Category: Frugal Living Tips

I’m not sure what rock I had been living under, but I never heard of Earth Hour until last year during my speech class. An exchange student from China gave a wonderful speech on Earth Hour. I try to live a “greener”  life by conserving more of our resources, planting more of my own food, and recycling. I plan on participating in Earth Hour by turning off my lights for one hour. It seems inconvenient in our super busy lives to not be on the computer or to watch television, but maybe Earth Hour can help us to slow down a little and spend more time together as a family.

Earth Hour originated in Sydney Australia in 2007 by the WWF (World Wildlife Fund) by asking everyone to turn off their lights for one hour. The date is March 31, 2012 (Saturday night) at 8:30 PM until 9:30PM. The initiative is to help offset the climate change, but it also conserves energy. From the Earth Hour website: “It’s scheduled on the last Saturday of every March – closely coinciding with the equinox to ensure most cities are in darkness as it rolled out around the Earth.” Last year more than 135 countries and millions of people participated in Earth Hour.

What else can we do to help preserve our planet?

Earth Hour asks everyone to go beyond the 60 minutes of one year by doing more to help conserve and preserve our world. The things we do to conserve are usually what helps to save you money. No matter what your views are, we do need to help preserve our planet for our generation and future generations. What we do now impacts us all now and in the future.

Get involved . It is also a great way to slow down and spend time with your loved ones. There are lots of great ideas by making a nice dinner by candlelight, play games with your flashlights, go outside and pretend to camp or look at the stars, talk, tell stories, or spend time with the neighbors and play cards. The possibilities are endless, and some communities have big events for the whole town or city to participate together.

I dare you to participate in Earth Hour on March 31, 2012 from 8:30-9:30. Will you join Earth Hour?

 

 

 

Today’s thrifty living tip is to water down juice. It stretches out the juice plus it cuts back on the amount of sugar your kid(s) drink. I know that drinking water is the best beverage and many of us do not drink enough water daily. I used to add an extra 1/4 cup of water so it still tasted good to my son. I also use this tip for cranberry juice. I do not like the taste of it, but it tastes more like a cocktail type drink to add a small amount to my water.

Today’s thrifty living tip is to use a bag as a paint tray liner. I don’t have any pictures, but basically use a plastic shopping bag or even a garbage bag as a liner for the paint tray. It’s much cheaper than buying those plastic throw away ones at the store. It is much easier to clean up when you are done. I just put the paint tray inside the bag and tie at the end. It stays in place, and all I have to do is untie and throw the mess away. Try it for your next painting project.

My mom is an amazing baker. She makes all her delicious desserts from scratch. When she asked me what I wanted for my birthday, then I immediately replied Tiramisu please. I recently asked her where she found the recipe so I could share it on my blog. She got it off the back of the bag of lady fingers she uses (the brand will be listed in the recipe below). The Tiramisu cake was just as divine as it looks in the picture.

*Note: She usually uses Brandy but did use Marsala which made it taste a little stronger. You could smell the wine more than the brandy. Strange but true.

Tiramisu Recipe

To make tiramisu begin by making zabaglione cream as follows:

5 egg yolks from Large Grade eggs – 1/4 cup sugar – 1/2 cup Marsala

In the top part of a double boiler, beat eggs and sugar together until the mixture is pale yellow in color. In the bottom part of the double boiler, bring water to a boil then reduce heat to simmer. Place egg yolk mixture over water and gradually add Marsala, beating continuously. Scrape bottom and sides of pan occasionally and cook 6-10 minutes until soft mounds can be formed. Transfer to bowl, cover and refrigerate 30 minutes.

1 cup whipping cream, chilled

4 tbsp. sugar

1 lb. Mascarpone Cheese (if unavailable, substitute two 8 oz pckgs. cream cheese combined with 1/2 cup whipping cream and 5 tbsp. Sour cream)

1 recipe Zabaglione

2 cups (16 oz) freshly brewed espresso or other strong brew coffee

1/2 cup Brandy or Marsala

1 tbsp. vanilla

2 7oz pkg Alessi Savoiardi Cookies

3 tbsp. cocoa powder

*Chocolate curls or edible flowers for garnish (optional)

Whip Cream with 2 tbsp sugar until soft peaks form. Fold in Mascarpone and Zabaglione and mix till well blended. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour. On a separate bowl, mix espresso, 2 tbsp sugar, Brandy and vanilla. Arrange 16 cookies on the bottom of a 9″x13″ pan. Carefully spoon about 1 tbsp of the coffee mixture over each cookie so they are well saturated but not falling apart. Spoon 1/3 cheese mixture over cookies and sprinkle with 1 tbsp cocoa. Repeat two more times ending with cocoa. Cover and refrigerate at least 5  hours or overnight so that cookies can soften as they absorb moisture. Garnish and serve. Makes 12 servings.

*My mom does not use either one for garnish and just leaves the cocoa powder on top.

Enjoy the wonderful tiramisu cake and please let me know what you think.

Today’s thrifty living tip is to whiten teeth with baking soda.  I know you can purchase toothpaste made with baking soda, but I don’t find they work all that well. Those whitening strips are very expensive even with coupons and sales.

I find the very best way to whiten my teeth is to use plain baking soda. I make a paste with a teaspoon of baking soda, a pinch of salt, and add a little water. Use that paste to brush your teeth. You could also just sprinkle a little on a wet toothbrush. I find the paste cleans better. I then rinse my mouth well with water. You can use a little hydrogen peroxide, but be careful to never ingest peroxide (even food grade). I would suggest if you ever want to swish with peroxide then mix it with an equal amount of water.

I only use this mixture once to twice a month. Baking soda is abrasive and will wear away the enamel if used often. My dentist reassured me it is safe to use but not daily. He recommends no more than once a week at most, but said every other week would be safer. My teeth are not overly stained so I stick to once a month.

Have you tried baking soda as a tooth whitener? If you have, then what were your results?