Some Cool USB powered items

I found this USB fan at a dollar store and it is supposed to be for plugging into a computer , but the neat thing is that it plugs and works off of the Portable Solar Panel Charger and the smaller solar powered USB charger also. So cool.

 

 Now it is making me want to get all of the USB powered items that I have ever seen LIke:

USB Fridge Cooler Beverage Drink Cans Cooler/Warmer Refrigerator for Laptop PC Computer

 

 USB Camping Lights

  USB Mini Desktop Fan


 There are so many neat things that work off of USB and could make living off-grid so much nicer.

Prepare For A Winter Storm

We had pretty nice weather the last couple of months and now the winter is coming on big time. We are under a winter storm watch and it is time to be prepared for it. I don't agree with people I see in the stores buying up all of the bread and milk. I really do not understand why they would just get that. You need to get canned food and other types of food that would be easy to prepare if your power goes out. Items like, canned chili and beef stew. Serve them with rice or noodles. They can easily be cooked on a camping stove if you had to. Plus , they will fill you up.

Have all of your blankets handy. If you have to keep warm you can close off one room and keep warm. Have a couple of different ways to be able to keep your family warm. You could use a kerosene heater or a Mr. Heater Portable Propane Heater .

Prepare for the winter storm before it gets to you. If you are prepared for it ahead of time than your family will be comfortable during it and have no worries. Be well-fed and not frozen.

Food Storage Recipe - Pizza Roll Ups

 This is such an easy thing to make and very good. Nothing left. 

NEED

Flour Tortillas, I used soft taco tortillas

A jar of pizza sauce

Pepperoni

Shredded Cheese

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

I sprayed a bit of Pam on the bottom of the baking dish.

Layer pepperoni, cheese, and sauce on a tortilla and roll up.

REPEAT until you have as many as you want.

Put a bit more pizza sauce on top and a layer of cheese. 

Put in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes. 

Serve. 

 

Homemade Cleaning Recipes

You can make your own household cleaners safely, easily, and frugally. They are safer for your family than the chemical laden cleaners that you store buy.

• All purpose cleaner - 1/2 cup of borax and 1 gallon of hot water. Mix these together until the borax dissolves. Spray or mop on nonwood surfaces. Wipe it clean. 
• Mildew killer and grout whitener - Combine baking soda and hydrogen peroxide or white vinegar into a paste. Apply to the grout or mildew and let sit for at least 30 minutes, then scrub.
• Toilet bowl cleaner - scrub it with 1/2 cup of borax to brighten and kill germs. Also can brush with baking soda and let it sit before you flush. Add white vinegar for an extra fizz to lift out stains.
• Floor cleaner - mix 1 cup white vinegar and 1 gallon hot water in a bucket and mop floors as you normally would.
• Soft scrub for counters etc - 1 cup of baking soda, warm water, and 2-3 drops of liquid soap. Combine the water and baking soda into a paste and then add the soap. Apply to surface and let sit for a few minutes. Scrub it with a non abrasive sponge, rinse  , and then wipe off. 

It is easy to make your own cleaners and is so much better for the whole household.

Start Avacodo Trees

I have been saving any avocado seeds I get and any glass jars that we have left from salsa!

All you do is take 3 toothpicks and stick them around the avocado so that it will set on the jar with half in the water.

Keep it filled.

It does take a while for a start to shoot out of it. But , when it does I always wait until the roots are pretty long before I replant it into a pot with potting soil.

A few years ago I had one that got pretty tall, but had set it outside on a hot and humid day, and a stray cat dug it all up.

Food Storage Recipe - Fried Apple Pies

Simple little treat!

NEED:

1 package piecrust mix for 2 crust pie (Jiffy)

1 21 oz. can of Apple Pie Filling

1 teapoon ground cinnamon

Cooking Oil

Powdered Sugar

Prepare the piecrust mix as the box states. On a lightly floured surface roll the dough out to about 1/8 inch thick. Cut it into 6 inch circles. Re-roll remaining dough and cut it into 6 inch circles.

In a bowl combine the pie filling and the cinnamon. Place about 1/4 a cup on half of each circle. Fold empty side over the filling and seal the edges with fingers or a fork.

In a heavy skillet heat the oil and fry the pies in it for a few minutes. Until golden brown.

Sprinkle them with powdered sugar after you remove from the oil.

YUMMY

No-Cost Ways To Reduce Your Energy Bills

There are small ways around the home that can be done to help you reduce energy costs. They are easy to do

• You can save quite a bit each year just by washing your laundry in cold water. You can buy special detergents for cold water washing if you want to. I very rarely use hot water to wash any of my laundry anymore. 
•  
• Make sure when you do laundry it is a full load. 
•  
• Air-dry clothes when you can and air-dry dishes.
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• If you must use the dryer , always clean out the lint filter. Clean it out after every use. This also helps reduce the risk of fire.
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• Dry heavy items separately from lighter-weight items. This helps with efficiency of the dryer.
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• Take a shower instead of taking a bath. Uses a lot less water. Get a Low flow shower head to help even more.
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• Fix any leaky faucets or pipes. Even a little drip can waste a lot of water.
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• Insulate all of your pipes and water heater. This will really conserve energy and make the water heater work better. It won't have to heat up the water so often because the heat is staying in it better
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• Turn off anything when not in use and unplug them if you can.
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• Use natural light as often as you can and get used to sitting in the dark. Sometimes you do not need lights on. 
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• Change the filters in your a/c and heater as often as you can. I was very surprised at how much better our a/c worked this past summer when I changed the filter once a month. 
•  
• Keep the freezer full. It won't work so hard when it is totally full. 

Lots of simple ways to save money!! 

 

DIY Milk Jug Seed Starters

This is a great way to make a low cost, actually free,  cold frame for your  outdoor seeds that winter outside or to do seed starting inside for starting seeds indoors for the spring. We are doing this one. Getting our seeds started very soon indoors so they will be ready for planting outdoors. Or planting indoors in 5 gallon buckets. I have a few items that I want to do indoors. Will be easier for when we get our land to be able to take the plants with us.

But this simple and free milk jug seed starter is a great way to start...

• Cut a gallon milk jug in half horizontally. Leave one edge intact so that it will act like a hinge. 
•  
• You can throw away the cap. But, my creative son is wanting to save them to somehow make an outdoor "rug" with. Have them bottom up so that you can use it to scrape mud off shoes.
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• Punch several drainage holes into the bottom of the jug.
  
  
  
• Fill the bottom with a few inches of potting soil.
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• Moisten it well and plant the seeds.
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• Close the top cover and secure with some duct tape.
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• Place the jug inside a clear plastic bag and twist tie closed. Since it is in a clear plastic bag it is like its own greenhouse. 
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• Place in a sunny spot outside out of the way , so it will not be bothered or have to be moved.
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• Before transplanting , harden off the seedlings by taking the jug out of the bag and propping it open.

This is a frugal way to start your own garden or to garden indoors. Easy and fun to watch them grow.

Protect Your Money

This time of year there are many ways that you might lose money or be conned. A lot of bad people take advantage of others during the holidays. Here are some ways to easily safe-guard yourself and your money.

• Ignore any junk mail that comes to your home. Just trash it. 
•  
• Buy a shredder. Shred any paper that you plan on throwing out. Shred it before you throw it out so no one can get into your trash and find personal information or anything else they could use to steal your identity.
•  
• Don't have checks mailed to your home. Have them directly deposited to your checking account. 
•  
• Get referrals before you have any home repairs. You should be the one looking for a repairman, not them just randomly knocking on your door. This is something that happens a lot when there is a disaster. Con artist repairmen know that people are needy when something bad happens and take advantage. 
•  
• The government, IRS, or utilities will not call your home randomly wanting money. This is a tricky scam. There have been some here lately in our town where the local power company calling people and saying that the person has to pay a huge amount of money to keep their power on. A couple of people have fallen for it and not long after phone call their bank accounts were empty. Sad! So watch out for any phone calls from someone saying you owe a bill. Even when a actual bill collector calls say that you will wait on the paper bill and then pay it that way.
•  
• Stop and think before you act. Never give out credit card info or write a check until you are absolutely sure that it is for the right thing. 

Check out scams on http://www.snopes.com.

Check out businesses on https://www.bbb.org/.

 

Bake A Cake In A Jar

This is such a cool idea. Bake the cake in the canning jar and then you can store it. You can use box cake mix or make your own cake.

• Always use the wide mouth straight sided glass canning jars.
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• Lightly coat the inside with vegetable oil or cooking spray.
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• Fill the jars only about half way to give the cake room to rise.
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•  Keep the mouth clean to ensure a good seal.
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• Be careful when removing the jars from the oven.  
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• Store in the fridge or the freezer for up to 6 months.