Take the Starbucks VIA ready brew (instant coffee) Taste Challenge at any Starbucks this Friday, October 2nd through Monday, October 5 and see if you can taste the difference. Get a free tall brewed coffee (on your next visit – with offer card), even if you can’t taste the difference.
Archive for September, 2009
Take the Starbucks VIA Taste Challenge
Wednesday, September 30th, 2009Frugal Life Skills in the Kitchen
Wednesday, September 30th, 2009I think that the economy and the housing market taking a turn for the worse last year really opened peoples eyes about the changes that could be made in their lives financially, without making significant sacrifices. Now that the economy and housing market are finally on the right track again, a slow one at least, families can finally resume life as it was before the financial crisis. But, why would anyone want to resume life as normal.
Being frugal, and thrifty aren’t new concepts, but they seem to be the current trend. This is something that our grandparents did everyday, and it wasn’t trendy or in style; it was life. I like that we live frugal lives. I think it helps us as a family stay on track with what life should really be about, and not see how fast we can live life. Living slower paced lives helps us to spend more time together as a family. We don’t have family game night, but we do sit and eat dinner together as a family every evening.
I have found that a lot of our frugal activities revolve around the kitchen. Food is something that everyone in our family enjoys, and it is an easy area to see the immediate financial results of living frugal. My daughters are learning their way around the kitchen, making cookies and being my kitchen assistants. While cooking they are usually called upon to assist in some task in the kitchen, whether it is standing over the stove stirring a pot, prepping vegetables, or even using a knife. That last one is still a little frightening for me.
As they are involved in the process of preparing, cooking, and serving the food, I feel good knowing that what we are teaching them about frugal cooking will be with them for their lifetime. I find myself explaining to them the steps I take in cooking to not only help save money, but how to add flavor to the food economically, while still having great tasting food.
They have watched my husband and I many times chopping vegetables to store in the freezer because of a great sale we’ve come across. They’ve even learned that mom insists on chopping up that half of an onion that always seems to be around, instead of throwing it in the refrigerator, or worse, in the trash. They would still rather spend their time doing teenager things, but they know that the money we save in the kitchen helps us to do all the other things that make life fun.
Have You Checked The Air Filter Lately?
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009Well, it was time again for us to change our air filters. We purchase filters that cost close to twenty dollars, and while this makes me cringe on the upfront cost, my air conditioner is silently thanking me. I must admit that I often forget about this small detail. It is such a minor thing to do, but could save you hundreds of dollars in the long run.
My husband has the task of changing the filters since both are on the ceiling (one requires a ladder), and I am responsible for remembering when they need to be changed. My current system of remembering isn’t working so well. The next air filter change will be stored on my phones calendar, along with the dimensions of the filter.
It is recommended that air conditioner/heater filters be changed every three to six months, but this varies based on several factors:
- Air filters have different qualities of filtering, which aren’t always based on price. Find one that is both high quality and efficient.
- Having pets can increase the need for the filter to be changed more often. We have a long haired cat, so I completely live by this rule.
Not changing your filter could have a negative affect on your heating and cooling system, causing it to work poorly, and require more maintenance in the long run. Investing a few dollars every few months is certainly worth it to me, rather than spending hundreds of dollars on unnecessary maintenance. Just think of it as a date with your air filter; certainly not exciting, but well worth it!
Free Photo Book at Walgreens
Tuesday, September 29th, 2009Walgreens is offering a free 5×7 photo book if you become a Walgreens fan on Facebook before October 2. The photo book is free and all that you have to pay is $1.99 shipping. All the details will be provided by Walgreens on October 2, so check back then to find out what you need to do to get your free photo book.
I am getting my pictures ready now to create my photo book, and can’t wait to see the end results.
Thanks, Northern Cheapskate!
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Monday, September 28th, 2009I know it’s only the end of September, but now may be the time to begin thinking about your garden if your planning to have one next year. I have really enjoyed growing our garden this year, and have learned some things that will help us have an even better garden next year. I have grand plans for our garden, and hope that we can add a few vegetables in addition to our herbs, and peppers that we grew this year.
What did I learn from our garden? I learned first and foremost that we need to plant earlier. Our bell pepper and tomato plants finally started producing fruit within the last month, because they were planted too late in the season. Next year, we’ll definitely get these into the ground after the last frost to ensure not only a larger crop, but an earlier crop. We learned that six basil plants produced way too much basil for our needs. We even gave our basil away and still had too much. We ended up pulling three fully grown healthy basil plants from our garden because the production was just too much.
We learned that although our oregano liked the sun, it enjoyed the shade provided by the towering basil plants. When we planted the oregano it seemed to struggle and lag behind. We weren’t quite sure what the problem was. Its growth took a sharp turn for the better when the basil plants began to overtake the garden and provide shade.
I have started planning for next years garden by saving the seeds from our basil plants, and peppers. Saving the seeds from something we’ve already purchased will cut down on next years initial expense. I also plan to bring our rosemary in for the winter and replant in the spring to give us a head start. I am excited about what next year will bring and thankful for the lessons we learned this season from our mistakes. In the past, we have only planted basil plants in pots so this is essentially our first year to have a garden. I think that for the most part we were successful in our endeavors, but I know that some of my reading this winter will include how to create a better garden.
Vocalpoint
Sunday, September 27th, 2009
Over the years I have found many new sources for obtaining coupons in addition to what I find in the Sunday inserts and other places. I discovered Vocalpoint about three years ago as a new source of coupons. Vocalpoint is word-of-mouth marketing designed to obtain your opinion and spread the word about a product that you enjoy using through your friends and family.
I enjoy Vocalpoint because it allows me to discuss new ideas and products with my friends and family and helps us to save money at the same time. Usually Vocalpoint will send a product sample, coupons to share with friends and family, and a free coupon for yourself.
Vocalpoint requires registration to determine if you meet membership requirements. Even if you don’t currently meet their membership requirements, try again at another time to see if their needs have changed.
Hulu To The Rescue
Saturday, September 26th, 2009I don’t consider myself one to be hip with the times when it comes to technology, but I do know how to navigate my way around the web to get what I need. I missed the Survivor episode on Thursday night and knew that I could watch it on CBS’ website. My husband suggested finding it on Hulu though. The word Hulu makes me want to say “yoohoo”. Hulu is a company fast approaching two years on the market and provides movies and TV shows from many networks and studios from their website for your viewing pleasure.
I love that this site is available, because not only do I not have a VCR to record a show that I’ve missed, I also don’t have DVR. We’ve avoided DVR for the cost involved for paying for the service, but now I really don’t have to worry about paying for it since Hulu is available. It makes me feel a little guilty being able to utilize something I don’t have to pay for, but now it’s just one more way we can save money.
Meals For Less Than $10.00 – Pan Seared Pork Chops and Scalloped Potatoes
Friday, September 25th, 2009
I notice that one of my go to dishes is either pan seared chicken or pork chops. I realize that this is something I cook fairly often because one, it is easy, and two I love most anything that’s fried. Cooking pan seared pork loin chops for dinner tonight helped to keep the meal under ten dollars. I tend to purchase pork because it is usually cheaper than beef, and sometimes cheaper than chicken when I find it on clearance.
Tonight didn’t seem like a complete meal since it was only the pork chop and scalloped potatoes, but the potatoes were such a heavy dish that I didn’t want to add any additional sides. The meal was completely satisfying, and met the comfort food criteria in my book. Comfort food for me is fried chicken or pork, usually with a gravy on the side, mashed potatoes (with gravy of course), and some kind of green like green beans or spinach. I would normally make a pan gravy for the pan seared pork, but because of the scalloped potatoes I opted for a simpler meal.
Scalloped potatoes are really easy to do. I used a mandolin to slice the potatoes, but slicing them with a knife works just as well. Once you figure out how to make a gravy, making scalloped potatoes is a cinch. I followed a recipe very loosely for my scalloped potatoes, but thankfully I made all the right decisions and didn’t mess it up. I made a pan gravy for the scalloped potatoes using bacon grease that was kept in the refrigerator, which not only helps keep costs low, but makes it taste good as well. The bacon grease has no effect on the cost of the meal since it is a by-product of bacon, but I will include the price of butter instead for those who either don’t cook with bacon grease (gasp) or like butter instead. I completely forgot to add onions, garlic, or parsley to the dish, but these would have worked well also.
I was in an absolute rush on the scalloped potatoes because I didn’t put them in the oven in a timely manner (I’ll have to work on my time management a little more). I upped the temperature on the oven to 400 degrees instead of 350 to speed the cooking time up and because of the increased temperature I was able to cook it in less time. I could have purchased a larger package of pork chops and even added another side to keep the meal under $10.00, but it just wasn’t necessary.
3 large pork loin chops ($3.39)
2 – 2 1/2 pounds (about 4 cups) thinly sliced potatoes ($1.00)
2 3/4 cups 2% milk: ($0.90)
1 egg ($0.15)
3 tablespoons flour: ($0.15)
3 tablespoons bacon grease/butter ($0.30)
4 tablespoons olive oil ($0.10)
1 teaspoon kosher salt: ($0.10)
1 teaspoon black pepper: ($0.15)
4 tablespoons breadcrumbs ($0.20)
4 teaspoons Parmesan cheese ($.40)
TOTAL: $6.84
Recipe: Place four tablespoons of olive oil in the pan on medium high heat. Season pork chop with salt and pepper, dip in egg and milk mixture (1/4 cup milk), then in bread crumbs. Sear pork chop in pan flipping half way through the process. Remove pork chops from pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thinly slice potatoes and place in greased baking dish. In a separate pan add three tablespoons bacon grease/butter and three tablespoons of flour on medium low heat. Keep heat on medium low. Add milk (2 1/2 cups) slowly while stirring constantly to make gravy. The gravy is considered finished once it begins bubbling. (Depending on your stove’s idea of medium low heat, you may have to adjust your setting.) Add the gravy mixture to the sliced potatoes and top with Parmesan cheese. Bake scalloped potatoes for approximately 1 1/2 hours or until done on 350 degrees. NOTE: I omitted cooking time on the pork chop since we have stainless steel cookware that tends to cook very quickly.
Yes, You Too Can Make Scones
Thursday, September 24th, 2009
I have entered the world of scone making. I watched a show over the weekend on Food Network and thought, “Wow, is it really that easy?”. The word scone seemed so intimidating, as if I had to have a pastry class or two under my belt before I would be able to conquer them. After examining the ingredients I assured myself that they would not be difficult. Scones are really similar to biscuits. They actually reminded me of a mix between a biscuit and a shortbread cookie for the sweet scone that I ended up making.
After making them for the first time, I realized that any combination of ingredients could be added to the dough to achieve whatever flavor you desired. Scones can be sweet or savory depending on what you add to the mix. My first batch of scones were sweet with sugar, a bit of orange zest and cinnamon. The mix of orange and cinnamon gave it a really nice flavor combination, and the flavor was really evident in every bite.
There are two major differences I see in the recipe for a biscuit and a scone. The first is that instead of milk which is called for in a biscuit recipe, heavy whipping cream is used instead. The other difference of course for a sweet scone, is that sugar will need to be added. I would definitely leave the sugar out or use less of it if you are attempting a savory scone.
The flavor combinations that can be added to the dough are just swirling in my mind. The savory scone that continues to come to mind is ham and cheese, but I’ll have to try these out to see how well they do. I am also thinking for sweet scones that there are a number of combinations of nuts, dried fruit, and of course orange zest to create some nice flavors. I love the flavor that the orange zest adds. I am certain that flavored extracts could be added to the mix as well to achieve some really complex flavors, something like almond extract, orange zest, sliced almonds, and dried cherries. Yum! I followed the recipe from Food Network’s site almost exactly, except I did not use lemon, cherries, or almonds. I used what I had on hand, but these seem so diverse that any combination of items would seem to work.
Now on to making the scones. These are very similar to biscuits so my butter was cold and sliced into small cubes before adding to the flour mixture. I have experimented with a few different ways to combine the ingredients and have settled on two that seem to work for me. I start with a pastry blender to combine the butter and flour mixture, and end up using a fork to finish combining them before adding the wet ingredients. I continue using the fork once I add the wet ingredients and then transfer the mixture to a flat floured surface for kneading. I split the mixture into two halves and ended up with sixteen scones that were of adequate size. These are a new family favorite at my house, and so easy to do.
Successful Shopping At Aldi
Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009
Aldi is one of my favorite places to shop because of the low prices and their high quality store brand products. I do find that I miss items while shopping at Aldi though because of their store layout. Don’t get me wrong, the layout is what helps Aldi to keep their prices low by keeping their aisles stocked with product that arrives in its original shipping box on a crate. We’re not paying for pretty, nicely lined shelves of products at Aldi. We’re paying less because someone didn’t have to neatly arrange each item on the shelf and then rearrange it later after a dozen customers rummaged through the shelf looking for just the right product.
Aldi provides low prices for several reasons including putting your own shopping cart away, bagging your own groceries, and lower employee costs since the customer does do some of the work. Aldi frequently only has two to three employees in the store at a time because the store nearly operates itself. The customer has learned to reach for the next box when one is empty, and will often carry the empty box with them and use the box to carry their own groceries out, reducing Aldi’s need to discard them.
One useful thing to remember while shopping in Aldi is where each of their products are located. For the most part the items are located together based on whatever category they fit in to. The first aisle includes name brand merchandise, chips, baking products, cereal, snacks, and condiments. While these categories don’t include everything that is on that first aisle, it is a general idea of what is there.
I’ve found that if I make a list of items I need while shopping at Aldi in the order that the products are found throughout the store, it not only speeds up my shopping process, but I also don’t miss any items I had intended to purchase. Aldi’s layout is similar at all of their locations, and products are also usually located in the same area in each store. Aldi does carry seasonal items that can only be found during certain times of the year. I noticed on my last trip through the baking area that they had added coconut flakes, and a larger variety of dried raisins than they normally carry.