Frugal February Chatter

[cath007]

Same thing with cheese I purchase some fresh one when I know I will eat it...Otherwhise I am addicted to Black Diamond in sale plus coupons..no more wast mouldy cheese yuk

[couponclippercaitie]

Okay, so the homemade hot pockets were a HUGE success. My lunches for my first week back to work are all made and in the freezer (ciome cooked, some uncooked - we have an oven at work). The homemade hot pocket experiment was a HUGE success (after 4.5 HOURS in the frigging kitchen!). Made three batches of yeastless dough (thanks to a friend's recipe share from here: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,2341...233201,00.html ), which made about 20 BIG hot pockets.
Did four types:
(1) leftover pulled pork from yesterday's dinner, hickory bbq sauce and mozza/cheddar.
(2) hamburger, Aylmer Accents Chili tomatoes, chedda/mozza.
(3) hamburger, Aylmer Accents Italian tomatoes, cheddar/mozza.
(4) combined the leftovers of those last two kinds of filling, added leftover mushrooms, some Brothers pepperoni and a can of Aylmer Accents celery, green pepper & onion, topped with cheddar/mozza.
... ALL soooooo good!

I froze four pork ones before cooking, for my lunches next week, and then froze another three of the pepperoni ones post-cooking, to see how both types fare in the freezer. TIP: Brush the dough with an egg wash, makes it nice and crisp and shiny on top. We baked them in the oven for about 20 minutes at 425 on a greased pan (just in case), as we had already pre-cooked the filling items in a pot, so just needed to cook the dough and melt the cheese. Each batch of the dough recipe made 6-8 pockets. I rolled them into balls, then rolled them out flat and round with a rolling pin on the bottom of an 8 or 9inch cake pan, so they were all fairly consistent in size.

As for the formula/nursing issue, it is mostly going okay, have already started to transition her. We already had some Parent's Choice Lower Iron on hand, as it is very affordable and what we used with our older son. She gets along well with it. She seems fine with a bottle during the day, but can't go to sleep at night without nursing.

I have gotten pretty damn good at making lemonade when life gives me lemons. I am a pro at it now.

A little more spending today... a couple of blocks of mozzarella while it is on sale, since my coupons expire this month and we were out of mozza, and pepperoni.

Also renewed car registration... but that was kind of a necessary evil.

Sounds delicious!

Do you use pinterest? I have gotten a lot of great tips, recipes, and diy stuff off of there and it's helped us save a bit of money. I found a recipe to make cookies very similar to the "farleys" teething cookies (where you get 9 for $2.50 ON SALE), the recipe makes about 12 I believe and It hardly costs anything

[hollyquaiscer]

New here and just jumping in I hope noone minds!

I was very frugal, but then got away from it somewhat, but now that our situation has changed a little (I'm expanding an online business to include a local office and until that gets off the ground, things will be tight, we also need to buy a new vehicle)- so I'm really cracking down on it!

Hi and welcome to SC. We're happy to have you here and of coarse nobody minds if you jump in....jump ahead

[hollyquaiscer]

Well so much for trying not to spend money. Our furnace guy was going to clean it in Jan but he called this morning. Couldn`t say no because it needed to be done.

In the long run, you will be saving money, because when the furnace is running at it's most efficient, your heat and utility bills will be less.

[hollyquaiscer]

looking for a cheap and effective silver jewlery cleaner which can be used with soft/organic stones like amber, pearls or opals. some of my jewelery is really tarnished and I'd like it to be sparkly again..

This is a fabulous site that gives lots of options for cleaning all types of jewelry and silver. http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/loun...ipe-12722.html

[hollyquaiscer]

cath, your so right. So many of us waste a lot of money by throwing out food we purchased and intended to use up but did not. Some years ago when I had all my dd's at home and was fostering, my grocery bill would sometimes be $200 or more a week for 10 of us ( I'm taking 15 years ago, plus the fact that I used tons of coupons, they were like my bff when it came to shopping). So, I decided to keep a list on the fridge and every time I had to throw out an expired item, or something that had spoiled, I wrote it on the list. At the end of the month, I estimated the cost of each item and then added it all up. I was shocked at the amount of $$$ that were going into the trash. By purchasing smaller quantities more often we can actually save quite a few $$$. I may take a bit more of your time, but try the experiment and see how much you can actually save.

[hollyquaiscer]

So yesterday I had to purchase some milk, yogurt, butter and a few other items. Since butter was on sale for $1.98 a pound, I purchased 4 pounds ......but I froze 3 of them! So yesterday, with only getting the yogurt for .58, my OPP has increased. Why do I get coupons in the smart source for Smirnoff vodka $3 and Captains Morgan rums $2 but none for milk??? Anyways, with all my purchases yesterday, my OPP this month has grown to $23.76

[hollyquaiscer]

We went out for dinner last night with a few couples from the park but that was a freebie. DH had been helping the neighbors build their Texas room (like a screened porch) and it was their treat

[Darth Penguin]

This is a fabulous site that gives lots of options for cleaning all types of jewelry and silver. http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com/loun...ipe-12722.html

thanks holly.

[cath007]

Same thing about the Philadelphia Cream Cheese..I eat 2 bagels with cream cheese everyday(not so much peannut butter for me) ..but a big tub cost like 6$...in sale like 3$...So I am thinking to maybe frozen some..Because the sales are just not there for that.

[Caseythegoalie]

Okay, so the homemade hot pockets were a HUGE success. My lunches for my first week back to work are all made and in the freezer (ciome cooked, some uncooked - we have an oven at work). The homemade hot pocket experiment was a HUGE success (after 4.5 HOURS in the frigging kitchen!). Made three batches of yeastless dough (thanks to a friend's recipe share from here: http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,2341...233201,00.html ), which made about 20 BIG hot pockets.
Did four types:
(1) leftover pulled pork from yesterday's dinner, hickory bbq sauce and mozza/cheddar.
(2) hamburger, Aylmer Accents Chili tomatoes, chedda/mozza.
(3) hamburger, Aylmer Accents Italian tomatoes, cheddar/mozza.
(4) combined the leftovers of those last two kinds of filling, added leftover mushrooms, some Brothers pepperoni and a can of Aylmer Accents celery, green pepper & onion, topped with cheddar/mozza.
... ALL soooooo good!

I froze four pork ones before cooking, for my lunches next week, and then froze another three of the pepperoni ones post-cooking, to see how both types fare in the freezer. TIP: Brush the dough with an egg wash, makes it nice and crisp and shiny on top. We baked them in the oven for about 20 minutes at 425 on a greased pan (just in case), as we had already pre-cooked the filling items in a pot, so just needed to cook the dough and melt the cheese. Each batch of the dough recipe made 6-8 pockets. I rolled them into balls, then rolled them out flat and round with a rolling pin on the bottom of an 8 or 9inch cake pan, so they were all fairly consistent in size.

As for the formula/nursing issue, it is mostly going okay, have already started to transition her. We already had some Parent's Choice Lower Iron on hand, as it is very affordable and what we used with our older son. She gets along well with it. She seems fine with a bottle during the day, but can't go to sleep at night without nursing.

I have gotten pretty damn good at making lemonade when life gives me lemons. I am a pro at it now.

A little more spending today... a couple of blocks of mozzarella while it is on sale, since my coupons expire this month and we were out of mozza, and pepperoni.

Also renewed car registration... but that was kind of a necessary evil.

Oh would love to hear your recipe for the homemade pizza pockets!!!

[Abby5]

I find I go shopping on Friday ..even if I am not finished last weeks food yet...I think I will wait and see

[couponclippercaitie]

I find I go shopping on Friday ..even if I am not finished last weeks food yet...I think I will wait and see

I do this too, Friday is always my couponing day since new flyers come out, and NF runs out of sale items SO FAST that you need to be there first day at my local store

[matty's mom]

It is so good to see how everyone is doing (or not But that is life, and that is why we are being frugal ) There are some great ideas.

Really looking forward to the shank ham for $1.00lb @ No frills- lunches, dinners and ham soup- the possibilities are endless!

I knew it, but forgot- first instalment of property taxes due @ the end of this month. ARGH!

Frugal February would be easier if it wasn't for all the bills !

[couponclippercaitie]

It is so good to see how everyone is doing (or not But that is life! and that is why we are being frugal ) There are some grate ideas.

Really looking forward to the shank ham for $1.00lb @ No frills- lunches, dinners and ham soup- the possibilities are endless!

I knew it, but forgot- first instalment of property taxes due @ the end of this month. ARGH!

Frugal February would be easier if it wasn't for all the bills !

Stupid property taxes...