Homemade Peanut Butter

Okay this post was a long time coming. I made this back in February.

This was another one of those things I was super excited to try until I found out how it actually cost more, not to mention all the time and dirty dishes, than just buying it at the store.  In fact, the week after I bought a pound of peanuts to try this recipe, the 32 oz (2 lb) jars of peanut butter went on sale for the exact same price of the peanuts.  How bitter!

Out of annoyance I did not buy the peanut butter nor did I make my own.  Of course we go through a lot of peanut butter at my house and it wasn't too long before we ran out of peanut butter and my toddler really wanted some. (Side note- I just found out peanut butter on a spoon can be a choking hazard for toddlers, oops. We've been doing peanut butter with raisins for a long time now.  Oh well, not like I can do anything about it now.)

Back to making peanut butter.  I figured it was the best time to make the peanut butter.  How hard could it be put some peanuts, oil, a little salt in a blender and blend and blend and blend.  My poor food processor (yes I tried it with that to) could barely take it.  Once it started smelling funny I tried a real blender, thus you get my opinion of making peanut butter in a food processor versus a blender too.   Luck you!

First the recipe

Homemade Peanut Butter

• 2 cups peanuts
• 1 tablespoon oil (peanut is recommended, I used whatever I had- no way I was going to spend more than I had too for my already too expensive peanut butter.)
• Some salt
• Honey if you want it sweeter.

If you want crunchy peanut butter I would recommend and food processor.  If you want creamy a real blender works better.

Put it in the kitchen appliance of your choice (toaster not recommended) and blend, blend, blend.  At first is is lumpy, and then it becomes more liquidy.  It takes about five minutes so prepared to stand and watch the amazing process of grinding a solid into a liquid.  Awesome, science.

After it is runny, place it in a jar of your choice, cover and store in the refrigerator.  It will firm up a little. Then eat!  It doesn't store as long as the stuff with preservatives in it of course, but it taste very similar.

My Conclusion- that was a pain to make.  If I lived somewhere where peanuts (and peanut oil) were three or four times cheaper than peanut butter itself it would be worth it. Or if I loved peanut butter and was in a country where they don't sell peanut butter (I'm thinking of you, Jacob) then I would be all for making my own peanut butter.  It's also a cool thing to know how to do, although not as cool as making your own brown sugar.  In the end, why dirty dishes and stand for five minutes holding the blenders lid on if going to the store is faster and cheaper.  Now I'm sad I missed that sale.

Cost of Children

I always get upset when I read the estimated cost of raising children.  The numbers are outrageously high.  I always thought, " Are they surveying people who are buying designer clothes, new cars, and world vacations for their children?"

Here is an awesome article by Linda and Richard Eyre that puts it in better words than I ever could.  They even point out in the long run a child may actually save a couple money.


http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865585372/Does-a-child-really-cost-that-much

Emergency Preparedness

Everything in May fell by the wayside so we missed a month that we'll have to make up.

We could say shelter was our thing of the month as we already have a tent and sleeping bags.
Also emergency blankets, fire starters, rain ponchos to keep dry with- these could also go with shelter.

In an emergency it's most likely that you will NOT find yourself in the wild defending off bears.  It is more likely you will be in a place with crumbled buildings, broken roads, and lots of other people.  Meaning when disaster strikes we don't all get transported to the nearest remote place, we are near our residence with all the other people who live near by.  Most likely a church, school, or large building will become your temporary aboded.

That is why I still recommend a tent and sleeping gear, you will want privacy and will probably be sleeping on a hard floor. Just a thought to keep in mind when planning shelter.  Also, keep it lightweight and compact, you may be moved more than once.

Homemade Paint With Water Pages

Remember those books that all you needed was water to paint a picture.  I know they are still around although harder to find.  Anyway...

I heard that if you dap the homemade watercolor paint onto a coloring page and let it dry, that all you (or your kid) will need is a little water to make a colorful picture.

You can also use watercolor pencils to do the same thing.

Homemade Water Colors

I found a fun recipe for water color paint that was two activities in one. What I liked about it is my toddler could both help make the paint and paint with it after it dried.  (Can't vouch for how washable it is though.)

The recipie was from this site:  http://www.themakeyourownzone.com

HOMEMADE WATERCOLOR PAINTS

Ingredients:

• 4 Tablespoons Baking Soda

• 2 Tablespoons White Vinegar

• 1/2 Teaspoon Light Corn Syrup

• 2 Tablespoons  Corn Starch

For tinting your paints you will also need:

• Food Coloring

• Toothpicks

• Ice Cube Tray or Muffin Tin

1.  Measure baking soda into a small bowl

2.  Add the vinegar and stir. Kid will love watching it fizz!

3.  Next, add  light corn syrup and  corn starch. Mix well.  Mixture should be about the consistency of Elmers glue.

4.  Pour the mixture into the sections of your container. 

5.   Add whatever drops of food coloring you want and then stir using a toothpick until the color is evenly distributed. (Have separate toothpicks for light and dark colors.)

6.  Let harden for a day or two before use. Use like normal water color- Wet and Paint.

Toddler helped mix and the colors got a little skewed. She still loved it anyway.

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Decluttering

One of the most tedious task when moving is what to keep and what to get rid of.  I once heard this advice:

When decluttering ask yourself two questions:

1. Is this item still useful?

or

2. Does this item add beauty to my home?

If the answer is no, get rid of it. 

I'd like to add a third question to be asked

3. Do I have a place for it?

  For us, when we moved to a smaller apartment, we got rid of our second set of couches.  Were they still useful?  Yes, but we had no place for them.  That goes the same for knick-knacks. Can they add beauty? Yes, but when they become more cumbersome than beautiful it is time to weed out the least favorites.

I have found clutter is so hard to clean!  There is no place for it all.  Getting rid of stuff actually makes life easier! Awesome!

Blown Budgets

In May I discovered two things that ruin a well kept budget really quick.
Moving- Expensive
Being Sick- Who wants to keep a budget?

Try being sick while moving.  I bet your only goal would be survival.

If someone is looking at just beginning a budget or starting to keep one again you only need to google budget to find a million sites with budget sheets and tips.

My suggestions:
Find something that works for you.
Keep it simple- The easier it is to work with, the more likely someone is to stick with it. Some people like computer programs or apps they can have on their phone.  I just use Excel. Some go good old fasion route of paper and pencil.

I based my budget off of this temple
Family Budget Worksheet


Here is a great pamphlet on spending money wisely:
One For the Money