Just for the info, here is the link to an article in Time with many of the salvage stores listed. This might be helpful in finding one in your area. One more thing I thought about is this. In the summer, I re-use bath water for watering the garden. I know that sounds a little "out there" (but the OP did ask for radical), and it seems so wasteful to let it all go down the drain. I had an a-ha! moment one day, and have since been using this watering trick with great success. Another source for recycling of water is the rinse water from dish washing, any leftover coffee too. The coffee grounds get buried in the garden with the rest of the kitchen waste (egg shells, veggie peelings, leftover cake, bread, fruit peels, etc.). Oh, don't forget about reusing water that potatoes, veggies, or pasta has been boiled in. It also is used to water the garden or indoor plants.

Forgot to add this in my post. I have two of the Tightwad Gazette books, and enjoy reading through them often. There are so many ideas found in those. Another thought--- Except for a new set of cooking pots and pans (which I bought on sale), all of my dinnerware is from the thrift. I've been replacing anything I already owned (made in China) with vintage "made in the USA" dishes. I find them for anywhere from 10 cents to 50 cents for cups, plates, saucers, and bowls. I even found linens for the table during the holidays on the cheap there---tablecloths and place mats. I decorated my entire home this Christmas, and very nicely if I say so myself, with finds from the thrift store. It is possible to live cheaply and also enjoy beauty for less money. Once you get started, it gets much easier. Best wishes to you on your journey for a thrifty life!

Red lentils are good for this too. I add them to meatballs and meatloaf, and also make lentil burgers with them. Salvage grocery stores are great for finding "nice" things on a budget. I buy Starbucks coffee for $2 a bag there. Large bottles of Bertolli olive oil for $2 on sale there recently, too. Meat is a very small part of our meals, as much as possible. Whatever meat I cook is usually found marked down. Look for any produce that is on sale, or that is on a markdown table. Make a large platter of roasted veggies and a pot of rice for a nutritious meal. Find and make regular visits to your local thrift shops. I would say that about 90% of our clothes come from the thrift shop. I recently found a like-new North Face Jacket for $3, and Columbia shirts for $2. Today I'm wearing an LL Bean fleece jacket, on sale at the thrift for $2. I even buy all of my shoes there. I simply take them home and wash or spray with Lysol and let them air out in the sunshine. They are already "broken in", and much more comfortable than new shoes. I've bought Nike, Reebok, New Balance, Adidas, Merrell, Crocs, Teva, Birkenstock, to name a few brands. Last summer, all sandals were on sale for 50 cents, including Birks. Needless to say, I grabbed a few pair at that price. :D Use your kitchen scraps to boost your soil for gardening. Save seeds or swap seeds with others who garden. Reuse newspapers for lining garden beds. Use the free and readily available bags of leaves and pine straw as mulch for your garden. These seem to be everywhere along street curbs this time of year.

Chiquitita, by ABBA.

:grouphug: Prayers going out for everyone. How horrible.

Thanks! Just added them. Oh my! That will keep me busy this weekend! :)

This is what I have decided to start with for now. I'm just adding in random bits of "stuff", some with no other home but for the garbage can. :D Things like: *rubber bands *paper clips *odd wheels/axles from broken toy cars *flat foam pieces from packing boxes *those plastic bowls that small cups of fruit come in *the plastic bowl and strainer from a Healthy Choice Fresh Mixers entree *a few fishing floats (small) *small white emergency-type candles *Slinky *ping-pong ball *small straight-sided glass jars *small box matches *pieces of string *old telephone wire *leftover roll of electrical tape *small, purse-sized mirror

Yep. Something I think many here are overlooking is the fact that Celia Foote did not treat Minny unkindly. Instead, she saw her as a best friend, when no one else would be one to her. Didn't she insist on sitting down to eat with her, bringing her Cokes, and preparing a special meal for her? So again, not everyone treated these women unkindly, but there were definitely some who did. And also remember that Celia was treated unkindly, simply because she came from the wrong side of the tracks, so to speak. My heart went out to her, for she truly endured much from the other women in town. I think that if Celia had come from a family of social standing, Hilly would have been mad about her marriage to Johnny, but she would have been a bit more polite to her, though through gritted teeth.

Thank you for your responses.

I read the book several months ago, and just last week saw the movie. In my honest opinion, no, I don't think it was exaggerated. I think it was very spot on. There was also another thread in the book/movie about Celia Rae, which I found to be very moving as well. Wouldn't you say she showed Christian love toward Minny, though found herself the target of much hatred and spite? (FWIW, I still see this going on around me today.) So of course, no, not everyone behaved in the manner of Hilly Holbrook. But I'm sure there were more than a few who did, and that's what the book/movie wanted to depict. Remember, both sides of the issue were shown, not just one.

take away a child's sense of wonder? Do you also feel that it inhibits your child's ability to be able to find satisfaction while reading, playing board games, imagination-inspired play or building (etc.) activities? Thank you.

Thanks for the reminder about the Habitat stores. I've been in a few which were like treasure troves! I'll also check out some of the local contractors. I'm not sure how helpful this could be, but I remembered this morning that there are GEMS sites and centers around the country. They might be a resource for checking out kits, but there could be a pricey fee involved. The link is here.

Well, I fell asleep last night before I was able to read much in the NI book. :sad: I had great plans for some note-taking and brainstorming, but that didn't happen. Oh well..... Again, I agree that it is a great idea to work together to put assemble lists for the discovery boxes. Are we including any books that we have on hand in the mix? I have been brainstorming on where to find electrical parts--switches, buzzers, etc.--and haven't come up with a great option for them yet. No luck at the thrift shop, though I did consider just grabbing a few of the old phones, lamps, etc to take apart for this purpose. Would an electric repair shop sell an assorted box of these type of parts?

This is wonderful! I'm still trying to find time to sit down with the book and take some notes of my own to set all of this up for use soon. You didn't ramble on at all. Thank you so much! If you don't mind another question, what size boxes or storage bins are you using for the discovery boxes? Editing to add.... I have some 16 qt. Sterlite bins. Would this size be sufficient for now?

Thank you! The GEMS Kit Handbook looks fantastic for culling ideas from, and will be a great place to start. You've suggested a great idea for assigning topics and filling boxes as a thread. It's a little hard to let go of those instruction sheets, but what fun it must be to have the discovery all on your own! Now, on to finish my first cup of coffee and get my squeeky thinking cap going....

Thank you for helping with getting started with inquiry based science. I looked at a website last year for this that has videos and extra resources, but didn't follow up with it. I now have a copy of the Nurturing Inquiry book, and am making plans for this upcoming semester. One thing I do have a question about is the discovery boxes. The book lists several ideas for themes, but I'm a little lost on how to fill some of them or even ideas to get started with my own. Should I make up some themes of my own and go from there? How would I know what to fill the boxes with? I guess I'm a little confused on that. Editing to add.... I mean specific things that would be needed. I'm just not getting that....

Yes, I think that was half of the fun! I did get Ann Margaret mixed up for Shelley Fabares, though.

This episode aired yesterday late in the afternoon. A pop-up on the screen stated that it was the very last episode of the series to air. I watched it if for nothing else, to say that I had seen the last one. I thought the accents were odd too. It seemed like a good premise, but overall came off as a bit thrown together and odd.

I've been reading Simple Living, by Frank Levering and Wanda Urbanska. They moved from LA to North Carolina to take over the family cherry farm. Unfortunately, I believe the couple in the book are no longer married, so I'm not sure how all of that turned out.

I should have posted here Saturday about the marathon as I intended, but let it slip. I wasn't sure if anyone knew about it, and I even stumbled upon it myself accidentally. I know! :lol: I should have thought better than to watch so late into the evening, but I couldn't stop myself from "just one more episode", and I wasn't sure when I would have the chance to see so many at one time again.

:iagree: This is the one concept I have taught since we started with MEP 1. I drill this in over and over as we work our problems on a dry-erase board. Of course, once they're working things out in their head, they're flying past those steps, but I make sure to demonstrate by writing on our board what we've done. If something gets out-of-whack by a false step in a problem, I make all kinds of silly sounding alarm noises, and stand up to show my arms at my sides tipped over. Makes for a great visual---cheap too! :D If you can get across the concept of maintaining balance to the equation, you've really laid the foundation for anything else that follows along later.

I watched quite a bit of this over the last 24 hours, and enjoyed it very much. Did anyone else catch some of the marathon? Any favorite episodes? I loved the one about Ed Wynn's portrayal of the pitchman visited by Death in "One for the Angels".

I find 'em at the thrift shop for a buck. I love to look for something interesting when I'm browsing there, and I usually come home with a very nice bag. Lately I've been on a vintage tear, and I recently scored with a "made in the USA" bag, all leather. It's a beautiful tan leather Morris Moskowitz bag, in perfect condition. I love it. At the present time though, I'm carrying around an old Capezio hobo bag I found for a dollar at the thrift, and I love it as well. I love the quality of older bags.

Thank you!

Did you buy an extra memory card for it, and if so, which size?