Homemade Dishwasher Soap Recipes

There are several recipes for homemade dishwasher soap. Why bother? It's much more economical than buying the stuff, even if you're at DollarTree -- plus you know what you're using here, chemically.

For each load:
1 Tablespoon Borax
1 Tablespoon Baking soda
or
2 Tablespoons of the following - 1 cup baking soda combined with 1 cup borax, and 2-3 tablespoons Fruit Fresh

For the rinse:
1 cup white vinegar, either poured into the JetDry vessel or placed into a cup securely placed into the top rack.

What's borax? It's a salt, naturally occurring in some parts of the USA as well as China, and it's used not only as a cleansing agent but also as a water softener and a preservative. Remember Twenty Mule Team Borax? It sponsored quite a few TV Westerns in the 1960s.


Sources: thriftyfun.com, naturalhomemadecleaners.com, answers.com.

Food as Medicine -4: Herbs & Spices

Using the following herbs or spices, either in your cooking or by making teas, will help with various ailments:

Stomach trouble? Heartburn, gas, indigestion? Caraway, cardamom, cayenne, ginger, peppermint, and thyme help relax stomach muscles, which helps food move through your digestive system. Less heartburn, better digestion, less bloating (i.e., gas). Peppermint tea will soothe nausea, as well.

Sore throat? Drink hot tea made of a combination of sage and thyme. This is also good for your gums, or any kind of mouth infections. Sage tea is also supposed to help menopausal symptoms.

Heart disease? Both ginger and garlic fight heart disease. While many drink ginger tea, garlic is usually dispensed through food or the cloves are swallowed like pills.

For more information, please refer to the sites shown below.

Sources: arthritispaintreatments.com, naturalherbguide.com, holisticonline.com.

Site to See: The Ultimate Cheapskate

For those of you who don't watch the Today show, this will be news: a man named Jeff Yeager appears there regularly, dispensing frugal living tips under the nickname of the "Ultimate Cheapskate." He's also just landed a book deal with Broadway (to be published in Fall 2007), entitled "Laugh Your Assets Off: How to Spend Less and Enjoy Life More by America's Ultimate Cheapskate."

His website is HERE if you want to check him out.