Make over: cloth bag to clothespin bag

Thanks to a conversation about reusable bags over on Practical Parsimony, I got the idea to use a freebie reusable bag I had on hand to revamp my 28+ year old clothespin bag. I'd made the original bag out of some scrap of fabric hand sewn to a clothes hanger, and after all these years, the thing was literally falling apart.

After snipping the handles off a reusable cloth bag, I just scissor-cut some slits in the top of the bag. After untwisting the wire coat hanger, I threaded the (original) hanger through the slits and then re-twisted the hanger shut.

Sewed the bottom of the bag a little shorter, so I wouldn't have to reach to the elbow for the clothespins. And wahlah, my new clothespin bag!

Broccoli glut!

Help, I am being overrun by broccoli in the garden. With only the two of us to eat it, we can't keep up. And sadly, we have already worn out the willingness of family to take the excess. Last night, I cut some fresh broccoli into a stir fry, but there are legions of these florets left for me to use up. Time to get creative! With the accumulated stems, I think I will today make this broccoli soup from Martha Stewart's site; looks easy enough. Now to figure out how to use up the rest of the surplus...

Stocking up saves $$

One of the best ways to save money is to stock up when prices hit rock bottom. My favorite chapsticks run right at 3 bucks, so when I stumbled upon this closeout sale at the grocery store, you can bet I bought all they had. Sealed, there is little to no chance these will go bad before I get around to using them all up. As for groceries, recently highlighted concerns over the plastic from can liners leaching into the foods has turned me from stocking up on cans to searching for products in glass. Also bought at closeout prices, the expiration date on these bottles of lime juice is soon, but I will have no problem using them up before or soon thereafter in margaritas and lime pies.
Make-ahead Margaritas
8 oz. unsweetened lime juice
8 oz. powdered sugar
8 oz. tequila
8 oz. triple sec
4 cups crushed ice
Blend in blender until ice is completely crushed. Store in freezer; take out to thaw 15 minutes on counter before time to serve. Stir mixture completely and pour the slush into glasses rimmed in salt, if desired. This mixture, once frozen, becomes the perfect slushy margarita when thawed. Add more crushed ice if a less strong margarita is desired.

Make over: Entertainment center to bar

I consider our entertainment center, bought years ago when we upgraded to a 35" TV, one of my most well-thought purchases. Even as we were upgrading our TV set to what we thought was whopping big, I could tell from all my reading that bigger screens were on the horizon. For that reason, we spent a little extra to buy an entertainment center with doors, one that actually looks like an armoire when those doors are closed. Of course, now like so many others, we have an even bigger television, but the entertainment center didn't stay empty for long. I loaded up the TV shelf with assorted liquors, and Hubby installed wire racks from which to hang our inexpensive bar glasses. Up on the shelf that formerly housed a VCR sits a variety of other glasses. A wooden picture now graces the wall behind the hole that allowed the TV breathing room in the former entertainment center. Yup, pretty proud of the way this makeover worked out!

Make over: utility closet to pantry

Converting wasted space to usable storage space is no small feat, but the payoff is often tremendous. Here, what started as the closet for the furnace, water heater and a few brooms has become my pantry. Caveat: despite the energy-saving blanket on the water heater, the thing still warms the space, so I do have to be conscious of this raised temperature in an enclosed space and not store chocolate there, for instance. Some might not like having to move the rolling cart to reach items toward the back of the wall selves, so don't store things out of reach that you often use. Advantage of the rolling cart/shelving unit is that if we sell, the cart goes with us. Anyway, this is another of my favorite makeovers. Now, where else might there be unused space...

Make over: tabletop to vanity top

This is one of my all-time favorite makeovers. Hubby and I found the top from an old table out in the yard of an antique/junk store. Paid all of $5 bucks for it, though we did pay a small additional amount to have the rough, weathered surface planed off just enough for it to be level. Then Hubby carved out an opening in the center of it, installed an under-mount sink, and the former wood tabletop now beautifully gives some class to our t-tiny mudroom bathroom. Btw, this half bath is only as wide as the vanity! A pocket door made it possible for us to squeeze this in next to our washer/dryer.

Make over: 2nd uses for product packaging

Loving a site I recently stumbled across: An Exercise in Frugality, and especially felt affirmed by her post on plastic free lunches in which she touches on reusing product packaging, like cereal box liners.
   This is one of those things I do but pretty much thought I was the only one these days to do so. I cut open cereal box liners, brush with oil and use to cover my bread dough as it rises in a bowl. Previously, I'd used cling wrap, but Fake Plastic Fish had me rethinking all plastic purchases. Since then, I especially try to avoid one-time-use plastics like cling wrap... This is the low-hanging fruit of reducing plastic consumption. AND I spend less money on cling wrap and other throwaway products leaving me more $$ to spend on what I really value.
   My freezer is now a mess because I am too lazy to wash all these package liners. Just store them in the freezer after shaking them out or brushing out crumbs, whatever. On the day I use them, I figure they are just as fresh as the day I shook out the cereal, and I don't hesitate to put them to certain reuses, particularly separating foods that are to be refrigerated or frozen.
Examples of packaging that can be reused: 

• Chocolate baking squares papers=great food dividers, like keeping leftover pancakes or waffles from sticking together when freezing
• Butter wrappers=food dividers but first the butter left on them can be used to grease a pan
• Cereal boxes=cut open and use as a table protector for messy art projects, e.g., when gluing or painting. My Mamaw, deeply affected by the Great Depression, saved just about everything. When I was a kid, she handed out cut up cereal boxes for us grandkids to draw on the cardboard insides. 
• Cereal box liners=once opened, perfect for covering the bread dough as it rises in the bowl. Unopened, perfect for wrapping and then twist-tying off to seal non-compostable kitchen waste, to keep it from stinking up the house until the waste can gets filled.

 That's all I can think of for now, but I'm sure there are more re-uses out there if we put our minds to it.

"Green Behavior Develops through Peer Pressure" but let's be nice, people!

   Oh, peer pressure...sometimes it becomes a runaway train! I am stunned at the outcome of the debate over at Non-consumer Advocate, one of my favorite frugal sites. I jumped into the long queue of comments by replying to one of the early comments, but how I wish I had read them all before posting anything. I returned to read the comments a few at a time (stepping away to dust mop one room after another, which is my way of feeling like I am not totally whiling away a morning reading and not doing anything productive). I was so surprised at the turn of the comments which culminated in an excellent blogger wanting to call it quits.
   We must remember in our efforts to live more sustainable lives that just walking the walk without judging others is enough. It has taken me too long to educate myself about the ethics/economics of buying organic foods, shopping at certain stores, and I certainly have SO MUCH MORE to learn that I have no right to judge others. While this article on Planet Green has a good, green point Why Leading By Example Matters: It's in the Science - Green Behavior Develops through Peer Pressure, we must be careful that peer pressure doesn't come across as personal or character assaults.
   Where I live there are so few people who seem concerned with green issues that I find myself on the defensive often. I will have to make an even greater effort to be sure that defending myself doesn't end up sounding snarky towards others. Katy of Non-Consumer is way ahead of the curve, FAR ahead of me, and I thank her for sharing her knowledge and hope she soon returns to blogging.

Make do: Groceries instead of toys

Bought this little metal shopping cart at a garage sale many moons ago...bought it as a safe landing for my teenage daughter's curling iron. These days it is my newly acquired step-granddaughters' favorite toy. They set up the "grocery" on a kitchen chair, load up the cart, and then go through the "checkout line" with me, their friendly cashier. Only real groceries from the pantry will suit now, though taped empty boxes satisfied the kids in the beginning. Bags of lentils do NOT make good groceries to play with...we learned this the hard way. Best part is the checking out, because they use real money (mine) to "pay" for their groceries. Great way for the kiddos to learn to distinguish the coins and bills and potentially learn how to count money. And the real bills and coins are more fun than play money. Real money instead of play money--real groceries instead of play groceries. By making do because we had no real toys on hand, we stumbled on the favorite toy box of all: the real world.

Plastic Bag Pollution

yikes, we've got to get serious about using LESS plastic!!

Make over: leftover hotdogs

When the weather turns off cold, why fire up the outside grill when the fire in the wood-burner can cook your hotdogs on the hotdog roasting fork you use for camping? And for those days without a fire, a Crockpot will turn the trick. Just put the hotdogs into the crock, cover and cook them on High for 45 minutes to an hour. They cook in their own juices and taste better than those cooked by boiling on the stove.  
Leftover hotdog makeover: Italian-seasoned sauté
Ingredients:
Leftover hotdogs, sliced on the diagonal into 1/4 to 1/3 inch pieces
Green pepper, halved and sliced to desired thickness
Onion, halved and sliced to desired thickness
Seasonings:
Dried oregano (1/2 to 1 teaspoon depending on how many hotdogs)
Dried basil (1/2 teaspoon or less, optional)
Ground pepper to taste
(No salt needed: hotdogs are pretty salty to begin with.)
Olive oil, 1 tablespoon or less
Directions: Combine the dogs/green pepper/onion; sprinkle with seasonings and sauté in the oil in a non-stick skillet or seasoned cast iron pan just until heated through and fragrant. Serve hot.
   Recently discovered that Hebrew National brand has no fillers. A hotdog is about the only beef I eat, but I'm still searching for a decent vegetarian alternative.

I HEART: my local library

Rather than purchasing songs or buying CDs, I get a lot of my favorite tunes from the library. So easy to play on my computer or iPod. Wish I could remember the minimalist who suggested downloading all your CDs onto your computer and then donating those CDs to your local library. I have done this with the majority of my CDs...a win/win for both me and my community. Makes me feel GOOD to know others will enjoy my CDs. And slowly paring down my belongings will simplify my life as well as increase my storage space. Though donated and now in my library's collection, every time I need a kick in the pants I can still listen on iTunes or my iPod to my audiobook CD of Larry Winget's You're Broke Because You Want to Be: How to stop getting by and start getting ahead. (Though I disagree with his stance on couponing and other small ways to save, I totally agree with him that desire combined with effort pays off in shaping our finances.) The iTunes was a free download and my iPod was gifted to me by my brother. Not wanting to pay the $100+ bucks for a new one, I'd asked if he knew anyone who might have a used iPod to sell, and he said he had one lying around that he didn't use. Free for the cost of a new pair of earphones!

Barefoot Contessa's panko-crusted salmon

Some friends & I have decided to cook together (in our own kitchens, in our different cities) from Barefoot Contessa's new book, How Easy Is That? This was our first recipe & it really WAS super easy...who'd have thought?! ;)

the crumbs, etc., before stirring with olive oil

The salmon fillets, each coated with 1/2 tablespoon of dijon mustard & topped with the crumb mixture.      
   Pictured here just out of the oven, ready to be tented with foil & set to rest an additional 10 min. to cook itself the rest of the way through.
   Tasted delish with a last minute squeeze of lemon. Thanks, Barefoot Contessa--Ina Garten! If the rest of the book's recipe's are this good & easy, I highly recommend Barefoot Contessa How Easy Is That?
   Can I make this more cheaply? I think I can. Next time I'm going to substitute canned wild salmon and make salmon patties. We'll see how that works! 

Make over: Book love

I have a "flipping through cookbooks" addiction, which leads to many a worn out book spine with clumps of pages releasing from the spine. My sister-in-law who works in a library recommended acid-free book glue. Now I squeeze or brush glue down any broken spines or onto the spine-edge of loose page sections, secure the book with rubber bands & place the book spine down to dry. In the interest of minimalism, I recently pared down my bulging cookbook collection, copying beloved recipes before donating my seldom used books to our local library. This King Arthur Flour Whole Grain Baking book definitely made the cut! Btw, check out the King Arthur Flour blog!

Save electricity: Unplug & duck walk

Took this pic to highlight a couple of means to save electricity in the bathroom. First off, unplug the phantom loads. In this case, the blow dryer gets unplugged every morn after use. Also in this pic of what's under my vanity, hanging on the left is a little brush & dustpan combo. Though tempted to put a hand-held vacuum in the bathroom just to clean up the hair that accumulates so quickly, I opted for the low-tech instead. Besides, this dustbin-duo will outlast its electric alternative. AND I get a little exercise each time I squat down & duck-walk across the floor, sweeping as I go. Still considering where to hide a little compost bin for tissue paper that doesn't need to go in the toilet. Thanks to Eco Mama for reminding me that every room likely generates potentially compostable waste.

Make do: Vacuum cleaner

When the most-used attachment on our vacuum lost a wheel, that side then scratched the floors. Solution: a little cloth bandage. Placed on there months ago, it's still going strong! Incidentally, though I hate wasting foodstuffs, especially spices since they're so expensive, I have somehow managed to spill ground cloves on the floor (twice!), and cloves in the vacuum filter heat up as you vacuum and fill the air with a sweet aroma. That is the only time that vacuuming makes me feel like cooking!

Make over: Wine box to sock tray

It came with four bottles of wine in it, but now it houses my socks. Gotta love that!

Reduce waste: Hand soap

So hard these days to find bulk liquid hand soaps that are not anti-bacterial and the one brand they have at our local big-box store smells noxious (to me, as I don't like scented soap). This has led me to start using bar soaps for everyday and only pull out the liquid soaps for when company comes, as most people seem to prefer liquid these days. Since the bar soaps come in little paper boxes as opposed to a whopping big plastic bottle, seems like this makes sense ecologically too.

Reducing waste: Adios cling wrap!

Inspired by the sites Fake Plastic Fish and Zero Waste Home, I now consciously try to use less single-use plastics, in this case cling wrap. When melting butter, etc., topping a bowl with a plate works just as well as cling wrap at keeping the microwave clean. Best part is no plastic in landfill here AND the plate is already paid for, so I'm not wasting money on some plastic that I'd use once then toss. Such a "low-hanging-fruit" style of waste reduction, why did it take me so long to do this? Oh, I know there are times when cling wrap is a must, but when I read that David Lebovitz washes and reuses his plastic cling wrap, I tried it. Guess what? Works like a charm!

All Of Me

Cute little video on Do the Green Thing's site, a reminder to use it all up...to the last drop, whatever "it" might be! Can't think on whose site someone commented about how she wasn't going to stress out over using the last of a bar of soap or whatever. To me, using every last drop or bit means MORE of my money going to me & mine & LESS of my money going to manufacturers. Besides, if you find it stressful to clean out a jar with a spatula or place a sliver of soap on a new bar 'til they meld, maybe you need to start meditating or do some other stress-reducing activity. Just sayin'. Anyway, check out this cute little video on http://www.dothegreenthing.com/content/all_of_me: All of Me.