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Archive for July, 2010|Monthly archive page

The Budget Smart Girl Summer Newsletter July/August 2010

In Budget Smart Girl's Newsletter on July 28, 2010 at 10:50 pm

I say it every month but I still can’t believe it’s almost August.

How Much Should I Pay for That?

The main goal of every Budget Smart Girl is obviously to save money. But sometimes buying the cheapest brand or make isn’t always the best option for your pocketbook. I’ve found that for each item I buy it’s smart to look at all the features as well as cost. Here are some of the checklists I use for doing that.

How Long Do You Plan to Use It?
If it’s an item I’ll be using on daily basis and something that’s going to get a lot of wear and tear for many years to come, then I’ll usually feel okay about spending a bit more money. These days you have to factor in the cost of replacement parts, and if it goes into the repair shop, labor costs too. Just those two things alone can add up to more than you actually pay for a bargain brand.

How Much Are You Really Saving?
I always write down all the brands I’m interested in buying and the prices, and make sure I’m comparing apples to apples, etc. Sometimes what looks like a bargain in the store isn’t always that great a deal when you write down aspects like features and warranties.

Ask Around
When I’m in the market for a big-ticket item I’ll often ask friends and family for their recommendations. I know some people do have bad experiences with certain items that aren’t always the manufacturer’s fault. And yes, some people are particularly picky, but if everyone tells me they’ve had a bad experience with a company or product, I’ll cross it off my list. On the other hand, if most tell me they’re pleased with their purchase; I’ll feel happy about handing over a bit more money.

Ask About Warranties
Someone told me you can tell how reliable a product is by the length of the warranty. The longer, the more reliable. Also, look at how much service will cost you once the warranty expires. And how about refills and parts, are they easy to get? And can you just pop down to the local store and buy them? Is the company who manufactures the product likely to go out of business? This can sometimes make warranties obsolete and replacement parts impossible to find.

Your Money Back
Also, does the manufacturer feel so confident about their product that they’re willing to give you a money back guarantee? And how long is this good for…two months, three? When we first moved into our house I realized gardening would be a lot easier if I bought a tiller. I visited several DIY stores but then saw an ad for a mail order tiller manufactured by a company that had been around for a long time. It was about $50 more than the ones I’d seen in the store, but what caught my attention was the machine came with a guarantee of free lifetime blade replacement. However, the thing that really convinced me to buy it was I could use it for a whole year and if I wasn’t happy (even after 365 days and maybe using it every day) I could get a full refund. I’m happy to say I loved it so much I never had to take them up on their offer. But it’s nice to know it was an option, and made me feel more at ease about handing over my money.

Purchases for Your House
If you plan to live in your home for many years to come, I think it’s much more budget savvy to go with the higher end brands with items like water heaters, furnaces. It’s never fun waking up to a cold house or a cold shower when it’s 30 below. Plus, you’ve got to wait for the repair guy to stop by and as we all know some of these service calls can be around $100 an hour… and that’s before any work’s done. About five years ago we decided to replace our sump pump. Now as the pump in our house seems to be in continual use because we have underground streams running under the yard, we opted to go for a more expensive brand. This particular one gives us a lifetime replacement warranty. You don’t even have to deal with the manufacturer. You just take it to the store and get a new one. We’ve used their offer twice already, so it’s nice to have that extra peace of mind.

Ways to Save Money in August
So far it’s been a hot and humid summer and sometimes I hate to say it but by the time August rolls around I’m longing for the cooler days of fall. However, there still are reasons to love August.

Make the Most of the Season
August is a great time to make the most of summer’s bounty. Prices are generally low and you can pick up some good buys at places like farmer’s markets.

Plan Ahead for Next Year
Seeing all the fresh produce in the supermarket might have you thinking about ways to save even more money next year. August is a great time to look into joining a Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) scheme. And it’s not too early to sign up for next year. You pay a certain amount of money to a farm and throughout the season you get a share of their produce. Many farms in these programs are organic ones, so it’s also a great way to save money on pesticide free fruits and veggies. Visit this Web site for more information, and to find the farm nearest you.
www.localharvest.org

Get Some Exercise
Okay, you might want to try this one when the temperatures cool down. Head to a nearby farm or orchard where you can pick your own produce. With apple season starting as early as August, it’s a good time to head to the great outdoors and gather up some apples. An added plus is the whole family can pick fruit together, get some fresh air, and exercise. Check out this site for a farm or orchard near you.
www.pickyourown.org

Make Some Jams and Jellies
With the abundance of produce, August is a great month to start making jams, jellies, and chutneys. I think it’s one of the best ways to enjoy the taste of summer all year long. It’s also a good way to cut down on sugar, and not to mention a great idea for a housewarming, hostess or holiday gift. This Web site will give you some ideas for making jams and jellies.
www.uga.edu/nchfp/how/can7_jam_jelly.html
Canning is a great way to preserve food and if you’re not sure what to do with all the fruits and vegetables, this site has some great ideas.
www.canning-food-recipes.com

Quick Recipes of the Month
Okay, this one really isn’t a recipe but who wants to be in a hot kitchen? When the temperature soars, cool down with some frozen fruit kabobs. Put pieces of watermelon, grapes and mango on skewers and freeze. Frozen cubed fruit also makes idea ice cubes for ice tea and lemonades. And the best thing is you can eat them after you’ve finished the drink. And just today I was at the supermarket and bought strawberries and cream cheese that were on sale. When I got home I thought about those flavored cream cheeses and how easy they are to make yourself. Just put the cream cheese and about a cup of strawberries in the food processor and puree together. Add either powdered sugar or honey to sweeten it and it’s ideal for toast, muffins and bagels.

I Wish I had That Recipe
I sometimes leave a restaurant wishing I had the recipe for something I’ve just eaten. Check out if your favorites are on this site
www.copykat.com

Saving Water, Saving Money
One thing I notice more in summer is just how much water we use. Washing the car, watering the lawn…saving water is not only good for the environment, it helps your wallet too. I found this site with tips on saving water www.americanwater.com Click on ‘save water’

Looking for Great Deals
A couple of people have recommended this site when you’re looking for deals www.dealigg.com

Happy Hour
We all know restaurants offering happy hours offer some great deals not only on drinks but food too. Here’s a site that lets you know where to find a one in your neighborhood. www.happy-hour.com

Thinking About Being An Entrepreneur
During bad economic times more people think about starting their own business. If you have questions and not sure where to go for help on anything related to launching a business, there’s a service called SCORE, where retired business people can offer advice www.score.org You’ll also find workshops, some are online and some are even free.

Articles to Check Out
There wasn’t a shortage of great articles on the Web this month, here are some to definitely check out-

Every Budget Smart Girl wants to eat healthy while still staying on budget, this article tells you about 10 Best Foods for your Buck www.tinyurl.com/2ab6vjd

Perfect for August, check out summer thirst quenchers www.tinyurl.com/232pgby


One of the best comfort foods, it’s cheap and kids love it but it can get boring, so check out
20 ways to get creative with mac and cheese www.tinyurl.com/2c3zn8g
And find out if you share any traits with these super savers www.tinyurl.com/27qnk9r

I love smoothies but sometimes overindulging can pack on the pounds so give these a try, slimming summer smoothies www.tinyurl.com/37hetmm

The saying is patience is a virtue and it can also save you a ton of money too. Shopping for a new car, lawnmower? You’ll want to check out the best months to shop for deals www.tinyurl.com/37hetmm

The Budget Smart Girl newsletter will be back in September with some new features.
Enjoy the rest of summer.

The Blog-Waste Not, Want Not

In The Blog on July 26, 2010 at 2:36 pm

I’ve had four tubs of blueberries sitting in the fridge for some time. I had every good intention of turning them into desserts but it’s been hot and humid and the kitchen was the last place I wanted to be. This weekend I had a blueberry scone recipe I’ve been eager try and finally got around to using some of those berries.

The recipe called for one cup of buttermilk. I don’t know about you but I often buy buttermilk for just one recipe, use only half of it; forget it’s in the fridge and end up tossing it. A few months ago I bought some dried buttermilk hoping that would solve the problem. This was my first time using it and saw that for one cup of buttermilk I would need four tablespoons of the mix (which you add to the dry ingredients in the recipe), then in this case, one cup of water. Well, I ended up with a runny scone mixture that definitely couldn’t be rolled out on a floured surface! I hate just dumping a recipe that’s gone wrong so I dropped spoonfuls of the mixture onto a baking sheet and baked them like cookies. They turned out perfectly and I think I stumbled upon a hybrid scone/cookie that I’ve named sconies. I thought about what went wrong and concluded that buttermilk you buy in the dairy aisle is thicker and I shouldn’t have added so much water. You live and learn and the moral of the story even if you have a cooking blooper, don’t waste food. And yes, the sconies were delicious, had one with a cup of tea and one for breakfast!

Also, over the weekend I was skimming through the supermarket flyer and saw a whole page devoted to canning. They must know many of us are growing our own veggies because Ball as a new product called the Ball Canning Discovery Kit. Here’s the Web site www.freshpreserving.com. You can sign up for their newsletter and there’s also a video you can view on how to use the kit, plus a section on how to can.

This week on Budget Smart Girl-A combined Budget Smart Girl newsletter for July and August. In September I’ll be posting the newsletters at the beginning of the month instead of the last. I hope to include some new features like hot buys for the month and what to stock up on. Budget Smart Girl will take a summer break for two weeks starting next week while I begin work on some new book projects. However, there will be the usual Monday blogs.

Have a good week.

The Pantry Challenge

In Budget Smart Cook on July 22, 2010 at 2:05 pm

A few things got me thinking about how many meals you can create using items you already have sitting in the pantry (even the fridge and freezer too). The first one was an article in All You magazine about how creating a pantry stockpile can save you money. And two, a couple of things on my today list; defrosting the chest freezer and repainting the pantry shelves with some leftover white paint I found in the basement. It’s true having a well stocked pantry can save you money. It can also save your sanity when mealtime rolls around.

What’s In Your Pantry?
I know everyone’s needs and tastes aren’t the same but here are some items I always keep on hand-

Worcestershire sauce
Soy sauce
Tabasco sauce
Cans of beans, garbanzo, kidney
Cans of chili peppers
Cans of tomatoes
Various jars of pasta sauce
Dijon mustard
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Sea salt
Raisins and other dried fruits
Nuts
Breadcrumbs
Tofu
Packages of tortellini
Fantastic Food Mixes like falafel
Boxes of brownie mix

I also keep a good supply of items in both the fridge and freezer including-

A tube of tomato paste, great for jazzing up sauces, soups, things like shepherd’s pies.
A jar of sun dried tomatoes in olive oil, great for salads, sandwiches and egg dishes.
Peanut butter
Sugarless fruit spread
Low fat mayonnaise
Miso
Eggs
Two or three types of cheeses
Cream Cheese
Gingerroot
Chutney, great in soups and sandwiches, or served on the side of curry
Salsa
Jar of pesto sauce

Freezer
A couple of loaves of bread
Tortillas
Filo pastry
Bag of peas
Bag of mixed vegetables
Bag of stir fry vegetables
Bag of fish sticks
Box of veggie burgers
A few blocks of cheese
Frozen homemade soup

Once you get into the habit of stockpiling items, replenishing them becomes easy and you’ll soon get to the point where you wonder how you ever did without them. Proof of that happened to me about seven years ago when a storm took out the electricity for a day or two. And yes, I didn’t want to chance eating anything that might make us sick so I started from scratch.

Buy Some Items Each Grocery Trip
Starting all over again taught me that it’s best to buy an item or two for your stockpile each time you go to the store. The best time to stock up is during sales, especially around holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas. I buy extra canned foods and even bags of flour that I store in the freezer for use throughout the year.

Rotate, Keep Notes
I make sure that no one item sits on the pantry shelf indefinitely. And I make a note of anything I’m either not using any more or something that I’m using weekly and make sure I buy more of that item.

What Can You Make
When I wrote my Eating Well on a Budget column, I did take part in a pantry challenge. I looked through the contents of the pantry, fridge and freezer, looked at what I had on hand and this is what I came up with-
I made a combination of an omelet and frittata. I used six eggs, some salsa, black olives I’d bought from the deli, some cheese and sour cream. I beat the eggs, added the olives that I’d chopped into bite sized pieces, and also about a cup of the cheese that I’d grated. I heated up a pan with some olive oil and added the egg mixture. I stirred it and just cooked it just long enough that the mixture started to form ribbon like strands. I then poured everything into a greased quiche dish and put it into a 375-degree oven for about 10 minutes. During the last five minutes of cooking I topped the frittata with more cheese and heated it until the cheese had melted. I spread the top with the salsa, cut it into six wedges and served it with sour cream. On the side I served some Spanish rice mix I’d found in the pantry. I also had some leftover pita bread that I cut into quarters, warmed it in the oven and sprinkled a little chili powder and cumin mixture on each piece. For dessert, I used canned pineapple slices, warmed them for just a few minutes under the broiler and topped it with some vanilla ice cream. To add just a little more pizzazz I sprinkled some toasted coconut on top of everything.

More Ideas for Pantry Meals
Pasta and Sauce
One of my all time favorites is the three cheese tortellini and one of the jars of pasta sauce. Serve it with some Italian bread and even a tossed green salad and it’s quick and easy too.

Canned Tuna and Beans
This makes a quick and easy lunch, combine canned tuna, beans, cannellini one are my favorites, and some chopped roasted red peppers. Toss together with Italian dressing or your own homemade vinaigrette.

Sandwiches
I always seem to have one onion, and a couple of tomatoes sitting around and they pair perfectly with the cheese and bread I keep in the freezer here is my recipe for

Tomato, Grilled Onion and Cheese Sandwich
1 yellow onion, halved lengthwise and then sliced
Salt
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tomatoes, sliced
4 slices of cheese
4 slices of bread
Oil
Heat the oil in the skillet, add onions, sauté them until they begin to color but are still a little crisp. Lightly salt them and remove them from the skillet. Spread the mustard on the bread, and then keep layering cheese, onions and tomatoes on one side and top with another. I like to eat cold, but you could return it to the skillet and heat it through until the cheese melts.

And another one of my favorites using standby ingredients-

Crustless Quiche
12 eggs, whisked well
½ whipping cream, or if you’re watching fat content, half and half
1 ½ cups shredded cheese
1 12 ounce container of cottage cheese
1 cup mixed frozen vegetables
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ cup Italian breadcrumbs
Dash of pepper
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Pour the mixture into a greased 10 inch quiche pan or at least a 9 X 13 baking pan
Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes or until the middle is set.

The Blog-E-Centives

In The Blog on July 19, 2010 at 3:02 pm

Don’t know about where you shop, but it seems I get more than just the receipt at the supermarket checkout these days. Besides in store coupons, I always seem to come home with promotions for new Web sites too. Last week I got one advertising a site called www.e-centives.com Looks like it has coupons for major brands and items like cereal and yogurt. Not sure if it’s available everywhere but at least check out the site.

A couple of years ago I bought some items from The Lakeside Collection and always look forward to receiving their catalog because I net one or two good deals. The latest one, Harvest 2010, arrived last week. If you’re interested in canning and preserving, for $8.95 you can get a copy of Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. It says the book contains 400 recipes. Their web site is www.lakeside.com and click on books, music and dvds. As I always do some checking to make sure it really is the best price, the next lowest one I saw for this book was $15.61 from Amazon.

This week on Budget Smart Girl-I’ve been reading no end of articles about what you should include in your pantry staples. Many of the items suggested are what’s in my pantry so it gave me an idea. This week, I’ll come up with meal suggestions, along with some recipes, using pantry and freezer items

Have a good week.

, , ,

Speedy Suppers for Hot Summer Nights

In Budget Smart Cook on July 15, 2010 at 1:30 pm

The last few days have been hot and humid so the last thing I want to do is eat a heavy meal or spend more time in the kitchen than I have to. It’s on those days I turn to my favorite meals that can be put together quickly.

Cold Soups
I don’t know why, but lots of people are convinced they won’t like a cold soup. I was one of them. I remember many years ago someone telling me about a cold raspberry soup they’d been served at a hotel restaurant and how delicious and refreshing it was. I know I pulled a face behind their back until I tried one for myself and have been making the recipe ever since. If a cold sweet soup isn’t too your liking here’s one of my favorite savory ones. I make this at least once a week during summer. On a hot summer night it’s filling by itself but you can add chopped avocado, sour cream and serve some tortilla chips on the side. I even saw one recipe that added shrimp. I’ve revamped this recipe several times. The old one used tomato juice but I switched to V8 juice and the taste is much better.

Gazpacho
4 cups V8 juice
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup red wine vinegar
A good pinch of salt and pepper
A good dash of Tabasco sauce
1 cucumber, (I prefer to use a seedless varieties for this soup), peeled and finely chopped
Half a medium onion, finely chopped. The Vidalia onions are inexpensive right now and work really well for this recipe
1 rib of celery, finely chopped

In a blender add the juice, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper, and Tabasco sauce and blend. Pour mixture into a large bowl and add the rest of the ingredients and stir together. Chill at least two hours before serving. I like to chill the soup bowls for at least an hour in the fridge before serving too. This soup serves 4-6.

Salads
I’m a big fan of salads on matter what time of year it is, but during the summer I make sure there are plenty of salad fixings waiting in the refrigerator for those evenings when you just want to sit and eat and that’s about all. The quick salad fixings are usually chopped lettuce or field greens…I’ve been finding these a cheaper buy because you can get a family size container for around $4 now. Sliced cucumber, chopped tomatoes, shredded carrots and sliced radishes. Other things I keep on hand are crumbled feta cheese, olives, garbanzo beans and sun dried tomatoes. Combine the salad with some French or Italian bread and it’s the idea meal when the temperature soars.

Another salad that’s a staple for me during the summer is an Asian chicken salad (and you can even make a vegetarian version too). Field greens, mandarin oranges and strips of chicken or sometimes I’ll use the Morningstar Farms ‘chicken strips’. I marinade the chicken or ‘chicken strips’ in a teriyaki sauce and sauté them. The topping is usually toasted cashews or Chow Mein noodles.

One other quick salad meal is stuffed tomatoes. I got hooked on them during my college years and the town where the university was located had this quaint restaurant that served the best stuffed tomatoes with your choice of chicken, tuna or egg. Serve them with crackers and they’re perfect. One other salad I’ve tried is using a mock crab mixture . I don’t know what type of fish they make it with but it’s a lot cheaper than the real thing.

Tacos and Quesadilla
One of my favorite quick meals is fish tacos and coleslaw. I’ve also used canned salmon for tacos and quesadillas too.

Veggie Burgers
Another one of my summer favorites is a veggie burger served with coleslaw. You can cook them in the microwave so it keeps the kitchen cool. And the coleslaw mix has been so cheap lately I’ve been buying it instead of making my own.

Dessert
Okay, who could forget dessert and yes, there’s ice cream and frozen yogurt but if they get too boring I mix two flavors together and top with things like chopped canned pineapple and shredded coconut and sometimes chopped crystallized ginger.

Tips for Staying Cool
If you really have to cook a meal in the kitchen here are some tips I find help-
Keep the top on any pan you use to keep the steam inside and not in the kitchen
Use the exhaust fan over the stove
Use a slow cooker whenever you can
Broil don’t bake
Rely on proteins that cook quickly like fish
Let the microwave become your favorite best friend

The Blog-We Have A Winner

In The Blog on July 12, 2010 at 3:59 pm

Thanks to everyone who entered the Good Earth prize giveaway and for all your nice comments about the Budget Smart Girl site. The winner is Brandy W of Texas. Congratulations to her.

Next month there will be another prize giveaway, this time for popcorn.

Well, I’m happy to say my computer was fixed. It’s amazing how much we rely on certain things these days. Although I had my laptop, I really missed the desktop one. And my hands and wrists were so happy when it came back from the store.

I’m trying to play catch up now so this week and next week, they’ll be just one article, followed by a combined July and August newsletter. After that I’ll be taking a two week break (other than posting a Monday blog) so I can get a head start on a couple of new book projects… one is connected with Budget Smart Girl. More about that later.

In Augustm there will be articles about back to school deals, end of summer sales, snacks for afterschool and packing a low cost but fun school lunch. For September, I’m working on a piece about smart buys for fall and winter fashions. If there’s anything you’d like to see on the site, feel free to e-mail me.

I did find this interesting site last week. In fact, I clicked on it for a link to homemade dressings and found myself spending thirty or more minutes looking at all the tips. Lots of great stuff. www.tipnut.com. And it just so happens that today’s articles are about things to do with blueberries…I have four containers sitting in my fridge and planned to make some blueberry scones for freezing but this gave me more ideas. Another interesting article, how to dry cherries. They’re on sale right now, so it’s a perfect time to enjoy them fresh and preserve them for winter eating. This is one site, I’ll be visiting often.

This week on Budget Smart Girl-Speedy suppers for hot summer nights.

Have a good week.

The Blog-Some Memberships Are Worth The Money

In The Blog on July 6, 2010 at 1:12 pm

Last year I signed up for a membership to AAA and I have to say I’m so pleased I did. It cost less $70. It will be even cheaper when I renew and with all the discount you get for things like cinema tickets and restaurants, it’s paid for itself. And then yesterday it came in handy yet again. My desktop computer got hit by a really nasty attack. This one disabled my own Internet security and literally held my computer hostage. My husband tried to disable it but it kept blocking him from doing so. We finally had to take to the Geek Squad who said they’ve recently seen lots of computers with the same problem. So now the computer’s in the shop waiting to be fixed…hopefully. With my AAA membership, I got 20% discount.

As my main computer’s out of commission, I won’t be putting any articles on the site this week this week. I will be contacting the winner of the Good Earth giveway on Thursday. If you haven’t entered there’s still some time left.

Hopefully things will be back to normal next week.

Have a good week.

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