A Thing or Two

Today is just a couple of hints and tips.  We all look for new ways or things to simplify our lives and save a little money.  I think we all like using items we have for new ways, and tips just to make life easier.

I love nacho cheese.  Love making nachos and that cheese is also good on baked potatoes, over burgers, with chips, you name it.  I don't make it - that seems time consuming to me.  Those jars of nacho cheese you get at the store are pretty pricey, even at Aldi.
Well I found an inexpensive solution and man oh man is it good.

Fiesta Nacho Cheese soup!  I got this at Kroger and paid $1.57 for the can.  I place in a pan to warm and used 1/4 can of milk stirred in (to keep it a bit thicker than soup).  You could add more milk depending on how thin you want it.  It is so yummy.  I made nachos for dinner one night and kept the extra for a baked potato.

Tasty and cheaper than the actual cheese.  Give it a try!

(not spicy at all)

I do a lot of yard work and our area has a ton of poison ivy growing.  I am very allergic.  I don't like wearing long sleeves or a jacket when working in the yard in the summer.  I go from thing to thing, and long sleeves would be too hot.  I may pull weeds for a while, then mow or trim, then tend the garden plants and then back to weeds - so I need protection, just not long sleeves.

I have my own protection.  I use old tube socks or long socks of any type.  Cut out the toe - and then pull them up over your arms.  I wear gloves as well.  When I want to move on to another project for a while, I roll them down and remove - need them again - roll back out to cover arms.

Super easy and it works!  If so desired you can throw them away after using or simply just wash in cold soapy water for another day.

I saw this idea the other day for repurposing plastic.  Many plastic items are not re-cyclable.  I truly don't understand why that is even allowed.  They want to regulate our use of STRAWS - but can't regulate that ALL plastic be recyclable!!   Sorry, a bit off the subject!  

This idea contains your plastic in one place and makes it useful in another way.  They call them Eco blocks. 

Softer plastic is stuffed and packed tightly into bottles.  Have you ever squished up a plastic grocery bag?  It becomes about the size of a quarter!  A wooden dowel or spoon can be used to pack in the plastic.  All contained into one small bottle!  Pack it tightly!
Folks are cleaning up waterways and roadsides of trash and doing this (you want it to be dry before packing).  These Eco blocks are being used to build whimsical sculptures (with plaster or cement), used in building houses, making furniture, kids play equipment, building compost bins, etc.  There is nothing that these couldn't be used to build - your imagination is the only limit.
I just think this a neat way to contain a lot of trash in a small space.
You can Google Eco bricks and see some of the things they do with them.

Who knew??????  Surely not me.  I just found this so very interesting.  What a neat way to measure something on a camping trip or a picnic.  It is amazing the things we can learn every day!!!

So there you go kids - fun facts to know and tell!!!!!!!!

Have a good day.