Best painless "stretching things" budget tips?

[abish19]

Another Disney-related use for bread "ends" or other slightly stale bread is either regular French toast or Puffed French toast, served at the Crystal Palace restaurant in the Magic Kingdom. We've used various types of bread - hot dog rolls, stale white or wheat bread, etc.

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

4 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 each eggs
2 1/2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 slices bread
oil -- for frying

Method:

1. Combine 3/4 cup sugar with cinnamon and set aside.

2. Mix egg, 2 1/2 tablespoons of sugar, salt, vanilla and milk until well blended.

3. Slowly add flour and baking powder and mix until smooth.

4. Cut bread diagonally into triangles.

5. Dip bread triangles in batter, allowing excess to drip off. Fry in hot oil until golden brown on both sides. Drain on absorbent paper towel. While toast is still warm, roll in sugar/cinnamon mixture.

The only caveat is that you do have to use quite a bit of oil for frying, so it becomes less "frugal" because of that. Still, our family enjoys having this once in a while and it's a better use of that bread than throwing it out!

Great ideas! Keep them coming!

 

[abish19]

I forgot to mention in my previous post that we sometimes use the day-old bread store to purchase perfectly good bread, that we use up quickly or freeze. English muffins go for 2 for $1, loaves of high-quality bread and rolls are 89 cents. It's not on our regular route but the price is excellent.

The yellow pages list stores like this under "bakery" or "wholesale grocers."

 

[rottiemom]

I forgot to mention in my previous post that we sometimes use the day-old bread store to purchase perfectly good bread, that we use up quickly or freeze. English muffins go for 2 for $1, loaves of high-quality bread and rolls are 89 cents. It's not on our regular route but the price is excellent.

The yellow pages list stores like this under "bakery" or "wholesale grocers."

I can honestly, and with embarassment, say that this never occurred to me! I will save & freeze extra bread in anticipation of making stuffing and bread pudding but I never thought to check out the already stale bread...and there's an outlet right down the street from where I work. Thank you!

 

[abish19]

Hi rottiemom! Although the day-old bread store's bread isn't "as fresh" (read: soft) as bread you get at a regular grocery store, it isn't stale yet. It also isn't moldy, but they do sell the REALLY old stuff as animal feed.

We use the rolls, bread, etc. within a week and it's still not hard, crusty, or moldy.

It works for bread pudding and other recipes but can be eaten with sandwiches, etc., too.

My problem is finding the freezer space!

Give it a try and see what you think.

 

[carissanboys]

I have tried many times to find a bakery that sold discounted bread items in my area, but haven't had any luck. I grew up in Maine and there were lots of Country Kitchen stores that sold those items cheaply. I'll have to look in the yellow pages.

 

[carissanboys]

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

You can also bake them then use them for nachos...or one of my favorites, use them for quesadillas. Heat a cast iron pan & place the tortilla on it, sprinkle with cheese, fresh tomatoes, scallions, refried beans or whatever & top with another tortilla. When the bottom tortilla is toasted flip the entire thing & toast the other side (pressing down with a spatula so the quesadilla stays flat). Serve with salsa, avocado, sour cream...whatever. It makes a quick, fun dinner especially if you have fresh, ripe tomatoes.

.

You can also bake a quesadilla to make it healthier (and easier!). I used to fry them and tried baking them for less mess and no one complained!

 

[CobraBubbles]

I have a quesadilla maker but didn't think of trying it with corn tortillas...I always use flour...and yum! I'll try the corn sometime though.

You guys who live near bakery outlets are so lucky. At different times in my life I've lived near Awry's, Wonder Bread, and another one (don't remember). When I lived near Detroit. Now I live north and am not near one and it would be a great saver.

Lately, we usually buy bread from the store bakery that is reduced or I've been dabbling in making bread myself.

 

[Mermaid02]

I have tried many times to find a bakery that sold discounted bread items in my area, but haven't had any luck. I grew up in Maine and there were lots of Country Kitchen stores that sold those items cheaply. I'll have to look in the yellow pages.

I'm in Maine! I'm not sure where the "day old bread store" is anymore but you have inspired me to find out! Thanks!

 

[carissanboys]

I'm in Maine! I'm not sure where the "day old bread store" is anymore but you have inspired me to find out! Thanks!

Hello! I grew up in Lewiston, but also lived in Portland, Gorham, and Ellsworth. My family is still there so I visit once a year usually.

I found a Wonder Bread Outlet nearby! I never thought to google "wonder bread outlet" until someone mentioned it here and turns out there's one in a city next to mine. I'm going to check it out this weekend.

 

[abish19]

We have a Wonder Bread outlet and an Aunt Millie's outlet in our area. You could google those phrases, or ask your local grocery store what they do with their nearly outdated bread.

I've made my own bread, both the traditional way and using a bread machine. The bread tastes great but becomes stale faster (probably b/c it doesn't have any preservatives like store-bought bread does). On the one hand, it's healthier, but then I have to make bread really frequently which doesn't always fit into our schedule. The bread outlet is a nice compromise.

Another budget idea (from "The Tightwad Gazette) is to consider what you eat for each meal and substitute it with something cheaper. For example: if you typically eat cereal for breakfast, compare the cost of a serving of cereal (even store-bought-with-a-coupon cereal) with other breakfast choices, like homemade muffins, eggs, toast, oatmeal, etc. Almost anything is less expensive than cereal. It's a good principle, especially if you really want to cut your food budget dramatically.

I love these ideas! Thanks everyone!

 

[MELSMICE]

I haven't seen this yet & can't believe I forgot about it.

I have one of those Swiffer sweepers - not the Wet Jet or anything fancy, just the original Swiffer.

One day I realized I had run out of the Swiffer cloths so I used a wet paper towel. Then I started using an old rag. You just wet it, & stick it in the "slots" on the back of the Swiffer. Just re-wet & use again.

It's quick & saves money on buying the replacement cloths.

 

[jgraney106]

If you have high speed internet, you can try a MagicJack. It cost me $50 - $29.99 for the jack and $19.99 for a year's worth of telephone service (not $19.99 a mo/it's $19.99 for the yr). I think the jack is now $39.99 but the service is the same. Service is as good as my DD's Vonage service, for much less. I do need to keep the computer on (calls go to voicemail if computer is off) but my machine is on all day anyway. I shut off my monitor when I am not active on the computer.

I run XP, not Vista. I have heard of some issues with Vista, but there is a downloadable upgrade that is supposed to take care of any Vista issues.

While MagicJack is an infomercial item, the reviews from respected sources (it won PC Mag's Editor's Choice) convinced me to try it. I have not regretted my decision.

I just got Magicjack a couple of weeks ago. we discontinued our long distance service so I bought this to replace that. We are running Vista with it and have had no problems, and are considering canceling out our local phone service too, and just using the Magicjack. It's a great product even if you only use it for long distance service. It works for me , and I call my mother in another state regularly.

 

[carissanboys]

It's quick & saves money on buying the replacement cloths.

Not to mention no crazy chemicals and better for the environment. I've just started doing the same.

 

[Minnie Lor]

I haven't seen this yet & can't believe I forgot about it.

I have one of those Swiffer sweepers - not the Wet Jet or anything fancy, just the original Swiffer.

One day I realized I had run out of the Swiffer cloths so I used a wet paper towel. Then I started using an old rag. You just wet it, & stick it in the "slots" on the back of the Swiffer. Just re-wet & use again.

It's quick & saves money on buying the replacement cloths.

Not to mention no crazy chemicals and better for the environment. I've just started doing the same.

Me three. I use old wash clothes. It picks up better and if it drys out - just rinse under hot water again.

 

[carissanboys]

I mentioned earlier that I tried adding powdered milk to our regular milk and my boys wouldn't drink it. I found a recipe in The Complete Tightwad Gazette for chocolate syrup. Made up a batch of that last night and the boys drank up the milk without an issue. I normally never let them get chocolate milk, so this is a treat for them. And I don't have to waste all of that milk (I've been using it in cooking/baking, but there's still a lot left).

 

[Mermaid02]

Hello! I grew up in Lewiston, but also lived in Portland, Gorham, and Ellsworth. My family is still there so I visit once a year usually.

I found a Wonder Bread Outlet nearby! I never thought to google "wonder bread outlet" until someone mentioned it here and turns out there's one in a city next to mine. I'm going to check it out this weekend.

I'm in Bangor! We do a lot of camping in the Ellsworth area.

I would love to ditch our landline- but my dh can't seem to let go of it.

 

[Megkel]

Thanks for the swiffer idea I would have never thought of that! I never thought I was good at saving money however I have just learned that apparently I'm a lot better than I thought I was!

I usually spend about $100-$200 every 2 weeks on grocerys for all our meals. There is only 3 of us and our daughter is only 3. Before I go shopping I pull the calendar down and plan out all our meals till the next payday (which is usually 2 weeks). Knowing what we are going to have everyday helps when going to the store and wondering if I need something or not. I always look up the sale ads to at least 2 stores and pick out from there the "extras" we are going to have. I always use coupons on sale items so that it's even less money. My husband come home for lunch which helps cut down on costs (we live on base so it's only 5 minutes or so) and is healthier for him. We plan a pasta dish twice a week which is the cheapest meal I have ever found! I also save the "best" meals for the weekend knowing that is when we are more likely to eat out. I also keep a few frozen pizzas in the freezer so that if we want a quick meal we just pop that in there.

 

[Megkel]

Something more Disney related! I came across someone who said they made their own "Princess announcement" for their daughter when they went to Disney. I made my daughter a basket for when we go in September. The whole basket costs me about $65 and I hope it cuts down on the amount of stuff she wants to buy when we are there.

 

[incruzcontrol2]

How cute.. What a great idea.. Thanks for sharing the picture