Making Bird Bells

So many of us are able to enjoy our bird friends throughout the year, and as we all know these year long friends can be quite expensive to feed. Well, here is another option for you, Homemade Bird Bells. This is a great craft idea for kids to participate in and at the same time a wonderful way to use what you already have at home.


*Homemade Bird Bells


Terracotta flower pots (small)
1 cup birdseed
1 egg white

Mix thoroughly and pour into a foil lined flower pot, mini loaf pan, etc. If you don't have a hangar, insert one now before baking. Bake for 1 hour at 200. Let cool and remove from the pot.


Super easy and guaranteed to please your fine feathered friends during the cold winter months!

Thanks Kristen for sharing your recipe with us!

Cream of "Whatever Soup"

(Contributed by Laurie)

Tired of spending money on the cans of cream soups from the grocery store that are filled with way too many foreign ingredients? Well here is a great recipe to replace those cans with. Give it a try, you'll be delightfully surprised at how tasty and economical it is to make your own 'Cream of Whatever' Soup!

Melt 2 Tbspn of margarine in a saucepan.
Sauté 2 Tbspn of chopped celery (or whatever).
Blend in 2 Tbspn of flour.
Add 1/3 cup dry milk powder.
Add 2/3 cup vegetable broth.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Cook until smooth.

Ideas for Decluttering

(Contributed by:Ruthie, Leah, Rachel)


Do you really need a larger house? Or maybe just one that is better organized? Who lives in your house - you, or all of your stuff? And do you even use all those items anyway........but how do you know what to keep, and what to toss?

For many people who have spent years accumulating stuff - decluttering can be extremely overwhelming. Decluttering and home organization is a skill, and it's a learned skill. The good news is, once you learn it and put it into practice, you can find that you can reclaim square footage of your home that is currently being wasted and unused...held hostage, you might say - by stuff.

There can be a benefit to decluttering besides reclaiming space; you may find things that you can sell on eBay or Craiglist or at a garage sale; you may also be able to engage in charitable giving even though you don't have cash to give to those in need; additionally you may be able to barter/swap with friends. So there can be a real financial advantage to decluttering.

One of our writers, Ruthie, is in the midst of a major decluttering project. Here are her many helpful suggestions!

General Principles, Goal Setting, and Time Management:
1. Set a small goal. (Editors note: large goals can quickly become overwhelming)
2. Have a permanent save box that is small.
3. A place to keep things that are going out.
4. A black trash bag ready to fill up. It must be opaque so that the no one see what's inside and pull things back out.

I'm starting out by commencing my daily chores and getting them out of the way - the laundry gets started, then I quickly go thorough the house tidying up by picking things up and putting it away where it belongs.
On Monday and Tuesdays of each week, I'm handling weekly cleaning, such as dusting, vacuuming, bathrooms, sweeping and mopping the kitchen floor. Each week I try to add something I didn't do in that room last week.
On Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of each week I do the daily morning chores since the house is still pretty clean, and then I work on one room.

Consumables declutter:
Right now my biggest thing is to clear stuff OUT. Buying Rubbermaid plastic boxes may contribute more to your clutter. Just get rid of it versus trying to tame it.
Using up the cleaning products that you have on hand instead of purchasing more of the 'new and better' also helps to keep the clutter at bay.

Paper declutter:
Unless you have a home-based business with an office space used solely for that business there is no reason to keep monthly bills. Excel spreadsheets can be generated to keep track of utility usage (electricity, gas and water) and dollar amounts spent for each month.

I am keeping:
*all tax returns
*All bank statements
*All year-end retirement statements
*All year-end investment statements
*I keep all major purchase receipts and user's manuals for appliances, tools, electronics, etc. Only keep paperwork, user's manuals, etc. for what you still own!
*After year-end, I throw away all EOBs for medical services. (Explanation of Benefits.)

Everything Needs A Home:
I've had good luck with decluttering for the long term by using two tactics:
1) Have a plan to move a lot of what comes into the house/room....OUT of the house/room. This tactic can apply to the mail that you receive down to the food your children bring home in their lunch bags. The 2-bin recycling station, our easy-to-get-to garbage bin, along with the compost bucket for vegetable, fruit, and bread scraps? Keeps our kitchen amazingly clutter free.
2) Designate a place for everything. This includes the backpacks for school, the boots, the dishes, the everything.

A Final Note:
Another of our writers, Leah, states that staying off the computer is vital during decluttering. Well said, Leah!

Not A Christmas Crafter?

(Contributed by Nicole, Majenica, and Rachel)

If for whatever reason a homemade crafty Christmas isn't for you or perhaps you lack the time, your family would rebel, or you're like me and can't craft your way out of a paper bag. That's OK. There's still a lot of ways to have a sensible Christmas.


While the plate of baked goods is popular, some people might feel they are drowning in sugar. If you want to give a food gift consider a loaf of bread, a homemade drink mix, or even a small fruit basket made from a dollar store basket and fruit that's on sale.
You can also take a look at your gift list and see if anyone can be cut without hurt feelings.

Last Christmas our closest friends decided that gifts were for children only. We all still got together, had a nice potluck dinner, and had a great time celebrating but the adults went without gifts.

Think practical. While gift cards may seem impersonal, they can be a big help to people. College students love this kind of practical gift. It allows them to get what they need, without having to spend out of pocket. Expectant parents, those without jobs, or people in a tight living situation also love these types of gifts.
Another idea is to do either family or childrens photos at a relatively cheap photo shop, such as Wal-Mart. You can get a package for under $10, then buy $1 frames at a dollar store. These make long lasting gifts.

One contributor stated, "I makes "non-gift" arrangements. I agree that I won't buy them a gift and they don't have to buy me one. Sometimes I'll ask for something that I know is dirt cheap or that they also want to get rid of. Outgrown kids clothes and toys, paperback novels that they are done with or just unconventional stuff. My MIL gave me a flat of canned lima beans last Christmas. I had a can at her house and loved them, and couldn't find them in my state. Voila - when she drove down, she brought me a dozen cans."

Another thing to consider is gently used items. Clothes, books, toys, and sometimes other items are often much less expensive, but still in great condition at thrift or consignment stores, garage sales, or on Craigslist. I've seen new toys and kitchen appliances still in the box, clothes with tags still on them, and books that look as if they've never been opened.

Just remember that Christmas is about much more than the gifts you give or get, so let yourself re think your gift buying habits if it's what you want or need.

Halving the Milk Bill

Contributed by: Cari, Nachelna, Rachel

Going broke keeping milk in the house? Dry milk is cheap at some stores (like Aldis).
I used to keep it around just to use in cooking and baking, but for awhile I used it to make drinking milk for my oldest until I eventually switched her to organic, local dairy milk.

I mixed it up according to the directions on the box, but instead I:
1) run the liter container half full of HOT tap water first
2) add the 1 and a third cups of dry milk
3) shake well
4) add the heavy cream (couple tablespoons) which breaks down the foam.
5) add more water to the de-foamed milk until it reaches the liter mark.

It was great for my morning coffee (until I switched to homemade soymilk) and I cooked with it too back then. The taste of it in cooked dishes is not something that any normal human being could discern from "real" milk. I put strawberry syrup in it for my child when I was making it for her, or some banana licuado (latino milkshake) powder in it. A cheap thrill.

It's cheaper than buying "real" milk at the store, but also it just freed up more fridge space for us. Plus it was convenient - we don't run out as long as we have heavy cream in the fridge and dry milk in the pantry.

I bought the dry milk at Aldis. 10 bucks for a 20 qt package (5 gallons) a year ago - it's probably slightly higher now. If you live in dairy country you could probably cut an even better deal with a local producer if you bought a large enough volume, but if you live in dairy country it might be worth cutting a deal with the farmer for "raw" milk (of course you would pasteurize it yourself if you so desired). In some states the sale of raw milk is illegal unless you are using it to make soap or feeding it to your pets or your compost pile - but enforcement is extremely lax to say the least.

How do you pasteurize milk?According to eHow....
Step 1 - Boil empty milk bottles submerged in water for 10 minutes to disinfect them. Alternatively, you can place the milk bottles in an oven preheated to 212 degrees F (100 degrees C) for 20 minutes to disinfect.
Step 2 - Pour raw milk into the top of a double boiler and fill the bottom section with water.
Step 3 - Place a metal-stem thermometer into the milk to monitor its temperature. Keep the thermometer from touching the sides or bottom of the double boiler so you get an accurate temperature reading of the milk, not the container.
Step 4 - Heat raw milk to 145 degrees F and keep it at that temperature for at least 30 minutes. Stir constantly to avoid burning and to maintain an even temperature. For a faster method, heat the milk to 165 degrees F for at least 15 seconds, stirring constantly.
Step 5 - Put the top section of the double boiler that holds the heated milk into a pan of cold or ice water to cool the milk. Continue to stir.
Step 6 - Cool the milk until it reaches 40 degrees F or below.

There you go. So if you can find someone who keeps cows (or goats) for a hobby, you can "cut a deal" and do the safety measures yourself.



Alternatively, you can order a slightly altered milk substitute (made from dairy ingredients, pretty much identical nutritionally to standard low fat milk - it's called Morning Moo.
One of our readers said that with the Morning Moo, they paid 116 dollars (including shipping) for 50 pounds that makes 70 gallons. That works out pretty cheap.
http://www.moosmilk.com/

Homemade Soy milkAlternatively you can make soy milk yourself at home. This is what I now do for myself. I drink a lot of it, my youngest prefers commercial Soy milk (no grit, and a more even vanilla texture) but if you can get over the slight textural issues (the grit settles to the bottom) and you can commit to soaking the soybeans, and adding the salt, sweetener, and vanilla yourself? The milk costs next to nothing. It's dirt cheap. I mean really, really cheap.

I paid 60 dollars for a soy milk maker used off eBay. Original sticker from a Deseret Industries thrift store was 7 bucks, so if you are are hardcore thrifter you could really make out like a bandit. It's definitely paid for itself by now, I've had it for a couple of months. You can use them to make other kinds of milk too.

Homemade Almond Milk
Soak the nuts for 8 hours instead of the briefer 5 hours for soybeans, and massage the nuts to slip the skins and discard the skins before loading the hopper. You'll only need about 2 ounces (60 grams) of nuts per 1 liter of water. I'm guessing other kinds of nuts would be similar.

Don't have a soy milk maker? Use this recipe instead.
Raw Vanilla Almond Milk
1 cup raw almonds soaked over night and rinsed
3 cups water
1 teaspoon of vanilla
Sweetener to taste-any sweetener will do, honey, stevia, sugar, succanat, maple syrup, soaked dates

To make raw almond milk blend the soaked almonds with the water until smooth. Then strain the mixture through a strainer. Save the almond pulp in a container and put in the refrigerator for later use.
Put the almond milk back into the blender carafe and blend in the vanilla and sweetener until smooth. This milk will last in the refrigerator just under a week. Shake well before using. Variation: Blend in a banana and use a pinch of nutmeg to make a festive drink.
The almond pulp can be used in cookies, crackers, or breads and a partial replacement for flour.

Trying to limit soy? How about Rice milk?

Homemade Rice MilkYou can make milk from cooked, white or brown rice. Brown rice has more nutrients and produces milk with a slightly 'nuttier' taste. Try both kinds and see which you like.
Wash the rice first and discard the washing water. This prevents it from gumming up your soy milk maker.
2/3 cup of cooked rice, rinsed again after cooking in cool water so that it's easy to load in the hopper.
If your rice is very fluffy, the maker may beep signaling too much is in the hopper. Take a little out and next time load in less rice.
You'll need to experiment with salt and sugar and flavoring to get it to where it's "right" for you.
Refrigerate immediately after the milk cools. Rice milk will separate when cooled and must be shaken well before you use it. It does not freeze well. It's best if used within a couple of days so don't make a weeks worth at one go. It *is* harder to clean out of the soy milk maker.

Don't have a soy milk maker? Try this recipe.Rice Milk4 cups hot/warm water (must be very warm or hot)
1 cup cooked rice (must be freshly made or at least reheated)
1 tsp vanilla
Sweetener and salt to taste
Directions:
Place all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Let the milk set for about 30 minutes, then without shaking pour the milk into a pitcher, leaving most of the sediment in the first container. This makes about 4 - 4 1/2 cups.