Halloween Printables for Free

Who doesn't love free printables?

Savetz Publishing's  http://freeprintable.net  always has tons of printables and in every category imaginable. If you sign up for his newsletter, you will get a monthly notice of updated and special holiday printables.

I just got my newsletter today and the Halloween Letterhead Templates  are great!

At this link you will find Halloween games and pages Halloween Games and Coloring

Enjoy! And Don't forget to check out the first link! Tons of useful stuff there!

What do With- Brainstorming Inexpensive Meals

I was doing some brainstorming one day on the variety of ways I could use certain inexpensive ingredients and here is my list. It is a work in progress but I thought I would share it since it may inspire readers and readers may also inspire me with their ideas!

What to do with Turkey

Turkey tacos

Turkey enchiladas

Turkey pot pie

Turkey sandwich

Turkey chalupas

Barbecue turkey sandwich

Turkey nuggets

Turkey soup

Turkey and noodles

Turkey a la king

Turkey and vegetable croquettes

Turkey nachos

Turkey wraps

What to do with Ham

Ham with eggs

Ham with Lima beans

Ham/potato casserole

Ham/potato hash

Ham/split pea soup

Ham/broccoli pot pie

Ham sandwich

Ham/black bean soup

What to do with Pinto Beans

Burrito

Refried beans

Boracho beans

Bean pie

Bean dip

Bean soup

Pinto bean bread (More With Less cookbook pg 62)

What to do with Oatmeal

Oatmeal pancakes

Oatmeal cookies

Oat muffins

Oat scones

Oat facial mask/scrub

Bread

What to do with Eggs

Omelettes

Egg salad

Fried eggs

Quiche

Egg sandwiches

Hard boiled eggs

Scrambled eggs

Deviled eggs

Poached eggs

Eggs for your hair

 

What to do with Rice

Rice and milk

Rice muffins

Rice pancakes

Fried rice

Beans and rice

Chili (rice and meat)

Chicken and rice soup

Rice and vermicelli

Rice burgers

Rice loaf

 

What to do with Potatoes

Potato soup

Baked potatoes

French fries

Scalloped potatoes with or without ham

Au Gratin Potatoes

 

What to do with Canned Mackerel or Salmon

Croquettes

Mackerel or Salmon loaf

Putting A Plug In The Money Drain

Does it always seem that there is more week than paycheck?

There are so many money drains on the household budget these days that it is hard to keep a vigilant watch over them all. It is difficult for seasoned households and even harder for new families and couples.

With that in mind, here is a list of typical money drains and along with it, a suggestion that you put this list on your fridge, in your car, copy to Evernote, any place you need to keep it as a reminder to yourself of where your money “vaporizes” so that you can avoid so much of it disappearing. At the end of each week, I would also suggest taking the money you know you have saved and either starting or adding to your savings account.


1. Store bought coffee – It is not any harder to make your own coffee in the morning. If you like a certain brand, buy that brand of coffee and save the difference by making it yourself. Carry your coffee to work in a travel mug. Why add to that company’s wealth when you can add to your own? (The same goes for breakfast on the road)


2. Bottled water – I would suggest putting a water filter on your faucet if you are adamant about filtered water and buying a BPA free bottle and carrying your own water.

3. Buying Lunch Everyday- Treating yourself from time to time is not a bad thing but make it once a week or if money is really tight just brown bag it every day. You still have lots to be thankful for that you have a lunch to carry and a job to carry it to!

4. Vending Machine Snacks – Not cheap. If you need snacks, buy it at the grocery store and keep on hand in your desk. It will cost less.

5. Unused memberships and subscriptions – review these from time to time to make sure you are really using these and needing these. If not, eliminate them. This includes online subscriptions.

6. Manicures – They are nice but they are a luxury. Do your own and save money. At least do your own most of the time and save the manicures for special occasions.

7. Eating out rather than cooking supper. We all love to eat out and sometimes after a long day’s work it is hard to imagine cooking a meal but with a little planning and research there are lots of meals that can be made quickly with little effort and/or done in the crockpot and get supper on the table fast! Limit eating out to once a month and when you do eat out; avoid the evening meal which is more expensive. Try eating out on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon instead.

8. Unnecessary trips to the store. Don’t run to the store for every little thing on your list. Learn to make do with what you have and wait till you have several things on your list before going to the store. Also try to group errands so that you get several errands done while you are out. Gas is not cheap and if you run to the store for one or two things every day the gas adds up. It also gives you that many more opportunities to find things to buy that you really don’t need.

9. For the working Moms who pay day care. Day care is not cheap. I am not saying that qualified day care workers don’t earn every penny but at the same time, parents need to take a hard look at cost of gas, day care and other related expenses to make sure that Mom working outside the home is really a cost benefit or a cost drain.

10. Sodas and Cigarettes – Both habits that cost in more than just money. They are bad for your health. You are better off without them. I know it is hard to quit but try cutting down and avoid getting either of these things at the convenience stores. You will pay premium prices there.

I hope this list serves as a spring board of ideas for ways you can save. In the end, it is all about keeping your money for what really matters most to you and only you can decide that. May the Lord Bless You and Your Families!

Frugal or Resourceful?

I have always tried to save money where I can. I guess you could call it a habit instilled in me by my mother and I guess you could even say I enjoy "the thrill of the hunt" when I find a bargain.

Saving money though is becoming more of a necessity not only for me, but for others as well I think, as prices continue to go up right in front of us.

I have read a lot of books and websites on being frugal. People have practiced frugality for years. Our ancestors were the kings and queens of frugality. But as I think of that word frugal, and the more I see the word, the less I really like it. To me it seems to sometimes come with a negative connotation. Not always, but sometimes. Other words like penny pincher, miser, tightwad aren't great words either.

I would like the trend to be that those of us who work hard at saving money would be called "resourceful" or some more positive and more appropriate term. After all, resourceful is what we are, when we are making do and there is little to make do with. Resourceful is what we are when we are improvising, creating, planning and being the kind of survivor and go getter that it takes to make it in a tough economy or other financially tough times regardless of what caused them.

Last week I made a trip to the grocery store to pick up a few things, and it seemed like some prices had taken another jump. Judging by what I saw, I am going to have to start getting considerably more resourceful with my grocery shopping!

Cutting Baby Care Expenses

I ran across this link for cutting baby care expenses and thought I would share this. I have not tried the baby wipe solutions since I no longer have little ones in the house but it sure would be worth a try I think.

Here is the link Baby Care for Less

Frugal Menus and Recipes

We all know that grocery prices are going up. I normally am a pretty frugal shopper but lately have been re-doubling my efforts and looking for ways to combat the ever climbing prices.

I thought I might start sharing some of the menus and recipes I come up with during the week, thinking that for one thing, my kids might read this and benefit from this and others may benefit too.

The following menus are a partial list because quite honestly, I can't remember what we had before Wednesday.

Wednesday Night Supper:
**Potato Cheese Soup
Saltine Crackers

Thursday Night Supper:
**Chili Topped **Cornbread (with shredded cheese and chopped green onion)
Raw broccoli florets and ranch dressing (used the great value brand dressing)

Friday Night Supper:
**Mackerel Croquettes
Macaroni and Cheese (great value brand)
Steamed Zucchini (.78 lb)

THE RECIPES:

**POTATO CHEESE SOUP
In a 4 quart pot melt 4 tablespoons butter and add:
2/3 cup onion, chopped (or teaspoon onion powder)
3 stalks celery, washed and chopped small
After onion and celery has cooked a couple minutes add:
6 Large Potatoes, diced
3 cans chicken broth and 2 cans water
Let potatoes boil till tender
Add:
1 tsp salt
pepper to taste (I use 1 tsp)
Stir in 1 1/2 cups cubed velveeta and stir till melted.
Add 1 cup half and half and remove from heat and serve
Note - It makes a big pot but is really good so they will go through it fast!

**CHILI
saute 1/4 onion and 2 cloves chopped garlic in frying pan sprayed with cooking spray

Add:
3/4 pound ground beef (save a little here by reducing meat by 1/4 pound, In many dishes you will never miss it!)

Add:
1 can 15 ounce Ranch style beans
2 cans 8 ounce tomato sauce
package chili seasoning (store brand)

Heat and stir on low heat 15 minutes


**CORNBREAD
2 cups cornmeal
2 cups flour
4 Tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
3 cups milk
Mix well and pour into 9x12 pan sprayed with cooking spray or coated with oil. Cook at 425*F for 25 minutes.


**MACKEREL CROQUETTES
2 Tablespoons flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 can drained, deboned mackerel or salmon
1 teaspoon cajun seasoning (optional)
2 chopped green onions (optional)

Mix together. Form six patties and fry in VERY small amount of oil. All you need is enough oil to coat bottom of skillet.