Veggies: cilantro (used in salsa, the seed is called coriander), chives, onions, garlic, leek, beans, peas, basil, squash, cuke, zucchini.
I just tossed a packet of daisy seeds on top of wood chips, and they grew great! I just kept them watered.
I have also gotten native wild pea (unedible but I like the flowers) seeds from empty lots. Pick the pods that are plump and brown. These plants are used to the hot dry summers in my area (Michigan), unlike most other pea plants, which are cool weather plants. I'll be planting those this spring.
If you look hard you can get other seeds from empty lots like: butterfly weed (not butterfly bush), yucca, daylily. These are a few I've seen in my area.
"This isn't printed on the packaging or part of their 'advertisements'."
Of course it isn't. If it was, it would cause a few people to be confused and not buy the bulb. The CFL companies want to milk the "green cow" for all it's worth. But you have to know how CFL's work to get the most from them.
"When I was in school a teacher said it was cheaper to leave the classroom lights on all day than to turn them off between classes."
Your teacher was correct. Even though we have CFLs that are "instant start" (they have electronic ballasts) they still use a large amount of energy to start up.
Just remember this: "In 15 minutes honey, we'll start saving money."
First, it is illegal to use your home for business in many cities. Check with your city first. Call the city clerk or zoning office.
Next, what do you want to sell? In order to get a wholesale account with a wholesaler, you often have to buy a minimum of merchandise every month. My ex-wife did embroidery on tshirts, and bought wholesale shirts from a company. They had no minimum purchases but you did have to show them your DBA (Doing Business As) which is like a business license for a small business. It allows people to write checks to "John's Business" instead of "John Smith". That also means you will have a separate checking account just for your business.
Running a small business, even out of your home, is quite involved, especially the accounting part of it. If you have had at least 2 years of accounting you could probably get through the paperwork. Doing the paperwork incorrectly could get you a big fine or jail time. Make sure you read instructions carefully and do it right, or hire an accountant. Your accountant should be involved EVERY month, not just during tax time. If you involved him/her only during tax time, it is too late to fix mistakes you have made.
Running a one-person business is immensly complex (thanks to our politicians) but it is not impossible. Read, read, read and try to get help from experienced people.
Also, you have to know about how to market yourself. Ask yourself, "Why would people drive out of their way to my house just to buy X? When they could buy it for a little more at the store that they get all their other things from?"
1. Get your digital camera, take pictures of birds, insects, or flowers, and identify each one. Make a scrap book. Person with the most ID'd animals gets to be "Master of Birds" for the apartment complex (or Master of Bugs, Master of Flowers, etc.)
2. I offered to do a free nature walk and ID all the plants and flowers I knew, but I got no responses. I think people don't understand that many cool-weather flowers are already out by Apr 15.
3. I like to go to parks and try to catch snakes. Best time is Apr 1-May 1 when the snakes are coming out of hibernation and mating.
4. I do geocaching, finding hidden treasure. But this requires buying a GPS, about $100-$400. Otherwise there is no charge to get coordinates for hidden treasure in your area. See geocaching.com.
Geocaching is fun because it's challenging and gets you walking out doors. It can be done all year round but some caches are harder to find if covered in snow. Cache boxes are often ammo boxes or tupperware containers, but can be as small as a film canister or lip balm tube.
5. A bunch of us gardeners do a plant swap. We trade plants, no cost for anyone. It is actually started via a Yahoo Group for gardening in Michigan. You bring some plants to trade and everyone puts their plants in a "pot", or common area. In Round 1, everyone picks 1 plant. In Round 2, everyone picks one plant, and so on. If you brought 10 plants, you get to have 10 picks. And there are always extra plants at the end to be given away to anyone who wants them. Great way to spruce up the apartments, outside and on the balconies.
I got the following for free: 4 kinds of mint, Jerusalem artichoke, spider wort, garlic, day lily, borage, bee balm, and more.
6. Bike riding is fun and good exercise. I try to find a new park sometimes.
7. Walking is fun and good exercise too. While you're at it, bring a trash bag and pick up garbage along a street.
8. Or try to beautify your area by planting perennial flowers, they will come back every year. Get them free at a plant swap.
I actually have done my taxes myself since 1985. One year in the mid-1990s I went to H&R Block to see if they could get me a better refund. They actually skipped the smaller deductions! So I ended up redoing my taxes myself and getting a bigger refund.
Don't waste your money going to a "pro", especially a large corporation. Instead, get TurboTax or other software to help you. I have used TurboTax since 1998 when we did a Roth IRA conversion. The conversion was so complicated I just could not be sure I had it right. And Consumer Reports and other professional surveys say the IRS gets 50% of the help line calls wrong anyway.
But since TurboTax went up to $45us this year, I still bought it but next year I might try a less expensive option. My taxes are no longer that complicated (ROTH conversion rolled off after 4 years). ... View related article.
Take some molding from your hardware store, and cut it into strips. Make the cuts at 45 degrees for each corner, and use some stiff foamboard or cardboard as the back. Use very short nails to nail the pieces together, and to nail the cardboard to the molding. Voila, you made your own custom frame.
You can even use rough sawn 1x2's if you want a rustic look for your frame. ... View related article.
I don't think the fur itself is running, I think a liner or piece of fabric edging is running. What color is the ink that rubs off onto you?
How do you know it's the coat and not your shirt or scarf?
Note that some cheap fabrics used as a liner will run. I have a cheap washcloth that still loses dye after 7 years! And I use it every week. ... View related article.
