Articles from November 2009
November 30, 2009 | Posted by Clair Schwan
Winter driving tips are handy for those of us who have to get out in the winter in our vehicles. Many of us have experienced a vehicle that won’t turn on ice and snow. The problem is simply that you’ve lost “tracking” with your front wheels, and that’s a bit like having sled runners up [...]
Categories: driving | 
Tags: driving, self reliance, tracking, winter driving, winter driving tips | 
No Comments »
November 30, 2009 | Posted by DDFD
Love from scratch cooking? Me too. Here is how to make your own worcestershire sauce. Here’s what you need: 1/2 cup cider vinegar 3 tablespoons of water 2 tablespoons of soy sauce 1 tablespoon of brown sugar 1/4 teaspoon of ginger 1/4 teaspoon of dry mustard 1/4 teaspoon of onion powder 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder 1/8 [...]
Categories: cooking and recipes | Tags: cooking and recipes, cooking from scratch, self reliance | No Comments »
November 29, 2009 | Posted by Clair Schwan
Another of the winter driving tips – regular and repeated driving on ice should be left to those who are trained by professionals to do so. Nevertheless, many of us find ourselves on ice every now and then, so we need to understand the basics. I am reminded of a man I saw chipping away [...]
Categories: driving | Tags: driving, driving on ice, self reliance, winter driving, winter driving tips | 2 Comments »
November 29, 2009 | Posted by Mark Z
“I’ve always done it that way.” That may be the most dangerous phrase in the English language! Humans are creatures of habit. Some habits place us on the razor’s edge of disaster. This is where critical thinking becomes necessary. Not long ago, a local senior citizen lost his home to fire. This man has lived [...]
Categories: critical thinking | Tags: evaluating habitual behavior, self reliance, what is critical thinking | No Comments »
November 28, 2009 | Posted by Kristen
Non-stick cooking spray makes greasing surfaces, especially large flat surfaces, easy and quick (I use it all the time when I’m cooking from scratch.). However, it’s nigh onto impossible to confine the spray to the surface you’re intending to grease. Inevitably, some gets on the surrounding area, and since the spray is oil-based, it’s sort [...]
Categories: how to | Tags: baking tips, self reliance | No Comments »
November 28, 2009 | Posted by Brad Chaffee
In this series, I want to make a case for wealth. People associate things like evil and greed to wealth as if by achieving wealth it automatically makes you evil or greedy. “To build wealth you must have had to take advantage of someone else in the process”, they say. This simply is not true [...]
Categories: personal finance | Tags: case for wealth, common myths, self reliance | No Comments »
November 27, 2009 | Posted by DDFD
Self reliance and self sufficiency sometimes requires teamwork. Teamwork and the extra hands provided make short work of big tasks. Sometimes, extra hands are critical to success. I often think of Amish barn raisings– accomplished in a day or two with the help of family, friends, and neighbors. Everyone pitches in and lends a helping hand. [...]
Categories: self reliance | Tags: self reliance, self sufficiency, teamwork | 1 Comment »
November 27, 2009 | Posted by Kristen
In case you couldn’t guess from the title, I am NOT a Black Friday shopper. In fact, I would almost prefer to stick forks into my eyeballs than go shopping the day after Thanksgiving. This might seem sort of counter-intuitive, given than I’m a frugal maven and that Black Friday is supposed to be a [...]
Categories: frugal living | Tags: black friday, frugal living, homemade Christmas gifts | 1 Comment »
November 27, 2009 | Posted by Mark Z
I’ve been quietly rooting for my fellow SRE contributors’ debt free Christmases. I wanted to write about homemade gifts, but didn’t want to reveal any secrets. Then I realized I could share a past homemade Christmas success story: I’ve made homemade gifts all my life. Some years this happened by decree. It’s never meant that [...]
Categories: make it yourself | Tags: homemade Christmas gift, homemade model trebuchet, self reliance | 2 Comments »
November 26, 2009 | Posted by Clair Schwan
Winter driving is challenging, so I’m offering winter driving tips to help provide suggestions for your safety. Perhaps our biggest concern is maintaining a grip on the road – traction. Maintaining traction is important for getting started, slowing down and stopping, and making simple maneuvers like turning a corner. I marvel at how many SUVs [...]
Categories: driving | Tags: driving in the snow, self reliance, winter driving, winter driving tips | No Comments »
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