We found 35 results tagged with "frugal living"
8 Articles
8 Articles found
How to Eat Seasonally in Winter
Seasonal winter eating can be delicious and satisfying! Here are a few ideas on how to keep seasonal when those winter winds start blowing.
How To... Make a Birdseed Wreath
It’s easy to bake this birdseed wreath using readymade bread dough from your local grocery. Adorn with peanut butter and lots of birdseed, hang it up outdoors, and get ready to watch the feast.
How To... Make Your Own Baby Wipes
You can make your own baby wipes using items you probably already have on hand—baby wash, baby oil, pure clean water and fabric scraps or recycled paper napkins or paper towels.
Make Your Kitchen Climate Friendly… for Free
The food on your dinner plate has a bigger eco‐impact than the car you drive. From Chef Laura
Stec, the cheapest, and tastiest, way to make your kitchen more efficient.
Get the Most From Your Farmers Market
A farmers market bursting with heirloom produce and other unique foods can be beautiful — and overwhelming! Get tips for getting the most from your local bounty.
How To... Create a Sun Lantern
Make a decorative sun lantern using recycled materials.
How To Grow a High-Value Natural Home Garden
Consider it one recession trend that actually heightens living standards: Our tendency to turn to home gardening as budgets shrink and costs rise. This month, we explore produce.
Natural Home Cleaning
Choosing environmentally friendly alternatives keeps your home healthy and also helps the earth.
26 Challenges
26 Challenges found
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Enjoy a mid-week weekend
Want to beat the crowds this summer and have some fun at the same time? If you can swing it, plan a
mid–week vacation or long–weekend. Not only will you save on lodging and activities, but you’ll also
spare yourself the crowds and the hassle of weekend travel. Try checking...
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Recession-proof your diet
Count it as yet another unfortunate byproduct of recession: During lean economic times, people tend to eat cheaper, less healthful food. That shift in habits can add up – to poor health. Today, challenge yourself to monitor your diet for “recession-creep.” Some tips for riding out the recession...
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Can't wait to play? Join a CSA
If your garden’s still in the sprouting phase, why not join a Community Supported Agriculture group? CSA members pay a fixed seasonal fee to a local farmer in exchange for a weekly share of the harvest, delivered to a location near your home. Today, while your own garden grows, learn more about...
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Plant a victory garden
Historically, victory gardens have helped stock the pantry during wartime food shortages. Nowadays, they’re taking on a new, progressive activism as gardeners turn toward locally raised food, grow community, and save on grocery bills. The First Family even answered calls to plant an organic garden...
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Polish your act
Did you know that furniture polish could be dangerous to your health? In 2006, US Poison Control Centers reported 214,091 incidents involving exposure to household cleaning products – and more than half involved children under age 5! Thankfully, you have a greener, safer option for keeping your...
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Ask yourself if you need this food
Before you buy, look yourself in the eye: Do you really need this food? There are many reasons we buy things we don’t need: it looks good, your friend buys it, you’re shopping hungry, or you wish it was something you liked. The next time you go shopping, bypass all that denial and challenge...
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Capture sink water
Water is our planet’s most vital resource – and in many places, it’s under threat. Yet, in industrialized parts of the world, we often take it for granted. One simple way you can save and reuse so-called “gray” water is to place a bowl, trap, or device like Hughie’s removable kitchen sink in your...
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Look for deals…naturally
Buying huge amounts of a food you’re not interested in doesn’t make sense. One way to explore new natural food options is to take advantage of a true sale: beans in bulk or seasonal favorites – anything that draws your eye at your natural-food store. Today, challenge yourself to open your mind to a...
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Rethink your leftovers
So, you’ve mastered making extras for leftovers, but somehow you can’t stomach another night of lentil stew or roast chicken. What’s next? Add to your repertoire with recipes designed to incorporate leftovers from other meals. Stews, soups, foccacia sandwiches… these dishes and many more rely on...
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Be needy, not greedy
We’ve all indulged in that scourge of budgeters everywhere: sport shopping. You know what we mean – the act of buying something you want that you really don’t need. Unfortunately, the temporary good cheer sport shopping lends doesn’t last. Today, challenge yourself to hit the register only after...
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Be calculating
Ever thought of taking a calculator with you to the grocery store? You can use it to keep track of costs, number-crunch what you need from bulk products, and factor nutrition info. It won’t take much time, and you’ll leave with a much more refined food selection (as well as a potentially healthier...
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Baby your food
If there’s ever a product that begged for the homemade touch, it’s baby food. Conventional commercial baby foods are not the most natural choice for your little one and cleaner organic varieties cost a pretty penny. Thankfully, online recipes for blending your own natural or organic purees abound...
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Dine in
Cozy, romantic, and satisfyingly healthful – what could be sweeter than dining in? Eating more meals at home not only promises less chance of overdoing it on fatty, processed, or caloric foods, it also saves you money (not to mention reducing waste in terms of takeout packaging and car use). Today...
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Covet Mother Hubbard’s cupboard
Ever fantasize about eating your way toward a truly empty pantry? If that’s what it takes to start fresh, why not give it a try? Something about a full fridge and pantry whets our culinary imagination, but a bare cupboard can also be inspirational when it comes to cooking and meal planning. (Hint...
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Make lipstick last longer
Those pesky tubes! Who doesn’t get to the bottom of a lipstick tube, only to find there is still a trove of color left in the bottom and no way to get it on your lips? Today, challenge yourself to get your makeup money’s worth by making a “painter’s” palette out of all your end-of-tube favorites...
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Make your own laundry detergent
Commercial sudsy stuff can cost 30 cents per load – or more, depending on brand and outlet. Homemade, on the other hand, can run as little as 3 cents! Best of all, when you make it yourself you control the ingredients, which allows you to aim for better home air quality, less paper packaging waste...
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Make old thinking new again
Rags, washcloths, mops, diapers…the list of things that we once reused and later made disposable is long and contentious. Trying one of these old-yet-new-again products raises the question: Can you make a difference without sacrificing your own comfort, convenience, or hygiene? Today, challenge...
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Stash your trash
How much trash does a person produce each day? Want to find out? Today, instead of throwing out everything you use (e.g. coffee cups, water bottles, fast food wrappers, egg cartons, plastic bags from produce), challenge yourself to carry around a sack with all of your trash inside. You’ll be...
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Limit non-recyclable purchases
How many throw-aways should you throw away your money on? That’s really up to you. But here’s a fact: Choosing recyclable items whenever possible reduces waste. Today, challenge yourself to think about an item’s packaging, recyclability, and disposability before you make a purchase, with the...
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Make leftovers into salad
Green beans, Brussels sprouts, leeks…the list of veggies that can be transformed from hot, dinner side dishes into delightful, lean salads is long and varied. Today, challenge yourself to make a little extra at dinner tonight and save your leftovers for salad. When you wake up tomorrow, quickly...
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Check your showerhead
Today, challenge yourself to test your showerhead and find out whether you could be saving some serious water by installing a low-flow model. Here’s how:
• Put a bucket into your shower and fill it with 2.5 gallons of water.
• Mark the water level. Then empty the bucket.
• Put the bucket...
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Reduce your debt
Anyone who has high credit card debt knows that it can cause stress. And stress has been consistently proven to be bad for your health. Today, look for ways to reduce your credit debt and make a plan to achieve it.
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Have a centerpiece brainstorm session
“Reduce, reuse, recycle” extends to all aspects of life…including entertaining. Today, challenge yourself to be a little thrifty by inviting friends over for a centerpiece brainstorm session. Have your guests bring at least one item to share as a table centerpiece that’s either pre-used...
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Wrap it up...responsibly
Discarded newspaper, comic strips, clean used aluminum foil, notepaper...there are many ways to wrap a gift attractively without using new paper. This weekend, challenge yourself to create the ultimate reusable gift-wrap box. Here are some tips to get you started:
• Fill the box with scraps like...
Challenge
Install a shower shutoff
Surprise: There’s a simple button that can snap off your shower spigot flow while you lather up, saving gallons of water! Who knew? And models like the Rain Saver Inline cost less than $10.
Today, challenge yourself to trek to the local hardware store and buy one of these nifty devices. Then...
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Preserve your produce
The great thing about preserving fruits and veggies is that it allows you to enjoy your locally grown, seasonal favorites out of season. This weekend, challenge yourself to learn how to preserve your favorite produce. Then, make the effort to do it. The National Center for Home Food Preservation is...
1 Recipe
1 Recipes found
Kashi® Basic Hummus
This basic hummus makes a perfect dip for a small gathering or a big party.