Money Saving Tips

I'm a busy gal this week but I wanted to get one post in before the move this weekend. I like having this blog to refer to for recipes and other ideas that my aging brain is sure to forget in the blink of an eye. I have decided to brainstorm some ways to save money on groceries. Here's a list of things you can do to save a little cash. If you're not on a tight budget and money's not foremost in your mind, consider sticking to a budget for a period of time as a way to discipline your spending habits. If you know roughly how much you spend on groceries, consider trimming it slightly and use what you've "saved" to pay for a vacation, a special occasion, or perhaps give the difference to a charitable organization that feeds hungry families. There are plenty of people struggling to put food on the table and donations are needed more now than ever! One charity close to my heart is The Sparrow's Nest. Check it out if you are looking for a worthy cause.

Budget-Trimming Ideas

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  Clip coupons - it's like free money! Many stores double the smaller ones so clip them too. I clip everything and buy it if it's a really good deal. Sometimes, we don't eat the canned foods or boxed items but they end up at a food bank. There's nothing wrong with saving money and donating food at the same time.


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  Use your crock pot and casseroles and prepare other easy "one-dish" meals. They are often lower in cost.


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  Call your mom, grandma, aunts, sisters and friends and beg for their easiest and cheapest recipes. Everyone has at least one thing that is dirt-cheap to make and delicious. Of course, if they give you their recipe for fried spam and grits, you can graciously thank them and toss that one away. However, chances are you will get some great alternatives to your own routine.


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  Shop at the discount stores. I love WalMart. I admit that several of my friends will probably disown me for saying that. It is difficult to love a place where I have actually seen someone shopping while their home-perm-kit did its thing under a little disposable plastic cap. Still, they have great prices and I'm a bottom line kind of gal.


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  Shop at the big box retailers. I have a Sam's Club membership and I will probably get one to Costco when we move. Buying in bulk can save you big bucks over time. We pay $20 for like 1,000 dishwashing tabs. I stick them under the sink and forget about them. I love not having to buy paper towels, toilet paper and pet food every week. Storage can become an issue, but I think finding room is worth it.


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  Partner up. I heard this idea a while back and my mother-in-law have applied it occasionally. Basically, you find someone with similar grocery interests and buy in bulk together. Not sure what you will do with that huge package of organic lettuce? Cut it in half and you get the discount and no spoilage. I really like this concept and I'm thinking about joining Meetup.com to find a shopping partner.


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  Take advantage of good deals when you see them. Ground beef is 25 cents a pound? Get a whole bunch of it, make patties and freeze them. Baxter bought me 12 boxes of herbal tea in the fall and I thought, "what am I going to do with all of this tea?" Well, now I'm down to 4 boxes and I'm freaking out! I need my tea! They were such a great deal and they have lasted a nice long while.

Got any more money saving ideas? Feel free to share! I'll be posting again in April after the big move.

Leftover Ideas

Okay, so it took me a little while to get back to this topic. Things around here have been hectic to say the least. In my last post I mentioned turkey leftovers. November is the usual time you might think to discuss such a thing, but truth be known, we love a good roasted turkey breast most any time of the year. If purchased on sale, they are very economical and lend themselves to an enormous number of leftover dinner ideas.

Every family has a different strategy when dealing with leftovers. I know at least one family that just throws everything away because they "don't do leftovers." Well, that's all fine and good as long as there aren't any starving children in Africa - but that's not the way I was brought up. Wasting good food is just sinful but the trick is to make something as delicious the second time as it was the first. I know some who wrap it all up and stick it in the refrigerator and once a week heat everything up and serve a family-style hodge-podge with them. We tried this once and my children fought over the one thing they both wanted, we picked at the rest, and it all ended up in the trash. If this strategy works for you, by all means continue. If not, here are some practical suggestions:

1. Leftover steak was meant to be eaten the next day with fried eggs for breakfast. Throw some buttered texas toast or homemade hash browns on the plate and your husband will follow you around like a puppy dog for the rest of the day.

2. Always freeze leftover meats like pork, chicken or turkey. If it was a dish served with a sauce or gravy, you can freeze that separately if you want. Leaving it plain lends the meat to more versatility later on.

3. Bread freezes very well! With the exception of foccacia bread and a few others, most breads taste very close to their fresher states once pulled out of the freezer. We learned this when we owned a restaurant that was constantly throwing out old bread. If you know you need to prolong it's life a little longer, place it in a labeled heavy freezer bag and wait until you need it again. It also defrosts very quickly, in about 30 minutes.

4. Save your leftover mashed potatoes!! I know they are terrible re-heated the next day; but add an egg and a little milk, shape into small patties and fry in butter and voila! you have potato pancakes that your children will beg for.

5. Never, never, never serve something the same way twice! Inevitably, the re-heated version will not even come close to the fresh version of the day before. A better solution is to find a way to recreate your leftover items and make something entirely new. You can also incorporate some fresh ingredients into the meal and it becomes a regular meal - not the leftovers your loved ones may secretly dread.

Finally, I want to share a great recipe that I use for leftovers. Every time Baxter makes Boston-Butt, we end up freezing a portion of the pulled pork. I am also in the habit of freezing the dark meat from chickens that I've roasted or poached. Once I have between 4-6 cups of meat, I make Brunswick Stew. The last time I made it was during the snow. Here's my recipe:

Brunswick Stew

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 whole green bell pepper, seeded and chopped

4-6 cups cooked and chopped pulled pork, chicken, turkey, or a combination

3 (14.5oz) cans whole peeled tomatoes with liquid, chopped

1 cup ketchup

1/2 cup hickory flavored BBQ sauce

salt and pepper to taste

hot sauce to taste

2 cans creamed style corn (the best that you can find)

Heat oil in a large pot, add onions, celery and green bell peppers and saute until onions are translucent. Pull off the heat and add meat, tomatoes and liquid, ketchup, and BBQ sauce. Season with salt, pepper and hot sauce. Return to med-low heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. During this process, if your stew is short on liquid, you can dilute with water as needed. Stir in creamed corn and cook an additional 30 minutes or until desired consistency. Taste and adjust your seasonings.

It looks like we're going to have one more chilly weekend and I plan on serving up some brunswick stew. I'd love to hear your leftover ideas and recipes!