So I think we (I) can all agree that this blog is entirely fueled by the personal gratification I experience after writing. I won't really mind if nobody is inspired to go out and be frugal and creative. It's ok, because I am the one who benefits most from putting finger to keyboard.

If you're like me (even though we've established that there might not be a 'you'; that it probably is just a 'me'), you like bananas with a tint of green on them. They're not too mushy, and the flavor tastes much fresher. I will not eat a banana if is in the yellow to brown stage. So once bananas approach middle-age, they are no longer appealing (get it? like a peeling? That's a Nana pun). So what to do with a banana in this stage? There is only one thing:

Make Banana Bread!

Recently, my roommates and I collected several bananas and we realized that none of us were interested in actually eating them. So I looked up a recipe on-line and we planned to make banana bread.

Our Recipe:

• 1 c. butter, softened
• 2 c. sugar
• 7 large ripe bananas, mashed
• 1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
• 4 eggs slightly beaten
• 3 c. flour
• 1/2 t. salt
• 2 t. baking soda

We're just making half because we're going to start with just 4 bananas.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cream butter and sugar; blend in bananas, vanilla, and eggs.
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients.
3. Add dry ingredients stirring until just combined.
4. Pour the mixture into two greased 9x5 in. loaf pans.
5. Bake at 350 degrees. Check on the bread after 35 minutes. Continue to check on it until a toothpick comes out clean. It could take up to 60 minutes. After it is done, cool it in its loaf pan for 10 minutes, then finish cooling on a wire rack.

Now, this is great, right? You forget, however, that we are but lowly college students with much more "out"come than our income can handle. So naturally, we next decided how we could get the ingredients without paying for them.

To date, we have collected

• 1 c. of sugar by taking sugar packets
• the required amount of salt from a salt shaker in the dining hall
• 4 bananas
• and 1/2 cup of butter through the pats of butter packaged in little plastic containers.

Good deal, right? Well, sure, it would appear so. Unfortunately, we have had to buy about half of the ingredients on our own. Luckily, with my Bonus Bucks card, we could get the necessary flour, vanilla and baking soda.

Only one problem remains: we have no way to bake the bread! We may end up actually buying a loaf pan. Or we may just try to create one by sculpting several sheets of aluminum foil into the desired shape. And in the end, if our banana bread doesn't satiate our cravings, we will at least spiced up our week a bit with all of the scheming, collecting, and hoarding!

If You're Gonna Use, at Least Re-Use

Today was a good day. It was one of those days where you feel really positive about being independent. I started off my day by going to a campus chapel service by myself. It was sad to see how few students were in attendance at the service. I think I'll try to go more often.

After that, I went out to lunch with a bunch of friends. While I don't spend much time with this group, it was a reminder that I should spend more. They're fun people and I know I could bond with them much better if I just made the effort to see them more often.

But after lunch was when I had the most success of the day. I had heard about this huge used-book sale which benefits the local library. Apparently, tons of people donate books and then tons of people come and buy these used books. I've heard that people will go and buy a huge stack of books and then they'll donate those books back to the organization once they've read them. Because of this reciprocity, there's a really great cycle. These books get a lot of love and a lot of chances to affect people. I went to the book sale and loved it.

I had a great time finding things, but I have to admit that I bought way more things for my friends and family than I did for myself. That's probably what makes me feel so positive about it. I won't go into details about all the things I bought but I will say that I bought 3 records (two of which still have the original packaging to protect them) and 8 books, all of which (except for one about vegetables) are in other languages which is what makes them so cool.

Q: Guess how much I spent?

A: $1.70

Sure, these books are old. And they probably smell a little musty. But they have character and rich histories. I could be the 5th or 6th owner of each of these books. And how does it feel? Well, not only am I benefiting from the ways in which I will learn from the books as I read them, but I am also sharing in their history. I helped a local library and even helped build the community in which I live by participating in such an event. I only bought books that had already been produced- thus saving more virgin forests from being cleared.

Everybody should read books. Everybody could read more books. It is a way of learning and relaxing. I'll be the first to admit that I don't do it nearly often enough. But I will. And if you're going to buy a book, why not buy it already used? The publishing houses don't really need your patronage (they're just fine), but the environment sure could use your help!

If you're gonna use, at least re-use.

Not So Kool-Aid

Is that the cheesiest blog title or what? That's the way I like it.

So I have been on a bit of a break. I apologize to those of you who regularly check Hectic Eclectic blog (which is most likely no one) who were disappointed by the fact that I hadn't written in some time.

What can I say, I was on a break. Which is not an accurate term, because I had very little of a break. Sure, I went home (for the first time since college! Woo-hoo!), but I took work to "get done" and, naturally, didn't get it done. It's somewhat depressing to think that tonight I'm writing two three page papers which were prompted two weeks ago and are due tomorrow. I'd like to work ahead for a change, but I just can't seem to discipline myself.

Over this elusive "break", I had the opportunity to see friends (what else would one do?). My friend Kelly, who shall remain named, actually came home to see me! Can you believe it?! I must admit that she had more incentive to come home other than my presence. I had strategically suggested that we spend some of our time trying a new experiment in fun and frugality. Namely: dying our hair with Kool-Aid.

Needless to say, Kelly did indeed come home once I tempted her with the Kool-Aid bait and fun and frugality we certainly witnessed. Originally, we were just going to buy Grape (it probably has some "g" adjective in front of it to make it catchier, like Great Grape or Goofy Grape, but I don't recall), but Kelly had the blossoming idea to buy Black Cherry (do I get points for alliterations?).

These were the instructions that we followed (loosely)

• mix packet of kool-aid with conditioner
• add a spoonful of vinegar
• apply and wrap highlighted/dyed strands with aluminum foil
• leave in for as long as possible (we left it in for several hours each)
• rinse and blow-dry

So, following the instructions, I applied the Goofy Grape to Kelly's hair while she put some Blossoming Black Cherry on my hair.

This sounds great, doesn't it? Not so grape-y great, though. In short, neither Kelly nor I witnessed the miraculous effects of cheap ($ .25/packet) Kool-Aid hair dye. Both of our heads remain un-tarnished (which, I supposed is better than being tarnished).

But I will say that both of us were a little disappointed in our failure. But we all know that failure make us stronger, so who knows how this experience will serve us in the future? I wish I could give Kool-Aid props for being such a great alternative, but alas, I cannot tell a lie.

You're paying for it, you might as well take it...

So in the whirlwind of midterms, I find myself being less resourceful than usual. But, as I got sick last week, I was thankful for something I had done the week before.

Whenever I was sick, this is what my mom told me: get lots of sleep, drink lots of water, and eat bland foods. I'm definitely into the whole sleep thing. It gets a little bit trickier with the latter two ideas. But I managed to drink the tap water from my dorm (environmental propaganda: don't buy plastic bottles: they are awful for the environment, and you're paying for a resource that you already have) and tried to eat toast and applesauce when I went to meals. Something that I found really helpful happened to be a general tradition I have of trying to sneak things out of the dining halls.

Seriously. You wouldn't believe how many things you can take from the dining hall. The other day, I witnessed a friend order a custom made wrap and then package it in a plastic turtle shell box. My roommate also has been known to make PB&J sandwiches at late night and bring them back with her. In fact, my roommate and I just got back from dinner, with 4 apples, 1 blueberry muffin, and 1 croissant which we had wrapped up in napkins.

And what, you might ask can you do with these things? Well, that brings me back to my original paragraph. So I was hungry this weekend, but didn't want to make yet another batch of Ramen noodles. Instead, I checked my fridge and found a container of fruit salad that I had made the week before. I had collected a piece of fruit from every meal I ate from the dining hall and there was no way I would eat so many bananas before they went bad. So I chopped them up and they served me in my time of need!

In conclusion, I encourage all college students to take advantage of the tuition bill for which they're footing the bill. You paid for it-you might as well take it!

Green Toothpaste?!

Like every other person, I care about the hygiene of my teeth. I'm proud to say that I have no...what are they called? Oh, right! Cavities! Those detestable things.

Anyway, I follow the daily regimen of brushing my teeth morning and night. I live in a dorm on campus, so I clearly have to share the bathroom with about 15 other girls (our dorm is technically co-ed, but there are only two boys on the floor!).

So I go in, toothbrush and facewash in hand, and start my morning routine. And then I get the looks. The looks that say, "I'm trying to discreetly look at you." Which they never really are.

But I guess I deserve the looks. You see, my toothpaste is green and is 'packaged' in a Gerber baby food container (due to the fact that a have a nephew with a voracious appetite, these are readily available-for free!). The first I was living at school, one girl blatantly stared at me and asked if I had a special facial regimen in the container.

So, like Lucy, I usually have a lot of 'splainin' to do: I use my own homemade toothpaste! It's really very simple, and rather effective thus far. I found the recipe in a craftbook and followed it, rather loosely, to create my great baking soda toothpaste. It's really very simple and economic and, like many crafty projects, uses things which you might already have (or your mom probably has, so go raid her pantry.). Here's what I used to make my toothpaste:

• baking soda
• lime zest (this is the rind of the lime: just grate it with a cheese grater so it's pretty fine)
• mint extract
• olive oil (to make everything stick together)

I think, for my next batch, I need to modify a few things. First and foremost, I'm going to use mint oil instead of extract, because I think it might have more profume and will definitely make the baking oil into a better consistency. I believe, in turn, that this will dimish the need for olive oil to a certain degree. Also, I haven't been entirely thrilled with getting little pieces of lime zest left in my mouth. So I think I will cut out the lime zest, seeing as it doesn't add too much flavor.

As far as storage goes: I would recommend keeping it in the fridge most of the time. That's why it's convenient as a college student: I have to walk by our mini-fridge in order to get to the bathroom. I can see how it would be less convenient if not living in this environment. I think it would be okay if it wasn't in a fridge, but I can't be sure how long it would last with the lime zest in it. Also, be prepared for the toothpaste to taste like salt. It's not a bad taste, but it might take some time until you are entirely comfortable with it.

I'll be the first one to admit that my toothpaste is not perfect (what a great line. I think I'll use that when I write my first novel). It doesn't give you that overwhelmingly minty after taste which makes you confident and awake. It doesn't create the foam in your mouth which makes you feel efficient. But it is cheap, easily organic, and makes for a good story (and some strange glances!).

Hola! Ciao! I can't think of any other greetings, even though I am a self-professed lover of languages.

I guess, as a first post, I should explain a mission statement. According to my brother, "blogs are for ranting." Instead of boring my (miniscule) audience, though, I want to give pointers. Based on my own experiences and triumphs, I will write about my efforts to be cheap and resourceful. Although I take a lot of heat from my friends, I generally save a lot more money. These efforts have almost always worked out very well for me in the past.



In June, I splurged on a beautiful Martin guitar. I love music and I've always wanted to be at least proficient in guitar. I felt that I could only be an authentic lover of folk music if I knew how to play James Taylor, Nickel Creek, and Joni Mitchell. Guitar is going well enough, but I recently realized that it would be much more comfortable if I had a guitar strap. Impeded by a lack of money and transportation, I got to thinking about making one. This was the beginning of my braided hemp guitar strap.



I've been using the strap for almost a month and I can't tell you how pleased I am with it. I had all of the materials in my dorm room so I saved about $20 bucks. Even better, it has character!



Hemp is a pretty strong material, and I think the strap should last me for a while. So, if you're looking for a quick fix for a broken guitar strap here's your first project:

• Make six braids of hemp twice as long as you would need a strap to comfortably support your guitar.


• If you want to embellish it a bit, put beads, buttons, bells, etc. on the hemp as you braid. As you can see, I wanted to embellish it a bit.

• Then, tie all of the braids onto one. This one will serve as the anchor.


• Make sure all of the braids match up length-wise.


• Now, pick up all of the braids from the middle.


• You can tie this between the neck and the guitar strings, or you can pull the middle, as a loop, between the neck and strings.

• Proceed to pull the ends of the strings through the loop that you've just made (compare this to looping a scarf on a pole or around your neck-you take the long scarf, double it over and put it around your neck. Then you pull the ends through the loop to make it tight).


• Make sure that the hemp is pulled tight so it won't obstruct the sound.


• Finally, tie all braids to the anchor braid and tie the anchor braid tightly around the plug in for the amp!

You're on your way to being frugal! The hemp should cost you about $3 and you definitely won't use the entire spool. That's a pretty good deal when you could be spending $10-20 on a cool artsy looking guitar strap. Instead, you just made your own!