New Year's Resolutions - Losing Weight

One of the top New Year's resolutions is to lose weight. As someone who struggles with weight, it is a very hard thing to do. I have lost some, but I still have a ways to go. So far, I have lost around 20 pounds. I do feel better in general even losing that amount. I need to lose about 80 more pounds. The New Year is a great time to refocus on those efforts.

I have found a very useful tool to aid in the weight loss process. It is incredibly helpful, it is free, and it has accountability built in. It is an online course, really a bible study, that digs deep. There is a daily lesson with questions and answers. What this program does is pair you up with a mentor who has already successfully completed the course. This mentor reads your lessons and responds accordingly. It has been so good for me. I wanted to pass it along, especially during a time when so many will be focusing on losing weight. You can find the course, called "The Lord's Table", at http://www.settingcaptivesfree.com/ . And I am going to use the New Year as a time to refocus and continue along on my way to my weight loss goal.

Homemade Oatmeal Facial Mask

I was in need of a little "mommy pampering" time today. I decided to have my own personal home spa. And it only cost me a few cents. Bonus! And it involved all natural ingredients from my kitchen, no extra added chemicals. Double bonus!

I took an oatmeal milk bath (scented with dried rose petals), you can find the recipe for this at http://www.allfreecrafts.com/homemade-gifts/oatmeal-milk-bath.shtml . I also conditioned my hair with a homemade hot oil hair treatment, which I posted previously http://thethriftyhousewifeblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/homemade-hot-oil-honey-hair-treatment.html .

I decided that along with all of that, I wanted to try my hand at making a homemade facial mask. I came up with this recipe using things I had on hand at the house. I think the one I ended up making would probably work best for those that have combiniation skin and struggle with acne (that's me!). After using this mask, I did notice that the redness from my acne was reduced some, and my skin felt fabulous!

Oatmeal Facial Mask

1/4 cup ground oatmeal (grind in a blender or food processor)
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2 tablespoons witch hazel
1/2 tablespoon lemon or lime juice (I used lime because that's what I had on hand)

Mix all ingredients together. Initially, it will fizz a little from the baking soda and lime juice, but not much. Wet face with warm water. Apply mixture to face and leave on for approximately 20 minutes. Rinse off and pat dry.

This facial mask does tingle a little bit, so if you have sensitive skin, you may want to test it on a small area of skin first. To me, it felt very similar to store bought facial products that have alpha-hydroxy in them. Overall, I am very pleased with the results and like it better than any product I have bought at the store. I will definitely be using this again!

Evaporated Milk Recipe

Recently, I posted a recipe for sweetened condensed milk. I liked it so well that I thought I would see if there was a recipe for evaporated milk out there somewhere in cyberspace. Sure enough, there was! I tried it out on the old Fantasy Fudge recipe from the Kraft Marshmallow Cream jar. The recipe turned out great! Now that I know how to make my own sweetened condensed milk and my own evaporated milk, the cost of my holiday baking goes down even further.

Evaporated Milk Recipe

1 1/2 cups warm water
1 cup powdered milk
2 tablespoons butter

Mix powdered milk and warm water together. Add butter. In a small pan, heat mixture together. Beat well, cool, and store in the refrigerator.

I used a whisk to stir it while cooking it on the stove, it seemed to work really well for me that way. This recipe is from recipezaar.
If you are interested in the Kraft Fantasy Fudge recipe (and this is the original one, they have changed it on the current marshmallow cream jars), you can find it here.

Saving Money On Movies

I like to watch movies from time to time. The theater is usually a no-go for us because it is so expensive to go nowadays, especially with a family of five. The snacks are outrageously priced too. Then there's the whole issue of the kids sitting still during the movie, without having to take twenty trips to the bathroom (OK, so maybe I am exaggerating a little there!). There are way more reasons for us to skip the theater than there are to actually go.

That brings us to movie rentals. Yes, they are much more affordable. And children who do not care to watch the movie are free to roam and play closeby instead. Many people are going with Netflix these days. That can be a bargain for sure, but if at all possible, I like to keep our business local and help the local economy and business guy out. Many movie rental stores have specials for additional savings, so it may be worth it to check it out. Our local store has "Movie Mondays", where I can go rent any movie in the store for $.99, including new releases. Plus the fact that this movie store has rentals that are allowed to be out for anywhere from 2-7 days, so I don't have to watch them right away if I don't have time to. Or if I don't want to go on Monday, they have another special, 5 movies for 5 dollars, but you can't get new releases on the deal. You can always call the local movie stores and ask about specials.

One more idea I would like to throw in there is the local library. Many times, renting movies from there is free. That is not an option for us because of the distance of our library from us. They have to be back the next day, and that just doesn't work for us because of the drive to get there. But I know of many families who happily rent movies from their local library.

For us, using the specials gives us significant savings. Just because you are on a budget doesn't mean you have to miss out on entertainment. There are ways to enjoy a movie for significantly less, and honestly it is just more convenient for us anyhow.

Cappuccino Gift

I had previously posted a recipe for Instant Cappuccino Mix www.thethriftyhousewifeblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/instant-cappuccino-mix-recipe-gift-idea.html . I made it into a cute gift by putting the cappuccino mix into a mason jar and giving it a decorative Christmas touch. I placed a square of fabric over the lid and screwed the band around it. For the fabric, I cut it out using pinking shears to prevent fraying and to make it look pretty. Then I tied a matching red ribbon around the band. Voila! Pretty, decorative, useful gift!

My Homemade Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe

We like hot fudge sauce around here! Besides being less expensive than store bought sauce, it is a whole lot yummier! (I KNOW - is is even possible for hot fudge sauce to get any yummier?) This recipe is one of our favorite treats served with vanilla ice cream. It is really easy to make.

Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe

1/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 can sweetened condensed milk
Milk, if needed

Place all ingredients except for milk in a medium saucepan. Stir continuously over medium heat until ingredients are melted and well blended. If necessary, add milk in small amounts while continually stirring to reach desired consistency. Serve immediately.

This recipe store well in a covered container in the fridge and can be microwaved to reheat. Also, see my post on homemade sweetened condensed milk in place of canned. It can be found at www.thethriftyhousewifeblog.blogspot.com/2009/12/make-your-own-sweetened-condensed-milk.html .

Make Your Own Sweetened Condensed Milk

This is another little recipe I came across in "The Madison County Cookbook". I didn't know this was possible before I read it, but you can make your own sweetened condensed milk. I know right now, a 14 oz. can of the stuff costs around $2.00. In the recipe notes, it said that the store bought cans of the stuff at that time cost around $1.45 each, but that this recipe only costs around $.25 to make the equivalent. I am sure it costs a little bit more than $.25 in today's economy, but it is still significantly less to make it yourself versus buying it.

With the holiday baking season in full swing, I decided I would give this recipe a trial run before I use it in all of my special Christmas goodies. I have a homemade hot fudge recipe that calls for sweetened condensed milk, so I tried it out on that one. My family couldn't tell the difference, and it tasted the same as it always tastes - delicious! I will definitely be using this recipe more often when I am in need of sweetened condensed milk. And I will also post my hot fudge recipe soon too - it's very simple and very yummy!

Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 cup powdered milk
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup boiling water
3 tablespoons melted butter

Put all the ingredients into a blender and mix at high speed until smooth. Use this in any recipe that calls for Eagle Brand condensed milk. Makes 14 ounces.

It will be rather thick, but then again, so is canned sweetened condensed milk. This is the equivalent of one can.

P.S. This came from page 233 of "The Madison County Cookbook", copyright 1994.