February 15, 2005
Did You Know?....
Many grocery stores have a refund of full price policy for items that do not register the correct sale price.
In This Issue: Grocery Savings Tips
Tips for:
Recipes
Money Saving
Cleaning
Recycling
Top Product Pick
Top Business Pick
Money Saving Information Sites
Featured Article:
"Maximize Savings on Everyday Items"
RECIPES
Ranch Salad Dressing
1 Cup Mayonnaise
1 Cup Buttermilk
2 Tbsp finely chopped green onions, tops only
1/4 tsp. Onion Powder
2 tsp minced parsley
1/4 tsp garlic powder or 1/2 to 1 garlic clove(finely minced)
1/4 tsp paprika1/8 tsp cayenne pepper1/4 tsp salt1/4 tsp black pepper
Combine all ingredients and refrigerate. Makes 2 cups. (The Complete Tightwad Gazette)
Rice Pudding
Preheat over to 275 degreesCombine in buttered baking dish:
4 Cups milk, scalded
1/3 Cup Rice
1/3 Cup Sugar
1/4 tsp. Salt
dash nutmeg, cinnamon, or dried orange peel
(optional) - One-half hour before removing from oven, add 1/3 c. raisinsBake 2-21/d2 hours, utnil rice is tender and mild is creamy. Stir occasionally durng firsst half of baking time. Pudding thickens as it cools. Serve warm or cold. (More - with- Less Cookbook)
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Money Saving Tip: Milk is not only a nutritious drink but is frequent in many cooking and baking recipes. The price of a gallon of milk seems to be running neck in neck with a gallon of gasoline these days...
Using dry milk in all cooking and baking recipes can really save alot. Unless a recipe calls for "whole" milk specifically, the final product is not compromised and it's just as nutritional. Best of all, no one has to know! Try it in some of your favorite recipes. See for yourself.
(Hint: I get a terrific price on the Carnation Instant Dry Milk at a wholesale club. Note: Not all items are a bargain at clubs, but usually staples such as flour, sugar, rice, eggs, and milk (by the gallon or dry) are your best money savers here.)
Cleaning Tip
Laundry Stain Recipe:
Works to get most stains out no matter how old they are. Also brightens - gets rid of that old dingy look.
One cup Clorox II powder ( I have used generic with success)One cup Cascade dishwashing powderMix in a five gallon bucket, with hot water, soak overnight. This removes almost anything, especially food stains. Be careful with non colorfast or delicate fabrics.
To save money on ingredients it's more economical to wait until you have several items of similar color (white, lights, darks) before mixing the recipe. Soak all at once.
Recycling
Yes, you can recycle food too!If you have vegetables left over from a meal, freeze them and use in vegetable soups kor casseroles at a later date.
Leftover rice can easily be turned into a delicious dessert by adding a small amount of cinnamon, sugar, and half-and-half (or milk) to a creamy consistency. It's not as good as the baked version above, but is a quick fix for rice pudding lovers!
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FEATURED ARTICLE
Frugal living is more than a lifestyle. It's a passion. Call Me Crazy! I love It!Why, who wouldn't love getting paid to buy products that they use everyday?
Here's how I do it.
I purchase an item that has a rebate offer (either a store or manufacturer rebate) while it is on sale and use a coupon during purchase. That's it!Using this formula I almost always come out ahead. When all is done, I've gotten back more than I actually paid for the item.
Even when I do have to pay for the items like deodorant, shampoo, soap, toothpaste, and toothbrushes it's about 50 cents for a item that would cost up to $2 -$4 originally.
Most people include these kinds of toiletries and personal items in their grocery budget along with food expenses.Using combined savings techniques on these items can free up substantial dollars for food. Am I the only one out there that gets excited about this?I doubt it! At least I hope not. That would make me "Crazy", wouldn't it? But a lot of folks just don't know how to combine money saving measures to maximize savings.
My local drugstore (which by the way is a national chain) often advertises items free after rebate. Hey, that cuts down on a lot of work for me. Easy M/oney. I'm also lucky enough to have a grocery store in my area that offers rebates and offers double coupons (sometimes even doubling $1 coupons as a special promotion). Needless to say, with six mouths to feed (myself, my husband, and four kids) I'm lovin' that idea.
As the editor of www.simpledebtfreeliving.com, I'm always looking for new ways to save money. Visit us and follow one of the e-mail links to share your ideas or just let us know how excited you get about frugal living. Let me know I'm not the only one. Then we can put my family's worries to rest. They think I'm really crazy.
Here are a couple other ways that I save on items we use everyday:
1. Always use items that are reusable rather than throw away
For example: Reusable coffee filters, cups and plates, and my favorite pet peeve -
The great sandwich bag conspiracy
The major manufacturers of sandwich bags would lead us to believe that it takes rocket science to keep a sandwich fresh. Ask yourself this, How long do you need to keep that sandwich fresh anyway? It's not like it's going to the moon. It's just going to the office or school for a few hours.
The most practical way to approach this is to purchase reusable sandwich size containers. This is also very environmentally friendly reducing a great deal of waste. If however, these have trouble finding there way back home ( which is likely if you have children), you can save substantially if you purchase the plain old pleated sandwich bag that cost a mere fraction of the razzle dazzle zipper kind. Your mother used these for years and years with great success. I have used both methods for years and have never received a complaint of a stale sandwich!
You'll find that doing these little things like, using real cups and plates instead of paper or plastic throw away, and recycling containers for storage or even to use in craft projects, can save a lot of money. Each by itself may seem minor, but when put together amount to tremendous savings over time.
2. Don't buy it if you won't use it. Things like small kitchen appliances, repair tools, and gardening tools are good examples. We know they'll make our life easier if we just had the opportunity to use them.
There are 101+ small countertop kitchen appliances available to chop it, grind it, mix it, open it, bake it, grill it..well you get the message.
Simplify your life and narrow it down to a couple you just can't live without. For me it's my blender and my food processor. Although, I'm seriously considering a bread maker. Not quite sure if it's worth the money yet. Especially when I'm so close to a bread outlet. But, you can't beat the taste of fresh baked bread. I'm not counting the coffer maker it's kind of standard equipment these days. I wouldn?t dare ask you to give that up! What am I crazy? Well , maybe..
It's little things like the example above that identify frugal living. 3. Always get the best value for your money. Shop around. If this is a major purchase you will want to know what to look for. Research and compare products on the internet or in sale flyers. There's nothing more challenging to the retailer than an informed consumer. That's what you want to be. An informed consumer knows when it's a good value.
Informed Consumer - More Savings
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Top Business Pick
It’s when you find and work your passion in life that you begin to live. Your work naturally becomes your life.
Top Product Pick
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Zilch Standard - Debt Reduction Software-A great way to keep track of Debt Reduction Made Simple payments and calculate payoffs. This is the perfect companion to the Debt Reduction Made Simple Plan.
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Favorite Money Saving Information Sites
University of Illinois Extension "Thrifty Living", provides a wealth of information on Consumer Economics. You'll find lots of great money saving tips.