Best painless "stretching things" budget tips?

[semo233]

I just wanted to comment to the person who was making the no-knead bread: if you are trying to make a lighter loaf, don't use pastry flour! It is lower in gluten so it won't rise well and you'll actually end up with a denser loaf. Using bread flour might help, though.

Teresa

Wow! Thanks for the tip! I'm glad you posted!
semo233

 

[dani blaski]

I used the tip about adding h2o to liquid detergent to stretch it and get the rest out of the bottle. I use Tide w bleach 2x concentrated and did this. Well....NONE of my stains came out! Now I specifically buy this brand because it will take care of the stains that i forget to pre-treat. So I am rewashing them again tomorrow. Also i bought Tide with Dawn stain scrubbers and it was disappointing on the stains. Next time I will stick with Tide w/ bleach version!

 

[Chicklogic]

I used the tip about adding h2o to liquid detergent to stretch it and get the rest out of the bottle. I use Tide w bleach 2x concentrated and did this. Well....NONE of my stains came out! Now I specifically buy this brand because it will take care of the stains that i forget to pre-treat. So I am rewashing them again tomorrow. Also i bought Tide with Dawn stain scrubbers and it was disappointing on the stains. Next time I will stick with Tide w/ bleach version!

I dilute detergent waaaayyy down or just use a miniscule amount. No problems with stains. Must be you have younger kids or different stain issues than our family does.

Not every tip is a winner for everyone I guess. Maybe try a little less detergent instead. Get maybe 1 or 2 more loads out of a bottle instead of the 8 - 10 I get.

 

[semo233]

Hey there chicklogic!

 

[happycampers]

Thank you so much for this happycampers! It was wonderful and I already had all the ingredients on hand. I made a double batch and figured out that 3 TB of the mix for a pound of meat worked out perfect. I really appreciate this and I am delighted to use my spices up. DH thought it rocked!

Just got back into town and I'm catching up on this thread. I'm glad you liked the recipe. And thanks for the 3 TB measurement too. (I guess I could've just added up all the fractional measurements, just hadn't done it. )

I made myself some of these washable, reusable cotton dish sponges instead of buying normal sponges and throwing them away when they get gross:
http://alicethekamel.blogspot.com/2007/09/cotton-dish-sponges.html

Thanks for this pattern link. I'm going to get out my crochet stuff and make one. Her pattern for a "Biffer Shrug" is interesting too. I recently bought some flannel fabric, cut it with pinking shears and used a zig-zag stitch to help keep them from unraveling. I still have a partially used box of Swiffer cloths, but I'm really liking the way the flannel is working for me.


Thanks to everyone for the cloth napkin encouragement. I picked up a few pretty ones at the GW Boutique for a quarter each. I'll keep checking in there to add to my stash.

Also, silly question for those of you who cut your face cloths in half...Do you keep a pair of scissors with your box and cut them as needed, or do you sit down and cut them all in half at once?

 

[plummer925]

I am enjoying these ideas. I do have a question though. We have a very small but great health food store. They sell everything from flour (all kinds) refried beans (dry almost powdered) in barrels. You know the kind that you pull out what you want and they weigh it. They have some really interesting items but except for the cereal I have no idea on how to cook any of those things. Does anyone have a recipe book they could recommend that uses all items from scratch?

Try the More With Less Cookbook - it's my favorite! - it's a Mennonite Cookbook and is just wonderful.

 

[plummer925]

I drink Kool-Aid almost exclusively (I have a very bad gag reflex and can't seem to swallow water). I started cutting the sugar back each time I have made it. (I now use Splenda as I have diabetes) - I'm down to 1/3 of a cup per pitcher. That's a HUGE savings. Anything less than 1/3 of a cup is too bitter.

 

[Tarheel Tink]

Also, silly question for those of you who cut your face cloths in half...Do you keep a pair of scissors with your box and cut them as needed, or do you sit down and cut them all in half at once?

I have been keeping the scissors nearby and cutting as needed (and found it easier to cut rolled up some rather than like a sheet- may just be my scissors).

BTW happycampers, I just used your taco recipe again on some chicken for tacos for lunch- very good. I let DH know that it was chicken I had frozen from a rotisserie chicken from Food Lion. I get them the day after for about a dollar less (refrigerated) and use some for a cold plate. I pick the rest and make chicken salad or BBQ chicken sandwichs. This time I had things already planned so froze this. 3 meals from 1 chicken!

 

[MELSMICE]

Another tip on saving in recipes. I make a lot of layered dips for parties, etc. I usually use cream cheese as the base.

First, I found that if I blend in sour cream it makes the base smoother & easier to eat when using a tortilla chip (chips won't break). Plus, instead of using 8 oz. cream cheese, I use 1/2 of that.

It saves on cost because an 8 oz. brick of cream cheese on sale is at least 99 cents. A 16 oz. container of sour cream on sale is about $1.39 or more. So, with one 8 oz. brick of cream cheese & one 16 oz. container of sour cream I can get 2 layered dips, plus have sour cream left over for baked potatoes for dinner during the week!!!

 

[Chicklogic]

Hey there chicklogic!

Guess we frequent the same threads!

No wonder you noticed my counter-deficit

 

[Chicklogic]

Nobody has mentioned this tip,as far as I have seen. At least in THIS thread.

Milk here in Florida is almost $4 a gallon! Albertson's is even selling the TG Lee brand (in yellow jug)for over $5 a gallon!! We, as a rule, drink 1% or 2% milk but I go ahead and buy whole milk. When I get home I pour half of the gallon into a freshly washed but previously used milk jug and fill both to top with ice cold water!

NO ONE NOTICED! I was adding powdered milk to round it out a bit (as another website suggests) but ran out and decided to fudge it.......

Our Son is 18 years old and 6'6 ~ that boy can drink a gallon of milk in a DAY!

I only need to buy 3 gallons a week now!

 

[sweetascanbee]

I have been keeping the scissors nearby and cutting as needed (and found it easier to cut rolled up some rather than like a sheet- may just be my scissors).

I cut mine when I open the package...if you take the pile out you can hold it in one hand and use the sissors to cut the fold on each sheet....then place it back in the container. Of course I buy the refils and save even more money.

Becky

 

[plummer925]

Nobody has mentioned this tip,as far as I have seen. At least in THIS thread.

Milk here in Florida is almost $4 a gallon! Albertson's is even selling the TG Lee brand (in yellow jug)for over $5 a gallon!! We, as a rule, drink 1% or 2% milk but I go ahead and buy whole milk. When I get home I pour half of the gallon into a freshly washed but previously used milk jug and fill both to top with ice cold water!

NO ONE NOTICED! I was adding powdered milk to round it out a bit (as another website suggests) but ran out and decided to fudge it.......

Our Son is 18 years old and 6'6 ~ that boy can drink a gallon of milk in a DAY!

I only need to buy 3 gallons a week now!

This is a great tip (I had read it on another site as well) - but remember if you are diluting milk, you're also diluting any vitamins that you are depending on getting from milk (D, Calcium, etc) - as long as you are supplimenting your diet with leafy greens, etc then this shouldn't be a problem!

 

[Chicklogic]

This is a great tip (I had read it on another site as well) - but remember if you are diluting milk, you're also diluting any vitamins that you are depending on getting from milk (D, Calcium, etc) - as long as you are supplimenting your diet with leafy greens, etc then this shouldn't be a problem!

The point about diluting the vitamins is a valid one. In our case......DS is only getting vitamins from a HALF of a gallon of milk a day .......

But good to point out for other....not so......ROBUST milk drinkers.

 

[LovetheGoof]

What a wealth of information you all have here. I haven't read all the budget busters so if I'm repeating something, sorry. We reuse papertowels like when we wash and dry our hands then I use them over to wipe up spills or clean counters with them. I shop at Sam's, buy hamburger meat, chicken, cheese, etc. and freeze small portions. I even freeze gallons of milk. I like buying a big rotisserie chicken from Sam's and use it for several meals. Another thing I do is on payday I put money into envelopes. I have the following envelopes: grocery, medical, auto, allowance, entertainment, and spending. This method really helps me to control spending, once the envelope is empty thats it.

 

[PudgetteD]

Another way to stretch a few leftovers: Leftovers make great twice-baked potatoes. Bake a big potato for each family member, then mush up the potato "insides" with the leftovers, stuff it all back into the potato shells, and return it to the oven for 10-15 minutes. This works well if you have a little bit of meat leftover (how else can you make one pork chop and half a chicken breast feed the whole family?) and a little bit of vegetable. Depending upon what I have, I might toss in some cheeses, or even make a small amount of cheese sauce.

This sounds tasty, I'll have to try it. I make omelets with our leftovers. Last night DH had a leftover steak and potato omelet ( about 2 bites of steak and 1/4 of a baked potato), DD and DS had leftover taco omelets ( about 1T of taco meat, onions, salsa, and cheese), and I had a leftover veggie omelet ( 1 asparagus spear, 3-4 baby carrots, and some mushrooms)

 

[SnowWhite607]

This sounds tasty, I'll have to try it. I make omelets with our leftovers. Last night DH had a leftover steak and potato omelet ( about 2 bites of steak and 1/4 of a baked potato), DD and DS had leftover taco omelets ( about 1T of taco meat, onions, salsa, and cheese), and I had a leftover veggie omelet ( 1 asparagus spear, 3-4 baby carrots, and some mushrooms)

Yum! Those sound good! Thanks for the tip.

 

[SGMCO]

Money Saving for Pet Cats.
My Cat loves to eat Soft cat food but she also eats crunchy cat food.
The Soft cat food is expensive and most come in small cans.
The other day while shopping for her favorite Soft Cat food
in the 5.5ounce cans (42 cents each) found the larger 13ounce can (62 cents each) of the same brand.
I was able to feed my cat for 5 days with this larger can because I only
served small portions (2 tblespoons each serving 2x per day) plus she ate
her crunchy food. I usually serve her 1 of the smaller cans per day directly from the can--which sometimes dry on the edges then she wouldn't eat anymore. Serving her small portions 2xper day there was no wasted food--she ate everything.
After opening the larger can, I stored the leftovers in the fridge.
She loved it. Instead of paying $2.10 for 5 cans for 5 days, it only cost .62 cents.

 

[SGMCO]

1st of June I got my DH to put up a Clothesline for hanging clothes out.
I have used it for a month now.
This will save plenty on the electric bill--
I will check on how much savings when the bill comes in.
My clothes smell very fresh also.

 

[tcarr5]

found this on another site----

Butter Stretcher

During World War II when rationing was in order and certain foods were scarce or ration stamps were all used, various means to stretch these foods was needed, this was a method to extend one pound of butter or margarine to two pounds of either spread.
1 lb. butter or margerine
1 envelope of Knox gelatin
2 C skim milk
Soften the package of gelatin in 1/2 cup of skim milk, when softened stir over low heat till disolved, add to remaining milk and whip or beat into the butter or margairine that has been softened to room temperature. Use rotary beater, or electric mixer at a medium speed. When thoroughly mixed put in covered containers and refrigerate that which is not being used immediately. This tastes very much like freshly churned, when using butter as the main ingredient.
Now, when the food dollar means so much, large families might find this ideally suited to ease their budgets and use of skim milk cuts the calories for dieters.