Boneless pork chops are often $4.00 a pound or more while a whole pork loin will often be on sale for $1.99. I shop for meat on the first Wednesday of the month and receive a 10% Senior Discount, so now we are talking around $1.80 a pound. I very nicely ask the butcher to slice it into 1/2" thick chops which I store in freezer bags two to a bag. (Hey, it worked out OK for Noah.)
EZ Skillet Pork Chops. Sautee' two seasoned boneless pork chops in an iron skillet until they have nice color and remove. Sautee' seasoned frozen peppers and onion mix until onions are opaque. Add pork chops back to pan and a can of diced tomatoes WITH juices. Cover, reduce heat and cook for about 25 minutes adding water or broth if necessary. Serve with brown rice for extra nutritional value. Serves 2.
My favorite frugal food has to a roasting chicken. A big one (oven stuffer). We have dinner right out of the oven, then I pullthe meat off the rest of the bones. This is cubed and used in casseroles, enchiladas, and/or soup. If I'm feeling ambitious the bones go in the slow cooker to make chicken broth for said soup. When I get a "free" turkey around the holidays, I do the same thing, only it takes two slow cookers for the turkey bones. This stretches a chicken to up to six meals for my family.
Potato soup made with homemade stock. I save the bones from whole chickens I cook and put them in the freezer until I'm ready to make the stock. Stock I make in bulk and freeze as well, just thaw when ready to make soup.
Great tips. I don't know if it is hormonal or not but many people start spending like there's no tomorrow when spring comes. This is when I clear out the house and get some extra money and go for walks, bike rides with the kids. All for free. And I do not get myself into bad debt either.
I make my living scouring thrift stores and yard sales and church sales for "Gently Used" items and reselling them. I have scored "designer" items galore- inc Coach Bags--have one listed right now!--and many other name brands like that. I have found diamond decorated watches at thrift stores and also yard sales!
My kids and grand kids hardly ever wore a "new" from the store item and now are as avid as I am about this.
One of the "best" scores was a pair of vintage denim jeans with the Monty Wards tags still on 'em. Cost me $3 and I sold 'em for over $400.
You have to educate yourself to the good the bad and the ugly just as with any other form of acquisitions. I keep up with sports brands and fashion brands even tho I could care less about either for me. But I am HAPPY to sell them to people who DO care!
Shoes---some years ago there was a woman who was running one of the first Frugal Living dealies--I think she was some sort of Coupon Queen--and she actually posted a comment about how she consulted with a MD about getting used shoes for her kids. I don't mean trashed--just "Gently used and outgrown" as we say it. And the MD was fine with it. So--it has to do with your personal level of care and also the CONDITION. I see many many new shoes with stickers still on them--for some reason people seem to think OH I will wear these SOMEDAY and don't return them when they get home and find they are too small or don't natch their outfit. I have gotten Gucci loafers--that retail for OVER $500---. -at thrift stores--UNUSED. Course--ya also gotta know where to SHOP.
I am lucky enough to live near a very wealthy retirement and sporting area and so get great deals on estate settlements when the executor or relative has no time or inclination to find out WHAT these things COULD be worth. They get the tax deduction and I get the bargains--and when you buy from me everyone is HAPPY!!!!
I rarely use coupons for my family's shopping. I do look for products that I think are reasonable and or on sale. These past couple of years I am concentrating on not wasting food. I used to work with coupons and buy in bulk and we either ate more or threw out a lot of food.
I use a reuseable portable cup to transport tea to and from work, and while at work to avoid using multiple paper coffee cups all day long at the office. It's also saved me hundreds of dollars per year buying tea at the local coffee shops. We recycle everything possible at home, and grow our own herbs in our garden. We also just did a home energy audit and, as a result, insulated the crawlspaces under the house to make it more energy efficient.
Purses! You can find amazing name brand purses! You just have to know what to look for as far as them being authentic or the real deal! All you need to do is a little research and you will be able to spot most fakes.!
I found a detailed art work of Mobile Bay from the 50's (where I was raise) I now live in Tennessee found for $4.00 in perfect condition at Goodwill. Had it reframed for $75.00.
Very important to my family, and will go to my son one day.
Our family started going GREEN a few years ago. After I scored several down comforters at 80% off and wool sweaters at yard sales we turned the ac/heater off. Since we live in Florida the winters have not been much of a challenge but the summers have been the last 2 years. The boys wear stylish bathing suit shorts that double as regular shorts since we are often hitting water events such as tubing & going to the beach nearby to keep cool. Our utility bill is < 1/3 rd of what it used to be.
I car pool with friends to yard sales, go shopping in the next city etc..walk when we can.
We stock our car with healthy snacks and always bring our personal water bottles along instead of fast food (with all the plastic and throw aways) when out and about & traveling.
We have a garden & fruit trees. When we have a bummer crop, we give the extra to friends and the local food bank. We use a push mower (No gas or electric) on our yard.
We use cheap washclothes for cleaning & nice ones for napkins.
Cloth bags tote our grocery finds.
Since almost all our dinners our made from scratch, there is very little packaging waste.
I made our own baby food (froze it in icecube trays, then transfered it to containers) and breastfed all our kids.
When We clean out some of our stuff, I put them in a large box by the crub with a sign marked "Free". Some of the greenist things you can do is grow a smile on someone's face and make their day.
Right. They are a great savings vehicle that a lot of people are using for retirement. I didn't include them because they aren't retirement vehicles specifically (and I couldn't include everything!) There's still quite a bit of debate over whether to use a TFSA or an RRSP or both. It seems like the answer is "it depends," but the article below from advisor and personal finance blogger Jim Yih does a good job of presenting all angles: http://retirehappy.ca/tfsa-versus-rrsp-why-not-do-both/
Thanks for the comment. I was a bit iffy about whether to include TFSAs because while people can (and do) use them for retirement, they aren't specifically designed for that purpose and they don't prevent people from withdrawing funds whenever they want. I was remiss to not mention employer-sponsored plans in Canada. It looks like about 40 percent of people are covered by one, while estimates for RRSPs suggest that somewhere 56 and 67 percent of Canadians are saving that way.
Thanks for your comment. You are right that interest rates on regular savings accounts provide little incentive for saving; so, I thought it would be fun to find ways to get those incentives that were not related directly to interest rates (or dividends or investment returns). Of course, some of these ways to make money involve setting aside money for investment accounts also. Whatever it takes to motivate yourself to save is worthwhile.
I tend to think in 'work-hour' units. We're a single income family, so is what I'm buying worth putting my hubby through X hours of work for it. And since I actually like having my hubby at home, often the answer is, "I don't like it that much"!
Right. TFSA and Roth IRA are sort of similar, but I believe earnings are taxed on the Roth if you withdraw before retirement age. People certainly do use TFSAs for retirement savings, but unlike with the Roth, there's no specific incentive to do so (you could just use it to save for a vacation!) I also agree that the wait times in Canadian hospitals are overblown, but the difference is pretty drastic for procedures like a knee replacement. This article from the Globe & Mail does a great comparison: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/would-you-rather-get-sick-in-c...
You can get 2% cash back with this very card once you hit 25000 points. At 20000 points, it's 1.6%. You get 2points for every dollar spent. So, once you spend $12,500, you can get a check for $250. No limits. I do it all the time.
u can also use it as touch up paint on ur car... i used it for underneath the front fender from getting to close to the curb and scratching the underside. i matched the paint color near perfect and it was about $2 for the bottle vs $11 at the dealer !!
I'm with you. Back in my single days, a drink was good, and if you got a good vibe, you could progress into another drink or dinner.
Lentils! For about $1 a bag, you can't beat them. Easy to cook, and they taste delicious.
Boneless pork chops are often $4.00 a pound or more while a whole pork loin will often be on sale for $1.99. I shop for meat on the first Wednesday of the month and receive a 10% Senior Discount, so now we are talking around $1.80 a pound. I very nicely ask the butcher to slice it into 1/2" thick chops which I store in freezer bags two to a bag. (Hey, it worked out OK for Noah.)
EZ Skillet Pork Chops. Sautee' two seasoned boneless pork chops in an iron skillet until they have nice color and remove. Sautee' seasoned frozen peppers and onion mix until onions are opaque. Add pork chops back to pan and a can of diced tomatoes WITH juices. Cover, reduce heat and cook for about 25 minutes adding water or broth if necessary. Serve with brown rice for extra nutritional value. Serves 2.
My favorite frugal food has to a roasting chicken. A big one (oven stuffer). We have dinner right out of the oven, then I pullthe meat off the rest of the bones. This is cubed and used in casseroles, enchiladas, and/or soup. If I'm feeling ambitious the bones go in the slow cooker to make chicken broth for said soup. When I get a "free" turkey around the holidays, I do the same thing, only it takes two slow cookers for the turkey bones. This stretches a chicken to up to six meals for my family.
baked mac n' cheese
Potato soup made with homemade stock. I save the bones from whole chickens I cook and put them in the freezer until I'm ready to make the stock. Stock I make in bulk and freeze as well, just thaw when ready to make soup.
Great tips. I don't know if it is hormonal or not but many people start spending like there's no tomorrow when spring comes. This is when I clear out the house and get some extra money and go for walks, bike rides with the kids. All for free. And I do not get myself into bad debt either.
I make my living scouring thrift stores and yard sales and church sales for "Gently Used" items and reselling them. I have scored "designer" items galore- inc Coach Bags--have one listed right now!--and many other name brands like that. I have found diamond decorated watches at thrift stores and also yard sales!
My kids and grand kids hardly ever wore a "new" from the store item and now are as avid as I am about this.
One of the "best" scores was a pair of vintage denim jeans with the Monty Wards tags still on 'em. Cost me $3 and I sold 'em for over $400.
You have to educate yourself to the good the bad and the ugly just as with any other form of acquisitions. I keep up with sports brands and fashion brands even tho I could care less about either for me. But I am HAPPY to sell them to people who DO care!
Shoes---some years ago there was a woman who was running one of the first Frugal Living dealies--I think she was some sort of Coupon Queen--and she actually posted a comment about how she consulted with a MD about getting used shoes for her kids. I don't mean trashed--just "Gently used and outgrown" as we say it. And the MD was fine with it. So--it has to do with your personal level of care and also the CONDITION. I see many many new shoes with stickers still on them--for some reason people seem to think OH I will wear these SOMEDAY and don't return them when they get home and find they are too small or don't natch their outfit. I have gotten Gucci loafers--that retail for OVER $500---. -at thrift stores--UNUSED. Course--ya also gotta know where to SHOP.
I am lucky enough to live near a very wealthy retirement and sporting area and so get great deals on estate settlements when the executor or relative has no time or inclination to find out WHAT these things COULD be worth. They get the tax deduction and I get the bargains--and when you buy from me everyone is HAPPY!!!!
I ride my bike as much as possible and recycle
I rarely use coupons for my family's shopping. I do look for products that I think are reasonable and or on sale. These past couple of years I am concentrating on not wasting food. I used to work with coupons and buy in bulk and we either ate more or threw out a lot of food.
I use a reuseable portable cup to transport tea to and from work, and while at work to avoid using multiple paper coffee cups all day long at the office. It's also saved me hundreds of dollars per year buying tea at the local coffee shops. We recycle everything possible at home, and grow our own herbs in our garden. We also just did a home energy audit and, as a result, insulated the crawlspaces under the house to make it more energy efficient.
As humans, of course, we all should try newer things in life. It can give us a better perspective in life.
Purses! You can find amazing name brand purses! You just have to know what to look for as far as them being authentic or the real deal! All you need to do is a little research and you will be able to spot most fakes.!
I found a detailed art work of Mobile Bay from the 50's (where I was raise) I now live in Tennessee found for $4.00 in perfect condition at Goodwill. Had it reframed for $75.00.
Very important to my family, and will go to my son one day.
Our family started going GREEN a few years ago. After I scored several down comforters at 80% off and wool sweaters at yard sales we turned the ac/heater off. Since we live in Florida the winters have not been much of a challenge but the summers have been the last 2 years. The boys wear stylish bathing suit shorts that double as regular shorts since we are often hitting water events such as tubing & going to the beach nearby to keep cool. Our utility bill is < 1/3 rd of what it used to be.
I car pool with friends to yard sales, go shopping in the next city etc..walk when we can.
We stock our car with healthy snacks and always bring our personal water bottles along instead of fast food (with all the plastic and throw aways) when out and about & traveling.
We have a garden & fruit trees. When we have a bummer crop, we give the extra to friends and the local food bank. We use a push mower (No gas or electric) on our yard.
We use cheap washclothes for cleaning & nice ones for napkins.
Cloth bags tote our grocery finds.
Since almost all our dinners our made from scratch, there is very little packaging waste.
I made our own baby food (froze it in icecube trays, then transfered it to containers) and breastfed all our kids.
When We clean out some of our stuff, I put them in a large box by the crub with a sign marked "Free". Some of the greenist things you can do is grow a smile on someone's face and make their day.
Right. They are a great savings vehicle that a lot of people are using for retirement. I didn't include them because they aren't retirement vehicles specifically (and I couldn't include everything!) There's still quite a bit of debate over whether to use a TFSA or an RRSP or both. It seems like the answer is "it depends," but the article below from advisor and personal finance blogger Jim Yih does a good job of presenting all angles: http://retirehappy.ca/tfsa-versus-rrsp-why-not-do-both/
Thanks for the comment. I was a bit iffy about whether to include TFSAs because while people can (and do) use them for retirement, they aren't specifically designed for that purpose and they don't prevent people from withdrawing funds whenever they want. I was remiss to not mention employer-sponsored plans in Canada. It looks like about 40 percent of people are covered by one, while estimates for RRSPs suggest that somewhere 56 and 67 percent of Canadians are saving that way.
Thanks for reading and telling us how you feel about trying something new. The study abroad in Italy sounds fantastic -- have fun!
Thanks for your comment. You are right that interest rates on regular savings accounts provide little incentive for saving; so, I thought it would be fun to find ways to get those incentives that were not related directly to interest rates (or dividends or investment returns). Of course, some of these ways to make money involve setting aside money for investment accounts also. Whatever it takes to motivate yourself to save is worthwhile.
I tend to think in 'work-hour' units. We're a single income family, so is what I'm buying worth putting my hubby through X hours of work for it. And since I actually like having my hubby at home, often the answer is, "I don't like it that much"!
Right. TFSA and Roth IRA are sort of similar, but I believe earnings are taxed on the Roth if you withdraw before retirement age. People certainly do use TFSAs for retirement savings, but unlike with the Roth, there's no specific incentive to do so (you could just use it to save for a vacation!) I also agree that the wait times in Canadian hospitals are overblown, but the difference is pretty drastic for procedures like a knee replacement. This article from the Globe & Mail does a great comparison: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/commentary/would-you-rather-get-sick-in-c...
Thanks for the comment and your experiences!
I belong to a CSA. Recycle, use cloth grocery bags, bring my lunch to work every day and use mass transit to commute or walk.
You can get 2% cash back with this very card once you hit 25000 points. At 20000 points, it's 1.6%. You get 2points for every dollar spent. So, once you spend $12,500, you can get a check for $250. No limits. I do it all the time.
u can also use it as touch up paint on ur car... i used it for underneath the front fender from getting to close to the curb and scratching the underside. i matched the paint color near perfect and it was about $2 for the bottle vs $11 at the dealer !!