Tidbit time:)

I'm in a tidbit mood:)  So here are a couple of randoms:

My aunt and mother have done this for years, and I love it.  It saves a little money, and the color-coordination can be great!

 

 

 Every year after Christmas, I take all the cards we get from our loved ones and rip 'em up:)  No, really!  I rip the fronts off and use them as gift tags for the next Christmas.  These are perhaps not the best displays, but you get the point!  Oh, and just as a bonus, I reused that tissue paper.  It was less than lovely looking, so I folded it over bunches of times, then cut down halfway through the paper, making strips.  Then rough them up a little, and you've got a little something different:)


This is my "current year" filing station (I hide it behind the TV in the living room bc it's easy to access and nobody can see it back there--it's unused space anyway).  That binder has sheet protectors in it that divide my receipts, and a binder clip for my checkbook registers.   My general categories are gas, clothing, food, medical, large purchases (and warranties), tools/home improvements, Christmas, and Misc.  It changes a little each year.  The manila files are for paid bills, pay stubs, and Medical/Dental.

The green pocket folder is for my bills.  It has two pocket-thingies in it.  The front folder there (green) is paid bills...I keep them there until it gets full enough to move them.  That front orange pocket is where I keep the mortgage booklet and any bills that don't need to be paid right away.  On the reverse side of that is where I keep other important papers that aren't bills, like our KOA membership card.  I also have a pocket for anything that I'll need for end-of-year taxes, and a pocket for yearly membership-type stuff.  The last pocket is reserved for keeping papers I have no idea what else to do with:)  I keep the folder open-side up so I can just throw things in when they come in the mail, then deal with them when I pay bills. 

My actual bill schedule is set up in a spreadsheet.  This has earned me the "nerd" title.  But I don't pay anything late and I always know how much is due, when, and anything else I care to know...so HA!  I can't seem to upload the spreadsheet, so I'll have to figure that one out later.

And thank you Jill Botham, for letting me borrow your computer thus allowing me to post pics!!

YOGURT!

As requested, crockpot yogurt: I have done this quite a few times now and love, love, love it!!

I have stopped buying yogurt because this is so easy and economical. Case in point:  A gallon of milk costs about $3.50;  I use half a cup of the previous batch of homemade yogurt as the culture, so other than a little sugar and vanilla, there's very little cost besides.  I use the whey that is drained out in place of buttermilk. That saves me money by not having to buy buttermilk at $1.75 a quart. So, my 8 or more cups of yogurt costs about $4 to make; minus $1.75 the whey saves me it's $3.25. I used to pay about $10 for that much Gogurt or Activia.

We like to add our own fruit or cinnamon-it's delicious plain too, and the kids use it to make smoothies. I like to make healthy popsicles and yocheese (similar to cream cheese but more tart) by continuing to stain until it's the right consistency.

INGREDIENTS & SUPPLIES
8 cups of milk
1/2 cup yogurt with live cultures
Crockpot
Bath towel
Cheesecloth
Strainer

DIRECTIONS

• Pour 8 cups of milk (or 16 cups which is 1 gallon if you're doubling the recipe) into a large crockpot. Set to LOW for 2 1/2 hours.
• Turn crockpot off and let sit with lid on for 3 hours.
• Add 1/2 cup yogurt (or 1 cup for a double recipe), place lid back on, and wrap a bath towel around the crockpot. You're goal is to make a dark, insulated environment for the live cultures to exponentially grow.
• Let crockpot sit covered (with lid and towel), not heating for 8-12 hours. I usually try to start the yogurt process by 3pm in the afternoon so this 8-12 hour step happens overnight.
• In the morning, your milk will look like the top photo above - YOGURT!
• Line a strainer with a cheesecloth and strain yogurt to desired consistency. Without straining your yogurt will be a drinkable consistency - perfect for smoothies. But, if you're wanting to spoon eat it or make it more like "normal" you'll want to strain it for 15-30 minutes. 

 http://www.thatmamagretchen.com/2012/05/crockpot-yogurt.html


The only thing I do different is that I use a blanket instead of a towel...oh, and I use a coffee filter in the bottom of my strainer instead of cheesecloth.  I find that I have to strain it for a few hours to get the consistency I like, and I do it in the fridge.  I'll have to try it on the counter next time before refrigerating to see if that half hour straining really works:)