The Path to Frugality

An update on my "Buddy" post

2012-02-25T08:29:00.000-06:00

I am still getting comments on our decision to put our dog, Buddy, to sleep.

"Barb" commented on my decision and her comment led me to a response that perhaps may give more insight into my decision. When I wrote that post I was in the middle of my grief and honestly, I knew that it would create a lot of controversy. That's okay.

Many of you have been so kind, others have offered advice and then there are always those who will disagree with me, which is perfectly okay, but then go on to describe me as a Nazi dog killer. Obviously I didn't reply to those individuals or even post their comments as they responded Anonymously. At least, have the courage to respond with your name or to e-mail me.

This morning I decided to respond to the comments with more information and instead of doing another post, read my comment to Barb.

Thanks Barb and all of the other followers who responded, many with the gentle criticism which I appreciate. Go here to see my response: http://thepathtofrugality.blogspot.com/2012/02/making-mistake-and-moving-on.html.

Using My Frugal Skills

2012-02-22T17:04:00.000-06:00

I have spent a lot of my "spare" time over the past week preparing for a couponing program that I gave at our women's group at church. It always happens - I don't think it will take long to work on a project and it ends up taking longer because I put my heart and soul into it. The one thing that I came up with for the presentation was a handout on "Babysteps to Couponing." In this handout I talked about not taking everything on at once and starting small and working your way up to a level that you are comfortable with.

I always emphasize that when taking on a new skill never try to learn or do everything all at once. Take those baby steps until you are comfortable with a new skill. If you try to do everything related to couponing and stockpiling all at once, you will burn out and get discouraged. Start small and work your way up.

I have a lot of coupons that need to be clipped and I plan on enlisting the help of the college students that live with us and hang out at our house. They are more than willing to help me with anything I need.

Sunday evening I was in the livingroom working on my coupon presentation. I went into the kitchen to make myself a cup of coffee and there were our live in college girls doing dishes, cleaning up the kitchen and tidying up. They want to help me out with the housework and they pitch in without my having to ask.

This living situation is working out. It is because these girls are a perfect match to our family and they fit in so well. I know we are lucky. I enjoy their company so much and I feel I have two "adopted" daughters now. I dread when they graduate and move on but I know we have made life long friendships.

I heard on the news this morning that the stock market is doing well, but gas prices are out of sight. This makes living below our means a little more challenging. But hey - I love a challenge as long as it is not too tough.

I try to prepare healthy meals and everyone in our household appreciates that. Preparing healthy meals that don't cost a lot is a definite challenge. Last night I roasted 3 bone in chicken breasts that had been on sale for 99 cents a lb. I served the chicken with Birdseye Steamers - Wild Rice and Broccoli. I used two packages and I remember that I was able to get them on sale for 75 cents each. Along with this I had half a loaf of French bread left in the fridge. I sliced it and buttered it and toasted the slices in the oven. I made a tossed salad from lettuce, red peppers, green peppers, cucumbers and carrots. All of these items had been on sale at a good price. Then I served fresh pineapple. One whole pineapple was on sale for only $2.49. For dessert - there were cookies in the cookie jar.

This was not only a healthy meal but an easy meal to prepare for the 5 of us. There is leftover salad for supper tonight and leftover chicken in the fridge for sandwiches for lunches.

I have not baked homemade bread in quite a while but have decided that I need to make time as the store bought bread is expensive and not near as nutritious. So I have finally used up enough things from the freezer and have space for loaves of my homemade bread.

Now on to some little blogger "housekeeping" My post on putting our dog Buddy to sleep had some interesting comments. Generally I don't like to post anonymous comments but many times people leave their name and I will go ahead and post them.

Today I posted quite a negative anonymous comment regarding Buddy. It isn't even the worst comment I received. I decide when to post comments as I review them all. Since I started this blog in September 2009 I have probably only not posted 5 comments in that entire time. Leave it to an article about our pet dog to bring out the ugly comments.

If you're going to have a blog, you have to take ugly comments as they come as it is just part of having a blog.

Stocking up on Meat this Month

2012-02-14T07:11:00.000-06:00

Last summer many areas of our country experienced droughts. One of those areas was Texas. Due to the cost of feeding cattle and the extremely hot weather that threatened their herds, farmers and ranchers sold off a great number of their cattle. This was higher than usual. This led to an influx of beef on the market. Even though prices of beef had gone up last year there were times over the summer, due to the influx of beef on the market, and early fall that I was able to get great deals on hamburger, chuck roasts and other cuts of beef. So I did what I always do, I packed my freezer with these great deals.

In the morning my alarm on my clock radio goes off right before the Ag/Farm Report. I never set my alarm so that I could listen to this report. My alarm is set for 6:10 and shortly thereafter the report comes on. Over the years I have learned to listen to this report and interpret what it means to me, a consumer.

This morning they talked about how many heads of cattle went to market yesterday as compared to last year. The amount was significantly lower than last year.

I have been paying attention to the Ag/Farm report and to the news reports. Every now and then you will hear that farmers/ranchers don't have as many animals to go to market as they sold off a lot of their herds last year. The result, we will be paying a lot more for beef this year.

I have already noticed this at the grocery store. Now a good chuck roast is over $1.50 a lb. more than it was last year. In some cases they have advertised ground beef (80% lean) on sale for $2.99 a lb. Yikes!!!!!

Yesterday I went to the grocery store to pick up some bananas and I noticed a large handwritten sign on the front of the store that said "80% ground beef $1.99 lb." Wow. $1.99 is my target sale price for ground beef, but I didn't buy any beef yesterday. Why? I needed to spend some time going through my freezer and organizing it. I wanted to see how much ground beef I still have on hand and how much more I can afford to buy.

With this knowledge I am heading to the grocery store today to buy 20 lbs. of this sale ground beef. Today is the last day of the sale and today is also the day that the grocery sale flyers come out in the newspaper. So I will be able to see if ground beef will be on sale beginning tomorrow (a new sale's week) at a price lower than $1.99. I highly doubt it, but I will be able to make a final decision today about purchasing 20 lbs. of ground beef.

This is the type of strategy I use in shopping all the time. Knowledge is power.

Losing Weight - Update

2012-02-10T20:28:00.000-06:00

Since the beginning of December I have lost 12 lbs. I am down to 139 lbs. and my goal was 135 lbs. I'm not sure I can get to 135 lbs. or that I even want to. Right now I can fit into a lot of clothes that I couldn't fit into before and I am satisfied.

How did I do it? Weight Watchers, exercise and just being careful not to over eat. I have also been eating a lot more fresh fruit. When I'm hungry I reach for a banana or a clementine orange. My new goal is maintaining and beefing up the exercise (beefing up is a poor choice of words).

It was a hard journey. The first week I gained 1 lb. and then I began to lose 1 lb. or 1 and 1/2 lbs. a week. I have also lost quite a bit in inches.

Losing weight is not my favorite thing to do so I will work just as hard to not gain it back. The best decision I made was to start my weight loss journey before Christmas. That decision kept me from overeating during the holidays.

Chicken Mozzarella and Brownie Pudding

2012-02-06T12:39:00.000-06:00

Here is what I am preparing for dinner tonight. It is a simple recipe that everyone loves.

Chicken Mozzarella

2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups Italian bread crumbs
Vegetable Oil
1 jar spaghetti sauce
grated parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Dip chicken in egg, then into the bread crumbs to coat thoroughly. In a large skillet, brown the chicken on both sides in the vegetable oil. Drain on paper towels.

Pour 1 cup sauce in a 9 x 13 inch pan. Place the chicken in the pan and top with the remaining sauce. Sprinke with the cheeses. Bake for 30 minutes. Serves 8.

I will be serving the chicken over plain buttered pasta. Side dishes will be steamed broccoli, garlic bread and a tossed salad.

For dessert we are having brownie pudding.

Brownie Pudding

1 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup cocoa
1 3/4 cups hot water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together the first 5 ingredients; add milk, vegetable oil and vanilla; mix til smooth. Pour into a greased 8 x 8 inch square pan. Combine the remaining ingredients; pour over batter. Bake for about 40 minutes. Makes 6 to 8 servings. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Making a Mistake and Moving On

2012-02-04T09:30:00.000-06:00

I had to put our dog, Buddy, to sleep this week. It's been one very hard week. Buddy was good with us, but had fear/aggression towards strangers. While we worked with him on obedience - sit, down, stay and come and we were making some strides, it was his fear towards strangers that gave us a big problem.

Buddy nipped my mother-in-law on Christmas Day and then within an hour he had his head on her lap sleeping. They came in the door and he got scared. Then when we would walk him he got very nervous when he saw other people. Again, we would put him in a sit and try to get him through it. We knew it would take work.

Then on Wednesday 4 women were walking across the street from our house. I was in the backyard and they were just walking and not talking very loud. Buddy barked and then he jumped the fence and ran up to them, barking and nipping. He nipped one of them - no bite mark, no breaking of the skin. Then he took off. I talked with the women, apologizing and making sure they were okay. Then I got in my car and I took off after him. It took about 15 minutes to catch him.

When I got him home and put him back in our yard, he was running around trying to jump out again so we put him on his leash. I walked in the house and told my husband that enough was enough and that we couldn't have a dog with this kind of behavior.

Buddy had been dumped at our house and I believe he had been a "country" dog allowed to run and perhaps his previous owners didn't care that he didn't like strangers, but I did. So I walked back outside and put Buddy on his leash and took him to the vet to be put down.

I didn't take him to a shelter as I didn't want to pass his problem behavior onto another family. What if I did and they beat him? It just wasn't fair to him or any future owner. I did in my heart what I knew was right, but that didn't mean that my husband and son agreed with me.

My husband took that dog with him running and my son, well, he just loves dogs. However, I was the one home with the dog all day and I couldn't constantly be worrying about what he may or may not do. Sometimes it is hard being an adult and making such decisions, but for our sake and Buddy's sake it was the right one.

It has been a few days and we have moved on and are getting used to not having Buddy around.

Here are the lessons that I learned from this experience: 1. I will only adopt a puppy from now on and we will probably stick with the labrador retriever or golden retriever breed. I do better with those breeds. 2. It was a financial lesson. Putting him down cost $130 and from the day we got him and he had his shots, checkup and was microchipped, I bet we spent at least $400, not including food and treats. That is a lot of money to spend when you only have a dog for 4 months, but I am at least learning from my mistake.

The one thing I have focused on is that Buddy had a good time at our house for 4 months. He was regularly fed, walked, played with and loved. On his last day he got to run around the neighborhood, go for a car ride and go to the Vet (which he loved). While at the Vet our son walked him and talked with him so that he was not alone.

I am not against rescuing an animal. For us it didn't work out this time. It may for another family.

Now, that the grieving process is over and I am moving on, I can concentrate on my home and family. Life is Good.

Our Yard Project for 2012

2012-01-28T21:55:00.000-06:00

Our new dog, Buddy, is a jumper. It's like he has "slinky" legs and can jump high in the air and on a couple of occasions he has almost jumped over our picket fence. It is only a matter of time before it happens so we have been pondering what to do.

We have come up with a solution to two problems. I have always wanted to do some really nice flower gardening but since we have owned a dog, it has been pretty much impossible to do so in our backyard. Our solution is to build a second fence about 3 to 3 1/2 feet in from the original picket fence that surrounds our backyard. In this way Buddy will not be able to jump over two fences and I will be able to garden inbetween the two fences. I know it sounds really weird, but I am excited about it. It means that I can now grow vining plants that drape over the outer fence, that these flowers and bushes will not get trampled on by the dogs and there will finally be colorful flowers in our backyard!

I took these pictures in the fall of 2010 when I was painting the fence. These are the two sides that will have the double fence so I can garden.

We are not going to surround the entire back yard with this "interior" fence but will just do this along the side of the driveway and the side that faces the sidewalk. We also have plans to fence off two other sections of the yard so that I can grow some other plants and things that I have not been able to grow. The end result will be that the yard will be plenty big for both dogs to run and play, they won't be able to run the picket fence that is so close to the sidewalk and we won't have to worry about Buddy jumping the fence.

We will be building the fence ourself and I have priced the pickets @ $1.69 each. I anticipate that this project will cost in the neighborhood of around $300 to $350. It will be so worth it to finally have the colorful yard that I have always wanted to have along with being able to corral the dogs.

A recipe and some good old fashioned cleaning advice

2012-01-26T09:51:00.000-06:00

This is one of those recipes that makes a good "comfort" type side dish. I'm sure most of you have heard of this one before, but I hadn't made it for awhile and served it last week when we had tacos. It was a hit.

Corn Muffin Casserole

2 eggs
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can creamed corn
1 - 8 oz. container sour cream
1/4 cup melted butter or margarine
1 box Jiffy corn muffin mix

Beat the eggs and add the cans of corn. Make sure you drain the whole kernal corn. Add the sour cream and melted butter. Mix well. Stir in the muffin mix.

Grease an 8 x 8 inch casserole. Bake at 350 degrees for between 45 and 55 minutes per your oven. (We all know that our ovens are different.)

This is relatively inexpensive and it is moist and tasty. I know some cooks that sprinkle some cheddar cheese on top, but we like ours without.

I have a friend who recently doubled this recipe and poured it into her crockpot and cooked it on low for around 5 hours and it turned out perfect. I haven't tried it yet, but it is worth a go. The only change that I would make is whenever I make something like macaroni and cheese or stuffing in the crockpot, I lay a paper towel over the top of the crockpot and put the lid on the paper towel. The paper towel does not touch the food, it is held in place by the lid. The steam droplets rise to the top and are absorbed by the paper towel. You may have to change the towel twice, but it works very well.

Now on to some good old fashioned cleaning advice. Are you ready? Pick up as you go, clean up as you go and stop the mud at the door. Then plan two - 3 hour sessions of cleaning each week. This is the way that I am keeping my house clean and in order.

First of all the "pick up as you go, clean as you go and stop the mud at the door" is something that my grandmother always proclaimed. With only the 3 of us living in our home, it was easy to keep the place clean even without doing the pick up as you go, etc. Now with the college students living with us and usually another 2 of their friends showing up during the day or at dinner time, I have changed the game plan.

Please understand that the girls do clean up and pick up after themselves its just that things can get chaotic with other people coming and going during the day, more dishes being used and more people in the house. Soo - I now value the pick up as you go, clean up as you go and stop the mud at the door.

As for the stop the mud at the door -- I really had a problem there. We have two dogs and our backyard has been a muddy mess since last fall. We had a drought last year and our grass all but died which led to a backyard of mud. Now that the snow is melting and we have some unusually warm days ahead of us, our dogs (and people) come into the house with muddy paws or shoes. The large rug by the back door wasn't doing a good job so I went out yesterday and bought a cheap area rug for my kitchen floor. I know, it isn't that pretty but it is functional and I need functional.

Now when a large group of people come in the back door, they can move to the larger rug to wipe their feet and I can easily vacuum up the dirt later. This is easier than constantly mopping a floor. So it may not be pretty, but boy does it save me time.

So I/we pick up as we go, clean as we go (bathrooms and countertops) and we stop the mud at the door. Then I add to this two - 3 hour slots of cleaning or in some cases four cleaning slots of 1 and 1/2 hours (depending on when we have the time clean) to keep the rest of the house in order.

I am a slob and a messy person but I want an orderly home. My home isn't perfectly clean at all times, but it is orderly. This is working for all of us.

Feeling Organized Challenged? I am

2012-01-24T20:37:00.000-06:00

With two college girls living with us, along with a son who is living at home and is a college student, our household has become more "active." There are people coming and going; more people showing up for dinner and I love every moment of it! It's brought life to this old house one could say. But - and you knew there had to be a but -- I have become quite disorganized. The girls moved in when I was in the midst of dealing with anxiety and getting back on Paxil so at the time I just maintained and did what I could. Now it is time to figure out a new schedule, pull out the calendar and get to work.

These girls moving in has been the best thing that has happened to our family in a very long time. I love how they fit into our home life and what they have added to it. I love how we have girl chats at the dining room table when they come home from classes and I love the friends they have over.

I have been cooking up a storm and I have been using up the food from the freezer and the pantry.  It knew it would be a ministry to meet the needs of college students and their friends but I never realized how much I would get out of it myself.

My new schedule began 2 weeks ago when they moved in but I haven't had a moment to be able to sit down and make up menus and a new housekeeping schedule. I can only "play things by ear" for so long and then I find myself forgetting to do things.

Being disorganized costs money and I have addressed that before. The other problem with being disorganized is that it means wasted time. I hate when I am constantly trying to find my keys or trying to find a book or you name it, trying to find something that I need right now but can't place my hands on it. Fortunately I cleaned and organized the house from top to bottom before the girls moved in and because of this I have been able to spot clean here and there which has been helpful and I haven't spent too much time searching for things. BUT --- it won't magically stay this way.

My goal with getting organized is not to have a perfect household, but my goal is to get organized and on a good cleaning schedule so that I have more time to do the things that I want to do such as being available when someone wants to talk with me.

Getting those Dishes Clean

2012-01-18T10:12:00.000-06:00

I try to take care of the environment. I do my best to not be wasteful of water, food, gasoline and heat. But lately I must admit that I miss the phosphates that used to be put into the dishwashing detergent.

Over the past few months I have tried different types off dishwasher detergent. I have had several good coupons such as $2.00 of Cascade or $2.00 off Finish Quantum tablets. In trying both I have been very disappointed as they have not cleaned the dishes very well.

About 2 weeks ago when I was shopping at the grocery store I happened to see the gentlemen that runs a local appliance store. We buy our appliances from him. I asked him what was the best detergent on the market for my dishwasher. I also asked him which was best - tablets, gel or powder. His response was interesting. He stated that since phosphates had been taken out of the detergents, that they just don't clean as well as they used to. He said it didn't matter if it was the tablets, gel or powder that without the phosphates they didn't work as well as before. His suggestion was to start the faucet in my sink until the water ran hot and then to turn on the dishwasher. Also vinegar was the best rinse agent.

I have since discovered that not only does this work the best but that the cheapest powdered dishwasher detergent gets my dishes just as clean as the very expensive brands. In fact the cheapest detergent that I use can be found at the dollar store. It's not the detergent that gets my dishes clean but its the fact that the water is hot when the cycle starts. Also, vinegar does turn out to be the best rinse agent.

Our water is not hard water and I know that this does vary from place to place. So for the time being I am sticking with the cheapest powdered dishwasher detergent I can find along with vinegar as a rinse agent. I also admit that starting hot water in the faucet first makes a big difference.

With two more people in our household I am running the dishwasher a lot more and I need to know that the dishes will come out clean. I also think it was a matter of fate to run into my appliance guy when I was shopping that day. He has saved me a lot of money in the long run.

Does being sick affect your spending?

2012-01-15T19:52:00.000-06:00

I have not felt well for a couple of weeks. I began having overwhelming anxiety and panic attacks. It was horrible. After two weeks I called my doctor and he recommended going back on Paxil. Today it "kicked" in. So how did it affect our budget?

Horribly!!!!

I went online and bought stuff that was just that -- stuff. I'm not sure what happened other than I was feeling so anxious and in my state of mind, it made sense that I needed this stuff. We are talking about around $100 worth of stuff.

I learned a lot about myself over the past two weeks. The first is that I will probably be on an anti-depressant for quite awhile which means that I must be careful and watch what I eat so I don't gain back the weight I lost. The second is that it is okay to be on an anti-depressant. The third is that I shouldn't have a credit card in my possession when I am feeling poorly.

So I need to come up with $100 over the next two weeks to pay for what I bought. A lot of it will come out of the grocery budget as we are eating out of the pantry and freezer.

Now this goes to show you that we all make mistakes, its just that you have to learn from your mistakes and move on. I look back on the last few weeks and it is as if I was a different person. I couldn't think straight, I was overwhelmed by intense anxiety and irrational fear and I couldn't cope very well.

Now I feel like my old self and it feels wonderful. This week I am planning on starting some sewing projects and getting out my knitting loom to start some knitting projects. I look forward to it.

Retirement will Come.

2012-01-11T21:57:00.000-06:00

Sooner or later, if you live long enough, you will reach retirement age. Then what?? Will you be able to retire or will you need to put off retirement until you can afford it. Or worse yet - will you ever be able to retire?

In March I will be 53 and my husband will turn 54 in April. We are just a little over a decade away from retirement. If you think that 13 years from now is a long way off, all you have to do is think about what was happening in your life 13 years ago and then you will realize how quickly time passes by.

I have realized over the past few years that financial decisions I make today can really affect me for a lifetime. If I purchase a new car, for example, I will pay $25,000 to $30,000 for that vehicle having to finance all but a downpayment. Yes, the vehicle is new and that is always fun, but what if I bought a used vehicle for less than $10,000? Even if I financed it for 2 or 3 years, I would still come out ahead than if I purchased the newer vehicle. The difference is money in the bank or money in our retirement account.

We plan on living in this house through our retirement. The house will be paid for before we retire. Two scenarios we played with is that perhaps we would sell this house and buy a two bedroom, ranch style home to live in during our retirement years. We would do this only if the selling of our home and the buying of a smaller home would be a wash financially. The other scenario is that we would side this house for low maintenance. Siding our house would cost quite a bit of money. Is it worth it? We're not so sure. It would be less costly to hire someone to paint the house every 5 years than to pay for siding.

Again - it's about money in the bank and in our retirement account.

What about the picket fence? Should we replace the wooden picket fence with one of those vinyl kind? Would it be worth a few thousand dollars for a low maintenance vinyl type of fence? We decided, no. We can still pay someone to paint it every few years and we will still come out better than paying for a vinyl type of fencing.

When we purchased a new refrigerator last summer we bought one that is a basic model - no frills. This means that if we want chilled water, we have to keep a pitcher in the fridge. If we want ice cubes, we have to refill the ice cube tray. The result is a savings of around $600.

I have always thought that it is the little things that add up to big savings, but I have started to think about where to save on the big ticket items. It is easy to be lulled into believing that vinyl siding and vinyl fencing is a necessity when it really isn't. When we go into retirement we will only need 1 car and a good used car will meet our needs. Appliances with all the whistles and bells are nice, but I rarely use all the features of an appliance. I find that filling my own ice cube tray and emptying the contents into a ziplock freezer bag is just as easy to use as an automatic ice maker.

Saving $20 a week on groceries adds up to $3,120 over the next 13 years. What seems like a small amount adds up to quite a bit of money over time. That is how we need to view saving and living frugally. We also need to live like there will be a tomorrow and make a plan for retirement. Not talking about it because you are afraid is not a plan. Make it a priority to think about your retirement when it comes to spending your money today.

One thing that we have learned over the past 5 years is that you must plan for your future and not live beyond your means. Retirement will come and we must be prepared.

Facing the New Year

2012-01-09T22:03:00.000-06:00

As I posted yesterday I have been decluttering and cleaning my house. I resolve that I will never let it get that out of control again. It was ridiculous -- but I know I am not alone. How many of you would rather do anything but clean your house however you enjoy a clean home? I did it in bits and pieces,spending an hour at a time getting the job done. This meant that some rooms had stuff sitting in the middle of the room waiting to be sorted, but it was okay since it was a temporary situation.

I found more craft supplies than I knew I ever had. I organized and sorted and am anxious to start using those items this year.

In the end, if you have a messy, dirty disorganized house, do what I did - find a spot and start. For me it was in the basement and when I started to get bored with the basement I moved to our bedroom. I went back and forth between the basement and the bedroom until both were in good shape. Then I moved on to other rooms.

Just begin - in a short amount of time you will feel like I do now.

Disorganization leads to spending money. It can be as simple as buying a packet of buttons because you can't find your button stash - but money is money and right now I have to really keep track of my spending.

Now that statement leads one to believe that I don't normally need to keep track of my spending. I have gotten out of the habit of tracking my spending. Since I have been on Weight Watchers and have been tracking my food and exercise; I realized how important it is for me to really keep track of my spending. Little bits of money have been slipping through my fingers.

Many people have no spend days, weeks or months but I have resolved to just do a better job of keeping track of what I spend money on and be more accountable to myself and my family as to expenditures.

We're tightening our belts around here as we know that come summertime food and gas prices will be even higher. College tuition is going up also. So the pennies that we save now, will be needed for later.

Our college girls moved in yesterday and as I type this they are still unpacking and trying to find a place for their belongings. In order to make good use of the space in their small room I need to find some kind of a tall bookshelf for them to put their books on and perhaps their t.v. So, I checked Craigslist and found nothing. Tomorrow I will head to Goodwill to see what possibilities are there. The girls aren't worried about finding anything in a hurry. They are grateful for anything that we do for them. Actually, we may end up with the cinder blocks and boards standby.

With two new additions to our household, I need to come up with a new food budget. I'm playing it by ear now - just trying to find my way and by the end of January I should have a feel for what is a reasonable sum - or not. You see I am not buying a lot of meat as we are eating from the freezer.

Lastly, I spiraled downward about two weeks ago. I thought I was going to get better but I found myself becoming totally paralyzed by anxiety. That's a new one for me. I have been off Paxil for a month and as of today, I started back on the drug and am going to use half the dosage per my doctor's instructions. I may just be one of those people who needs to take an antidepressant to get through menopause. I'm not ashamed and feel blessed that I have the option of taking something to help me out.

I have lost 5 lbs. in the past month and I know that going back on Paxil means the possibility of weight gain, but I'm not so sure. I am committed to staying away from sweets and snacking on fruits and vegetables. I've already taken on good eating habits and I am exercising a lot.

So, here's to a year of eating well and exercising, tracking my spending and making a home for some dear college girls - and I will do all of this on a budget, without over spending and being more and more commited to living on one income and thriving.

Next post: what I am doing to prepare for our family's retirement years.

I'll be back tomorrow - Been Decluttering!!!

2012-01-08T18:54:00.000-06:00

Over the past 2 weeks I have decluttered my house from top to bottom and have just one last corner of the basement that needs sorted and tossed. It is a good feeling to have given away and thrown away things that we don't need, don't use and are just taking up space.

The impetus to all of this is that our college girls are moving in tonight. So every spare moment or perhaps should I say every time I felt like "digging in" I have done just that. I gave away clothing, books, old c.d.'s and other items that we no longer needed.

I feel like the queen of my castle since everything has a place and a purpose. Which, as Martha Stewart says, "Is a good thing."

Tomorrow I will post a little bit of this and that as to what I am working on for the year.

New Dishes from Goodwill

2011-12-29T21:24:00.000-06:00

I had never shopped at a Goodwill store until this fall. I went in to Goodwill looking for a jean jacket and found one for a couple of dollars. I was sold on Goodwill. Two weeks ago I shopped at Goodwill and found the perfect winter jacket for $5.00. It was exactly what I was looking for and again, I was happy with the price I paid and the quality of the jacket.

Goodwill had become the place I shopped first when a clothing need came up. Two weeks ago I wandered into Goodwill to see what kitchen items they had for sale.

I have always wanted some Fiesta Ware dishes, but never wanted to pay the price for a set of these dishes. I had priced them and they were just out of my price range. When I was at Goodwill looking for some kitchen stuff, I spied a Fiesta Ware knock off. I really wanted them and the price was only $9.99 for the 8 place settings.

Guess what I did? I walked out of the store and decided to think about it. I broke a cardinal rule as a shopper of Goodwill. If you see something you like, you stick it in the cart right away. If you don't, there is a good chance it will be gone when you go back to buy it.

Well, I wanted to think about it for a couple of days and I was prepared for it being sold to someone else before I could buy it. Yes, it was hard, but I really wanted to think about.

When I returned a couple of days later, they were still there. Why did I want to take some time to think about it? Because I really wanted to think over if I could use these dishes to compliment what I already had. Yes, for some people $10 is a drop in the hat, but I have learned that I could go hog wild at Goodwill and spend a lot of money on a bunch of stuff just because everything is priced at a low bargain price.

Here are the dishes:

They coordinate with my corelle dishes:

And they work well with my grandmother's Franciscan Ware that we use only at Christmas and Easter:

While I was at Goodwill I found two plates that I really liked for $1.00 each. I liked the colors on the plate and find that these two plates work well with the dishes too.

And I also found some mugs that I could mix and match for only 50 cents:

And last, I found these old kitchen pans that I will use in my kitchen to hold things and perhaps a few to use as planters.

Buddy likes to get in the pictures I take.

So for around $17.00 I was able to get all of the above at Goodwill and I am absolutely thrilled to have dishes to mix and match and play around with.

I had so much fun doing this. What made it fun? Finding the mix and match items, being patient and putting off any purchases for a few days while I thought about it, the price and the satisfaction of finding a cheaper version of something that I have always wanted.

I'm tickled pink (or should I say gold). AND I used my Christmas money to pay for it.

You know what else? I could have boxed these dishes up and given them as a gift which means Goodwill will be one of my first stops for gift giving from now on.

Christmas is Over - Time to get back to Normal

2011-12-27T21:07:00.000-06:00

In the midst of the Christmas unwrapping mess.

We had an enjoyable Christmas celebration and it is time to try to get back to normal - which means I need to be here at this blog posting. Now when I say I "need", that means that I need to be here because I enjoy it.

For Christmas I received some nice gifts from my family such as a faux fur scarf that easily wraps around my neck, a little beaded bag to hold my cell phone and a couple of Amazon gift cards.

I have been on Amazon trying to decide what I would buy with these gift cards. There isn't a need to hurry on this but it is kind of fun to have some gift cards "to burn."

I have been looking at some books on how to deconstruct clothing and such. I'm not making any big decisions as of yet, but I am totally into taking jeans, as an example, and making them into tote bags, skirts or whatever. Also I want to spend more time sewing and I could use a good sewing book.

2012 is the year to finish painting and decorating the downstairs of our house. This means the diningroom (I'm thinking of a rust color), the kitchen, the hallway, my son's bedroom and the guest bedroom which is the bedroom that our college girls will be living in.

I want to sew all of the decor for these rooms and do it on a budget. So I need ideas and have found that it is worth purchasing a good idea book, used of course. I have about 6 on my wish list on Amazon and I will set them aside to look at in another week and make my choice.

Retro Fabric I purchased - 2 yards only available

I want to use a 1960's retro decor for the girls' room. They like that idea too. So I have been on the hunt for 60's retro things. I had a floor lamp given to me about 3 weeks ago and it is absolutely perfect. I have found retro 60's fabric at Wal-mart that can be used for curtains and pillows and other items. See the photo above. I also need to come up with quilts or bedspreads and the budget is a low $100. I set the budget as I feel it will be like a game or challenge to see what I can come up with.

I have been scouring stores for clearance items and I have been to Goodwill. I need bedding for the bunk beds and I am hoping that if I cannot find identical bedding that at least we can find complimentary bedding. Or I can find a bedspread that can be remade into something else for the room.

Lastly I have lost 3 lbs. since the beginning of the month which totally makes me smile. Yes, smile. I made healthy food choices through the Christmas weekend and I allowed myself some treats - in moderation.

A gift I am giving

2011-12-18T20:16:00.000-06:00

I found a perfect gift to give this year. After an earlier post about the cost of gift giving and such, I am happy to post about a gift I am giving and it only cost $15. This is one of those gifts that fit the budget and will also be a gift that the recipient will really enjoy and it is very useful.

One of the ladies at our church had a Janet basket and she carried everything in it she needed for church. She had her Bible, her lessons for the Sunday School class she taught and many other items stored in it. I really liked it.

So I went to good ole Amazon and found one. Here is what a Janet Basket looks like:

These baskets come in all sorts of pretty designs. There are two sizes: large and small. I purchased the small Janet basket on Amazon about 1 month ago for $15 and at the time the vendor was offering free shipping. The dimensions are 9 inches by 16 inches and it is about 10 inches in depth. The frame is aluminum and the fabric is a very sturdy canvas.

Who will receive this gift? My mother in law. I know that this will be a gift that she will enjoy. It can be used on Sundays to carry her Bible and other items to church or she can put her work related items in it and use it in her car. It could double as a perfect craft carrier or could be used to take to the grocery store for light shopping trips. There is a zipper pouch on the outside which is quite handy and the entire basket folds flat.

So, I got a bargain gift that I know my mother-in-law will really like. Now, if only I could receive the same thing.

Losing weight before the New Year Begins

2011-12-18T19:40:00.000-06:00

I gained 10 lbs. since January from being on Paxil. Back in January I had some issues with working out at home, namely I was lonely and it had begun to get boring. I joined Curves as I needed an alternative that was affordable. By the end of February I had lost about 2 lbs. and had toned up and lost inches. The best day was when I put on a pair of capris and they fit with a little snuggness. I was on my way.

Unfortunately it was about that time that I started to feel the side effects of Paxil - weight gain. So the lbs. came on at about 1 lb. per month until I am where I am today - 151 lbs. My goal is to get down to 135 lbs.

I find it hard to lose weight on my own. I need help and accountability. I also want to prepare my own food as I know what I like and what works for me.

I now know what most women realize deep down, but we really don't want to face. We get to a certain age and the weight starts to creep on and we can't eat like we did when we were in our 20's. It's hard to face this but we can eat many of the foods we love, just in moderation and then we need to get our "back sides" moving and exercise.

I followed Weight Watchers when I needed to lose the baby weight some 17 years ago and it worked for me. Everyone has to find a plan that works for them, mine is Weight Watchers.

Soo -- although it is not frugal, I have joined Weight Watchers. Not frugal from the standpoint that I am now paying $18.95 per month for their on-line tools and accountability. Add that to my Curves Membership and I am paying $55 a month for fitness.

If I could not afford this, I would work out at home, walk and count calories. It would be more of a struggle for me, but I could do it.

I'm really hoping that now that I am off Paxil that the drug will be out of my system by the end of January and I will see the "fruits of my labor" - 5 servings a day that is.

Paxil free

2011-12-13T07:52:00.000-06:00

I have successfully weaned myself off of Paxil. It took me around 2 months to get the job done and it was a struggle. I still have some of the side effects of withdrawal but each day they diminish. I went on Paxil 1 year ago when I was having trouble with OCD that got completely out of control when I was having some issues with depression.

Why did I feel it was time go off the drug? I was tired of the side effects of being on Paxil, namely being sleepy no matter how much sleep I got at night and the weight gain. It took me about 4 months to make the decision to wean off of Paxil as I wanted to make sure that the depression did not return. I also discussed this possibility with my doctor.

Anti-depressants have their place and for me Paxil got me through a very tough spot last year. Now I have a lot of activities going on in my life that keep me happily busy and I get out of the house more than I used to.

If you're taking an anti-depressant and want to go off, do not do this until you talk with your doctor and get his/her input. My doctor asked me a lot of questions and started a dialogue with me to make sure I wasn't one of those "I feel better now, so I'm going to quit taking my medication." In my case, he agreed that if I was ready, then I could start to wean myself off. However, he also talked with me about what I would feel in the way of side effects and that if the symptoms of OCD or depression started to return, I was to call him immediately.

Life is good.

Decluttering

2011-12-08T21:11:00.000-06:00

I got out of the habit of blogging while I was sick, but I am back at it. The past week I have been trying to get the furnishings out of our den in order to transform it back into a bedroom for the college girls that are coming to live with us. The problem is what to do with all of that stuff. Fortunately our son and his wife have a large basement and they have offered to take the sofa sleeper if it doesn’t fit in the room with the bunk beds. We have left it up to the girls.

The den used to be our oldest son’s bedroom. After he got married we started to make it into our den. In that room is a small sofa sleeper, t.v. and stand, 2 file cabinets, 4 DVD storage shelves and our dog, Buddy’s, dog kennel. Now the majority of that stuff is being moved to our upstairs, which means I am again moving stuff around and making room for everything.

One of my readers, Dani, made a comment recently that really got me thinking about how I have the majority of my work spaces spread out throughout the house. I had a desk set up in a small room that also houses most of our book shelves, a sewing area in an alcove, a crafting area in another alcove and an area that has junk stuff in it that I need to sort through. This reader was correct in that having things spread out isn’t very efficient and it just doesn’t make much sense. But frankly I couldn't see how it could work any differently, until I actually started rearranging things.

I am working to stream line these areas. I don’t like having things spread out, but sometimes you have to be forced to step back and take a new look at the spaces in your house.

It is my goal to have everything sorted through and in good shape by next Friday. I’m around 1/3 there and I am seeing results in how my home is looking which is keeping me motivated.

I have two areas in my life that I struggle with: procrastination and cleaning/decluttering. These traits do not work well with someone pursuing a frugal lifestyle. In fact, these traits work against a frugal lifestyle. How? I find myself struggling to find things which can lead to frustration which can lead to spending money on an item I already have and just can’t find. Putting tasks off or procrastinating leads to frustration by not getting things done in a timely manner. Laundry is an example and planning for meals. Yes, these are the things that I fight with every day of my life.

But this week I have seen the fruits of my labors. I have been taking all of those items from the den and moving them upstairs – not all at once, but a little bit at a time. It is getting done and I am excited to see the decluttering and rearranging/organizing finally getting done.

I will post pictures when I am finished.

Big News?? I think so . . .

2011-12-01T23:57:00.000-06:00

but you may disagree.

Here is my big news (maybe you will be disappointed to find out that I am not pregnant at age 52).

What has paying off bills and getting out of debt done for us? We are able to help others in a big way.

We have come to know some college students that attend the local university. They have been attending our church and have been in our home for what I call "dinner, movie and laundry night." Yes, they do their laundry, eat with us and we watch a movie together. One week we watched the movie Jaws and I had forgotten what a great movie that was.

In order to save money and to ease the financial stress of paying for college, we offered two of the girls the opportunity to come and live with us beginning in January. They have accepted.

Our den, which used to be our oldest son's bedroom, is being transformed into a "dorm" room for them. The first thing I had to do was find bunk beds. I checked Craigslist, sent an e-mail out to people in our church, looked on free-cycle and checked the ads in the newspaper.

Since I didn't have another choice, I checked the furniture store and they had a great sale. I was able to buy a sturdy set of wood bunk beds along with 2 nice mattresses. That is all we need for that room. The girls have a small dresser and a desk. There is a t.v. in that room and I have an old livingroom comfy chair I will put in that room.

Why are we doing this? Because it is the right thing to do. I want these girls to finish college and I want them to finish college without worrying about finances.

I ran out of money when I was in my Junior year of college and I never have finished my Bachelor's degree. If someone would have offered to do this for me, I would have my B.A. today.

There is a third girl who is a freshman and she cannot live off campus during her freshman year. We have offered her a way of saving money by providing her meals. She can eat with us and/or we can prepare meals with her help on a weekend and she can pick them up.

When you cut back and pay off your bills, you are able to put money in savings and you are also free to be able to help others. What we are doing may not be comfortable for everyone to do. It is for us.

My father-in-law is a minister and my husband grew up in a home where people were always welcome. I grew up in a home that was open and welcoming to people. My parents took in girls that had aged out of the "children's home" at age 18. My parents gave them a home while they went to business college or nursing school.

So our families have a history of helping others. It was modeled to us. Some people would not be comfortable with taking in college students into their home. We prayed about it and we feel that this is why we are here at this time and in this financial situation so that we can help others.

Please don't read this and think I am bragging. I am not and I hope that none of you feel that way.

What does this mean now? I have 2 (or possibly) 3 more mouths to feed. The water bill will be higher too. We have paid off bills and we have more wiggle room in our budget.

Today as I grocery shopped I spent a lot more money than I normally do as I had some really great coupons for sale items. I was able to pick up Oatmeal for $1.99 for a 42 oz. canister; flour for 88 cents for a 5 lb. bag, butter for $1.88 lb., polish sausage for only 98 cents for a 12 oz. package (great in my homemade potato soup), Tide powder (22 load size) for only $3.00. I will mix this powdered Tide with my homemade powdered laundry soap to extend the Tide. I also bought Era liquid laundry soup (32 load size) for only $2.00. I was able to get a good quality shampoo and conditioner for 88 cents a bottle.

There were more great deals and I stocked up. I'm not sure how much our food bill will increase and it will take several weeks for me to come up with a normal food budget beginning in January. One thing I do know and that is the past two years have prepared me for this. I know how to save money, to extend the use of many household items and how to prepare delicious, frugal meals. I can do this.

I'm not writing this post to brag. Not everyone is up to this type of situation. College students are struggling in our community and this is our way of helping out a few of them. Perhaps you can help by contributing to a food drive specifically for college students. Maybe you can even take the lead and start one on your own. Some students can't afford to even buy clothes at thrift stores as money is so tight. What about a clothing drive?

I hope you aren't disappointed with my big news. But I think being pregnant at 52 would go beyond big news and be more big shock and awe!!!

Feeling so much better

2011-12-01T07:28:00.000-06:00

I am feeling so much better today. I haven't been that sick for a very, very long time. When I was a child I would get sinus infections, sore throats and tonsilitis all the time. When I was 15 years old I had my tonsils and adenoids removed and after that I would get an occasional cold.

This was different. I was flat on my back sick for several days. Thank goodness for antibiotics.

I do have some big news. I will tell you all about it in my next post which I promise will be later today as I don't want to make you wait long. I will give you a hint. Frugality has made it possible for my family to help others out in a big way.

Sick and won't be posting for a few days

2011-11-26T18:52:00.000-06:00

I have been fighting a sinus infection for several days and went on some strong antibiotics yesterday. The side effects are awful and I won't be posting for a few days.

Should be back to posting, I hope by Tuesday, the 28th.

Christmas must wait -- it's Thanksgiving time

2011-11-21T21:26:00.001-06:00

Each year the Christmas decorations go up sooner and sooner. I was buying Halloween candy the day after Halloween when I realized that the music being played in the store was Christmas music. I walked down the aisles and they had started to discount the Thanksgiving items. I bought the candy and left the store a little upset.

Thanksgiving becomes more and more downplayed and diminished as the years go by. It's kind of sad. I have a lot of memories as a child when we would go visit relatives for Thanksgiving. There would be a house full of people and many times we would up eating on chairs set up with t.v. trays nearby. I thought that was really fun since my mom would never let us do this. The food was abundant and very, very good.

Time was spent watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade and of course, football. My uncles would go deer hunting during the day and come home in the evening cold and happy at their good fortune of getting a deer or two.

Thanksgiving was a treasured holiday that seems to have become another day for Christmas shopping -- not in my home. There was a time when you wouldn't even see a Christmas decoration going up until the first week in December. In our town I have seen Christmas decorations not only going up before Thanksgiving, but being turned on.

We cherish Thanksgiving and love the turkey, pumpkin pie, stuffing and cranberry sauce. We enjoy not doing anything except being with each other.

As to the cost of the Thanksgiving meal, it has reportedly gone up but I feel it is still a good value. I paid 49 cents a lb. for the turkey, 88 cents for a 5 lb. bag of potatoes, 38 cents lb. for yams, 2 bags of Pepperidge Farm stuffing for 50 cents each -- on clearance, 67 cents for canned pumpkin, 69 cents for frozen vegetables, 99 cents for Cool Whip, $1.28 for a bag of cranberries. I have been buying the ingredients as they want on sale over the past few weeks. Yes, in our area this meal is a good value and we look forward to sharing it with others.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoy your friends and family.

Living on $250 Food Assistance

2011-11-16T22:12:00.000-06:00

One of my followers sent me an e-mail a few weeks ago. I think about this person daily and pray for her situation. She is out of work due to an injury - she is in a lot of pain. This lady supports 3 teenagers and they receive $250 per month in food assistance. She has become an Aldi shopper.

Here is what I would like to do over the next day or so, let's come up with some menus and recipes to help this lady stretch that $250 to the maximum (she is doing this). I just think it would be nice if we were supporting her and others like her with some new recipes that they can use and benefit from.

Feeding teenagers on a frugal budget is definitely a challenge. Fortunately her children are very supportive of her and her situation. They are real troopers.

Two Freezers????

2011-11-12T09:18:00.000-06:00

Yes, that is what my husband said when I told him I wanted another freezer. His response was that maybe if I used up what was in the other freezer I would have enough room and wouldn't need another freezer.

Men don't get it.

Right now we have a large upright freezer. I think it is about 15 cubit feet. It is full of meat, cheese and frozen veggies. I would like a separate, small chest freezer for casseroles and such that I make ahead of time and also for day old bread that I get on sale.

First of all I'm not sure that I could plug in another freezer in the same outlet in our basement. I should be able to, but I'm not sure and would have to have an electrician check this out for me.

Second of all, he does have a point about using up what is in the first freezer to make room for more stuff. However, the reason that this freezer is full is because I came across an in store deal on ground beef for only 80 cents a lb. and I bought as much as I could buy at the time. This is an example of how I shop for meat. When I come across deals such as chicken hindquarters for only 39 cents a lb., turkey for 49 cents a lb., boneless pork loin for only $1.59 a lb. I buy a lot. These prices don't come around very often and with prices increasing, I have to be able to buy in bulk when there is an exceptional deal.

The bottom rack of my freezer is jammed with frozen vegetables that were on sale one week for only 69 cents for a 1 lb. bag.

You may be wondering about the freezer above my fridge. Yes, it is packed with day to day freezer items such as lunch meat, bread, ice cream and items I use for pizza.

I am probably preaching to the choir here but I know that I would make good use of a second freezer and in no uncertain terms there is no way I would buy a third. I believe wholeheartedly that our economy will never be the same again and that we need to go back to living like our grandparents - simply and frugally. Grandma had a garden and canned and she helped to butcher and process her own meat. I have the advantage of grocery stores that offer great deals that I can buy in bulk and freeze.

A small second freezer makes sense. Convincing my husband of this will take a few months of hard work.

How many freezers do you have?

Finding a Space

2011-11-11T21:52:00.000-06:00

I have struggled for the past two years to come up with one spot in my house that I can call my own. I wanted one room to be my office, sewing area, couponing, scrapbooking and craft area. However taking over one room of the house isn't practical for our family.

The den was going to be part office/part den, but my son uses that room to study. He doesn't want me in there while he is studying and frankly, I can't work while he is in the room studying. I like to listen to dvd's while I am working and he needs quiet.

I decided that studying and getting good grades trumped my need to have an "office" in that room. Before going further I need to explain what I mean by an office. I need a spot where I can have a table and chair for when I need to type on my laptop and do my volunteer work, blog and a place where I can put things such as notes, papers and things for me to look over at a later date.

We have a tiny bedroom next to ours in the upstairs of our house. And when I say tiny, I mean tiny. We have lined the walls with bookshelves and technically it is more like a library than anything else. Tonight I was able to rearrange book shelves so that I freed up enough space for a small desk (actually a rectangular shaped card table) and a file cabinet. This is perfect for my needs.

Outside of this room is an alcove area where I have my sewing table with my sewing machine on it next to a file cabinet that contains notions and sewing supplies. I also have plastic drawers that contain my fabric, patterns and my cross stitch supplies. This area is perfect as a separate sewing space.

Around the corner from this is our bedroom and it contains another small alcove area. Okay - perhaps I need to define alcove area - this is the area where the peaks meet in the gabled ceilings. The ceilings are about 5 foot high in the center and then slope to a point where these areas have minimal use.

In this area in our bedroom we have our old round diningroom table and I am making it my scrapbook, craft and couponing area. Now when I want to leave my craft supplies or coupons out on a table, I can. I don't have to move them when I need to do "office" type work. I am hoping that over the next few days I can get all of my work areas pulled together.

I am sooo tired of being disorganized and the frustration that comes with that. It will be good to have a couple of areas where I can do my work and leave it undisturbed as needed.

Do you have any type of space in your home to call your own? If not, seek a space. I found mine in little places around my house.

Breakfast Casseroles - Another frugal meal

2011-11-07T17:07:00.001-06:00

In our house we always seem to have a few slices of bread (usually the heels) left in a bread bag that end up drying out and no one wants to use them in a sandwich. Now I use unwanted pieces of bread as seasoned bread crumbs, croutons and such, but my favorite thing to do with them is to use them in a breakfast casserole or Strata as some people call it.

I keep the ends of bread in a bag in the freezer and then when I have enough, it's time to make a breakfast casserole.

Here is my original recipe that I got out of a church cookbook some 30 years ago.

Ham and Cheese Breakfast Casserole

12 slices bread, cubed
8 oz. shredded cheddar cheese
1 lb. cubed ham
4 eggs
2 cups milk
1 stick margarine, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon prepared mustard

Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan. Place 2/3 thirds of the bread cubes on the bottom of the pan. Arrange the cheese and the ham over the top. Pour the melted margarine over the remaining bread cubes. Sprinkle over the top of the casserole. Leave in refrigerator overnight. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour.

Here is how I have made this casserole more versatile:

I reduce the amount of melted margarine to 1/4 cup and I also don't use near as much meat. It's not necessary.

If I have no meat or cheese but a lot of bread, I make it into a French toast casserole. Just sprinkle a bit of nutmeg and about 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon into the egg batter. Then sprinkle the top of the buttered cubes with cinnamon and sugar. Bake as usual. Serve with syrup.

I substitute sausage, bacon, even chicken for the ham. I have used swiss cheese with the bacon, co-jack cheese, muenster and so on. Basically I take any cheese I have on hand and use it. Also, I tend to take the bits of cheese I may have left from another recipe and freeze it for this use.

I love quiche because you can use up bits and pieces of meat and cheese but with this breakfast casserole you can also use up one more item and that is bread.

The only problem you may have is that when you start to tweak the recipe you may want to keep track of what you put in, because if it turns out really, really good you're family will want you to repeat it.

What's for Dinner Tonight? Fried Rice

2011-11-02T10:51:00.000-05:00

I love fried rice and so does my family. It is a great way to use up a small amount of leftover meat that isn't enough for another meal.

My recipe is one of those this and that kind of recipes. The basic recipe is as follows:

1 small onion chopped, about 1/4 cup
2 cups cooked rice
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 eggs beaten

Cook and stir the onion in a little oil until the onion is tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the cooked rice and soy sauce. Cook over low heat, stirring frequently, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in eggs; cook and stir until eggs are done, 4 to 5 minutes longer.

Okay, this is the basic recipe. I have in my freezer about 1/2 cup of frozen peas and in my fridge I have a carrot that is getting a little limp. I also have a piece of grilled chicken this about 1/2 size of my palm and about 2 slices of a pork loin roast from last night's meal.

I will add the peas and carrot along with sliced pieces of the chicken and pork to the rice concoction. You can of course use leftover rice - be it brown or white - both work well.

Another alternative would be to make soup or a casserole. Just be careful that whatever you make from leftovers serves one additional meal and that you don't end up making a meal from leftovers that becomes another leftover meal, unless you need to do this. Plan for those leftovers but don't go overboard.

Time for a Talk about Christmas

2011-11-01T20:52:00.000-05:00

I think I struck a nerve with some readers about my article on Christmas gift giving. It is November 1st so perhaps it is time to bring family members together and have a discussion.

We are in year 3 of a global financial crisis and in our community we are experiencing new layoffs. Just when you think it is going to get better, it doesn't.

It's time to sit down and talk to your families about Christmas. This could be the year that we end the madness and start to really feel the Christmas spirit. If you were to start with spending half of the amount you normally spend and give the other half to charity (if you can afford it), that would be a great start. I remember one year I received a note saying that a certain amount of money was given in my name to Heifer International. I honestly thought that was pretty cool.

So here's the challenge for this month - schedule a time to talk with family members about their expectations of Christmas and about how your family can get in the mindset of true giving this year at Christmas and each year hereafter.

Thinking Ahead to Stressful Gift Buying

2011-10-31T20:58:00.000-05:00

I’ve been thinking about Christmas this week. I always feel that once Halloween gets here, Thanksgiving flies by and then it is Christmas. I can’t really explain it, but I don’t feel like doing Christmas. I’m just not in the mood. I could be in the mood come February though. I am so pathetic.

Do you know what causes stress for me at Christmas time? It’s not the cooking, baking, cleaning or decorating – it’s the gift buying. I am at a loss as to what to get people for Christmas. Homemade gifts aren’t appreciated by many people on my gift list. I get so frustrated. It’s the same thing every year.

What do you buy extended family that have everything they could possibly want yet seem to demand a gift that is personalized to them and very thoughtful? Some years I find the perfect gift but most of the time, I am at a total loss. Does anyone else have this problem?

Then I have to send my mother a gift (notice I said “have to”) when she hasn’t sent me or my husband a gift in probably 20 years. One year she even called me to say that we had forgotten to renew her magazine subscription to a magazine that costs close to $90 per year. We had decided that we couldn’t afford it and had told her so, but a couple of weeks after Christmas she called to say that she hadn’t received her magazine and we must have forgotten. It was her way of manipulating us into caving and giving into her. We didn’t. We had given her something else.

Honestly I just want it to stop. I just want to give gifts to my husband and my children and daughter-in-law. The rest of the family I would love to give a simple gift, a homemade gift would be wonderful. But if I did, there would be a great deal of disappointment when the gift was opened and that prevents me from doing it.

Perhaps I should just start making gifts and that could become my "tradition." It is too late to make afghans or lengthy projects for this year, but I think I will begin this in 2012. No, I definitely will do this. There are many things I can sew or crochet that would make nice gifts and by planning ahead I could buy supplies when they are on sale.

I've been wanting to make my own soap and my own beauty products such as lip balm. Now I think I have my first goal for 2012 -- learn to make these items to give away as gifts. I like it.

I'm curious, if you have made your own gifts, what have you made?

Helping College Students

2011-10-28T21:49:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I went through our “coat” closet and looked at all of the sweatshirts and fleece jackets that we owned. I pulled out all of the hooded sweatshirts and jackets that I felt we no longer wore. I left them out on our dining room table so that my husband and son could look them over and make the final decision.

Today I took those items to our local United Way office to donate. These items didn’t fit into their “winter coat drive” needs but they had a “free” table set up for anyone to come and look over and take what they needed. So I was also able to donate a large slightly used backpack along with three zippered school notebooks that had little wear at all.

The table didn’t have a lot of items on it and I hope that someone will walk into the United Way office and will find a “treasure” on that table and take it home.

I appreciate Goodwill and other thrift stores in town, but what happens when you basically have no money for even these stores? We are doing fine financially now and by that I mean that that because of living frugally and getting debt paid down, we are able to have some wiggle room in our monthly budget. I can honestly say that wiggle room is good.

Even though there have been times in our marriage when we have had very, very little money to live on, I was always able to come up with a couple of dollars to take to Goodwill or a garage sale to find a much needed clothing item. However I am aware that this is not the case for a lot of people, namely college students.

We have a college located in our community and I have become friends with a few of the students. College is expensive and when you can only get a 5 to 9 hour a week work study job, you end up living on very, very little money. When I was in college I had very little “spending” money. Spending money was for toiletries, laundry and any other possible necessities. I got $10 a week and that was horrendous to try to live on even back in 1979.

To save money I would wash my clothes and hang them up to dry. Sometimes I would handwash all my clothes and wring them out and hang them to dry around my dorm room. I had to plan ahead as it took longer to dry. Books were always purchased used. I don't think I bought hardly any clothes when I was in college. Everything had to last and when it came to toiletries, I had to make sure I got as much as I could from the shampoo and deoderant I bought. I remember laying awake and worrying about where I would get the money to pay for tuition and my living expenses.

I remember one time when my shoes were wearing through so much that my feet got wet walking through the rain or snow. I borrowed money from my roommate to go to K-mart to buy some cheap shoes and then I paid her back as I got some money. It’s a horrible feeling to go to college away from home and spend money on tuition and such, try to study so you get good grades to keep up your scholarship and then to also have to worry about money for basic necessities.

It is also a lonely feeling.

That is why I am drawn to helping college students. I was there one time and I want to pay it forward to help others. I can’t take away all of their money problems and frankly, we all need to go through the hard times in order to understand the good times. However, I can take the edge off.

So, if you know of a college student, do what you can to help them out even if it is simply a package of homemade cookies sent to them in the mail. The emotional support is just as important as a monetary gift.

Super Easy Baked Cavatelli

2011-10-27T08:13:00.000-05:00

I help with cooking the youth group meals each week and I wanted to share with you this simple and easy recipe for baked cavatelli. This goes over so well with the youth group. They really love it and I love making it because it is so easy.

Baked Cavatelli

2 cups UNCOOKED rotini pasta
1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained
1 - 16 oz. can diced tomatoes
1 jar spaghetti sauce
Italian Seasoning
1 - 8 oz. bag shredded mozzarella
Pepperoni pieces (optional)

Mix the UNCOOKED rotini pasta, ground beef, tomatoes and spaghetti sauce. Add about 1/2 cup water. Add pepperoni pieces if desired. Pour into a 9 x 13 inch pan. Sprinkle with italian seasoning. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 1 1/4 hours. Top with the cheese and bake another 15 minutes until cheese is melted and pasta is tender.

I am making this on Sunday for our youth group and I will be donating the food from my pantry and freezer. I need to put together 6 pans and here is what I am calculating this will cost per pan.

1 lb. Boxes of rotini pasta purchased @ 69 cents
Jars of spaghetti sauce @ 75 cents
Mozzarella cheese @ $1.00
Diced tomatoes @ 33 cents
1 lb. Hamburger purchased @ 80 cents (BIG sale in February of this year)

Add this up and you can see how little each pan will cost. This is why I shop sales and use coupons, not only for myself but so that I can also save our church money.

I will add to this day old loaves of italian bread purchased for around 90 cents each and we will have apple slices (apples already donated by someone) and ice cream (donated also). The only thing the church will need to purchase will be 2 gallons of milk and the bread. This will serve around 40 people.

So, again, when you shop sales and get great deals, think about how you can donate some of those items perhaps to your church for meals or to a food pantry or other charity.

I'm making this up as I go.

2011-10-26T21:56:00.000-05:00

I'm making this up as I go.

I love the Indiana Jones movies and this is my favorite phrase from the first movie. I’ve been using that phrase a lot lately as I am volunteering part-time at my church.

Last July I felt it was time that I stepped up to the plate so to speak and give more time in service to my church. I knew that this meant that I needed to make sure wherever I served, it was in an area that I was gifted in and that I enjoyed. That does not mean that I don’t also do the tasks at church that are just plain needed and whether gifted or not, helping with cleaning up after a meal is just as important as planning an event.

I’m still trying to find the balance between my volunteer work and my responsibilities at home. The past two weeks have been quite busy – mostly with getting our new dog Buddy used to his new home. He’s thriving and we love him. And my house has gotten messy AND horror of horrors – I have not done a good job of making up a grocery list. Thankfully I still have quite a stocked pantry and freezer so I only need the basics. It’s just that I keep going back to the store for the basics. Why do I always forget the simple things like milk?

Well I now keep that ever present piece of paper on the front of the refrigerator for my list. Actually I have two. One is for things we need from the store and one is for the things I think of that need done. At least if both are attached to the fridge I won’t lose them. Then I can take the to do list and put it in my planner. I am always remembering things throughout the day and it is easier to quickly write them down on a piece of paper and then to sort those tasks out in the evening and put them in my planner.

I love being busy doing things I love to do and giving my time to my church is something I love to do. However, I love my home and domestic life just as much so it is important to find the balance between the two. I am determined to keep the balance and most importantly to be careful and not let busyness get in the way of overspending on my budget.

What do you do to keep everything on track when life gets busy?

Church Mom's Group

2011-10-21T20:10:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I spoke at a mom's group called MomShine about living on one income and frugality. As I gazed over the young moms that were there it took me back to the time when I was mom to a young son. You never forget what it feels like to hold your baby for the first time, to take him home and then realize you know "squat" about caring for a newborn.

Then fast forward a few years to when you have your next child and you are an old pro, or at least you think you are, until you realize that their personality is completely different than your first born. Everything you learned from the first child has to be tweaked in order to raise the second one.

Yes, these moms were in the midst of having very young children at home. I remember what it was like to try to get one ready to leave the house much less 2 or 3 at the same time, under the age of 5.

So, I hope I didn't overwhelm some of these moms with frugal tips about saving money on groceries. I still believe it is the first place to look to in order to save money. I also hope they got my message about not trying to do all of the money saving tips at once. And that who cares if your friend or neighbor has granite countertops. Does it really matter that you have old laminate ones? In the end I hope they got the message that saving money and getting out of debt means freedom to have choices.

I like having choices.

Reining it all In and making new goals

2011-10-17T20:17:00.000-05:00

I am reining in my unnecessary spending. Yes I have spent money over the past month that I shouldn't have. Time to get back on track and make some new financial goals.

1. Make a list and go to Wal-mart once a week. I've been disorganized and this has led to my going to Wal-mart one too many times and picking up a few impulse purchases along the way. Enough said here.

2. Grocery spending. Make up menus to use up what is in the freezer and save the balance of my budgeted grocery money.

3. Save money towards a semi-private vinyl fence for our yard to be installed next summer.

Along with these new goals are the old ones of paying off debt by March 2012, putting money into savings each month along with paying off the mortgage as soon as we can.

I have some other goals that I have made that are things I want to do.

1. Go bungee jumping - NOT!!!! I want to learn to make soap. This is something I have always wanted to do. There is something about using lye that kind of freaks me out, but as I have read and watched the tutorials I know I can do it. It is just finding the time.

2. Learn to sew some vintage clothes from the Edwardian/Titantic era. Next to making soap, this is something I want to do. It will mean I need to practice my sewing skills so I can actually accomplish some more difficult techniques.

3. Learn to knit on the round knitting looms I bought.

I see so many people make financial goals and that's great. In the quest to quit spending excessively and to pay things down, don't forget the fun goals that you can make. Is there something that you want to learn to do, but never made the time? Many of the things that I want to do won't cost much money.

There's something gratifying about working on financial goals while also learning to do something new. If you are facing a mountain of debt that will take you a long time to dig out of, the worst thing you can do is to be totally obsessed by it and think of nothing else. Make your financial plan and goals and stick with it. While you should take getting out of debt serious, there is no reason you can't also bring joy to your life by learning to do something new. It makes your life interesting.

No, not Peanut Butter too!!

2011-10-14T20:44:00.000-05:00

Due to the drought in the southern states, the peanut crop has not done well at all which means peanut products will be going up in prices an estimated 40%.

My husband has peanut butter on a bagel every morning and I love crunchy peanut butter granola bars for breakfast. I even make homemade dog treats that contain peanut butter. Peanut butter is a staple for a lot of people. I'm not going to go into the good and bad of regular peanut butter versus natural peanut butter. The fact is it is a good source of protein for many people.

I have several jars in my pantry that I purchased for 99 cents a jar over the spring and summer. Now I wish I would have purchased more. Perhaps I should pay attention to what is an actual serving size of peanut butter so it will last longer. Then again I should do this with all food. For peanut butter a serving size is 2 tablespoons. I know that we spread more than that on piece of bread or bagel slice. So with everything pay attention to the exact serving sizes.

When I was a child I remember that peanut butter was one of the things that our family would receive in the commodity program. When my father was out of work we would get some food from the government commodity program. I remember peanut butter came in a large institutional can and I thought that was kinda "cool" as peanut butter in the store came in a jar.

This week has been a week of excess spending because we adopted Buddy our new dog and had as of yesterday $238.00 in veterinary expenses. The dog may have been free, but the upkeep and maintenance isn't. Now that Buddy is in our family we will budget his expenses as we have with other pets.

Buddy is a gentle, wonderful dog and it just seems that him being part of our family was meant to be. With the addition of a new pet there comes new routines and more time has been spent getting Buddy used to his new home. Also, there is the training. Fortunately Buddy is housebroken but not leash trained so I am spending more of my time to get him leash trained so that I will be able to walk him without him straining at the leash.

Buddy will be my new exercise partner as our older dog, Griffey, doesn't walk very fast due to her age. She kind of lumbers along and I doubt that I burn 10 calories if that when I walk her. But old dog or not, Griffey enjoys and savors her daily walks no matter how long it takes her. Perhaps this is something we as human beings can learn from our pets - to savor the small things such as a slow lumbersome walk on a cool fall day.

Rescuing a Dog

2011-10-12T19:36:00.000-05:00

Someone dumped this dog in front of our house yesterday.

Buddy

Today he became ours.

He is part Boxer and part Coon Hound. It was not a frugal day. The vet bill was close to $200 but he is a sweety. We had been talking about getting another dog for a long time and I have always wanted a Boxer.

He's a keeper.

Preparing for the Future

2011-10-10T20:54:00.000-05:00

It’s been almost a week since I posted. There are so many things I need to do but my energy level has been low. Last week I felt “cruddy.” I was tired a lot. Actually I think I had a mild case of the flu and so I didn’t push it too much and rested. This is the luxury of being home in my opinion. I can lie down on the couch when I don’t feel well and take a nap.

Last week my husband was offered an opportunity to change jobs. He wasn’t looking for a job as he is very happy with where he is working right now. Sometimes though opportunities come along when you aren’t looking for them and then you find yourself trying to make a life decision – one you hadn’t asked for.

So last week we spent a few days trying to decide what was best for him and our family. He would have to work in a community that is about a 30 minute drive from our home. The salary and benefits are better. If you looked at it from a financial view, you would immediately think that the obvious choice would be to take the new job. After all more money and better benefits translates into more money to pay off bills and our mortgage sooner. It also means more money for retirement.

But it also means working in another community which means you can’t walk to and from work anymore nor come home for lunch. My DH has a tremendous amount of flexibility with his job which is why he is also able to coach cross country for the local high school. This is something he would have to give up.

So in the end the decision my husband made was to stay right where he was at. Sometimes you can’t put a price on the non-monetary benefits that a job can offer you.

The one thing that I have always worried about is that in light of what has happened in the past few years, job security is a thing of the past. Companies can close or be bought out and employees can be laid off through downsizing. My husband and I have never talked much about what would happen if he found himself out of a job when he is in his late 50’s, until this weekend.

My husband is 53 years old and I am 52. We talked about the scenario of being out of a job in his late 50’s and what we would do. How would we pay our bills? We came up with a plan which involves continuing to be careful about our hard earned money. Our credit card debt will be paid off between January and March of 2012. What a relief. And what comes next – the mortgage. Think about it – what would your life be like if you had no credit card debt, no car payments and no mortgage? Without those bills, my DH could work a job that pays considerably less money. We talked about all the possibilities.

The key is that we live simply and will continue to live simply. Nothing will change.

I have a goal in the next year or so to start my own business. It won’t be a big money maker, but I do hope that I can at least net around $300 a month. I want to make bar soap, lotions, lip balms and lotion bars to sell. It’s something I have always been interested in doing. At the very least I could start out by making these as gifts to give to my family and friends on special occasions. It’s a hobby that could be transformed into a modest money maker. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has ever started a "cottage" business.

I started this blog as a way to keep track of my new lifestyle and how I could cut back on expenses to live on one income. Now I am realizing that this lifestyle is the way we will continue to live for the rest of our lives and that is so freeing. My husband does not need to work a job that pays more money just so we can buy more stuff. That is not freeing. It is far more fun to live on less and enjoy the freedom that it brings to become debt free.

Does your spending change as you pay down debt?

2011-10-04T21:32:00.000-05:00

We paid off our car in July and we made the final payment on my husband's truck this week. It's a good feeling. Two years ago I looked ahead to this time as I knew that once these two vehicles were paid off, it would jumpstart the further reduction of our debt and also enable us to put more in savings.

There's something about having extra money in the budget each month to put on the remaining bills or put in savings. It's just a little bit of piece of mind.

We are not yet to our final goal of paying off all consumer debt and then the mortgage. I have been thinking about the psychology of this scenario. When you've become accustomed to a smaller amount of money to spend on food or anything else for that matter, what happens when you pay off debt and have more money you can spend? Do you relax the purse strings and spend money?

Yes and no.

With my getting busier as I am doing more volunteer work, I have added some money in the budget so that we could eat out once a week if we would like. Now when I say eat out, we are not big spenders in restaurants. We go to Subway, Wendy's or out for pizza. We eat at better restaurants for special celebrations such as our anniversary. Other than that, nothing else will change.

What I am experiencing is satisfaction that we have met a goal of getting two major bills paid off. Living consciously of where our money is going, of how to save more money out of our budget has definitely become a new way of life to me.

I'll never go back to the way it used to be. I'll never be irresponsible with our hard earned money.

When you start out looking at a mountain of debt and you are on a limited income, it is too much to look at the big picture. The worst thing you can do is to think it is too much to face so you give up. Take it one bill at a time. Stick with it and in time, yes it takes some time, you will see your hard work and your "stick with it" attitude paying off.

Hang in there. It will happen.

Shopping at Goodwill and Dealing with Paxil

2011-10-03T21:57:00.000-05:00

I have been to our Goodwill store here in town twice. The first time I didn't find anything I needed. The second time I found a perfect woven table cloth for my dining room table.

While I was attending a church leadership seminar in Kansas City last week, I noticed some of the clothes that the presenters were wearing. Later in the hotel I would write down what I saw and what I liked and I was determined to find some of the same "looks."

I have never had a jean jacket that I truly loved and after seeing the jean jackets being worn by women with various outfits I decided that I wanted a jean jacket. Now, the one thing I am determined to do is that when I buy an article of clothing, I must get rid of something in my closet.

On Saturday I went shopping at our local Goodwill store and I found just what I was looking for. In fact I found a couple of really nice sweaters that I bought also.

Here is the jean jacket that I bought for $4.00.

The following items I have had in my closet for over 5 years and I wear them off and on.

The skirt is lacey. Here is the jewelry that I already had.

Look what happens when I open the faux pearl necklace and wear it long. The silver chains will be hidden by the collar on my jacket. Then I add the rest of the articles of clothing and I get this.

Here's the jacket close up.

Here is a crocheted skirt that I have had for at least 6 years.

Here it is with the jacket for a slightly Bohemian look. I like both looks.

Now I am on the hunt for a knee length coat to wear with jeans and pants. I made a major mistake when I went to Goodwill on Saturday. As I came in the door I saw a coat that was a good possibility but I bypassed it and went looking for jean jackets. I should have put the coat in my cart to try on after I found the jean jacket as someone else bought it before I could. Oh well, lesson learned.

Tuesday is a good day to shop at Goodwill so tomorrow I will take a break from my work to go and see what has come in on the latest shipment. I'm hooked.

While at Goodwill I didn't only purchase clothing. I have been wanting old style canning jars for years and look what I found at Goodwill.

And now on to Paxil.

Last week was week three of being weaned off Paxil. Well, I hit a brick wall while I was in Kansas City in that I suddenly started suffering the side effects from going off this drug. I could handle it for the most part but after I got home it got worse. Migraine type headaches along with nausea, vertigo and "brain sparks." These are like zaps or jolts in the brain. Why I was doing so well only to be sidelined on the 21st day is beyond me.

I couldn't cope with the side effects so I chose to go back on Paxil and leave weaning off of it for another season. After talking to my doctor about what I experienced it sounds like when I am ready to try weaning off Paxil again I will need to decrease my dosage very, very slowly instead of what normally works for everyone else.

While in Kansas City I went to bed a lot earlier and I am continuing to do so. As long as I get at least 8 hours of sleep at night, I am good during the day. I'll leave going off Paxil for another time.

I would love to hear from any of you about your shopping experiences at thrift or Goodwill stores. My rule remains the same of buying only what I need and at a good value. The fun thing is that with the prices of thrift stores I can come up with a look that is all my own -- I guess the best way to describe it is I like to dress a little "funky" sometimes with a Bohemian edge and I love doing it for a small fee.

I'm back from Kansas City

2011-10-03T08:42:00.000-05:00

My day today is filled with laundry, picking up around the house and updating my calendar and organizing my volunteer work. I had a wonderful time in Kansas City. Here are glimpses' of my post that will be published tonight:

1. Went to Goodwill and found a couple of additions to my fall wardrobe. No more department store shopping for me. I loved the treasure hunt.

2. I hit a brick wall with my weaning off Paxil and I am back on it.

3. I'm still tired from my trip but strangely I am energized to get stuff done at home and at church.

Missed you all and hope all is well with your families. I will "talk" to you tonight.

Poppy Seed Bread and Plenty More

2011-09-26T22:37:00.000-05:00

I found this recipe in an old church cookbook and gave it a try this weekend. I take breakfast breads such as muffins, coffeecake, quick breads along with fresh fruit to church for some Adult Education classes. Along with baking muffins for my DH's cross country team, this gives me the chance to try some new recipes.

I have some poppy seed bread recipes that start out with a cake mix but I don't always have a cake mix on hand. Also, I wanted a recipe that wasn't lemon. The amazing thing about this recipe was that I had the three flavorings in my cupboard. It was truly delicious and moist and what was left after Sunday School was taken to the youth group and they finished it off.

Poppy Seed Bread - Makes 2 loaves

3 cups flour
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons poppy seeds
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 cups milk (I use powdered milk reconstituted in the water)
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract
1 1/2 teaspoons butter flavoring

Combine the flour, sugar, poppy seeds and baking powder in a mixer bowl and mix well. Add the milk, oil, eggs and the extracts and flavoring. Beat for 1 to 2 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally. Spoon batter into two 5 x 9 inch greased and floured loaf pans. (HINT: I cut a piece of parchment paper to fit in the bottom only of the loaf pan and then I butter the paper. This makes it so easy to get the bread out of the pan without tearing the bottom of the loaf.) Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Cool in pans for 5 minutes.

I didn't do the next step as I wasn't sure how sticky it would make the tops of the loaves and I also thought the bread was sweet enough. For those who want to try it, here are the rest of the instructions.

Combine the following in a bowl and mix well: 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup orange juice, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract and 1/2 teaspoon butter flavoring. Drizzle over the tops of the loaves.

I wasn't sure if the sugar would dissolve well enough and perhaps I will try this the next time but I will use powdered sugar instead of the granulated sugar.

Now as to what I have been up to: DECLUTTERING!! I have more to do, but that will have to wait for another week. In the meantime I am leaving tomorrow for Kansas City to go to a church conference and will be back Friday evening. I have been doing laundry and some cleaning in hopes that my home won't look like a disaster when I return.

When my son asked what he and my DH were going to have to eat for dinner when I was gone, I simply said "your dad will take care of it." No way was I going to spend time thinking about this. My DH's response is that he will fire up the grill and they will have hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken. I told both of them that there were plenty of things to eat from the freezer and my DH's reply was "we will be fine."

My husband is the best. He doesn't worry about meals when he is home alone as he is pretty self sufficient. He isn't much of a cook but he can grill meat, make eggs, pancakes and French toast along with a few other things.

It is unusual for me to be gone for 3 days and I am looking forward to being with friends from church and to also make some new acquaintances.

This morning's newspaper reported the high numbers of those living in poverty and also individuals receiving assistance from food banks. I started thinking about what it would take to come up with 3 days' worth of groceries to give away. I've thought about this for a long time as a possible "missions" project at our church. I am pondering items to put into 2 brown paper bags or even one brown paper bag that would be enough food to make meals for 3 days for a family of four. In the brown bag could be recipes and instructions of how to make those items into meals.

These meals would definitely be low cost meals as we would want to be able to make up as many brown bags as possible. I envision any meat being kept in a freezer in our church that we could drop into one of the bags when someone needed food.

Food banks are being stretched to the limit and although several churches in our community provide 3 evening meals at the end of the month for anyone in our community, I keep wondering about what else we can do. I worry especially about children during school vacations and holidays and for that matter weekends, when they are not receiving school breakfast and lunches. No one should go hungry.

I'll be back blogging Friday or Saturday. If anyone makes the poppy seed bread tell me how you like it. Also remember that we are coming into the "holiday" season with Christmas only 3 months away. Many of you may be like me looking for possible recipes for food gifts to give away. This poppy seed bread fits the bill.

My Biggest Mistakes in Getting Organized & Cleaning

2011-09-21T21:34:00.000-05:00

Mistake 1. I purchased books and e-books or I spent time reading library books to tell me how to get organized and how to clean or set up a cleaning schedule.

I have a shelf of organization and housekeeping books. The books I refer to the most are the ones that are more the advice type of telling me how to get out a particular stain and so on. These are the old Home Ec style books. The others are books that give advice on how to set up a cleaning or organization schedule.

You might as well save your money. We are all different and everyone has a different housekeeping style. It set me up for failure to try to duplicate what someone else was doing. While I could glean some tips, the bottom line was that what works for someone else didn’t necessarily work for me.

I remember when the first Sidetracked Home Executive books came out in the early 1980’s. I read them because they did address the side tracked issue but I couldn’t keep up with their card system.

A better use of your time would be to sit down with a tablet of paper and ask yourself these questions.

a. How much time do you have to spend on cleaning?

b. Are you a “clean a little bit at a time each day person” or are you a “deep clean once a week kind of person.”

c. Can you delegate some of the tasks to other family members and do you want to do that OR would you prefer to do it yourself to your standards?

From these questions I could see what was realistic for me and what was unrealistic for me. My goal was to have an uncluttered home and relatively clean home that I could maintain. Yes, that is right, that I could maintain and what was realistic for me.

Spending some time writing down a plan that was tailored to my personality and my needs was the best use of my time.

Mistake 2. I went out and bought a bunch of plastic containers before I started doing anything.

You know what it is like. You wake up one day and think “this is the day I will get organized.” So you get in your car and go to the Big Box store and buy a bunch of plastic bins and containers to put stuff in. Save your money.

As you put things away, you will find out very clearly what you need or if you need anything at all. Many times just clearing things out of closets and throwing and giving things away will clear up space. After doing that you may need some plastic bins and tubs and you may find out you don’t need as much as you thought.

Mistake 3. I tried to tackle everything in one day.

I would get “Gung Ho” about cleaning and organizing. You know what it is like, you make an announcement because you are at the end of your rope and decide that you will get your house in order that very day. After an hour you begin to grow a little weary, you lose focus and you start to wane. Many times you are left with a bigger mess because you leave things all over the place (piles that you are going to organize) thinking you’ll get right back to it later.

You didn’t get into this mess overnight and you aren’t going to get out of it overnight. It’s great to be motivated, but don’t go overboard.

Mistake 4. I tried to clean and organize at the same time.

This is much to do at one time and again, it is too overwhelming. It was much better for me to put things away in their proper place and then clean the house. When the house was clean and in order, I could then start to sort through closets and drawers and de-clutter and organize.

What has worked for me?

Again, remember, everyone is different. I cleared off an area of the dining room table for me to work at so I wouldn’t be too distracted by my surroundings. I sat down with a tablet of paper and a cup of coffee and I wrote down my ideas for getting things done. The goal was to have a clean house and maintain it. Then the second goal was to spend time going through all the stuff in my house and decide what would be kept, what would be tossed or given away and what I would need to organize and maintain the stuff.

I cannot do a lot all at once not only because of my chronic back pain, but also because I lose interest. So I came up with a plan to get things done by doing a little bit at a time and delegating things out when I wanted to. Yes, I like things done my way, but there are some things that I don’t mine passing off on someone else.

One thing I have quickly found out is that if I can pick things up at night in the main living areas of the home and then when I get up in the morning everything looks good enough that I feel motivated to get my work done. Even if I need to clean, it is much easier to face it in the morning when everything is put in its proper place.

We are all different and we have special gifts and talents. Time is better spent coming up with your own plan based on your personality and your style of living than to try to replicate someone else’s plan.

It may be frustrating at first to sit down amidst the mess to make a plan, but it will help you out in the long run. You will have a tailored made plan just for you.

Here is my best cleaning and organization secret that I will give you for free. Yes, I could go on t.v. and offer this for $9.95 plus shipping and handling, but today it’s free.

What is this amazing tool? A wire bound notebook. Yes, a 1 subject wire bound notebook that you can get at Walmart for 15 cents during the back to school sales is my secret tool. Keep this notebook in the room that you are cleaning or organizing in order to write down anything that you are remembering to do while you are working. This will free your mind to stay on task because you don’t have to worry about remembering other things. For example, while I am cleaning I will think of things such as the need to fill my prescription for my thyroid medicine or I will think of a gift to give someone for Christmas. When I quickly write these things down in a notebook, then I can stay on task knowing that these thoughts are written down in a wire bound notebook that won’t get lost while I am working.

The Path to Frugality is two years old

2011-09-19T21:41:00.002-05:00

I have come a long way from when I started this blog two years ago. I remember back then I fretted more over the fact that I didn't know how to set up a blog than I should have. Blogging is fun and it has become my journal of what I have gone through over the past two years.

I've been reading some of my posts from two years ago and it takes me back to a newness in my life. Back then being home was so new and fresh. I was rejoicing in my newfound freedom I had to my daily life. My schedule was my own and I could pick when I wanted to do any household project.

The first few weeks I started my day with a cup of coffee on the back porch while reading the newspaper. Then it was on to a quick shower, doing my hair and makeup and deciding what I would do that day. Reading those older posts helps me to stay grounded and on track to my goals. I have strayed over the past two years and have spent money when I shouldn't have and each time I pull myself back on track. When you fall, you get up. Making one mistake does not mean throwing in the towel and giving up on everything.

Two years later I still enjoy the freedom being at home has brought me. My schedule is still my own. I have added volunteer responsibilities to my daily schedule but I still choose when I want to do them.

I have the same concerns that I did have back then as to if I could really make it living on one income as I am by nature a spender. I've learned what pushes my "money" buttons and I've tried my hardest to stay away from temptation to spend money on frivolous things. It's hard to stay on track. But it was also hard for me to work a job and never have time to myself. It's worth the trade off.

Tomorrow I will sit on my back porch and sip a cup of coffee (Green Mountain Nantucket) and instead of the newspaper I will be reading a book on my Kindle.

Thanks to my followers and those that comment and read this blog. You have become my friends and I value your comments and critiques. I do my best to follow your blogs too. I consider all of us "family" doing what it takes to survive in this economy and helping each other along the way by giving advice and great helpful hits. Thank you my friends.

Living in a Messy House - Temporarily

2011-09-17T10:26:00.000-05:00

When my kids were young, they loved all of the "Bernstein Bears" books. I still have all of the them in hopes that my grandchildren will enjoy reading them. "The Messy Room" book was their favorite. As I look at the cover picture for the book, I think that the pictures should be reversed for me as I am the one with the messy room.

Over the past month I have been busy taking on new volunteer responsibilities. Perhaps I should give this another name as "responsibilities" gives the connotation of "work" and the idea that I'm not having fun with what I am doing with my time. I am having fun with all of the activities that I am involved in.

The problem is that I have neglected my housework. I have been "putting the fires out" throwing a load of underwear into the wash when we are about out, and thankfully with a full freezer and pantry I have been able to throw a meal together in the last minute until about a week ago.

Last night we ate a frozen pizza for supper as I was too tired to make a homemade pizza. Now, that is not going to kill us and actually it tasted pretty good, but my disorganization has made it's way to the budget.  I am over budget in my spending on groceries and a few other places in the budget because I haven't sat down to actually make up much of a grocery list.

Aside from the money aspect it has led to the frustration in my life of trying to find things and just the mental anxiety of living in a home that is messy and disorganized.

I don't like to clean but I love a clean house. How many of us admit this? I want a clean home with the yard work all done and everything put together with those beautiful fall mums in planted pots on the front porch, the yard trimmed and looking good and then when you open the door to the house you look into a livingroom that is clean, uncluttered and inviting. The kitchen is always put together with a few little flowers in a bud vase. The beds are made and everything smells so clean and wonderful.

The house that I know that looks like that is one that is on the market to be sold and has to look like that in case someone stops by at any time to go through it.

So what to do.  Today I am decluttering the downstairs of my home.  By decluttering I am talking about simply picking up stuff and putting it in it's proper place. The majority of the clutter has been caused by me. I can't blame any other family members. It is mine. I will then spend some time getting as much of my "desk work" done and organized.

My family is willing to help clean if they know what I need them to do. It is easier to give a task to do when things are put away. My husband will vacuum and my son will clean the downstairs bathroom. I will do a quick dusting and then tidy up the kitchen and wash the floor. That is all it will take to bring the house into some order. Then I can organize a deep cleaning day.

I haven't had time to just sit down and get my calendar out and get organized. When I do that, my house and life run so much smoother.

I don't want my days filled with work. I love to have time to sit down in the evening to read or watch a movie on Netflix or to be able to read the blogs that I follow. Life shouldn't be all work, and there are times when you serve frozen pizza for supper or you get take out or hit the fast food restaurant for a quick meal. It won't kill you and because it is rarely done in our house, it is a special treat.

It will just feel good to be able to find a pen when I need it or that stupid to do list that I wrote and I lost and had to start over again two or three times.

Coming out of the fog . . .

2011-09-16T23:15:00.000-05:00

I started being weaned off Paxil last week and today I noticed that I am thinking more clearly, have more energy and I feel as if I am getting my old self back. That is good.

I took a couple more days off from blogging as I was experiencing some side effects of withdrawal. It wasn't really that bad, but I was glad to be home so that I could nap whenever I needed to.

Yesterday I had a major cooking disaster. I baked 8 dozen homemade blueberry muffins for my husband's cross country team. My recipe calls for 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries per dozen. I was in the kitchen happily baking these muffins, sprinkling the tops with a cinnamon sugar mixture and then baking them. By the time I was ready to make supper, the muffins were done and cooling on the counter.

I'm not sure why, but I decided to take a couple of muffins and set them on the table for supper. It is a good thing I did as I measured the wrong amount of baking powder for those muffins - by the wrong amount, I put in too much. Those were the worst tasting muffins I have ever put in my mouth. As soon as I bit into the muffins it tasted like a mouthful of baking powder and they sucked my mouth dry. I couldn't even swallow them.

So, 8 dozen beautiful looking bursting with blueberries muffins were dumped in a garbage bag and put in the trash. There was no way to resurrect anything like that. Ugh, I can still taste those muffins just thinking about them.

After supper I baked 8 dozen more blueberry muffins and they turned out fine. I think I went wrong with the first 8 dozen by trying to watch a movie while I was measuring. Next time, I will definitely be more careful as this was an expensive mistake.

The weather has already turned cold and we have had frost warnings. On Monday I had the air conditioning on and last night I turned on my electric blanket to get the bed warm. This weather is ridiculous but it does put you in the mood for homemade soup or chili.

The economic news has not been good for a long time. It's starting to wear on me. The only good thing has been that in our area they have really been running a lot of sales to get people into the stores. For the past 3 months I have received a coupon from JC Penney for $10 off an item valued at $10 or more. I have been using these coupons to buy anything that is close to $10 so I am not spending extra money. I can always find something on clearance that I can use or buy for a present for someone else.

Other things that have been going on in my life is that I've been planning the meals that I help cook for our youth group when they meet on Sunday evenings. We have to keep our costs down as much as possible and so far we have been doing pretty good. It can be a challenge but the one thing that I am finding out, is that these kids like home cooked food. In a couple of weeks my helper, Marcia, and I are going to make homemade baked mac and cheese. Velveeta has been on sale for only $3.99 for a 2 lb. block and macaroni was on sale this week for only 66 cents for a 1 lb. package. We are cooking for around 60 (hopefully the numbers will increase) so that is going to be a cheap main dish for us.

I like when the weather turns cool, but it is about a month early for us. So, what has the weather been like "in your neck of the woods?"

Back to Normal Tomorrow

2011-09-13T21:00:00.002-05:00

I'll be back to normal posting tomorrow. My 18 year old son just won a seat on the local school board. I've been spending time helping with his campaign so tomorrow I go back to "normal" whatever that is!!!

Just a Quick Note this Morning

2011-09-11T08:37:00.000-05:00

I'm watching the 9/11 memorial services as I eat my breakfast before church this morning. Wonderful tributes.

I have been busy in the past few days and come tomorrow, I will have a few projects completed and ready to move on to more. I am now a volunteer at my church coordinating the ministries - that is I am working to help improve communication between the committees. In that capacity our church staff is brainstorming ways to reach out to our community and help others. We are being guided by Christ's mandate to love one another.

Here is what we have been working on: reaching out to our local college students by delivering 1 dozen of homemade cookies to any student that wants them; trying to coordinate a potluck at our church a couple of times a month for the college students and young adults that attend our Sunday Morning Worship.

And there is more that we are working on related to men's and women's ministries, children's ministries, ministries to our senior citizens and so on.

It is a lot of fun working with our church staff and others to bring ministries to our community. Yes, it is fun.

Today we have invited some college students to eat with us for lunch and I have made plenty so that I can invite others as well. This afternoon I will be at the church around 3:30 to make sloppy joes as I am cooking for the youth group. Our middle schoolers and high schoolers meet each Sunday evening for their own worship service complete with band and then they break into their small groups. We are on a very limited budget for food and that is where I come in. We are making simple food, but plenty of it.

Tonight we are having sloppy joes, chips, corn and bar cookies. Next week I am planning on homemade baked mac and cheese with the sides being provided by parents. We will be feeding around 40 to 50 youth along with 15 adults.

If any of you have recipes to feed a crowd on a budget, please let me know. Serving at church is fun when you find a place to serve that is in line with your talents and gifts. Yes even frugal cooking is a talent that can be used in ministry.

What's the lesson here? Find what you like to do and then do it for others.

Homemade Muffins

2011-09-08T20:16:00.000-05:00

Thanks for your kind comments. The antibiotics are working but they do make me drowsy. I am also slowly being weaned off of Paxil which is great. I'm looking forward to being off of it and having more energy.

Tonight I baked 8 dozen banana muffins for my husband's cross country team. I, as the coach's wife, have baked muffins for their breakfast on Friday mornings for 12 seasons. It always is surprising to me how much these kids (grades 7 through 12) love muffins. I have a list of muffins that I bake for them: pumpkin, bran, banana, donut style, blueberry and applesauce. They practice for 6 weeks so I just rotate them my repertoire.

Muffins are a treat for these kids as moms don't bake muffins much anymore. These kids are always telling me how much they love these treats and I am always being thanked. I find that even though they are being made from scratch, it doesn't take that long to make muffins and they are really pretty frugal.

I have a huge metal bowl that I get out for a big baking project. From start to finish I can make 8 dozen muffins from scratch in about 90 minutes. I baked banana muffins today as I was able to get some slightly overripe bananas for only 29 cents a lb.

The next time you want to take a treat to someone, try muffins. They are quick to mix up and bake and when you deliver them still warm, they are extra special.

It's been a week....

2011-09-07T21:26:00.000-05:00

I am going to keep this post short. I haven't posted lately as I have been sick - have a U.T. infection and I am on some strong anti-biotics. As I type this I am feeling a little "loopy" but the drugs are working. As the nurse said "you have a raging urinary tract infection." I have been ignoring the pain in my side and my back for a long time thinking it would go away. Well, it didn't and then I was doubled over in pain one day which means - it isn't going away!!!

I'm sure I will be better by tomorrow and will be on the meds for another week or so. Best part -- I have plenty of food in the freezer so I don't have to worry about going out to the grocery store and I can hang out at home and sleep on the couch.

Lesson One (the one I never seem to learn). Take care of myself. Don't be like me and be a martyr feeling like you can keep going and going and ignor what your body is telling you, because sooner or later you will have to deal with it. If I would have dealt with it sooner, I wouldn't feel so yucky right now.

Lesson learned (for the umpteenth time).

I Wish I would have bought .... and Tightwad Gazette III

2011-09-02T20:35:00.000-05:00

Have you ever found something that you would like to buy at a garage sale or auction but your spouse says absolutely not? Well, sometimes I get these crazy decorating ideas and my husband looks at me and shakes his head. Normally he goes along with many things such as the colors we painted the exterior of our house and the colors I painted in our living room, but last year he put his foot down about something I wanted to buy.

I really wish he would have said yes as I had a place for this item in our yard and I imagined what it would look like. I tried to explain to my husband that this item would look very “Kitschy” and then I had to try to explain what that was.

We were riding our bikes one evening and I saw what seemed like a wonderful purchase. We drove by this house for the next few days and I kept gawking at it until I finally told my husband that we should buy it. For $100 we could have been the owners of a 1950’s little trailer.

It looked very much like this but it was yellow instead of red and a little smaller. I wanted to put it in our backyard and then put a little awning in the front of it. My plan was to store our garden supplies inside it or I was going to make it look old again with newer cushions and pretty little curtains in it and we could sit in front of it and read or sit in it and read and relax on rainy days. It was just something cutesy that I thought would be really cool to have in our backyard.

But my husband was a definite “No way” to this idea. I regret not working on him a little longer as I really wish I had this. Oh well – perhaps there will be another one on sale in a couple of years when I have worn him down.

This is the only purchase I have ever regretted not making. Usually it is the other way around in that I will buy something and regret purchasing it later on.

Now some tips from Amy Dacyczyn of the Tightwad Gazette III.

When Amy was a child her mom shopped at a grocery store that had a bin full of imperfect fruit, brown bananas and grapes that had been separated from their bunches. These items were sold at a reduced price.

With all of the upscale type of grocery stores that became the new trend, (and still are), it is very hard to find sub-prime fruit or vegetables at a reduced price. One day a reader made a comment to her grocery store manager about wishing there were some reduced priced produce to purchase. He told her to come back on Tuesdays, Thursdays or Saturdays and she could have all of the over ripe produce she wanted. Well, she did just that and found herself bringing home bushels and carts of produce for about $1.00 a bushel or cart.

Amy sent a staffer out to several different grocery stores ranging from high end stores to small Mom and Pop stores to investigate any opportunities to purchase reduced produce. Each store had their policies regarding selling over ripe produce. Examples of these policies were selling this type of produce every now and then, donating all of it to a food pantry or a farmer bought it, being careful not to order too too much produce in the first place or throwing it all out. One store did sell over ripe produce at a reduced price when it was available.

So what does it come down to? Being bold enough to ask a store manager if they sell any over ripe produce at a reduced price.

Last year I was canning apple butter and I needed some more apples. When I went to my grocery store, I asked the produce manager if they had any bruised apples to sell. He told me to wait and he would be right back. He came back with a paper sack filled with apples that were in pretty good shape. I purchased these apples for $1.00. Many of the apples were perfect so I picked those out for eating and the rest I used to make applesauce. Now if I want to bake banana bread and there aren’t any over ripe bananas for sale, I simply ask if they have any. Usually the produce manager is able to find some to sell me at a reduced price. It always pays to ask.

Living a Downsized Life or Lowering your expectations, Plus some tips from Amy Dacyczyn

2011-08-31T22:18:00.000-05:00

My father was born in 1917. My mother was born in 1930. I was born in 1959. My father was a disabled American veteran from injuries he received serving in World War II. He worked in a factory for 31 years and he earned 2/3’s the wage of an able bodied worker. Still on that low salary he was able to buy a home and fix it up and pay off the mortgage. Our family had one car until we were able to get a second car for only $100. It was a “beater” that my dad took to work so my mom could use the family car when she needed it.

My mom went to work when I was in 9th grade and all of her salary went to put my sister and me through college. Then she quit working once this was accomplished.

My parents were able to fulfill their American dream on a lot less money than most families were earning at that time. The difference is in the kind of house they owned, the type of cars we drove, the clothes we wore and the food we ate. So, can you still have the same dream now?

The answer is yes but we have to go back to living with the values of the time that my parents’ lived. Both lived through the Depression, World War II and many economic troubling times such as we lived through in the 1970’s with layoffs and strikes. What does it take? It takes the courage to buck the system and dare to live below our means even when we have all of our debts paid off and we could spend more on stuff.

I believe the American Dream is still alive if we downsize our expectations.

Now some advice from Amy Dacyczyn.

Retail Revelation – Second Hand Clothes for teenagers

When Amy was writing her newsletter she received some letters from readers that said “just wait until you’re kids become teenagers” meaning they would rebel if they had to wear second hand clothes. One day Amy took her daughter to some major department stores so that her daughter could show Amy her “style.” Amy and her daughter were surprised at the selection of clothes and even her daughter was shocked at the prices of the clothing. About the only thing that her daughter saw that she liked were jeans, flared jean skirts and dark colored turtle necks. These three items could be found at garage sales or thrift stores without a problem.

Then Amy took her daughter to the Salvation Army and she found a denim skirt with a little lace at the bottom which her daughter loved. Amy bought it for her. Their thrift shop shopping trip paid off as her daughter saw that the thrift store did have about the same thing that the department stores had. Amy surmised that her daughter felt like she was missing something by not going to stores to look at brand new clothing. Her daughter quickly realized that she wasn’t missing a thing and could find what she liked at a thrift store.

I think that this is a great idea for a teenage girl especially if you give them an allowance for clothing and they can see how much more can be purchased at thrift stores. I have looked through catalogs and gone to department stores to look at the styles and then I have gone to several thrift stores to see if there is a way to replicate the same look. It definitely can be done and I think it is so much more fun to find “retro” clothing or used clothing and make it into a different look.

The key is to downsize your wardrobe and try to make use of several items to mix and match. Thrift shops are also great for finding some neat accessory items.

Tightwad Gazette III - Day Eleven

2011-08-29T21:30:00.000-05:00

No, I haven’t forgotten our journey through the Tightwad Gazette III. We are almost to the end of this book. Today’s posting gives a recipe, a few tips and an article on dehydrating. I’m hoping that anyone out there that dehydrates food, will respond to this article. But first, here’s a recipe from Amy that uses that ever handy browned ground beef crumbles.

Amy’s Rice a Roni Casserole

1 lb. ground beef
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup rice
8 ounces spaghetti, broken into 1 inch pieces
4 tablespoons margarine (or use cooking spray or some olive oil)
4 cups broth or water and bouillon
Salt and pepper

Brown the ground beef with the onion and drain (or rinse if desired). Brown rice and spaghetti in margarine. Add in beef, onion and rice and broth. Cook and simmer for 20 minutes or til rice and spaghetti are fully cooked. Season with salt and pepper.

Tip One: A reader wrote in to say that instead of buying “Snapple” she mixes iced tea with juice. This is cheaper and tastes better.

Tip Two: After you wash your yard sale tennis shoes or your kids’ dirty tennis shoes, stuff them with newspaper and they will dry faster. My husband is a runner and when he runs in the rain or runs throw puddles, his shoes get drenched. He stuffs them with newspaper and the newspapers help absorb the water and they do dry faster. He’s been doing this for years.

Should you try drying Food?

A reader wrote Amy to say that while she enjoys her food dehydrator, she wondered about the economy of using one. After you factor in the cost of purchasing fruit to dry, and the cost of buying and running the dehydrator, is it a worthwhile product?

Amy talked with 4 people that use dehydrators to dry food. Generally speaking, unless you have a free or cheap fruit source, this type of food preservation (dehydrating with a dehydrator) is purely recreational.

Then Amy questioned if drying vegetables is a valid form of food preservation vs. canning or freezing. Dried food is more compact and can be stored simply. The disadvantages include that dried vegetables have limited uses such as only in soups. To rehydrate some dried vegetables such as green beans, you have to pressure cook them. Only a few vegetables such as dried tomatoes can be used in their dried form.

Good quality dehydrators can be expensive and the cost to use them can also be high. Perhaps a cheaper method would be to make solar dehydrators and lay the food out on wood framed racks of cheese cloth to allow the air to circulate the food. The disadvantage to solar drying is that the sunlight destroys some vitamins.

You can make fruit leather by pureeing the fruit and spreading the mixture to dry in the sun or in your electric oven or in a dehydrator. Amy felt that an electric food dehydrator may be fun to use, but it probably has too few cost effective applications to justify a large initial investment. Solar drying might be a better option if you want to dry a few foods.

I do not dehydrate food but I know some people that do. Perhaps dehydrating food shouldn’t only be looked at from a financial viewpoint, but as a way of diversifying your pantry. I think it is a good idea to have a mix of freezer foods, canned foods, mixes and dehydrated food in your food supply. Also when you dehydrate your own food, you know what is in the final product. There are no additives or other preservatives, just good wholesome dried food. Of course if you are keeping dried food on hand for emergencies, remember to keep on hand bottled water to use to rehydrate the food.

I would love to hear from individuals who dehydrate food and what they feel about Amy’s article. I personally feel that I should try my hand at dehydrating food for the sake of diversifying my food supply.

We will continue on this week with our discussion of the Tightwad Gazette III. We should be winding up the discussion in a few days.

Recipes from my Bridal Shower

2011-08-26T20:38:00.000-05:00

I want to share some family recipes with you. These were given to me at my Bridal Shower almost 31 years ago. They may not be healthy by today's standards, but they are delicious.

Broccoli Casserole

2 – 10 oz. pkgs. – frozen broccoli cuts
35 Ritz crackers
1/4 cup butter or margarine (more or less)
1/2 lb. grated sharp cheddar cheese

Partially cook the broccoli. Crush the crackers and mix the crumbs with the melted butter. Grease an 8 inch by 8 inch dish and put a layer of broccoli, cheese, crumbs and repeat. Bake at 325 degrees for 35 minutes til the cheese is melted.

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Cake:

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

Topping:

1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon
1 cup chocolate chips

Cream together the butter (or margarine), sugar and eggs. Add the sour cream, vanilla, flour baking soda and baking powder. Mix together. Spread the batter in a greased 10 x 7 inch pan. For the topping, mix together the sugar and the cinnamon (can use half of this mixture and it will still work well). Pour topping mixture over coffee cake and stir into the batter (a little) with the end of a wooden spoon. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes.

Frozen Pickles

2 quarts sliced cucumbers (about 3)
1 onion, sliced
2 teaspoons salt
3 cups sugar
1 cup vinegar

Sprinkle the salt over the cucumbers and onions. Refrigerate for 2 hours. Heat the sugar with the vinegar and pour over the cucumbers and onions. Freeze.

Overnight Casserole

1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 – 7 oz. package shell macaroni, uncooked
1 cup celery, chopped
2 cups ham, turkey or chicken
2 cups milk
1/4 cup onion, chopped

Topping: Buttered Bread Crumbs

Mix all of the above together and pour into a 9 x 13 inch pan. Refrigerate overnight. Top with buttered bread crumbs and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. (I have made this recipe for church potlucks and I prefer to use 3 cans of cream of chicken soup.)

Cracker Spread

2 – 8 oz. packages lite cream cheese
1 – 8 oz. can crushed pineapple, drained
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1 teaspoon seasoning salt

Mix all of the ingredients together and chill overnight.

Do you feel deprived living on a budget?

2011-08-23T21:53:00.000-05:00

With all of our talk about the Tightwad Gazette and with many people doing what I am doing -- cutting back, how do you not let yourself feel deprived?

Deprivation for one person means something to another person. I have always felt that within a budget you must somehow find some "fun" or "entertainment" money. Everyone should be able to spend a little money on themselves. The problem is figuring out what that amount is. When we started our journey to live on one income, Netflix was our entertainment and that was our "fun" money. We have more wiggle room in our budget and I use my "fun" money to purchase whatever I feel like buying for me.

The amount that I set aside each month for me is $50. I can save it or spend it guilt free. We have worked into that amount as I didn't have that much extra per month when I lost my job 2 years ago. $50 a month is the perfect amount for me. It is plenty enough for me to buy some Kindle books or to buy a few dvd's or whatever I want. It is also a perfect amount for me to save or save half and spend half. $50 is my reward for sticking to a budget and by doing so actually having $50 to spend on myself.

The point is that when you have a little money to spend on whatever you want to spend it on, you tend to stay on budget. This is why I am totally against a strictly stringent budget only if necessary. Many people go gung ho and just cut back everything and live on an extremely strict budget. Then after a few days or week or maybe even two, they fall off the wagon and spend recklessly again. It's just like going on an extremely restrictive food diet over night. You will set yourself up for failure.

At one point years ago I had only $5 per pay period that I could spend on anything I wanted to or I could save it. When everything else in our finances was out of control, I at least could have control over what I did with that $5. It was mine to spend recklessly on myself if I wanted. Many times I would just put it in a tin on the counter in my kitchen and leave it there. But, it was there for me whenever I wanted to use it.

Do you feel (or have you ever felt) deprived financially and how do you deal with it?

Tightwad Gazette III tips and more

2011-08-21T20:44:00.000-05:00

I am lining up food for a weekly meal for our youth group and being as we have limited funds, I will be putting together some frugal meal plans. Today someone mentioned that when the high school football players got together for a meal, someone served homemade baked macaroni and cheese and they scarfed it down. Some had never had the "real" stuff, so I am thinking that could be one of our meals. I have a recipe that will make a 9 x 13 inch pan of macaroni and cheese and it uses about 12 oz. of cheese slices melted into a "roux" (butter and flour mixture cooked on the stove until bubbly). Fortunately I attend a church where there are a lot of people willing to help out, which makes it so much more fun especially when it comes to cooking.

In the financial realm of my life we had a great milestone this month, we paid off our car. This is the vehicle that our youngest son drives and will be his to drive throughout college and then we will sign over the title to him. When you pay off a debt of any amount it really gives you a sense of pride and spurs you on to tackle more debt.

I'm spending some time perusing my recipes for some really tightwad, frugal casseroles and such to post. I have been spending some time re-reading some of my mother's and grandmother's recipes that I received years ago. I'll have to post some later in the week.

Now for some advice from Amy Dacyczyn.

In her third book Amy lists some quotes from famous people. Here are two of my favorites. "Budgeting is doing well with one dollar which any bungler can do with two." Arthur Wellington - British Soldier and Statesman. "Economy is the art of making the most of life." George Bernard Shaw I love this quote especially. So when you are out grocery shopping and are stretching a dollar remember that you are making the most of your life.

Tip One: A reader wrote in to say that she uses inexpensive hair conditioner in place of shaving creme. A little bit goes a long way and doesn't dry your skin. I've never tried this but I do use a cheap lotion in place of shaving creme to shave my legs. It works great too and softens the skin.

I Wouldn't Steer You Wrong

A few readers wrote in to ask some questions about purchasing meat. One asked "Could you write down your rules of thumb such as the prices that you generally pay for meat?" Another reader asked "I have been toying with the idea of purchasing a steer and having it slaughtered for my family's consumption. Have you researched the cost to purchase meat in this manner versus store bought?" And still another, "Shopping for chicken is frustrating. It can be bought in at least 6 different packages, all with different combinations. Are boneless breasts really that much more expensive when you consider all the bones and innards you throw away from the other packages?"

Before Amy tackles the question of meat, she talks about her protein philosophy. “Meat consumption is a subject surprisingly loaded with political, environmental and health beliefs. Our less-meat meals might not meet with the approval of vegetarians or hard-core carnivores. So you can make different choices based on your beliefs, health restrictions, or personal preferences."

Amy researched three basic ways to compare meat prices:

1. Keep track of the prices of all the various cuts of meat. Unfortunately there are too many types to track easily, and there are variables within each type, such as how much bone or fat are included. I keep track of the cuts of meat that I normally buy. These include ground beef, chicken pieces, bone-in chicken breasts, boneless breasts, roast and so on.

2. Calculate the cost per gram of protein. This is quite tedious and although you could use a chart, it is very time consuming. There is more protein in chicken breasts than in a hot dog because of the fillers. Amy actually doesn’t feel that we need to track our protein consumption as the majority of Americans get enough protein and even eat too much protein. Unfortunately due to our economy, many people are not getting proper nutrition and they should make sure that they are getting protein in their diet.

3. Calculate the cost per portion or the cost of one meal for your family. For example a one serving portion might be 4 ounces of turkey, but just 1 ½ ounces of cheese. So although the turkey costs less per pound, the actual cost of the meals might be the same.

When Amy was trying to reduce her food budget, she rejected the first two methods. Instead she used the third method. Amy paid attention to how much each type of protein meal cost. For example if she bought a roast and it yielded four family dinners (with all of the leftovers put into casseroles or sandwiches), Amy would divide the price of the roast by 4 and she would use that number for comparison with other protein sources.

From this she developed guidelines. At the time of the writing of the book, Amy would pay 69 cents per lb. for bone-in meat and $1.19 a lb. for boneless. Her guidelines eliminated the following meat from her diet: seafood, chicken breasts, and most cuts of beef, deli meats and pork chops. As of today I use $1.99 as a sale price for ground beef, $1.50 for boneless chicken breasts, $2.39 for beef roast and $1.79 for pork roast. Last Thursday I was able to buy 5 boneless chuck roasts for only $1.99 a lb. These were marked down to be sold that day.

Amy’s family doesn’t eat 100% organically raised meat or some of her meal choices are not always the ones with the least fat and preservatives. Meat is used as an ingredient most of the time rather than as a main course.

As to buying a steer, many times Amy noted that you pay wholesale price and you end up with cuts of beef that you may not normally buy such as steaks. Also is the price of the whole steer the same amount that you would pay as if you had purchased the beef as you needed it on sale.

And as to the last question regarding purchasing chicken, the amount of waste with skin and bones varies but you can use as a rule about 1/3 of the meat is waste. So if boneless costs 1/3 more, then it is about the same price as bone-in. The only way to really test this is to buy both and see how many meals you get out of both options.

I have been missing in action for a couple of days but for wonderful reasons. My oldest son turned 26 years old yesterday and we celebrated with him and his wife and his wife's parents. Our youngest son starts college tomorrow. Life is good, no matter what the economy looks like.

I'm Having a Busy Day

2011-08-19T20:11:00.000-05:00

I am sorry that I didn't post anything last night and I won't be posting tonight. I have had a lot to do yesterday and today and haven't had a moment to sit down and write what's on my mind. I will definitely be posting tomorrow.

Have your days gotten busier lately? Next week our youngest starts college and I will be happy to get back into the swing of things (school year that is). In the meantime I am getting caught up on some volunteer work.

Many times I feel as if my posts are conversations with all of you and I must say that I do miss "talking" with all of you.

2011-08-17T21:26:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of the assortment of cupcakes I baked for my son's political Meet and Greet last night. I baked lemon, strawberry, carrot, German chocolate and red velvet cupcakes. I piped on the frosting as this always makes cupcakes look more "finished" and special. They were delicious. There were a few cupcakes leftover so I took them to our staff at our church and also to a few neighbors. Here is the link to the recipe. For the chocolate frosting add 6 ounces of cooled melted unsweetened chocolate to the mixture.

Now on to Amy Dacyczyn.

Here's a recipe that Amy gives in this book and it is perfect for this time of year when you need to use up those veggies from the garden.

Corn-Broccoli Casserole

1 can corn, drained
1 can creamed corn
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
4 eggs, beaten
3 cups frozen broccoli, thawed and chopped into 1/2 inch chunks
1 small onion, minced
2/3 cup milk
1 sleeve saltines crackers, crushed
2 tablespoons margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine first seven ingredients and 3/4 cup of saltine crumbs. Pour into a 10 1/2 inch metal handled frying pan or large casserole dish. Combine remaining crumbs with the margarine and use to top the casserole. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes, or until firm. Serves eight.

Per Amy, "Yellow squash, zucchini, cauliflower; and a wide variety of other vegetables can be substituted for the broccoli with impressive results."

Tip One: - Freezing food in Ziploc bags

A reader wrote in with advice about freezing food. Air is the main cause of freezer burn. Here's a way to almost completely remove the air from food to be frozen in these bags. Place food in bag and almost seal the bag up completely. Place a straw in the corner and suck all of the air out of the baggie. Then, while still sucking, remove the straw and quickly seal the last section. Then place the baggie in the freezer.

I have read this tip before and it is worth a try. Just be careful not to suck food into the straw.

Tip Two: Buying Boots

A reader wrote in to say that she had saved up money for winter boots but was finding it hard to part with the money. Out of desperation she tried the boys section, and found the same style and it fit her wider foot nicely. The boots were half the price of women's boots.

I have done this when I bought boots two years ago. I needed some real heavy duty boots for when I shoveled snow. I was able to get boots that fit me in the boys section and they were cheaper.

Well tonight you got some tips from Amy's book the Tightwad Gazette III along with pictures of cupcakes that I baked. Tomorrow I want to post a few more frugal recipes that I have to pass on to my readers. Sometimes I will try a casserole recipe because it isn't expensive to make and it ends up being a family favorite. Perhaps a recipe that I post will become one of your favorite recipes.

Won't be Posting until August 17th

2011-08-15T21:31:00.000-05:00

My son is running for the local school board and tomorrow evening he has a "meet and greet" event. I am quite busy helping him get ready for this event. I baked 10 dozen cupcakes today and will frost them tomorrow (with homemade frostings of course). I baked red velvet, carrot, lemon, strawberry, and German chocolate cupcakes.

So - I'll get back to my regular postings on the 17th. Sometimes I can only concentrate on one thing at a time and this is taking up quite a bit of time this week. Election day is September 13th so this "Meet and Greet" is important for him and I am devoting as much time to helping him as possible.

Tightwad Gazette III - Day Ten - Understanding your Wow Know How

2011-08-13T22:27:00.000-05:00

This is an interesting concept of Amy’s that I have pondered several times when making or contemplating purchasing an item.

As an example Amy had purchased some second hand snow boots for one of her daughters. The daughter wore them for a while and then complained that she wanted green L.L. Bean snow boots. The daughter also said that her boots were a little too big. So, Amy went out garage sale shopping and she came across some like new plum colored L.L. Bean snow boots. She bought them for 25 cents and took them home. Her daughter took one look at them and didn’t like them because she had wanted green ones.

Amy sat her daughter down and talked with her about the boots. New boots would cost $25. Amy asked her daughter if new green boots would be 100 times better than the plum boots. Her daughter thought about it and said no. So the daughter wore the plum boots and that was that. After a while she started to notice that many friends had plum colored boots also. If this were my daughter I would have done the same thing but I would have knitted or made a scarf out of fleece fabric that had green and plum in it to pull it altogether.

I love the way Amy thinks about things like this. I have used this type of rational many times. One example was when we purchased my vehicle. It was a great deal yet the interior of the vehicle was a light tan and I was worried about it getting too dirty and hard to keep clean. I was shown another vehicle that was similar but it had a dark grey interior with a few more options that made it more expensive. Hmmm – we went with the tan interior and because it is made of durable fabric it has been easy to keep clean. So, it was another one of those it wasn’t worth the extra money for a darker color interior with a few more options that we didn't need.

Amy uses another example of comparing a $600 camping trip to a $6,000 cruise vacation. On a scale from one to ten the camping trip would rate a 5 and the cruise would rate a 10. You will enjoy the cruise twice as much but you will be spending more money and would only get a fifth of the value. Also by spending so much money on the cruise, you won’t have as many funds in reserve to purchase other things that are rather low in cost and contain a great “wow” factor. However camping isn't for everybody so perhaps you can find other resourceful ways to go on vacation without having to camp.

Another view that I take is that I would rather have money in the bank for an emergency than spend a lot of it on a vacation. Now we just took a big vacation to Washington, D.C. and we did spend more money than we usually do on a vacation, but that was an exception and not our general rule. It was also a graduation present to our youngest son.

When I find something that I want to buy, I like to do some research. More than once I will have the money saved up and then I won’t want to part with the money for the item. Or I decide to look a little longer to see if I can find the item cheaper. Right now I have been looking for two red diner style chairs for my kitchen. If I come across some yellow diner chairs at a great price I would purchase them and make them work. Red or yellow would look great in my kitchen, but my preference is red. I would settle.

This type of thought process can be used in so many situations. Here are some examples:

Your kids are involved in a lot of activities and you sit down and have them decide on the ones they enjoy the most or the ones that they get the most from. Then you look at the list and start to cross off the activities that give the least “wow” factor.

Other smaller items on a list could be the wow factor between:

1. Restaurant versus homemade meals. I would much rather go out and buy two steaks and grill them myself for a nice meal, than to go out to a restaurant for a steak dinner. The wow factor for me is in the steak and not in eating it in a restaurant.

2. Going to a theater to see a movie or renting a movie and watching it at home.

3. New car versus keeping a used car to drive a little longer.

4. Real maple syrup versus homemade “maple” syrup.

There are some cases where more expensive options do pass the one to ten wow factor scale. Amy gave the examples in her life such as her large farmhouse that is so much better for her family than a much smaller, less expensive home. Also, she said that a new computer is almost twice as good for her business than a used one at half the price. Amy feels that an antique dresser that cost her $200 is definitely 4 times better than a $50 yard sale dresser as the antique dresser will be in her family for generations.

When my oldest son was married in 2007, I determined to find a gown that I would wear at the wedding that I liked and that would look great on me no matter what the price. I refused to buy a dress that was cheaper just because it was on sale. I purchased a beautiful gown that was not on sale that cost me about $325 including alterations. I purchased a beaded purse and beaded shoes (I did get the shoes on clearance). I spent around $425 for the dress and accessories and I was very, very happy. (I'll have to scan in a picture and post it.)

I went to a wedding about a year later where the mother of the bride told me that she got her dress for $25 on sale and didn’t care particularly for it, but it fit her budget. She was at the other end of the spectrum in that price was more important to her than getting what she really wanted and she was fine with it. I in turn was more interested in the gown and getting exactly what I wanted. Perhaps it goes back to my own wedding when I could not afford the gown I really wanted and I had to settle.

No one can dictate the “wow” factor of another person. Each of us must decide on this.

Hold Fast...

2011-08-09T21:11:00.000-05:00

I've never wanted to spend much time on my blog to discuss politics and I won't do it much here today except to say this. If you have children you know what it is like for a child to do something and say I didn't do it or it's not my fault or point the finger to someone else and say it's there fault. I have never liked when my boys said this. I always hoped that they would someday say, I did it and I'm sorry. What about when something gets broken or spilled and no one in the house will claim responsibility? It was my goal as a parent to teach my children responsibility and to teach them that it is not a sign of weakness to admit a fault or mistake. My boys did learn their lesson and they accept responsibility and admit when they are wrong.

How many of you would like to win a contest that makes it possible for you to go to Washington, D.C. and stand before a joint session of Congress for 15 minutes and tell them to knock it off and quit blaming each other. It is wasting time and hurting people. Sit down, give a little, compromise and quit blaming each other. Nothing is more frustrating than to be in a crisis and everyone is spending their time blaming each other and not spending precious time trying to remedy the situation.

So here we are facing an economy that is slowing down and we really are unsure what to expect next. With that in mind, I think it is time for all of us to "Hold Fast" to what we believe in which is to live below your means as much as possible. The news is discouraging and that is saying it mildly, but if you were to turn off the news and look around your livingroom you will see that it looks much the same it did last week and the week before. Be thankful for what you have and know that in the midst of this chaos, you do still maintain some control over your finances.

You can go to the grocery store and buy only name brand items and pay more or you can try store brands to save some money. You can start cooking from scratch and make your own healthy bread goods. You can cancel the cablevision, sell a car, cut back on entertainment and do whatever it takes to set some money aside or at the very least work hard to pay your bills.

We have gone through a lot since 2007 with the economic crisis in this country and the one thing that I do know is that you can let someone control your situation or you can take control of your life. I know there are people out there who are unemployed or underemployed and you feel that everything is out of control with your limited income. It wasn't your decision to be unemployed or to go from full time employment to part time. That was out of your control. But, there are some things that are in your control. You only have so much money and you have cut back as much as possible without cutting food and medicine from your budget. I want to encourage you that even in your situation, you can control some things.

At the very least you can control your attitude toward life. You can let the situation rob you of your joy or you can become overwhelmed with worry. I've been there and worrying didn't bring in more money. If you have done as much as you can possibly do, I applaud you. You are doing your best and that is all anyone can do.

The one thing that I am doing to lift my spirits and to put my career skills to work is to volunteer more and more of my time to my church. Churches and other charities are suffering from decreased donations due to lowered incomes of families. If you don't have the money, you may have the time to volunteer and serve others. It helps to keep your mind off of bad news and focus on helping others.

Before I give a frugal recipe, I want you to know that I haven't forgotten about tips from the Tightwad Gazette III. I just felt I needed to sidetrack for a couple of days.

Now for a recipe. This recipe was given to me by a dear pastor's wife the week after we were married. She had made this casserole for us and I loved it. I asked her for the recipe and she recited it to me.

I have given it the name "Mrs. Hatch's Casserole."

1 lb. ground beef (or less)
1 pkg. onion soup mix
1/2 of 1 (10 oz.) pkg. spaghetti
French Salad Dressing

Brown ground beef and drain. Pour 3 to 4 cups water over the beef. Add onion soup mix. Bring to a boil. Break up spaghetti, place in beef mixture and reduce heat. Cover and allow spaghetti to cook. When spaghetti is cooked, remove cover and allow the water to evaporate. Top with some French salad dressing.

This is a simple recipe and it tastes great. I always have these ingredients on hand so it is something that I can easily make in a pinch and everyone loves it. I have substituted macaroni for the spaghetti and it works too.

You can easily reduce the amount of ground beef in this recipe and increase the amount of pasta. You may have to add additional water to cook the pasta if you do this.

Ever had a meal flop?

2011-08-06T08:08:00.000-05:00

I'm curious, have you ever tried a recipe and really thought it would be great and it was a flop? When this happens you end up with food that no one will eat.

I made meatloaf one time from a recipe in a magazine that proclaimed it was "Mom's Best Meal." The meatloaf had dill in it and I thought it would be great. My husband and sons took one bite and asked if I had put pickles in it. I told them it had dill in it and they disliked it so much they couldn't eat it. I ended up eating it in sandwiches for the rest of the week.

Every now and then they say "remember when mom made the pickle meatloaf?" This happened over 15 years ago and they still remember. There have been a few more since then, but this is the most memorable.

So, leave a comment on any flops. It happens and sometimes it leads to some fun memories.

Tightwad Gazette III - Day Nine

2011-08-04T20:59:00.000-05:00

Ever since I painted the livingroom this spring, my right shoulder and arm have hurt. I'm not sure what I did, other than I probably shouldn't have painted so much every day without taking time off.

Last Saturday I helped paint a Sunday School room at our church and today I helped with putting on the second coat. By the time I got home my shoulder hurt and my hand was a little numb. I put ice on my shoulder and I am now laying on the couch resting. Icing my shoulder has helped and my husband (a trained coach) told me that he recommended icing it for the next 48 hours. If I have to ice a shoulder, I am glad it is summer.

Enough about my sore shoulder - let's look at making Sourdough bread from the Tightwad Gazettee III.

Sourdough Simplified

Tightwads love Sourdough bread as it is the cheapest bread to make only needing flour, water and salt.

One of Amy’s staffer’s loved Sourdough bread and he became quite adept at replicating it. Unlike other Sourdough recipes, Brad’s is very simple.

The first step to making Brad’s Sourdough bread is to make a starter. Mix 1 tablespoon of yeast with 2 cups of chlorine free water and 2 cups of white flour. (Allow your tap water to “air out” in a jug for a couple of days to make it chlorine free.) Combine these in a glass or plastic container – do not use metal. Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for at least 48 hours until it foams and develops a pleasantly sour smell. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. If the sourdough starter ever turns orange, pink or any other strange color, then throw it out. In all of the years that Brad has been making this bread, he has never had this problem.

The ingredients and directions to make two loaves of bread follows:

5 ½ cups flour (you can substitute whole wheat flour for 1 or 2 cups)
2 cups starter
1 tablespoon salt
1 cup water

Dissolve the salt in the water in a mixing bowl. (Some sourdough cookbooks say not to use a metal bowl, but Brad had been mixing his dough in a metal bowl with his Kitchenaid mixer and never had a problem.) Add the starter and then the flour. Stir and knead into a ball. (Brad uses the dough hook on his Kitchenaid mixer.) Cover with a damp towel and let rise overnight.

The next morning, punch the risen dough down and divide in half. Shape each half into a round loaf, make an X slashed on each top, and place the two loaves on a greased baking sheet.

Cover with a damp towel and allow to rise at room temperature for about 4 hours. Place a pan of water on the bottom rack of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Bake the bread for 35 minutes.

Each time you remove some starter, you must “feed” it. Just add back 1 ½ cups water and 1 ½ cups flour, stir, cover loosely, and return starter to refrigerator.

Brad uses his starter fresh from the fridge for several weeks. When the bread rises slower, then he takes the starter and sets it out on the fridge overnight to ferment.

Brad felt that his success with Sourdough bread was due to the fact that he bakes this type of bread twice a week and thereby he feeds his starter often. Also Brad doesn’t just let his bread double in size, but he lets it quadruple in size during the rising phase.

I have never made Sourdough bread and from reading this article, I am inspired to give it a try.

Advice Needed for the Unemployed

2011-08-02T22:08:00.000-05:00

What happens when you have done everything to cut back and still, your expenses are more than your income?

I have an e-mail address for my blog and I have been contacted my individuals who have said that they are going through unemployment and they have cut back to the bone on their expenses, but still are short money every month. When I say cut back, they have shared with me what they have done and I can say emphatically, yes, they have cut back to the bare bone.

The only seeming answer is to bring in more income which is easier said than done these days. If you were in this situation, how would you bring in around $300 to $500 more in a month? This is something that is becoming more and more common.

This is a priority for me to help these individuals as more and more people are finding themselves in this situation and the rest of us could easily find ourselves in this situation too.

New Fridge and Planning

2011-08-02T21:49:00.000-05:00

I spent the bulk of my day dealing with refrigerators - the old one and the new one. The freezer in the old fridge was still working and sincer the fridge part was still a little cool, I left produce and condiments in there. This morning I went to the appliance store and finalized the purchase of the fridge. Then I came home and took everything out of the freezer and put it in a cooler. What didn't fit in the cooler went into the sink, with ice on it and covered with a towel. Then I took everything else out of the fridge and did the combining of the ketchup bottles - why are there always one bottle half full and the two others with a little bit in them?

At one point my son asked me what was for supper? I pointed to the sink and told him "potluck." We ended up having homemade vegetable beef soup along with homemade rolls all from the freezer. Now the heat index was 105 degrees at dinner time and I was serving hot soup, but my family enjoyed it as we hadn't had homemade soup for a long time.

The fridge is smaller which means the freezer above the fridge is smaller too. Cleaning out and organizing the new fridge was the priority of the day. After taking inventory of everything I am starting to make a menu plan for the month of August.

As to my planning day, well, I'm still planning. You know how you set aside some time to do something, and then urgent things take over? Well, it happens, so I am still working on my lists and tasks. Here is what I have been doing. I would love to go all electronic, but I find that when I am at meetings at my church, I need to be able to look at my calendar by year, month, week and day. My smart phone just doesn't do it for me for this purpose. I need something to be bigger, so I just take my planner with a legal pad to any meetings I have.

Yeah, I know, it is so old school but for now, it is the best I can do. I do put appointments into my cell phone so I get a reminder, which is helpful.

So here is a picture of what I have to work with. My planner, my household notebook, my notebook with my church activities and my youth group notebook that has all of the information I need for preparing the meals for the youth group meetings. When I go to a meeting, I grab the appropriate notebook and my planner.

My household notebook has a section for menu planning, pantry and freezer inventories, laundry section with tips and recipes for laundry soaps and pre-treatments, home improvement project lists, Bible Study, cleaning schedules (daily, weekly, monthly, seasonal, annual), expense log and exercise/fitness log. This is my command central notebook for running our household.

Some day I would love to have a tablet computer like a Galaxy Tab 7 inch version and then I could put everything on it. It's a dream but even if I had the money and I could afford it now, I wouldn't buy it. Why? Because I look at things differently now - especially money and what I am saving and buying.

Now I am going to go and have a nice big bowl of ice cream. I found my favorite flavor in the back of the freezer (Butter Pecan). I bought it a couple of weeks ago and forgot all about it.

So much for a 1/2 day of planning . . . . . .

2011-08-01T22:05:00.000-05:00

Our refrigerator died today. I sat down to work on my planner but I first made myself a cup of coffee. I poured some milk into it and noticed that the milk was sour. I had just bought that milk. I checked the fridge and I immediately knew it was too warm and some things had already spoiled. So much for spending time working on my planner. I had to figure out what I was going to do about getting a new refrigerator.

It wasn't really a surprise as our refrigerator is 22 years old, but I had hoped that it would make it through until Christmas when we would have the money saved up. I should be thankful for great craftmanship as this old fridge never needed a repair and never gave us any trouble, until this morning.

We are kinda caught right now betwix and between with our finances. In other words, we are doing some creative financing.

We have to replace our roof this summer. We have signed a contract with a contractor, the shingles have been selected and are sitting in our driveway and the workers should arrive this week to get the job done. The price - $13,500. We do not have $13,500 in our savings account. So, we refinanced our house and took out an additional $13,000 to pay for the roof. We refinanced to pay the house off sooner than before even including the additional loan amount. How did this happen? A very low 3.75% fixed rate. I didn't want to borrow money, but it was necessary.

Now for the fridge. I was able to get a decent deal - 18.5 cubit foot fridge for $550 with a $50 rebate as it is an Energy Star appliance. It is strictly no frills. By no frills, it is a refrigerator without an ice maker or water dispenser and it is white. This is perfectly fine with me. I don't have the money right now to pay for it but will at the end of the month. This means I will be putting this purchase on a credit card and will pay it off at the end of the month and will therefore not have any interest to pay.

We paid off our car in July. The $300 that would have been used to pay for that car payment was going into savings, but will now go to pay for the fridge. The $250 balance will come from basic grocery shopping and eating from the freezer and pantry.

Once we weather this major purchase, we should be able to start to really put a good sum in savings each month. My husband's truck is paid off in October and that will add more money to savings.

So, what then? Buy some stuff that has been on my wish list? No, no, no. If anything, we have worked hard to pay off bills and I am not going to "reward myself" by going out and buying some stuff that will only bring temporary happiness. I want to see my bank account grow. That is what will bring me happiness.
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For any of you who read my blog and are going through a financial crisis, you may read this and think "wow that is great, but that is a far off dream of mine to get a car paid off and put money into savings." Take heart. I was where you are a few years ago. It takes time, persistance and a lot of prayer along the way to make it happen.

So, tomorrow I will get back to my planning day and will post what I do to try to keep my life organized and in balance. Also, I will post more from Amy Dacyczyn's Tightwad Gazette III. You see Amy's advice isn't just for those who are going through tough times, it is for anyone who wants to stretch every penny, dime, dollar so that they can meet their financial goals.

If you are going through some tough financial times, don't look at my situation and envy where I am at, remember it hasn't always been like this for us. We have been through many tough financial times over the course of our 30 year marriage. I know what it is like to get so discouraged over not having enough money to pay the bills and having to put a major car repair on a credit card because we don't have the money. I know what it feels like to go to bed and not be able to sleep or worse yet wake up in the middle of the night with worry.

Nothing is hopeless, you can dig your way out, it is just that you may need a small miracle along the way. It can happen.

1/2 Day of Planning

2011-08-01T09:59:00.000-05:00

This morning I am spending some time in planning and working on a new planning/calendar system. My calendar expired at the end of July so I need to update or upgrade.

What is necessary is that I need to upgrade to a system to handle more of the details in my life as I am getting busier. Tonight I will report on what I am doing and I would love to hear from any of you as to whether you use some kind of system to organize home and family and other commitments. Remember - everyone is different and everyone's system for being organized is different.

One thing that is important to me is to maintain some kind of home organization as being organized does save money.

Adventures with a Church Youth Group

2011-07-29T21:24:00.000-05:00

Adventures isn't quite the correct wording for what I went through yesterday - perhaps it was more like a quest or journey of hysterical fun with a bunch of teenagers.

I am helping with our church youth group and yesterday I went with the group "tubing" down a river. We drove to Boone, Iowa which was about a 2 hour drive from our town and went to Seven Oaks. It is a wonderful place to go for skiing and water adventures as I am now calling it. There were 17 teens and 3 adults on the trip. We were driven to the Des Moines river in a school bus and were handed huge air tubes along with life jackets and we were ready to take off on the river.

We sat down in our inner tubes and started our journey down the river - 7 miles to be exact. It took 3 hours for all of us to float down the river. We had an absolutely great time and I learned many things along the way. First of all, kids take their cell phones everywhere including tubing on a river. They put them in water proof cases so that they can text each other down the river. Second, it is peaceful, except for the distant giggles of girls swimming and tubing along the way. Third, watching nature as you go along drifting down the river can be awe inspiring. I'm talking about beautiful birds (no snakes thankfully). A hawk and other birds were diving around us and then underneath a train trestle. Then there were the beautiful species of plants, flowers and trees. Fourth, drifting down a river makes you look at the flow of the river and consider how it cuts it's way through the earth along the path the water flows. Fifth, there was the struggle against the current if you tried to swim a little across the river or trying to slow your speed down in order for someone to catch up with you.

When the river "ride" was done, we dried off and changed our clothes and left for home on our church's little bus. Everyone was a little tired and happy and chatting along the way until ...... the bus overheated and broke down 40 minutes from home.

A member of our church is a mechanic so he left work to come and help us. In the meantime we called 4 parents and they were happy to get in their cars and vans to come and pick up the kids. In the meantime while we were waiting by the side of the highway we played "Survivor". We joked that just in case we were stranded for days, we had to pick which person we were going to eat first. Everyone was laughing and of course texting. Kids were counting cars going by and getting semi-trucks to honk their air horns. Within an hour the kids were picked up and were on their way and the mechanic had arrived.

We got the bus going and then it broke down for a 2nd time only 8 miles from home. We gave it our all that's for sure.

So there are wonderful memories of yesterday and tubing down a river, surviving a bus breakdown and the memories that go with both events.

I slept 10 hours last night and I awoke knowing that I am so lucky and happy to be a part of a wonderful church and that I am healthy and have enough energy to help with a youth group.

Tonight I baked some banana bread. I love this recipe. I am baking it to take to church on Sunday as I supply coffeetime treats for our Hispanic service. So I am ending with a recipe and also this advice. If you are lonely, find a church where you can grow and serve, even if serving means tubing down a river with a bunch of teens.

Banana Bread

3 ripe bananas
1 egg
1 stick butter
1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped nuts, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan with butter or shortening, dust with flour.

Mix butter, bananas and egg together. Add vanilla and blend with a hand mixer. Sift flour, salt and baking soda together in a separate bowl.

Blend flour mixture into wet ingredients a little at a time. Stir in white sugar and beat on low. Stir in brown sugar and nuts. Pour batter in loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Then check to see if the bread is done. If not, lightly cover with foil and then bake an additional 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, run a knife along the sides and remove the bread from the pan and cool on a wire rack.

Tightwad Gazette III - Day Eight - Canning

2011-07-27T20:56:00.000-05:00

Picture from naturesmom.com

We're back to Amy Dacyczyn and the great advice that she offers in our Tightwad Gazette Series. In today's reading Amy talks about canning. She gives some great information on canning cheaply and in encouraging people to give canning a try.

Amy doesn’t get into the basics of canning, as there are a lot of sources out there. She recommends the “Ball Blue Book: The Guide to Home Canning and Freezing” which you can buy or borrow from the library. Instead Amy covers the Tightwad angle on canning. Specifically she’ll dispel some myths and pass along some time and money saving pointers.

First the myths:

1. Canning is difficult, tedious and time-consuming. People assume canning is difficult because they are unfamiliar with it. Amy says “If you can drive a car, you can learn to can.”

Canning can seem tedious and time consuming as you will be processing a great amount of food in one day, but as you use the food, you will notice a time savings. An example is canning your own homemade spaghetti sauce vs. making a new from scratch batch every time you want spaghetti.

2. Canning is not economical. This is usually based on buying your equipment new and not factoring in that you will be able to re-use the equipment year after year. The savings depends on what you’re canning and where you get the produce and fruit to can. Do you grow your own or are you given produce? Do you buy everything at a farmer’s market or at another store? Growing your own produce is economical and healthier as you know what you put on your plants.

3. Canning is unnecessary for people who have freezers. Many people who can also own freezers as they prefer some vegetables frozen and some canned. My mom canned green beans but she always froze corn. Canning is a flexible method for surplus. If your freezer gets full you can still process food for later use by canning. Also canned food is “immediate” in that it is ready to use versus having to be thawed out. Canned foods can make wonder gifts.

Now, here are some Tightwad tricks that Amy uses:

1. Get equipment cheaply. Put the word out for what you need and you may be quite surprised at what people are ready to give to you. Look for canning jars at yard sales and perhaps you can borrow a pressure canner from someone. Go to a thrift store and see if they have any canning supplies.

During the spring and early summer you will see the canning jar lids on sale and many times there will be coupons for these. When lids are on sale, stock up for as many as you think you will need. Also when canning spices, salts and sugar are on sale, stock up in anticipation of canning.

2. Use the right sized canning jar. Amy uses small mouth quart jars for all canning aside for pickles and jams. This fits the needs of her family.

3. Save on energy. For foods that can be either pressure canned or water bathed, Amy uses a pressure canner to save energy.

4. Cut small and pack tight. The more food you pack into a jar, the more efficient and economical the operation becomes.

5. Use the hot pack method when possible. Food shrinks during cooking, so filling jars with precooked foods instead of raw food saves space.

Canning also has a psychological value of providing for your family. For many people there is nothing like looking at a pantry full of home canned items. I have only canned things like jams, applesauce and apple pie filling.

Next year I have a goal of planting a garden and learning to can. A big part of it has to do with economics and another part has to do with knowing what I put on my plants and that it is organic.

I would love to hear any other ideas for canning or why you can. My biggest fear with canning is using a pressure cooker. I have never used one and the thought has always scared me. But since I can drive a car, I need to get over my fear and learn to use one.

From the Pantry - Hungry Boys' Casserole

2011-07-25T21:09:00.000-05:00

This weekend we attended my husband's 35th class reunion and we had a great time. By the time you are in your early 50's, no one at a reunion cares about what you drive, what kind of house you live in or what your income is. They just care about your kids, pets and perhaps grandchildren and want to reminisce about the good ole days in high school. It was a lot of fun.

But now, on to another recipe from the pantry and it is another "bean" recipe. This is one of my favorites but I wouldn't serve it back to back with other bean recipes if you know what I mean. This recipe is a stand by and it is really delicious. What I like about this recipe and the recipe for the Chili Beef Casserole is that both of them are different from a baked bean casserole recipe.

Hungry Boys' Casserole

1 lb. hamburger
1 cup celery, sliced
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced (or substitute dried minced garlic)
1 can tomato paste
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon paprika
2 - 1 lb. cans pork n beans, undrained
1 tomato paste can full of water

Brown the hamburger with the celery, onion and garlic til hamburger is cooked and vegetables are tender. Drain. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir together. Pour into a casserole dish (I use an 11 x 7 inch rectangular pan). Top with drop biscuits (recipe follows).

Biscuits:

1 1/2 cup flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup margarine
1/2 cup milk

Sift flour, baking powder and salt. Cut in the margarine. Add the milk and stir into a dough. Drop by tablespoons on top of bean mixture. Bake at 425 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes.

This is a hearty recipe and I love the homemade drop biscuits on top of this casserole. My family loves this recipe and we usually don't have enough leftovers for another meal.

When celery goes on sale, I buy it and slice it and freeze it in 1/2 cup portions for casseroles. Just thaw and saute and use in your recipe.

From the Pantry - Chili Beef Casserole

2011-07-23T08:59:00.000-05:00

Here's a recipe that has ingredients straight from the pantry. If I don't have an onion on hand, I use dried minced onion or I add some onion powder. It is a hearty casserole that is very good for home and for a pot luck at church.

1 lb. ground beef (or less)
1 small onion chopped
1 16 oz. can pork n beans, undrained
1 can corn, undrained
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 cups corn chips OR cornbread batter
1/2 cup (or less) shredded cheese - can be optional

In skillet brown ground beef with onion, rinse or drain the fat. Add the beans, corn, and chili powder. Pour into a casserole dish and top with the corn chips OR make a cornbread batter from 1 box of Jiffy cornbread mix OR do as I do and make your own cornbread batter from scratch. Sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.

This is one of those recipes that I always have the ingredients on hand. When I first made this recipe about 20 years ago I topped it with the corn chips as the recipe directed. One time I didn't have corn chips and didn't want to go to the store so I added cornbread batter and we liked it a lot better. I also feel is is better for you without the corn chips.

You can make a lot of casseroles out of pork n beans and that is why I stock up on these during the summer when they are on sale really cheap. I always buy a year's supply at this time.

Tightwad Gazette III - Day Seven - The Pantry Principle Update

2011-07-22T20:22:00.000-05:00

Before I get into the content of this post, I wanted to say something that has really gotten my attention this week. There are a few visitors to my blog that have recently faced unemployment in their families. As far as recent, I am talking about within the past month.

If you or anyone in your family have been unemployed, it would be great to hear from you about that experience and how you got through it. Or in the alternative, perhaps you are still unemployed and struggling to find work. I would definitely like to hear your comments on what it has been like and how you have or are coping.

Now onto the Tightwad Gazette III. Tonight’s reading is an update from Amy on the pantry principle.

The Pantry Principle Update

In an update from a prior article on the Pantry Principle, a reader had written to Amy and asked what does a “tightwad” pantry include?

This is indeed a wonderful question. However, because people have different needs, preferences and resources, there is no real must list for a pantry according to Amy. Instead Amy offered a list of what was in her pantry and you can revise it to meet your family’s needs.

1. Baking supplies: Baking powder, baking soda, yeast, salt, cocoa, coconut, sunflower seeds, soy flour, eggs, bulk purchased gelatin, cornstarch, vinegar, paste food coloring and colored sprinkles.

2. Breads: Whole wheat loaves, bagels, English muffins, saltine crackers. (They make other breads.)

3. Cheese: Parmesan, cream and hard cheeses when the price drops below $2.00 per lb. (Remember, these are 1996 prices.)

4. Cold cereal: Any cereal when price drops to 7 cents per ounce, frequently corn flakes, rarely presweetened cereal.

5. Condiments: Ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard. (They make jams, pickles and relish.)

6. Fats: Corn oil, olive oil, margarine, shortening, no stick spray.

7. Fruits: Apples, bananas, raisins, and occasionally, other fresh fruits when on sale. Canned pineapple and other canned fruit as it turns up in “mystery cans” from the salvage store. (They grew strawberries and acquire blackberries, blueberries, and pears from a relative.)

8. Grains: White flour, whole wheat flour, rye flour, oatmeal, cornmeal, rice, popcorn, wheat germ.

9. Juices: Orange, apple, grape and lemon.
10. Legumes: Peanut butter, dried beans, dried peas, lentils.

11. Meats: Chicken parts, ground beef, ground turkey, whole turkey, tuna, ham, pork shoulder, bologna, hot dogs, bacon, salami, kielbasa, and other meats when sale price is low enough.

12. Milk: Dry milk, whole milk.

13. Non-nutritious beverages: Tea, ground coffee.

14. Packaged dinners: Macaroni and cheese.

15. Pasta: Spaghetti, macaroni and other pasta when the price drops to 33 cents a lb.

16. Seasonings and flavorings: A large selection of herbs and spices, wine and sherry for cooking, bouillon, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, artificial vanilla extract, maple extract.

17. Sweeteners: White sugar, brown sugar, powdered sugar, molasses, honey, corn syrup.

18. Vegetables: Onions, celery, potatoes, frozen French fries, instant mashed potatoes, tomato paste. (They grow a wide variety of items.)

So that is what is in Amy’s pantry and freezer. Mine is different and so is yours. For example, mine includes a lot of canned creamed soups, canned vegetables and fruits along with spaghetti sauce and canned tomato products.

When you keep a stocked pantry you can skip shopping for groceries when it is necessary, you rarely run out of an item and you save time by going to your pantry to make up your menus. It is a definite win win situation.

Pie Crust, Face Wash and Corn

2011-07-21T21:37:00.000-05:00

First of all, it is raining! It is absolutely pouring and after a heat wave that has had a heat index of up to 128 degrees here in Iowa, it is so wonderful to see rain fall from the sky. I sat on the back porch for a while and I watched the birds flying through the rain. It is such a wonderful sight.

Today I am going to share three recipes for pie crust. The first is my mom’s no fail recipe.

Never Fail Pie Crust

3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups shortening
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
5 ½ tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon white vinegar

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening until it resembles coarse crumbs. Mix together egg, water and vinegar. Pour into flour all at once and blend with a fork until dough forms a ball. Do not over mix. Wrap with plastic and chill in refrigerator. Use as directed in recipe.

Pie Crust Recipe 2

3 cups all purpose flour
1 ½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons shortening
About ½ cup ice water

In a large bowl, combine flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in shortening until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add water. (When adding water to any recipe I don’t just dump it in. I pour it in slowly while I am stirring the dough with the fork. Sometimes you don’t need as much as you think.) Stir til mixed and form a ball. Wrap in plastic and chill in refrigerator. Use as directed in recipe. The key to a good pie crust is not to work the dough too much as this will toughen the crust.

If you have never made a pie crust, you need to try it. It may take a few attempts, but once you have mastered this, you will be able to turn out all kinds of pies. Pie making is becoming a lost art these days.

No Roll Pie Crust

1 cup flour
½ cup margarine, softened
1 tablespoon sugar

Cut ingredients together. Pat into a 9 inch pie plate. Fill with filling and bake.

Now on to my face wash or soft soap recipe. As I get older I have taken on a more basic regimen as to my skin. Over the past few months I have become more and more disappointed with face washes. My skin never felt good. So I thought it was time to make my own.

I decided to use what grandma used and that was “Kirk’s Original CoCo Castile Soap.” It is a pure coconut oil soap and it doesn’t leave residue on the skin. Coconut oil is very moisturizing too. I am able to purchase it at a local grocery store for 99 cents a bar. Dove bar soap is a great option also.

So I made a soft soap out of the bar and I had so much of it that I had to put the bulk of it in an old spaghetti sauce jar and the other is on a small dish detergent bottle.

Here is the “recipe” and my modifications.

Grate some soap bars and add 3 cups soap flakes to a bowl. Set it aside. Boil a pot of water and pour 3 cups over the soap flakes. Stir with a wooden spoon until the flakes are dissolved in the water. Add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and continue to mix all of the ingredients with a wooden spoon. Pour into containers and soap is ready to use after it has cooled.

I modified the recipe by using a stick blender to the melted concoction (after the olive oil has been added) and I emulsified it as the soap flakes didn’t totally melt and mix with the water. It turned out very, very creamy but still a little too thick for my personal preference so I added a little more boiling hot water until it was the perfect consistency.

I made this at the end of June and I can’t remember how many soap flakes I got from the one bar of soap. I think it was 1 ½ cups of flakes came from 1 bar of soap so I simply halved the recipe.

I use this for my face wash and I love it. I hate using a bar of soap to wash my hands or face as the bar gets a little messy over time. This recipe, especially when emulsified, makes a lot of “face wash” or “soft soap” and it will last a much longer time than simply using a bar of soap.

Using this also as a hand soap keeps your hands soft than a harsher store bought soft soap.

Now as to corn.

Corn is in a lot of food products and most of this is in the ingredient high fructose corn syrup. However, other corn products that we use quite a bit are cornmeal, grits, frozen corn and canned corn and, especially here in Iowa, gasoline with an ethanol blend. Here’s the problem, due to the floods and droughts, the corn crops have not been very good. This means higher prices for corn products for us and feed products for animals. Higher feed prices once again means higher prices for meat.

Perhaps to offset this is that many farmers have been selling off their animals early due to the severe heat. So, it may be that meat prices may or may not go up. It’s hard to say. But for now, let’s look at corn.

Cornmeal is something that I love to have as part of my pantry. Aside from cornbread it is good for breakfast as fried cornmeal mush and I also use it in some multi grain bread recipes. Cornmeal is a good food. I’m not sure how much we will be paying for cornmeal in the future, but I am not willing to take that gamble.

I purchased cornmeal on sale at Wal-mart recently and I froze it for 24 hours and then I have it in a container with bay leaves to keep any bugs away.

I was able to purchase about 18 cans of corn a couple of weeks ago for only 29 cents each. I like having canned or frozen corn on hand for casseroles and soups and I know that 29 cents is an incredibly low price that I may never see again.

Keeping my pantry stocked with basic foods that I can use in numerous ways is a priority for me. Storing them properly is equally important so no matter what, only buy what you can use in a reasonable amount of time. I have plenty of flour on hand – probably around 100 lbs. Yes, I know that is a lot of flour, but I do a lot of baking and I give a lot of my baked goods away. 50 lbs. of that flour was found on clearance at Wal-mart when they were having a clearance sale on their huge containers of food. I was able to buy 25 lb. bags of flour for only $5.00.

For some individuals having and maintaining a large stockpile of food is overwhelming. I understand that. If that is true for you I highly recommend at least maintaining a good quantity of basic baking items such as flour, sugars, cornmeal, oatmeal and other grains. You will save money and you will only concentrate on this area of your pantry.

Tomorrow we will look at some more tips from the Tightwad Gazette III.

Ode to Laundry and Cinnamon Rolls

2011-07-20T22:24:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I washed clothes and hung everything on the clothesline in 115 degree heat. I think it took about 10 minutes per load to dry.

Today I washed bedding, quilts, comforters and towels. I hung everything on the line. I let the towels get almost dry and then I tossed them in the dryer for about 10 minutes to fluff and get soft.

It is now 10:15 p.m. and I have made 3 dozen cinnamon rolls. One pan is in the oven and 2 more are in the rising phase and will be ready to bake soon.

All of this to say that I am bone tired and will post tomorrow what I was going to post today.

Tomorrow I want to give you my recipe for making a soft soap or actually my own face cleanser using a bar of Castile soap. Castile soap is made with coconut oil and it is very good for your skin. Also, I want to talk about corn. Yes, corn. Not just corn, but cornmeal, corn products and yes even high fructose corn syrup. And I will also add a couple of my recipes for pie crust that "Debs" requested.

Tightwad Gazette III - Day Six July 19th

2011-07-19T21:32:00.001-05:00

Here is today's reading from the Tightwad Gazette III. After typing this post, I was hungry for homemade pie. But with the temps in the upper 90's and the heat index at 120 degrees, I am not heating up my oven today.

PAGE 55 – THE PIE CHART

Amy advises that anyone can learn to make a great pie with a little practice. I totally agree with this. Pie crust takes practice but even if the top crust turns out less than “perfect looking”, it will still taste great. Even if you get the bottom shell in the dish and fill it, you can roll out the top crust, cut pieces out of it and lay them on the top of the filling. It works great and looks rustic. Polish it off with a little egg wash and a sprinkle of sugar and in the oven it goes. Give it a try. This rustic way is especially good with a meat casserole filling.

There are two rules to pie crust making: don’t overwork the dough and add ice cold water to the flour mixture. It should be just moist enough to hold it together.

I make several pie crust dough balls at a time. I roll them into a ball and flatten them, wrap in plastic wrap, place in a Ziploc bag and put in the freezer. Then I just have to thaw the crust when I am ready to bake a pie.

Amy keeps a bag in her freezer to deposit the scraps of crust after making a pie. When she accumulates enough dough, she uses it for a quiche.

For my family, I take the scraps and roll them out, spread with butter and cinnamon and sugar and then roll up like a cinnamon roll. Slice the dough and bake for 10 minutes along with the pie.

Amy grows her own pumpkins and butternut squashes and then makes her own pumpkin and squash puree. She freezes this for pies. When she has room in her freezer, she will then set aside a day to bake pumpkin pies. A friend collected aluminum pie tins for her. She bakes the pies, allows them to cool and then she puts them in the freezer, unwrapped until they are frozen. She wraps them in plastic wrap and stacks them on top of each other. Then they just have to be thawed out and warmed in the oven. Fruit pies can be frozen unbaked.

If you can master making pie crust you will then be able to make your family all sorts of pies from items that perhaps some people give you. In our area we have mulberries growing all of the countryside. They taste like a blackberry. These berries make delicious pies (and jams). If anyone asks if I want some, I always take them.

Also, you can take leftover meats with some gravy and some vegetables and pour into a pie crust. Top with a lattice crust and you have a grand leftover supper pie. I use pie crust to make meat tarts out of browned hamburger seasoned with onions and some chopped carrots for a perfect meal for a winter evening.

Remember, when learning any new skill you will have some failures. Take those failures and make them into those little pastry cinnamon rolls for your family and they won’t even think it was a failure. They will love them.

Page 58 – WHAT TO DO WITH . . . .

1. Old baby gates. Use as a drying rack for sweaters that need to dry flat. Simply place the rack over the bathtub.

2. Mustard squeeze containers. Use for cake decorating. The tips can be cut with a sharp knife to make different designs. I have used this idea when I was “filling” cupcakes with a frosting/filling. It worked great.

3. Old T-shirts. Cut into a long strip 2 inches wide. (Start at the bottom and cut around and around into one long piece.) Stretch this so that it curls to make a cord. Crochet into hot mats, doormats and even baskets. Use colored shirts to create designs.

Here is a link with step by step instructions. I am definitely going to try this one. I think it would be a great idea to make a rug to put in front of my kitchen sink. I would have to put a rubber pad underneath to keep it from moving though. This would make a great gift and it is another way to recycle old t-shirts.

4. Holey rubber gloves. Cut into sections. These make great rubber bands which can be custom cut for specific uses. Fingers make small ones, cuffs make large ones.

5. Potato Peelings. Scrub your potatoes well and peel with a knife, trying to get large pieces. Place peels in a bowl and add salt, pepper, garlic and onion powder. Grease a cookie sheet and place the skins on it. Bake in a hot oven at about 400 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes or until done. Remove from oven, sprinkle with grated cheese, then return to the oven just until cheese melts. These sound good without the cheese too.

These were some great "use it up" tips. We need to remind ourselves that we can sometimes be wasteful without thinking. The next time I peel potatoes, I will dig into the potato to get a little more potato on the peel and I will make potato skins for a snack. Of course that will have to wait until we are done with this incredible heat wave. I'm starting to think I live in the Iowa "Sahara" Desert.

Let's Help Each Other Out

2011-07-18T17:32:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow I will be posting from our Tightwad Gazette III reading.

This afternoon I was reading some of the comments on my site.
Rose over at Simple Everyday Living posted some comments as to my pantry and the amount of meat I have in my freezer for a 6 month supply. I will do my best this week to follow up with the answer to that question. As many people know, I am a big believer of buying items on sale and stocking up.

In the meantime, I know there are people that read my blog and have great ideas of their own on saving money. Some are on my blog roll. If you're not on my blogroll and you want to share some money saving tips, leave a comment with your blog link and I will put it on my blogroll. Sometimes you think that no one will want to do some extreme things to save money, but I am here to tell you that even extreme ideas are welcome.

Just use your imagination. I really believe that people need to come to the realization that we need to view our money as a precious commodity, be better stewards of what God has given us and that it is okay to adopt a "Great Depression like" mentality of stretching our resources.

Then I think it would be wonderful if you would challenge yourself to learn one new skill over the next few weeks. It could be that you don't cook much and need to learn. For me it will be gardening and canning. It is too late to plant this year, but I can start to read and study the subject so I can be prepared to garden next year. Perhaps I should be digging up some ground in my backyard this fall to prepare my garden for the spring. I have no idea.

So post your blog links and let's help each other out.

The Economy is in Bad Shape - No News Here

2011-07-16T23:15:00.000-05:00

Over the past several weeks, or should I really say months, Congress has been at odds regarding raising the debt ceiling. The economy is in bad shape and frankly I am quite worried. That is all I will say about that. I don’t want to talk politics, I just want to say that we are living in a very difficult economic time. The one thing that I have learned from this is that we have to depend on ourselves to take care of our own family, neighbors and friends. This is a philosophy that was common amongst our grandparents and great grandparents.

I have been listening to the news and reading the paper and here is what I have learned:

1. Crops are failing due to the weather – flooding, droughts, storms. Crops failing mean prices are going up on items such as food and clothing as two examples. Of all the problems with the weather one thing made me sit up and really take notice. There was a dust storm in Phoenix on July 5th and the pictures that were shown of that dust storm looked exactly like the Black Blizzards of the Dust Bowl years of the 1930’s.

2. Oil prices are fluctuating up and down and there is uncertainty as to when prices will drop and level off for good.

3. Our economy continues to struggle.

4. Unemployment remains high and lay offs continue.

5. The housing market is still in the toilet.

Forget Obama care and forget if you are a Republican, Democrat, Independent, Tea Party member or anything else – truth is we can point the blame at a lot of people which is easy to do when you are looking at anything in hindsight.

Back in 2009 I was optimistic about our economy as I felt that by the end of 2010 we would be working our way out of this economic mess. Now I truly believe that we have a few years ahead of us until we begin to recover.

I have been reading a book entitled The Great Depression: A Diary. It was written by an attorney who lived in Youngstown, Ohio and as you can guess, he kept a diary from the crash and throughout the Great Depression. His diary mirrors a lot of what we are going through right now. There are so many comparisons but most of all he gives advice to anyone who reads his diary about how to be financially secure in your life such as simply not borrowing much and living way below your means so that you can put money away for hard economic times.

Ever since we got back from vacation I have become increasingly concerned about my family’s future. Costs are up and lay offs continue and if you have a job it doesn't mean that you will keep your job. So what is a person to do?

Sit down and take a piece of paper and ask yourself this question. If this continues for several years, what is my plan for my family’s financial future?

Here is the list that I came up with:

1. Next year I will find a place in our small backyard to plant a garden and grow as many of our vegetables as possible.

2. Money comes with responsibility. I will look at all money that comes in our house as a precious commodity.

3. I will take better care of what we already have be it furniture, electronics, cars, clothing or food.

4. I will not waste anything and will find opportunities to save our resources.

5. I will make a list of financial goals for our family.

6. I will refer to the Tightwad Gazette books often for ideas.

During the spring when I was eating out of the pantry and freezer, my freezer and pantry didn’t get totally depleted, but both went down by about one-third. There weren’t a lot of sales on meat until about 3 weeks ago. I realized that from what I was reading in the paper about prices going up, that I really had to spend extra money in order to stock and really pack my freezer.

Right now I have a 6 month supply of meat, toiletries, baking items, laundry supplies and paper products. I have about a 4 month supply of canned goods and a 3 month supply of cereal.

My grocery budget for as long as possible will be $37.50 per week ($150 for a 4 week period). I want to leave a generous amount for fresh produce and to also pick up some sale items such as canned goods and cereal. Even though I over spent for a few weeks, I will save in the end. I have done this before but never have I ever felt like I must really take to heart what we have on hand to stretch into as many meals as possible.

With prices going up I may never see food, especially meat, at these prices again. I am really serious about doing this and about making good use of what we have on hand. That means that I will be stretching those foods and trying out new recipes.

I am going to put the kitchen makeover on hold except for the wainscoting and painting. The rest can wait.

This isn’t a lark, this isn’t a challenge, this is life. It's time to get serious and face the harsh reality that our economy may continnue to struggle for a few years. We've been living in denial, looking for a quick fix to return us to prosperity. But as the 1930's song said "Prosperity is just around the corner. Which corner is it just around?"

I'm not panicking but I don't want to sit here one year from now(when we could be in an economy that has slipped into another recession that is worse than the one we experienced 2 years ago) and wish I had been more prepared financially for whatever we may face then.

It's time to dig in and get serious for the sake of our families and future.

Where have I been?

2011-07-16T10:17:00.000-05:00

Well I haven't blogged for a few days and it seems along the way I lost 2 followers. But I don't blog just to see my followers list increase, I blog to see if there are like minded people out there like me and what I can learn from them and perhaps they can learn from me.

I have been in what I refer to as a little bit of a "funk" the past few days and have been so tired that I have spent most of my time resting. I have been on Paxil since the end of December and it causes me to be tired the majority of the time but more so than ever.

I take it in the morning so a few weeks ago I tried to take it before bedtime and I noticed no difference in being tired all day long. Then I tried going to bed at 10:00 p.m. and not 11:00 p.m., sleeping in another hour to gain in total 2 hours of sleep per night. I was still needing to lie down in the middle of the day for at least a 1 hour nap.

I decided that being sleepy outweighed having OCD and Depression so I called my doctor to see about being weaned off of it. The nurse asked me twice if I was sure and I said yes. Then I was doubtful especially when family members said that I appeared happier and better able to cope with life in general when I was taking an anti-depressant. So, I changed my decision and I am sticking with Paxil.

This has led me to try different ways to get more rest. Perhaps the problem is trying to experiment with my sleep cycle in order to find what best works for me. In the end I made the decision that if I need 10 to 12 hours of sleep per day in order to feel rested and get done what needs to me done, then so be it. It is better to get more rest than to try to go through the day with not enough sleep, yawning and constantly tired and not feeling like I have the energy to do anything at all.

So my schedule is that I am in bed by 10:30 at night and I do my best to stay in bed until 7:30 in the morning. Then I get up and eat my breakfast, read the paper and then take a 1 hour nap. By that time it is 9:00 a.m. and I am ready to shower and such and be ready to face the day by 10:00 a.m. Then I am good until bedtime.

At first I could only see that it takes me to 10:00 in the morning to actually be ready for doing housework and such, but now I view it as being totally rested and able to get more done than being tired all day long as I was before.

My family is right. I am better able to cope with my life and being weaned off Paxil may not be the best for me right now especially when there is the fear that old behavior such as OCD could creep back into my life robbing me of my joy.

So, that's what has been going on in the past few days and I will be back to blogging tonight, after I get some cleaning done.

We will continue looking at the Tightwad Gazette III and then I have some budget information to share with you that I have been working on over the past few weeks along with my feelings about the current economy and what I feel all of us need to not worry about, but be prepared for.

So, there you have it. Have a wonderful Saturday and I will be back this evening with more to share - how about a little teaser - my $37.50 per week food budget for the next few months and the need to prepare for the future more than ever.

Tightwad Gazette III - Day Five - July 12th

2011-07-12T21:18:00.000-05:00

Here are some great tips and ideas from the Tightwad Gazette III.

TIP ONE – SURPRISE PIES

A reader wrote in to say that her family doesn’t care for cooked carrots, but she can often get carrots at a great price. So she uses cooked carrots in place of pumpkin for a pie. Her family loves it and it doesn’t take a lot of carrots – 4 large – for a pie.

TIP TWO – Tightwad Turnovers

Use the refrigerator dough to make turnovers. Simply roll a ¼ cup portion of dough into a circle. On one half of the dough place a savory or sweet combination, fold it over and pinch the ends of the dough. Bake in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. This is a great way to use up leftovers. I have taken seasoned ground hamburger along with chopped up leftover potatoes and some carrots and used it up this way. Also, leftover sloppy joe mixture is delicious and so is chicken or ham with some cheese. You can make up a few different ones with various leftovers for a “pot luck.”

A TALE OF TIGHTWAD TRANSFORMATION

Amy wasn’t one to brag about how she had influenced people’s lives. However she did receive several letters from readers detailing how she had changed their lives and after thinking about it she decided to pick one that seemed to represent all of the others.

The lady that wrote in “Karen” began her letter by pointing out that prior to reading Amy’s books she was a miserable spend thrift, in debt and was a working mother. Karen’s reading of Amy’s books inspired her to do the math and she discovered that her working outside the home caused her family to simply break even and sometimes lose money. So she quit her job and incorporated many basic lifestyle changes that produced immediate results.

1. Making school lunches every day.

2. Cooking from scratch.

3. Going to garage sales.

4. Reusing common household items, including Ziploc bags, foil and bread bags.

5. Using a price book

6. Using a freezer.

7. Buying in bulk.

8. Setting up and using a pantry under the basement stairs.

9. Using the library more.

10. Buying kids shoes used.

11. Being more creative with birthday parties.

12. Having her kids make economic choices. Karen and her husband provide the basics of life and her children figure out ways to come up with their own extras.

13. They entertain themselves with little or no money. Examples are free concerts, parks, garage sale board games and church activities.

14. Gardening

15. Cutting her family’s hair.

Karen also listed the benefits of these changes:

1. She doesn’t have to deal with the stress of working outside of the home and putting her kids in day care.

2. Her family eats better.

3. They are greatly reducing their consumer debt.

4. They enjoy family activities that they didn’t have the time for before.

5. She has learned how to cook at the age of 38.

6. Her kids have set new lunch trends at school. Other kids try to trade their store bought treats for their homemade treats.

7. Her kids have learned quickly about cost and value.

8. When she worked, her kids actually had to make an appointment to spend time with her because she was so busy.

9. Karen and her kids were able to drive to Florida to see her parents.

10. They are happier and life is fun.

SKINFLINT SKIN CARE

Amy gleaned some information from a book she read that was recommended by the American Academy of Dermatologists and the book talked about what we need and don’t need. The book even addressed the fact that some homemade concoctions could actually irritate the skin.

So, what then “don’t” we need?

1. Scrubs. A simple washing and scrubbing with a wash cloth will do the trick.

2. Masks. Masks only make your skin feel better for a few hours at the most and the actual benefits are few.

3. Astringents. Also called toners, are to be applied after you wash your face to remove oil or between cleanings to refresh your face. Actually they irritate your skin so that the area around the pores swells temporarily making the pores appear to shrink. If your skin is oily you can use an astringent when you are not able to wash your face.

4. Wrinkle creams. There’s no proof that any nonprescription cream, lotion or gel will remove wrinkles.

Here is a list of products that are useful.

1. Cold creams and cleansing lotions. Great for removing makeup and useful for cleaning your skin if it is too dry for frequent washing with soap and water.

2. Soap and water. With the exception of the above uses for cold creams and cleansing lotions, soap and water are adequate for most cleaning. The choice of soap depends on skin type and personal preference. I got tired of spending a lot of money on a name brand cleansing lotion, so I started to wash my face with Dove soap and I love it. I think it works better than the cleansing lotion and is a whole lot cheaper.

3. Moisturizers. These make dry skin smoother and softer.

So in the end, you don’t have to spend a lot of money on your skin care regimen. Right now I use Dove soap to wash my face, scrubbing with a wash cloth, and Cetaphil moisturizer on my face after I wash it. That is all I do and I think my skin looks great.

No Money but I want a Kitchen Makeover

2011-07-11T22:52:00.000-05:00

I want to redo my kitchen. We have no extra money at all for this type of a project. After all last week we received a bid to replace our roof - $13,500. The roof is in really bad shape and it must be done this year. So there is no money in the budget for a kitchen makeover - or is there? I have been working up a plan over the past week for us to do the work ourselves, over time as we have the money. Here is what I have come up with:

The cabinets are in really great shape and I love them, but they do need new knobs and handles. I could replace them or perhaps paint them with a bronze paint.

As you can see from the picture I have already started to peel off the border and the wallpaper. The previous owner did this room in pink and navy blue, which I do not like.

The countertop is an ugly white with a navy blue band of color along the edge. Don't ever pick out a white countertop. I inherited this one from the prior owners along with the vinyl floor that has cracks in it and is yellowed. Countertops will be expensive but maybe there is an alternative.

I have been researching painting the counter tops with Rust Oleum counter transformations. I like the Onynx granite look. I really think this would be a great choice and the best part is I can experiment on the counter in the master bathroom first. It is white along with maroon trim and a maroon sink and is ugly. Again, it was inherited from the prior owners. In a few years we will be able to afford to replace both counter tops.

A tile floor is something that I don't want to tackle now but I have found a vinyl floor in a black and white checkered style pattern. Perfect and classical and it is something that my husband and I can install ourselves. Also vinyl is much cheaper and I am fine with it.

The sink is a navy blue and we can install a plain stainless steel sink with a new faucet. As to the backsplash I can either paint it (that's what it is now) or I could add steel adhesive squares as a backsplash that appears easy to install. These are also inexpensive.

I want good old fashioned wainscoting installed on the lower half of this wall, a little higher than a normal chair rail in heighth along with trim. Again we can do this ourselves.

Then I want to have new light fixtures along with a new ceiling fan, but I may not necessarily have to purchase new ones. Our electrician told me that I should first try to paint the metal portion of the fixture. It is a bright gold and I want them to be black. So, I am going to give this a try and if they don't look good, I will replace them.

All that is left is to scrape off the "popcorn style" texture on the ceiling, prime and paint the room a pretty yellow (I already have the paint), and then spatter paint the upper portion of the walls in pretty reds, greens and cream colors (to go with my 1940's theme). I also want to replace the fridge with a basic white fridge (ours is 22 years old) along with replacing the dishwasher with a basic white dishwasher. I already priced these. Last but least I will purchase two retro dining chairs for my dinette formica table. I am trying to decide on a red cracked ice pattern or yellow cracked ice pattern.

Here is the link to my post with all of my inspiration piece and fabric for my kitchen.

What is the cost of all of this?

Counter Faux Finish - $150.00
Flooring - $200.00
Backsplash - $50.00
Sink - $50.00
Faucet - $45.00
Paint for Knobs and Handles - $5.00
Wainscoting & trim work - $75.00
Refrigerator - $519.00
Dishwasher - $350.00
Chairs - $250.00
Extra paint colors for spatter painting - $15.00
Light Fixtures - $10.00 for paint or for new $250.00

TOTAL - $1,719 to $1,959

The counters and floor need to be done at the same time as I will need to have the fridge and stove moved into the diningroom while I paint the countertops and get the sides that are next to the fridge and stove. Then everything else can be done as we get the money. Now, what does "as we get the money" mean. It means to me that if I cut back and save money on groceries, I can apply it towards the kitchen faucet or whatever. As I accumulate the money I am going out and buying the faucet. Then as I accumulate money for the sink, I will buy the sink. This also includes the paint. As I save up the money, I will buy the paint.

It's hard to believe that it all started with some inspiration pieces. Read about it here.

Tightwad Gazette III - Day Four - July 8th

2011-07-08T21:13:00.000-05:00

Here is today's reading from the Tightwad Gazette III. Lot's of great advice in today's reading - especially the Create a Dinner Casserole recipe. Enjoy this - it is classic Amy Dacyczyn. Lots of great money saving ideas.

If anyone tries the Create a Casserole Dinner recipe, let us know what you made. I am always on the lookout for some interesting recipes.

Page 39 - ROTTEN BANANA IDEAS

When you are shopping and you find a good deal on over ripe bananas let’s say 15 cents a lb. do you buy them? Okay in our area and 15 years after Amy wrote this book the price would be more like 29 cents per lb.

Of course, Amy says to go ahead and buy those bananas as there are a lot of recipes you can use them in. Also bananas can be frozen whole in their peels, sliced or mashed and frozen in a baggie. I freeze bananas mashed in ½ cup portions as they take up less freezer space. Also when I purchase a bag of over ripe bananas, there are usually a few that are not too over ripe to eat. If you do freeze the bananas whole, simply thaw them and then cut open the end and squeeze the liquidy banana out. No need to mash here.

So what do you do with these over ripe bananas? Make a banana shake or smoothie or take the smoothie mixture and freeze in a Popsicle mold. How about banana “ice cream?” Simply combine frozen bananas with enough orange juice to keep the mixture blending. Add some other fruits, freeze and top with some homemade granola.

What about banana French toast? Simply mash one banana and mix well with 2 eggs, a little milk and 1 teaspoon cinnamon. Pour into a blender to “blenderize.” Dip bread slices into mixture and fry on both sides in oiled pan. Serve with fruit puree or syrup.

And then you can always make the standard banana bread to eat and give away. Think about it. Wouldn’t a neighbor or friend love a loaf of fresh baked banana bread as a treat? I also make banana cake by reducing the amount of liquid in my yellow cake recipe and adding mashed banana. I make banana icing by adding mashed banana to my favorite icing recipe and delete all other liquid from it.

TIP ONE – BUDGET BUBBLES

Here’s a great idea for summer fun in the backyard, make your own bubbles. Mix 6 parts water, 2 parts Joy dishwashing liquid and ¾ part corn syrup. Mix this ahead of time for the best results. This is cheaper than the recipe that requires glycerin.

TIP TWO – SWEET AND LOW COST

Make your own brown sugar by taking 1 cup of white sugar and mix in 2 tablespoons of molasses. This reader said that this homemade version of brown sugar is cheaper than buying a 2 lb. bag of store bought brown sugar. A lot of the brown sugar you buy is “beet” sugar mixed with molasses. However, you can buy actual brown sugar which is usually a name brand and is more expensive. I personally can’t tell the difference in baking so I buy whatever is cheapest. Since I stock up on “brown” sugar when it is on sale at $1.50 or less for a 2 lb. bag, I don’t need to mix the homemade version. But this is great to know that in a pinch you can make your own. I always have molasses or sorghum on hand so I can always use this as a backup if I am out of brown sugar.

PAGE 47 – CREATE A DINNER CASSEROLE

In the spirit of Amy’s recipes for Create a Muffin and Create a Quiche, we now have Create a Dinner Casserole. It’s all about using up leftover bits of food and creating an interesting, delicious meal. Actually this recipe was given to Amy by a newsletter reader and quickly became a favorite.

Create a Dinner Casserole

1 cup main ingredient
1 cup second ingredient
1 to 2 cups starchy ingredient
1 ½ cups binder
¼ cup “goodie”
Seasoning
Topping

Main Ingredient suggestions: tuna, cubed chicken, turkey, ham, seafood.

Second ingredient suggestions: thinly sliced celery, mushrooms, peas, chopped hard cooked eggs.

Starchy ingredient suggestions: Thinly sliced potatoes, cooked noodles, cooked rice.

Binder suggestions: cream sauce, sour cream, can of soup.

Goodie suggestions: pimiento, olives, almonds, water chestnuts.

Topping suggestions: potato chips, cheese, bread crumbs.

Thoroughly mix your combinations of the above ingredients. If it seems dry, add some milk or vegetable or meat stock. Place in a buttered casserole dish, top with the topping and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 45 minutes.

One evening I was home alone and I looked in the fridge and found 2 hardboiled eggs. I made a cream sauce, added some grated cheddar cheese and the chopped hardboiled eggs. I poured the concoction over some toast and it was delicious. Now my family would never eat something like this, but this to me was true comfort food and was delicious.

The lesson here in this casserole recipe is that some of the best recipes are concoctions that you make up with what you have on hand. When you are making up your own recipe for a casserole you might want to keep track of what you put in the casserole in case you would ever want to replicate it.

Our next reading for the Tightwad Gazette gives some great tips from readers along with some Tightwad Transformations from Amy's readers, frugal skin care and making pies.

What is Your Cost Per Day?

2011-07-08T20:06:00.000-05:00

What does it cost you per day to run your household? Have you ever thought about your household expenses this way? We have budgeted amounts for food, gasoline, housing, utilities, debts, and so on and in the past I have worked hard to reduce our spending in each category. But what if when we were trying to get motivated to cut back on expenses we looked at the whole picture and reduced our daily cost of running the household?

Does it cost you $50 a day, $100 a day, or $150.00 day to run your household? Does it cost you less or more? Simply add up your expenses for the month, multiply by 12 and then divide by 365 to get your cost per day.

Now start to set a goal of reducing that cost per day by doing all the little things that add up to big savings. What should your goal be? Perhaps try to reduce your expenses by $2 or $5 per day. That means that all of those expense reductions must equal between $14 and $35 per week. Can you do it? Can you combine savings on food, clothing, gasoline and entertainment (as examples) in order to save that amount per week? It will be a daily reminder of your goal to live on less, and perhaps get more money into savings.

Looking at something in a different way may be the impetus you need to start cutting back on expenses.