Recent comments

  • Tasty, Healthy Breakfast Cookies With Chocolate-Covered Espresso Beans   14 years 29 weeks ago

    I felt it was about time I give credit where credit was due!
    I found your recipe about 3 yrs ago and have used it constantly since that day. Its the perfect grab and go meal for my husband in the morning with his coffee and its easy for me to heat up and eat while i pack kid's lunches and get ready myself. Sometimes its just raisins and crunched nuts, sometimes it's decadent cranberries, white chocolate chips and crushed almonds as a treat. Thank you so much for sharing this, it's been one of my go to recipes for a long time, so eat and tasty. Thank you so very much!

  • ZipList Giving Away $600 to Lucky Wise Bread Readers!   14 years 29 weeks ago

    My favorite Thanksgiving comfort food is pumpkin pie with whipped topping. I only buy them on sale and I use store brand whipped topping, so they are not that expensive.

  • ZipList Giving Away $600 to Lucky Wise Bread Readers!   14 years 29 weeks ago

    https://twitter.com/#!/pattie43/status/132899295824318464

  • 6 Secret Homemade Stain Removers That Kick Butt   14 years 29 weeks ago

    I am a dental hygienist and I can guarantee that the hydrogen peroxide did NOT cause the person to lose all their teeth.

  • 5 Frugal Lessons I Learned From Aldi   14 years 29 weeks ago

    Yep -- canned and processed foods do contain a lot of junk... whether you are shopping at Aldi or another store -- that's a reality. However, most of the Aldi products are no worse than their mainstream counterparts. I would agree that if you want the very best foods for your health, then shop fresh only -- or from the health food section. But, many of the people reading this post, (myself included), do not have that luxury.

    So, we buy the best we can afford, right? And when the same ingredients cost 50% less at Aldi -- by all means -- buy they there!

    Their canned goods are the best value anywhere. And while the produce can be spotty, they are the cheapest around on fresh produce. Ask the manager what day of the week the produce truck come in to ensure fresher product.

    I AM A HUGE ALDI FAN!

  • ZipList Giving Away $600 to Lucky Wise Bread Readers!   14 years 29 weeks ago

    My favorite Thanksgiving comfort food is baked sweet potatoes. Many years ago (before they became popular), our power went out, and my dad wrapped some sweet potatoes in foil, and went outside, built a fire, and baked them. We added butter and a little brown sugar. Since then, any time I need a little comfort food, I just bake some sweet potatoes. And this time of year, they are so cheap - double bonus!

  • 20 Tips for Getting Your Security Deposit Back   14 years 29 weeks ago

    I always consider to search out the best way cleaning my carpets.
    I found out that steam cleaning is probably the best cleansing techniques for your most carpets.

  • Want to Keep Your Disposable Razor Blades Sharp? Use Your Arm   14 years 29 weeks ago

    i just grow stubble and don't think i could ever achieve a proper beard/moustache. i use a blade shave once a week and an electric shave during the working week, just not enough time to blade shave in the morning. my cheap disposable blades can last me for months just by keeping them dry, i always use a hot towel on my face before shaving and it has always worked fine. i like the trick about running the blade over your arm etc, i have no doubt it extends the life of the blades. keeping the blades dry seems to work for me and my stubble.

  • Is Paying Off Your Mortgage Early Costing You Money?   14 years 29 weeks ago

    We just sent in the cashier's check for the payoff on our mortgage about 2 weeks ago. Our feeling was that paying 5% interest versus earning less than 2% on the money we had sitting in a money market account just wasn't good math.

    I work with guys who earn twice my salary yet will still be carrying their mortgages for another decade - or two! So yeah, there's an incredible sense of pride!

    I want to shout about this accomplishment from the rooftops! But people act rather odd (to put it mildly) when you tell them that you've just paid off the mortgage on a house that you've owned for just under 2 years. They never attribute this to living frugally and planning wisely for the previous 15 years. I figured this out pretty quickly and have since shut my trap!

    But yeah, for piece of mind, it was well worth paying off the mortgage. To know that, if anything should befall either my wife or me that there will be one less burden to shoulder. And I feel like this buys me a lot more freedom when I retire from my current job in 2-3 years - I'll still be finding another job, but now maybe there will be less stress on the salary level and I can focus more on doing a job I really enjoy or that is a real stretch for me.

  • 10 Ways to Cut Waste When Feeding Kids   14 years 29 weeks ago

    get some chickens turn wasted food into eggs and fertilizer

  • ZipList Giving Away $600 to Lucky Wise Bread Readers!   14 years 29 weeks ago

    It would have to be my Mom's recipe for Stuffing and homemade Cranberry sauce, both are dishes I can't be without for Thanksgiving and make me smile thinking of my Mom, so definitely my comfort foods as well

  • ZipList Giving Away $600 to Lucky Wise Bread Readers!   14 years 29 weeks ago

    My favorite budget Thanksgiving meal is to skip the turkey and serve cornish game hens instead. One year we tried roasting a tofu turkey, but it just didn't hold together, and we found it was nigh impossible to stuff it. So it's back to cornish game hens again. They're very tasty, and you're in no danger of overeating with them. But the main thing is they're much cheaper than turkey. Lighter, too.

  • Ask the Readers: What's Your Favorite Frugal Comfort Food?   14 years 29 weeks ago

    Rare steak....like REALLY rare.....with whisky :)

  • ZipList Giving Away $600 to Lucky Wise Bread Readers!   14 years 29 weeks ago

    Might sound boring but I love the turkey! Yams are good too!

  • How to Use Up Remaining Balances on Prepaid Gift Cards   14 years 29 weeks ago

    Similar to the gas idea, you can use up any remaining amount on prepaid card at your local supermarket. Just hit "debit" and it will take the remaining balance - in my case, $3.28 then you use a different card for the remainder of your payment. DONE !

  • How to Earn a Good Interest Rate in a Low-Rate Environment   14 years 29 weeks ago

    This article would have been reasonable 5 years ago, but I must admit - it is incredibly untimely. The global financial instability; sovereign debt levels; stock market volatility; super-low interest rates; insolvency of propped-up banks...all of these suggest that any investment in securities, bonds, funds, etc...would not be recommended at this time.

    I may sound like a prophet of doom, but the global markets are going to crash. This will be brought on initially by European banks being allowed to fail, thus reducing the balance sheets are many international banks and sending them down as well.

    The United States, Japan, Greece, Italy (and many more) cannot pay off their debt and are in fact continually adding to it. Regardless of what the news networks and politicans say, these nations cannot simply inflate their currencies and grow themselves out of their respective quagmires.

    My advice if you have some money knocking about:

    1) If you are going to invest in commodities, buy precious metals which hold their value - gold, silver...
    2) Do not leave your savings in the bank - inflation is constantly devaluing that money, so you actually lose money by leaving it there
    3) Think about things of real value: if you have a house, consider getting an extension to add an extra bedroom - the price of raw materials will shoot up soon due to the irresponsibility of the Federal Research and the effort from all countries around the world to devalue their currencies. If you compare a few quotes, you'll be able to get a real bargain as work begins to dry up for contractors.
    4) If you have got cash in the bank and it's in Yen, US Dollar or Euro - exchange it quickly before these all crash. At the moment you will still get a solid price. The Asean block is working together and although they'll be affected by the crisis, their currencies will hold value relatively well, despite efforts in the East the spir on growth by using inflation as well.

  • ZipList Giving Away $600 to Lucky Wise Bread Readers!   14 years 29 weeks ago

    My favorite (and most requested) Thanksgiving side dish is the broccoli casserole recipe handed down from my grandmother. It has broccoli, eggs, mushroom soup, onions, cheese and bread crumbs. Simple but delish!

  • 4 Ways the Internet Is Hurting Your Finances   14 years 29 weeks ago

    Yes, I follow a YouTube link to see a valuable video and end up looking at cute kittehs for 45 minutes.

  • ZipList Giving Away $600 to Lucky Wise Bread Readers!   14 years 29 weeks ago

    My favorite Thanksgiving comfort food would be any dessert that combines pumpkin and whipped cream, especially my mom's pumpkin bread pudding, which she makes with a delicious custard with cream, cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, and eggs, and tops with homemade whipped cream.

  • How I Still Make Money with eBay   14 years 29 weeks ago

    Not to be too contrarian: I think that dropping your prices consistently when they don't sell right away is not (in general) a good plan. Savvy buyers may catch on to your habits and wait you out. Also, perception of value is part of the key to getting the sale. Dropping prices also drops the perceived value, and consequently, the interest in the item. It is merely psychological, but all sales really are.

    I keep a jacket up for two months knowing it was a rare item in pristine condition, no way was I going to drop my opening bid demand. I ended up selling it for twice my original "Buy It Now" fee. So my patience was rewarded. For some items, it's worth it to wait for your audience to find you. Especially when we consider these economic times. Everyone's sales percentages are down.

    I did enjoy your article and writing style.

  • 51 Uses for Coca-Cola – the Ultimate List   14 years 29 weeks ago

    Coke will clean it out of her fur. This is what my grandparents used on Dolly and Lady when they'd go down by the wells.Wish all the best to all

  • Horizon Organic Milk: Is it All Just Lies?   14 years 29 weeks ago

    "...As it turns out, antibiotics were never added to milk or were ever present in milk. According to the USDA, all milk must be tested to ensure any antibiotics used to treat milk cows are not present in the end product."

    It wasn't added to the milk, but it was to the cow. That's the same as a breast feeding mother...the baby intakes whatever the mother has eaten, including medications.

    You may have had a good idea but need to do more research.

  • ZipList Giving Away $600 to Lucky Wise Bread Readers!   14 years 29 weeks ago

    My favorite Thanksgiving budget dish is making a lasagne. Instead of using the triple meat I use turkey!

  • ZipList Giving Away $600 to Lucky Wise Bread Readers!   14 years 29 weeks ago

    I don't know if desert counts, but last year I found a recipe for pumpkin cheesecake. It is incredibly delicious and super easy to make.

  • Recession Survivor: Would You Eat Bugs and Roadkill to Cut the Grocery Bill?   14 years 29 weeks ago

    Grasshoppers, certainly. But I'm pretty sure that the insect in the photo is a cicada. I haven't ever tried one, but I would probably eat one just out of spite.