It's a good day for some miscellany, I think.
First up: binders.
This is an exciting topic, no?
You all know that I'm big on buying things that will last, even if they cost a little bit more, so this year, I purchased two binders from Staples that promise to last a lifetime.
I've owned a fair number of binders in my life, and eventually, most of them have needed to be repaired with duct tape.
(Classy, I know. But it works.)
I'd really prefer to have a binder that doesn't need repairing, so I'm giving these a try. They cost about $7-$8, so this was definitely not an immediately frugal purchase. Eventually, though, they ought to pay for themselves. And I won't have to deal with a duct-taped binder, so that's worth something.
I'll keep you posted on how they hold up...remind me to update you in a year, k?
(In case you were wondering, Staples has no idea who I am and I bought these binders with my own money. No affiliation here.)
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Second up: health insurance
(I'm full of riveting topics today!)
I am very excited because Mr. FG's new employer offers health insurance that knocks the socks off of our old insurance, AND it's way cheaper.
That's a win-win if I ever heard of one.
Kristen is a happy camper.
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I tried a new clump-a-licious* granola recipe.
*it was not actually called clump-a-licious granola. I just made that up.
It is SO good and so easy, it's ridiculous. I promise to share the recipe in the coming week, because you need to make yourself a batch of this.
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I'm busy using up the bushel of peaches I bought from a local farm. I've been slicing and freezing lots of them (to use in smoothies and to add to oatmeal in the winter) and we're eating peaches at every meal.
And I also made myself a batch of peach freezer jam.
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I found some very wrinkly potatoes in a kitchen drawer. Fortunately, only one had gone bad, and I peeled and boiled the rest.
I made a batch of potato bread with some of them, and I'll probably mash and freeze the rest for future loaves of potato bread. Yay for a save!
Oh, and before I go, I wanted to tell you that the 10 people who won a sample pack of Basic H from Shaklee have all been emailed. Thanks for entering, and I hope you love your Basic H.
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Joshua's 365 post: Darkened
A bushel of peaches, wow, that's a lot. We're only just coming into Spring, so peaches are a while a way. Can't wait for them though 🙂
And have you mentioned Mr FG's new job before, did I miss it? Are the hours more suitable?
I haven't! It's new news. 😉 We're still waiting to see about the schedule..it might be some back and forth between different work hours. But hey, I know how to adapt to almost every schedule under the sun by now, so I know it'll be ok.
I was going to say the same about mr fG new job... I didn't remember seeing that either... Well anyway good luck with the new job! Hope all the hours work out. And yippie for better health insurance!!!
Thank you! I'm so proud of him. 🙂
How's the not posting daily thing going 🙂
Ha! Well, I WAS going to take Tuesday off, but the Dove review was due to be scheduled that day.
For binders, my two daughters are seniors in high school this year. We homeschooled through the 8th grade and used whatever binders came into the house. (My husband used to travel a bit for work and was always coming home with binders from conferences that the kids and I would make cut with contact paper). Anyways, at the start of 9th grade I bought them each a Case-it zippered binder (trapper-style, holds everything in). I paid about $7 for each, and they are still going strong, after 3 full years. We just need to make them last this one last year, then they'll probably do as their brother did and use spirals in university. I've been impressed by how well they've held up.
Also in the realm of school equipment, we bought Swiss Army backpacks for each 3 years ago. I put them through the wash again yesterday and they look new again. I've had to repair a zipper slide with some pliers and resew one seam, and that's it for repairs.
I've never made freezer jam, just always done the regular kind. I use fruit high in pectin, so don't need to add extra, and put up in canning jars. What's the advantage to freezer jam? I hear a lot of people say they're making some, and just wondering. Is it better for some types of fruit?
Lili,
Freezer jam isn't cooked so it taste fresher, has better color, and is less time consuming to make. The down side is it takes up freezer space.
Thanks, that's good to know. I can think of a few fruits that would taste better made that way.
I was going to ask the same question about Mr. FG's new job....thought maybe I missed a post. 🙂 Congrats to him on the new job and to all of you on the better health insurance!
Funny how we each priotitize our frugality. Duct tape on binders is so yucky I'd rater buy a new one than repair. I pick up the ones with a clear pocket on the outside from second hand stores, then custom decorate them. I never pay more than $1 (usually less) and they give me a couple of years of daily use. The fancy smancy binder would only be cost effective if it lasts 14-16 years.
I look forward to hearing how they hold up.
You can get some pretty cool looking duct tape these days.
I was going to say the same as Stephanie about the duct tape. Really, really fab duct tape these days. Our fabric store has sheets of cool prints and colors, so you can cut out designs just how you want. I know a teen at church who still had her Adventure Bible (it's a great Bible even for older kids and adults), but she wanted it to look more hip. She totally made a cute cover for her Bible with brightly patterned duct tape.
Yeah, to me this purchase is probably more about not having to throw away a binder than it is about saving money. But hopefully it'll also end up saving me money too in the long run.
love, love, love freezer jam. it's the only kind i ever make. got some strawberries that i need to jam up this week.
and i've been making my own granola for about 6 months. homemade is definitely the way to go. looking forward to the new recipe and see how it compares.
congrats to mr fg, too!
Still have some peaches? I bet your kids would like this recipe: http://www.biggirlssmallkitchen.com/2012/08/easy-peach-limeade.html#more-5076. Peach limeade! 😀
Congrats on Mr. FG's new job!! 😀
Thank you! I'm so proud of him and all the advancements he's made in his field.
I have one of those binders! I've had it for over 10 years and it's still just as good! Definitely worth it--way better than those crappy cardboard ones that fall apart. The only difficulty is picking a color you'll still like in ten years. 🙂
Ooh, good point. Maybe I should have gone with trusty old black!
Green and purple-blue are good ones. 😛 I went with teal and still have a lot of stickers on it from spanish class haha. It's a keeper!
I agree on the binders and have developed a strong preference for Avery Heavy Duty One-Touch EZD binders. They hold up well, the D shape ring aligns papers easily and the one touch open/close for the rings is great instead of forcing open the binder. Also Avery has free templates so you can print out labels for the spine of binders.
I actually let most of the other binders go and won't buy any other binder now, even the really cute patterned ones at Target.
These have that one-touch open mechanism too and I just love it. So quiet and easy.
These are the ones we love too. I've got one for each of the boys' high school binders to hold all my http://www.donnayoung.com forms. One is a hand me down black one that has been used who knows how many years and still looks and functions great. Definitely worth it in the long run!
I just bought my son 3 of those binders for the start of Grade 12. He had one last year that is still in perfect condition so I felt the expense was definitely worth it. I would definitely rather spend a little more for something that will last than constantly have to be taping/repairing and making do with bent rings, etc.
Congrats on the new job/new health insuance combo!
For some of us, office supplies are always an exciting subject. I love all that stuff so try to stay out of those stores as much as possible.
My peaches extra peaches have all been frozen, but there's a batch of pear butter cooking down in the crockpot right now!
Thank you for sharing about the binder. Thankfully, I still have some Staples gift card. 🙂 I put my recipes inside clear folders in 3 inches binder - so far I broke 3 binders. 🙁 Hope this one will last.
First of all congrats to Mr FG on the new job!!
I didn't know you could freeze potatoes but I guess hash browns are frozen, hmmm good to know. Are they better used in a recipe once frozen or are they ok to eat as mashed potatoes?
I've never tried using them as regular mashed potatoes...I've just used them in baking. I'm sort of thinking they wouldn't be that great eaten plain as mashed potatoes though. I feel like they might be watery or something.
If you freeze mashed potatoes, they do start out weird when they first defrost, but as you reheat them and stir in some cream or butter they smooth out, just like you first made them.
I just finished back-to-school supply shopping the other day, and my major frugal win was getting in and out of Target without buying anything that wasn't on the list. OK, one thing, a dish scrubber. But we needed one!
you found potatoes in a kitchen drawer? Am I the only one that has never put potatoes in a drawer in my kitchen? Don't know why that stood out to me.
I would love to know if the rings in the 3 ring binder hold up. I have more problems with the rings not working after a time than the binder wearing out (on the heavy duty binders).
Well, it's not a typical drawer...it's more like a shelf that slides, if that makes sense. Two of my kitchen cabinets are like that.
It's good to keep potatoes in a dark place, so that's why they end up inside that cabinet.
I'm guessing you'll love the Staples binders....they are all I use and we also work our binders hard via homeschooling. We switched to these a few years ago and now I refuse to buy anything else because I know how much hardy and user-friendly these are. To my amazed surprise I found a bunch of the Staples binders at our local ReStore a couple weeks ago for $1 each!
Hi! 2 things.
1. Frugal can be wonderful sometimes! I don't have kids but I still recycle old binders from my work that are about to be tossed to the trash and save them for nieces and nephews. (I'm a great gift giver, I know!)
So you might want to have Mr. FG poke around the mail room or beginning of next year when files are being cleaned out if there are some extra binders/report holders that he can grab.
2. Old potatoes, before they go nasty (in addition to what you are already doing for them) can be diced up and turned into a delicious hash with eggs and whatever you want in them. Just toss em in a hot pan with a little olive oil or butter and a teensy amount of salt and cook them for about 10 minutes before you add everything else and make sure eggs go in last.
(this only works if you LOVE breakfast food)
That is all. 🙂
Hope you made 'peach pit jelly' with the skins and pits. Easy and delish! Email for details if you've not heard of this.
I purchased two of those binders to hold our recipes two or perhaps even three years ago, I use them daily and one has a small tear on the seam probably less than a centimeter long but other than that they are working hard and staying together.
I went with these binders this year too! I discovered them in July when they were 40% off. The cashier said that they only go on sale that deep about once a year. If you bring in your old binders to Staples they will give you $2 off a new one and recycle your old ones. This made these new "everlasting" binders about the price of "regular" binders.
This is about those binders. We had some at work and they are really nice, but with heavy use don't hold up much better than the others. Duct tape was a frequent addition to the binders there. You probably won't use them as frequently as we did, so they should serve you well.