Free MP3 Album

Hurry!  Grab Amazon’s FREE 15-song MP3 album!  I’m not sure how long this is going to be available.

You may download the entire album, or pick and choose which songs you want.  You can listen to a sample of each song.

Get the free MP3 songs here.

 1.  Crock Pot or Slow Cooker

 Cheaper cuts of meat are either fatty, tough, or both.  My crock pot has allowed me to buy the tougher cuts of pork or beef and still come up with delicious and tender meat entrees. 

The crock pot has also made it easier to cook pork or beef roasts without heating up the oven, and the entire house in the process.  Contrary to common belief, the crock pot does not need water to cook.  I dry-rub seasoning on the pork or beef roast, put in in the crock pot, and turn it on low.  It is just like oven-baked when done.

If you do not have a crock pot/slow cooker yet, choose one that is oval instead of round.  Roasts fit in it better.  And get one with durable handles.  One of the handles broke off as I was transferring my crock pot to the table, spilling the delicious clam chowder all over the floor.

You can get your own crock pot or slow cooker here.

 2.  Rice Cooker

 Rice is the most versatile and cheap food that I serve.  I can pair it with fish or any kind of meat, then add a side of veggies.  I can serve it steamed then fry the leftovers.  Hubby can eat it by itself with just a dash of vinegar and salt.  The kids love it with mayonnaise.  I love it mixed with chicken noodle soup.  I do not have to serve as much fish or meat because the rice stretches the meal into something more filling.

The easiest and fool-proof way to cook rice is to use a rice cooker.  Just follow the instructions and you can relax — no hovering and stirring involved here.  The general rule of thumb is to rinse the rice until the water drains clear, then add 2 cups of water for every cup of rice.  Once you turn on the rice cooker, do not lift the lid until the rice is cooked.  I do not add oil or salt to the rice when I cook it.

If you do not have a rice cooker and would like to get one, choose one that has a non-stick interior.  Cooked rice, by nature, is sticky.  The non-stick interior makes it so much easier to clean. 

You can get your own rice cooker here.

 3.  Coffeemaker with Timer

 I like the convenience of having coffee ready for me.  For the longest time I would stop at a gas station close to the highway and grab a cup to go.  We have all heard of “the latte factor”, and when I added up what it was costing me per month to have that convenience, I decided that a coffeemaker with a timer is the cheap way to go.  I set it up the night before, and my coffee is ready for me in the morning.  Additional savings come from not getting tempted to pick up a pastry or doughnut!

For those that like to grind their beans right before brewing, there are coffeemakers with timer with built-in grinder.  You can get your own coffee maker with timer here.

 4.  Faucet-Mount Water Filter

 I do not mean to sound snotty, but we do not like tap water.  It tastes like the chemically-treated water that it is.  However the cost of those bottled waters really add up.  We used to buy gallons of Ice Mountain water, then switched to store brand as a cheaper alternative.  We also tried the fill-your-own-container filtered water kiosks at the grocery store for a long time before I realized the folly of my ways.  Why am I lugging 5-gallon containers of filtered tap water?  Why not get a filter at home?

Since we could not afford those elaborate water filtration system, we settled on a faucet-mount system.  Granted, it is not the same level of filtration as the store water kiosks but the chemical taste and smell are gone.  This has saved my wallet and my back.  All I need to lug around every few weeks is a pack of replacement filters.  These faucet-mount filters have indicators when it is time to change the filter.  If you ignore the indicator in an effort to stretch your filter use a little bit, you will really notice the difference in taste.

You can get your own faucet-mount water filter here. 

 5.  Single-Portion Containers

 These little containers have saved me from the drive-through.  I like to cook for more than one meal, especially on weekends, but the kids do not really like leftovers.  A trick I have learned is that leftovers look better in single-portion containers.  The kids can just grab one to heat and eat when they get hungry.  I now rarely get the request to get fastfood on the way home.   Pasta dishes are the best ones to cook double and save for later. 

If you are planning to get single-portion containers, make sure they are microwave-safe.  Do not forget to provide kids with reheating instructions.  Also choose containers which have lids that are easy to open or close. 

You can get your own single-portion containers here.

I took a look at what they have.  They had dresses and tops only.

I personally am not a designer-label kind of person but I thought someone who would love to have some designer duds on the cheap might appreciate the link.

Photo:  blingyourself.com

It looks like the combination of the bad economy and the huge number of aging baby boomers are raising the public interest in the mortuary career.  People looking for a stable career where there will always be work for them wherever they go may have found one option.  Newsday.com reports that enrollment for mortuary careers have increased significantly. 

In Nassau Community College, for example, the mortuary program lasts for two years, and 80% of their graduates have found employment in the funeral services industry.  Graduates can reportedly earn around $50,000 a year after a year-long residency at a funeral home.   Current demographics of experienced morticians show that they are an aging population, thus increasing the employment prospects of new graduates.

Would you???

Photo credit:  Eco Casket

As part of my “earn more” strategy I am going after some professional certifications.  I discovered last year that I have the passion and talent for database programming, so I am hoping to get certified on SQL this year.  As I surf the web looking for practice exams for 70-431 I came across some free e-Learning courses that Microsoft is offering.  It covers a multitude of topics:  SQL, Visual Studio, MIcrosoft Office, etc.  I thought I’d share this link for fellow techies and techie wannabes.

Click here  to check 0ut the FREE Microsoft e-Learning courses!

I don’t know what I would do, but what Jim Tanks of Halsell, Alabama did ended up costing him his life:  He grabbed a gun, walked out the back door, and confronted the men.  The men were not thieves, but rather, repo men trying to take Mr. Tanks’ car away.  Shots were fired and Mr. Tanks died with a gunshot wound to the chest. 

The repo man, Kenneth Alvin Smith, now faces murder charges.  He says he fired in self defense.  Mr. Smith works for Ascencion Recovery in Birmingham, AL, where a repo man was shot dead and yet another was wounded in two separate repossession incidents just this year.

Most financially-strapped people start getting behind on their car payment.  I am no different.  In fact, a tow truck near my car is one of the top ten things a broke person like me is afraid of.  In nightmarish imaginings I have always thought repo men take your car in the middle of the day, when you are at work, for full embarrassing effect.  Never in my life did I imagine repo men skulking around at 2:30 in the morning to take away someone’s car!

Read more about this tragedy here.

Photo credit:  Associated Content in their article Starting an Automobile Repossession (Repo) Service by Steve Thompson.

Indulging in some form of harmless escapism is necessary once in a while just to give one’s mind a break.  I usually play computer games, usually online.  The kids are quite adept at finding downloadable games.  For a while our computer was cluttered with all these Free Trial downloads.  Now that they are older, the kids know that downloading Free Trial games are not worth the time, the disk space and the frustration when the trial is over just when things got interesting.  We only download full version games now, and if they are free, the better!

Well, what Amazon.com is offering are full versions of three FREE games:

• Build-A-Lot
• Jewel Quest II
• The Scruffs

The original Jewel Quest was one of my most favorite games.  I actually bought the mobile version and played it on my cell phone a lot.  Jewel Quest II is a fancier, improved version of it.  I have tried Jewel Quest II on the XBOX 360 and online and the graphics are so much better compared to the original. 

I have never tried either Build-A-Lot or The Scruffs, but I downloaded them as well.  I am looking forward to playing these games this weekend!

Get FREE games here.

What is your favorite computer game?

Spam, a canned meat product (or some may cheekily say ”meat-like product” or “meat by-product”), was the staple in American kitchens during the Great Depression.  Parents back then, desperate to save money but still serve their families some protein would “butcher” a can of Spam. 

With everyone trying to cut back on spending, it looks like Hormel’s Spam is once again helping Americans feed families.  The New York Times reported that since July, production of Spam at the Hormel plant in Austin, MN has been relentless:  two shifts, seven days a week at 149,000+ cans of Spam per shift.

What is Spam?  People know Spam as “junk e-mail”, but Jay Hormel, the son of the company founder, says that Spam is a combination of ham, pork, sugar, salt, water, potato starch and a “hint” of sodium nitrite “to help Spam keep its gorgeous pink color.”  Spam is available in regular, Low Sodium, Spam with Cheese, and Spam Hot & Spicy.

Find Spam recipes here.

A post at TMZ.com cracked me up. 

A website is now providing a service to men to remind them when the women in their lives are scheduled to have PMS.  The service is FREE and you can track up to five women.  Women can also sign up to send alerts to the people in their lives.

The site is PMSBuddy.com.  Their motto:  “Saving relationships one month at a time.” 

For the menfolk, the site aims  “to keep you aware of when your wife, girlfriend, mother, sister, daughter, or any other women in your life are closing in on “that time of the month” – when things can get intense for what may seem to be no reason at all.”  For the ladies, the site is “a great way to give people in your life a heads-up of when you might be feeling a bit irritable without having an awkward conversation.”

Not only does the site send out reminders,  it also sends out advice on how to deal with, or survive, the PMS stage.  You can even read PMS-related stories here.

I’m thinking about signing up to send alerts to hubby and the kids!  That way hubby will know when to turn the speakers waaay down, and the kids will clean up after themselves without being told. 

Photo from southernfriedfatty.wordpress.com

Here is what I love about the site:

• No registration is required. 
• You may use the images for commercial purposes.
• You can download the images instantly!

Here are their  main categories for the photos:

• Animals
• Celebration
• Everyday Items
• Food and Drink
• Natural World
• People
• Places
• Plants
• Sports and Leisure
• Transportation
• Uncategorized

Each main category has several sub-categories.  For the Natural World category, for example, the sub-categories are:

• Agriculture and Farming
• Coastals and Oceans
• Fall – Autumn
• Landscapes
• Sky
• Summer
• Spring
• Sunset and Sunrise
• Waterfalls
• Weather
• Winter

All they are asking is that you display a link to their site from your own website or blog, and give them credit when you use their photos in print.

Click here to get FREE images for your blog or website!

Click here to check out previous FREE Stuff and Great Deals posts at Broke in America.