1.  This song is now available on ITunes.  If you follow me on Facebook (please!  follow me on Facebook!), you know I love the band, Kassidy.  I first saw them on Cool TV, and now I am obsessed.  I love the song Oh My God so very much, but I despaired that I would never find the song on ITunes, and thus it would never live on my IPod.  However, when I logged on to the ITunes store last night, there it was!  Oh My God, by Kassidy!  For just 99 cents!  Thank you, ITunes people!  Now, please upload Song Yet To Be Sung by Perry Farrell.  KTHXBAI

2.  According to my buddy, Chelsey, avocados are back at ALDI grocery stores for 49 cents.  According to yours truly, avocados are on sale at Cub for 79 cents.  Either way, you can pick up a couple, plus a few pantry ingredients, and blammo!  Homemade guacamole for less than a jar of store-bought salsa.  Add a few PBR’s in a can, and you have a cheapo party I would definitely attend.

3.  Cookies and Cream candy bars by Hersheys.  Guys, you can pick up a bar or two at your local Cub Foods for less than a buck.  And then give me one.  And I will love you forever, because they are my favorite cheap candy bar EVER.  Mmmmmm…. candy….   I need a snack, my friends.

What $1 or less items are you buying today?

Oh GOOGLE.  You insist I post new content to this site to keep my stats high, so I can appear on the front page of any search for The Cheap Chick. Okay, FINE.  I’ll post more, sheesh.  Ya big nag,*  Don’t you even care about how busy at work I’ve been?  I may be the frugal-est person you know, Google, but a Chick still has to bring home the bacon.  You need to actually HAVE money in order to SAVE money.

*Yes, I know Google is not actually a person.  And that my readers ARE people.  And that I’m writing for you guys, not a search engine.  And that I need to post more for YOU.  I swear, I’m on it.  PROMISE.

Moving on.  Content!  That is fresh!  And also tasty.  On Tuesday, I hit the Fox 9 kitchen to whip up some crazy, and inexpensive, kids dishes.  Here are the fruits of my labor:

1.  Thread uncooked spaghetti through chunks of hotdogs. Boil until cooked through and serve with cheese sauce or spaghetti sauce.  And thank you, Facebook, for sharing this crazy idea with me.

2.  Cut the bottom 2/3 of a hot dog into six “legs” without detaching them from the top of the dog.  Boil until cooked through – the “legs” will separate and curl up, making octopuses.  Serve on mac and cheese with fish crackers.

3.  Spaghetti tacos, ala that popular TV show, iCarly.  Mix taco seasonings with tomato sauce and lean ground meat, toss with cooked spaghetti, and then stuff into taco shells for easy, mess-free eating.  You can buy taco kits at Cub Food – shells, seasoning and sauce – for $2.39.  Top with shredded cheese.  This is an easy recipe to sneak in extra veggies – the taco seasoning disguises the taste of veg!

4.  Kid sushi, made with bread, peanut butter, fruits and veggies (like shredded carrots and sliced celery).  If your kids have a peanut allergy, bind the “sushi” with cream cheese.  You can also use low fat cream cheese or honey.  And thank you, my BFF Laura’s husband A.J., for this fun tip.

5.  Serving any food on a stick makes it fun.  Cut up chunks of bread and lunch meat and thread them on metal or wooden skewers for
sandwiches on a stick.  Or thread cut-up veggies and lettuce wedges, serve with salad dressing for dipping and have salad on a stick.

6.  Make food on a stick even better by serving it in miniature.  Turn toothpicks into tiny “skewers.”  Skewer peas, cooked carrots, baked beans, or any mixture of small vegetables on toothpicks (cut down the sharp ends).  Serve with cheese sauce or BBQ sauce for
dipping.

CAVEAT FOR TIPS 5 AND 6:  Only you know if your child will impale themselves or their siblings if you give them pokeable objects like skewers and toothpicks.  I recall using toothpick swords and metal skewers when I was as young as 4 years old.  However, I am a child of the late 70s, early 80s.  We also rode bikes off of homemade jumps without helmets, and our playgrounds were built over pavement.  One thing you can do if you don’t want to give sharp objects to small children?  Snap or cut off the sharp end of the toothpicks or skewers, once you’ve inserted the food.

Want even MORE fun food ideas?  A great source for creative and fun foods for kids are web sites geared toward bento boxes.  Bentos
are traditionally Japanese lunch boxes, but people make them with American items as well.  Check out these sites to get started:

JustBento.com

The bento box recipes at Parenting.com

AIBento.net

What were YOUR favorite foods as a child? 

Today is my birthday, and I am 39 years old.  In my almost 40 years on this Earth, I’ve learned a thing or two, and I thought today would be the perfect day to share my Wisdom Of The Ages.  Such that it is…

1.  Not everyone is going to like you.  This is a hard one for me, as I am a MASSIVE people-pleaser.  One negative comment can send me into a tailspin of backtracking and apologizing.  I say, NO MORE.  I’m going to be myself… Cue Song!!!  “I gotta beeeee MEEEEEE!!!!”

So here is my pronouncement on my last year in the 30′s:  If you don’t like me, that is your choice.  If you don’t think I’m funny, you’re probably not alone.  If my VERY OBVIOUSLY tongue-in-cheek comments annoy you, well.  Maybe you shouldn’t read blogs/Facebook/anything on the Interwebz, my friend.  No judgement!  But no more apology, either.

2.  If you do not empty your mail box out frequently enough, your mail carrier will assume you’ve either abandoned your property, moved without telling anyone (even she can clearly see your car parked in front of your house), or DIED.  And they she will take your built-up stack of mail, INCLUDING YOUR W-2′s, and return the ALL to sender.  Don’t ask…

3.  Being frugal and sharing deals is a great way to meet people.  Ever since I started this gig, I’ve been blessed with a zillion amazing contacts.  For example:  This morning, I logged onto Facebook and was greeted with a deluge of Happy Birthdays from the denizens of The Cheap Chick Empire.  Thank you, Buzzheads/blogger followers/fellow bloggers/friends/acquaintences/awesome people.  You have made my day!

4.  If you brother truly loves you, he will marry a cool person.  And that cool person will become one of your best friends.  And bless you with two gorgeous and perfect niece/nephew.  And said children will look like this:

I know, I KNOW.  The cuteness cannot be contained.

5.  Surround yourself with kick-ass family and friends, and you’ll never feel alone.  I’m so lucky to have a great relationship with my Mom, Dad, StepMom, Big Brother, SIL, aunts/uncle/cousins.  And my friends?  Look at their awesomeness:

 So tell me:  What is YOUR wisdom through the ages?

Now that winter has settled in for the long haul, many TCians (myself included) are going a wee bit stir crazy in our homes.  Cabin fever, peeps.  Don’t think it’s a serious condition?  Then CLEARLY you have never read Stephen King’s masterwork, The Shining.  And you should, rather than watching that abmissmal movie.  Ugh.  Stanley Kubrick, were you still alive, I would shame you for that piece of crap.  However, I digress.

Cabin Fever!  Is there any cure?  Well, you could spend a fortune on a vacation to a warm locale, risking Montezuma’s Revenge and volcanos and epic sunburn.  Or, you could simply re-feather said cabin for less.  Making over your living space makes it new to you.  And NEW is a recognized cure for enclosure ennui.

Here are three fabulous stores/outlets/pop-up sales that help you shop (frugally, natch) for all the home goods you need to redo and remodel your home.  Trust me, redecorating is WAY cheaper than taking an axe to your wife and child.

New Uses, The Resale Home Store:

There’s a new inexpensive home goods retailer in town, with a brand new bag, baby.  It’s called New Uses, The Resale Home Store in Minnetonka.  And it’s brought to you by the same people who opened the franchise Clothes Mentor.  New Uses is their home goods version of that popular consignment clothing chain.  The store, which opened January 19^th, is the first of 8 stores planned for the metro area.

At New Uses, consumers are paid upfront for their gently used home merchandise.  No more waiting until your item sells to get a check!  Just bring your stuff to the store, no appointment necessary.  Store employees will check each item to ensure it meets their quality and operating standards.  If accepted, you’ll be paid based on condition, brand, stock level and demand.

Shoppers can shop for items at low prices, often $2 to $10 per item.  According to the folks at New Uses, all products are clean, safe, in working condition, and ready to sell.   Most importantly, everything carries a seven-day return policy.             

Here’s what you’ll find:  furniture like tables, chairs, lamps, bookshelves, entertainment centers, bar stools and desks.  Kitchen equipment like pots, pans, dishes, bake-ware, glasses, and flatware.  Small appliances like blenders, mixers, coffee makers, and microwaves.  Electronics like televisions, DVDs, digital cameras, and iPods.  Pet supplies like aquariums, carriers, collars and cages.  Home decor like pictures, frames, candles, brass and copper pieces.  And home improvement equipment like power tools, hand tools, lawn tools, socket sets, drills, and sanders.

Pro Rebuilding Outlet:

If you need even MORE home improvement goods, at discount prices, you need to visit the Pro Rebuilding Outlet.  They carry one-of-a-kind, recycled goods.  Bear in mind, this isn’t your traditional stop in and shop outlet.  Here’s how PRO works:  First, you need to start online.  Shop their warehouse website at ProRebuildingOutlet.com.  Then call to schedule an appointment to view and purchase your items.

PRO carries everything from furniture to flooring, tools to lighting, even antique items.  And now through February, they are having a warehouse-wide sale with 20 to 75% off items.  

The Cottage House:

You’ve heard of pop-up sales for clothing and accessories, but there is also a home goods pop-up sale going on in Minneapolis.  It’s called the Cottage House, and every month, 15 of the most talented home stagers in MN get together to restyle and resell their staging items.  The sale takes place at a two-story house on Chicago Avenue.  The Cottage House features unique, well-price furniture and home décor – and many items make terrific gifts for weddings or graduation.

The next sale is February 15th through the 19th, and the theme is Home and Cabin.  You’ll probably see me there.  For the calendar of upcoming events, log on to TheCottageHouseMpls.com.

I have made a vastly important decision regarding my life.  It doesn’t necessarily involve anything frugal-like, so bear with me.  (No worries, though - I’ll throw a few bits of thrifty goodness in at the end.  And Epilogue of Frugality, if you will.)

Momentous Life Decision:  Next Friday, January 27th, will be the last actual birthday I ever celebrate.  Ever.  No more birthdays for me, until the world ends, amen.

Don’t panic, I don’t intend to shuffle off this mortal coil – I plan to live forever, much like a cockroach, or Cher.  I’ve just decided that I’m not going to age past my next birthday.  How old will I be next Friday?  39.  Yup.  39.  I think I’ll type it one more time, in the hopes that massive number sinks in…

THIRTY FREAKING NINE.  *ouch*

I have no intention of ever being 40, regardless of what my family, my friends, my driver’s license, and the natural progression of time tell me.  Nope.  I’m done.  I’m stopping at 39, and everyone will just have to get on board with that.

What do I plan to do January 27, 2013?  Celebrate the first anniversary of my 39th Birthday, of course.  As one does.

Thus ends my big announcement.  Enjoy!  And now, on with the thriftiness…

Stuff I like in my late-thirties (where I will remain forever):

1.  Do remember once upon a time when I told you about Elnet Hairspray?  And how awesome it was?  And how it was worth paying almost $20 a can for it?  Well, I’ve found an equally irresistable replacement, which costs around $4 for a massive can – TRESemme’ Firm Control, All Day Humidity Resistance, Ultra Fine Mist, Tres Two Spray.  This stuff really IS ultra fine, holds beautifully, never flakes, smells nice and light, and lasts all day.  Seriously, I can not recommend it enough.

2.  I’ve been casting around for a new perfume for YEARS.  I’ve tried many different smells, but nothing really felt like me.  (And nothing has compared to my long-lost, dearly-departed Rare Quartz from Victoria’s Secret.  It was perfect.)  That is, until a few years ago, when I first tried out Viktor and Rolf’s Flowerbomb.  It was love at first smell… but it was a love that was to be denied.  Flowerbomb might be the bomb, but it is damn expensive.  I cannot justify spending more than $25 on a perfume, no matter how much I love it.

However, thanks to the wonderful people at Sephora, $25 is all I have to pay for Flowerbomb.  They recently rolled out a huge line of roll-on perfumes, all nicely-priced under $30, and one of their offerings?  Flowerbomb.  Now I can wear my favorite smell AND carry it with me wherever I go. 

So, what do you plan to do for your last birthday?

Look, here, I’ll help.  Below is the list of things not to buy, according to the fine minds at Yahoo Finanace and Kiplingers.com.  You trust their knowledge, right?  Sure you do!

Summer vegetables – this should be fairly obvious.  In harsher vernacular, no shit, Sherlock.  Always buy produce when it is in season for the freshest, best tasting, and best priced food.  Need a fruit fix now?  Try seedless Clementines for a sweet and inexpensive treat.  And if you MUST buy summer stuff, buy it frozen.  Trust me, it will taste better.

Outdoor/Patio items – Seasonal items are always cheapest at the end of the season, not at the start.  And believe it or not, January kicks off the spring season, according to retailers.

Skis and Snowblowers – Although the spring season has technically begun for many retailers, the big ticket winter items are still selling.  So you need to wait a few more months for the TRUE end of the winter season to save on items like winter sporting gear and snowblowers.  The beginning of April will bring the best sale prices.

Computers – You’ll find the best computer prices during back-to-school sales, so if you can, wait until August to buy a new computer.  Can’t wait that long?  Hold off until April, when electronics manufacturers roll out their new products.  That means retailers will discount older models to clear them out to make room for the latest and greatest gear.

Cars – Unfortunately, the best time to buy a car has passed.  You could have gotten up to 9.3% off the sticker price if you had bought your car December 31^st, when dealers are clearing out their inventory.  Now you’ll need to wait Labor Day, according to the folks at Kelley Blue Book.  That’s when dealers start offering generous incentives.

Gym Memberships – The start of the New Year is the peak time for people to flock to the gym, which makes haggling for a lower price fairly difficult.  Gym memberships drop off in the warmer month, when people head outside for their exercise.  You’re better off waiting until June to get a lower monthly rate or your enrollment fee waived.

What should you buy right now?  Big ticket – air conditioners.  You always want to buy heating and cooling systems in their respective off seasons.  Little ticket – digital picture frames.  These usually only sell during the holidays, so stores are trying to clear out their inventory.

If you missed the hilarities, you can still get the information.  Below are the points we were (trying) to discuss – Unusual Uses for Common Household Goods.  Enjoy!

SALT

1. Soothe a sore throat.  Dissolve a teaspoon of salt to warm water and gargle with the mixture.  It doesn’t taste great, but it really works!

2.  Calm aching gums.  Rinsing with warm salt water also soothes mouth burns from hot foods, as well as sore teeth and gums.

NOTE:  From the website for Pediatric Oncology Resource Center, “Salt water rinses are good because they alkalinize the mouth (opposite of acidify, which is what the bacteria create.)  The alkalinity helps decrease the bacteria count because they like an acid environment.”  Ped-onc.org

3.  Improve your brew.  Add a tiny pinch of salt to a cup of bitter coffee to cut the bitterness and enhance the flavor.

NOTE:  According to Dr. Anne Marie Helmenstine, the chemistry expert at About.com, “The Na⁺ ion diminishes bitterness by interfering with the transduction mechanism of that taste. The effect occurs below the level at which the salty taste would be registered.”

COFFEE GROUNDS

1.  Deodorize your fridge.  Take your spent coffee grounds, place them in a small bowl and set this in the back of your refrigerator.  The grounds absorb the foul smells and replace them with the lovely smell of coffee.  You can also make coffee ground sachets (use DRY grounds) for sock drawers and closets.

This works best if you actually LIKE coffee, which I assume you do, or why else would you have coffee grounds?

2.  Exfoliate your face.  Before you throw away the grounds, rub them gently into your skin to remove flaky dead skin.  Rinse with warm water.  Coffee – it perks up your face while it perks up the rest of you!

RICE

1.  Dry out your cell phone.  If you drop your cell in water, all is not lost!  According to Popular Mechanics.com, here’s what you do:

            – Do NOT turn your phone on.  Instead, take out the battery and the SIM card, and any covers or other auxiliary parts.

            – Submerge the battery, SIM card and the cell phone in a bowl of uncooked rice overnight.

            – The next day, reattach the parts and turn your phone back on.

I’ve heard firsthand from people who’ve tried this who say it actually works.

2.  Sooth sore muscles.  Take a container of dry rice, pour it into a cloth bag, sew up the open end, zap it in the microwave and apply to sore muscles.  The rice conforms to your body better than a heating pad, and cools down naturally so you won’t burn yourself.

To make your own rice heating pad, check out Tip Nut.com – http://tipnut.com/make-your-own-microwave-heating-pad/. 

What unusual uses do YOU guys use?

But “Criminal” is not my only cheap thrill for the day.  Here are a few other under-$20 goodies making me smile this manic Monday:

1.  Cool Touch Kleenex.  I’ve had a head cold for TWO FULL WEEKS, courtesy of my niece.  Don’t worry, seeing Go-Go was totally worth any pain and suffering.  Besides, those Cool Touch Kleenex – available at Target for less than $1.75 a box – have greatly reduced my woe.  They are magically cool, without reeking of menthol or mint or any other cooling agent.  Cool Touch also leaves behind the slightest hint of soothing lotion, which further decreases the discomfort of blowing one’s nose every five minutes.  Seriously, the people at Kleenex are BRILLIANT.

2.  Scarves instead of sweaters.  Let me explain this one – I work in a very temperamental office, temperature-wise.  One cubicle is hot, the next one is cold, and the edit suite (where I spend much of my day) is cool in the morning, only to heat up like an oven as the day progresses.  If I wear a sweater or jacket for an added layer of warmth, I have to take it off and put it on all freaking day long.  That gets old.

What I do now is wear one of the bazillion pashmina-type scarves I’ve been gifted (and thank you, friends and family!).  I tie said pashmina around my neck like a regular scarf on the way to work, and then wrap it around my arms and shoulders, like a shawl, whenever I get cold.  If I get too warm, I just drape the scarf/pashmina around my neck and let it hang down the front.  I never have to take the dang thing off… woot!  No more wasted motions!

If you have not been given all the pashminas in all the world, you can buy one (or two or TEN) for less at Target or Kohls .  They typically cost between $12 – $16.  Or, stop by a cool acessories-only store like Fun Sisters and check out their wares.  And last, thrift stores are an excellent source of cool, no-one-else-will-have-what-you-have acessories.  And a nice, thrifted pashmina shouldn’t set you back more than a ten-spot.

3.  Awesomely amusing videos on You Tube.  By now, you should know that a. YouTube.com provides an endless supply of insanely funny videos that help break up the monotony of cubicle life, and b. My friends and I are reliable source of these videos.  Not that we actually MAKE them – we just find them and share them with the world.  For FREE.  And the videos themselves?  Also FREE… as long as you have a reliable Internet connection and speakers.

For example, my friend (and cousin) Morganne shared this video with me yesterday.  (Warning!  Still NSFW.)  TEA!  Who knew it was so darn extreme?  I also love the Bad Lip-Reading series, in particular, Russian Unicorn.  Which is now available on ITunes!  For a low $1.29!  And thus, I bring this blog post full circle. 

What cheap goodies are you loving today?

Raise your hand if 2012 has been the busiest year EVER.  And it’s only SIX DAYS OLD, HOLYGAH!!!!  For serious, peeps, life at The Cheap Chick Empire has been overwhelming, to say the least.  However!  That does not mean I’m not still all about the frugally goodness.  Because I am.  All about it.

And on that note, here are a few frugal things to try in the (relatively) new year.  Some stuff you may already be doing, and some stuff may be So.  Totally.  Mindblowing.  Let’s take a look…

1.  Do try shopping at ALDI for your non-perishables.  I’m not completely sold on ALDI’s for fruits and veggies, but for things like canned goods, cereal, snacks and spices (say that ten times fast)?  I say give ALDI a go for a month, and see if it saves you money.  Bear in mind, you’ll need to bring  your own bags, and pay 25 cents for a cart.  For more ALDI user tips, check out their website.

2.  Don’t shop online alone!  Instead, partner up with a friend or two the next time you shop at a .com.  That way, your combined order will be large enough in price to qualify you for free shipping.  For example, if you and your buds order $50 or more at Forever21.com, you’ll qualify for free shipping.  This uber-sneaky-cool way to save money was brought to you by my bestie, HaC.

3.  Do thrift more of your daily wear.  As you may have read on these (cyber) pages, I utterly and completely love fashion blogs.  And the bloggers I love the most – Megan Mae, Sheila, Futurelint, Kasmira, and Sally McGraw – are thrifting QUEENS.  Looking at their daily, super-cute, and thrifted outfits inspires me to make thrifted items the cornerstone of my wardrobe, too.

4.  Don’t forget to buy frozen diet entrees NOW.  The beginning of January is Dieting Season in the frozen food aisle.  Lean Cusines are $2 a piece at Cub Foods, and $2+change at Target (plus, you get a $5 gift card if you buy 10).  I prefer Lean Cusines to the other brands, and the Roast Turkey with Cinnamon Apples is my fave.  They make a perfect, super-fast, calories-controled lunch.  Just what I need after the food free-for-all that is the holiday season…

Now let’s hear from you, peeps.  What are you doing in the new year to save money?  Anything cool and different?

Welcome to 2012 my peeps!  Have you made your resolutions?  Have you already broken them?

If you don’t have a resolution of your own, or if you’d like new, undamaged ones, try on these two for size.  They will hopefully help you live a more frugal and fabulous life in 2012 and beyond!  If nothing else, they’re food for thought…

Frugalutions for ’12

1.  Resolve to use your resources.  There are tons of programs and discounts available that can help you and your family live within your means.  But you have to know where to look.

How can you find the resources you need?  Use the three R’s – research, request and revisit.

            a.  Research.  After you’ve determined where you need to save money – for example, lowering the payment on your mortgage – research what options are available.  Don’t go into a situation assuming you know all the facts.  You’ve got to do your research to avoid the ass-u-me trap.

The best place to start any research project is online.  If you don’t have access to the Internet, use the best resource our state has; the local library.  Our libraries provide free Internet access.

TIP – if you are looking for government programs or non-profit organizations, use websites that end in either .gov or .org.  Dot com sites are for profit, and may cost you more money than they save you.

Another great source of information is your social network.  Ask friends, family, Linked In contacts, Facebook contacts, and people in online forums for tips on where to go for what you need.

            b.  Request.  You can only do so much online.  Eventually, you do need to talk to real people, and not just one person at one location.  Attack the issue from multiple angles.

For example, to lower your mortgage payment, you’ll want to talk to your bank, but you should also talk to a loan officer, and maybe a credit counselor.

            c.  Revisit.  If at first you don’t succeed, try again!  You’ve got to be persistent and find out all the existing options.

For example, if you are told you do not qualify to refinance your home loan, ask what other options exist.  Perhaps you need to improve your credit score in order to qualify.  Ask what you can do to bring that score up.  Or maybe there are short-term relief programs available from the state.  Or, perhaps the lender will accepts lower payments for awhile, until you can regain your financial footing.

2.  Resolve to toot your own horn.  It costs nothing to share your abilities and achievements, and it can garner you more than just accolades.  Telling the world about your worth can land you a job, a promotion, or a raise.  Here are a few ways to toot your own horn:

            a.  Prepare an elevator speech of what makes you special – what your skills are, what you bring to the table, what sets you apart.  That way, the next time someone asks you, “What do you do for a living?” you’ll have a better response than, “I’m unemployed.”  Be sure to practice your speech, too, so it sounds natural.

            b.  Pass out your card.  And, don’t just carry cards for the job you HAVE.  Make cards for the job you WANT.  For example, my Cheap Chick cards tell folks I’m also a public speaker.

TIP – Vista Prints.com has 250 premium business cards available for $10.

            c.  Update your resume.  Every time you add to your skill set – take a class, give a speech, write a presentation – make sure that new ability is reflected on your resume.  Even if you have a job, your resume should be ready to send out on a moment’s notice.

TIP – Make sure to upload your updated resume on professional networking sites like Linked In.

Remember, no one is going to sing your praises for you.  It’s up to you to show people what you can do.