Covid savings

Due to the pandemic, we were not allowed to go to hair salons or barbers. Previously, my hubs would NEVER let me cut his hair. However, that all changed during Corona. After many YouTube hair cutting tutorials, I've been cutting my both my teen son and husband's hair. It's not salon perfect but not too bad either. I just did a trim on my son's hair and as well as a full hair cut and partial beard trim for my husband. They actually gave me compliments on the hair cut! Love it!!

Check out what my neighborhood is doing...

How cool is this??? In front of a community arts building in my hood, a fridge popped up for those who need some food. Even though it says "Coming Soon" there was already some food in there. I think it works like the "take a penny, leave a penny" principle.

Yogurt for all!!

For a long time I was fascinated with making yogurt but couldn't get the hang of it. After several failed attempts I found the best recipe. It's foolproof!!!

All of the supplies.

Love this large measuring cup. It holds up to 8 cups!

Here's my digital thermometer. It let's me know when it reaches the correct temperature so I don't burn the yogurt.

Here's my old one. It's not fancy but it works just fine.

I freeze some yogurt from a previous batch. It's a great trick!

Heating up the milk.

Whisking the defrosted yogurt and warmed milk.

Once the stove top cooking is complete, I like to transfer the milk/yogurt mixture into containers, then place them in the oven. (I think it makes clean-up quicker.) I leave it in the oven with the light on overnight. It warms the oven to just the right temperature.

 The final product before it goes in the fridge to chill!

Here's the recipe:

Favorite Homemade Yogurt Recipe

From FrugalLivingNYC.blogspot.com

Adapted from the New York Times’ “Creamy Homemade Yogurt” by Melissa Clark

I love this recipe and keep it handy in the kitchen. It’s quick and easy to make. I eat it with potato pancakes or tomato soup and can be used in place of sour cream in most recipes as a healthy substitute. My favorite way to eat it is on its own with some honey or jam. Delish! A great tip is to reserve four tablespoons from each batch and freeze in little cups to use for next time. Works great!

Equipment:

• Medium or large heavy pot

• Optional but highly recommended to have a thermometer. I have a digital one that beeps when it gets to the correct temperature, but a traditional analog one works great too.

Ingredients:

• 2 quarts (8 cups) milk (whole milk tastes best but any variety of dairy milk works) 

• 4 tablespoons yogurt (with live and active cultures)

Directions:

• Optional: Rub an ice cube over the inside bottom of a heavy pot to prevent scorching.

• Add milk and bring to 190 to 200 degrees Fahrenheit. (It should be a low simmer with bubbles around the edges). Stir the milk as it heats.

• Remove pot from heat. Cool to 110 to 115 degrees Fahrenheit when it feels warm to the touch).

• Whisk yogurt and ½ cup of the warm milk in a separate bowl until smooth.Add the mixture back to the pot of warm milk and mix well then cover the pot.

• Let the pot sit for 6 to 12 hours in a warm environment. This is the trickiest part. I prefer keeping the mixture in a cold oven with just the light on. Some people wrap the pot in a towel and set it on a heating pad or on top of your refrigerator. The longer it sits, the thicker and tangier it will become.

• Place the pot in the refrigerator to chill for at least 4 hours to thicken.

Greek yogurt:

• Line a colander with a cheesecloth, clean t-shirt material, or (my favorite) a nut bag. Place yogurt in the lined colander with a bowl underneath. Let it sit in the fridge for 2 to 6 hours to drain. 

• You can use the drained liquid, the whey, for smoothies, soups, and more. 

Covid Accomplishments

Here are my shoes, so far, that I purged.

 It's just a drop in the bucket, but it's something.

I have a very long list of less common, but necessary housekeeping things to do.  Here are a few of the weird, but useful projects I completed on Covid quarantine:

* Washed the kitchen ceiling. The ceiling was filthy and had stains and splatters on it. The other day I took my Swiffer mop and put on a microfiber rag (purchased in bulk on Amazon) which was soaked in water and dishwashing liquid. I then, turned the mop upside down and mopped the ceiling. It worked perfectly. I definitely need to paint the ceiling but this way there are no stains or dirt highlighted.

* Cleaned and organized the junk drawer.

* Cleaned and organized the tool box.

* Touched up the scratches on the wood furniture in the home with dollar store furniture markers. Such a difference!!

* Had the handyman repair the captain bed drawer fronts and drawers and shore up the loft bed. (The repairs were beyond our meager abilities.)

* Asked the handyman to repair the microwave handle that broke off. He was unable to fix it, then it stopped working altogether.

* Purchased a new dishwasher and over the range microwave. We comparison shopped and then went to the cheapest appliance store who came in well under the prices we had. It's been YEARS since our dishwasher died.  The handyman installed it lickety split and even took out and discarded the old one. (He needs to return with a helper to install the microwave.)

* Shelves above the pantry collapsed. Hubs was able to do the repair himself! Woo hoo!

* Organized several drawers of clothing.

* Bought two pair of like new sneakers for about $7 each. Score!

* And, last but not least, I went through my shoes and organized them and got rid of 8 1/2 pairs! (I can only find one shoe of set so that is the "half".)  It's amazing how many pairs of shoes I own.  The funny thing is I only wear a couple on a regular basis. There are a few more that may still end up in the toss pile.

I'm so darn proud!!

My 16 year old kiddo just refashioned a shirt!  The shirt was gifted to us by a neighbor and ultimately landed in our "toss" pile. It was too big on me and too businesslike for the kids. It was going to be sent to the thrift shop (when they finally reopen) or less likely to be sold online. 

She measured, ironed, and sewed on her own. Looks great to me! Love it when frugalness and creativity come together!

Caveat Emptor

Furniture markers from Dollar Tree. Love them!!!

Here's the after photo. Much tidier!!

When Covid quarantine first began, I spend my days at the kitchen table which became my "office". Everyday, I would do my work and stare at my living room. I became obsessed with one corner of the room.  (Basically, every corner of that room has piles of various stuff, but one corner was particularly troubling.) I've been tackling the corner clutter issue for years and years, with little success.  However, I had a brainstorm.

I thought that if I organized the mess of musical instrument purgatory. (That's the corner where all of the dumped instruments go when the kids no longer want them.) It would do the trick.  While organizing that area was helpful, it didn't do it all. Then, I thought that if I got rid of the broken magazine holder and purchased a (used) storage ottoman, the problem would be fixed.  So, I became OBSESSED looking on Facebook Marketplace, Craigslist, and various other pre-owned furniture platforms, scouring the pages until I found what I wanted. Then, I pounced. I quickly (for me) bought one.  Problem solved?  Not yet.

I got an okay price of $45. While it's is significantly, less than the cost of new, this one had more mileage than I was led to believe by pictures from the owner.  Of course I tried to bargain down a bit, but he wouldn't budge.  This is why it's never a good idea to want something too much.  I should have walked away or at least thoroughly examined it prior. I would have had leverage to bargain, or at least be more aware of what I was purchasing.  Let the buyer beware!

But all was not lost. It was still in fair shape. I went to town and gave it a bath inside and out with a clean damp rag and some dish soap.  Then, I took a matching wood marker I already had from Dollar Tree (see pic) and touched up the wooden feet.  Finally, I took a cheap disposable razor and lightly shaved off the many pills covering the fabric.  Now, it looks great.  Just a little elbow grease and it's in tip top condition!!  

I took this opportunity to clean out the contents of the offending area.  I greatly decreased the sock pile (bag of single socks), put some blankets in the closet, and rearranged some things. While the corner is not ready for Architectural Digest, it's considerably better than it was and at least it's not an embarrassment anymore.  What do you think? (I forgot to take the before pics.)

I'm baaaack!

Hi everyone!  It's good to be back.  It feels right. 

So much to discuss.  Firstly, it's Covid-19 time.  Crazy!  Like most people, we've been social distancing and staying at home with all the kiddos, hubs, and doggy.  Recently, I had a Covid scare so now I'm on super-quarantine until negative test results are confirmed.  In the meantime, I'm confining myself to my bedroom and cancelling all outdoor activities. 

We were all looking forward to a camping get away to the annual Porcupine Festival in New Hampshire.  There I was to be a speaker on (you guessed it) Frugal Living as well as give detailed instructions on how to make homemade yogurt.  But, better safe, than sorry. So we made the hard choice to stay put.