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Tips That Make You Feel Like a Genius
Secretly, I feel like a genius when I discover a secondary use for this or that — in case I run out of this, but have plenty of that! Like using a paper coffee filter to wash a glass top or mirror when I'm in a pinch for paper towels. Or using …Read more.
Supermarket Tricks That Makes Us Spend More
I've always thought of myself as pretty sharp when it comes to spotting supermarket trickery. I'm not even fazed by an end-cap display announcing, "Special." I know their ways. They hope we'll just assume that "special" means …Read more.
The Struggle to Actually Use up Gift Cards
My love-hate relationship with gift cards has intensified. What a pain, really. I'm one who just forgets to use them, and when I remember, I try to figure out how to use each one to the last cent. I was reminded of my situation recently when I …Read more.
Commingle Personal and Business Finances? Never!
Dear Mary: I am reading your book, "Debt-Proof Living," and have begun tracking my expenses. I have a home-based business. Should I include business expenses or just personal expenses in the tracking? — Lucy, Vermont
Dear Lucy: You …Read more.
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The BYOB Club's Newest MemberFor years, I've had a love-hate relationship with baking bread. It's a domestic skill I never could master, and that bothered me. When I tried, 4 in 5 loaves flopped. Then, in an act of mercy by the yeast gods, I'd turn out a specimen fit for judging at the Iowa State Fair. Eventually, the outrageous price of store-bought bread led me to a book with an intriguing title — "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day." Sure. As if anyone in her right mind would believe that. Five minutes a day? If this book touted some prepackaged mix or pricey piece of equipment, I wouldn't be interested. Now the verdict is in. It's true. Authors Jeff Hertzberg and Zoe Francois have taken the home-baking world by storm. They have created a method that takes out all the variables of baking yeast breads — the time, the hassle, the waiting and the worrying. I stand before you a changed woman and a consistent home baker of artisan bread. It's the rustic, beautiful kind of bread you see in European bakeries. It's the kind of bread that is made once a day, consumed by the family and then replaced the following day. Every day. I am as busy as ever, and even I have five minutes a day to bake bread. I have not purchased bread for months. I've joined the BYOB movement (bake your own bread), and my goal is to hold out for an entire year. On Saturdays, I take about 10 minutes to make up the master recipe.
When I want to bake a loaf, I open the box, grab a wad of dough, dust it with a little flour, shape it and set it on a wooden peel. There it sits for 40 minutes to an hour as the oven preheats and I do other things. I pop it into the oven on a baking stone, and 30 minutes later, we have fresh, European bakery-style bread. Did I say no kneading? None! Since becoming a BYOBer, I've used the master dough to make breadsticks, soft pretzels, pizza and dinner rolls. Here's the best part: A decent loaf of bread at my store is almost $4. A loaf of my homemade artisan bread costs 40 cents, one-tenth the cost and 10 times better. There's something more that comes with baking bread: It's soul-soothing. I love knowing that I have yeast in the freezer and flour in the pantry. It makes me feel self-reliant. I like that. Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com and author of 18 books, including her latest, "Can I Pay My Credit Card Bill With a Credit Card?" You can e-mail her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. To find out more about Mary Hunt and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com. COPYRIGHT 2009 CREATORS SYNDICATE INC.
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