Frugal Friday Tip

Getting more tomato plants for FREE!!

Use tomato suckers to make new plants! Tomato vines are one of nature's great survivers. If allowed to run over the ground, they will develop roots and form entirely new plants. This ensures that if the mail vine is broken or eaten, the plants continues through it's cycle to produce lots of tomato seeds which will grow next year. It's easy to use this survival mechanism to produce lots of free tomato plants to share and to keep. If you have a heated greenhouse, or can bring some plants indoors, you can also use this process to create free tomato plants to start next years garden.



Suckers are the new branches that grow at the joint of each leaf on a healthy tomato stem. Allow the stem to grow about 8 inches long, then gently cut the stem off just above the joint where it is starting. If the suckers have started growing tomatoes, cut the sucker about 8 inches from the end, allow the tomatoes on the vine to finish growing.

Fill a planter with good potting soil. Pick a lightweight potting soil, not soil from your garden. You can choose a brand with fertilizer, or you can go with an organic variety. Fertilizer is not necessary to root tomato suckers.

Gently remove any branches on the lower half of the sucker.

Plant the tomato suckers into the soil. You do not need to use rotting hormone to root tomatoes. About half of the sucker should be in the potting soil, while the upper half should be above the soil line. You can place several tomatoes in the same planter.

Water the planter thoroughly.

Place the planter to a spot with full shade. Water as needed to keep the soil from getting dry while the suckers are rooting. The plants will wilt for the first two days, but should spring back.

In about two weeks, start checking the plants to see if roots are developing. In about three weeks, roots should have developed enough to move each plant to an individual planter. When they are grown another week or so, place the plant in it's permanent location.

Plant the new tomato in good soil, and water thoroughly. Water as needed while the tomato plant is becoming established in its new location. Provide structure for the new plant to grow, then enjoy the fruit of your new plants!


I've done this in the past & had great results. Turned into a full grown tomato plant! I did this again this week to expand my tomato plants with 3 new ones since we lost a few plants after buying & planting them.

Frugal Friday Tip

How to remove the cap on a Swiffer Wet-Jet cleaner bottle

 Here's how to remove the cap on your swiffer wet-jet bottle that makes it impossible to refill and causes you to have to purchase more of their product. You'll need a pair of fingernail clippers and a pot of boiling watter (and the bottle of course).

Step 1  Removing The Cap

   

In a small pot, bring just enough water to cover the cap to a boil. Once you've brought it to a boil, place the bottle, cap first, into the water. After about a minute and a half, remove the bottle from the water, and give the cap a good, hard twist. It should pop right off as the boiling water will have softened the plastic cap.

 

Making the Cap PERMANENTLY Removeable.

   

When you get the cap off, you'll see that it has a number of prongs which cause it to catch on the bottle. With a pair of fingernail clippers, remove these prongs. You could also use an exacto knife, or even a razor blade.

Step 3  Refill the Bottle

Now you're ready to refill the bottle with your cleaner of choice. Vinegar and Water, Pine-sol, or anything else you may want to clean your floors with. Place the cap back on the bottle firmly and mop away!

Frugal Friday Tip

I hate Saran Wrap!

Except for glassware, it never sticks to anything but itself.

Years ago they sold Saran Covers & they were GREAT! But apparently they don't sell them anymore. So what's the next best thing?

Shower Caps!

That's right! I said SHOWER CAPS!

They fit all sizes of containers!

YUMMY blueberry dessert!



All covered & ready to be put in the fridge til after supper!

Unlike Saran Wrap, these can be reused!

I just wash them in the kitchen sink when I wash out my Ziploc baggies & hang them to dry.



Frugal Friday Tip

Stretching Laundry Detergent & Fabric Softener

There are many recipes out there on the internet to make your own laundry detergent. I have made my own before but I'm not really into that whole "snotty" mixture so I have resorted back to the commercial type.

Here is how I make it stretch:

I buy Purex at Walmart. It cost me less than $8 for 150 fl. oz.

I take that Purex detergent & pour half of it into each of these old bottles.

They hold 150 fl. oz. each.

Then I fill each bottle to the top with water, replace the lid & give it a little shake to mix the water & detergent.

So I get 300 fl. oz. of detergent for under $8!

I also do the same with my fabric softener. I buy Gain (because I LOVE the scent!) for around $8.50 at Walmart. Sometimes I get it cheaper if I have a coupon.

I pour half of the Gain into an old detergent bottle. (You can see an FS on the blue bottle. That's so the kids don't get confused as to which one is fabric softener & which one is detergent when they are doing their laundry.)

Then I fill the blue bottle up with water & shake it to get it all mixed up. Our laundry comes out just as clean & scented as it used to before stretching it!

Frugal Friday Tip

Making brown sugar

Since discovering this recipe, I don't buy brown sugar anymore!

Pour white sugar into your food processor. I usually fill mine til it's about half full.

Turn processor on.

While running, slowly drizzle molasses into sugar. I just keep pouring until it's the color I want. I usually go for a light brown sugar. I use less molasses that way!

I usually have to tip my processor a little to get it all mixed well.

When done processing, spoon into Ziploc bags!

1 quart bag of brown sugar to bake with!

Frugal Friday Tip

Making hand soap last. I went to Walmart & bought one of those generic brand liquid hand soaps that come in a foaming bottle (they cost under $1) & a bulk sized refill container of hand soap. After we finished using the soap that was in the foaming container I poured enough soap from the refill container in it to just cover the bottom then slowly added water to the fill line. Now our hand soap lasts a very long time. I also have done this with dish soap. We don't wash dishes by hand anymore since moving here but I am always washing my hands in the kitchen sink so this is great for handwashing.

Frugal Friday Tip

Here is one way we have learned to save money:

I invest in Ziploc Freezer Bags & use them til they wear out. I have tried using the generic brand but those don't seem to last as long as the Ziploc ones do. I always make sure that they are the freezer kind too because they are a lot thicker than the regular kind.
I have learned that hand washing is the best way to keep them looking nice longer. I have tried to put them in the dishwasher & they always seem to get holes in them from the prongs. I have also tried turning them inside out & washing them with my kitchen towels in the washing machine with bleach but that makes them look crinkled & worn out so hand washing is the best. The only time we don't use them over is when we have had raw meat in them. That's a NO-NO!
After they have been washed I hang them up over the kitchen sink. I braided 3 pieces of raffia together & nailed it up & hang the baggies with clothes pins. When we have company I usually take the line down & store it in the cabinet beside the sink, if I remember.