The "Dollar Stretcher" site is fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing this site with us. I have even put it in my Favorites. One other thought I might add to your article involves perception. Lets say a person scrimped and saved an impressive amount of money so that he/she could retire early. After denying him/herself of many worldy pleasures early in adulthood so that he/she could spend retirement in luxury, this unfortunate soul develops a disabling condition inwhich travel and other favorite activities are impossible. If this person feels that all those frugal years are now wasted then this would be an opportunity lost for that person. If, however, this person sees this as an opportunity to provide for his/her physical needs and feels good because the kids will get a larger inheritance, then this would be an opportunity gained. So I guess what I'm saying is that opportunity lost or gained depends on a person's perspective. Joni ... View related article.
Allergy medicines are a real "hit and miss" affair. My doctor gave me three samples (Allegra, Zyrtec and Clarinex) and I took each med for 7 days. The Allegra and Clarinex didn't help much but the Zyrtec worked great. A friend of mine thinks Zyrtec is worthless and she takes Clarinex plus Nasocort spray. My doctor says all the different allergy medications (prescription and over the counter) work differently for different types of allergies and every persons reactions to these meds vary greatly. So, you just need to keep trying different meds until you find one that works. I like the prescription meds because they don't make me drowsy or jittery like certain OTC meds. Good luck, Joni ... View related article.
Hi there, I am a long time migraine sufferer and I would not be a functioning human being without a prescription medicine called Imitrex. Migraines are not just headaches. They are disabling and can put a person at risk for early strokes. Migraine is a medical condition that requires treatment and should not be "toughed out" due to the possible adverse effects. There are several new prescription meds that are excellent at aborting migraines and enable a person to live a long and productive life. These medications are not just "dope", in fact, they are not pain medications at all. Medicines like Imitrex, Maxalt, Zomig are vasoconstrictors that treat the headache at its source. Unfortunately, these meds are very expensive. To me, though, it's worth the money because I have tried many "alternative" methods that were dismal failures. My deepest sympathies are with you and your daughter because migraines are a terrible thing to have to live with. I can't advise strongly enough to see your daughter's physician for prescription help. Plus, she needs an MRI to rule out other pathological disease. God Bless, Joni ... View related article.
Hi Erika, yes, you can redo the jam. I'm assuming that you didn't use Sure-Jell (if you did, disregard this advice). Put the jam back into your pot and recook it.....bring to a full boil and continue to boil for the number of minutes given by the recipe. Stir constantly and vigorously. Be sure that the jam comes to a full boil before starting the timing. Can as usual. Also, you may not have added enough sugar to the juice. Be sure to use a reliable recipe. Another possibility is that your fruit was so ripe that it didn't contain enough natural pectin. If that's the case, then you will need to add Sure-Jell to the juice. This happened to me once with over-ripe blackberries. Making jellies and jams the old fashioned way (without SureJell) is an art; like me, you'll screw up alot of batches until getting it right. The good news is you can use the syrup for icecream or cakes. Hang in there! Joni ... View related article.
Bigbadmomma: Definitely check with your locally owned garden center. Having experience in your locality, they will be able to give you the best advice. Of course, they will try to sell you their product; but, it may take only one application of their product to erradicate the pesky weed. Good luck! Joni ... View related article.
Dear Mary, Here is a good recipe - of sorts - for low fat potato soup: Chicken broth - canned or homemade Sauteed carrots,celery and onion (chopped very fine) chopped celery leaves (sautee with "Pam" in a nonstick pan) Potatoes - cubed, with skins on for added nutrients Desired seasonings
Boil potatoes in chicken broth until very tender. Remove about 1/3 of the hot potatoes. Mash the potatoes with a little milk until very mushy (I use a fork). Blend the mashed potatoes with the soup. Add veggies. For a thicker soup, boil the potatoes in the broth; drain; add milk, the mashed potatoes and veggies; mix in a little cornstarch dissolved in cold water; bring to a low boil and remove promptly. If you want a very thick soup, puree all potatoes and veggies together and add the appropriate amount of broth to desired thickness. As you can see, this recipe has an infinite number of variations. Let me know how it turns out for you. Joni ... View related article.
Fernando, Do you have any standing water on or near your property? We have these little pesky gnats in Missouri, too. They reproduce the same way that mosquitos do. If you can't remove the stagnant water source, try adding a few drops of bleach to the water. Also, contact your locally owned garden center (not the big box type) because they will be familiar with the types of critters that are "bugging" you. Of course they will want to sell you their product, but because they are local and experienced, you will most likely have good results. Good Luck! Joni ... View related article.
Dear Sshep, I, too, like my hamburgers cooked medium and I still prepare them this way despite the E.coli risk. I am most curious as to how the prunes kill the the E.coli. Also, if you freeze the hamburger immediately after adding the prunes, will it still have the same effect? And how long do the prunes need to be in the hamburger before the bacteria is killed?Any information you could give me would be most appreciated. Thanks! Joni ... View related article.
Dear Smiley, don't feel bad about the fried chicken smell. I am a school nurse and I know of many children who don't even know what a home cooked meal smells like. I have fond memories of my family that correlate with good food smells in the kitchen. I say "Kudos" to you and "Keep up the wonderful cooking smells!". Sincerely, Joni ... View related article.
Linda, we are the chubby ones :) and Doggy is right, we LOVE to cook! If you happen to live near Rolla, MO (I know this is a ridiculous long-shot), email and let me know. I think this is a very interesting idea....gives you and your family a chance to see how other's prepare their food. It's interesting how no two people cook alike. You can give two people the same ingredients say, for meatloaf, and the two products will probably be very different. I'm going to ask a few of my coworkers if they would be interested in meal-swapping. I'll let you know the results. Joni ... View related article.
