October 2009 Archives

Florist at that time of year can charge outrageous fees for blooming plants but you can have your own for only a few dollars if you plan ahead. 

Hyacinths are a strongly scented spring flowering bulb that is surprisingly easy to grow out of season. Probably one of the simpler ways to grow hyacinths is in water in a special vase. While these vases are sold in garden centers and florist shops strictly for this purpose any vase with a narrow top where the bulb can sit without totally being immersed in water would be suitable.

Follow this plan and you can have a houseful of fragrance in the middle of winter for yourself or to give as gifts to family and friends.

It's an old magazine trick to make a bed or couch look more luxurious by piling the pillows on (read our article Three Designer Tricks Used in Magazines ).

While it is probably one of the easiest home decor sewing projects some people are still hesitant to try to make their own.

 When you start sewing your own pillows the choices of sizes and fabrics are endless and a simple pillow can turn into an eye catching focal point. Cheap and easy to make you could sew up a bed full, or a couch full, in an afternoon.

Part 1 of Host a Large Dinner Party Cheaply   dealt with the logistics of how to organize tables, chairs, linens, invitations, etc while Part 2 deals with the food. 

While most entertaining guides suggest you start with a budget and stick to it, your thought is "my budget is as little as I can possibly spend." How can I afford everything, when will I have time to do everything, and how much should I buy?  

Don't panic, it will take some organization, careful planning and budgeting but you can pull it off. 

Or maybe it's going to be your turn to host everyone for Thanksgiving this year or you want to have the whole family come by to celebrate your daughter's graduation.

 What ever the occasion is you want it to come off with out a hitch, for everyone to enjoy them selves and for it not to break the bank.There is a lot to think about even before you decided what everyone is going to eat.

Invitations, tables, chairs, linens, cutlery, serving dishes are explained in Part 1 and food in Part 2.  It does take some organizing but with these hints, tips and suggestions you'll look like you've been doing this your whole life.

If the first reaction is to head to the pharmacy to pick up something for your cold you might be doing nothing for your health and just wasting money. 

Cold medicines were never meant to get rid of your colds and if you listen to television commercials carefully you'll hear the phase, "Will alleviate  cold symptoms". 

So what does that mean? Are you just wasting money by buying cold remedies?and is there better, cheaper and healthier options for you?

During the fall harvest carrots are plentiful and cheap. Easy to find, easy to store and easy to cook, carrots can be in your diet 4 times a day. 

For breakfast think carrot muffins, lunch carrot soup, dinner carrots as your vegetable side dish, sliced or grated in salads or raw, roasted or steamed on their own and finally for desert in carrot cake. Snack on them for a quick pick me up during the day instead of reaching for something sugary. 

Low in calories, high in Vitamin A and fiber these colourful and tasty vegetables are the ideal fall food.

There was a time when all elegant homes would have had  silver to put on the table and most of it was silver plate (sterling silver coating a base metal like copper).

 It fell out of favour in the 1960's when modern metals and plastics became popular. All those silver plated wedding gifts and heirloom silver plate were shoved to the back of cupboards and forgotten about. Improperly stored  they tarnished and on the rare occasions they were used had to be cleaned and shined. Silver plate got an undeserved reputation of being difficult and fussy to take care of. 

Silver has a richness to it that no other metal can equal, if you want a entertain with a show stopping table there is nothing so stunning as one filled with gleaming silver. So is buying vintage and antique silver plate expensive? Actually no. If you know what to look for you can find beautiful pieces of silver plate for only a few dollars.

Instead of trying to find something different for each and every one why not make them the same (but slightly different) card.