Frugal Village's Notes
photo by valerie everett
DEAR SARA: Any ideas for odd game pieces? With three kids, I have a big plastic zipper bag of small game pieces. — Denise, Ohio
DEAR DENISE: You can glue them to frames; make ornaments, magnets and jewelry; use for decorating cakes or gifts; or let kids use them in craft projects.
DEAR SARA: We rarely drink hot chocolate, but I happen to have tons of mix. What can I do with it apart from making hot chocolate? — Dobby, Canada
DEAR DOBBY: You can add it to coffee; use it to make gifts in a jar; make smoothies; add to pancakes, waffles, French toast or homemade frosting; or mix it into oatmeal, to name a few uses.
DEAR SARA: Is it OK to put yeast packets in the refrigerator? My house gets hot inside so I’m thinking it would keep better in there. — Tammy, California
DEAR TAMMY: Yes, you can store yeast in the refrigerator or freezer. For best results once opened, wrap it in a resealable bag or container. Before using it, proof the yeast. Red Star Yeast recommends using a 1-cup measuring cup, dissolving 1 teaspoon sugar in 1/2 cup water at 110 F to 115 F. Add up to three packets (each packet is 1/4 ounce or 2-1/4 teaspoons) of yeast, depending on your recipe, and stir until dissolved completely. Let the mixture stand until the yeast begins to foam vigorously (usually five to 10 minutes). You can now add this to the remaining ingredients. Remember to decrease the total liquid in your recipe by 1/2 cup to adjust for the water used in activating (proofing) the yeast. Using a thermometer is the best way to get the most accurate water temperature. Any thermometer will work as long as it can read between 70 F and 130 F. If you don’t have a thermometer, make sure that the water is warm, but not hot to the touch. Water that is too hot can kill the yeast, and water that is too cold will slow down or stop yeast activity.
DEAR SARA: How do you pour paint into a paint tray without it splashing everywhere? — Julie, Indiana
DEAR JULIE: You can buy a paint-can spout for about a dollar or a paint-can pouring lid. Check your local home-improvement store.
DEAR SARA: What types of meals would you make if you were low on cash? — Fran, e-mail
DEAR FRAN: I sometimes make the following cheap meals regardless of cash flow.
– Grilled cheese and any type of soup (I’ll add wide egg noodles to canned soup if I don’t make homemade).
– Breakfast meals such as pancakes, waffles, eggs (do a breakfast scramble with cubed potatoes) and French toast, and I add fruit and/or cottage cheese.
– Fried rice with vegetables and any leftover meat.
– Quesadillas or tortilla wraps (sandwich type) or fajitas.
– Pasta dishes, such as Fettuccine Alfredo.
– Chef salad.
– Chili dogs, baked potatoes with toppings.
– Shepherd’s pie.
– Buffet of crackers, cheese, cold cuts, fruits and cut vegetables.
photo by roguesunmedia
Tracking your spending is a good way to see weaknesses in your budget. Tracking is useful for weight loss, too. The first tip shares one way to do your tracking.
How do you track your spending?
TRACKING: I picked up a journal-type calendar for 75 percent off on clearance. It cost me $4, and it’s the Polestar Family Calendar, with a spiral lie-flat binding. It’s got the dates and HUGE spaces to write about food intake, weight, exercise, spending and any other thing a person might want to track. I wanted to start tracking my food and weight again. I always do better when I keep a journal. I’m using it to track spending, too. It’s already preprinted with the dates. One advantage is that I can shut the thing when people are over and hide it in the drawer of my desk. When I’m alone, it’s out with a pen beside it ready to record things on my way through the day. The reason I mention it is that most places clear out calendars in February, and that includes those page-per-day or two-page-per-week types that have tons of room for executives to write in appointments and their schedules. — Margery, Canada
MAKE PANTS LAST: Buy pants an inch too long. Once they get “grubby” or “ratty” on the bottom, turn the hem under and rehem. You can re-dye older or just lighter-colored blue jeans in loads with navy-blue RIT Dye for that attractive, slimming, “dark wash” effect. — Vail, Washington
WITHIN REACH: I use a pantry for most of my dishes. I got tired of two kids using the “I can’t reach” excuse not to help put away the dishes, etc. So I fixed their red wagon, moved their treats out of the reach, and put the plates, lunch containers, bowls, saucers and mixing bowls in those cabinets. I don’t ever hear I can’t reach when they are looking for something to eat, and they can no longer use that excuse not to help in the kitchen. — Noella, Canada
TRY MICROFIBER: I bought a bundle of microfiber cloths in the automotive department and divided the package for a number of uses, including cleaning. They carry several sizes — up to bath-towel size. If you have small children, microfiber towels would save you a lot of towels in the laundry. The small towels will dry quickly between uses, and since they are so absorbent, a small towel may be all you need.
If you aren’t aware of the care of microfiber towels, there are some things you may want to be aware of so they last a long time.
– Don’t use bleach.
– Don’t wash them with other fabrics that are “fuzzy” because they will embed the fuzz in the fibers.
– Don’t use fabric softener (liquid or sheets) with microfiber towels. It causes the towels to be less effective. — Karen, Kansas
ORGANIZE UNFINISHED PROJECTS: Last year, when I cleaned out my closet, I took all my unfinished projects and put them each into a gift-type bag (any bag with handles that could stand on its own), put everything related to the project in the bag with it, and lined them up in the order I wanted to complete them. It was convenient because I could just grab the bag and go when I wanted to work on something. — Carla, Canada
