We live in a disposable society. Just about everything that comes into our house is easily (and readily) replaced with something better, newer, cheaper or brighter. But our grandparents (who lived through some hard times) were just the opposite–they found a use and reuse for just about everything that came into the house. They were…

When my youngest son goes off to college next year, I will lose a great help in the garden. So for the last two years he and I have been working on several gardening projects to make gardening less labor intensive for me. This spring we’ve already completed two big projects: new raised bed and…

Compost time! It’s the height of the garden season and an important component to gardening is composting. Don’t let anything go to waste—compost it. Every scrap of fruit and vegetable waste in your kitchen should go into your compost pile. Keep an ice cream bucket or any other container with a lid underneath or near…

One of the reasons we garden is because we want to make the world nicer. So it only makes sense that we’d want to do what we can to lessen our impact on the environment. The garden is the perfect place to reduce and re-purpose items you might otherwise be throwing away. When you garden,…

I’m in the process of converting my 40′ x 40′ garden into raised beds. The cost of materials to construct the beds and the soil mix make raised beds a bit expensive. So here are the details of how I am keeping the costs down on my raised beds. Keeping the costs down I used…

Rule One of Thrift Store Shopping: Don’t think you’re going to get exactly what you want. You might, but the selection is hit and miss, so most likely you’ll have to settle for something close. The finished product: black ribbon around the collar and each side of the button placket. I bound the bottom of…

If you are buying turkey and onions, you’ve probably tossed lots of plastic net bags that. Don’t throw them away! They have lots of good uses. Re-use the bags The larger bags, like the ones covering your turkey, are good for storing garden produce next fall. The onions and garlic from your garden will store…

One of this month’s goals is to learn a new skill. How about learning to sew? Who sews any more? The art or skill of sewing has really fallen out of favor. When I was a kid, everyone took Home Ec (well, at least all the girls did. After all, I did grow up in Ye…

Thrift stores have become all the rage. And what’s not to like? You can get some super amazing bargains and you are helping the environment by using what would otherwise end up in the landfill. I’ve written before (like here and here) about some of the great deals to look for at thrift stores.* This past…

Great Bargains this Christmas This year’s Christmas gifts were a bargain and I’m excited to share my successes with you. Last year a friend was moving and gave me a lot of her fabric stash. (Thank you, Dianna!) I made plaid flannel pajama pants for the three boys. Total cost for all three pajama pants: $1…

Last spring I told you about cold frames I made using dresser drawers. I’m sorry to report, the results were not as successful as I’d hoped. The bok choi got too warm and bolted before it got any where near mature enough to eat. (Note to self: open up the cold frame on warm or…

For Earth Day, I’m recycling some of my previous posts on recycling. Enjoy! -Here are lots of ways to Recycle and repurpose in your garden -There are lots of uses for those plastic mesh bags. Here are just a few. –Paint and decorate jars to store herbs in. -Make reusable grocery bags. Many stores will give…

I recently found a couple good deals at the thrift store and used them in a couple of quick and easy projects. I wanted to share what I did with you. Hopefully, it will inspire you to find some thrifty sewing projects of your own. From sundress to skirt My first project started life as…

After raising three boys, it’s so much fun being able to sew for a girl. In case you’ve forgotten, last Christmas I made my little granddaughter a tablecloth playhouse, using fabric and trimming’s I found at the thrift store and on clearance. This year, my Christmas project for her was a princess dress. I found…

Yeah, yeah I know.  You think I’ve gone all earth-mother, touchy feely.  But I believe that we have a stewardship to keep our environment clean and our earth healthy.  And being careful with our environment is not only more sustainable for the environment (and thus healthier for me and my family), but it also saves…

Summertime is rummage sale season–the perfect place to find bargains on equipment, tools and supplies to help you become more self-reliant. This article has some good ideas on shopping yard sales for prepping items. I have a slightly different take on some of the things this article lists, but it inspired me to make my…