What's New?

In this Issue:

Recipes
Cream of Celery Soup
Maple Syrup
Ground Beef Recipe

Money Saving Tips

• Alternative Uses for Common Household Items: Uses for Bottles
• Recycle Clothes Tips
• Beauty Tips

Craft Ideas
Make Watercolor Paints

Your financial life is like a garden. If you tend a garden carefully, nourishing the flowers, pruning, and weeding, it's going to be a lot more beautiful than if you just water it half-heartedly now and then. - Suze Orman

Did You Know?

Of the more than $50 billion worth of diet products sold every year, almost $20 billion are spent on imitation fats and sugar substitutes.

Mvelopes is electronic envelope budgeting. Sign up for a f-r-e-e trial and take control of your finances now. Mvelopes Personal

Featured Articles

What Will Your Children Learn about Money Management?

I recently was asked, "If you had to give one piece of financial advice to college students, what would it be." First of all, college is way to late to start teaching about personal finance. By this point in life, children, may have already developed poor spending habits.... Read On

There are lots of ways to recycle furniture and give a favorite piece a new purpose and new life. Recycling helps the environment, saves resources, and saves you mo/ney. Tawra Kellam gives advice on how to Use a Dresser to Organize Your Garage.... Read On

It seems I'm not the only one that save lots of money shopping at the discount grocery store, Aldi's. Tawra Kellam of LivingOnADime.com shares her experiences with this great discount grocer! .... Read On

I had to learn how to build a website, write content for my site, choose and optimize keywords, choose a profitable theme, and market my website. I knew nothing except how to surf the web!

I was sure I could never do all that site building stuff without earning another college degree. But, SBI made it easy for me to learn how to build a website, step-by-step, and become the successful internet earner I am today...Read On

Recipes

2 cups chicken stock
3 cups celery, cut in small pieces
2 cups boiling water
1 slice onion
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1 cup cream
salt and pepper, celery salt, and paprika to taste

Combine stock and water, add celery, cook until tender. Press through a sieve. Scald onion in milk, then remove onion. Add flour to a little milk to make a paste. Add celery mixture to scalded milk, add flour paste, add cream and seasonings. Heat in a double broiler.

3 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 teaspoon maple flavoring
2 cups boiling water

Pour 3/1/2 cups brown sugar into the 2 cups boiling water, stirring to dissolve. Add 1 teaspoon maple flavoring. Stir well. Allow to stand for 24 hours to blend flavors before serving. Makes about 1 quart of delicious maple flavored syrup.

1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, diced
1 can tomato soup
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
8 oz. elbow macaroni
Italian seasoning
salt and pepper

Brown beef and onion together. Drain off fat. Add 1 can of tomato soup, seasonings to taste, cheese and a little water to make soup "saucy". Let simmer 15 minutes as you boil macaroni. Add cooked macaroni and either serve from skillet, or put in greased casserole dish with buttered bread crumbs and bake at 350 degrees F. for 20-30 minutes. Makes 4-5 servings.
- Courtesy Cate, editor of Budget-and-Prosper.com

Cate's tips:
--I use bags of shredded sharp cheddar, for more flavor and to save time.
--A great dish to make ahead and re-heat.
--Perfect for potlucks or families in need. Just add bagged salad, a box of croutons and fresh Italian bread.
--Sprinkled Parmesan cheese on top. Yum!

Send us Your Recipes

Cooking.com -Go to Recipes & More Section
Recipe Secrets
Free Recipes at ClubMom!
Country Cooking Recipes
E-Cookbooks Library

Money Saving Tips

Visit our money saving tips directory here

1. Keep hands soft - Rinse hands with vinegar water after hand washing dishes or clothes.

2. An inexpensive home remedy for troubled complexions - Rub cornstarch on the face after cleaning. Dries pimples without drying skin.

3. Wear gloves while polishing shoes to prevent polish from staining skin.

4. Paint nails with ease - Use a turned over dinner plate to prop hand up while polishing.

Bottles

1. Use a one liter soda bottle for a boot tree. Insert in boot to hold shape.

2. Plastic bag dispenser - cut off bottom of 2 liter soda bottle. Attach to wall or inside of cupboard door, upside down. Fill with bags, pull out from uncapped top hole to dispense bags.

3. If you have an older toilet, make a water saver for your toilet tank. Remove labels from a one liter bottle and fill with water. Place in toilet tank to save water.

4. Sugar canister: Use a funnel to pour sugar into a clean, and dry, one gallon jug with handle. Sugar stores nicely and is easy to pour from container.

5. Make a homemade funnel by cutting off the top of any bottle or jug you have handy. Turn upside down and use as a funnel. Use several different sizes to make several different size funnels.

6. Make a scoop by cutting out a diagonal corner of the bottom of a plastic milk jug. Use quart, 1/2 gallon, and gallon jugs to make appropriate size scoop for the job required. Use smaller scoop to scoop clean gutters, or use scoops for sand, bulk goods, bail water from a boat, etc.

7. Fill with water and freeze to keep cooler cool.

8. Make a watering can - poke holes all across in front of capped top. Fill with water, tilt to pour as with watering can.

1. Save elastic waistbands from panty hose to use in repairing or sewing shorts, slacks, etc.

2. Use an orphaned sock to repair jacket sleeve cuffs. Cut double desired width, fold over (as in a cuff) to double thickness and sew cut ends together to jacket sleeve.

3. Reinforce sleeves (elbows) and knees of children's clothing using leather scraps from unused or unwanted leather clothes or gloves.

4. Sew pockets on the knees of workpants to add knee padding (sponges, etc) when doing work that requires getting on knees (gardening, flooring, etc.)

5. Make a pair of inexpensive maternity pants - Cut the front of pants out from seam to seam and replace with the strectchy top portion of panty hose.

6. Pot holders - cut worn jeans below the knee, tuck top half of cut piece into lower half and sew around sides.

Please share your tips

Make Watercolor Paints

You will Need:
baking soda
corn starch
vinegar
food coloring
small bowl
light corn syrup
several small containers or jar lids

Combine 3 tablespoons each baking soda, cornstarch, and vinegar in the small bowl. Add 1/2 teaspoon light corn syrup. Mixture will fizz. Wait for fizzing to stop and separate the mixture into several small containers or jar lids/caps.

Add about eight drops of food coloring to each batch and mix well. Use a different color in each batch or combine colors to make new colors.

Use right away or wait for them to dry. When dry, wet paint brush before using paints. Use as with any watercolor paints for arts and crafts.

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