2 Frugal recipes

Tried 2 new frugal recipes this weekend.

Split-pea soup in the crockpot: It was SO GOOD, and really easy. Served with corn muffins.

Photo by Paula G

Purchased ingredients:
16 oz bag of dried split peas - $0.99 (regular price at Hy-Vee)
Smoked ham - $2.00/lb, used 2 lbs. (sale price at Hy-Vee)
The rest of the ingredients (onions, carrots, salt, etc. I already had on hand).

Betty Crocker corn bread mix - $0.33 (on sale 3/$1 at Walgreens)

Recipe here: http://www.food.com/recipe/slow-cooker-split-pea-soup-83008 (I omitted the celery, because I don't like celery. Ha.)

Easy fudge: also SO GOOD and SO EASY. I'm thinking this might be a good one to make and give to people for the holidays.

Purchased ingredients:
2 lbs powdered sugar (used 1 lb for the recipe)- $1.50 (on sale 2/$3 at Dillons)
The rest of the things I already had (cocoa powder, milk, butter, etc.)

Recipe here: http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1729,150161-231201,00.html (I used powdered milk, made following the directions on the package. I also did not use nuts.)

Weekend update: great deals!

Had a great weekend hunting down some awesome deals. Went to a rummage sale that was a fundraiser for the LHS marching band, and also to an estate auction. Got a lot of things for Christmas gifts, and a few other fun things too.

Rummage sale:
-Overhead projector - $1.00 - my friend Alena had been looking for one of these for a long time so I picked it up for her.
-Magna-doodle- $1.00 - looks brand new, going to give it to my little cousin.
-White ceramic picture frame - $0.75 - new with tags on it, going to put a wedding picture in it for a grandparent's Christmas gift.

Estate auction-
-Large bulletin board- $2.00 - going to paint & decorate it for a little cousin's Christmas gift.
-Box of 20 or so picture frames - $1.00 - going to use these for more wedding pictures for gifts.
-Old red wagon - $6.00 - thought this was too cute to pass up. Maybe I'll put plants in it.

-Wooden duck- $2.00. I don't know. I just love it.











-A thing that I think is an old-fashioned popcorn popper. $1.00. Can anyone verify this? I plan to give it to my Dad to use in his fireplace.

-Antique wall thermometer. $1.00 Already put it up in my kitchen.

- Two awesome granny-style crocheted blankets- $2.50 To use in my house.
- One other thing that I can't mention because its a gift for someone who reads this!

Did you hit up any garage sales or estate sales this weekend? What did you find?

What is your best ever treasure found at a garage sale or auction?

Save money on Christmas gifts by making your own-

This year I’m making most of the Christmas gifts I’m giving. I’m doing this for two reasons: to spend less money, and because I think homemade gifts can be better than store-bought (if done right).

For example, I think that Ugly Dolls are really cute, and I wanted to get one for my 2 year old cousin. Then I realized that even the “Little” dolls were $10 each. I did some searching and found this pattern for a DIY Monster Doll, and I am happy to report that the materials were less than $1, and I spent less than  4 hours on the project. (I am an abnormally slow sewer.)  For the body material I used part of a neon green sweatshirt from my fabric scrap box (free), and for the features I bought felt pieces at Michael’s for 5/$1, and I used only about ¼ of two of the sheets (about $0.05 worth). I also already had white thread, and the other sewing supplies I needed. For the stuffing I bought a (new with tags on it) ugly throw pillow at a Lawrence thrift store for $0.25 and cut it open and used maybe ¼ of the poly-fill. 

I am really pleased with how it came out, and I think it will be extra-special because I made it just for her (using colors she likes, etc.)

Obviously, a Monster Doll may not be the right gift for everyone on your list. I’m making some other gifts this year as well, but I’m hesitant to write about them here, lest I ruin the surprises! What I can offer is this list of my hand-picked favorite DIY gift ideas. 

A DIY Christmas: 34 Great Homemade Gifts You Can Make - from Get Rich Slowly (I like the Secret Hollow Book, Stationary Sets, and Teacup Candles. Also my family has done the Family Cookbook before and it was a lot of fun! These can all be made from things you already have, or cheap thrift-store treasures.)

16 Cheap Homemade Christmas Gift Giving [To-Make] from Tip Junkie (I like the Make Up Roll Up Bag, Hot/Cold Therapy Sacks, and the various Etched Glass items.)

DIY Christmas Gifts that Don't Suck from yes and yes (I like the Finger Puppets, Cat & Dog Treats, Silhouette Portraits, and Wool Mittens.)

And don't forget there are lots of books with DIY gift ideas at the Lawrence Public Library! For inexpensive materials, check out my list of Lawrence, KS thrift and bargain stores. And don't forget your frugal wrapping- ideas here. 

Driving slower saves $$ - told you so!

Proof that you do save money by driving slower! Finally. Now my husband should stop teasing me and telling me I drive like a grandma. Because, while I do drive like a grandma, its for a good reason.

One of my favorite money blogs, The Simple Dollar, did the math for us. Thanks!

This is why I'm not a fan of the increased speed (75 MPH!) on I-70. I typically go 65 or 70, but feel like people are going to run over me. Anyone else driving under the speed limit on I-70, or elsewhere?

Frugal web tool (and games!)

I have some fantastic websites to tell you about.

The first is Mint.com.      I have been using this (free, of course) tool for a few months now. The purpose of this tool is to track your money- bank accounts, loans, credit cards, etc. What is cool about it is is that it breaks it down into categories (Groceries, Mortgage/Rent, Clothing, Hobbies, Travel, Coffeeshops, Restaurants, etc.) so you can see EXACTLY where your money goes. I really had no idea how much I was spending on clothes! This type of tracking is really key if you are trying to lower your spending. I was really focused on our grocery bill, which is good, but not that helpful if a bunch of money is being spent on clothes & other non-necessities. Mint is also helpful because you can set budgets & goals. I really like this because I like to see the charts and graphs fill up. It makes it more like a game for me (a self-proclaimed videgame nerd.) One note: if you don't feel comfortable using Mint.com, I know that many banks offer a similar tool- I know Meritrust Credit Union (where I bank) has one.

Speaking of games-
The other website is Saveup.com, (also free) which I just found out about today (on Lifehacker.com, a favorite of mine) and I'm already hooked. Saveup makes a game of saving money- literally. Lifehacker explains it better than I can but the general principle is that you get points for making good financial decisions. For each dollar that you put in your savings account, or that you use to pay off a debt, you get a point. (You link your existing bank/credit accounts so they can be tracked, I've checked into it and believe this is completely safe.) Then you use these points to try to win prizes on Saveup!

What is your favorite financial tool site (or software)? I know people use a lot of different things and I'd love to hear reviews.

You don't have to give up coffee, or bring it from home, to save money.

It seems like every financial advisor in the last 10 years has been promoting the idea that if you would just "stop buying expensive lattes" and invest the $50 a month you're spending on them, your financial woes will be over.

I'm here to tell you that no, it's not really a good idea to buy expensive lattes everyday. I can, however, tell you that you don't have to go without your good coffee.  One of my favorite blogs, The Simple Dollar, has finally done the math on just how much you can save by bringing your own GOURMET coffee from home. No Folgers for us, folks! The bottom line is that even with really nice coffee and expensive creamers, a 16 oz. coffee brought from home costs under $0.70.  So, keep that in mind.

But there is another option.

I brought my coffee from home for months. The coffee was delicious, but it created problems for me. Most notably:

• having too many things to carry across campus (not enough hands!)
• in the winter my coffee being cold by the time I got to my office
• and last but not least- spilling the coffee on myself repeatedly during my trek to the office. 

I have found a good compromise- it's still cheaper than the $4 latte, and only $0.27 more than bringing coffee from home. The refill! I am lucky enough to have a snackbar/coffeeshop in my building. I found out a few months ago that they charge only $1.00 plus tax for a coffee "refill", which means that you bring your own cup and get coffee from the pump pot. Then I found out that there is a free Coffee Club Card offered by Pulse (the company that runs the coffeeshops on the KU campus) that gives you a 10% discount on all purchases. So I've got my card, and a cup that I keep at my desk, and I get my coffee every morning for $0.97.  Besides, using a re-usable cup is good for the environment, too. I've had my trusty blue cup for years!

Now while you may not have a Pulse where you work, check out the "refill" prices at your regular stop, you may be surprised how cheap they can be. I know, for example, that Aimee's Coffeehouse has a cheap refill. Any other local Lawrence shops with a good refill price?

I hope you enjoy the cell phone photo of my cubicle with my coffee. :) And no, I did not pay full price for the No Coffee No Workee sticker!

Remember the library!

The value of checking prices- Here is my real life example.

For some reason, I have had a very strong urge to watch Cool Runnings. Don't ask me why. John Candy? Reggae music? 

 It is not on Netflix On Demand, but I still want to see it, so I started checking around. This took me about 10 minutes.

To buy online:

Best price was Amazon: $8.17 with shipping, used.

To buy locally (my preference):

Walmart - not in stock locally (checked online)

Best Buy- $12.99 in stock (checked online)

Half Price Books - not in stock (called local store)

Game Nutt - not in stock (called local store)

Hastings- $10.40 in stock (checked online)

To borrow:

Asked friends on facebook, no one has it.

Miracle Video (rental) - don't have it (called local store)

Lawrence Public Library -  HAVE IT, for FREE. 

(It feels pretty silly calling places and asking for Cool Runnings, by the way.) The point here is, when you have a whim to buy something, think about it a few minutes before you do. Think about how quickly you need it, can you borrow it, can you buy it used?

P.S. I also posted a "Want to Buy" ad on cragislist a few days ago, but no bites. I can't believe no one wants to sell their copy of Cool Runnings, which I would just bet they haven't watched recently.