Saving money on gasoline!

Folks...it's summer time. That time of the year where people go on crazy road trips and use huge amounts of gas. The time of year when the gas companies think "hey, we need to shut down our plants! Oh, so the price of gas goes up. Lucky us!"

With that in mind, I thought I would share some tips for getting the most out of every gallon that you do buy.

You need to do the regular maintenance. I know, I know, money is tight! But regular oil changes means the engine lasts longer. Getting the regular fixes done (changing the spark-plugs when they are supposed to be changed, get the old fuel filter switched out) makes the car run more efficiently. My car had a spark plug that was misfiring, and it killed my mpgs. Worth the money to make sure it's all running tip-top! Plus, you stress less about the engine blowing out while on the road.

Make sure your tires are properly inflated. Weird, I know, but the amount of tire that comes in contact with the road affect your mileage. So, check that manual and make sure the proper psi is in the tires. Know that heat will make the air expand, so don't overfill them in the AM! Go with what the manual says.

Buy your gas in the morning or late evening. Whenever it is coolest. The liquid is more dense in the cool of the day.

Avoid getting gas when the truck is refilling the underground tanks. When they pour in all the new gas, it stirs up sediment off the bottom of the tank and increases the chance that you will get gunk in your engine (yup, it's a technical term!).

Gas prices go up and down over the week, but are typically lowest on Wednesday. Prices begin creeping up on Thursday, to take advantage of the weekend, and sneak back down a penny or so on Mondays and Tuesdays. Try to plan your fill-ups on Wednesday to get the best deal. (You also might check out on-line sites that find the cheapest gas in your zip code!)

Air-conditioning or run with the windows down? For you lucky ones with the AC, if you are driving 50 mph or faster, it's about a wash between the pull of the AC and the drag of having the car windows open, so you may as well revel in the cool air! (Me, I have no AC, and I make the kids roll up the windows on the freeway. Poor children...we bond together in our suffering in the hot car!)

Other tips---try to park in the shade during summer to keep your car cool. Yes, I am the odd-ball who parks WAY out in the back side of the parking lot, just to get in the shade. It honestly works (and if you don't have AC, you need all the help you can get!). Plan your trips carefully, and drive in a circle whenever possible. I mean, mentally note all your stops, and plan it so there is no back-tracking. Lighten up the load! I forget stuff in my car (or leave my sons sports gear in the car for forever), but all that excess stuff adds weight to the car (making the engine work harder). So, unload all that extra stuff!

I think that is the main ones. Please add any other great ideas!

The green eyed monster

I have a huge case of the "I want's". I see what others have, the neat new gadgets, new clothes, new cars, new....stuff, and I admit it, I want what they have.

I get tired of wearing the same outfits all the time. Most depressing to me? When I realized that I have shoes and pants that are older than my youngest child. In my regular clothing rotation, I have pants and shoes that are over 10 years old (let that one sink in...). I suppose it is a good thing that I chose classic styles so I don't look too out of place. And that I obviously haven't gained or lost a lot of weight.

I get tired of being RESPONSIBLE all the time. Of being the one in our marriage to say "no, we really don't need that right now." It makes me feel mean and petty.

I want to splurge. Truely, I do! I want a nice vacation, to go someplace special. I want to buy new things for my son's, simply because.

What I do not want is debt. I do not want a credit card. I do not want a car payment. I do not want to worry each month about how I am going to pay all the bills.

Every individual makes different choices in life. Each choice needs to be balanced out with current needs, future needs, how much use and enjoyment an item will give you.

I love being able to stay at home, even though my boys are older. I love knowing that, at the drop of a hat, I can go somewhere or do something for them, and I won't need to ask for time off. If my child is ill or needs to go to the doctors, I can go at any time.

I enjoy baking cookies for my family. Making homemade jam. I love sitting on my back deck and watching the ducks play, seeing the birds at the feeders. I enjoy the sense of peace that I have in my life because I am not rushing as much as I would be if I were working.

We all make different choices in life. My old pants are looking better now. My small house is cozy. More importantly, it is HOME. Having a savings account is security and safety to me, and if I spent money, I would have much less of it.

Green-eyed monster, please go away. Please go bother someone else, because I am happy with the way things are in my life.

I need to remember what is important to me. Which freedoms and choices would I need to give UP in order to have things. After thinking about it, it just isn't worth it. I'll keep things the way they are, and wait a while longer for my wants to come to me.

Chemical free weeding

Boy oh boy! You thought my garden was bad, I think the front yard was worse. The house next to us is renters, and neither they, nor the owners, seem to care about the number of dandelions in the yard. The seeds drift over and make a mess of the yard. Hard to get too excited about weeding when you know you are going to have to do it over and over again.

Still....looking at the yard is beginning to drive me nuts. I see the weeds, the dead leaves from the daffodils, and it annoys me. I've been saying to myself for a month now "I need to weed" and I have just been putting it off. When walking into the yard causes me to shudder, I know it's time to just buckle down and do the job.

I was out there, clearing out dead leaves, pulling weeds, yanking grass growing where it shouldn't be. I dead-headed the daffy's in the late spring (they need to be dead-headed so they don't waste energy making the pod at the top where the flower was. You leave the leaves so they can gather energy for the bulb for next year, but eventually, even the leaves die off and need to be cut back. Meaning, you end up doing the same type of job twice!) but the leaves were creating an eyesore. The vinca is creeping into the beds where I don't want it, so that needs to be pulled out. The fern leaves are dying off from the previous year, and need to be cut back so the new growth can flourish. Not to mention grabbing fallen sticks from the trees above, and trash that people have tossed into my yard when they walk past.

Pulling, yanking, cutting. Pulling, yanking, cutting. Hubby was working on the fence gate, so I asked him to cut back the wisteria while he had the ladder out. Opps, wrong ladder! He goes and gets the right one, and hacks the bush back. Gather, gather, gather all the fallen vines.

Ah.....but now look at it! Pretty, and clean.

Granted, I didn't go the easy route. Spritzing some chemicals definitely would have been quicker. But spritzing chemicals leaves residue that can harm the butterflies that come into my yard. Possibly harm the bees that pollinate my garden and flowers. Not to mention the frogs! Frogs easily absorb chemicals, and I like having frogs in my yard, even if I rarely ever see them.

Nice, neat yard, with no guilt. Added benefit? This yard work counts as my exercise for the day! Ice cream, anyone?

Chinchilla on the run

No, not really! I just felt sorry for the poor guy. It's my sons pet, his name is Jefferson, and he hasn't gotten much attention these past two weeks with the boys gone on vacation. So, I thought I would bring him outside to run around in his ball.

First off, I learned that our backyard is not nearly flat enough for him to get his ball rolling. Poor thing started trying to gnaw on the inside to get out since he couldn't get the ball rolling. I moved him on up to the deck where he would have a flat surface. Lesson number two, there's isn't any depth perception in a ball. Or maybe chinchillas just don't have any. Regardless, he tried running off the edge of the deck several times, and the fall might have hurt him (or popped open the ball meaning we really would have a loose chin!). I spent about ten minutes playing blocker to prevent him from hurling himself over the edge.

But it was fun for him. He got to be outside, check out the other animals, and see the sun. Anything to mix it up for 'em every so often!

Reusing plastic bags to make a rug

One of my dear friends is guest "blogging" for me today! Andrea gave me the instructions on how to braid a waterproof rug out of those blasted plastic store bags. Do you have a huge pile of them just sitting around? Well....here is one way to use them up!

Plastic Grocery Bag Rug

Size and dimensions are up to you. There are many ways to make these but I will share It you the way I've made mine.

I take my plastic grocery bags (from when I forget the cloth ones) lay them flat tucking in the gussets. Fold in half length wise and in half again. Then I cut off the handles and the bottom of the bag. This leaves you with a tube. Cut a slit up the side to give you one long strip. You will need a few hundred of these for a good size rug. But you only need about 9 to 12 pieces to start.

I like to store these pieces in an old tissue box; coffee can would work also.

Take 3 of these pieces and tie them together. I have found if you then stretch the 3 pieces flat and cut at an angle does not have to be neat but the 3 pieces need 2 be different sizes. Then braid like you normally would. When there is about 2 inches left you need to grab another piece take the new piece and tuck inside the short piece and keep braiding.

Now I often get stopped while doing this (usually in front of the TV) so I keep a few cloths pins handy so I can just clip it off and start again when I can.

You can either save your braid in a ball-like form (think yarn balls) , in a bag or what ever your heart desires. When you feel you have enough, it is time to put your rug together. Securing with another knot to end it when you feel you have enough.

You can make your rug as you go along braiding if you want; but it's not my prefered way.

Time for some more decision making. How do you want your rug to go together? Glue, thread, sinew, tie it off with little bag strips, well it's up to you.

I find using a glue gun the easiest on my fingers and the fastest. I wind the braid around itself in a long oval. I prefer to stand the narrow sides up and down making the top and bottom of the rug while running a 6 inch bead of glue then pressing more braid into the glue and moving on.

Once I get to the end I determine which I want for the top of the rug and which for the bottom of the rug. Then I put a good dollop of glue on the end knot and push in into the bottom of the rug between the other braided pieces so it doesn't show so much.

Have fun and I hope you enjoy your recycled waterproof rug.

Thank you, Andrea, for the help on making our rugs! Have fun out there.

Our duck coop

This spring, when preparing for the ducklings, my husband and I had many long discussions about their home. How much space they needed, where to place it, how to build it, all those fun things. We spent several weekends preparing their home so it would be convenient and comfortable for them.

I thought I would let you see what it looks like! We built their inside home underneath a "fort" that we had made (years ago) for our kids that they have outgrown. They have about 10 square feet of space under the fort, enclosed for protection against the wind. Hubby built a door outside the fence, that lifts up to open an entire side of their house. This is so I can easily reach in and grab any eggs, as well as muck it out a few times a year. I have put down a few inches of pine shavings over the dirt, and add another inch or so each month. In late fall, I intend to muck this out, put it into the garden for mulch (and do it again in late winter to till it into the garden soil). We also have a lamp in the corner so we can light it during the winter to encourage egg production.

We used a large dog kennel. We covered over a third with a roof so that they have shade and protection from the rain, and then the rest of it is covered with wire to keep any animals out. I have a galvanized tub for their water, and their feed bucket is to the back. The feed bucket is on a pulley system, so I can hoist it up out of reach if we keep the gate open. (My ducks are piggies, and would rather eat the grain than forage for bugs or greens).

There you have it! One wonky looking duck kennel. But, compared to what my dad had when I was growing up, these ducks have the Hilton!

Summer is coming on, thinking about canning

No, my garden isn't ripe and ready. Up here in the Pacific Northwet, my tomato's won't be ripe until the middle of August (right when I leave for vacation. Doesn't that figure?!). My peppers are not even blooming yet. Beans? Forget about it! (Remind me to string my trellis tomorrow for them to climb on. Right now, they are pulling the onions over trying to climb up those! Need a day to work in the garden again.)

So....why think about canning? The jars are on sale! (Bad sale, bad sale!) And the farm store has them in stock on the seasonal aisle. Soooo tempting! All this visual reminder of putting up the harvest is making me climb the walls.

I will be going out tomorrow, buying some jars. I have a coupon! And then I will stash them under the bed with the rest of the empty jars, just waiting to be filled. How long until the tomato's are ready again?