Waste Not

                Let’s start today’s blog post with a question!  How much food do we waste each week? You would be amazed how much food we throw away each week. It is either spoiled, getting old or we just do not want to eat it anymore. I hate throwing away food because to me it is wasting money. Do you like throwing your money in the garbage? I know I don’t like wasting food or throwing my money away. This weekend my oldest daughter came home from college with a lot of food her roommates wanted to throw away, she asked me if she should throw it away or was there something I could do to keep it fresh longer? So today I will give you a couple of things you can do with food that is getting close to being ready to be thrown away.

                The one thing my daughter brought home was celery that was getting wilted and a little brown. Don’t throw this away because I have an easy way to keep it longer and use it for soups and other things later. All you have to do is cut away the brown stuff and wash it up a little. Do not throw away the leaves they are great in soups. This is what I want to show you today, how I take celery that is starting to get bad and dehydrate it for soups and salads later on.

1.   

    Pull out your dehydrator and some trays and your fruit roll-up tray.

2.   

    First, wash your celery and cut off any brown spots and throw them away.

3.    

   Take your stalks and cut into thin strips.

4.   

    Cut the leaves and stalks into little pieces.

5.     

  Place an empty tray on the bottom of your dehydrator.

6.      

The next tray place your fruit roll-up dish in your tray and spread your celery and celery leaves around the tray. The fruit roll-up tray will keep the celery from falling through the tray.

7.    

   I place another empty tray on top because my American Harvest dehydrator has the heat source on the top. This way the heat does not touch the celery and get caught in the unit. Always check your dehydrator's instructions.

8.      

Turn your dehydrator on to the temperature you need for vegetables. Every dehydrator is different, so check your directions.

9.      

The celery will be hard little pieces when done.

10.  

Place in a sealed zip lock bag or a sealed container.

The next time you make soup just take a little handful and sprinkle it into your soup. This is what I do with my celery before it gets bad. I hate wasting food and throwing away money. The next time you have some food starting to go bad don’t throw it away, consider dehydrating it to use at a later date and time. Check your dehydrators directions on what you can dehydrate and how to keep it fresh the longest. Investing in a dehydrator is well worth the money, I use my dehydrator at least once a week. This last week I picked my grapes and I made my kids grape fruit roll-ups using my dehydrator. Don’t be wasteful, dehydrate and save your food for later from Suzie Homemaker.

Cleaning Stained Coffee Mugs and More

                Today I am doing another cleaning project. Instead of calling it Spring Cleaning, I call it Fall cleaning. Two to three times a year I clean out my kitchen cupboards.  Then I scrub down the shelves and donate to Good Will what I do not need or want anymore. Then I clean the outside of my cupboards with a cleaner for cupboards and wood. Today I am going to give you some easy tips on cleaning your coffee mugs and the outside of your cupboards.

Dirty Coffee Mugs

              

  Let’s start by pulling out all those coffee mugs that are stained from coffee and tea stains. Don’t throw them away just because they have stains.  I have a very cheap and easy way to clean them.

Take some Baking Soda and add a little water to make a paste, rub a little around inside of your coffee mugs and let sit for a couple of minutes. Then take a damp dishcloth or sponge and wipe out the stain. This paste takes out the coffee and tea stains very easy with very little effort.

For pennies, you have a nice new looking and clean mug you don’t have to throw out. Baking Soda cleans so many things around the house.

Wood Cupboard Cleaning

                Your wood cupboards need to be cleaned and oiled several times a year or they will dry out and look dull and old. I oil and clean my cupboards 3 to 4 times a year to keep them looking clean and new. When we upgraded our cupboards in our old farmhouse, instead of buying new ones we decided to reface them. For all the cupboards we replaced in our house it would have cost us over $25,000 thousand dollars. We thought this was outrages so we decided to reface them instead. Refacing means that you keep the inside original and the doors and handles are replaced with new wood cupboards. We used Kitchen Refacers, they refaced my kitchen cupboards, pantry cupboards, laundry cupboards, bathroom cupboards, and my entryway cupboards. They refaced all of these cupboards for a little over $5,000 thousand dollars and got the whole job done in a day. My cupboards look just like the expensive cupboards. To keep them clean I use a lemon oil to keep them looking clean and new. There are several kinds of products you can use on wood cupboards, just look on the cleaning isles of your local store. The oil based ones are the best to keep your cupboards looking new.

Pledge or Scotch has great products to clean cupboards.

This is what my cupboards looked like before I cleaned and shined them up and this is what they look like after I used the lemon oil.

                Cleaning your coffee and tea mugs don't have to cost a fortune when all you need is a little Baking Soda and water. Don’t throw them away, cleaning them is easy. Cleaning you cupboards is easy also, just wipe down with an oil based cleaner form your local store. These products are fairly cheap and easy to use and find. Always check to make sure these products are safe for your cupboards before using. Buying Cupboards can be very expensive, why not check out refacing your cupboards next time to save a bundle form Suzie Homemaker.

School Shopping for Next Year

                 I hope everybody had a nice Labor Day! Now it is time to get the children and grandchildren back to school. Now is the time for us parents to go shop.  Don’t get me wrong, this really is a blog about saving money and I do have a plan. Now that your children and grandchildren are off to school I am serious it is time to shop for next year’s school supplies.  School supplies can really add up and cost a lot of money. Yes, doing your school supply shopping when the sales are on is a great time, but the kids are with you and are asking for everything else besides school supplies. So today I am going to give you some extra tips on saving on school supplies.

                Most schools give out lists of school supplies your children will need each year, keep these lists handy and look what your child will need for next year. Start buying extra supplies when the sales are on and stock up for next year. Another great way is to wait till after school starts and watch for the clearance out school supplies and buy them for next year. I got lucky on this deal. My daughter’s calculator that she needed for math this year died, so I went to the store to find one. What would have been a $50.00 dollar calculator ended up costing me $10.00 dollars on clearance. Right now most stores have all their school supplies on clearance. Now is the time to shop and stock up on next year’s school supplies.

              

  This is also a great time to stock up on the end of summer clothes. Most clothes are marked down to 50% to 80%. I picked up 3 shirts for $1.00 dollar each. My daughter received 3 pairs of jeans for $8.00 dollars each. All you have to do is watch and wait for the sales for school supplies and clothes. Now is the time to stock up on next year’s supplies and clothes.

              

  You don’t have to pay full price for all those school supplies your child needs each year. Take the time and watch for the sales and take advantage of the clearance sales for all your school supply needs. Also, watch for clothes to be on clearance to save on school clothes too. School supplies are expensive and the lists seem to get longer every year, so watch and wait for the sales and clearance items to save big time on all your school supply needs and clothes from Suzie Homemaker.

Labor Day

Labor Day

                Today is the first Monday of September and it is Labor Day, what should I do today? Suzie Homemaker and family will be taking it easy today and resting. Later on, we will be visiting family and be frying out. Some people look at Labor Day as a paid holiday and a day off from work. Everybody needs a break once in a while. If you have children or grandchildren this is their last day off before heading back to school. Whatever you decide to do, do it with friends and family and enjoy the day. If you are driving today please be careful because traffic will be heavier than usual while people are returning from their destinations.

                There are so many things you can do on Labor Day like, grilling out, pick nicks, visiting family and friends, parks or going to a cabin. Whatever you decide to do on Labor Day just enjoy the day off. One year when our children were younger we decided to take them to Bay Beach in Green Bay. This is a cheap way for the whole family to have some together time with their children and have a lot of fun. Yes, it was a little crowded, but it was a great way to end the summer before school got started again. A family of 4 can pack a pick nick lunch and save the money on food. After we bought our tickets for the rides, we would spend 3 to 4 hours choosing which ride to go on and have a ball laughing and enjoying the day. For under $20 dollars our family could have fun for hours.

                What does Labor Day mean to you? The real meaning of Labor Day is: Labor Day is the American Labor Movement and the contribution that workers have made to the strength, prosperity, laws and the well being of the country. This is also the unofficial last day of summer.

                Whatever Labor Day means to you, relax and enjoy the day from Suzie Homemaker.