Halloween Ghosts From Garbage Bags

Saw this in a neighbor's yard and thought it was clever.

1. Take several white kitchen trash bags, fill 1/4 way with crumpled newspaper or some paper grocery bags.


2. Tie off with a ribbon, thus making a "head."


3. Draw a face on with a permanent marker.


4. Run a string through the top of the ghost's head and tie to whatever you like!

Extra Thriftiness:

Use garbage bag later (keep in mind it has a small hole at the bottom now)

More info:

http://www.ehow.com/how_5115_make-trash-bag.html

Stretching Cooking Stock

Problem:

Often times, recipes call for using a little bit of stock (vegetable, chicken, beef) to prepare a sauce or add flavor. I almost never use all of the stock that comes in a can or box. Every time I cook certain recipes, I need to buy new stock and only use half of it! (Yes, the thriftiest thing would probably be to make my own stock, but, this isn't Martha Stewart's blog, it's mine and I just ain't got time like that).

Solution:

Pour the extra stock into ice cube trays, freeze and bag for later. I date the bags of cubes so that after 6 months or so, I'll replace. A cube equals roughly an ounce. Ergo, 4 cubes = 1/2 cup, etc.

Bonus thriftiness:

Keep an eye out for stock after big holidays, like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Stores load up on extra stock (used for roasting turkeys, creating gravies, etc) pre-holidays and then usually sell them for at least 1/2 price immediately after.