I have recently fell in love with crock-pot cooking.  There are just so many reasons why using a slow cooker is great for me.    The first thing that caught my attention about it is that on the low setting it runs at about 75 Watts per hour.  It costs less than 7 cents an hour!!!  Holy Crap I thought!  So brought my old crock-pot I had obtained for like a dollar at a tag sale, down from the high shelf.   Made room on the counter top so I would be more committed to using it.

I am delighted to say that since I have started using the crock-pot, it has opened up a world of convenience for me.  For starters I can start a dinner in the CP at 12:00 am!  Perfect because my daughter is taking her nap and my son is away at pre-school.  No kids to bother me while I cook.   The next awesome thing is that you use so few dishes preparing a CP meal (everything goes in the CP).   I have to wash less dishes, which is just awesome.

The CP also uses all my odds and ends ingredients.  Including lower grade cuts of meat.  These cuts may be chewy when cooked regularly, but when slow cooked in the CP they come out tender and delicious.

So I say everyone break out your crock-pots, they are just fantastic!  There are so many dishes so it really is for everyone.  There are side dishes, appetizers, soups, even desserts!   These are some of the best sites I have found for recipes.

http://www.crock-pot.com/Recipes.aspx

http://crockpot.betterrecipes.com/index.html?ordersrc=google9crockpot_home

http://www.familycrockpotrecipes.com/

http://southernfood.about.com/library/crock/blcpidx.htm

Viva La Crock-Pot!

Yes, the cold water setting on your washing machine is the way to go, but if you don't do it right your laundry will stained and unsightly!   Why is washing your laundry on the cold water setting the way to go??   It's easier on the environment (washing your clothes in cold water will cut carbon dioxide emissions by 100LBS a year), easier on your clothes and easier on your wallet (you could save $64 a year on your energy bills).   What more could you ask for.   The problem is with the cold water is that you need to pre-treat you clothes and cold water doesn't work on all stains.   So follow my laundry tips and wash in the cold like a pro!

Items Handy in the Laundry Room

• Cold water detergent (formulated to wash clothes in cold water)

• Shout or other Pre-treater

• Bar Ivory Soap (great for getting out stubborn stains)

• Bottle of Regular Aspirin (makes whites bright)

• Soaking Bucket

• Tooth Brush

• Bottle of Peroxide (gets out blood and protein stains, but use with caution it could lighten fabric)

• Oxy Clean (great laundry booster)

• Baking Soda (great laundry booster)

Sorting is Key

I would say this is the most important part.  Always sort your laundry.  It's the best way to keep whites white and keep colors from bleeding.   When I sort laundry at home I always sort as follows; Delicates, whites, towels, light kids clothes, dark kids clothes, jeans, darks, lights and household items.  It seems like a lot of sorting but it really helps keep everything clean and preserved.  It's also handy when putting the laundry away and everything is already organized.   Did you know that if you washed a few towels with your clothes that your clothes would be covered in some amount of lint or fuzz?  No way!  Did you know that jeans can continue to bleed blue dye for their entire life?!!

Attacking Stains

If you are going to wash laundry in cold water it's really important to treat all stains before washing.  If you don't treat the stain and the item has been washed and dried it will be permanently set in.   Depending on the stain I like to either use shout pre-treater and let it set in for minutes.  I also really love to use a bar of Ivory soap for tough stains. First I wet the stain with water, then I rub the stain with the bar of soap.  I repeat the process until the stain is mostly gone.  Now you can wash the item.

The Big Soak

Soaking heavily soiled items will help them get get clean.  Luckily I have a soak setting on my washing machine, but anyone can use a bucket or an empty sink.  I always presoak whites and baby clothes as a rule of thumb.  I just know they'll be very dirty.   To soak I add a small amount of detergent or oxy clean to cold water and soak for 30 minutes.

Some Exceptions

Unfortunately not everything should be washed in cold water.  I always wash my bedding in hot water.   The reason being is dust mites!   Dust mites are microscopic critters that live on bed sheets, feeding off of dead skin cells.  An abundance of them can make you susceptible to allergies. If you wash your sheets in cold water you are just giving the Little critters a bath.  The water temperature in the wash must be at least 120 degrees to sufficiently kill them.

Grease stains are another culprit that doesn't come out in cold water.  If I have a table cloth for example with grease stains all over it, I will pre-treat the stains then wash it in warm or hot water.

Funky towels stinking of mildew always make it into a hot water wash, so that the bacteria on the towels will be killed.

B.O. and deodorant stains don't seem to come out well in cold water either.  These I just soak in some warm water to get out the funk.

Tips

• I get my white their whitest with aspirin, not bleach (bleach actually yellows garments)!  I throw about 2-4 regular aspirin to the wash water, let them dissolve then add the clothes.   I have know Idea why this works, it just does.  I actually learned this tip from lucky magazine believe it or not.  Aspirin is also great for soaking yellow pit stains.
• On a heavy wash such as towels, I will run the spin cycle twice to get out excess water.  This reduces dryer time, which is the real energy hoarder.
• Use less detergent if you have soft water.   You don't need as much and I swear your clothes will come out cleaner.

1. It forces me to craft.   I know that I will always be crafting at least one night a week.

2. It gives me an excuse to drink booze one night a week.

3. It gives me an excuse to dress up and I LOVE dressing up. The rest of the week, I don't even have a reason to bother. 

4. It presents opportunities to me that would not be there with out it.

5. It allows me to make fun of my husband and children to a small audience.

6. It lets me obtain FREE yarn, fabric and craft supplies through our events.

7. I am learning new things about crafting and techniques all the time.

8. GOSSIP! GOSSIP! GOSSIP!

9. It gets me out of the house and away from my children (I love my kids, but God I gotta get away from them sometimes).

10. I have made the BEST group of friends anyone could possibly hope for.

If you live in the Danbury, CT area and are interested in joining visit our yahoo groups page http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hat_city_scissor_squad/

1. Don't waste food! Store all of your groceries properly.  Invest in some Glad ware, jars and Rubbermaid containers.   Put everything in it's proper containers right after grocery shopping, that way you don't run the risk of forgetting about them and having them go to waste.  Seal meats properly to prevent freezer burn.  If you don't think you are going to be able to use up produce before it goes bad.  Freeze it!  For some good tips on freezing check out this article http://www.mercurynews.com/food/ci_11618548.  Next time you throw out rotten produce or moldy bread, stop and think to yourself.  $3.00 in the garbage, $2.00 in the garbage.

2.  Care for your clothes properly.  Read the label and follow it every time.  your clothes will last so much longer.  Even if they go out of style they will be in good enough shape to donate. 

3. Be a grocery master!  Write great grocery lists.  Collect coupons.  Read all sales fliers and shop in several places. This can save you hundreds of dollars.  Also try and keep grocery shopping trips to a minimum, this can keep you from buying unnecessary impulse items.

4. Be patient.  Everything goes on sale sooner or later.  If you can wait, do your research and wait for the item you want to go on sale.  Especially when it comes to electronics and appliances.

5. Always, always always, run a full load.  Whether it's in the dishwasher, the washing machine or the dryer.  Washing two pairs of jeans is soooooooooo wasteful.   Think about how much money it costs you to do a load of laundry every time. Now think about how often you do a load of laundry.  Now add it up.  What if you could cut that in half by doing full loads of laundry every time.  How much money would you save?  I know I save about 24 dollars a month.  Times 12 months,  I am saving about 288 dollars a year and that doesn't include what I am saving on detergent and fabric softener.

6. A network of family and friends to trade coupons, hand me downs and other items is a GREAT thing to have. Saves you tons of money.  No one to swap with?  Join an on-line coupon swap http://www.thriftyfun.com/board_coupons.html?board_mode=rules or check out your local freecycle http://www.freecycle.org/.

7. Be crafty.  Learn how to make your own things, repair things and re-purpose old things.  It will save you so much money and it is so full filling.

8.  Use a little less of everything.  It adds up.  I know we all can have tendencies to use to much of everything.  To much toothpaste, too much laundry detergent, too much shampoo.  Follow the back of the package, it will tell you exactly how much you need to use.

9. Try not to eat out.  Make it a luxury.  Eating out is such a waste of money and it's not good for you.  If you are bored, have friends over for dinner.   Make your meals interesting, you CAN make Chinese food at home.  You Can make you own pizza or Mexican food.  Whatever you are craving.  http://www.cookinglight.com/food/vegetarian/homemade-takeout-00400000034881/

10. Be aware!!   Don't buy things mindlessly.  Always be thinking.  Do I need this?  Will I wear this?  Will I use this?  Be totally honest with yourself.  If it's a big purchase,  sleep on it.   It will probably be there tomorrow.  If it's not, it was not meant to be.   Even with bills.  For example.  Say you signed up for unlimited long distance for just 25 dollars a month.  What a deal!  But wait,  you only end up making 1 or 2 long distance phone a calls a month.  Hmmm not quite a great deal anymore. 

I hope these tips help.  I live by these tips and I swear they save me a lot of money. 

    My sister Christine also did something similar with her couch cushion covers.   They were white canvas cotton covers and were inevitably getting dirty.  So she dyed them purple to match her living room.   Now she is a big fan of dyeing fabrics.

Dyeing for some Tips?

The Dye

    Dyeing fabrics is a lot easier than you think.   Anyone can go buy Rit Dye  in the laundry isle at most grocery stores, Walmart, Target and at craft stores.   It s cheap too, a box cost 1.99 and a bottle cost 3.99.    There are many colors and washing aids available.  You can see them and the color chart and dying tips at www.ritdye.com.

The Technique

     Many items can be dyed.   As long as they are are made with natural fibers ie. cotton, wool, and silk.   My coat that I dyed was made of 100% cotton, so it dyed well.

There are several ways you can dye fabrics.   All of the options are on the back of the Rit box.  My personal favorite is the washing machine technique.    It's fast,  the results are great and you can dye more items at a time.

A Project

    About twice a year I do this project.   I revive my denim.   I gather up all my dark denim.  I make any necessary repairs first.    I get my handy bottle of Rit Blue Denim.  

I follow all the directions on the back of the bottle for washing machine dyeing.   I add a 1/2 cup of table salt (the salt makes the denim buttery soft) and a cup of vinegar (helps set the dye).   The results are fantastic my denim is crisp and new looking and in a few moths I will dye them again.  After my clothes are dyed I wash them with special care.  I wash them in cold water for at least 4 washes to help keep the fabric from bleeding.

Some Items to Dye

Denim, t-shirts, canvas bags, socks, pillow cases, bedspreads, sheets, small cotton rugs, towels, table cloths and curtains!

So with some dye and a little love and care you can use you clothes and linens for a long time.

 Fun Facts about my Sister!

• Her name is Mel Brooks (seriously)!
• We shared bunk beds for 10 years
• She has like a quadruple black belt in Tae kwon do.  Watch out!!!
• She is a founding member of the "Rainbow Sunshine Club".
• She is the middle child of 8!   Middle child to the max.
• She sported a feathered hair do in the 80's, but then again who didn't
• I am envious for all the free crap she gets, and can't quite figure out how she does it.
• She hates the smell of lilac bushes and thinks they smell like boogers.  Can't quite figure out that one.