How to clean burnt pots and pans

I love my stainless steel pots and pans that I purchased way back in the day when I was in high school.  One thing I am kind of anal about is keeping them clean and shiny.

Well, since I married The Captain, the poor pots and pans stay scorched and burned inside and out.  He's a great cook, but thinks that everything has to be cooked on high heat.

No matter how much I scrub them . . . and I have used many different methods . . . they don't come out as clean and shiny as I would like.

Hopefully this is the solution to the problem . . . click here for Jessica's solution!

Save money freezing your peppers and saving the seeds

The Captain and I often run into great deals on peppers bought in bulk at the military commisary, but it is way too much to use up before they go bad, so we freeze them.  

You can do the same thing with onion!  I like to cut them up in the way I use most or do combinations and make separate bags.

Click here to go to an excellent post on how to do it!

Nail Fungus Home Remedies

Nail fungus can be difficult and expensive to get rid of . . . here are some relatively inexpensive DIY solutions to taking care of this problem:

Vinegar & water: Soak 15 minutes each day in a 1:2 vinegar and water solution.

Tea tree oil: Apply a few drops to affected area at least twice daily, rub into surrounding skin then cover with a bandage.

Eucalyptus Essential Oil: same as above.

Grapefruit seed extract: Apply twice daily.

Vicks VapoRub: Rub this in covering the area entirely each morning and night.

Listerine Mouthwash: Soak twice a day in full strength Listerine mouthwash for at least 10 minutes a sitting.

Coconut oil: Use each morning and night (before bedtime).

Hydrogen Peroxide: Saturate the area with a drop or two daily.

Tea tree & lavender Essential Oil : Apply this 50/50 mixture morning and night.

Apple cider vinegar: Saturate with apple cider vinegar twice a day.

Best Buys for June

Learning the tricks of seasonal shopping by knowing what items go on sale during which month is a great way to plan for purchases and save lots of money.

June is known as "the wedding month" and also means that those items typically purchased as wedding presents, such as dishes, go on sale in June.

It stands to reason that you can get a great deal on a gym membership in June since everyone has long forgotten their New Year's Resolutions to get in shape.

Since Father's Day happens in June, so do the sales for tools and hardware!

Who wants to paint in June?  Apparently, not many people do and while sales of paint are low, the stores will mark paint and related products down to make some sales.  Stock up on those painting supplies!


Seasonal produce for June . . . 

Fruits
Apricots
Blueberries
Cantaloupe
Cherries
Kiwi
Peaches
Nectarines
Strawberries
Watermelon

Vegetables
Beets
Corn
Green Beans
Peas
Yellow Squash

Happy shopping!

DIY Home Maintenance and Repairs

These days we are all feeling the pinch of the poor economic times and are finding ways to stretch our precious dollars.  When it comes to home maintenance and repairs, it is one of the most expensive, often non-budgeted item and most of the time we are at the mercy of those repair people who are not so honest (especially when they are dealing with women).

As money becomes tighter, it becomes more important than ever to learn how to be self-sufficient and do as many of those DIY home maintenance and repair projects that we can!

How do you know where to learn how to tackle these projects yourself?

Home improvement centers as Home Depot, for example, have excellent workshops to empower you to get those little things done around the house.  The internet is a search away from finding "how to" instructions for many of those projects.

Pretty Handy Girl is one of those websites who claims to "empower you to complete your own DIY projects."  Why not?  It just takes a little education and knowing what tools you need to get the job done. Join Brittany Bailey and see what she has to offer before you pay that pricey repairman to do a simple repair that you can tackle yourself at a fraction of the price!  

Click here for her section on Home Repairs and empower yourself!

Cleaning an Electric Grill

I've had several electric grills and truly love using them, they are so convenient and make the best sandwiches.

However, I didn't have the good sense to buy one with removable grills and don't even know if they were available in the market when I bought my first one so long ago.

I HATE cleaning these guys, so I don't use them as often as I should.

Karen at Sew Many Ways has come up with a quick and painless way to clean them!  I must try her technique very soon :)

Click here for her tutorial.

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Oatmeal . . . so many uses for this frugal item

Oatmeal is one of my favorite breakfast options, along with.being a healthy and very inexpensive item.  But did you know there are so many other uses for oatmeal?

The following list is from Tip Hero, where you can get tips and helpful information . . . it is a money saving guide!  It is a website all frugalistas should have bookmarked . . .


Other uses for oatmeal:

Make Face Masks: in desperate need of a facial? Mix 1/2 a cup of oatmeal with 1/2 cup hot water and 1/4 cup honey in a food processor. Apply to your face and let sit for 10 minutes before rinsing with cool water.


Make a Healthier Flour: when you need flour to make cookies (or any other recipe) process some oatmeal into a fine powder. Then use it in place of flour to make healthier treats.


Breadcrumb Substitute: put your oats through a processor and use them to bind meatballs, meatloaf and veggie burgers.


Make Clay for Kids: mix a cup of instant/rolled oats, 2/3 cup all-purpose flour and 1/2 cup water. You'll have a play-doh-like clay that will stay moist as your kids create a masterpiece. Then once they're done, their sculpture will harden overnight.


Neutralize Odors: oatmeal can work in the same way as baking soda in the fridge. Just throw a bowl of uncooked oatmeal in the fridge to keep odors under control.


Soothe Itchy Skin: grind up some oats into a fine powder and put into a cheesecloth or pantyhose. Then just tie it in a knot around the bathtub faucet and draw a bath. Soak in that bath to treat poison ivy, rashes and chicken pox.

An organized freezer

What does an organized freezer have to do with being frugal?

I've written about buying food in bulk, especially those items we use often. Imagine having a place for all those frozen items where you can actually find them when you need them!

Samantha from the blog Simply Organized has some great ideas for getting your freezer under control.  Look at the photo . . . isn't that an outstanding looking freezer?

Click here to go to her blog post for some great ideas and lots of photos.

7 Plants You Can Start From Kitchen Scraps

Written by:  Mick Telkamp from HGTV Gardens

Instead of throwing kitchen scraps into the compost bin, re-grow them!

Many of us have had the experience of reaching into a bag of onions to find new growth as fresh green shoots have sprouted within. Plants love to grow and it’s easy to simply cut away the new sprouts and get on with dinner, but for the intrepid gardener, the new growth possible from vegetable scraps or an unexpected surplus of produce is an opportunity to get a jump on propagating new crops. Before relegating kitchen scraps to the compost pile, consider these anxious growers and repopulate a bountiful garden using parts of the vegetable usually left behind.

Celery
Cut celery stalks from the base as usual, but instead of tossing that base away, place it in a shallow cup of water on a sunny windowsill, leaving the top exposed. In a matter of days, you’ll notice fresh green growth emerging from the center. Change the water every couple of days and watch the plant flourish, even as outer stalks lose their color and fade. Once the new growth has established, transfer the growing celery into the garden or a pot of soil to continue its development.

Green Onions
Use the white root normally discarded to effortlessly provide a steady and renewable source of green onions. Simply place the roots in a glass, leaving the cut end above water. Left on the kitchen windowsill, the green shoots will continue to grow. Change the water occasionally and an endless supply of this cooking staple is always at hand. This same method may be used to keep fresh leeks or fennel always within reach.

Cabbage
Like celery, cabbage (as well as bok choy and romaine lettuce) can be regrown from the root base. Although cabbage can also be started in water, starting out in shallow soil is sometimes more effective. Make sure to keep the soil especially damp for the first week or two to encourage new growth.

Potatoes
A favorite grade-school project, the eyes of potatoes readily sprout new growth (sometimes even in the pantry). Cut potatoes into pieces and nurture the sprouts in water. Once new sprouts are established, plant in damp soil to grow your own potatoes.

Avocados
That golf ball-sized pit is a giant seed ready to grow into your very own avocado tree. Press three toothpicks into the pit along its center and suspend it in a glass with water covering the bottom half. Change the water regularly and after a few weeks stems will form. Growing this tree is a little more challenging than some other kitchen scrap projects, but is worth the effort. Check out this article for more details on growing your own avocado tree.

Garlic
Plant a clove of garlic in a pot of damp soil and place it in a sunny location. As the garlic scapes (stalks) grow, cut them back to divert the plants resources to developing that glorious root. Garlic scapes are a treat in their own right and the peppery stalks can be roasted or used in pesto.

Ginger
Ginger rhizomes (the “root” used for cooking) are easy growers inside the house, but take a little longer. Plant a piece of the rhizome in damp soil and place in a sunny room, but out of direct sunlight. Shoots will become evident fairly soon, but it will take several months before there has been enough growth to harvest. Once the ginger has developed sufficient growth, pull the plant from the soil for use. Don’t forget to cut off a piece to re-plant!