Tag Archives: Frugality

How I Make Cheap ‘Oat Flour’ With Whole Oats

Leave a reply

by Texas Homesteader ~
*contains affiliate link

I’ve experimented with sandwich bread recipes for several years. I prefer whole-wheat bread for the health aspect as well as the heartier feel of it. But I’ve not been pleased with bread made completely with whole wheat flour. It’s just too dry for our tastes. So I started mixing different ratios of all purpose and whole wheat flour for RancherMan’s Sandwich Bread to get the best of both worlds.

But whole wheat flour is expensive in our area. And I figured oatmeal’s healthy, right?? So I decided to offset a portion of whole wheat flour with whole oats ground into flour when I make my Oatmeal Sandwich Bread. or my Honey/Oat Bread Machine Recipe. We loved it. It still had the hearty feel that whole wheat offers, but cheaper! You’re not gonna believe how easy this is.

I grind whole oats into 'oat flour' and include it as a healthy ingredient in my homemade bread. The same hearty feel as whole wheat. #TexasHomesteader

Continue reading →

2-Lb Oatmeal Bread Recipe For A Bread Machine

2 Replies

by Texas Homesteader ~
* contains affiliate link

I’ve had several bread machines over the years. The bread was tasty of course, but I always got rid of them. They were just so big, heavy & bulky. It just wasn’t worth it.

But during a recent visit with my dad, he mentioned that he wanted to get rid of his bread machine to clear the space on his counter top for another appliance. He said if I didn’t take it, he was tossing it in the trash. I couldn’t stand the waste so I figured I’d take it home. If I found I still hated bread machines I’d make sure to get it to someone who could use it.

But bread machines are apparently different now and I find I really love it! I’ve even tweaked my own Oatmeal Sandwich Bread recipe to make a 2-lb bread-maker loaf.

Bread Machine recipe for a delicious 2-lb loaf of homemade oatmeal bread. Use your bread machine to simplify bread-baking day! #TexasHomesteader

Continue reading →

Soap Grows On Trees! Using Soapberries For A Natural Shampoo

2 Replies

by Texas Homesteader ~

I have a super-smart friend from whom I always learn oh-so-much. Recently we were at a luncheon together & she mentioned that she uses soapberries for shampoo – no conditioner required.

She puts dried soapberries in water and lets them sit for about 6 weeks before she removes the berries. Then she adds a bit of baking soda and uses it to clean her hair.

Well color me intrigued! I found a Soapberry Tree on our property several years ago. So I decided to give it a try.

Using Soapberries for a natural shampoo is easy on your hair and easy on your budget. It's true - soap really DOES grow on trees! #TexasHomesteader

Continue reading →

3 Rainwater Catchment Systems Used At Our Homestead

5 Replies

by Texas Homesteader ~
* Contains affiliate link

The heat & humidity here in Texas during a typical summer can create some gardening challenges. And in our area of NE Texas, we’ve been in drought conditions for several years in a row. It can feel like an expensive losing battle to keep your garden watered.

But I don’t pay for treated water to irrigate my gardens. They’re all watered with harvested rainwater. Come see three rainwater harvesting systems that work best for us.

Continue reading →

The Home-Gardener’s Sweetener – STEVIA!

Leave a reply

by Texas Homesteader ~

Several years ago our daughter mentioned casually that she was growing Stevia. Wait, Stevia? You mean, the sweetener? You can GROW THAT!!?? I had no idea!

Excitedly I sat out to find a place to purchase the plant. I found it at a local discount warehouse-type store and brought it home. I plunked it into my landscaping bed as part of my edible landscape. It’s a pretty enough plant, so why not?

I’ve had this plant for a couple of years and it always comes back in the spring. But now that I’m growing my own zero-calorie sweetener, what should I do with it?

Stevia is a plant you can grow in your edible landscape. Harvest the leaves to make your very own home-grown sweetener. #TexasHomesteader

Continue reading →

5 Frugal Things – Bread, Tea, Chicken, Storm & Hummingbird

6 Replies

by Texas Homesteader~

Occasionally I’ll share a short list of 5 Frugal Things I’ve done recently to save time, money and/or the environment. The beauty is that often these 5 frugal things check off all of those categories.

It’s been a while so I thought I’d share a quick list of 5 frugal things I did this week.

Come see 5 Frugal Things we did this week to save some cold, hard cash. It's easy to save money throughout the week if you keep your eyes open. #TexasHomesteader Continue reading →

BBQ Rub & Beer-Based Mop Sauce Recipe

Leave a reply

by Texas Homesteader ~

Every year RancherMan & I host a fun family gathering we’ve always called ‘RanchFest‘. It’s actually celebrated on the anniversary of the date we purchased this little piece of paradise. But we consider it a mini-family reunion.

Back when the kids were young (but before we actually lived here) we’d bring our kids and my siblings would bring theirs. We’d have a big celebration & bonfire. Oh how much fun it was to get together, and the kids loved hanging out with their cousins.

But they’re all grown and most have children of their own now. So every year at RanchFest we get together to relive those fun times. This year we’ll be serving pulled-pork sandwiches using meat from the wild hogs RancherMan’s harvested. He’ll smoke the meat, but we needed a BBQ Rub & Mop Sauce. And he certainly found a good one!

A delicious beer/coffee based BBQ mop sauce and dry rub recipe for smoked meat on the grill. Super easy to whip up in a flash. #TexasHomesteader

Continue reading →

MYO Simple Craft Paintbrush In A Pinch

2 Replies

by Texas Homesteader~

The other day I decided to try a gardening hack I’d read about. I wanted to paint some small rocks red to look like strawberries. The idea is to Trick Birds Away From Your Garden Strawberries. The birds see the bright-red faux berries and decide to swoop in for a little snack. A few pecks of that rock hard ‘strawberry‘ and they decide you’re an awful gardener and move on, leaving future strawberries for your own harvest.

I already had the paint, I already had the rocks, but I didn’t have a small paintbrush. So I decided to make one on the fly. All I  needed was a tiny scrap piece of absorbent material & an ordinary clothespin.

I needed a small craft paintbrush so I fashioned one in seconds using a piece of repurposed scrap cloth and a clothespin. #TexasHomesteader

 

Continue reading →

Edible Landscape: Planting A Large Galvanized Trough

2 Replies

by Texas Homesteader ~

I love the concept of edible landscaping. Just because a plant grows something you can eat doesn’t mean it can’t be beautifully incorporated into your landscape plan. I’m fond of adding carrots along the perimeter of my plantings for it’s lacy greenery border. And I love using the bold crinkly leaves of a spinach plant for interest, or to anchor a planting area with a vibrant zucchini plant. I’ve used blueberry bushes in place of typical landscaping bushes. The possibilities are endless!

Recently we had an Outdoor Living room built to extend our back porch. I sat out to Landscape It On The Cheap. As always I strove to plant edibles in two huge galvanized trough planters.

Planting large galvanized water troughs for edible beauty around your home. It's easy and can be done inexpensively too. #TexasHomesteader

Continue reading →

5 Frugal Things This Week: Bird-Feeding & Garden Edition

6 Replies

by Texas Homesteader ~

We’re all trying to save a little cold hard cash these days. But sometimes it feels overwhelming just knowing where to start. And sometimes it feels if we’re not doing something grand to save wads of cash, we’re not really making an impact.

But I’m here to tell you there are small things you can do every day to save money. And they’re not big bold moves. The key is to make easy, effortless and yet effective decisions. A mind-shift change is all that’s needed. You need to look at your daily activity with a tilt on “I wonder if I could…” You’ll see what I mean. Come see 5 frugal things we did this week to easily save money.

5-Frugal Things: Bird-Feeding & Gardening Edition. It's easy to find little ways to save money. It just takes a different mindset. Come see 5 frugal things we did to save money this week. #TexasHomesteader

Continue reading →