Tri Cities Penny Pincher

K.I.S.S. Sweet potato casserole

2012-11-07T15:40:00.000-05:00

I guess one of the reasons my Mom's food was so delicious was because she always kept things simple....

One of the most popular items on our family's Thanksgiving menu is the Sweet Potato Casserole. My sister has to make 2 of them just to have enough! It's is delicious, cheap, and oh, so easy to make!

3 ingredients - Sweet Potatoes, Butter, Marshmallows.

For one 13X9 casserole you will need about 4 large sweet potatoes. Pierce the sweet potatoes with a fork and cook them in the microwave until soft. Scoop out the pulp into a bowl with 1 stick of softened butter. Whip til fluffy.

Turn them into a 13X9 Pyrex dish and spread evenly. I always make these the night before and just cover and refrigerate them.

Thanksgiving day, take a bag of regular size marshmallows and arrange them in rows with the sides touching. This is a good task for the kids!

If I had known I was going to become a world famous blogger, I would have hired a food photographer...lol. It's the only photo I could find of my delicious sweet potato casserole.

Bake at 350 for around 25-35 minutes, or until the marshmallows are deep golden brown. Serve hot.

You can check my Thanksgiving Recipes Page for some other delicious, (and a little bit fancier) sweet potato recipes.

No rise Beer Bread...Super Easy!

2012-11-02T13:21:00.001-04:00

As promised, Here is the recipe for the Beer Bread. The recipe uses no yeast, hence the beer. You can whip this up in 5 minutes. The cook time is an hour and you can slice it while it is still warm.

3 c. sifted all purpose or bread flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. Baking Powder
3 Tbsp. Sugar
1 12 oz can Beer (any type)
4 Tbsp melted butter

NOTE: You can substitute a can of soda. Most people who use soda use sprite or 7-up. I would imagine this will make the bread sweeter.

Mix the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Slowly add beer and mix well. Transfer into a greased loaf pan and pour 3 Tbsp of the melted butter on top. Bake at 375 for 50 minutes. Drizzle the remaining 1 Tbsp of melted butter on top and bake for another 10 minutes. Enjoy!

Crusty no-knead Bread Yummy!

2012-11-02T08:13:00.001-04:00

So, I made 2 loaves of this, and 2 loaves of Beer Bread for the annual Halloween Party and they ate all of it! The first time I made it, I used self rising flour by mistake - epic fail! You have to use all purpose or bread flour.

Here is the recipe:

6 c. Bread flour
1/2 tsp yeast
2 1/2 tsp salt
2 2/3 c. water
Mix the dry ingredients together and slowly add the water. The dough is going to be sticky, but don't worry. Cover the bowl with platic wrap and let it sit overnight. 12-16 hours. It seems like a long time, but it only takes 5 minutes to mix it up. The dough should look like this the next day:

Remove to a well floured board, and with well floured or oiled hands, tuck the dough under itself several times until you have somewhat of a ball. I have tried both ways and find that oil works better than flour for my hands. (The dough is sticky). Place the dough ball on a well floured piece of wax paper or parchment paper and cover. I remove the excess flour from around the dough ball after I cover it.

After about 1 1/2 hours, take a dutch oven or similar pot and place it in the cold oven and then pre-heat to 425 degrees for about 30 minutes. Be sure the pot you use can withstand the heat.

Carefully remove the pot from the oven and set it next to your dough. Uncover the dough and flip it into the hot pot. This part always gives me trouble because the dough is so sticky. Just do the best you can to get the dough into the pot without disturbing it too much. Put the lid back on the pot and bake for 50 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for another 10-15 minutes until it is a deep golden brown. Like this:

Carefully remove it from the pot and set it on a wire rack to cool. Try to restrain yourself....let the bread cool before you cut it. This is awesome with soup, chili, or anything saucy!

If I can make this bread, anyone can!

Thanksgiving 3 week checklist

2012-11-01T11:18:00.001-04:00

Don't panic, but 3 weeks from today, most of you will be putting Thanksgiving dinner on the table :)

Here are some things you should be looking for sales on that you can buy ahead of time:

Turkey
Cheese
Butter
Ham
Baking Supplies (Sugar, Flour)
Day old bread you can freeze for stuffing
Plastic Plates/Cups
Soda
Canned soup for casseroles
Frozen Pie Crust
Frozen Roll Dough
Nuts
Table Decorations

Make your guest list and write out your full menu. If your guests are pitching in by bringing some of the food, then you can just cross those items off your master shopping list.

Now is also a good time to start your deep cleaning. It will make things much easier when things start getting crazy!

I would love to hear your ideas and recipes. You can leave them in the comments box below.

Mom's Super Easy Chili

2012-10-30T09:07:00.000-04:00

Homemade Chili is probably the 1st thing Mom taught me to cook. Most of her recipes were quite simple...When you are feeding 11 people every day, you have to be able to stretch those dollars and also save time. I made this meal for my family for a little over six dollars. I know there are tons of Chili recipes out there with all kinds of different ingredients and types of meat, but this recipe has always been a real crowd pleaser, and I always get compliments!

I also made the yummy beer bread which set me back a little over a dollar! I will be posting this recipe up too!

Chili:

Prep time - 5 minutes

Cook time - 30 to 45 minutes

1 Lb. Ground Beef

2 - 15 oz. cans tomatoes

(I use the diced, but you can get the whole tomatoes and put them in the blender or use a stick blender right in the can)

2 - 15 oz. cans of chili beans

1 small onion

Cumin, Cilantro, Salt, Pepper

Brown your ground beef. Chop the onion, add to the pot and cook for about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and beans. Season to your taste with Cumin, Cilantro, Salt & Pepper (probably about a teaspoon of each to start). Simmer for about 30 Minutes.

I bought the ground beef in the 3 lb. chub and cut it into 3/1 lb. hunks and froze the other 2, so 2.66 for the meat. My local market had all of their canned goods on sale for .68, so I stocked up on those and used 4 of them - 2.72. I got 6 onions for .99 on the produce managers special rack and used 1 - .17. The bread cost me about 1.29 and we used 1/2 of it, so - .65. Total for meal - $6.20 and I have leftovers.

Shirley's Famous Potato Salad

2012-10-29T11:29:00.002-04:00

When my family does Thanksgiving, there are 5 phases of eating...Appetizers, main course, dessert, sandwiches, then more dessert. It truly is an eating marathon!

The sandwich course would not be complete without my Mom's famous potato salad. The recipe is so simple that it really still surprises me that people say it's "The best potato salad they have ever eaten". The photographer from my grandson's 1st Birthday party even mentioned it in her blog:

" I absolutely LOVED all of the decorations, and the food was fabulous ... from "Donald & Daisy's Delicious Desserts" to "Hot-Diggity Bar-B Dogs" & "Pluto's Pizza"... and the best potato salad I have ever had ... hands down!"

Stephanie (LIFEShots Photography) did a great job including the photo of the potato salad above.

Here is the post from LIFEShots Photography's Blog

Ok, so back to the recipe...here it is:

5 Lbs. Red Potatoes

1 Dozen Eggs

1 Small Onion

1 Jar Mayo

Salt & Pepper

Boil the potatoes (whole) until firm-tender (you don’t want them to overcook, or they will get mushy). Remove from pot to a cookie sheet lined with paper towels to cool. Hard boil the eggs. When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, peel the skin off and dice into around ½ in. cubes. Peel the eggs and chop them up into the same bowl. Chop the onion finely and add to bowl. Add salt & pepper to your personal taste. Add the entire jar of Mayo in and mix it up with your freshly washed hands. Refrigerate.

Note: Sometimes I will have to add a little extra mayo.

Ball Gravy

2012-10-25T14:45:00.000-04:00

Hahaha...I knew that would get your attention! Of all the Thanksgiving memories I have, I think the funniest was the fact that when I was little, I would call the cranberry sauce "Ball Gravy". In fact, I can barely contain myself while I am typing this. Man, I was soooo cute!

Well, enough about me, let's talk cranberries shall we? One of the most popular staples at Thanksgiving dinner has to be the cranberries. Although I couldn't get enough of them as a child, I am not a big fan, but the people who DO like them, though, REALLY like them, so I make them :)

Some prefer the jellied kind, you know the ones that come in a can with the handy cutting marks down the side...

Photo provided by Flickr user busbeytheelder

My Mom always served these, and the whole cranberries, which she made from scratch. Super easy, just buy a bag of fresh cranberries, rinse them, then put them in a saucepan with 1 cup of water, and 1 cup of sugar. Turn the heat to med-high, stir, and keep an eye on them. When the berries start bursting, wait about a minute and then turn the heat off. Sort of like popcorn, the berries should continue to burst. When they are cooled off, put them straight into your serving dish and refrigerate.

I will have to say, though, my favorite version of Cranberries has to be my Friend Terri A.'s Portofino Cranberry and Jell-o mold. It is so delicious, but unfortunately I don't have a photo, so you will just have to take my word for it! Here is the recipe:

Portofino Cranberry and Jello Mold

Ingredients:

2- 3 oz Packages Raspberry Jello

1 ¼ Cup Boiling Water

1 Can (20 oz.) Crushed Pineapple, undrained

1 Can 1# Whole Cranberry Sauce

¾ Cup Port Wine

1 Cup Chopped Pecans

8 oz. Package Cream Cheese

1 Cup Sour Cream

Directions:

1. Dissolve jello in boiling water

2. Stir in pineapple, cranberry sauce and wine

3. Chill until slightly thickened

4. Fold in nuts and turn into a 9X13 Pyrex. Chill until firm

5. Beat softened cream cheese and sour cream until smooth.

6. Spread over set Jello mold and chill

Cut in squares and serve.

Thanks Terri!

If you have any recipes to share, just click on the "Thanksgiving Recipes" tab at the top and put it in the "Comments"

Stay tuned for more Thanksgiving recipes, tips and tricks from now until Turkey Day!

Buffalo Chicken Sammies

2012-10-25T08:46:00.000-04:00

Monday I shared my White Chicken Chili meal. I saved one of the boiled Chicken Breasts to make these fun and delicious Buffalo Chicken "Sammies". Prep time - 10 Minutes Cook time - 20 to 25 minutes

I got the idea a few weeks back when I had unexpected guests. I grabbed some leftover chicken, cream cheese, bleu cheese salad dressing and some biscuits that I had in the fridge. This time I added shredded cheese and used the bigger "Grands" biscuits that I got on sale for 1.00.

Mix 4 oz. softened cream cheese, 4 oz. Bleu Cheese salad dressing, 4 oz. shredded cheese, and some hot sauce according to your taste.

Chop up your chicken breast meat and fold into the cheese mixture. I used the meat from 1 Chicken Breast (Bone-in) Then, spoon it onto flattened out biscuits like this:

pick up each biscuit by the edge of the dough and fold it over like a taco, making sure to tuck the filling inside, and then return it to the cookie sheet. (It's not as easy if you try to do this while it is on the pan)

Take a fork and go around the edges to seal.

Bake at 350 for about 20 to 25 minutes or until nice and golden brown. Serve with Bleu Cheese, hot sauce and whatever else you like!

I served these with leftover White Chili...they cost me around 3.00 to make 8 of these. They are bigger than "Hot Pockets"...2 per person is pretty filling.

Thanksgiving Pre-Planning Guide

2012-10-24T10:54:00.000-04:00

Thanksgiving is just 4 weeks away! Can you believe it? Since we are only in the planning stage, I felt it appropriate to start the series off with these tips:

Whether you are an amateur or a seasoned professional, planning and preparing a Thanksgiving feast is not as difficult as it sounds. Most of the foods you will prepare are similar to any other meal. The only difference is you will be doing it on a larger scale. When you have cooked as long as I have, you get a feel for how much food to make. Sometimes, I refer to a little cookbook I purchased years ago at my daughters school. In the back of the book it lists quantities to feed 100 people. I just do a little math according to how many I will be feeding.

Take a deep breath and follow these simple guidelines. You will be surprised at how easy it will be to produce a delicious meal for your family this Thanksgiving.

The first thing you have to do is determine how many people you will be having. An easy way to do this is to make 3 columns on a piece of paper. Write each family’s name in the far left column. Then, label the other 2 columns “adults” and “children”. For each family, put a number under the adults and children’s columns. Then you simply add up the columns.

The next question you may ask yourself is; how much food will I need to buy? This can get tricky because it depends on what kind of party your family likes. Our family does the whole nine yards. We get together early for appetizers so everyone can visit and enjoy all of the aromas typical to a Thanksgiving dinner cooking in the oven. Later, we all sit down for the main feast, followed by dessert and coffee. After everyone watches a little football, takes a nap, does the dishes or plays cards, it’s time for round 2. Turkey & Ham sandwiches, potato salad, and of course, more dessert! I will help you plan your eat-a-thon according to what I am accustomed to.

Remember, everyone’s family dynamic is different, so use the following as a starting point and adjust according to your crowd’s preferences:

I will give you amounts for a party of 25 people.

A good variety of appetizers that won’t fill everyone up before dinner should consist of light foods like fresh veggies and a light dipping sauce, cheeses and crackers, nuts and fresh fruits.

Turkey - Typically, people tend to overindulge on Thanksgiving, so plan on doubling the usual portion per person of turkey which would be 6 to 7 oz per person (not including sandwiches). If you are planning to make a ham as well, plan on 6 or 7 ounces per person for both the turkey and the ham.

TIP: If you can get a good deal on your turkey, Purchase an extra, smaller turkey, cook it the day before and slice it neatly for sandwiches.

Potatoes - To estimate the amount of potatoes you will need for mashed potatoes, figure 1 raw potato per person. The usual amount is 5 to 6 oz. per person, so for 25 people you would need around 10 lbs.

Stuffing – My grandmother would be rolling over in her grave if she heard me refer this as “Stuffing”! Our family’s traditional recipe for Turkey “Dressing” has been handed down for generations and is one that you have to acquire a taste for. Most families have their own recipe for dressing, so you will probably know how much to make. If you opt for the boxed variety, plan on using at least one box for the inside of the turkey and then about 4 oz. per person that you can serve in a bowl or casserole dish.

Broccoli casserole and green bean casserole - What kind of Thanksgiving would it be without these popular staples? I usually make a double recipe of each and have plenty.

Corn – Corn may sound plain with all of the other rich vegetable casseroles you will be serving, but you have to remember that some people may be on a diet or simply don’t care for the “fancier” vegetables. I usually make 3 or 4 of the 9 oz bags (frozen).

Sweet potato casserole – This is a family favorite, so I make 2 of the 9 X 13 pans. For my recipe, it takes 4 large sweet potatoes for one 9 X 13 pan.

Time saving tip:
Prick your fresh sweet potatoes with a fork, place in the microwave and cook until soft. Then, scoop out the potatoes and proceed with your favorite recipe!

Cranberry sauce – So simple to make and delightful to look at, yet no one ever eats it! At least not in my family. If you have a special recipe, or if you simply buy the gelled variety, a small bowl or dish at each end of the table should be plenty.

Salad – 2 or 3 heads of lettuce, plus your tomatoes (2 or 3), cucumbers (2 or 3), radishes (1 Bunch), black olives (2 cans). Everyone has different tastes, so prepare your salad according to what your family likes.

Try something new:
If you are from up north, then you have probably had “Mayonnaise Salad”. You simply toss the above ingredients with mayonnaise, salt and black pepper. This is a great compliment to turkey. Otherwise, just serve the salad with your favorite dressing either tossed in, or a variety of dressings set out on the table.

Rolls - Plan on at least 2 rolls per adult at dinner, and be sure to make extras for sandwiches later.

Here’s a time saving tip:
Buy the frozen roll dough. Spray your cookie sheets with no-stick spray and place your frozen rolls on the pan(s) and place inside the cold oven, covered with saran wrap (also sprayed with no-stick spray) away from drafts before you go to bed. The rolls will rise while you sleep. In the morning, remove the saran wrap, preheat the oven and bake the rolls first thing when you wake up.

Pies – Whether you do pumpkin, mincemeat, sweet potato or pecan, everyone will look forward to having that homemade pie for dessert! Figure approximately 1 ½ pieces of pie per person. If you slice the pies in 1/8, then that would be 4 to 5 pies.

Other desserts – Most of the time, your guests will bring other desserts such as cakes, fudge, homemade cookies, etc. Of course, you don’t have any control over the amounts on these, so just add them to your dessert table, or make a nice arrangement on a platter.

Potato salad (for round 2) – About 6 lbs. for 25 people, so buy a 5 lb. bag of red potatoes and by the time you add the eggs, onions and mayo, you should have plenty.

Don’t forget the little things like coffee, creamer, tea, soft drinks, butter, etc.

Well, I think that covers just about everything.

Check back often for recipes, tips and tricks for making your Thanksgiving a success!

Follow me to Thanksgiving Dinner!

2012-10-23T15:36:00.001-04:00

If you are not already following my blog, you may want to...starting tomorrow, I will be putting up all of my best Thanksgiving recipes & tips, along with time and money saving tricks. It's just a little more than 4 weeks away! Whether you are a seasoned professional or a first-timer, I am sure to have something for you. Just click the button in the left hand column, or subscribe to my feed.

The article above was written in the local paper about our Family's Thanksgiving dinner. That's my Mom...I learned from the best, and I have been cooking a full-blown Thanksgiving feast by myself for the past 26 years, using traditional family recipes along with others I have picked up along the way.

Where's the Beef? Another yummy 6 dollar meal!

2012-10-22T08:59:00.000-04:00

Gone are the days when we used ground beef to stretch our food dollars...It's almost cheaper to buy steak!

One of my favorite go-to meals for autumn is a big pot of homemade chili, but these days it's not very budget friendly, so I decided to make white chili using chicken instead. My local market had chicken breast on sale for .99 a lb. (one third the cost of ground beef). I got a 3 lb package for 3.21, and used 2 lbs. for the chili. They also had their canned beans on sale for .68 a can.

I asked my friend for her white chili recipe. It called for 2 cans of chicken broth, but I decided to use the stock from boiling the chicken with some bullion added instead. It tastes the same at a fraction of the cost. A jar of 25 bullion cubes costs 1.99, I used 4, so around .32 compared to 3.00 for 2 cans of chicken broth. NOTE: I also used more than 28 oz. of liquid because I thought it was too thick, so another benefit of not using the canned broth.

Last, but not least, I bought a loaf of pre-sliced french bread that was marked down to .78, and used half of it and froze the other half to use for another meal.

$2.14, for the chicken, 2.72 for the beans, .32 for the bullion, .33 for the onion, and .39 for the bread. Total for the meal $5.90, I fed my family of 3, plus my daughter had a friend for dinner, and I have half of it left over. (I made a double batch)

Here is the recipe for a double batch:
2 Tbsp. Olive oil (more or less...I used a little more. I just eyeballed it. You need enough to saute the onions)
2 small onions
6 Tbsp. flour
4 tsp. Cumin
I added a pinch of garlic powder, a pinch of cayenne, some salt and a sprinkle of ground oregano
2 - 14.5 oz. cans of chicken broth
3 c. chopped cooked chicken ( I didn't measure, I just used the meat off of 2 chicken breasts
4 cans Great Northern or Navy beans
Optional:
2 - 4 oz. cans chopped green chiles (I only say these are optional because I didn't have any, and the chili was delicious)
Garnishes - Monterey Jack Cheese, sour cream, salsa

Saute your onions in olive oil until they are transparent. Add your flour and cumin to make a roux. Slowly whisk the chicken broth into the roux. Stir in your un-drained beans, chicken, and any other spices you like in your chili. Simmer on low for 15-20 minutes, but keep an eye on it and stir frequently. Serve it with crackers, garlic bread, or anything else you may like.

The Great Panko Debate

2012-10-19T13:29:00.000-04:00

I have a few friends (and a couple of daughters) who think that it's not the "real" thing unless you pay a lot of money for it. That may hold true for designer handbags, but as far as things like breadcrumbs, well, breadcrumbs are just that...crumbs of bread.

Apparently there is a big debate about the increasingly popular Panko, or Japanese breadcrumbs. And by the way, Panko ( パン粉 ) in Japanese means breadcrumbs, so to say "Panko Breadcrumbs" is like saying "Breadcrumbs Breadcrumbs".

Many people say that there is a special process of zapping each crumb with electrodes to give it the flaky consistency. I am going to go out on a limb here and say that I don't think that Japanese women had these devices in their kitchens back in the day. I will admit, there may be a particular type of bread they use, but for the most part, it seems to me that the coarse consistency and the fact that the crust is not used are the main differences between these, and traditional breadcrumbs.

After trying a dish prepared with Panko, I decided there must be a way to make it at home. A few weeks ago, I tried my hand at bread-making. It was a total flop. It turns out I used the wrong type of flour. Anyway, last week I tried again and it turned out beautifully! The only problem was, I didn't have a big pot of homemade chicken noodle soup to go with it :( Now I have this big loaf of beautiful crusty bread that nobody wants to eat...so today, I am making my Panko.

First, I cut the crust off.

Then I tried one of the methods I read about, which was grating it. There was too much moisture still in the bread, so I cut it in cubes and went the food-processor route.

I only have a small one that I use to make, well breadcrumbs! It worked perfectly! Many methods I read about said to make sure you pulse it, but it was way too coarse. Just experiment with whatever bread you decide to use.

I spread the breadcrumbs out on a cookie sheet, and they are drying in my oven right now. I set the oven to "Warm" which is probably about 150 degrees.

I will let the crusts dry out and process them into traditional breadcrumbs. Total spent - $1.00

Check back and I will post up whatever dish I decide to make with the Panko. You can always subscribe or follow me!

Boston Market...NOT!

2012-10-17T11:45:00.002-04:00

Talk about saving money! A meal like this at Boston Market would have cost $20.97. I had this on the table in less than 30 minutes, and it only cost me around 6 bucks.

I was crunched for time and couldn't think of anything decent for dinner that would be quick. As I was heading for the check-out, I noticed the rotisserie chickens were on sale for 3.99...Whew!, that saved me.

I grabbed one, and when I got home, I whipped up some mashed potatoes (about .50 to make), some mac & cheese (another .80), and a can of green beans (.59), and viola! Less than 30 minutes later we were sitting down to this great meal. (To be fair to Boston Market, we opted for white bread, but corn muffins would have set me back another 33 cents for a dozen.)

Total for the meal - $6.21 ( that would be with the corn muffins)
Per person price at Boston Market - $6.99

I easily could have fed 4 people with this meal.

Six dollar dinner

2012-10-16T14:40:00.000-04:00

Sometimes people don't believe it when I tell them how cheaply I feed my family. I decided to start sharing some of my amazingly cheap dinners.

This is a meal I cooked for my husband, my daughter and me:

I bought these beautiful 1" thick pork chops on sale for just 3.31. I seared them off in a screaming hot iron skillet for about 5 minutes on each side, and then I finished them off in the oven til they reached 160 degrees. I made a quick pan gravy using a little flour to make a roux, then milk, salt and pepper.

I served them with stuffing (1.00), Corn on the cob (.99 from the produce manager's special rack), and applesauce (1.79, and we used 1/2 of the jar, so .90)

Total for this beautiful meal - $6.20 to feed 3 people!

If we were to eat this same meal out in a restaurant, it would cost well over $30 for the 3 of us.

Easy, cheap chicken recipe - Chicken Franciase

2012-09-11T15:12:00.000-04:00

Tired of the same old chicken recipes week after week? Here's something different and super easy to make!

"Fancy" up your chicken tenders without adding a lot of cost! My family goes nuts when they find out I am making this one. It's really easy. Next time you buy chicken tenders to make for dinner, grab a lemon too. I will assume you have flour and an egg or two on hand at home.

Take your raw chicken tenders and put them in a big baggie with a couple big spoonfuls of flour and shake til coated.
In the meantime, whisk a couple eggs in a pie tin (or similar dish). Then, have another plate with flour.

Now melt a stick of butter or margarine in a frying pan.

Take the flour coated chicken tenders from the baggie, coat with egg, and then the other flour and carefully place the in the frying pan. Cook till golden brown on both sides. Just before serving, squeeze the lemon all over the chicken while the pan is still on the burner. (The butter will sizzle when you do this and it mixes with the lemon to make the lemon butter sauce.) Prepare to get compliments!

This is really good with fettucini alfredo and broccoli. You can buy the noodle side dishes for like a buck. I like to steam the broccoli, then transfer to a frying pan with oil & garlic. A little squeeze of lemon just before serving.

Your family will LOVE this chicken!

For My Local Friends:
Food City has chicken tenders on sale 1.99/lb., and locally grown broccoli 2/3.00!

Build a better mouse trap

2012-09-09T09:49:00.001-04:00

Well, folks, it's that time of year again. It getting cold outside and the little mice are looking for refuge. Unfortunately, that means you may be hearing unwanted pitter-patter of tiny feet in your house.

Granted, mouse catching is not rocket science, but it can be tricky. If I thought in any way I could humanely capture a mouse and let it go without it turning around and coming right back in my house, I certainly would. I frequently catch spiders, grasshoppers, etc., that hitch-hike in on my family’s pants legs and let them live, but the mice like food & warmth, which I am not willing to provide. It's not that I don't like them; it's just that they make a mess and eat my food which I then have to throw away.

As a rule, mice like to come in around the pipes under the sinks. This is why I keep a mouse trap set at all times under all of my sinks. I like to get them before they can get any farther.

Last fall I opened my bottom drawer in the kitchen to get out a towel. To my horror and disgust, I found the first evidence of Houdini. Not a huge deal. I went about investigating and cleaning up the mess. I then set several traps all around. In addition to traps under the sinks, I put them near the front & back doors and along the baseboard near the refrigerator & stove. A total of 8 mouse traps! I felt confident that by morning I would have a corpse.

The next morning came and no corpse! In fact, after I put my glasses on so I could see, I went around to all the traps and noticed that the bait was missing from every single one! Well, I had used peanut butter as bait just as I always had, but I could not believe he got ALL of it without setting off a single trap!

This meant war! I went to the computer and read every article I could find on catching mice. I finally found the one tip that made perfect sense. Unfortunately, I do not remember which website I found it on. Thank you to the person who suggested the following: Hot glue a piece of sweet cereal to the bait holder. Voila! I have never had a mouse steal my bait again!

Rest in peace Houdini.

Follow Me!

2012-09-05T14:15:00.001-04:00

If you look in the left column, you will see "Join this site" button. It's an easy way to get back to my blog to learn how to pinch those pennies! You can easily join with any Google, Twitter, Yahoo, Aim, Netlog, or Open ID account!

I will be adding posts daily, so join today, and don't forget to tell all of your friends!

How I feed my family for less than $14.00 a day

2012-09-05T12:19:00.001-04:00

Here is an example of how I feed my family of 3 on less than 14.00 a day. Sounds pretty impossible, right? Not if you think about it and make sure you always have certain staples in the house. The following is an example and breakdown of the actual costs to feed MY family. (I am not making this up.) If you really want to stretch those food dollars,
get in the habit of having soup & grilled cheese for dinner one night a week. It’s inexpensive, delicious and nutritious! Also, have leftovers at least one night a week…waste not, want not!
NOTE: You can easily feed four people with the meals I have listed below.

Day 1
Soup day:
2 cans of soup = $2.00
Grilled cheese sandwich = Bread .25, cheese .41 X 5 sandwiches = $3.30
Crackers = .25
Total for 4 people = $5.55

Day 2
Pork Roast = $5.43
Mini corn on the cob = $1.66
¼ of a 10# bag of potatoes bought on sale for 2.99 = .75 (for mashed potatoes)
Applesauce = ½ jar = 1.25
Can of Green Beans = .59
Stick of margarine (for vegetables, rolls) = .24
Can of biscuits = 1.00
Total for 4 people = $10.79 (this meal should yield leftovers)

Day 3
Hamburger helper
Ground Chuck = $2.69 (buy a big package on sale and split it to use the other ½ for another meal)
Store Brand Hamburger Helper = $1.25
Bread & Butter (Margarine) = .58
Can of Green beans or peas or corn = .59
Total for 4 people = $5.11

Day 4
2 Pkg. Smoked sausage = $3.99 (on sale BOGO)
Sauerkraut = .89
Baked Beans = .79
Cottage Cheese = 1.25 (1/2 carton)
Total for 4 people = $6.92

Day 5
Chuck Roast = $7.02 (2.35 lbs)
Potatoes (from the same bag bought on sale) = .75
1 onion = .50
1 Lb. Carrots = .79
Can of Biscuits = $1.00
Total for 4 people = $10.06 (This meal yields leftovers)

Day 6
Hamburgers patties, or what some restaurants call Hamburger Steak Some people like these plain with ketchup, or you can make a sandwich on bread.
Ground Chuck (from the same pack used on Day 3) = $2.69
Potatoes from the bag bought on sale = .75
½ of a yellow onion = .25 (to make fried potatoes & onions)
2 Cans of vegetables (Corn, Green Beans, Peas, Carrots) = .1.18
Total for 4 people = $4.87

Day 7
Leftovers = No cooking or spending money!
Note: Leftover day doesn’t have to be the 7th day, but anytime during the week when you are pressed for time or need to use up leftover food.

Ok, that covers the dinners. Now what about breakfast & Lunch? Well, my little one usually eats a bowl of oatmeal or a granola bar or cold cereal for breakfast. If I do eat anything, it is light, like toast or a banana. My husband usually has an egg sandwich or Oatmeal during the week.
Oatmeal = 1.99 for 10 packets, so .20 each
Granola bar = 8 for 2.99, so .37 each
Cold cereal = 2.00 average for a box, so maybe .25 for cold cereal
So, for the little one, averaging out, it’s about $1.64 Monday – Saturday for her breakfast
Egg Sandwich = .27 X 3 days = .81
Oatmeal = .15 X 3 days = .45
Husband Breakfast Monday – Saturday = 1.26
My Breakfast Monday – Saturday = .25 X 6 = $1.50

Total Breakfast Mon. – Sat. = 4.40
Sunday is a good day to make a home cooked hot breakfast. Most of the foods typical to a big breakfast, such as bacon, sausage, eggs, pancakes, etc. don’t need to be eaten more than once a week since they contain a lot of fat and cholesterol.
I will use biscuits & gravy, eggs and sausage for my big breakfast.
1 roll sausage = $2.50 (but I usually get it from the meat manager’s special for like .89 and freeze)
1 can biscuits = 1.00
6 eggs (I don’t eat the eggs) = .50
Milk = $1.00
Sunday Breakfast Total for 4 people = $5.00

School Lunch = $1.85 X 5, so 9.25 a week (We home school, but this is the cost of a school lunch)
My husband and I usually eat something like soup or a sandwich for lunch, so it costs me about .65 to make a sandwich and .79 to 1.25 for soup, depending on what kind of soup.
Average Weekly Cost to feed My Husband and Me lunch – 11.69

Other food costs for the week:
Milk = 1 ½ gal on average, so $4.49
Coffee = 5.98
Creamer = 2.99
Soda = 5.00
Snacks, chips, etc. = 7.00

Weekly Total = $99.10 = $14.15 a day = $4.72 per person, per day

Pretty amazing, huh? This is just an example of a week’s meals. Of course, your tastes may vary, but it can be done quite easily if you do your homework. Always check the local paper for sales, buy in bulk whenever possible and plan ahead!

Feeding your family on a tight budget

2012-09-04T15:56:00.000-04:00

Scenario: It’s the last week of the month. Your food budget is looking a little skimpy. Don’t panic, I will give you some tips on how to s-t-r-e-t-c-h those last few food dollars!

Some people may look at meal planning on a budget as a chore. I prefer to look at it as a challenge.

I could suggest that you eat ramen noodles if you are running low on cash, but that would be irresponsible and flat-out bad advice. Instead, I will offer up some common sense ideas that should help you learn how to fill your belly without breaking the bank.

The first and most important thing to do when planning your meals is to find out what is on sale.
For instance, let’s say your local market has chicken on sale for .99 a pound. With a typical meat portion per person of 6 to 7 ounces, you can get a few meals planned for very little money.

Here is an example:

Buy a family pack of the chicken. Let’s say it is a 5 lb package. You will need 2 lbs. to feed 4 people.

For the first meal, bake 2 lbs. of the chicken in the oven with a little lemon pepper or your favorite spices. Serve with baked or mashed potatoes. You can usually buy a 10 lb. bag on sale for 2.99 or less. Add 2 cans of vegetables which should cost about 60 cents each. Throw in some Macaroni & cheese for 69 cents and you have just fed your family for $4.64!

Now, you still have 3 lbs of chicken to work with. Take the remaining 3 lbs. and boil it. Pull the chicken off the bones and set aside about 1 lb. for later. Now you have this nice boneless chicken meat to use for another dish. Here are some inexpensive hot chicken dishes you can make:

Chicken & dumplings
Chicken noodle soup
Chicken Tacos
Chicken pot pie
Chicken ala king
Chicken casserole

All of the dishes above can be made by only adding a few inexpensive ingredients.

Use the other pound of chicken to make chicken salad. Keep this in the refrigerator for sandwiches or spread it on crackers for a healthy after-school snack.

Tip: If you are not going to use the chicken stock right away, pour it in an air-tight container or zipper bag and freeze it. You can also freeze the stock in ice cube trays for smaller portions to add to vegetables or other dishes. Canned chicken stock is expensive!

Here are some ways to stretch ground beef:

Buy a 3 lb. package of ground beef. This will probably run you about 8 dollars. If you check the meat manager’s special rack, you can probably get it for less.

Use 1 lb. to make a pot of chili. You will need 2 cans of chili beans at around .89 each, ¼ of a medium size onion (25 cents) and 1 lg. can of tomatoes at around 1.00. Serve with crackers for a hearty meal that only costs about 5 or 6 dollars.

Take another lb. of the ground beef and make 4 hamburger patties. Fry them in a pan, drain off the grease and add 1 can of mushroom soup and sprinkle with salt and pepper to make a wonderful mushroom gravy. Simmer for about ½ hour and serve with mashed potatoes, green beans and rolls or bread. Another meal under 6 bucks!

Add the last lb. to a jar of spaghetti sauce and serve with salad and garlic bread.

Have soup night at least once a week. You can make the soup, or use canned soup. Either way, soup is an inexpensive and nutritious meal.

When planning your meals, include foods that are going to stick to your family’s ribs. Be sure to serve potatoes, pasta, beans and/or bread with every meal. These foods help to fill you up and are inexpensive. When eaten in moderate amounts, these foods provide energy and are an essential part of the food pyramid.

Just because you are low on funds, doesn’t mean you have to starve! These are just a few examples of how to stretch your food dollars. Everyone has different tastes, so keep an eye out for sales on foods that your family enjoys.

Remember, being a penny-pincher is not magic. It takes time, effort and determination. With a little practice, you should see your grocery bill getting smaller in no time!

How I saved 110.00 by making a phone call

2012-08-30T16:48:00.000-04:00

A couple weeks ago, my husband ran out of 2 of his medicines. We were in the middle of changing insurance, so he was uninsured at the time. I wasn't really worried because one of his medicines (Plavix) had finally come out with a generic. I called CVS to see how much the cash price was for that, and one of his other medicines. I was shocked to hear that the generic Plavix was 109.00!
The other medicine was 29.95, so 140.00 altogether. Well, I started looking around on the internet to see if I could find the generic Plavix cheaper. I saw on a lot of these "Free Prescription discount card" sites where I could save up to 70% on it. I called CVS back and they told me the price they quoted was with the discount. I called our local family-owned pharmacy, Piney Flats Drug Center, only to find out their price was 19.95 for the generic Plavix and 8.95 for his other medicine! Savings? 110.05...not bad for 10 minutes work!