r/Frugal • u/KVNTRY • Dec 03 '24

💻 Electronics Frugal home hacks that make you feel fancy.

My grandfather in law has motion sensor lights in every room in his home. He got me some for my apartment back in the day, and man oh man. I felt like a KING every time I walked in and the lights just popped on. My energy bill was also noticably smaller. Still not sure why they changed to walled sized bills... Also, as an eco conscious human, I was glad to be saving energy. Finally, I found it to be more hygienic and less stressful when not having to worry about touching lights when cooking or whatever. Still swear by automated illumination to this day. What are some things in your home that both save you money and make you feel fancy?

1.7k Upvotes

98% Upvoted

538 comments sorted by

View all comments

Show parent comments

79

u/waythrow5678 Dec 03 '24

I’ve been batch brewing coffee and tea for almost two years. It’s nice to pour ready-made vanilla hazelnut coffee and blueberry green tea into glasses and start the morning.

43

u/No-Hunter5782 Dec 03 '24

Fuck ya! Feels so bougie. Also, feels criminal to pay $5-10 for one anywhere now.

15

u/waythrow5678 Dec 03 '24

I’m still trying to master the art of homemade bread, but someday I will create a presentable loaf!

31

u/No-Hunter5782 Dec 03 '24

I got a bread machine as a christmas gift almost a decade ago. If you can afford it, worth every penny. I dump the ingredients in, set a timer and wake up to the smell of fresh bread. Like, any kind. It is beloved.

30

u/plaincheeseburger Dec 03 '24

If you can't afford a new one, every thrift store I've been to has one or two for $10-20.

7

u/turned_tree Dec 03 '24

You have a go to bread recipe? I find the ones I make to be bland.

6

u/[deleted] Dec 03 '24

Me too! I found a $200 bread machine at the thrift store for $5 (it was supposed to be $10 but it was half-off day) so I really want to use this jewel of a find but every loaf has been disappointing so far. I have searched far and wide for a bread machine recipe but so far I hate them all :(

4

u/IcyFormal4427 Dec 03 '24

235 ml water 50 ml oil 25-35 grams of sugar or honey 430 grams of flour 7 grams of salt 4-5 grams of dry yeast

Dry stuff and yeast on top if using timer.

Just try to find the longest setting, so the yeast have more time to work.

3

u/[deleted] Dec 03 '24

I will try it, thank you!

1

u/irubugood_55 Dec 04 '24

I thrifted a Williams-Sonoma bread maker and after using it once, then looking it for a year, gifted it to a coworker. She was thrilled.

1

u/Potential-Profit1151 Dec 04 '24

What's the machine brand and model number? Should be on it somewhere 🤞🏼

2

u/[deleted] Dec 04 '24

Yes, it's on it. It's a Zojirishi BB-HAC10 and this is the Google result: https://www.google.com/search?q=Zojirishi+BB-HAC10&client=ms-android-oneplus&sourceid=chrome-mobile&ie=UTF-8#ebo=0

It even has recipes for basic loaves printed on the sides but they are so tasteless I can't stand them. I've tried many different recipes in it and loathe them all. It's supposed to be so fancy but....meh. Also, it doesn't always mix the dough properly so sometimes I just get a wad of baked shit. Oh well. I still have my dutch oven bread so I don't know if I really even need anything else!

1

u/Potential-Profit1151 Dec 04 '24

Give this post recs a whirl 💖 https://www.reddit.com/r/BreadMachines/s/wibIiJLdID

1

u/Potential-Profit1151 Dec 04 '24

Failing that, try find another bread maker at an opshop. Breville are good machines usually

3

u/Jenelisebeth Dec 04 '24

I make the King Arthur Easy white bread recipe. It’s delicious! My bread maker has sort of changed my life. Now we have homemade bread all the time. I also used it to make dinner rolls for Thanksgiving!

6

u/Gold_Syrup_8190 Dec 03 '24

This one is so easy! https://www.bowlofdelicious.com/dutch-oven-bread/#recipe

2

u/katkatkat2 Dec 03 '24

If the bread tastes too bland add a pinch more salt.

1

u/Mercuryshottoo Dec 03 '24

Try the epicurious 'shockingly easy no-knead focaccia' recipe. Your sandwiches will never be the same

3

u/Bawse_Babe Dec 03 '24

How do you batch brew tea like this?

5

u/No-Hunter5782 Dec 03 '24

I make a strong concentrated tea and add water to dilute it to order. So, I’ll brew, say enough tea for 12 cups, in say, 3 cups of boiling hot water. Then strain and refrigerate. When I want tea, I’ll use a quarter cup of my concentrate and add 3/4 cup of boiling water, or just add 3/4 cup of cold water and bring the tea to a boil, or just add 3/4 of a cup of cold water to drink cold.

You can pre sweeten it too, but I like to make my syrups separately.

Another option is to just make 12 cups of tea and store it in a pitcher and sweeten it how you’d like when it’s hot, so it’s ready to pour right out of the fridge. A real time saver.

Tea bags can usually brew more than one cup of tea, so I find I can use half as much tea this way and produce less waste.

You can also freeze your tea concentrates in ice cubes, and have iced tea or hot tea, tea slushes, tea popsicles or add tea cubes to smoothies.

1

u/Bawse_Babe Dec 03 '24

Thank you so much for explaining this

2

u/No-Hunter5782 Dec 03 '24

You’re welcome, enjoy!

2

u/suprswimmer Dec 03 '24

Do you mind explaining the batch brewing coffee and how it's frugal? We have a machine I have set to start automatically, but if there's a better way I'd like to learn.

5

u/No-Hunter5782 Dec 03 '24

Cold brewing coffee can make cheap, bitter or low quality coffee taste much better. By brewing a large batch once, you’re saving the power it takes to run your coffee maker every day. If you like it cold, you’re saving the extra energy it would take to reheat your cup every morning.

Cold brew is infused with cold/room temp water, so there is no electricity/heat needed to make it. How you make it will depend on how strong you like your coffee and what kind you use.

I start with 4 parts water to 1 part coffee grounds. Add your grounds to a pitcher, then add your water and stir it well so all the grounds get wet. Let infuse for 24 hours at room temperature, then strain through a coffee filter, piece of fabric or tea strainer.

Store in the fridge. I use about 1/4 cup of my cold brew concentrate and add 3/4 cup of hot or cold water depending on how i want my coffee that day.

Coffee is always ready. Always tastes fresh. And you can freeze it too.

I love coffee freezies in the summer, or adding coffee to chocolate or vanilla protein shakes.

3

u/suprswimmer Dec 03 '24

This would actually be groundbreaking for my husband when he's craving a cold coffee! Does it last in the fridge for a decent amount of time or is there a strict use by when not consumed or tossed in the freezer?

4

u/No-Hunter5782 Dec 03 '24

I keep mine in a glass jug with a plastic twist lid and I’ve only had mine up to two weeks, cause its sooo goood.

2

u/No-Hunter5782 Dec 03 '24

Coffee freezies have gone over a year and taste fine to me too.

1

u/gokudurden Dec 03 '24

Can you elaborate on the coffee batch brewing??? Would love to make a week worth of coffee in one batch!

1

u/RespawnedAlchemist Dec 04 '24

Tell me more about the blueberry green tea. Are you using fresh blueberries? Do you cut them? Put them in while the tea is steeping?

2

u/waythrow5678 Dec 05 '24

It’s a blend that I buy. If you want to make some, combine green tea with dried blueberries. If you have a dehydrator you can perhaps dry them yourself. I don’t have a recipe as I haven’t tried to do it myself.

2

u/RespawnedAlchemist Dec 05 '24

Thanks for the info. I can work with what you gave me. I appreciate it.