Pumpkin Village

So, Mr. Scrimp and I don't really do much for Halloween. I grew up in a no-Halloween family, and while Mr. Scrimp has many happy trick-or-treating memories, he's not super devoted to it. We go to a party with some friends, but that's it.

I do, however, love pumpkins. I love them uncarved. I love them carved. I love them painted. I love their seeds, and I love them in soup and pie. There is pretty much nothing about pumpkins that I don't love, in fact.

Which is why I thought this idea on ohdeedoh was so cool (picture after the cut)

Recipe: Thai Chicken

Gosh, it's been a while since I posted a new recipe!

I don't know how authentically Thai this recipe actually is--my mom made it when I was a kid and called it Thai chicken, so Thai chicken I call it.

Mr. Scrimp and I are both big fans of it, I can tell you that much. It's hot and spicy and will warm you up on a chilly fall day.

25 Cheap, Healthy Foods

In this economy, believe me, I know how hard it can be to buy healthy, unprocessed food when the pre-made stuff is so handy and cheap. I read the sales flyers in the newspaper every week and then sigh over the fact that nobody ever seems to have magical piles of coupons for fruits and vegetables, and that if I want to emulate all those coupon-shopping blogs that manage to get $75 worth of groceries for five dollars and a few scissors-blisters, I have to compromise on what I eat.

So, I was really happy to find this article on SparkPeople that lists 25 healthy foods that you can buy inexpensively. Almost all of them meet my criteria for defining unprocessed foods (I don't count freezing or canning as "processing" for the purposes of that particular discussion), and the only other thing I disagree with is the favoring of low-fat or nonfat dairy products over full-fat or 2%.

What else do you buy that's cheap and healthy?

Alphabet Wall

This would make such a cool decoration for a child's bedroom or playroom, or, with a darker set of colors (ebony, mahogany, gold, etc.) even in an office or library.

Alphabet Wall!

Check out a time for everything for more photos and a description of how she did it!

Make Do and Mend

During World War II, the British government had a fantastic propaganda campaign going. War rationing hit the UK hard, and new clothes were not easy to come by. We need those nylons for the boys on the front!

Well, nobody's under war rationing right now, but the economy isn't showing many signs of getting better any time soon, and I think it's worth revisiting that old campaign to try and re-learn some of the tricks our grandmothers were using to keep themselves in stylish clothes when money and new fabric were scarce.

Recession Fashion

I think most of the people who read this blog like to shop at thrift stores. Right? Right? I mean, if you don't, why not? They're the best! Seriously, most of my favorite clothes come from the good old Salvation Army up the road.

But I'm also sure that all of us who have braved these temples to unwanted stuff have had the following experience...

CHOCbite

I've got a whole lot of new things for you that I've accumulated in the last month (eek! month??) since I posted. Yikes. Since when is summer busier than the rest of the year? I'm not in school anymore but it hasn't been long enough for me to lose the association of summer with vacation and leisure.

Anyway, if you're looking for something fun and unique with which to take the edge off of how busy your summer has been, why not check out CHOCbite? They've got a whole range of customizable chocolate bars. No, seriously! You pick your chocolate, you pick your toppings, and then they're custom-made and sent to you.

Alternatively, I guess you could just hack it and do it yourself. ;)