A Better Burger

Tired of the same old fat laden grilled burgers? John, over at Patio Daddio BBQhas a great post about Barber Food's Chicken Grillables. He not only discusses some nutrition facts about them, but also has some really kicked up recipe ideas for them! If you click his find a location link and then "special Offers", you will get a $1.00 off printable coupon. I'm heading to the store!

Time to get Real

I strongly believe one of the most frugal things you can do is take good care of yourself. It cost a lot of money to be sick. I have put on some serious weight over the years and a few months ago I finally had enough. I had reached a number on the scale I NEVER thought would be possible. I was at that weight for exactly 1 day. I immediately joined a gym and got some personal trainer sessions. Hmm, well that doesn't sound very frugal. I figured if it gave me the push I needed to start taking my health serious, it is very much worth it! I have a family history of diabetes and cancer. At 43, and with menopause right around the corner, I felt I was way over due with getting serious. It's not that I don't know what I should be doing, I am just not doing it. We have always eaten fairly healthy. We not only eat a lot of salads, fruits, and veggies, we also eat tofu and soybean products. We eat meat, just not every day. None of my kids are over weight, they hardly ever get sick, and I have only been sick twice in the past 10 years. My problem is lack of exercise, eating too much, and snacking.

Well, I have been working on this for a few months now. Although, I have fallen off the wagon a few times, I am down 16 pounds and a few inches here and there. I have been reading up on some of the latest breakthroughs with natural remedies and will be posting about some of them.

Utility Bills

I never would have thought I would be able to achieve utility bills approximately the same as I had 10 years ago. Our local gas and electric company is notorious for it's sky high prices. (As is most everything else in the great state of New York!) I know quite a few folks who live over the border in Pennsylvania and are willing to drive the extra half hour/hour a day because they save thousands a year on their overall cost of living. About two years ago I started making small changes which included replacing almost all light bulbs with CFLs, unplugging infrequently used appliances that draw vampire energy , and most importantly, vigilantly turning off anything not in use. That is easier said than done with 4 kids in the house! We have also replaced most of the major appliances in our home. Some, like the hot water heater and the deep freezer, because they were so old. The others because they were old and broke! Remember that washer?! Well, I think the LG front loader has really made a big impact. Our last 3 bills have been under $150. For a family of 6 that's just unbelievable. In 11 years that had only happened a few times - years ago! I strongly encourage anyone to start making small changes every month and see if they don't have a big impact.

Nice

I am very good at being nice to strangers. I let people go in front of me in line. I say excuse me. I try very hard not to get upset when someone cuts me off in traffic, because after all, I have done it my self.

I'm pretty good at being nice to friends and acquaintances. If they need me to do something for them or give them something, I do if at all possible.

I'm not always so good at being nice to my family. Sometimes they annoy me, they get on my nerves. (like I don't bug them as well!)

I have a very good friend who makes me feel WONDERFUL every time I see her or talk to her. She exaggerates complements, and she complements often. She does it in a sweet, funny way that makes me feel fantastic.

I want to make my kids feel like that all the time. How do I balance making them responsible, keeping them in line, and holding them way up high at the same time? I want to be nice, really nice.

I pledge to try hard every day to be a nicer person to the world and the ones that matter most in my life.

Homemade Dishwasher Soap

I found this easy recipe for homemade dishwasher soap on Craft Leftovers. If you like free patterns and tutorials, I suggest you spend a little time checking out the rest of the site. I don't have a dishwasher right now but I have hopes for the future!

So Much Waste

I run a reclaimed food pantry from my home. Twice a month I travel about 30 miles, pick up food that would other wise be thrown in the trash, drive back home, unload and organize, and then approximately 50 families come to my home to pick up the donations. Most of the food I pick up is bakery and produce items that hours, or even minutes before I loaded it into my van was sitting on the store shelves. The food pictured about would have been thrown in the trash because of one bad strawberry, tomato, blackberry, or lettuce leaf in the package. If you would like to learn more about the reclaimed food organization I volunteer for, or how to start one in your area, please check out the Friendship Donations Network (FDN) website.

Tuna What?

I asked my daughter what she was making. "Tuna Nachos," she replied. At first I thought it sounded gross, but I like tuna melts and tuna noodle casserole. Come to think of it, I really like cheese and tuna together, so why not tuna nachos! Even my husband (who does not like tuna noodle casserole) gave them a try, and a thumbs up.


note* I'll admit that picture doesn't make it look too appealing. I promise they were wonderful!