Thriftism

This post is a continuation of the previous post Hobby Grain Milling in which some of the ideal characteristics of a good grain mill were described. Our topic for today is the actual milling/grinding process. The first step is to aquire your feedstock or whole grains, these can be essentially any seed grain but a few of my favorites are red wheat, rice, black beans, and corn. I recommend purchasing at least 10 lbs of grain before doing any milling to minimize clean up efforts and produce a good quantity of flour. Chickpea (Garbonzo Bean) Flour Begin by loading the hopper on your mill and set the clearance on the grinder head. The clearance or gap between the grinding disks essentially controls the final quality of the flour as well as the efficiency of the mill. Your initial clearance will vary by grain type but I recommend an initial setting of approximately half the diameter of the selected grain.  This ...

Since we're still in January I think I can get away with setting my goals for the year and I'm planning 2014 to be a busy year. I say goals because resolutions never seem to be kept, but goals sound more manageable. For 2014, I'm setting my sites higher and obviously savings will be vital this year to reach my target of retirement at 30. This is why I also set a fairly tight budget to guide me through the year. However, putting money away isn't my only mission for the year. Things I want to accomplish in 2014: Make Soap Lose 10lbs Construct a Rainwater Collection System Teach Myself to Crochet Save $40,000 Take an Online Class Take a Trip Complete 12 Knitting Projects Have a Garden These are the main items that can be quantified. however, I would still love to experiment with new foods, continue trying to lower grocery and utility bills, improve my both my Spanish and Flute playing, and basically just get more stuff done. This might sound like a lot, ...

Hello All, I received a hobby grain mill for my birthday recently and got to test it out this last weekend. This post will hopefully be one of many as I experiment with grinding my own grain flour. With any luck you will be able to pick up a few pointers and benefiting from this healthy option.         Grain Mill with Rice THE MILL:Obviously the most important piece of equipment in this operation, and subsequently will have the most influence on the quality of your grain flour. A grain mill can range in price from tens to hundreds of dollars, be hand/human powered or even equipped with an electric motor. My grain mill is one of the cheaper models made and can be found on Ebay for around $25 - $30. Unless you already have experience with grinding your own grain flour or wish to use the flour on a commercial level, I would strongly recommend you purchase the cheapest cast iron hand powered mill available. A fe...

Supposedly Monday (January 20) was the most depressing day of the year and I guess that means this is also the most depressing week of the year. I choose not to believe that and am going out of my way to beat the wintertime blues. Here's a list of what seems to work for me. 1. Avoid fatty comfort foods. Whenever it's cold I get the worst cravings for everything that is unhealthy, whether it is chocolate or chips or fast food. I basically crave carbs, fat, and sugar.  This year I have been trying really hard to substitute fruit or vegetables in place of the less healthy options of snacks. I've also made a huge effort to only eat if I'm actually hungry. I'm usually guilty of eating out of boredom, stress, or because I happened to be passing through the kitchen. The first couple weeks were rough. I had my boyfriend kindly remind me that I probably didn't really want to eat whatever it was I thought I wanted. (I asked him to do this and it ...

This year my birthday celebration started early and lasted quite a bit longer than one day. I started signing up for every restaurant club that I could find which resulting in receiving a multitude of offers for my birthday this year. I live in the Midwest so these offers might not be good everywhere/restaurants might be not located everywhere, but this should give everyone an idea of just how much free food you can get just for having a birthday. Thursday: Supper at Moe's: Burrito, Drink, Chips, & Salsa  $2.04 After Tax -- This definitely feeds 2 people. We were stuffed when we walked out of the restaurant. The coupon they email you is good for a week or two after you click on the link. Hint: You can wait to click on the link for a couple weeks after your birthday to make it last even longer! Full Price Value: ~$9.91 After Tax (9.18 before) Saved: $7.87 Friday (Birthday): The following places must be visited on your actual birthday. Grand...