LivingOnADime.com

Several readers have asked about our church. Our church is Calvary Chapel Ft. Lauderdale. When we lived in Kansas, we joked around that we were the Andover, KS branch because we watched it home with mom and my brother and his family and some other friends.

We’ve decided to post a teaching from Pastor Bob here each Sunday for those of you would like to enjoy it also.

If you don’t have a church home and can’t attend then you can watch their services live here.

Eastern Standard Time:

Saturdays – 6pm

Sundays – 8am, 10:15am, 12:30pm

Wednesdays – 6:30pm

If you can’t watch it live, here is a message you might like:

From Pastor Bob

“Daniel, The Book: You’re On!”

“All the world’s a stage” is the famous phrase from William Shakespeare’s, As You Like It. Similarly, on God’s great stage, He has a part for every person. But how will we play that part? Not everyone will follow their lines, and even as Christians we can detour from the script. However, Pastor Bob provides some practical points from Daniel chapter 11 exhorting us to aspire to nothing more or less than God’s perfect will for our lives.

      Enjoy!

      -Jill, Tawra and Mike

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S’mores are amazing things. They can be eaten all year round as snacks or desserts and lots of people, young and old alike, love them. These tips are especially good to keep on hand when the kids want some s’mores and you don’t have a piece of chocolate in the house.

Here are some modern day twists on an old time favorite snack.

• Use chocolate chips or leftover Easter bunnies in place of the candy bar.
• Forget the chocolate altogether. Spread a graham cracker with strawberry or raspberry jam, add a roasted marshmallow and a slice or two of strawberry (or even a slice of banana).
• Spread cinnamon graham crackers with softened cream cheese and fruit.

• This isn’t a s’more idea but I love to spread butter on a cinnamon graham cracker, top it with a second one and dunk it in my coffee for breakfast.
• Chocolate graham crackers are also great spread with peanut butter and slices of banana.
• Cook the marshmallow over the stove. I just put knife in the middle of the marshmallow and then toast it over my electric stovetop.

Here is a good summer S’more dessert you can make and keep handy in the freezer:

Ice Cream S’mores

9 graham crackers, broken crosswise in half to make 18 squares
1 cup hot fudge sauce
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 pint (2 cups) chocolate ice cream, softened

Place 9 graham crackers in a foil lined 9 inch square pan. Spread with half the fudge sauce, sprinkle with marshmallows, spread with ice cream and the rest of fudge sauce. Then cover with the rest of the graham crackers. Freeze overnight or for several hours. Take out of the freezer 10 minutes before serving. Then cut into squares.

photo by: hlkljgk

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Regarding boiling water– Is it true that water heated to boiling in a microwave cools faster than the water boiled on the stove? It seems that I barely get the milk and teabag in my cup before the tea is lukewarm. I usually just heat the water in the microwave in the same cup I will be using. Would it stay hotter if I did it in a saucepan on the stove? A friend suggested I also heat the milk. That seemed like a good idea.

      -Maggie

Jill: It does make a difference. It is better to heat on the stove or in an electric tea kettle. When water is boiled on the stove the water boils evenly and all of it boils. In the microwave the water only boils where the microwaves have hit it so you can have cold spots throughout the water. These hot and cold spots are also what causes the water to bubble up and foam over sometimes when you add your instant coffee.

Yes you do need to heat the milk because it will cause the tea to cool down quickly. You might try boiling your water on the stove, making your tea, adding the milk and then placing it all in the microwave for about 10 seconds or so to warm it up, milk and all.

Here are some other things I found that help to keep my tea or coffee really hot. I have a mug with a lid and I place the lid on it while it is steeping. I was so surprised how much hotter my coffee and tea was. You could use a small saucer or plate in place of the lid. Using a tea cozy on a mug helps too.

Because my house is cold, especially in the winter, my mugs are cold and I lose a lot of heat into the cold mug. I place just a little water in my mug and pour some of the boiling water into it for just a couple of seconds to heat the mug. Then I dump that out and make the tea with boiling water in a warmed mug.

This may seem like a lot of work for a cup of tea or coffee but you don’t have to do all of these suggestions all and they go faster and easier than you might think once you start doing them.

Using an electric tea kettle to boil water is much faster, boils evenly and saves on energy so it is the best way to go, but before you think you have to go out and buy a new expense electric kettle, the savings is so small it isn’t worth buying something new. Boiling the water in a small pot on the stove works just fine.

Photo By: Scott Akerman

The post Does It Make A Difference Boiling Water on the Stove or Microwave? appeared first on Save Money And Get Out Of Debt - Living on a Dime.

Tips:

• Add seedless jam to your frosting for color and flavor. This would be really good on angel food cakes, white cakes or spread on a slice of banana or other quick bread. Think to of chocolate cake or brownies frosted with raspberry jam frosting.
• To use up leftover mashed potatoes, shape them around 3/4 inch cubes of Velveeta cheese then roll in crushed potato chips. Bake at 350 degrees until slightly brown.
• When making gravies or sauces in creamed dishes, add a pinch of cayenne pepper to add a little zip to the taste. It isn’t strong enough to know what it is but just adds a little something.

Menu:

Swiss Steak*
Mashed Potatoes
Garlic Green Beans*
Bread, Butter and Jam
Coconut Brownies*

Recipes:

Here are 2 good recipes for Swiss steak:

2 lbs. round steak
2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. salt
dash of pepper
1 Tbsp. oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2-3 stalks celery, chopped
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
1 cup tomatoes, peeled
2 carrots, sliced (optional)
2 cups water
8 potatoes, boiled or mashed (optional)

Mix flour, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Rub into round steak. Cut into serving-sized pieces. Brown meat in oil in a skillet over medium heat. Pour all vegetables except potatoes over steak and add water. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer 1 to 1 1/2 hours or all day on low in the crock pot. Serve over potatoes if desired. Serves 4.

2-3 lbs. round steak
Flour
Salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sour cream

Mix the flour with seasonings. Dredge the steak in the flour mixture. In a frying pan that has a small amount of oil, brown steak on both sides. Add water, turn down heat, cover and simmer for about 2 1/2 hours. Add sour cream just before serving.

2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 tsp. cider vinegar
2 tsp. dried onion
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Salt and pepper
3 cups frozen green beans, thawed
3 Tbsp. bread crumbs
3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated
1 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted

Mix first 5 ingredients. Add beans and coat with mixture. Pour into greased baking dish. Mix bread crumbs, cheese and butter and sprinkle over bean mixture. Bake uncovered at 350° for about 15 minutes. It just needs to be heated through.

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
3/4 cup flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 -3/4 cup nuts

Topping:

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/2 brown sugar
1 cup coconut

Mix butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Add flour, baking powder, salt and nuts. Mix well. Pour into greased 8×8 pan and bake at 350° for 30 minutes or until done.

Mix topping ingredients and spread over baked brownies. Place under the broiler (3 inches from heat) to slightly brown coconut.

Photo By: stu_spivack

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You can easily make your own tortilla chips for much less and they taste better too. It really isn’t as hard as you would think.

Homemade Fried Tortilla Chips

corn tortillas
oil for frying
salt (optional)

Cut tortillas into wedges. Heat 1 inch of oil in a frying pan. Fry several wedges until crisp on both sides. Remove with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt if desired.

From Dining on a Dime

photo by: stuart_spivack

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I started our website www.LivingOnADime.com 14 years ago after we self-published our first book Not Just Beans (now called the Dining On A Dime Cookbook).

For many years, Living On A Dime was a hobby for my mom and me. My husband worked on it in the evenings and on weekends. We had hoped to eventually turn it into a second income producer for our family.

Mom and I both have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and I have Fibromyalgia so we weren’t able to work as many hours as we needed to really get the business and website going.

Five years ago, after several years of working at a not so great job, we felt like it was time for my husband to quit his job and start working for our website. Up to that point the business had not made a profit, but each year we did grow bigger.

We thought we would share some of the pros and cons of working at home as your main income. At first it does seem like an “ideal” dream job but it is a lot of work and does have its own problems. We would like to share some of our experiences and things we have noticed along the way.

Pro: You can take a vacation whenever you want. When I was on bed rest with my 4th pregnancy, it was a lifesaver for Mike to be able to watch the kids or run me to the hospital for emergency hospital visits at a moment’s notice, which happened several times.

Con: You don’t get paid for that vacation plus you will have to work overtime before and/or after the vacation to get all the business stuff done. For us, the work that we have to do before going away is getting all the posts written and ready to go ahead of time, which means working several very late nights before we leave for our trip or before the baby was born.

Pro: You can take off to go on school field trips, doctor visits and other things that are harder for most people.

Con: Your friends and family think you don’t have a job and if you’re not careful, you can end up spending too much time NOT working.

Pro: You can take your work with you on vacation if you need to.

Con: You can take your work with you on vacation so it’s not all vacation. (Mike: Especially if you’re having a big sale and your web host accidentally breaks your ordering system when you’re in another state…)

Pro: You can stay home with the kids.

Con: You can’t get any work done while the kids are awake so you will either have to get up early, work late or work during nap time. For us we have noticed that the older the kids get, the harder it is to get work done. Mike has found that it’s easier for him to take his work to the library (which means you aren’t really at home with the kids).

Pro: You control the amount of income you have. If your septic tank fails and you have to come up with $9,000 cash fast, you can have a big fire sale or two to pay for it.

Con: There is always the pressure of wondering, “Will we sell enough to pay our bills?” If you don’t work, you are not going to have an income.

Pro: You’re not just “checking in” to a daily grind at a job where you don’t like your boss and you don’t agree with the way the company runs. You can do the things you think are best to make your business succeed and, if you improve your business, you get paid more because of the extra effort you made.

Con: You are responsible for figuring out how to operate your business efficiently, adapting to address issues that come up that you hadn’t expected and learning how to market your product. Just having a good idea doesn’t guarantee you will sell it. If you don’t figure out how to connect your product or service with the people who need it or if you spend too much time on Facebook, you don’t get paid.

Pro: When your spouse works at home you can always collaborate and think of new ideas and new ways to do things.

Con: If you’re not careful, the business will consume your life and that will be all you talk about.

Pro: You don’t have to worry about a nasty, rude and discouraging work environment.

Con: If you’re a people person, working by yourself at home can get lonely. If you work with your spouse there are days you will drive each other nuts and wish you could leave for work! Then there are always rude and nasty customers. Most customers are reasonable, but there will always be some unpleasant ones no matter what you do.

Pro: You can set your own hours.

Con: If you aren’t careful, your 8 hour work day can turn into 5 or 6 hours doing “one more thing” around the house. (Mike: There’s also the danger of working the 8 hours but also finding yourself unable to resist the temptation to check your e-mail every hour in the evening, on Sunday or on a holiday, which gets you focused on work (stressing about work) when you should be spending time with your family.) You also don’t always get to choose your hours, like when the website crashes at 11 p.m. and you have to stay up to fix it.

These pros and cons aren’t meant to discourage you but to help you evaluate if you are ready to work at home as your sole income. Hopefully they will help give you a few more ideas before you take the big leap.

       -Mike and Tawra

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Those of you from the South may find this post a little funny because sweet tea is an everyday thing in much of the South and some of you were weaned on the stuff.

There is a whole generation of adults, though, who don’t know about sweet tea because sugar was put on the “bad food” list when they were growing up, but surprise, surprise it is once again ok to use sugar in our drinks. Yeahhhh!!!!

Everyone is jumping on the bandwagon to buy sweet tea at the fast food restaurants and in the bottles. I cringe every time I see someone pay through the nose to buy sweet tea when it is so easy to make and costs only pennies for a pitcher full. Also many buy bottles of regular and green tea for the antioxidants. Be careful what you may not realize is that when tea sits it loses it’s antioxidants so making it fresh is best. 

To help you save some money on what may be becoming your favorite drink or what might still be an old favorite, here is my recipe for homemade sweet tea.

Even though I am not officially a true Southerner, I will warn you I drink mine so sweet it will curl your hair. You can adjust the sugar if you want, but try it this way first and see what you think. Part of the secret to good iced tea is having the sugar properly dissolved. Just adding sugar to regular unsweetened cold tea doesn’t get it completely dissolved, but there’s an easy secret to this dilemma when making sweet tea.

Some people make a simple syrup to help dissolve the sugar, but you don’t have to go to all that trouble because this recipe makes it’s own simple syrup with the tea.

2 quarts water
3 regular size tea bags
3/4 cup sugar

Boil part of the water (about 3 cups). This doesn’t have to be precisely measured. Just estimate using enough so that when you pour it over the tea bags and sugar, it will cover them well.

While the water is boiling, place the tea bags and sugar into a 2 quart pitcher.

After the water boils, pour it over the tea bags and sugar. Cover and let it steep for at least 5 minutes if you are in a hurry. I let mine sit for 30 minutes or more (or until I remember that I made it .

 Then, gently stir it. You don’t want to break the tea bags.

 Add more cold water up to the 2 quart line. Chill.

If I will be serving mine over ice, which is the way I love it, I will only add water to the 1 1/2 quart line instead of 2 quarts.

Of course, after you try it, you can adjust the sugar and water to your preference.

Sometimes I will use 2 regular flavored tea bags and one flavored tea bag (like peach or raspberry). This adds just the right amount of flavor to it. If you like lemon, toss in a slice!

Jill

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Several readers have asked about our church. Our church is Calvary Chapel Ft. Lauderdale. When we lived in Kansas, we joked around that we were the Andover, KS branch because we watched it home with mom and my brother and his family and some other friends.

We’ve decided to post a teaching from Pastor Bob here each Sunday for those of you would like to enjoy it also.

If you don’t have a church home and can’t attend then you can watch their services live here.

Eastern Standard Time:

Saturdays – 6pm

Sundays – 8am, 10:15am, 12:30pm

Wednesdays – 6:30pm

If you can’t watch it live, here is a message you might like:

From Pastor Bob

“Daniel, The Book: Pray”

Are you thankful for everything you have, or do you fail to be grateful because your mind is on something you don’t have? God promises to supply everything we need, but some people are stuck in want or lack because of mismanagement, sin, or misfortune. Pastor Bob says that to cultivate a thankful heart we should appreciate what we have, invest for a better return, and make sure we don’t measure our wealth by our material possessions.

      Enjoy!

      -Jill, Tawra and Mike

The post Daniel, The Book: Pray appeared first on Save Money And Get Out Of Debt - Living on a Dime.

I am desperate to find ways to use cream-style canned corn. I found a good sale, but there must be a way to use creamed corn besides “open can, heat and serve.” I have tried it in pancake batter and that works well, but now what else? I would sure appreciate any ideas.

Keep Your Angel On Your Shoulder,
As Always, Linda C.

Here are a few recipes you can make using cream-style corn:

Corn Bake

1 (15 oz.) can cream style corn
1 (10 oz.) can whole kernel corn
3 eggs, beaten
1 (8 oz.) box corn muffin mix
1/2 cup margarine
1 green onion, chopped
1/4-1/2 cup green pepper, chopped
1 cup sour cream
Cheese, grated

Mix the first 4 ingredients. Saute onion and pepper in margarine. Add to corn mixture. Salt and pepper to taste. Pour into a 2 quart casserole dish, spread with sour cream and sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 350° about 1 hour, until center is set.

Corn Casserole

1 cup cream style corn
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup green pepper, chopped
1 cup ham, chopped
Salt and pepper

Stir everything together and bake at 350° until firm.

Corn Pudding

You can top this corn pudding dish with maple syrup and a dollop of whipped cream and serve as a dessert or even for breakfast.

1 pkg. real egg custard (can be found at your grocery store by the pudding)
1 cup milk
1 can creamed corn
1 Tbsp. butter, cut into dots

Mix custard and milk. Stir in corn and butter. Bake in 1 quart casserole dish for 1 hour.

photo by: dyanna

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Moving can be one of the most stressful things a person can do. I usually don’t push our products that much but since I am now spending another summer moving a grown child I thought I might mention that if you are thinking of moving and haven’t moved in a long time you might consider getting our Moving on a Dime e book for some ideas to help make moving less hair raising. It really can help you know what to do and what not to do.

1. Start decluttering and packing away everything but the necessities once you decide to move. You need to do it anyway, so do it now. You want to get the most out of selling your house. Decluttering will help you sell it and will make it easier for you to clean when you have to show it.

   Don’t wait until the day everyone comes to load the truck to start packing those things way back in the kitchen cabinets that you only use once a year. That all should be packed at this point.

2. Reserve your moving van the minute you have a closing date or a firm date to move. Don’t wait until the day before you need it or the week before you need it. Chances are they won’t have a truck left this time of year.

3. Start using up the food you have and buy as little as you can between now and moving day. The week before you move, plan exactly what you are going to use for meals until the day you leave and get everything else, like can goods and nonperishables, packed up.

4. One to two weeks before you move, call on utilities and make arrangements for your mail.

5. One to two weeks ahead of time, make up your “kits”. Have a “kit” or a box for things that you will need in the last few days you are in your home, things you will need to keep with you the first day you move into your new house. Gather things like toilet paper, soap, a few towels, cleaning supplies, a handful of tools, light bulbs, paper plates, cups and paper towels and a first aid kit. If you will have to clean first thing, make sure to keep out the vacuum.

   Put toilet paper, soap and a towel out the first thing after you arrive. Have sheets ready so you can make the beds right away. Do this first instead of at the end of a long tiring day. When you are exhausted from unloading and unpacking that made up bed will look so much nicer than if you have to make it when you are dead on your feet.

   Think through what items you think your family will need.

6. If you are going to have helpers, plan on what snacks, meals or drinks you will need for them.

These are just a few moving ideas but I hope they help make moving, which can be a stressful time a little easier. This moving “mom” is now going to collapse on the couch for a few days until we have to move them once again.

      -Jill

P.S. If you can afford them, PODS or other shipping containers are wonderful.

P.P.S. Over the past 4 years I have moved my grown kids 4 times alone. In the past 20 years since they have left home I have moved them and myself more than 20 times. In addition to that, I spent most of my first 18 years with my dad in the military. Hmmm… Maybe that is why I feel like an expert at this moving thing!

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You discreetly open one eye and scan the room. Maybe if you don’t move they will think you are still sleeping. Crash! The door flies open, the scrambled eggs go airborne and you know they have found you out! There they stand in the doorway – your family, grinning from ear to ear. It’s another Mother’s Day and once again they are treating you like a goddess- bringing you a tray full of burnt offerings (known in our culture as breakfast in bed).

There’s blackened toast, large brown lumps you think may be scrambled eggs, coffee “paste”, and oh, are these strips of bacon, beef jerky or dog treats? Then of course you look at their smiling faces full of love and you are reminded how blessed you are. Gratefully, you pick up your fork and start eating. Has anything ever tasted more like manna from heaven?

If you’d rather be able to identify your Mother’s Day breakfast this year, then discreetly slip these Mother’s Day breakfast recipes to your husband or children so that he can make sure that this heartwarming moment is also a tasty memory for you!

Pancakes

2 eggs
2 cups flour, all-purpose or wheat
1 1/2 cups milk
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
5 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

In a bowl, mix ingredients just enough to moisten dry ingredients. Mixture will be thick and lumpy. Heat a griddle or frying pan over medium heat and lightly grease. Cook on a hot greased griddle. Flip when bubbles break on the surface and the edges begin to dry. Makes 15-18 medium pancakes.

Scrambled Eggs

8 eggs
4 Tbsp. milk or water (optional)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
4 tsp. margarine (or bacon grease)

Stir all the ingredients except margarine in a bowl until well blended. Heat a skillet on medium heat. Add margarine to the skillet. Pour egg mixture into skillet. Stir constantly about 4 minutes until eggs are fluffy and set. Serves 4.

Country Fried Potatoes

6 Tbsp. bacon grease or margarine
6 potatoes, peeled and sliced
salt and pepper

Melt bacon grease or margarine in a frying pan. Add the potatoes in the pan and cook over medium heat. Flip potatoes and cook until golden brown. Remove from pan. Salt and pepper to taste. Serves 4-6.

Creamy Orange Shake
(like Orange Julius)

1/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup water (optional)
1/2 tsp. vanilla
5-6 ice cubes
2 scoops vanilla ice cream

Combine ingredients in a blender until smooth. Serves 4.

If you like these easy Mother’s Day breakfast recipes, check out our Dining On A Dime Cookbook.

photo by: agizienski

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(The cutest kids in the world! -Tawra-Jill (Nan)

Happy Mother’s Day to all you moms and grandmas out there! I know I’m early but I figured I would wish you a happy Mother’s Day today day because by Sunday you will be too busy to check the website.

You will be lying on your couch, eating your bonbons while your children and husband are fanning you and taking care of your every need. : )  In our dreams! : ) Well, maybe you will at least get to eat some bonbons.

One year I spent most of Mother’s Day cleaning up my kitchen, which the kids destroyed trying to make me breakfast in bed. I know it was the thought that counted. I really appreciated it and thought it was so cute until I crawled out of bed and saw my kitchen. I didn’t say a thing to them because they were so proud of themselves but I was so worn out at the end of that day. In spite of that, I wouldn’t have changed a thing. (Well, maybe the cleaning the kitchen part) : )

Here’s a Mother’s Day story I think most moms will appreciate and relate to!

      -Jill

Mother’s Day Cake Recipe

Light oven, get utensils, and measure two cups of flour.

Remove Johnny’s hands from flour, wash flour off him.

Remeasure flour. Put flour, baking powder and salt in sifter.

Get dustpan and brush up pieces of bowl Johnny knocked on the floor.

Answer doorbell. Return to kitchen.

Remove Johnny’s hands from bowl. Wash Johnny.

Answer phone. Return and remove 1/4 cup salt from greased pan.

Look for Johnny. Grease another pan.

Answer telephone. Return to kitchen and find Johnny.

Remove one hammer from bowl.

Take up greased pan and find layer of nutshells in it.

Head for Johnny who flees, knocking bowl off table.

Wash kitchen floor, tables, walls, and dishes.

Call Baker. Lie down.

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This homemade shampoo recipe is a little different, but my experience with it has been very good. Before I share the actual recipe, here are some details about how and why it works and what to expect if you decide to try it.

Years ago, I mentioned in a post about how I had a great aunt who was about 90 years old and had never shampooed her hair and everyone was horrified at such a thought. Even when I mentioned that I only wash my hair twice a week they thought that was awful.

Well guess what? The latest new buzz phrase is “poo less hair”. The people that talk about a homemade shampoo recipe and think they have invented a new thing. They have “discovered” what my aunt knew almost 100 years ago – You don’t need to use shampoo or soap to clean your hair.

Actually I have thought about trying it myself for quite a while and I’m not sure why I didn’t just jump in and do it a long time ago. But I finally did and I love it.

No more shampoo or conditioner for me. I have been using homemade shampoo for a couple of weeks and still can’t get over how great my hair looks.

Now I can hear some of you saying, “No way. I have oily hair and have to wash it every day and need the shampoo to get rid of the oil.” Please read on and consider what I am explaining.

I have very oily, fine, limp long hair. At times I have to deal with fuzzing and all kinds of weird things. To comb my hair out is a pain because of tangles. That is why I am so in awe.

How it Works

It works on the principle that the more oil is stripped from your hair the more oil your body will produce to replace it. It is a cycle. It works something like nursing a baby. The more you nurse the more milk you produce and when you stop all your milk goes away.

We have gotten into a shampooing frenzy, shampooing our hair every day to clean it, so we have started an awful “not good for our scalp” cycle with our bodies. Most shampoos are really bad about stripping the oils out of your hair, causing your body to produce more.

Guess what the number one selling hair product is on QVC (or home shopping network)? Wen. It is a “no shampoo” treatment for your hair. The price? Almost $35 for 16 oz. (about 2 cups) and for long hair you have to use 48 pumps of it. Do you know how expensive that is?

The homemade shampoo recipe I’ll share below does the same thing at a cost of about 3 cents for the same amount and you use significantly less of it.

What’s The Worst that can Happen?

I asked myself, “Why did I put this off so long? What is the worst that can happen?” I might have oily hair for a week or so and have to wear my hair in a pony tail. It won’t cost me a thing.

What do I have to Gain?

I will have healthier hair and save, in some cases, lots of money on shampoo, conditioner and hair products for the whole family. I am finding that I don’t have to use any products like mousse or gel because my hair is holding its curl better. This means I will save by not having to use or buy other products and I’ll also save time. Usually, within an hour, my hair would have lost all it’s curl and if I was going someplace later I would have to curl it again, damaging my hair more.

I Did It.

I jumped in and did it. The only thing I regret is that I didn’t do it years ago. Some people say their hair needed a 2-6 week adjustment period but I didn’t need one, even with my oily hair. The first time I didn’t use shampoo my hair looked even better than before. It combed out more easily with almost no tangles at all and it looked unbelievable. As I said, an added side bonus I hadn’t expected is that it keeps the curl and style better than it did before, so I don’t have to mess with it as much.

I am also going a little longer in between washing it and this is only after two weeks of doing this. I can’t wait to see what it will be like after a couple of months. This has been one of those things that has changed my life. I know that it may sound silly but you know how having a bad hair day makes us ladies feel. I don’t think I can ever have a bad hair day again!

What Do You Do?

There are different ways of doing this but I like to keep things simple so this is what I do. I also brush my hair before I start.

1. Mix 1 Tbsp. baking soda with 8 oz. hot water and stir or shake until well dissolved. You can use a funnel and put this in a container like a squirt bottle.
2. Mix 1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar in 8 oz. water. Again mix and store in a squirt bottle.

Essentially, you just replace the baking soda mix for shampoo and vinegar for conditioner. Wet hair well, rub in some of the baking soda and mix into your scalp well. Rinse. Then squirt it with the vinegar mix, rub it in and rinse.

I have long hair and the 8 oz. lasted me about 4-5 washings. If you use the same proportions, you can mix a larger amount and keep in a larger bottle if you want.

Questions Answered

My hair feels icky and like straw. If you have very hard water you may need to use a little more baking soda. You can tell you have the right amount because your hair will feel slippery.

If your hair seems a little oily, only add the vinegar rinse to the ends of your hair. You could also use lemon juice instead of vinegar.

If you see a white residue, you may be using too much baking soda in your homemade shampoo recipe. The proportions I listed seem to be just right. Some people place the baking soda in their hand and make a paste to rub into the scalp but it is hard to get the right consistency and I think it is harder to distribute evenly on your scalp.

Some people have found after using this homemade shampoo recipe for a while that they only have to rinse their hair with water because the ph and oil becomes so perfectly balanced. I haven’t been using it long enough yet to know about that.

I know some of you have used regular or apple cider vinegar for a rinse and liked it, and I have too, but adding the soda for shampoo is wonderful.

In Closing

Try the homemade shampoo recipe and see if you like it. If you are still too afraid to do it, try it on your children or husband for a week or two and see what happens with their hair.

It isn’t like you are investing large amounts of money or time into something. It is very simple. All I can say is I can never go back myself. My hair is so much more manageable and looks so good now that I don’t want shampoo near my hair.

I hope you give it a try!

-Jill

We have had many different questions about different hair types and how this works for them. Here is a comment from one of our readers that I thought really covered many of those questions.

From Cheri

Thank you Jill for posting this homemade shampoo recipe! I am weaning my house off of most commercial products and didn’t know what I was going to do for hair care products. I found your article and tried it. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER SHAMPOO OR CONDITIONER OR OTHER HAIR PRODUCT AGAIN!!! I love it! I have struggled with my hair my entire life.

I have medium length, dyed, naturally curly hair which tends to be very dry. I hesitated using this, thinking this might destroy my hair – most comments were from people with oily hair. It did the opposite! My hair has NEVER looked this great! And it actually looks good for a few days. I usually have the worst bed head (comments have been made that I looked like a Troll Doll on crack). My curls no longer turn into frizz and I have less maintenance then ever. I blow dried my hair straight today, and it actually shined without any other kind of product!

I can’t believe the number of years, the number of products, and the mountains of cash I have spent trying to find the right products for my hair. The only thing I did slightly different, just for the fun of it and found good results…

I used the vinegar mixture to rinse the baking soda out. It does that foaming action the two combined do and seems to reduce the baking soda residue. Then, I rinsed it all out with water. It feels really good and my kids have a great laugh watching it! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU!

What to do with stockpiled shampoo

• To wash dedicates like undies or sweaters
• Wash brushes and combs
• Clean your tub and bath with it. It does a great job getting rid of soap scum.
• Use it as a spot cleaner on your clothes for spots like ring around the collar. If you think about it, shampoo is made to remove human body oil from hair so it works great on body oil on clothes.
• You can use extra shampoo for cleaning woodwork, leather, carpet stains and almost anything you would use soap on.
• Leftover shampoo is a great degreaser so it works really well in a kitchen
• Shampoo works well on paint brushes, too!
• Use it to shave your legs or as a body wash
• Use it for bubble bath
• Save shampoo for washing the dog
• Shampoo makes a great soap to use to wash your car.

For lots of easy homemade bath and beauty recipes like this homemade shampoo recipe, check out our Dining On A Dime Cookbook!

photo by: jessicamullen

The post Homemade Shampoo Recipe appeared first on Save Money And Get Out Of Debt - Living on a Dime.

From Janet

In the early part of the spring and summer, if a branch on my tomatoes plant breaks off, I plant it in the ground. I take off any lower leaves and bury the stem sideways in the soil. The top will straighten itself up and grow up.

Last year, at the beginning of June, we had a bad windstorm that blew my greenhouse down and parts away. I salvaged my tomatoes and planted the broken pieces and they grew well. Also, when I plant my tomatoes I add a small amount of Epsom salts around the plant. The old timers told me to add Epsom salts to the row before I put in my carrot seeds to help get fewer wormy carrots.

Other gardeners showed me to plant my potatoes in trenches. They said to put down some straw, then the potato and then more straw. You have to keep up with the straw during the growing season so you don’t get green potato skins and flesh. It makes more uniform potatoes, and they are clean and easy to pick. Instead of hilling with dirt, they used straw.

The post Garden Planting Tips appeared first on Save Money And Get Out Of Debt - Living on a Dime.