Terry Haugen STAGE it RIGHT! 321-956-2495

If ever there was a time for frugality the time is now. Making your own laundry, dishwasher and dishwashing liquid, costs mere pennies compared to purchasing ready made. Here is my number 3 tip for saving money.

Ingredients

• 2 Bars shredded Octagon soap
• 1 cup baking soda
• 1/4 cup washing soda
• 1/4 cup lemon juice

Directions

Put shredded soap in 4 1/2- 5 quarts of water and melt on stove. When melted, turn stove off and add all other ingredients and stir. When cooled down, pour in sealed containers.

The answer to that question is something we are all asking ourselves these days. Tough time are already here, and many people are doing everything they can to try to keep up with feeding the kids, paying the bills, and caring for their animals. One man, as pictured below, has come up with a novel way of asking strangers for help. If this doesn't melt your heart and make you smile, well what can I say?

Just a reminder that Earth Hour begins tomorrow, Saturday March 28 at 8:30pm your local time! Get out the candles, board games, and snacks, and enjoy one hour during the year of time spent with your family, no distractions included. Unplug your electronics, turn out the lights, throw the circuit breakers, and go dark for one hour. Its fun, easy, and free!

OK, we all know the economy is bad. But have you noticed that the price of some food products has risen over 100% in the past year? One way to reduce your food spending is by planting a garden. It doesn't have to be large, you can container plant on patios, and after the initial setup it doesnt take much work beyond some fertilizing every couple of weeks and watering. And the money saved can be in the hundreds of dollars.

Container plant tomatoes, one plant can yieeld several pounds of vine ripe, yes real vine ripened tomatoes. You can container plant potatoes, one container will yield around 10 pounds of organic potatoes. Green peppers, herbs, onions, almost everything can be planted and effectively grown in containers, if digging up the yard isn't on your list. OR you can make small raised beds and scatter them around your yard.

Make sure you keep your garden organic, for your health and that of the planet. Not sure how to start? Just do a google search for great ideas and step by step instructions on each vegetable you'd like to plant.

My garden has been up and running here in FL since last October. I've grown so many tomatoes and so many green beans, the neighbors no longer open their doors when they see me standing outside, bag of produce in hand! Try it, you'll like it, AND you'll save money as well.

P.S. make sure to buy or order only heirloom seeds, as you can save these and grow your next crop. Hybrid seeds will not produce. A great place to get good seeds at a good price is www.victoryseeds.com.

If you're game, this recipe is easy and cheap enough to make. Especially if you have the ingredients used to make your own laundry detergent.

Mix together one cup borax, one cup washing soda, and one cup sea salt.

Its just that easy, and costs mere pennies compared to off the shelf. You can add white vinegar to the "jet dry" cup to give your dishes that sparkly shine we all love.