Back To Basics Tips

Hey. No power here, young neighbor having hard time getting ready for a party. No power, no blender. No food processor. She needed ground nuts. So easy, but impossible for her. I showed her how using rolling pin and baggie. Then helped her make easy eats with perishables on hand. (Power should be back on by tomorrow evening). There are so many things we can do without power or fancy tools/gadgets. If you can think of something, pass it on.

 

Lots and lots of flashlights. Lol. One time we lost power in the snow overnight and the heater turned on at 5 in the morning and scared the poop out of all of us.

 

When its stormy or windy grab candles and flashlights before the power goes out... Try looking for them in complete darkness.

 

When its stormy or windy grab candles and flashlights before the power goes out... Try looking for them in complete darkness.

I’m not sayin a word.

I wasn’t looking for just tips on power outages. More like tips on how to do something if you can’t use gadgets. Like, baking on the grill. Even using your grill to dehydrate meat thawing in the freezer rather than throwing it out. Kind of back to basics stuff.

 

I’m not sayin a word.

I just realized who I said that too... Ill just say I ran into 4 walls and tripped on the stairs.
TIP: Dont keep flash lights and candles in that full closet in your basement.

Oh ok easy.
1. Dont be lazy and mix that cookie batter with a spoon ( You don't always need a fancy electric mixer people)
2. Open your window instead of turning on your lights people.
Uhhh ill be back with more after dinner xD

 

Oh ok easy.
1. Dont be lazy and mix that cookie batter with a spoon ( You don't always need a fancy electric mixer people)
2. Open your window instead of turning on your lights people.
Uhhh ill be back with more after dinner xD

On a roll! Yes!

OK what do you do if you’re using Vice grips at the end of a bathtub and they don’t work and you have no WD-40. You pick up a bottle of leave in hair conditioner spray the set screw with it bingo bango all working again.

 

Scouring powder such as A-Jax or Comet can help remove a stripped screw.

 

loool my mom used to do that with pecans. or she'd use a big knife and chop all of them.

I think I tend to over-complicate things so I can't think of any tips at the moment!

 

Pouring straight bleach down a shower drain works well to unclog it.

 

Pouring straight bleach down a shower drain works well to unclog it.

It’s also great for that disgusting sulfur smell occasionally coming from a drain.

 

Oh ok easy.
1. Dont be lazy and mix that cookie batter with a spoon ( You don't always need a fancy electric mixer people)
2. Open your window instead of turning on your lights people.
Uhhh ill be back with more after dinner xD

You mean cookie dough?
Not sure I have ever heard of cookie batter before.

 

You mean cookie dough?
Not sure I have ever heard of cookie batter before.

Well I failed twice in this thread then... xD

 

I keep coffee singles around in case there’s no electricity for my keurig lol. Then I have to actually boil water and such!

 

Well I failed twice in this thread then... xD

Hey, I’ve made cookie batter. There is such a thing! It’s the thickness of cake batter and deep fried. Kind of like you would a funnel cake. You can pan fry them as well. My fave is the applesauce/cinnamon cookie. Ummm hmmmm!

 

It’s also great for that disgusting sulfur smell occasionally coming from a drain.

That too

Duct tape works better than a lint roller or vacuum to remove pet hair from furniture and drapes. Also, tapping window motors with a hammer can cause the motor to be unstuck and the window works again.

 

Today I learned that a big steel toed boot(mine) connected to a big leg (also mine) is just as effective as a sledge hammer for breaking apart furniture and freezers

 

Speaking of back to basics:

• If you don't have a manual egg beater, just tilt your measuring cup or bowl slightly diagonally and make a rapid circular motion with a fork.
• Make foods from scratch, my favorite is homemade chocolate chip cookies.
• Edited: Wash dishes by hand, instead of using a dishwasher.
• I haven't tried this yet, but if you really want or need to hand-wash laundry, use two metal wash tubs and an old-fashioned washboard to wash laundry by hand, after you heat up your water over a wood fire.
• You can hang clothes on a clothesline, an indoor drying rack, or even spread them out over a pre-made bed to dry them.
• You can patch or mend cloth by sewing by hand.
• Open a window for a breeze, make and use a paper fan, sit on a back porch, sit in the shade of a tree, or sit in a basement if you don't have a fan or air conditioning. Or go swimming. .
• Edited: Use an old-fashioned barometer, such as a glass barometer you fill halfway with colored water. Use a non-digital thermometer and a rain gauge.
• Walk or bike instead of driving, if your destination is very close.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Play board games, card games, sports, or other games or activities for fun. Or best of all, an empty box.
• Whistle or hum a tune.
• Use cash or write checks instead of using a debit or credit card.
• Write letters by hand, perhaps to a pen pal
• Read a book, read or research in a library.
• Sweep with an old-fashioned straw broom with a wooden handle.
• Use a wind-up alarm clock and a wind-up watch, or a sundial when sunny.
• Use manual tools.
• Use a bucket when doing water changes or vacuuming the gravel in the aquarium.

I may have gotten a little carried away.

 

Speaking of back to basics:

• If you don't have a manual egg beater, just tilt your measuring cup or bowl slightly diagonally and make a rapid circular motion with a fork.
• Make foods from scratch, my favorite is homemade chocolate chip cookies.
• I haven't tried this yet, but if you really want or need to hand-wash laundry, use two metal wash tubs and an old-fashioned washboard to wash laundry by hand, after you heat up your water over a wood fire.
• You can hang clothes on a clothesline, an indoor drying rack, or even spread them out over a pre-made bed to dry them.
• You can patch or mend cloth by sewing by hand.
• Open a window for a breeze, make and use a paper fan, sit on a back porch, sit in the shade of a tree, or sit in a basement if you don't have a fan or air conditioning. Or go swimming.
• Walk or bike instead of driving, if your destination is very close.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Play board games, card games, sports, or other games or activities for fun. Or best of all, an empty box.
• Whistle or hum a tune.
• Use cash or write checks instead of using a debit or credit card.
• Write letters by hand, perhaps to a pen pal
• Read a book, read or research in a library.
• Sweep with an old-fashioned straw broom with a wooden handle.
• Use a wind-up alarm clock and a wind-up watch, or a sundial when sunny.
• Use manual tools.
• Use a bucket when doing water changes or vacuuming the gravel in the aquarium.

I may have gotten a little carried away.

Awesome! How I was raised!

 

Speaking of back to basics:

• If you don't have a manual egg beater, just tilt your measuring cup or bowl slightly diagonally and make a rapid circular motion with a fork.
• Make foods from scratch, my favorite is homemade chocolate chip cookies.
• I haven't tried this yet, but if you really want or need to hand-wash laundry, use two metal wash tubs and an old-fashioned washboard to wash laundry by hand, after you heat up your water over a wood fire.
• You can hang clothes on a clothesline, an indoor drying rack, or even spread them out over a pre-made bed to dry them.
• You can patch or mend cloth by sewing by hand.
• Open a window for a breeze, make and use a paper fan, sit on a back porch, sit in the shade of a tree, or sit in a basement if you don't have a fan or air conditioning. Or go swimming.
• Walk or bike instead of driving, if your destination is very close.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Play board games, card games, sports, or other games or activities for fun. Or best of all, an empty box.
• Whistle or hum a tune.
• Use cash or write checks instead of using a debit or credit card.
• Write letters by hand, perhaps to a pen pal
• Read a book, read or research in a library.
• Sweep with an old-fashioned straw broom with a wooden handle.
• Use a wind-up alarm clock and a wind-up watch, or a sundial when sunny.
• Use manual tools.
• Use a bucket when doing water changes or vacuuming the gravel in the aquarium.

I may have gotten a little carried away.

You guys are talking about this stuff as if there were something unusual about them.

 

You guys are talking about this stuff as if there were something unusual about them.
View attachment 484745

I can see how you might infer that these tools and tasks were unusual, especially by my manner of speaking.ops: Hopefully the new smilies will help clarify the tone I intended to portray.

 

I can see how you might infer that these tools and tasks were unusual, especially by my manner of speaking.ops: Hopefully the new smilies will help clarify the tone I intended to portray.

 

Opps, it seems I misinterpreted your post when I was thinking twice on it. Now that I am back on the same page, so to speak, it was humorous.