Worth Reading

Just a few posts I've enjoyed this week:

::Amy shares ways to Find Big Money in Your Budget. Sometimes, the answer to our budget problems lies in getting creative!

::Is it possible to eat organic foods on a budget? Check out Alice's post for 12 ideas to incorporate organic foods into your grocery budget without breaking the bank.

::Lily of the Valley shares practical ways she's earned money from home over the last few years.

::Strapped for cash but wishing you could find ways to bless others? The Money Jar posted about 12 Small Ways to Give Big.

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A few links I've enjoyed this week:

::IndiMoney shares how to make Whole Wheat tortillas from scratch here. I've done this before and they are quite simple to make and delicious, too!

::Abbi is hosting a Handmade Christmas Carnival every Thursday in November and December. If you're looking for inexpensive and creative gift ideas, be sure to head over to her blog.

::Need some efficient meal-planning help and ideas? Check out Jen's posts here, here, and here.

::My friend, Lorrie, who blogs at Natural on a Budget, put together a list of 50 Beans and Rice recipes here if you need some frugal meal inspiration.

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Just a few links I’ve enjoyed this past week:

::Struggling to instill contentment in your children? The Happy Housewife has some great insight here.

::Life as Mom shares here how to cook one night and eat for three nights. Now that’s my kind of deal!

::Wish you could come up with creative ideas to waste less food? Check out the plethora of ideas here from Planet Green.

::If you’re wondering whether using coupons and shopping sales is worth the effort, check out Saving Your Cents post here on ten items you’ll likely never pay for again if you use coupons.

::Heather wrote and said:

My boys drink yogurt smoothies every day, so
we go through tons of yogurt in a week. We buy organic dairy, so you
can guess how expensive that can be. Instead of buying $12 (are you
cringing, yet?) of organic yogurt a week, I buy a gallon of
organic milk at about $5.97 and use it to make yogurt in my slow cooker using this recipe. It makes about 13 cups of yogurt and supplies our family with yogurt for about 2 weeks. I do have to buy a “starter” quart of
yogurt, but this lasts a long time. It is very
easy to do and I was amazed with the results.

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Just a few articles I've enjoyed over the past week:

::20 Different Ways to Make Crafts Pay–for those of you who are more skilled with your hands than me, this article has some creative ideas for earning money from craft-related ventures.

::Dear People with Grown Sons: PLEASE HELP–If you have sons with voracious appetites, you'll certainly be able to understand Shannon's plea. And you'll likely find some great tips and ideas in the comments section.

::Can Buying a Grain Mill Save You Money? Laura answers this question by doing the math and sharing how her initial investment in a grain mill has saved their family $552 in four years! (By the way, if you are looking for a grain mill which is a little less expensive than what Laura has, I have the BlendTec Grain and Flour Mill and really like it.)

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photo used with permission from Utah Deal Diva

::Do you have an abundance of apples? Utah Deal Diva shares a number of easy and creative ways to use and preserve them without canning them.

::If you think you can't find anything cute at thrift stores, guess again! Jenn over at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam shows you her latest thrift store finds in her Frugal Fashionista series.

::Want to save your family a little money by cutting your childrens' bangs? Check out Tiffany's video tutorial here.

::Clair at Mummy Deals is doing a 10-part vlog series on Slashing Your Grocery Bill. View the five vlogs she's done so far right over here. I can't get enough of her accent!

::Are you a pro at finding deals? Would you like to share your expertise with a larger audience? If so, you'll want to consider applying to be a DealPro with Savings.com. More details here.

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Just a few good reads from the last few days:

::Amy is doing an excellent series on How To Save Money on Groceries Without Using Coupons. Check out her first installment here.

::I loved this piece on How to Save Money By Getting Almost Everything Free. I definitely concur. My philosophy is why pay money if you can find a creative way to get it free?

::Megan posted an excellent step-by-step tutorial here on making and canning your own applesauce. I'll admit that canning my own stuff terrifies me. I'm just sure I'll do something which will ruin the whole batch. But Megan's post almost makes think I could pull it off!

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Here are just a few links I've found in the last few days which are worth reading:

::Can buying store brands save you money? JD over at Get Rich Slowly says it can in his well-written post here. I'd argue that by combining coupons with sales, you can often buy name brand for less than the store brand price. However, there are certain things which rarely have coupons available so I then choose to buy the store brand (or the cheapest brand). And if you don't have the time to use coupons, then it definitely would be cheaper to consider switching to buying mostly generic brands.

::If you're working on building a good stockpile of food, make sure you read The Prudent Homemaker's post on possible gaps in your stockpile here. She has many helpful ideas and reminders that she's learned from personal experience.

::Speaking of having a stockpile of food, Tiffany shares here how their stockpile allowed them to be prepared and bless others during Hurricane Ike.

::One simple way to save money on clothing and be more organized is to create a clothing inventory. Check out Tiffany's post on the subject here. I have found a very helpful thing to do is to match up my children's clothing by outfits and we keep it simple by having 6-8 outfits per person per season. Not only is this less expensive because we purchase fewer clothes, but it also makes it much less work for me in keeping their clothes organized.

::Mummy Deals has some frugal suggestions for your excess hot dog buns here.

Have you found an insightful article or blog post recently which you think I'd be interested in sharing? Be sure to email me with the link and I'll gladly consider it!

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::Is it worth it to pay the $40/year Sam's Club membership fee? Brandy shares why she thinks it is here. By the way, if you have a minute, be sure to poke around her site. I think you'll really enjoy her pages on a well-stocked pantry and how they have been eating from their pantry for months on end. (She has a helpful page with meal ideas for eating from the pantry here; I'm inspired!)

::Need some cardboard boxes for an upcoming move? Check out FreeCardboardBoxes.com. Jessica emailed me this link and I think it's a fantastic idea.

::Did you know you could make your own microwave popcorn? Head on over to Frugal Freebies and Deals to learn how.

Have a link to a money-saving idea or inspiring frugal post you'd like me to feature on my blog? Shoot me an email so I can consider including it in an upcoming "Worth Reading" post round-up.

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Just a few links of interest I found the last few days:

::Would you like to test products for free? Well go visit Dealicious Mom here because she put together an incredible round-up of links to places which offer free product testing opportunities.

::Speaking of free, did you know that you can email companies whose products you use and they'll often send you high-value coupons or even coupons for free products? Nicole's Nickels has the scoop on how to successfully do this.

::I never would have thought of turning a used milk jug into a sandwich box, but I'm very inspired to do it after reading this post.

::Did you know you can list five items for free on eBay every 30 days? I sure didn't. Read more details here.

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