Guide to Trapping

Guide to Trapping was a free book when this post was written. Great survival book to have in your survival library.

From the description:

Trapping has become somewhat of a lost art, but interest in the sport is as strong as ever thanks to a stable fur market and a growing need to control mammal populations or remove nuisance animals. In Guide to Trapping, Jim Spencer covers strategies for successfully harvesting popular species such as raccoon, muskrat, mink, otter, beaver, coyote, gray fox, red fox, bobcat, skunk, and opossum. His entertaining and informative writing will appeal to trappers of all levels. Spencer discusses trap styles and the basics of establishing and working a trapline, including techniques for fastening and adjusting traps and a species-by-species review of trapping tactics for the country s most pursued furbearers. The field-tested techniques, carefully explained and illustrated, will help trappers make sets that deliver maximum results.

Homeschool Minute - Homemade Water & Landform Tiles

I had seen these water and landform tiles in a catalog and online, but just couldn't bring myself to pay as much as $$40.00 for the set. Like these Sandpaper Land and Water Form Cards. I thought about it for a week, thinking of ways to make some. First, I thought of going to hardware store and getting actual tiles and painting them etc. But, even that would cost too much for us. Thought some more. Was at Dollar Tree and it came to me...get some foam poster board, sandpaper, and poster paint.  Total cost was $5.00!!!!!

Frugal homeschooling!


I first cut the foam board into 10x10 squares getting 6 squares out of each foam board. I had printed some water and landform cards from pinterest, either Montessori Now or another one, and used that as idea of how to cut the sandpaper. Sandpaper being the land. Glued it on the tile, then painted the water with the blue paint. I left room at the bottom for writing what it is, like gulf, island, etc.


Great learning tool that didn't cost an arm and a leg. Little Man loves them. Has been looking, learning, and playing with them all day. Even got his small boats out to push them around in the "water".

Food Storage Recipe - Hamburger Rice Hot Dish

A simple recipe for a quick meal. Serve with a salad? Or some bread?

Need:

1 pound ground beef

1 can condensed cream of chicken or mushroom soup

1 cup water

1 cup uncooked instant rice

Brown the beef and drain it. Put back in skillet and add remaining ingredients. Stir to mix well in a casserole dish. Cover and bake at 325 degrees for about an hour. Serve.

Cooking with a Lamp

 

This is something that surprisingly works great. 

Make a tripod to hang your small cooking pots from that is measured to where the pot is within about a half inch of the top of the lamp. This will ensure that the heat from the lit lamp will go right to the pot. You can easily make one out of wood - making 3 legs and a wooden center to put the hook on for hanging the pot. 

You can quickly boil water, make coffee, warm up canned food, etc. Great way to have warm food when you have no power. You can find these lamps at thrift stores and yard sales all of the time. Great investment. I think , right now, that I have 12 of them! I buy them when ever I see them. LOL I am a kerosene lamp hoarder and I am not embarrassed by it. You can never have enough.  

Food Storage Recipe - Depression Meat Loaf

Great depression era recipe.  Awesome to make a meat loaf with so few ingredients. We probably should dig out all of those depression era recipes these days.  My grandma used hers daily. She lived thru the depression. She could make gravy out of anything. 

Need:

Half cup evaporated milk

2 slices bread

1/4 cup chopped onion

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 pound lean ground beef

In a large bowl pour the milk over the bread and let it sit until all of the milk is absorbed.  Add the onion, salt, and pepper. Stir it together with a fork until the bread is nice and fluffy.  Mix in the ground beef.  In a baking dish, shape it into a loaf - about 7 inches by 3 inches,  and about 2 inches thick. Bake at 350 degrees for about an hour or until the middle is no longer pink.

Food Storage Recipe - Pasta Sauce

Quick pasta sauce to make.

Need:

1 medium onion

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, & oregano

1 can tomato paste

1 cup water

Dice and cook onion in oil until tender. Add everything else listed and bring to a boil. Turn down heat and let simmer about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally. Serve over pasta.

Have Personal Cleaning items On Hand.

 

I was sent some items that I really think would be great for anyone to have on hand. I used them all for a few days and now want to share how I feel about them. The first thing I tried was cleansing foam by Medline. I really loved how it cleaned and left my hands feeling soft. That is a plus this time of year. Most soaps that I use leave my hands feeling very dry. This didn't. 

The Medline nourishing moisturizer is also another item that I would recommend to anyone.Now greasy feel and it is made with natural emollients. It left my skin feeling super soft. My Little Man kept asking to feel my hands after I used this. I used it on his back after he took his bath and he didn't complain about itching at all. He gets really super dry skin all fall and winter. I have tried everything. This really helped him a lot. The not having a yucky residue was another plus when using it on him.

I used the Medline hydrating moisturizer on myself and I was really surprised how something that light feeling could really make the dryness go away. I love it. I used it on my face and neck and it had no greasy, heavy residue. All natural ingredients! This is one that I will continue to use.

The last item that I tried out was the Medline flushable wipes. These can come in handy for any time. Great for when need to feel that extra clean and they are flushable. The fibers break down quickly when flushed, yet are still strong in use. Wipes are premoistened with rinsefree formula that cleans, moisturizes and soothes the skin. Formula is pH balanced, hypoallergenic and alcohol free.

 I get a lot of my office supplies at Shoplet and they have a lot of  office stationary and promotional products including promotional shirts. They also have a lot of other useful items that you can get for the home. Like the Medline items that I was able to review.

Food Storage Recipe - Soup In A Hurry

Quick soup for a cool day. Serve it up with a sandwich or cornbread.

Need:

2 pounds ground beef , brown it and drain well

2 cans of condensed minestrone soup, undiluted

2 cans chili beans with gravy

1 can stewed tomatoes

Half cup of mild picante sauce

In a large pot mix all of the ingredients. Stir it up to mix it well and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 30 minutes. Serve.

Food Storage Recipe - Potato Noodles

I was given this recipe by a neighbor and it is really easy, frugal, and good.  I used a kind of gravy over ours that had mushrooms in it.

1 pound potatoes, diced

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 beaten egg

1 tablespoon milk

Salt and pepper

Boil the diced potatoes until they are cooked through.  Drain them well. Mash them up until they are smooth and then beat in the flour, egg, and milk.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Mix together to a stiff paste.

Lightly flour a flat surface. Roll out the paste to form a thin sausage roll shape.  Cut it into 1 inch lengths.  Drop the dough pieces into a pot of boiling water and cook a few minutes in it. They will float to the top when cooked. 

Very essy to make.  A great way to make a frugal meal.

Clothes Dryer - Save Money By Not Using Dryer!

I finally moved my shelf/clothes dryer into the kitchen. Much better place for it. In the utility room there wasn't much heat blowing around and stuff didn't dry good. Now it is where the heat from oven, kerosene heater, and vent (if its on) are giving it heat to dry quicker. Great shelf/clothes dryer combo I got at thrift store a while ago for a couple of dollars. Laundry Drying Rack is a great looking one that I found on Amazon. Would be a great gift for someone that is wanting to save some money. I plan on hanging my towels on this to dry so I am not using my dryer so much. Whenever I have a load of towels it takes forever , so I usually hang them outside on my Umbrella-Style Clothes Dryer, but with it getting colder I am wanting something for inside. So not using the dryer constantly. Could even use this for t-shirts and stuff.