frugal living

Explore a wide way of keeping your spending down, beyond just clipping coupons and being "cheap". Whether it be ways to cut out excess spending, or how to tighten up your budget, how to get by during the holidays or holiday flights, tips to a frugal Disney trip, or even if you just want to keep your kids cool during the summer - I've got it all covered!

(Better for You) Meatballs

01/12/2011 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

As part of my Frugal Homemaking series, I wanted to add a few new recipes that I’ve tried my hand at recently. The first is my meatballs. Basically, I took a few recipes, and tweeked them to work for me, my family, and the ingredients in my kitchen. :o)

The great thing about cooking, to me, is that you can modify any recipe to fit your needs and preferences. I’d love to hear y’alls variations on any of my recipes.

(Better for You) Meatballs

Ingredients

– 1/3 cup Panko bread crumbs

– 1/2 cup milk

– 1 onion, finely chopped

– 4 cloves garlic, crushed/finely chopped

– ~1 tbsp olive oil (enough to saute onion)

– 2 eggs (I use Egg Beaters, or it’s store brand equivalent)

– 1/4 – 1/2 cup finely chopped spinach

– 1 tsp dried Italian herbs

– 2 tbsp Parmesan (um, I always over-measure the cheese… hee hee)

– 1 tsp salt

– 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper (adjust to preference)

– 1/2 tsp pepper

– 1/2 to 1 whole small squash, very finely diced

– 1 lb. ground turkey

Preparation

Let milk and bread crumbs stand for about 20 minutes, while you continue with the recipe.

Saute onion until translucent, add garlic for last minute. Set aside to cool.

Combine eggs, spinach, herbs, Parmesan, salt, peppers, and squash with bread crumb mixture. Then gently mix with meat — don’t overmix! Cover with plastic wrap or lid, and let sit in refridgerator for 1 hour. (In a pinch, I’ve stuck in freezer for ~20 minutes.) This firms up the mixtures, which makes it easier to scoop out for next step.

Preheat oven to 425. Put aluminum foil snuggly over baking sheet, and brush with olive oil. After refrigerated for one hour, use an ice cream scoop to portion out meatballs. Bake for 20 minutes at 425 degrees, or until meatballs start to brown.

Here, you can either cool them and freeze them for later, OR simmer in your sauce of choice for about 15 minutes.

Suggested variations

– If you simply must have ground beef, but wish to be a bit healthier, you can double the recipe, and use 1 lb of ground turkey and 1 lb of LEAN ground beef. (Or half a lb of each)

– Aren’t all things better with cheddar? Replace the parm with cheddar.

– I always try to pack as many veggies in to a dish as I can: add bell pepper to this one. Also, very finely chopped broccoli and/or cauliflower. I recommend steaming them both first.

– I substituted bread crumbs with Panko crumbs. You can also grind up smoked almonds, for a nice punch.

**This post may contain affiliate links.**

Keep on saving! :o)
--Barbara
**Remember, y'all, this post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

Filed Under: frugal living, recipes Tagged With: evergreen

Frugal Baby Advice: 10 Unnecessary Purchases

12/09/2010 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

After 20 months (and counting) with The Tot, I have learned how to distinguish important baby gear from items that are a sheer waste of money. Baby gear is marketed to parents, praying on one of several things: convenience, nutrition/health, and making baby smart(er). Here’s what I’ve learned, both from personal experience and from simple observation.

Diaper Bags
Yes, there are gobs and gobs of uber-cute, super-sleek diaper bags out there. But you’ll likely pay a pretty penny for them. Guess what I’ve been using for about a year now? A canvas cloth tote bag. (And it was free. With coupons in it!) Yep. A large cloth tote bag, with several smaller ones nestled inside to compartmentalize things (or large plastic baggies could also work). Think about how often you get a free tote bag, or an offer for a free tote bag. Stock up on them, as they may wear out fairly frequently.

“Your Baby Can Read”
If babies were meant to read as infants and toddlers, we would’ve cracked the code long ago. Period. Are there young children out there who may learn to read at an exceptionally early age? Of course. But will it be your child or mine? Not bloody likely. And a program that you purchase will not accelerate his reading readiness. Let your little Einstein emerge at his own pace, not by one dictated by your wallet. What’s next? “Your Baby Can Conjugate”, or better yet, “Your Baby Can Solve Algebraic Equations”…. puh-lease. (I would, however, settle for “Your Baby Can Self-Potty Train”.)

There are numerous products out there praying on parents’ vulnerabilities (i.e. guilt and wanting The Best for their kids), with the promise of making their child smarter, by some gimmick. Peruse through the infant and toddler toy isle(s) the next time you’re at the store. You’ll see the sheer volume of toys with “learning” in the title. For instance, my daughter has a “learning” kitchen, thanks to Santa. You know what she’s “learned” from it? That she can open the fridge door to help her climb over to the other side. ABCs, colors, shapes? Not so much — those concepts are best left to teaching through direct interactions with me and her other caregivers, not some silly plastic toy.

Toddler Meals
Really? Prepackaged toddler meals? By this stage, toddlers should be eating table foods, just in smaller portions. Like many of us, our toddlers are probably served better, more nutritional options that we the parents. These meals are marketed to pray on parents, to make them feel like they can’t create nutritious meals themselves. In reality, these are over-priced and over-packaged — HOOEY! I say, instead, go buy some fresh veggies and fruit, get some simple meats, perhaps some fun-shaped mini pasta, and serve your Tot this — all at a FRACTION of the cost (and unnecessary packaging) of these prepackaged meals.

Plastic Infant and Toddler Dishes
I’m going to get a lot of slack for this, but guess what works just as well? Leftover frozen dinner dishes, yogurt containers, fruit cups, butter dishes, etc. …AND you’ve already paid for those!! Are those matching Elmo or Cinderella cups, plates, and bowls to-die-for adorable? Yes. But you can get by without them. Or if you must get them, get them gently used at garage sales, consignment sales, or Goodwill. Or try the dollar section at Target — they’ve almost always got them there. But spend more than a few dollars for a toddler’s plate? Perish the thought!!

Wipe Warmers
I have never heard of a baby getting sick, dumber, lacking in nutrition, or growing up to resent his parents for having a cold (or even room temperature) wipe run across their fanny. End of story. Of course, if you know of a documented case, I will happily stand corrected. ;o)

“Boogie Wipes” and Paci Wipes
…and speaking of wipes. Boogie Wipes?!! The name directly tells you what they’re intended purpose is. Guess what else works: a tissue! And they cost way less. Want a “moist” tissue? Try a diaper wipe — you can always find good deals on them.

Let’s just round out the whole “wipe” rant with Paci Wipes. Again, if you MUST use a wipe for her paci whence it falls to the floor (GASP!), try running it under the faucet. Or use a diaper wipe. (Maybe they should be called “all purpose wipes?”) Oh, and many parents have been spotted cleaning a paci with their shirt tale. I’ve yet to hear of death-by-dirty-paci…

Diaper Pale Systems
If you choose to use disposable diapers, then you must deal with the subsequent stinch from a sitting diaper. In my experience, I have yet to see an inexpensive system that truly keeps the poo from stinking up the room. Sure, you could spend thirty to fifty bucks on the pale, plus the cost of the “special” bags it takes and/or the batteries it requires. But that adds up quickly, and I’ll betcha you can still smell the poo. I’ve taken a cheaper, greener approach: we dump the poop (as much as we can) in the toilet, then put in a lidded pale. For the icky diapers that just can get completely de-pooped, I tie them in a newspaper bag, invert it and tie it again. (Essentially, double-bagging with one bag. Shall I create a video to demonstrate?) It costs nothing, and it keeps nasty poo out of the landfill.

Gadgety Toys
You’ve seen them in the stores and in commercials: the battery-operated toys with lights, noise, and motion. Quick: name five toys your child possesses that lack all three of these. I bet you couldn’t do it, could you? Now, show of hands: do your kids like to play with empty cartons, soda bottles, milk jugs, etc? (In other words: trash!) Kids don’t NEED all the bells and whistles that are out there, nor does your wallet likely need all the replacement batteries they devour! I’m not suggesting that we all rid our homes of these toys, and never buy them again. …but perhaps keep it simple. Also, keep only a few toys out at any given time, and the rest packed away. Rotate them through periodically, and it’s like you’ve got new toys all over again.

Ultrasound Videos and Photos
I’ll admit, I fell for this one. Was it a great experience to see my sweet little girl moving around, and have that moment captured on film? Absolutely. But the cost was absurd, even with a “good deal”.

Pee Pee TeePees
They are a great shower gift for an expectant mother of a boy, and will emit quite a few grins and giggles. But, again…. really? I must believe that diapers were changed for many many moons (pun intended) before these were manufactured, and parents and caregivers found ways to avoid the -um- splattering. I must disclose, however, having a daughter, this particular item has thus far been a moot point for us. Still, I just can’t imagine that these would do anything that a rain coat and umbrella, or a mere diaper wipe couldn’t also do. Notice how versatile diaper wipes can be?!

***

This list could be exponentially longer, but hopefully, y’all get the gist of it. Cute, convenient, and praying on parental insecurities is a recipe for baby gear money-making. As a parent and a consumer, I hope that you can be discerning in what is important, and what is right for you and your family’s needs.

Keep on saving! :o)
–Barbara
[Read more…]

Filed Under: baby, frugal living, Frugal Parenting Tagged With: evergreen

Ditching the Sponge

11/09/2010 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

This summer I accomplished something I once thought unthinkable: I gave up the sponge. It was a gripping addiction, harder to kick than a nasty nicotine habit. …a habit that had the ability to spark the silliest of arguments amongst even the best of roomies. Right, SwimBikeMom? 😛 But once again, I digress; that’s a blog-post for another day.

Perhaps a tad OCD, I was one of *those* people who had a sponge designated for various parts of the kitchen: one for the floor, one for the counters, and another one for dishes. I knew for quite some time that sponges were a breeding ground for all things disgusting; however, I was not keen on the idea of using paper towels, or other disposable products — I had to find a GREEN alternative to sponges.

After reading one of my many parenting magazines over the summer, I read an article featuring a great solution. Use washcloths instead of sponges, replacing them daily. The solution was so ridiculously simple, I felt like an idiot for not thinking about that sooner!!

Afer all, I was already daily replacing my daughter’s bibs, as well as a washcloth to clean her after meals. What was one more wash cloth to throw in to the load, right?

Ditching the Sponge - Mr. Clean reusable wipes

Thus, I set out to find some good, inexpensive washclothes. A trip to Big Lots was beckoning! (Who am I kidding, even the tiniest excuse will do for a trip to Big Lots!) There, I found a set of ten washclothes for $5.00, which seemed to be an okay deal. (Mind you, I didn’t care about the color, but wanted that waffle-y texture appropriate for kitchen towels and washcloths.) However, on a whim and for no particular reason, I browsed by the cleaning section and came upon two things that caught my eye, and changed my mind completely: Mr. Clean Reusable Wiping Cloths and a six-pack of Mr Clean Reusable Wipes. Each pack was a buck each — in true frugal, OCD fashion, I snagged about four packs of each, and ditched the wash cloths all together!

Ditching the Sponge - Mr. Clean Wiping Cloth

Yes, their names are almost identical, but the thickness of wiping cloths seem to act more like a sponge, while the reusable wipes have the feel of a paper towel, but (almost) the durability of a washcloth. The wipes were also rather large (21″ x 11″), so I snipped each of them in half, and happily doubled my supply of them. I’ve put both through the washing machine, but not the dryer, and they both seemed to fair well so far. Neither retained their original shape, but I didn’t really expect them to.

It’s been a long journey in giving up The Sponge. Admittedly, I still have one in the “sponge drawer” of the kitchen, but I only use it for the floor. I’ve graduated away from a Counter Sponge and a Dish Sponge. So far, so good. While I don’t toss and wash daily, I do replace at least a few times a week, and the results have been good so far. As I mentioned earlier, I already have bibs and wash clothes thanks to The Toddler, so tossing in these reusable wipes has really been small potatoes.

Do I miss My Sponges? Nope. Not even the stinky smell they started emitting after sitting around for a while. Do my new reusable, machine-washable cloths work just as well? You bet! Are you a sponge-a-holic? I challenge you to find a green way to replace them! If you’re interested, I encourage you to try out the Mr. Clean wipes — I’ve still spotted them at Big Lots. If, however, you are not blessed with a Big Lots near by, or if B.L. simply isn’t your cup of tea, I’ve also seen them available on Amazon.

If you are a reformed Sponge User, or would like to be one, I’d love to hear about it. Please also feel free to share any other green household tips you’ve acquired over the years. :o)

Filed Under: frugal living Tagged With: evergreen

Printer Paper AND Saving Your Printer’s Ink

11/02/2010 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

Okay, so the following is no secret, at all, but here are some things I’ve been doing for YEARS to save printer paper and ink! (Ink being rather expensive to purchase!!)

Printer Paper
You know all junk mail you get in snail mail? Flip it over. If it’s blank on the back, throw it in your printer’s paper tray! I keep a box for one-sided 8.5″x11″ papers. It’s filled with one-sided junk mail, as well as hundreds of miscellaneous other pieces of paper, only used once.

Think about it: for whom are you most likely printing? If the answer is yourself, or someone else in your household, then does it matter if there’s something unrelated on the back? Most likely not. You’ll have to play with your printer to see how to feed the paper in, as it may not work exactly the same as mine. For me, I place the paper in blank side down, and it rolls up and prints on the blank side.

Ink & Ink Cartridges
Oh, how I wish I had heard Clark Howard’s podcast discussing the evils of printers, their ink cartridges, and his solution!! Kodak printers: you pay more up front for the printer, but the cartridges are extremely inexpensive, compared to other brands…

I digress. Like many of us, you, too, may have been suckered in to buying the “cheap” printer, only to discover how it guzzles those expensive ink cartridges; thus, making your deal quite a dud. Did you know you can change the default settings on your printer, so that you use significantly less ink each time. Here’s how:

If you don’t wish to make these your printer’s default settings, you can elect to do “grayscale” and “fast draft” when you know you’re printing something that doesn’t need to be polished, if you will. The steps are the same as above, except you select “printing preferences” from the main print command screen that will come up when you wish to print. (Does that make a lick of sense???)

One more trick for saving your ink: smaller font size. Yep. You may have read about this as a tactic for universities to save thousands of dollars each year. It’s true! I’ve been doing this for years. (And doing the opposite to stretch those papers in college, but that’s a blog for another day…) The same is applicable for wider and longer margins: it’ll save you paper, particularly if you only have one or two lines on another page. Try it!

Finally, along those same lines, if you’re printing from a website, try highlighting the text you wish to print, and when you go to print, look for the “selection” or “selected text only” option.

P.S. Once you have empty ink cartridges, consider recycling them. There are tons of programs that offer incentives to recycle your empty cartridges; Office Depot, for example, will give you $3 towards your rewards when you turn in your empties.

Readers: do you have additional tips and tricks to add to this collection? I’d love to hear about them! :o)

Filed Under: back to school, frugal living

Are You Using Too Much Laundry Detergent???

09/28/2010 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

Are you using too much laundry detergent?

A trick I’ve learned after doing laundry for almost twenty years? (I know, I know, I started doing laundry when I was, like, five… tee hee) Never go by how much the manufacture label tells you to use! Think about it: they WANT you to use large amounts, so that you go through it faster, so you have to run out and buy more of their product. SO, are YOU using too much laundry detergent??? [Read more…]

Filed Under: frugal living, laundry Tagged With: evergreen

Yes, I Do THAT with My Zip Loc Bags

09/28/2010 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

Oh, those handy-dandy plastic baggies! They may not be the greenest way to take your lunch to work or school, but if you know how to STREEEETCH their lives, you can detect a shade of green on them.

First, yes, I will rinse out a plastic baggie, and turn it inside out to dry in my sink’s dish drainer. There. I said it. I started doing this regularly when my daughter started drinking cows milk. When we’re on the go, and bring a sippy cup along, I quickly learned that the milk would leak in the sippy cup (that’s a whole other can of worms I wish not to go in to right now). So, I would stick her cup in a plastic baggie, and then stick it in the insulated lunch bag with the ice block. (Yes, I use the insulated lunch bag we got for free at the hospital when she was born.) It seemed so silly to toss the bag straight in to the recycling bin, and you can’t reuse as is with milk in it (ACK!); thus, I began rinsing and reusing.

I have a designated drawer for plastic baggies. Boxes with new baggies are in the same drawer. (There are times when a new bag is simply called for!) I always keep the reused bags separated from the new, just to be safe.

For all the (zillion) times I have used a plastic baggie lately, I have scarcely had to go out and BUY them. I think I’ve stretched a box for over a year, easily.

This is just one way I re-use my plastic baggies. What are some ways that YOU stretch your dollar with them?

Filed Under: frugal living Tagged With: evergreen

How to Save a Buck at Subway

09/28/2010 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

Gotcha! I have no practical ways for saving a dollar at Subway. Except with coupons. ;o)

(This one’s for you, Swim Bike Mom!)

Filed Under: frugal living

Frozen Dinner Trays Re-purposed

09/28/2010 by Barbara

**This post may contain affiliate links. I receive a small amount of compensation when you purchase from my links, which I"ll totally blow on waffle fries and sweet tea, y'all!**

For the love of all that’s good and green, here are some crafty ways to re-purpose those frozen dinner trays, instead of tossing them straight in to the recycling bin. (Heaven forbid they go in the regular trash!) Just keep in mind they should NOT go through the microwave any more, and should be hand-washed or dishwasher top rack. :o)

First, think of the different types of trays you see: some are just a plain tray, others have two or even three compartments. And then there’s those “steamer” trays that have holes in them.

They make great bowl/plate hybrids for toddlers learning to use eating utensils.
Use them with art projects: they can hold a good size of paint, glue, glitter, or whatever material(s) you’re using. What about those “steamer” trays with holes in them? Put some glitter and shake it over your preglued paper!
Fill ’em up with baby shampoo and dip your bubble wand in for some bubblelicious fun!
Sand, beach, or bath toys. Yep, your kids will fill ’em with water and have fun… (Especially those “steamer” trays that have holes in them!)
“sensory table” toys – Okay, so this is probably more for a preschool teacher, but if you have a sensory (sometimes simply called a science table) where you put rice, beans, oatmeal, or any other “touchy” substance, these little containers would be great for sifting. (Ditto, again for the “steamer” trays with holes.)
drawer organizers. Yes, drawer organizers! Why pay big bucks for something when you can reuse something you already have!??

What are some additional ways YOU re-use your frozen dinner trays?