Frugal Farmhouse

Now I have canned a lot of times with my Grandmother. However, I was under the age of 15 and didn't really care to remember the process. Now that I am older, I have been dying to revisit the canning years of my childhood. We recently moved (more on that this Saturday!) and I have the great privilege of staying with my Grandma and Grandpa for a while. I have turned into a sponge, I am trying to gleen as much information off of my Grandma as possible. My Aunt put it a great way, she said my Grandma was her wikipedia! How awesome is that! Last week my uncle brought down pears and tomatoes that needed to be canned the same day. So much for our plans, but it was such a great informative day. We began with the pears. Little itty bitty one bite pears... I took us 4 hours to peal and core these suckers.. Then we put them in jars and pressure canned them. I believe we canned 14 quarts of pears. Next up... Tomatoes Now I haven't had a decent tomato all summer long due to money, so I was ...

Give it a Whirl Thursday is a weekly column documenting triumphs and failures of frugal projects. I have tried many homemade laundry soap recipes. They all have left a sort of film on our clothes. But still I kept trying all the ones on the internet I could find. Finally I found one that is awesome. The Duggar's liquid laundry soap recipe rocks! I makes 5 gallons, Yes I said 5 gallons. But it is so great you own't mind once you try it. This would be my 5 gallon bucket of laundry soap.

Give it a Whirl Thursday will be a weekly column documenting triumphs and failures of frugal projects. I am always trying to find ways to trick myself into drinking more water. I am more of a pop girl, which is not at all healthy. One of the tricks I use is a big mug. My favorite mug is from a local hospital, the only issue is to fill it up with ice take half an ice cube tray. It is frustrating to have to be constantly making ice. There is something special about finding a little treat in your ice cube. You expect just a regular little ‘ole ice cube floating in your cup and you look down and low and behold you have a treasure! I thought it would be fitting to start this collection off with something you would normally find in water. Lemons. Lemons are cheap and have great health benefits. Fill your muffin tin up ¾ of the way. I found the fuller you fill the pan, the easier it is to pop out once frozen. Place your sliced lemon in the water and freeze. I froze mine for 4 hour...

One of the best frugal resources you can have is Hillbilly Housewife . If I am looking for a recipe or a way to create something, this is the first place I head. I started making homemade noodles many years ago and have used this recipe from the beginning. Head over and check out this wonderful recipe for homemade noodles . Have you made noodles or noodle shapes?

Give it a Whirl Thursday will be a weekly column documenting triumphs and failures of frugal projects. 2 egg yolks 12 oz veggie oil 1 tbsp lemon juice 1-2 tsp Dijon mustard salt and pepper Whisk together yolks and a pinch of salt. Add one drop of oil to yolk and whisk until incorporated. Continue adding one drop of oil at a time until each is incorporated. Be patient it takes a few minutes. After a quarter of oil is added, add lemon juice and beat. Add rest of oil. Add Dijon mustard and salt and pepper to taste. **This has been on my to do list for a long time, but in all honesty I didn't want to make it for fear of taste. I am happy to report there is not much of a difference. I was very pleasantly surprised. I will not be buying mayo again.** http://www.thethriftyhome.com" src="http://www.thethriftyhome.com/images/pennypinchparty.gif"/>

Give it a Whirl Thursday will be a weekly column documenting triumphs and failures of frugal projects. Do you have one of those hobbies that you put on a platform? You know what I mean, your browsing online, see a finished project an think, "WOW, I wish I was that talented!" Mine is knitting. My grandma always told me it was impossible to learn. Well, I don't do well with the "Impossible" word.. If you check out my 2011 Resolutions , knitting is there. Know I'm not going to say its easy. I learned from YouTube. Thank you YouTube! Something about actually seeing it be done, not just a 2 dimensional picture sure did help My first undertaking was a dish cloth. They seem safe. Next was a cup cozy. I am so darn proud of this cup cozy. It is just the cutest thing ever. I found the pattern on Ravelry . By the way, are you on Ravelry ? have to seriously limit myself on that site. I could waste hours even weeks of time! What have you given a whirl to lately?...

Give it a Whirl Thursday will be a weekly column documenting triumphs and failures of frugal projects. I have needed a bulletin board for my office area for months. I stopped at a thrift store and found this one for $1.50. I took upholstery tacks ($1.39/pack at Joann's. I used 1 pack.) and spread them out evenly along the sides, obviously I am in the middle of this task ha. I then took the tacks off, stretched burlap around it and took little nails and secured the burlap on the back of the bulletin board. Flipped it over and re-pushed in (is that a word?) my upholstery tacks. Hung it up and LOVE it!

Give it a Whirl Thursday will be a weekly column documenting triumphs and failures of frugal projects (yes, I realize this is blurry, I apologize.) Ingredients: 1 bar of soap (I used Zote) $1 1/2 c borax $.18 1/2 c washing soda $.21 2 gallons water Grate your soap. I used Zote and was very excited I found it at Family dollar!! Add 6 cups hot water into your pan, slowly add in your soap shavings. Once all the soap is melted add the borax and the washing soda. Stir until dissolved. Remove from heat and pour into large bucket. Add 4 cups hot water, stir until blended. add 1 gallon + 6 cups cold water to your bucket and mix well. Set aside and let sit for 24 hours. Its chunky and gel like. This is normal. Use 1/2 cup per load. Total for batch of soap $1.39 Which made 2 gallons of soap. 2 gallons=32 cups or 64 loads $.02 per load! Linking to

Give it a Whirl Thursday will be a weekly column documenting triumphs and failures of frugal projects I haven't made it a secret that our apartment is less than what I really want. But it serves our needs, and that is all that really matters isn't it? That being said, I dislike my kitchen very much. It is tiny. And I don't have the guts to post pictures of our house online. So you probably won't get to see it for some time. So I will do my best to explain. I guess it is considered a "galley" kitchen, with a little bump out. On one side there is enough counter space for a microwave and a dish drainer, we don't have a dish washer. The other side is the sink, a foot of counter space and the stove. That would sum up my counter space. So, I have been wanting one of those kitchen carts, not a huge one, for obvious reason, haha. I checked around town and the cheapest, size appropriate one was around $120, Ouch! So my little hard got very heavy and I settled into...

Give it a Whirl Thursday will be a weekly column documenting triumphs and failures of frugal projects. I dislike sourdough bread. I think it is horrible. Why am I attempting to make it you ask? Chevy Man. He can't get enough of the stuff. So in an attempt to keep him happy I will drudgingly attempt to make it . I bookmarked this recipe (and about 50 others, lol) over a year ago. Honestly I'm actually scared to try. I know that sounds stupid, but sourdough is a tricky beast. But in reviewing this recipe it comes with a Q & A to assist, plus it is super easy. I decided to try it. If I didn't do it today, I would probably wait another year! To make the starter mix together: 3/4 cup sugar 3 tbsp. instant potato flakes 1 cup warm water 1/4 tsp. active yeast (this is optional) That's it! Then just let it live in a warm place for 3 days. Every 3 - 5 days you need to feed your starter. This means that every 3 - 5 days you can make your bread. Or, you can feed it once or tw...