$1.00 for tomatoes!

Want a frugal and fun way to get some cheap produce!? Well, I found one at Hunsader's Farm in Bradenton, Florida. We were able to fill a five gallon bucket of tomatoes for $1.00. Yes, we had to pick them ourselves, but that was all part of the fun! Why was it so cheap? Well, it was because the tomato season was just about over and we had our pick of all the left over tomatoes. The deal was you could fill up as many five gallon buckets you wanted for $1.00 each. You just had to weed through all the bad ones. First we picked the tomatoes, then I bought a fresh picked (that day) watermelon for $4.00 while the kids played on the playground. Next we got to feed the goats and look at all the other farm animals. We only were there for 3 hours, but the kids were all worn out by the time we left and took nice long naps. Every mothers goal! In conclusion, my frugal tip of the day is to go online (that where I found out about this deal) and find a local farm. Many of them will have u-pick deals that are very cheap toward the end of that particular season.

Making your own Frozen Waffles

As a kid, my mom ALWAYS had "home made" frozen waffles in the freezer. Now, I wanted to be like everyone else and eat Eggo's for breakfast, but my mom said they were tooooo expensive!! I vowed never to be like her and make my own frozen waffles, but guess what?? I did and they are awesome!! Much better than Eggo's and much cheaper!!! Here is how you do it!

• Make my waffle recipe or yours. I find if I have all my ingredients out and pre-measured it goes much faster.

• Set out some cooling rack for the waffles.
• Heat up the old waffle iron and start making waffles!! Don't make the waffles as big as the waffle iron, it will make them easier to place into the toaster to reheat! I place each waffle on the cooling rack as soon as I take it off the waffle maker.

• Once all the waffle batter is used up (and you eat a couple) wait until all the waffles are completely cooled!! This will keep the waffles from getting soggy from condensation. Layer each waffle between wax paper and gently place inside a gallon Ziploc bag. Don't let any waffle touch the Ziploc bag, be sure wax paper makes a barrier, this will prevent freezer burn.

• Clear off a shelf in the freezer and place each bag in the freezer. I think I was able to get 3-4 waffles in each Ziploc bag. Place each bag in the freezer, do not stack until waffles are completely frozen!!!
• To re-heat, simply take a whole waffle out of the bag, break in half and place each half into the toaster. Sometimes it takes two trips through the toaster before they will be ready to eat. Add butter and syrup and you will be in waffle heaven!!!

Freezer Friendly Meals

Ok, so I know these freezer friendly blog posts are a dime a dozen. I have read at least a dozen or so of them myself. Why am I writing this?? Just as a reminder to myself and you why freezer meals save you money! Most of us think of freezer meals as a time saver. While that is true, it can also be a big money saver.

• For those of us who are busy or working moms, nothing is more tempting after a long day at work or with the kids than going out to dinner. A freezer meal is a quick option with out much effort.
• When ground beef or chicken is on sale, stock up and make some freezer meals using the meat.
• Long night up with the baby or a sick child? Frozen homemade waffles work everytime for the rest of the family when mom is to tired to make breakfast. Also works well if you have unexpected company and no time for a nice breakfast.
• Pantry week. Let's face it. We've all had weeks where the money for groceries just isn't there. Having a few freezer meals made ahead can help in a pinch like this.
• Ever sit on the couch with your husband and wish you had dessert but don't feel like cooking right then? Don't head out the door, head to the freezer for some frozen made ahead desserts. My fav? Frozen cookie dough. Bakes up in no time for some no fuss homemade cookies!

Check out my recipe page for some good make ahead recipes to add to your collection!!

click here

Father's Day Deal

Check out this awesome Father's Day Deal I got from Walgreen's. I made this 8X10 collage for my father-in-law for Father's day absoluetly FREE!!! Use coupon code 1FREEBIE. Offer expires 6/18/2011 and not valid with any other deals.

For other awesome deals check out Moneysaving Mom

Money Saving ideas for Christmas

As I saw a friend post on Facebook, there are less than 100 days left until Christmas!!!! I LOVE Christmas and the giving spirit that goes with it. However, we all can't afford to spend a lot of money on Christmas gifts. Throughout the years, I have come up with many ideas of how to give nice Christmas gifts, with out breaking the bank. Here are a few I would like to share!!!

1. Homemade cards - one of my hobbies is card making.Throughout the year I try to always make four of every card. By Christmas time, I have quite a stash. They make a great gift for teachers and friends who enjoy sending out cards!
2. Food - there are so many things you could do with this one! From cookie mixes to homemade caramel corn, place the goodies in a pretty tin and you have a nice gift!
3. Deals, deals, deals - I try to watch out for deals all year long. I have a space in my guest room closet designated to gifts. I will often get coupons in the mail for spend $10.00 get $10.00 off. Use some self-control and go spend $11.00 at the store. You get a nice $10.00 gift for a $1.00!!! Place a little post-it note on the item to remind yourself how much you spent. That way you already have your $10.00 Christmas gift for the Christmas party at work, without breaking the bank.
4. Photo collection - what Grandparent wouldn't like a nice little photo album or photo collection? You could either make it yourself, or watch for coupon codes for sites such as Shutterfly and Snapfish and make photo gifts for a fraction of the price!
5. Re-gifting - yes, in some circles this might be REALLY taboo, but let's face it, we have all been given gifts that we have and will NEVER use!! I am not a scented lotion person, yet I get lots of scented lotion every year. I set most of it aside (unless I really like a certain one) and re-gift them to people I know really like scented lotion. Please, don't hate me for this one :0)
6. Recipe Collection - this is a great idea for newly weds, or people just getting out of the house. Type up your favorite (or their favorite) recipes and place them in a nice binder. It will be a great resource for years to come!
7. Make Christmas Ornaments - we did this as a kid EVERY year. I am not a big fan of this one because I am a minimalist and feel most people already have too many Christmas Ornaments. But it is a fun project to do with kids. We would use old Christmas cards, Popsicle sticks and glitter. Use the Popsicle sticks to make a frame for the Christmas cards. Decorate with glitter and use ribbon to hang on the tree.
8. Sewing projects - If you know how to sew and like doing it, take on some sewing projects throughout the year. By Christmas, you will have a nice collection of gifts!
9. Organize - what do I mean by this?? Well, it this takes some planning. I did a project like this for my Grandma. I took all her pictures out of her old photo albums (those static cling ones) and put them in acid free albums. Took me weeks to go through them all!! I wrapped the new albums up and the whole family looked through them Christmas day.
10. Photo DVD - you can either scan in old photos, or use one you already have on the computer. Make a slide show, set it to music and burn it on a DVD. Great gift for older family members that really don't need anything, and do not get on the Internet to see all your family latest photos.

Hope some of these ideas help you!!! I am sure you can come up with many more ideas, feel free to leave a comment and tell me what they are!!!!!!!!

Frugal Gift giving idea.

Every Christmas my mom would make a big batch of caramel corn. It was always hard not to eat it all and save some for gifts!!! She must have hid some of it because every year people would look forward to getting a bag of my mom's caramel corn. I have carried this tradition on not only because of how good it tastes, but also because it is a frugal gift giving idea. You can make a double batch of this recipe and have enough for you and those you want to bless with a gift and not spend a lot of money. I usually put the caramel corn in a Ziploc bag and then place it in a festive tin (or you could decorate the Ziploc bag). Every year my little brother-in-laws eat theirs before even leaving the house!! Enjoy!!!

Making your own pie dough!

I am seriously trying to save money!! The other night, I really wanted chicken popeye, but had no pie dough! Rather than running out to the store and buying the pre-made stuff, I decided to make my own! I have watched countless episodes of Martha Stewart Live where she made her own pie dough, and tried my best to remember all her tips and tricks. I decided to make a double batch (why not? had all the stuff out) to save time and money. Click here to see my  pie dough recipe! Below are some money saving pie crust ideas!!

• Make a double recipe, use one today, freeze the other in a tin foil pie pan. By Christmas, you will be ready for a baking marathon and have some money left in your grocery budget!
• When your favorite fruit is on sale, make ahead some pie and freeze them!! Just think about your favorite Mrs. Smith pies, any of those varieties will work just fine! Great for when your mother-in-law drops in unexpectedly.
• Freeze your extra pieces of pie dough. Get the cookie cutters out and let the kids have fun!

If you have any other great ideas for pie crust, please leave a comment!! I am sure I haven't thought of it all!!

My untrimmed pie dough!

The Garage Sale

So I desperately needed (wanted?) a computer. Mine was slower than blue blazes!! But we seriously did not have it in the budget to buy one. I might have been able to scrounge away $2.00 a week but I would be an old woman by the time I had enough money to buy one! A door opened when we had to move my Grandma out of her house. We were going to have a HUGE garage sale, selling all the things that Grandma couldn't or didn't want to take with her. I asked my Aunt if I could bring my own stuff and sell it at the garage sale, as well as help her out. Well, let me tell you, I worked my buns off!! Keeping track of a one year old, being pregnant and dealing with 90 degree heat will make anyone tired!! I wheeled and dealed trying to make the most of my time and make the most money!!! At the end of the day, I had $318 and a LOT of change!!! I walked into Best Buy with a handful of ones,fives,tens, a few twenty's and my big prize, a one hundred dollar bill (from the futon I sold). I even had a bag of change, valued at five dollars!!! So now, I am the proud owner of a lower end NEW laptop! Which is how I was able to start this blog!!!!!!!!!!!