Squeezing the poop out of a buffalo nickel

It seems that if someone is really frugal they can squeeze the poop out of a buffalo nickel.  There are to save money or be more self sufficient without much effort.  

For example, my grandma used to save the butter/margarine wrappers to grease her pans.  You can also use them to separate hamburger patties, They won't stick to each other or themselves and can help keep things stacked together and taking up less space in your fridge or freeze.  It makes sense, if you think about it, and it takes no effort.  

She also used to save bacon grease for cooking . . . bacon seasoned cooking fat  . . . yummy, who doesn't like bacon!  I use bacon fat to make homemade soap . . . I freeze it until I have enough to make a batch of soap.  You can use any kind of filtered re-claimed fat or oil for the same purpose.  And, making soap is not only easy, it’s fun.

Canning and dehydrating are excellent ways to save money whether your garden or buy in bulk.  You can have a garden almost anywhere that you have some free space  . . . even if it just a container with tomato plants.  A well cared for tomato plant can yield 20 up to100 pounds of tomatoes in a season. That’s a lot of tomatoes.

Learning to cook from scratch is so satisfying.  It also saves money, tastes better and you know exactly what’s going into the food you eat.  Chances are you have all the ingredients you need in your cupboards right now to make a fresh hot loaf of bread or a batch of creamy ice cream.

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I came across an article from a 1901 edition of Good Housekeeping magazine that had been digitized and posted on the Internet.  It had some interesting ideas for using shredded wheat.  In time when people often didn't have bread, shredded wheat was often used and substituted in place of it.  I tried one of the recipes with good results.  I had to substitute some ingredients for things no longer available.  Give it a go . . . 

Shredded Wheat Biscuit Jellied Apple Sandwich

3 large apples

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup sugar

3 Shredded Wheat Biscuit

1 package Raspberry Jell-O

1 pint boiling water

Pare, core and slice apples, put in sauce pan with the 1/2 cup water and cook covered until tender, then add the sugar and place in a cool place until cold.

Split the biscuits lengthwise into halves and place into a narrow pan long enough to fit the biscuits side by side . . . I used a small bread pan.

Put a layer of the stewed apples between the halves.

Add the boiling water to the Jell-O and stir until dissolved.   Place the tops of the biscuits onto the apples and pour the Jell-O over top.

Put into refrigerator to set.  Serve with whipped cream.

Raspberries or other berries may also be used without cutting or crushing