Over the past year or so, I have started to dip my toes into the pool of bulk shopping. (Pretty sweet analogy, no?) I've set out on a mission to compare prices between Costco, the Bulk Barn and grocery stores to figure out where I can get the most bang for my buck. Yes, I am that girl, who shows up at the Bulk Barn with a pad of paper, calculator and pen and begins writing down the cost/kilo of every single item in the store and then wanders across the street to the grocery store to start comparing. I'm not ashamed. What I've figured out is this - it doesn't always pay to buy in bulk. Sometimes they want to trick you. I've started to compile a list of things that I use that are and are not worth purchasing in bulk.
I have also learned a few tricks about buying in bulk. My first trick is that I do not pay for a Costco membership. I just mooch off my mom, sister, cousin, friends, whoever I can possibly find that will take me to Costco. This way, I have better control over how often I go and everyone else has to pay for the membership will I can simply enjoy the rewards (read: free samples). Costco friends, please don't stop taking me!
Second, I discovered that the Bulk Barn offers a 10% discount to students and seniors on Wednesday. Apparently I fit into one of those categories. 10% isn't a huge amount, but it's still something. I have a "Bulk Barn" list on my fridge where I write down things I need from there. Once I get a good number of items on the list, I plan a Wednesday trip to the barn and load up.
So, here's the list I have compiled so far. Some I have very specific pricing details, some I don't.
Good Bulk Buys
Chocolate chips - $2-3 (depending on the brand) for a 300g bag at the grocery store vs 6.99 for a 1Kg bag at Walmart vs 10.99 for a 2kg bag of Chipits at Costco
Yeast - 4.99 for 113 g at the grocery store vs 4.00 for ~250 g at Bulk Barn
Flax Seeds, Sesame Seeds, Pumpkin Seeds, Poppy Seeds - I buy a lot of this stuff for baking bread and I don't have exact cost comparisons, but it's definitely cheaper at BB with my 10% discount.
Spices - once I have a container for each of my main spices, I buy my refills at Bulk Barn. It's dirt cheap. For example, I bought enough cinnamon to refill my container for 32 cents.
Dog food - 28.99 for a 15 kg bag at the grocery store vs 31.99 for 20.7 kg bag at Costco
Powdered milk - $9-12 at the grocery store vs $7-8 dollars for more at the bulk barn (I'm not sure exactly how much is in the bag at the grocery store but I know the amount I buy at BB is more - but only do a large bulk purchase if you go through powdered milk quickly because it will go rancid)
Dog Treats - I can get a whole big bag of them at Bulk Barn for less than $2.00 and they are WAY more expensive than that in other stores
Ciabatta Buns (or triangle bread as my sister so eloquently calls it) - It's something like $3-4 for a bag with 20 in it I think. She buys them and puts them in the freezer and they last a long time. And they are good.
Bad Bulk Buys
Flour - I guess I kind of buy this in bulk, just not at a bulk store. I buy 10kg bags from the grocery store for $7.99. I calculated how much it would cost to buy this amount at the Bulk Barn and it was over $15. Also, I think it would be kind of awkward to scoop 10kg of flour into the little bags there. Also, whole wheat flour is more expensive at bulk barn, whereas at my grocery store, whole wheat, all purpose and unbleached white are all the same price. I haven't compared the cost of flour at Costco but will on my next trip. Again, this one is really only useful if you use a lot of flour. However, I do purchase speciality flour (gluten free, rye etc) at bulk barn so I can get just as much as I need.
Sugar - $2-2.50 for a 2 kg bag at the grocery store vs $3-3.50 for a 4 kg bag at Costco.
Gluten Free Pasta - Gluten free pasta is becoming more and more available in grocery stores now. I used to only be able to get it at the Bulk Barn but now I can get it for cheaper in the health food section of the Superstore.
Snack Mix - buying these in bulk is just a plain rip off.
**These prices are based on Canadian products and prices and may not be accurate for all locations.
I am sure I'll be adding to this list as I find more products that are and are not worth purchasing in bulk.
Are there any products that you find useful or not useful to purchase in bulk? Any other bulk buying tips or suggestions?
Showing posts with label saving money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label saving money. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Holiday Planning
Preface: Thank you all so much for the sweet wishes on our anniversary. You are all so kind and sweet to me (us). We had an absolutely wonderful day today, which I will share more about on Friday. Right now (Wednesday PM), I am super duper tired and have a billion pictures to sort through so in the meantime, I decided to schedule a post I had written and planned for next week to be posted in the morning (i.e. now - if you are reading this). Also, don't forget to enter my giveaway.
It has been a long long while since I have posted anything related to Thrifty Thursday. Somewhere along the line, I began to steer away from posting about how to save money and be an organized budgeter. Due to some comments and e-mails I've recently received from readers, I am going to attempt to focus on these topics a little bit more.
Did you know that there are exactly 133 sleeps until the guy in the big red suit will be jumping down our chimneys? You might think it is rather early to begin thinking about Christmas but if the picture below depicts how you feel about the holiday season, you may want to keep reading.
I love the Christmas season and all that brings. I begin to think about Christmas on, let's see, December 26th. Usually mid-way through the summer I start to get really excited about what will take place during the next holiday season. However, at the same time, I find that Christmas can be a financially, and in turn, emotionally draining time. Even more than that, I often experience a mild case of the post-Christmas blues in January and February. Therefore, for me, there is nothing worse than trying to figure out how to pay off all the Christmas expenses as I enter the new year, seeing as I am already somewhat gloomy about Christmas being over.
In order to ensure that the financial burden of Christmas does not overwhelm me, I have to prepare early. In this post, I am going to share with you how I go about doing this. Please remember that what I do to budget for Christmas may be very different than what you do because each of our our financial and employment situations are different. Perhaps what I do won't work for you but I hope that you can find at least something helpful in this post.
So, last week when I sat down to start getting ready for Christmas this is what I did.
1. Make a budget - Begin by writing down all the expenses you anticipate having at Christmas. My categories were as follows: hospitality (includes: food, baking, decorations, Christmas cards and postage, wrapping expenses), gifts for my family, gifts for FD's family, gifts for others and traveling expenses.
After compiling the list of expenses, I prepared an excel spreadsheet to keep track of them. I set a limit for each category and then broke them down further. For example, there is a total limit for gifts for each family and this is further broken down into a limit for each individual. There is a total for the hospitality budget and then a limit for each category.
In my spreadsheet, I have it set so that as I enter each purchase it will adjust the amount I have left in that area, the category and the total Christmas budget. For example, when I buy the postage for my Christmas cards, I will enter that amount onto the proper line and my spreadsheet will calculate how much I have left for postage/Cards, how much I have left in the hospitality category and how much I have left in total. This way, there is a bit of wiggle room in case I need to go over or under in some categories. The main goal is that the overall budget will always balance.
2. Be realistic - Think back to previous years when estimating how much money you will need to allot for each category. Be realistic. If you know you will be doing a lot of entertaining, then add more to the food category. If you know you love to have beautiful wrapping paper, bows and tags, give yourself room here. Think back to what you already have. For example, last Christmas I bought a lot of wrapping supplies on boxing day clearance. Therefore, I knew I didn't need to allot much here but I did not get Christmas cards on clearance so I needed to plan for that.
3. Overestimate - Be generous. If you are unsure of how much you will need in a specific category, it is better to overestimate than to underestimate. When all is said and done, you will be better to have allotted more for holiday food and have money leftover than to have budgeted too little and be scrambling to find the money to cover your expenses.
I budgeted quite high in the food and baking category. Since it is only August, I have no idea how many events/dinners/parties and so on I will be hosting so I ensured that I left myself enough wiggle room. In the event that I do less hosting than I anticipate, I will have money leftover to cover unforeseen expenses or to go back into savings.
4. Figure out how you can make it happen - Once you have your budget and/or spreadsheet set up, you will see how much money you need to have available to you when the holidays roll around. Figure out how you can make that happen in the months left before Christmas.
For us, this looks a little something like this (remember: each of our situations is unique and what works for me may not work for you)...
Our bank was recently offering as Easy Save program where a set amount of money will be transferred to a savings account each time you use your debit card and/or ATM machine. We set it up so that 2.00 will be transferred each time we use debit or ATM. Each time we reach $100 in the account, the bank will give us $10. The savings account that it is being transferred to is not our normal savings account, but one that is being used solely for this purpose. We set up the program so that we do not have access to this savings account through our debit card or ATM machine (i.e., we have to actually go into the bank if we want to access this money). Having the inconvenient access to the money decreases the likelihood of us dipping into it "just because".
Secondly, in September, when school begins, my contract will be renewed and I will start working again. Since we become accustomed to living on one income through the summer, the majority of my paycheck goes into our pre-existing savings account. This year, when I go back to work, I will transfer the first few paychecks to the Easy Save account instead.
From the accumulation of each $2.00 transfer, the $10 gifts from the bank, and one or two of my paychecks, we will have more than enough money in that account to cover our Christmas expenses by mid-September.
This account will become our "Christmas Account". When the time comes for holiday purchases to begin, we will go into the bank and ask them to set up debit card access on the account. Then, whenever we are making Christmas purchases, we will use that account rather than our normal day-to-day account. Knowing the money will already be sitting there waiting for us will take an enormous amount of Christmas stress off of our shoulders!
5. Stick to it. When you are doing Christmas shopping, take a few minutes when you get home to sit down with your receipts and enter the purchases into your spreadsheet so you know where you stand with your budget. Don't fret if you go over budget in one or two categories, just look through and determine where you can cut expenses. Sometimes if I get a bit off track on a budget, I end up throwing the entire thing out the window. Not this time! The main goal is to ensure that your total budget is balanced.
Another thing I am going to try hard to do this year is to keep Christmas purchases and regular purchases separate. Considering we are using a specific account for all of our Christmas purchases, this shouldn't be hard. Budgeting can be difficult if you don't know where you are spending your money and you have to sift through receipt upon receipt to figure out how much you are spending in any given category. This year, if I am shopping and have a cart that is half full of Christmas purchases and half full of regular household purchases, I am going to ask the teller to ring them through separately. I don't really care if this makes me a pain in the butt, it will help me stick to my budget because it will be so much easier to input the purchases into my spreadsheet if all the Christmas purchases are organized.
6. My last suggestion is to find what works. Maybe nothing I said here is helpful to you due to your own personal situation. If that is the case, find a system that works for you. If you already have a system, I'd love to hear about it. The important part is finding something that works for you and your family.
To recap, here are my steps to ensure that Christmastime stress will be minimized and that we will not be paying for Christmas 2009 in March 2010!
1. Budget 2. Be realistic 3. Overestimate 4. Make it happen
5. Stick to it 6. Find what works
Turn this ....
Into this....
Any other tips on how to ease the financial stress of the holiday season?
It has been a long long while since I have posted anything related to Thrifty Thursday. Somewhere along the line, I began to steer away from posting about how to save money and be an organized budgeter. Due to some comments and e-mails I've recently received from readers, I am going to attempt to focus on these topics a little bit more.
Did you know that there are exactly 133 sleeps until the guy in the big red suit will be jumping down our chimneys? You might think it is rather early to begin thinking about Christmas but if the picture below depicts how you feel about the holiday season, you may want to keep reading.
I love the Christmas season and all that brings. I begin to think about Christmas on, let's see, December 26th. Usually mid-way through the summer I start to get really excited about what will take place during the next holiday season. However, at the same time, I find that Christmas can be a financially, and in turn, emotionally draining time. Even more than that, I often experience a mild case of the post-Christmas blues in January and February. Therefore, for me, there is nothing worse than trying to figure out how to pay off all the Christmas expenses as I enter the new year, seeing as I am already somewhat gloomy about Christmas being over.
In order to ensure that the financial burden of Christmas does not overwhelm me, I have to prepare early. In this post, I am going to share with you how I go about doing this. Please remember that what I do to budget for Christmas may be very different than what you do because each of our our financial and employment situations are different. Perhaps what I do won't work for you but I hope that you can find at least something helpful in this post.
So, last week when I sat down to start getting ready for Christmas this is what I did.
1. Make a budget - Begin by writing down all the expenses you anticipate having at Christmas. My categories were as follows: hospitality (includes: food, baking, decorations, Christmas cards and postage, wrapping expenses), gifts for my family, gifts for FD's family, gifts for others and traveling expenses.
After compiling the list of expenses, I prepared an excel spreadsheet to keep track of them. I set a limit for each category and then broke them down further. For example, there is a total limit for gifts for each family and this is further broken down into a limit for each individual. There is a total for the hospitality budget and then a limit for each category.
In my spreadsheet, I have it set so that as I enter each purchase it will adjust the amount I have left in that area, the category and the total Christmas budget. For example, when I buy the postage for my Christmas cards, I will enter that amount onto the proper line and my spreadsheet will calculate how much I have left for postage/Cards, how much I have left in the hospitality category and how much I have left in total. This way, there is a bit of wiggle room in case I need to go over or under in some categories. The main goal is that the overall budget will always balance.
2. Be realistic - Think back to previous years when estimating how much money you will need to allot for each category. Be realistic. If you know you will be doing a lot of entertaining, then add more to the food category. If you know you love to have beautiful wrapping paper, bows and tags, give yourself room here. Think back to what you already have. For example, last Christmas I bought a lot of wrapping supplies on boxing day clearance. Therefore, I knew I didn't need to allot much here but I did not get Christmas cards on clearance so I needed to plan for that.
3. Overestimate - Be generous. If you are unsure of how much you will need in a specific category, it is better to overestimate than to underestimate. When all is said and done, you will be better to have allotted more for holiday food and have money leftover than to have budgeted too little and be scrambling to find the money to cover your expenses.
I budgeted quite high in the food and baking category. Since it is only August, I have no idea how many events/dinners/parties and so on I will be hosting so I ensured that I left myself enough wiggle room. In the event that I do less hosting than I anticipate, I will have money leftover to cover unforeseen expenses or to go back into savings.
4. Figure out how you can make it happen - Once you have your budget and/or spreadsheet set up, you will see how much money you need to have available to you when the holidays roll around. Figure out how you can make that happen in the months left before Christmas.
For us, this looks a little something like this (remember: each of our situations is unique and what works for me may not work for you)...
Our bank was recently offering as Easy Save program where a set amount of money will be transferred to a savings account each time you use your debit card and/or ATM machine. We set it up so that 2.00 will be transferred each time we use debit or ATM. Each time we reach $100 in the account, the bank will give us $10. The savings account that it is being transferred to is not our normal savings account, but one that is being used solely for this purpose. We set up the program so that we do not have access to this savings account through our debit card or ATM machine (i.e., we have to actually go into the bank if we want to access this money). Having the inconvenient access to the money decreases the likelihood of us dipping into it "just because".
Secondly, in September, when school begins, my contract will be renewed and I will start working again. Since we become accustomed to living on one income through the summer, the majority of my paycheck goes into our pre-existing savings account. This year, when I go back to work, I will transfer the first few paychecks to the Easy Save account instead.
From the accumulation of each $2.00 transfer, the $10 gifts from the bank, and one or two of my paychecks, we will have more than enough money in that account to cover our Christmas expenses by mid-September.
This account will become our "Christmas Account". When the time comes for holiday purchases to begin, we will go into the bank and ask them to set up debit card access on the account. Then, whenever we are making Christmas purchases, we will use that account rather than our normal day-to-day account. Knowing the money will already be sitting there waiting for us will take an enormous amount of Christmas stress off of our shoulders!
5. Stick to it. When you are doing Christmas shopping, take a few minutes when you get home to sit down with your receipts and enter the purchases into your spreadsheet so you know where you stand with your budget. Don't fret if you go over budget in one or two categories, just look through and determine where you can cut expenses. Sometimes if I get a bit off track on a budget, I end up throwing the entire thing out the window. Not this time! The main goal is to ensure that your total budget is balanced.
Another thing I am going to try hard to do this year is to keep Christmas purchases and regular purchases separate. Considering we are using a specific account for all of our Christmas purchases, this shouldn't be hard. Budgeting can be difficult if you don't know where you are spending your money and you have to sift through receipt upon receipt to figure out how much you are spending in any given category. This year, if I am shopping and have a cart that is half full of Christmas purchases and half full of regular household purchases, I am going to ask the teller to ring them through separately. I don't really care if this makes me a pain in the butt, it will help me stick to my budget because it will be so much easier to input the purchases into my spreadsheet if all the Christmas purchases are organized.
6. My last suggestion is to find what works. Maybe nothing I said here is helpful to you due to your own personal situation. If that is the case, find a system that works for you. If you already have a system, I'd love to hear about it. The important part is finding something that works for you and your family.
To recap, here are my steps to ensure that Christmastime stress will be minimized and that we will not be paying for Christmas 2009 in March 2010!
1. Budget 2. Be realistic 3. Overestimate 4. Make it happen
5. Stick to it 6. Find what works
Turn this ....
Any other tips on how to ease the financial stress of the holiday season?
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
The Great Strawberry Expedition
On Monday night, when the fabulous dude got home from work we decided to head to the next town over to pick some strawberries. I've mentioned before that our landlords have a small patch here, but this year it was not nearly as full as past years. So, off we went.
20 minutes and $11 later we came away with this basket heaping full (I could have sworn I took a picture when I got home but I cannot find it anywhere! I know a photo of an empty basket does not have the same effect)...
Then when we returned home, I did what any independent grown woman would do. I called my mom and asked her what the heck I am supposed to do with all these berries. Did I forget to mention that I also had three quarts of berries from the grocery store that I bought on the weekend?
Of course, I considered making jam. I hemmed and hawed and finally decided against it, because, well, I don't really love jam. So, my mom explained to me the process she uses to freeze strawberries for future use.
It sounded like a great plan to me. This way, if I change my mind later and decide to make jam after all, I still have the option.
I started by reserving a good size bowl of berries to eat fresh.
Then I washed and hulled the berries. The pampered chef strawberry huller is my new best friend. It makes the process so much quicker and easier (but I still have calluses on my hand).
Next, I lined the berries in a single layer on a cookie sheet with edges.
I left some whole, and sliced some.
I made a flat space for them in the freezer and carefully placed them, one on top of the other.
I left them in the freezer for about 1.5 hours. You want them to be slightly frozen but be careful not to leave them too long or they will get frost bite. I know you can't tell the difference, but these are the berries after being frozen.
I took one cookie sheet out at a time and quickly transferred the berries into freezer bags before they began to thaw. If you want, you could freeze them in certain portions (1 cup, 2 cups etc..) but I just filled the bags. By flash freezing them like this, the berries will not stick together once placed in bags or containers. So, I can take out the desired number each time without having to use the whole bag.
I froze 4 cookies sheets worth, which ended up being 4 large freezer bags of whole berries and 1 small freezer bag of sliced berries.
Now I have plenty of strawberries for smoothies, baking or to eat over ice cream!
20 minutes and $11 later we came away with this basket heaping full (I could have sworn I took a picture when I got home but I cannot find it anywhere! I know a photo of an empty basket does not have the same effect)...
Then when we returned home, I did what any independent grown woman would do. I called my mom and asked her what the heck I am supposed to do with all these berries. Did I forget to mention that I also had three quarts of berries from the grocery store that I bought on the weekend?Of course, I considered making jam. I hemmed and hawed and finally decided against it, because, well, I don't really love jam. So, my mom explained to me the process she uses to freeze strawberries for future use.
It sounded like a great plan to me. This way, if I change my mind later and decide to make jam after all, I still have the option.
I started by reserving a good size bowl of berries to eat fresh.
Then I washed and hulled the berries. The pampered chef strawberry huller is my new best friend. It makes the process so much quicker and easier (but I still have calluses on my hand).
Next, I lined the berries in a single layer on a cookie sheet with edges.
I left some whole, and sliced some.
I made a flat space for them in the freezer and carefully placed them, one on top of the other.
I left them in the freezer for about 1.5 hours. You want them to be slightly frozen but be careful not to leave them too long or they will get frost bite. I know you can't tell the difference, but these are the berries after being frozen.
I took one cookie sheet out at a time and quickly transferred the berries into freezer bags before they began to thaw. If you want, you could freeze them in certain portions (1 cup, 2 cups etc..) but I just filled the bags. By flash freezing them like this, the berries will not stick together once placed in bags or containers. So, I can take out the desired number each time without having to use the whole bag.
I froze 4 cookies sheets worth, which ended up being 4 large freezer bags of whole berries and 1 small freezer bag of sliced berries.Now I have plenty of strawberries for smoothies, baking or to eat over ice cream!
Monday, June 1, 2009
Menu Plan Monday - Pantry Week
Last week, we enjoyed some lovely meals. I tried a few new recipes including Yogurt and Dill bread, Pastitsio with homemade tomato sauce, Turkey and Wild Rice Casserole, Skillet Breakfast and Bannoffee Pie, which I didn't post the recipe for because I wasn't overly impressed with the results. It tasted good but it wasn't the same as the Bannoffee pie from the UK. But rest assured, I WILL try again.The yogurt and dill bread is a new favorite. I actually made another batch of it this weekend to use up the rest of the yogurt and fresh dill. I shaped this batch into breadsticks and popped them in the freezer for an easy go to when we're jonesin' for some breadstuffs.
At our BBQ, we enjoyed Sausages (Thanks, Logi) and homemade burgers on homemade hamburger/sausage buns, potato salad, rice pasta salad, spinach and strawberry salad (Thanks C-Biscuit), corn on the cob, doritos (Thanks, Logi) along with Bannoffee Pie and a delicious Trifle (Thanks, B)!
It was a week filled with a lot of good food and good friends! And, now, the next week begins. This week is pantry week in our household. I have lots of food in the cupboards and freezers that needs to be used up. Also, June is always a tough month for us $$ wise because my teaching assistantship contract finishes in May and so, although I don't bring a lot of dough, June means re-adjusting to one income after 8 months with a little bit of cushion.
Here's the plan...
Monday
BBQ leftovers
Tuesday
Calzones**
Carrot Sticks
Wednesday
Ashley's Kung Pao Chicken
Thursday
BBQ Turkey flatbread**
Friday
To the lake!!
**recipes to come
Breakfasts
cold cereal
banana chocolate chip nut bread
yogurt
toast
fruit smoothies (pineapple, banana and strawberries to use this week)
Lunches
Calzones
Dinner leftovers
Homemade Turkey soup
Snacks
Granola Bars
Popcorn
Ice cream
Fruit
Bread
Pita Pockets
Yogurt and Dill Bread
Cheddar Beer Hamburger Buns
Breadmaker Sausage Buns
Head over to I'm An Organizing Junkie for more meal ideas!
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Garage Sale Fun
Head over to Homebody Holly's to see what others thrifty deals have been found this week.
As I mentioned in my weekend recap post, I did a bit of garage saleing on Saturday morning. I went with a whole slew of my in-laws, I think there were more than 15 of us at one point.
The morning started off pretty well. SIL #1 was got a bag of gender-neutral infant clothes for $5 for the baby that is on the way. The clothes were all in great shape and some looked like they had never even been worn.
At the second sale we went to, I picked up these Brandy glasses, which I will use for desserts and parfaits and a microwave popcorn maker that I had been contemplating purchasing at Walmart for quite some time. My total here was $5. Not the greatest deal but still good considering I would have paid $15 for the popcorn maker alone at Walmart.
We stopped at a few other sales, some were okay, so not so much. But then, we saw a sign pointing down to an area on the water where lots of people have cottages. We followed the sign and drove, and drove, and drove, and drove. We began to wonder if they were trying to lure us into some sort of trap.Eventually, we made our way to the sale that was located at a little cottage on the water. When we got out of our car, we saw boxes and boxes covering the ground all around the cottage. My first impression was that this garage sale was not very organized. Well, organized or not, it was a sweet sale. We discovered that the previous owner of the cottage had passed away and so they were selling many of her things (I am not sure if the seller's were her children/family or the new owners of the cottage). Apparently, the previous owner was a bit of a shop-a-holic, as was evidenced by the possessions. Most boxes were filled with unopened and unused items. AND, they were practically GIVING this stuff away. Most boxes were labeled 10 cents each, but some things didn't even have a price. What we discovered was that we could pretty much fill our arms, bags, boxes, what have you, and they would either say $2 or $3. Here's what I scored at this garage sale....
Two country fair drinking jars (I collect Roosters)
Two old lanterns. My plan here is to clean them up and possibly spray paint them. I have an idea for a decorating scheme I want to incorporate into our home and these will fit perfectly.
Christmas Loot. If you can't tell all of this is unopened. There is a cookie recipe book, a package of cookie cutters, two packages of candy cups, a package of Christmas cards, Snowman element covers, Jell-o mould, self-adhesive decorations (perfect for cards, scrapbooking and adding an extra something to gift tags), and a Penguin decoration.
Christmas Loot. If you can't tell all of this is unopened. There is a cookie recipe book, a package of cookie cutters, two packages of candy cups, a package of Christmas cards, Snowman element covers, Jell-o mould, self-adhesive decorations (perfect for cards, scrapbooking and adding an extra something to gift tags), and a Penguin decoration.
8 mini storage containers (unopened). These are the perfect size for granola, trail mix and even craft supplies such as beads, brads and other embellishments
A Tupperware patty press. This might have been my most exciting find of the day. Last week when I was making my Greek feta burgers, I was wishing for one of these. My mom had one when I was growing up and it is really quite handy when making homemade burgers. It makes them the right shape and size and even comes with storage containers to keep them in. When the FD's uncle found this and asked if anyone wanted it, I leaped at him like a rapid squirrel and got it before anyone else could. Trust me, we were vicious at this sale. FD's 5 year old cousin was diving into all the boxes, holding up items and yelling, "Mom, do you need this?" Classic....
Lastly, I got these bread baking supplies. First up, a set of 5 disposable mini loaf pans, perfect for gifts. Those mini pans are sitting inside a regular sized loaf pan, that is clearly brand new. And the best deal of the day - two sets of miniature locking loaf pans. Each of these pans have 4 little loaf pans and they are all connected for easy storage (should I be on infomercials or what?). Both of these are brand new and still had the price tags on them. 16.99 each!
Lastly, I got these bread baking supplies. First up, a set of 5 disposable mini loaf pans, perfect for gifts. Those mini pans are sitting inside a regular sized loaf pan, that is clearly brand new. And the best deal of the day - two sets of miniature locking loaf pans. Each of these pans have 4 little loaf pans and they are all connected for easy storage (should I be on infomercials or what?). Both of these are brand new and still had the price tags on them. 16.99 each!
And I got all this for a total of ..... wait for it ....$2.25!!
So, my grand total for the day was 7.25. I'd say it was a pretty good haul, especially considering those linked loaf pans which are worth more than $30 alone! If I had kids, my haul would have been even better because there were a couple really great sales selling tons of baby clothes, blankets and other items as well as toys and books. But, I guess you have to stop somewhere, right?
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Strange Things Make Me Sad
We were grocery shopping tonight (yes, I said we - I am so lucky that my hubby grocery shops with me!!) and I realized that strange things make me sad. I was very excited to go shopping because our grocery store was having an excellent $1, $2, $3 sale. When we arrived I realized that the rest of Canada had decided that this sale was great too because more than half of the produce items on my list were gone, completely gone. I nearly broke down in tears right there between the bananas and the oranges. The FD and I spent a few minutes brainstorming about our options ... we could drive to the next city to check their store (no), we could go to another store and pay double or more for the same items (no), we could wait and grocery shop another evening (no). Our only option was to change some of the meal ideas and do with what was available. This was sad for me. I mean, really sad.
But, thankfully, strange things make me happy too! We wandered over to the reduced to clear produce rack and scored! And you know how much I love the reduced to clear produce rack. Tonight I got 18 peppers (red, green and yellow) for a total of 3.20, five zucchinis for .59 and two cucumbers for .69! AND NONE OF THEM ARE ROTTEN. Also, although the lettuce that was on sale was all gone, I discovered they had bagged spinach for .99 so I can have spinach salad instead of plain boring salad and then I can put the rest of the spinach in a pasta dish we'll be having later in the week. Seriously, this is making my heart race, how sad is that?
All in all, after the great sadness of discovering that many items were gone, the only things we ended up without were mushrooms and celery. I admit, I'm still pretty sad about the mushrooms. I love mushrooms.
See, strange things make me sad.
But, thankfully, strange things make me happy too! We wandered over to the reduced to clear produce rack and scored! And you know how much I love the reduced to clear produce rack. Tonight I got 18 peppers (red, green and yellow) for a total of 3.20, five zucchinis for .59 and two cucumbers for .69! AND NONE OF THEM ARE ROTTEN. Also, although the lettuce that was on sale was all gone, I discovered they had bagged spinach for .99 so I can have spinach salad instead of plain boring salad and then I can put the rest of the spinach in a pasta dish we'll be having later in the week. Seriously, this is making my heart race, how sad is that?
All in all, after the great sadness of discovering that many items were gone, the only things we ended up without were mushrooms and celery. I admit, I'm still pretty sad about the mushrooms. I love mushrooms.
See, strange things make me sad.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Thrifty Thursday - Got Milk?
Buying milk can get expensive. I don't even have kids yet, but between the two of us, we consume our fair share. Hubster drinks at least one glass a day with dinner (usually more) and I have a smoothie for breakfast most days along with the occasional glass of milk here and there. Add to the milk that is used while cooking/baking and we can zoom through a bag of milk in no time at all.So, over the past few months I've tried to reduce the amount of money we spend on milk by replacing fresh milk with dry milk powder in cooking and baking and saving the fresh milk for drinking. I got my inspiration to do this from Gayle over at The Grocery Cart Challenge. It is pretty amazing what she can do with relatively little money, and this is one of the ways she cuts costs.
I have really noticed a difference with how much milk we have to buy. So far, I have purchased about $8.00 worth of dry milk powder once at the bulk store in January and have used about 3/4 of it. I would also say I've reduced our fresh milk purchases by at least half. Instead of buying two 4-litre bags/week I am now buying one 4-litre/week or every two weeks. This is something that perhaps many of you already do but I'll be completely honest and tell you that I was pretty excited when I realized how much milk (read: $$$) I could save by doing this. If you want to try using dry milk powder in place of milk just mix 1 part powder with 4 parts water. (Did I say that right? ... It's late and I'm tired.) For one cup of water add 1/4 cup of powder.
Happy Thrifty Thursday! I'd love to hear any quick and easy money saving tips that you have.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Thrifty Thursday - Meat Selections
Last week I got a crazy wicked awesome deal and I thought I'd share it with you as a way to be a bit frugal. Lots of people have posted on the cost benefits of buying and cutting up a whole chicken rather than purchasing already cut, boned and skinned pieces. It's true, doing it this way is cheaper but can be more work. Last week whole turkey's were on sale for 1.00/lb at my local grocery store. I went and bought a 12 pounder (can you guess how much it cost?). The Fabulous Dude isn't a huge fan of roast turkey (WHAT? Is he serious?) and we didn't really have enough room in the freezer to fit it in without doing some MAJOR reshuffling so I decided to thaw it in the fridge and cook it immediately.
So, that's what I did. I didn't get brave enough to cut the whole turkey up and skin it and all that jazz so I just roasted it as is. Then, when it was done, I carved it just as you would to serve it for a meal but instead of eating it, I then froze the cooked meat in "meal size portions". I deliberately left a bit of meat on the bones so I could boil the carcass for soup and have that meat fall off the bones in the process.
From that turkey, I have enough to make 7 meals (which will also include leftovers) and a big pot of soup.
This is my plan for the turkey this month:
Turkey Soup (which I already made - we've each had 3 or 4 bowls and I have 8 bowls worth in the freezer).
Turkey and Cornbread Casserole
Turkey Tettrazini
Baked Turkey Penne
Turkey and Cheese Calzones
Turkey Jambalaya
Turkey Enchiladas
Turkey Pot Pie
So, my purchase got me at least 7 suppers plus leftovers for lunch, plus soup. I'd say that is a lot of bang for my buck, wouldn't you? It is definitely worth it to watch for sales and buy larger portions of meat at once and either cook and freeze for later use, or (if it comes fresh) divide and freeze in portions that suit your family. I think we'll be Turkeyed out by the end of this month.
So, that's what I did. I didn't get brave enough to cut the whole turkey up and skin it and all that jazz so I just roasted it as is. Then, when it was done, I carved it just as you would to serve it for a meal but instead of eating it, I then froze the cooked meat in "meal size portions". I deliberately left a bit of meat on the bones so I could boil the carcass for soup and have that meat fall off the bones in the process.
From that turkey, I have enough to make 7 meals (which will also include leftovers) and a big pot of soup.
This is my plan for the turkey this month:
Turkey Soup (which I already made - we've each had 3 or 4 bowls and I have 8 bowls worth in the freezer).
Turkey and Cornbread Casserole
Turkey Tettrazini
Baked Turkey Penne
Turkey and Cheese Calzones
Turkey Jambalaya
Turkey Enchiladas
Turkey Pot Pie
So, my purchase got me at least 7 suppers plus leftovers for lunch, plus soup. I'd say that is a lot of bang for my buck, wouldn't you? It is definitely worth it to watch for sales and buy larger portions of meat at once and either cook and freeze for later use, or (if it comes fresh) divide and freeze in portions that suit your family. I think we'll be Turkeyed out by the end of this month.
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Thrifty Thursday - Swap
This week's tip comes from my S.I.L (who, regrettably, does not have a blog). She mentioned this idea a while back as a great way to save money. It's something I have never tried formally, but would love to someday.
We all love to add a new piece of clothing to our wardrobe, a new accessory to our jewelry box, or a new piece of decor to our home. However, we also all know that adding these new pieces can become a bit pricey.
Gather a few close friends, who have the same style/taste/size as you and organize a swap. You can set whichever parameters you'd like. Maybe each person is asked to bring three articles of clothing that are still nice and stylish but that they don't wear often anymore. Or maybe you each bring a few hair accessories or decorative items that you don't have a place for in your home. I'd recommend if you do something like this you organize it with friends who you are really comfortable and open with. You want to be able to pass up on items that you don't really care for, and you wouldn't want to hurt someone's feelings by saying you think the shirt they brought is ugly.
Another suggestion would be to organize a kitchen swap. See if you have a few friends who have kitchen tools or appliances that they don't have a use for. Have a waffle maker stuffed back in your cupboard somewhere that you've only used twice? Have a friend who loves to make waffles? There ya go. Maybe you can even develop the swap into a party. Everyone brings a few items to swap along with a snack and recipe to swap?
Although I've never formally organized a clothing or decor swap, my SIL and I have done a bit of 'informal swapping' in the past. Mostly we've given each other earrings, hair bands and other accessories. Although one time she even gave me an extra hair brush that she didn't need because she knew the handle on mine had been broken for a long time. So, it doesn't have to be a formally organized event. Maybe you just want to have a running agreement with a close friend or family member that you will swap things that you are bored with etc.
If you have a few girlfriends, sisters or coworkers who have a groovin' style, see if they want to be involved in some kind of swap. It could be a great way to have some fun with the girls, get a few "new to you" nice things and avoid dishin' out the dough! If any of you have ever done a swap, let me know how you organized it and how it went.
Have a thrifty thursday!
We all love to add a new piece of clothing to our wardrobe, a new accessory to our jewelry box, or a new piece of decor to our home. However, we also all know that adding these new pieces can become a bit pricey.
Gather a few close friends, who have the same style/taste/size as you and organize a swap. You can set whichever parameters you'd like. Maybe each person is asked to bring three articles of clothing that are still nice and stylish but that they don't wear often anymore. Or maybe you each bring a few hair accessories or decorative items that you don't have a place for in your home. I'd recommend if you do something like this you organize it with friends who you are really comfortable and open with. You want to be able to pass up on items that you don't really care for, and you wouldn't want to hurt someone's feelings by saying you think the shirt they brought is ugly.
Another suggestion would be to organize a kitchen swap. See if you have a few friends who have kitchen tools or appliances that they don't have a use for. Have a waffle maker stuffed back in your cupboard somewhere that you've only used twice? Have a friend who loves to make waffles? There ya go. Maybe you can even develop the swap into a party. Everyone brings a few items to swap along with a snack and recipe to swap?
Although I've never formally organized a clothing or decor swap, my SIL and I have done a bit of 'informal swapping' in the past. Mostly we've given each other earrings, hair bands and other accessories. Although one time she even gave me an extra hair brush that she didn't need because she knew the handle on mine had been broken for a long time. So, it doesn't have to be a formally organized event. Maybe you just want to have a running agreement with a close friend or family member that you will swap things that you are bored with etc.
If you have a few girlfriends, sisters or coworkers who have a groovin' style, see if they want to be involved in some kind of swap. It could be a great way to have some fun with the girls, get a few "new to you" nice things and avoid dishin' out the dough! If any of you have ever done a swap, let me know how you organized it and how it went.
Have a thrifty thursday!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Thrifty Thursday - Double Up!!
Phew! I am back. What a week. We traveled north last Friday. I went to my sister's with my parents, brother and his wife and the fabulous dude headed to the "home country" to play hockey with my cousins. The rest of us headed over there Sunday morning in time for church. Then, the visitation for my Grandpa was on Sunday evening and the funeral on Monday. After the funeral, we all headed back to my sister's for another night and headed home early Tuesday morning. In total, between Friday and Tuesday we spent 26 hours in the car. Fun.
The weekend with my family was great. It is always good to be with family, although the circumstances for the reunion were unfortunate. It was an emotional time for everyone as we said our goodbyes to our grandpa, dad, brother, uncle etc. Grandpa was a farmer so Emily placed a toy tractor in his casket along with giving us each a cow to give to him, one to represent each grandchild and great grandchild. The funeral service was a beautiful tribute to his life. The preacher at his church led the service and did a wonderful job. Two of my cousins, Joel and Emily, gave beautiful testimonies to our grandfather. Joel counted down the top 10 reasons you know you're part of Grandpa's "herd" (the cows). They both spoke of wonderful memories of a great man and spoke of his love for life, his family and most importantly, his God.
By the time we got home late Tuesday evening, we were exhausted. So far, I've gone to bed before 9:30 both nights since I've been home. This is also my reading week, so I was glad that I didn't have to miss any school while traveling, although it does mean I have a lot of catching up to do to be sure I get done everything I need to get done before going back to class next week.
Okay, so, I'm sure by now you're wondering how in the world this post is about being thrifty?
Well, my tip for this week has to do with reducing the chance that you abandon your budget on weeks like this (when you're busy, traveling, tired, sick, lazy etc). This tip only really works if you've got freezer space. When I make a casserole, pasta, soup, chili or basically anything else, I try to cook double what I need to freeze for later use. Usually, I do a major cooking day at the beginning of each semester to have pre-made, healthy, homemade meals on hand.
This week, my doubled up meals have come in handy. While trying to get caught up on work, unpack, get laundry done and so on, I don't have time to organize meals, grocery shop, or cook. So, I have been using up some of the pre-made meals from the freezer.
Although at the time, this doesn't really save money, I do find it does so in the end. The nights I use the pre-made meals tend to be those same nights that, in the past, I would have called the hubster at work and said, "pick up something on your way home". These are the nights we would generally eat out, grab take out, or another convenience meal from the grocery store. As you know, all of those things are quite pricey. This way, I have a meal that has already been paid for and is (usually) more healthy than the other options.
Having pre-made meals on hand in the freezer reduces stress and doesn't break the bank!
The weekend with my family was great. It is always good to be with family, although the circumstances for the reunion were unfortunate. It was an emotional time for everyone as we said our goodbyes to our grandpa, dad, brother, uncle etc. Grandpa was a farmer so Emily placed a toy tractor in his casket along with giving us each a cow to give to him, one to represent each grandchild and great grandchild. The funeral service was a beautiful tribute to his life. The preacher at his church led the service and did a wonderful job. Two of my cousins, Joel and Emily, gave beautiful testimonies to our grandfather. Joel counted down the top 10 reasons you know you're part of Grandpa's "herd" (the cows). They both spoke of wonderful memories of a great man and spoke of his love for life, his family and most importantly, his God.
By the time we got home late Tuesday evening, we were exhausted. So far, I've gone to bed before 9:30 both nights since I've been home. This is also my reading week, so I was glad that I didn't have to miss any school while traveling, although it does mean I have a lot of catching up to do to be sure I get done everything I need to get done before going back to class next week.
Okay, so, I'm sure by now you're wondering how in the world this post is about being thrifty?
Well, my tip for this week has to do with reducing the chance that you abandon your budget on weeks like this (when you're busy, traveling, tired, sick, lazy etc). This tip only really works if you've got freezer space. When I make a casserole, pasta, soup, chili or basically anything else, I try to cook double what I need to freeze for later use. Usually, I do a major cooking day at the beginning of each semester to have pre-made, healthy, homemade meals on hand.
This week, my doubled up meals have come in handy. While trying to get caught up on work, unpack, get laundry done and so on, I don't have time to organize meals, grocery shop, or cook. So, I have been using up some of the pre-made meals from the freezer.
Although at the time, this doesn't really save money, I do find it does so in the end. The nights I use the pre-made meals tend to be those same nights that, in the past, I would have called the hubster at work and said, "pick up something on your way home". These are the nights we would generally eat out, grab take out, or another convenience meal from the grocery store. As you know, all of those things are quite pricey. This way, I have a meal that has already been paid for and is (usually) more healthy than the other options.
Having pre-made meals on hand in the freezer reduces stress and doesn't break the bank!
Sunday, February 1, 2009
My 2009 Kitchen Goal
I know it's a bit late to be sharing my new year's goal but I was reluctant to post about it at first because I was afraid it was a bit to pie in the sky and that I would flunk out and then feel silly when people asked me how it was going. It is also not like me to really make new year's resolutions (which you may not believe now that this is my second post talking about new year's resolutions). However, I made it through the first month and have been successful so I thought it was about time I started writing about it.
Anyway, earlier in 2008, I came across the CrockPot Lady. If you haven't visited her blog, let me tell you a bit about her. She vowed to use her crockpot every single day in 2008 and succeeded! You go girl! My goal is not nearly as ambitious but she certainly did inspire me to set a "Kitchen Goal" and to strive to do somethings differently this year.
So here it is ...
Drum roll please ...
I have made it my goal to make all of our own bread products in 2009, or at least be consistently making everything myself by the end of the year. So far, I haven't bought a single bread product since before Christmas. I'm having a load of fun with it, too.
Let me tell you about it. I am not necessarily setting this goal in order to save money or to be healthier (although those are certainly benefits and strong motivators). The truth is, I got a breadmaker from my mother in law for Christmas and I have heard so many people say, "I have a breadmaker that I used twice, then I put it in storage and never used it again". I am just too darn stubborn to be one of those people. I figure by setting this goal, I'll be sure to get good use of my breadmaker.
On that note, I know some people's response may be, "Using a breadmaker doesn't count as making your own bread." Well, in my opinion, if it's the first step I can take, then fine by me. For most recipes (so far) I have been using the dough setting and finishing the bread in the oven. But, I am by no means opposed to doing the entire baking cycle in the bread maker. The bread pan in my machine is horizontal, so the bread comes out the same shape as a regular loaf. The only thing I don't like is that the mixing paddles leave those annoying holes in the bottom of the loaf. In the summer, I started making some bread by hand, but at this point in life, I know there's no way I would stick to my goal if I had to do all the mixing and kneading by hand. It's just too time consuming. It's so much quicker to use the dough cycle, and so far the results have been fantastic.
The problem with making homemade bread is this ... sometimes it tastes a lot better than store bought bread which means sometimes I eat a little bit too much of it. In that case, homemade bread would not, in fact, be more health conscious. However, I have a theory that has held up thus far: the more you make homemade bread, the less novel is becomes and the less you feel the need to eat half a loaf in one sitting. I have really been impressed that we haven't been overindulgent. I really haven't been making any more than I would normally be buying, so that's a good thing!
My pasta making expedition was a part of this experiment as well. I wasn't as pumped about the extra time/effort that it took, but I'm definitely not giving up on it yet. I think the pasta portion might be one of the components that I include in the "I will be consistently be making everything by the END of year" clause. If I have to buy dried pasta sometimes, big deal. Besides, there's no way I'm going to try making elbow macaroni or other complex shapes myself. No way.
I'm sure this will be a learning process and I'm hoping to share as much of that process with you as possible. I'm going to spend the next little while catching you up on the recipes I've tried (that I didn't post through January in case I gave up on this). I will let you know what worked and didn't work and I'd love to hear from any of you if you have recipes you've tried before, or recipes you've been wanting to try. I would definitely be willing to try them out on your behalf. And if you ever come over to visit, be prepared to be subjected to taste testing!
So, now the secret's out. I'm making my own bread. Hold me accountable, would ya?
Anyway, earlier in 2008, I came across the CrockPot Lady. If you haven't visited her blog, let me tell you a bit about her. She vowed to use her crockpot every single day in 2008 and succeeded! You go girl! My goal is not nearly as ambitious but she certainly did inspire me to set a "Kitchen Goal" and to strive to do somethings differently this year.
So here it is ...
Drum roll please ...
I have made it my goal to make all of our own bread products in 2009, or at least be consistently making everything myself by the end of the year. So far, I haven't bought a single bread product since before Christmas. I'm having a load of fun with it, too.
Let me tell you about it. I am not necessarily setting this goal in order to save money or to be healthier (although those are certainly benefits and strong motivators). The truth is, I got a breadmaker from my mother in law for Christmas and I have heard so many people say, "I have a breadmaker that I used twice, then I put it in storage and never used it again". I am just too darn stubborn to be one of those people. I figure by setting this goal, I'll be sure to get good use of my breadmaker.
On that note, I know some people's response may be, "Using a breadmaker doesn't count as making your own bread." Well, in my opinion, if it's the first step I can take, then fine by me. For most recipes (so far) I have been using the dough setting and finishing the bread in the oven. But, I am by no means opposed to doing the entire baking cycle in the bread maker. The bread pan in my machine is horizontal, so the bread comes out the same shape as a regular loaf. The only thing I don't like is that the mixing paddles leave those annoying holes in the bottom of the loaf. In the summer, I started making some bread by hand, but at this point in life, I know there's no way I would stick to my goal if I had to do all the mixing and kneading by hand. It's just too time consuming. It's so much quicker to use the dough cycle, and so far the results have been fantastic.
The problem with making homemade bread is this ... sometimes it tastes a lot better than store bought bread which means sometimes I eat a little bit too much of it. In that case, homemade bread would not, in fact, be more health conscious. However, I have a theory that has held up thus far: the more you make homemade bread, the less novel is becomes and the less you feel the need to eat half a loaf in one sitting. I have really been impressed that we haven't been overindulgent. I really haven't been making any more than I would normally be buying, so that's a good thing!
My pasta making expedition was a part of this experiment as well. I wasn't as pumped about the extra time/effort that it took, but I'm definitely not giving up on it yet. I think the pasta portion might be one of the components that I include in the "I will be consistently be making everything by the END of year" clause. If I have to buy dried pasta sometimes, big deal. Besides, there's no way I'm going to try making elbow macaroni or other complex shapes myself. No way.
I'm sure this will be a learning process and I'm hoping to share as much of that process with you as possible. I'm going to spend the next little while catching you up on the recipes I've tried (that I didn't post through January in case I gave up on this). I will let you know what worked and didn't work and I'd love to hear from any of you if you have recipes you've tried before, or recipes you've been wanting to try. I would definitely be willing to try them out on your behalf. And if you ever come over to visit, be prepared to be subjected to taste testing!
So, now the secret's out. I'm making my own bread. Hold me accountable, would ya?
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
The Verdict
Yesterday was laundry day and so, as promised, I am reporting my opinions on the Homemade Dryer Sheets I posted about in last week's Thrifty Thursday.
What did I think of this product, you ask?
Drum roll please.....
AMAZING! I will never turn back. The clothes came out of the dryer just as (or more) soft, cozy and fluffy than they do with dryer sheets. There was no static and no unpleasant odor. I was a bit worried that my clothes would smell like vinegar because the mixture smells quite strong but they seem to take on the smell of the conditioner more than the vinegar. In fact, I think my next batch may smell even nicer because this time I mixed about 5 different kinds of conditioner to use up bottles. Using one, nice smelling kind might make the scent more lovely. The only complaint I have about this is that it does make your hands smell a bit. Since you have to dip the cloth into the mixture and wring it out, your hands will get a bit goopy and vinegary smelling. But, no problem, I just wiped them off on another cloth that was waiting to be washed. It's a price I will pay.
So, there you have it. Homemade dryer sheets it is. No more store bought junk. I think I will try to use this as liquid fabric softener as well. When and if I do, I'll let you know how that goes. I will also let you know when I have a better idea of how long one batch of this mixture lasts.
What did I think of this product, you ask?
Drum roll please.....
AMAZING! I will never turn back. The clothes came out of the dryer just as (or more) soft, cozy and fluffy than they do with dryer sheets. There was no static and no unpleasant odor. I was a bit worried that my clothes would smell like vinegar because the mixture smells quite strong but they seem to take on the smell of the conditioner more than the vinegar. In fact, I think my next batch may smell even nicer because this time I mixed about 5 different kinds of conditioner to use up bottles. Using one, nice smelling kind might make the scent more lovely. The only complaint I have about this is that it does make your hands smell a bit. Since you have to dip the cloth into the mixture and wring it out, your hands will get a bit goopy and vinegary smelling. But, no problem, I just wiped them off on another cloth that was waiting to be washed. It's a price I will pay.
So, there you have it. Homemade dryer sheets it is. No more store bought junk. I think I will try to use this as liquid fabric softener as well. When and if I do, I'll let you know how that goes. I will also let you know when I have a better idea of how long one batch of this mixture lasts.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
Thrifty Thursday - What are YOU drinking?
I decided to keep my first Thrifty Thursday idea simple. This week's suggestion is something that many of you probably do already. While being in school, I used to always have a case of bottled water in the house to take with me during the day. This year I decided that enough was enough and I was no longer going to buy bottled water. I used to think that I was being thrifty by only buying bottled water when it was on sale and "stockpiling" it so I never had to buy it at regular price. But, hey, you save even more money if you don't buy it at all! So now I have this little guy...
Although the cost difference doesn't seem huge at first, it is saving me money to take water to school in a reusable water bottle. I was probably spending about $5.00 a month on bottled water which works out to about $60 a year. And one of these types of bottled water costs about $5-10 (or in my case, free thanks to my fabulous dude using his witty charm to get one for free from a coworker). So, sure not a huge deal... I'm saving about $50 per year. But I am also finding that by using this thermos I waste less. When I used water bottles I would always find partially empty water bottles in all sorts of places: the car, my bedside table, my school bag, my purse. By the time I found them again, I would have no idea how long they had sat there and so I'd dump them out. Now, when I get home from school, if there is any water left in the bottle (which there usually isn't, because I drink a lot of water) I pour it into a glass and finish drinking it throughout the evening. This encourages me to drink more water too, since this holds just under a litre. This is also obviously a more eco-friendly method because it minimizes the trash, although I am a crazy recycler so a plastic water bottle would never and I mean NEVER make its way to a garbage pail instead of a blue box.As far as a time comparison, I know it's a bit of a stretch, but I am going to say that doing things this way does, in fact, save me some time. It just means one less trip to and from the car when unloading the groceries, since I'd have to go back out to get the case of water. It also takes me less time to grab the thermos from the cupboard and fill it with tap water (yes, I use tap water, I'm not entirely convinced bottled water is any better... I do have a Brita but I think I've changed the filter about twice ... ever) than it does to go into the cool room and get one out of the case. So, that means I save about 2.65 minutes per year. And in this busy life, every second counts. :) ... yeah, I know, it's a stretch.
I know that bottled water just makes more sense in some circumstances, so I'm not promising I will never buy or drink it again, I am just cutting it out of my everyday routine. Have a thrifty Thursday! See you next week.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Some Really Cool Bloggys
Recently, I came across this really cool blog (365 days of crock potting) when my friend, T, posted it on her blog after hearing of it from a friend. After looking around there, I also stumbled across The Grocery Cart Challenge and $5 Dinners.
If there are three things that are true about me they are that 1. I love to cook good food, 2. I love to eat good food, and 3. I love to save money on the good food that I am going to cook and eat.
These blogs have some very creative ideas about to save money and still cook good food. I used to think I used my crock pot a lot, shopped quite frugally and wisely until I "met" Stephanie, Gayle and the $5 dinner mom. It is important to me to be wise when it comes to managing what we've been given. It is my responsibility to be a good steward of what the Lord has blessed us with. I don't even have kids yet, I just have one hungry husband to feed, and I find it difficult to stay on budget while still eating well-balanced meals. I am amazed to see these women who are feeding a family (some even feeding teenagers!) and doing it so frugally.
If you are someone who likes to cook, eat and be frugal, you should take a minute to check out these blogs for some great ideas.
If there are three things that are true about me they are that 1. I love to cook good food, 2. I love to eat good food, and 3. I love to save money on the good food that I am going to cook and eat.
These blogs have some very creative ideas about to save money and still cook good food. I used to think I used my crock pot a lot, shopped quite frugally and wisely until I "met" Stephanie, Gayle and the $5 dinner mom. It is important to me to be wise when it comes to managing what we've been given. It is my responsibility to be a good steward of what the Lord has blessed us with. I don't even have kids yet, I just have one hungry husband to feed, and I find it difficult to stay on budget while still eating well-balanced meals. I am amazed to see these women who are feeding a family (some even feeding teenagers!) and doing it so frugally.
If you are someone who likes to cook, eat and be frugal, you should take a minute to check out these blogs for some great ideas.
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