Show Notes
Organic Body Care Recipes by Stephanie Tourles
Cordials From Your Kitchen by Pattie Vargas, et. al.

Also, check out the July issue of The Herb Companion Magazine for recipes to create your own scented waters and colognes. Why not enjoy those summer blooms longer!

Write us with comments, ideas, or suggestions.

Subscribe in a reader

Fix, Freeze, Feast recipes use many ingredients found at the warehouse clubs, in addition to the featured tray pack product. Why not combine recipes to use other bulk products also, and double your savings? See page 39 and take a listen.

Write us with comments, ideas, or suggestions.

Subscribe in a reader

Kati uses virtuous circles to identify large and small savings opportunities. She challenges staycationers to spend initiate a virtuous circle of their own. Remember the old saying, “Mind the pennies and the dollars take care of themselves.”

Show Notes
AP article, “Fewer Americans Taking Vacations This Summer.”

Excellent Playdough
Apologies. I misspoke and implied that this is my recipe. I should have said that this is a recipe from my Moms Club. It is excellent. When my son was in kindergarten, I signed up for “playdough mom duty” one month. His teacher loved it so much, that I became her go-to gal in other months when no parent has signed up. Waiting for Kool-Aid to go on sale, and buying the other ingredients in bulk, will make this recipe even more economical.

1 cup flour
1 cup water
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup salt
1 tablespoon cream of tartar
1 packet unsweetened drink mix, such as Kool-Aid

Cook over medium heat, until mixture pulls away from sides of pan and becomes like playdough in consistency. Knead until cool. Keeps 3 months unrefrigerated.

Write us with comments, ideas, or suggestions.

Subscribe in a reader

There you can select your podcatcher of choice–iTunes, Odeo, Podnova, etc.

Show Notes
“5 Best Coupon-Clipping Websites” according to SmartMoney.com. Check them out!
GroceryGame.com. Kati briefly discusses her use of this service (years ago)

Here are the detail from our toothpaste example:
$3.79 for 2 tubes
- $1.50 (two $0.75 off manufacturer coupons)
- $1.00 (two $0.50 off store double coupons)
= $1.29 for two tubes, or $0.65 each. Not bad for 10 minutes of work!

Write us with comments, ideas, or suggestions.

Subscribe in a reader

There you can select your podcatcher of choice–iTunes, Odeo, Podnova, etc.

Show Description
Consumers spend hundreds of dollars every year on disposable paper products. Why keep paying for disposable products (plus tax) and generating unnecessary garbage when you don’t have to? Cloth is reusable and will save you money for years, if not decades, to come.

Show Notes
The link to my podcast on Homemade Household Cleaners.
The link to Melissa Breyer’s article at Care2.com.

Write us with comments, ideas, or suggestions.

Subscribe in a reader

There you can select your podcatcher of choice–iTunes, Odeo, Podnova, etc.

Show Notes

AllRecipes.com–above the search box, click on the “Ingredients” link. You will be directed to a site where you can search recipes by specific ingredients.

Recipezaar.com–to the left of the search box, look for the “Ingredients” radio button. Click it on, then add your ingredient to initiate your search.

Other Links: Cornell Food and Brand Lab;
Kati’s Meal Planning Form (adapted from Franklin Covey’s). After you download the form, take it to the copy store and have it printed double sided. Cut the form in two and use one half-sheet per week. Notice the “Use It Up” column. Here is where I note the items I want to try to use up, before planning.

Find out about Kati’s classes and scheduled speaking events at KatiNeville.com.

Visit The Forklift blog on or after, March 31st to download a copy of Kati’s free article, “10 Tips: Meal Planning to Save Money.” Subscribe today so you don’t miss it!

Write us with comments, ideas, or suggestions.

Subscribe in a reader

There you can select your podcatcher of choice–iTunes, Odeo, Podnova, etc.

Food buying clubs and co-ops are as American as apple pie. DIY-ers can save money on groceries by combining orders and buying direct. Hear about Rebecca from PortlandGreenParenting.com.

Show Notes

See what Rebecca’s up to at PortlandGreenParenting.com. She has a list of co-op distributors there too, but here they are again. UPDATE: I didn’t know that Rebecca’s group was featured on our local news. Go Rebecca!

Azure Standard
Bob’s Red Mill
Thundering Hooves
Frontier
Organically Grown Company
Mountain Rose Herbs

Write us with comments, ideas, or suggestions.

Subscribe in a reader

There you can select your podcatcher of choice–iTunes, Odeo, Podnova, etc.

Kati is paying more attention at the grocery checkout lately. She’s noticing sale products ringing up inaccurately, wrong produce codes applied, incorrect change made, and coupons completely missed. Use her strategies to avoid getting ripped off.

Show Notes

7 Strategies to Avoid Getting Ripped Off At Checkout. Please feel free to download and forward this article to your friends that are looking for ways to save money. It’s intended for personal use only though, so please email me to ask before you post it or reprint it.

Write us with comments, ideas, or suggestions.

Subscribe in a reader

There you can select your podcatcher of choice–iTunes, Odeo, Podnova, etc.

In this episode, Lindsay shares some ideas with the hesitant Fix, Freeze, Feast reader – if you wonder where to start, begin by listening to these tips!

Write us with comments, ideas, or suggestions.

Subscribe in a reader

There you can select your podcatcher of choice–iTunes, Odeo, Podnova, etc.

Kati is noticing that package sizes are shrinking. She isn’t happy about it because paying the same for less, still means she’s paying more. Learn what she’s doing to save money.

Show Notes

The Wall Street Journal article mentioned is, “Food Giants Race to Pass Rising Costs to Shoppers.”

Another good article to read is, “The Lowdown on Downsized Products” by Consumer Reports.

To calculate the unit price of a food product, first find the number of units in the package. Often, this is ounces, pounds, pints, or liters. Sometimes at the warehouse clubs the units in the container are smaller packages. Examples here include tubes of yogurt, cheese sticks, cans of soup, etc. Once you find the number of units, divide the price by that number. This will give you the cost per unit.

One warehouse club package of yogurt tubes costs $7.99 and contains 32 individual tubes. Divide $7.99 by 32 to find the cost of each tube (or unit price). In this case, $7.99/32= $0.25 per tube.

Here’s a link to Kati’s Price Comparison Log.

Write us with comments, ideas, or suggestions.

Subscribe in a reader

There you can select your podcatcher of choice–iTunes, Odeo, Podnova, etc.

Did you resolve to save more money in 2009? Learning to make homemade household cleaners will help. Kati has been making her own cleaners for years and shares her latest adventure: homemade laundry detergent.

Show Notes:

Find recipes for homemade cleaners at: MakeYourOwnCleaners.com or from Metro (see the recipes links at the right side of the page).

There are several excellent books with recipes also. Kati owns The Naturally Clean Home by Karin Siegel-Maier and Clean House Clean Planet, by Karen Logan.

The homemade laundry detergent recipe I used is from the article, “Make Your Own Laundry Detergent: Washing Clothes for Pennies.”

Write us with comments, ideas, or suggestions.

Subscribe in a reader

There you can select your podcatcher of choice–iTunes, Odeo, Podnova, etc.

Kati received her annual renewal notice for Cooks Illustrated magazine. She reviewed all issues from 2008 and shares her five favorite money and time saving tips, just in case you missed them

Please note:
This is our final Quickcast of 2008. Join us next year on the first and third Sundays of each month for more money and time saving tips!

Write us with comments, ideas, or suggestions.

Subscribe in a reader

There you can select your podcatcher of choice–iTunes, Odeo, Podnova, etc.

The down economy has us all eating home more often. Sure, dining in saves money. But it also takes more of our time to plan, cook, and clean up. Are there any other benefits? Kati reports the results of various studies of the family table and its impact on child and adolescent development. Contest winners announced too!

Show Notes

Family Day is an effort supported by The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University. Near the middle of the page, there is a link to a report called, “The Importance of Family Dinners.” Check it out.

The Surprising Power of Family Meals, by Miriam Weinstein, is a rich source of information for those seeking a more in-depth look at the body of research related to family meals. Weinstein also does a good job analyzing cultural and economic trends that impact family meals as well. It’s way more readable than my description might suggest.

Two more articles about family meals: “The Magic of The Family Meal,” and “Benefits of the Dinner Table Ritual.”

Write us with comments, ideas, or suggestions.

Subscribe in a reader

There you can select your podcatcher of choice–iTunes, Odeo, Podnova, etc.

Make-ahead meals are economical gifts for the busy people in your life. Kati share personal stories from the occasions she’s given meals as gifts. They’re a huge hit!

REMINDER: Don’t forget to listen to Podcast #9– Two or Twelve for information on how to enter our book giveaway. The deadline is December 1st.

Write us with comments, ideas, or suggestions.

Subscribe in a reader

There you can select your podcatcher of choice–iTunes, Odeo, Podnova, etc.

Lindsay shares tips that make holiday entertaining less stressful.
Book giveaway contest details are announced.

Write us with comments, ideas, or suggestions.

Subscribe in a reader

There you can select your podcatcher of choice–iTunes, Odeo, Podnova, etc.

Lindsay and Kati are back together again. Hear them chat about the similarities, differences, and life events that influenced their cooking and writing relationship.

Write us with comments, ideas, or suggestions.

Subscribe in a reader

There you can select your podcatcher of choice–iTunes, Odeo, Podnova, etc.

Gas prices have come down, thankfully. Is it a temporary respite? Or something more permanent? In this episode, Kati discusses how trip chaining was a big part of her family’s 2007 challenge to use as little gas as possible.

Show notes:

The USA Today article I mentioned in the podcast can be found here.

I also want to share this article, “When getting a deal isn’t worth it,” by Jean Chatzky of Money Magazine. It really gave me something to think about.

For more ideas to save gas, check out the book: 365 Ways to Save Gas. I gave it to my dad for Christmas last year and he liked it.

Write us with comments, ideas, or suggestions.

Subscribe in a reader

There you can select your podcatcher of choice–iTunes, Odeo, Podnova, etc.

Lindsay shares tips for great homemade flavor. She discusses the methods to craft great casseroles by using Fix, Freeze, Feast recipes as examples.

Write us with comments, ideas, or suggestions.

Subscribe in a reader

There you can select your podcatcher of choice–iTunes, Odeo, Podnova, etc.

Sending your child to school with lunch from home can save hundreds of dollars a year. Yet, over relying on those individually packaged items can actually cost you more. Learn how to spot the real deals while weighing their convenience against price.

Show Notes:

The report referred to in this segment is called, Marketing Food to Children and Adolescents: A Review of Industry Expenditures, Activities, and Self-Regulation.

Here is the Price Comparison Log master copy. Please feel free to print it out and use it. If you already use an item I researched, you might consider copying my findings onto the form you print out, as a starting point.

Food Items Discussed:

String Cheese–Warehouse Club, $0.19 per 1-ounce stick. No-Frills Grocery Store, $0.30 per 1-ounce stick (same brand name); and $0.28 per 1 ounce stick (generic).

Cheesy Fish Crackers–Warehouse Club, $0.12 per ounce. No-Frills Store, $0.22 per ounce in larger bag; $0.38 per ounce for individual-serving bags. (Note: What do you find when you compare this price to that of the square cheddar crackers? Are you paying more for the shape?)

Tube Yogurt–Warehouse Club, $0.24 per tube. No-Frills Store, $0.27 per tube. (Note: I compared the per ounce price of the larger, 32 ounce containers to per ounce tube price and found no difference. You might compare your local prices and find a difference).

Carrots–Warehouse Club, $1.77 per pound for organic, individual-serving size bags; $1.00 per pound for organic, peeled baby carrots in bulk bag; and, $0.49 per pound for organic, unprocessed carrots.

Note: All prices above were recorded and compared in August 2008. Food prices change frequently and vary by location. Check the prices at your stores regularly to achieve the maximum savings.

Write us with comments, ideas, or suggestions.

Subscribe in a reader

There you can select your podcatcher of choice–iTunes, Odeo, Podnova, etc.

School is starting soon and parents can expect to see increases in the price of hot lunch. Packing a cold lunch, even a couple of times per week, can save you money. But how much can you really save? Tune in to find out.

Tip for Fix, Freeze, Feast readers–If you have a flexible, silicone muffin tray, consider freezing soups in them. Once frozen, remove each block from the tray, add them to a one or two large freezer bags, and return to the freezer. When you need an easy grab and go lunch, simply pull 2 or three blocks from the bag and heat. My family enjoys the Tomato-Basil soup and Lindsay’s Baked Potato Chowder, so in the fall I always have these recipes frozen in smaller portions.

This is also a great way to freeze the Basic Red Sauce. These smaller portions are perfect for those hungry teens who are coming home late from sports practice, starving, and beyond ready to eat.

Be sure to promptly remove soups and sauces from your tray promptly, however, so you don’t end up with lingering odors that transfer to your baked goods.

Show Notes

School Lunch Cookbooks:

The Top 100 Recipes for a Healthy Lunchbox: Easy and Exciting Ideas for Your Child’s Lunches, Nicola Graimes, 2007.

Lunch Boxes and Snacks: Over 120 healthy recipes from delicious sandwiches and salads to hot soups and sweet treats, Annabel Karmel, 2007.

School Lunch Websites/Articles of Interest:

Healthy Lunch Alternatives list from KidsHealth.org.

Laptop Lunches informative newsletter with recipes from the makers of the colorful bento-ware.

A+ Lunches & Snacks article and recipes from FamilyFun.com
Write us with comments, ideas, or suggestions.

Subscribe in a reader

There you can select your podcatcher of choice–iTunes, Odeo, Podnova, etc.

Write us with comments, ideas, or suggestions.

Subscribe in a reader

There you can select your podcatcher of choice–iTunes, Odeo, Podnova, etc.

If you’ve already made the Basil-Balsamic or Raspberry Vinaigrette, Teriyaki Sauce, or the Basic Red Sauce from Fix, Freeze, Feast, you’re already making your own convenience foods. It’s not hard, is it?

Show Notes

Cookbooks: Make A Mix; Very Salad Dressing; Herb Mixtures and Spicy Blends

Articles: Saving Money With Homemade Convenience Mixes; Homemade Mixes; Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets

Write us with comments, ideas, or suggestions.

Subscribe in a reader

There you can select your podcatcher of choice–iTunes, Odeo, Podnova, etc.

Ginger, a reader from Maryland, writes in about her new dinner swap club. She’s saving money and time by working with friends to fill her freezer. Listen to how she does it. Consult the show notes (below) for links to additional information and resources.

Show Notes

Cookbooks: Fix, Freeze, Feast; Girlfriends on the Go–A Busy Mom’s Guide to Make-Ahead Meals; Cooking Among Friends

Articles:
Tips for Starting a Freezer Dinner Group
How to Organize a Meal Swap

Services/Products: WG Home Party Kits; Hot By 6

Write us with comments, ideas, or suggestions.

Subscribe in a reader

There you can select your podcatcher of choice–iTunes, Odeo, Podnova, etc.