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Shared Jun 15, 2011 comment

Sacrificing to Start a Clothing Stockpile

Published: by Crystal Paine on June 15, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post by Danielle

I don’t know about anyone else, but money is so tight right now in our household that putting even $5 or $10 extra per month towards stockpiling clothes isn’t available. But instead of feeling sorry for ourselves, we decided to do something really different this summer.

If you “have your ear to the ground” economically, you know that cotton prices are continuing to climb steadily. As we get into fall and winter where clothing requires more material, therefore costing more, it could really be a hard squeeze for some families. We decided to change our perspective and plan accordingly.

Our Plan: Make do with what we have for the summer.

I know, it’s crazy, but we’re extremely serious about it for the next three months! My two oldest children, a boy and a girl, have only four outfits each. We have a washer and dryer in our home, so I do one load per day and they have clean clothes every day. My third child, a girl, has more clothing simply because she’s wearing hand-me-downs from her big sister!

We decided not to buy sandals this year because their athletic shoes will fit them through the summer. We aren’t buying swimsuits right now either, because with my husband’s hectic work schedule we can’t even make it to the pool! (We are blessed to have a community pool included as part of living in our townhome complex.)

Here in another month life will slow down a bit, and swimsuits will start going on sale! We’ll buy each child one then, and when they’re clearanced out at the end of the summer, we’ll buy their swimsuits for next year.

So far, because of our strategy to use budgeted “summer clothing” money to purchase clearanced fall and winter clothes for the upcoming season, we’ve been able to purchase from Walmart’s clearance racks:

2 fleece outfits (4T) — $1 each; originally $8 each
2 sets of fleece pajamas (matching for the girls) — $1 each; originally $9 each
1 fleece sleeper (4T) — $1; originally $7
4 long sleeved shirts (4T & 24 months) — $1 each; originally $3.50 each
1 long sleeved shirt (24 months) — $1; originally $3.50
1 heavy fleece-lined fall jacket (24 months) — $1; originally $8
1 pair leggings (24 months) — $1, originally $3.50

Grand Total: $12 for $70 worth of clothing!

My goal isn’t to supply my children’s every need with clearanced clothing, because realistically, that just may not be possible. However, I can make a huge dent in our fall and winter clothing budget, and then use that money to start purchasing clearanced spring and summer clothing for next year!

I just want to encourage everyone that even if you only have a few dollars, if you’re creative and willing to sacrifice a little bit right now, it can pay off in big ways just a few months down the road!

Danielle Bradbury lives in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia with her husband, son and two daughters. She and her husband are working hard to rebuild their life after bankruptcy. They are also looking forward to starting homeschool with their son this fall.

Shared Jun 14, 2011 comment

Easy Baked Oatmeal

Published: by Crystal Paine on June 14, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Overnight Baked Oats is an amazing make-ahead recipe. It freezes beautifully and is so easy to thaw overnight then bake. My family raved about it!! I almost felt guilty that it was so simple to pull off.

You Will Love This Freezer-Friendly Baked Oats Recipe!

So many of you requested more specific directions on how I froze the Baked Oatmeal recipe that I made for my Freezer-Cooking-In-An-Hour session last week that I figured it might be good to share the adapted recipe. But I wanted to make sure it turned out okay after being frozen, thawed, and then baked.

We tested it this week and, as I suspected, it worked beautifully to freeze.

It was so, so easy to pull out, thaw overnight, and bake. And my husband and kids raved about it all during breakfast. I almost felt guilty that it was so simple to pull off!

Our from-the-freezer baked oatmeal was a hit — and something I’ll include more often in our regular breakfast lineup now that I’ve found a way to make it ahead and freeze it!

baked oatmeal with strawberries and bananas

Overnight Baked Oats Ingredients

Serves 6-8

1/3 cup melted butter or coconut oil
2 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar (raw, granular, or brown sugar)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats

**Note: see the ingredient variations at the bottom of the post for more ideas to mix up the flavors.

How To Make Baked Oats

1. In a medium-sized bowl, beat eggs, sugar, and butter together.

2. Mix in baking powder, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.

mix together ingredients for baked oatmeal

3. Stir in milk and oats.

4. Pour mixture into a greased 9″×13″ baking dish OR into individual muffin cups and cover well.

5. Refrigerate overnight OR label and freeze it for later.

TO BAKE:

Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
In the morning, preheat oven to 350º and bake oats, uncovered, for 35-45 minutes, until set in the middle.
Serve in bowls warm with milk over top (we also like to sprinkle sugar on top before pouring the milk on.)
Refrigerate leftovers for later (they warm up wonderfully!)

Overnight Baked Oatmeal Variations

There are countless ways to mix up the flavor of this basic recipe — or to add a little extra nutrients!

Substitute 1/3 c. applesauce, pumpkin puree, OR 1 mashed overripe banana for 1/3 c. butter/oil.
Use 1/2 c. maple syrup or honey instead of 3/4 c. sugar or use Stevia for a no-sugar option.
Sprinkle pecans, sliced almonds, blueberries, or chocolate chips on top before baking.
Add chopped apples and walnuts to the mixture before baking (and substitute applesauce for butter).
Try different spices and seasonings, depending on the time of year.
Add 1/4c. of cocoa powder with the dry ingredients and then drizzle peanut butter over the top after baking.
Add an extra teaspoon of cinnamon and drizzle a powdered sugar glaze over the baked oatmeal.

How To Store Baked Overnight Oats

If you are mixing up the oats to eat the next day, simply cover the container (lid, plastic wrap, tin foil, etc.) and refrigerate overnight.

If you want to freeze the unbaked oats for later, tightly seal the container, label it, and put it in the freezer.

You could also store unbaked oats in a zip-top freezer bag to save space!

Easy Baked Oatmeal FAQ

What do baked oats taste like?

Delicious! Baked oatmeal is firmer than oats cooked on the stovetop. It will bake up almost like cornbread (you can cut it with a knife and scoop it out).

You can add more liquid after serving if desired. Oatmeal is a “chameleon food” as it takes on whatever flavor you pair it with (see variation ideas above).

Are baked oats good for you?

Oats are a naturally gluten-free whole grain. They are extremely nutritious, versatile, frugal… and they really fill you up! Oats can help to lower bad cholesterol, lower blood sugar, ease constipation, and promote improved gut health (source).

Homemade oatmeal is more nutritious than store-bought instant oatmeal packets (which are often loaded with extra sugar).

What kind of oats is best for overnight oats?

The best option for overnight oats is Old Fashioned Rolled Oats (sometimes called “Traditional” or “Regular”).

Oat Grouts and Steel Cut Oats will take much longer to cook and might not give you the texture you want. Quick Oats, on the other hand, may break down too quickly and become soggy.

Can you make this recipe without the sugar?

Yes, you can easily omit the sugar completely and add a mashed banana or applesauce instead. You could also substitute Stevie or other no-calorie sweetener in place of the sugar.

Recipe

Overnight Baked Oatmeal

Author Crystal Paine

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 45

Overnight resting 8

Total Time 8 55

Overnight Baked Oats is an amazing make-ahead recipe. It freezes beautifully and is so easy to thaw overnight then bake.

Ingredients

1/3 cup melted butter or oil
2 eggs (large)
3/4 cup sugar raw, granulated, or brown
1.5 tsp. baking powder
1.5 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
3 cups rolled oats (old fashion)

Instructions

In a medium-sized bowl, beat eggs, sugar, and butter together.
Mix in baking powder, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt.
Stir in milk and oats
Pour mixture into a greased 9″×13″ baking dish OR individual muffin cups and cover well.
Refrigerate overnight OR label and freeze it for later.

TO BAKE:

Thaw in refrigerator overnight.
In the morning, preheat oven to 350º and bake oats, uncovered, for 35-45 minutes, until set in the middle.
Serve in bowls warm with milk over top (we also like to sprinkle sugar on top before pouring the milk on.)
Refrigerate leftovers for later (they warm up wonderfully!)

Notes

RECIPE VARIATIONS:

There are countless simple ways to mix up the flavor of this basic recipe!

Substitute 1/3 c. applesauce, pumpkin puree, OR 1 mashed overripe banana for 1/3 c. butter.
Use 1/2 c. maple syrup or honey instead of 3/4 c. sugar.
Sprinkle pecans, sliced almonds, blueberries, or chocolate chips on top before baking.
Add chopped apples and walnuts to the mixture before baking (and sub applesauce for butter).
Try different spices and seasonings, depending on the time of year.
Add 1/4c. of cocoa powder with the dry ingredients and then drizzle peanut butter over the top after baking.
Add an extra teaspoon of cinnamon and drizzle a powdered sugar glaze over the baked oatmeal.
For portion-sized oatmeal, use muffin pans to bake into individual portions of baked oatmeal!

Nutrition

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Shared Jun 14, 2011 comment

Do-It-Yourself: Edible Playdough

Published: by Crystal Paine on June 14, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Jenae from I Can Teach My Child shows you how to make edible playdough. This stuff looks fun and addictive! I’m excited to try it with my children!

Do you have a fun and frugal DIY idea to share? I’d love to hear about it! Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.

Shared Jun 14, 2011 comment

How to Stockpile Clothes By Shopping at Yard Sales

Published: by Crystal Paine on June 14, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post by MaryEllen at The Deal Scoop

The reader tip last week on stockpiling clothes is something our family has already been using to save an incredible amount of money each year. As I read through the comments on the post, I noticed some readers’ concerns.

There were some readers who don’t think they could find good enough deals at yard sales to make stockpiling clothing worth their while. Some felt that all they can find at yard sales is junk and that they would rather buy clearance items at the stores. Then there were those who admitted that they aren’t organized enough to know what they need and don’t need.

Here are a few tips on how to get the best prices at yard sales and how our family has been able to make stockpiling clothing work for us:

On Friday night, check your local paper or Craigslist.org ads for Saturday’s yard sales.

(Or if you live an area with a lot of Friday sales, check on Thursday night. Go whenever is best for the area in which you live.) Most people will list some specific items that they will be selling. Mark the ones that specifically have kids’ clothing listing and skip the rest. In my family’s experience, you will barely have time to make it to just those yard sales, and there is no sense wasting time and gas going to yard sales that don’t have what you’re looking for.

Plan your route ahead of time.

If you need directions to certain places, be sure you have them all printed out the night before so you can go from place to place quickly and use gas efficiently. The more gas you use, the more those yard sale clothes will cost you!

Go as early as possible in the morning.

Many people think there is only junk to be found at yard sales, but a lot of times that’s because there are high-quality items to be had for nearly pennies. The first ones at the yard sales find all the best stuff before it’s gone!

Set a target price and don’t be afraid to make deals in order to hit it.

This is probably the most crucial part to the whole game of stockpiling clothing, and I’ll be the first to admit that my husband is more skilled at it than I am. Our family’s personal target is $0.25 per clothing item, $1 for a pair of shoes and up to $1 for nice dresses for our daughter. That may seem like quite an ambitious goal, but my husband has proven to me that it is quite doable. Here’s what I’ve learned by watching him:

::If a seller has high quality items and is asking 50 cents each, pick out three things and ask if they will take $1 for all three. Nine times out of ten, they will. Although that is $0.33 per item and not the target $0.25, you can average it out later.

::Ask the seller if they will consider a bag special. If there are a good number of items in which you are interested, ask the seller if they will allow you to fill a shopping bag for a certain price. If they will sell you a bag of clothing for $3 to $5, you should be able to hit your target price. (This is especially true when you’re buying smaller sizes because you can fit more pieces into the bag.)

If they charge $5, you’ll need to fit at least 20 pieces into the bag in order to hit $0.25 an item. (It’s amazing how many pieces will go in when they’re folded neatly!) If they charge $3, you need to fit at least 12 pieces in the bag in order to hit your target.

Then, there are always the sellers who surprise you by saying, “Sure, fill a bag for $1!” It happens, and those are the times that help you bring your average back down to the target price when you’ve paid a little more for something you really like.

::If a seller is asking $1 for a pair of shoes, ask if they’ll take $0.50. The worst they can say is “no”, and if they say “yes”, you’ve just brought your average price per item down. If they’re asking $2, ask if they’ll take $1. Then you can get the shoes at your target price.

Skip the junk.

Don’t buy something just because it happens to be your target price. If you don’t like it or it’s worn out, skip it. You’ll find something else later.

Buy only classic styles and colors.

Remember, by the time your children wear the clothes you find, it may be a couple years down the road. Trendy things go out of style very quickly and you’ll end up not using them and wasting your money.

Keep a detailed list of what you have and what you need.

I don’t think it makes sense to buy another pair of pants, even if they are only $0.25, if our son already has enough pairs in that size. On the other hand, if the end of yard sale season is approaching and we see that he still needs pants for the upcoming winter, we can up our target price for that item. I’d rather pay $0.50 or $0.75 for the pants instead of waiting until we get out the winter clothes only to find out we have to run to Walmart and buy a couple pairs at full price.

Spreadsheet Tip:

Our family uses two spreadsheets, one for boy clothes and one for girl clothes. Each spreadsheet includes every size from birth through several sizes beyond what our children currently wear.

There are categories for every different item, such as play shirts, shorts, dress pants, dress shirts, etc. We also include every size of shoes.

Every time we come home from yard sales we immediately wash everything and add it to the spreadsheet. The next time we find something at our target price we can check to see if we already have enough of that item in that particular size. We keep a copy of our spreadsheets on the computer, and carry a printed copy with us to the yard sales.

Properly organize all the clothes you have stockpiled.

It’s no fun to know you have clothes available when your child has a growth spurt, but you can’t find them anywhere! I like to keep everything in airtight tubs that are labeled by size and gender. I haven’t figured out a better way to do shoes, so everything just gets thrown into either a “boy’s shoes bin” or a “girl’s shoes bin”.

When one of our kids outgrows their shoes, I just look on the spreadsheet to make sure we have the next size for them. Then I can rummage through the bin to get their next size shoe. I love being able to make a trip to the attic when our kids have a growth spurt instead of making an emergency trip to the store!

We Save Over $140 Per Year By Stockpiling Clothing and Shopping at Yard Sales

If you’re still not convinced that stockpiling clothing from yard sales would be worth it to you, here are a couple rough figures of how much money we save this way. Let’s say my little girl needs a minimum of five tops, five bottoms, three Sunday dresses and three pairs of shoes for each season. If we buy the five tops and five bottoms at $0.25, the three Sunday dresses for $1 each, and the three pairs of shoes for $1 each, we end up spending $8.50 for an entire season’s worth of clothing.

If we found some really great sales at Target or Walmart and bought the same amount of clothing for $5 a piece, we would spend $80. So we save at very minimum $71.50 per season, or $143 a year per child.

The more children you have, the more your savings will multiply. Plus, though I have nothing against clothes from Target or Walmart, our children are wearing Children’s Place, OshKosh, Gymboree, and Carter’s clothing instead. Many times the clothes and shoes we find are brand-new with the tags still on.

I do understand that this method of saving on children’s clothing is not going to work for 100% of you due to lack of storage space or because you may live in a rural area with very few yard sales. However, I do hope that those of you who have the means to do so will give some of these tips a try. You may be surprised at how well you can do!

MaryEllen Bream is a stay-at-home mom who is always looking for more ways to stretch her family’s budget. When she’s not playing with her kids or shopping yard sales for their clothes, she can be found sharing deals and money-saving tips on her blog.

photo credit

Shared Jun 14, 2011 comment

Recycle a t-shirt into a skirt

Published: by Crystal Paine on June 14, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Sew Like My Mom shows you how to take a thrift store t-shirt and turn it into a skirt.

WANT TO SAVE $100 FAST?!Join the FREE 14-Day Savings Challenge!

Click here to sign up!

Shared Jun 13, 2011 comment

31 Weeks to a Better Grocery Budget Video Series: Don’t Give Up Too Soon

Published: by Crystal Paine on June 13, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Shared Jun 13, 2011 comment

This Week’s Menu Plan

Published: by Crystal Paine on June 13, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Amish Baked Oatmeal for breakfast

After a number of busy weeks, we’re actually staying home a lot this week and have very few things on the calendar. I’m looking forward to getting to spend some extra time in the kitchen trying out some new recipes. Here’s our plan for the week:

Breakfasts
Amish Baked Oatmeal, bananas
French Toast Casserole (from the freezer), fruit
Cinnamon/Sugar Toasted Bagels, Pick-Me-Up Smoothies
Oatmeal Raisin Muffins, Scrambled Eggs, Berries
Cinnamon Roll Biscuits (using Homemade Baking Mix), fruit
Cereal
Whole Wheat Waffles (using Homemade Baking Mix), fruit

Lunches
Beef hot dogs, stuffed eggs, watermelon, corn
McDonald’s
PB&J, carrot sticks, strawberries
Beans & Rice with cheese, mixed vegetables, strawberries
Veggie omelet, fruit
Leftovers

Snacks
Watermelon Frosties
Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Fruit/Veggies

Dinners
Breakfast Burritos, fruit salad
Meatballs, steamed veggies, wild rice, fruit salad
Southwest Rollups, steamed veggies, fruit salad
Italian Pasta Bake, Bread Machine French Bread, green beans, watermelon
Steak on the grill, steamed veggies, Bread Machine French Bread
Asian Barbecue Chicken, rice, steamed veggies, fruit salad
Homemade Pizza, fruit, Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge

Freezer-Cooking-In-An-Hour Plan (I’ll share pictures/details on how this goes on Thursday!)
Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Fudge
Chicken Stuffing Casserole
Corn Dog Muffins

What’s on your menu this week? Feel free to leave a link to your plan in the comments!

Shared Jun 13, 2011 comment

Filing Cabinet Planter

Published: by Crystal Paine on June 13, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Have an old filing cabinet collecting dust in your garage or basement? Design Sponge shows you how to turn it into a Filing Cabinet Planter.

(If you want more detailed instructions on how to do this, I found some here.)

Shared Jun 13, 2011 comment

Making the Most of Your Ebook Purchases

Published: by Crystal Paine on June 13, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post by Jessica Fisher, aka FishMama at Good (Cheap) Eats and Life As Mom

Should you buy that ebook that sounds like the answer to all your problems? Ever bought an ebook that you never read once your Paypal transaction was complete? Find yourself lamenting over an ebook purchase because it wasn’t what you expected?

Just as you weigh the pros and cons of a physical book purchase, so should you consider how to make the most of the ebooks you buy.

What’s an Ebook?

Ebook is simply short for “electronic book.” They are digital documents that you download directly to your computer or other reading device, to be read at your leisure, electronically.

Ebooks are quickly becoming one of the most popular forms of the written word. They have been an easy and economical method of self-publishing for years, but are now hitting the mainstream as major book publishers offer digital versions of their hardcover books.

What are the benefits?

Ebooks are:

::Green — No tree needs give its life for you to own an ebook. The purchase is completely digital.

::Instant — Once you purchase an ebook, you should be able to download it almost instantly, quicker than you can say, “Amazon Prime.”

::Often free of tax or shipping charges.

::Inexpensive — In general they are not as expensive as the cover price of a hardcover book. Sometimes, the seller even offers them at a discount or even free.

::Often offer customizable options, or other digital features, like links to further online reading, something unavailable in a physical book.

What’s the catch?

::You won’t get any mail.

::You have to print it yourself if you want a hard copy.

::You don’t get to preview more than a few pages of the book. It’s not quite the same as perusing a book at length in a cozy armchair at Barnes & Noble.

::You don’t have a physical product to return if you don’t like it.

How can you make ebooks work for you?

1. Research carefully. If you find an ebook that you’re interested in purchasing, ask questions of the seller, peruse their table of contents, inquire of friends who’ve purchased. Ask as many questions as you need to in order to feel like it’s the right purchase for you. Determine the refund policy if you want your money back if it’s a disappointment.

2. Save locally. Unfortunately, an ebook is much easier to lose than a hard copy book. Make sure that you save the document before you close the screen.

3. Store strategically. Create a folder on your computer, specifically for storing ebooks that you are going to read.

4. Make a plan to read. The book does you no good if it sits on your hard drive unread.

What techniques do YOU use to make ebooks worth it for you?

Jessica Fisher, aka FishMama, regularly writes about parenting hacks on Life As Mom and shares delicious ways to act your wage at Good (Cheap) Eats. She has written several ebooks, including Organizing Life as MOM , and owns quite a few unread ones on her hard drive. She will read them — eventually.

Shared Jun 13, 2011 comment

Repurposing Duplos into beginning spelling/reading aids

Published: by Crystal Paine on June 13, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I love this idea for re-purposing duplos into beginning spelling and reading aids. What a great idea!

OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!

Click here to download!

Shared Jun 12, 2011 comment

Today’s Walmart shopping trip: My first big price-matching attempt (Super Savings Saturday)

Published: by Crystal Paine on June 12, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

So I’ve been price-matching bananas on occasion at Walmart, but I’ve never done any price-matching besides that. However, because so many of you suggested I try it after repeatedly being disappointed in the fruit selection available at Aldi, I finally worked up the courage to try it today.

Guess what? It was easy-peasy! And I’m wondering why I took so many years to try doing this. I’m hooked!

Here’s what I bought:

Walmart Shopping Trip

Suave Professionals — used free coupon

5 packages of strawberries — price-matched to Aldi $0.99 each price

Watermelon — price-matched to Aldi $2.99 price

Gain dish detergent — $0.97, used $1/1 coupon from the P&G Solutions coupon booklet = free

Spic & Span — $0.97 each, used $1/2 coupon from Coupons.com (no longer available) = $0.47 each

KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce — $1.42 each, used $1/1 coupons = $0.42 each after coupons

3 packages blueberries — price-matched to Aldi $1.49 each price

3 Sugar & Spice Yarn — $0.50 each (these were in a big clearance bin)

Grapes — bought two pounds and price-matched to Aldi’s price of $0.89/lb.

Just My Size tank — $5, used $5/1 May All You magazine coupon = free

Ivory Soap — $0.97, used $1/1 coupon from the May P&G insert = free

My total after coupons was $19.70.

How I Price-Matched

Walmart says you don’t need to bring in an ad, but I brought the Aldi ad with me just to make things go more smoothly — and so I didn’t have to remember all the different sale prices!

I split my order up on the belt and had the non-price-match items go through first and then handed the cashier the ad and asked her to price-match the remaining items on the belt with the prices listed on the Aldi ad.

It was a very simple process and I have no idea why it made me nervous to try this! Best of all, the produce was better and the selection was leaps better than Aldi.

THANK YOU to each of you who suggested I try this. I can’t believe it’s taken me all these years to figure out how easy this is. I’ll definitely be adding this to my arsenal of money-saving/time-saving things to do!

Would you like to know what the best deals and coupon match-ups are for your local stores? Be sure to check out the Store Deals section of our site where we post the best deals and coupon match-ups each week for over 100 different stores across the country. You can sign up to receive the top deals in your email inbox each week as soon as they are posted!

Did you snag any great deals or bargains this week or save money in other ways? If so, be sure to post about them on your blog and leave your link below. Please remember that this weekly round-up is to share deals you personally got and/or money you were able to save this week. In order to keep this weekly round-up focused on helping and inspiring others in their efforts to save money, links which have little-to-no content other than promoting affiliate links, etc. will be deleted. Also, to make it easy for everyone to navigate quickly through the links, your link must link directly to your Super Savings Saturday post.

Shared Jun 11, 2011 comment

Dillon’s and Health Food Store Shopping Trip (and a question about cream of tartar)

Published: by Crystal Paine on June 11, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I finally went to the health food store after weeks of not making it there. I was going to be driving right by, so I stopped in and found a few deals. I’m always excited to find marked down organic yogurt for our smoothies. Yum!

And then I stopped by Dillon’s. I meant to price-match the beef hot dogs when I was at Walmart but completely forgot even though it was on my grocery list (where is my brain these days?!) so I just stopped at Dillon’s on the way home. I also wanted to check on the price of cream of tartar since I needed to buy some to add to the Homemade Baking Mix. It was $1 less than Walmart’s price so I went ahead and got some and also picked up a few other things while I was there.

Dillon’s Shopping Trip

2 packages Hebrew National beef hot dogs — $2.50 each

Cream of Tartar — $3.79

Red-Taped Bananas — $0.29/lb = $0.56

5 Luna bars — $1.09, used 5 $0.50/1 coupons (doubled) = $0.09 each

2 containers of Blackberries — $1 each

Butter — $2.50 (This is more than I usually pay, but I didn’t want to make a special trip to Aldi for it just to save $0.50. But, this is an instance where I didn’t do a good job of buying ahead so I had to paid more than my target price for this because we’re out of butter.)

My total, after coupons, was $15.53.

Anyone Know Where to Get the Best Price on Cream of Tartar?

I’ve not purchased cream of tartar in ages, so I have no idea what a good price is on it. Does anyone know? Also, where do you get the best price on it? I was really surprised it was so expensive so I thought I’d ask here to see if anyone had a great source for it. Thanks!

Shared Jun 10, 2011 comment

Monthly Financial Check-up

Published: by Crystal Paine on June 10, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Our Family’s Financial Goals for the Summer of 2010 through December 2011

1. Significantly increase our giving to needs in our community and around the world. This is an ongoing goal, so we’re keeping it uncrossed off from the list.

2. Pay cash for a replacement washer and dryer for our very used set.

3. Pay cash for a replacement for Old Blue Van.

4. Pay cash for a couch for our basement family room.

5. Pay cash for bunk beds for the girls.

6. Fully fund our IRAs.

~~7. Bump up our retirement savings to 10% of our income.~~

8. Fund our children’s educational savings. Kathrynne’s is funded and we made some good headway on Kaitlynn’s this month. We hope to have both Silas and Kaitlynn’s funds done by July or August. We’ll see!

9. Double our Emergency Fund Savings (Instead of having around six month’s worth of expenses set aside, we’re planning to set aside a year’s worth of expenses.)

10. Save 40% towards our real estate investing goal.

We’d love to hear about your recent financial goals and successes! You can post about it on your blog and leave your link in the comments. Or, just share about your progress/goals in the comments. Let’s all keep each other accountable to be better stewards of our resources!

Shared Jun 9, 2011 comment

Freezer Cooking in an Hour: Baking Mix, Asian BBQ Chicken, Baked Oatmeal

Published: by Crystal Paine on June 9, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

We had friends over for lunch and part of the afternoon yesterday, so by the time we got our afternoon chores and projects done, it was almost 5:30 p.m. when I finally started doing my Freezer Cooking in an Hour session.

5:30 — Open my laptop tabs to the recipes, turn on Josh Groban on iTunes and start making the Amish Baked Oatmeal. Go to melt the butter in the microwave and hear loud popping noises coming from the coils or something at the top of the microwave. Decide to forgo the microwave idea lest I catch the kitchen on fire and instead use the stovetop.

5:35 — Oatmeal is almost done and the children are already getting antsy. Give them a pre-dinner snack and hope it won’t ruin their dinner, try to remember to be calm and patient (!) and get back to work.

5:45 — Jesse calls and is on his way home from work. Must hurry so the kitchen isn’t a disaster and dinner is finished by the time he comes home. Stick the tilapia and vegetables in the oven to bake for dinner. Finish the oatmeal and start the Asian Barbecue Chicken.

5:55 — Ouch! Squeezing lime juice is not fun when you have dry, cracked hands (remind me to use lotion after washing the dishes; I always seem to forget and then pay for it later!).

6:00 — Two bags of chicken are done. The noise level in the house is rising. Must pick up the pace. Measure out the flour that I ground earlier in the day while our friends were visiting. Realize I am out of cream of tartar. Oh well. I can add it in later.

6:15 — Finally done — in less than an hour! Tidy up the kitchen quickly, pull out dinner and Jesse walks in the door — perfect timing!

The final results of my 45 minutes’ worth of work:

4 bags of Homemade Baking Mix

2 pans of Amish Baked Oatmeal

2 meal’s worth of Asian Barbecue Chicken

Shared Jun 9, 2011 comment

Homemade Baking Mix Recipe

Published: by Crystal Paine on June 9, 2011 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

If you’d like to transition your kitchen to more from-scratch foods, this recipe for homemade baking mix is a great place to start. It’s just as quick and easy as using Bisquick, but with better ingredients!

Doreen emailed me her baking mix recipe almost a year ago and I’ve had it in my file ever since to try.

I finally got around to making it during my Freezer Cooking In an Hour session this week.

It’s SO simple!

It was so simple to whip up and I’m excited to see how it works. I’ll be posting four different recipes using this mix in the next few weeks as I try them. In the mean time, here’s the baking mix recipe:

Baking Mix Ingredients

10 cups flour (I used freshly ground whole wheat, but Doreen suggested doing half white and half whole-wheat.)
8 Tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 1/4 cup powdered milk
1 Tablespoon salt
1/4 cup sugar or turbinado
2 1/4 cup coconut oil or shortening

How to Make Homemade Baking Mix

1. In a very large bowl, mix all dry ingredients.

2. Cut in shortening or cold coconut oil until you have fine crumbs.

3. Store in a tightly covered container in a cool place (if you use freshly-ground flour, store in the freezer).

Use in place of Bisquick for any of your favorite recipes!

Recipe