NickleWise.com

Archive for January, 2009

Using this can save you money instead of paying for the name you have the same thing for a whole lot less.

This makes a Triple Batch:

Ingredients:
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
5 teaspoons Baking powder
1 teaspoon Salt
5 tablespoons Solid shortening
3 tablespoons Unsalted butter — cut up

• In a large bowl whisk together dry ingredients.

• With electric mixer on low or #2 of a 3 speed mixer, cut in fats until uniform in texture and fat particles are no longer visible. Remove from mixer.

• Divide among 3 air tight containers. A batch is scant 2 c.

• Keep refrigerated for up to one month.

• Recipe is easily doubled, tripled, etc.

Puzzles are a lot of fun for the whole family. There are many ways to make puzzles at very little cost. One of the easiest ways to make a puzzle is to buy those educational children’s place mats and cut it into puzzle pieces. Make sure you draw the lines the way you want it cut first and then cut on the lines. These puzzles store nicely in a gallon size zipper bag.

Another way to make a puzzle is to take the fronts of cereal boxes and cut them apart just like you did the place mat. This won’t be as sturdy as the place mat, but it works well and can still be stored in a zipper bag.

Posters can be mounted on cardboard, covered with clear contact paper, and cut apart to make large floor puzzles. Children love floor puzzles and this is an easy and inexpensive way to make a whole bunch of them for about the same money you would pay for one manufactured floor puzzle.

 If you think those spongy puzzles are cool, there is a simple way to make them. You need scraps of the padding they put under carpeting. If you don’t have any contact your local carpet store and ask for the leftovers they have from installing carpet. This is usually just one color so you can either draw a design on it or leave it plain. Then make your puzzle lines and cut along them with a utility knife. Both the spongy puzzle and floor puzzles will store in those plastic storage bins.

• Do an energy audit of your house, identifying areas where heated air is leaking out. Check around doors, windows, fireplaces, and other areas that may feel drafty. Use caulk, weather stripping, door sweeps, plastic, and other appropriate means to close off these leaks. If your house is poorly insulated, adding additional insulation will pay for itself in reduced heating costs.
• Minimize your use of ventilation fans such as bathroom fans and kitchen hood fans in winter. A bathroom fan can suck all the heated air out of the average house in little more than an hour. Over the course of the winter, ventilation fans can increase your heating costs by a surprising amount.
• Don’t heat areas of your house you don’t use regularly, such as guest rooms. Close heating vents or turn back thermostats in those areas and close the doors for a painless reduction in heating costs.
• Turn down the heat and use space heaters to heat the room you spend time in.
• Keep your furnace, heat pump, or other heating equipment in top operating condition. Dirty filters reduce the efficiency of your furnace or heat pump. Poorly tuned units are inefficient and use more fuel. An annual maintenance agreement is well worth the money to ensure that your equipment is properly maintained and will last as long as possible.
• Don’t turn your thermostat up above the desired temperature. It won’t heat up any more quickly and will make your furnace work harder. Also, while it makes sense to turn the heat back when you’re sleeping or not at home, turning it down too low can actually cost you more because the contents of the house have to be re-heated in addition to the air. 68 to 70 degrees while you’re home and awake, and 60 to 65% while you’re asleep or not at home are reasonable temperatures.
• Consider a programmable thermostat to raise and lower the temperature at pre-set times.
• Check the temperature setting on your hot water heater. If you have a dishwasher, your water should be heated to 120°. Otherwise, it can be somewhat lower.
• If your water heater is in an unheated space like an unfinished basement, wrap it in an insulation blanket available at hardware stores to prevent heat loss.
• Wash clothes in cold water whenever possible.
• It’s tempting to stand under a hot shower on a cold morning for as long as possible, but cutting your shower time in half can save up to 33% on your hot water heating costs.
• In winter, open the blinds and curtains on the sunny side of the house (the south-facing side) when the sun is shining and close them as soon as the sun goes down to retain the solar heat. Close curtains on the shady side of the house (north-facing side). If you don’t have curtains, consider installing some. Curtains made from heavy fabric with lots of folds (fullness) can prevent cold air from seeping in and warm air from seeping out, which reduces your heating costs.

Do not put harsh chemicals down the pipes, try 1/4 cup baking soda then ad 1 cup white vinegar. 

Let sit for 15 minutes then flush the drain with a pot of boiling water.

8 pork chops
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup Heinz 57 sauce
6 oz. apple juice (concentrated, undiluted)
3 apples, sliced (if you like firmer apples use baking apples like Granny Smith. I use whatever apples I have on hand. This is a good way to use what is dying in the fridge.)

Brown pork chops in skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Place chops in a 9×13 pan and arrange apple slices on top. Combine Heinz 57 sauce and apple juice and pour over everything. Bake uncovered at 350° for 30-40 minutes.

Baste occasionally.