Tag Archives: Frugality

How To Make A Denim Dish-Carrier Using Old Jeans

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by Texas Homesteader ~

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I’m pretty eco-conscious, shunning excessive or unnecessary trash wherever possible. Even when RancherMan & I go out to eat, I bring a small lidded glass dish into the restaurant with me to hold my leftovers. That keeps me from having to accept their Styrofoam packaging.

But one of my self-imposed rules about my crunchiness is that I want to make it ‘un-weird‘ in public to keep RancherMan from feeling uncomfortable. He assures me my eco ways don’t make him uncomfortable, but I still want to be considerate. And let’s face it, carrying a small casserole dish through a restaurant does not blend in with the atmosphere. So I decided I needed a carrier that looked almost purse-like.

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Using FREE Solar Energy To Brew Your Tea

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by Texas Homesteader ~

RancherMan loves his iced tea. I love that it’s a healthier drink option for him than many other choices. And brewing our own tea means no trash. Plus it’s super cheap.

All. Good. Stuff.

But did you know it doesn’t necessarily have to be hot outside to brew tea? All you really need is sunshine. There are a couple of ways I’m able to provide RancherMan with that delicious beverage he loves. Brewed in winter or summer: No purchased energy necessary!

Sun Tea - quick to brew using the power of the sun whether winter or summer. A delicious, healthy and trash free beverage. #TexasHomesteader

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Quickest Apple Crumble Dessert From Pie Filling

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by Texas Homesteader ~

Y’all know my aunt sends me home with bushels of apples every year. I get to work making all sorts of fun things with them. There are some examples of apple recipes we’ve enjoyed at the bottom of this post. But one thing I like to do with those fresh apples is to make & can apple pie filling. Then even when unexpected company shows, homemade dessert is ready in a flash.

For a fast appley dessert I can use that homemade apple pie filling to make homemade Apple Pie.  Or maybe something even faster – Apple Crumble.

Apple Crumble Recipe using apple pie filling. You can use any flavor you like - homemade or purchased. Come see my easy recipe. #TexasHomesteader

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Stop Garden Weeds With Biodegradable Weed Block

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by Texas Homesteader ~

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At the Mother Earth News Fair this year I attended several gardening seminars. One presenter spoke about ‘biodegradable weed block‘. It’s supposed to suppress weeds during garden season. Then it naturally degrades by the end of garden season to just be turned back into the soil. Now I hate plastic weed block because weeds grow right through the blasted stuff, it’s messy, it’s expensive and it’s PLASTIC. But I’ve never even thought about biodegradable weed block.

I wondered how it worked, what it was made of, how expensive it might be, etc. So I went online to research. I found it’s made of ‘wood pulp’. Hey, could that be PAPER??

So I’m thinking of using those heavy paper feed sacks RancherMan’s been saving for me. I’ve always used those paper feed sacks in the walkways of my garden covered by mulch. But I’d never given thought to using it in the actual planting areas. Hummmm…

Biodegradable weed block for the garden? As it turns out, it's really a thing! And it degrades by the end of the season to just mix back into your soil. I hate the plastic weed block, this more natural material appeals to me! #TexasHomesteader

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Buying Products Used: Good For Your Budget AND The Environment

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by Texas Homesteader ~

I’ve talked before about our love of our secondhand percolator coffeemaker. It’s perfect for a very low-waste cup of delicious coffee! But although we loved it, we were going through our morning coffee way too quickly. We really wanted a larger percolator.

When we make a purchase we first research it extensively. 1st consideration is given to customer satisfaction followed by features we desire and only lastly, cost. We’d researched & made our decision for the percolator we wanted and RancherMan was about to place the order. Then he decided to look for a used one instead.

Now this makes my heart happy. I always prefer pre-owned when making a purchase. It’s good for our budget and the environment.  And isn’t she a beauty?

Buying products used is good for the environment AND your budget! When researching a potential purchase we don't look at price first #TexasHomesteader

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5 Frugal Things This Week To Save Money & The Environment

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by Texas Homesteader ~

Since RancherMan & I are not corporately employed we keep a close eye on our finances. Every now & then it’s fun to share 5 simple frugal things we did this week to save money. Oftentimes it’s so simple, we just have to keep an eye open for the ample opportunities. And I love that it often packs a nice little eco-friendly punch too!

Come see the 5 easy yet frugal things we did this week to save both money as well as the environment.

5 Frugal things we did this week to save some cash and be eco friendly too. It's easy if you just look at things a different way. #TexasHomesteader

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Pet Stains? How To Easily Make Your Own Carpet Cleaner Solution

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by Texas Homesteader ~

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When we adopted our Mini-Schnauzer Baily several years ago, she was plagued by painful bladder stones. This condition also caused her to relieve herself often in the house, and her urine was sometimes tinged with blood. A carpet-stain nightmare! I’m happy to say surgery to remove her bladder stones was a success and Bailey has been a happy and healthy member of our household ever since. But that pet stain in our bedroom? Hummm…

Of course we tried to spot-clean the carpet ourselves with various purchased carpet cleaners. But even rinsing out the carpet to the best of our ability, the soap residue apparently attracted dirt over the following days until the stain magically ‘reappeared‘.

Pet stains on your carpet? We struggled for years to remove the stain, even using a professional carpet cleaning company. But this homemade stain treatment was what actually worked! #TexasHomesteader

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5 Frugal Things To Save Money This Week

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by Texas Homesteader ~

RancherMan & I were talking one morning this week as we enjoyed our coffee. He remarked “How wonderful is it that we’re HERE?? That we don’t have to use the alarm clock to wake us with a startle each morning, that we don’t deal with traffic an unreasonable boss or angry co-workers??”

I must admit I feel the same. Our lives out here are magical. But as we started recounting how it’s indeed possible for us to live in this magical place, one thing came up again and again. Finances. We have to be careful with them. We’ve traded a systematic paycheck for one that comes when it comes. But we’ve also traded the corporate world to live HERE! Finding places to save comes naturally to us now. Come see 5 Frugal Things we did this week to save a little cash.

5 Frugal Things To Save Money. Decluttering, Dining, Travel and MORE! #TexasHomesteader

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How To Make An All-Natural Air Freshener For Pennies

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by Texas Homesteader ~

Years ago I did away with artificial scents in our home. Oh how I used to love those reed diffusers, plug-in room fresheners and scented candles! But I decided those artificial scents just weren’t right for me or my family.

These days I’m more apt to use essential oils for room fresheners than a plastic-packaged plug-in delivering a sometimes overpowering artificial scent. Recently I made a super-cute room freshener using a repurposed canning jar and leftover lace. So easy, so inexpensive!

I don't want artificial air fresheners & scented candles in our home. So I easily made my own air freshener with baking soda, essential oil, a repurposed canning jar & leftover lace #TexasHomesteader

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Need a Quick & Easy Side Dish? Rosemary Rice

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by Texas Homesteader ~

We like to invite my parents to join us for supper whenever we can. There’s just something about breaking bread together that bonds people, don’t ya think? And heck, my folks live relatively close so why not?

Typically RancherMan will grill the main entree and I’ll provide the sides and dessert. One of our favorite sides is Roasted Fresh Vegetables because it’s eye-catching, healthy and easy. But I’ve made that side the last 2-3 times that they joined us. Although they loved it, I wanted something different this time. Hey, I have that gorgeous rosemary bush right outside my door. Why not put it to good use? I decided to make rosemary-flavored rice for a quick & easy yet delicious side.

Rosemary Rice - I needed a quick & easy side dish for a dinner party. I used fresh rosemary growing in my garden to make Rosemary Rice. #TexasHomesteader

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