Foxtail



Christmas Cactus  

Humid  +  Spray mist  +  Moist soil  +  Soft water

Darker in wintertime

Winter bright light  +  Summer outdoor indirect light

Feed 1x/mo.  Jun - Sep

Repot every spring, well-crocked in cactus soil

Use distilled or rain water and keep leaves free of dust

I use clay plant siphons to water mine

Christmas cactus

Dieffenbachia         

Humid  +  Moist soil

Indirect Light
Feed regularly  Jun - Sep
Keep leaves free of dust
Water bulbs work good for these


Dieffenbachia

                             

Dracaenae               

Humid  +  Moist soil  +  Spray mist  +  Drier in wintertime

Indirect Light

Repot every other year, well-crocked in soil and peat

Keep leaves free of dust

Dracaenae

Geranium   (Pelargonium)

                                 
Water well then let dry  +  Drier in wintertime

Bright light

Feed 2x/mo.  Apr - Sep
Well-crocked, they like smaller pots
Not a true geranium, but may be over-wintered
Can be trimmed to one-third it's size in springtime

Geranium / Pelargonium

Ivy                           

Humid  +  Spray mist  +  Moist soil 

Indirect Light
Feed 2x/mo.  Apr - Sep 1/2 strength

Repot every 2-3 years, topdress every year

Keep leaves free of dust, watch for mites

Jade                   

Water well then let dry  + Drier in wintertime  +  Slow watering Nov-Mar

Bright light

Feed 2x/mo.  Apr - Aug

Use cactus soil

Do not over-water, these grow very slowly

Encourage dense growth with trimming

Parlor Palm           

Humid  +  Spray mist  +  Moist soil

Indirect Light

Feed 1x/mo.   1/2 strength

Repot every other year, these have brittle roots

Do not let these get dry for long

I love the watering bulbes for these

Parlor Palm

Ponytail Plant       

Water well then let dry

Bright light

2x/yr.  Apr, Sep w/ cactus food

Over-watering will cause root-rot

Ponytail Plant

                                

Sansevieria            

Water well then let dry  +  Drier in wintertime

Bright light

Well-crocked, topdress every year

A wonderfully hardy plant





Sansevieria



Thrifty Hints

1.  Save the bags inside cereal boxes. They are stronger than zip-loc bags and work great for crushing crackers or for holding coatings for meat (think shake and bake).

How many zip-loc bags have I torn for crushing crackers into crumbs?  Even when I double them.  What a waste!  It reminds me of my grandparents saving their bread bags, but they had money to help their kids - we don't!  Maybe "cheap" has it's place.

2.  Signs taped all over the house in strategic places help you nag your kids less.


Well, sort of.  I do this and it's no sure-fire guarantee.  Keep it simple and move it around periodically to keep them on their toes. 

 
 
4.  Save the plastic tags from bread loaves to apply on the ends of tape rolls. You know how tape sticks to itself and you can never get it unstuck without a hassle?  The little tag will prevent this.

This is clever!  I'm going to start tomorrow!  I love how this gives them a double-life.  What else could be done with them?  Especially useful with children and the elderly.

5.  Don't toss your squeezed and zest lemons and/or oranges, add them to the interior cavity of roast chicken for a wonderful flavor.


Yum!  I have an "Autumn Roast Chicken" recipe that has me basting my bird with a mixture of honey, garlic, rosemary, and lemon juice.  This would be an especially nice addition.

3.  Put rubber bands around a cold or slippery glass to prevent kids from dropping it.

This is similar to the "bath tub applique" idea from an earlier post.  This offers a temporary solution, if you would rather not apply adhesives to your cups.

We Must Have Hope

I'm going through a rough patch, as they say.  As do each of us in the different seasons of our lives.  I was having a conversation with my dad some months ago, who told me of this hymn that was a source of comfort to him during his divorce in the mid 1980's, when I was a young teen. 

It struck me what wonderful advice his was.  He knew that I needed an uplifting message of compassion and hope.  He understands that he's still "Daddy" at times like this, and that I still place him into a significant role.  I know that he still wants to fix the big, bad world and make things right.  Well he does.  More than he knows.


Suddenly Theres A Valley

When you've climbed the highest mountain
When a cloud holds the sunshine in
Suddenly there's a valley
Where the earth knows peace with man


When a storm hides the distant rainbow
And you think you can't find a friend
Suddenly there's a valley
Where friendships never end


Touched only by the seasons
Swept clean by the waving grain
Surveyed by a happy bluebird
And kissed by the falling rain


When you think there's no bright tomorrow
And you feel you can't try again
Suddenly there's a valley
Where hope and love begin


Suddenly there's a valley
Where hope and love begin


By Chuck Meyer and Biff Jones, 1955

My troubles haven't disappeared.  I'm smack in the middle of a couple of ugly buggers now.  But there is a pause.  A break.  A breather.  I can stop for a hot cocoa with my kids.  I'll lay down for a cuddle with my preschooler.  Read a book.  Chat with my 15-yr-old about his last basketball game.  Talk with my 12-yr-old about his new pet and his up-coming birthday.  "Do" my 10-yr-old daughters' hair.

These are moments that I choose not to indulge myself in my troubles.  I give the moment wholly to the moment itself.  To my child.  To myself.  It's a nice break.  It's a great relief!  It's the valley in my often formidable journey.

We weren't built to endure such onslaught without some consolation.  You and I are capable of quite an astonishing degree of hardship, however we must have hope.  A pull, a reminder, a promise.

We must remember our hope.  Designate reminders.  I have invested immeasureable commitment, vigilence, time, and love into my family, but they won't necessarily reciprocate such loyaty.  Most of mine does, but the fact is, time and again family will hurt us deeper than any stranger ever could.

I'm motivated unfailingly by my hope in Christ.  The troubles are the same, but they lose their intensity.  I'm never "hopeless."  My reminders are His promises.  I know that I'm not a mistake!  (Psalm 139:15)  I know that I am loved and there is nothing that can seperate me from His love (1 John 4:16, Romans 8:38).  I am a child of God and He doesn't count my sins (1 John 3:1, 2 Corinthians 5:18).  God plans hope for my future (Jeremiah 29:11).  I am treasured, and even rejoiced over!  (Zepheniah 3:17, Exodus 19:5)  He waits for us (Luke 15:11).

It's hard not to be motivated with Someone like that on your side!  It's easy to be hopeful.  Life isn't really easier to live.  But you do feel that you can try again.

Hand Pump Soap, Pretty & Clean

* * *  How Fun Are These?!  * * *

I found this on "Just Something I Made" blog site by Cathe and I just had to share it.  I've found the darn hand pumps on these "disposable" soap jars to work far superior to those for which we pay ten times more.  (Same goes for spray bottles!) 

What Cathe has here is a fun, frugal, and crafty solution for the hand-soap blues.  Her article on the S.C. Johnson website shares more how-to detail, but with the photos she provides here the rest is really up to you.  Old maps, leather from an old worn purse, vintage wrapping paper, ... just think, the menu from the local Chinese restaurant. 

Great idea for teacher appreciation!

Be inspired, frugal friend!