Home Security on the Cheap

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DIY Simple Custom Labels

After all the chicken and broth canning I also canned up some fruit juice.  This is juice from containers from the grocery store but was nearly out of date or already past date I had bought on sale.  Raspberry and black currant.

And apple cider.  

You can easily can up foods (and juices) that have previously been canned or bottled for a longer shelf life.  Some veggies and fruit will have a mushier texture though, not a problem with juices.  I could have made jelly or syrup but I rarely use those so I just canned it up straight to use in my smoothie making.

While waiting for the pressure canner to do it's thing I was a bit busy on another project.  I made labels for some re-purposed non-canning jars.

I used some left over wall paper and scrapbooking paper, a sharpie marker, white glue and peel off labels (the kind I use for shipping labels).

Sorry, I forgot to take photos of the messy part.  I used white glue thinly applied to the back of the paper and pasted it down on the label.  You could use spray adhesive too.  Then I drew circles the right size for the jar lids.

I used one of these templates but you could just draw around anything circular including the jar lid itself.  I wanted my labels slightly smaller as the lids had indentions.

Wait for the glue to dry well or else they are a pain to use.  I found it easier to write on the label before cutting it out.

When you cut it out leave a tab to make it easier to peel the backing off.  (The shredded potatoes are some I dehydrated).

Once you peel the back off then trim off the tab and stick your label down.  I had one that might get wet while opening or closing so I coated the label and just past the edges with clear nail polish.

Great ways to save food or drink before it goes bad and to re-purpose jars and paper that might normally get thrown away.

Linking up at Frugally Sustainable.

Thoughts on Family Security

How many of these type yard signs are in your neighborhood?  Sometimes with the child's name emblazoned across it?

How many of these bumper stickers do you see every day?  Do you have one on your vehicle?

How about the cute family stickers for your vehicle? Do they have names like this one? Do you have the name and team number of your child stuck to the back of your car too?

We all want to honor our family and especially encourage the kids in their endeavors but I have felt for a long time that these ways are not the best or safest ways to do it.  Many parents monitor their kid's Facebook pages, twitter accounts and so on, yet they will cover the back of their vehicles with stickers letting all the world know that not only do they have children, but their names and probable ages as well what school they attend.  They will post signs with the child's name, school name and team number in their yard for anyone driving by to see.  

Sadly it is not just the family and friends that see this information.  Predators go looking for this stuff.  Put these stickers and signs together with how easy it is to look up someone's full name, address, phone number, age and even income level (thanks to the internet) and all this could be a potential open invitation to having the child kidnapped and maybe even harmed. 

There are too many bad people out there these days.  Don't believe me?  Go to your county law enforcement website and look for how many sex offenders live in your neighborhood, you might be surprised.  I live on a street with 80 houses, at one time we had 4 offenders living here, now we are down to one.  And there are easily 35 kids that live on this street.

Just something you might want to think about.

Condense/Combine To Save Storage Space

A little picture tutorial on how to save some storage space.  I am showing just one product but think about other items you have that the same principal could apply to.

It's hot and humid here near the Gulf coast for most of the year.  I use powder every day to keep dry and cool and have found that the medicated works best for me.  The big name brand can be pricey so I use the Dollar General brand.

It's sold by weight and settles after the bottle is filled, usually to 1/3 of the bottle.   I buy 2 bottles at a time so I can condense the 2 into 1 to save space in my bathroom cupboard.

Pry the tops off with your fingers, it's easy, then surround one opening tightly with your fingers.  Then you can start dumping the second bottle into the first.  You want to keep the 2 openings nearly together so as not to make a huge mess.  There will be some mess so I suggest either do this outside or lay down a towel first.  You'll probably have to turn the 2nd bottle right side up a time or two in order to get all the powder out.

Now it's almost full but still leaves you some shaking room.  To be frugal you could just add some cornstarch or even some baking soda.  I like cornstarch as it's softer.  You can do this with any powder you like to make it go farther.

And not too much of a mess, but one I'll shake out outside before washing the towel.

Now what else could you condense to save some storage space?  I have often combined different shampoos together, or conditioners.  I once got a great deal on the travel size bottles at a resale shop and just mixed them all together.  Just a spoonful of peanut butter left?  Add it to the new jar you have so the old jar can be recycled or re-used to store something else.  How about jelly or jam?  Add it to the next jar even if they are different flavors, you might find a new combo you love.  Spices, nuts, most any dry foods, laundry soap and so on.

And don't forget to recycle the plastic bottles!

Linking to the Barn Hop at Homestead Revival.

DIY Fire Starters

Fire-starters are used to make camp fires, very popular in wet or damp conditions as they will burn readily and for long enough to get the fire going.  I wanted an alternative to storing lighter fluid in case I need to do camp fire cooking if my power goes out in a hurricane.

I've read about and watched a couple of YouTube videos about making fire-starters.  There are several methods involving paper egg cartons or TP and paper towel cores.  I decided to make mine with the cores as I can get an abundance of them from work.

The videos I have seen show using a whole tp core but there seems to be an issue with the melted wax getting all the way through and it looked like no fun to slice through them when you were done.  Therefore I pre-cut my cores into 1/2 ~ 3/4 inch slices first.  I flattened the core, cut it with scissors and and then squeezed it enough to round it back out.  I had 3 paper towel and 5 toilet paper cores. 

Next I sliced up the paraffin, I used 2 boxes as I didn't have any candle ends, but you can use either or both together, even broken crayons.  Paraffin cuts very easily with a knife if you do it in 1/2" sections.

The wax was melted in a large veggie can I saved, and I pinched one side to make a pour spout.  Make a double boiler by heating water in a saucepan on low-med low and put the wax can inside.  Paraffin melts at a low temp so it doesn't take long.  I lined an old cookie sheet with wax paper and set it beside the pot.

Then the core rings were half dipped in the wax and laid on the cookie sheet, pressed down a moment to stick.

Time to stuff them while more wax melted.  You can use nearly anything that will burn.  I had some cotton pads that I didn't like as they fell apart every time I got them wet with peroxide, polish remover, etc.  So I tore them apart and used them as the bottom.  

Next (on the left side of the photo) I used the scraps from my needlework ort jar, ends of threads and yarns, some I cut smaller to tuck in.  I poured wax on them and then topped them off with dryer lint and poured more wax (seen on the right).  Then left them to cool and harden.

Some of the bottom pieces of cotton did not get saturated with wax, the same thing happened in a video of a guy that tried it with cotton balls stuffed in whole and half tp cores.  I think they are not as absorbent.  The orts and the lint worked the best.

The wax paper worked wonderful as they peeled right up and I was able to snap off the wax that leaked through to save for the next batch later.

That's about a third of a can which is a perfect amount to melt as it is easier to pour without it going everywhere.

I got 52 fire-starters with left over wax and some left over core rings.  I stored them in a box with wax paper between the layers as they are going in a spot that may get over 100 degrees this summer so if they melt a bit it will be easy to pop them out.  I roll my extra candles in wax paper before packing in a box for the same reason.

Other notes on this experiment: 

don't worry if the wax runs out the bottoms

the temp is low enough that you can pick up the can without burning yourself

wipe the can with a paper towel to limit the amount of wax you might have to clean out of your saucepan

pour the wax in stages with time to let it set up between or it will all run out the bottom

I let my starters sit overnight before breaking them apart and storing

Linking up at Barn Hop #69

Cast Iron Dutch Oven

I splurged a little and bought this for myself on eBay last week.  It came today.  Mine does not have the extra spiral handle but I'm not sure I would ever use it anyway.  These are made by Lodge which is a good old American company in Tennessee and they have been making cast iron cookware since 1896.

This 5 quart piece is from their new line that is pre-seasoned so it's ready to go right out of the box.  And it was a great price too at $29.99 with free shipping.

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I used to have a whole set of cast iron, 3 frying pans, 2 pots, griddle and an oval dutch oven.  I sold them all when I moved mostly because they are so hard to handle when you have carpal tunnel issues.  I have always wished I kept the dutch oven and now I have one again.

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These are great for casseroles, stews and roasts.  Coq Au Vin is wonderful cooked in a dutch oven.  A lot of people use these when camping as you can cook over the coals and even bake breads and such in them.  This one does not have the flat lid that you can put coals on top of, but if needed I bet some aluminum foil would work to hold the coals.  I don't camp out anymore so that will probably not be an issue for me...unless we get a hurricane and lose power.  But let's not go there.

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Anyone got a favorite dutch oven recipe you want to share?

How to Stay Cooler in the Summer Heat On the Cheap

It looks like it will be another hot summer this year.  I'd like to share some things I have done to stay cooler in the summer heat.

Sounds simple but make sure you drink plenty of water.  That way your body has something to make sweat with which is nature's way of cooling us off.  If you spend a lot of time outdoors then do that in the early morning or late evening when the temperatures are not at their height.

Be a kid again and play in the sprinkler!  Even just turning on the hose and dousing your head will cool you down.  You can wet a bandana and wrap around your head or neck and there are items you can buy and freeze to wrap around your neck.  If you have a cold bottle of water or an aluminum can of something cold you can hold it against the sides of your neck or your armpits.  Blood vessels are closer to the skin there and doing so will cool down your core temperature.  The groin area does this too and is good to remember if someone is suffering from heat exhaustion or heatstroke.
Even just putting your feet into a cool pan of water will make you feel cooler all over.

Use fans!  You can even keep the a/c in your house at a higher temperature and still be comfortable if you use fans--and yes, that is plural.  Ceiling fans, oscillating fans, box fans, they all serve to move air and that air will feel much cooler.  You can even use a fan outside if there is no breeze.  The fan doesn't care where you use it.

Shades, preferably black out shades on any windows that get direct sun, especially south facing windows.  Block the sun and heat with shades and even heavy draperies.  I know it makes the house dark but it does work.

Natural fabric clothing and lightweight, light colored clothing.

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Tips for those without a/c or electricity:

Take several cool showers a day, not necessarily with soap, just hose off to cool down your body.  I lived for 9 years here in the Houston, TX area with no a/c and this is the best one thing you can do besides using fans.

You can keep cool enough at night to sleep comfortably by wetting your sheet and laying it over you.  A fan blowing over the wet sheet is extremely cooling.

Powder!  Baby powder, cornstarch, Gold Bond, whatever powder you like.  Powder everywhere and re-apply as necessary, down your back really helps.

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If you use window a/c units rather than whole house a/c you can save on your utility bill by only cooling the room or rooms you are actually using.  I put up curtains to block off the entrance to the laundry room and the hall leading to bedrooms so I am not having to try to cool those areas.   

I have an open great room which is the living room/dining area/kitchen.  The living room area is not really used much as I usually am at my desk which is in between.  I am moving the desk to where my dining table is now and moving the table to the edge of the living room.  Then I will hang sheer curtains across to block the a/c from going into the living room.  The window unit will not have to work as hard to cool off the space I do use.  I'll post photos after that project is completed.

You can put up awnings at least over the windows that get the most sun.  Or add a covered porch!  Look at traditional old homes built in the South, especially those in Louisiana or the low country of the Carolinas.  There's a reason they have wrap around porches.  If you have an older home like from the 40's or older you might also look into an attic fan that will pull hot air out and pull cool air in at night, just depends on how your home is built.

Older homes in the south were also built to catch breezes, windows and doors were placed to let the air flow through the house, think shotgun and dog run style homes.  My old apartment with no a/c had a 60 foot hallway down the middle with doors at each end and it was always the coolest place,  you could always find the cats stretched out in the hall in the summer.  

9 foot and taller ceilings also help as heat rises so be grateful if you have those. 

Use fans in windows to push hot air out or pull cool air in.
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Find more great articles at The Prairie Homestead Barn Hop!
Linking to Frugally Sustainable.

Sunday Canning

It seems to be I do my canning on Sundays and this past one was no exception.  I bought some lovely peaches at the grocery store for 99¢ a pound, a nice big bag full.  I also had some canned goods in the pantry that had been marked down due to dented cans and they needed to be dealt with along with the tomato juice left over from making salsa from canned tomatoes bought on sale.

This is 14 half pints of peaches and 6 half pints of pineapple.  I use half pints because there is only me here and it's a good size for eating right out of the jar.  The peaches I scalded, peeled and pitted then sliced into a bowl.  I usually add citric acid but was out so I used the juice of 3 lemons along with spoonfuls of sugar (whatever looked right, then I added more before canning as they needed it after tasting them).  Then I stirred them up so all the fruit was coated and covered to sit overnight in the fridge.  They made their own juice and just the perfect amount.

The pineapple was from dented cans that were marked down so I cut the rings into chunks and canned them in their own juice.  6 half pints.

The 4 pints and 1 half pint in the front of this photo came from dented canned of mixed fruit, mandarin oranges, a bit of leftover pineapple and some maraschino cherries I had in the fridge, canned in the mixed juices.  This was the last half pint jar so I had to switch to pints.

On the left are 2 quarts and 1 pint of organic beef broth, I bought 2 cartons at $1 each and it was past the sell by date, figured it was safer to can it that hope it survived in the carton.  The quart in the center back is pineapple juice from a carton, one that was past its date and was about to be tossed out at work.

The 3 quarts on the right are tomato juice mixed with some veggie and beet juice I had in the freezer.  These will be good for soups either hot or maybe some cool gazpacho.

Check your grocery store, Big Lots, etc. for marked down cans of  fruit and juices, dented cans are ok if you use them soon and sell by dates don't mean the food is bad.  I'm going to a store this weekend that stocks just this kind of item and this week's special is Jimmy Dean sausage, 1 lb rolls, 4 for $5.  I intend to put some in the freezer until I can get more wide mouth jars to can some.

Linking up at

http://frugallysustainable.com/

Salsa Verde & More

Yes I've been canning salsa again.  I went through my first batch in a month, canned another and decided to can up all the tomatoes I had with another batch.  I got the large 28oz cans of no salt tomatoes at Big Lots for $1 a can, about the same price as those #10 cans as far as amount of product goes.  I think I had 9 cans here and they made 14 pints and a quart.  I added my usual chopped onions, jalapenos, garlic and spices of salt, pepper, cayenne and cumin as well as some fresh squeezed lemon juice and chopped fresh cilantro. I don't measure, I just go with what looks right.  The rings will be removed and jars washed & labeled.

And I have 2 quarts of tomato juice left over from it in the fridge too.

And I tried something new, Salsa Verde, made with tomatillos.  I added pretty much the same ingredients as with the red salsa.  Salsa verde is usually mild and goes well with chicken dishes.  I got 9 half pints from 2 pounds of tomatillos.

And lest you thing I've started canning lemons too....I didn't.  That quart jar to the right is my lemon rinds and a grapefruit rind sitting in white vinegar.  Just stuff the rinds in and cover with vinegar, cap and let sit for at least 2 weeks and you will have some wonderfully scented and powerful cleaning solution.  I made some before with orange peels, any citrus will work.  I put that batch in a spray bottle and it works very well for cleaning and getting rid of odors in the cat box too.  And the best part (beyond the fact that it is dead cheap) is that it has no nasty chemicals in it!

So that's how I spent my Sunday.  I think I must have preservitis, no known cure either.

Linking to Frugally Sustainable

Grocery Store Markdowns

I don't normally shop at Kroger, only once in a while because they carry things I can't get at other stores or because they have a good sale on something.  This past weekend I just felt like it was time to go to Kroger but really had no reason why.  I'm glad I did!

I picked up the above items all marked down on clearance.  

I think the best bargain of the lot was the St. John's Wort capsules, 100 for $4.99 (the plastic bottle was dented).  I keep those around to help with the menopausal moods swings.  The other bottle is vitamin E which I was going to need for making my salves anyway.  The flax seed meal was 4.99, $2 less than normal so I thought it was a good deal too.  I don't normally buy pasta roni, but for 49¢ said ok.  The 3 cans are dented which I will only buy if I am using right away and I may actually re-can the pineapple into half pint canning jars.

Since it was a holiday weekend I picked up some things as a treat so I didn't have to cook.

Again, stuff I would normally not buy.  The pasta salad was fabulous, I may make it homemade next time.  The cole slaw salad is pretty good, still working on eating that one.  The potato salad is ok, not my style but not bad.  The hoagie rolls are half gone, made some cajun roast beef sandwiches and a chicken sandwich today with provolone cheese, yum.

Kroger seems to be the only grocery store here that marks things down like this, they even mark down produce but all they had was one pkg of corn on the cob with black mold on the ends, uh, no, I have my limits.

So check your local grocery store for the hidden clearance section.  You may find some bargains too!

Linking to Frugally Sustainable

Make That Expensive Juice Go Farther

I drink a lot of cranberry juice and not the cocktail kind since it has added sugar.  But it's a bit pricey.  So to make it go farther I usually cut it with 1/3 to 1/2 water.  I drink several glasses so I am still getting all the juice I need to keep UTIs away and I don't get bored by plain water.  

I drink a lot of plain water all day long but at night I like a treat.  Some folks might go for wine or a beer but neither fits my budget and I don't like beer.

You can do this with all juice to make it go farther and really you won't notice that much difference.

And when I've emptied the bottle it gets cleaned and sterilized so I can store water in it just in case our neighborhood ever loses water service during a hurricane or anything else.  I can recall several days last summer when we had no water service because they were working on the lines...extra bottles of water would have come in handy not only for drinking but for washing my hair and flushing the toilet too.  That might be TMI for some people but water is something we tend to take for granted and we probably shouldn't.

Peaches for One

Peaches!  The very word conjures up the scent of Summer.  It feels like Summer here lately, all week it has been humid and getting up to 92 each day.  Normal for TX but I was certainly enjoying Spring and not ready for Summer yet. 

Anyway, I picked up a large bag of Georgia peaches last weekend at a good price and peeled and sliced them into a large bowl.  Sprinkled with sugar and fruit fresh (to keep them from turning brown), then popped in the fridge to keep cool.  After sitting overnight the sugar and the peach juices combined to make a syrup all by themselves.

I ate some and canned the rest before they went bad.  I have 5 half pints of sweet goodness, the perfect size to open and eat as a treat.  

I may pick up more if I find them at a good price again.

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The nice thing about peaches and all fruits is they are acidic enough that you can process them in a boiling water bath rather than the pressure canner.  I didn't measure or make a syrup for my peaches but here are 2 charts on making syrups in case you are interested.  You can also just can them in water if you choose.

And here's a timetable for water bath processing.  If you are at a high altitude this may be different so I recommend getting more info from your county extension office or pick up a current Ball Blue Book - the canning section at Walmart is a good place to look.

There are lots of tutorials on water bath canning on the internet, a quick search will find you hundreds.  Quaint as the old canning books are, please use current standards to avoid any problems.  Oven canning is no longer approved of by anyone to be safe.  Some processing time changes have been made as well.  Always it is better to be safe than sorry.

Frugally Sustainable

Weekend Canning Totals

Here's some of the canned goodness I put up this weekend.

I ended up with a 3 day weekend since Monday's jury duty was cancelled.  Not to waste the extra time off I got busy.  These jars still need to have the rings removed and be washed but I was too tired tonight, after all tomorrow is another day!

Totals for the weekend canning spree:

21 pints of salsa

5 half pints of bacon grease

8 pints of ham

7 pints of vegetable soup (leftovers in the fridge plus 1 jar of salsa added)

9 half pints of yellow wax beans with new potatoes

Do any of  you have one of these?

These cheap netting type splatter covers that you use in the microwave have a great new purpose!  They are perfect for straining oil or grease for reuse.  I used mine to strain the bacon grease and it did a superb job.  Just lay the cover slightly dipped in a 4 cup measuring cup and pour the grease in.  Fast & easy clean up too, a little dish soap and scrub it against itself and it's done!  They are about $3, found this picture of one on amazon so they are still available.