Ace your gardening

Gardening tips are my favorite. The first tip is a terrific way to haul your garden tools and a great second use for a household item. Just think, you don’t have to go running back to the garage or shed for a forgotten tool. With garage-sale season under way, you can keep your eyes open for a cheap used caddy.

MULTIPURPOSE CADDY: I have an old golf caddy, the kind with two wheels that hold your golf clubs. I put my garden gloves and clippers, etc., in the side pockets and my rake, shovels, etc., in the cart, and I’m ready to garden. — Suzy, Michigan

LOW-COST BREAKFAST: If your family is addicted to cream of wheat but you hate the cost, look for off-brand farina instead. It used to be that I could find farina in the baby-food section. — Judi, New Hampshire
Additional note: You can also make it yourself from whole-wheat berries for pennies. I make it to ensure I get a freshly milled whole-grain product, which is the only way to get 100 percent of the nutrients from whole grains. Only mill what you can use within a short period of time, and keep unused farina in the freezer. Wheat-germ oil goes rancid very quickly if not kept in the freezer.

Toast wheat berries in a heavy skillet. Or not, but toasting adds a nice flavor. Grind to a very coarse farina-like texture. I use my flaker mill for a coarse grind or my Corona corn mill. I sift the coarse flour to separate the fine flour from the coarse farina. Don’t use the fine flour for cereal.
Cook: 1:3 ratio (one part homemade cream of wheat to three parts water). Some people use a 1:2 ratio and others a 1:1 ratio — your choice. It depends on how thick you like it. Add the farina to the water and, stirring continuously on a low boil, cook until it thickens. Add salt and honey to taste. It cooks quickly, in a few minutes, depending on how coarse you mill the wheat. If you mill the wheat to a fine flour, it won’t work for farina. You’ll find you have a pot of paste. — Karen, Kansas

KIDS’ JEANS: I have two boys who rip the knees out of their jeans faster than they grow out of them. I get denim knee patches and iron them on the inside of the jeans when they are brand-new as a way to “reinforce” those knees. I just don’t like the look of knee patches on the outside. — Lori, Georgia

DON’T TOSS: Once a slow cooker, now a planter. The slow-cooker interiors make wonderful pots for plants. Just make sure that you put gravel on the bottom for drainage! — Vicki, Pennsylvania

COMPARISON SHOP: Use your Internet search engine’s shopping tab to find the best deal on whatever you need to purchase. I found two things that I wanted to buy for home-schooling, and the price of the two items at Amazon was $38. After searching the product names in the shopping tab, I found a source selling the two items I needed for just $24. And the source also offered free shipping with orders over $25. So I threw a video in my cart to qualify and still spent only $34! You can also shop for pricey items like shoes in an actual store and write down the brand and product/model number on the shoe box and find a better deal online. I save 50 percent or more on shoes this way. — Constance, New Jersey
Note from Sara: On Google, it’s on the “more” drop-down menu.

Posted by Sara Noel on May 20 2009. Filed under Frugal Tips.
Sara Noel owns Frugal Village, LLC and is a nationally syndicated columnist with Universal Uclick. Bio, Follow me on Twitter, Join us on Facebook