The Dollar Stretcher Review

Canning on the Cheap

Pat — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 16:09:00 GMT

Thrift stores and garage sales are good sources of canning jars. Run your finger around the rim to check for nicks that will prevent sealing. Buy lids and rings in bulk to save money, or invest in Tattler lids and rings, which are reuseable many times...(read more)

Sloppy Joes

Pat — Fri, 31 May 2013 16:18:00 GMT

When I need a quick meal that everyone likes, sloppy joes often come to mind. Even without hamburger buns, a mixture of ground meat in a sauce over bread is good food! Add a salad and a potato and it's a balanced meal. Not all dishes made like this...(read more)

Hitting the Road, Frugally

Pat — Fri, 24 May 2013 16:23:00 GMT

It's the time of year when many of us start to think about summer vacations. Where to go, where to stay, what to do? Probably the most frugal of all vacations is camping, even if it's in a cabin or an RV. Our national park system is a great place...(read more)

Live Without or Minimize Air Conditioning

Pat — Fri, 17 May 2013 16:39:00 GMT

I grew up (for the most part) in an old log house. Not the kind of log house you see built now, but the old fashioned, real thing. The walls were at least eight inches thick and thicker in some areas. No insulation - how do you insulate a solid piece...(read more)

Make Your Own Food... Your Own

Pat — Fri, 03 May 2013 16:05:00 GMT

I grew up before there was such a thing as boxed mixes and "convenience" foods. Okay, maybe there were a few... but not many. I don't remember Mom every buying any. Everything we ate was made from scratch and that's how I learned to...(read more)

Soap is Soap

Pat — Fri, 26 Apr 2013 16:00:00 GMT

I think Amy Dacyczyn said it first: "Soap is soap." Someone else might have seconded that. If so, I will third it. Soap IS soap. It can be dish soap, hand soap, body wash or laundry soap, but it's all soap and its purpose is to clean something...(read more)

Edible landscaping

Pat — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 19:32:00 GMT

When I hear "edible landscaping" my mind immediately goes to flowering fruit trees, then it goes to raspberries filling in an otherwise awkward corner. There are many ways to landscape your yard, both front and back, and grow food at the same...(read more)

Frugal and Natural Landscaping

Pat — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 20:54:00 GMT

Last year I let purslane fill in an area where it's hard to grow grass. It's a narrow strip beside the driveway and next to the neighbor's fence, so it's hard to water and to manipulate a mower. Our city is death on weeds and bare spots...(read more)

Make Your Own Potting Soil

Pat — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 15:18:00 GMT

Well, I hate to write about the same topic twice (not really), but some of the articles in the coming week's Dollar Stretcher really got me going - about spring and gardening, seeds, plants, dirt... that sort of thing. There are some really good ideas...(read more)

Satisfy spring planting fever for cheap

Pat — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 16:49:00 GMT

When spring comes, can gardening and landscaping be far behind? Spring time seems to give us an urge to spruce things up and make changes in our yards, our homes and our gardens. One of the things that most quickly satisfies this urge is to grow new things...(read more)