It's hot!

What do you do when it is hot outside? Crank up the air conditioning and eat popsicles? That sounds nice but expensive. Over the years I have found some great ways to keep the electric bills down while still managing to stay comfortable in the heat. Some of the things you may have already heard:

--Run heat-generating appliances (like the dishwasher or oven) early in the morning or late at night.

--Use the oven less (opt for things like salads or cold sandwiches or light up the grill outside).

--Turn down the a/c. I have taken this one to the extreme (we liked to keep ours set to about 87 or 90 degrees except when I was pregnant, then it was at about 85).

--Use fans, but only where you are because fans don't actually cool the air, they just circulate the air so it feels cooler.

Now, here are some that I have come up with on my own:

--Close the windows and shades. I know, this seems counterintuitive but it really works. On really hot days I liked to open the windows in the early morning (about 6-8 AM) then close them. The air in the house stays much cooler than it is outside. Yesterday it was about 95 degrees outside but when my husband got home he said it felt about 20 degrees cooler inside. One warning, you may start to feel like a mole in the dark, which leads to my next point,

--Get out. Go to places that you know will be air conditioned and spend time there instead of at home. Some places we like to go are the library, children's museum, and the mall. Some places have indoor play places that are air conditioned as well. You could also just go play in the water in the back yard or at the pool. Just think of all of the places that are air conditioned even if you weren't there (the grocery store never looked so inviting).

--Cold baths are nice.

--Popsicles are delicious, and you can make your own pretty easily. We also like to freeze berries and just eat them straight out of the freezer.

Now, you may be thinking that because I live in Portland I don't know what hot is but let me tell you, I lived in Nebraska for 25 years. It is hot and humid in Nebraska. You can't walk outside without feeling like everything is sticking to you. When we lived in Nebraska, we used the air conditioning about one week a year.

I know that everyone who reads this blog is very diligent about cleaning out the microwave. If you cook something like spaghetti and it splatters all over, you immediately clean it up, ignoring the toddler wrapped between your legs and screaming while your "helper" is constantly present trying to see what is next to be done in this one person job. But, for people who are not so on top of things, here is a great way to take your microwave from a scary nightmare with caked on who-knows-what to looking like new.

In a microwave-safe bowl add 1 cup warm water, 1 Tbsp vinegar, and 1-2 drops of liquid dish soap. Place in the microwave and heat on high for 4 minutes. Let sit for 15 minutes without opening the door. After 15 minutes, wipe out the microwave with a clean rag. If there are persistent stains, dip a corner of the cloth in the liquid and wipe off.

Here is the after shot (I will not scare anyone with the before but trust me when I say it was bad).

Ditch the Disposable

One very easy way to save money (and be more "green") is to stop using disposable things like napkins. You can easily make your own cloth napkins. They are great because they not only save you money but they also look great! Why do you think fancy restaurants use cloth instead of disposable? Check out the ones I made!

Homemade Greenhouse

How are your gardens growing? Mine feels slow. But, I got all of my seedlings potted up and taken outside to the balcony (at least during the day). Yesterday I sowed more seeds and stuck them in my little homemade greenhouse. It cost me...nothing! I am really excited about it (and have been since I came up with it over two weeks ago). The lid is high enough that the seedlings don't touch the top so I can keep them toasty and moist until they are ready to be potted up. All I did was find a large clear plastic container with a lid, flip it upside down, place all of my plants on the lid, and pop on the top. It was that easy and my seedlings have never been happier. I would still like to figure out how to rig up a grow light but alas, I have no money or supplies. Yet.

Benefits of Sewing

Learn to sew. You don't have to be so good that you do intricate quilt work or make all of your own clothes. If you just learn some sewing basics you can save yourself a whole lot of money (or at least a lot of little expenses here and there).

The strap adjuster on my son's backpack broke the other day. Using my seam ripper (the most important tool a seamstress can have) I was able to remove the old piece and sew on a new one. It took me about 45 minutes. I only needed to know how to stitch forwards and backwards. For all of you who are trying to think about how much money I saved, here is a conservative estimate:

This backpack new (but on super-duper clearance) = $3.50
The new plastic piece (it comes in a 2-pack) = $1.29 for 2

So, even if I could find another cheap backpack, it would still be cheaper to fix it myself.

Now, don't even let yourself think that I have some great expensive machine. I don't. In fact, I have the cheapest [adult] machine that Target has to offer. It works great! The machine I had before the one I have now was not so great so if you are looking to buy don't buy this one. It is also important to remember that sewing is more forgiving than you might think. If you look inside of some of the things I have made you would be amazed at how great it looks from the outside. Sew, go sew (if you don't know how, I am sure that you can find a friend who will give you a hand).

Stain Removal Success

I am not sure that this qualifies as either thrift or industry but it is a great tip. My son got raspberry sauce all over his khakis the other day. I let them sit without doing anything to them for about a day and a half (I just kept forgetting). When I went to wash them I didn't have time to pretreat them with anything (I didn't even scrub them with water). To his regular wash (liquid detergent) I added 1/4 cup of baking soda and about 1/4 scoop (probably less) OxiClean. I ran them through as normal then dried on low. They came out with no stain what so ever. It is one of those times when you wish you had before and after pictures.

Plant a Garden

Gardens are wonderful and can provide fresh produce for very little cost. The cheapest way to start a garden is by starting seeds. Now is the time to start seeds for this summer. Here are the materials you will need to start seeds (these are the basic materials, some people may opt for more or fancier things but they are not necessary):

*soil
*growing tray
*tray
*cover for growing tray
*seeds
*tags

Soil
Be sure to use potting soil, not garden soil. Garden soil is not appropriate because it tends to be too heavy and lack the aeration and drainage that seedlings need. Soils that would be appropriate are things that have peat moss, pearlite, and/or organic matter. It is not necessary that seeds have fertilizer, they just need water to start growing.

Growing Tray
There are many options when it comes to growing trays. You can find some that are specially made for growing seeds or you can create your own. I have tried many different methods for starting seeds. One option is to get a disposable cake pan - I found one at the Dollar Tree that came with a clear plastic lid (it was 13"x9"x2" deep) - just use a nail to poke holes in the sides and bottom to allow for drainage. That has worked quite well. I have also done egg cartons (shown using the lid to my cake pan as a tray to catch water). If you get cardboard egg cartons you don't have to poke holes (I just poked one in the bottoms for good measure). The foamy egg cartons will need holes poked in the sides and bottom so the water can escape. If you would like to use the divided plastic containers sold commercially, I found one at the Dollar Tree that holds six seeds (it also comes with a clear plastic lid and a tray to catch the water). It really boils down to this: you need some sort of container that will hold soil (about 1-2 inches deep) and allow the water to drain because seeds don't want to be saturated.

Tray
You will want a tray to catch the water that drains off so you don't ruin what ever you set this on. I like cookie sheets just fine but it really doesn't matter so long as it will hold the excess water.

Cover for the Growing Tray
The purpose of this is to keep the soil moist. Seeds will germinate best in moist conditions. They don't like to be wet or dry but moist. Without a cover you will need to check the seeds a few times throughout the day and mist them if they start to dry out. A cover can be a simple as a piece of plastic wrap wrapped over the top or a clear plastic lid. It is best if the lid is clear so the sun can get through to the new leaves as they come up. A cover will also help you to maintain a warmer and more consistent temperature for the seeds. Think: mini greenhouse.

Seeds
Find seeds for plants that you would like to grow. Seeds can be found pretty much anywhere this time of year - hardware stores, grocery stores, garden centers...even your local Dollar Tree may have some seeds. Unless you are trying to grow something that is Certified Organic (not many home gardeners are because it really doesn't matter but more on that later) you don't need to spend the extra money on organic seeds. We were able to find seeds on sale for 20 cents per packet at Ace Hardware. Think about what you want to eat and how much space you have then buy seeds that fit that. Don't plant tomatoes if you will never eat them.

Tags
Label your plants. I made little tags using toothpicks, a note card, sharpie, and glue stick. On the note card write the name or type of seed planted (try to make it small but readable), cut it out. Then cut out another piece of note card the same size. Glue them together with the toothpick sandwiched between them. Voila! A tag is born. Garden centers and hardware stores sell tags for labeling plants but they cost extra money and are no better that simple homemade ones. Just don't put paper directly into the soil because it will break down pretty quickly.

Now that you have all your things gathered, find a place where it will fit. You want a place with indirect sunlight (like a north or northeast exposure if it is near a window). Many seeds sprout faster if the have toasty soil (especially tomatoes). This is not required. Do not worry about buying anything for this purpose. If you want to keep them warm just place them on top of either the refrigerator or drier. I like the drier best because I don't have to get on a stool to check the plants and I do laundry all the time so I don't forget about them.

To plant seeds, add about 1-2 inches of soil to your growing tray. Lightly water dry soil. Sow seeds according to package directions (typically at a depth of about 2-3 times the size of the seed) then lightly cover with soil. Water well but do not saturate. Cover and wait. Check on the seeds every day or so to see if they need more water or if any have started to sprout.

Once the seeds emerge they will start growing toward the light so rotate them every day or so to keep them growing straight up. When they start to touch the cover, remove the cover. At this point I move them to a sunnier location. If you have a grow light, you can use that as soon as you see plants coming up. Do not leave the grow light on 24 hours a day - use the sunlight as a guide for when your plants need light. Let plants grow until they have a few leaves and they are getting too big for their first home in the growing tray. This will be at least 6 weeks so don't feel the need to rush. Make sure they have adequate moisture - not too much (this is how most houseplants die), not too little. Remember to water gently so you don't wash away all of your seeds and little plants.