Chip Clips? Buy them no more!

My original Chip Clip
Proudly, I can say I never bought a Chip Clip. When I first saw them years ago, my frugal self was irate that someone would sell such a frivolous item. Really, no matter how cute they are, my parsimony jumps in. Being parsimonious is not a bad thing when I can really save money.

Since I married in 1966, I have used clothes pins to keep certain opened items closed. In the picture you can see some of the many things I keep fresh with a clothes pin--a mix to coat potatoes, crackers, rice, and Hershey's miniatures. Okay, so around my house the miniatures won't go stale. But, they will spill out. Even the Wheat Thins are put back in the original box, all clipped with a clothes pin to keep them fresh and just in case a pest might venture their way.

Child's play
My daughter wrote her name on a clothes pin from a kitchen drawer about 31 years ago as she sat at the kitchen table. She was into enhancing anything with pen, pencils or stickers, further encouraged by kindergarten. They probably decorated clothes pins at school. She proudly presented it to me. I cherish that clothes pin. I knew she had a pencil and was writing on something, but did not realize what she was doing--decorating one of my "chip clips." I was also proud she was not applying stickers to whatever happened to be handy, usually something inappropriate.

Over at Better Me; Better World dmarie has a post from another blogger about using the clips from broken pants hangers to make chip clips instead of purchasing them. That post inspired me to share my chip clips. I just threw away an expensive hanger that had a broken hook. RATS! I have two more I was going to donate to a thrift store. Maybe not!

On Etsy I saw clothes pins with sayings on them. Google decorated clothes pins or painted clothes pins for ideas.

Just now, I took out four clothes pins, used Sharpies and sort of decorated them.

No, I don't want to start a painting project. I want to finish this post. You have the idea. You are crafty too. Right?

Don't use paint that is not edible in case it chips off.

The cost of a bag of clothes pins is about the same as the cost of one chip clip. They are plastic. Sure, the others are from trees destroyed somewhere.

In my opinion, wooden clothes pins are a more frugal choice and a greener choice.

Gift
A set of six decorated clothes pins (aka chip clips) would make a frugal gift. Of course, you will want to do a better job than I did with the Sharpies.

By the way
Those Sharpies were one-cent or ten-cents at Office Max during a back-to-school sale. Otherwise, I would own one black one. I mailed about 40 of the Sharpies to my daughter for her children's school projects and her home-based, part-time work.

Your turn
What do you use to clip your chips shut? Clothes pins?

Who is that knocking at my door? (warning--chicken talk)

The shopping/making/mailing of gifts is done!
Today, I will not see the inside of a retail store...let's see. MIlk...check....Cokes....check...chocolate...check....bananas...check. There is nothing I need or want. I have enough stocked to eat for a bit. The four items above are not stored! I don't want to run out of those!

So, here I am relaxing. Who is at the door?

My breakfast--banana and milk
Wake-me-up--real Coke with caffeine and sugar
Lunch--cheese and bread
Snack--Kisses
I'm hungry!
Planned dinner--chicken, salad greens, apple, blueberries
Later--potatoes, onions, carrots, cabbage in pressure cooker.
Okay, two dinners instead of candy, okay?

Who is at the door? 

Earlier, I sat a bit in the bright warm sunshine to get my daily D.

Who is knocking at the door?

I am  petting (just not walking)  my knee and the ankle that now hurts from limping. Only lately have I thought I might like a recliner.

Who is knocking at the door?

It's after 3 p.m. There is not much to do that I can actually do. I really want a nap.

Now, I will see who is at the door. Actually, I know who is at the door! I was hoping Fancy would lose interest in gaining my attention. Oh, NO! Lately, she is much more persistent.

I have begun to carry my camera with me at all times. When I swung open the door, Fancy leapt inside, just like she has done several times today.

The broom is lying there because she knocked it down. Before I could speak to her, she was happily cleaning the carpet scrap inside the door.

Fancy is now quiet and happy.





Thelma is quick, too. She joins Fancy. When I tried to push both out the door, both just started climbing over my foot, trying to come further into the house.

They love me? How sweet!

Dinner
It is time to feed them. They seem to be starving. I open a can of food, pour it over two opened rolls so as to retain the liquid in a form they can eat. Sometimes, I put the liquid in a bowl and they drink it.


Laying time
I carried the pie pan of food to their pen. Oh, NO! I locked them away from their water. The pen door is always open when they are pecking around the yard, but no so today.  Obviously, Fancy and Louise need to lay an egg, too. I suppose they were going to lay one in the house. Both hens went straight to the food, took a bite or two, and leapt into the same nest. So, that was not love? They needed to lay? I do believe they would have layed their eggs behind the door. I sometimes find a hen sitting on their shower curtain cover for their cage when I don't realize a hen  is in the house.

For an hour or more I had heard the hens knocking over things or rattling around on the porch. I had finally gotten my knee in a position that would not hurt, so I did not want to move.

Hens are so clever and so dumb. Fancy was not talking her usual talkative talk. Her plaintive voice told me she needed something besides conversation with me!

While I am not an animal lover, I would never mistreat an animal.. I love my hens and am horrified that they could not access water! There is no excuse for denying them (chicken) potable water.

4 P.M.
On an overcast or rainy day, Fancy, Thelma, and Louise would be talking to me about cleaning their cage and installing new paper, whining and complaining. Today, the sun is bright. So, conceivably, They could be out another hour. Hope not--I fell asleep just now, sitting straight up!

4:09 P.M.
2 eggs--they must have been suffering when they were whining and hitting the door with their wings as they tried to settle in on the outer edge of the door. Pretty girls, please come into your cage so I can take a nap!

Your turn
Have you ever accidentally neglected your animals? How did you train yourself not to forget? Now, this was my first forgetting, but I fear forgetting them in the future. .

One little tip for staying well

Staying well?
Do you actively avoid becoming ill? I thought so--mixed results. Some of you do nothing. Others try to stay well. No one wants to become ill, lose sleep, productivity, work, and spread it to the whole family. But, how do you actively avoid becoming ill? Vitamins? Exercise?  Adequate sleep? Avoiding crowds? Not drinking and eating after sick people? Even family?

All alone?
I am single, so there is no one to become ill in my household if I contract even a cold. That means there is no one to spread germs to me. Most importantly, no one is here to take care of me, to feel my feverish brow, to comfort me, fetch water and sustenance, medicine, nothing.

Nip it in the bud
I do take generic sinus medication and chest congestion medication as soon as I need to instead of waiting until I have an infection that needs a trip to the doctor and an antiobiotic OR two weeks to run its course.

This one habit I have, one little tip, keeps me free of flu, strep, and other nasty stuff.

TIP

Carry and use your own pen.
I don't care how silly it seems, but I always dig for my pen. No, I don't care how long you wait behind me in any line. Why? Because you are not going to pay my bills or soothe my feverish brow when I am sick! You will not entertain me, pick up a prescription, drive me to the doctor, or tell me how sorry you are that I am miserable.

If you mumble, I will still dig for the pen. If you sigh or complain, I keep looking. Yes, I know you are back there rolling your eyes, shooting poisoned arrows and darts into the back of my head. Do you want to know how much I care? Really, you want to know? I don't care at all. Why? Because you will not come to my aid when I am too ill to care for myself. You will not pay for the antibiotics I might need.

So, you might ought to spend the time waiting for me to fish out a pen by fishing out your own pen to use. Yes, I know I should have had it out ahead of time. Well, sometimes I do have my pen ready! So, there!

Mostly, I just remember that I am going to need a pen and slip one in my pocket so I won't have to search in my purse. I do try not to be a pain and hold up the line. But, I will be a pain if I must.

Okay, so I am sorry sort of, apologize sincerely, and try to hurry. Bottom line--I will keep searching for my pen.

Yes, some illnesses are airborne. I do the best I can with the pen avoidance.

Where do you stand in line and use a pen outside your home?

doctor's office
grocery store
polls
food stamp office
courtesy desk
health department
gas station
courthouse
university
child's school (eeek)
dentist
bank
attorney's office
Post Office
sweepstakes forms on counters
customer service desk
co-worker's pen
restaurant
UPS or FEDEX

(Remember, even an orthopedic surgeon or periodontist will have some people who are ill. It takes only one person leaving germs to make you ill.) Okay, I would not worry too much about some places like the orthodontist, but lots of people have handled the pen.

You could probably add twice this many to my list. How many people use the pen that is provided? If only one person does and that person transmits germs to the pen, oh well, you are liable to catch something.

Sometimes when I do forget to get out a pen and must dig for a pen and hold up a line, I have seen and heard people in the line behind me talking. "That's a good idea." "I am going to use mine, too." "Why didn't I think of that?" Then, there is the inevitable digging and scratching around for a pen.

Which group would you be in--the grumbling, hateful eyerollers or the grateful group who will dig for a pen to avoid germs?

This is not a flu season pecadillo of mine. I will hold up a line in July!

Conversation
At the doctor's check-in window/counter:
Receptionist: after watching me dig and mutter that I had a pen, "You can use this one."
She planted it firmly in the place it lay before as though I might be blind.
Me: "No, I have one of my own."
Receptionist: "Everyone else uses it."
Me: "That's the point."
Receptionist: "Oh, okay, I understand."
At this point, a receptionist will often offer me her personal pen or say, "Here's one that no one has used today." She will give me one from her stash beyond the glass window.

Your turn
Do you think about how many people use that community pen? Do you think any of them were ill? Did they all wash their hands after going to the bathroom? Do you think I am silly and paranoid?

Christmas Idea: junk box

The measuring cup below is like ones I put in a "junk box" gift, wrapped nicely at Christmas. The potholder is one I found yesterday on sale that is so sweet--not part of long ago (1970 ?)gift. However, if I found the Christmas potholder on sale for a dime back then, I would have put it in the box!

I gave a "real" present at Christmas, bought or made, to my mother and two sisters. However, they got an additional gift from me. For about 14 years, I filled a box every year with odds and ends found on sale and gave one to my mother and also to two younger sisters as they set up house.

Surprisingly, this shirt box filled with "junk" was a hit. We referred to it as the "junk box present" because it was filled with junk--small items. The name was my idea, sort of self-deprecating to soften the blow to my family. One year, someone gave it to my sister to open first. I begged her to open her "real gift." She laughed and said she always liked the junk box and looked forward to all the things in it.

Rarely did I spend over a dime on any one item. I found stainless steel scoops, 1/8 cup, I think for a dime. Okay, so they were measuring cups. They were a dime, so I bought four, one for me and each of the three junk boxes. Actually, I believe I have three of them still. So, I purchased three or four just for me. I don't measure with them, just leave them in flour, sugar, different places to scoop with. It was always a mystery to me as to why there were only 1/8 cup measures!

Then, there were the packs of emery boards, just on clearance. SCORE! The junk box could hold personal or household items, all nestled together.

It's been almost twenty years since my mother died and we no longer have Christmas together, so I have forgotten the odds and ends, all useful, that I saved all year for the boxes. I know that one year I made potholders with loops on the loom she bought me when I was eight-years-old and put one in each box. There was never anything just purchased as cheaply as possible for filler.

I have never, ever had too many scoops (usually, measuring cups in 1/4. 1/3. 1/2 increments) or too many emery boards. I do use all sorts of little measuring cups and scoops just to dip out dry items, like oats, cornmeal, flour and sugar. The scoop stays in the food for next time.

All year long, I filled a corner of a drawer with these items. At Christmas, I got out three shirt  boxes boxes and divided the loot amongst the three boxes.

It may be too late for this kind of gift now, but for next year, if you keep your eyes open, things might appear. The junk box is not choosy as long as you choose wisely.

Okay, so this may be a silly hint. But, it brings back fond memories of a tradition I started and my family enjoyed. I lived too far away to share these items as I found them, so saving them and transporting gifts by car worked for me. Every time I look at the measuring cup above, I know my mother used one for many years, one exactly like mine, given to her by me. (And, I call it a scoop because that is how I use it...lol.) I am reminded of the tradition of finding and saving things for my family.

My brothers never received this gift!

Your turn
Does this seem like an idea you could incorporate into your gift-giving? This was an almost-free assemblage, not a plan for buying anything specific.

Water Heater for Hens' Water--tutorial

Waterer on heater I made on the cheap
My frugality does pay!

Need to keep pet or chicken water from freezing? Do you want to make your own heater? I did.

I love to make instead of buy
I am all about frugal, making instead of buying, reusing what I have, saving my money. Here is this project from beginning to end. Your supplies may differ from mine. This is my experience that can be duplicated with changes.

Clear and level the ground. For my water container, the surface must be level. 

Supplies


Stepping
Stone-16"x16"
$3.21
I bought this in order to have a more solid barrier from ground moisture and to retain heat from the bulb and the sun. I could have used bricks I already own, but this is a better vapor barrier.

50 foot extension cord bought years ago at 90% off sale. Maybe--$1?

Knife and duct tape I already owned.

Old popcorn tin--$0.50
Friend holding it just right for a picture of the pretty scene--polar bears pulling a sleigh.  Any old bucket might work for this inner piece.

Floodlight bought for $0.33 about seven years ago at 90% off sale. Leave the cord coiled. Place the whole thing and the extension cord plug under the outer, galvanized cover to keep water from it.

Old minnow bucket with a hole in the bottom serves as insulation. It looks like a dog chewed on it. I found it on the side of the road in a trash pile.
For six months, I searched from the car, looking for the inevitable tossed minnow bucket that I see every year. Finally, about September, I found this one, just waiting for me. I often wonder what people think when I pick up something useless looking, like the minnow bucket with a hole! Watching and waiting pays off. FREE!



Minnow bucket needed to be shorter. The hole is taped shut. Actually, the diameter was too large to fit. I cut it too short and made the diameter too small!
grrr....











Large Stones to help hold heat from the bulb. These were in my yard. I had to hurry and get up the styrofoam before the hens ate it!

Stones in styrofoam in popcorn tin
The galvanized outer part will go over this as the popcorn tin sits on the step. See, I cut too much of the styrofoam bucket off at the top. It needs more stones, lots of tiny ones.










Outside of heater
For some reason this galvanized "bucket" was in my basement. I believe I bought a whole pile of pots for plants, and this was amongst them. It is open on the end on the ground. Around the upper or lower edge, whichever was you orient the "bucket," there are four evenly spaced holes. This hole had to be enlarged to insert an extension cord.

Chicken waterer purchased last year for $21, onetime purchase. I had tried lots of things for water, and the hens stood on and pooped it them. A beautiful antique bowl that I used cracked when it filled with ice. So, I was out $45 right there. This only has to be refilled every four days to keep water for the hens. Of course, if you want fresh water for hens, this needs to be refilled more often. There are instructions on the internet on how to make one of these, but I don't think I could make one.

Assembly

1--place stepping stone where heater will go

2--place popcorn tin on stepping stone

3--put styrofoam minnow bucket into the popcorn tin

4--place large stones in styrofoam

5--wire floodlight assembly into top of outer galvanized container

6--put extension cord into the galvanized container and plug into floodlight

7--insulate the opening around the extension cord with plastic and duct tape

8--place glavanized, wired assembly over the popcorn tin

9--plug in the extension cord (outside plug is GFCI), so no problem with rain

Further instructions

use only wattage the floodlight assembly uses

use incandescent bulb for the heat

place plastic under the concrete stepping stone

Improvements needed in my design

*Place plastic under stepping stone.

*Paint the galvanized bucket black.

*Place a bucket of small pebbles in the styrofoam minnow bucket for better heat retention.

*Make a crude, wooden shelter that only has bottom and front open to further keep chill winds from the water heater.

*Use a level to get this really level so that draft from the double-sided waterer will work properly.

*Use washers instead of duct tape to cover the three extra holes that came with the galvanized container!

Finished, Assembled, with filled waterer on top. Price in the store for heater--$45 + tax. My cost=$3.71 + things I had purchased years earlier on sale.

Last year

The heater I made last year lacked--stepping stone underneath for heat retention and a water barrier; popcorn tin and minnow/bait bucket and rocks for heat retention and insulation. This year's version is an improvement! I did reuse the outer galvanized "bucket," the extension cord, and floodlight holder. The last year version was basically just the galvanized "bucket" and the floodlight holder.

Your turn

You will probably not have the identical items that I used. But, any substitution that suits the purpose will work. You may have a better setup than I. What can you come up with? Does this give you ideas?  

Do not copy this. Link to my blog, ONLY.

Turnip Experiment

I received these turnips in the chicken food from the market. They were starting to sprout.

My plan
Cut off the tops of the turnips, leaving 1/2 inch of turnip and plant. No, someone threw the rest of my scavenged turnips to chickens, except for these three. These have never seen the hens. I would have had chicken and people food.


Love/Hate
I really love turnip greens but hate the turnip. My hens feel the same way.

Roots
See the roots at the bottom? The bowl has a bit of water. I put a bit more in several times a day. The potholder keeps the water to one side so I don't have to soak the whole turnip. You cannot see it, but the turnip roots (I thought turnips were the 'roots.') are tucked down to get water. Otherwise, two of the three stick right up out of the water.

Your turn
Has anyone done this? One week after this picture, they are still thriving. It is cold out, but will these grow outdoors if protected under glass? What would you do? Are you getting sick of my yellow counter?  LOL

Crackers and Cheese

I love a sale. I LOVE a sale coupled with coupons.

Okay, so this not water crackers. It's also not brie. But, it is good and cheap the way I bought the two.

Wheat Thin Crackers
I found $1 coupons everywhere and took a few off each pad until I had an even dozen. Bummer! The Wheat Thins, formerly $1.98 were marked up to $2.99. When things like this happen, I dig in my heels--too expensive in light of their former price.

Waiting Game
Linda will wait and check out the crackers several times each week in two or three stores.

VOILA!
Wheat Thins were marked $1.98/box. I bought flatbread, large Wheat Thins, Original, Sindried Tomato and Basil, Fiber Selects Five Grain, and something with cheese or some sorts in the name. Okaaay, I am not sure how you would go about sindrying a tomato, but it might make for interesting musings. I really bought Sundried Tomato and Basil. See, it is in the picture.

Cheese
Kraft cheese in the picture fluctuates in price quite often. Look again! Look closely! This block of cheese is "20% more free." Plus, you know I had a coupon for $1 off. Yessiree!

Kraft cheese is $3.89 in one store, $3.39 at another, and often $2 at the third store. Yes, that is Walmart. Since I have noticed the price fluctuation at Walmart, I buy about 6 blocks of cheese when it is cheap. I refrain from buying when it is higher at Walmart. But, I will pay $2.50 at WM if desperate. Sometimes, Kraft cheese is 3 for $5, making a chunk or bag $1.66.

Yes, I realize that other people are not eating Kraft cheese at all and may not have options for any cheese. Call me shallow for saying I am "desperate" for cheese! "My name is Linda, and I am addicted to cheese."

Crackers and Cheese
This is such a delicious, quick, almost nutritious and easy snack or meal. Add a piece of leaf lettuce to munch on plus and apple or banana and my meal is complete. Okay, the crackers could be replaced with a better option.....sigh. Except for these, I have bought few Wheat Thins.

My Plan
Since I have Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese, 8 ounces for $1, bought for $0 because I had a $1 off coupon for this brand, I have a plan. I believe I have 6 packages of cream cheese. There will be occasions during Christmas holidays when I will take something to a party. There are artichoke hearts bought on sale, cheese to grate. Does anyone else feel a dip coming together? I have coupons for sour cream, too.  Whatever I decide to take, my free and almost free food will play a huge role.

Your turn
Have you found any fabulous sales and coupons to help with entertaining?