CF, Author at The Outlier Model - Page 57 of 62

Spring cleaning and the abundance of waste

Spring cleaning, alley, gold in the alley, trash in the alley, used stuff in the alley

CF / March 28th, 2011 / No Comments

It’s spring cleaning time and I’m not too embarrassed to admit it – I’ve found a lot of cool stuff in the alley. Once, my ex and I found an IKEA coffee table in perfect condition, complete with all the screws and hardware in a Ziploc bag. We dragged it home and replaced our hand-me-down from the 60s. I’ve also found a cute side table , speaker stands, plant pots, kitchen items and boxes...

Posted in: Minimalism and Frugality Tagged with: free, spring cleaning

Using medical deductions in your tax return

medical deductions in your tax, medical benefits, tax deduction, tax return, health benefits

CF / March 26th, 2011 / No Comments

Many people are fortunate enough to have benefit plans which completely cover their health and dental needs. But many other people only have partial coverage and still many others are not covered at all. I used to be fortunate enough to have all of my medical and dental needs covered at 100%. But after going back to school and taking a work placement, my benefits have evaporated. Luckily, Brian’s...

Posted in: Money Tagged with: medical expenses, refund, tax credit

Kitchen tips: How to keep herbs fresh

keep herbs fresh, basil, fresh herbs, herbs, kitchen tips, kitchen herb

CF / March 21st, 2011 / 1 Comment

I love having fresh Thai basil on hand for soups and stir-frys. But if you stick them in the fridge and don’t use them within a few days, they tend to wilt and then I feel bad about wasting money. A great way to keep Thai basil fresh is to treat it like a flower. Cut off the ends of the stems and stick it in a glass of water. Put the glass in an area that gets indirect sunlight, like your...

Posted in: Food and Grocery Tagged with: basil, herbs, how to, kitchen, mint

Recipe idea: Soy braised ribs with root vegetables

Ribs and Radish, Recipe idea, braised ribs

CF / March 17th, 2011 / 2 Comments

Having the most frugal grocery budget in the world isn’t going to help you and if you can’t put together at least a few healthy, tasty, and cheap eats! Every month, The Outlier Model features a cheap recipe idea, along with the cost breakdown. This is a great meat-efficient recipe that produces soup stock as a byproduct. I used daikon (a large, white radish), but regular radishes and carrots...

Posted in: Food and Grocery, Recipes Tagged with: braised ribs, daikon, recipe