Thrifty at Home

Homemade Meatballs

2009-02-20T09:23:00.000-08:00

I really don't measure my own recipe's but I thought I would share I simple recipe that can be frozen for many different dishes! We use it our meatballs in sauce and subs!!!!

Meatballs

2 lbs of beef
1 egg
1/2 to 3/4 cup of season bread crumbs
1/4 to 1/2 Parmesan cheese
garlic
salt and pepper

Mix all together, form meatballs, we prefer small ones so we can use for meatball subs, and bake at 350 until down.

The reason for the estimate of bread crumbs and cheese is that often the meat is not exactly 2lbs or if you use a high fat content of beef you may need more bread crumbs.

If the mixture is too wet, add more breadcrumbs, season as you like, if you want more of an Italian meatball add Italian spices.

Chocolate Mini Cakes

2009-02-11T15:26:00.000-08:00

Try this great recipes as well as other from RealSimple.com

Individual Chocolate Melting Cakes from Real Simple

10 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
5 eggs
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
Caramel sauce
Coffee ice cream

Heat oven to 325º F. Lightly coat a 12-cup muffin tin with vegetable cooking spray.

Melt the chocolate and butter in a large bowl over a saucepan of simmering water. Remove from heat. In another large bowl, beat the eggs and sugar at medium-high speed until light and fluffy. Add the flour, baking powder, salt, and melted chocolate. Mix with a spoon until well blended.
Divide the batter evenly into 8 muffin tins and bake until the cakes have just cooked through, about 15 minutes.

The cakes will still look a bit moist on top. Remove from the oven and let cool 5 minutes. Serve warm with the caramel sauce and ice cream.

Yield: 8 servings

Vegetable Soup with Navy Beans

2009-01-02T11:24:00.000-08:00

This recipe is one that does not measure anything. You add what you want, and spice as you like if your vegetables are bigger or smaller adjust chicken broth. You may add noodles if you wish. I like to use Better than Bullion as I can make stock as I need it.

2 Tablespoons butter
2-3 carrots sliced
2-3 Celery Stalks sliced
1 med Onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of Navy Beans
Parsley
Oregano
Salt and Pepper
About 6 cups of chicken broth

Melt butter in sauce pan, add onions, salt, when they begin to sweat add garlic, wait 30 seconds add carrots and celery till tender. Add beans and tomatoes, and spiced to taste. Cover with chicken broth.

Strawberry Cranberry Syrup/Sauce

2008-11-24T10:08:00.000-08:00

Strawberry Cranberry Syrup/Sauce
by Penny Barry

2 packages frozen strawberries in syrup, thawed
1/2 C sugar
1/2 C water
1 bag fresh cranberries, crushed
peel form one thin-skinned orange, cut into chunks
2 cinnamon sticks

Drain liquid form strawberries, add to saucepan. Add sugar and water and bring to a boil. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil again. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Refrigerate for one day, then remove cinnamon sticks and orange peel. As an alternative, also add some small bits of orange peel to remain. Even though it is called sauce, the natural pectin causes this to set up like cranberry sauce.

Quick Party Cookie

2008-11-21T15:08:00.000-08:00

Peppermint Sugar Cookies

1 pkg refrigerated sugar cookie dough
1 can vanilla frosting
6 Candy Canes

Bake cookies according to directions on package. Cool. Frost. Crush Candy Canes and sprinkle on top.

Budgeting Part 2 – Recording your Income and Expenses

2008-10-23T01:48:00.000-07:00

Now that you have gathered as much of your income and expenses you could find, its time to start your basic budget.

Decide if you are going to keep a paper account or computer account of your income and expenses. I chose to keep track on a computer spreadsheet. Many spreadsheet programs provide templates for budgets. If you do not desire to develop your own, search the Internet, find one you like, and then tailor it to your needs.
Record your income and expenses that you were able to gather from Part 1: Gather and Organize.
Prorate quarterly and yearly expenses. Utility bills can fluctuate from summer to winter. Decide how you are going to manage the fluctuations. I chose to use my highest monthly bill as my base. At the end of the month the surplus is deposited into to savings for an unexpected event or a special treat.
Review your budget - Does your Budget Balance? You should always make more than you spend.

Remember you are still in the beginning stages of managing your budget now you need to see if it works.

Additional Tips:

Record your receipts into categories on your spreadsheet as you go. This helps you determine where you are overspending (if you are) before the end of the month.
If you were not able to determine a base budget for a specific item it is okay to estimate.
During this time don’t change your basic spending habits unless you are spending more than you make.
Try not to make any major purchases, as doing so will give you a less accurate estimate.
Common categories include food, gas, clothing, daycare, and utilities.
Decide whether each expense is a need or a want.

Budgeting Basics: Part 1 - Gather and Organize

2008-10-14T10:03:00.000-07:00

Do you now what your household income is? Do you know much you spend each week? Well, when I was asked these questions I said yes! We paid the bills, saved, and invested.

So we were good, or so I thought.

As I researched budgeting on the Internet, I realized I really didn't know exactly where all our money was going. So I began a detailed budget. I am going to share with you the step-by-step process I went through to put us on a budget and still live well. So get ready and get organized. Gather your pay stubs, bills, expenses, and credit card statements. Do you have monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly income? Do your utility bills fluctuate? What is the average cost and highest monthly payment? Take this time to review your credit card purchases, your interest rate, and your payment amount. We will use this information to start your budget!

So get organized!!!

Banking: FDIC

2008-10-12T13:32:00.000-07:00

Are your bank accounts safe?

Check with myFDICinsurance.gov to see if your bank is insured!

YouData

2008-10-11T12:14:00.000-07:00

Want to earn some Latte money? Having a hard time keeping within your budget?

Try YouData! It’s an easy and fast way to earn some extra cash. All you have to do is log on to YouData, agree to view some ads and they will credit your account. It takes only a few minutes a day!!!

Simply create an account with YouData (found on my Web site), complete the profile and start earning. You will need a PayPal account, cell phone number and an email address. In five days I earned $7.00. Once a week YouData will deposit your earnings into your PayPal account.

How to be Thrifty

2008-10-09T09:53:00.000-07:00

One of the main reasons I started this blog was to share what I have learned over the past 6 months. The most important thing that I learned is that I don't have to give up anything! I still buy coffee and chocolate!

For me, it was baby steps. I started with coupons, and then sales. I watched the prices of the items I frequently purchased and then started buying in bulk when they were on sale. Don't be surprised when you open a closet in my house and you see stacks of oatmeal.

With the economy on the downhill everyone is providing information about becoming thrifty. If you missed the Oprah: The Thriftiest Family in America please check it out. They provide some good common sense information to get you started.

Rite Aid Coupon and Rebate Basics

2008-09-30T19:11:00.000-07:00

Rite Aid accepts manufacturers coupons (MQ), Rite Aid coupons, and some may accept Internet Printable (IP) coupons. My local Rite Aid only accepts Rite Aid Internet coupons so check with your store first.

Rite Aid provides a monthly Rebate Catalog the rebates are called Single Check Rebates (SCR). SCR can be for the partial cost of a product or complete cost of the product. Once you purchase the product you enter your receipt online an account that you create with Rite Aid. At the
end of the rebate period or month you request your rebate check.

A consumer can use a coupon with a SCR allowing you to save even more money or sometimes make money.

Example: Toothpaste Cost
$2.69
-2.69 SCR
-$1.00 MQ
= - $1.00
Overage $1.00 - tax on $2.69 if your state charges tax

Even better, Rite Aid will allow you to use a MQ with a Rite Aid (RA) coupon (cpn):

Example: Toothpaste Cost
$2.69
-2.69 SCR
-1.00 MQ
- 1.00 RA cpn
= - $2.00
Overage $2.00 - tax on $2.69 if your state charges tax

Have questions? Please post them in the comments section.

Acronyms

2008-09-29T09:32:00.000-07:00

Acronyms

BOGO or B1G1F - Buy one get one free
CAT - Catalina coupon dispensed at register after purchase often given from Walgreens or grocery stores
Cpn - coupon
FAR - Free After Rebate
GDA - Good Deal Alert
IVC - Walgreen's Instant Value Coupon found in there monthly EasySaver Catalog
IP - Internet Printable
MIR- Mail in Rebate
MQ - Manufacturer coupon
OOP - Out of Pocket
P&G - Proctor & Gamble Sunday supplement coupons comes out monthly
PEELIE - coupon that you peel off the package
RA - Rite Aid
RP - Red Plum Sunday Supplement Coupons
RR - Register Rewards (Walgreens offers these)
SCR - Rite Aid Single Check Rebate
SS - Smart Source or Sunday Supplement coupons
WAGS - Walgreens
WSL - while supplies last

*updated as needed

Welcome

2008-09-28T16:36:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my new Blog site. I am very excited to share what I have learned over the last few months with you. And I am also anxious to share your ideas with my readers. So please feel free to leave great money saving ideas with your comments.

Terri