Pecuniarities

When you purchase food, you are paying not only for the part of the product you intend to eat but also for the packaging, the bags, wrappers, and boxes which usually go straight in the trash. While plastic wrap and bags have little use beyond stuffing them full of trash, cardboard food cartons have a [...]

Playing the Piano is a Privilege (Not a Chore)

An interesting experiment would be to forbid a young child to ever touch the piano, after all it is a very expensive instrument. One can easily imagine how much higher the piano instantly rises in that child’s estimation. One then promises the child that he or she will be “allowed” to begin learning the piano at a certain age. Even better then, if someone in the family—a parent, older sibling or cousin—were to frequently play very charming pieces of the kind accessible to children. Pieces from the Romantic era are very suitable for this purpose (e.g. Fϋr Elise & Doll’s Dream), should be repeated often and might even have stories invented about them. It is very natural that the child will aspire to play these pieces someday, and a united goal has been formed without duress.

Vinegar is the frugally-, environmentally- and health-minded person’s best friend. Vinegar derives its potency from acetic acid, CH3COOH. The acidic nature of vinegar gives it the ability to kill bacteria, dissolve unwanted substances, and kill and deter insects and pests. Keep in mind that vinegar will corrode certain metals if not wiped away promptly. Because [...]

Our freebies today are mini carrier gift bags in Wall Street Journal headline and print from the July 12-13, 2008 Weekend Edition. The headline reads: “Talks on Mortage Titans Continue.” This makes a cute gift or decorative item for a friend with interests in finance, newspapers and all things quaint.
Originally posted 2008-10-01 06:00:41.

Our freebie for this week is a Hawaiian or Aloha floral print treat bag and greeting card template. It is simple to assemble and can be used to hold treats or small gifts.
These templates are provided for your personal, non-commercial use and may not be published elsewhere. If you want to share this with your [...]

We have decided to start a new section in our blog devoted to providing printable paper products for your personal use. These will include such items as greeting cards, gift bags, boxes, tags, invitations, and other stationary designed especially for Our Fourpence Worth. You only need to open and print templates, and possibly do a [...]

Playing Slower for Faster Results
In music, speed of execution has a tendency to be a used as an indicator of excellence. Playing fantastically fast is the trait commonly associated with musical virtuosity and accomplishment, most especially by amateur listeners. I will only say briefly how this favoritism for one trait does great injustice to [...]