Another way to host a holiday party or meal, although untraditional is to have a Thanksgiving Potluck. There are two ways. Either assign a menu and have everyone sign up for an item, or allow anyone to bring anything. I prefer to have a menu prepared and use the free invitations and signup forms on www...

You can stretch your budget and your menu with the one basic bread recipe that we send out with every newsletter . "How?" – you may ask. Simply look at the lump of dough differently. This is a mindset - just start thinking outside the bread box. Freshly Milled Whole Wheat Hot Dog Buns The Basic...

Of all things! My bread machine (of 15 years) finally completely gave out! Pretty sure it's past its warranty. Oh wait! I think got it at a garage sale so there likely IS no warranty. . I've done my due diligence with it over the years; soldering 'this' that broke, unscrewing and cleaning...

After weathering the financial storm for the last year, DH's business has taken a sharp downward turn since about July. Actually "plummeting" would be a much better description. DH and I have been discussing it and we realized that we will have no choice but to scale back this year. Thankfully...

Versatility is one of my most important keys to budgeting. Versatility in many areas helps to stretch a budget farther than it may normally go. Here are just a few ideas in a couple of different areas: Wardrobe Versatility: Admittedly, I don't have a very versatile wardrobe. I am a jean/shorts and...

Water is one of the most reasonable beverages for a tight budget. We drink a LOT of it. We have a faucet filter and use glass or stainless steel bottles for carrying the water around with us. Bottled water is too expensive and not good for either our own health or the environment, so none of that plastic...

While cutting the grocery budget and still trying to feed the family a healthy diet, it seemed that most of our 'temptations' were for the treats we would get when we had been used to eating out. So I started a massive test kitchen effort to recreate them with a healthy and budget friendly twist...

It truly is a homesteading mindset to look at things a little 'off' the set normal center. That's what I love about the pioneering spirit of homesteading. The truth is that mindset can be used everywhere!! Let's look at home decor and some ideas we use around the house here (on our homestead...

Well, weather you care to learn these tips because you dream of 'Little House on the Prairie Days' or you just want to stretch the dollars you have, a homesteader's mind works a little differently than most. One main thing is to look at any one object and see how many different ways you can...

In case you haven't read/heard there is a huge peanut butter recall (yes, again) across the nation. It is affecting everything from the stuff itself to ice cream and candy bars that peanut butter is in - I mean EVERYTHING is getting the FDA warning for recall if it contains ANY peanut butter. There...