Frugal Living

Mar
17

TV Money

When I was a kid, I spent my summer mornings watching TV game shows. I know, I know, I should have been out playing, but I wasn't. I was busy watching the magic of people making money by spinning wheels, pushing buttons, or solving puzzles.

As I got a little older, I came to realize that the magic of those shows wasn't so very magical. It was actually kind of silly to watch grown-ups jumping up and down over winning less money than it cost them to fly to California. When I found out that they also had to pay taxes on their earnings, the bubble really burst.

As an adult, I've resisted watching game shows, or any other television, during the days. I almost never turn on the TV for my own amusement when my kids are around, and I rarely even watch it when I'm alone at night.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against television. My kids certainly watch more than their fair share, but I'd rather do my watching with my hubby. It's too much of a distraction for all of us in the daytime, and we have way too many channels for me to sort through when I'm occasionally by myself in the evenings. I'd much rather pop in my DVD of Pride and Prejudice, which I've already seen more times than I can count (literally!). I LOVE it!

But recently, I've started watching a different kind of TV. Money Saving Mom turned me on to Swagbucks TV, and I have to admit that I'm hooked.

If you don't do Swagbucks yet, you don't know what you're missing. After you sign up for a free account, there are a variety of ways to earn points. So far, I've earned most of mine by using it to search the web.

I use the Swagbucks search engine to look up every website or blog I want to visit, even if I regularly visit it and already know the web address. I downloaded the Swagbucks toolbar and made the Swagbucks website my homepage to help me remember to use it.

I don't get points for each and every search, but I usually earn points several times a day. Once I reach 450 points, I cash them in for a five dollar Amazon gift card. Without even trying very hard, you can easily earn at least one gift card each month. With a little effort, you can earn many more. It's the easiest way I know of to earn money.

Once you've signed up, watching Swagbucks TV is one more way to score points, and lots of them. I didn't think too much of the feature when it first came out, but my mind is changed. You earn three points for every ten videos played, and you can do this twenty-five times in a day. I don't have that kind of time, but while I'm doing housework or sitting at the computer, I open a new browser window and let it play in the background.

Yet, it's much more than just background noise. I really like the shows. A lot. Today I've been watching cooking segments with Giada De Laurentiis. It's like watching a cooking channel with only the shows I want to see and without all the commercials. How great is that?

And as long as I don't let it distract me from tasks I should be doing, I think it's enhancing my homemaking skills. It's inspiring me to be more intentional about the art of homemaking. Today, it's definitely made me interested in trying out some new recipes that I think my family will enjoy. It's a win-win kind of thing.

So, do you watch Swagbucks TV? What's your favorite show? Tell us about it in the comments!

This post is linked to Life As Mom.

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Mar
03

Cutting the Budget

We all know that one way to conserve our grocery budgets is to serve more meatless meals. At our house, my menu plans include bunches of pasta, beans, and soups. But we also enjoy eating meat, so I try to feed our carnivorous side about once or twice a week.

We've found a simple way to make a smaller amount of meat (and money) stretch far enough to feed our family of five. We cut the meat in the kitchen before it's served at the table.

Whether we're having boneless chicken breasts or a grilled (inexpensive) steak, we nearly always slice it on a cutting board before moving it to a serving dish. I've been amazed at how this little thing controls the portion sizes.

Just last evening, we ate Quick Chicken with rice pilaf. If I would have served the chicken pieces whole, I would have needed at least five chicken breasts. I say "at least" because my fifteen-year-old son usually fills his plate a couple of times. Or more. Since I knew I'd be pre-slicing the meat, I was able to use just three pieces of chicken (pounded to be the same thickness), and we all had enough. My big eater was even able to have seconds....and thirds.

Another benefit of cutting up the meat ahead of time is that you don't need to do quite so much slicing and chopping at the table when the younger kiddos are served. Just imagine, you might actually be able to eat dinner with your family. Does it get much better than that?

What strategies do you use to stretch your meals? Share your ideas in the comments!

This post is linked to Life As Mom.

Feb
15

Coupon Filing

Coupons. I collect them, I clip them using my simplified system, and I save money with them. But somewhere in the process I also have to store them.

In the past I've used envelopes, boxes, and boxes of envelopes. Those storage methods worked fine, but I've found something I like even better: A coupon notebook. It works for me and saves me time, the two things that really matter in any organizational system.

To set it up I use:

3-ring binder

--Dividers--I use five of them that are the plastic type with pockets on each side. Any kind will do, but I really like the pockets.

--Baseball card holders--Each page would hold eight cards. I use thirteen pages. You can buy these at a baseball card store (my boys' favorite store) or at the front of Target (their other favorite store).

--Plastic pencil holder--The kind that goes in a notebook. Not a necessity, but it comes in handy.

--Index cards, scissors, pen.

First things first: Put your name in the front of your notebook. I used an address label and added my phone number. This will save you a couple of tears when you forget it in the front of the shopping cart. Been there, done that.

Next, put the pencil holder in the front, followed by the dividers. Two or three pages go behind each divider. I then cut the index cards into narrow strips, label with each type of coupon, and slip them into the pockets.

Here is how my dividers and pages are set up:

First divider label: Beverages/Dairy/Fruit & Veg/Meat

Page one:

--Page two: (1) Kraft Cheese; (2) Other Shredded or Block; (3) Cream Cheese, Ricotta, Processed; (4) Canned Tomatoes; (5) Veggies; (6) Fruit; (7) Dried Fruit, Nuts; (8) Pickles.

--Page three: (1) Fresh Poultry; (2) Frozen, Canned Chicken; (3) Lunchmeat; (4) Smoked Sausage, Processed; (5) Fresh Sausage; (6) Ham, Bacon, Pork, Beef; (7) Fish; (8) Eggs.

Second divider label: Dressings/Prepared/Grains

Page one:

--Page two: (1) Bread, loaf; (2) Other Breads, Bagels, Buns; (3) Frozen, Refrigerated Bread; (4) Pancakes, Waffles, Syrup; (5) Pasta Sauce; (6) Pasta, Rice; (7) Canned Soup; (8) Broth.

Third divider label: Snacks/Cereal/Baking

Page one:

--Page two: (1) Candy; (2) Ice Cream; (3) Frozen, Packaged Desserts; (4) Baking Mixes; (5) Sugar; (6) Flour; (7) Baking Goods; (8) Oil.

Fourth divider label: Health/Beauty

Page one:

--Page two: (1) Deodorant; (2) Shaving; (3) Tothpaste; (4) Toothbrushes, Floss, etc.; (5) Hand Sanitizer; (6) Chapstick, Cough Drops; (7) Bar Soap, Bodywash; (8) Hand Soap.

--Page three: (1) Tylenol; (2) Ibuprofen, Aspirin; (3) Children's Medicine; (4) Stomach Medicine; (5) Cold, Allergy Medicine; (6) Misc. Medicine; (7) Vitamins, Natural Medicine; (8) Contact Solution.

Fifth divider label: Household/Miscellaneous

Page one:

--Page two: (1) Laundry Soap; (2) Fabric Softener, Other; (3) Dishwasher; (4) Dish Soap; (5) Magic Erasers, Sponges; (6) Cleaning Supplies; (7) Window Cleaner; (8) Dusting, Floors.

--Page three: (1) Lysol Products; (2) Clorox Products; (4) Candles, Lighters; (4) Air Freshener; (5) Batteries; (6) Miscellaneous; (7) Feminine Pads; (8) Tampons.

I assign a different grocery or drug store to each each divider and use the pockets to hold that week's coupons. My grocery list (when I don't use my iPod) and menu plan also go right up front so I can see them easily while shopping.

When I'm at the store, I set up my notebook in the front of the cart (easier since I no longer use the seat for my kiddos). After I place an item in my buggy, I put the coupon into the plastic pencil pouch so it's ready for me at the check-out.

Organized. Easy to use. Ready to save me money. Gotta love that!

What system do you use for filing your coupons? Do you like it or are you looking for a new idea? Tell us in the comments!

This post is linked to Works for Me Wednesday.

Sep
30

The Great Pumpkin Muffins

Fall is in the air and that means it's time for a pumpkin to be on our porch. Picking out the annual pumpkin is a very big deal around our house. We pile in the mini-van and make the trip to.....the grocery store. I'm hoping to make it to a real, live pumpkin patch this year, but the local store usually fits the schedule a little better. Still, we don't let the lack of mud and pumpkin vines ruin our fun. We all walk 'round and 'round the bins full of big, orange pumpkins. We each pick out our favorites, set them on the ground, see if they're straight, look for any odd bumps or discoloration, and imagine them next to our front door. After much searching, we finally decide on the best one and load it into the cart.

Then we go into the store and go through the same process with the bins in the produce section. Hey, big decisions like this just can't be rushed!

When we finally make it home with our prize pumpkin, it is proudly displayed in front of the house. It makes me smile every time I see it......until November 1st. On that first day of November, the pumpkin gets to take a trip through the front door and right into my kitchen. I spread newspapers out on the floor and use my sharpest knife to open it up. I scoop out the seeds and save them for roasting. Then, the hard work begins. Using every muscle I have (which isn't much), I cut and peel the pumpkin and drop the large cubes into both my crock-pots and my stock pot. It's a hard job, but there's something "Ma Ingalls" about it. It feels good. I add a very small amount of water to each pot (maybe half a cup), since the pumpkin will release a lot of water. For the rest of the day I let it cook, and cook, and cook. I try to cook off as much of the water as I possibly can. As it cooks, it softens and easily stirs into a thick, dark puree, ready to be cooled and poured into freezer bags.

I've read that the large pumpkins aren't really best for cooking, but it's worked for me for the past couple of years. I measure two cups of puree into each freezer bag, smooth the bags flat, and freeze. Once frozen, the bags can be easily stacked or lined up until they're ready to be used in our favorite muffin recipe.

PUMPKIN MUFFINS
(adapted from Fresh Every Day by Sara Foster)

3 cups all-purpose flour (I use 2 cups white flour and 1 cup wheat flour)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg (I omit this)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar (I use 3/4 cups)
6 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
2 large eggs
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree (or substitute 1 1/2-2 cups homemade)
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups golden raisins (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line 12 large muffin cups with liners and spray the top of the pan with vegetable oil spray or grease lightly.

2. Stir the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a large bowl.

3. In a separate bowl, stir the sugar, butter, and eggs together. Stir in the pumpkin puree, milk, and raisins (if using) and pour into the bowl with the flour mixture. Stir until the dry ingredients are just moistened; do not mix any more than necessary.

4. Using a 1/3-cup measure or ice cream scoop, scoop the batter into the muffin tins, filling each to just below the top of the paper liner. Bake the muffins on a center rack for 25 to 30 minutes, until the tops of the muffins spring back when touched lightly and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool for a few minutes in the tin before turning them out. Serve immediately or cool on a wire rack.

Find more recipe ideas over on Life as Mom.

Photo credit: adelmann

Sep
16

A Frugal Fridge

Do you like to shove dollar bills down the garbage disposal? How often do you toss rolls of coins into the trash can? Those thoughts make us cringe, but every now and then we all take cold cash right out of the refrigerator and wash it down the drain. Of course, that "cash" looks a lot like last week's chicken salad, a forgotten carton of yogurt, and a pound of shriveled up grapes.

If you're like me, each week you carefully make a grocery list and use all the coupons your little fingers can clip. You head out to the store with a calculator and painstakingly figure the price of every ounce of food you buy. Then, you bring that food home, shove it in the fridge, and forget about the money that's hiding behind the milk jug. It's easy to forget that it's not just a bowl of spoiled food that you're throwing away, you're also wasting the time and money you spent to purchase it in the first place.

I certainly don't have this problem licked, but I do have a few principles that I use to minimize my refrigerator waste:

Clean it out. Yep, we all know it needs done, but we figure we'll get to it tomorrow. Unfortunately, "tomorrow" might be a day too late for some of the leftovers in the fridge. I try to quickly clean out the refrigerator once a week. I usually do this just before my grocery shopping day. That way, I know what I have on hand, and I can make room for the new food I'll be bringing home. I do NOT remove everything and wash every drawer and shelf. I simply glance at each shelf and check for things that need used up. I also open the fruit and veggie crispers so I know what's getting a little past its prime.

Use it up. Take the too-soft-to-eat apples and make some applesauce. Use the last spoons of plain yogurt in this morning's pancakes. Or, feed the kids a muffin tin lunch. Make a salad out of those veggies or put together an interesting afternoon snack. Get creative and figure out ways to put that food to good use.

Make a menu. This is one of the best ways to stop losing food and wasting leftovers. If an item is on the menu, you're more likely to use it. And I also plan leftovers into our menu. We'll either repeat a meal later in the week, or I may set out a variety of leftovers and let the kiddos pick and choose what they want. This works double duty: The food gets eaten, and I don't have to cook that night. Sounds like a winner!

Group foods together. The Sour cream and yogurt are on the top two shelves, and the veggies are found in the same place every week. Most importantly, the leftovers are always put away in the same place. Every time. I don't have to worry about losing yesterday's beans-and-rice behind the lettuce. It's not gonna happen. It makes cleaning out the fridge and seeing what needs used up a breeze. No more fuzzy fruit salad!

Now, if only I can come up with a system for using my freezer more efficiently.......

For more thoughts on frugal living check out Frugal Friday over on Life as Mom.

Photo credit: Beautiful Cataya

Aug
18

Freezing Blueberries

A couple of days ago, the kids and I went blueberry picking. They're so easy to pick. They practically jump into the bucket! My family doesn't love eating fresh blueberries, but we love them in muffins and pancakes. I also like to snack on frozen berries for a sweet treat or toss a few into a bowl of yogurt. So, it's into the freezer for these ~~babies~~ berries.

I've been told that you can stick them straight into the freezer without even washing them. I tried that one year, but discovered that when I washed the frozen berries before using them, they tended to stick together in one frozen clump. No fun. Here's how I do it now:

1. First, I fill one side of my kitchen sink with some water (and fruit and veggie wash, if I have it). I carefully take a handful of berries at a time from the bucket, and quickly look for stems or smashed berries as I drop them into the water. It only took me a few minutes to do all four quarts of berries, and it's worth the time it takes to sort through them (especially if the kiddos helped pick them).

2. Next, I spread out some old or dark-colored kitchen towels on the counter. I use my hands to scoop the berries out of the sink and rinse them in a colander.

3. Then, I place them in a single layer, as much as possible, on the kitchen towels to dry. Every now and then throughout the day, I'll move them around a little on the towels so that all sides get dry. It's important to dry them completely so that they don't stick together. (Note: You can also spread them out on cookie sheets in the freezer until completely frozen before moving onto the next step. Personally, I find it easier to simply let them set on the counter for the afternoon.)

4. Finally, I put the washed and dried berries back into the bucket, pop on the lid, and set them in my freezer. You could also place them in large freezer bags. When I'm ready to use them in a recipe, I simply take my measuring cup and scoop out what I need.

Even if you aren't able to take the family to the blueberry patch, you might find them for a great price at the grocery store this time of year. Investing a few minutes now can save you some money later in the year when you're craving a stack of blueberry pancakes.....or a mixed berry smoothie.....or some warm muffins fresh from the oven. I'm getting berry hungry now! As a matter of fact, I think some pancakes and muffins just might hit our table before those berries even make it into the freezer. Yum!

Find more helpful ideas over on Works for Me Wednesday.

Photo credit: Kaleidoscope08