Resourcefulness

"Necessity is the mother of invention" - I don't know who said it originally, but I certainly live it everyday.

I don't live too far from the nearest store, but the operating hours of that store never seem to coincide with when I am trying a new recipe, when I run out of cat food or infant formula, or if I just need a little chocolate fix.  So at 8:45 p.m. after either working late at my off farm job or trying to squeeze in just five more minutes of greenhouse expansion before I cannot see past the end of my hand in the dark and I want a sandwich, the store is inevitably closed.  Thank goodness for the internet where I find a from scratch mayonnaise recipe.  There are a bunch of them out there and I have used whichever one was the handiest to I will let you find one specifically to your liking.

Running out of dishwasher detergent brought on another internet search.  Borax, washing soda and kosher salt - much to my delight - make dishwasher detergent.  These are items that I have on hand so I saved trip to the grocery store.  Come to find out that mixing these ingredients also saves a significant amount of money.

Fabric softener, while not a vital ingredient to acquire clean clothes, is something that I like to include in my washing ritual.  Mixing inexpensive hair conditioner, white vinegar and water creates a good fabric softening product.  Besides being a less costly option, the bonus is that you can find an inexpensive hair conditioner in unique scents like coconut making you think that even though you are sitting in your cubicle at work, it smells like you are wearing suntan lotion in Key West or Aruba.

Sometimes I find that I spend entirely too much time searching the internet for cost saving ideas and projects for the farm - but every once in a while I find something extremely useful.  It was a pretty good sandwich too.