Building a Greenhouse for Gardening and More
A quick mosquito repellent
Homegrown basil rubbed on the skin can repel mosquitos. If you're having a barbecue throw a little on the coals, it will keep them away better than a citronella candle.
Homemade Garden Cart Plans
You can get a pretty good idea how to build it by just looking at the
pictures.
NU WAYS WIKI
Alternative forms of energy will play a vital role in cooling the
earth and otherwise exploring new ways of doing things.
Join a potential global network of collaborators by clicking on title.
Bee/Hornet Cure
The next time you get stung put a penny on the bite for 15 minutes. Somehow the copper in the penny counteracts the bite. It definitely does work.
SportsmanDIY
This site can tell ya how to do just about anything...from building a bluebird house, to skinning a bear to how to build a stacked wood house... Click on title and see
Keep Garden Tools Clean
Keep you garden tools clean and rust free by keeping a bucket of sand handy. Brush off excess soil, then plunge your tool into the sand. The sand alone will scrub your tool clean. You can add a bottle of oil to your bucket of sand to lubricate and protect your tool. Many people use old motor oil. I like to use a cooking oil, but this isn't practical if you're bucket is accessible to wildlife.
Free Support Our Troops Dog Tags
Send a "Dog Tag" in your name to a soldier in Iraq
I'm not ashamed of our troops -- are you?
Do It Yourself Dog Biscuits
With all the problems with dog food lately here is a good way to make dog biscuits.
1/2 c rolled oats
2 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 egg
1/4 c canola oil
2 T molasses
1/2 c water
Mix ingredients all together in bowl, roll out dough and use cookie cutters to make designs or just roll in cookie shapes. Bake 375 degrees F for 10 to 15 minutes.
Click on title to take you to other recipes for dogs.
Useful Tips
# If someone has put permanent marker on your car, you would want to try a test area with either WD-40 or fingernail polish remover or both, depending on how long it has been on there.
# Plain white vinegar is a good substitute for fabric softener. Environmentally safe and non-alergenic, just add 1/2 to one cup as you would a liquid softener.
# Did you know there is a method to the madness when it comes to the color of the twisty-ties on bread? Each day has a different color twist tie,they go alphabetically by color. They are:
Monday = Blue
Tuesday = Green
Thursday = Red
Friday = White
Saturday = Yellow
Angel Food Ministries
Angel Food Ministries is a non-profit, non-denominational organization dedicated to providing grocery relief to communities throughout the United States.
Angel Food works through churches and community organizations in over 32 states. For further information, please take a few minutes to peruse their website by clicking on the title.
Freedom To Take Vitamins May End!
Check the link to the National Health Alliance ad at the beginning of
the article. It illustrates the absurd consequences of the bills being
voted on soon.
http://www.nha2006. com/
Gardening Tip
If you'll be planting seeds left over from last year, you can test their viability before planting. Sprinkling the seeds you want to use in the bottom of a glass or jar and then fill it with water. The seeds that float to the top are probably no good. Plant the seeds that stay on the bottom. (Once the seeds are wet, you'll need to get them in soil ASAP.)
PRESERVE NEWSPAPER CLIPPINGS
To preserve newspaper clippings mix a large bottle of club soda with 1/2 cup milk of magnesia, soak for 20 min and let dry on a cake rack. It will last for years.
How to Get Books on the Cheap
Library: before you purchase a book, "test read" it to make sure it is one that you will refer to time and again.
Library: Take advantage of inter-branch loans. In many cities, you can have books sent over to a branch convenient to you for free or a nominal fee.
Become A Book Reviewer: If you have an interest in a certain subject and can do a review on a couple of books for your local newspaper (or even start a blog on a particular subject that is somewhat popular) you can often get review copies of books on that subject for free. This often means getting books even before they are available to the public
Book Exchanges: Check local businesses for book exchanges. You bring in books you no longer want, and take away books they have that you would like to read.
Used Book Stores: For a nice compromise between new and utterly used.
Thrift Stores, Yard Sales, Flea Markets: All offer used books on the cheap. Once you've read them, you might be able to exchange them for store credit at a used book store if they're in decent shape.
Paperbackswap.com - trade your old books for new ones.
Library Sales: Check to see if your local libraries offer an annual sale. Or even a sale shelf. On the annual sales, they often sell the books by the box or bag on the last day.
Online: Half.com, Amazon.com, Ebay.com all have people selling used books.
Craigslist and freecycle: Check out these sites for books being given away and make a request on freecycle!
Read this article for more great ideas "Stop Buying Books" http://www.frugalforlife.blogspot.com/2007/03/stop-buying-books.html
Song written in Iraq
"If I Die Before You Wake"
This is awesome...
This soldier video is new and different. It is moving and heartwarming.
THINGS YOU NEVER KNEW YOUR CELL PHONE COULD DO
There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies. Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival. Check out the things that you can do with it:
FIRST Subject: Emergency
The Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you find yourself out of the coverage area of your mobile; network and there is an emergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network to establish the emergency number for you, and interestingly this number 112 can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.
SECOND Subject: Have you locked your keys in the car?
Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday. Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys are at home, call someone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone. Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someone who has the other "remote" for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk).
THIRD Subject: Hidden Battery Power
Imagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370# your cell will restart with this reserve and the instrument will show a 50% increase in battery. This reserve will get charged when you charge your cell next time.
FOURTH How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?
To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following digits on your phone: * # 0 6 #
A 15 digit code will appear on the screen. This number is unique to your handset. Write it down and keep it somewhere safe. When your phone gets stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can't use/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.
And Finally....FIFTH Directory Assistance
Cell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $1.75 or more for 411 information calls when they don't have to. Most of us do not carry a telephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more of a problem. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial: (800) FREE 411, or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all. Program this into your cell phone now.
Paperless Printer for Free
A data conversion tool than can convert almost any application data to pdf, html, doc, excel, jpeg or bmp including those created with drawing, page-layout, or image-editing programs. Awsome. A must try.
Cyndi's Catalog of Garden Catalogs
Contacts and critiques of more than 2,000 catalogs from around the world. Is there a better service that could be provided to an avid gardener? Click on the Title to get you there.
Dave's Garden
Dave's site is a gardener friendly destination. The plant database is billed as the largest in the world, "...with 86,188 entries, 58,365 images and 33,503 comments." You can search by name or plant characteristics or just browse through the pictures. Searches are limited if you are not a registered member, but membership is free. Click on the title to get you there.
Ginger Milk
This sweet ginger-milk drink is wonderfully calming if you have an
upset stomach. Ginger-root is a well-known nature medicine, and is especially recommended for stomach ailments and motion sickness.
1 quart of goat's or cow's milk
1/3 cup sugar or to taste
3 knobs of fresh ginger root, peeled and grated finely.
Put ginger root into a saucepan and add the milk. Stir to mix. Bring the milk to the boil. Just before the milk begins to boil, whip it with a egg-beater to make it frothy. Pour through a fine sieve or tea strainer into mugs, add sugar to each mug and enjoy.
Winter is an important time to help the birds make it through.
Place your feeders close to windows so the birds don't fly into them and so you can enjoy the entertainment.
Some of the bird seeds on the market have ingredients the birds don't like and even weed seeds. You might want to get a large tote and mix your own birdseed to attract a variety of species. This recipe will bless your ground and feeder types of birds and even get a few woodpeckers stealing those black-oil sunflower seeds.
Homemade Bird Seed Mix
1 part white proso millet
1 part cracked corn
2 parts black-oil sunflower seed (or twice as much as you did of corn or millet
Combine the seed, millet, and corn in a large container. Store in a dry trash can or storage can with a tight-fitting lid. This mixture can be offered in a tube, hopper, or platform feeder. Black oil sunflower seed is a great choice because it is higher in calories.
Reducing Our Use of Trees
We can all do our part to use a fairer and more sustainable share of the Earth’s resources, taking action to preserve forests every day in our homes, with our friends and colleagues, and in our communities. Suggested First Steps:
USE CLOTH NAPKINS AND DISHTOWELS and forget about the paper versions forever.
USE CLOTH SHOPPING BAGS - They’re lightweight, collapsible, and can hang out in your car or slip inside a backpack without taking up too much room until you need them at the grocery store or other retail establishment.
WRAP ALL GIFTS IN REUSABLE MATERIALS (cloth scraps, scarves, or cloth bags) or in waste paper (newspaper comics, brown paper bags, etc.) that will then be recycled.
BRING REUSABLE CONTAINERS TO RESTAURANTS for take-out, instead of relying on their disposable paper and plastic containers.
ELIMINATE JUNK MAIL - Call or write to catalogs, nonprofits, magazines, and other companies and ask them not to share your name. When you do receive junk mail, call the company and ask it to remove your name from its list. Contact the Direct Marketing Association (www.dmaconsumers.org/consumerassistance.html) to remove yourself from as many lists as possible.
PAY YOUR BILLS ONLINE - Most credit cards and many utilities now offer online payment options that can help you reduce your use of envelopes, checks, and paper bills. If online billing isn’t an option, or if you prefer to receive paper invoices for your records, you can call your credit card company and ask it to stop including junk-mail “inserts” with your statement.
RECYCLE ALL WASTE PAPER - If your town doesn’t offer curbside pick-up, find a recycling facility near you at www.earth911.org.
BUY RECYCLED OR TREE-FREE - whenever you must purchase a paper product, including computer paper, manila folders, sticky notes, toilet paper, etc. Every paper product you might need has a recycled or tree-free version available. This site has a directory of places to shop: www.ecobusinesslinks.com/recycled_paper.htm
Frugal Exercise
There are many ways to get fit without spending a lot of money. The following are easy, inexpensive ideas for getting in shape.
Walking - You can walk in your neighborhood. You can walk to do errands. You can walk at the mall. Just slip on a pair of shoes and start.
Videos - Exercise videos are available from the library, come in a multitude of levels and skill sets and can be done in the comfort of your own home. There are also many local, national and cable TV exercise shows on each day that you can follow along with at your own pace. Tape them if you have to, in order to exercise at your convenience.
Stair climbing - You can do it the old fashioned way and climb real stairs. Many buildings, sports stadiums, outdoor parks and maybe even your own home have stairs that you can climb for free as many times as you want.
Weight lifting - Lift canned goods, old (well sealed) milk containers (half or full gallon sized) filled with water or basically any other item that has some weight to it and a handle of some sort.
Jumping rope - Jump ropes are fairly inexpensive, or as they did in the "olden days," use a piece of rope.
Calisthenics - Use plain old-fashioned calisthenics such as sit ups, push ups, squats, etc. All of these can be done in your own home at absolutely no cost.
A field - Get your kids or a friend and play catch with a base ball, kick a soccer ball back and forth, toss around a football, or play tag. Anything that gets you moving and works up a sweat is exercise!
Play tennis or basketball - Many cities have free outdoor (and occasionally indoor) tennis and basketball courts for the public to use at no charge.
Ride a bike - The old bicycle you have gathering dust in your garage can be dusted off, tuned up and used to ride on quiet country roads, nature trails or any other out of door location that is reasonably safe for cyclists. Be sure and wear your
helmet!
Swim, roller skate, or ice skate - Many communities have recreation centers that charge very little to use their pool and skating facilities. Check out their prices; often mornings or mid-week cost even less than the more popular weekend and evening sessions.
Getting in shape and staying healthy doesn't have to be expensive. You can use the items you have on hand, along with a healthy dose of motivation, to lose weight, get healthy and put together a successful exercise program for next to nothing.
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