budgetsmartgirl

Archive for August, 2011|Monthly archive page

, ,

The Blog-Guess I Won’t Be Shopping There Now

In The Blog on August 29, 2011 at 6:41 pm

I used to shop at my local co-op at least once a month. It’s not that far away but seems I’ve been too busy over the last ten months or so. On Saturday I decided to make a trip there and couldn’t believe how expensive things had gotten. I suppose these days stay away from a store more than a few months and you get sticker shock. Bulk bin items still seemed reasonable but everything else, no way would I buy it there. Seems a shame because a decade ago it was always a reliable place to shop for good bargains and great tasting food.

Another thing I did last week was make some peach jam following a recipe I’d found in the September 5th issue of Woman’s World. It’s taken from a book titled Jams and Jellies in 30 Minutes or Less by Pamela Bennett. Here’s the link from Amazon

Looks like a great book that’s probably going on my to buy list.

I’m using half the peach jam for toast and topping for yogurt, the other half I’ve frozen. Peaches are on sale this week, less than a dollar a pound so I’ll be making another batch. It’s delicious and amazing that this recipe uses only three simple ingredients, peaches, sugar and lemon juice.

This Week on Budget Smart Girl-September newsletter.

Have a good week and a safe Labor Day Weekend.

, , , ,

Friday Recipe-Toasted Salmon-Cream Cheese and Cucumber Sandwich with Lemon Pepper Fries

In Budget Smart Cook on August 26, 2011 at 1:54 pm

I love meals that are quick to put together yet, tasty too. This one can be eaten for lunch or even a light dinner. Once again it uses ingredients most of us have on hand. I made two sandwiches but the salmon cream cheese mixture makes enough spread for at least eight but if you don’t want to make that many you can use it as a dip or for making more sandwiches throughout the week.

Whole Wheat Bread, toasted

1 8 ounce package cream cheese

2 7 ounce cans of pink salmon ( I like the Chicken of the Sea Variety as there aren’t any bones or skin so no waste)

Half a cucumber, washed, peeled and sliced

1 tablespoon of The Spice Hunter’s Grill Shakers Seafood Seasoning Blend (if you don’t have this any seasoning blend will be good, even plain dried dill too)

Half a package of large cut fries

Lemon Pepper Seasoning

Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the fries on a baking sheet and sprinkle generously with the lemon pepper seasoning.

While the fries are baking-

Put the cream cheese, salmon and seasoning into a food processer and pulse until everything’s well blended. Spread both sides of the bread with the mixture and top with the sliced cucumber. Slice in half diagonally and serve with the fries.

, , , , , , ,

Meet The First of New Contributors-Marcia Layton Turner

In Budget Smart Girl's Guide on August 24, 2011 at 6:23 pm

Here is an interview with one of Budget Smart Girl’s new contributors Marcia Layton Turner. She’ll be stopping by every month to fill us in what’s happening in the world of couponing.

 

Budget Smart Girl (BSG)-Tell us about yourself?

Marcia Layton Turner (MLT)- I’m a bestselling author and freelance writer who spends much of her day learning from others, which I love. I primarily write about two subjects – small business and saving money – and my work has appeared in BusinessWeek, Woman’s Day, Health, Parenting, Every Day with Rachael Ray and many others. When I’m not writing, I’m generally shuttling my two children to their many activities and lessons or reading about my favorite topic, saving money with coupons.

BSG-How long have you been an avid couponer?

MLT-I’d say that I’ve used coupons since graduating from college, but that I didn’t become serious about it until about five years ago. It was after hearing about www.RefundCents.com, and its companion print newsletter, that I began to recognize how much more I could save if I spent more time matching weekly sales with available coupons. So now I invest time in studying which stores have sales on products our family uses a lot, or which I happen to need, and then stock up on the coupons I need so that I can maximize my savings.

BSG-For the beginner, what are some of your favorite tips?

MLT-I would suggest that someone who is just starting to use coupons, or who is kicking their coupon usage up a notch, should start doing three things to significantly boost their savings. First, I would create a pricing book. This is a little notebook containing notes on the products you buy regularly, such as chicken breasts or cereal, for example, and the prices you’re used to paying. The next time you go to the store, jot down the everyday retail price of the top 10-20 products you buy. Then, take your notebook with you from now on and take note of sale prices. In the next three months you will find those products go on sale at least once for a rock bottom price. When you hit that point, stock up on as much of that product as you can, to last the next three months until it goes on sale again. But you won’t know what that lowest price is until you start tracking them.Second, work on improving your coupon matching skills. When your stores’ weekly circulars come out, whether that’s on Tuesday or Sunday, go through them and note which items you may be interested in buying. Then, find out which products have coupons in circulation. You can do this by turning to a site like www.thekrazycouponlady.com, or searching for “coupon database” in Google. Then do a search within the database for the different products on sale, to see if you can further reduce your out-of-pocket expenses with coupons.Third, stock up on the coupons you need. If you find out on Sunday that your local grocery store is having a sale on dog food, for example, and you’ve checked and know that a coupon exists for, say, Purina dog food, consider ordering some from a coupon clipping service like
http://www.thecouponclippers.com/
. You’ll pay around $.05 or $.08, plus postage, to have a particular coupon clipped and mailed to you. This is a quick and easy way to get as many coupons as you need, so you can stock up on great sales when they come up.

BSG-What about places to find coupons? Any favorites, any places we wouldn’t think of looking?

MLT-The best place to find coupons is still your weekly newspaper insert. On weeks when there are particularly good coupons, I head to Dollar Tree and stock up on extra copies for just $1, which is a good deal in my area. Besides ordering what you need from a coupon clipping service, I’d also recommend looking closely at product packaging; there are some great coupons printed on the inside of boxes, which are often high value. Checking out blinkie boxes inside the store is another good place to get coupons. And I always scope out the beer aisle in my grocery store to find rebates; New York allows beer to be sold in grocery stores but does not require beer purchases on rebates.

BSG-Say you’re buying a particular item but just can’t seem to find a coupon for it, any tips for tracking one down, or do some products never have coupons?

MLT-Some products will never have coupons but, to be sure, do a search online to see what you can discover. A coupon database will tell you what is in circulation from newspaper inserts, but also do a general search using the product name to see if there are any Internet coupons. Sometimes online sites like
http://www.coupons.com/
 or
http://www.smartsource.com/
, just to name a couple, have coupons available for download that you won’t find in print.

BSG-I know lots of people and yes sometimes I’m guilty of this one I let coupons expire, any tips for gentle reminders?

MLT-I’ve been known to miss out sometimes, too. Life gets busy and coupons will expire. It’s a fact of life. Fortunately, when one coupon expires, there is often a replacement in the next Sunday’s paper.What I try and do, when I remember, is to sort through my coupon box and pull out coupons that are expiring in the next couple of weeks. I’ll put them in a separate section, or in an envelope, to remind myself to use them.

BSG-How about organizing coupons, anything in particular that works for you?

MLT-Although the binder method is apparently the most popular (you put coupons in baseball card holders within a 3-ring binder), I have found that it’s much easier for me to find specific coupons when they are organized alphabetically. So I use a coupon box with 25 different tabs and put coupons behind the appropriate letter tab based on brand name. So, for example, Cheerios cereal coupons go in the C section, along with Chiquita fruit and Campbell’s soup.

BSG-So how did this book come about and what can we find in it?

MLT-After tracking my savings one year and seeing that I saved more than $2,000 with coupons, and very, very little effort, I became a diehard couponer and coupon advocate. I wanted to share all that I had learned with everyone I knew, I was so excited! I started by writing articles on coupons and saving money for major consumer magazines and then decided I wanted to write a book. Once the TLC show “Extreme Couponing” came out earlier this year, I knew the time was right for a guide to using the techniques the folks on TV were using. So I wrote an ebook and sold it to an ebook publisher, who released it last month. It’s titled “Extreme Couponer: Insider secrets for getting groceries for free,” which is available on Amazon.com, BN.com, Kobobooks.com, Sony.com and Apple.com. I also have a Facebook fan page for “Extreme Couponer,” where I share information about couponing strategies and great deals I come across. Here is a link to the Kindle edition available on Amazon:

, , , , ,

The Blog-Stocking Up for Future Meals

In The Blog on August 22, 2011 at 5:22 pm

My last couple of trips to the supermarket have yielded some bargain buys that I’ve decided to keep for future meals. Last week green peppers, sweet onions and baking potatoes were all on sale so when I got them home, I chopped the green peppers and froze them. The onions; half were chopped and also frozen, the rest sliced and carmelized and stored in the fridge. The baking potatoes turned into twice baked potatoes and ready for a chilly fall day.

And here are some more bargains. These one pound bags of fish were just $4 each. Great eaten as is or for turning into soups and chowders for a cold snowy day.

Yogurt has also been on sale a lot lately and I use it for everything from salad dressings to smoothies. One type I really like is Greek style yogurt and good news is more companies sell it these days. Here’s a link I found just today for a free sample of Dannon’s Oikos Greek Yogurt. If you live in CA, LA or NJ it’s $1 off coupon.  One of my favorite flavors in their key lime.
http://oikosyogurt.com/promotions/

This Week on Budget Smart Girl-another Friday recipe, this time a quick and easy lunch idea or even a light supper. And later this week I’ll be introducing the first of the new contributors to the site. Let me just say this lady knows all about couponing. To kick things off she’ll share some tips and tell us about her new book on the topic.

Have a good week.

, , , ,

Friday Recipe-Apple and Blackberry Crumble

In Budget Smart Cook on August 19, 2011 at 4:13 pm

One dessert I remember from childhood is apple and blackberry crumble made by my maternal grandmother who came from a family of wonderful cooks. I hadn’t made this crumble for many years but got the incentive to do just that when I saw blackberries were on sale. It’s not quite apple season yet but they’re still a bargain. There are many crumble recipes out there, some people use powdered ginger in the topping, my grandmother used chopped ginger in the filling and I’ve kept with that tradition. This is one of the most least expensive yet delicious desserts and it’s perfect right now, or just as wonderful frozen and eaten in the fall. I like to serve it with vanilla ice cream or even custard.

This serves 6-8 people.

3 apples, peeled cored and chopped

1 1/2 cups blackberries

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger…more if you’re a fan

For the topping

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

6 tablespoons of butter

1/2 cup sugar

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a large baking dish with cooking spary. Mix apple and blackberries and ginger together, add the sugar and lemon juice and mix throughly. Put this in the oven while you make the topping.

Sift the flour into a large bowl, add the sugar and then add the butter (cut this is into small cubes first) and work the two mixtures together until they look like fine breadcrumbs.

Remove the apple mixture from the oven and sprinkle the topping over it. Return it to the oven for about 30 minutes, or until the mixture is bubbling and the top is lightly golden.

, , , , , , , ,

Sites to Check Out

In Budget Smart Girl's Guide on August 18, 2011 at 2:50 pm

Some days time slips away from me when I get online checking out sites that I think are worthwhile visiting again or bookmarking. Here are some I found in the last couple of months that I thought I’d share with you-

Storing Food for Future Meals

 

This summer I’ve been buying extra produce and making time to freeze or dry it. Sometimes knowing how to freeze a vegetable is easy, other times I haven’t a clue. I’ve known about this site for awhile but didn’t realize they also offered tips, videos, you name it pn how to preserve food. This link takes you to how to freeze eggplant which is at its cheapest right now.


http://www.pickyourown.org/freezingeggplant.htm

Everything You Wanted to Know About Canning

I have to admit I haven’t found the motivation to do any canning so far this year but I stumbled upon this site when they were offering a free sample for their fruit pectin. Doesn’t look they still have it but check this site out as it’s got everything you need to know about canning and supplies-


http://www.freshpreserving.com/getting-started.aspx

Getting Rid of Clothes

If you have clothes you know longer want and have tried everything from garage sales to consignment stores but still no luck, here’s a site that might be of some use. Here you can swap clothes with other members. I haven’t tried it yet but  if  any of you have given it a test drive I’d love to hear some feedback-


http://www.swapstyle.com/index.php

Easy Grocery Shopping

You know one of my favorite magazines for money saving tips is Woman’s World. I saw this in a recent issue. Right now it looks like the site is being worked on but when it’s up and running it looks like you can make your grocery list and it gives you corresponding coupons.
http://www.feastie.com/

A Year of Slow Cooking

One thing I wouldn’t be without is my slow cooker, well actually I have two of them so imagine my delight when I found this site devoted to meals cooked in yes, you’ve guessed it a slow cooker. There are also some money saving tips too
http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

Natural Home and Garden

Although I don’t have a subscription to Natural Home and Garden I did sign up to receive their e-mail newsletter. I’m always impressed with the links they provide to some great articles that offer easy ways to do things about the kitchen and home. Here’s a link to their food section with everything from growing tomatoes to make homemade jam.
http://www.naturalhomeandgarden.com/eat-healthy.aspx

Where You’d Least Expect To Shop for Food

And finally, I always shop for books on Amazon but just the other day I clicked on a section that said food and discovered that lots of items you find at the grocery store are on Amazon too. A greater find was they have lots of baking items and pantry staples like lentils and beans. Almost like shopping the bulk bins from the comfort of your own home. I haven’t compared prices on all items but it’s definitely worth checking out.


http://www.amazon.com/grocery-breakfast-foods-snacks-organic/b/ref=sa_menu_gro12?ie=UTF8&node=16310101

,

The Blog-Summer is Winding Down

In The Blog on August 15, 2011 at 5:05 pm

I can’t believe we’re half way through August. This summer has flown by and I’m trying to catch up on all the things I’d planned to do outside this year. I also had big plans to dry herbs, can tomatoes, make jam but it’s been too hot so my motivation’s been low.

One thing the hot weather has forced me to do is spend time at the computer to check out more money saving sites and items online. So this week I’ll be sharing some of my findings with you. There will also be another recipe…this time a dessert.

Don’t know how many of you visit the Budget Smart Girl site each week but I changed the design so the last three posts are always visible now. I think I prefer it but I might tweak it some more. I’ll also be gradually adding a constant resource page for you where you’ll find ideas and links to more ways to save money.

Starting next week I’ll be introducing you to the first of the expert contributors who will share their tips and ideas each month.

An article of interest on the Web this week-

With money being tight for lots of people these days getting enough protein is a challenge but I thought this was eye-opening-


http://shine.yahoo.com/event/green/how-much-protein-do-you-really-need-2523319/

Have a good week.

, , ,

Friday Recipe, Tofu, Carrots, Green Beans in Peanut Sauce

In Budget Smart Cook on August 12, 2011 at 1:42 pm

Tofu is an inexpensive but high in protein food which I use in at least one meal a week. This recipe combines it with other low cost foods like green beans…now less than $1 a pound and carrots which were on sale for 50 cents a pound this week. To turn it into a tasty treat I combine it with this peanut sauce. This recipe serves 3-4 and is perfect with rice.

1 package extra firm tofu (I freeze it for a few days, defrost it and then remove all the liquid)

3 sliced carrots

1/2 pound green beans, cut into 1-2 inch pieces

oil for stir frying

For the sauce-

1 cup chopped onions

1 tablespoon oil

1 minced garlic clove

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon miso (optional but if you don’t use it, add a pinch of salt)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Heat the oil in a wok or skillet, add the carrots and green beans and saute for about five minutes.

Chop the tofu into cubes and add to the wok and stir until the tofu is slighly browned and the vegetables are crisp tender.

While that’s cooking-

Heat the oil in a small saucepan and add the onions and cook until soft, add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the peanut butter, water, lemon juice, soy sauce and stir together well. Remove from the heat and if you’re using it, stir in the miso.

Add this sauce to the tofu mixture and make sure everything is coated well.

If you don’t like tofu this also works with chicken too.

, , , , , , ,

Small Ways to Save Money

In Budget Smart Girl's Guide on August 11, 2011 at 4:38 pm

Sometimes it seems like there’s only so many things you can do to save money. I know lots of financial experts say to concentrate on the bigger picture and not worry about the odd dollar here or there but I think it all counts. Here are some things I always rely on when I want to save a few dollars here and there-

Eat What’s In Season

It’s become one of my mantras and that’s try and eat only foods that are in season…or at least on sale. A great example of this is produce. A couple of months ago I had the pleasure of interviewing Pam Powell, aka, Salad Girl for a profile I was writing about her salad dressing business. When it comes to salads, Pam knows everything so I asked her to share a money saving tip with us.

 ’Stone fruit is in season and it should be celebrated even if you are on a budget! Every season there is a treasure that is a worth the splurge. 5 oz. Bulk greens from a co-op or fresh from the garden, use or choose a few of the organic variety of Pluots, Plums, Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots because the skins are so lovely and the colors contrasting with the fresh greens is the ticket. You don’t need more then one ripe but firm piece of each fruit to cut into pretty slices.  I had some local just picked blueberries too and sprinkled a hand full on top and viola. A masterpiece for about a family of 8 or a late summer get together for around $15. Maybe grate some cheese, sprinkle any loose roasted and crumbled nuts-and for the dressing- drizzle with a mixture of  rice vinegar, local honey and mustard, a grind or two of the pepper mill.’

And if like me you love salads year round Pam has just written a book called  Salad Days 
http://www.amazon.com/Salad-Days-Recipes-Delicious-Dressings/dp/0760340439/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1313071055&sr=1-1

Use the Library

One thing my late father taught me at an early age was the library is the best free resource in the community. Back then you could just check out books but these days it’s CDs, DVDs and even passes to musuems and other local attractions.

Swap Don’t Buy

There are lots of things on the to do list and a couple of them will need some tools we don’t own. First thing I’ll do is ask neighbors if they can lend us the particular tool, if they don’t have one, the rental store. I learned this the hard way when we had a garage and basement housing things we’d only needed once.

Shop Less

I did get into the habit of shopping biweekly instead of weekly and then I’m shamed to say slipped back into bad ways. This fall I’m determined and yes, I know I’m going to be too busy to shop every week so it will be back to biweekly shopping and errands for me. The fewer visits you make to a store the less likely you are to spend.

Store Food

Now is a great time to stock up on produce and freeze or can it. Right now my freezer has a good supply of green beans, corn, blueberries, peaches and strawberries. I’m looking forward to eating them on a cold winter’s day not only because of the taste of summer but also knowing I didn’t have to pay extra to enjoy them out of season.

Eat Out of the Pantry

I know lots of people tell me they run out of ideas and sometimes money by the end of the month and have no idea what to make for dinner. A good place to turn is the pantry. You’d be surprised what meals you can come up with. Many of my most creative meals have come from pantry items. One of my favorites is pasta, tossed with canned tomatoes, tuna, olives and some dried basil, parsley and then a good helping of olive oil and vinegar.

The Blog-Back From Break

In The Blog on August 8, 2011 at 5:52 pm

I managed to catch up on lots of things during my two week break. Only thing I didn’t very far with was organizing my office but at least I got started.

During the coming weeks I’ll be working on giving the site a new look so if you visit and things look weird it’s just me experimenting with various formats. I’m hoping to add links to other money saving sites and blogs. Another new feature will be experts blogging at least once a month on various topics. I’ll be introducing them and their areas of expertise to you in a few weeks.

So while I’ve been on break here are some articles I bookmarked-

What to look for at thrift stores-


http://finance.yahoo.com/news/First-Person-Our-5-Favorite-ac-1581336515.html

You know I like store brands-


http://www.progressivegrocer.com/top-stories/headlines/consumer-insights/id33207/big-summer-savings-with-store-brands/

I don’t have to tell you that the cost of eating is getting more expensive-


http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/food/2011-07-23-cnbc-dinner-table-inflation_n.htm

More ways to finds coupons-


http://financiallyfit.yahoo.com/finance/article-113217-10482-3-5-odd-places-to-find-coupons?ywaad=ad0035&nc

Toss it or Fix it-


http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Fix-It-Or-Trash-investopedia-840137755.html

This week on Budget Smart Girl-Small ways to save money and another recipe.

Have a good week.

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 39 other followers