Home Tips

Here is were I’ll list ideas, tips on home and garden.  These will be things that work for us and at our house.  If you would like to share your tips, please do so. I love learning new ways and new things. When I add new things, I’ll do so at the top. So as you do not have to scroll down each time to find something new.

 

 Hot Water Heater- saving money

Drying Clothes without a Dryer  (click on title) 

 

Plant sweet basil around your doorways as this repels flies. I know this works, even on a farm. I have a net bag on my screen door and fill it with sweet basil leaves every few days( leaves- the snips I take off every few day so it’ll grow bigger, some leaves get dried for winter use). 

 

I found  this recipe and like it the best for a few reasons: I can get Ivory soap bars for 3 for a dollar and baking soda is cheap, both Ivory and baking soda store just about forever, not a lot of work to make, can be used to clean other things. We use ERA detergent the most as it works best on the farm, and being able to make something’s is better than nothing . And I have not learned yet to make soap. But I’m am preparing for hard times to come,( power outages, no money, nothing in stores to buy, etc.). I have bought Ivory and as have baking soda, for when it’s need. There are some many things happening all around us. This recipe is the cheapest I can find and the easiest to make( which is what I look for in all recipes).

Homemade Laundry Soap Detergent Recipe

2 gallons Water (hot)
1 bar Soap (grated)
2 cups Baking soda (yes baking soda this time–not washing soda)

• Melt grated soap in a saucepan with enough hot water to cover. Cook on medium-low heat, stirring frequently until soap is melted.
• In a large pail, pour 2 gallons hot water. Add melted soap, stir well.
• Then add the baking soda, stir well again.
• Use 1/2 cup per full load, 1 cup per very soiled load

I got this at:  http://tipnut.com/10-homemade-laundry-soap-detergent-recipes/   ( Recipe #8) There are other recipes here, too.

 

 

Homemade Sanitary Pads

Ok, ladies what happens when and if you can’t buy sanitary pads. This is a must, to use all the time not really. But if you made a few to just have in case, this is something that we need, monthly. Yes, you could stock up on store bought ones, this is just a money saving tip. These could also be used in a first aid kit, if needed. When I find something like these, I think of other ways it can be used. The site I found to make them is: http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/sanitarypads.htm

 

 

I found flannel sheets at thrift store, full sets, king size set $2.00 and queen size set $2.00. I will cut these up to make: washable paper towels, washable tissues,  washable napkins, and to make pads. That’s a lot of material for $4.00.

 

 

With the very hot weather here, I have found a way to cool the house off some with out AC,(which we do not have). I have wooden clothes drying racks. Well I put them in front of the fans in house.  It has made almost a 15 degrees cooler, and the clothes are softer than hanging out side.  I like killing two birds with one fan.

 

 

Use cheap wash cloths instead of paper towels. You can find them at the Dollar stores. And you    can get the color that goes with your kitchen.

 

 

Garden tips:* when you sucker your tomato plants, put the suckers on and around your cabbage plants.* those of you who drink coffee, allow your used grounds to dry out, then spread around garden and or plants(in pots). This feeds your earthworms and brings more around.

 

* allow used coffee filters to dry out, then place around plants to keep weeds down, and acts like a mulch( helps keep moist in soil)

 

* allow empty egg shells to dry and crush them up and put them in a ring around the base, on the ground: cabbage and tomato plants.

 

*Don’t tell to many people this hint, OK. Most feed stores that sell straw and hay by the bale, will allow you to clean up ground and/or floor of busted bales, the extra that falls off while moving it around. But ask first, my feed store calls me to clean it up so they don’t have too. This is great mulch, and cuts way down on weeding. I did my whole raised bed garden last year, and walk ways too. (any extra hay can be used to fill chicken nests, that means no more buying hay for nest, straw is not good for there nest)

Well this should get you started. If any one has good tips, please share them.
Time to go hoe some more and plant my Sweet Basil plants, and check on my drying herbs.