Laundry

I hate laundry as much as Mandy. I have tried all kinds of different ways to make the job easier. The best thing I ever did was buy a front load washing machine until it started giving me trouble(don't buy a Kenmore-trust me on that one). Front loaders hold a ton of laundry. Okay not literally a ton but a lot none the less. I will replace my Kenmore one day but for now I fight with it every time I use it. :(

Another way I have tried to make laundry day easier is over the past few years I have started replacing all my towels as they wear out with white ones. I can wash them with all the other whites and I can bleach them and they stay clean and fresh looking. I don't buy the big huge bath towels either. We really don't need a bath blanket as we are not elephants. I actually prefer the smaller bath towels for wrapping my hair in when I get out the shower, because they stay on tighter.

My latest way of trying to make the laundry process easier is to take the laundry directly upstairs when it is dry and fold it on my bed and put it away as I fold. Even if the item needs to be ironed I will hang it up in the closet and iron when I have the time. I wish my washer was upstairs it sure would make life a lot easier!

Storage

Yesterday, I replaced the summer wreath on front door for a pumpkin plaque. I have one linen closet in which I keep seasonal decorations except for Christmas decor, those are in the attic. I was trying to fit this wreath back into the linen closet and there was really no space for it. After a few minutes of struggling I had the idea of hanging on the inside of the door. There it would not loose its shape and would leave me more space for other items. A couple of other clever storage ideas I use are placing folded sheets between the mattresses. And, all my pot lids are are stacked in a strainer for easy access. Anybody have any good storage tips of there own?

Yeah, We made it!

Well, we did it! We made it last week with only $23 in the bank! My husband spent $15 on gas leaving us a grand total of $8 in the bank. I learned this week that I am more disciplined than I thought. I could have pulled out the CC, but I'm tired of working to make them rich! If we don't have the money we can't afford it(whatever it is), period! Some things I did to fill my time were, a lot of extra cooking and baking, working extra hours and doing free and cheap things with my 3 yo. This week is not going to be a non money spending week, however I am buying only necessities this week at Aldi and the bread store. No thrift store (my weakness) for me this week.
On a different note I wanted to share a Coconut Cookie recipe I made last week. These were marvelous.
Tip: Put a piece of bread in the cookie jar to keep homemade cookies moist. I usually use the end piece as we don't eat those anyway!

Boiling Ground Beef?

I found ground beef for .99/lb at the grocery store last week so I bought 10 lbs to fill the freezer. Now, I had never even heard about boiling ground beef until a few weeks ago when I read an article on the subject. Intrigued by the idea I decided to give it a try to make quick work of cooking it all. I placed it in a large stock pot and covered the meat with water. I boiled it until the meat lost its pink color, drained it in a colander over a big bowl, and measured by 3 cups increments into freezer bags. I covered the big bowl and placed in the refrigerator and let it cool. The fat rose to the top after it cooled and I removed it and poured the broth into freezer bags as well. Standing the freezer bag inside a tall container large enough to hold the amount of broth you want to add and draping the sides of the bag over the container makes them easier to fill. Then, just zip the bag and pull it out of the container and lay the bags flat in the freezer. Now I have 11 bags of low fat cooked ground beef crumbles and 2 bags of beef broth ready for to use for quick tacos, spaghetti or whatever other recipe I choose in which to use them!

Pumpkin Bread

Since I went crazy and bought 8 cans of pumpkin at Aldi(.79 a can),
I started my fall baking with the best pumpkin bread recipe I've ever made.
Pumpkin Bread

2/3 c. shortening
2 2/3 c. sugar
4 eggs
1-lb can pumpkin
2/3c. water
3 1/3c. flour, sifted
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp.baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. cloves
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
2/3 c. chopped pecans/walnuts
1 c. raisins(opt.)

Cream shortening and sugar together. Add eggs one at a time. Add pumpkin and water. Blend in dry sifted ingredients. Stir in nuts and raisins gently. Bake at 350 degrees for 60-70 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. This makes two 9x5 loaves.
Tip: After greasing the pans then sugar them as you would if you were flouring the pan. This makes the crust of the bread even more yummy!

I Can See Clearly Now

The old adage "out of sight out of mind" holds true in my kitchen

when it comes to containers. Juice made in colored containers goes

bad before it gets used because my family can't see what's in there.

Bags of beans lay unused in the bottom of my cupboard because

frankly, I forget about them. So, my solution is to make a gradual

change to clear containers. I picked these up in one shopping trip

to the thrift store. Glass is my first choice for storing dry goods.

But these clear Rubbermaid containers will work great for liquids.

I made OJ in one of them and my husband actually drank two glasses

one evening. So my theory that if it can be seen it will be consumed

is already proving true. Also, check out the clever uses for glass

containers at thehomespunheart.

Not So Thrifty Secondhand Finds

I love to find good deals at thrift stores. I found these candleholders for a very nice price. The large one was 1.99 and the two round ones were .99 a piece. Great deal, right? Only if I didn't need to buy the candles for them! $26 later, my $4 deal turned into $30.00. I looked for the cheapest candles that I could find too. The dollar store didn't have the sizes or colors I needed so Walmart was my next option. At those prices, I don't want to light them! I guess that way they will last a long time. Mental note to self....don't buy pretty candle holders unless you have the extra dough to fork out for the candles to fill them. Or, I could learn to make my own candles!