Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Long Between Posts..

Sorry it's been ages. I ran out of free internet at the house (OK OK..."trailer") early in the month and haven't had time to get online elsewhere and post. I have a few posts written so there may be an onslaught early in April when the free internet timer resets. For now: I have leads on 2 pieces of land. Many options and much to consider. It's hard to pick between bare land where I could do exactly what I want, and land with a house on it that would need a lot of re-doing (or "undoing" may be more the term...getting rid of the electricity and whatnot) but I could live in while I did that. The land with the house on it also has an option to rent it and see if I REALLY want to live out in the boonies (it's only a mile from town) without power, collecting water, and having chickens and bees. So...we'll see.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

Cheapest Movie Rental Deal EVER

The selection is unreliable. The price is right.
The Goodwill in Moscow, Id is selling out many many VHS movies for 49cents. I still have a working VCR (knock on wood...) so I can take advantage of this.
It's an extra good deal if the colored tag deal (50% off of a particular color price tag) applies to the movie I want. Generally, I won't buy the movie if it's the full 49cents. I wait until it's half off for 25cents (they round up that last 1/2cent those greedy thriftstore bastards).

For a quarter, I buy the movie. Bring it home, watch it a time or two, then take it back. No late fees. No membership to buy. No corporate policies to investigate and see if they are in line with my environmental goals (admittedly, Goodwill is moving into shiny new box-like stores but I'm not ready to boycott them yet).

I've gotten most of the Anne of Green Gables series. Star Wars. A Beautiful Mind. Il Postino. Shirley Valentine. Tracy Takes On... and much much more.

Most go back. I haven't watched Il Postino yet and may hang on to that one...it is a classic and considered one of Marcello Mastroiani's best. I'm also hanging on to Shirley Valentine because it's cute and funny and has some of my favorite lines.

Occassionaly I find a DVD worth having but those go for $2.99 so even half off, they need to be pretty compelling. Another thrift store sells them for $1 but their selection is mostly self-help and exercise. Their donation clientel are not my people.

Cheapest Movie Rental Deal EVER

The selection is unreliable. The price is right.
The Goodwill in Moscow, Id is selling out many many VHS movies for 49cents. I still have a working VCR (knock on wood...) so I can take advantage of this.
It's an extra good deal if the colored tag deal (50% off of a particular color price tag) applies to the movie I want. Generally, I won't buy the movie if it's the full 49cents. I wait until it's half off for 25cents (they round up that last 1/2cent those greedy thriftstore bastards).

For a quarter, I buy the movie. Bring it home, watch it a time or two, then take it back. No late fees. No membership to buy. No corporate policies to investigate and see if they are in line with my environmental goals (admittedly, Goodwill is moving into shiny new box-like stores but I'm not ready to boycott them yet).

I've gotten most of the Anne of Green Gables series. Star Wars. A Beautiful Mind. Il Postino. Shirley Valentine. Tracy Takes On... and much much more.

Most go back. I haven't watched Il Postino yet and may hang on to that one...it is a classic and considered one of Marcello Mastroiani's best. I'm also hanging on to Shirley Valentine because it's cute and funny and has some of my favorite lines.

Occassionaly I find a DVD worth having but those go for $2.99 so even half off, they need to be pretty compelling. Another thrift store sells them for $1 but their selection is mostly self-help and exercise. Their donation clientel are not my people.

Sunday, March 6, 2011

Baking Soda and You...

I joined the Dollar Stretcher site (under my usual screen name) and find that it helps me recognize some of the things I now take for granted but are actually quite thrifty, apparently.

Someone asked what homemade items we make and how long it takes.

I ended up with multiple uses for baking soda and vinegar that I've been doing without thinking. Just goes to show that once I get a habit, it becomes automatic (if only I could acquire the habit of NOT eating a loaf of bread as soon as it comes out of the oven).

Here are the uses I'm making of the baking soda and vinegar.

Baking Soda--
-tooth powder (use it straight)
-"shampoo" (mixed with water)
-sink cleaner (put in wet sink, let it sit a while, scrub with citrus rind if I have it or a scrubby if I don't, rinse with water)
-tub/tile/turlet cleaner (like the sink cleaner only use a toilet brush on the toilet)
-bug-bite-anti-itch (make a paste and apply to the bite area)
-drain cleaner (put a big dollop in the drain, add vinegar, chase with hot/boiling water). This one makes a cool "volcano" to entertain you while it works.

Vinegar
-conditioner (dilute apple cider vinegar)
-drain cleaner (see above)
-plumbing delymer (fill plastic bag (salvaged from somewhere) with bit of vinegar and strap around the offending showerhead, if it's a faucet head then you might have to take it off and drop in bag or bowl of vinegar) ((Hint: use this vinegar to clean the drain rather than just chucking it out)
-softener (if my towels are getting SUPER crunchy from no softener and having to hang them inside, I might throw a bit of vinegar in the final rinse water)
-floor cleaner (dilute in water and wash floor with old socks and sweatshirts in the ragbag)
-toilet tank demold-ifier (this is in the beta phase but I'm hoping it will kill the mold that lives in the upper toilet tank)