photo by di the huntress Garden season doesn’t have to be costly. If you head out to a retail store and buy everything all at once, it’s going to add up quickly. But if you do some careful planning and are patient and creative, you can enjoy a beautiful garden on a shoestring budget. What [...]
photo by Durgan Food is something you might take for granted. As a country, we’re fortunate. But if you’ve ever gone through a weather emergency or financial hardship, you know you aren’t as immune to a food shortage as you’d like to think. If you’ve ever participated in Scouts, you might have learned a bit [...]
photo by Dave Melbourne DEAR SARA: I had a recipe for a plant spray that was comprised of garlic, water and maybe soap or vinegar. I can’t find it. It was very effective and kept the insects away from all my plants that I move outdoors during the summer. Do you know of this recipe? [...]
photo by marlana Frugal people know how to make things. It’s not just a way of combating costs. For many, these are basic life skills and a way of life. A little self-reliance goes a long way. It’s easier to start out small and build your way up. This sets you up for success instead [...]
photo by ceanandjen “There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.” — Anais Nin Gardeners are optimists. I realized that as I planted four bare-root perennials. They’d been sitting in a bag for way too long. I completely forgot about [...]
photo by Jonny Hunter Coffee drinkers unite! It’s time to get green and frugal with your coffee grounds. Don’t home brew? Starbucks is on board with a program that provides free grounds for customers to use in their gardens. Establishments, family and friends can provide them, too. According to J. Trent of the University of [...]
From December to March, there are for many of us three gardens – the garden outdoors, the garden of pots and bowls in the house, and the garden of the mind’s eye. — Katherine S. White
Planning ahead with a garden journal can save you time and money. Are you planning for the upcoming gardening season? Starting a garden journal now, will serve as a reference later, on what worked well and what didn’t in your garden.
photo by navdeepraj Many of us flip through garden magazines, all the while thinking that it takes years, a professional, or tons of money to landscape the gardens featured in the glossy pictures. This isn’t necessarily true. You can design a breathtaking garden and be the envy of the neighborhood by following some of the [...]
photo by jswieringa If there isn’t money enough to go around, starting an emergency fund seems impossible. If an emergency happens, like a car breaking down, people pop the repair bill on their credit card. When life’s emergencies continue to happen, the debt increases and this cycle becomes a financial mess. You need money that [...]
photo by colinandangie Recipes with just a few ingredients are often cheaper, but they don’t have to lack in flavor. They don’t have a lot of steps and measurements so they are simple to prepare. You’ll have most everything you need already in your kitchen, too. The following recipes can be jazzed up with additional [...]
photo by eamonn Do you know the health hazards lurking in your bathroom? No, not your household cleaners. Think again. Take a look at your beauty products. Have you ever questioned the synthetic materials used to create them? I don’t want to sound like an alarmist, so I’ll spare you the details and simply direct [...]
D ear Sara: While on vacation I saw a lady with a rectangular type of flat bread, which she claimed was lower in fat and healthier than regular tortillas. Do you know what this might be? Do you know of any other frugal, healthy alternative to tortillas? — Jean, Canada Dear Jean: There are low-carb [...]
Decoupage can give ordinary objects a new look. It’s simple cutting and pasting. You can use fabric, tissue or paper (magazine cutouts, wallpaper, greeting cards, old calendars, etc.) to achieve beautiful results on most any material, such as plastic, wood, metal, glass, canvas and wax, to name a few. Use decoupage medium such as Mod [...]
