Thrifty Thurday

Just a few quick ideas today.


Before you leave to go out be it shopping or to a friends, check your accounts. Know what money is available. Make a goal not to spend more than you need to.

Think before you leave. Grab a snack for the kids, a soda from the fridge, do you have everything you need. Challenge yourself to stop spending money on silly little things that you already have, and to really think before you buy.

Always have a shopping list. Stick too it. Eat before you go grocery shopping.

Got some tricks of your own, or heaven forbid a problem with one of mine, let me know! ;)

Tasty Tuesday

Cook Books

If you are like me you collect recipes from every source. Magazines, newspapers, hand written scraps from your friends house, Internet print out, and everywhere else. LOL!

Well here is my solution: Make your own cook book.

First you will need a few things. I had most of these around my house when I made mine.

• A 3-ring binder - 3" would be great and a clear pocket on the front is handy too.



• Page protectors - easy to keep clean!



• Left over craft paper and stickers if you want



• computer paper

I made a cover for mine to match my kitchen color and added a little title.

Then I made dividers labeling the section. Hints and tips, breakfast, breads, soups and salads, main dishes, kids favorites, pasta, cookies, deserts, and cake decorating ideas.

Next start adding you recipes. I have a mix of magazine cut outs ( I LOVE pictures.),

printed out pages,

and hand written. Some of the are on odd ball scraps so I just glue them to a piece of paper first.

A couple of hints here.

If you are printing from a blog: cut and paste to word or whatever program you use. Also include the name of the blog/site you printed from. This makes for easy referencing if you need help or more information about that recipe.

When dealing with hand written recipes, be sure to write who you got the recipe from or what book you copied from.


Also a binder with an inside pocket is nice. Sometimes you want to try a recipe before you add it or you simply don't have time to add it yet.

Are you lucky enough to have a spot to stand this baby up? Make sure to label the spine.

These make great gifts. I made one for my sister one year. It had red and white checked paper and I found some cute little ant stickers. Very Cute!! You can make it so individualized it's insane!!

Remember to think about Christmas, mother's Day, and birthdays. You could even make a smaller Blank Family Recipes Favorites. Make one for each sibling ! Or you could make one for a missionary, collage student, or newly weds.

Thrifty Thursday

With just a coat of paint.....

What to do with that end table the kids carved their name into? Or an old hutch in drab brown stain? Well add a coat of paint (you may have to do miner sanding first).

Here are a few wonderful examples.

Over at You paid more than me you can see a very awesome hutch that was just painted for a hip new look. Try to just look at the hutches. The rest of her site is so fabulous you will not tend to be to awful thrifty after looking at it. LOL!!!

Check out these cute night stands. A Goodwill find gone well over at jcaroline'sblog.

If you do not currently own any piece you want to redo and are in the mind to shop for some here is a great article on what to be looking for. Also remember Criags List is a great place to look just don't forget to haggle a little.

Thirfty Thursday

I must send you off to another blog today! I read an AWESOME guest post over at The Bargain Jargon today. While you are there look around. Christy is a bargain guru!!

NEVER judge a book by its cover. Same goes for thrift stores!

Go check out this post!

Tasty Tuesday

School Lunches Part 2:

Convenience food are easy but costly.

Take fruit cups. You know those presealed little cups of fruit chunks. On average the are $2.50 for a 4 pack. Well make your own and save come cash. Plus my kids can never open those store bought ones with out a mess. LOL!! The American Homemaker did a great post about making her own fruit cups here.



I put mine in cups just like this. Mine are green though.





Make your own lunchables. My kids LOVE to stack their own mini sandwiches. I cut my meat into little circles using an old spice jar top. Mini cookie cutters would be fun too.


What are some of your frugal but tasty lunch ideas?

Money Monday

Cash Only Please

Last week we spontaneously went "cash only". We withdrew the amount of money we had to spend and used cash all week. It was fun to pay with cash. Remember how you felt when you were a kid and you got to buy your own stuff? The joy of being "grown up". LOL!! It was fun. We stuck to it and even had money left over!!!!

We did not do the envelope system but we might try that next after we get used to this whole cash thing.

Thrifty Thursday

I have got nothing this week so I am sending you over to Christy's wonderful blog!!

The Bargain Jargon

Also check out ALL the blogs in the frugal living catagory on the left hand side bar!!

Thrifty Thursday

7 ways I saved money this week.

1. Planned dinner around my pantry instead of making a grocery run.
2. Using cards I already have instead of buying new spendy ones for teachers thanks yous. Yes the cards are unused!! :)
3. Opened the curtains and turned off the lights.
4. Used a redbox code to get a free movie rental.
5. We ate in all week.
6. Made cookies and bread. Also made rootbear floats at home VS. going to DQ!!
7. Used the BBQ instead of heating up the house.

There are a lot of things I do on a normal basis that most people would consider scrimping it. For me though they are just normal. So are a few of those:

1. Kids and Hubby took lunches to work and school.
2. Used powdered milk in my recipies.
3. Always look at clearance first when shopping.

That's all I can think of right now. LOL!! What are some things you do to save money?

Thrifty Thursday

Just like the Restaurant

One of my families goals is to stop eating out as much. We would like to keep it down to twice a month, but we will probably bee weak and go out once a week. We will try though. So to accomplish my goal I set about to find the foods I love in a cheaper way. Making them at home. Initially this can cost a bit to get set up with the pantry items you will need to have on hand. In the long run though it is way cheaper. Plus can be a whole lot funner than waiting in line and having to possibly put up with bad service or cranky kids (your or theirs).

In may search I found a great little site that hosted some of my top favorites!

Restaurant Recipes

Below are a few of my to die fors right off the top!

KFC original recipe!!!
olive garden bread sticks recipe
Outback steakhouse potato soup recipe

Thrifty Thursday

Joy in Frugality

As I read my Sunday paper I went right for the easy stuff. The parade magazine. I get my bits of gossip, a few comics, and a look at what easy and quick reads there are. With kids and Sunday mornings this is my quick fix. In this process I found an article I thought perfect for this blog. Finding Joy in Frugality by Alix Kates Shulman.

What a great find and a must read for anyone who thinks life ends when ones decides to be frugal. Here are some quotes that I found most enlightening.

"If you don’t need it, don’t buy it; never buy a new one if your old one works; never buy an expensive one when a lower-priced one will do. I abandoned bookstores for libraries, restaurants for my kitchen, boutiques for bargains—and soon found myself enjoying a gleeful sense of liberation."

" Instead of buying what you think you need, adapt your needs to what’s around you. "