Frugal Upstate

Recipe: Overnight French Toast Casserole

2009-06-11T09:09:00.001-04:00

Want a tasty, quick, easy, inexpensive yet company worthy breakfast or brunch dish? Overnight French Toast Casserole fits the bill!

This is so simple to make-and it can feed a crowd. I especially like that it is prepared the night before and then just placed in the oven in the morning-great for when you have overnight company! You also avoid the "I'm standing at the stove making breakfast while everyone else is eating" syndrome.

I've even been known to make this in the camper for a quick and easy morning breakfast (remember, we camp in an RV and have an oven-wouldn't quite work on a campfire!).

Overnight French Toast Casserole

1/2 C Butter

12 slices White Bread

1 C Brown Sugar

1 tsp Cinnamon or Baking Spice

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

5 eggs

1 1/2 c Milk

-Melt margarine & pour in a 9X13 pan (I melt it in a measuring cup in the microwave)

-Mix together brown sugar & cinnamon (or baking spice)

-Wisk eggs, milk & vanilla together

-Layer bottom of pan with half the bread

-Sprinkle half brown sugar mix over the bread

-Layer second half of bread

-Pour egg mixture over all then sprinkle remaining brown sugar

-Cover & refrigerate overnight

-In the morning, cover with tinfoil and bake at 350 for 30 minutes

-Uncover and bake 15 more minutes (should be browned and set

Variations:

Reduce brown sugar to 2/3 C

Use any milk substitute-powdered milk, evaporated skim milk, thinned plain yogurt

Use any type of bread. I've made this with slightly stale hamburger & hotdog rolls.

Cube bread and toss everything together then pour into pan. Not as pretty, but it works.

Sprinkle top or layers with nuts (this of course ups the cost)

Sprinkle powdered sugar over the top.

Best Of-Kitchen Tips to Stay Cool

2009-06-09T10:42:00.002-04:00

Last night's Frugal Coast2Coast show on how to keep cool during the summer heat (don't forget, you can listen to the podcast!) reminded me of this article from last year on how to stay cool in the kitchen. Since I'm on the road driving home today, I thought it would be great to entertain you all with this "Best Of" article :)

*****************************

When we talk about cooking frugally, we are usually discussing the cost of ingredients, but when it comes to cooking in the summer it's all about the heat.

Photo from stockXchange

Cooking, as we all know, creates heat. If you have air conditioning that is heat that your AC has to use additional electricity (and thus incur additional cost) removing from the air. If, like us, you don't have AC, then that is just heat that gets added to the air and makes a warm (or hot) house even hotter (or totally unbearable!).

Anything you can do to minimize the amount of heat that goes into the air as a consequence of your cooking in the summer is a good thing. It reduces your electric bill or makes your home more comfortable

The most classic way to do this is to chose meals that don't require any heat to make. Sandwiches are the staple summer lunch for a reason you know! There are other meals that fit the same criteria-cold cereal and salads immediately come to mind.

Photo from Mourgefile

Another way is to cook outside. The grill can be used not only for hotdogs, hamburgers, chicken and steaks, but also for grilled veggies and even pizza! Many propane grills today even have a single burner added on the side. This can be used to cook anything that you would cook on your range inside

But the grill isn't the only way to cook “outside”. Remember, the main point is not to add heat to your living spaces-that can be done by plugging your crockpot, rice-cooker, toaster oven, or breadmaker in out in the garage, or even with an extension cord run to the back porch or deck. If you do cook using an unattended method outside, make sure that it isn't accessible by animals or children. I have a feeling that having your crockpot roast attacked by the dog or your toddler scalded by the toaster oven would not be a good thing. . . .

Oh, and don't plug the crockpot into the outside electrical outlet that the hot tub is already plugged into. It will trip the breaker and your hot tub will cool down, making it no fun to get into that evening. Ask me how I know this. . ..

The microwave is of course the ultimate in the “cool cooking” inside. There are entire cookbooks all about microwave cooking. Recipezaar, and RecipeGoldmine both have entire sections devoted to microwave recipes.

You can plan your cooking for the hours when the house is coolest, and then just reheat the meal before serving. In my house that would mean cooking after 8pm most nights, or first thing in the morning when we get up (around 630). Personally I prefer the evening-my eyes are actually focusing, and the house has all night to continue to cool down after I've added the cooking heat.

Some final tips for if you have to run the stove and oven in summer's heat

If your stove's fan actually vents to the outside you may as well run it while you are cooking on the stove top. It may not draw off much of the heat, but it will draw off some of the heat.

When you can't avoid running the oven in the middle of the day, try to combine it for as many uses as possible. Can you cook a casserole for tomorrow night at the same time you are baking tonights chicken? Cooking two dishes doesn't use any more heat than one. Does your dish cook for more than 30 minutes? Then you really don't need to preheat the oven-pop the dish in while the oven is cold and fire it up.

And this last one doesn't really keep your house cooler, but does save a tiny bit of money on electricity. Will your oven be on for over 45 minutes? You can turn off the oven for the last 1o minutes or so of cooking-the oven has enough heat built up that it will continue to cook.

I hope these ideas, tips and tricks help you to stay cool in the kitchen this summer!

Some other articles that may be of interest: Summer Schedule and Unusual Uses for Your Grill

Guest Post-Spa Treatments at Home.

2009-06-06T11:57:00.001-04:00

I am in Long Island for my beautiful little neice's Christening .. . Loyal reader and blogger Amiyrah stepped into the gap for me with this guest post on how to have a spa inspired treatment at home without the spa inspired cost! Enjoy-and make sure to check her out at her own blog, 4 Hats & Frugal.

***************************

With the beginning of a new year, everyone has many(or few) goals and resolutions that they intend to keep throughout the next 12 months. Whether it's to lose weight, give to charity, stop smoking, save more money, etc., it's always something to better themselves or their environment.

But, what about your environment at home? Better yet, what about YOU? No one ever says that their resolution is to pamper themselves 50% more than they did the last year. And why not? Mostly, because it costs to pamper. Or so we think.

For one year of my short life, I used to be a spa/pamper junkie. Once a year I'd get the massage, once a month it was the pedicure, and once every 2 weeks it was the eyebrow waxing and manicure. Lots of money wasted....for a very high maintenance mama/wife/model/airman. Once I realized I totally needed to get out of my "princess mentality", I found new ways to pamper myself right at home.

Some of these tips you may know, some you may not, but I believe we all need to feel re-energized, especially when we are walking down our frugal roads. Saving money can be exhausting, sometimes!

1. Become a fan of Olive oil
This is my all-time favorite trick. Ever wonder why Italian women have such beautiful, shiny hair, and lovely olive-toned skin? Well, it's genetics first, but it is most definitely olive oil second. We've all learned how important, health-wise, it is to ingest olive oil, but using it straight on your hair and body is quite effective also.

Something I learned from an Italian model friend: once every 2 months, after you bathe before hitting the sack, rub down your whole body with 1/4 cup of plain old olive oil. This includes your face.

I know, I know, but trust me, it works! Give it a few minutes to soak in, put on some old pajamas and say goodnight. Doing this once every few months will help to keep your skin soft enough to absorb any lotion you use, and you won't have to lotion up so much, especially in the winter. We find ourselves using more and more lotion in the winter, but following this trick will keep your lotion bill down to a minimum. You may even be able to get through the winter using only one bottle!

My favorite trick with olive oil from the past year: putting it straight in my hair. Because I have kinky, fizzy, dry hair, I need to deep condition it pretty much every time I wash it. Olive oil is all natural and does wonders compared to the pricey deep conditioners in stores, that are full of items(like alcohol) that are just not good for any coif.

Another olive oil trick is to rub some right on your cuticles! This is a great trick for all the cooks out there. Every time you roast a chicken, rub some olive oil(or canola or veggie oil) right on your cuticles and hands first. Then proceed to dress your bird. While you are getting your dinner ready for the oven, the oil will be penetrating your skin, making it silky-smooth.

BONUS: using kosher salt on that bird, too? Rub that in the skin to get rid of winter scales on your hands. An inexpensive salt scrub!

2. Take care of your tootsies....with vinegar!
Now, my long-time readers over at 4 Hats and Frugal know how much I love vinegar. It has been a life-saver for this frugal mama. But a recent post on Frugal Dad got me to use it in a new way.

Now, when I soak my feet for my homemade pedicure, I pour 1/2 a cup of white vinegar into the warm water. I was pleasantly surprised at the reaction my tootsies had to it. It was like I had dropped an alka-seltzer tablet into the water. I could feel the tingle all over my feet.

The gross part? That "tingle" was actually the vinegar attacking the dry skin.

The great part? It got rid of all of it. All I had to do was dry my feet with a small towel and all that nasty dry skin came right off. An olive oil rub down and painting of toes put the finishing touches on my at-home pedicure, and I was set for another month.

3. Take a bath...milk or red wine necessary!
I do love a good bath. A nice long one with the door locked and maybe some candles lit. Ahhh...relaxation. Well, if you add in some milk or red wine to the mix, then it's a real party.

No, I don't mean drinking them, I mean putting them in the bath. I am a lover of the milk bath, but if you are a wine drinker, red wine is full of tannins, acidity and grape skins, all of which can do wonders for our skin.Either the wine or the milk will produce silky-soft skin.

Just a half cup of either would be perfect. Follow it up with tip #1, and you are in business, baby!

4. Use those old t-shirts for salon hair
This is a tip I learned from my hair stylist when I complained to him that I just couldn't get my hair to stop frizzing, no matter how many different products I used. He told me it wasn't the products, but the way we women dry our hair after we wash it. Guess what? Those small, little towels they use at the salons are specifically made for hair. So, our bath towels just won't do the trick.

What's the best option for us at home? Our old t-shirts!

T-shirts are made to have a minimum amount of static and are actually pretty good at absorbing liquid. When drying your hair, make sure to pat it dry, instead of rubbing the follicles. The rubbing also contributes to static and frizz (think of when you rub a balloon on your sweater and hang it on a wall). You'll be surprised at the difference this will make.

5. Let your pasta water do double duty...
Don't let all that steam go to waste! While your yummies are boiling, run to the bathroom and wash and moisturize your face. Turn off your pot a few minutes from being done, and place your face indirectly over the pot for those last few minutes of cooking. The rising steam will open those pores and help that moisturizer do it's duty.

Who needs an expensive facial, when you can just do this a few times a week? Can you believe some people pay hundreds of dollars to have this done?

6. Wear gloves(and socks) to bed
This is a tried-but true trick that has been seen in many Womens magazines. I remember one time, my dad came to my room to wish me good night, saw the gloves on my hands and laughed all the way to his room. I didn't care...I wanted soft hands, so I slathered them in vaseline, covered them with my winter gloves, and went to bed.

Nowadays, I don't do the glove trick, but I do take advantage of my many pairs of socks. I rub down my feet with lotion and cover them with fluffy socks before bed. This helps those home pedicures last as long as they can. Plus, a good foot massage before bed ain't bad, either. You'll wake up to soft, silky skin with minimum effort and no money wasted. A win-win situation.

Amiyrah is the founder of 4 Hats and Frugal, a blog chronicling her daily efforts to be a frugal but fabulous wife, mom, student and airman in the US Air Force. Join her everyday for a new entry about frugal living, life lessons and the trials switching from "hat to hat." Be sure to take a peek at the Stockpile Double Agent Series!

Spa Inspired Turkey Pear Sandwich

2009-06-04T11:55:00.004-04:00

For the event I just attended at Oscar Mayer we each had to come up with a sandwich recipe which we then were filmed professionally making :)

I wanted to come up with something a little gourmet, but still inexpensive. So here is my frugal offering:

Spa Inspired Turkey/Pear Sandwich

Canned Pears (lite preferably)
Turkey Luncheon Meat
Swiss Cheese
Lettuce
Bread of choice (a whole wheat is nice)

Slice canned pears thinly.
Layer sandwich ingredients together: Bread, Lettuce, pear, turkey, swiss, bread.
The pear provides a nice moist layer, cuts down the fat content (no Mayo!), increases the fiber and gives a little zip of sweetness.
If you like you can leave off the swiss, but I like the contrast of the strong cheese flavor with the sweet pear.
You can also substitute in Chicken or Ham for the Turkey.

Enjoy!

Beach Bag Giveaway Winners!

2009-06-03T21:47:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to the 3 Huggies/Juicy Juice Dive into Summer Beach Bag winners. They are:

Shawna said...My frugal summer tip is to grab some fun books from the library and sit in the park and enjoy the lovely weather!

Greenjoycie said...Camping is one of the most low cost vacations. Camp sites are soo inexpensive. My kids love hiking around and doing bonfires at night. It gets them away from the electronics too. I would love to win your giveaway. Thank you.

Marie said...The garden hose is a popular summer activity here! Sometimes we add a sprinkler. ;-)

5 Benefits to Packing a Lunch

2009-06-02T08:47:00.005-04:00

I'm in the lovely little city of Madison Wisconsin today to visit the Oscar Mayer HQ and attend and event called "The State of the Sandwich". In honor of the event, I thought I'd remind you all of some of the great, frugal benefits of packing a lunch.

#1-Packing a lunch simply costs less than a restaurant meal. Those savings can add up. Even if you pack lunch just 2 days a week and save $5 each time by doing so, that's $208 saved in a year!

#2-You can use leftovers. That brings the cost of the lunch itself down to practically nothing! It also ensures that those leftovers get used up rather than thrown out. Throwing out food is NOT frugal.

#3-You'll save on gas & transportation. Many of us leave the building and the immediate area to go "out" to lunch. When you pack a lunch, you tend to stay put! That saves on gas money as well as wear & tear on your vehicle.

#4-Lunch from home usually has smaller portion sizes & is made of healthier stuff than a restaurant meal. . . especially if its a fast food restaurant. The healthier you are in the long run, the less money you spend on Dr appointments, co-pays, medicines and such.

So what are your favorite benefits from packing a lunch?

Photo by Keuynish

Being Healthy is Frugal

2009-06-01T07:47:00.006-04:00

Let's face it, the healthier you are, the less money it costs you in the long run. Well, as long as you don't get all wacked out and buy lots of strange things. . .

In my quest to become more healthy and lose about 15lbs, I volunteered to participate in the EA Sp0rts Active 30 Day Challenge. The EA Active Sport is a program for the Wii-sort of like the Wii Fit, but not :) I was sent a review copy of the game by the company, and will be telling you all about the program and how it works in an official review soon. . . if you are the impatient type you can watch a really good video from the EA Sports Active website.

I really want to stick with this and see some results. I have found over time that by blogging about Frugal Living I really have been forced to keep myself honest-you guys have no idea how often choices I make are based on "but I'd have to blog about it if I bought that". . . so to keep myself honest on the exercising front I have challenged my real life friend and social media guru Lucretia (aka Geekmommy) to exercise and get more fit with me. Since I know many of you are not interested in going on this journey with me, we created a totally separate blog to track our progress.

She is Losing It is the place where I will be talking about my daily workouts (or not!), as well as other ways that I am striving to improve my health. I started the ball rolling with some extremely unflattering but honest full length photos, as well as my physical fitness history. . . when I say I'm committed, I mean I'm committed.

Feel free to pop on over and check it out.

The Milton Hershey School

2009-05-30T07:02:00.006-04:00

What comes to mind when I say "Hershey".

For me the first thing to pop in my head has always been the classic brown chocolate bar with it's bold white writing. Visions of girlscout camp S'mores and Halloween's past follow quickly behind that. . .

Since the late 90's Hershey has also made me think of my brother Ted, who attended medical school in the town of Hershey. As a matter of fact, whenever we take a road trip south and drive past the signs for Hershey on I81 I have to call him on the cell phone, just to tell him we are passing it!

But a few weeks ago I went on a trip that changed the meaning of the word "Hershey" for me forever! That name is now inextricably tied in my mind to the Milton Hershey School.

The what?

I know, until I was invited to come and tour the Milton Hershey School, I didn't even know it existed! So how did I get invited? Why did I go? What did I learn?

Loyal readers may remember that when I traveled to the South by Southwest conference in March, Hershey sponsored that trip. I was able to connect with them through the Walmart Elevenmoms program. They were a great sponsor to work with. Not only was their representative Tiffany organized, professional and just plain nice, but they have a product that I truly love (mmmm-chocolate). It was an honor to be one of the folks helping them jump into the social media jungle!

Social media in general is all about building relationships. Relationships between the consumers and brands and relationships with the people behind the brands. I really enjoyed getting to know Tiffany from Hershey through that sponsorship opportunity, and the relationship we forged led to her contacting me when they were coordinating a media visit to the Milton Hershey School.

Why did I go?

Well, I live only 3 hours north of Hershey PA, so the trip was an easy drive for me. There was the lure staying at the gorgeous and historic Hotel Hershey and of a visit to the Hershey Spa* on the second day. I would also get the chance to meet and hang out with fellow blogger Renee Ross of Cutie Booty Cakes. I mean really, how many of you would have refused all that?

What really decided me though was the research I did about the school online. Not only did the school seem like a fascinating place to visit, but the more I learned, the more I felt that the information I learned might somehow lead to one of you being able to help a child that you know.

(You can see a slide presentation/story of my entire trip at the Whrrl Website. Just click on "see the story")

So what exactly is the Hershey school? And why does it exist?

Believe it or not, I have waited to write this post because I was really trying to wrap my head around the best way to describe it. Have you ever seen something that was so fantastic, so wonderful, so interesting and meaningful that you doubted you'd really be able to convey the full experience to someone who hadn't been there?

My trip to the Milton Hershey school was sort of like that.

Stripped down to bare bones-it's a school. A boarding school if you will, for needy kids from pre-K through Highschool. We aren't talking a juvie hall or anything here-kids have to have stayed out of trouble and maintained average grades. This school if for kids in need-both financial and social.

From the website:

In keeping with Milton and Catherine Hershey's Deed of Trust , Milton Hershey School nurtures and educates children in social and financial need to lead fulfilling and productive lives. . . Milton Hershey School is a cost-free, private, coeducational home and school for children from families of low income, limited resources, and social need. The School is funded by a trust established by Milton S. Hershey and his wife Catherine. Milton Hershey School offers a positive, structured home life year-round and an excellent pre-kindergarten through 12th grade education. Our vision focuses on building character and providing children with the skills necessary to be successful in all aspects of life.

The average household income for the children who are accepted into the school is $17,000 for a family of 4. Many of them come from broken homes, or from places where they have no support network. Once accepted the students go to live at the school and everything is taken care of. School. Travel expenses. Medical. Dental. clothes. housing. food. Everything-100% free to the students.

What did I learn from visiting? That it is so much more than that.

There is the school, sure. We toured the Highschool facility and were told about the Jr High and the Primary schools. Top notch facilities, a waiting list of teacher applicants, fantastic programs. Honestly-they have audio video and sports facilities far superior to those in my local school system! There are great vocational type programs, like the culinary arts program that was conceived and implemented by the 5 star chef from the world class Hershey Hotel itself.

That could have been all it was, a place to live and go to school, to give kids a superior education then where they were, and a chance at a better life. But it's more, and I don't know exactly how to explain it to you.

The thing that impressed me the most is that everyone we met seem to care, really care, about the kids. About giving them a better chance, and a better start in life than they might have had otherwise. That caring isn't dependent on being lucky enough to have a few good individuals who go above and beyond-it's actually built into the system.

Let me try to explain. When I heard about the school, and that the kids lived there, I assumed that they were in a dormitory type situation.

I was wrong.

The Milton Hershey School operates on a "Family home" style of boarding. These are houses, which look like your basic suburban tract houses, that have a set of house parents** and up to 10 children of the same gender in the same grade range.

The house parents must be married. They cannot have more than 2 children of their own. Their full time job is to provide love, guidance and support to the children under their care. They check homework. They make sure everyone gets to sports practice. They monitor the mandatory chores and ensure that everyone gets new clothes when they grow, medical and dental when they need it, and a safe, steady, loving environment.

The kids stay in the same home, with the same houseparents, until they "graduate" to the next school (ie from primary school to middle school) and a new home.

2 adults and an entire house for 10 kids not the most cost effective way to manage the some 1800 students that attend the school. But the system isn't created for cost effectiveness but for the best interests of the kids.

There are so many more examples like that-I could write a book all about it, but I'll spare you the excessive details.

I do want to mention that the school is completely funded by the Hershey Trust. They do not ask for any money from parents and they don't do any fund raising. The Hershey Trust (a non profit) actually owns 72% stock in the publicly traded Hershey Company. So when you buy a Hershey product, you are directly contributing to the funding of the school.

Now, due to the way that the original Deed of Trust was written by Milton Hershey the school is not allowed to advertise. You read that right, they aren't allowed to advertise themselves! They currently have about 1800 students, but are undergoing a major expansion and are accepting new applications.

If you know of someone who might benefit from attending the Milton Hershey School, or someone who works with kids who might benefit, then please tell them about it! Guidance counselors, clergy, folks who work in social services. Even a family friend who might be in a very tough spot. The more folks who know about the school, the more kids who can get helped.

The admissions section of the website has extensive information on the critera, selection etc-you can refer folks there. There is also a section of the website for professionals who may wish to refer children to the school. The Milton Hershey School also holds events for social service and educational professionals to learn about the School and the application and enrollment process.

I just want to end by saying a big "Thank You" again to the entire Hershey's team. The trip was truly an enjoyable and educational experience!

*Note: I'll be writing more about the spa experience-and frugal alternatives-soon.
**Note: The school is not trying to supersede the biological parents. Parents and children are encouraged to maintain close contact-the school even covers all travel arrangements for kids to visit home for breaks etc. However if students to not have a safe enviroment to return to they are also welcome to stay at the school.

Photos by Koyochi and The Prodigal Untitled

Recipe: Crustless Quiche

2009-05-28T07:22:00.003-04:00

As summer rolls around my thoughts turn from thick hearty piping hot stews and casseroles to lighter (and cooler) fare. I especially love recipes that I can cook the night before, when the house is at it's coolest, and then simply serve cold or warm up in the microwave.

Quiche is a perfect meal for this. Eggs are an inexpensive form of quality protien, and for a filling you can use up lots of little bits and bobs you have in the fridge! Serve with a nice tossed salad and bread, and you have a lovely meal.

Quiche freezes like a champ, so when you cook consider making 2 and freezing one for later. Then you'll have an easy, avoid the drive through meal in the freezer, potluck take along, weekend brunch or a classy meal to drop off to a friend in need.

The most intimidating part of a quiche for me is always the crust. With this "crust-less" version that worry is gone! (of course you could always make the same and just put it in a crust) Also, by adjusting the amount of cheese and using the fat free evaporated milk (instead of whole milk or cream) you lower the calorie count drastically. You could even use just egg whites* instead for a truly diet conscious meal!

Crust-less Quiche

1/2 to 1 C Cheddar Cheese
4 Large Eggs
1 C Evaporated Skim Milk (NOT condensed!)
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Dry Mustard
1/4 tsp Nutmeg
Pepper
Add Ins (see below recipe)

Grease, oil or spray your pie plate and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place cheese and add-ins into the pie plate.
Wisk eggs, skim milk & seasonings together and pour over add-ins
Bake for 30 min or until top is slightly brown and quiche is set. The very center may still giggle slightly, but not the whole pie.

Add Ins

The important thing to remember with add ins is that additional moisture content effects the way the quiche sets. If you are going to add a frozen vegetable, one that you've precooked in water, or something inherently watery like fresh tomato, drain very well or be relatively sparing. Fresh greens like spinach and chard straight out of the garden can avoid this issue.

You can add in anything that sounds good to you. As a rule of thumb about a cup of chopped meat and/or a cup of chopped vegetables.

Quiche is an especially good way to hide fresh veggies that are starting to go just a little bit past their prime (think broccoli that is going yellow) or those few tablespoons of various veg left over from the week's dinners. Some classic ideas are Spinach & Mushroom (drain very very well if frozen), Crabmeat (canned or fake), Ham & Broccoli, and Bacon or Sausage .

For another type of crustless quiche try this one at Recipezaar: Crustless Quiche. It uses just 1 or 2 eggs and 3/4 c flour to stabilize and "set" the quiche.

Have you made quiche before? What are your favorite add ins?

*Equivalents: 1 whole egg = 2 egg whites (to reduce fat; may make baked goods less tender)
Photo by Laurel Fan

Planting the Planters

2009-05-27T11:11:00.004-04:00

Yes, I spent $140 dollars on flowers this year.

This is one of my indulgences! Obviously if Yankee Bill and I were having trouble making ends meet we would not be spending that money. We are, however, comfortably situated at this point, paying what needs to be paid, saving what needs to be saved. That means that we can indulge. You all know that my philosophy on frugal living is to save money on the things that really don't matter to you so that you'll have money to spend on the things that really DO.

I try very hard not to make judgment calls on what those things that folks do or don't care about are :)

For me, one of those things that DO matter is having lovely flowers around my home. There is just something about driving or walking up to my house and seeing the wide, white wrap around porch lined with cascading flower boxes and framed in by hanging flower planters that makes me happy and proud. It gives me a goofy little grin on the inside and makes me say "wow, that's MY house".

Now I know what some of you are thinking. Why not do the frugal thing and start my own plants from seed? Number one, you'd need to think that far ahead. Number 2 you need some good south facing windows in a relatively warm room to keep the plants in. There are only 3 accessible south facing windows (the other 4 are on 2 different stairwells). one is in the unheated front entry, one is in my husbands study, and the other is in the kids playroom. None are convenient for having a bunch of soil and water etc. Finally (aka number 3) in order to have the plants big enough and mature enough to be blooming when I want to plant them out, I'd have to start them months in advance and nurture them along, transplanting a couple of times etc. I just can't handle it!

So I went out and purchased my 12 6-packs of wave petunias (red & white) and my 3 large buckets with Gerber Daisies and I headed home.

Ok, if you have eagle eyes you'll also see an Early Girl tomato on the right there. The big planter is one I had unsucessful green peppers in last year. . . but a few weeks ago a tossed some lettuce mix seeds in the planter and voila, baby lettuce seedlings

Aren't they cute? They won't be good eating for quite a bit longer, but I can wait. It's about time to start a second batch going in the garden. That's the thing with lettuce, you need to sow it over time. If you do it all at the same time you'll be overwhelmed with lettuce for a week or so and then be lettuce-less. . .

One of the ways I save money on my planters is by using the same window boxes and soil each year-just topping it off a bit if I need to. I do use an all purpose "bloom" fertilizer liberally in the boxes, and every couple of years I dump all the soil out onto a tarp & mix in some compost.

Another way I save is by buying the less expensive plants that are not all filled out yet. I figure with time and care they will get more lush. It would be fabulous for them to start right out at their peak of growth, but they look sweet now and will get there. . . I'm willing to wait in order to have some monetary savings.

Here they are all planted up. I put 3 red & 3 white wave petunias in each. I also planted up 2 hanging baskets with the remaining wave petunias. I'm not getting a lot of contrast between what's in the boxes and whats hanging above them, but that's fine. I might as well use up what I bought first ya-know!

One more note. Over the last couple of years I have invested in those planters with the water reservoir underneath. I don't have a spigot in the front of my house, so I have to fill watering cans & walk around to the front, or attach 2 hoses together and drag it all the way around. . . this led to my not watering as frequently as necessary, which led to dead plants. Killing my plants is NOT a frugal move :) Now with the reservoir ones I only have to water every 2 or 3rd day. * Plus it's a one time purchase that can be used over and over.

Here they all are, planted and placed. I know it's a bit shady in the picture, but can you see how cute it looks, and how fantastic those wave petunias will be as they grow and spill over the front of the planters?

What do you like to do for flowers at your house?

*note: If you live where mosquitoes are a big issue, you may not want standing water in a reservoir.

Giveaway-Dive Into Summer Fun Beach Bag & Goodies

2009-05-27T08:49:00.004-04:00

Summer is upon us, even if the cool and rainy days here in Upstate NY belie it! Sunshine and summer mean one with when you have kids-WATER! Whether it is a tiny inflatable pool, the endless ocean or anything in between, kids & water just go together in the summer like peanutbutter and jelly. Juicy Juice and Huggies recognize that fact and want us all to have a fantastic, but safe & healthy summer water fun with our families.

What are some ways to stay safe with the kiddos (and adults!)? I know these are probably obvious, but let's reiterate :)

#1-Stay hydrated! In the Army they always told us that if you actually FEEL thirsty, you've waited to long! Little bodies need plenty of hydration, especially with all the running around they do. Remember-the best thing to hydrate with is water.

#2-Protect from the sun. I love the feel of sunshine on my skin after a long cold winter stuck inside-but I also know the dangers of too much sun. Keep heads and eyes covered with hats and uv protecting sunglasses (they even sell them at the dollar stores these days) and be liberal with the sunscreen. Remember sunscreen is supposed to be applied about 20 minutes BEFORE you go outside, and then reapplied every two hours, more frequently if you are in the water.

#3-Supervise. When folks are fooling around in the water, they need to be supervised. Swim only in approved areas with lifegaurds, or keep an eagle eye on kids & even adults. Remember, it is possible for a person to drown in just a few inches of water. And NEVER EVER DIVE INTO WATER UNTIL YOU'VE CHECKED THE DEPTH. My dad is an orthopedic surgeon, and you don't want to know how many broken necks, and ruined lives he's seen over the years from folks diving into water that looked deeper than it really was.

Now in honor of all this summer safety and fun, Huggies & Juicy Juice are giving me the opportunity to give away not one, not two, but three fantastic beach bags full of everything you need to have a great day at the beach.

Included are:

A "Dive Into Summer" Beach bag
Huggies Little Swimmers*
8 pk Juicy Juice Juiceboxes
Sippy cup*
2 beach towels
1pr kids sunglasses
1pr swimming goggles
1 sm inflatable beach ball
a mini beach first aid kit
6oz bottle SPF 50 spray on sunscreen

This contest runs from May 27th to June 2nd. Winners will be posted on June 3rd.

To enter just leave a comment with your best idea for frugal summer fun. Want to double your chances? Tweet or post (to facebook or your blog) about the contest and then come back and leave a second idea. All entries must include an email address (or a link to a profile containing a "contact me" page). If I can't contact you, you can't win! 3 winners will be chosen randomly.

*don't let the Little Swimmers & sippy cup throw you. If you don't have a little person in the house who needs them, I bet you know someone who does! If all else fails, donate them to your local women's shelter.

Frugal End of Year Teacher Gifts on Frugal Coast2Coast

2009-05-26T09:51:00.004-04:00

ALERT: Frugal Coast2Coast is TONIGHT

My fantastic co-host Lynnae and I decided that the evening of Memorial Day was probably NOT the most fantastic time for a show, so entirely without warning we rescheduled it for tonight, Tuesday, May 26th.

So please tune in tonight at the regularly scheduled time of 8:30pm EST. We will be discussing end of year gifts. Next week we will be at our regularly scheduled day (Monday).

Teachers are wonderful people. I think that the ladies and gentlemen we have in my local school system are phenomenal teachers. I also think that teaching is an incredibly important avocation-teachers quite literally are responsible for molding and shaping the future of this country by educating our children. I think it is a shame that their salaries do not reflect the importance of what they do.

I appreciate teachers, I really really do. All that being said, I think that end of year gifts for teachers and other folks in the school system have gotten completely out of control.

You know, each of my kids have a teacher and 2 aides in their classrooms. Well, ok, not all at the same time, but there are 3 teachers that interact with them daily. Then there are 2 Gym teachers, the Art teacher, the Music teacher and of course the bus driver. If each child gave each one of these folks who touch their lives every day a gift, that would be 16 gifts.

It wouldn't take any effort at all to buy a small token gift and a card that added up to $10. . . if you did that for each person it would bring the grand total for end of year gifts to $160.

That's a fairly drastic example, but even if I doubled up and gave a "from the family" gift to the ones they share (gym, art, music & bus) and dropped the price per gift/card to $5 that would still be 11 gifts and $55.

So what to do? Can you opt out completely? Do certain teachers "deserve" a gift more than others? Will how you treat these folks reflect on your kids next year?

Tonight we will be discussing all these things and more on the show (don't worry if you read this later in the week-you can listen to it on demand). Here is a quick preview of my feelings.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but those words are worth a lot too (and they cost you nothing but time)! I think that a real, heartfelt note is worth a lot to an overworked, underpaid, unappreciated teacher. Not just a platitude filled "thanks for all you do" but a true note, with details. I know in particular that Buddy's kindergarten teacher has been working hard both with him and with me to help him in school. He is extremely intelligent but has a hard time keeping still-she has gone above and beyond to understand him and to try to keep him engaged this year. I think a letter telling her I recognize that fact and appreciate it would really be much more worthwhile than a coffee mug!

Home baked goodies are always appreciated-and can be frugal as well. Most teachers are busy folks-who knows how many of them actually have time to bake themselves anything. Food doesn't clutter up their homes, and can be shared with their family. As a bonus, you can usually make a big batch and then split it up into smaller portions to give to all of those 16 special folks-lots of gifts in one fell swoop. That's being thrifty with your time as well as your money.

So what are your feelings about end of year gifts? Do you have any great inexpensive ideas you use?

Menu Plan 5/26

2009-05-26T08:01:00.002-04:00

After last week's Monday morning freezer debacle, I gave up on the menu plan and just tried to use up as much defrosted food as possible :) This week the freezer door is securely closed and I am back on track!

Tuesday: Crockpot "Roasted" Chicken w/Gravy, Rice & Frozen Veggies

I had a whole chicken in the freezer. It had just started to thaw when the "incident" happened, so I let it finish thawing in the fridge last week. Since I've got a Dr's appt this afternoon, I figured rather than using the oven, I'd toss it in the crockpot this morning. I've read that if you make balls of foil to rest the chicken on-thereby keeping it out of it's own juices, it comes out like an oven baked bird. I however am feeling lazy, so I just threw it in there. If it comes out a bit more like it's stewed rather than roasted I don't really mind. The drippings will still make fantastic gravy. If I get the rice cooker all set up before I head out for my appointment, all I'll have to do when I get home is flip the switch and wait for it to finish :)

Wednesday: Lasagna & Salad

One of the things that defrosted was a roll of sweet italian sausage. I also noticed I have 2/3 of a container of cottage cheese that has to be used up. That spells Lasagna to me. Yes-if you are a purist, I realize that Ricotta cheese is better, but hey, cottage is what I've got on hand.

Thursday: Jambalaya

One of the things I noticed in my freezer was a bag of Okra. It was still completely frozen, which is good, but it's been there for a while. A really long while. As in I can't remember when or why I bought the stuff! The only dish that comes to mind for me when i think of Okra is Jambalaya. I plan on adapting a recipe for Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya with Okra that I found on Recipezaar.com. I'll have to step down the spicyness for the kids-but that's ok, because Yankee Bill and I can add Tabasco at the table. I'll use up the leftover rice, the leftover chicken and add in some of that spicy venison sausage that we have waaaay to much of.*

Friday: Pizza

We actually haven't had pizza day for a couple of weeks because of various scheduling issues. So this should be appreciated.

Saturday: Hotdogs, Potato salad, green salad & Chips

It's BBQ time, so I might as well enjoy it.

Sunday: Leftovers

I may rework the leftovers into something cool. . . or we could just have the "little bit of this, little bit of that" type of meal. But we need to just use up what we've got!

*Yankee Bill ordered half sausage and half ground meat from the guy who butchered our deer. .. and he gave us ALL spicy sausage, which the kids have found to be too hot. Next year-sweet sausage only thank you!

Free Ice Cream-Next Saturday

2009-05-22T11:14:00.003-04:00

***Note: This is a change from the post I had up for about 30 minutes. . . Turns out my info was old and the date had been pushed back by a week***

Now who doesn't love ice cream? And the only thing better than ice cream is FREE ice cream. This year Walmart will be sampling FULL servings of Frozen Novelties in 2000 Supercenters on Saturday 5/30 from 11 to 4pm. That's tomorrow folks!

Samples will include: NEW Ben & Jerry's Flipped Out Cup, NEW Blue Bunny Aspen Frozen Yogurt Granola Bars, and Dibs Nestle Crunch Snack bag.

Head on over to check and see if your local Walmart is participating. Lucky for me, mine are. Guess where the kiddos and I are headed next week :)

Happy Anniversary Bill

2009-05-22T08:41:00.003-04:00

Ten years ago today I married my husband, lovingly referred to here on Frugal Upstate as Yankee Bill.*

Since then there have been 4 states, 5 houses (and 5 moves), 2 children, 1 dog, 2 cats, a guinea pig, 7 cars, 2 campers, 3 motorcycles and at least 20 lbs.

Like all married couples, there have been good times and bad times. Well, Yankee Bill doesn't like the phrase bad times, he prefers "not as good times" :) There are the inevitable arguments, stress and bouts of the blues that can occasionally make any marriage a challenge. We all have those moments, and if you go into any relationship convinced that you won't-you are in for a nasty surprise that will seem all the more negative and insurmountable when it happens.

Despite what Cinderella, the movies and romance novels would have us believe-the weddingisn't the end of the story, but rather the beginning. Being married is work. It can be hard work-but isn't everything worthwhile in life? Who really appreciates something that comes too easily anyway? To make a good life together we all have to bend a little bit and compromise occasionally.

That is the key word. Together. Because I feel that in being married I become so much more than just being me alone. That's not to say that I'm not strong and independant on my own-anyone who knows me in real life will verify that! But when you are together there is love, caring, support, laughter, friendship and comfort beyond that which you have on your own. Maybe you don't feel all those things every single moment of every single day, but most of them, most of the time.

Even more than that, I have found that marriage, a good marriage, makes you grow as a person. That is something I really didn't expect 10 years ago. You can't live with someone without being exposed to new things and new ideas, learning to compromise, learning to change. It is a beautiful thing when you get to learn and grow together!

So thank you Yankee Bill for being my lover, my love and my friend. For being my biggest supporter and cheerleader when I needed one. For believing in me. I love you.

*Note: This post has nothing to do with frugality. Blogger's perogative, deal with it!

Recipe: Oatmeal Fruit Bars

2009-05-21T09:29:00.002-04:00

When my freezer defrosted this week, I created a compote with several kinds of semi defrosted fruit as a kind of "quick save". Although I've been eating a lot of it just mixed in to my morning yogurt, some of it went into these yummy Oatmeal Fruit Bars.

With only 5 ingredients (sans the fruit filling), all of which are pantry staples, these bars are quick and frugal!

Oatmeal Fruit Bars

1C Flour
1C Oats (original recipe stated quick cook, but I use reg & it's fine)
2/3C Brown Sugar
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
1/2C Butter
Fruit filling

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Cut in butter. I have never like that whole "use two knives to cut in" thing, so I just get in there with my hands and keep mushing & mixing until it is combined
Reserve out 1/2C of mixture. Press the rest firmly into an 8X8 pan.
Layer on fruit filling & sprinkle reserved oat mixture on top.
Bake at 350 for 35 minutes.
Let cool & cut into bars.

Fruit Filling:

You have several options here. You can use a 10oz jar of preserves (homemade or store bought) or you can cook up some. If you are a confident cook, just cook some fruit, water & sugar to the consistency of pie filling. If you need a recipe, try one of these below:

Raisin Filling: Cook till thick and bubbly 1C raisins with 1/2C water, 2TBS sugar and 2TBS Cornstarch (remember to dissolve cornstarch in a bit of the cold water first)

Apple Filling: Cook 2 apples (peeled & chopped) with 2TBS Sugar, 2TBS water, a dash of lemon juice and any spices (1/2 tsp cinnamon is good). Boil, then reduce heat and simmer till thick, approx 8 min.

Enjoy

Best of: Creating a Price Book

2009-05-20T07:54:00.005-04:00

Since I was quoted recently on Bankrate.com and Fox Business News about how to keep a price book, I thought this would be a good time to revisit my article on creating one!

Enjoy!

*****************************************

We all know that eating at home can save you money! Even if you buy expensive ingredients and cook gourmet meals, in most cases you will save money over eating the exact same meal at a restaurant. But what frugalite worth their salt would want to purchase expensive ingredients (save for a very special occasion)? Keeping our grocery bill down is the name of the game.

There are really 3 ways you can save money on your grocery bill #1-saving money buying the same things, #2-saving money by buying something different and #3-not buying it at all.* This week we are looking at #1.

So here we go, heading out to the grocery store for a week's worth (or more!) of shopping. We get in and we are instantly bombarded by colors, shapes, advertising, specials. . . all cleverly created by people who make their money figuring out how to separate you from yours! 10 for 10! By one get one free! Different prices on different brands and different sizes. It is all quite confusing. How do you make it all make sense?

Enter the all important Price Book! I've written about this before, back in March of 06 to be exact. But it is important enough to rehash-especially since prices on groceries have been increasing and are likely to continue to increase dramatically this summer. Knowing what is really a good price on each item, and saving as much money as possible will be even more critical.

A price book is simply a list-a list of items that you normally buy, and what their lowest prices are at the stores you typically shop at. With this list, when you happen upon a possible "deal", you will be able to quickly and simply tell if it will actually save you money.

But there is a tiny bit more too it than that. Since items come in different size cans/bags etc, it is difficult to compare. To truly get to the bottom of an item's cost, you need to know the unit price.

Warning-math involved!

Picture by me-I don't actually buy these, it wouldn't be frugal! I buy the
24 oz can of peaches and divide it up into reuseable plastic containers.

Here we have a picture of a typical store shelf. You can see that the price of the item is listed in yellow-$1.48. Then there is a little orange box on the right-this is the unit price. In this particular case it is $1.48 a lb. So the unit price is $1.48 a lb.

While that is true, it is also unhelpful, unless you happen to run into another can/box/bag that is also in lbs. And in the case of peaches, most cans are measured in oz. The best thing to do is to break this unit price down to the smallest unit size possible-an oz.

This is where the math comes in. There are 16 oz in a lb, so you divide $1.48 by 16 to get a unit price of $.0925 per oz. I usually round up to 3 decimal places-so I would consider it $.093.

Can you see how doing this math each and every time you go shopping would be tedious? Not many of us would keep it up. Hence the price book!

Each person has to find the format that is comfortable and works for them. Some folks use a spreadsheet in excel and then print it out, others keep a notebook of some sort, or even index cards (which is my current choice). But the information contained on each one is the same: Name of item (specific) across the top, columns for store, brand, size, price, unit price. (Don't worry, there are pictures further on) Why the size, price AND unit price? Well because typically I jot down the brand, size and price in the store, and do the math for the unit price at home.

To keep it simple, use abreviations for the stores. In my area I use the ones below. I also like to distinguish between a price that is the sale price and the everyday price. Personally I highlight any sale prices by putting a start next to it.

I can see you out there, shaking your head and thinking of all the work involved in compiling all this information for all those stores! Well-it doesn't have to be that hard. Right now you probably don't even have a price book, and are just doing your shopping willy nilly. So anything you do for the book, even in stages, is an improvement for you. Let's do this in pieces and not kill ourselves with the process.

I like to start with the stores that I know are almost always cheaper-in my case Aldi's and Save a Lot. Non sale price to non sale price these guys usually win hands down. So I record all the prices for my most commonly purchased items at those stores first. You can either do this by wandering around the store looking like some sort of espionage agent scribbling things furiously in a notebook, or you can do it the easy way and just go shopping and save your receipts.

As you can see, a can of corn at Aldi's is $.39. The receipt doesn't have a unit size, so I go to the cupboard and pull out a can and see that it is 15.25 oz. Doing the math ($.39 divided by 15.25) you find that the Aldi's brand of corn is $.026 an oz. I do this for each item on the receipt. Each shopping trip I can do a quick check to see if I have bought any new items to add to my list.

Next I keep an eye on my sales fliers for the next few weeks. I see that corn goes on sale at both the Price Chopper and the Great American for the same price. 5 cans for $3. Doing the math that comes to $.60 a can or $.039 and oz.

With that information I can fill out my price book page. These two prices are the sale prices so I put a star next to them.

But I'll let you in on another little secret. Even that is too much work for me. I've gotten to the point where I only record the price if it is LESS than what I pay for it full price at Aldi's/Save a Lot. After all, if it is more expensive, who cares? I don't plan on buying it there!

I simply scan the sales fliers, do the math if necessary (in this case, they were all 15.25 oz cans, so as long as the per can price was over $.39, then I didn't worry about even figuring out the per oz price) and then only write it in if it is less. So my price book page actually looks like this:

Now you may find it necessary to go into a store to research a few specific items-or to check out a store that doesn't send out fliers. Once you've built the bones of your price book, this is just a stroll down aisles marking down the brand, size, etc. Sometimes the store actually has the unit price already listed in oz or whatnot on the shelf. In those cases I mark down the size of the can, skip listing the price and just copy the unit price from the sticker.

And there you go, a price book! Once you have one, you won't have to wonder if that 60 can of corn you found at the discount grocers is really a bargain or not!**

So what about sales and coupons? Well, I would only consider using either if the unit price winds up cheaper than the lowest price in your price book. Otherwise you aren't really saving any money!

For more on Starting Frugality, read about discerning between wants and needs, and eating at home/eating out less!

*Note: We sort of covered #3-not buying it, when we discussed discerning between wants and needs back in the initial article in the Starting Frugality series.

**Another Note: Please be cautious with huge sizes. If you can't use up all of it or store it correctly you may wind up throwing it out. That is not frugal at all! A smaller, but more usable size may actually wind up cheaper for you in those cases.

Menu Plan Derailed

2009-05-19T12:04:00.006-04:00

Yesterday I got the kids on the bus and sat down at the laptop to work up the weeks menu plan to post.

Yes, I had the best intentions in the world. I want to use up some more of the venison, so I headed down to the freezer to pull some out to defrost before I finished up the menu.

So I flick on the light, troop down the stairs, and pull on the freezer door. But something isn't right. . . it just swings open without any resistance.

Because it wasn't closed.

It swings open and it is like looking into a snowbank. Solid white. Full of frost.

I frantically think back-when was the last time I was in the freezer? It was at least before Yankee Bill had headed to Myrtle Beach. . . and that was 9 days ago.

Crud. The freezer has been open for over a week-and I've got 100 s of dollars of meat in there.

I swung into action. First order of business, round up all the coolers and get ready to transfer. About 90% of the freezer contents were still frozen solid, buried in frost. Those went into the 2 hardsideded coolers. The items that were defrosted (but still luckily at a refrigerator type temp) went into the disposable white styrofoam cooler.

Note the meat tenderizer and bamboo rice paddle-I used them as a hammer and chisel to get the worst of the snow out of the freezer.

Once I had chipped away as much of the frost as I could I set a space heater on a tv tray table and aimed it straight at the open and unplugged freezer.

While that melted and dripped, I transferred the semi defrosted stuff that was still mostly frozen into the fridge to be used this week.

There were some items that were fully defrosted that needed to be dried off-packaged cheese, hotdogs and the like. I set them on the counter on a towel.

Then there was the stuff that needed to be cooked. Here you can see the stove in full fledged post freezer tragedy.

Inside the oven were chicken thighs and breasts baking away.

There were several quart freezer bags full of tomatoes I had seasoned & roasted at the end of the summer. As you can see, many of them were the yellow tomatoes. I threw those all into a crockpot on high to cook down for sauce.

There was also a package of sausage that was partially defrosted, so I put them all in my cast iron skillet on a low temp (so they wouldn't burn before the insides were defrosted & cooked) and then covered them. When the sausage was done, I cut them up into small pieces and tossed them in with the tomatoes.

There were 3 bags of cranberry orange relish left over from Thanksgiving that were defrosted, as well as a jug of wild blueberries. . . about 2 cups worth. I decided to cook those all down together along with a couple of jars of the rhubarb ginger jam that I had made last year (that came out wayyyyy too gingery) for a sort of fruit compote.

I made some oatmeal fruit bars with a portion of the compote. They came out well-I'll probably make more for coffee hour on Sunday. . . since I'm the hostess for that this week.

Luckily I was able to save almost everything! There was some ice cream that was a goner, as well as a couple of odds and ends.

That was NOT how I had planned on spending my day.

Frugal Coast2Coast Tonight: Frugal Backyard BBQ's

2009-05-19T09:05:00.004-04:00

If you missed last night's show on Frugal Backyard BBQ's, never fear! It is available now for your listening pleasure.

My Trip to Hershey

2009-05-19T08:57:00.002-04:00

Last week I had the opportunity to go to Hershey Pennsylvania to visit the Milton Hershey School as well as the Hershey Hotel & Spa. I used a really neat application called Whrrl to document the visit in a "story". You can head on over and look at the story of my visit to the Milton Hershey School to see-it is basically a slide show of picture and comments.

I will be writing more about the school, because it is a fantastic charitable organization! I think that many of you out there will know some folks who might benefit from the school. But that will be in a few days!

Mascara Winners are. . .

2009-05-18T08:18:00.004-04:00

Theladya and CKSKnitter! Congratulations to you both ladies. Emails have been sent to you both.

Quick Tip: Cleaning Sneakers

2009-05-16T10:17:00.003-04:00

I looked down at my sneakers yesterday and realized they were looking pretty darn grubby!

I feel that good shoes are very important so it is one of the areas that I willingly spend more money on. I really find my New Balance 844's (now they are making the 845's-whatever) to be the most comfortable, supportive walking sneakers. They have a good sturdy heel cup and the orthotics for my fallen arches fit easily inside. But at almost $100 a pop, I want to make them last. Throwing out grubby sneakers and buying a new pair is not an option, I've got to clean them.

I've found two great frugal options for cleaning sneakers without buying those bottles of "sneaker cleaner".

#1-Magic Erasers. These things work like a charm on white sneakers! They also work like a charm on a lot of other things so I always have one in the house. I buy the cheaper off brand ones.

#2-Shaving Cream. It's true-old fashioned white foamy shaving cream can clean your sneakers! Buy a cheapo can of Barbasol at your local dollar store and use it with a scrub brush on your sneakers, then wipe off. Viola!

Have fun, and have clean sneakers.

Photo by Arlette

Giveaway: Maybelline Define-A-Lash Pulse Perfection

2009-05-16T09:29:00.006-04:00

Lately people keep offering to send me stuff.

For years, no-one offered me anything. I guess when you run a blog dedicated to telling folks not to buy things, it doesn't make you really appealing to the marketing/PR crowd. But now that I've been "found" I've got offers coming out my ears. At first I wasn't sure what to do. Obviously I don't encourage rampant consumerism. But the more I thought about it, the more I felt that offering you all the chance to have something for nothing was a *good* thing.

It's kind of nice, kind of fun when I get to give something away to you all-maybe something that you wouldn't have spent the money to buy yourself. Today is one of those little things. Maybelline offered all the Walmart Elevenmoms the opportunity to try their brand new "geeky" mascara, Define-A-Lash Pulse Perfection. I also have 2 more to give away.

I know it sounds weird to say that a mascara is "geeky"-but I swear, this one is! It's got a motor in it! No, really, it's a vibrating mascara. That's the "Pulse Perfection" part. You press the little button and it vibrates. I wasn't sure what the draw of the vibration was-but a friend who is much more into makeup than I* told me that many women do a little "wiggle" when they apply their mascara. The vibration is to replicate that. Apparently this is the latest and greatest in mascara technology (yeah-I do have to giggle typing that!). Lancome, Estee Lauder and Perscriptives have all created vibrating mascaras in the last year or so.

Maybelline's Define-A-Lash Pulse Perfection mascara runs about $12, and will be available only at Walmart. This is a "win it before you can buy it" opportunity-it won't hit the shelves until the 18th.

As far as frugality goes, I buy mascara so infrequently that I can't even remember how much I paid for my last tube. I think it was "Jane" mascara-they are a value brand but unfortunately are going out of business :( According to a fashion article I read at FabSugarUK Maybelline's vibrating mascara is 1/3 the price of the other available brands, so you can look at that as a good value.

Before posting this giveaway I wanted to do a full trial of the mascara and give you my opinion, so I've been wearing it for about a week and a half now. It definitely is a dramatic mascara-it may be too dark and thick for you if you like a very light, natural look.

Personally I find that a very light, quick application works best-the vibration is so good at applying the makeup that you can get an unpleasant caked look if you do a very slow sweep. I also preferred to press the vibrating button after I had touched the brush to my lashes-otherwise it tickled too much! Then again, I'm pretty ticklish, so that may not be an issue for everyone.

This mascara is not waterproof. I prefer waterproof mascara because I have a very bad habit of not removing my makeup for bed (I know, I know. Bad, bad Jenn). Waterproof mascara tends to hold up to that abuse a tad bit better, but since this is not I woke up with flakes and smudges every morning. Of course if I had actually removed it like a good girl that would not have been an issue.

Now that you have my opinion, on to the giveaway!

This is a sort one folks, just Saturday and Sunday with the winner being announced on Monday! So hurry up and get your entry in.

I'm keeping this quick and simple. Three ways to enter-your email address must be included in each one.

#1-Leave a comment with your best frugal beauty tip.
#2-Tweet about the contest, come back and leave a comment letting me know.
#3-Post on Facebook about the contest, come back and leave a comment letting me know.

Contest closes at midnight on May 17th. Good luck!

*Heather from The Domestic Diva. Now don't get me wrong, I like and wear makeup! I just tend to find something that works for me and stick with it rather than trying the latest and greatest.

Achooo!

2009-05-15T08:36:00.002-04:00

I have a cold. A bad head cold. The kind where your sinuses fill up and your brain feels like it's stuffed with cotton and you have a hard time stringing your thoughts together.

I meant to write a great article today.

Really.

I have so many things I want to talk about. My trip to the Milton Hershey School this week-and the fantastic opportunities they offer for underprivileged kids. My plans to revamp the blog. A follow up on my Stouffers trip w/cool recipes. My Hershey Spa experience and some frugal ways to replicate some spa treats. A garden post about planting my peas and buying my petunias. A couple more giveaways (Rubbermaid containers, Maybelline mascara, and a whole beach bag full of cool stuff). Summer BBQ Tips & Tricks.

Yeah-None of that is happening today.

I'm going to sit on the sofa, maybe use twitter and facebook a bit, and vegetate. Hopefully a nap is in the offing before the kiddos get home from school.

But I am going to ask for your help. Monday's show for Frugal Coast2Coast is going to be in honor of Memorial Day, which is the kickoff of backyard BBQ & Cookout season here in the North. I'd love any great tips or links you all might have for anything Frugal BBQ or Cookout related. Recipes. Games. Organization. Decorating. Themes. Whatever you've got.

Thanks in advance-I love you guys and know you'll help me out.

Photo by Armand Agasi

Spaghetti Pie

2009-05-14T07:43:00.000-04:00

Here is a great frugal recipe to rework leftover noodles into a different dish.

Spaghetti Pie

2C Pasta (leftover)
1 Egg, beaten
1/4C breadcrumbs (homemade is the most frugal)
1 small container Ricotta Cheese (or the more frugal Cottage Cheese)
1 Jar Spaghetti Sauce

Mix together egg, noodles and breadcrumbs.
Press spaghetti mixture into an oiled pie plate & bake at 350 for 10 minutes.
Remove from oven, layer ricotta cheese & spaghetti sauce on top of "crust" and return to the oven for another 25 minutes.
Serve in slices.

Variations:
Sprinkle shredded Mozzarella cheese on top.
Add Italian seasonings into the spaghetti mixture.
Add a sprinkling of sauteed vegetables or meat (leftover bits & pieces work well for this).

Photo by Dalboz17