You read my blog each day and get some insight into my life but do you really know me? I thought it would be fun to tell you about myself and my life in a nutshell.
1. Ive been to the movie theater maybe 2 times in 7 years. I just refuse to pay $8 for just the ticket to see a movie. In order for my family to go to a movie, it would cost us around $40 just to walk in the door and see the movie. Thats not including snacks or drinks.
2. No cable or dish. I know! A year and a half ago we were getting ready to move and turned it off to try to save some money. After a few weeks we decided not to get it again. Now days you get way more than the usuals back in the day. They even have a 24/7 kids channel.
3. My husband and I eat meat maybe once a week. Since my all my daughters are vegetarians, I cook all meat separately and usually forget to even cook the meat. I am so okay with this and lucky that my husband has not noticed. This saves us so much money.
4. I am a very small person. I am about 5 ft 4 and 105 pounds. I stopped growing in middle school and actually am a little smaller than I was then. This comes in handy because I rarely have to buy clothes. Yes most of this is from my DNA but I gotta give credit to lifestyle choices.
5. I am addicted to grape juice. And im not talking about white grape juice. I like the dark purple yummy tangy grape juice. Mmmmmm
6. I avoid driving on holidays. When I go it better not be on a holiday and ruin that holiday for my family. I also wear nice panties always. My grandmother always said to wear your nice panties because you never know when your going to be in an accident. You wanna look your best. I know, its weird.
7. As a child I would get annoyed when my mom would wait to get everything on sale. I remember actually getting so angry because I wanted something and mom wouldnt ever get it until months later. Guess what I do now? You guessed it!
8. I do not read books. I know, i'm horrible. I teach my kids to read yet I never do. One habit I intend to break soon. I do a ton of research online so I think this should count. Right?
9. I will refuse to pay a certain price for something but when it comes to something I like, all rules go out the window. I wont pay over $5.99 per pound for coffee but would pay $4 for a fancy coffee from my local coffee shop. I don't understand it. Good news is that I stopped drinking coffee cold turkey last week and dont have to worry about it anymore. Yeah!
10. I do not get dressed until I leave the house. When I am in my own home I want to feel comfortable. So if you come to my home unannounced, just expect me in my pj's with my slippers. Its just how I roll.
11. I have to help and have no ability to stop. For as long as I can remember I have been this way. If I had a friend having problems with their family, they stayed at our home. I have a friend who needs a toaster, I will find a way to get it. I even give them my own things and replace mine. One time I had not eaten and grabbed a few cookies I had made (healthy!) and was sitting at a light. A homeless man was sitting there with a sign asking for change. You know the end of the story. He was fed and I was hungry till I got home Its a sickness. A wonderful wonderful sickness. I can thank my mother for this. Thanks mom! This is the best part of me.
12. I over think everything. If I did not check the back door to see if it was locked and im already in bed for the night, it will eat at me until I get up and go check. Ive literally turned around after driving off somewhere. All because I could not remember if I turned off my coffee pot. Note:coffee pot turns itself off after 30 minutes. I constantly worry about things and its the point where I feel physically sick. So I try to avoid it and recheck things all the time. Again starting another problem lol
13. I am accident prone. Ive hurt myself so many times.
Example:
-Hole in our closet that you go though to get under our house-Fell through it 8 months pregnant. Everything was fine.
-Sprained 2 toes when I walked into a door frame.
-Several stitches in my hands from using a apple corer.
-Took a bath and stood up which led to me scratching my back and getting a 6 inch scratch and hurting my back. Oh did I mention I was 6 months pregnant with my twins? Yep.
-Latest injury was 2 days ago when I was too lazy to get a chair so I could reach a juice pitcher. Slid off the counter to get down and received a 4 inch scratched/bruise on my thigh.
14. I love the smell of any thrift store. Makes me feel at home.
15. Ive felt close to nature as long as I can remember. Mama always said I was born a generation too late.
16. I am not a morning person and never have been. I could sleep for 10 hours a night and still be sleepy. I do my job and get my kids off to school 5 days a week but the weekend comes around and im in bed till 9 and only because my husband sent the kids in to get me. I love sleeping.
17. Most kids wanted to be a ballerina or a doctor when they grew up. I wanted to be a environmentalist.
18. I was raised by my mother alone.
19. I still own my Garfield nightgown that I have had since grade school. I passed it down to my oldest daughter.
20. Last but not least I am the most unorganized organized person you will ever meet. I never remember when my daughter's soccer practice is each week but could tell you how much I paid for anything in my home. You may see my clutter spot but I know exactly whats in it. I have the worst memory ever and my husband can attest to it.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
10 budget friendly meal idea's
Lets face it moms, we don't want to spend hours in the kitchen. We want to get in there, cook it and get out. Oh and also enjoy the meal with the rest of the family. Sometimes I literally do not get to eat with the family because I am cooking still (pancakes ugg). These are super easy and fast meals you can make for your family. Not only are they healthy but they will save you some cash. If you have something your saving up for, try these meals out for a week or two and see just how much you can save.
Note:Palm full means the palm of your hand filled with a spice. Usually about 1 tbsp or so.
1. Chili-4 cups of Kidney Beans (canned or dried that you have cooked and froze)
2 Palm fulls of Chili Powder
1/2 Palm full of Cumin
1/2 of medium onion chopped
1 tsp Minced Garlic or 1/2 tsp dried Garlic Powder
Optional: for added fresh flavor add red/green/or yellow pepper chopped up(or frozen) Serve with crackers of any kind. Saltines are super cheap.
How much to make: $1 if you cooked the beans yourself.
$2-$3 if you buy canned beans
2. Noodles with White Sauce -1lb Whole Wheat Noodles
2 tbsp Butter or Olive Oil
2 tbsp Flour
2 cups Milk (or 2/3 cup powdered milk with 2 cups water)
How much to make: $1 for the noodles in bulk
Everything else should be in your fridge or pantry
3. Bread Crumb Noodles-1 lb
1/2 cup Bread Crumbs
3 tbsp Olive oil or Butter
1 tsp Garlic minced or 1/2 tsp Dried Garlic Powder
Boil noodles till done. Seperate pan heat up oil on medium, add garlic, cook for 30 seconds, add bread crumbs, cook for 1 minute, add noodles and stir. Done.
Optional: Parm cheese sprinkled on top.
How much to make:$1 for bulk noodles
Everything else should be in your pantry.
4. Everything Soup- Use any vetetable that needs to be used in your fridge
Stock of any kind. (I always make mine with chicken bones from dinners in the past)
Pasta or Rice (what ever you have)
Crackers are optional. Saltines are super cheap.
How much to make: Free if you use what you have that is going bad and needed cooking.
Or you can buy whatever items you want and could cost up to $5.
5. Macaroni and Cheese-1 lb Whole Noodles of any kind
2 tbsp Flour
2 tbsp Butter or Oil
2 cups of milk (or 2/3 cup of powdered milk with 2 cups of water)
1/2 cup Cheese of any kind
How much to make: $1.50. Noodles are $1 and about 50 cents worth of cheese. Everything else should be in your pantry.
6. Egg Drop Soup-1 egg
2 tbsp Corn Starch
3 cups of broth (homemade or bought)
Combine broth and cornstarch and heat till boiling and clear. 2 tsp of broth and 1 egg mixed in small bowl, add slowly when broth is done. Egg will cook all stringy. Done.Optional: Chives or dried chives. Sprinkle in Soy Sauce for added flavor.
Cost to make:25 cents if you use your own free homemade broth (reccomended) or could cost up to $3 to make if you buy broth.
7. Warm rice and milk-1 cup hot cooked rice (use left overs)
1 cup of milk (or 1/3 cup powdered milk with 1 cup of water)
Sprinkle of Cinnamon
1/2 tsp sugar
dab of Butter
Put all in a bowl, mix and serve. My childhood favorite. Kids just love this one. Plus wonderful on a cold day.
Cost to make:Free if you use left over rice and powdered milk. Could cost up to $1 if buy the rice, cook it and add fresh milk.
8. Pasta with red sauce-1 lb of whole wheat noodles
1 can of pasta sauce or crushed tomato in a can
1/2 can of black olives (use other half for another dinner)
Optional: Parm cheese if you have it
Cost to make: $3
9. Mexican Rice -3 cups Brown Rice (or white)
1 cup Black Beans (cooked, and froze. Or bought canned)
1 Palm of Cumin
2 Palm of Chili Powder
1 tsp Garlic Minced or 1/2 tsp powdered garlic
1 cup Frozen Corn or canned
Cook rice, add spices and garlic, corn, and beans. Add water if needed. Done. You can eat this alone, add it on lettus to make a mexican salad, put it in taco's(stretching your budget even further), or add 1 cup of broth and make a mexican soup.
Cost to make:$2 if you make and freeze your own beans from dried beans, and buy rice in bulk. Otherwise its about $5 if you bought everything canned or easy to make.
10. Grilled Cheese with Tomato Soup-Bread
Cheese
1 can of Tomato Soup
Cost to make:About 1.50. Super easy to make. Very filling and super yummy on a cold day.
I make these on a regular basis. This has cut cost down in so many ways. I usually make 3-4 meatless dinners a week. Since most have beans in it, we still get our protein intake. All are made with Whole Wheat or Brown Rice so you get plenty of fiber. I try to use fresh produce that last a long time. Like Carrots, Onions, and Celery. These are budget friendly because they can last from 2-4 weeks in your fridge and you can use them when needed in many meals. I reccomend cooking dried beans highly. This alone saves me a bundle. $1 average for 1 lb of beans. When cooked this will make 4-6 cups of beans. If you bought canned beans, it would cost you $6 to get the same amount. I also reccomend buying your spices either in bulk or places like Walmart which are only 50 cents. We go through so much Chili Powder, Cumin, and Garlic Powder. One added reccomendation is buying in bulk. Places like Winco have bulk items for super cheap and are adding more and more healthy options like whole wheat and organic items. Also try to make your own broth and freeze it. Just need bones and water to make. Super easy. Boil water and bones on low boil for 20 minutes. Refridgerate, skin off fat that will harden and float up to the top, and freeze for later use. Done!
Have your own frugal recipe? Leave a comment and share !
Friday, February 5, 2010
Beans beans the magical fruit, the more you eat the more you ______!
A good budget friendly food is beans. Any kind of beans that are dried are usually cheap. You can get 1 lb of beans for about $1 per pound. Sometimes less if you buy bigger quanities. There are some basic steps for making them.
1. Soak for a few hours(I do this during the day)
2. Before bedtime rinse beans
3. Put in crock pot
4. Add water till covers the beans
5. Add salt and spices to your preferance
6. Turn on low
7. Cook all night
8. In the morning(when I take kids to bus stop) turn off
9. Let cool till room temp
10. Put 2 cups of beans per freezer bag
11. Put in freezer
I usually will cook a ton of beans one day and freeze them for later use. One reason is because my husband loves beans but doesnt like the smell of them when cooked. ?? I dont understand it but try my best to avoid his funny faces he makes when he smells them. I use these beans in most of our meals to add lots of protein. As most of you know, my 4 daughters are all vegetarians by choice so beans come in handy in our home.
Here is an example of how much you could save
99 cents 1lb of dried black beans
Each pound makes about 10 cups
Thats about 9 cents per cup. Making it 18 cents (most cans have about 2 cups per can)
Average cost of canned beans is 79-$1 per can.
5 cans of beans for the same amount of buying 2 cans. I think I will make my own.
Not only is this a budget friendly meal, you dont have any extra added preservatives and what not. You can add no salt or spices so it will be no sodium.
Idea's for use
1.Chili
2.Black Bean soup
3. White bean and ham soup
4. add to any meal for protein
5. Mash and make refried beans
6. Snacks-my kids love garbanzo beans to snack and and yes you can find them dried too.
7. Small meals-my daughter will eat a 1/2 cup size portion before a soccer game or practice.
8. Bean dip
9. Add with Mexican rice and have burrito's
10. Hummus anyone?
When I let mine cook all night, I get up early to get my girls off to school. I simply throw some beans in a thermos with some chili powder/cumin/salt and some extra juice from the crock pot. When its cold out my girls love warm food at lunch time. Super hot in the morning but cools just enough for them to eat at lunch time. This is why I cook them at night time. You certianly could cook them during the day and use them for dinner time. Its just easier for me because my husband dislikes the smell of beans and it saves on energy when you cook at night.
Now days you can find just about every single type of bean dried. I have been lucky enough to find dried garbanzo beans at Whole Foods and they cook up just the same.In the picture above, garbanzo beans are in the top bowl. My girls love snacking on these beans. Best part is that I put no salt in them and my kids have that much less sodium in their diet. Cant wait to make some hummus.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Top 20 ways to save on groceries
When I started my blog a little over a year ago, this was one of my first post. I must say I am a better speller and use my words much better now lol. I altered it a little bit due to us moving and my spending habits are not the same. But the main subject is the same and hopefully it can help you save some money.
1. Shop alone-OMG really did you need to put this on the list? As a mom, this is a big tip. How many times did you find things in your cart that you didnt put in? Or realized after you drove home that you were over charged but didnt notice because you were tired of telling the kids to stop fighting? Uhh huhhh. Need I go on? Trade babysitting days with a friend so both you can go shopping without the kids. Save yourself a bundle this way.
2.Buy only what you need-This will save you a ton. Instead of getting things because they sound good, get them because you need them. Think "Do I really need that icecream that is $5?" 95% of the time the answer is NO! Or even better bring a list of things you need or are out of. This is a good tip that I forget.
3. Supersize-You usually get the best price on meats when you buy the larger cuts of meat. You can have them cut it for you and pay the same price for not cut meat. You can repackage it and freeze it for later use. I used to buy packages of chicken legs for .99 cents per lb, split them up and refreeze them. My girls have since become vegetarians so now I just buy one large pack that will last us parents for a while.
4.DIY and save-Of course if you do it yourself, its gonna be cheaper. My kids just love those small packages of crackers with cheese or peanut butter in them. I buy regular saltines ($1.25 box) and just throw some peanut butter between them. Done. I paid pennies vs the $1.50 for 6 small packs of 6. I DIY everything. No boxed meals, no prepared meals, no easy too cook just add water anything. My kids now prefer me cooking this way. They get stomach aches from any prepared anything. Too much sodium and preservatives.
5.Dont over purchase-this is a big thing for me. I refuse to pay certian prices for things. I wont buy it unless it stays within my price range. We will just adjust and move on. Produce, refuse to pay more than $1 per lb. Meat no more than $1 per lb. When it goes on sale, I stock up. I make a plan to spend only a certian amount on anything. I shop enough to know whats a good deal and whats not. Another bad habit I had was when payday came, I went and bought everything I thought we needed and came home to find I already had that item. SO frustrating! So now I make a list of what we need and keep in mind seasonal items on sale. I no longer write down red peppers, instead I write seasonal veggies. I will adapt my cooking around what is on sale. So if red peppers are not on sale, I skip them. But if broccoli is on sale, its broccoli for the week.
6.Say "So long to snack packs!"-These are just smaller less expensive packs but if you add up how many small packs are usually in 1 box and compare, your spending more $. Plus usually these items are not healthy. No snack packs in our house unless they are freebies I recieved in the mail. We save those for long trips to events or family outings. How about letting the kids make their own snack packs. Throw some crackers, dried fruit, and maybe some nuts and there you go. A healthy snack on the go.
7. Weigh your choices-When you see oranges $1 per pound, then you see 4 lb oranges in a bag for $1.98. HHmmm which do you choose. Of course the bag. Your paying only 50 cents per lb instead of $1. Do your math. You cant always judge a orange by picking up each and every one and choosing them. The bag has done all this work for you. Do the math! Also another great tip is to weigh the 4lb bag. Do you really thing those bags weigh 4 lbs each? Exactly 4 lbs? No, so weigh each one and buy the one that weighs the most.
8. Go generic-Why buy Ritz Crackers for $3.50 a box when I can get Winco brand ritz type crackers that taste the same for only $1.68? There is no differance between these crackers. They are just price differances. Do yourself a favor and get generic brands. The only reason I will ever buy name brand is if I have a coupon or the item is on sale for cheaper. We eat whats healthy, on sale and cheaper. If I do find that one cracker box is healthier than the other but 10 cents more, I buy the healthier one. Use your best judgement.
9. Compare cost per lb or per unit-Those places like Costco and Sams Club are not always deals. I found that buying diapers with coupons, sales, etc were so much cheaper than getting a big box from these places. Sometimes I get them for free. So remember if you get coupons from these brands, certian stores have them for cheaper, etc. Places like Winco have info on their tags. They tell you how much per ounce each item is so you know which is the best deal. I love this feature!
10.Make friends with the butcher-Ask your local butcher what days and times they do their markdowns. My local Safeway and Fred Meyers do theirs about every other day right after opening. So I hit them up around 10am. Not too early and not too late. Never hurts to ask. Maybe plan your shopping days around this. Fred Meyers does theirs early so I have to be there around 9am-10am. Most stores are glad to tell you this information because the less they have to throw out means the make some sorta profit from the items.
11.Check out the chicks-A precooked roaster chicken is just a chicken they cooked and marked at a higher price. Dont pay more for a differant label, just buy the whole uncooked chicken and cook it. Much cheaper and you can control the sodium, and how much spices go into it. Plus you will have cash left over in your pocket. Don't forget to save the bones and make broth which saves you even more money.
12.Think ahead-If your family never finishes a bowl of noodle casserole, then take 1/3 out that you know they wont eat and freeze it before you even bring it to the table. Use it for a lunch later. Same goes for any other meal. 1 whole chicken will be 1 dinner plus 3 lunches for my husband. Plus the bones will be turned into broth. My $4 investment has now turned into many many other things.
13. Invest in a second freezer. My last house had a new huge fridge so I never had to worry about freezer space. But my new home here is an older one and has a standard tiny fridge. My freezer was so so so tiny. We saved up for 6 months and finally bought a new freezer. Yeah!~You can stock pile up on stuff like meat, vegies, and specials. Try to get a Energy Star one so you can save on energy as well. Right now this economy is trying to recover so there are tons of specials., rebates, etc. Take advantage! Remember to do it yourself with food. Chop your own peppers and onions and freeze them. Great for any Mexican food. Chop and freeze your own everything if you can.
14. Shop with left overs in mind-Like whole chickens stated in #12. Or left over turkey. Rethink these items. I save left over dark meat chicken for soups. Much more moist and yummier! so keep in mind this when your shopping. Instead of buying a pack of meat, just buy what you need to go with that meat you already have in your freezer. Rethink your left overs.
15.Learn when to leave left overs behind-Fish.....no way! Just doesnt work. Make what you need with these items. Why make a huge batch of salad when it wont last overnight? Remember these things when your making your food.
16.Count on discount and clearance stores-Grocery Outlet is fabulas store that sells items that are overstock, froze at sell date, testing products, smashed packaging, etc. I LOVE this store. So I usually will hit this store up before I go to my major shopping. Everything is always cheaper there. Learn where these discounted stores are and hit them up first. Or if you have a favorite store of yours that has discounted spots, hit those spots first.
17. Visit price clubs with a friend- I have a Costco card but do not shop there much. Luckily we get it free from my husband's work, otherwise I would not pay for one. I do go there about once a month with my mom so we can split things. Bag of onions $3 we split. Sometimes specialty meat we split. About the only thing I dont split is yeast for making bread and frozen corn. My usual bill from Costco is about $30. I find better deals in other places.
18.Buy a Sunday or Wednesday paper-Im a little torn with this one. Most of the coupons out there are for items that are prepackaged foods, and most are not healthy. I rarely use coupons so I dont buy the paper. Most people think you have to have a paper to get coupons, not true. You can print your own these days on many coupon sites, you can print them off of product websites, and you usually get coupons when you sign up for samples. Very rarely will I use coupons anymore. Only time I do is if the coupon is for butter, olive oil, or maybe healthy snack food. So if you eat super healthy like me, no paper is needed. But if you do eat some prepared food, might be worth your money to get a Sunday paper.
19. cut corners on clipping coupons-You can find other ways to get coupons and not have to buy the paper. Most freebies come with coupons, one day a week the "food day" paper comes in my driveway with current store ad's, and you can email companies asking if they can send you coupons. I do all thee above!
20. Stock up on local seasonal produce-I buy only seasonal produce. Right now pumpkins,etc are on sale. I buy that and freeze them. Use them for later. I do this all year and manage to get my produce for an average of 50 cents per pound. Which is a good deal. So alter your meals around this tip alone and save hundreds each year. Plus how much fun is it to cook differantly every time? My kids can look foward to certian things on each season. They know not to ask for strawberries in December unless we had picked them and froze them for later use. I love that when my children think of Fall, they think of hot cider and pumpkin muffins. Or during the summer they think of strawberries, peaches and tomato's.
BONUS!
Bring your calculator always! How else are you going to figure out if you should buy the store brand or the major brand with a coupon? Always always always bring a calculator!!
1. Shop alone-OMG really did you need to put this on the list? As a mom, this is a big tip. How many times did you find things in your cart that you didnt put in? Or realized after you drove home that you were over charged but didnt notice because you were tired of telling the kids to stop fighting? Uhh huhhh. Need I go on? Trade babysitting days with a friend so both you can go shopping without the kids. Save yourself a bundle this way.
2.Buy only what you need-This will save you a ton. Instead of getting things because they sound good, get them because you need them. Think "Do I really need that icecream that is $5?" 95% of the time the answer is NO! Or even better bring a list of things you need or are out of. This is a good tip that I forget.
3. Supersize-You usually get the best price on meats when you buy the larger cuts of meat. You can have them cut it for you and pay the same price for not cut meat. You can repackage it and freeze it for later use. I used to buy packages of chicken legs for .99 cents per lb, split them up and refreeze them. My girls have since become vegetarians so now I just buy one large pack that will last us parents for a while.
4.DIY and save-Of course if you do it yourself, its gonna be cheaper. My kids just love those small packages of crackers with cheese or peanut butter in them. I buy regular saltines ($1.25 box) and just throw some peanut butter between them. Done. I paid pennies vs the $1.50 for 6 small packs of 6. I DIY everything. No boxed meals, no prepared meals, no easy too cook just add water anything. My kids now prefer me cooking this way. They get stomach aches from any prepared anything. Too much sodium and preservatives.
5.Dont over purchase-this is a big thing for me. I refuse to pay certian prices for things. I wont buy it unless it stays within my price range. We will just adjust and move on. Produce, refuse to pay more than $1 per lb. Meat no more than $1 per lb. When it goes on sale, I stock up. I make a plan to spend only a certian amount on anything. I shop enough to know whats a good deal and whats not. Another bad habit I had was when payday came, I went and bought everything I thought we needed and came home to find I already had that item. SO frustrating! So now I make a list of what we need and keep in mind seasonal items on sale. I no longer write down red peppers, instead I write seasonal veggies. I will adapt my cooking around what is on sale. So if red peppers are not on sale, I skip them. But if broccoli is on sale, its broccoli for the week.
6.Say "So long to snack packs!"-These are just smaller less expensive packs but if you add up how many small packs are usually in 1 box and compare, your spending more $. Plus usually these items are not healthy. No snack packs in our house unless they are freebies I recieved in the mail. We save those for long trips to events or family outings. How about letting the kids make their own snack packs. Throw some crackers, dried fruit, and maybe some nuts and there you go. A healthy snack on the go.
7. Weigh your choices-When you see oranges $1 per pound, then you see 4 lb oranges in a bag for $1.98. HHmmm which do you choose. Of course the bag. Your paying only 50 cents per lb instead of $1. Do your math. You cant always judge a orange by picking up each and every one and choosing them. The bag has done all this work for you. Do the math! Also another great tip is to weigh the 4lb bag. Do you really thing those bags weigh 4 lbs each? Exactly 4 lbs? No, so weigh each one and buy the one that weighs the most.
8. Go generic-Why buy Ritz Crackers for $3.50 a box when I can get Winco brand ritz type crackers that taste the same for only $1.68? There is no differance between these crackers. They are just price differances. Do yourself a favor and get generic brands. The only reason I will ever buy name brand is if I have a coupon or the item is on sale for cheaper. We eat whats healthy, on sale and cheaper. If I do find that one cracker box is healthier than the other but 10 cents more, I buy the healthier one. Use your best judgement.
9. Compare cost per lb or per unit-Those places like Costco and Sams Club are not always deals. I found that buying diapers with coupons, sales, etc were so much cheaper than getting a big box from these places. Sometimes I get them for free. So remember if you get coupons from these brands, certian stores have them for cheaper, etc. Places like Winco have info on their tags. They tell you how much per ounce each item is so you know which is the best deal. I love this feature!
10.Make friends with the butcher-Ask your local butcher what days and times they do their markdowns. My local Safeway and Fred Meyers do theirs about every other day right after opening. So I hit them up around 10am. Not too early and not too late. Never hurts to ask. Maybe plan your shopping days around this. Fred Meyers does theirs early so I have to be there around 9am-10am. Most stores are glad to tell you this information because the less they have to throw out means the make some sorta profit from the items.
11.Check out the chicks-A precooked roaster chicken is just a chicken they cooked and marked at a higher price. Dont pay more for a differant label, just buy the whole uncooked chicken and cook it. Much cheaper and you can control the sodium, and how much spices go into it. Plus you will have cash left over in your pocket. Don't forget to save the bones and make broth which saves you even more money.
12.Think ahead-If your family never finishes a bowl of noodle casserole, then take 1/3 out that you know they wont eat and freeze it before you even bring it to the table. Use it for a lunch later. Same goes for any other meal. 1 whole chicken will be 1 dinner plus 3 lunches for my husband. Plus the bones will be turned into broth. My $4 investment has now turned into many many other things.
13. Invest in a second freezer. My last house had a new huge fridge so I never had to worry about freezer space. But my new home here is an older one and has a standard tiny fridge. My freezer was so so so tiny. We saved up for 6 months and finally bought a new freezer. Yeah!~You can stock pile up on stuff like meat, vegies, and specials. Try to get a Energy Star one so you can save on energy as well. Right now this economy is trying to recover so there are tons of specials., rebates, etc. Take advantage! Remember to do it yourself with food. Chop your own peppers and onions and freeze them. Great for any Mexican food. Chop and freeze your own everything if you can.
14. Shop with left overs in mind-Like whole chickens stated in #12. Or left over turkey. Rethink these items. I save left over dark meat chicken for soups. Much more moist and yummier! so keep in mind this when your shopping. Instead of buying a pack of meat, just buy what you need to go with that meat you already have in your freezer. Rethink your left overs.
15.Learn when to leave left overs behind-Fish.....no way! Just doesnt work. Make what you need with these items. Why make a huge batch of salad when it wont last overnight? Remember these things when your making your food.
16.Count on discount and clearance stores-Grocery Outlet is fabulas store that sells items that are overstock, froze at sell date, testing products, smashed packaging, etc. I LOVE this store. So I usually will hit this store up before I go to my major shopping. Everything is always cheaper there. Learn where these discounted stores are and hit them up first. Or if you have a favorite store of yours that has discounted spots, hit those spots first.
17. Visit price clubs with a friend- I have a Costco card but do not shop there much. Luckily we get it free from my husband's work, otherwise I would not pay for one. I do go there about once a month with my mom so we can split things. Bag of onions $3 we split. Sometimes specialty meat we split. About the only thing I dont split is yeast for making bread and frozen corn. My usual bill from Costco is about $30. I find better deals in other places.
18.Buy a Sunday or Wednesday paper-Im a little torn with this one. Most of the coupons out there are for items that are prepackaged foods, and most are not healthy. I rarely use coupons so I dont buy the paper. Most people think you have to have a paper to get coupons, not true. You can print your own these days on many coupon sites, you can print them off of product websites, and you usually get coupons when you sign up for samples. Very rarely will I use coupons anymore. Only time I do is if the coupon is for butter, olive oil, or maybe healthy snack food. So if you eat super healthy like me, no paper is needed. But if you do eat some prepared food, might be worth your money to get a Sunday paper.
19. cut corners on clipping coupons-You can find other ways to get coupons and not have to buy the paper. Most freebies come with coupons, one day a week the "food day" paper comes in my driveway with current store ad's, and you can email companies asking if they can send you coupons. I do all thee above!
20. Stock up on local seasonal produce-I buy only seasonal produce. Right now pumpkins,etc are on sale. I buy that and freeze them. Use them for later. I do this all year and manage to get my produce for an average of 50 cents per pound. Which is a good deal. So alter your meals around this tip alone and save hundreds each year. Plus how much fun is it to cook differantly every time? My kids can look foward to certian things on each season. They know not to ask for strawberries in December unless we had picked them and froze them for later use. I love that when my children think of Fall, they think of hot cider and pumpkin muffins. Or during the summer they think of strawberries, peaches and tomato's.
BONUS!
Bring your calculator always! How else are you going to figure out if you should buy the store brand or the major brand with a coupon? Always always always bring a calculator!!
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Smelly compost, h20, plastic duty, and no toilet paper.
Between soccer 4 days a week, my whole family giving each other their colds, and just plain everyday life it seems like I have no time at all. I have a few challenges/projects I have been working on lately and I thought I would share with you my ups and downs.
The Cloth Wipe Challenge-Still going strong and my girls have had no accidents this week which has been nice. Ive decided to stop using the net bag that hangs off the toilet paper roll and just use a small basket by the toilet for my kids just to throw them in. I do laundry each day and have had no smells at all. Its been about a month now and I have yet to go buy more toilet paper. Before the challenge I would buy a 24 pack every 2 weeks. Savings this month-$15. Whahoo!
If your interested in trying this challenge, head on over to the crunchy chicken and get yourself some fun challenges.http://www.thecrunchychicken.com/2009/08/cloth-wipe-challenge-2009.html. I get much of my inspiration from this lady~!
Recycling my plastic-This one is hard to do but worth it. Our garbage man came yesterday and we only had 1 small garbage bag of trash in it. May I remind you that I share my trash service with my next door neighbors who are a family of 4. Yes thats 10 people's trash and it was only 1 medium bag. How do we do this? Easy. Recycle recycle recycle. We take care of paying the bill (split it between the two of us) and they take our plastic in to be recycled every few months. Everything but plastic goes into the traditional recycling bin. All plastic goes into another container or bag. I usually use potato bags, bags people have brought to my home, etc. We are getting way better and getting rid of our trash the right now.
Compost-Yeah I suck lately at that. I'm a seasonal person and this means that when it gets cold or yucky outside, I stay inside. I really need to fix this problem I have. I forgot about my compost on my counter for a month, yes you read it right. I have such an excellent filter on it that I never smelt any odors. My husband was the one who found it. Sorry honey:). So now that its cleaned out, I need to be way better about putting out food waste in it and actually physically taking it out to the compost bin. Whats with my lazy butt? I don't know. I have no excuse.
Caffeine- Ive been trying to cut back on caffeine of any type for health reasons. All the while I did not think about the money saving aspect of it. No caffeine means no dark soda's, coffee, and some tea's. My plan is to drink decaf till I get off my coffee addiction. Once I kick the coffee addiction I plan on drinking way more water. This is my own personal challenge. I am not a big water drinker and never really have been. I am really horrible when it comes to getting my water intake. So from now on, gonna drink way more water. And you all know me, the frugal way to drink water is good old tap water.
5 week pay period-My husband only gets paid once a month and sometimes its more than 1 month depending on the month( I am well aware how much this sucks). This month its a 5 week pay period and I have to make our money stretch an extra week. This is super easy to do, you will just have to deal with the family looking in the fridge and asking whats to eat. We will make it by doing a few simple things. I found half gallon milk for 79 cents on clearance last week so I bought up 6 of them. Half gallon sizes are perfect for freezing because they thaw out pretty fast. Yes you can freeze milk! So I really wont need to buy milk for 2 weeks. Also last week Fred Meyers had navel oranges 3lbs/$1. What a deal! I bought around 25 lbs of them and were still living off those and will be for a while. I plan on making jelly from it too. I have plenty of food in my baking pantry so were good on bread, muffins, etc. Muffins make great snacks and my kids wont miss the crackers that I wont be buying. I have lots of stuff in my freezer and plenty in our pantry. Just gotta get creative!
So you can see I have plenty of things to keep me busy. Soon it will be back to the usual. Hanging all our clothes to dry outside (once Oregon gets over all the rain ick! ), my garden planning is starting soon, and school will be out soon and I will have to come up with lots of things for the kids to do. But these things will keep me busy until then.
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
Save some green while doing laundry
Although many of the tips I give you are not huge savings, all the little things do add up. One huge savings tip would be in your laundry room. When you have a large family like mine, the savings really do start to add up. Here are a few ways you can save with little or no effort.
Make your own liquid laundry soap-Why pay $6.99-$10 for 30-40 loads of laundry? I do at least 2 loads of laundry a day, which adds up to 14 loads a week, 56 a month. Buy liquid soap and your paying an average of 22 cents per load. When you make your own laundry soap you spend 1 penny per load. Thats 56 cents per month. So wanna pay 22 cents or 1 cent? Easy directions to make your own laundry soap brought to you by me!
http://hannaqueen.blogspot.com/2010/01/laundry-soap-for-less-than-penny-per.html
Ditch the dryer sheets-Another huge savings is to not use dryer sheets. Do you really need that super strong smell to tell you they are dry? And whats more annoying that dryer sheets stuck to everything including you in that not so great moment. How many of you have found dryer sheets stuck to your clothes at work? Another horrible thing is that you have to throw them away. Cannot be recycled because of the wax and toxic chemicals on them. Some save them to use as filler in stuffed animals but not recommended.
How do I stop using them? Easy, just don't use them. You can invest in dryer balls which cost anywhere from $3 at Rite Aids dollar section if you can find them, or order them on the net which will cost you about $15 not including shipping cost. Or make your own. There are lots of directions of how to make them. Some even just use aluminum balls you just make from your regular aluminum foil. Or you can get craft and make wool balls.
http://howtomakedo.net/154/make-your-own-wool-dryer-balls
If you just stop using dryer sheets and use nothing, you will have static for only a few loads of laundry. This is due to your clothes having all that wax and chemicals from the dryer sheets. Once that is all gone, it will have no static.
Another option which I love is to sew together some fabric and stuff it with some dried lavender. Just toss in the dryer with your wet clothes and dry as usual. Your clothes will smell so good.
There is also biodegradable dryer sheets but I have yet to find a brand sell them and keep them on the market. Ive used several brands but still had the same problem with the sheets being all over my home. Plus they are usually made of paper. But you can throw them in your compost bin. Seventh Generation has how started selling these which is good because they are an excellent company and have been around for a long time. They are hard to find in stores but usually can be found on amazon or drugstore.com.
Clothes Line-Over the years ive hung our clothing outside in limited space, in our home on our shower rod, and even just hung stuff on hooks. Now that I have an excellent backyard, I can use a clothes line. Easy to make and cheap to buy. Head on over to your local Dollar Store and they will have clothing line you can buy and also the wooden pins you will need. Just take home and find some nails. I drape mine from my home to the fence making sure that I put it up during nice weather or take it down during the winter. My husband likes this because he cant stand to see our clothing hanging everywhere. You can also buy clothing racks. I just found an amazing rack at Costco for only $21 and its all metal. Folds away so I can put it beside my dryer and the wall. This one also had shoe hooks so I can now hang our wet shoes on it. This option is great for people who rent and cannot just put their clothes where they want. The wooden or metal racks are best unless you have a dog who likes to chew on wooden ones. gguurrrr! If its a nice day, put the clothes out to hang dry and take advantage of the sun. Its free to use anytime you want and saves on your energy bill!
To wash or not wash-Do you really need to wash towels after each use? I say no. We use our towels at least 3 times before we wash them. After each use we simply hang it up to dry on the shower rack. My family is not dirty, we do not do dirty jobs so this works for us. Blankets only washed when they smell not so clean or if were sick. After each cold/flue we wash all blankets/bedding. Decorative pillows are washed every few months. Just think about stuff when your throwing it in the washer. Do I really need to wash them each use? Can we get by with a few uses?
These few tips can easily save you $20 or more a month. Obviously depending on how big your family is or how much laundry you do. If you have any questions about anything above, leave a comment! Always willing to answer any questions
p.s. Don't you just love that picture? Too funny.
Monday, February 1, 2010
Little things I love
I found this set at a small out of the way senior thrift shop. I paid $1.50 total for these. They are plastic ( I know I know) but back in those days plastic was in. They just scream vintage! I do not keep sugar or tea in them but instead I keep beans of any sort in them. These go so well in my harvest gold retro kitchen. And when I say retro, I really mean original kitchen to my home. A whole other story...
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