Pork, pork, & more pork. Cheap supper!

Where I do my grocery shopping, pork can be a super deal.  And I like to keep my pig farmer friend, Joe, in business.  What to do with all that pork in a huge package?  I hate it when I throw it in the freezer, only to pull it out a few weeks later and I only want 3 strips of those 10 super-frozen-together chunks - you know my dilemma.  But when it's $1.19 a pound, and cheaper than hamburger (which really isn't all that cheap!), I'm going with it!  Here's what I do:

Take a few strips and cut them with a kitchen sheers into bite-size chunks, and put them in a freezer container.

Season them real good so the meat can soak in the flavor while it sits in the freezer and dreams about the warmth of an oven.  I use seasoned meat tenderizer and onion powder.  Then in the future you can just grab it out of the freezer and dump it in a skillet for some quick stir fry!  Big time saver!!

I pull out a portion for one meal and wrap it up real good in plastic wrap and label it.  Might want to toss it into a zip lock bag too for extra insurance against freezer burn.

My hubby's favorite way to eat this pork:

I take about 3 strips of this bone-in rib meat or shoulder meat and put it in a slow cooker (not a crock pot, I use an ancient old plug-in slow cooker) and pour barbecue sauce all over the pork.  Sometimes I use ketchup and honey or brown sugar.  Cook it all day.  The bottom will get an almost crispy texture.  Mmmm.  It just melts in your mouth!  My 2 and 4 year old love it too!  I usually serve it with rice, as the extra sauce from the pan is great poured over it.

You know you're Frugal when....

You go to the Goodwill "AS IS" store and you're bummed to see they've raised their prices on kids clothes from 29 cents to 49 cents, and adults from 79 cents to $1!! 

This is from my trip to the Goodwill As Is store in Charlotte, MI

If you like thrift shopping and have never been to or even heard of a Goodwill as is store (or Goodwill Outlet) well by George this is your lucky day!!  Ohhhh wow are they great.  First of all, you need to have time on your side.  And be prepared to dig.  I'm not talking dig as in sort through rows and rows of clothes, I'm talking tables piled high with clothes, none of which are folded!  You will have a blast laughing at the doozies in there, but also ooo and ahhhh over the things others failed to find first!!  I took home a HUGE stack of clothes, mostly for my baby girl and some for myself and boys.  But also a large mirror, end table which you just wait - will be adorable painted up - and a chair, which will also turn into something beautimous.  Of course odds and ends also made it into my sack like a candle warmer, an awesome soup bowl set, etc.  All of this totaled up to $22.  Thirty three things, furniture included, and it totaled $22.  Woo hoo!!! By the way, ignore the price tags on everything.  There are big signs posted up on the walls that go something like this:
originally: $1.99 and under............now .79
originally:  1.99 - 2.99....................now .99
originally: 2.99-4.99.......................now1.29
I'm just guessing on these prices, it is something like that!!!  I got Tobin's desk there for just 79 cents once! But they've since raised their prices........  Someday I will post a pic of it.

Kitchen Makeover - PART ONE

Before Beauty

I loved my cobalt blue kitchen.  Afterall, blue has always been my favorite color.  (Yes, I love orange too, but blue has been with me through thick and thin and you can't forsake a friend like that!).  But after 7 years, the "change" bug was really biting me.  And leaving quite an itchy spot!!  Those cupboards always bugged me.  Man I wanted to paint them.  But it just seemed so sinful.  But a good friend nudged me in the "go for it" direction, so I went for it, baby!  My white and cobalt blue kitchen is now what my dad calls machine gray.  Sounds pretty, eh?  Cabinets are black on the bottom and white on top, painted with Behr Semi Gloss Enamel.  It was expensive paint at about $35 a gallon, but last I checked, that's a penny in the bucket compared to buying new cabinets!!  We went with that brand because that's what the dude at Lowe's said would be our best bet.  I also took all the hardware (pulls) off and spray painted them silver.  Again, quite a bit cheaper that new. However, if you have to buy new, don't go anywhere until you look at Ebay.  I don't know why, but brand new on ebay is waaaaay cheaper than in the store and there is an amazing variety to choose from.

Money saving tip: mix your own paint.  This can be scary, but just use your brain and remember that blue and yellow make green.  I had some white on hand, some black, some blackish brown, some gray....

We (me and my dear mother who came from Iowa to help me with this overwhelming project) stirred it all together and tested it on the wall until I had something I liked.

Beautimous!!! no??  I'm like a proud parent looking at this here corner of my kitchen. :)

Stay tuned for more of this kitchen makeover such as: painting the countertops, the decor, and much more - on a shoestring of course!!

Fashion on the cheap

Oh boy.  Do I even go near the subject of fashion?  I've passed into that realm of "This was in style when I was a kid, and it's circled back around, but you're never supposed to wear things twice in a lifetime....".  Tis a predicament.  Whoever thought the 80's would circle back around anyway?  I thought maybe that was one cycle that might just well, not cycle.  So here's the scoop for today, and how to achieve this look on the cheap.  Or maybe you don't want to achieve this look at all, maybe you hate this look!  Just apply the concept with something else and hush.

1. Find the nearest Dots store.  My friends who make fun of me for shopping in Dots don't know what they're missing out on.
2. Go STRAIGHT to the back, do not pass go, and don't stop until you hit the clearance racks.  The ones with signs over them reading $3, $5, and $7.
3. Pull out cute blue dress with the $3 tag and see the potential it has to hug every bulge in your body the wrong way.  Grab a bigger size than normal, fork over your hard-earned three dolla make me wanna holla, and exit.
4. Night before church, try it on and realize it is the butt-hugger you feared it would be.  Frantically search the room for something to stretch it over for the night.  It needs to be wearable in 8 hours.  And since I can't drop 10 pounds quite that fast, the dress needs to grow.

My dress, stretching to it's full potential.

5. Yank, pull and stretch dress over laundry basket after Hubby refuses to wear it to bed.
6. In the morning, slowly pull off and cross your fingers.  Stomp your foot in annoyance that you used a rectangular shaped basket instead of a round one, but hope those little bulges work themselves out.
7. accessorize with a wide belt easily found at Goodwill for a buck or 2, and a dollar store necklace. Throw on Payless clearanced shoes to finish off the look.

8. Shoes included, the total cost is $14.

I would have shown you a few more options, but frankly I felt really stupid posing for pictures. (I looked stupid too, hence the chopped off head!)

Thrifty Thoughts - BABY EDITION

As I was waiting for this page to load, I overheard my 4 year old ask his little brother, "do you want me to pick your nose?"  What happened to the saying "You can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your friend's nose?!!!  Wait a minute, those weren't my kids.  I don't know who's kids are sitting in my house. Usually I love to claim them, but anyhow moving on to the subject at hand!  And that would be?  Some BABY SAVING TIPS!

1. Make your own baby food.  I have to confess something.  Actually I have two things to confess.  The first time I tried this, I didn't realize you had to cook the carrots before putting them in the blender.  I really didn't ride the short bus.  I know you were wondering.  My other confession is, I did not make baby food for the first two children (although that one carrot attempt sorta counts), but when I went to buy those yummy smashed beans for baby #3, I had to blink a few times to see the price had gone up to 50 cents a jar!  Humph.  I get bags full of green beans from my next door neighbor and even grew a tiny patch myself this year so I make a big pot last week for supper and all the ones we didn't eat went thunk, into the blender, into baby food jars, and into the freezer.  note: add water!  And you'll have to stop the blender and pull off all the bean strings stuck around the blades.  It kind of looks like when you pull the hair out of the drain.  SICKO.
2. rip wet wipes in half.  Usually their little bums don't need more than that.  But sometimes they do, plus another, and 5 more, and oh goodness, just put them in the bathtub.
3. SIGN UP for all those baby newsletters and stuff.  They'll send you lots of free samples in the mail - including tubs of powdered formula!  My babies were breastfed so I sold them on ebay.  The coupons sell on ebay too!
4. Hit up the garage sales.  Your baby doesn't need new - she doesn't care and she probably will hate that $200 fancy shmancy swing you bought her.  Trust me, I just talked to a mom who has one and yeah.  Darn it.  Buy it (swings, strollers, jumparoos, bouncy seats, etc. ) for a few bucks, and you ain't out much when junior screams every time he gets near it and you can probably resell it for more when you're done.

Tori in her $7 garage sale bouncy seat. another money saver - put her in brother's old sleepers!  haha

5. Your pediatrician gets loads of free samples to give away to patients.  Last time I was in, our Doctor gave me six small bottles of cough syrup.  He also gives me lots of infant Tylenol.  If they don't offer it, just ask.  Chances are, they'd be happy to hand some out.  That's what it's for!

Thrify Thoughts #16-20 - vehicles

Special edition Thrifty Thoughts on our beloved automobiles.

16.This one is huge.  Never. ever.  EVER buy a new car.  Here's an analogy I heard once that should be enough to scare you away.  Imagine driving your new car off the lot (which loses 20-40% of it's value right there!) and every Monday morning on your way to work, rolling down your window and tossing a hundred dollar bill out into the ditch.  Is that going to add up?  My friend, that is going to add up.

For most people, this is a pride issue.  Will an older, used model that you can pay for WITH CASH get you from point A to B?  Yes.  Will it be good for your ego to show up in that not-so-new vehicle?  Heck yes.  Get over yourself. ;) Unless of course you have the means - to people that think 30 grand is chump cash, buy those new cars - we need you for our economy!  Otherwise, repeat after me: Cars are NOT AN INVESTMENT.  It is a depreciating asset.  If you don't have the money in your account for it, you shouldn't be buying it.  I realize there may be a few exceptions to this rule, since in this day and age cars are pretty much a necessity, and some folks will need to get a small loan.  Avoid at all cost if you can.

17.Grab a bucket, rag, and some soap and wash that vehicle in your driveway.  Got kids?  Have some fun with them while you're at it!  Your lazy rear doesn't need to sit in a magic carwash, and those dollars could be put to better use.

18.Don't trade your car in.  If they can make a profit on it, SO CAN YOU!

19. Combine trips.  You need to hop in your car every time you think of something you "need"?  It's only a few blocks away you say....   Yes, I am somewhat of a homebody.  But some of my "hermit-like" behavior is to save gas.  Need milk and eggs?  I phone the hubby and say to pick some up on his way home from work.  Can the grocery shopping wait for 2 days when I have a dentist appointment so I can make one trip out of it?  Yup, sure can!

p.s. if it is only a few blocks away - walk or RIDE YOUR BIKE!

20.Now this one I need to preach to myself.  I once tried this and the results were unbelievable.  In fact, they were so unbelievable I should probably test it again to make sure I did it right!  Instead of driving like a maniac, like every destination has the potential to get us a NASCAR trophy, drive conservatively.  I am aware this is supposedly a no-brainer.  However, when I actually practiced it (no gunning it when the light turns green, screeching to halts, driving 15mph over the limit, etc) , I got over 100 more miles on a tank of gas!!!! wowzers.

Thrifty Thoughts #11-15

11. Instead of plastic wrap, use....drum roll please.... shower caps!  If you're at a hotel, these usually come complimentary in a little box.  Cover dishes with them, wash, and reuse!  They do make these for food, but you'd have to pay for them. :)  p.s. yesterday while driving to a lawn site, I stopped in at a garage sale and among the great finds I got was a flower shower cap, new in the package for 25 cents.  For the extra money, I thought it would be fun to see the flowers in my fridge.  haha.  I'm being a little sarcastic... sort of??

12. Pack your lunch for work.  Add up how much you spend buying lunch in a month.  Now add up how much it costs to throw leftovers in a lunch bag, or make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.  You'll save enough money to build the patio in a previously mentioned blog (May 24)!  Oh, and for those of you who are not morning people - I pack the lunch the night before.  Or while I'm putting leftovers from supper away, slip some into a container (an empty sour cream container of course, see tip # 14!) and straight into the lunchbox so it's all ready to grab in the morning.
13. When you buy sponges for your kitchen, cut them in half.  You don't need a mammoth one to get the job done.  When it's time to have a funeral for your sponge, you have the other half to replace it.
14. Never buy plastic storage containers for leftovers.  When finished with a plastic butter dish, cool whip, etc., don't throw it away!  Wash it and throw it in your tupperware drawer.  This is great when you want to send leftovers home with a friend - don't need to worry about getting your container back.  (This tip is just a given... right?!!!  I thought so... until some friends of mine made fun of me when they saw what I did!!)
15. Wash and reuse the big zip lock bags.  Unless they've had raw meat in them, then I tend to toss them.  I reuse the sandwich size ones on occasion like when I put some cookies in one for my hubby's lunch.  Next day, put his fresh cookies in it again.  Uhhh, I mean, carrot sticks.  Haha.

Thrifty Thoughts #6-10

6. I know, there's something about taking fresh smelling, warm clothes out of the dryer. But the dryer is one of the most expensive machines in our house! Hanging clothes out to dry is FREE! Well, after you purchase a "cute" umbrella clothesline (or rig up your own if you want to be really thrifty!).
Side note: I found a huge unopened bag of clothespins at a garage sale for 50 cents once. I still haven't used half of them.

7. Women, if the man in your house needs a haircut every month, that can add up. You wouldn't believe how easy it is to cut hair. If you're uneasy, go with him to the barber and watch. Then buy a clipper and experiment. haha. Just don't clip his ears - it can start big fights that could have easily been avoided! This is a big $ saver in our house since there are three males needing monthly haircuts! And now Daddy even does the boys occasionally.

8. Forget Blockbuster and Hollywood Video. Head to the library where you can usually check out a movie for real cheap (Here in Jackson county, you get 2 videos for $1.00), and you can usually keep them much longer. PLUS, they usually have a nice family-friendly selection.

9. Cancel your newspaper subscription. You're online reading this, so might as well read the news online as well! You'll miss the ads you say? They're all online too! Plus, you may be less tempted to go into a store you haven't seen an ad for, resulting in less money spent!

10. Use grocery sacks as garbage liners. I only buy garbage bags for my tall kitchen waste basket, but the rest get a sack. The handles make it easy to pull out when it's full and then just tie them in a knot. I use paper bags for my "burnable" kitchen trash.
Side note: if you want to be real thrifty, you can just dump the garbage out of those bought-and-paid-for bags and reuse. This of course only works if they aren't "gunky" or torn. :) I can occasionally get 2 uses out of the good bags.

Thrifty Thoughts #1-5

I realize not everyone (like city dwellers) can put these into action. But these are ways that I personally save money.

1. Burn the trash. Anything that isn't burnable goes into a separate garbage can and about every month or two gets taken to the incinerator. We probably end up paying roughly $5 a month for getting rid of our rubbish! Don't give me a global warming spiel - I like Glen Beck!

2. Tim always has a runny nose. Now that I'm married to him, so do I! So bothersome. But unless you have a full blown cold, do you really need that whole kleenex? Blow your nose in the corner, stick it in your pocket, and in 20 minutes, you'll need to use the other corner. Doubles the usage you get from one box of tissues. Stop making fun of me and read the next tip.

3. Always buy frozen juice concentrate to make juice. Make sure it's 100% juice. It's usually less than half the cost of buying it already made! Unless of course Meijer is having a buy 10 64oz apple juices for $10 - in that case, STOCK UP BABY.

4. If you're like me, you stand in the piping hot shower approximately 25 minutes longer than you should, stripping your skin of any moisture it may have had. So you make up for this by slathering your body in lotion. When you think the bottle is empty, uh uh, don't toss it in the garbage yet. Next shower, cut it open and you'll usually have enough stuck on the sides for another full body application. Although, most people might have double the surface area as me. I promise I'm not calling you big. I'm just mini. Same goes for face creams, sunblock, etc...

5. Never throw away gift bags or tissue paper. I have never purchased either of those 2 items. I have a large box that all the giftbags I receive go in, categorized by occasion, and another box of folded up tissue paper. Makes for quick and easy gift "wrapping" in a hurry!

These are only the beginning. Watch for 6-10 in the future... I'm sure you're on pins and needles!