Frugality

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~A Goodwill Find & Makeover~

 

So, Brian & I went on a dinner date.  And we stopped into a nearby Goodwill.  I usually don’t have a lot of luck finding great bargains, but this just happened to be my lucky day!  As we were wandering around the housewares section, we stumbled upon this little gem:

 

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An all-metal spool organizer!

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Any guesses what I paid?

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No?  Okay. I guess I’ll just have to tell you.

 

Tax and all, a whopping $1.09!!

However, I didn’t care for the hideous greenish-blue color, so I grabbed a can of spray paint and…..

 

Ta da!!

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My new thread spool organizer! Unfortunately, the can of spray paint that I had didn’t have enough in it to finish my project, so I had to pickup another can. But, no worries. The remainder of the can will wait patiently for my next project!

And here it is with some lovely, colorful thread….

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sitting next to my sewing machine awaiting my next sewing project.

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Waste Not……

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After buying 54 pounds of onions, I had 18 onion bags lying there just waiting to be throw away turned into something useful.  So, I did what I’ve been doing for years.  I turned them into pot scrubbers!  These work wonderfully for scrubbing dishes, stovetops, etc., and they don’t cost a thing since you’ve already paid for them when you bought the onions. 

Here’s how you turn them into scrubbies:

First, cut both the metal ends off:

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Next, you want to gather it together and fold in half:

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Cut in half:
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Store as you see fit.  Here are all of mine that I have right now. 
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I store them in a small plastic cup under my sink that I can quickly grab a new one when I need it.  Unless you are cleaning something really greasy, each one will last quite a while.  When done, discard replace with a fresh one. As you can see, I have a few different colors.  I’ve saved any plastic bags from lemons, fruits, onions, etc. that I can cut up and reuse.  Some of the larger bags, I am able to get 4 to 8 scrubbies out of. When they are longer, I will fold in half, cut, fold in half again, cut again, etc.  But don’t cut them too small or you won’t be able to use them very well. 

This post is linked to:

Laura Williams' Musings

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Long Term Onion Storage

My local Aldis had onions on sale this week – 3 pounds for $0.79!!  Great stock up price!  So, I bought 18 bags = 54 pounds of onions!  So, now what?  How in the world do you store that many onions until you can use them up without going bad?  Well, it’s simply really.  Old panty hose!  You take a pair of old panty hose, drop in an onion, tie a knot close to the top, repeat process until the legs are full, tying a knot above the last onion.  To store, simply hang in a cool, dry, dark place.  When you need an onion, simply cut below the last knot and you have your onion!  Simple.  Easy. Frugal. 
Here’s what 54 lbs of onions (minus 4 onions) looks like once they are in the panty hose. 
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They will hang in my pantry to await use.  I may eventually dehydrate some but, for now, they will simply hang in my pantry.  Stored like this, they will keep for up to 6 months!  Another great reason to take advantage of a great sale!
This post is linked to:

Laura Williams' Musings

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