Working on some new stuff...

I have been busy working on some new stuff this past week.  We always seem to get out of the habbit of being less wasteful.  Nothing big, but we need to get back on track.  I made some more cloth napkins this week.  We also finished out last roll of paper towels, so it is back to using cloth towels.  Sometimes you really do need paper towels though, especially when it comes to food.  For instance, patting a whole chicken dry with a cloth towel always leaves fuzzies.  The bad thing is, if we have the paper towels we will use them for everything.  Kind of an all or nothing type deal.  I am going to try and go without them again and see how it works.  I have also been wanting to replace ziploc baggies for awhile now.  I always reuse them, and recycle them when they are too worn out, but I wanted something that I could send to school with my son that wouldn't get thrown out.  Since most of our containers are glass, I decided to make some reusable snack bags.

I wanted to make something that was waterproof so I could send stuff like strawberries or grapes.  I did some research, but there doesn't seem to be any reliable information about the safety of using ripstop nylon or PUL.  I settled for unbleached linen instead.  It works for snacks like pretzels, raisins, and peanuts, and I prefer the idea of using cotton.  I still wouldn't mind having a few bags that could be used for wet snacks so if anyone does know of a place that sells food safe nylon material please let me know :)  They are super easy to make and require little materials so I hope to have a tutorial up on the website by next week!

This week whole chickens were only .85 lb. so that was the focus of my meal planning this week.  I made a roast chicken last night (that turned out awesome!), and chicken salad, and chicken stock today.  Tonight I will use the stock to make chicken noodle soup and the chicken salad will be dinner for tomorrow.   I finished a new page for the website, so check it out if you would like to learn how to make 3 meals from one chicken. 

Our grocery bill has been a bit out of control the last month or so.  Still trying to get back on track with that as well.  One thing I am working on is serving more whole grain, dry bean, and potato side dishes as well as a veggies side dish with every meal.  This seems to help stretch meals.  Always more things to try and areas to improve I guess!  Hope you enjoy the new page!

Making your own shampoo...

I recently decided that I wanted to stop buying shampoo and start making my own.  I hate all the packaging that comes with store bought shampoo.  Plus all that garbage that gets absorbed into our skin and then goes into our water is just gross.  So I started researching it and there are some really easy and cheap alternatives to shampoo. 

My favorite is a combination of baking soda and apple cider vinegar.  You can find the full page at my website.  Enjoy!!

New recipe and a new page on growing plants from seed...

I have been working on some new stuff for the website.  I recently added my recipe for chicken enchiladas.  It uses dry beans which really help make this a frugal recipe.  Dry beans are a great way to stretch meat dishes.  You can find the recipe here.

We have also started most of our seeds for this year.  Growing plants from seed saves us a ton of money every year and is not as hard as it sounds.  There is not much of an investment and you can be sure the quality of the plants will be great!  We have had bad experiences with plants purchased from large home improvement stores.  We have a couple of nice greenhouses in town but would go broke pretty quick if we bought all of our plants from them!  I have written a page on how we start our plants from seed.  If you are interested in trying it you should check it out :)

Homemade cleaners....

I have been making my own homemade cleaners for awhile now and will never go back!  Not only are they better for the Earth, but they are much better for my budget too!  Homemade laundry soap is only the start.  Check out my new page on the website for more info.

My new website and a recipe for mac and cheese....

Sooo I started a new website http://www.simple-and-frugal-living.com/.  Blogger is aight but I really wanted to go the extra step.  I love all things simple and frugal so I thought it was a good idea to put my knowledge and passion into a website!  I would love if you get a chance to check it out.  I just added a recipe for my easy baked mac and cheese.  It is really tasty and frugal recipe.

I have some other recipes, tutorials, tips, and such.  I will try and post everytime I add something to the site.  If you like what you see, you can share it on Facebook, Twitter, etc. at the bottom of each page.  I would be very appreciative!  I hope you enjoy!