Best painless "stretching things" budget tips?

[MELSMICE]

I looooove this idea because when I make batches of cookies they usually don't get eaten but people would LOVE fresh baked every now and then. Do you cook them from frozen....and for how long...is it the same as you would from fresh?

Yes, I cook them right out of the freezer. I between 1-3 minutes longer than unfrozen dough. I like them crunchy & "dippable" . One of my DD's like them a little softer, so she cooks them for a bit less.

Believe me, once you start doing this, you will never cook a full batch again. It's so much better to have fresh cookies whenever you want them instead of 2 or 3 day old cookies. They taste so much better!!!

 

[Aubrielle]

I'm so glad this thread is back again. I have followed it for a while...and I can honestly say it has saved me a lot of money.

Thanks to everyone for the great ideas!

 

[CobraBubbles]

This is a stretching tip that is also maybe friendly to your middle! Haha. Sometimes I like a candy bar but they are like 60 cents and up nowadays, but you can get the little snack-a-pack's at Walmart and Target for around $1. You get 8 -10 snacks. They are smaller but often it's good enough to have a little treat and the craving is gone...thus saving you some calories and some $$

This will not work for those who want to eat all 8-10 at once

 

[pampam]

I don't have dentures so I personally have not done this, but my Mom used to soak her dentures in vinegar instead of using denture tablets. Just make sure you rinse them off first before using.

 

[magicfairydust]

Okay, I know they are very expensive! We got a deal on ours because we bought it at eggtoberfest (big Green Egg festival). It had only been used once and we saved about $200. Since we have gotten it, my husband cooks almost every weekend and we normally have leftovers. He makes pizzas, bread, everything! We don't eat out or buy processed foods as often. If I had known he was going to cook so much we would have gotten one a lot earlier. Every husband should come with one!

For those who don't know - the big green egg is a grill and a convection oven.

 

[Debbie]

For those who don't know - the big green egg is a grill and a convection oven.

Thank you for explaining....I thought that it had something to do with Easter.

 

[DisneyBrat]

A tip I got from this board:

You don't need a full dryer sheet. I rip mine in half and never notice the difference.

My son cut our dryer sheet box in half on the ban saw It sure did beat cuting them by hand !!!!

 

[PHXscuba]

Most of my best money-saving tips have to do with my kids because they drain all of my money ... I think that's probably worth another 60-page thread.

We have a local fruit-and-vegetable market that also sells locally made products. I go about every two weeks and buy lots of veggies and fruits. The produce looks so much better and cheaper that I buy more for less. We start eating the most perishable stuff first, working our way down until we have apples and carrots left! Then I go again.

I also save every gift bag that's in good shape as well as tissue paper (smooth it out if it's crumpled). I haven't bought either in years! The dollar store is a good source of cheap wrapping paper rolls.

I reuse dryer sheets (and will start using them to clean based on this thread) and use foaming soap for my kids because they use much less than regular soap (why do the DDs think they need a surgical scrub?)

I've learned a lot from this thread. I think with this economy we can all use a booster shot of frugality!

PHXscuba

 

[Nette]

My son cut our dryer sheet box in half on the ban saw It sure did beat cuting them by hand !!!!

This is slightly off topic, but years ago, I was trying to do this martha stewart Halloween craft where she floated apples in a barrel of water with tea lights in them. She carved a hole in each apple for a tea light. DH, after seeing my frustration with this, got out his drill press and drilled holes in every apple for me. We think there are probably still pieces of apple stuck to the walls of that garage!

I've since learned that Martha Stewart crafts are not budget!

 

[Tarheel Tink]

My son cut our dryer sheet box in half on the ban saw It sure did beat cuting them by hand !!!!

I could have used your son when I cut the last box of dryer sheets in half, one by one by one....

 

[carissanboys]

I've spent the last few days reading through this entire thread and I love it! I own The Complete Tightwad Gazette and read through it whenever I need a boost to frugality - which is now!

A couple of people mentioned saving their bread ends in the freezer and making croutons. Well, I save our ends (no one ever eats the heels) as well as any hamburger or hotdog buns that are getting stale and throw them in the freezer. When I have quite a few saved up and I have the time, I put them all in my food processor and make breadcrumbs. They all get dumped into a ziploc bag (or you could use a plastic container ) and stored in the freezer to stay fresh. I never have to buy breadcrumbs.

I have been cutting my husband (who is military) and my sons' hair for the past 6 years or so. The boys just get a buzz cut, but I'm able to do a combo cut on my husband's hair - buzz the sides so he passes inspection and use the scissors on the top. I also began cutting my own hair about 3 years ago. I have a simple bob-type cut and it's so easy to do. I've received many compliments on my haircuts and the only ones who can tell I do it myself are the hairdressers on the time or two I've gone to get a professional cut.

I can't even imagine how much money I have saved by cutting our entire family's hair! The hair clipper kit was purchased at Walmart for maybe $30??

Keep the ideas coming!

 

[rottiemom]

I just remembered this one & don't remember if it's been posted or not. If you use brillo pads, cut the new ones in half & only use one half at a time. Saves you from having the half used brillo pad lying around, getting rusty (and then eventually thrown out) plus it helps to keep your scissors sharp .

 

[carissanboys]

I have a bread machine recipe to share. This is a REALLY yummy bread (I got the recipe from allrecipes.com).

Light Oat Bread

1 1/4 cups water
2 T margarine
1 t salt
3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup rolled oats (I always buy the traditional oats instead of instant - better for you.)
2 T brown sugar
1 1/2 t active dry yeast

Add ingredients to bread machine in order recommended by your manufacturer. Use regular (or basic) light setting.

I love to make up a loaf when we're having soup for dinner - like tonight. I have a Bean, Barley, and Sausage Soup cooking away in the crockpot.

 

[kdzgon]

Who do you get this through? I've been wanting to drop my land line but the only internet my local Direct TV carries is BellSouth.

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.

 

[CobraBubbles]

OOoooooh, this thread is hopping today. Keep the tips coming. I wish that I had a new tip, but I don't today. Also wish I knew how to make a bread maker recipe in the regular oven...anyone know?

 

[Rogue26]

Cobrabubbles- I love your attitude, from your picture I think we are probably close in age and it's nice to see that we can be responsible with our money, even if we're young. You never complain, you just find a way to make what you have work. I hope that came out the right way!

If you have a library near you, I would check out the king arthur flour cookbook. It would give you a great place to start. If you have a stand mixer you can make bread no problem, if you don't it will just take a little more work. If you do have a stand mixer, don't turn it up to high with bread dough, you can grind the gears and that's not very budget friendly.
Assuming no mixer- combine warm water with a small amount of sugar, and the yeast. let that "work" for about 5 minutes. Then mix all ingredients, just use your hand, and start kneading, it will take a while. Knead until you can stretch the dough with out it tearing. Let it rise, punch down, shape, let it rise, and bake. This all makes sense to me because I have baking experience so I'm sorry if I confused you more.

Thanks for all the great tips, I've been following this thread. I'm looking foward to using up the rest of my laundry detergent so I can make my own.

 

[carissanboys]

Some posters were talking about inexpensive things to do with the kids. One of our favorite activities is letterboxing. All you really need to get started is a small notebook and a stamp (and you can make your own). It's similar to geocaching except you use clues to find your letterbox instead of coordinates. Once you find the letterbox, you leave your stamp in their book and take a copy of their stamp in YOUR book.

All you really pay for is the gas to get where you're going, but you'd be surprised how many letterboxes are in your area - especially if you live in a large-ish city.

When the weather is nice we pack up some snacks or a picnic lunch, get the info for the letterbox we're going to look for, and hit the road. What I love about letterboxing is that it introduces us to places and areas we never would have known about! We've found many great parks this way. It also gets us outside and exercising.

Here are two sites to visit for more information:

www.letterboxing.org

www.atlasquest.com

 

[carissanboys]

Also wish I knew how to make a bread maker recipe in the regular oven...anyone know?

This does remind me of something a friend told me years ago. I mentioned how I didn't like the shape of the loaf from the bread machine and she said she just mixes and kneads her bread in the machine, but then bakes it in the oven in a regular loaf pan. She also did rolls that way. I know this doesn't help you, but it reminded me of that.

If you don't mind using beer, there are some great quick beer bread recipes out there. Very simple to make and quite tasty. Here are a few:

BEER BREAD

INGREDIENTS
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer
3 cups self-rising flour
3 tablespoons white sugar

DIRECTIONS

In a large bowl, mix together the sugar and flour. Add beer and continue to mix, first using a wooden spoon, then your hands. Batter will be sticky. Pour into a 9 x 5 inch greased loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees ) for 50 for 60 minutes. The top will be crunchy, and the insides will be soft. Serve topped with butter or cheese spread.


WHOLE WHEAT BEER BREAD

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
4 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle beer

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl, combine all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt and brown sugar. Pour in beer, stir until a stiff batter is formed.

It may be necessary to mix dough with your hands. Scrape dough into prepared loaf pan.

Bake in preheated oven for 50 to 60 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean.


I also remembered a recipe to make your own Shake 'N Bake.

1 cup of breadcrumbs
1/2 cup of flour
2 t. garlic powder
2 t. poultry seasoning
1 t. paprika
salt and pepper to taste

(I add a small amount of sugar to mine as it tastes more like the real thing when I do. Just a teaspoon or two.)

Combine ingredients and store in a sealable container. It will last for many months in the pantry.

 

[ctinct]

I just remembered this one & don't remember if it's been posted or not. If you use brillo pads, cut the new ones in half & only use one half at a time. Saves you from having the half used brillo pad lying around, getting rusty (and then eventually thrown out) plus it helps to keep your scissors sharp .

I hadn't thought of cutting the Brillo in half. Good idea. What I do is freeze my Brillo or SOS pads. I keep a it in a bag in the freezer and take it out when I need to use it. The Brillo thaws out very quickly in th dishwater. When you're done, just pop it back in the freezer. They last a long time this way with no rust.

 

[RN4Babies]

I was always having to chop and freeze fresh produce so it wouldn't go to waste. I finally invested in Debbie Meyer produce bags, and they keep fruit and veggies fresh for two weeks! I also bought some bread bags, and my bread and buns stay fresh soooo much longer.