Old Fashioned phones...NO BATTERIES!

I was looking into the availability of old fashioned CORDED phones. Yes, I did say "Corded"!
Oh the horror!
But seriously, in the event of a power outage it makes sense to have an old fashioned phone available to plug into your regular home phone line, that does NOT require electricity or batteries to function.
Yes it will be ugly, and yes it won't be cool, but it just may save the day when your batteries die or you have an electrical outage in your area.

Walmart in Canada carries these kind of simple phones from between $12.99- 17.99.
If you are tired of spending too much money on rechargeable batteries, or tired of searching endlessly for a misplaced cordless phone, I'd suggest considering the old fashioned route. Note of course, that without batteries you won't have call display and other fancy features , but it will give you communication with the outside world in an emergency.
The manufacturers of the phones I looked at on the Walmart websites state that these phones will run well during a power outage because they utilize the limited power that runs through normal phone lines. How cool!
Uniden makes a very affordable one that was selling through Walmart stores.

Sometimes there is peace and joy in simplicity and cost control :)


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Gluten Free Five Dollar Chili

This is my great big "Throw in the crock Pot O Chili".

The bonus is that I estimate it's cost to be only 5 dollars or less and its GLUTEN FREE!
It serves at least 6 people.

• 2 large cans of diced tomatoes
• 2 large cloves of fresh garlic peeled and diced
• 1 small can of black beans
• 1 small can of red Kidney beans
• 3 tablespoons of chili powder ( if you like it spicy!)
• 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
• one half teaspoon up to 1 teaspoon of sea salt
• one small onion peeled and diced.
• Water -- add 2 cups up to 5 cups according to your desired chili thickness and if you have unexpected company :)

Rinse and drain the cans of beans and add to crock pot. Set the crock pot onto high for up to 3 hours.
Keep adding in all the other ingredients in no special order. The negotiable amounts are the water and the salt and the quantity of chili powder that your palate can handle") You'll know the chili is done when the onions lose their crispness and start looking more translucent. Keep stirring it every 15 minutes.

EXTRAS: if you want to add some extras such as ground beef, just make sure you brown the ground beef thoroughly first and drain off the fat, before you add it to the crock pot. You can also serve it with one dollop of sour cream or plain greek yoghurt....one dollop per bowl of chili, plopped right on top of the hot chili. Serve with toasted gluten free bread or gluten free crusty rolls.

LOWER COST-- if you want to further reduce the cost of this chili, you can avoid buying canned beans by using dried* beans and soaking them overnight in your refrigerator.* dried black beans and dried kidney beans you can buy in prepacked bags at most grocery stores, or in bulk at your fave bulk food store/dept.  You can also use fresh diced tomatoes, garlic and onions if they are cheaper in season in your region or from local farmers. ( right now where I live in Canada we have zero local produce available other than eggs")

Bon Appetit mes amis! Please share this with your budget conscious friends or with those struggling to find gluten free food options.
Peace.


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Alternatives to Traditional Toothpaste

Hi Folks. today I wanted to mention just a few products that you can use on those days that you don't feel like using traditional toothpaste.

For example two options come to mind:

Salt: using plain table salt to clean your teeth is an oldfashioned idea for those who are trying to cleanse their teeth and mouth with a simple and chemical free option. Just dip your clean tooth brush into some water and then dip into a small mound of table salt and brush as usual. Then, to make a simple mouth wash, you can add hot water with 1 teaspoon of table salt and stir until the salt dissolves and the salt solution cools enough to the point that you can use this as a great mouth wash. Swish the salt water between all your teeth and around your whole mouth. Salt water also helps in cleansing any small bumps or lumps you may have on your gums, tongue or lips. Some health practitioners advise using salt water rinses when you are battling a sore throat. ( this should not replace obtaining proper medical care from a licensed medical practitioner.)

Baking Soda-- This is an old but good one too. Just wet your tooth brush and touch the bristles of the tooth brush directly into a small mound of Baking soda, then proceed to use it to clean your teeth the same way you normally would brush your teeth. Sure, it doesn't taste great, but the gentle grittiness of
baking soda is a great teeth scrubber and will bring about a beautiful shine. Just  be sure to rinse your mouth with clean water when you are done brushing to rinse away the taste and any residue.

So, the two above options you can use when you want to simplify your consumerist lifestyle, or when you want to get back to living without the use of harsh chemicals. Some people may use these options when they are trying to save money. Both table salt and baking soda are both cheaper options than buying regular priced tooth pastes. Both Baking Soda as well as table salt are usually available at most discount and dollar stores. Other people use these options just when they find that they have forgotten to pack toothpaste when they go camping or travelling.

Take good care of your teeth, so they can last a lifetime :)
Peace.
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