Frugal things from yesterday
Yesterday I:
-made a batch of homemade yogurt.
This stuff costs less than $1 per quart, which makes it a total bargain.
-used my honey-glazed roll recipe to make some big sandwich buns.
Making loaves of plain bread from scratch saves money, but the savings are much more impressive when you start making things like buns, English muffins, and cinnamon rolls at home.
Also?
Buns made from that recipe are really soft and delicious and you get to eat them fresh from the oven, which is most marvelous.
(I leave off the glaze when I make buns instead of rolls and I usually double the honey to make up for the lack of sweetness from the glaze.)
-packed reusable dishes and containers for a picnic lunch.
Not only are they green and frugal, they're also much more lovely than their disposable counterparts (which is something I find to be true on a regular basis.)
-made a menu plan for the next two weeks.
I don't like menu-planning, but it saves me so much money and time, I carry on pretty faithfully with it. When I go without a plan, we don't eat nearly as healthfully, I spend way too much time stressing about what to make for dinner, and my grocery shopping is really haphazard.
-helped Joshua look on eBay for a replacement camera battery charger.
We own a total of four Canon cameras, but sadly, none of my battery chargers work for his battery. And since his charger hasn't turned up for weeks (we'll probably find it when we declutter his room this summer!), he's going to buy a new one.
He was looking on Amazon, but I helped him find one that looks really promising on eBay, and we're hoping the bid stays nice and low.
-mixed up a batch of my very favorite super-clumpy granola.
I have discovered that it still tastes really good if you halve the brown sugar, but it definitely doesn't stick together quite as well that way. It's still very crispy, though, which is how I like my granola.
That photo is from last summer, and it's making me very hungry for fresh, local peaches.
-made an easy dinner that used up lots of odds and ends from my fridge.
I pulled out the last of the Easter ham from my freezer, sliced it up thinly, and we made sandwiches, using the buns I made. I also sliced up carrots and cucumbers to eat raw (I had so many of those in my fridge.) and I made a fruit salad that used up almost every last bit of fruit I had.
Fruit salad is great to make when you've got small amounts of all sorts of fruit. When you mix it all together and add some lime, lemon, or orange juice to brighten up the flavors, it doesn't look at all like you're cleaning out the fridge.
Oh, and keeping some frozen or canned fruit around is really helpful for those times when you need a bit of something to round out the salad (canned or slightly thawed frozen peaches are great for this.)
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Did you do anything frugal yesterday? Share!
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Joshua's 365 post: I'm back!
The friend I went out with surprised me by picking up my dinner check - does that count? 😉 Actually, I brought both my breakfast AND my lunch (leftovers) to work yesterday, so $0 out of pocket.
I put a bunch of stuff on Craigslist. I'm whittling down - certainly I got my money's worth from that end table I bought ten years ago, but why not try to get $15 or so for it?
This post makes me realise how much more I could really be doing in the 'make from scratch' department! 🙂
Yesterday I purchased muesli and greek natural yogurt for my treat after dinner (after craving it for 24 hours - the power of marketing eh? A UK advert is currently tantalising us with this combination drizzled with honey) . Not that I deserved a treat - my daily success rate on tasks to be done was well below par - as I outlined in my post - duh!
Your granola and yoghurt looks much nicer (and cheaper?)
Note to self: must try harder! In many areas!
Oh, I hope my post didn't make you feel condemned. I don't think everyone necessarily needs to make granola and yogurt, in the same way that I don't think I need to line dry my laundry (which you probably do, given that you live in Europe!)
Being a Brit I wouldn't know what to make small-talk about had we not got inherently rubbish weather and an obsession with line-drying. It's a game we all play called "out and in". "Out" it goes, 5 minutes later "in" it comes. On the playground whilst waiting for the kids, conversations consist of 'I wish I'd have put my washing out before I left the house' and of course the more commonly heard 'Oh I wish I hadn't put my washing out before I left the house'.
I love these posts as it spurs me on - to try that little bit harder! Yoghurt making here I come (I have said this before though...)
Have you seen this post, which I wrote for another blogger? It's a financial calculation of why I don't make yogurt, riffing off our Frugal Girl.
http://www.themrs.ca/2012/03/williamb-why-i-dont-make-yogurt.html
Will check it out... but on my bucket list goes making yoghurt from scratch - even if it's only once in a lifetime!
Well I made dinner at home, which is always a good thing cause I certainly didn't feel like cooking! I had marinated some pork during the day, so hubby was hungry and threw that on the grill. I started to make a black bean and corn salad and realized I didn't have bottled balsamic dressing. My husband said you have plenty of balsamic vinegar, just look up a recipe. So I did. Didn't taste exactly the same, but was yummy nonetheless. And tasted wonderful when I took some of the salad and put it on top of leftover greens.
And so now you know what I will be having for lunch as well, without the pork.
I finally chopped up the fresh cilantro I had in the fridge and put it in the freezer, too. Now I have cilantro at my fingertips. And I didn't waste it!
I made Reubens for dinner from leftover corned beef from the night before (purchased frozen at st pattys so it was nice and cheap). I also made the rye bread but I'll have to keep working on a new recipe for that since it wasn't anything special.
I also made a quick stop at Aldi's last night (I forget how much I love that place too until you remind me) to pick up fruit and bananas were 0.15/lb so I bought 4 bags! I'm almost kicking myself for not buying a 5th since I love to make banana muffins, I'm making a hummingbird cake for my dad's birthday this weekend and they are great frozen to blend in smoothies. I also picked up two pairs of pjs for my daughter for next winter (or the next) for a grand total of $4.50 when I was at goodwill - I got quite a bit accomplished while I was batching my errands during her dance class!
I shopped at 3 different grocery stores to get the best prices on each item that we eat. I also made a menu before I left to use up whatever we already had on hand. I washed my laundry in homemade soap. I had the children clean with homemade cleaners.
Today I cooked a batch of dried adzuki beans in my slow cooker. My sister gave me the beans when she went overseas, so they were essentially free 🙂
Then tonight I made veggie burgers from the beans and some other ingredients that have been taking up space in my freezer for far too long. There's enough there for lunch tomorrow and another meal 🙂
Too funny ... on my list of things for today:
- make crock pot Greek yogurt,
- and the super duper clumping granola!
Great minds (with hungry children!) think alike!!
Let's see, I put some soup in the crockpot in the morning using dried beans and a bunch of stuff that was already in the fridge and freezer. I carpooled to work like normal. Took leftovers for lunch at work like normal. When I got home I made buttermilk biscuits from scratch to go with the soup. Then I made some buttermilk bread in the breadmaker to try to use up the buttermilk before we go out of town. And I painted my toenails instead of spending money on a pedicure.
Last night's dinner was leftover chinese with leftover rice, supplemented by a freshly cooked dish of stir fried asparagus (from most recent CI) bulked up with the last of the carrots. Late night snack was homemade pizza (whole wheat, also from the most recent CI).
Lunch today is pressed tofu marinated in the sauce leftover from sesame noodles I made. The sesame noodles were made for a staff appreciation event, since I made them myself they probably cost about $1.
For the same staff appreciation event, I potted plants rather than buying flowers. The 3 pots cost me about $1.50 each at Goodwill, the soil maybe $.50 total - I mixed potting soil with garden soil, the plants were clipping from my pothos. The pothos themselves came from a clipping from someone else's plant, although I paid for the window box they're in. PS: the plants were taken before the flower arrangements.
I provided dinner for a colleague in need: chix & rice bake, using the chicken bits left on several carcasses (if you're making stock, you can either leave the meat in for the whole cooking time, the stock will be meatier but the meat inedible; or you can remove the meat after 30 min, the meat will be great and the stock a little weaker), and homemade brownies. The salad was based on a head of lettuce rather than a bag.
I made yogurt and hummus, both of which are part of my weekly routine. I bring them to work in reusable containers, too, which is definitely a money saver compared to going out for lunch.
I haven't been very good about menu planning because I live alone, but I'm moving in with my boyfriend next month, and that's one of my top priorities.
Let's see, I added air to one tire that really needs a patch, as it has a slow leak. But by keeping it pump to the right pressure I get better fuel economy.
I made rhubarb granola (trying to use up some surplus rhubarb). Followed this by making a pitcher of rhubarb lemonade.
I pulled meat off the chicken carcass and made a pot of soup stock (and will make an Italian chicken soup for tonight's dinner).
I trimmed my two daughters' hair.
I booked a great rate at a hotel for our summer vacation, used rewards points and a coupon code I got in my email, saving us a couple of hundred dollars on our family vacay.
OMGosh I love your list! I'm making yogurt today. I make it unsweetened and add a little honey & fruit if I'm having it for breakfast, but can still use it unsweetened as a sour cream substitute. I'm hoping to get in the garden today as well, although the 1.5" of rain last night may keep me from doing too much. We're VERY thankful for the rain!
~Taylor-Made Ranch~
Wolfe City, Texas
Last grocery shopping day my husband spotted some "Manager's Special" on snap peas (3.99 a lb) and these were 2.29 for a 16 oz package. We found broccoli florets on special the same way. I blanched some and froze it (we'll see how that turns out never froze fresh veggies) and for dinner I steamed the rest and just ate the last of it at work as a snack. I love finding frugal veggie deals. I also make a two week menu. It certainly makes grocery shopping easier and cheaper. Especially since we are faithful Aldi shoppers (just wish they had snap peas and celery hearts).
I made a big batch of my own homemade taco seasoning! I don't know why it took only years for me to do that...
Yes! Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were all homemade. Plus I whipped some more of one of my favorite cleaning solution. (Apple Cider vinegar cut with 3 parts water.)
Washed off a plastic shelf that I bought at a garage sale, let the kids play with the hose, ate strawberries from the garden, made homemade chicken nuggests, washed the bathrooms with homemade orange citrus vinegar, used fans instead of a/c, watch shows on netflix with the hubby - and enjoyed every minute! I agree with the bread making comment in the article - homemade bread saved money, but replacing store bought snacks with home baked goods starts changing the pennies savings into dollar savings! Love the post!
re: camera
is he looking for a cable to charge by plugging into the computer or a wall plug type?
I have a battery charger for my spare battery pack for my canon that I just love and its very convenient...it looks like this and plugs into an outlet:
http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41P4KS4J49L._SY300_.jpg
I too made yogurt (I make mine in jelly jars, not quarts)
I saved my friend $200, by replacing the sequins & beads on a dress so her daughter could wear a hand me down dress to prom rather than buy a new one.
I stopped at a work site of a tree trimming crew and asked them for the wood chips. Bark is $30/cu-yd. Wood chips FREE!
I just cleaned the coils in the back of my fridge which makes it run more efficiently and (I hope) saves money on energy. I didn't realize this needed doing until I noticed the fridge temp at 40 with the fridge on the lowest setting. I opened the back and was welcomed by unbelievable dust bunnies all over the coils! I also made yogurt and yogurt cheese which I plan on using as a dip for strawberries for my son's preschool graduation. Trying very hard to be frugal!
Baking bread is very frugal! A batch of anything costs about $0.80 instead of $5 or $6! I don't eat grains anymore, but for a while I made all of my family's bread. A great resource for people who aren't stay at home moms to still make bread in a busy schedule is "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day". You can whip up a bucket of dough (literally takes 5 minutes) and then pull out a hunk of dough to make endless variations with very little time commitment. The master recipe is on their website.
I use my dehydrator a lot to be frugal as well. Buy fresh fruit and veggies at the peak of the season when they are inexpensive, and then dry them for later in the year. I store them in reusable canning jars and use a handheld vacuum sealer to seal the jars.
Two tips:
1. Dip fresh strawberries in 120 degree water (the temperature hot water comes out of my tap) for 30 seconds--this inhibits mold and rot. It REALLY works.
2. To dehydrate soft fruits like strawberries, slice them in a hard boiled egg slicer. You get nice, even slices.
Hmmm... let's see... Yesterday I:
- made a pea trellis for my garden by cobbling together bits of a dead antenna with some old chicken wire
- harvested the first spinach of the season
- repaired a braided rug that was coming apart at the seams
- cooked up a 10 pound bag of chicken that I got on sale for $6
- sprouted some lentils
- made tuna salad with my "refrigerator pickles" which allowed me to save 2 cucumbers that were starting to go soft
- planned out how I'm going to spend the last $7 of my $21 grocery budget for the month (it's a challenge thing.)
- plotted out an efficient route for tomorrow's errands which include picking up a bunch of free mulch for the garden
Drank my coffee at home instead of buying it at the train station...
We've been very busy and last night I was tempted to just go out to eat, but instead I made a very miscellaneous supper, which was cheaper and helped us eat up some food. We had a little turkey, scrambled eggs and cheese, grapes and leftover stirfry...very random but cheap! (just don't tell anybody I gave-in to the urge to eat out for lunch today, but we did grocery shop afterwards, so now I have lots of food to cook with).
I just love posts like this! The Prudent Homemaker does one on a weekly basis and both the posts and comments, like yours, are inspiring.
Unfortunately, I don't have much to report. I brought some food to work, including my reusable water bottle, but not enough to get me through the day without buying some stuff out. After work, I rode light rail out to the park & ride closest to our house and my husband picked me up there instead of downtown. This not only saves money on gas, but also saves him time. Despite being particularly tired after work, we still ate dinner at home. And when there was a spill in the kitchen I used one of my rags to wipe it up rather than a paper towel. (I do keep paper towels on hand as there are a few icky jobs that I prefer to use disposables for.)
Oh, that's neat! I'll have to go check it out.
I always buy a bag of small potatoes on grocery shopping day.
I boil a pot full until the skins crack, cool in water, and store in fridge. I take one or two out in the morning, slice and fry with olive oil and onions. Sometimes I throw in an egg.
Delicious, and very inexpensive.
Hi:-)
I have a question: I love yoghurt, but I´m lactose intolerant, and therefore, I was wondering if your recipe can be made from a lactose-free yoghurt starter?