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Revisit your clean/dirty criteria for clothes. Being more conservative about what you wash can save a lot of water in the long run. Hint: sometimes all a garment needs is a spot cleaning with a damp washcloth and a mist of lavender sheet spray or a 5 minute turn in the dryer with a dryer sheet or the steam cycle (if you have it).
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Switch to an earth-friendly brand of laundry soap and bleach. There are so many chemicals in the world, why add more?
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Set up a drying rack in your laundry room or garage for delicates. You can bounce them for five minutes on “air” to take out the stiffness after they’ve dried. Electricity saved is nickels earned!
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When the daffodils pop up in my neighborhood, I often get spring fever for home improvement projects. This year, like many Americans, I don’t have extra cash to pay for large projects around the house and I’ve sworn off using my credit cards for anything but emergencies. That means it’s time to get creative with some small projects that make a big impact. Here are some ideas for four easy projects that can each be done for under $50. Read the rest of this entry »
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My wardrobe has been getting a little dreary since I cut back on my weekly trips to the Mall. I still shop and believe that we all have to spend what we can to bring back the economy, but I had an idea for a way to feel like I was getting something new, without spending a penny. It’s called an Accessory Swap Party.
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4 large baked potatoes
Toppings like: Butter, Shredded Cheese, Sour Cream, Salsa, Chopped Green Onions, or Vegetarian Chili
Wash potatoes and dig out the eyes. Poke each potato with a fork two or three times and wrap in foil. Place in an oven preheated to 400 degrees and bake for at least 1 hour. To test doneness, poke again with a fork and make sure that the potato yields easily to the fork.
To ready the potato for filling, cut a + (cross) on the potato and push on the ends to open it. If needed, reheat the potatoes in the microwave with the toppings inside for 30 seconds.
Good sides or starters: Baby carrots and cucumbers with ranch dip.
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Do you feel like your decorative objects are bogging you down and keeping your home dated and stale? Here are a few ways to make your living spaces look and feel refreshed without spending a dollar. Read the rest of this entry »
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Do you know what a “time sucker” is? We all have them in our lives. For some, television is the biggest culprit. For others, the internet sucks them in. Taking an honest assessment of how much family and home time is used up by these activities is a first step to getting yourself organized and getting control of your schedule.
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Saving money and time in the kitchen is all about having a plan. This two-week meal plan can be customized to your level of cooking expertise. We have recipes for people who “Hate to Cook” and people who “Like to Cook”. The recipes are in two web articles that you can print out. We’ll add new recipes to each cooking level on a weekly basis so that you can keep your meal plan interesting. There is also a printable shopping list for the meal plan so you can zoom through the market in record time.
Grocery List Template (printable)
The recipes in the web articles are for the main dish of the meal only. For each main dish, there are suggested “sides” that will round out the nutritional value of the meal. Once you get into the rhythm of this plan, you’ll find that buying in bulk and buying sale staples in larger quantities will save you even more money.
You’ll notice that our plan on Mondays is called Meatless Mondays. I have been doing this experiment with my family for the past few months and they have come to expect and embrace the idea. I explained to them at the outset that eating meatless, occasionally, is good for the environment and can also save a lot of money, given that meat is usually the most expensive thing on my grocery list (besides wine:). Enjoy our meal plan and be sure to give us feedback!
Week One:
Sunday – Pasta Night
Monday – Meatless Monday
Tuesday – Soup/Stew and Bread Night
Wednesday – Easy Day Suggestions
Thursday – Burger /Panini Night
Friday – Fish or Fowl
Saturday – “Smorgasbord” Night (use your leftovers with supplements)
Week Two:
Sunday – Casserole Night
Monday – Meatless Monday
Tuesday – Soup/Stew and Bread Night (make a different soup than Week One)
Wednesday – Easy Day Suggestions
Thursday – Entrée Salad and Bread
Friday – Carnivore’s Choice
Saturday – Eat out! You deserve it.
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Does being in the kitchen given you a panic attack? Are you tired of cooking shows that teach you recipes only a chef can follow? Do you struggle each night with what to cook for dinner? These recipes are for you. As a mother of two I understand that at dinnertime, most of us just need to get food on the table. Before the downturn, our family frequented Chinese take-out and the salad-and-soup restaurant, but if you are trying to reign in your spending, it doesn’t make sense to live on take-out food.
These recipes assume NO experience with cooking and will bore you to death if you have any interest in exciting recipes. They serve one purpose: to get nutritious food on the table for your family with a small amount of effort. This list has two week’s worth of recipes and we’ll be adding recipes each week to the Hate to Cook recipe list so that you’ll have simple choices within each meal plan category (i.e. Pasta Night). There is also a printable shopping list for the meal plan so you can zoom through the market in record time.
Grocery List Template (printable)
Week One – Sunday – Pasta Night
Spaghetti with Meat Sauce
High Protein Pasta Pesto
Week One – Monday – Meatless Monday
Omelets and Scrambles
Whole-Grain French Toast
Easy Eggplant Parmesan
Trader Joe’s Sumptuous Indian Feast
Week One – Tuesday – Soup/Stew Night
Corn and Potato Chowder
Easy Gazpacho
Italian Meatball Soup
Week One – Wednesday – Easy Day
Easy Day Suggestions
Week One – Thursday – Burger/Panini Night
Turkey Burgers
Whole Wheat Turkey and Cheese Quesadillas
Cheeseburger Pizza
Spicy French Dip Panini
Week One – Friday – Fish or Fowl
Parmesan Chicken Strips
Roast Salmon with Balsamic Broccoli
Glazed Chicken
Baked Chicken Pour Deux
Week One – Saturday
“Smorgasbord” Night
Heat up any leftovers you have and put them out on the counter, smorgasbord style. If you are running low on leftovers, add a cheese and cracker tray, a veggie tray and/or some mini sandwiches to make sure that your hungry group gets fed.
Week One – Shopping List
Week Two – Sunday – Casserole Night
Baked Ziti
Easy No-Crust Shepherd’s Pie
Potato Alfredo
Chicken Stuffing Casserole
Three-Color Sausage and Rice Casserole
Week Two – Monday – Meatless Monday
Baked Potato Bar
Broccoli and Tofu Stir Fry
Week Two – Tuesday – Soup/Stew Night
Darcy’s Chili
Two-lentil Stew
Week Two – Wednesday – Easy Day
Easy Day Suggestions
Week Two – Thursday – Entree Salad
Taco Salad
Chinese Chicken Salad
Week Two – Friday – Carnivore’s Choice
Fish in Foil
Grilled Flank Steak with Honey Soy Marinade
One-dish Herbed Chicken and Potatoes
Korean Bulgogi
Week Two – Saturday
Eat out…you deserve it!
Week Two – Shopping List
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I like to use halibut or other light white fish. Try what’s on sale at the fish counter.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
For each fillet take one piece of foil and spray with cooking spray or 1 tsp. olive oil.
Lay fish on foil. Salt/pepper to taste.
Add 1/4 cup chopped tomatoes (cherry, grape or Roma work great) and 1 tsp. capers (if you like them) on top of fish.
Pour 2 tbsp. white wine on each fillet and a squeeze of fresh lemon.
Close pouch, allowing a tent to form so that the fish can poach.
Bake 20-25 minutes until the fish is white and flakes a little when you touch it with a fork.
Good sides or starters: Baked potatoes and a spinach salad.
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¾ lb. ground turkey or ground beef
½ of a taco packet
½ bag crumbled tortilla chips
1 bag romaine lettuce
¼ cup Italian or ranch dressing.
½ bag shredded cheddar cheese
1-2 bell peppers, diced
1 can black beans, heated
1 jar salsa
Any other toppings you like on your salad (onion, guacamole, sour cream, etc.).
Brown the meat with the taco seasoning. Warm the beans in a small saucepan. Toss the salad with the dressing and place in a bowl.
Place all of the items on the counter and let each person fill their plate salad bar style.
Good starters or sides: This meal stands alone since it has so many ingredients.
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1 lb. lean ground chuck or ground turkey
1 onion, finely chopped
1 can “zesty” tomatoes, chunk
1 can plain chunk tomatoes
1 can chili beans with chipotle peppers
1 tbsp. seasoning salt
1 tbsp. dried cilantro
1 tsp. cumin
½ jar tomato sauce (red pepper flavor is good)
1 or 2 red or yellow peppers, chopped
2-3 cups water
Saute meat and onion until browned. Place with other ingredients into a crock-pot on low. Cook for 7-8 hours, adding water and re-warming at the end if needed. If thickening is needed, add 2 tbsp. corn starch and bring to a low boil on the stove until it thickens.
If you don’t own a crock-pot or can’t prep food in the morning, this chili can be simmered over low heat for 30-45 minutes and then thickened if needed.
Good sides or starters: A box of Jiffy cornbread.
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