One Hundred Dollars a Month - Page 1453 of 2143 - I am your typical housewife living in high maintenance suburbia. I have a handsome husband, 2 kids and a flock of pet chickens. I try and feed my family with $100 a month. With the help of coupons, gardening and bartering I am able to squeeze the most out of our grocery budget and still manage to have a little fun along the way.

Easy Kitchen Tip – Sanitize Sponges in the Microwave

The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the full disclosure
By Mavis Butterfield on September 25, 2013 · 9 Comments

I like having a sponge in the kitchen to clean up with, wash dishes, etc., but they can get kind of gross after awhile. They aren’t like dish cloths that you can just throw into the washer when they start to smell or get dirty.

But I learned this little trick awhile ago, sanitize them in the microwave. Since then, I pop my sponge in the microwave daily {Yes, I have OCD}. 😉 I feel better, my sponge definitely smells better. The world it a happy place.

How to Sanitize Sponges in the Microwave

To sanitize your kitchen sponge, make sure it is wet. Dry sponge = fire hazard. Pop it in the microwave for 2 minutes, and then let it sit in there for another 2 minutes, because it will be ridiculously hot to the touch. {If you are feeling really ambitious, you can use the steam the wet sponge created in the microwave to wipe down the walls of the your microwave {the steam loosens grease, etc.}. It’s like two chores in one–though, if you’re like me, then you want to sanitize the sponge again. Ha!

How about you, do you sanitize your sponge this way?

~Mavis

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.

Growing Vegetables in a Greenhouse – Fall Clean Up

The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the full disclosure
By Mavis Butterfield on September 25, 2013 · 6 Comments

Yesterday I spent the afternoon outside cleaning up the plants in and around the greenhouse. I removed all the gutters I had installed in the spring and set them outside. I plan to re-plant the strawberries elsewhere, and then add the soil from the reaming gutters that held basil, peppers and chard to the compost pile. The greenhouse looks kind of naked now. 🙁 Luckily I still have a few pots to move in there for my winter garden. I’m not sure what I’m going to plant yet so if you have any suggestions, that would be great. I’m thinking lettuce and a couple root vegetables like carrots and beets might work well. Our two green zebra tomato plants are now 10 feet tall and look like those giant tomato trees you see in cheesy magazine ads promising you 20 foot tall tomato plants for just $2.99 with shipping. I wonder how long the tomato plants will keep producing? I think I’m going to plant some lettuce seeds at the plant base later this week. In case you were wondering, Lemon the Meyer Lemon Tree is still hanging in there. And the sugar snap peas are growing like crazy!

And check out the 3 -tiered stack planter. Doesn’t it look cool filled with lettuce?

It shouldn’t be too much longer before it;s ready to harvest.

Keep calm and garden on. 😉

~Mavis

Are you planning for a winter harvest? The Winter Harvest Handbook By Eliot Coleman is a great book!

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.

White Chicken Chili with Poblano Peppers

The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the full disclosure
By Mavis Butterfield on September 24, 2013 · Leave a Comment

Chili is one of my favorite fall recipes to make because it’s so simple and such a warm fall-ish meal. It’s another recipe that’s perfect when life gets crazy around here with fall sports! But sometimes we get a little bored with regular chili, so I’m spicing things up with this recipe. Literally.

Ingredients

2 {14.5-ounce} cans white beans
1 tablespoon canola oil
2 medium poblano peppers, finely chopped
1 large onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
4 cups chicken broth {I get mine from Vitacost}
2 limes, juiced
1 lb {3 cups} shredded chicken {I use Zaycon chicken}
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Directions

Drain and rinse the beans. In a medium bowl, mash about half of the beans with a potato masher until chunky. Set the beans aside.

Add the canola oil to a large Dutch oven and heat over medium-high heat. Add the peppers, onions, garlic and salt/pepper to taste. Saute until soft {approx. 5 minutes}. Add the cumin, coriander, and chili powder. Saute for 1 more minute to toast the spices. Stir in the chicken broth and lime juice and bring just to a simmer. Add the beans and continue to simmer for 20 more minutes.

Stir in the shredded chicken and cilantro, and simmer about 5 more minutes. Serve hot. We like to top ours with sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, and lime wedges.

Loved this chili recipe? Check out this cookbook:

Chili Madness: A Passionate Cookbook

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.

Geocaching

The links in the post below may be affiliate links. Read the full disclosure
By Mavis Butterfield on September 24, 2013 · 20 Comments

Have you heard of the whole geocaching craze? It’s basically an outdoor treasure hunt using GPS coordinates. Once you get the coordinates, and your job is to find a container that is hidden at that location. Unless it is a private geocache that you or a friend/family member has created, you don’t take the container, but leave it for the next geocacher to find. The fun of the game is just being able to find the location.

I know a family who makes their own geocaching hunt for their family reunions. Then, they split into teams to see who can find all of the locations first {each location has enough tokens, slips of paper, etc. for each team}. When you find the location, you grab your proof and then move onto the next coordinates. They all have a blast trying to race to the coordinates.

If you are interested, you can log onto a geocaching website to find local hunts, or if you are on vacation, and want a free activity, you can type in the zip code of where ever you are, and find coordinates. Pretty much all you need is a GPS device and and sense of adventure.

I have to admit, I am intrigued. It sounds kind of fun. So, I have to know, has anyone tried it? Is it fun?

~Mavis

This post may contain affiliate links. These affiliate links help support this site. For more information, please see my disclosure policy. Thank you for supporting One Hundred Dollars a Month.