Cheapskate Sunday

While the husband was doing some work in the garage, I thought I'd do some cooking and puttering around. First up was to make dog treats. Simple, cheap, easy.

I took one lonely sweet potato, and introduced it to Mr.Mandoline. This is the one I have; only cost about $10, but it is SO handy.

 

I sliced it up, put the slices on cookie sheets, and sprinkled on a tiny bit of garlic powder for flavor.

See that tinfoil on the left? Those are the pieces that came off of the burritos I made and froze. As we ate them, I'd put the foil back in the drawer, figuring I'd use it later. I actually did! 

Now, I cooked these on 250 degrees for probably an hour or so. I didn't want them crispy like chips, since the dogs like them chewy. I flipped them a couple of times, and eventually called it a day. They looked like this when I gave up on them. *EDITED TO ADD* You'll want to cook them for more like 3 hours. If you don't, they get a little funky after a couple of days. Sorry for the inconvenience.

I let them cool a bit, and then dropped them all in a tupperware-type container. I'll use them within a few days, since they soften up as time goes on. I think the pups are happy. Don't you?

On to project two. I love having wonderful smells in my house. With a husband and 2 dogs, you can imagine what it COULD smell like in here if I let it get out of control. That being said, I love air freshener plug in things and candles. But, those can get expensive and supposedly have stuff in them that causes cancer. Whatever. Everything will kill you. But I'm determined to enjoy my Welcome Home/Autumn Harvest/Eucalyptus Blah-Blah until the zombies come and everything smells like ass.

So one day when cruising Pinterest, I found this tutorial for making your own smelly things. I didn't take pictures, because I was destroying several of them before getting it right (aka letting the husband patiently remove the wick). There are pictures on the site, but you don't really need them. Take the wick thing out, empty the glass part and rinse it out. Pour in your choice of essential oil (I used eucalyptus), about 1/3 full, more if you want a longer lasting or more concentrated scent, and top it with water. Not too full or it will spill when you put the wick back in. And voila. Done. 

Verdict? I used only 1/3 oil and 2/3 water, but it ran out quickly and didn't really smell. The next time I used more like 1/2 oil and 1/2 water, and it smelled great for a few days. I still smell it when I walk by, but it's not as strong. The oil was a bit old, so maybe that's why it's weak. Anyway, it was cheaper than buying new ones, and less likely to kill me, supposedly. 

Rule #32 of Zombieland: Enjoy the little things.