I had a wonderful discovery yesterday when I found out that not only does that sugar scrub recipe make a nice face wash, it is also a great way to remove coal dust from working in the forge. While I’m sure not to many people have that problem, I was inordinately excited about it, given just how well it works   and how much nicer it is than the horrible smelling chemical wash I had used before. And after finally recovering from the bug that’s making it’s rounds, I’m excited for a weekend at the forge at spending time with friends.

  • This link comes courtesy of my aunt, who was emailing me recently about preparing for the summers garden. Right now, there is about a foot of snow and two inches of ice on the ground, so I don’t think I’ll be starting any time soon, but she says this is an excellent organization. Since she’s been a prolific organic gardener for years, she’s learned a thing or two about gardening. Check out Seed Savers Exchange here.
  • A number of students have been fortunate enough to hear about schools already with many more anxiously awaiting news. For the college bound, GoCollege.com has some fantastic resources for those worried about the monetary aspect of the looming independence. They have two great feature articles about graduating with zero debt and an impressive roundup of articles aimed at providing financial literacy to college students. Check out GoCollege.com here.
  • Serena has, to date, an impressive 29 articles on tips to stretch your food dollar, with all sorts of suggestions for getting the most out of your food budget. For a brief overview on ways to eat healthy on a budget though, check out WiseBread’s article on the topic. After whetting your appetite you can find even more specific tips from Serena’s series. (Read it at WiseBread)
  • Having lunch in a grocery store one day while traveling, I discovered the deliciousness of Whole Foods’ in-store nut butter grinding. Not having a Whole Foods near me, this DIY peanut butter recipe looks like it will suffice. (Read it at PlanetGreen)
  • I try to wear clothes until their almost falling off of me, despite numerous patches. Sometimes though, the end is inevitable. When that moment arrives, here’s a collection of 37 ways to reuse old clothes. (Read it at Huffington Post)
  • This is an older Get Rich Slowly post that I discovered the other day that struck a chord with me because I’m pretty bad about making money from my hobbies. Talking with a blacksmith he said It’s tough because as artists, you almost want to give your work away because you want other people to have it but it’s tough because you have to make money. If you’re bad at making money off of hobbies, JD has some tips for you. (Read it at Get Rich Slowly)
  • I love watching old movies. The Third Man, The Seventh Seal, Santa Clause Conquers the Martians or the 70’s t.v. show Emergency! There’s something incredibly interesting about them. If you’re into old programming like that, check out this archive of public domain film. (Bulk.resource.org via BoingBoing)
  • Ever since I started learning about mentalities of abundance and scarcity, I’ve been fascinated. With that in mind, here are two different perspectives: Zen Habits’ How to Create an Abundance Mindset and Queercents’ post on the “scarcity switch” Abundance: Find Balance by Living on Less.

Queercents: Though I’m not a big fan of Valentine’s Day (though I’m intrigued by it’s pagan ancestor, Lupercalia), in honor of the holiday, here’s the beginning of Tamara’s Dating on A Budget Series.

Photo Credit: Elizabeth Byrne