Unstructured Play

Source: life-lenses.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

Reducing Energy Usage in the Kitchen

After  we got our last electric bill, I decided that we needed to find ways to cut back on energy use. We ultimately decided to forgo a conventional oven in favor of low energy use efficient cooking and baking appliances. We had already cut back in every other area. We began using only three items to cook meals: an electric skillet, an electric tea kettle, and a table top halogen convection oven. These items use up to 80% less energy compared to a conventional electric stove.

Free online energy calculator

                                 Average energy cost for kitchen appliances These 2008 rates are quite low, but at least it gives you an idea of which appliance uses the least amount of electricity. As you can see, an electric stove uses over twice the amount of energy as an electric frying pan. An electric oven uses more than five times the energy of a microwave!

Appliance	Temperature	Time	Energy	Cost
Electric Oven	350	1 hour	2.0 kWh	$.16
Electric Convection Oven	325	45 minutes	1.39 kWh	$.11
Gas Oven	350	1 hour	.112 therm	$.07
Electric Frying Pan	420	1 hour	.9 kWh	$.07
Toaster Oven	425	50 minutes	.95 kWh	$.08
Electric Crockpot	200	7 hour	.7 kWh	$.06
Microwave Oven	"High"	15 minutes	.36 kWh	$.03

So far, I've found meals are cooking more quickly with our new appliances, and there is a lot of flexibility with the skillet and halogen oven. The skillet even bakes cakes as long as I line the pan with foil,so they cook evenly and don't burn on the bottom. The electric kettle is so fast! We use this for coffee(French press), tea, noodles, and hot chocolate. I can cook pasta by adding boiling tea kettle water to a sealed container with the pasta. After about ten minutes the pasta is cooked perfectly. I haven't tried this yet, but rice can be made in the skillet as well. All that is needed is to add boiling water, cover, and let it cook on a low setting for about 30 minutes.

The halogen oven cooks our larger meals like roasts and small to medium sized whole chickens. I am able to cook ten pounds of chicken thighs all at once in the halogen oven. It cooks large frozen pizzas in 20 minutes. There are two racks so you can cook your meats and vegetables at the same time. It's not as fast as a microwave, but faster than an oven. Smaller oven safe cookware is safe to use with this oven, so cakes, muffins, casseroles, etc. can be made easily. Larger families would find this impractical because space is limited, but for the four of us, this is efficient. A cake pan fits just fine as well as a medium sized ovensafe glass bowl.

We began remodeling our kitchen this week and got the radical idea of not replacing the worn-out stove, but to stick with these three appliances, and have them serve as our only means of cooking and baking. We plan to stay in this house for many years to come, so having an odd kitchen is not an issue. If we do sell the house, we'll add the conventional items back to the kitchen. My husband is making our new counters himself which will be freestanding with storage underneath(European style), so these appliances will have a custom place of their own.

Our electrical bill is reflecting the absence of the energy hogging stove. I am glad to see it go.

Note: the halogen oven is a bit fussy. We had to return the first one for a replacement after the bulb burnt out within 24 hours of use. The replacement oven was sent within three days, and has been working nicely. There are replacement bulbs which can be found on ebay for about $25.00. I read that they are a bit hard to replace with many screws to remove, but it is possible to replace the bulb yourself. You can't let anything get too close to the bulb; you can't touch it, or get water near it. Boiling water in it is not a good idea. Although there are no warnings about this, I think this may have caused my first bulb to fail. I ordered the electric kettle soon after this. The oven is self cleaning with the addition of a tiny bit of soapy water in the bottom of the bowl, but I don't want to chance it, so I simply wipe down the bowl with a soapy sponge and periodically put it through the dishwasher.

What we bought:
 Secura Digital Halogen Infrared Turbo Convection Countertop Oven

Hamilton Beach 7-1/5-Cup Stainless Steel Electric Kettle

Presto 06852 16-Inch Electric Skillet with Glass Cover

Printable Robinson Crusoe Paper Doll Set

Source: squidoo.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

School Begins Tuesday!

My son begins ninth grade on Tuesday. It will be much more work this year now that he is in high school. He chose Christian Light Education for its independent study approach. After all these years of homeschooling he has his school routine down pat, and barely needs me to help him. This is, of course, the goal - greater independence and responsibility. I find myself almost out of a job! I still have my daughter's school, but she is pretty easy. I'm using the same curriculum with her that I used with my son, so it's pretty much a cake walk.

I'm afraid my homeschool posts may be boring from now on! YouTube has been filling in a lot of extended learning for my daughter. In fact, the internet is providing a huge resource of free learning opportunities. Finally getting high speed has been a real blessing. I'm not making or planning our homeschool from scratch as much because so much is readily available online, or I am just reusing what we already have at home.

We've been homeschooling since my son was in Kindergarten, nine years now, and so much has changed in this short time. Homeschooling is becoming much more common and resources are abundant. I'll continue to share links, and will add my Pinterest homeschool pins on the sidebar.

Free Young Novel Writer's Curriculum

Three levels for elementary, middle school, and high school - walks the student through writing a novel. This is an amazing freebie.

See here.

Another good one here,Teaching Writing without (buying) a Writing Curriculum 

Ht to fivejs.com

Free English Grammar Lessons

Source: fivejs.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

Click through the fivejs.com link above.

Great Deal on Cat Litter

Arm & Hammer Double Duty Clumping Litter, 37-Pound This is $13.98 with free shipping on Amazon.

I just ordered three and there are only 15 left. The prices change on these, so it may not always be this inexpensive. I ordered a 27 pound box for $10.00(now $15.00) last week before I saw this deal. Family Dollar had 14 pound containers of Tidy Cat on sale for $6.00, so this is much less expensive.

Off-season Hotel Deals

We found a good deal for a short vacation. We are taking it in the middle of the week in October, off-season. We got five days on the beach with a view of the ocean in Atlantic City for $279.00. A super price if you are able to take vacation days during the off-season, and in the middle of the week when business is slower.

We used Hotels.com and stacked two coupons with the 20% discount offered at Hotels.com. Click through Coupon Cactus for 4% off. This can be stacked with another 10% off through 9/13/12 with online coupon code: AUGI:NY2SP7T.

 If you get on the Hotels.com mailing list, sometimes they have 24 hour 50% off sales, and offer coupons and rebates throughout the year. After ten hotel nights booked through Hotels.com, you receive one night free. So far, I've liked the deals that I've received and the one night free! We've used them for the past three years for their good rates, coupons, and rebates.

30 Signs of a Frugal Upbringing

Frugal folks come from all sorts of backgrounds. Some were raised in typical American families with traditional buying and spending habits and came to embrace frugality much later in life. Others were raised by parents or grandparents who made simplicity part of everyday life — from the way they cooked and cleaned to the way they fixed their cars and celebrated holidays. For those of us in the latter group, we can spot another member a mile off...

1. You skip the headlines in the Sunday paper and head straight for the sales inserts.
2. You’ve washed (or seriously considered washing) tin foil to use it a second time.
3. You remember smuggling homemade snacks into the Saturday matinee.
4. You know how to buff your shoes to high shine by adding a bit of water or heat to the polish.
5. You’ll still stop to pick up a penny.
6. You ignore the suggested use or recommended quantity directions on most products.
7. There’s a coupon organizer in your purse or car (extra credit if it includes a calculator).
8. You save rubber bands or twist-ties....

Read more here.

Dollar Tree to Accept Coupons

Aug. 22--The Dollar Tree, which has done well during the recession and lagging recovery with its $1 or less pricing, has decided to add another weapon to its retail strategy. Starting Sunday, the discount retailer will start accepting coupons at its 4,000-plus U.S. location... more here.

I hope they limit coupons per purchase or the shelves will be cleared off!

Fall Squirrel Cut-out

Source: kidsprintablescoloringpages.com via Alexandra on Pinterest

Five Money-saving Tips to Avoid Food Inflation

(MoneyWatch) Severe drought across much of the U.S. is likely to produce steep inflation for a wide array of goods, from gasoline to beef, says Steve Cunningham, an economist with the American Institute for Economic Research.

That's because corn -- a crop that has been decimated by drought -- is used as feed for beef and poultry; is manufactured into ethanol, a gasoline additive; and is cooked into corn syrup, a sweetener in everything from cereals to ketchup. And, of course, that doesn't count corn's simple uses, whether to be eaten alone or made into anything from chips to tortillas....

Stock up on beef and chicken now, because farmers may slaughter more livestock in the next few weeks to avoid the higher prices of feed. That could create a temporary drop in beef prices before prices start to soar this fall.

Avoid processed foods, many of which include high-fructose corn syrup as an additive. Not only is the additive fattening, it's likely to become increasingly expensive, pushing up the costs of all sorts of processed foods.

Eat fruit. The hot temperatures that have damaged the corn crop have been great for fruit farmers, so eat grapes.

Substitute. Oatmeal makes for a healthier breakfast than Fruit Loops, and it's a fraction of the cost. Fish is a healthier alternative than beef, and it's completely unaffected by the drought. Other foods that use simple sugar, instead of corn syrup, are also likely to avoid the big hike in cost that could result from a corn shortage.

Go local. If you don't live in the drought-plagued areas, buying fruit and vegetables from local farmer's markets -- and even livestock, poultry and eggs from local farms -- can save a bundle.

Read the rest here.

North American Bird Identification and Nature Sounds Videos

The Music of Nature

Click on "play all" and it will play through 59 different birds including a few frogs. The birds are up close and identified, and play their songs for a few minutes each. My cats loved these! And my daughter began learning bird names and calls. We listened again later in the evening and read a chapter from The Tale of the Jolly Robin.

HT to Easy Peasy - All in One Homeschool

Be Scrappy: Scrapping Various Household Items for Cash

This was interesting. A website which helps you learn how to scrap items that you wouldn't want to donate. Maybe they are too broken, odds and ends, or the thrift stores won't take them. Once you strip the item of metal, if needed, then you take it to a local scrap yard for weighing and a cash payment. We've done this in the past when we added new gutters. We took the old ones to the scrap yard and got back a nice bit of cash. If you Google "scrap metal" you should get a listing of scrap metal recyclers in your area, if any.

Scrap metal recycling keeps metals and alloys out of the landfills. I  try to help our local  "recycler" who drives by with his truck the day before trash day. When I can, I save all my metal trash for him and his wife. I'm sure he is able to fill a hole in his family budget with this venture. When I have more time, I'll begin taking our household metals to the scrap yard myself. It would require some time consuming work and organization, and the room to store items until we had enough to make a trip worthwhile.

From ScrapMetalJunkie.com: "People love to talk about recycling like it is a selfless act, strictly done out of love for mother earth. That may be the case for those who set little bits of paper at the street in a green bin. But the real recycling is done for money. It is done for cash money, and I’m not talking Washingtons. I’m talking Benjamins. An average person with a truck can make up to $40,000 a year scrapping metal if they work full time. If they scrap part time as a second job, they could easily make $15,000; thats $290 a week. ...

Scrap metal has been one of the biggest exports in North America for the last five or ten years. It has gained popularity in that time due mainly to the increase in demand for base metals. Copper in 2006 was getting scrapped at around $2.80, when, in 2000, you were lucky to get 50 cents. The trend is likely to continue: commodities are going up, inflation..."

Frugal Family Advice

Using Libraries Outside of Your Area

We visited a town "on the other side" of the water today. They have a historic old town area with antique shops, quaint cafes, and historical sites. After visiting the courtyard of a very old Episcopal church with head stones from the Revolutionary War, we stumbled upon a nice library. It was a very old library, located in a historical building, and stocked with great children's books. It had a mix of great older sophisticated books that our local library has long since discarded, books homeschoolers love; and newer high quality books probably donated by the well traveled hip families who have gentrified the area. Anyway, I was happy to learn that as residents of the nearby town, we could check out library books.So now I have a new source of books!

Sadly, inter-library loan is a pain in our area and costs money. For whatever reason, they don't like to do it, and it is greatly discouraged. It is all right with me because I enjoy getting out of town, and depending on how they are set up, children's areas at libraries can be fun places. The one we were at today had lots of toys, games, and some freebie books and local historical printables. We used one in the martitime museum for a scavenger search.

Grades K-2 Dental Hygiene Free Mini-narrated Book

Henry and the Sugar Bugs...helps children understand why it is important to brush their teeth.