CONVENIENCE CAN REALLY COST YOU

We all already know that dining out, and convenience foods can end up costing you not only in the pocketbook, but in your waist line.  But did you know other forms of conveniences can cost you money too? 

Getting cash back at Wal-Mart and other places is so much more convenient than going to the bank right? But did you know that if you are using a credit card to make your purchases and you say yes to cash back you can be hit with cash advance fees and/or higher interest rates?  

Even though you don’t ask for cash back there has been a rash of scams lately where your receipt says you got cash back, but it was actually the cashier and the person in line behind you, the cashier’s partner in the scam, that got it.  Always read your receipt before you leave the register, whether you use credit cards or debit cards to avoid being caught in this popular scam. Or better yet, use cash envelopes and pay for everything in cash.

Last night my dh took me out to dinner at Chili’s.  The meal was good. The wait staff was very attentive and deserved a decent tip.  However, we don’t give a flat percentage of the bill as a tip.  We tip on merit, not the cost of the food. Give us lousy service and your tip will be lousy.  Great service a sweet tip.

Don’t get me wrong, we never stiff a server, but I have waited tables as a teen and I know that tips are meant to be a comment on your service. 

It is our feeling that no matter what type of food establishment you are in whether it is a Sonic carhop, or a waiter at a very expensive restaurant, putting forth a good effort to make the customer’s dining experience more enjoyable takes the exact same amount of effort by the wait staff.

Therefore, we have set amounts we pay for the various degrees of attentiveness.  Our waiter last night was excellent.

She would have made the bar maids of the original conception of tipping proud.  For those of you who don’t know the history of tipping it started back when taverns were where you ate, drank and often slept overnight.

When your cup was empty and you wanted a refill you put your coins to pay for the next beverage in your cup and clanked it around to get the barmaid’s attention.

She would then “tip” the coins out and the purchaser could tell them to keep the change or not.

Of course we didn’t have to put coins in our cups last night.  That sort of thing just isn’t done any more, but she did make certain we had ample beverage, napkins, and all our other needs were met before we even realized we had a need. Therefore, she was destined to get a higher tip than many of the wait staff get.

Chili’s is one of the restaurants that is starting to switch over to more and more automation.  On our table was a tablet that allowed us to pay our bill using our debit card and the server never had to even touch it.  You can also order dessert and drinks through this tablet, or for a fee play games. Thus cutting down the amount of time a server spends at your table.

Since dh is all about electronic toys he opted to use the tablet and laid our receipt from the server on the table in front of me.  That’s when I saw how a supposedly innocent looking convenience on the ticket can cost you money.  When I mentioned it to him he checked the tablet and discovered it had the exact same tip scale on it.

Chili’s is one of those who has that handy little scale on the ticket to tell you what your tip should be based on percentages.  Only the math was wrong, very wrong.

Our bill for the meal and appetizer for the three of us was $31.68 before taxes.  After all it’s suppose to be 15% on what you bought, not what you give the Uncle.

The chart showed the following numbers:

15% = 6.07

18%=7.29

20%=8.09

22%=8.90

HUH?  15% of $31.68 is 4.75! and 22% is 6.96. 

 

OK, so where did the amounts they were  showing come from. Maybe they included the free queso that we had an electronic coupon for in the amount.  

That was a $5.69 value, which would have brought our before tax amount to 37.37, That is still only 5.61 for a 15% tip.

So did they calculate it on the tax too? Add another $2.09 to our total bringing it up to 39.46. No the tip at that point with both added in would still only be $5.92 for the total for a 15% tip and $8.68 for the 22%.  So where did they get their numbers? Simple, they had just decided what they felt the tip should be on that amount.

The difference in what a tip based on percentage should actually be ranged from as little as $.15 to as high as $1.94.  I know some say that those differences aren’t worth the calculation time, but multiply this amount by how many times you do it a year and in varying restaurants with varying price ranges and it can really add up to use that convenience.

Plus if you are still using credit cards (and I ask again why would you be?) you are very likely paying interest on that extra little tip you got hit with.  

So do as we do and have a set tip scale you use for the amount of service you receive OR do your own math.  The savings can really add up.  After all as Granny always said “Mind your pennies and your dollars will mind themselves.”

Jan who was surprised to see this on the receipt and wonders how many other restaurants have such errors in them.

THE HALVES AND THE HALF NOTS

Okay, so it’s a play on the phrase, but to be among the haves and not the have nots you first need to consider being among the halves and half nots.  Confused yet?

As I loaded my dishwasher after breakfast this morning I realized how routine it has became for me to use half of the recommended amount of dishwasher powder.  I don’t even think about filling the cups now.  I automatically fill them a little less than half full and KNOW my dishes are going to come out shining and clean.

I totally ignore the rinse agent dispenser.  It seldom sees anything but white vinegar these days and it only sees the white vinegar on the once a month visit to clean the water scale build up out of the pipes of the dishwasher. 

I started doing this many, many years ago when I read in “The Tightwad Gazette” by Amy Dacyzn the concept of using half or less of all cleaning products and still getting excellent results.

It was suggested checking to see how much of anything like detergent, shampoo, dish soap you truly need by a little experimentation.  Start out with the “recommended” amount per the package.  Then cut the amount back each time you use it until you are to the point that any less would not meet your desired results. 

I have found the rule of thumb is roughly one half.  So if one half will work, then why in the world do the manufacturers recommend twice that amount?  Surely more of the detergent will get the clothing cleaner right?  WRONG!  Too much detergent will not rinse out well. 

Clothing with leftover detergent in it well get a build up that can cause spotting, discoloration, block the breathability of fabrics, increase the chances of an allergic reaction, cause a faster break down of the fabric fibers and numerous other things.  So to extend the life of your clothing use less detergent instead of doing extra rinsing and wasting water.

Back to the why they do it?  Well… SALES!  The almighty dollar.  The more you use, the more you buy.  Then as a result of the extra build up in clothing, hair, on your dishes, whatever, they can then sell you a product you can use to remove that build up. 

They of course tell you to use too much of that product to the point you strip your items down too much of natural oils, or natural softness in clothing,  and you then have to purchase another product to fix that.  The cycle goes on from there.

I for one have not used fabric softener in over 30 years, I haven’t needed it.  I limit the amount of detergent I use, wash in cold water and only dry the items as long as they actually need to be dried.

These three things eliminate the need for fabric softener.  So by saving money on detergent, the heating of water, and the shorter drying cycle when using the clothes dryer I ended the expense of the fabric softener.

The fabric softener itself can cause clothing to lose its flame resistance, ruin the thermostat on your drier, cause discoloration and spotting on your clothing, increase allergic reactions and many other things.   If you feel that you truly need fabric softener, use white vinegar in your rinse cycle.  You don’t need much ¼ cup or so is all.  Not only will it soften your clothing it will clean the plumbing of the washing machine and be good for your septic tank.

Static cling, quit drying your clothing so long.  Static cling is a result of over drying.

Cutting back on shampoo and the frequency of my shampooing eliminated the need for conditioner.  The list goes on and on.

Think about how much money you could save if you only purchased detergent, shampoo, dish soap, floor cleaner, dishwasher detergent, all cleaning products half as many times per year.  No better yet, set down and actually calculate it, don’t forget to add in sales tax where applicable. The total will astound you.  Now what bill could you either pay off or do a major payment on with that money.  Or if you prefer how far would that go toward that vacation you have been wanting/needing?

Even when you get the products for “free” with combining sales and coupons still do it and the next time you are invited to a wedding shower, need a graduation or first home gift.  Give a “Starter Kit” that contains all the needed items for cleaning a first home.  Put it in a bucket or trash can, tie it up in dish towels, make a bow out of the dish rags and you have a unique gift they can truly use.  Thus saving even more money in your budget while helping them with theirs!

You can do similar things for baby shower gifts supplying baby wipes, disinfectant wipes, baby shampoo etc.  Put them in a baby bathtub and wrap with receiving blankets with pacifiers for a bow.

Don’t give gifts of this sort any more?  Garage sale your extras or better yet, donate them to a shelter.

So the moral to this story (stories always have a moral you know) if you become one of the persons who halves and only use half you will be that much closer to being the person who is a have rather than a have not.

Jan who has been working on this system so long it is second nature to her family in OK

THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A DUMB QUESTION

Over on my “See the USA the Mystery Shopping Way” blog I recently posted an article on the importance of communication in doing mystery shops.  At that point I mentioned that good communication is essential in all areas of life.

Today contained a prime example of how simply asking questions, and having good communications skills can help you save a LOT of money. 

Those of you on the Dave Ramsey list already know that we’ve been having a series of highs and lows over the fact that my son just changed to a much higher paying job.

The highs of course are the better pay, better benefits, and in a field he truly loves working in.  The low was his previous employer—who shall remain nameless at this point—cut off his medical insurance the minute he walked out the door.  We are finding this is a VERY common practice.  So common is it I have no doubts that some of you reading this post have found yourself in the exact same situation.

While my son qualifies for COBRA the cost of it is high.  The insurance at the new company will kick in September 1, so he only has 45 days to cover.  Normally he wouldn’t worry about it, but he takes numerous medications daily and had just placed an order for them when the insurance was yanked out from in under him. 

No matter which way we figured it with/without insurance we were looking at close to $1,000 for either COBRA and co-pays for the prescriptions he needed immediately or to simply pay for the prescriptions without insurance.  PANIC!!! 

Normally we would have had that in our emergency fund, but we’ve had several Murphy hits the last few months that had nuked that fund big time. 

So we had to come up with a better game plan, and believe it or not we did—simply by communicating with the powers that be.  No not COBRA or the big chain pharmacy we normally use, but with individuals on the Dave Ramsey list, my son and with our doctor’s office. 

First up we decided to ask the doctor if he had any samples of the medicines that ds could have.  YES!  One for certain, maybe another one too next week.  The one I picked up today is normally $300-$400 each for a one month supply and the doctor gave us TWO of them.  Talk about a huge savings!

The receptionist said anytime you find yourself in a financial bind like this ALWAYS ask if the doctor has any samples of any medicines you take that do not have a generic substitute.

Next we discussed with ds what meds he REALLY needed asap, and what ones wouldn’t run out for a bit, or wouldn’t cause him major withdrawal symptoms if he missed out on them for a FEW (as in less than a week) days.  He broke them down into must have now, would be better off having, and could stretch without them for a SHORT time.

Because we always do generics when possible two of the ones in the last two categories fell into the $4 category at a local pharmacy—that we could handle no problem.

Some one on the Dave Ramsey list suggested checking with our different insurance companies for a discount card—we found both our Farm Bureau and AAA insurances had them and they were good at our pharmacy.  A note here, we could have used only one or the other but not both for the discount.

Remember those samples I picked up today at the doctor’s office?  Well while I was there picking them up I thanked the receptionist profusely for them.  I mean the savings on that one alone was a Godsend beyond belief.  But what she told me then was truly a huge blessing.

It started off with my thanking her and then explaining why we needed the assistance.  She said they heard that story day in and day out because of this economy and then asked me if I had checked the prices on his rx’s with this one certain pharmacy.

She said they were known for lower prices than the big chain place, but a little inconvenient to get to.  Turns out they are actually very close to where ds now works.  She then gave me their phone number and suggested I call them for the remaining rx’s.

I armed myself with a list of ds’ rx’s including the dosage and strengths and then called the number she provided. 

I swear I nearly had to call 911 to revive myself after I got the price differences.  On just the first two rx’s there was over $250 difference in the cost! If we considered all his rx’s the total cost was going to be roughly $200 vs the $1000 we had been previously looking at! All because I decided to talk to the receptionist!

We had that much on our flex pay card that we could use to pay for them. You can bet we were doing the Snoopy Dance at our house tonight.

The pharmacy tech also told me that one of ds’ rx’s was going generic in just two weeks and that if he could get samples from his doctor or stretch his current rx that far (which he can) that the price for it would drop over $150 from their price and even more from the big chain pharmacy’s price.

A third prescription they didn’t carry because it was a mixture of two drugs.  However, she said, if we could get our doctor to write two separate rx’s for the two drugs we could get them both for $20 vs the over $100 ds was currently paying.  The doctor agreed to this immediately.

We discussed all his meds and she responded with helpful suggestions that brought our cost down by 75% over the big chain pharmacy.  She said it was because they based their prices on what the medicines actually cost them rather than the overhead the big chains had (franchise, employees, advertising etc). 

So if you find yourself in a similar circumstance, ask your doctor about help.

Also, as one friend found out, sometimes it pays to simply do comparison shopping for all your medical needs.  She had discovered her small local pharmacy was cheaper than the big name chain quite by accident.

So at this point I suggest if you take monthly prescriptions to do a price comparison with pharmacies once a year or so, just as you do (or should do) with your auto and home insurance.  You might be as amazed as we all were.

Another friend was without insurance and needed a lot of medical tests done, and had no insurance.  He discovered very quickly that most labs have two price brackets.  Those with insurance, and those without.  By making phone calls for specific tests he saved literally thousands of dollars by having his tests done where he chose rather than where some insurance company chose. 

He also spoke frankly with his doctor and asked which tests truly needed to be done and which were just add on's because the insurance companies usually require them before getting a second set of different, and sometimes more expensive, testing done.  Any test you don't truly need is money saved in your pocket.

 I don’t know why I hadn’t thought about asking about pharmacies before.  After all when we are preparing to buy anything I call repair shops to find out what appliance/car/tv what have you they see the most and which one they would recommend for the least amount of repairs.  So why not ask a doctor about pharmacies?  Duh!

This is not the first time I’ve gotten a huge discount simply by asking.  Many years ago—during the gas lines time period.  We were without insurance and one of my children had health issues that needed weekly visits to a doctor.  Only, as we all know, doctors and the prescriptions that go with them are expensive.  The kid really needed the medical care.  So I spoke to the doctor and worked out a bartering system with his office.

They saw both my children and gave us samples for the meds needed in exchange for me making child size hospital gowns because they hated using paper gowns for their patients during exams.  As time went on I did some sewing for a church play they were involved with and personal sewing for the doctor and his wife. It was a winning situation for all involved. My children had excellent medical care and they got quality products from the fabric they provided.

Once at Lowe’s I found some shade cloth I wanted but the price was higher than I wanted to pay, another color of the exact same shade cloth was on a tremendous sale, but not my color.  I approached the store manager and asked for a discount.  At first they were hesitant, then using a ploy I had often done with fabric when I had a sewing business, I told them I’d take the whole bolt, if the price was right and would allow them to simply “count folds” to figure the number of yards/square feet rather than have to roll it all out and measure it.  For those of you who don't know generally on a bolt of fabric you can count the folded edges of the fabric on a bolt and on average 3 folds will equal a yard. They took me up on my offer.  I ended up getting far more shade cloth than I thought I had and at a VERY good price.

When we are doing building projects I ask if they have damaged materials they will sell at a discount.  The odds are 50/50 on this but when they do the stores will often discount the materials for as much as 75%. Often the damage is slight, like a corner broken off a full sheet of sheet rock, or a knot hole on the end of a board, or mis-mixed paint.

Same goes for scratch and dent appliances.  We’ve purchased many a piece of furniture over the years with a scratch, or a broken piece of glass for pennies on the dollar.  A little shoe polish often will cover the scratch and a trip to a glass store will often net a scrap piece of glass for little to no money. 

A safety note here.  NEVER short cut on the quality of glass, especially where furniture is concerned.  While safety glass may cost you a bit more in the beginning if someone puts their hand through it in a fall later you will save yourself a trip to the ER, or possibly the morgue, if you have safety glass. 

Where the coffee table glass was concerned I called the glass store from the furniture store before we purchased it to determine the cost of the replacement glass.  It was too high for my purchase budget, but it gave me a negotiating tool.  Before it was over I got the table at the discount I wanted, AND the store replaced the glass for free—seems they knew their store insurance would cover it all along.

Think about where your new appliance is going to go.  If it has a dent on the side that will be next to a wall, does the dent matter? Not in this house, especially when it can lower the price and NOT affect the warranty.  Out of sight, out of mind.  That scratch on the free standing stove side that is between two cabinet tops is NEVER going to be seen by anyone except me when I'm cleaning behind the stove--and that doesn't happen often.

I’m not above asking grocery stores for discounts for foods that are near date that I will either use immediately or can, dry or freeze immediately.  Most would rather sell it at a discount than throw it out. So if the quality is still good, why not ask for the discount?

When we were Rendezvous Traders we were literally that, traders.  If we found something on someone’s trade blanket we wanted.  We’d ask price and then barter goods from our blanket for theirs—or someone else’s.  Some items might require lining up 3 or 4 trades to get to the item we wanted, but we did it.

We always made certain everyone got a fair price for their goods in the long run and we had a reputation for being very honest in how we represented our trades.

Even today if there is a certain heirloom seed I’m looking for I’ll put out a notice that I am looking for it, then work out a trade (only in the states where the law allows the import of seeds—CA in particular has some VERY strict laws so be sure and check them out if you decide to do this) for those seeds whenever possible.

It all comes down to communication.  You need work done on your car, maybe the mechanic needs a repair done to his home.  You will never know if you don’t communicate.

One couple I know does webpages professionally, they barter that skill for all sorts of repairs.  Another does computer repair, the list is endless.

So the moral to this story is COMMUNICATE, all the other person can say is NO. Asking questions like “Do you barter?”  “Would you be willing to let me (fill in the blank with whatever skill you have--keep it clean folks) to pay for the repair?” can save you a lot of cash.

As they say, there is no such thing as a dumb question.

After all any pennies you don’t spend are pennies earned.

Jan who is happy to know she not only solved her immediate prescription problem, but now will have a new pharmacy at much lower prices in OK

THE LOWLY CHANGE JAR

Most households have one, you know that jar, bank, bottle, vanity tray, dish, whatever that you drop your pocket change in at the end of the day.  For some it is merely the bottom of their purse, their car ash tray, wherever it is, coins get collected.

Some of us, myself being one, will stop and pick up change off the street, be it a penny or a $1 coin (or in of one recent incident a $10 bill), others are the people who would rather not “stoop so low” as to do that. 

Some, like myself, prefer to save the coins until needed, others prefer to spend exact change at every opportunity they come across.  Whichever you are coins are a valuable part of our day to day living. 

We all consider the penny to be the lowest denomination of our cash system here in the US.  But at one time we had a half-cent coin. It was discontinued in 1857.  In recent history there have been two proposed bills to discontinue the penny because it takes two and one half cents to produce one (as of Feb. 2011), but the lowly coin hangs in there. 

In 1982 the copper penny became the zinc and copper penny to help reduce production costs.

Canada’s 2012 budget calls for ceasing production of their penny.  To some this makes tremendous sense.  To others it would mean changing a whole lot in their lives. 

Here in the US it would mean all payments would either have to go either down or up (most likely) by as much as four cents.  And in some budgets that four cents can really hurt.  After all minding your pennies is how you can build your wealth.

Just ask the Massachusetts man who just paid off his house with pennies.  He’d been saving every penny that came into his possession since he purchased his house in 1977.  He recently made his final payment with two 800 pound boxes of pennies.  The count, according to the news story I read, was 62,000 coins.  That’s a whole lot of pocket change. 

Me being the math nerd I am couldn’t help but think, “but if he had put those coins in a savings account every time he got $5-$10 worth he would have garnered a lot of interest over the years and been able to pay it off sooner.”

This brings us back to the subject of this post.  Your coin jar, or whatever you have.  What are your plans for it?  This man had a goal.  I have one too, it is to pay for our celebration trip to Walt Disney World when our debt is paid off.  You already know this if you have read my previous posts.

I’ve already written about how to feed that jar on a regular basis, if you haven’t read about this before you can now at: http://cjpattersonontheranch.blogspot.com/2012/01/paying-for-your-magical-trip.html

There are other ways to also add to your coin jar.  One bank advertises that they will roll up your purchases for you to the next dollar and “save” the difference.  Meaning basically that if an item costs you $1.01 they are going to deduct it from your account as $2 and put the $.99 into a savings account for you. 

I have no idea if they charge for this service or not.  I’ve never employed it. Instead I do it myself.  I never pay with coins, only even dollar bills and all change leftover from those dollar bills goes into the “Tinkerbell Fund”.

The easiest way to do this is to employ what is called “the envelope system”.  Many of you are already familiar with this system.  Basically it is part of a zero based budget in which all your “spending” money goes into designated envelope sand you can only use the money in that exact envelope to pay for the purpose it is labeled for.

A zero based budget simply means that EVERY dollar that comes into your household has a name and that name is what it is to be spent on.  With your budget the difference between income and outgo should be zero.

Before you panic at this thought, your budget includes EVERYTHING, including “blow money.”  It is completely explained, far better than I could do, in Dave Ramsey’s book “The Total Money Makeover”. 

But back to the coin jar and singing its praises.  If handling cash is just not your thing, and you are completely dependent on your debit card you can still have  a “coin jar,” just an electronic one.

Remember that bank with their fancy “we’ll save it for you” account.  You can do the exact same thing.  It just requires a little bookkeeping on your part.  Use your debit card as you normally would, only record the use to the next higher dollar denomination whenever the dollar amounts aren’t even.  Then at the end of the month when you reconcile your statement you take the difference and make it into a savings deposit.  You’ll be amazed how quickly that change adds up.

I know some of you are saying “but isn’t that taking away from your budget?”  Not really, because how many of us truly pay to the exact penny every single time we shop.  No we drop those coins into a jar, or down in our purse and we forget about them until there is a real need for that money.

An example of such a need I saw recently was a college student for toilet paper in pennies one day.  THAT is a true need.

However you decide to save your odd cents, do it.  Set a goal and save for it.  Maybe it is to pay off a big debt, like the man who paid off his house, or to buy that something special, or the trip of a lifetime.  Make every single penny count in your budget.  Save your pennies, and just like the person who is eating an elephant one bite at a time, you will meet your goal a lot faster than you ever dreamed. As Granny always said, “mind your pennies and your dollars will mind themselves.”

Jan who feels her granny was very wise in OK

SUMMER TIME FUN--Part I

My grandmother taught me that the best way to make money is to not spend it when you have it. Easier said than done right?  Not really, sometimes it just takes a little thinking it through. With kids out of school for the summer it seems like that task is even harder because the kids are b-o-r-e-d!

Taking them places to “entertain” them can get real expensive real fast, so why not entertain them at home? No don’t park them in front of the X-box and pray the game is age correct for them, really entertain them and get them moving.

 Here are a few ideas for various age groups from the very young to your teens, or even yourself for that matter.  You will find several links in this blog, but I will also suggest searches you can do on the web for your own specific needs as the article goes along.

Help kids with projects on making things they have an interest in.  Here are a few examples we did with our kids when they were young:

Are they fascinated by outer space or space travel?

When our children were young we made replicas of the USS Enterprise from the Star Trek series out of paper plates, free yard sticks, and egg cartons.  These we spray painted silver and then they painted designs on the side.  The pattern came out of an old “Pack O Fun” magazine, which unfortunately I no longer have.  Basically the main section of the Enterprise was two Chinet type plates they stapled together, the elongated body was a piece of a yardstick and you used other cardboard or egg carton pieces to form the rest of the ship.  While I cannot supply the exact pattern the imagination of your children can. Or design any type of space ship they want.

A websearch for such crafts will reap you more than you can imagine.  Also check your local library for copies of the "Pack O Fun" magazine, it a wonderful source of kids crafts.  There are also numerous books at the library on crafts of all sorts, explore and have fun.

Once the spaceships are built they can string them together as a mobile for their room, or fly them until they take their final mission.

Viewing the stars with a whole new understanding.  One young man that spent a lot of time with our family while we were rendezvousing (pre-1840 US  Fur Trade Era Historical Re-enactments) was fascinated by the stars in the night sky as we camped.  We  invested in a star chart, and a copy of “Star Tales” by Gretchen Will Mayo and other Native American myth and lore books then each night before bedtime we would read or tell him a story from the books.  With the help of the star chart we’d locate the constellation in the sky and then discuss the story we had just read.

Another friend with the camp name of Dragonfly, made an entire ceremony out of the story telling.  Each night just at dark he would set out candle lanterns around his camp them beat a drum slowly.  This told all the children of the camp it was story time.  They came bringing their own candle lanterns and rugs to sit on.  He then told them the stories of the sky. 

This is a simple thing you can do at your own home as long as you can get a clear view of the night sky.  Star charts are now free on the web, many of the stories are too.  Or check with your local library for books on the subject, or cruise half.com for used copies there.  I know several of my Native American storybooks we no longer use are listed there under the seller name ladydressmaker.  Other people have copies listed there too.

Not into Native American, how about the Greek and Roman stories about the stars?

Need a daytime activity? How about giant bubble wands?  Who can make the biggest soap bubble? Over the years as ‘voo traders we made hundreds of these simple bubble wands. (photo and possibly a video coming soon) The ones we made for the re-enactments had all metal and wood parts as well as yarn, but you can use plastics from around the house to make yours.

To make these you need a dowel rod, a ring from the base of a cap off of a two liter bottle or milk jug, approximately 3 feet of yarn and a bead that will fit on the end of the dowel rod snuggly and be larger than what the plastic ring can slide over easily—it is there to stop the ring from coming off as well as to hold the yarn in place.  Finally you will need a bucket or dishpan to hold the bubble liquid and Joy dish soap and water to make the liquid with.

The length of the dowel rod can either be the full 3 foot for larger children and adults or a half rod for the younger set.  The length of your yarn needs to be 2-3 times the length of the dowel rod.

Measure down from one end of the yarn to 3 inches shorter than the dowel rod you are using.  Fold the yarn at this point and push the fold through the inside of the plastic ring.  Pull the loose ends of the yarn through the loop and tighten down to where the ring is now secured to the yarn in a half hitch. 

Tie the ends of the yarn together. Make certain to not twist the yarn as you tie it into a loop.  The ring should now be secured to the yarn in an off center manner. 

Slide the ring onto the dowel rod, making sure it can move smoothly up and down the dowel rod. Making certain the shorter side of the yarn is the side touching the dowel rod place the knot from tying the two ends together on the end of the dowel rod and then slide be bead on to secure this knot in place.  You can use non-water soluble glue to secure this even tighter if you want.

When the ring is slid all the way down the “handle” of the bubble wand it should stop about 3 inches from the end of the dowel rod, bringing the yarn slightly taut.  The remaining yarn should hang down in a large loop.  The overall look should be much like a capital D.

For the bubble liquid we used just Joy dish soap and water, no glycerin, no syrup, no other additives, just dish soap and water.  This we placed in a large dishpan in approximately a 10 water to 1 dish soap ratio.  Basically it was mixed to where you can actually feel the dish soap in the water.  Those of you who hand wash dishes the feel you are looking for is when you KNOW you’ve put too much dish soap in.

Mix GENTLY, do not swish, foam is NOT your friend in bubble making.  When the kids are using it discourage them from stirring the water with the bubble wand.

Slide the ring down to the bead and dip the yarn into the water.  Some children find using a bucket easier than a dishpan. Once the yarn is well soaked pull the ring back down the handle slowly (but not too slowly), down the handle as you slowly walk.  A large elongated bubble will form.  To close off the bubble you slowly move the ring back toward the bead. 

You can have competitions on who can make the longest bubble—our record was many feet long.  OR they can walk in a circle and try to close off the bubble in a ring.  It can be done.

For the camera bug in all of you, the very best photos of this activity are on overcast days.  The bubbles refract the light and the rainbow of colors are gorgeous.

Play dough anyone? A simple websearch for homemade playdough will turn up hundreds of recipes for you.  A few drops of food coloring and a little imagination and soon an afternoon is gone.

When I ran my own search one website I came across says it is the number one play dough website. http://www.playdoughrecipe.com/   I cruised the site myself and was very impressed with the different types of recipes they have on it.  everything from glow in the dark play dough to edible play dough.  This is far different than the basic salt and flour dough I use to make my children.

Arts and crafts from materials around the house. My children were very creative, they still are as adults.  Start a box of “craft materials” and turn the kids loose with it.  Add things like boxes from cereals, pasta, crackers, etc. Egg cartons, toilet paper and paper towel tubes, juice can lids, and the washed out juice cans, plastic containers, newspaper, junk mail, magazines, the list is unending.  Add glue, crayons, paints, a stapler and staples, colored pencils, rulers, odds and ends of yarn or string, rubber bands anything you find around the house. 

Once the crafts box is put together then choose a theme.  Something from a favorite book or movie, something they saw that day any type of theme you can think of, or let them take turns choosing a theme.

Now challenge them to make something on that theme out of the materials provided. You just might be amazed!

For the budding artist: Did you know the web is FULL of free coloring pages?  Simply put in a subject and the search term free coloring pages.  An example would be Tinkerbell, free coloring pages.

Learn a craft.  When I was 13 I went to visit an older cousin for a few weeks.  I knew how to crochet, thanks to my aunts and grandmother, and she knew how to knit.  So we traded lessons. 

This is a great activity to get a younger person involved with an older person as a mentor.  Does Grandma quilt?  Would she consider showing one of your children the basics?  No need for special materials, surely you have outgrown clothes, that could be cut up for materials.  Start with a mini quilt.

Does Uncle Joe whittle?  How about woodcarving lessons?

Sister Susie cans---the list is endless and the training would be free.

Take a hike! You don’t even have to drive to the woods or mountains to do so, take a “Penny Hike” right in your own neighborhood.  The concept is simple and can be a lot of fun. 

Leaving your front door or another starting point you flip a coin, heads you go one direction, tails you go the other.  At each next intersection, you repeat the action.  Letting a different person call the toss each time.

This is a great opportunity to have “talks” with your kids as you walk.  The talks can be about what  you see, what is going on in life right now, a recent book read, or movie seen.

Going a ways from home?  Be sure and pack water bottles and a perhaps a snack or simple lunch.

Jan who has many more suggestions, including ideas for the older kids she will post soon in OK

GOING BACK IN HISTORY TO CUT UTILITY COSTS

Since man first discovered fire there has been a kitchen of sorts.  It didn’t take man long, I’m certain, to discover how different foods tasted when cooked.  Or how warm a fire could make a living structure.

The earliest kitchens were a mere campfire on the ground, or in a pit.  Today people experiment with this type of cooking and most find the results to be wonderful.  One of the best meats I ever tasted was a pit roasted buffalo at a rendezvous.  It was so tender and tasty. 

I’ve had many a meal that has been pit cooked and not a one has been bad.  The food has always been cooked to perfection.  I’ve added to my long list of planned articles to do one in the future on pit cooking and how truly simple it is.

With a few pieces of good cast iron I can cook just about anything on a campfire, but those early men and women didn’t even have that.  They either spit cooked or wrapped the foods in leaves or wet clay to cook them. Yes, I’ve had foods cooked in this manner too, and yet another article for the future.  Spit roasted hog is wonderful.

Experimenting with these types of cooking can not only cut down your cooling bill in the summer, but can be a great learning experience for the whole family.

As people became more and more adjusted to the creature comforts of a shelter their “kitchens” developed as well.  Small campfires were put in a pit in the center of lodges or tipis and smoke flaps were used to draw the smoke upward and out of the structure.

As more permanent homes were built the fires were moved into either the tallest part of the house to allow the smoke to go upward and out, or into a fireplace with a chimney.

Eventually stoves were developed and the fire was more enclosed and easier to control.  Then of course came the development of electric stoves and various cooking appliances.

What all of the cooking sources of the past and present have in common is of course heat.  In the winter it is great to cook large pots of a hearty stew or other meal and let it simmer all day, filling the air not only with delicious aromas, but with wonderful heat.

In the summer, however, while a stew may sound great for supper no one wants to heat up the house.  Not only is it uncomfortable, but it runs your air conditioning bill even further up.  But you simply can’t stop cooking entirely—although I know some that have seriously considered it.

This is where we go back in history.  My husband, son and I love touring old historical homes.  One common thread you see in most of these older homes is the “Summer Kitchen” or the “Canning Kitchen”.

Generally these kitchens are in the basement, on a lower level or an entirely separate building from the main house.  They were where all the “grunt work” of the labors of preparing elegant and not so elegant meals occurred. 

Some were huge and housed in well lined basements that kept the rooms a decently cool temperature while the cooks labored over the wood and coal fired stoves or fireplaces.  Some were merely a shed that sheltered from rain and little else. 

What they all had in common was keeping the main house cool in the summertime.  It is this concept we have been looking into at the Rock ‘n Tree Ranch.  I actually have in my mind’s eye what I eventually want, but budget is always a concern with each new structure we add here.  So in the meantime I am opting for a modern version of the Summer Kitchen.  The idea is so simple anyone can do it anywhere.

You move the cooking outdoors.  It can be as simple as plugging your crockpot, toaster oven, rice steamer, electric wok, bread machine, electric turkey roaster, or other electrical cooking appliance in out in the garage or on a covered patio, balcony or porch, or in the basement.   

Avoid using extension cords if you can, but if you must use one use a heavy duty cord.  Having the appliance in a sheltered area is best so that you are prepared for sudden showers or the neighbors sprinkler that comes on with no warning.

Also use your hibachi, charcoal grill, or gas grill often.  I know one family that cooks entirely on their gas grill during warm weather.  All three meals a day they cook on their gas grill OUTSIDE.  Anything you can cook on a gas grill you can cook on a charcoal grill or wood fire, it just takes a little practice and patience.

Then of course you could experiment with building and using a solar oven.  There are plans all over the internet for ones as simple as a foil lined cardboard box to very elaborate ones. 

Think now about the kids’ winter science fair and get a head start on the project.  Have them help build and cook with the solar oven and do a project on it.  Think about it, how many birds could you kill with that one stone?  1) Moving the heat of cooking outside and therefore lowering your cooling bill. 2) Answering the problem of “Mom I’m booooored!” by giving the kids an interesting project to do 3) Avoiding the last minute rush of science fair time by doing the project now and thus creating a better project 4) You get a great meal at the same time.  Now that’s a great way to take down a whole flock of birds with one stone!

You could do similar with the pit and campfire cooking, but with close adult supervision. Include a history lesson or two along the way while doing this form of cooking and you have another winning scenario.

No matter which way you do it move your cooking outdoors and cut your cooling costs.  As with all projects you do need to exercise caution as you move to your summer kitchen.  Don’t string electrical cords in main walkways, don’t leave food cooking where a dog, cat, child or other critter could dump hot foods on themselves. 

Oh and beware of cobbler thieves.  At one rendezvous we were having a Dutch oven cook off and I made peach cobblers, yes cobblers.  You see I’d make one, then set it to cool, then I’d go back to check on it and it would be gone.  By the time the actual camp meal rolled around I had armed Dog Soldiers standing around the fourth and final cobbler because I was all out of dried peaches by that time.  To this day I do believe one of those Dog Soldiers was the cobbler thief. My cobbler placed well in the competition, but my biggest cobbler fan ( a Dog Soldier) pled out from eating any because he was too full.  Could it be because I saw a bit of peach in his beard?

My dream summer kitchen is a wood and screen structure just off my side deck, under the shade trees.  It would have a two burner propane camp stove on a sturdy base OR an apartment size propane stove with an oven.  Tables, a water hook up, a storage cabinet, and all the conveniences including an electrical hook up and lighting.  There would be storm panels I could put up as a wind break  or against sudden changes in the weather.  I have most of the bits and pieces I need to stock it, I simply need the structure. 

In the meantime I use our sunroom for setting up the electrical appliances for cooking out of the main house.

How much could you lower your cooling bill by cooking outside this summer?  There is no reason to not cook a frugal and savory stew even on the hottest odays this summer.  Just cook it outside.

Jan who uses the heat of the wood burning stove in the house in the winter to cook many a pot of soup all day long in OK