Money Saving Projects--Croutons, Candles, and Sausages!

Hi everyone! Well, we survived the Blizzard of '11 just fine!! We got almost 2 feet of snow and high winds, but we're okay! Today, I'm keeping busy with a few easy, money-saving activities. I LOVE candles, and burn them as often as I can. Very often, though, those jars candles leave big hunks of wax unburned. What to do with that wax? MAKE NEW CANDLES!!! Either scrape the old wax out of your old candles holders, or like I did, melt the wax in the jars in a pot of water.

You need some wick and wick holders (I bought some, but I also started saving used ones from old candles if they're good enough to be reused.) Put a dab of melted wax on the bottom of the wick holders to attach them to your new jars. Cut the wick a little longer than needed and insert in wick holder. You can squeeze the wick holder around it or just dip the end in wax as well. When your wax is melted, pour into your containers.

When the wax cools, it will usually shrink and make a dip in the center of the candle. Save a bit of wax to fill the dip in. If you want you can layer different colors and scents of candles like you see in stores. (The below pic is 2 layers of wax. Notice how the wicks are taped to a knife to hold them in place while the wax dries.) Waa-laa!! You have new candles for free from an item you would normally throw out!

We like to purchase breakfast sausage from a grocery in MS that makes their own. It's hubby's favorite! We get a few pounds of meat and I make and freeze the patties at home. We ran out a few weeks back, so I bought a package of premade, precooked sausage patties. I used to buy this particular brand before I started the 'homemade' sausages. Well, imagine my surprise to find that the patties are now the size of quarters! Seriously! This past week when I went to the store I looked at another brand of patties that are larger, but the price was $2.39 for a 12 oz. box of uncooked patties. Whoa!

I looked closer and found that 16oz. packages of bulk sausage were only $1.29. I could work with that! I let them thaw, sliced them and froze them on cookies sheets. Once they're frozen I'll throw them in a zip lock baggie. So, I got 32oz. of sausage patties for $2.58 compared to 12oz. for $2.39. all it took was a little bit of work on my part!

The next thing on my list today is making homemade croutons. Do you find yourself with a few slices of bread at the end of the week that are starting to get hard? Those pieces are perfect for croutons! Trim the crusts (you can dry these for bread crumbs if you'd like). Mix garlic, paprika, basil and oregano (my favorites--you can use your favorite herbs) with a few tablespoons of melted butter. Brush on both sides of bread. Bake at 250 degrees for about 1 hour, turning once, until bread is crisp. Allow to cool slightly and cut into small cubes. These are so yummy and, if you use whole wheat bread, much healthier than store bought. All from a product that might otherwise get wasted (or thrown to the birds or chickens).

I hope I've inspired you today to find some money-saving projects, and took look at things more closely before you thrown them out!

Prep On!

Gen-IL Homesteader

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Saving Money and Ron Paul Looks at the Greece Crisis

( Daffodils were beautiful this year!)

Hi everyone! Today I have a few thoughts on things that we can all do to spend less and save more money. The less you spend on certain items, you'll free up more money that can be spent on preps or debt repayment.

1. At the grocery store, shop the cheapest brand, use coupons, look for the mark-down or clearance aisle. Doing these things will save a significant amount of money. Don't be ashamed to buy off-brands. You know all that food, name brand and generic, is canned in the same place, right?

2. If you have a CVS or Walgreens near you, check out their ExtraCare Buck and Register Reward programs. Both programs are immediate 'rebates' that print with your receipt to be used at another time like money. I've had money rolling in both programs for a few years. With the great sales they have (regular prices can be high), coupons, and their 'rebate' programs, I've gotten LOTS of free toiletries and other things that I don't make on the homestead. Both of these programs can save you lots of money.

3. Look at your phone and cell phone bills and see if one or the other can be lowered or even eliminated. What do you really NEED and what are you keeping because you WANT?

4. Cook from scratch. This has to be one of the biggest money savers that I know of! Not only will you save money, but your food will taste much better!

5. Shop thrift stores and garage sales.

6. STAY OUT OF THE STORES! TURN OFF QVC! THROW CATALOGS AWAY AS SOON AS THEY COME! If you don't see it, you won't want it! Before every purchase, ask yourself if buying this 'thing' will help you pursue your goals. (see post) Every dollar you spend on some new piece of clothing or gadget is money you don't have to prep with or pay down debt.

7. Have a garage sale.

8. This one might sound weird, but cancel your garbage pickup. We did this after discovering that we only had about 1 Aldi kitchen size garbage bag of garbage a month! We still pay $5/month for recycling pickup. With food scraps going to the chickens or compost, recyclables going to recycling, and burnables going to the burn barrel, there's not alot of garbage left! If you can or freeze, you'll have even less trash. (I was amazed last year to read in a popular national women's magazine a suggestion that neighbors cancel their trash service and once in a while split the cost of taking garbage to the dump.) We have an agreement with a friend to take our garbage once in a while when we need to dump it.

9. Stay home more often. Rent movies, play games, read. Remove the temptation to spend that comes when you're out in public! Make eating out a once-in-a-while treat instead of a part of your normal routine.

10. Eat your leftovers! You've already paid for that food, so don't throw it away! Small amounts of leftover meat can be saved in containers in the freezer (chicken, beef, pork) until there is enough of it to make a meal with.

11. Change your attitude. Living frugally is not hard. It is not depriving yourself. It is living simply and purposefully. Find enjoyment in, and take pride in saving money, not spending it! Save. Prep. Enjoy the freedom that frugality brings.

12. Use cloth napkins instead of paper. Use rags and cloth towels instead of paper towels.

On a closing note, here is a clip of Ron Paul discussing the crisis in Greece and how it is affecting the rest of the world and especially the United States. This is a great message for preppers. Hard times are not over; they are on their way. Saving money and being prepared are your best modes of survival.

Prep On!
Gen-IL Homesteader

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