To Julie08
Yes it is OK to refreeze chicken stock. As long as you are careful with keeping it refrigerated and or from hot to cold in preferably 2 hours. That is according to food safety guide lines. I have let it go longer, but we do have healthy immune systems. Refreezing can reduce the quality of the product, but most of us would not notice the difference. I make my own chicken stock. When buy chicken I try to buy it with bones in it. I then de-bone what I want and freeze the bones. I also freeze the end of broccoli and asparagus ends. I use carrots and onion and boil the bones and veggies down. The bones have calcium in it so if the broth gets a little cloudy it's OK it's just the calcium in it. So I find homemade stock is so much better for us. I use it as soup base. I am trying to find fish heads and bones for fish stock. The same can be done with beef bones or any other type meat bones. I would use it as a base for whatever type of meat the stock came from aka venison stock venison stew or soup. Just make sure that the stock doesn't take too long to cool off. The bacterium starts growing after less than two hours. So cool it fast. I do a lot of what others do to save $$$s.
I know I spend too much on the pets. But now they are like my kids and the reason to get up every day. I am making my own bread every other day. I have been using the
www.thefreshloaf.com web site for ideas. To say the least the food is rather very good at my house. I grow what I can on my sub-division lot. I got 13lbs of potatoes this year, in a stock tank. Its not much. But it was fun. I have been harvesting English walnuts today. I must have a couple of lbs of walnuts. Not bad for a ornamental tree. I have planted a cherry tree, plum, and a new apple tree. I planted broccoli in the front yard and I use tomato plants as potted plants in the front of the yard and on the back deck. I bought three four packs and had too many plants, but I wanted variety. We had the best tomato season ever this year. I couldn't eat that many tomatoes. I frozen some, and fed a lot to the chickens. I feed all the cooking scrapes to the chickens. I buy furniture and even my latest car off of craigslist. I also have a pair of Yorkies that I breed once a year. Thank god I was able to sell a couple of puppies. It paid for the emergency vet bills so that we could save our little (favorite) boy. We work off cash only and would have had to put him down if we hadn't had the extra cash.
I feel that I am learning as the years go on. I still spend too much on groceries. I learned how cook at the age of 13, while cooking a family of nine. And now it's mostly me and my husband who is home only on weekends. He travels for work so he is gone from Monday to Friday. That helps save on food and other things around the house during the week. But I still have trouble cooking for two. I know we eat too much.
I have basic satellite TV, but I have splurges too. I love the DVR. That way I don't have to watch all the commercials.
We home-schooled the kids and went a number of years without TV. I find now that I live mostly lone in a small sub-division home that I use the TV for company. The most frugal thing that you can do is to raise your child to be a responsible self supporting human being. I made two of them and feel pride that I succeeded in my mission, and responsibility. Way to long forgive me.
I get my hair cut once a year maybe it grows really slow, but I pay a lot for the cut with the hope that I can get a year or more from the cut. I have always done my own hair color, but right now I am growing it out. So now no more hair color for me. I do get my nails done. That is a big luxury; I spend 20.00 bucks a month for them. I let them grow out a bit longer than I should, but I still find them better than my own weak nails. And it makes me feel pretty (priceless). I do cut my husbands hair for him. And we both buy our shoes on E-bay. We have to have better than average shoes do to major foot problems. I also got fitted for the right size of bras at an upper end store. Now I know what size I am, and I am big enough that I have to buy special bras. I buy off of E-bay. I save at least 50% or more over store prices.
We do all of our own home repair, and yard work. I have always painted. My husband is very good at building and mechanical things. If something isnt working right he can all most always fix whatever it is, that needs fixing. We raised meat chickens for the first time. My husband and son killed, and then skinned the chickens. They work as a team. They both have things that dont bother them about the process, so each does their thing and I do the final cut up and bagging. We are going to do more birds next spring.
I am still P. O. ed over the power bill. The bill says I spend more than average. I live mostly alone, and I live in a family neighborhood. I use florescent bulbs, and turn things off. I keep wondering if the 75 gallon fish tank uses more energy than I want to spend. I love the fish in the tank almost as much as I live the dogs, cats, and chickens that live with me. Oh well a few things are worth it.
I keep trying to save more, but with really bad ADD, and some brain injury I do the best I can, and I hope for the best. And thank God for spell check.
