The Story Behind the "M"

The "M" is 620 feet above the Missoula Valley floor. It is 125' feet long and 100' feet wide. University of Montana forestry students cut the switchbacks into the side of the hill in the early 1900's. The first "M" was assembled out of whitewashed rocks in 1909, and given a fresh coat of paint by freshmen every year, until 1968, when all those rocks were cemented together with concrete.

Photo by Nelson Kenter, kenterphotography.com

Archive for the ‘Sustainable Living’ Category

Seasonal Fruit Plus Juicing Adds Up To Healthy and Frugal Living

By ERIN TURNER - I can, freeze and dry seasonal fresh produce, but lately my family and I are into juicing--it's a frugal, healthy and delicious way to enjoy this season's citrus fruits.... more

Are You Up For the 52-Week Savings Challenge?

By ERIN TURNER - Wanna save $1,378 by this time next year? Why not Join me and my family in the 52-week Challenge? It's easy and fairly painless. Here's how it works: ... more

New Year’s Food Rituals

By ERIN TURNER - Ever wonder why certain foods grace our tables for certain holidays? Here's a rundown of some our New Year's Food Rituals.... more

A Collection of Frugal Christmas Ideas

By ERIN TURNER - Since I've been writing this blog for 3 years now, I thought it would be nice to put together a collection of blogs with ideas for the holidays...so here they are!... more

5 Tools for Saving Money Online This Christmas

By ERIN TURNER - All week I’ve had people asking me for tips on saving money while Christmas shopping online so here are my top 5 tools and tips for saving money online this season.... more

Looking for the Purple Squirrel? Training Might be Easier

By CHERY SABOL - The weak job market has many companies feeling that they can demand a top-notch candidate who is willing to take a temporary job for relatively low pay-- a purple squirrel.... more

Tips for Cleaning and Staying Organized This Holiday Season

By ERIN TURNER -The holiday season has a huge impact on our houses and schedules. Here are some tips for maintaining our schedules, entertaining and managing the unexpected drop-bys from family and friends.... more

Bountiful Basket Food Co-Op Provides Fresh Produce at a Frugal Cost

By ERIN TURNER - When a student from my couponing class told me about Bountiful Baskets, I had to try them for myself...and I'm glad I did!... more

Healthy, Frugal Homemade Sauerkraut

By ERIN TURNER - Here is the recipe and step-by-step instructions on how to make your own healthy and frugal homemade sauerkraut.... more

Homemade Instant Oatmeal: It’s What’s For Breakfast

By ERIN TURNER - Here's an inexpensive, do-it-yourself method of making your own flavors of instant oatmeal. It's a fraction of the cost of buying the packets, and it's better for you!... more

Underdressed or Under Duress? Keep Your Halloween Costume Safe for Work

By CHERY SABOL - Can you imagine how scary Halloween is for human resource directors? It's all fun and games until someone shows up in an X-rated biblical costume or some such thing.... more

The Family Food Budget as Compared to the USDA Food Plan

By ERIN TURNER - Many of us who are frugal have budgets for all aspects of our money. So for fun I thought I'd compare our budget to the USDA's recommended "Food Plan". ... more

Winter Squash: A Budget Friendly Delight

By ERIN TURNER - Nothing compares to good winter squash! Where else can you pack loads of vitamins, minerals, nutrients and antioxidants in it own serving dish for just a couple of bucks? ... more

It’s Time for Garlic

By ERIN TURNER - You can spend a lot of money on garlic in the grocery store--especially compared to organic garlic. So plant now (this fall), and enjoy freshly grown delicious garlic next summer! Here's how.... more

October Savings

By ERIN TURNER -October has a long list of “celebrations”. That means “celebration” items will be on sale and NOW is when you will want to stock up & save! ... more

Homemade Cup of Soup: It’s What’s for Lunch at Hunting Camp

By ERIN TURNER - We are always trying to invent healthy, packable and good-tasting meals to enjoy during a hunting weekend and my son came up with the idea of homemade Cup O' Soup. ... more

The Devil is in the Detales

By CHERY SABOL - Hopefully, the misspelling in the headline above relieves me of further gaffes and we can move on to talk about the power of proofreading. In fact, let's test your proofing prowess. ... more

Homemade Lunchbox Cookies

By ERIN TURNER - I always like to include a special treat when my kids take their lunch to school. This recipe for homemade Chocolate Cookies is made with a twist...... more

Frugal School Lunches for Kids

By ERIN TURNER - What I have noticed in my research for frugal and healthy kids’ lunches is that parents are going back to what many of us grew up with…homemade! ... more

CHORES – It Doesn’t Have to be a Dirty Word

By ERIN TURNER - Kids doing chores is a win-win for everyone. So as you slide back into your school year routine be sure to include daily chores as part of it. Start slow but be consistent.... more

Thank You For Noticing Me

By CHERY SABOL - No matter how technologically advanced we become in matching workers to jobs, when it comes to a job search, a couple of human touches endure.... more

Must-Have Kitchen Gadgets for Your Frugal Kitchen

By ERIN TURNER -If you want to save money and eat healthier then homemade is the best option! To that end, here are my list of MUST-HAVE kitchen gadgets for any frugal kitchen.... more

Back to School Savings Tips

By ERIN TURNER - It’s that time of year which we can’t avoid…Back to School. But if you're smart and follow a few of these tips, you won't bust the budget.... more

Does This Desk Make Me Look Fat?

By CHERY SABOL - A study by CareerBuilder revealed that almost half of the people surveyed have gained weight at work and 30 percent who have gained weight gained more than 20 pounds.... more

Homemade Pasta

By ERIN TURNER - Recently while I was treasure-hunting at a thrift store, I came upon a pasta maker just like my mom’s. I knew my next culinary adventure was going to entail homemade pasta!... more

DIY Window Cleaner

By ERIN TURNER - We are mid-summer right now and you know what I can’t avoid at this point? My dirty windows. Here's my simple and frugal DIY recipe for window cleaner:... more

The Kids Are Not Alright

By CHERY SABOL - While older workers may emerge battle-weary from the recession, will the youngest members of the work force come out permanently scarred?... more

Volunteering for Fun and Employment

By CHERY SABOL - Stymied in your job search? A new study suggests a powerful way to help yourself find a job is to help your community first. Volunteering increases your likelihood of finding work by 27%.... more

Homemade Strawberry Jam

By ERIN TURNER - Yesterday I created some memories with my kids when we visited a nearby U-Pick strawberry patch and made homemade strawberry jam--pure magic!... more

The Easy and Frugal Way to Clean Your Shower Floor

By ERIN TURNER - With three boys who like to go barefoot in the summer, I struggle keeping the shower floor clean. Here's a little secret that is both easy and frugal.... more

Repurposing Hollow Core Doors Into Shelves

By LISA HENSLEY - Thanks to a recent remodeling projects, we have a stash of hollow core doors in our garage. They are ugly, but here's how I repurposed them into shelves for my office... more

Save Money by Knowing Your Usage Patterns

By ERIN TURNER - It seems one of the most frequent questions I get is: “How do you know how much to stock up on an item?” It's pretty simple: know how much you use of that item.... more

How to Avoid Fraudulent Job Scams

By CHERY SABOL - Fraudulent job scams on the Internet swindle money or personal information out of people made vulnerable by their unemployment. Here are some things to be wary of:... more

Family-Friendly, Frugal Camping

By ERIN TURNER - Every year for the last 6 years, we have gone on a camping trip with our kids when school gets out. We stayed a variety of campgrounds during the week. Every one had its pros and cons. ... more

A Return to the Ninemile Schoolhouse…an Heirloom Legacy Continues

By KRISTEN LEE-CHARLSON - Missoula's Heirloom Foodie is re-opening the Ninemile Schoolhouse and and renting the historic landmark for writers retreats, weddings and more. ... more

Frugal and Natural Weed Killer

By ERIN TURNER - On our farm weeds are the bane of our existence. Here are some tips for making your own natural weed killer that won't break the bank.... more

Summer Jobs for Students in Missoula

By CHERY SABOL - School's out for the summer, and the good news according to the Missoula Job Service: there are jobs available for Missoula students. ... more

Easy German Chocolate Frosting

By ERIN TURNER - Here's a super yummy and super easy German Chocolate Cake Frosting recipe using coconut milk for the German Chocolate Cake lover in your family!... more

Being Frugal Versus Cheap: There’s a Difference

By ERIN TURNER - I astounded some folks when I paid $80 for a gallon of maple syrup. "What happened to the "Coupon Queen” you ask? My response: there's a difference between being frugal and being cheap.... more

Beans, Beans the Frugal Fruit

By ERIN TURNER - I admit I am a canned bean user and lover, but I've discovered they're not that frugal. I was stunned to do the math on the cost of canned versus dried beans.... more

I Am An Egg Snob…

By KRISTEN LEE-CHARLSON - Until recently I thought my chickens' laying lives were over. Imagine my surprise when I discovered over a dozen eggs hiding behind a pile of outdoor furniture. These yolks are the dar... more

The Secrets to Growing Healthy Hair Fast and Naturally

By ERIN TURNER - I'm trying to grow my hair out. After much research, I've discovered some tips and recipes that are alternatives to shampooing--oh and I'm saving money too! ... more

3 Most Important Things for Finding a Job

By JENNIFER LODINE-CHAFFEY - Do you ever wonder what employers are looking for? In my experience at the Missoula Job Service, here are the 3 most important things for finding a job.... more

Breaking The Ice

By DILLON TABISH - There’s less than 10 square miles of glacial ice remaining in Glacier National Park, and it’s expected to disappear completely in under 20 years.... more

Local Jobs: What are Employers Looking For?

By JENNIFER LODINE-CHAFFEY - As a local job seeker, do you ever wonder what employers are looking for? Here are some of the most important traits that employers are looking for in potential employees:... more

Homemade Pizza: It’s Yummy, Healthy and Frugal

By ERIN TURNER - Here's a Healthy, inexpensive and YUMMY recipe for homemade pizza. Not only is the clean-up a breeze, but it makes me a hero in the eyes of my kids!... more

More than 60 Employers Slated for Western Montana Career Fair on April 25

By CHERYL SABOL - Western Montana's largest Career Fair will be held on Thursday April 25th at the Hilton Garden Inn. Employers...it's not too late to sign up. ... more

Frugal, Healthy, DIY Air Fresheners

By ERIN TURNER - Our homes are places where good memories are created and smells play an important role in that. Here is a frugal, healthy and DIY idea for creating air fresheners.... more

Polishing Silver the Modern, Frugal Way

By ERIN TURNER - Here's a quick, easy and frugal way to polish tarnished silver using a sink, tinfoil, hot tap water and 1/4 cup of salt. Viola! The Silver lining!... more

Things To Do When You Are Bored at Work That Might Help Your Career

By JENNIFER LODINE-CHAFFEY - Do you ever feel that you have nothing to do at work? Here is a list of things to do that just might help you overcome your boredom and help further your career:... more