This month I will be planting my nasturtiums so that I can enjoy them in my salads for the summer, below is a nasturtium salad recipe.

Nasturtium Salad Recipe:

You’ll Need: 1 tsp Dijon mustard; 2 tsp Champagne vinegar; 3 TBSP olive oil; Salt and pepper to taste; 6 – 8 oz. mixed greens; 2-3 oz. edible nasturtium leaves and flowers (that haven’t been sprayed with insecticide)

To Make: Whisk mustard, vinegar, oil and salt and pepper until well blended. Add greens and nasturtium leaves and flowers. Toss. Serve with homemade bread or muffins.

Recipe from: www.bluebirdgardens.com

Depending on how many adults, how many kids and how many leftovers you want.

A good rule of thumb is 1 to 1 1/2 pounds per person. This will allow for some leftovers. If you have guests with big appetites calculate closer to 2 pounds per person if they are big eaters or you want some leftovers. About 3/4 to 1 pound per person if your guests are more side dish eaters and would like to save room for dessert.

Look for your store ads about 1 week prior to Thanksgiving. Stores run sales on turkey, yams and potatoes in the hopes you will buy all your side dish items form them.
Some stores will offer- If you spend 25.00 you can get a turkey for $4.00 to $7.00 dollars or even FREE! If you have room in your freezer now is the time to stock up.

For great tips on how long to thaw, planning your perfect portions and how long to cook go to:
http://www.butterball.com/tips-how-tos/tips/calculators-and-conversions

Below you will find the recipe:

1. Pumpkin seeds rinsed and dried  with paper towel
2. Hot cast iron skillet (medium to high)
3. Salt and a little 1 teaspoon corn oil (or any other cooking oil)

Put dried pumpkin seeds in hot skillet to cover the bottom of the pan do not overload. Its better to make small quanity batches instead of all the seeds in at one time. Stir and adjust your stove so they do not burn. Keep stirring until they seem to get a light golden brown. At the end of roasting add 1tsp oil and salt keep stirring until they are covered with
salt mixture. Remove from heat and serve.

FRESH TOMATO MARINARA SAUCE

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped green pepper
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 cups (about 3 large) peeled, chopped tomatoes
1 can(6 oz.)no-salt-added tomato paste
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon basil
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions:
Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, green pepper, and garlic. Cook, uncovered, 2 to 3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, until tomatoes are very tender, about 15 to 20 minutes; stir occasionally. Cool 5 minutes.

Place cooled tomato mixture in blender jar 1 or more cups at a time. Cover and blend at stir about 30 seconds after each addition. Blend at puree about 30 seconds. Return mixture to saucepan. Simmer over low heat about 5 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve over fresh pasta

TOMATO CUCUMBER SALAD

2 cucumbers
2-3 medium sized Roma tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 minced clove of garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons rice vinegar
3-5 leaves fresh chopped basil
Cut the tomatoes and cucumbers into small pieces; place in bowl, add all remaining ingredients and stir. Refrigerate for an hour while all flavors come together. Add more of above ingredients to suit your taste.

FRESH TOMATO PIZZA SAUCE

1/3 c. olive oil
2 c. finely chopped onions
8 c. peeled, seeded, coarsely chopped tomatoes (put through blender, if desired)
2 (6 oz.) cans tomato paste
2 tbsp. oregano, crumbled
2 tsp. basil, crumbled
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. finely chopped garlic
Heat oil in large stainless steel pan, 6 to 8 quarts. Add onions and cook over medium heat for 6 to 8 minutes until transparent. Add garlic and cook another minute. Stir in tomatoes, paste, oregano, basil, bay leaf, salt, pepper and bring to a boil. Then simmer, uncovered for an hour or until thick. Stir occasionally. When finished the sauce should be thin and fairly smooth. Remove bay leaf. Taste and season. May be canned or frozen. 5 to 6 pints.

GAZPACHO-COLD SOUP

2 lg. ears corn OR
2 c. frozen whole kernel corn, thawed
Boiling salted water
2 med. cucumbers
2 avocados, peeled, cut in sm. pieces
5 med. tomatoes, seeded, finely chopped (1 1/2 lb.)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
Canned or homemade hot chile salsa
Cook ears of corn or thawed frozen corn in boiling salted water 5 minutes; drain. If using fresh corn, slice kernels from cobs. Scrape cobs with a sharp spoon; discard cobs. Place corn in a tureen or serving bowl.
Peel cucumbers. Cut in half lengthwise and scrape out seeds. Cut cucumbers into small pieces. Add cucumber pieces, avocado pieces, and tomato to corn. Add salt and pepper; mix well. Taste and add more seasoning if needed. Add chile salsa to taste or serve salsa separately in a small bowl. Refrigerate 1 hour. Serve cold. Makes 10-12 servings.

SIMPLE HOMEMADE  TOMATO SALSA

1-2 large tomatoes
½ red onion
1 large garlic clove, pressed
1 bunch of cilantro, washed and chopped
1 T canned green chiles
1 lime, juiced
1 t salt
½ t ground pepper
Cut tomato into ½ inch cubes. Place in mixing bowl and sprinkle with salt.
Chop red onion into similarly sized pieces and add to bowl.
Add all remaining ingredients to bowl and stir to combine.
Let sit for 15 minutes prior to serving, so that the flavors have time to develop.

Know What Items Go On Sale Each Month Of The Year

Knowing when to buy what items is the key to finding great bargains. Here are a list of items broken down by the month that they usually are the cheapest:

January

• Post-holiday sales
• Fall merchandise
• Furniture
• Rugs
• Computers and Televisions
• CDs and DVDs
• Cookware and small appliances
• Houses and condos
• Linens and bedding
• Swimwear
• Toys
• Treadmills exercise equipment
• Winter clothing

February

• Jewelry
• Perfumes
• Gift items
• Small consumer electronics
• Rugs
• House wares
• Humidifiers
• Indoor furniture
• Treadmills

March

• Wedding gifts
• Air conditioners and fans
• Washers and dryers
• Garden supplies
• Luggage
• China
• Computers
• Computers
• Humidifiers
• TVs
• Winter coats
• Winter sports gear

April

• Yard and garden supplies
• Bridal gowns
• Furniture
• Cruises
• Vacations
• Paint and wallpaper
• Digital cameras
• Spring clothing

May

• Gifts for Mom
• Jewelry
• Linens and Towels
• Furniture
• Cruises
• Home Maintenance Items
• Athletic Apparel and Shoes
• Cordless Phones
• Small Consumer Electronics

June

• Gifts for Dad
• Fishing and Camping Gear
• Men’s Cologne
• Televisions
• Building Materials
• Computers
• Indoor Furniture
• Small Electronics
• Summer Sports Gear
• Swimwear

July

• Air Conditioners
• Summer Items
• School Supplies
• School Clothes
• Summer Sports Equipment
• Computers
• Indoor Furniture
• Outdoor Furniture
• Swimwear

August

• School Supplies
• End of Summer Clothing (Bathing Suits and Sandals)
• Linens and Towels
• Camping Equipment
• Computers
• Dehumidifiers/Air Conditioners
• Lawn Mowers
• Outdoor Furniture

September

• Summer Clothes
• Outdoor Grills
• Lawn Furniture
• Housewares
• Bikes
• Computers
• Shrubs, Trees, Perennials
• Small Consumer Electronics

October

• Winter Wear (Winter Coats, Gloves, Scarves)
• Last Year’s Car models (Purchase last day or end of the month for better negotiations)
• Fishing Equipment
• Houses/condos
• Crystal
• Silver
• Glassware
• Bikes
• Digital Cameras
• Gas Grills

November

• Houses/Condos
• Quilts and Blankets
• Space Heaters
• Baby Products
• Bikes
• Computers
• Gas Grills
• Toys

December

• Clothing
• Appliances
• Gifts
• Wrapping Paper
• Holiday Cards
• Other Holiday Items
• Bikes
• Computers
• Gas Grills
• Small Consumer Electronics
• Toys
• TVs

Frugal Tips For Bargain Shopping

If you have experience being frugal, you may already have a good idea when to shop for Spring and Summer merchandise. Usually the Spring items go into the clearance section in June and the summer items end up in the clearance section in July and August.

If you can save and plan in advance you can get some great deals in the months listed above. Remember when things are in high demand the prices are usually very high but when the demand is lower (say the end of the season) items drop in price!

Strategies For Bargain Shopping Online

If you like to shop online year-round. You can usually find deals at:  Overstock.com, SmartBargains.com and Pricegrabber.com. Don’t forget promotional codes when you shop online. Use a search engine (such as google) and type in “promotional code” or “coupon code for (your store here)”. Usually you can find a free shipping or some sort of a discount that you can use at the checkout by trying this technique.

How To Plan For Your Family Home Vacation

The most important step to having a successful home vacation is balance. Schedule a mix of activities and/or home projects so your time off spent at home doesn’t feel like your normal time spent at home. Mix in days of sleeping in and relaxing with days spent going out and visiting local attractions, or a day trip.

It doesn’t have to necessarily be right in your back yard either, if you live relativley close to a major city, it’s worth the drive to spend a nice relaxing day enjoying spots that most tourists would kill to see. Most of the time we are not able to fully enjoy these local treasures because either a.) we live close to them or b.) we’re just too busy to visit them.

Here is a great site that allows you to look for any local attractions in your area that you may have missed: Find Local Attractions In Every City In The U.S

Plan Meals That Are Special

Get creative with your meals, you don’t need to eat out to do this. Have themed dinner nights, stay in and make Chinese that tastes as good as your local take out. You can even get more exotic and cook Spanish food one night, make tapas and paellas with drinks that are enjoyed in spain.  Bring the culture into your own home, you will have a blast learning how to cook new things, and it’s great to share with your family.

Accomplish Something While You’re Off

It may sound strange to pursue that home improvement project you’ve been putting off during your vacation time, but commonly these projects can be stress relievers. You don’t have to worry about getting the job done within a tight time frame, you will have other fun activities surrounding your project and you can feel a great sense of accomplishment on your own terms.

This time off can be great to start a garden, organizing and cleaning your house, or even having a garage sale to make some money.

8 Ideas To Enjoy Your Home Vacation

• Borrow or Rent a Movie - Don’t be afraid to go against the norm on this one. Go out and rent an old black and white movie and introduce the kids to the glory days of the silver screen. Or, find a new release that you know the whole family will enjoy. Put in some popcorn, dim the lights and treat it like your own in-house movie theater.
• Turn off the Outside World - Treat it as if it were a real vacation. Don’t check your e-mail and let most friends and co-workers know that you will be pretty much “unavailable” during this time.
• Try Backyard Camping – Set up a tent and campfire in your backyard (if permissible) and enjoy the comfort of your own home right next to you! Do all the things you would normally do on a camping trip, roast marshmallows, playing songs, tell ghost stories by the fire, etc.
• Have a Game Day – Pull out your trusty card and board games. It’s relaxing and brings your family closer together. Even introduce new games that you think your kids will enjoy, a great chance for the whole family to connect.
• Take a Free Tour – If you have any historic sites near your house, chances are, they offer free (or very inexpensive tours.) Take this opportunity to educate you and your children on the local attractions your town or city has to offer.
• Put Yourself In The Mindset of a Tourist – This really helps, especially in the planning stages. Create a list of local places you’d like to visit with an objective point of view. Visit some of the links below for great sites to help plan your trip.
• Take Advantage of Any Special Deals – Keep your eyes peeled for local promotions and deals that might be going on. Some tourist attractions will lower their prices during the off-season, this would be a great time for you to take advantage of a family home vacation.
• Visit The Beach – This tip will only work if you’re coastal, but the beach is one of the best free vacation spots to visit it, and if you live near one, take advantage of it! Plan a BBQ, play frisbee, show the kids how to boogie board. There is plenty of free fun to be had at the beach.

• How To Share The Joys Of Being Frugal With Your Family
• 6 Homemade DIY Spa Treatments You Can Enjoy At Home

Old Blue Jeans

Make coin purses out of the pockets for kids. Remove two pockets from pants, sew a zipper across the top, and stitch the sides together.

Old Credit Cards

Make several guitar picks from one card. Make softer picks from milk jug plastic or plastic lids.

Film Canisters

Poke holes in the bottoms to make salt and pepper shakers for lunch boxes or camping trips.

Junk Mail

Save any large colored pieces of paper, such as the plain brochure, for future art projects.

Old Shower Curtains

Make baby bibs. Clean and sterilize. Sew on bias tape for neck strings. Fold up bottom, sew to make a food-catcher pocket.

Worn Out Towels and Wash Cloths

A worn out towel can be cut lengthwise into strips to make a back washer. Washcloths can be cut in quarters to make reusable “handwipes” or “baby wipes.” Store damp in a plastic bag when traveling.

Pickle Juice

1. Use in marinade or create your own salad dressing.
2. Sweet Pickled Chops. Arrange four chops in a shallow pan and sprinkle with salt. Place a slice on onion and a tablespoon of ketchup on the top of each. Pour 1/2 cup of sweet pickle juice around chops. Cover and bake for 1 hour at 350°.

A Half-Eaten Apple

Cut off the remaining good parts and save to make an individual apple crisp. To make crumb mixture combine 1 Teaspoon each of brown sugar, flour, oatmeal, and margarine. Add a dash of cinnamon. Top apples and microwave.

Lead By Example

Everyone knows it’s a good idea to practice what you preach, so set good examples for your family. Show your children and your spouse that it’s not hard to be frugal – in fact – it can usually be less stressful. Some people associate being frugal with constantly cutting corners and major sacrifices. By being creative with your budget, and making it a point to be obvious about what you’re doing to help save the family money, you’re showing them that life isn’t that scary under the banner of frugality.

Knowledge Is Power, Knowledge Is Fun

Don’t feel any shame in sharing books or websites with your family about this subject (hey…you made it here, didn’t you?) Show them all of the fun things that they might have never seen otherwise. The more they learn about the topic, the better chance they have of becoming genuinely involved with leading a frugal lifestyle. If you are good at tracking your expenses, share with your spouse exactly how your frugal ways have saved you so much money. Explain in detail what you’ve done differently to help reduce any excessive spending.

How To Share The Gift Of Frugal With Your Kids

Younger children are usually open to newer things, they might not grasp the concept of frugality yet, but involving them with fun homemade arts and crafts projects or even letting them help you shop are great ways to let them enjoy being frugal without even knowing it.

As for teens, some trends have been showing lately that being frugal is “cool”. Some studies have gone as far as saying some teens even think it’s tacky in this economy to walk around carrying a big tote bag with a designer logo across it. This is a great approach and angle to take with your teen. Let them know the joys you’ve experienced being frugal. Frugality breeds creativity, and if your teen is the creative type there is no better way than to get involved in making or altering clothes and helping make homemade meals.

There are wonderful life lessons to be learned by leading the frugal lifestyle, and sharing them with your children is a great step to reinforce why you’ve chosen this lifestyle, and a great way to pass down good spending habits you may have learned over the years.

You Can Still Have A Good Time, Even When You’re Frugal

Plan fun, entertaining nights on a budget. Plan a movie night where you can pick up a movie from the library, or even possibly free, and take turns on who picks the movie each week. Learn more about the inexpensive local events that might be going on around your house. Consider a weekend camping at a local park. There are plenty of ways for you and your family to enjoy great moments together without having to spend a lot of money.

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• How To Save Money At The Grocery Store
• 10 Tips To Help You Save Money On Your Next Camping Trip

• Frugal Ways to Entertain Your Family - Not Made Of Money
• Frugal Fashion For Teens
• Rainy Day Re-Useable Art Mat - Frugal Family Fun Blog

Homemade Thousand Island Dressing

Yields: 1 1/3 Cups

• 3/4 cup of mayonnaise
• 1 Tablespoon of sweet pickle relish or finely chopped sweet pickle
• 2 Tablespoons of chili sauce of ketchup
• 2 Tablespoons of finely chopped green bell pepper
• 2 Tablespoons of finely chopped onion
• 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice
• 1/2 Teaspoon of granulated sugar
• 1/3 Teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce
• 1 hard-cooked egg (chopped)

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl except the egg. Stir in the chopped egg last. Refrigerate.

Homemade Ranch Salad Dressing

Yields: 2 cups

• 1 cup of mayonnaise
• 1 cup of buttermilk
• 2 Tablespoons of finely chopped green onions (tops only)
• 1/4 Teaspoon of onion powder
• 2 Teaspoons of minced parsley
• 1/4 Teaspoon of garlic powder or 1/2 to 1 garlic clove (finely minced)
• 1/4 Teaspoon of paprika
• 1/8 Teaspoon of cayenne pepper
• 1/4 Teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 Teaspoon of black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Refrigerate.

Homemade Sweet Tomato-y French Dressing

Yields: 2 cups

This is for fans of Catalina dressing.

• 2/3 cup of ketchup
• 1/2 cup of sugar (or to taste)
• 2/3 cup of vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup of red wine vinegar
• salt to taste
• 1 to 2 cloves of garlic (or 1 to 2 teaspoons)
• 2 Tablespoons of finely minced onion

Combine all ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake. This can also be mixed in a blender, although the color becomes creamier rather than translucent. If preparing in a blender, mix all ingredients except onion. Stir in finely mixed onion by hand. Refrigerate.

Homemade Cucumber-Buttermilk Dressing

Yields: 1/4 cups

• 1 cup of buttermilk
• 1/4 cup of grated cucumber
• 2 Tablespoons of minced green onions (white and green parts)
• 1 Tablespoon of Dijon-style mustard
• 2 Teaspoons of minced fresh parsley
• 2 Teaspoons of lemon juice
• 1/4 Teaspoon of dried dill
• 1/4 Teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

Combine all ingredients into a small bowl with a tight lid. Stir or shake well. Refrigerate.

Homemade Italian Vinaigrette Dressing

Yields: 1 quart

• 1/2  cup of red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups of olive oil or vegetable oil (or a combination)
• 2 large cloves of garlic (crushed)
• 3/4 Teaspoon of salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon of minced parsley
• 1 Teaspoon of dry mustard
• 1/2 Teaspoon of dried basil or oregano

Combine all of the ingredients in a large jar with a tight-fitting lid. Shake well. Refrigerate.

Homemade Blue Cheese Dressing

Yields: 1 1/2 quarts

This recipe makes a large quantity and is very strong. For die-hard blue cheese lovers only.

• 1 Quart (4 cups) of mayonnaise
• 1 cup of buttermilk
• 1 cup of small-curd cottage cheese
• 1 Teaspoon of worcestershire sauce
• 1 Teaspoon of garlic salt
• 1 Teaspoon of salt
• 4 ounces of Roquefort or blue cheese (crumbled)

Combine all of the ingredients in a medium bowl except crumbled cheese. Mix with electric mixer. Stir in crumbled cheese with a fork. Refrigerate.

Determine What Colors Work Best

There is a book called “Color Me Beautiful” and we highly recommend you pick it up. It is written by Carole Jackson, and it takes a very unique approach as to how different colors of clothing look on people.

Carole groups her color types into “seasons”, (winter, spring, summer and fall.) Whatever season you fall under depends on your hair and eye color as well as skin tone and color. Her system is known as “color draping” and it was devised from taking many different colors of fabric and draping them over various people’s shoulders to see what colors went best with them.

Certain colors will look good on one person, but terrible on another. Once you’ve gone through and found out what “season” you are, it may lead you to eliminate that excess clothing in your closet, this way you can begin looking for clothing with a better idea of what colors best suit you, as well as a closet with more space.

Only Keep Clothes You Will Wear

Find your best color palette and stick to it. For example, I wear red, brown, black, maroon, green and white. I know these colors work best on me, so I usually only fill my closet with these colors. This allows for no wasted space in the closet, and i’m never constantly looking for clothes to wear.

How To Begin Building Your Wardrobe

Don’t be afraid to start with the basics. Limiting yourself to only a few colors and styles can give you a mix and match system that can achieve a surprising number of pleasing results. Start off with a lot of neutral colors (some examples include; navy, black, khaki) for the foundation of your wardrobe.

When buying different bottoms (skirts, slacks, jeans, etc) always make sure they’re all a similar color. Stick with the basic colors for these. There is nothing worse than buying those bright orange sweat pants you thought looked cool on their own, but don’t go with anything else in your closet!

When you have a solid foundation of neutural colors, it makes it much easier to accent with a wider variety of colors. Prints are also very hard to match, so if you can, try to use them very sparingly, if at all.

Add To Your Wardrobe In Small Increments

Create a list and post it into your closet. Any items that may be missing out of your wardrobe can be easily added when there is any easy to read list with all those must have items you need. Don’t be in a hurry, you will spend more money if you go out and buy all at once.

How To Shop Smarter For Clothes

1. Smaller Thrift Stores – Go thrift store hunting, find a couple that you think have a regular assortment of threads that you know work best for you (friendly staff, good bargains, quality clothing.) Write them down, and make it a regular habit to visit these places. Due to an overwhelming level of consumerism, more than ever thrift stores are loaded with high-quality articles of clothing that have only been worn a few times.
2. Larger Thrift Stores – Stores like the DAV, Salvation Army and Goodwill are also great places to look for bargains on clothes. These tend to be a bit more organized than the smaller thrift stores, which can make shopping less of a headache. Although the amount of quality items may be a little less here, it is still worth it to dig through and potentially come up on that gem. Just make sure you wash all of your clothes when you get home.
3. Consignment Stores – Search online or check out the yellow pages for a good consignment store in your area. There are tens of thousands of people consigning clothes and housewares at some of these stores. The used clothing departments especially have improved dramatically over the last few years.
4. Discount Retailers - If you’ve exhausted your resources with the above mentioned stores, check out places like Ross or Marshall’s. Double your finds with coupons and you have a decent clothes at a real bargain.
5. Garage Sales - The reason this is last on our list is due to the fact that it does take a lot of time and effort to even find one good piece of clothing. There are rare occasions where you will find just exactly what you’re looking for, but unless you have hours and hours of free time every time, this method is usually a last resort.

What About The Shoes?

This one largely depends on your style, but just like with jeans, skirts and slacks, keep these fairly neutral for the most part. Brown, navy, blacks usually work very well. We recommend you avoid buying excessive amounts of white shoes, as these will get dirty much easier, and costs to clean them will quickly become more expensive then the shoes themselves.

In order to keep your shoes looking their best, we recommend you keep them on a shoe tree. This way your shoe will keep it’s shape and avoid any creases.

How To Avoid Dry Cleaning Costs

The best way to avoid dry cleaning costs is to simply stay away from articles of clothing that require it. Even though you may find that dress at a thrift or consignment store, if it is not machine or hand-washable, avoid it. Not only does it cost extra money to bring your clothes to the dry cleaner, but it also takes up a lot of time to drop it off and pick up your clothes.

If you do need clothes for business that do require dry-cleaning, just make sure that you put money aside in your expenses for this.

Avoid The Trends, Stay Classic

We all know that what was in yesterday is already out today in the world of fashion. If you’re constantly having to keep up with the latest fashions, you are doing yourself a huge disservice by spending much more than you need to.

There are a lot of great quotes that illustrate being thrifty as bringing out the creative side in you, let this ring true for your clothing options! There is nothing wrong with staying with classic selections. Some things never go out of style, (Chuck Taylor converse, anyone?) Find great deals on things that fit your style the best, but also have a timeless feel as well.

If you do want to keep up with the latest trends, but still economize, it’s a good idea to stay trendy with accesories. Earrings, socks, belts, purses, scarves, hats, it’s much better to spend $10 on a really fun, in-style accesory than $200 on that new dress by Diane von Furtstenberg.