Free Kindle Cookbook!

 

 

For all of the Foodies!
Here is the link for the Easy Appetizer Recipe book!

http://www.amazon.com/Easy-Appetizer-Recipes-Instructables-Authors-ebook/dp/B004JN05CW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1393584375&sr=8-1&keywords=free++kindle+cookbooks

Frugal Blessings,
Lisa

I participated in The Homesteaders Blog Hop!

Stock Up Alert!

The stock up deal this week is at Meijer again--Crystal Light is in the buy 8 save $8 sale.
Buy 8 for 1.99 each, get $8 off and receive a $4.00 off next your next order coupon at the checkout.  After sale and coupon the net price is 49 cents for each container!  Now, that  is a great stock up price in my book! Remember summer will be here soon, and Crystal Light is a great low cal drink! This deal is good through Saturday, March 1st!

Frugal Blessings,
Lisa

To-do List

In order to accomplish my goals this year,(my goals are posted on the right margin) I have taken them and broken them down into weekly to do lists.  I really need, need, need, to increase my income by at least $200 per month.  We have lots of catching up to do on saving for retirement and paying ahead on our mortgage so this is crucial!

So here is my To-Do List this week:

1.     Make 3 loaves of artisan bread

2.     Purchase Soap Ingredients

3.     List 3 items on E-bay

4.     Join 10 Blog Hops

5.     Post comments on at least 5 blogs

6.     Serve 2 meatless meals

7.     Write 2 blog posts for next week

8.     Write down my meal plan for the week 

I hope by posting my to-do list weekly, that you, my readers, will help with accountability and encouragement!   I’ll be posting this weekly and reporting on my progress each week!  What are you doing to accomplish your goals?

Blessings,

Lisa

 

 

 

Last Week's Frugality

Hello All,

  Last week I shared how I got a great deal on blackberries, well this week I used them to make  blackberry jam!  I was able to get 5 half pint jars and one small quarter pint jar of yummy blackberry jelly out of half of my berry purchase.  I flash froze the rest and then bagged them for use later on

this year.  I don’t know if you have purchased blackberry jam but it is pricey! So for $6 I got 6 small jars of jam, and 4 bags of fruit way cheaper than 2 jars of the jam! 

  I bought a mop bucket to keep in the shower to catch the water while it is running and heating up.  I can use this to flush the toilet once or twice and it is an easy way to save some of the wasted water before a shower.

   I am happy to say I jumped back on the band wagon of packing my lunch all week!  Yeah Me!  It is becoming a habit now and it is one I am enjoying.  Leftovers ROCK!  Most of the time, my leftovers are  way better than the cafeteria food —I work in a hospital and you know about hospital food! LOL!!

  I purchased a book this week!  I know, you’re thinking… how is that frugal, right? But it is a great book- The Complete Tightwad Gazette.  I have been in a rut lately and trying to come up with new ways to save and while I read each of the 3 book set back in the day, I had forgotten more than I remembered! So I found a great deal on amazon and ordered a gently used edition!  If nothing else it has been very inspirational for me.  I love new/old frugal ideas!

  The green beans I found last week on clearance were so stinking good.  We enjoyed them with smoked sausage and potatoes one night and then I had it for lunch 2 days and then just the remaining beans as a  side dish with another meal. They were delish!

  I have been diligently saving coffee grounds, egg shells, and veggie scraps for my garden.  This is an amazing boost for my garden and is totally free. 

  I have started signing up for free samples again.  I was doing this for a while and somehow just stopped.  If you want to do more of this, go to All You.com and sign up for the free sample newsletter. http://www.allyou.com/coupons-deals/daily-free-samples You will be emailed about all new free samples daily!  Anyone know of any more free sample web sites?

  I have been timing my showers.  No more than 5 minutes.  I am trying to get my kids to do the same but as they are grown, they are a hard sell.  But still, I try!

  I hung my towels up to dry again this week.  2 loads hung saves almost 2 hours drying time!

   My family is now calling me the light Nazi-they really aren't but that is how I think they think of me now!  I have been on “light patrol” as my kids used to call it!  I make it a point to turn off lights as I leave a room and have been bugging the family to do this also!The funniest thing about it is that I used to get so mad at my Dad for yelling about lights left on!  Now I am the one making my kids mad!  What goes around come around I guess!

  Well, that's about it for me-what have you been doing to save money?

Frugal Blessings,

Lisa

  This post is shared at:   Clever Chics BlogHop
This Post was featured on Fabulously Frugal Thursdays!

 

Thoughtful Thursday

 

        Just do what needs to be done.  This may not be happiness, but it is greatness!                               
                                                                              
                                                                            -George Bernard Shaw

Garden Dreams....

 Any one else looking forward to Spring?  Oh my, I sure am.  I cannot wait to see the first crocus peeking up through the snow and see the green shoots sprouting up that will soon bear lemon yellow daffodil blooms.  I love to see the first buds form on the trees signaling that the growing season is  upon us. Boy do I have it bad!  Garden dreaming is at the forefront of my mind.  Tired of all of the snow and cold, I am perusing seed catalogs and dreaming of prolific vegetable gardens to feed our bellies and gorgeous flower gardens to feed our souls.  Hurry up Spring!

Blessings,
Lisa

Stock Up Alert!

                                     FYI--Meijer has Blackberries on sale this week 2/$1!!   Great to flash freeze and for jam making!  They also have a great 10 for $10 get the 11th free sale going on this week!

Blessings,
Lisa

And the Winner Is.........

Good morning,

  Today is the day!  The winner of the Spring Green set of pint jars is.......Gypsyelves!!!
Please e-mail me with your contact info and I will get your jars out to you asap!
Thanks to all who entered and keep an eye out for another giveaway coming soon!

Blessings,
Lisa

Last Week's Frugality

Hello everyone,

  I just wanted to let you know how much  I like writing  this weekly post. It makes me keep track of what  I am doing to save and makes me want to do more so I can share it with you all!  Start writing down all of the things you do in the name of frugality--You will start to accomplish so much more and you can feel good about what you are doing!

   Last week I was able to pack my lunch all five days, but one day I was really hungry and the pb&j sammie just didn't get it so I purchased a foot long coney at the cafeteria. So I did pack all five days but I caved and spent $3.50 for the coney. Must do better next week I guess
.
    I hung 2 loads of towels to dry last week. Also hung some jeans and other clothes to dry. Just put the jeans in the dryer for 10 minutes to soften them up. Still, every item hung saves money!

    We got our tax refund back Friday and I immediately put half of it into a CD.  I know they don't earn much, but it makes me think twice about using the funds because of the penalties and the money is there if we have a major emergency.

    Our local Meijer had small packages of blackberries 2/$1 so I bought 12!  I flash froze half of them and plan on making jam this week with the rest.

     My DH loves pretzels so I picked up 6 bags for him-they were 90 cents per bag--my stock up price!

   I made one meatless meal for my family this past week- crustless quiche and salad.  It was not one of my better meals but we ate it anyway! 

  I planned on making breakfast burritos for us on Sunday, but we only had 3 eggs left.  How do you feed 6 people breakfast with 3 eggs???   French toast of course!  I made do with what I had!

  My second batch of sprouts is just about ready to eat.  I priced a small bunch at the grocery and it was $1.79 for about the same amount I have growing in my sprouter.  I paid less than $10.00 for a huge bag of the alfalfa  sprout seeds and will get 30-40 sprouters  full for about the cost of 5 bunches at the store!  Big time savings!  If you haven't tried growing sprouts, you really should!

  My son got a call about an application he put in for a job working with computers so Mr Jeans and T-shirt needs to come up with clothes for an interview this coming week.  He said his older(worn 2 times) dress pants were too tight so I looked at them and was able to let them out 2 inches. So he doesn't have to buy new ones!  As for a shirt and tie, he will be borrowing them from his brother.  Please say little prayer that he gets this job! Please and thank you!

    I used my Kroger points to fill up my gas tank this week--saved 30 cents per gallon!  Not as good as last time but 30 cents off helps.

   I made my DH molded chocolate hearts for Valentines Day.  I used candy melts that I had left over from other projects.  He loved them!  I got the molds at a yard sale last summer for next to nothing.

    Because a lot of my towels are looking pretty rough, I bought 2 almost like new towels at the Goodwill for 50 cents each and they are big, thick, thirsty towels too!  Not bad for 50 cents each!

   One of the items I posted on E-Bay sold  so I made an extra $54.00 this week! Remember, one of my goals this year is to increase our monthly income by  $200 per month by the end of the year-so this is progress!

 To make a pot of chili go farther, I added 1 1/2 cups of lentils.  No one even noticed and I was able to get 3 meals from one pot of chili.  Chili spaghetti, chili and grilled cheese, and coneys.

  I found about 5.5 lbs of green beans for $2.59 in the reduced bins.  I sat and broke them while watching the Olympics yesterday.  Fresh green beans for dinner tonight! Yummy!

  I have started a kitchen compost bin.  I am putting coffee grounds, egg shells, and veggie peels/trimmings in it and will add it to my raised bed gardens weekly.

  I think that about covers it this week. What have you saved money on lately!

Frugal Blessings,
Lisa

  

Happy Valentines Day!

 
 

                                               

Prayers

   Please remember the poor folks affected by the ice and snow storm in your prayers!
Blessings,
Lisa

Stock Up Alert!!

This weekend Remke’s has a 3 day sale and the Indian Summer Apple juice is only $1.28 for a 64 oz. bottle!  Looks like I’ll be making apple jelly soon! 

A pantry full of blessings to you all,

Lisa

Welcome!

 

 

 

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome my new followers!  So honored to have you following my blog!
Blessings,
Lisa

Last Week's Frugality

      This week we had it out about the cable bill.  My DH is disabled and his joy is watching sports. While I have done everything I can to pay for the cable, it has become too expensive.  So we hashed  it out and he agreed to call the cable company and try to get the bill reduced.  No luck.  They wouldn't give us the intro special prices that they are advertising. So I contacted the local phone company and I can save over $50 for basically the same services.  Cha-ching!!  My yearly goal was to reduce our budgeted costs by $50 and I have been able to reduce it by $109 so far!  We cancelled the car we sold off of the insurance  policy last month. I am so happy about saving $109 per month! This is HUGE!
     I packed my lunch all week!  That is 2 weeks in a row now!  I just have to keep it going!
    I used left over pot roast to make vegetable beef soup.  We had it for supper the next night and for several lunches!  It was yummy if I do say so myself! 
    We had one meatless meal for supper. And this week I got a call from my Dr. saying my cholesterol is too high and to start eating low fat.  So more meatless meals are in my future along with oatmeal for breakfast.
    I did get 2 of the pork tenderloins at Kroger. I had them sliced pretty thin to make more servings therefore more meals. 
     I found salad mix reduced so we had a nice salad with dinner Saturday night.  I am trying to incorporate more salads and greens in our diet.

     We ate the sprouts that I grew.  I put them on sandwiches and in our salads.  Feels so good to grow fresh greens and know how healthy they are for my family!  I have another batch of the alfalfa sprouts started for next week! See how I grow my sprouts here
     I washed 2 loads of towels and hung them to dry.  The kids grumbled that they were stiff but they will get over it.  Saved about 2 hours of drying time!  Every little bit helps!
      I take my Mother to the Goodwill every Saturday, and while I find some great bargains, I tend to spend too much money.  So my new Goodwill budget is now $5.  While it was hard to stick to, I did it!  I put the things I would have liked to get in the cart then before leaving, I decided exactly what I needed/wanted the most up to $5.  It worked!  I only spent $4.65.

   I have decided to tryout selling some things on E-bay.  That way I get rid of stuff/clutter and maybe I'll make a little cash in the bargain!  Win, win!

   We have been keeping the thermostat set on 65 degrees.  Lordy, I cannot wait until it warms up some I'm cold!!
    I did stick to our $50 grocery budget this week.  I am going to have to get very creative to make this work, but I am going to do my best!

  What have you been doing to save money this week?

Frugal Blessings,
Lisa

 
  

My Spring Green Jars are here!

Guess what I just received!  My Ball Spring Green pint jars!  They are so pretty-I can't wait to can pickles and relish in them this summer!  They will look so cool in the new Spring Green Jars!
    Guess what else-I have an extra set of the jars for one of my followers!  All you have to do is to be a follower and leave a comment after this post. New followers are very welcome! If you want a second chance at winning, just share this on your blog and  comment back here
that you have shared about this giveaway.  The winner will be chosen on February 17th so the deadline to enter is February 16th midnight. 
  Blessings,
Lisa

Inexpensive Broccoli Slaw

  While shopping the other day I found broccoli slaw packages reduced to 59 cents per bag.  My DH just loves my broccoli slaw but it can get quite pricey so I only make it on special occasions and holidays.  My original recipe calls for a head of finely cut broccoli florets in addition to the bag of broccoli slaw mix or broccoli wocolli. So far the cost is about $3.  Then add the cost of bacon bits, raisins and sunflower seeds and the cost goes up to about $6. I don't know about you but $6 is a lot for a side dish of salad!  See, that is why it is only for special occasions!

  Since I found the 2 bags of reduced slaw mix, I picked them both up and decided to try and make a cheaper, but still nutritious slaw that my DH and family would like.  I improvised!  I had a few strips of turkey bacon left from breakfast and broke them up into small pieces after they cooked. I didn't have raisins, but I had cherry tomatoes so I cut a few in half to use.  I was out of fresh onions so I had to use dehydrated and I didn't have fresh broccoli florets so I just omitted them.  For years I purchased the Marzetti's Slaw Dressing, but then I learned how to make it from scratch--so cheap and much better! I make my slaw dressing out of salad dressing, apple cider vinegar, and splenda.  I usually just make it to taste--just use about a cup of salad dressing, about 2 tablespoons of vinegar, and add sugar or splenda to taste.  I use this on regular cole slaw as well.

 I then added my dehydrated onions to the slaw dressing. 
Toss the slaw mix into bowl with your tomatoes and bacon then pour dressing over and stir.   My DH loved it and didn't even complain about what it was missing!  Wow, what savings!  The slaw mix was $1.18 and everything else I had on hand at home, so it was less than $3 for the whole thing!  By using what I had on hand and buying the reduced produce, I saved 50+% on our slaw.  By improvising with recipes you can greatly reduce the cost of feeding your family!  Try it!

Blessings,
Lisa

Making Butter at Home!

  As you may have read, I found 2 qts. and 4- 1/2 pints of heavy cream on sale at our local Meijer.  I
only paid $3.54 for it.  Way cheap!  So, what do you do with this much cream?  Make butter of course!
  So that is what I did.  Here is how to make butter at home:

Let cream come to room temperature. 
Wash and dry a pint jar. Fill jar until half way full. Put lid and ring on and tighten, then shake the tar out of it.
The jar will fill up with whipped cream --you will  hardly be able to feel it shaking inside the jar. Keep shaking!  You will be able to feel the cream shaking in the jar again as the butter separates.  Keep shaking several more minutes.  Empty as much of the butter milk into another container to use for your blueberry pancakes the next day!  Then scoop butter solids into a bowl and use a spatula or fork to work the butter and squeeze out all of the buttermilk.  Drain bowl frequently using spatula to hold butter in bowl.  Run a little water into the bowl and wash the buttermilk out of the butter and squeeze with the spatula.  Rinse and repeat!  You can add salt now if you want to--optional.  Just place in your container and refrigerate or freeze. See, making butter is easy peasy!
 
     So simple but here is a much faster way: 

Bring cream to room temp.  Pour into bowl of your food processor. I only used a quart at a time so my bowl wouldn't leak. Process cream for several minutes.  You will be able to hear the processor bog down when the butter starts to separate. Let it process several more minutes.  Pour off buttermilk--save for pancakes remember!  Then scoop butter solids into a bowl to work and squeeze the buttermilk out.  Wash and repeat several times then add salt. Place into container and viola, you are done-except for the dishes!

Working the butter!

My butter and buttermilk!

 

I had a total of 3 quarts of heavy cream and I weighed my butter and had just under 3 lbs. I would have had at least 3 lbs. but I dropped a big dollop in the sink.  Such a klutz!  About 3 lbs. of butter for $3.54!  That is some cheap butter!  Making butter is so easy, why don't you give it a try?  If I can make butter, anyone can make butter!

Blessings,
Lisa

Stock Up Alert!

This week's alert is for Kroger's again!  They have boneless pork tenderloin for $1.79 per lb. This is so much cheaper than hamburger!  And just so you know, Kroger will cheerfully slice your tenderloin anytime of the day unlike another store in my area!  I plan on picking up several--they are great for pulled pork BBQ!

Frugal Blessings,
Lisa

Last Week's Frugality

Hello All!

    I hope everyone has recovered from the Super Bowl last night! We had a frugal spread and it was scarfed down by my crowd!  They didn't even complain and everything was less than $20 to make!
I think I scored a touchdown for our budget!!
    I packed my lunch the entire week.....Finally did it!  I took my own tea bags to work and just got hot water out of the cafeteria! 
    When I went to Meijer to get the specials, I found heavy whipping cream reduced in the dairy case. I snatched up 2 quarts and 4 half pints for $3.54!  Guess what I am going to make out of it--post coming soon!
  We used part of our Anniversary Gift money to pick up 75% off toys  for my Granddaughter and my nieces for birthdays and Christmas gifts this year!  They are DONE!!!
    I bought my Kraft BBQ sauce on sale at Kroger at my stock up price--49 cents per bottle.  Bought 24 of them!  Pasta was also on sale for 49 cents per box and I bought 24 of those as well.
We love pasta salad in the summer months so I had to stock up!
   We use the Kroger pharmacy for our meds and it helps build up gas points for money off of the price of a gallon of gas.  I was able to fill up my tank for less than $22 using my points!  Cha-ching! My biweekly gas budget is $40 so I saved $18 in gas this week.
    I started growing sprouts.  I have had the seeds and the sprouter for years, but I just haven't gotten around to it yet this winter.  Growing sprouts is the easiest way to grow nutritious greens for your family.  You can use them in salads or instead of lettuce on sandwiches!  Yummy, cheap, nutritious,  and easy to grow on the kitchen counter!
  I found a Wilton mini muffin pan for 50 cents at the Goodwill.  Also found a pan with 6 mini bundt molds in it for $1.50!  I love to bake and I have wanted the mini bundt pan for years but couldn't justify the price until now! Good things come to those that wait!!
  Well, I think that is about it for last weeks frugality,  What did you do last week?

Frugal Blessings,
Lisa