One of our readers posted this info under another post but we thought more of you would get to see this good info if we made it into a post of it’s own.

Tawra is the gardener and as I have said before I’m not quite as good but I do love, love my compost pile. I don’t make it fancy or complicated. I just find a spot in my yard and start piling things on it. I think I like it so much because it saves on trash for me plus there are things I hate to deal with like dead smelly fresh flowers. With a compost pile I just run the vase of them out to the compost pile and dump. So easy.

I love it too because if I need soil to pot any of my flowers in I just dig some out of my compost pile and never have to buy any soil. It is good for things too like I reseeded my yard and I placed a thin layer of compost down first, then seed and next another thin layer of compost to help it along.

Thanks Tracy from Ohio for this good ideas below.

Here are things you can add to your compost pile. Besides Egg shells and coffee grounds and lawn clippings. I thought this would help you all that do the compost thing.

Jill

Dryer lint.
If you must dry your clothes in an electric clothes dryer at
least compost the lint.

Hair and fur
Hair adds nitrogen and other beneficial nutrients to compost.

Fireplace ashes
Wood ashes contain potassium, a major plant nutrient that can
be beneficial depending on the soil type.

Cotton, wool, and silk clothing/fabric
Worn-out clothing made exclusively of natural fibers will
decompose faster if you shred them before composting.

Full vacuum cleaner bags
Paper vacuum cleaner bags and their contents — as well as
all species of non-synthetic debris — are welcome in the
compost pile.

Nail clippings
The byproducts of pedicures, manicures, and even pet nails
are all compostable, provided that they’re polish-free.

Rope and string
Rope and twine made out of natural fibers (e.g., cotton,
hemp, jute, and manila ropes) will decompose in the compost
pile.

Leather goods and clothing
Natural leather products will decompose (albeit slowly) in
the compost pile.

Cotton balls and Q-Tips
Just make sure that your cotton swabs like Q-Tips are 100%
cotton and have cardboard or wooden sticks (NOT plastic).

Seaweed/kelp
If you live on an ocean or other waterway and your shoreline
is being invaded by washed up seaweed or kelp, add it to the
compost pile.

Stale bread and other grain products
Leftover grain-based food products, including pasta, rice,
cereal, crackers, pizza crusts, etc., can be composted
(bury them in the pile to deter unwanted pests).

Bea, one of our readers sent this quote to me. It is a Swedish proverb which says “If you buy what you don’t need you steal from yourself”. Bea said it is true, you are stealing from yourself by wasting your money on more unneeded things (or junk).

I also think about how many people are stealing their freedom by doing this. Often they go into debt to buy  things and they are chained to that debt from the time they wake up to the time they go to bed.

Even if they don’t go into debt they can loose their freedom because then they are having to use their time to take care of, storing etc. these things.  Instead of being able to spend the day or their time on something fun, more worth while or with their kids they have to use their time taking care of things.

Too much stuff can be so overwhelming. When I first became sick with my CFS I had a closet full of clothes. Just trying to make the decision on what to wear for the day became overwhelming for me because I had so much to choose from. I ended up picking 3 outfits out and packed the rest away. For the period of time when I did this it was so freeing and I had one less worry for the day.

Now I have gone back to having more clothes but I really learned a lesson then. The more things I had the more and harder the decisions were. Just think about it how much time do you spend each morning with your kids trying to decide what kind of cereal they want from the 3-5 boxes they have to pick from, clothes for them to choose from or which toys to play with.

We talk about things being so stressful now but a lot of the time we make our own stress by setting ourselves and our children up for having to make too many decisions each day.

Look around you and take note of all the things you and your family have to decide on for just one day. Look for ways you can cut back on some of those things. Maybe buy just 1-2  boxes of cereal or better yet, if you can, fix oatmeal all this week and cream of wheat all next week. Best of all, you make a menu out and just serve it.

Do you really need more toys, clothes, electronic games for entertainment, purses, shoes? Buy one kind or at the most two kinds of shampoo, conditioner, cleaners etc, etc, etc. Just watch and each time you find yourself choosing think, “How can I make this simpler?”

Don’t steal any more money or time from yourself by buying more then you need.

Jill

We don’t have cable now and I have been missing my decorating shows. Even though some of those shows are way out there you can get some good ideas to make it a cheaper.

Well, I got the bright idea a few weeks ago to look at real estate in Colorado and see if we should try and move back.  As I was looking I found the perfect house!

I’m not sure why everyone laughed when they saw the price but I figured “hey why not shoot for best?”

Anyway, I got to thinking, if you need some decorating ideas look at houses like this. They will give you some good ideas that you can do at home. Remember paint is cheap!

Tawra

P.S What is this about moving, again? (this will be my 15th move in 17 years. No we aren’t n the military, just nuts!)

I am a type A personality. I am the only person I know who gets these thoughts in her head. Here was my conversation with myself.

“I wonder when we should go to Colorado this summer for 2 weeks.” (this is the only place we go on vacation because we can stay with family.)

“Wow, we really should go in August because I don’t want to deal with the heat and humidity here.”

“Hum, Mike’s folks were wanting to rent out their rental to long term renters maybe we could stay a month.”

“I really don’t want to even be here for the summer, maybe we could pack up the kids and stay the summer? We can take the business with us.”

“Maybe I will just go look at real estate prices, they say they are falling there.”

I went to look at prices on realtor.com.

(Call to Mike) “I think we should move to Colorado.”

Mike: “Let’s go, how fast can we get there?”

“OK, we will look at houses when we go back next time in a few weeks”

All that happened in about 10 minutes.

What drives my family crazy is that I do this all the time! I will just get an idea in my head and then start running with it!

(Tawra Thinking-”Hum, when should we take our Colorado vacation? Let’s just save some time and move there instead!” LOL)

That’s how this book and website got started!

Anyway, I have been painting everything that needs it and getting ready in case we decide to go ahead and put the house on the market and move.  All that because I was thinking for 10 minutes! LOL

What she failed to mention was that means I too need to plan on moving. Where the grandkids go I must follow. I always say since the first day my first child (Tawra) was born I have been exhausted and continue to be exhausted. It didn’t get any better when she grew up and moved away from home. I don’t want to discourage any of you new parents out there who think it gets easier as they grow up but it doesn’t they just multiply and you have more : ) not that I mind.

I haven’t even gotten everything unpacked from my last move. Now that’s rough or the bright side is I won’t have to pack as much.

Jill

We have all been there and done that. That sells person telling us their vacuum cleaner will radically change our life and make it easier and how in the world did you ever cook without that chopper, blender or juicer. Then there are the beauty products (who doesn’t want to look 20 years younger?) or the exercise machine that will help you to loose weight and have the body of a 20 year old. They forgot to mention it will only do that if you use it and not store it under your bed. Maybe that is why one of the first things they tell you is it is how easy it is to store because they know that is what most people will be doing with it. : )

Then there are the trips to the shops and malls. What fun. Is that outfit not to die for and it is on sell for 50% off. I really need to get it now because it will never be this price again except maybe next week when they are desperate to get rid of the other 100 identical dresses and put them on sell for 75% off.

We are so bombarded with these things every day and impulse spending (or any impulse decision) can get us in more trouble.

As with any 12 step program you need to admit you have a problem so here are a few signs to help you see you might have a problem.

1. When you are upset do you go shopping ?

2. Is your house full of items you thought you had to have but they are now sitting all over your house still in the box or hanging with their price tags on?

3. Do you spend more time during the week shopping (that includes TV,  Internet shopping and garage sales)  then you do cleaning your house or with your family?

4. Are your credit cards maxed out with things other then life and death needs?

If you said yes to even one of these questions or didn’t answer them at all but think maybe you do have a problem here are some things to help over come impulse buying.

But first let me say we all have bought impulsively and usually regret it. I still  to this day have to be very careful because every once in awhile I end up with something I didn’t need and will never probably use. As a matter of fact I am speaking from years of experience in this area hoping some of what I have learned will help you.

1. Use cash. I know in the day and age of credit cards this will seem weird and hard at first but it is one of the best ways I know to control spending. First of all you can see exactly how much you are spending where with a credit card you can’t. Second if you leave home with only the amount of cash you need for your shopping trip you can’t over spend and you carefully watch every item you buy.

This isn’t as hard as it seems. You only need to one time arrive at the cash register, be embarrassed by having bought too much and you will be sure never to do it again. : ) Plus I am not saying you need to do this for the rest of your life only for a month or so until you break the habit of impulse buying.

2. Don’t take any one with you. You know good and well your girlfriends, sisters, mom or kids will tell “Oh that is the perfect dress for you you need to get it.” Am I right or am I right????

3. When shopping for major items and things do your homework. Check out prices and different brands whether on line or in other stores.

4. If an item (other then something I buy on a regular basis like my medicine etc) is more then $20 go home and think about it overnight. We so often think it is only $10 or $20 which isn’t that much but they all add up to $100 and eventually $1,000.

5. I once read don’t buy anything no matter what a great deal it is if:

You can’t afford it.

You don’t need it.

You need something else worse. (like to make your house payment)

6. Be careful of sales because they are a big cause of impulse buying. Only buy something on sale if you have carefully studied the prices already and you need it. Our grocery store here have a lot of 10 for $10 sale which at times sounds like a great deal but I have watched and some of the items I can get for $.75 some place else so be careful.

7. When in doubt, don’t buy it.

8. Find other things to do besides shopping. When you are upset do some volunteer work. This helps to put your problems in perspective. Instead of meeting your friends at the mall for a day of shopping have them over for a cup of coffee or tea. Not only won’t you spend money but it will force you to keep your house clean : ) or you could ask them to go for a walk or bike ride. Not only do you save money but you can get in shape.

Bottom line is control your money, don’t let it control you and think, think, think. Don’t feel, feel, feel when it comes to money.

Jill

Add a pinch or two of cinnamon to your baked beans.

Add a 1/2 cup of sour cream to banana pudding. I have found adding sour cream to a lot of recipes gives it a creamier texture and cuts the sweetness.

Add cinnamon and/or vanilla to your pancake batter.

To make French toast crisper add Tbsp. of flour to the eggs mixture.

Eggs on Toast Dessert

This is a fun snack or treat to have for an after school snack or for a special brunch.

1 can peach halves

1 pound cake

1 carton whipped topping

Cut pound cake in 1/2 in. slices. Spread with a large circle of whipped topping. Place a peach half on top of topping. It should look like a fried egg. : )

Jill

I have been hitting the newsletter and the blog pretty heavy the past few days on the subject of getting organized, weight loss and getting out of debt but this morning I am taking a quick turn for the moment.

While I was looking up something to answer a readers question a came across some notes I had written years ago in a class I had taken. We get so many questions over and over about meals and meal planning and when I saw this statement I thought this is like Meal Planning 101. It is clear, simple and pretty much covers everything you need to know when fixing a meal.

I know I have now got your curiosity up ( I hope) so here it goes:

Meals should be planned, regular,on time, taste good, be nutritious, fit budget, smell good and be attractive.

It might help to write this statement out and keep it in your kitchen some where or with your coupons and meal planning things because as you plan your meals you can go quickly go over the list and see if your meal fits all or most of these.

If you remember the above statement that is all you  really need to know but I decided to add a little to it to help give your some ideas of what that statement means.

Planned - planning helps to save money at the store and gets rid of the last minute stress of “What am I fixing tonight for dinner!!!!!????”

Regular - we so often know we need nutritious meals but sometimes don’t realize having meals on a regular basis really helps our digestive system to function better. That means picking a time to have dinner close to the same time each day.

It also helps our families emotionally. We are built to like consistency in our lives especially children. There is something comforting in knowing no matter what frustrating things happened in their day when your family arrives home there is one constant in their life - dinner. If you don’t think this to be true try it for a week or two then stop doing it and see how your family reacts.

On time - this can be a little tricky for new cooks. It takes a little practice but you can learn to do it. Start fixing the food that will take the longest to cook first and then the next longest etc. Also do as much ahead of time as possible. This goes for everyone.

Brand new cooks may want to set the table way before you even begin the meal because it is one less thing to deal with but with practice you can usually set the table while you are waiting for something to cook on the stove. You will with practice also get to the point where you can toss a salad while you are waiting for the potatoes to cook but this all comes with time.

Taste Good - pick foods your family likes, learn to cook. I know this can be a challenge for some of you I mean some do have a harder time learning to cook then others just like some are better gardeners, sewers etc. but you really need to try the best you can to learn some basics.

Also you may have to work a little at finding foods which taste good. For example you may have to try different brands and types of things.

Fresh doesn’t always mean it tastes better either. For example most of the time I can’t tell any difference when I use frozen or fresh broccoli in my cooked foods but I can tell a difference in the brands of frozen broccoli I buy. To save money you may want to use frozen for something like this and use your savings to buy fresh foods where you really can tell a difference.

Be nutritious - I have touched on this a lot in other articles but basically this means you need to learn about nutrients and what your family needs.

Fit budget - you may want to have steak for dinner but your budget only allows chicken so chicken it is.

Smell Good - You truly use all of your senses when you eat. If your family can’t get it past their nose it won’t make it into their mouth.

Plus emotionally food smells have a strong impact on people especially when those are connected with home and family. How often do you hear an adult talk about memories of home and half of the time they will mention some smell they remember.

Be Attractive - Like I mentioned above, we use all of our senses. If it doesn’t look good or looks “grouse” they won’t eat it. Don’t forget to use lots of different colored food. Not only does this help with eye appeal but it also is an easy way to know you are giving your family a balanced meal for nutrients.

Don’t forget too to use different shapes and textures of food.

Meal planning is one of those jobs we tend to let go because we don’t consider them as important or as pressing as other things. Kinda like folding clothes and putting them away. We can get them washed and dried but not folded and put away.

But doing and following through with these things can really make our lives easier, can get rid of a lot of stress and always saves us money. Rethink some things in your life which you are letting slide you might be surprised a what a difference changing a few things will make.

Jill

I happen to think of a couple of things today that might help you not only for Thanksgiving but any on the other holidays too.

First if you haven’t already done it clean out your fridge today. It really should be done before you go buy everything for your dinner but if you didn’t, do it now. There is nothing more frustrating then to have a houseful of company and you are trying to stuff leftovers into an already full fridge so clean it now and if you can leave a certain shelf for the things you are going to store before and after Thanksgiving dinner.

Next I don’t think there is anything more dismal looking then a picked over turkey carcass. I am usually so tired from making the meal, being hostess and cleaning up that having to face the turkey carcass can almost put me over the edge.

What I finally learned to do is not to do anything with it on Thanksgiving day. Then the day after we pick on it all day long making sandwiches etc. I then pick the last of the big chunks off . I usually cook my turkey all wrapped in foil or in a disposable pan so I just wrap the foil around it or gently shape the pan around it. Stick it all in a couple of plastic bags, pop it in the freezer and forget it for a couple of weeks or until Jan. when I bring it out and toss the carcass in a large pot for soup. That is when it gets it’s final picking over.

Cooking Boo Boos:

If you didn’t cook your turkey with our recipe it may come out too dry. Don’t panic. Just slice it. Lay it on a platter and pour gravy over it then serve.

If your stuffing is too dry; once again add some turkey broth to it or gravy.

If a side dish burns and sticks to the bottom; just careful pour it out of the pot being sure not to scrape the bottom of the pan or any of the food stuck to it. You can maybe save quite a bit this way.

If your dinner rolls burn; carefully slice off the bottoms. If they all have the bottoms gone people will think that is just the way they are suppose to be.

The crust on your pumpkin pie doesn’t turn out; scrape out the filling and place it in a nice serving dish, cover with lots of whipped topping, sprinkled with a little cinnamon and call it Pumpkin custard.

If any of you have tips on how to fix Thanksgiving cooking boo boos for our beginning cooks and eve some of us old timers feel free to post. You may be the one to save someone’s Thanksgiving. : )

Jill

This is just a little reminder for everyone to take your turkeys out to start thawing Friday or Saturday if it is about a 20 lb turkey. I would start thawing all turkeys at the latest on Sunday. I like to have my turkey thawed at least a day or two ahead of time so I can get it all prepared, in the pan and ready to just pull out and stick in the oven. I have so many things to do the day before Thanksgiving that this is one less thing to worry about.

For all you new or inexperienced cooks be sure to take out the “guts” or giblets as most people call them and neck which are usually stuffed inside of the turkey.

If you are needing to dry bread for your stuffing lay it out this week end to get good and dry. Break it up, place it in the bowl you are going to be mixing it in and have that much done ahead of time.

This week end get your linens for the table washed and ironed and your silverware and dishes organized.

Do as much as you can ahead of time. Clean the veggies for the relish dish and salads or sides on Wed.

If you are making something like a sweet potato casserole get it all prepared and ready on Wed. so all you have to do on Thanksgiving is to pop it in the oven.

If you don’t want to be mashing potatoes two minutes before you sit down; mash them and place them in a crock pot on low to keep warm. You can keep them in there beautifully for 1 hour but no more because past that they get “yucky” fast.

Most of all for you new cooks or those of you doing your first Thanksgiving don’t panic. It is really no different or harder then any other regular meal, you just are maybe preparing more of everything.

If you are really nervous do a trial run this week end. Practice by roasting a chicken, making mashed potatoes, do one or two sides and a dessert. It’s just like a mini Thanksgiving.

If something goes wrong and most of us have had something happen once in awhile just laugh about it. It usually is the Thanksgiving everyone will remember and they will remember it with fond happy memories. It will give you something to tell your future daughter in law, granddaughter or daughter about.

I remember being so scared my first Thanksgiving cooking alone. My friend who was older and going to be one of my guests told me how on her first Thanksgiving everything was perfect, the table looked great everyone was laughing, joking and enjoying the food but half way through the meal she noticed something - she had forgotten the turkey. She had set it on top of the fridge to move it out of the way for a minute and had left it there. No one either didn’t notice or were too polite to say anything.

Things happen but you will do fine.

Jill

I have a problem. I have had this same problem for many years and can’t seem to get over it. I know many of you have the same problem. What is it? I love clipping recipes. I can’t stop myself. If I see a good recipe I have to write it down or tear it out because I am convinced I will try it some day. My problem is worse then most because I have the excuse my readers would love this so I will tear and write guilt free now.

Here are two of the latest I have added to my collection. I wanted to share them with you because if I don’t get to make them maybe some of you will. My timing is perfect because this week cream cheese is on sale and either of these would be nice for Thanksgiving or Christmas.

PS. If you use a lot of cream cheese you might want to stock up. It, like cheese, has a very long shelf life and will last you clear into next year.

This first recipe reminds me a little of those yummy pumpkin rolls but without as much work. I would add nuts to this recipe but you don’t have too.

Also you could add a little of cinnamon or nutmeg to some Cool Whip and top each cupcake with that when it is cool or just sprinkle with powdered sugar. Don’t forget too you can add cinnamon to your Cool Whip for your pumpkin or apple pies.

Creamy Pumpkin Cupcakes

1 pkg. spice cake mix

1pkg. (3.4oz) vanilla instant pudding

1 cup canned pumpkin

1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

Mix cake mix as directed on package. Add dry pudding and pumpkin. Mix well. Pour into 24 paper lined muffin cups. Beat cream cheese, sugar and egg together and drop a spoonful into the center of each cupcake. Swirl gently with spoon. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-21 mins.

Phily Apple Crumble

1 pkg. (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

2 2/3 cup vanilla wafers, crushed

4 cups baking apples, chopped and peeled

1/4 cup sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix cream cheese and vanilla wafers. Do Not over mix.

in a greased 1 1/2 qt. baking dish mix other ingredients. Sprinkle with cream cheese mix.

Bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown and apples are tender. Serve warm. Store leftovers in fridge.

Do you know how yummy these would be with a cup of coffee or tea on a snowy afternoon with a friend or what they would smell like when the kids come in from school?

Do any of you have a recipe like this?  One you would love to share with a friend or to have with a cup of tea on a winter afternoon? If so pop in and share it with us.

Jill (gaining weight just thinking about these) : )

One of the main ways I save on groceries is something every one has done since shopping was invented and that is making the most of things which are on sale. Now I know the first thing you all are thinking is “I know buying on sale saves me money so I don’t need to read this.” But stay with me for a moment.

What I want to do today is to help you get more ideas on how to get the most use of your sale items mainly in the area of groceries.

Last week they had half gallons of chocolate milk on sale for $1.00. That is a really good deal if you consider how much it would cost you to use regular milk and mix it with Nestle’s or Hershey’s syrup. Something like this would be good to stock up on especially since you can freeze it (shake it well when you thaw it). Now so far all I have said is pretty obvious but let me take you a little farther and help you think out of the box.

I don’t drink a lot of chocolate milk which might be the case for many of you so at first you think this really isn’t a good deal for you and your family but let’s look at it and see if you could still make it work for you.

1. If you like cocoa it would be great to use hot with marshmallows or served at a holiday get together.

2. Use for making chocolate pudding one night by replacing regular milk with the chocolate milk.

3. Turn your regular bread pudding recipe (or use the one in Dining on a Dime) and kick it up a notch by replacing the regular milk with the chocolate and adding some chocolate chips.

4. If you find it on sale in the summer make Pudding Pops (also found in Dining..). You just add 1 small pkg. of chocolate pudding to 3 cups of the milk and freeze for extra fudgy popsicles.

5. Replace the regular milk in any chocolate recipe you are making like chocolate cake, cookies, frosting with the chocolate milk.

6. If your love cereal like Cocoa Puffs use the chocolate milk when they eat those. The milk turns chocolaty anyway.

What it amounts to is you are replacing your more expensive regular milk when you can with the cheaper chocolate milk. Now don’t have a heart attack over serving your family chocolate milk. It really won’t hurt to do it for a week or so.

The main point I want to get you to see is to look at the regular things you see on sale all the time in a different light and think how can I use them in a different way or can they be preserved.

Jill

P.S. I just told my mom about my good buy and she said they like to pour a glass of chocolate milk and add a dollop of ice cream to it. She said it tastes just like a Wendy’s frosty. You might like to try it.