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.

Homeschool Minute - Little Man Has Been Sick

Poor little man was sick all week with a very bad cold that we now all have. Awful cold that we have no idea where it came from. But, I was down with it yesterday, but little man was feeling a lot better. Still has cough. So, since we are all under the weather we just cuddled up on couch and watched a couple of the land before time movies. Then he was wanting to do something , so I poured out a bag of colored craft sand in a wooden tray and he played with his dinosaurs in it. He even got creative and got rocks and toy trees. He had fun and didn't wear his self out. Hope we all feel better soon!

Kerosene Heaters - A Cost-Effective Alternative to Electric Heating

 

Kerosene heaters are viewed by most as an archaic, outdated method of heating. But in reality, kerosene is a very cost effective, easy to use source of heat. While most of us picture the ancient glass lamp when we think of kerosene heaters, there are many modern, high efficiency kerosene based heating systems on the market today.
With impressive BTU production, these units are powerful enough to warm a very large living area at a reasonable cost. While many people enjoy the ease of electrical space heaters, the biggest flaw with these units is the very high cost of operation. With electrical bills skyrocketing in recent years, it's a viable option to explore kerosene as an alternative.
Kerosene can be stored for many years, and, contrary to what some might think, it's no more dangerous to store than any of the chemicals that are already kept in your household. Kerosene heaters, in fact, can be considered much safer than gas heating systems. With a gas heating system, even a small gas leak can be catastrophic. Something as simple as a pilot light going out can lead to an entire home filling with gas. In addition to the risk of combustion and fire, these fumes are very hazardous for family members who may be unknowingly breathing them in.
Another wonderful advantage of kerosene heating is the portability. Do you have a garage or workshop that's constantly ice cold in the winter? Having additional duct work run to this area can cost an arm and a leg, and to make matters worse, you're then stealing away valuable heating BTU's from the main living areas of your home. For households with an freestanding structure that's not directly attached to the home, this isn't even an option.
With a kerosene heater, it's as simple as filling it and turning it on. You can use it as needed. Once a day, once a week, or once a month, with kerosene, you pay only for what you use. Kerosene heaters are great for camping trips or outdoor activities as well. There are no wires, no power outlets, no gas lines, and no pilot lights to deal with. Simply set it down and turn it on, and you're enjoying comfortable, efficient heating immediately. An old fashioned kerosene heater can be a great conversation piece as well.
Nothing is more relaxing than enjoying a good book during the winter months in a comfortable chair beside an old fashioned kerosene flame. With constantly escalating electricity and gas bills, it's no surprise that people across the world are searching for alternative forms of energy. With the flexibility to heat only a portion of your home, it may be worth investing in a kerosene heater. Why turn on an entire central air unit and heat up the entire home when you're only using one room? Try out a kerosene heater and enjoy the savings that many people have known about for years!

Sarah writes about ways to save money on heating and cooling bills. Among Sarah's most recent work is an extensive write-up on the topic of portable kerosene heaters and how to effectively and safely use your heater in a kerosene heater safety guide.

Food Drying vol. 1: How to Dry Fruit - FREE Kindle Book

Food Drying vol. 1: How to Dry Fruit was a free Kindle book when this post was written.

Are you looking to learn how to safely store and dry fruit?

Food Drying vol. 1: How to Dry Fruit covers exactly that, giving detailed information on how to prepare and dry more than 35 different types of fruit. From popular dried fruits like apricots, bananas, prunes and raisins to surprise entries like watermelon and cantaloupe, this handy food dehydration guide has you covered.

The following topics are covered in this fruit drying guide:

• Why you should learn how to dry fruit and how fruit drying can save you money.
• What happens to fruit as it dries.
• The nutrients that are lost during drying and what you can do minimize loss.
• 10 different ways to pretreat fruit to prevent enzymatic browning.
• How to dry fruit using the oven, the power of the sun and a dedicated dehydrator.
• Conditioning and pasteurizing dried fruit after drying is complete.
• How to safely store dried fruit to ensure it lasts as long as possible.

Here's a sampling of the fruits that are covered in-depth in this book:

• Apples.
• Apricots.
• Bananas.
• Bilberries.
• Blackberries.
• Citrus fruits.
• Blueberries.
• Cantaloupe.
• Cherries.
• Coconut.
• Dates.
• Figs.
• Dragon fruit.
• Grapes.
• Kiwi.
• Mangoes.
• Peaches.
• Pineapple.
• Plums.
• Watermelon.
• and more . . .

Detailed drying information is provided for each fruit, and includes the following information:

• A brief description of the fruit and its health benefits.
• How to select the best fruits of that type for drying.
• How to prepare the fruit for drying.
• Whether pretreatment is necessary, and if so, what pretreatment techniques work best.
• The drying temperature range that works best.
• Approximate drying time ranges for the oven, the dehydrator and sun-drying the fruit.
• How to tell when the fruit is dry.
• Conditioning, pasteurizing and storing the dried fruit.
• How to rehydrate the dried fruit before use, if applicable.

Buy this book today and learn to preserve your harvest by drying fruit.

Source of emergency water

Your hot water heater can be a great source of clean water in an emergency.  There could be 75 gallons of water in there.  
The water can be drained out of the bottom of the tank.  There is a built in spigot. 
Practice to drain your water heater now before you have to do it in a crisis. 


Steps for draining your water heater.

1.  Turn the power off to the hot water heater .

2.  Turn the incoming water supply off.

3.  Attach a hose to the spigot and place the end into a bucket.

4.  Open the pressure relief valve at the top of the tank, or turn on a hot water tap in your home.

5.  Open the spigot and collect the water in your bucket. 
Water will be hot so be careful.


You will want to filter this water just because there might be sediment in it.