The Country Almanac of Housekeeping Techniques That Save You Money

395 Pages·2011·17.36 MB·English

by  Richard Freudenberger et al.

THE COUNTRY ALMANAC OF
HOUSEKEEPING
TECHNIQUES
THAT SAVE YOU MONEY
FOLK WISDOM FOR KEEPING YOUR
HOUSE
CLEAN, GREEN, AND HOMEY
RICHARD FREUDENBERGER
AND THE EDITORS OF
*BACKHOME MAGAZINE
CONTENTS
Introduction
PART 1: ALL AROUND THE HOUSE
CHAPTER 1: KITCHEN AND PANTRY
Cleaning and Organization
Avoid Toxins in Home Cleaners
Be a Kitchen-Sink Alchemist and Save a Bundle
Save on Space with a Pantry Door Storage Unit
Make Your Own Nontoxic Odd-Job Kitchen Cleaners
Clean Your Appliances Naturally
Simple Solutions for Shining Silver
Make Your Own All-Purpose Cleaning Wipes
Freshen Garbage Pails and Disposals
Make Your Own Hand Sanitizer
Keep Pests Out of the Kitchen
Kitchen Tools
Take a Fresh Look at Cast-Iron Cookware
Wok Your Way to Energy Savings
Try a Wood Cookstove
Cooking/Stretching Food Dollar/Leftovers
Dry Your Own Herbs and Keep Your Money at Home
Learn the Art of Fireless Cooking
Return to Your Roots
Try the Penny-Pincher’s Guide to Dutch Oven Cooking
Stop Buying Bread
Make Winter Soups
Fill Up on Stews for Less
Blend Your Own Spices
Economize Using Hand-Ground Grains
Grow Your Own Sprouts and Save
Make Herbal Vinegars
Save Energy with Combination Cooking
Eat Raw Foods for Enzymes and Save Energy
Food Storage
Pickle Foods with Appeal
Preserve and Economize with Water-Bath Canning
Observe Canning Safety Rules
CHAPTER 2: LAUNDRY ROOM AND LINEN
CLOSET
Know the Difference Between Soap and Detergent and Get Your Clothes
Cleaner
Make Your Own Laundry Soap for Pennies a Load
Discover the Bonus of Borax
Use the Sun and Save on Utilities
Join the Cloth Diaper Revival
Find a Dozen Uses for Old Sheets and Linens
Try Natural (and Safer) Alternatives to Bleach
CHAPTER 3: BATHROOMS
Make Your Own Housecleaners
Take a Powder and Do Plenty with It: The Power of Baking Soda
Make Your Own Toilet Bowl Cleaners
Make a Spa from Your Pantry
Make Home-Grown Skin Care
Make Homemade Baby Care Products
Save a Flush
Become Septic System Savvy
CHAPTER 4: BEDROOMS AND GUEST ROOMS
Bring Spring Indoors with Natural Aromatics
Make Space (and Save Cash) with Closet Storage Shelves
Ease Winter Woes with Heat-Saving Curtains
Save Energy with Seven Tips
CHAPTER 5: BASEMENT AND ATTIC
Use Safe and Effective Indoor Pest Control
Try No-Nonsense Mildew Control
PART 2: THOSE SPECIAL INTERESTS THAT MAKE LIFE
SPECIAL
CHAPTER 6: PETS: PART OF THE FAMILY
Say Farewell to Fleas
Bake Dog Biscuit Treats for Pennies
Visit the Vet Less by Using Natural Healing
Stitch up a Futon for Fido
CHAPTER 7: CRAFTS: DO IT YOURSELF
Make Recycled Sandals from Rubber Tires
Pound Flowers
Make Fireplace Bellows
Make a Simpler Solar Cooker for Kids
Make a Chair from Bittersweet for Next to Nothing
Make Dyes from Nature
Stitch up a Reversible Apron
CHAPTER 8: HOLIDAYS: OLD-FASHIONED FUN
Make Your Own Holiday Spices
Make Craft Paper Boxes for Gifts
Make a Traditional and Thrifty Wreath
Bake Pumpkin Treats
Make the Season with Mulled Ciders
Can the Gingerbread Man
Make a Seasoned Soup for the Holidays
Make Kids’ Candleholders
Mix Up “Bomb” Effervescent Bath Treats
Make Your Own Homemade Soaps
Make Old-Fashioned Jellies
Craft a Corncob Doll from Scraps
PART 3: HEADING OUTSIDE: THE GREAT OUTDOORS
CHAPTER 9: EXITS AND ENTRYWAYS
Make a Mudroom Cubby to Keep Things in Their Place
Build an Entry Vestibule to Ease Your Winter Budget
Stop Dirt in Its Tracks with a Simple Slatted Door Mat
CHAPTER 10: GARAGE AND WORKSHOP
Find the Ten Must-Have Tools Cheaply
Make the World’s Simplest Sawhorse
Make Your Own Nontoxic Paint
Make Your Own Wood Stain for Next to Nothing
Preserve and Restore Your Woodwork with Natural Oils
Make an Heirloom Bread Box
CHAPTER 11: DECKS, PATIOS, PORCHES, AND OUTDOOR ROOMS
Clean and Maintain Your Deck
Garden in Winter
Try Safe, Sound, and Easy-on-the-Purse Herbal Insect Repellants
CHAPTER 12: LANDSCAPING
Landscape for Less with Living Mulches
Make Mulch from Scratch
Conserve Water with Xeriscaping
Replace Your Lawn with Edibles
Basic Stonescaping
Build a Found-Wood Garden Gate
CHAPTER 13: GROWING FRUITS, VEGGIES, AND HERBS
Save Money and See Results (Really!) Using Vinegar in the Garden
Make a $99 Movable Greenhouse
Collect and Use Rainwater
Extend the Season with Row Covers
Save Money and Time with Sheet Mulching
Compost in Your Backyard
Build the World’s Simplest Compost Bin
Learn Seed Saving Skills
Know the Ins and Outs of Container Gardening
Create a Raised Bed Garden
Use Beneficial Insects for Garden Pest Control
Companion Plant for Garden Success
Beneficial Garden Companions
Test Your Soil
Index
About the Contributors
About the Author
INTRODUCTION
Keeping house is an art, a science—and a tradition. But housekeeping today is
getting more complex and more controversial despite technology that is
designed to make life easier. As consumers, we confront daily decisions
concerning the products we use (or avoid) in the home. Our store shelves are
stocked with commercial cleaners that could pose serious health risks. Our
grocery stores boast aisles of prepared foods designed to take the cooking out
of mealtime. In general, the modern way of housekeeping is focused on
instant gratification, less labor—just getting it done. The joy of creating a
healthy hearth seems to be lost. We at BackHome magazine think it’s time to
return to our roots and keep life simple. It’s time to revisit age-old, effective,
low-cost ways to clean the home, prepare food, entertain friends and family,
garden and preserve produce, celebrate holidays, and organize our homes and
lives. We can save a significant amount of money by going back to the basics,
and in turn, we’ll reduce our environmental impact.
The concept of sustainability that has developed so much groundswell in
recent years is not a brand-new idea. In the country, we have always found
ways to maximize the useful life of our resources, reduce our reliance on
energy, and become more self-reliant. And today, we continue to find ways to
reuse, replenish, reinvent—to do more with less, to live richer by spending
little. Sound impossible? Actually, generations of country dwellers and our
contributors at BackHome share just how easy it can be to live a self-reliant,
budget-friendly lifestyle. The ultimate reward: greater independence! When
you cut more clutter and cost out of life, you find room to really live.
This book is chock-full of how-to projects, recipes, and instructions for
living a simpler, cleaner life. (Your wallet will thank you for it.) Our seasoned
veterans provide practical, doable ideas you’ll want to try. It’s time to get
veterans provide practical, doable ideas you’ll want to try. It’s time to get
back to tradition of keeping house, appreciate the art, and recognize proven,
old-fashioned science that is safe, effective...and fun!
Now, it’s time to get your hands dirty! (And we bet you’ll find a new
hobby in these pages while you’re at it.) Let’s get back to the basics and focus
on what’s important. That is the objective of this book. Now it’s up to you to
press “reset” in your own home and live a simpler, more fulfilling life. We’re
eager to help you on that journey.
Sincerely,
The editors and contributors of BackHome