DIY Aloe Vera Gel:
So first what you need to do is cut off some leaves from the aloe vera plant. Try to pick the leaves that are
closest to the ground because then the plant won’t be too irritated and it can continue thriving. Then leave
the cut-off leaves into an upright position for a few minutes to let the darker resin drain out. This part is
important because the resin can be a bit irritating on the skin if it finds its way into the gel you’re making.
After the resin has drained, wash the leaves and start peeling off the thick skin of the aloe vera leaves
with a knife, leaving you with the transparent gel. If you have really long and thick aloe vera leaves then
you can cut them into smaller pieces first to make the peeling and removing the gel easier. Place the gel
into a blender and also add a few drops of either grapefruit seed extract, vitamin C powder, vitamin E oil
or some essential oil to help preserve the gel for longer period. Then blend everything, pour into a clean
glass jar and you’ve got yourself some fresh aloe vera gel which will keep for several months in the
refrigerator. Don’t mind that it has some foam on top at first, this will settle down later : )
BAKING Soda uses:
Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) has so many beneficial uses in and around the home.
You don't need to go out and spend your money on a load of different cleaners to get the job
done...all you need is one inexpensive and non-toxic product - baking soda!
In the Kitchen:
Fruit and Vegetables:
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In a large bowl sprinkle some baking soda in water, soak produce then.
Deodorize:
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Wash out garbage cans with baking soda and water.
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Place an open container of baking soda in your refrigerator and freezer to absorb odors. Every
couple of weeks stir and turn over the baking soda, and replace every 2 months.
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Sprinkle some baking soda in the bottom of your dishwasher to eliminate odors.
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Rinse out thermos bottles and coolers with baking soda and water to eliminate stale smells.
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Keep your sponge smelling fresh by soaking it overnight in 2 Tablespoons of baking soda and 2
cups of water. Rinse with water and squeeze clean in the morning.
Remove Stains:
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Scrub stains off of Formica, marble or plastic counter tops with a baking soda paste mixed with
water.
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Soak pans with burned on food in baking soda and water for 10 minutes prior to washing them.
Alternatively, scrub the pan with dry baking soda and a moist scouring pad. For pans with built
up burned on food turn pan over and pour a thick layer of baking soda on the bottom of the
pan; using a spray bottle, spay a bit of water on the pan and baking soda so as just to moisten
it. Leave the pan to sit overnight, and then scrub and wash the next day.
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Clean off cooked-on grease stains from your stove-top. Wet down the stained area and cover
with baking soda. Let sit for 5-10 minutes then scrub off with a sponge or scrubber.
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Remove tarnish stains from silverware by rubbing it with dry baking soda and a damp cloth.
Rinse and dry the silverware after cleaning.
BAKING SODA USES cont.
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Get rid of tea and or coffee stains from china and coffee cups. Wash dishes with a paste of
baking soda and water, then rinse clean.
General Kitchen:
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Wash your refrigerator and freezer with a moist cloth or sponge and dry baking soda. Wipe
clean with water.
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Wash Tupperware, food and drink containers, and baby bottles with baking soda and hot water.
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Run your coffee maker through its normal cycle using baking soda and water. Clean coffee
pots (glass and stainless steel) with 3 teaspoons of baking soda and 1 quart of water.
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Run your dishwasher through its normal cycle with no dishes, using baking soda instead of dish
washing detergent.
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Clean your plastic or wooden cutting board by scrubbing it with baking soda and a bit of water.
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Clean off cooked on splatters from your microwave. In a microwave-safe container add 2
Tablespoons of baking soda and 1 cup of water; cook on high for 3 minutes. Take out the
container and use the heated solution to wipe clean the inside of your microwave.
Laundry:
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Soak and wash cloth baby diapers with baking soda and water.
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Clothing stained with oil or grease will come out cleaner when washed with baking soda in the
laundry.
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Always add 1/2 cup baking soda to your washing machine load to remove odors from clothes.
Around the House:
Remove Odors:
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Cover the bottom of a clean kitty litter box with baking soda, then cover with fresh kitty litter.
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Sprinkle baking soda on carpets, let sit for 15 minutes and then vacuum up.
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Sprinkle baking soda in socks, slippers, tennis shoes, and boots to get rid of foot odor.
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Remove baby spit up smell on clothes by rubbing a bit of baking soda on your shirt with a damp
cloth.
BAKING SODA USES cont.
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Clean ashtrays with baking soda and water. Sprinkle baking soda in ashtrays to prevent
smoldering and to cut down on odor.
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Get rid of cigarette odor from cloth furniture by sprinkling on and letting sit for a few hours, then
vacuum.
Bathroom:
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Wash hairbrushes and combs in baking soda with water.
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Clean your bathroom fixtures (sink, tub, shower, tile, toilet) with some baking soda on a damp
sponge.
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Add 4 Tablespoons of baking soda to drains and flush with hot water to clean and get rid of
build up.
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Clean shower curtains weekly by soaking them in baking soda and water.
Miscellaneous:
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Clean marble, porcelain, glass, plastic with baking soda sprinkled on a damp sponge or cloth.
Wipe clean with just water.
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Clean barbecue by sprinkling baking soda on the grill, letting sit for a while, then scrubbing.
Rinse with water after.
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Clean grease off of anything, including a garage floor by sprinkling baking soda on it, letting it
sit, scrubbing and rinsing clean.
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Polish and clean stainless steel and chrome by rubbing with baking soda and a damp cloth or
sponge. Rinse clean with water. For stainless steel be sure to wipe with the grain.
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Remove smoke stains from fireplace bricks by scrubbing with 1/2 cup baking soda and 1 quart
of warm water.
Sanitizer Spray
You can kill most any germs, without leaving a dangerous residue, with a binary spray. White Vinegar and 3%
Hydrogen Peroxide both kill germs. Simply fill one spray bottle with white vinegar and another with hydrogen
peroxide. Spray whatever you need sanitized with one, then with the other. Individually these two kill large numbers
of germs, combined they function as well as or better than commercial sanitizing spray.
NEVER NEVER mix them both into the same bottle though – this will create Peracetic Acid – which is useless to
clean with, is corrosive, and can hurt you!
You could also fill a third bottle with bleach and zap something with all 3 of them if you wanted to be REALLY sure
you had killed everything possible. But the bleach will discolor things and is potentially harmful if ingested.
So, for sanitizer spray store:
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White Vinegar
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3% Hydrogen Peroxide
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Unscented Bleach (if desired)
If you notice in that list, those items can be used for several other things as well! Here are some links for further
reading on this.
Hand Sanitizing Gel
This has been an interesting experiment and learning experience. I set out a couple days ago to figure out how to
make hand sanitizer at home. With an immune fragile child in our home, we sanitize a LOT! After doing copious
amounts of research and extended experimentation last night, I believe I have found a reliable and effective way to
make hand sanitizer at home. First, some background:
To be effective, hand sanitizers MUST contain a minimum of 60% alcohol by concentration. Alcohol kills germs by
dessication, meaning that it dries them out through rapid evaporation. A lower concentration of alcohol results in not
having enough alcohol to rapidly evaporate and dry out the microbes on your hands. There are many recipes on the
internet that result in an over-dilluted mixture which will prove to be very ineffective at killing germs. Here are two
really good articles to read on this: One from the New York Times and one from the CDC.
The recipe and method we have come up with for Do-It-Yourself home-made hand sanitizing gel is as follows:

5 cups 91% Isopropyl Alcohol

2 cups 100% pure Aloe Gel
WHEN THINGS GO ON SALE:
January
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After Christmas Sales
National Oatmeal Month
National Beef Month
National Meat Month
National Tea Month
National Soup Month
Super Bowl
January is a good month to purchase winter clothes. You can catch sweaters and other cold
weather gear as much as 70 percent off. You can also pick up Christmas wrap, bows and ribbon.
January is National Oatmeal Month. You can expect to find oatmeal BOGO (Buy One Get One
free). It’s a good idea to buy year’s supply of oatmeal in January (or February for National Hot
Breakfast Month). If you under calculate how much oatmeal your family will eat, don’t worry.
Oatmeal will go on sale again in September for National Better Breakfast Month.
January is also the month to stock up on tea and canned soups. You can usually find these deeply
discounted.
Keep an eye on the meat sales. If you have a pressure canner, set aside some time to put up meat.
January also brings Super Bowl sales. You can expect excellent prices on chips, salsa, soda and
snacks.
February
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National Canned Food Month
National Hot Breakfast Month
National Snack Food Month
National Cherry Month
National Potato Lover’s Month
Sweet Potato Month
Celebration of Chocolate Month
Valentines Day Sales
Chinese New Year
Plan on purchasing breakfast foods like pancake mix and maple syrup in February. You can
usually pick these up BOGO.
February is also a good month to restock your canned foods and boxed potatoes. You won’t
likely see sales on canned foods and boxed potatoes again until November. So plan accordingly.
The Chinese New Year is celebrated in February. Promotions include soy sauce, teriyaki sauce,
noodles and stir fry ingredients such as bamboo shoots and water chestnuts.
WHEN THINGS GO ON SALE cont.:
If you have a sweet tooth then you have probably already finished off your Christmas candy.
Replenish your stock after Valentines Day. You can usually pick up chocolate and other candies
for up to 70 percent off.
March
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St. Patrick’s Day
National Red Cross Month
National Noodle Month
National Frozen Food Month
National Peanut Month
National Peanut Butter Lover’s Month
National Celery Month
National Flour Month
Spring Cleaning
March is National Red Cross Month. If you have not already done so, March is a good time to
sign up for a CPR/First-Aid Class. You can also expect to see some excellent sales on first-aid
kits and other items. You can usually pick up band-aids at half price.
St. Patrick’s Day is in March so expect the best price of the year on corned beef. I plan on getting
a couple extra and canning them.
March is also National Noodle Month—you can pick up all kinds of noodles BOGO. Frozen
foods are also on sale.
Typically, March is an excellent month to purchase peanut butter. But given the bad peanut
harvest in 2011, we may not see really good peanut butter sales until the back to school sales hit
in August (and that’s if we have a mild winter in the South, and farmers can plant early).
March is also National Celery Month. I buy a dozen or so, chop them up and freeze them. (I can
usually find them BOGO in March and then again in November.)
Flour goes on sale in March. Pick up enough to last you until the holiday baking sales kick into
full swing in November.
In March, the worst of the winter is usually over and folks start thinking about spring cleaning.
Expect to see all kind of cleaning products on sale.
WHEN THINGS GO ON SALE cont.:
April
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Easter
Daylight Savings Time
There are not very many good grocery sales in April—think self-denial. No body wants to
advertise indulgence during Lent.
There are some good non-grocery items on sale in April. Daylight Savings Time brings sales on
batteries, smoke detectors, and carbon monoxide monitors.
You can pick up hams half price, on sale for Easter dinner. Pick up a few because hams tend not
to go on sale very often. April and December are the two months when you can find half price
ham. So make sure you buy enough to last you through Christmas.
May
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Memorial Day Sales
National Barbeque Month
National Hamburger Month
National Salsa Month
National Strawberry Month
National Salad Month
This is a great month to stock up on condiments. You will find mayonnaise, catsup, mustard,
barbeque sauce, steak sauce, and other such products on sale BOGO. Newspaper inserts start
running coupons for these products in April. Hold on to your coupons, and use them for the
BOGO sale. (Most stores will let you use two coupons when buying BOGO items.)
If you miss a sale, don’t worry. Such items will go on sale again during the next two months. But
do note that the sales on barbeque and picnic items are typically better in May than in June or
July.
If you purchase pre-made hamburger patties, May is the month to stock up on them. You can
usually find sales up to 40 percent off.
May is the best time to make strawberry this and that.
Keep an eye out for picnic items such as paper plates and plastic utensils. Around the summer
holidays, you can usually pick these up for half price.
WHEN THINGS GO ON SALE cont.:
June
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National Dairy Month
National Iced Tea Month
National Seafood Month
We are now half way through the year, and the stores of butter you put in your freezer from last
Thanksgiving are running low. Count of some excellent sales on butter and other dairy products.
Buy enough to last until November.
July
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Fourth of July
National Hot Dog Month
National Baked Bean Month
National July Belongs to Blueberries Month
This is the best month to put up blueberries. I love blueberry jam and plan to put up at least 36
pints, more if the economy hasn’t complexly collapsed.
July is also the month to buy a year’s supply of hot dogs. At this time of the year, you can print
off or clip coupons for $1 off Ballpark Franks. Use these coupons when Ballpark is BOGO, and
you’ve just paid 75 cents for a package of hotdogs.
This is also the time of year to restock your year supply of baked beans.
August
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Back to School Sales
National Peach Month
National Coffee Month
The back to school sales are usually pretty good. You can pick up products such as peanut butter,
lunch meat, drink boxes and the like for half price. Ziplock bags usually go on sale too. And you
can find all kinds of coupons for $1.
Hand sanitizers and disinfecting wipes also go on sale in August. Keep an eye on the coupon
inserts and match up BOGO sales with coupons.
August is the time of year to put up peaches and peach jam. I would like to make some peach
syrup. That just sounds awesome over pancakes.
You can also find coffee at it’s lowest prices of the year. In August, I can find this brand for
$6.99. Think “one year supply” here.
Summer items begin to go on clearance. Keep an eye out for charcoal, lighter fluid, paper plates
and plastic utensils, sunscreen and insect repellant.
WHEN THINGS GO ON SALE cont. :
September
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Labor Day
National Chicken Month
National Honey Month
National Better Breakfast Month
National Mushroom Month
National Rice Month
National Preparedness Month
Labor Day marks the last of the summer barbeque sales. Make sure you have a year’s supply of
hotdogs, catsup, mustard and the rest because such items rarely go on sale in fall and winter.
The best sales in the month of September are breakfast foods. You can find oatmeal, pancake
mix, syrup, bacon, sausage, and other breakfast foods at rock bottom prices.
In September, I bring my supply of honey up to one-year levels. For the rest of the year, honey
sales are hit and miss. The cheap made in China honey goes on sale frequently. The good stuff
goes on sale in September.
Also, keep an eye out for summer clearance sales, especially on clothes. I live in Florida and
wear summer clothes for at least 10 months out of the year. So I purchase summer clothes on
clearance, and either give them as Christmas gifts or save them for next year. Check out online
sites such as eddiebauer.com or llbean.com for 70 percent off sales. You can pick up high quality
clothing at rock bottom prices.
October
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Halloween
National Apple Month
National Tomato Month
National Pasta Month
National Dessert Month
National Seafood Month
National Pork Month
National Eat Country Ham Month
National Chili Month
Adopt-a-Dog Month
In October, all things apple go on sale—applesauce, apple juice, etc. This is the idea month to
put up apple pie filling, apple butter and chutneys.
October is National Pasta Month. This is not that big of a deal, as pasta goes on sale frequently.
October is also National Tomato Month. Canned tomatoes and pasta sauce will also go on sale,
as will ravioli and other such foods.
WHEN THINGS GO ON SALE cont. :
November
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Thanksgiving Sales
Save your money because in November you will find the best deals of the year on groceries.
Baking goods such as butter, sugar, flour, chocolate chips, etc. go on sale.
The week of Thanksgiving is the best sales week of the year. Stores offer deep discounts to get
you in the door. Shop carefully. The loss leaders are excellent. But keep a keen eye on prices
because regular items are often marked up significantly.
Cool weather has begun in most of the United States. Expect sales on canned soups, coffee, tea,
and hot chocolate.
December
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Christmas Sales
The holiday sales will continue through Christmas and New Years. I like to pick up several
hams. I slice some into ham steaks and dice some as well. And then throw them in the freezer.
This is also a good time to can ham. Make sure you buy enough to last you through Easter, as
hams don’t go on sale that frequently.
Other items for Christmas dinner will be on sale as well—potatoes, sweet potatoes, stuffing,
cornbread dressing, etc.
GARDEN and Canning:
VIRGINIA Strawberry Varieties
Recommended strawberry varieties for Virginia: Allstar, Delite, Delmarvel, Earliglow, Honeoye, Lateglow, Ozark
Beauty, Redchief, Sunrise, Surecrop, Tribute, Tristar.
TOMATO SAUCE:
1) Wash, core and quarter tomatoes putting them in a stock pot. (I usually fill the
pot close to the top for me this makes 5 quarts of tomato sauce)
Approximately 25 pounds of tomatoes.
2) 2) Cook tomatoes on medium, stirring frequently to prevent scorching, until
the tomatoes are soft.
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3) 3) Ladle tomatoes into a blender a bit at a time and blend until there are no
big pieces of tomatoes left.
4) Pour the blended tomatoes through the food mill, you will find that they go through
the mill much faster, even if you are using a hand crank food mill.
5) Once you have processed all of your tomatoes, return the sauce to your stockpot.
Cook at a simmer for 4 to 6 hours or until the sauce has reduced by about half and is
at the desired thickness.
Be sure to stir frequently as tomato sauce will scorch easily. Turn burner down if the sauce
begins to burn or is boiling too much. It is better to cook it a bit slower and take more time
than to burn the sauce making it useless for canning.
1) Pressure Canning Method
Pressure canning offers a higher quality and more nutritious canned tomato product and it
also takes less time than using a water bath canner, so I normally use this method.
Everything is done exactly the same in the pressure canning method except that you will
process the tomato sauce in a pressure canner. Process Pints or quarts for 15 minutes at
10 pounds of pressure or 15 pounds of pressure for high altitudes.