So I got desperate and peeped into my freezer. Now, I’m not one of those people who keeps lots of frozen food kicking around in the depths of the cold box. Freezer-burned food kept long past the expiry date may be cold, but it sure ain’t cool. It just takes up space, costs moolah to keep cold, and no one ever eats it anyways. If you have a freezer full of food dating back to the Ice Age, do yourself a solid — clean it out or compost it, now.

So anyways, back to rummaging and foraging for food. My freezer proved fruitful. After digging around I found a bag of frozen organic apples left over from last year’s harvest, a container of dried organic cranberries I had saved from a Thanksgiving sale, and a bag of flour. Yes, I keep my flour in the freezer. Ever since my parents’ Great Weevil Infestation incident in the early 1990s, the whole Taylor clan stores their flour in the freezer. Trust me, you don’t want to start baking something delicious when your flour is wobbling full of buggy weevils. I still have nightmares.

Ok, so I have apples, flour, cranberries, and a hungry pit in my stomach. Luckily, I spied a bunch of overripe bananas sitting on my counter and decided that today was the day to make banana bread! Yay!

How to Make Frugally Easy Banana Bread

It’s really hard to screw up banana bread. Banana bread is just one of those recipes that demands you clean out your fridge (or freezer) and add ingredients already kicking around the kitchen. That’s why this recipe is frugal — you use the ingredients you already have on hand, and keep overripe fruits from hitting the trash can.

Ingredients like nuts, chocolate chips, eggs, spices, and even vegetables like zucchini go great in Frugally Easy Banana Bread. The only way to mess up banana bread is to buy it. Store-bought banana bread is usually stuffed full of hydrogenated oils with not enough bananas. Go figure! Plus, it can be costly to buy. So skip the store, rummage through your fridge, and bake your own banana bread.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 3-4 bananas (1 1/2 cups banana, mashed)
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup cranberries (or chocolate chips or nuts)

Step One: Prep ingredients and preheat oven

Assemble and measure your ingredients. Preheat your oven to 350F (175C) degrees. Add a little no-stick spray to an 8×4 loaf pan.

Call me a nerd, but I made my own apple sauce by putting thawed (previously frozen) apples into a blender. When it comes to making low fat banana bread, I find that apple sauce is the perfect ingredient for making banana bread moist.

I left the peels on because apple skins contain many nutrients. Besides, I find the peels pretty, they add fibre, and I’m too lazy to remove them. So there.

I put my homemade apple sauce aside for later.

Step Two: Mix dry ingredients

In a large bowl, mix together your flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg.

If you’re into chocolate chips or nuts, then mix those in as well.

Step Three: Mix wet ingredients

In a large bowl, mix together your mashed banana, apple sauce, egg, vanilla extract, and cranberries. Now that’s a very moist banana bread recipe despite the lack of butter and oil.

I must admit, this stage doesn’t look too tasty.

Step Four: Combine and pour into pan

This is super easy, people. Just stir and combine your wet and dry ingredients. Pour the batter into your pre-sprayed loaf pan.

Ok, I had a glass loaf pan. You’ve gotta work with what you’ve got.

Step Five: Bake your banana bread

Bake your banana bread in a preheated oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean.

Remove banana bread from pan, and let cool on a wire rack before slicing.

Smells so delicious. I love how pretty the cranberries look when sliced. Now serve with a cup of tea or a glass of milk. Banana bread would also be splendid in a back-to-school lunch or as a healthy weekend snack for the kids. Enjoy!

More tasty things to do with leftover fruit:

• Healthy Snacks: A tasty twist on homemade ice cream
• Fresh Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp with Apples
• Easy and Healthy Granola Bars

Squawkback What do you put in your banana bread? What’s your favorite ingredient? Ever find weevils in your flour? Ack!

	397 Ways to Save Money Spend Smarter & Live Well on Less By Kerry K. Taylor

Not a student? Then head on over to the Free Budget Spreadsheet to get your budget buzzing without all the textbook costs and tuition fees. Feel free to pass this post on if you know a student.

The hardest part about being a student is, well, the student part. Being a student means you likely have very little money, a whole lot of expenses, and a bunch of pressure to get great grades. If you’re about to graduate then you’re probably pounding the pavement looking for one of those job thingies to help pay off your student loan. Been there. Done that.

It’s no secret that heading off to college or university ain’t cheap. With tuition starting at around $6,500 per year for a Canadian university education and reaching $38,300 for an American education at Yale (cough), you’d better add up your dollars and count your pennies if you still want to eat. Oh, and then there’s the cost of textbooks, room & board, and school supplies too. When your pocketbook is feeling the pinch and you don’t want to get schooled by the costs of higher education, it’s time to get on side with the Student Budget Planner.

What is a student budget? A student budget can be viewed as either a smart way to get savvy about finances, or a cruel introduction to the costs of being an adult. You pick. But from my own experience of living in a student slum with cockroaches and Kraft Dinner, I think it makes good financial sense to become smarter about your money sooner — especially when you’re spending student loan cash.

A student budget is a financial plan for tracking the flow of money into and out of your life. A student budget lets you identify the costs of your education, plan ahead for a shortfall, and see ways to save more of that borrowed dough for the stuff that matters — like tuition. A budget can also highlight the spending habits you’re not aware of and help you better plan for future spending. The hard part is getting started. After a bit of practice though budgeting gets easier. Oh, and making a budget is so much easier than the final exam for third year Calculus. (I aced it BTW).

How to use the Student Budget Planner

The Student Budget Planner is free to download and easy to use. I’ve done my best to add the biggest student categories, and account for a bunch of student needs (like pizza). There are two spreadsheets to choose from: one for American students and one for Canadian students. Smart, I know. Here’s what you can do with them:

• Budget by month: Starting in the summer months, list your summer job income and track your expenses. The budget planner will tally your monthly averages.
• Yearly budgeting: Get an annual snapshot of your total student costs by entering your monthly budget details. Account for when the big expenses are due, like tuition. Yearly totals are listed below.
• Customize like crazy: Go ahead and customize this Excel spreadsheet by adding your own categories. Every school and program is a little different, so add or remove as needed.

Download: Student Budget Planner (American)

Download: Student Budget Planner (Canadian)

Step 1: Download!

Click to download the American Student Budget Planner or the Canadian Student Budget Planner. If you’re an international student living elsewhere, just customize the spreadsheet to suit your scholastic needs.

Step 2: Track your school expenses

Tracking every single school expense may not sound super fun, but it’s easy to do if you carry a notebook with you or save all your receipts. The idea is to track your cash, credit card, and debit card purchases to identify where your money is going. Here’s how to do it:

• Get a notebook or use your phone. Place a small notebook and pen in your book bag OR carry an iPhone, iPad, or iWhatever with you.
• Write it down: You can take notes right? Every time you spend money, write it down. Make a note of each and every purchase (grocery, tuition, school supplies) and add the date. Ask for a receipt.
• Add it up: Tally your expenses during the month and add them to the Student Budget Planner under the right category. See where your money is really going. Results may shock you.

Step 3: Get budgeting!

Grab your student receipts, sort your room and board bills, and check your bank account and student loan balances. It’s time to fill in the blanks and account for the cash in your budget. Here are the categories to consider:

• Income: Enter your summer job income, part-time job money, and all scholarships, grants, bursaries, and parental contributions. If you have an RESP (Canada) or a 529 Plan (United States) then account for that cash too. This should be money you have either saved or earned and don’t have to pay back, hopefully.
• Student Loans: If you have student loans, then enter that borrowed money here. If not, then consider yourself a rare breed of student. Kudos.
• School Expenses: Tally all of your tuition, textbook costs, program supplies, and student fees in this column. Your program may have some extra costs, so add those too.
• Room and Board: Whether you’re living on campus in a dorm or residence, or you’re living in a shack off-campus, be sure to add those monthly or semester costs in this section. Some students have a meal plan, others may have to shop for groceries — just don’t forget to add your food costs. Need a bed or desk? Yep, that’s going to cost cash too.
• Moving to/from Campus: If you’re going away to school, then you need to budget your arrival and departure. Renting a truck to get your gear to school ain’t cheap.
• Transportation: How are you getting to campus every day? Add your car, bus pass, or bicycle costs too. Going home for the holidays? Be sure to account for flights or other costs to get you home.
• Utilities: Talk ain’t cheap, and neither is texting your friends for the latest homework assignment on your cell. List all your phone, internet, and other utility expenses too.
• Medical: Glasses, contacts, and other prescriptions need to be included in your student budget. Don’t forget about your health insurance!
• Financial: As a student you should ask for a fee-free bank account and credit card. But credit card interest is a killer — so pay off that plastic promptly.
• Campus Fun Stuff: Being a student means kicking back and having some fun. This part of your budget is for the fun stuff — like beer.
• Family: If you have kids then you have some additional costs. Be sure to consider childcare and the additional family costs of being a student and parent.

This is a big list and I don’t want you to feel overwhelmed since being a student can be challenging enough. I made this budgeting list long because I didn’t want you to miss a step while away at school. Study hard and budget smart!

	397 Ways to Save Money Spend Smarter & Live Well on Less By Kerry K. Taylor

It’s time to get down to the business of paying down your debt. Yes, go ahead and call me a meanie and stamp your feet since I’m no fun. I can take it. I’m known across the internets for being a friend of frugal living and a foe to a life of indebted servitude. Debt is not your friend, and you should not be friendly with your debt.

To get started with the Debt Reduction Spreadsheet you’ll need two things. First, you need to be brave and find your sense of debt-hating desire. To dig yourself out of debt you must want to do it, badly. Getting all wishy-washy and whining about your money woes doesn’t do you much good. You must face the facts to deal with this, once and for all.

Second, you’ll need the numbers from your Household Net Worth Spreadsheet — where you listed your debt — and the Budget Spreadsheet — which shows both your income and expenses.

If you’re new to the How to Make a Budget series or have just subscribed to Squawkfox, then go ahead and start from the beginning by reading the introduction. Several thousand new readers have joined since my last budget post, so I don’t want to leave anyone behind. I’m nice like that.

The Debt Reduction Spreadsheet

The Debt Reduction Spreadsheet is not a fancy-dancy tool — I wanted to keep things simple. The idea is to track your creditors, list the balances due, acknowledge the interest rates on your debt, make your monthly payments, and then target one debt using the amount you have available for extra payments. Phew!

Download: Debt Reduction Spreadsheet

Step 1: Download!

Click to download your free copy of the Debt Reduction Spreadsheet.

Step 2: List your creditors.

I want you to take a close look at your debt. Remember when you listed your liabilities (what you owe) in the Household Net Worth Spreadsheet? Now it’s time to pinpoint the juicy, debty details. Start by listing all your creditors in the leftmost column. Easy.

Step 3: Enter the balances due.

For each creditor, enter the total amount owing to each. You’ll probably need all your bills to get this step done right. I’ll still be here by the time you gather all these documents. Promise.

Step 4: Type in your interest rates.

Depending on your interest rates, this can be the hardest step to swallow. If you’ve got credit card debt then you may have rates over 20 percent. Seeing how much you’re paying to keep this debt can be painful, but stick to it. We’re almost there!

• Credit Card Tip: Try the Credit Card Calculator to see how many years it will take to pay off your balance based on your minimum monthly payment. This should fire you up and get you on track to paying off your plastic. The interest you’re paying over the years is insane.

Step 5: List your monthly payments.

Go back to your bills and enter the monthly payment for each. Keeping up with your monthly payments is very important if you want to maintain a good credit score, but to get out of debt you’ll need to increase this amount. I’ll show you how in a bit.

Step 6: Enter the amount of money available.

Go back to your Budget Spreadsheet and find the line where you entered the amounts for Debt Repayment and Credit Card Repayment. Add up these bummers (oops, I mean numbers — typo stays) and enter the total in the Amount Available box in the Debt Reduction Spreadsheet.

Now that all the data is entered, you should see how the numbers add up. In my example above, you’ll see a total debt of $274,987.45 with an average interest rate of 4.50 percent (totaling $1,031.56 in average monthly interest), and a total monthly payment of $2,596.46. In this example, the indebted person has cash available to put against debt — $379.54 to be exact.

For those with little or no money in their budgets for debt repayment, there are two big choices:

1. Cut costs: Cutting back and spending less money on your variable expenses is a surefire way to add additional dollars to your debt repayment plan. Read 50 Ways to Save $1,000 a Year for some stellar ideas.
2. Boost income: I can see you giving me the stink-eye. Boost income? But how? This is where you have to really want to get out of debt. Income boosting tactics I have used include: getting a second job on the evenings or weekends, freelancing, asking for a raise, finding a higher-paying job, and selling crap stuffed in closets. See How to Write a Resume (that gets job interviews) to put some polish on your job application.

In the next step I’ll deal with how to apply the extra repayment against debt.

Step 7: Make extra payments against ONE of your debts.

Which debt do you pay off first? Financial debt gurus all seem to have their own branded methods for helping you get outta debt.

David Ramsey, author of The Total Money Makeover: A Proven Plan for Financial Fitness (also available in Canada), calls his method the Debt Snowball. This where you list your debts (excluding your house) and then focus your efforts on paying off the smallest balance first, regardless of interest rates. On his website, Ramsey says:

“The point of the debt snowball is simply this: You need some quick wins in order to stay pumped up about getting out of debt! Paying off debt is not always about math. It’s about motivation. Personal finance is 20 percent head knowledge and 80 percent behavior. When you start knocking off the easier debts, you will see results and you will stay motivated to dump your debt.”

Ramsey adds that if you have two debts with similar balances, then pay off the debt with the higher interest rate first.

If you’ve ever turned on a television, chances are you’ve encountered the reality show ‘Til Debt Do Us Part with host Gail Vaz-Oxlade. In her #1 selling book, Debt-Free Forever: Take Control of Your Money and Your Life (also available in Canada), Vaz-Oxlade shares her no-nonsense approach to becoming debt-free. Debt advice is also available on her website, where she says:

“…you should start by paying off your highest-interest debt first. If you have a lower-interest loan that is causing you more emotional and mental stress than the higher interest ones (like a personal loan that has stretched family relations), you may want to start with that one instead. If you aren’t given the final say on which loans get paid off first, if something is important to you, you should still fight for it to be paid off in a timely manner.”

Vaz-Oxlade is also a fan of consolidation loans and calling up your creditors to negotiate lower interest rates.

Step 8: Stick with it!

Whether you pick to pay off your smallest balance to start or choose to end the debt with the highest interest rate first, the point is to stick with it! Once you’ve retired one debt, move that payment to your next creditor on your Debt Reduction Spreadsheet.

I used this method successfully when I paid off my $17,000 in student loans over six months. I started with my highest interest loan first, and then snowballed my repayment by tackling the next highest interest debt on my list. You can do it too — you just have to want it bad enough.

	397 Ways to Save Money Spend Smarter & Live Well on Less By Kerry K. Taylor

Doing the mathy math, microwave popcorn costs around $22.65 for 12 boxes with 3 packets per box (source Amazon) — that’s an eye-popping $3.53 per pound!

Sure, you may think you’re paying all that delicious cash for a magic metal-lined bag that pops better kernels and cooks your corn more evenly. But think again. I can do the same popping magic trick with a cheapo plain brown paper bag. And at a tasty 50 cents per pound, plain popcorn kernels bought in bulk cost FAR less than that slimy packaged stuff.

Now let me pop the big question: have you ever recycled your leftover microwave popcorn bags? I cringe to think how much of this product graces our landfills, all in the name of snack food. But no fear, by switching your home movie snacking habit using this frugal trick, you can compost or recycle your used brown paper bags and create no waste. See How To Compost Without Raising a Stink for easy composting help.

Speaking of waist, do you know how many calories are contained in those popcorn flavor packets? What about the ingredients? Here’s the ingredient list from the Act II popcorn page on Amazon. Note: I couldn’t find this information on the company’s website.

Act II Popcorn Ingredients: Popcorn, Partially Hydrogenated Soybean Oil, Salt, Natural and Artificial Flavors, Annatto Color. Contains: Fish, Milk

Fish? Milk? In my popcorn? Um, no thanks. I’ll skip the hydrogenated oil, fish, and milk additives in my snacks by sticking to my frugalicious and homemade popcorn version. Here’s how to make Microwave Popcorn in a Brown Paper Bag:

Step One: Get a brown paper bag

This is ridiculously easy, internet people. Just head on over to your local grocery store and pickup a package of no name flat-bottomed brown paper lunch bags.

I nabbed a package of 100 brown bags for around $2, on sale.

Step Two: Bag your popcorn

Add a 1/2 cup scoop of bulk popcorn kernels to your brown paper bag.

Fold the bag over twice. Don’t use staples to secure the bag — this might spark in your microwave.

This is so exciting. I’m popping with excitement.

Step Three: Pop in microwave

Stick the popcorn bag into your microwave. I set mine for 3 minutes on high.

Popping Tip: Stop the microwave when the popping slows to one to two pops per second. You don’t want to burn your tasty snack.

Step Four: Add gourmet topping

A pinch of salt with a dab of butter is the most popular way to eat popcorn.

But why not get creative and try some sweet or savory flavors to mix up movie night?

Try these toppings for some gourmet popcorn fun:

• Mexican: Add chili powder, hot sauce, and salt.
• Kiss My Breath: Shake in onion powder and garlic powder — hold the kiss.
• Cheese Please: Mix in Parmesan cheese with a little salt.
• Sweet Tooth: A dash of cinnamon, a sprinkle of sugar, and a topper of honey. Now that’s money.
• Classic: A shake of salt with a pat of butter.

Squawkfox: How do YOU make popcorn? Got a favorite gourmet popcorn topping to share?

	397 Ways to Save Money Spend Smarter & Live Well on Less By Kerry K. Taylor

It’s a pretty sweet day when a nice tidy sum of cash falls into your wallet. Perhaps you’ve earned a bonus, received an inheritance, won the lottery, or found another source of financial fortune. Whee! Free money! Now what?

How ever you’ve landed your loot, it’s always a wise idea to have a plan in place before blowing through your new-found dough. There’s nothing worse then landing a windfall, spending it on crap, and waking up in the morning filled with regret and still in debt. And it’s not hard to do. The Consumerist reports that “1 in 3 lottery winners are in serious financial trouble or even bankrupt within 5 years” of turning in their winning ticket.

If lottery winners can blow though billions every year and have nothing to show for it, then even our humble bonuses and tax refund windfalls are at risk. Sorry, I don’t mean to give you a case of the sads since a financial windfall is supposed to be fun. I’m mean like that.

So, before flushing your hard-earned bonus down the la toilette (that’s French for crapper), how about getting smart about the elusive cash windfall by making a plan, man.

The Windfall Planner Worksheet

Not everyone wins the cash prize or earns a bonus every year. But depending on the luck of the draw, you may just find a use for this worksheet in your budget this year.

Download: Windfall Planner Worksheet

Here’s how to use it:

• Download the Windfall Planner Worksheet.
• Check if the promised windfall has been paid to you and is in your bank account before making any purchases or payments.
• Refer to your Net Worth Spreadsheet. How much to you own? How much do you owe? Where’s your debt?
• Review your money goals using the Financial Goals Worksheet.
• Double check your Needs and Wants List.
• Set aside a portion to pay your taxes. Yes, taxes.
• Now ask yourself: Can I afford to blow this dough?

5 Ways to Make the Most of a Windfall

Before looking at your windfall as free money and spending it, consider putting your extra cash to good use. Here are five ways to make the most of your windfall — big or small.

1. Pay off those credit cards: Even small amounts of windfall cash can add up to big savings when credit card interest is eating your wallet alive. If you’re carrying a balance, consider paying off your plastic to end the high interest misery. Try the Credit Card Calculator to see how many years it will take to pay off your plastic. Try these 5 Credit Card Tactics to help negotiate a better rate, among other helpful tips.
2. Make an extra mortgage payment: If your mortgage offers prepayment privileges, then add your windfall to the mountain of mortgage debt to live debt-free sooner. Mortgage prepayments are lump sum payments you make outside of your normal mortgage schedule, where 100% of the payment goes against the principal. Prepayment privileges are your best financial friend because they help you pay off your mortgage sooner and save significantly on interest.
3. Contribute to your retirement: If your employer matches your retirement plan contributions then you’re really winning the windfall game since your getting an instant return on your lucky dough. Jackpot! Those without generous employers should still consider an extra contribution since adding more money sooner gives your golden cash additional time to compound — and perhaps you’ll retire sooner! Americans can read up on their 401K Plans while Canadians enjoy the Benefits of RRSPs.
4. Save or invest the cash: Why not stash your windfall cash away for a rainy day and watch your savings grow? Conservative investors could consider CDs, GICs, or even high interest savings accounts to benefit from the magic of compound interest. Try the Millionaire Savings Calculator to see how little it takes to save a lot with compound interest doing the work for you. Those who don’t mind a little bit of stock market risk could invest in index funds or exchange traded funds and win from low investment fees and market growth.
5. Spend It! Oh what the heck. If you’ve used some of your windfall to pay down debt, contribute to your retirement, make a mortgage payment (or two), and saved a little — then why not go out and enjoy life. Kudos!

Squawkback: Ever win the lottery? How do you spend your money windfalls?

	397 Ways to Save Money Spend Smarter & Live Well on Less By Kerry K. Taylor

Now that we’ve planned ahead for the holidays with the Gift Giving Worksheet, I want to look beyond presents by giving you a way to track all your holiday expenses in one place.

Sure, the Budget Spreadsheet has a space for the holidays, but I think a specific spreadsheet geared towards tracking holiday expenses can better help you deal with the varied costs of Christmas, Hanukkah, or your particular festival of fancy.

And yes, I am fully aware it is not yet July. But hey, go through some of your holiday gear this summer, unload your unused decorations at a summer garage sale, and make a list of the stuff you own. Knowing what you already have on hand can better help you plan your holiday budget since you won’t be spending good money buying duplicates of the forgotten stuff you have buried away in the basement. Yes, I’m talking to you. Smile.

In my own experience I’ve found that focusing on the varied spending activities during the holidays, rather than just gift giving, can show how the seemingly little costs add up. Smaller spends on things like wrapping paper, decorations, baking supplies, beverages, flowers, and even the ballet (The Nutcracker, anyone?) may seem insignificant on their own, but once added up can total hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year for one single holiday. Fa la la la la, la la la broke.

By tracking your costs during the holiday season, you’ll be able to get a grip on where your money is going since you’ll better know where you’ve spent the bucks, and when you’ve hit the end of your budget.

The Holiday Expense Tracking Spreadsheet

Like all the other worksheets and spreadsheets in this series, I think this one is pretty straight-forward to download and use. And yes, it’s free.

Download: Holiday Expense Tracking Spreadsheet

Use the Holiday Expense Tracking Spreadsheet to:

• Estimate all your holiday expenses.
• Enter actual costs and make notes on additional spends.
• Locate sources of available and budgeted money.
• Plan ahead for a shortfall and find ways to bridge the budget gap.
• Focus on all holiday spending categories so you don’t go into debt for the big event.

After putting together your plan for gifts using the Gift Giving Worksheet, enter that anticipated amount into the Holiday Expense Tracking Spreadsheet. When you’re done tallying your expenses after the holidays, be sure to add these costs to the big Budget Spreadsheet.

It may seem like a bit of work, but looking at the little holiday spends, tallying the total costs, and bringing that number into the bigger budget picture is a surefire way to keep costs down and spirits high throughout the year.

	397 Ways to Save Money Spend Smarter & Live Well on Less By Kerry K. Taylor

I’ve written about jarred gifts before in 8 Homemade Gifts in a Jar — so check it out if you’re less into pastry and more into mixes in a jar.

Pie in a jar is just that — it’s a small single serving of fruit pie made and baked in a tiny mason jar. These pies are frugal to make, awesome to gift, tasty to serve, and fun to sell at bake sales where there’s more than enough standard cakes and tarts to go around. Yes, every local bake sale has a tart or two. But I digress.

Anytartytarts, I’ve even given a few jarred pies to friends in need of a little cheer after a bad day. We’ve all had those days, and sharing a belly laugh over a tiny pie in a jar is far cheaper than visiting a shrink. But if you do need a shrink then please don’t drop by looking for tiny pie. It’s only pie, after all.

Not only are pies in a jar fun to make, but they are a flexible food to serve too. Bake up a fresh batch today or freeze a bunch for later when unexpected company arrives. These little marvels don’t take up your freezer space like traditional baking since they stack up nicely.

So to get you in the mood for some summer sweet and frugal pie, let’s get some mason jars, turn on the oven, and get baking. If you’ve got some kiddlets looking for a fun project, get them into the frugal fun too by teaching them to bake. Watching little ones eat tiny pies is kinda cute too.

Oh, and don’t forget to add these pies as gifts using the Budget Series Gift Giving Worksheet — where tracking even small gifts is as easy as pie.

Step One: Get the right ‘wide mouth jars’

Making pie in a jar is simple with the right canning jars. If you don’t want to have pie on your face, then skip the super cutie narrow-necked jelly jars and get the still super cute 1/2 pint wide mouth canning jars. You’ll thank me when it’s time to line the jar with dough and when it’s time to plate your pie. Besides, the wide mouth jars make it easier to label for a gift, or eat out of with a fork.

The 1/2 pint wide mouth jars yield a pie around 2.5 inches wide and 2 inches tall.

Don’t forget to wash or sterilize your jars before making pie.

Sterilizing is important if you plan to freeze your jarred pies for baking at a later date.

Step Two: Press in your pie dough

I will not lie to you. Filling these little mason jars with pie dough is not easy. When I had the patience I rolled out a little doily-shaped crust, fit it into the bottom of the jar, and then pressed it in to form the perfect (cough) crust. I also found that taking dough pieces and pressing them into the jar worked well too.

Jarring Revelations:

• Greasing the jar with butter before lining it with dough helps to remove the pie (in one piece) after baking.
• Swearing at either the jar or the pastry doesn’t help. You may scare your spouse. Besides, being a dough-head isn’t cool.
• Leave 1/2 inch of pie crust above the edge of the mason jar. This extra dough lets you roll and crimp the bottom of the pie crust to the pie top.

Now don’t give me the stink eye over my next admission — I used store bought dough for my pie in a jar. [Enter Stink Eye Here]. Making pastry is not my talent. If pastry is your passion then check out the Smitten Kitchen’s Pie Crust 101 tutorial and recipe. For everyone else, just buy three or four pie crusts from the refrigerator section at your grocery store. You’ll need around three pie crusts to fill six mason jars, but chances are you’ll make a mistake or two, or three. If you prefer thinner crust, then just roll out your dough and use two pie crusts. Easy.

As an alternative to pastry or for those on a gluten-free diet, swap out the dough and try my Homemade Granola Recipe as a pie crust. It’s tasty.

Step Three: Add some pie filling

Are you hankering for some apple pie or do you crave a nice sweet cherry pie? The choice is yours. I have a simple pie filling recipe (below), but I must be honest with you again — I used canned cherry pie filling for the pies in this post. Don’t hate me because I felt lazy today. Love me ’cause I’m honest. Smile.

Simple Pie Filling Recipe:

• 4 1/2 cups cherries, berries, or diced fruit
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon butter, divide between the pies
• spices: nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, or to taste

Or better yet, hop on over to my Fresh Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp with Apples and try that filling since I’m stuck in a can today. It’s tasty and healthy.

Jarring Revelations:

• Only fill the jars to the 3/4 mark. Filling to the brim will make it tricky to top and crimp your pie. Also, the pie might bubble and boil over if over-filled. It happens.
• Add a little flour to the mixture if your fruit is super juicy.
• Top your filling with a little pat of butter. Yum.

Now on to the fun part.

Step Four: Create a pretty pie top

I hope you kept your mason jar lids handy because the inner ring makes the perfect pie top cutter. Just use a knife to trace the inner ring circle and voila — instant pie top.

Now personalize your pie top by using a small cookie cutter to create a little vent. Once you’ve placed the pie top into the pie jar (it’s tricky I know), go ahead and carefully crimp the pie crust bottom over the top. Put the lids and rings on each jar until you’re ready to bake.

Step Five: Freeze your pies (optional)

If you have cold feet or you’re not ready to bake your pies today, then go ahead and freeze them until needed. I keep a few jarred pies in deep freeze in case I need a quick gift, or for when company comes over. Ok, Ok, sometimes I just like a little tiny tart treat too.

An unforeseen bonus to making pie in a jar is the mason jars protect the pies in the freezer. No more dented pies! Also, the jars make it super simple to stack many pies without ruining the tender crusts — so you can optimize your freezer space and save the room for stocking up on grocery sale items.

One little trick for dealing with slippery mason jars is to wrap each pie jar with a little tin foil to get a better grip. I dropped one the other day and made a little mess. My dog was happy though.

Step Six: Get Baked

It’s time to get bubbly, tarty, flaky, and tasty. Start by removing the lids and rings from each jar. If you own a Silpat Nonstick Silicon Baking Mat, then place each jarred pie on your Silpat (on a cookie sheet) to prevent slipping. Sliding hot jars filled with boiling pie are not safe. Just a safety warning. I’m a safety girl.

• To bake from refrigerated: Preheat oven to 375-400 degrees and bake for about 45 minutes or until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbly. The bonus with glass jars is you can easily see if the crust is getting too brown.

• To bake from frozen: Follow the same instructions from above but preheat oven to 350-375 degrees and bake for around 60-70 minutes.

Oh, and don’t worry about baking in jars. Canning jars are very resilient when it comes to heat — they are meant to be boiled — so baking pies straight from the freezer is fine.

Step Seven: Serve or Decorate

Removing the pie from it’s jar can be a tricky situation. I’ve had some good luck by sliding a knife around the inside of the jar and using gravity to remove the treat inside. Eating the pie while it’s still inside the jar is easier, and lots of fun at picnics and when company drops by. For some reason my guests have loved being treated to a single serving pie. It’s a novelty. It’s fun.

If you’re gifting the pie, decorate the lids with pretty paper, jar labels, or add a little bit of ribbon for style. A decorated pie in a jar goes over very well at bake sales and fund raisers — so putting in a little creative decorative effort can make you some money too.

Get Squawky: Ever bake a treat in a jar?

	397 Ways to Save Money Spend Smarter & Live Well on Less By Kerry K. Taylor

It’s June 21st and I already know what Carl is getting for Christmas. Actually, I know what I’ve budgeted for Carl’s Christmas gift in December, his birthday gift in March, a small Valentine’s gift in February, and a just because gifty for our anniversary in September. I also have a gift giving budget for my family and friends throughout the year.

Am I insane? OK, kinda. But I’ve found that a touch of insanity mixed with a dash of planning can help ward off expensive spends due to last minute gift giving-itis. Maybe you’ve been afflicted by this wallet-draining disease? It’s not particularly rare or unheard of. In fact, the biggest human outbreak tends to happen in late December, and smaller infections run rampant just before Mother’s Day, Valentine’s, and various other calendar days where birthdays tend to fall.

If you’ve been afflicted by last minute gift giving-itis — and most of us have — then you already know the sweat-inducing and heart-racing symptoms. Here’s a sample list just for giggles:

• Running crazily through the mall on the eve of December 24th willing to spend anything to find something for that someone on your gift giving list.
• Reaching for your maxed out credit card hoping that the gift purchase goes through.
• Freaking out ’cause you forgot to send flowers, buy dinner, or celebrate that special day.
• Dealing with a case of the financial sads January 1st because you have little idea how to cover the charges on your December credit card bill.
• Feeling financially strapped since birthdays, Mother’s Day, weddings, and anniversaries always happen when your wallet is empty.
• Stressing out around special occasions because you have no idea what gifts to buy.

Indeed, the symptoms of last minute gift giving-itis are dire to your dollars and deadly to a frugal lifestyle. But no worries, I have the cure.

The Gift Giving Worksheet

Using the Gift Giving Worksheet is simple. As you think of gift ideas, just add them to the list with your anticipated budget, and add the total to your Free Budget Spreadsheet.

Download: Gift Giving Worksheet

Planning ahead for birthdays and holidays also helps you find gifts during off-season sales, make homemade gifts to save money, and plan ahead for everyone on your list. By trying this simple worksheet, you may just find that budgeting today for tomorrow’s gifts not only saves you money, but also saves you a lot of time.

My timing for writing about Christmas in June is spot on. Trent over at The Simple Dollar just posted Five Big Ways You Need to Think About Christmas … Now! So if you think that planning for Christmas in June is batty, then jump on over to Trent’s post and learn how to Kill off unwanted gift exchanges and Get the important people on your radar sooner.

If you’re stuck for gift giving ideas, then try a few of these listed suggestions.

Gift giving ideas for your budget:

• Books about Money, Honey!
• 8 Homemade Gifts in a Jar
• 11 Ways to Wrap Gifts without Wrapping Paper
• 12 Smart Ways to Save Big on Christmas Shopping
• Frugal Last Minute Gift Ideas
• 6 Father’s Day Gift Ideas
• 6 Printable Holiday Gift Tags and Thank You Notes

Squawkback: Are you a holiday list maker? Do you buy gifts months in advance?

	397 Ways to Save Money Spend Smarter & Live Well on Less By Kerry K. Taylor

“Were there any checks in the mail for me today, honey?” That’s the question I ask Carl every day when he gets home. Sure, I’d love to be the gal who gushes words of luuurve when her fine fellow returns from his steady-paying, regular check-depositing job. But I’m not. At that moment I’m far more interested in knowing if any of my invoiced customers have paid their bills. That’s the life of a variable income earner. Sorry honey.

If you run your own home business, live on sales commissions, do freelance work, are self-employment, or work a moonlighting side-gig to make ends meet, then you know how planning your finances can be a big challenge when your income is neither regular nor predictable. And it’s not difficult to get into a situation where you’re living on money you haven’t yet made. Yes, I’m squawking about those pesky plastic cards and credit card debt.

But you don’t need to carry a crystal ball to know how to cope until your next check arrives. All it takes is a bit of planning, a dash of discipline, and a handy tracking tool to make life run a little more smoothly. I’ve found that a simple tracking tool can help take the mystery out of client accounting schedules and can reveal a steady payment pattern.

Download: Extra Income Spreadsheet

How to use the Extra Income Spreadsheet

The Extra Income Spreadsheet isn’t just for those earning a variable income. If you earn a little extra cash through bonuses, royalties, investments (dividend stocks, compound interest), consulting/freelancing, tips/gratuities, or seasonal work then you can also use this tool to account for those irregular dollars along with a regular paycheck. Here’s the idea behind tracking your variable and extra income:

• Plan and budget for the best way to use the payout when the check arrives in the mail.
• Avoid treating irregular lump sums of cash as found money or as a windfall. Blowing those drips of dollars over time adds up to a big financial mistake.
• Find the payout patterns to your irregular income.
• Prepare yourself for lean times when there’s no income for months. It’s a bummer, I know.
• Plan and stay prepared for upcoming financial obligations by saving the right amount of money.
• Learn to set aside the right amount to pay income tax, and stop being surprised by taxes owed at the end of the year. It’s a bummer, I know.

Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Download!

Click to download your copy of the Extra Income Spreadsheet. Yes, like all downloads on Squawkfox this one is free.

Step 2: Track your income!

Use this spreadsheet to track your variable income or extra income helps in two ways. First, it serves as a planning tool for projecting your monthly or yearly income as best as possible. Second, once the check arrives you can tally the income and record it for next year to better project next year’s total income. Here are some tips for getting the job done:

• Customize the spreadsheet rows if the categories don’t match your income type. Just don’t mix up the mathy math behind the columns and cells.
• Enter your income amount in the right category and under the correct month. Let the spreadsheet add your monthly and yearly income. Watch for patterns.
• Account for your taxes in advance. Using the totals from the spreadsheet, calculate how much you anticipate to pay in taxes for your country, state, or province. Set that money aside in a high interest savings account. No more taxing surprises.

Step 3: Get Budgeting!

Now that you have a handle on your income, it’s time to apply your moneyed knowledge to your budget. Grab a copy of the Free Budget Spreadsheet and make a plan to cover your fixed monthly expenses and get on track with those variable costs too. The Budget Spreadsheet can help you determine what irregular expenses exist and which regular ones must be paid pronto. If you haven’t completed this step yet, then go through this How to Make a Budget series and calculate your net worth, figure your financial goals, and make a needs and wants list. Once this is done, you’ve got budgetary lift-off!

If you have extra earned income this month then try these tips to get ahead in the budget game.

1. Pay off credit card debt: Oh that pesky plastic can really cost you. So let’s tackle it by biting into the principal and paying more than the minimum balance. Try the Credit Card Calculator to see how many hundreds, or thousands of dollars you’ll save by paying more than the bare minimum. This tool will also calculate the total interest paid and determine how many years it will take to pay off your balance based on your minimum monthly payment. The results are terribly shocking.
2. Add an extra mortgage payment: Want to be mortgage free sooner? Then take that extra income and make an additional mortgage payment. Try this Mortgage Calculator to see the big savings even a small additional payment can make. If you have a mortgage with good prepayment privileges — lump-sum payments you make outside of your normal mortgage payment schedule where 100% of the payment goes against the principal — then you will pay off your mortgage sooner and save significantly on interest. For example, on a $250,000 mortgage at 6% over 25 years, one prepayment of $1,000 each year can save you around $26,700 in interest and pay off your mortgage two and a half years sooner. Read
   6 Surefire Ways To Avoid a Mortgage Meltdown for more eye popping ideas.
3. Put the rest into savings: Topping up your savings account, adding to your emergency fund, and contributing to your retirement plan is how to make your variable income last and grow over the long term. Canadians should looking into topping of their RRSP and Tax-free Savings Account, while Americans should consider their Roth IRA. Compound interest is a powerful force, and over time that power could make you a millionaire. Check out the Millionaire Savings Calculator to get inspired about saving money.

Over time you may just find that the key to living well on a variable income is to spend sparingly in times of plenty and save as much as possible for future dry spells. There may be months when very little money comes in and you must live solely on savings. Although living this way can be unsettling, always remember to congratulate yourself for having the foresight and discipline to put sufficient funds aside.

Squawkback: Do you share my struggle with living on a variable income? How do you make it work?

	397 Ways to Save Money Spend Smarter & Live Well on Less By Kerry K. Taylor

There are as many ways to make a budget as there are people. The budgeting basics are the same, but many of us like to manage our money with a known entity. Enter the big world of budgeting software.

The big player in the financial software space is Quicken or Quicken Canada, and to a lesser extent there is Moneydance (read my Moneydance Review here). While these packages offer possible solutions for those looking to count cash, many of the features offered — like synchronized investment data and portfolio analysis tools — can be overkill for the newbie budget builder. If you don’t need all that functionality, then why pay for it? Enter the world of free budget software tools.

Free budgeting tools can be a hit or miss adventure, depending on how you budget, your operating system (Mac OS, Windows, UNIX), and your currency. Many of the free budgeting options are specific to Americans, leaving the rest of the world wishing for a solution, eh! To help, I’ll round-up some of the best free budgeting tools with international support. The budgeting software listed here can be used by everyone. Group hug.

Wesabe

Wesabe is a free web-based tool that comes with a pleasant surprise — full support for all international currency formats and most international banks with deposit or credit accounts. I tested this feature by linking my chequing account in Wesabe and had no difficulty bringing in the data. The key is your financial institution must provide an export or download accounts option in OFX, QFX, QIF, or OFC format. Wesabe offers budgeters many robust tools for keeping on track. As a bonus, you get access to a huge community looking to master their money too. For Canadians and other international users, this is my top pick.

UPDATE: As of July 31st, 2010 Wesabe has shut down, discontinuing their Accounts features and all of their related personal finance tools.

BudgetPulse

Budgetpulse is a another free web-based tool that aims to help you manage your budget. You can’t sync your bank accounts with this easy-to-use freebie, but it boasts international currency support, so a global audience can sign up and get tracking with basic budget functionality.

GnuCash

GnuCash has features that go beyond simple budgeting — it’s free accounting software for personal and small business use. Downloads are available for Windows, Mac OS, and Linux. GnuCash lets you track bank accounts, stocks, income, and expenses in a way similar to a classic checkbook register. There is multiple currency support and currency movements between accounts are fully balanced when double entry accounting is enabled.

PearBudget Spreadsheet

The PearBudget Spreadsheet is a free downloadable spreadsheet that’s loaded with budget friendly cells, tables, and features. It’s a lot more complex than my Free Budget Spreadsheet, which can be good thing if you’re more than a beginner budget maker. The PearBudget Spreadsheet has been downloaded over 100,000 times by people all over the world, so it’s got some serious followers. And you don’t need to worry about giving a third party your personal banking data since the spreadsheet is downloaded straight to your computer’s hard drive.

PearBudget

PearBudget is a web-based application for creating a household spending plan and record. After the success of the PearBudget Spreadsheet, husband and wife team Charlie and Sarah Park decided to “make a good thing better” by launching their budgeting tools online. PearBudget is not trying to be the next Quicken by offering lots of complex features. The goal of PearBudget is to give beginner budgeters a simple way to get started by “paring down” the complexities of other budgetary tools. If you’re looking for a way to integrate your online banking and budgeting with a single solution, PearBudget may not meet your needs since this online app does not link bank accounts. I wrote a PearBudget Review in 2008 and loved the application then. PearBudget is free to try for the first 30 days, and costs $3 per month afterwards.

Thrive

Thrive wants you to save and watch your money grow by offering free online budgeting tools to anyone in the world, including: budget features, bank account linking options, and bill payment reminders. There’s plenty of weasel words when it comes to who in the world can use the tool though.

The site says, “Thrive certainly works outside the US; in theory, it works from anywhere in the world. We can only support the banks that support us, however, so while you can still access Thrive from anywhere in the world, it may be that we don’t have the banks in your country in our system.” My take is if you don’t need to link your bank or credit accounts, then go ahead and try Thrive.

There are many other budgeting tool available across the interwebs — like Mint (the biggest of the bunch), Geezeo, MoneyStrands, and AceMoney — but none of these offer international currency support. The Mint forums are filled with Canadians begging Mint staff for Canuck buck support. Mint seems to be the one the world is waiting for.

Squawkback: I’d love to know from the readers which budget software or online budgeting tools work best for you. Which ones aren’t worth the time?

	397 Ways to Save Money Spend Smarter & Live Well on Less By Kerry K. Taylor