Got a Kindle or a Nook, but after spending the money for these electronic readers, have little cash to actually buy any e-books? Check out these 5 sites that offer free and legal downloads (usually a book will be free because the copyright has expired) and enjoy a good book tonight!
1. Project Gutenberg
2. ManyBooks.net
3.Tor.com (Science Fiction)
4. Amazon (Visit their site to see what free eBooks are being offered.)
5. Barnes and Nobles (They also usually have free eBooks you can download.)
Also, check with your local library; Many libraries are starting to offer e-books on special library websites that you can download for a week or two. Some libraries are even loaning Kindles with e-books are downloaded on them.
Got cheese? Specifically, those little hunks of left-over cheese sitting around in your refrigerator that you just don't know what to do with? Here is a delicious recipe to whip up using those last little bits of cheese-- just remember to not toss them out anymore, but save them in a plastic baggie until you have enough!
Once you have about 1/2 pound of assorted left over cheese bits (doesn't matter what variety,) make this French treat:
- Chop one to two cloves of garlis in a food processor or blender.
- Add in the cheese and 1/4 cup white wine.
- Add some pepper to taste
- Blend until smooth and creamy.
Spread over French Bread and enjoy!!
While these soap tips might not save you a bundle of money, even saving a few cents here and there can add up. Plus, some of these uses for soap are far greener than buying chemical products at the grocery store.
1. Use Soap to Keep Bugs Out of Your Garden.
Using a vegetable peeler, shave some soap and sprinkle the shavings over your garden. The soap scents helps to keep bugs and other garden pests away from your vegetables and flowers.
2. Keep Stored Luggage Smelling Fresh.
Keep one of those little hotel soaps in your suitcase after you come home from vacation. The soap will help deodorize your luggage and keep it smelling fresh until you need to pack your suitcases again.
3. Pre-Treat Stains.
Instead of buying expensive laundry stain removers, try rubbing a fresh stain with a damp bar of soap. Toss the clothing in the hamper, and when you wash the clothes, the stain should be gone.
4. Soothe Bug Bites.
Rub a moist bar of soap over a bug bite. Let the film dry over the bite. The soap will soothe the skin and should remove the itch as well.
5. Fix a Sticky Drawer.
Rub soap on a sticky drawer track. Your drawers should glide open and closed easily!
6. Mark a Hem.
Use a bar of soap to mark hems instead of powdery chalk. It will leave a clean mark with no powder to worry about.
This week has been a busy week with the kids home from school and such, and time for blogging has been pretty meager. But I have a few tidbits to share quickly today, and will try to get more posts up very soon!
Thursday Thrifty Tips today ( I kind of like the sound of that):
1, Keep your lettuce fresher longer by putting a piece of bread in the plastic bag (if you store your lettuce in a plastic bag at all.) The slice of bread will help absorb moisture and will help keep the lettuce from wilting.
2. Got backyard bbq's, picnics and parties going on this summer? Then you probably are seeing ants around tables looking for crumbs. After the party, when you are clearing those patio tables, wipe them down with white vinegar. The acetic acid deodorizes the table and hides the scent of sugar from spilled drinks .... which of course, lures the ants.
3. For a fast natural way to deodorize your kitchen, slice 2 lemons, layer on a foil-lined cookie sheet and bake them in a pre-heated oven at 225 degrees for about 60 minutes. After the oven cools down, open the doors and let the scent fill the room.
4. In the summer, garbage cans seem to be more prone to hungry and curious "visitors" like raccoons. Try sprinkling Epsom Salt around the trash bins to deter animals. They do not like the salt, but it will not harm them...just make hem want to check out someone else's trash instead.
So in an earlier post I mentioned that from time to time (like on Saturday mornings maybe?) I would list some ways to make some extra money from home that you can save (or do with whatever you need to do with. Buy a tutu. Pay the gardener. See a movie. But really, try and save it!! ) because after all, it is one thing to want to save money every week, but another thing to actually have money left-over to save!
This week's opportunity is with M.O.M. ( Miles of Marketing) Network. Simply put, you review products, and then market said products (I think usually by agreeing to place a magnetic car decal on your car) for a promotion cycle of two weeks. There is also online marketing in which you might write a review, and/or offer coupons, giveaways, etc.
After each two-week promotion you participate in, you are paid.
If you are interested, and would like full details, visit the M.O.M. network at www.milesofmarketing.com, and also check them out on Facebook.
**My Disclaimer**
I have not signed up with nor worked with this company. In fact, I am not affiliated in any way with them,. nor have I received any form of compensation from them. I am simply providing this information which I have found during my Internet browsing, as a resource for anyone interested in making extra money from home.
I think that covers it. Whew.
So maybe I should **duck**? I know we all think about eating less and drive ourselves nuts trying to eat less. We do whatever we can to avoid the refrigerator and it's daunting presence. So who am I, you are probably asking, to even say something like eat less to save money?! I know,I know. But really, I do have a small tip that might help curb those "need to munch on something" urges that our bodies and wallets could do without.
Mint Tea.
Researchers say that sipping some mint tea before eating triggers "I'm full" messages to the brain. Now that is a good thing, right? Worth a try? I think so.
Just crush 2 tsp. of fresh mint leaves in 1 cup of hot water and steep for 5 minutes. Then strain and enjoy!
(To grow your own mint, keep the plant in a shady spot and keep the soil relatively moist.)
Breakfast just happens to be my favorite meal of the day, so it is a delicious option for our family to make a "breakfast meal for dinner" every so often! Dishes made with eggs can be very easy on your food budget, so why not serve one up one night soon?
Try this recipe for a Spinach Omelet. Add some dinner rolls and a tossed salad for a yummy cheap dinner menu!
(Serves about 4)
Ingredients:
8 large eggs
4 cups large-leaf spinach
Salt and Pepper to taste
Heat 2 Tbs. vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Rinse the spinach and pat dry with a paper towel. Add the spinach to the oil and suate until it wilts down, about 2 minutes.
In a bowl, whisk eggs together. Add a dash of salt and pepper. Then pour the eggs into the pan.
Turn down the heat and let the eggs set. When they start to get solid, carefully turn the omelet over. Heat until the eggs are fully cooked.
Divide into four servings and enjoy!
