Easy Breakfast Recipe
Posted: February 12, 2013 Filed under: Cooking, Frugal, Money Saving Recipes | Tags: baking, breakfast, Save Money, yummy 7 Comments
This recipe is easy, cheap and delicious. I wouldn’t advise eating it every day, though. You might gain a few pounds! My mom used to make this when I was little and I loved watching the “pancake” rise.
Oven Pancakes
3 T butter
1/2 c milk
3 eggs
1/2 c flour
1 T sugar
1/4 tsp salt
Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Melt butter in 9 inch pie plate or round pan. Beat together eggs, milk, flour, sugar, and salt. Pour batter into hot butter. Bake for 20 minutes. Cut into wedges. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
The Crock Pot is My New Best Friend
Posted: January 31, 2012 Filed under: Cooking, Frugal, Money Saving Recipes, Saving Money | Tags: beans, cooking, crock pot, Save Money, saving money, slow cooker, soup 10 CommentsI shared my exciting job news in my last post. While I’m ecstatic to finally be bringing home a pay check, I’m still committed to saving money. I do not want to start spending frivolously just because my husband and I will be making more. Thus, I’ve decided the Crock Pot is my new best friend. It cooks while I’m away, makes plenty of food for left-overs and does not require expensive ingredients! Perfect! This week I’m going to cook up some Festive Black Bean Soup. It looks super tasty, healthy and not to mention easy on the wallet. Take a peek!
STEWing it Over
Posted: January 12, 2012 Filed under: Cooking, Money Saving Recipes | Tags: Budget, cooking, food, kielbasa, recipe, Saving-Money 6 CommentsRecently, I was asked to post more recipes and research cloth diapers. After stewing it over, I decided to start with the easy assignment. What do recipes have to do with saving money? A lot. I really decreased our food bill by planning, making lists and preparing different types of foods. I have found that stews/soups are easy to make and usually yield left-overs. The ingredients are reasonably priced, also.
Here is a link to one of my new favorite recipes, Slow-Cooker White Bean and Kielbasa Stew. (Hence, the title of this post) My husband rates it a 9/10. It’s healthy, easy to make and relatively inexpensive. Happy Cooking!
*I usually use turkey kielbasa. I also leave the spinach on the side since I’m not a big fan of leafy greens IN my soup. I’ve also added rice and chicken to make left-overs stretch further. That’s the beauty of stew…it’s so versatile!
Eating Quaker Oats
Posted: December 2, 2011 Filed under: Cooking, Frugal, Saving Money | Tags: cooking, Frugal, saving money 8 CommentsMost money-saving blog authors advise ditching dry cereal for oatmeal since it is cheaper (not to mention HEALTHIER). I like oatmeal, so this change was not hard for me to incorporate. After eating oatmeal every day for a month, I began to wonder how much money this change was really saving. So, I did a price comparison. This is what I found.
I chose to compare Post Raisin Bran and Quaker Oats. Here’s the math. Post Raisin bran costs $4.49 for 12 servings. 4.49/12= $0.37 per serving x 7 (days in a week)= $2.169 per week 2.169 x 52 (weeks in a year)=$136.20If you eat one serving of Post Raisin Bran every day for a year you will spend $136.20. (this calculation does not account for sales reductions). Let’s face it. Most people PROBABLY eat more than one serving of cereal daily. I’m not going to include this fact in my computations.
Quaker Oats costs $5.49 for 30 servings. $5.49/30=$0.18 (cost per serving of Oatmeal). $0.18 x 7 (number of days in a week)=$1.28/week. $1.28 x 52 (number of weeks in a year)=$66.61.If you eat one serving of Quaker Oats every day for a year, you will spend $66.61.
Switching to Quaker Oats could save $69.58 cents per year. ($136.20-66.61=$69.58)
If three people in a household switch from cold cereal to oatmeal, that family would save $208.74/year. ($69.58 x 3 [number of people in household]).
I think the switch is worth it. I haven’t convinced my husband, yet 🙂 Maybe, if I show him the math…
*These calculations do not include sales tax. Items listed are both name-brand. Neither were on sale*
Organize the Little Things
Posted: November 11, 2011 Filed under: Budget, Cooking, Saving Money | Tags: organizing, saving money 9 Comments
This blog is all about the little expenses that add up. Do you ever come home from a grocery trip and realize you bought something you already have? Have you ever forgotten about the left-overs until they were no longer edible? I’ve done the aforementioned actions HUNDREDS of times. After I bought my 100th bottle of crushed red pepper (okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration) I decided I needed to come up with a system. Thus, I’ve started making lists. Here’s your quick how-to:
1) Make a Spice List
Pull every type of spice you have and write them in alphabetical order, or type the list up on your computer. Put an “H” by all the your items. The “H” stands for “Have.” Tape this list on the inside of the cupboard you keep your spices in. When you use the last of a spice, cross out the “H” and write “N” for “Need.”
2) Make a Medicine Cabinet List
Cold season is upon us. Do you have what you need? Mark “H” by each product you do own. Mark “N” for “Need” on items you are running short on! Make sure the medicine is NOT expired. Tape the list to the inside of your medicine cabinet for quick viewing. Here is a link to help you anticipate your medicine cabinet needs.
3) Organize the Pantry
I organize this cupboard a little differently. I keep a list of items I don’t use frequently (baking powder, cornstarch, vanilla, etc) attached to my cupboard door. I mark those items with an “H” or “N” just like I do with the spices. For items that I am constantly using, (rice, pasta, beans) I mark on a whiteboard in my kitchen ONLY when I run out. This definitely helps with meal planning, too.
4) Organize the Fridge
1) Attach a piece of paper to the fridge weekly. Whenever you have left-overs, make a notation. This will remind you that you have food that needs to be consumed!
2) Clean your fridge as you write your grocery list. Not only will your fridge remain squeaky clean, you won’t have to store 3 bottles of ketchup and Italian dressing. Keeping tabs on your food will help you eliminate buying unnecessary items.
How do you organize the little things?
*This blog reflects the opinion of the author. Please understand that all information or opinions gleaned from this blog are done so at your OWN risk*
Homemade Granola Recipe
Posted: November 3, 2011 Filed under: Cooking, Do It Yourself and Save, Money Saving Recipes | Tags: money saving recipe 1 Comment
I really like oatmeal. My husband puts up with it. So, I decided to make him some homemade granola. Here’s the recipe:
Honey Granola
1 1/2 cup rolled oats; uncooked
1/2 cup steel-cut oats; uncooked
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup warmed honey
4 TBS melted butter or 1/4 cup olive oil
*For added flavor, mix in dried fruit/nuts after baking.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Combine oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a large bowl. Warm honey to a syrupy consistency. Warm butter and add to honey. Mix well. Pour combined honey/butter into oats. Stir.
Spread ingredients onto a cookie/baking sheet.
Bake granola for 15-25 minutes, until it is golden. Stir once while mixture is baking.
Add nuts/dried fruit after granola is baked. Get creative! Cool and serve for breakfast!
Makes about 3 cups/24 0z.
*This blog reflects the opinion of the author. Please understand that all information or opinions gleaned from this blog are done so at your OWN risk*
Homemade Chewy Granola Bars
Posted: October 27, 2011 Filed under: Cooking, Do It Yourself and Save, Money Saving Recipes | Tags: cooking, do-it-yourself, homemade 3 CommentsDue to lack of employment after our big move to NJ, I started looking up do-it-yourself recipes that could help save cash. I decided I wanted to try to make granola bars. Here are a couple of links to get you started.
I have found that there are a million different recipe’s out there. I’m pretty sure a chimpanzee could bake them. They are that easy! I cut my bars and store them in sandwich bags. My hubby then enjoys them at work. I’m not sure how much money this will save you, but I’m pretty sure they taste BETTER. Plus, they aren’t processed. If you want to save MORE money, skimp on the extra’s like chocolate chips, dried fruit, ect.
This is the recipe that I have used in the past. It’s pretty basic.
Chewy Granola Bars
4.5 cups of rolled oats (I often substitute one cup of rolled for steel cut)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
2/3 cup butter softened
1/2 cup honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
a handful or two of chocolate chips
a handful of golden raisins
a bit of coconut
(I like to improvise if you can’t tell)
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9×13 in pan.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oats, flour, baking soda, butter or margarine, honey and brown sugar. Stir in the 2 cups of assorted chocolate. chips, raisins ect.
3. Lightly press mixture into the prepared pan. Bake at 325 degrees F. for 18-22 minutes. Make sure it looks golden brown before removing from oven. Cool for 10 minutes. Cut into bars. Make sure the bars are cool before removing or serving.
*This blog reflects the opinion of the author. Please understand that all information or opinions gleaned from this blog are done so at your OWN risk*
Recipes That SAVE Time and Money
Posted: October 26, 2011 Filed under: Cooking, Money Saving Recipes, Saving Money | Tags: cooking, saving money 2 CommentsWhen I first started researching different ways to save money, I came across blogs dedicated solely to grocery shopping. People document how they only spend $25/family member a week. Others gave up meat or couponed like crazy. I’m glad I read these posts, because I gleaned some money-saving tips from them. I’m definitely not going to become vegetarian, but cutting some meat out of my diet has saved me a significant amount on groceries. I have not become an expert couponer, but I still learned how to find the lowest priced item. My motto is-Eat LESS meat, and more beans and rice. Use left-overs in different recipes. All that being said, I have cut $100 out of my monthly grocery budget.
Here a some links to recipes that have helped me accomplish this.
Crock Pot Rotisserie Style Chicken
I made this recipe last night. My husband gave it a 9 out of 10. It took about 7 minutes to prepare because I chose not to skin the chicken. I decided to let the diner do that for themselves. So, the Crock-Pot ends up doing all of the work.
Also, I always have left-overs when making a whole chicken. So, I substituted the pork in the chili recipe with the remaining bird pieces. My very wise sister also informed me that the chicken juice left in the crock-pot after the bird is cooked is officially called “chicken stock.” The chili recipe also calls for chicken stock. I consider this a win-win situation. Not only did I not have to cook more meat for my chili, I didn’t have to BUY chicken stock.
The following recipe is a bean dish that is super easy. My husband and I could eat this every day of the week. It’s that yummy! I’ve made it with and without chicken. I’ve added a bunch of spinach leaves and tomatoes and called it a salad. It’s pretty versatile.
Rice Salad with Chicken and Beans
More money/time-saving recipes to come. Enjoy!
*This blog reflects the opinion of the author. Please understand that all information or opinions gleaned from this blog are done so at your OWN risk*
Cooking At Home
Posted: October 26, 2011 Filed under: Cooking | Tags: cooking, saving money 1 CommentI’ll admit it. I have never been fond of cooking. As a college student I lived on yogurt, power bars and plain bagels. I did not want to take the time to 1) decide what to prepare 2) cook 3) wash dishes. I’m sure my mother was horrified. When I got married, my husband agreed to cook if I cleaned up the mess. I decided this was a good plan.
Fast forward 3 years. My beloved started a new job, in a new state. I unfortunately had a harder time securing a job in that new state. Thus, I began cooking and grocery shopping. I also became VERY interested in saving money since I was no longer making any. Read any book, blog or article about staying out of debt and I’m sure they will INSIST that it is financially responsible to take your own lunch to work and prepare your food at home. Thus, I began the arduous task of cooking and grocery shopping. Then a funny thing happened. I actually started enjoying it.
Start cooking at home. Your wallet and waist line will thank you for it. The following “cooking” posts will include reviews of recipes that have really worked for me. Enjoy.
*This blog reflects the opinion of the author. Please understand that all information or opinions gleaned from this blog are done so at your OWN risk*
ihavetriedit 