Wednesday, April 8, 2009

The A to Z tightwad

A is for apple oatmeal bars
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup tsp salt
1/2 cup butter
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 1/2 cups chopped apples
1/2 cup sugar

Combine first 5 ingredients and pat half into a 8 inch by 8 inch pan. Layer on apples and sugar. Crumble remaining mixture on top. bake 35 minutes at 350 degrees.

B is bake everything. Do not fry anything.

C is for credit card insurance. You dont need it. Most credit cards have their own insurance, just call them and ask about it. 

D is for defrost. Do it when the ice buildup in your freezer is 1/4 inch dep. Doing it more or less often wasted energy.

E is for egg carton. Come up with creative idea's for your childrens crafts. Put soil in them with seeds and let things grow. Just place directly in the soil.  

F is for film. Why buy it? Most people own digital camera's now. Just keep your pictures on your computer, print them out when you want a picture in a frame.

G is for grocery store scale. Its your best friend. Most 3 lb bags of apples dont weigh exactly 3 lbs. Weigh them all and buy the one thats over 3 lbs.

H is for hangers. Use those old wire hangers in a creative way. Tomatoe wire cage. etc.

I is for ice cream sandwich. You can make them easily. Just use 2 cookies and put ice cream between them. Yummy treat!

K is for Kaput. Which is what an item must be, absolutely, before a tightwad will consider throwing it away.

L is for labeling. Makes the user responsible for their item. Great for kids.

M is for money. Save as much as possible in every way.

N is for nuts. You must be nuts to pay more than $2 per lb for nuts.

O is for oil and filter change. Easy to do and cheap when you do it yourself. Internet has lots of free tips on this.

P is for prepare early. Have a birthday next month? Start looking for cheap gifts, decorations, and what your going to bake. 

Q is for quote. "that most of us are considered poor is no disgrace, but does us credit:for, as the mind is weakened by luxurious living, so it is strengthened by a frugal life." Minucius Felix Third Century A.D.

R is for rubber spatula. You can rescue a half muffins worth of batter with it. This pays for itself in 2 use's.

S is for stamps. Which you can buy by mail. Why waste your gas? Try walking. 

T is for thermos. Bring your own drink in a thermos and save money. 

U is for user's manual. Read it, you can find many tips in it. How much dishwasher solution to acutally use, what temp to have your fridge at, etc. It will save you money too.

V is for vegetable storage. Root vegetables ( like carrots) can be stored in a cook dark place iin 5 gallon buckets of sand. Layer flat so they dont touch each other.

W is for wait it out. You really want that perfume that your husband didnt get you? Wait until after christmas and get it for super cheap. Plus usually comes with matching lotion.

X is for xenoJell-Ophobia. And irrational fear that strange convenience foods like Jell-O pudding snacks will invade your happy tightwad home. You can find these marked down and on sale too (bet you didnt think I would come up with x did you?)

Y is for yeast. One of your best bulk buy deals. 

Z is for zero. My favorite price.

Brought to you by The Tightwad Gazette  II by Amy Dacyczyn
Extra funnies by me. 

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