Thifty Thursday: Make Your Own Apple & Potato Chips

Ok, I know, potato chips are cheap so you are probably not saving money using your Pampered Chef Chip Maker (plus you need to buy one of them too - but try to find one at a yard sale, or if you find yourself at a party and feel like you need to buy something, then think about this because you can make Fat Free Chips!!!) But have you ever bought apple chips. I do and while they are tasty it ends up costing $1 an ounce for organic apple chips. That can be spendy, but over time your investment in a chip maker will save you money if you regularly make your family apple chips and potato chips.

The other tool I use to help me make them is a mandoline slicer. It's a fantastic too that makes it so easy to make REALLY thin cuts. Some of you might have a slicer attachment for your food processor, or maybe you are just gifted at making really thin cuts with a knife (btw - I am so jealous of this skill!)

I've tried making these chips in the oven and while you can do it, it is faster in the microwave.

So, if you love potato chips but avoided them because of the added fat they contain, then there is not need to worry. You use NO oil whatsoever to make these. In fact the only thing I add to my potato chips is salt and I sometimes add plain cinnamon to my apple chips.

Specific instructions are included with your chip maker and there are differing cooking times depending upon the strength of your microwave, so it is best to consult those instructions.

Thrifty Thursday: Cheap Belt Idea for an American Girl Doll

These top two pictures you can see how we used a dog collar from the dollar store as a belt for an American Girl Doll. We picked out one that had rhinestones on one side, so we could use it to look like a dressy sash on a dress, or you can see below when we turn it around it looks like a typical belt.

$1!!! That's it!!! A size Small dog collar from the Dollar Tree and now we have a cheap way to accessorize my daughter's American Girl Dolls. For other thrifty American Girl Doll ideas, check out my post "Thrifty Guide to the American Girl Culture" as well as my other posts on Save Green Being Green involving American Girl Doll Crafts.

Flower Adorned Winter Loom Knit Hat

I used Bernet Alpaca yarn to make this hat. I doubled up on the yarn thread and pulled from the center and from the outside to make it a thicker hat. I wasn't going to have quite enough in one skein to make this a solid grey hat, so when I realized this I stopped doubling the strands and added in some cream colored yarn (same brand and kind) and added in a grey and cream stripe, and then added the grey back with the doubled up strands and finished the hat with solid grey on top.

If you want to make this as a solid hat, then I suggest buying 2 skeins of yarn.I used the green knifty knitter loom to make this. If you are making the hat on the red or blue loom, one skein will be plenty, but if you are using the yellow loom then you definitely want two skeins. And if you don't know how to Loom Knit, check out my Introduction to Loom Knitting and also be sure to check out all the things I have made with Loom Knitting.

The tutorial on how to make this flower was something I found on pinterest, although I did hand stitch my pieces together instead of gluing them so that I could make this a machine washable hat.

Next month I will be sharing on Northern Cheapskate of how you can make this Quick and Easy Loopy Scarf.

Make It Monday: S'mores Oatmeal

The idea for this came from my daughter, who admittedly is kinda sugar crazed. It's a yummy idea and they gobble up their oatmeal. August 10th is National S'more Day, so why not try it then, or check out Northern Cheapskate in early August for my post on 12 different ideas for S'mores.

S'mores Oatmeal Recipe
1/2 Quick-Cooking Oatmeal
1 C Water
1 T Chocolate Chips
1 T Mini Marshmallows
1/4 Sheet of Graham Crackers, crumbled

Directions: Stir oatmeal and water together in a bowl that is twice as large as the contents. Microwave for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes. After cooking, top with chocolate chips, mini marshmallows & graham crackers. Enjoy!

Try It Tuesday: Turn Too Short Jean In To A Skirt

This set of tops (for her and her American Girl doll) and the skirt was something I made for my daughter for her birthday last month. She had these very cute pair of jeans still fit her in the waist but were too short for her since she grew 3.5 inches in the last 9 months. I could have just made cut offs out of them, but I knew if I made it in to a skirt she would find it to be extra special, as she loves to wear skirts and dresses. The tutorial to make the girl-sized and doll-sized halter tops will in a post on Northern Cheapskate in July. So, stay tuned!

To start out with I cut off the jean to the length I wanted it to be, keeping in mind I would be adding to ruffles to the bottom as well. I them cut up the inside seam on both legs up to the crotch of the jeans.

Next I took part of the leftover jeans from the leg bottoms and pinned it in to place on the back side so that it was a solid jean back. I then stitched it in to place.

Next up was making my ruffles, which you do my stitching across a single layer of fabric and then tugging on the bottom string on either side so that it begins to pucker. I did this for four ruffles (seen above) that were stitched on another piece of jean, as well as a 2 ruffles that went around the perimeter of the skirt at the bottom.

Here you can see that I have pinned one ruffle to the bottom. I then used a straight stitch to secure it in to place. I started with the bottom ruffle and made my way up to the top ruffle. For top ruffle, I stitched it across the top with right sides together and then folded it back down and pinned the sides.

Next I used a zig zag stitch and stitched the sides of the ruffle down created a triangle piece.

The triangle piece was pinned in to place and stitched down to complete the front of the skirt. Since white stitched was used on the jeans, I used white thread to stitch it down and provide interest. Next I pinned the longer ruffled together (the bottom pink ruffle is twice as thick as the purple and I stitched the purple to the pink before adding the ruffle to the bottom of the skirt.

Here is the front view of the finished skirt.

Here is the back view of the finished skirt and the halter top. 

I will let you know in July when the Halter Top Tutorial posts.

Gardening is On My Mind

It's March and I have been thinking about this year's garden and decided to write a post for Northern Cheapskate called "Time to Start Planning Your Garden", so please go check out that post and leave some comments about when you typically start your garden.

I also wanted to share the other gardening posts I have written in case you are looking for something else or have a little more planning to do. Please enjoy reading through the 15 posts about gardening that I have written about in this post.

• Create Your Own Raised Garden Bed (using cinderblocks)
• Make a Wood Raised Garden Bed
• Start Seeds Indoors (Round 1) and (Round 2)
• Make Homemade Recycled Plant Markers
• Save Your Own Seeds
• No Stress Guide to Composting
• What To Do With Kitchen Scraps
• Grow Your Own Sprouts
• Starting Seeds Indoors on a Budget 
• Updating Paint/Stain on Planters
• Installing Our Rain Barrel 
• Re-Seeding
• Good Books to Read to Kids to Encourage Gardening

Or check out all my posts on Save Green Being Green with the Label "Gardening" or "Plants".

Try It Tuesday: Make a Scarf with Straw Weaving

I made this scarf to match the hat I made my daughter last year for Christmas. Straw Weaving is quite easy to do and is something you can pick up and put down easily. My best estimate on how long this project took me was about 1 1/2 - 2 hours from start to finish, so it is a project that can easily be done in one sitting or maybe while you watch a movie. As it is with any yarn project, the thicker the gauge of yarn you use the faster it will be completed. This was a gauge 5 yarn. I do notice that my speed at creating this scarf was quicker than the one I made last year.

You may remember that I first introduced this crafty tool to you last year and showed you the scarf I made for my son and a couple of head bands I made.

The Straw Loom will come with instructions, but they are simple. You  just weave the yarn over and under the straws on one side and then over & under as you come back. Inside the straws you will have lengths of yarn that the weave will slide on to. So, you do need to know in advance the exact length you want your project to be.

Be sure to check out all my Knifty Knitter projects or follow my Knifty Knitter board on Pinterest (which has my projects plus a bunch of other projects I want to create).

Be sure to check out my Introduction to Loom Knitting post Northern Cheapskate.

Try It Tuesday: Make a Big Red Dog Puppet

I decided it would be fun to make a Big Red Dog Puppet to use when I read Clifford books to my son. I thought he would get a kick out of that, as he loves it when we make his stuffed bear talk and read stories.

For these puppets, I just used red & white felt, 2 sizes of black buttons, black & white DMC floss, and matching thread.

I wanted to make a couple of presents for my readers, so check back in the beginning of December and I will be hosting a giveaway for the darker Big Red Dog Puppet (I gave my son a choice as to which one he wanted and he close the lighter color one.) But in the meantime, there are PLENTY of other giveaways on my blog for you to enter, lots of items that would make great Christmas presents. 

Be sure to check out my latest post on Northern Cheapskate titled Making Christmas Gifts: Handmade Hand Puppets to see my fairy, cat, gingerbread boy and snowman puppets.

This is the pattern I used to make the puppets, but please go read the post on Northern Cheapskate to read more about this pattern and it's measurements and for the .pdf file so you can print out the pattern to size.

Here are my other previously posted puppet ideas:

• Monster Puppet (no sew!)
• Shark Paper Bag Puppet
• Alligator Puppet out of re-purposed materials
• Doorway Puppet Theater

Double Your Meatloaf with Beans in This Recipe!

Double the size of your meatloaf at a fraction of the cost, fat & calories by using Van Camps pork & beans instead of doubling your meat. This recipe still has a pound of ground beef, so they won't even know that a second pound is missing for such a large loaf that SERVES 8. 

I often see Van Camps pork & beans on sale for 2/$1 or even sometimes I have seen it as a loss-leader for 3/$1. Instead of paying $3 for another pound of ground beef, you could pay 50-cents or less. Give it a try!

When I made this, my husband knew I did something to it since I am always doing something to a recipe to make it healthier but he had no idea that it was beans in there for half the ground beef until I showed him a bean that I had not mashed very well.

Also be sure to read my post on Northern Cheapskate titled "Learn to Stretch Your Budget with Beans"

Meat and Beans Meatloaf Recipe
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 C fine dry bread crumbs
1/2 C finely chopped onion
1/2 C shredded carrot
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 pound ground beef
1 15 oz can Van Camps Pork & Beans, mashed
Ketchup for the top, optional

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 375 degrees
* Beat eggs in a separate bowl
* Mash beans with sauce in a bowl using a hand potato masher
*Combine eggs, beans. bread crumbs, onion, carrots, basil, oregano and beef in a bowl
*Mix well - I find the best way it to use your clean hands to mix meatloaf and to shape in to a loaf
*Shape mixture and place in a bread loaf pan
*Top with ketchup, if desired
* Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour

Homemade Hummus Recipe

I just featured my recipe for Homemade Hummus in my most recent Northern Cheapskate post titled "Stretch Your Budget and Shrink Your Waistline with Beans" and wanted to share the post and this recipe with my readers.

Homemade Hummus Recipe:

 Put all of the following ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth:

1 15 oz. can of garbanzo beans
1/2 tsp. cumin
2 T lemon juice
1 T olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic

** You can always add in other spices, olives or red pepper to personalize to your taste. I used oregano  in the one I made for these pictures.

Don't forget to make up a batch of homemade pita bread to go with your hummus and veggies!

Try It Tuesday: Spider Web Crafts for Kids

 Are you looking for another Halloween craft? Then I hope that you will try out these two Spider Web Crafts I will give you a brief tutorial on.

And if you were looking for something besides spider webs for Halloween Crafts, then please check out my recent post on Northern Cheapskate of 5 Easy Halloween Paper Plate Crafts for Kids or my post on on how making Re-purposed Fabric Ghosts. 

Also, it's only mid-month so you can be sure that I have a few more Halloween crafts to share with you.

The two spider web crafts will include a Popsicle Stick & Yarn  Web and a Paper Plate String Web.

Popsicle Stick & Yarn Spider Web

Gather your supplies: 4 popsicle sticks, glue white paint, white yarn & a plastic spider.

 Step 1: Glue your 4 popsicle sticks in a star type pattern.

Step 2: Paint web frame with white paint and allow to dry.

 Step 3: Wind yarn around each popsicle stick, moving from one popscile stick to the one next to it and continue around until you have made about 5 web strands.

Step 4: Attach a plastic spider. I find that spider rings work great because you can just cut the bottom of the ring open and attach it easily by pulling apart the bottom of the ring & releasing.

Paper Plate String Spider Web

 Gather your supplies: a paper plate, white string, scissors & a plastic spider

Step 1: Cut out center of the paper plate (but don't throw it away - I will be posting on using that piece to make another craft.)

Step 2: Cut an even number slits around the exterior of the plate. The more slits you cut the more web you will spin.

Step 3: Cut string (about 3-4 feet is good, unless you made a lot more slits than we did) and tie a knot one end.

Step 4: Slide knot on the backside of one slit and start bringing your string across to a new slit. Continue until you have completed your web. Cut off any excess string.

Step 5:  Attach a plastic spider. I find that spider rings work great because you can just cut the bottom of the ring open and attach it easily by pulling apart the bottom of the ring & releasing.

Thrifty Thursday - Use Vinegar as a Rinse Aid

I stopped using rinse aid years ago when I noticed it was no match for our how hard our water is. Even with rinse aid I was battling water spots and the was increasing mineral buildup in my dishwasher. Vinegar is a cheap way to obtain spot free dishes without using chemicals.

I don't use an exact amount;I just kind of glug it in there but if I had to guess it would be 1/3-1/2 C per load, probably closer to 1/2 Cup.

Be sure to also read my post on Northern Cheapskate "DIY Eco-Friendly Dishwasher Detergent"

What To Do With Kitchen Scraps......

 Do you drink coffee and wonder what to do with those coffee grounds? Check out my list of uses for leftover coffee grounds & coffee.

Sprinkle the cooled grounds right on to the ground of outdoor & indoor plants. The grounds will give a slow-release of nitrogen that will help fertilize your plants. Plus it will help keep slugs away. And cats do not like the coffee grounds and it can help deter them from digging in your indoor plants.

You could also try making some coffee grounds playdough.

Save your (dried) egg shells to scatter under outdoor plants to help keep slugs away. Just like the coffee grounds, slugs do not like to crawl across egg shells because they cut up their undersides. Egg shells take a long time to biodegrade, but as they do they will add calcium to your soil.

Another thing you do with both of these kitchen scraps is to add them to your compost pile. Don't have a compost pile, then please read my latest post on Northern Cheapskate "No Stress Guide To Starting a Compost Pile".

Try It Tuesday: Make a Standing Skateboard Swing

We wanted something different that just another swing (which we already have one of) on the kids new clubhouse. WAIT! You are wondering  "What clubhouse?" Then you need to read my latest post on Northern Cheapskate titled "Getting It Done: Build A Clubhouse" and read about the awesome clubhouse that my husband built for our kids.

Anyways, I saw a Stand-n-Swing accessory, but I didn't want to spend another $30 plus shipping & handling for another accessory. Frankly, the clubhouse went out of our intended budget & I didn't want to make it go out further.

Then along comes a skateboard in a free box. Actually, it was just the board as someone probably swapped out this board for a newer one, but all we needed was the board and a trip to Fleet Farm to buy some thick rope (just one length) and some U-bolts.

We actually thought it would be safer to thread the rope through 2 holes we drilled in the 2x4 rather than having individual attachments & 2 separate pieces of rope. And then 4 holes (2 on each side were) drilled in the skateboard and the rope was thread thru them and a U-bolt tightened in to place to secure the rope closed.)

I say it was a simple project basically because I only had to try it out when it was done. It is only a couple inches off the ground, but you can swing your legs up pretty high. It has been a big hit with our kids, their friends and the neighborhood kids.

Thinking About Buying a Pool?

 Before you buy an above-ground pool, please go read my guest post on Northern Cheapskate, "Things To Consider Before Purchasing an Outdoor Pool" and read through my list of

* Environmental Considerations

* Financial Considerations

* Other Considerations

Then decide if a pool is the best financial and environmentally responsible decision for your family. There is too many factors to consider before you say a home above-ground pool is better than a community pool or the beach or vice versa.

And what is best for your family, may not be what is best for another family.

Ideas for Outdoor Activities

Before you head on over to Northern Cheapskate to read my newest post called "Ideas for Getting Outside During Earth Week (or Anytime!)", check out more ideas I have included below.

Play in a Sandbox

Play T-Ball / Softball / Baseball

Set Up an Obstacle Course

Ride a Scooter

Dig in the Dirt with a Stick

Draw with Chalk

Make the World's Largest Hopscotch (& Play!)

Another Toilet Post on Northern Cheapskate

I noticed I have a thing about writing about toilets for Northern Cheapskate at the end of winter. Wonder if that will happen again next year?

My newest post on Northern Cheapskate is Steps to a Greener and Cleaner Toilet.

If you are interested in what I wrote about toilets last year, then check out Stop Your Toilets from Taking a Leak.