5 Winter Hearty Soups

Southern California is finally feeling it’s chill (65 – 70 degrees Fahrenheit). We even recieved a jolt for an earthquake and a bout of rain and lightening to give a snowing in the local mountains all in one day. I think it’s time to list some frugal winter hearty soups to warm the soul and body (and make the tast buds jump for joy). Here are 5 heart warming soups for the soul:

Three Sister’s Soup
Serves 4

“Three sisters” refers to the wonderful combination of beans, corn and squash — foods traditionally grown and consumed together by many American Indian tribes.

3/4 to 1 cup dried pinto (or other) beans, soaked overnight in 4 cups water
1 acorn squash
1 to 2 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 onion, diced
Pinch sea salt
1 large carrot, diced
3 to 4 cloves garlic, minced
1 rib celery, diced
3 to 4 cups vegetable stock
1 cup corn off the cob (or frozen)
1 teaspoon dried or 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Drain and rinse soaked beans. Put them in a pot and cover with water by an inch. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 45 minutes or until tender but not mushy. Add more water if necessary. While beans are cooking, cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Bake squash halves, cut side up, in a 375-degree oven for about 45 minutes, or until tender.

Heat butter or oil in a large saucepan. Read more

Homemade Simmering Potpourri

As I was thinking about the holidays and what I love so much about them, I remembered the holiday smells that use to waft through my friend’s house. Only the fragrant smells were not from good ole’ home cooking, but from a few common ingredients found in the pantry and around the garden.

A little Knott’s boysenberry syrup, a couple of cinnamon sticks, little white flowers from an orange tree, a few cloves, and a bit of water stirred in a pot turned my friend’s house into a holiday abode.

Homemade Simmering Potpourri is a great, frugal way to make the house smell delicious. For some more ideas, try these great recipes.

Directions: To make homemade simmering potpourri fill a small saucepan with the ingredients and simmer over low on the stove or use an electric potpourri simmering pot. Make sure to keep an eye on the water levels and refill as necessary.

Christmas Simmering potpourri

Simple and great smelling. I like to mix the dry ingredients up in little Ziploc’s to have them ready to add to water during the holiday season.

3 cinnamon sticks
3 bay leaves
1/4 cup whole cloves
1 teaspoon ground cloves
2 lemon slices, fresh or 2 tablespoons dried lemon peel
2 tablespoons orange peel or dried orange peel
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 quart water

Mix all ingredients in medium saucepan. Simmer on low heat. Add more water as needed.

Cinnamon Buns

Cinnamon sticks
Vanilla extract
Almond extract
Nutmeg (optional)
Add a little apple cider to your simmering water, and you get a whole new flavor.

Fruity-Fresh Simmering Potpourri

1 lemon
1 orange
3-3 inch cinnamon sticks
6 bay leaves
½ cup whole cloves
Cut lemon and orange into slices or place in pot or slow cooker or saucepan. Cover with water and then top with a few bay leaves, whole cloves and cinnamon sticks. Cook on low heat. You can refrigerate and reuse any leftovers.

Fall Simmering Potpourri

Three cinnamon sticks
Three or four whole cloves
Two pinches of ground cinnamon
One pinch of nutmeg
Two or three apple slices, including the peel (optional, but really nice!)

Mix all ingredients in medium saucepan. Simmer on low heat. Add more water as needed.

Frugal Living

What is frugal living?

A number of definitions come up when you Google the term:

Avoiding waste; The practice of acquiring good and services in a restrained manner; resourcefully using already owned economic goods and services; prudence in avoiding waste; thrift; A spraring use; sparingness.

As I am sure there are a number of reasons you are living or want to live a frugal life. Mine, is to get rid of this debt! What’s your reason?

Want to live a frugal life. Here are 10 ways to get started:

1. Use the Library
   Take a trip to the local library; you’ll find many of them are stocked with the latest books and DVDs. Still want to rent? Try Redbox – rentals are $1 a night.
2. Clip Coupons
   Take the time to clip coupons and you could save up to 25% on your weekly grocery bill. Want to save more? Buy generic items and plan your menu around the sale ads.
3. Eat Out Less Often
   Eating out is nice, but can be a big budget breaker. Cut back on the amount of times you go to eat out. When you do go out to eat, find ways to cut down on costs with these tips. Want to save more? Pack a lunch for work and carry snacks.
4. Group Errands
   Reduce your gas bill by grouping your errands and driving only when you need to. For even more savings, try walking or biking when you don’t have to go far.
5. Make your Own Cleaners
   Homemade Cleaners are nontoxic and work just as well as store bought cleaners at a fraction of the price. Stock up on these seven items and your house will be sparkling clean in no time.
6. Seek Free Entertainment
   Many communities have a ton of free entertainment in the area. The chamber of commerce, your city’s community calendar, or your city’s weekly magazine is a great way to locate free outings; like to see bands play, free movie showings, lectures, bontanical garden tours, etc…
7. Wash in Cold
   Cut your utility bill substantially by washing your laundy in cold water. Your clothes will come out clean and your water heater won’t have to work as hard.

8. Flip a Switch
   Reduce your utility bills even further by turning off lights and other electronics when not in use. Go even further, unplug cords when not in use.

9. Buy Secondhand Goods
   Befriend your local thrift store or garage sales; many times you can score named brand clothes or great furniture. The Salvation Army has a boutique section with some great wears.
10. Maintain stuff or Learn to do it yourself
    Take care of what you have and it will last longer. Take time to read the maintenance manual and creat a maintenance checklist to keep on top of it; like your car’s oil change. Learn to fix things or do things yourself; like replace the fan belt, fix the washer, hem a pant line, or sew a button.

When you start living frugal, you discover creativity and planning are key elements in your life. You’ll also discover many other great ways to cut back costs. Do you have a frugal idea you’d like to share?

Homemade Cleaning Recipes

People looking for new ideas to stretch the home budget, consider making home cleaning products. Homemade cleaning products that are non toxic, cost less than purchased products and are safe and effective.

Proof? It takes only 6 ingredients, 1 non-scratch scrubbing pad and about $35 for starter ingredients to equal one sparkling house!

Stock:

• Baking Soda ($3.79)
• Borax ($5.90)
• White Vinegar ($8.69)
• Lemon juice (backyard)
• Liquid Soap – like Dr. Bronner’s($9.50)
• Vegetable or Olive oil ($5.69)
• Non-scratch scrubber pads ($3.09)

 

The following provides some useful recipes to replace common household cleaners with non-toxic alternatives.

 

All Purpose Cleaners

Mix any of the recipes below and dispense from spray bottle:

All Purpose Cleaner: 1 tsp. borax, 1/2 tsp. baking soda, 2 Tbls. vinegar or lemon juice, 1/4 to 1/2 tsp liquid soap, 2 cups very hot tap water.

Baking Soda: Dissolve 4 Tbls. baking soda in 1 qt. warm water.*works great for getting stains out of the coffee pot

 

Scouring Cleansers
for sinks, counters, and surfaces

Baking soda or Borax: on their own can be stored in a jar with holes punched in the lid. Sprinkle on countertops or in sinks and use as you would with a regular cleanser.

Salt: is an abrasive that can be used to clean countertops or sinks. *add bit of lemon as a discinfectant

 

Bacteria, Mold, and Germs:

Vinegar: To disinfect and clean your wood cutting boards or butcher block countertop, wipe them with full-strength white vinegar after each use.

Borax and Vinegar: Mix equal amounts of white vinegar and borax will banish mold and mildew from hard surfaces.

Borax Toilet Bowl Cleaner: Pour 1 cup of borax into the toilet bowl and let it sit for a few hours before scrubbing to eliminate stains and odor.

 

Window Cleaner

White vinegar: Wash windows with a mixture of equal parts of white vinegar and warm water. Dry with a soft cloth.

 

Appliances:

Oven Cleaner: Sprinkle water generously over bottom of oven. Cover grime with baking soda. Let sit overnight. Wipe up grease next morning with scouring pad. Rinse well.

Salt: Pour on fresh grease spills. Scrub off after a few hours.

 

Furniture Polish:

Wood Polish: 1/2 teaspoon olive oil, 1/4 cup white vinegar or lemon juice. Mix the ingredients in a glass jar. Dab a soft rag into the solution and wipe onto wood surfaces.

 

Floor Cleaners:

Vinegar and Water: Add 1/2 cup of white vinegar to 1/2 gallon of water and mop. No need to rinse. Wipe dry.

Wood Floor Soap: 1/8 cup vegetable oil based soap (like Dr. Bonner’s), 1/4 to 1/2 cup vinegar or lemon juice, 1/2 cup fragrant herb tea (peppermint is good for its antibacterial qualities), 2 gallons warm water. Combine ingredients in a pail and mix until sudsy. Wash floors as usual.

 

Remove Carpet Odors

Baking Soda: Liberally sprinkle baking soda on the carpet. Let set overnight, or as long as possible (the longer it sets the better it works). Sweep up the larger amounts of baking soda, and vacuum up the rest.

 

Drain Cleaner:

Baking Soda and Vinegar: Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda in and around the drain opening. Follow with a cup of white vinegar. Repeat if needed, and finally flush with very hot water.

 

Laundry Products:

Baking soda: 1/4 to 1/2 cup baking soda to wash load boosts the cleaning power, makes clothes feel soft and smell fresh. *Works great for towels!

 

I know there are so many other fabulous homemade cleaning recipes to compliment this list. What is your favorite homemade cleaning product recipe? And if you don’t use them now, what keeps you from using homemade cleaning products that can save you oodles of money?

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