My First Experience with Tightwaddery

I got my first Tightwad Gazette book back in the 90's. I was much younger then and I remember scoffing at some of the ideas in it, though some were actually very good. The book got misplaced somewhere along the road and disappeared.

Fast forward to 2015, when I was going through some boxes in the basement, and guess what I found? Yep, my Tightwad Gazette book. Considering that my husband and I are in a very different place now, than we were over a decade ago, I decided to give it another read. We are looking for a homestead to buy for retirement and I have been been spending a lot of time recently reading about self sustainability, going more green and changing to a simpler lifestyle where less is more. This book fit in nicely with the research I've been doing.

I don't know about you, but this time of year I have a lot of aches and pains.  Pulling weeds in the garden, bending and stretching to pick beans and other veggies, trimming shrubs, just all the work that goes with the approaching harvest and the end of summer.
By the end of the day, my shoulders and knees are hurting and need some relief, so I wanted to try cold gel packs to help reduce the swelling and pain.  However, they are kinda pricey at $20 to $50 each for the reusable kind, and I really did not want to pay that much, not knowing if they would help.  I did some research and found that they are ridiculously easy and cheap to make.

Today I have a short post for you, but it is a great household tip that will save you money every time you buy fresh berries of any kind.  Are you sick and tired of buying strawberries, only to get them out of the refrigerator a few days later and find them mushy or with patches of mold on them? How much money have you lost, throwing away raspberries, blackberries and other berries because they went bad before you got the chance to use them?

One of the best things to eat in the summer is salad, fresh from the garden.  I pick the lettuce, pull the onions and radishes, picks some peppers and pinch a few fresh herbs.  Then all you have to do it put it together.  This is my recipe for summer salad with turkey, one of my favorites!  I start with fresh ingredients:

My first adventure with decoupage occurred in the 1970s. I bought a picnic basket purse and I decoupaged flowers on the wooden top. I will never forget those yellow roses, how carefully I cut them out and the hour that it took me decide on an arrangement that I liked. I will also never forget the solid week I spent putting coat after coat of varnish over those roses. All in all the project took ten days to complete. I was so proud of it, I never carried it as a purse, instead I put it on my dresser and kept my teenage treasures in it.