Tag Archives: Frugality

Fast Instant Pot Black-Eyed Peas w/Rotel Tomatoes

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by Texas Homesteader ~ 

It’s very beneficial for our food budget that I prefer to cook dry beans. I mean, a bag of dried beans is cheap, y’all! And now that I have an Instant Pot, cooking them is super fast too. Especially black-eyed peas. Heck, I don’t even have to soak them first.

Black-eyed peas cook in only about 15 minutes with an additional 15-minute natural release time. I can put ‘em on to cook when I start supper and they’ll be ready to serve by the time we’re ready to eat!

But I wanted a little something different with our black-eyed peas. I decided to add some spicy Rotel tomatoes to them. They turned out deliciously.

The Instant Pot makes quick work of cooking dry Black-Eyed Peas. And this simple recipe has an added spicy kick from Rotel-style tomatoes. #TexasHomesteader

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5 Frugal Things – Meal Planning, Garden Tips, Coupons & More

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By Texas Homesteader ~

As it always is this time of year, this was a busy week for RancherMan & me. Between garden chores, PG checking cows, ordering new honeybee queens, doing hive splits, etc. we’ve really been working sun up to sun down.

But even when the days are filled to the brim there’s still ways to save money during our typical day-to-day life. Come see the 5 frugal ways we’ve been able to save money (and oftentimes with a positive environmental impact as well!)

5 Frugal Things we did this week to save money. #TexasHomesteader

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Closing The Loop In Charitable Giving

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by Texas Homesteader ~ 

Did ya ever think about closing the loop in charitable giving? I mean, you’ve made a wonderful donation of household goods to that thrift store. That’s awesome! But then what?

Several years ago we began to be aware of our environmental footprint and took several steps to reduce that footprint.  (HA! I said STEPS & footprint – see what I did there?)

First we took a good hard look at the overabundance we already had and stopped ‘boredom shopping’ for yet more stuff to overfill our home. That was a pretty big step.

But today I want to talk about something that can make a larger impact:  Buying used instead of new. It’s good for your finances and good for the environment. Yet it’s oftentimes very misunderstood.

Your donated goods to 'charity' don't help their cause. It's the SALE of those goods (and money received) they need. Buying Used From Thrift Stores Is Good For The Environment. You help a good cause & you often get higher quality at a lower cost too! #TexasHomesteader
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All-Natural Cutting Board & Wood Utensil Conditioner

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By Texas Homesteader ~
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I have a couple of large wooden cutting boards. And many wood utensils too. I’ve owned and used them all heavily for years. 

But I’m mindful in taking care of them. They’re always hand-washed and dried before putting them away.

I don’t put anything made of wood in my dishwasher. Doing that could ruin your wooden items. Even utensils that are steel but have a wooden handle need to be hand-washed.

But even with proper care, over the years your wooden items might need a little extra love. Maybe they start drying out a little. So they might benefit from a little conditioner.

I make my own all-natural wood cutting board conditioner using only natural beeswax and organic coconut oil. #TexasHomesteader

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Solar Energy Can Be Passive and Free!

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by Texas Homesteader ~ 

It seems being environmentally friendly is all the rage now. But for some reason I was bitten by the environmental bug years before it became the thing to do.

I was using my own reusable bags well before it was fashionable. It’s funny the strange looks I received from clerks when I asked them to place my purchases into my own canvas bag.

I used to joke with RancherMan that if I could get a nickel for every time the puzzled cashier exclaimed “are you SURE??“ that I could pay off all our bills!

Because I naturally have such a “tread softly on the earth” mindset it was primary in my mind when we built our home in NE Texas.

We incorporated many energy efficiency features as well as passive solar features into its construction.

But not everyone is in the building phase of their home so I thought I’d pass on some good news – passive solar energy can be very low cost and many times doesn’t cost a dime!

Solar energy use doesn't have to cost anything. Read about how passive solar energy can be used in almost any home for no additional money! #TexasHomesteader
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Where To Find FREE Repurposed Lids To Fit Canning Jars

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~ by Texas Homesteader ~ 

I use canning jars for many things here on the Homestead. Everything from actual food canning to storing leftovers in the refrigerator to storing dehydrated food in the pantry. 

Although I shy away from using glass in my freezer, many people repurpose canning jars to freeze foods as well. (using proper headspace recommendations of course) 

Since you can only use traditional 2 piece canning flats & rings once for actually canning food, often I’ll utilize previously-used canning flats & rings to top those canning jars I’m using for other food storage.

But sometimes doinking around with a 2-part lid is inconvenient.

Come see what I’ve found to replace that 2-part lid for food storage on the cheap.

Well, for FREE actually.

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Reducing Waste In The Kitchen (part I)

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by Texas Homesteader ~ 
*contains affiliate link

Y’all know I’ve been on a quest to reduce our outgoing household trash for years now. We’ve been pretty successful.

As a matter of fact we’ve eliminated the need for a weekly trash pickup to haul our household trash to the dump.

There are so many steps we took to reduce our trash output so drastically including the (now 5) R’s – Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, Repurpose, Recycle. 

Today I’ll talk about a few ways we’ve been able to very easily yet substantially reduce our trash output from our home’s kitchen.

REDUCING TRASH IN THE KITCHEN to make a huge impact in reducing the amount of landfill trash spilling from your home. It's EASY! #TexasHomesteader

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5 Frugal Things – Winter Storm Edition!

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by Texas Homesteader ~ 

OK, I may be cheating somewhat with this post of 5 frugal things we did to save money this week. Most money-saving steps were more necessity than anything!

You see, not only here in Texas but even most of the United States was slammed with a historic arctic blast this past week. It was bad y’all.

Thankfully we were blessed with a little time to prepare beforehand. Still there were things we did to save some money during the icy-cold hardship.

Come see this week’s winter storm version of 5 Frugal Things!

Many of this week's frugality was forced due to a winter storm. Still, come see the 5 frugal things - WINTER STORM EDITION#TexasHomesteader

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