Imagine your sitting in your backyard or on the porch, it’s warm outside, the flowers and trees are blooming. The kids are playing and laughing in the yard. Maybe your working on a craft or reading a book. Suddenly, your throat feels dry. Nothing sounds better than an ice cold beverage. Here is the  dilemma: do you reach for an expensive soda, energy drink, or juice? Do you drink water, or could you make your own satisfying beverages for much less money than soda, energy drinks, etc? The answer is Yes.. you can! For years now I have been making homemade lemonade, sun tea, or drinking other inexpensive drinks.

Homemade Lemonade: 1 cup real lemon juice, 1 cup sugar or splenda, 2 quarts cold water. Stir to mix and enjoy! I can buy a 1 quart bottle of 100% lemon juice for between $1.00 and $1.50. A large bag of sugar sells for around $1.49.  This is by far cheaper than store bought juice, contains real lemon juice(which is good for you) and delicious.

Sun Tea: I use a re-used, clean milk jug. I fill this with water and put 5 to 7  Lipton orange-pekoe tea bags in through the top, leaving  the paper tags to hang outside the jug. Let sit in the sun for approximately 4 hours and remove tea bags. Refridgerate and enjoy. You can sweeten with sugar or artificial sweetener, add lemon if you wish or any other add ins. I drink this all summer long and it is very nutritious and delicious. You can use your favorite tea and adjust the amount of tea bags used for weaker or stronger tea.

Kool Aid:   I have been buying generic kool aid for years, usually on sale at 10 for $1.00. You can use real sugar or artificial sweetener, I have used both and recommend using slightly less artificial sweetener as it is stronger. You can’t beat this as it is extremely inexpensive. Obviously if you use sugar it is not “healthy”, however you can use this drink to make homemade popcicles, add gelatin and make homemade jello. It is far better than soda or other sugary drinks. A wide variety of flavors are available to please any tastebuds.

Juice from concentrate or ready made :  In my area a large bottle (around 25 - 32 oz.) sells for between $3.00 and $4.00. You can buy a container of frozen juice concentrate for less than $2.00 and it makes about 2 quarts. Do I need to say more?

I hope these ideas help make your summer most enjoyable and refreshing!

Thanks to all!

The Domestic Goddess

Hello All!

Summer is approaching and with it comes the desire to get out and have some fun. However many people are staying home more for different reasons. One reason is lack of money. I won’t go on about that topic because we all know how the economy is today. However you can get out and have some fun and not have to spend much money. In some cases you do not have to spend money at all! Sounds nice, right! Here are some ideas that will help you get out of the house without having to spend a lot of  money.

- Visit a botanical garden. The one we visit, in Janesville, Wisconsin, is quite large, features a gorgeous pond with benches and decks,  a large koi pond, and to many varieties of flowers, trees, and shrubbery to name. I have been there many times and it is absolutely beautiful, as well as relaxing. Even my teenage son likes to go there. The cost is free. If you decide to visit a public garden bring a picnic lunch along, toss a ball or frisbee around with the family and make a day of it!

- If you decide you want to go to an amusement park this summer, many of the parks sell their admissions tickets through banks, credit unions, or local businesses for a discount. Investigate this option, it will save you alot of money. When you go bring along a picnic lunch, coolers of beverages and cold foods. When it is lunch or dinner time just go out to your vehicle. Bring along refillable water bottles to avoid the high beverage prices in the park, just refill your bottle for free.

- Check your local papers or city website for free or cheap entertainment. Our city has a water ski team that performs shows free to the public during  summer months. It is a lot of fun for the whole family.

- Living in southern Wisconsin we are surrounded by small towns. Many of these towns have parades, small festivals or carnivals during spring, summer and fall. This is an inexpensive way for the entire family to get out, mingle with people and have some fun. One family I know saves up soda cans all year and turns them in to the recycling center around mid-spring. They use this money for entertainment during the warmer months.

- Visit an apple orchard! Not only is the air fragrant with the smell of apples, it is also an educational experience for the kids, only they don’t know it! They can commune with nature, learn about the growing and processing to make apple cider and have fun doing it. It is free to get in and wander around and many of the orchards in this area have hay rides, gift shops and other entertainment. You can do a search for apple orchards in your area and see what they have to offer.

Please email your summer fun ideas and let everyone know how you and your family have fun and save money!

Thanks to All

The Domestic Goddess