Time to recycle

picture source: swagbucks images

I have never made homemade gifts, however after reading Paula Deen's magazine will consider it now. Instead of buys expensive containers, you can use containers from baking soda, corn starch, bread crumbs, cocoa, tea, coffee, oatmeal, cookies, nuts to fill up with homemade recipes like cookies, pies and the list goes on.

You can pill the label off the container and cover the container with wrapping paper or paint. Lids can also be decorated with fabric or stickers.

Gifts from the kitchen will not only make your friend smile, but your wallet will be happy too.

It's magic

We were blessed with a rent free house. We didn’t have to furnish the house, but we chose to put our own couch and a chair along with other minor decorations. With Pier 1 gift cards we purchased our own kitchen table, but decided to keep it in the box and use the table that the house already had.

One year my husband gave me flowers for my birthday and I displayed them on the kitchen table. Next to the vase I had several papers with my signed name. So you can imagine my surprised face, when I came home and saw a big mess on the table. Apparently the vase couldn’t hold the flowers and it fell over spilling the water all over the signed papers. When I picked up the papers, I noticed that my name was now imprinted on the table.

My heart was beating fast and I was wondering how in the world I am going to get rid of the mess. I remembered that not too long ago I used Magic Eraser to clean up some marks on the door, so I decided to try the Magic Eraser to get rid of the ink on the table. Believe it on now, but in a matter of a minute my name was no longer on the table. I felt relieved!!!

Since that incident I have used Magic Eraser for cleaning white cabinet, doors, sink, you name it. Have you used Magic Eraser?

It is time to declutter

I absolutely hate taking pills! Unless I have excruciating headache, which does not happen too often, I will not take Tylenol for minor headaches. The day that I decided to clean out our cabinet, I was surprised at how many bottles of medicine we had. Well, perhaps we had so many bottles was because I went overboard with free items when I first started to coupon.

If I do decide to take Tylenol, I am on a mission to search through what feels like hundreds of bottle of medicine. When I finally do find the right bottle, my headache by that time usually 10 times worst, because of all the searching that I had to do. So it was time to de-clutter.

I began to look at the expiration date on the bottles and was shocked when I found out that many bottles expired in 2009. Ooops! One by one the bottles began to fill up the trash can. Once I cleaned the shelf with medicine, I decided it was time to move on to spices.

Since I do not use too many spices in my cooking, I needed to clear up the shelf. I had about 10 bottles of spices that have never been opened and were acquired just because they were free. So I figured I can take all 10 bottles to work and share with my co-workers.

In less than 30 minutes both medicine and spice shelves were de-cluttered and I was able to actually see items that I use the most. So my friend, what are you waiting for? The best way to de-clutter is to actually get rid of items that you no longer use.

Can TV really drain your wallet?

Are you in the market for a new flat screen TV? Well, I have a tip for you, my friend! No, I am not going to give you a coupon to help you save money, but I will give you a piece of advice that I hope will help you save money years to come. This week I came across a very interesting article in a magazine that we receive from our energy provider. The article compared watts usage of a big screen TV and a fridge. Ok, so I knew that fridge, washing machine and dryer machine are the most energy sucking devices, however my eyes were opened when I learned that brand new high definition TVs use as much electricity as a refrigerator.

I re-read the article several time just to make sure that I read it correctly the first time. And yes, I was correct. For example, 42 to 65 inch plasma screen TVs consumes 240 to 400 watts, which is at much as a fridge. But LCD screens that are 21 to 49 inches consume approximately 111 watts. So next time you are at the store buying a TV ask a sales representative about watts usage and buy a model with the lowest watts consumption. You will be a happy camper, when you electric bill arrive in the mail.

What to do with extra fruit

Sometimes I struggle to pass a good deal, especially when it comes to apples and bananas. At Ingles near my work, I often find good (almost green) bananas on manager’s special ($1.49 for a bag) and bags of apples for the same price. So I buy apples with hopes of making apple sauce and I buy bananas to make muffins, smoothies and to freeze the rest of later use.

This week I was planning to make apple sauce with several bags of apples that have been collecting dust in the fridge. Unfortunately I got so busy that I never made time for apple sauce this week, but will try again next week.

However, I was inspired to cook, so I used up a few bananas to make muffins for my hubby. He was a happy camper.

I also froze several bananas for later use and make a yummy peanut butter banana smoothie using a recipe that my reader recommended some time ago.

What do you do with cheap produce?

Watch out for coupons...

Coupons, coupons, coupons! Oh how I love coupons. Before too long you maybe listening to me singing about coupons, but I must caution you first…I am not a singer! Now that we established that I was not blessed with beautiful singing voice, lets move on to my favorite topic about coupons. When I first discovered coupons, I was amazed at how much money one can save by simply matching coupons with sales. In no time I became addicted to the world of couponing. On Sunday morning I would drive to Walgreens before church to pick up “freebies” along with 5 newspapers and there have been times when I bought 8-10 newspapers. See, I wasn’t kidding you when I told you that I was addicted.

Although I was saving money, my addiction was not healthy. I was thinking about coupons nonstop and running to the store at lunch break to check out the latest deal. Then I found myself buying anything and everything that had a word “free” attached to it. What I didn’t realize is that even “free” items sometimes require out of pocket expense. Let me explain. When my mom was visiting us a year ago, she and I took at trip to Kmart to participate in double coupon promotion. I noticed that a certain brand of shampoo was on clearance and I had a coupon that after doubling would allow me to acquire a bottle of shampoo for $0.25. My mom stopped me from buying and our conversation went something like this…

Mom: Why do you need another bottle of shampoo? You already have 20 bottles at home.

Me: But mom, it is only $0.25! It is practically free!

Mom: It is not free if you have to pay money for it. Therefore you need to put it back and stop paying for items you don’t even need.

Me: Fine…I will put it back.

My mom was right, I didn’t need another bottle of shampoo even if it only cost me $0.25. Thankfully my mom was able to open my eyes that I was spending money on “free” items that weren’t really free. At Walgreens I would easily spend $10 on items just to generate 10 bucks in Walgreens money. Before my mom’s visit I considered all these items to be free, but after my mom’s visit I realized that I had to invest money in items that I considered “free” because they generated store money back.

Now, don’t get me wrong…I am a big advocate of anyone and everyone using coupons. It just my coupon strategy has changed since my mom’s trip. Now I only buy items that we actually need and I no longer buy items that cost pennies but I have no use for them. I no longer shop at Walgreens, because I found myself spending way too much money there just to acquire ”free” products. Instead I prefer shopping at CVS where the expiration date of ECB (extra care bucks) is much longer and my out of pocket expense for items that we need is very little. Some weeks I am even ok to skip shopping all together and eat from our pantry where as before I was addicted to driving to Target (1 hour away) just to pick up 3 items.
Even though I scaled back on hard core coupon shopping, I still get the thrill of watching my total go down thanks to coupons. I still giggle when my husband asks if I have a coupon for an item that he wants to buy. And I am grateful for friendships that I have created with cashiers because of coupons.

Share your couponing experience with us!

No more clogged drain

Our bathroom sink was not draining properly so my loving husband spent some time cleaning out the tubes. Unfortunately our sink tubes needed more in depth cleaning and my husband was waiting for a free moment to tackle this task. But before my husband had to unscrew one billion bolts, I remembered about an e-mail that I received from my church friend months ago. I was unbelievably happy that I saved her e-mail just in case.

She suggested using the following ingredients instead of Drano or any other commercial unclogging liquids.

1 cup baking soda - pour down clogged drain

Follow with 1 cup distilled white vinegar

Wait 20 minutes

Pour a pan of boiling water down the drain (I used a 2 qt sauce pan)



At first I was skeptical that it would unclog the drain, but decided to try anyways. After consulting with my father in law to insure that I won’t mess up the tubes, my hubby and I began our mission to unclog our sink. I followed my friend’s recipe and in about 30 minutes the sink was operating like brand new…no joke. I was so excited and proud of myself and I could have issued a money saving/time saving medal to a creator of this brilliant recipe! Seriously, I couldn’t stop smiling the night we unclogged the drain in less than 30 minutes and very little effort, that I was wondering if other sinks around the house were showing the sings of clogging (unfortunately I found none).

Real Stories from Real People

Judith purchased all the items for $7.18!
Total spent out of pocket: $53.63
Saved: $121.16
Extra savings received: $22.00

Guest Post by Judith Yopp


After college, I moved back in with my parents (I didn't have a job in college so I had very little savings). I worked for about 2 years and got engaged. We bought a house a few months later so we could have it ready for when we got married, which we did last March. I had been very impressed by Oxana's savings on Facebook and I started to follow her blog. I had been wanting to start couponing but just hadn't actually taken the time to do so during all the wedding planning (though I did plan a really awesome wedding and came in $2k under my $10k budget so I did start on the savings early!).

About 2 months into our marriage, I decided that I was ready to start saving some money after a few crazy grocery bills (and of course when I moved into the house I had to buy all the cleaning essentials and looking back I cannot believe I spent so much!). With my savings gone thanks to the down payment on our house and all of our bills, I thought "there's no reason we should be spending more than we need to on necessities. We want to be able to save some money for trips while we're young and child-free!"

Oxana had sent me an email with some great tips. I started to buy newspapers and to send emails to companies for coupons. I also started to follow hip2save.com which is one of my favorite savings sites, I have to check it at least 4 times a day when I can :o)

So about 4 months into it, I can honestly say that I have had so much fun couponing and seeing how much I can save! I donate some of the things I can get for free, give some away (diapers, wipes, and baby wash are great for baby showers!) and have a major stockpile on toilet paper, deodorant, toothpaste, body wash, dish detergent, razors, etc. It's so much fun! And I know that if there comes a month where we are a little tight, we are covered!

I really see this hobby as a blessing and I know that if I stay faithful in my tithes and offerings to God, He will take care of us and make sure we have more than enough of the necessities as well as some left over for some activities the hubby and I can enjoy together!

Saving money on meat

Buying meat to fix for dinner every single night of the week can break a tightwad’s budget in a matter of a second. It also does not help, when your husband is a meat lover. So when we started the journey of living frugal, I began to look at alternatives to save money on meat. I have tried to put less meat than the recipe calls for and add more veggies instead. However, as soon as we would finish eating dinner, my husband would kindly ask me to add more meat next time.

Because adding less meat to a dish did not work for us, I began to purchase meat that was reduced for quick sales. If I see that our grocery store is selling ground turkey for $1.99 a pack because the expiration date is due in a few days, I stock up. If I see a whole chicken reduced for quick sale, I stock up. Honestly, we haven’t had any problem with buying reduced for quick sale meat and we have been eating this way now for a good long while.
If I can’t use meat right away, I freeze it.

Since our freezer is pretty stocked up, I don’t have to buy meat every single week. Once we start running low on meat, I am back on the mission of stocking up our freezer. I found that I can also e-mail companies directly asking for coupons. Tyson was pretty generous in sending coupons, which allowed me to purchase a whole chicken for $2+ after the sale and coupons. Chef’s Requested has sent us previously coupons and my husband is now hooked on their hand trimmed marinated steaks.

Because Chef’s Requested steaks taste so unbelievable good and my husband can eat the whole package, which is 3 steaks (a size of my palm), in one setting, I decided to find a way to stretch his meat eating pleasure and the dollar. When my mom was visiting us during the summer, she had a brilliant idea of cutting the steaks lengthwise and make 3 steaks turn into 6. She would then use meat tenderizing tool to make the beef tender. After dipping the steaks in eggs and then cover in flour, she would pan fry the steak until they are golden brown. Trust me the steak would come out so wonderfully tasty.



Since Daniel was in a military camp, when my mom multiplied the meat by cutting it lengthwise, I decided to try the trick with Daniel. I actually cut the steak lengthwise 3 times, thus making two packages of 6 steaks turn into 18 thinly cut steaks. The result? Our tummies did not know the difference if we were eating two ten ounce steaks or three 4 ounce steaks. By having two steaks thinly sliced, instead of two steaks full size, I found my self just as full and satisfied. In the same way, Daniel felt just as satisfied eating 4 thinly sliced steaks instead of eating 3 full size steaks (which makes 9 thinly sliced steaks). This trick allowed us to stretch a dollar without much sacrificing.

How do you save money on meat?

It is almost vacation time!

To celebrate my accomplishment of finishing MBA program in October, my husband and I made plans to go on vacation the weekend I after I finish my last class. At first we wanted to take a trip to Montana, because we thought that is would be a beautiful place to visit. For some reason I have been fascinated with picturesque view of rolling hills of Montana and country lifestyle. I can just close my eyes and picture passing beautiful farms on the way to the hotel.

Well, my eyes were quickly opened when I started to research the cost of staying at the hotel, airline tickets, car rental and on and on the list goes. Before you know our 5 days trip would cost up almost $1500. Oh boy! We sure were not planning to spend that much money, so we decided to talk it over our wants of going to Montana. Do we really want to spend that much money for 5 days of vacation? I don’t think so. Can we find a home for $1500 instead? Absolutely!

So instead of just scratching the idea of going on vacation all together, we decided to think of inexpensive ways to go somewhere where we could relax and spend quality time together. In a matter of a few days I approached Daniel and asked what he thought about going to Hilton Head for 5 days to visit my American family. Since Daniel has never visited my family’s new home, he welcomed the idea with thumbs up. My American mom has been inviting us to visit them for months and the timing now seemed perfect. The house, which looks like it just came from one of the HDTV shows, located near the beach so Daniel is super excited about going finishing. I look forward to spending my time reading books that have nothing to do with business. And both of us are looking forward to spending time with the family.

At the end, the only money that we would have to spend on this vacation would be for gas. We will have a great time relaxing all while spending treasured time with the family.

How do you save money on vacation?

Date Night with my hubby

(who said that spending time together has to cost anything?! :))

When Daniel and I were just dating, he would take me out to eat or to see a movie for a fun night out. Because we lived 3 hours apart the first 3 years of our dating, going out to eat was a special occasion for us. In fact I remember when Daniel took me to a local restaurant that served the best BBQ pork and hushpuppies. Can I just tell you that I can eat hushpuppies for breakfast, lunch and supper?! Months later I wanted Daniel to take me back to the BBQ restaurant.

Me: I really would like to eat BBQ tonight. Can we go to the place that you took me on our first date?

Daniel: Where is that?

Me: I think the name of the place is Hilly Billy

Daniel: (laughs hysterically for 5 minutes) You mean Hill Billy?

Me: (not understanding what was so funny) That’s what I said!

Needless to say we had a fun night to remember dinning at my favorite BBQ restaurant.

Then Daniel moved to Columbia, SC during my senior year at USC and we only lived 7 minutes away from each other. We didn’t go on too many outings and mostly spent time by hanging out with each other. Then after I graduated from college, we got married and our date nights of going out to eat and out to the movies became few and far in between.

When we do go out to eat, we try to do the following:

- Look for a coupon. There are so many restaurant that offer either B1G1 or $ off your meal coupon. You can find these coupons either directly on restaurant’s website or in Sunday’s newspaper.
- Drink water. We don’t drink soft drink, so drinking water is not a sacrifice for us. However, by opting to drink water one can save a few bucks.
- We use loyalty cards. Our local Mexican restaurant offers a loyalty card that after x visits you are entitled to a free meal.
- You can visit www.bulktix.com for discounted movie theater tickets. You can purchase a discounted pack of four tickets and the good news the tickets never expire. (we have never tried this trick, however I read about it in a magazine and wanted to pass the tip on to you).

However, instead of going out to eat to a nice restaurant often and then spend $20 at the movie theater we opt to spend time with each other at home. We quite often rent a movie from a dollar box or Netflix and spend the evening watching it together. There is nothing better to me than cuddling with my husband and falling asleep (my hubby then finishes watching a movie all by himself) within minutes of a movie start. The moment of feeling loved, protected and treasured in the arms of my husband is priceless and is better than any date out.

How do you save money on date nights?

Energy Saving Tricks

Photo credit: http://www.xbmlinnovations.com

Every month we receive a magazine from our power company and one month the magazine had a brochure 101 Low-Cost/No-Cost Home Energy-Saving Measure. I have read through brochure in no time and kept it in my money saving binder for later use. I will split the serious in several sections and each will share the tricks from the booklet to help you save money.
• Close shades and drapes at night to keep heat in during the winter

• Make sure drapes and shares are open to catch free solar heat in the winter

• Close shades and drapes during the day to help keep heat out during summer

• Ensure attic access door closes tightly

• Insulate attic access door

• Make sure insulation in your attic does not block soffit vents

• Do not close off unused rooms that are conditioned by forced air systems

• Do not close supply air registers

• Ensure return air grilles are not blocked by furniture or bookcase

• Ensure windows and doors are properly weather-stripped

• Make sure outside soffit vents are not blocked

• Do not use roof-top power ventilators for attic exhaust as they may evacuate conditioned air from your home

Energy Saving Tricks

Photo credit: http://www.xbmlinnovations.com

Every month we receive a magazine from our power company and one month the magazine had a brochure 101 Low-Cost/No-Cost Home Energy-Saving Measure. I have read through brochure in no time and kept it in my money saving binder for later use. I will split the serious in several sections and each will share the tricks from the booklet to help you save money.

• Set thermostats to 78F in summer, 68F in winter

For every degree higher you set the thermostat, you can gain as much as 3% saving in every cost

• Run ceiling paddle fans on medium, blowing down in summer

• Run ceiling paddle fans on low, blowing up in winter

• Change heating/air conditioning filters monthly

• When installing new air filters, make sure they are facing in the correct direction

• When heating or cooling, keep windows closed

• Insulate electric wall plugs and wall switches with foam pads

• Caulk along baseboards with clear sealant

• Close fireplace dampers when not burning a fire

• Caulk around plumbing penetrations that comes through walls beneath bathroom and kitchen sinks

• Caulk electrical wire penetrations at the top of the interior walls

Do you have a money saving trick?

Energy Saving Tricks

Every month we receive a magazine from our power company and one month the magazine had a brochure 101 Low-Cost/No-Cost Home Energy-Saving Measure. I have read through brochure in no time and kept it in my money saving binder for later use. I will split the serious in several sections and each will share the tricks from the booklet to help you save money.

Kitchen

1. Use your refrigerator’s anti-sweat feature only if necessary
2. Switch your refrigerator’s power saver to “ON.” If available
3. Set the refrigerator temperature to 34F – 37F and freezer to 0F -5F
4. Ensure gaskets around door seal tightly
5. Unplug unused refrigerators or freezers
6. Use microwave for cooking when possible
7. When cooking on the range, use pot lids to help food cook faster
8. If you are heating water, use hot tap water instead of cold
9. Remember to use the kitchen exhaust fan when cooking and turn it off after cooking
10. Let hot food cool before storing it in the fridge
11. Rinse dirty dishes with cold water before putting them into the dishwasher
12. Use cold water for garbage disposal
13. Only run dishwasher when fully loaded
14. Use air dry cycle instead of heat dry cycle to dry dishes

How do you conserve energy in your kitchen?

Where is my missing sock?

Our washing machine and a dryer are known for eating our socks and I am not kidding about it. There have been many times that I go to fold clothes and socks are missing…well…actually one stock is missing. I would then pair the lonely sock with another lonely sock creating a miss matched pair. Although my husband doesn’t seem to mind miss matched socks (as long as they are the same color), the MIA socks drive me crazy. Some days when I do laundry I just pile all socks together in a basket and wait for the day when I am so thrilled to match all hundred and one sock that I just can’t contain myself.

These “oh happy socks” days are few and far in between because I found an amazing method of keeping our socks from going missing on laundry days. I came across this trick some time ago and it has been working wonders. Ok…you are probably dying to know what it is…so here you go. Before I do laundry I clip a pair of matching socks with a safety pin and throw them in the washing machine. After the socks dry, in a matter of a few minutes I unpin them and fold together. Our socks our no longer MIA and I enjoy stress free “I don’t have to look for this sock ever again” laundry days!

Do you have time saving laundry tip?

Energy Saving Tricks

Every month we receive a magazine from our power company and one month the magazine had a brochure 101 Low-Cost/No-Cost Home Energy-Saving Measure. I have read through brochure in no time and kept it in my money saving binder for later use. I will split the serious in several sections and each will share the tricks from the booklet to help you save money.

Laundry

1. Wash clothes in cold water. Use hot water only for very dirty loads
2. Do only full laundry loads
3. If you must do smaller loads, adjust the water level in the washing machine to match the load size, especially when using hot water
4. Always use cold water rinse
5. Use bath towels at least twice before washing them
6. Clean your dryer’s lint trap before each load
7. Make sure that the outdoor dryer exhaust door closes when dryer is off
8. Verify dryer vent hose is tightly connected to inside wall fitting
9. Check that the dryer vent hose is tightly connected to dryer
10. Make sure dryer vent hose is not kinked or clogged
11. Minimize clothes drying time; use moisture sensor on dryer if available
12. Dry consecutive loads to harvest heat remaining in dyer from last load
13. Consider suing a “solar-powered” clothes dryer, an old fashioned clothes line.

I have tried the tip #13 for several month, but gave up when I noticed many legged friends, aka spiders, were staring at me when I folded clothes.

Have you implemented any of these tricks in your home? Do you have money saving tips on laundry?

Shopping Calander

I enjoy shopping and looking for deals when time is not an issue. We are living in a busy world where most of my day is occupied with working, cleaning, cooking, studying for class and being a wife. There are days that I wish I had a magic wand that would allow me to stop the time so I squeeze in extra errands like shopping. I came across a calendar that outlines the sales cycle for different items and it is my hope that you will find the calendar useful too.

January

During this cold month, unless you live in Florida or California, you can stock up on linens. Stores discount bed sheets and towels at prices that are hard to resist.

February

Just because spring is right around the corner, does not mean that you have to forget about your most comfortable turtleneck sweater. During this month, stores begin to prepare for spring clothes collection making winter clothes sale very appealing.

March

Are you in need of a new camera? Then March is your lucky month. Small electronics are always marked down during this month to prepare the way for newer models.

April

If you have a wedding to attend, this month is the time to stock up on cookware. You may be able to find a cooking pan not only for the bride to be, but also for yourself.

May

Somebody’s junk can become your treasure as the month of May is known for the start of yard sales. Perhaps you can snatch some great deals on canning items for later use.

June

You slacked off on your new year’s resolution to lose weight, don’t be discouraged. This month many gyms give you a great discount to join and to help you exercise your bad habits away.

July

This month you can score great deals on everything. Yep, that right, you can buy a brand new car or install a lovely carpet in your living room.

August

You decided it is time to upgrade your outdoor furniture, well then this month is calling your name. You can score great deals on grills, lawn furniture and gardening tools just to name a few.

September

You are dreading to buy new school supplies, but the shopping experience can be quite exciting during the month of September. Most stores discount back to school items to where your shopping experience is not only stress free, but also money saving one.

October

The dishwasher broke? No problem! This month you can purchase last year’s model at a great price.

November

You are starting to catch up on your sleep so you can stay all night in line during Black Friday event. This month you can snatch all sort of gift for Christmas and your wallet won’t feel broke.

December

Tired of spending money on amazingly smelling fresh cut Christmas tree? This is a month to buy any seasonal items that you heart desires, and yes, it includes a fake Christmas tree.


Do you have any shopping tips?

Lighting a candle

I love fall season. The weather is not too cold, yet not too hot. The golden color leaves cover the ground of our yard. Apples have been picked up and ready for canning. The thought of Thanksgiving dinner menu constantly wonders through my mind. But most of all I love the spell of pumpkin spice as the aroma fills the air of our home. It is only during the season of fall that I light up my all time favorite pumpkin spice candle. I find the flickering light of a candle very soothing as I prepare dinner for me and Daniel. But the feel, after burning my favorite candle, of comfortable and cozy home filled with love and laughter is priceless.

Since my favorite candle glass is only half way filled with wax, due to excess candle burning activity, there are days that I find it difficult to light it up with a regular lighter. Because I am too cheap to buy a lighter specifically designed for half way burned candles, I was thrilled to find a cheap method to keep my candle burning!

Take a dry spaghetti noodle and light the end of it with a match or lighter.

Then use the lighten end of the noodle to light the candle wick.

The result…I can enjoy the aroma of pumpkin spice for many months to come.

Food Processor can be your best friend

I have a tiny little itsy bitsy food processor and one day I hope to upgrade it to a nice powerful I can do anything type of food processor. Perhaps I can put my wish on a Christmas list. I mainly use the food processor to shred the chicken for when I make the world’s greatest thin crust pizza. I have also tried to make peanut butter using one. But recently I came across an article that opened my eyes to a whole new world of using a food processor.

Food you can make in the food processor

- Bread Crumbs
- Peanut Butter
- Pasta dough (making homemade pasta is on my to do list. This gives me one more good reason to purchase a food processor)
- Sweet potato chips
- Cole slaw
- Grated cheese
- Baby food (well noted for the future, when one day we have a baby)

Food that you can not make in the food processor

- Mashed potatoes
- Meat loaf (I would have never thought of even attempting to make it in the food processor)
- Whipping cream
- Egg whites or meringue
- Soup
- Ground coffee
- Crushed ice

For what do you use your food process? What brand of food processor would you recommend?

Energy Saving Tricks

Photo credit: http://www.xbmlinnovations.com

Every month we receive a magazine from our power company and one month the magazine had a brochure 101 Low-Cost/No-Cost Home Energy-Saving Measure. I have read through brochure in no time and kept it in my money saving binder for later use. I will split the serious in several sections and each will share the tricks from the booklet to help you save money.

Water Heating

1. Set water heater temperature no higher than 120F
2. For household with 1 or 2 members, a 115F setting may work fine
3. Install water heater wrap per manufacturer’s instructions
4. Drain 1-2 gallons from bottom of water heater each year to reduce sediment build-up
5. Install heat traps on hot and cold water lines when it’s time to replace your water heater
6. Insulate exposed hot water line
7. Limit shower length to 5-7 minutes
8. Install low-flow shower heads
9. Fix dripping faucets
10. Don’t let water run while you are shaving
11. Don’t let water run while brushing your teeth
(info taken for Blue Ridge Electric brochure)

To help us reduce the cost of our electric bill, we installed water heater timer. When we are at work the water heater temperature drops. By the time we come home, the water is warm!

Do you have a money saving tip on water heating?