Learning to Live Frugal

New and improved!

2009-08-18T20:20:00.001-07:00

I have a new website for those of you that are interested. http://learningtolivefrugal.wordpress.com Come by and check it out!

Paper Plates

2009-08-04T06:56:00.000-07:00

I've always used paper plates. I like the convenience. I have enough dishes to wash after I eat I don't need to add to it. Now I'm beginning to realize that every penny counts. A package of 300ct paper plates cost roughly $5.43 (includes CA tax). If I divide that cost by the 150 uses (I double up plates due to weakness) it costs about 0.033 cents per use. I bought some plastic plates that I will use indefinitely for $1.50 per 4 plates. We go through about 27 plates per week so an initial investment of 40 plates for $16.31(includes tax) will pay for itself in about 3 months. That's a savings of $48.87 the year of investment and an annual savings of $65.16 there after. If these plates last me until I die, (I'm being optimistic here) I could save a total of about $4,000.00. Just a little example of how things can add up.

DIY: Fixing Your Credit, Step 1

2009-08-04T06:55:00.000-07:00

The first step in fixing your credit is to know exactly what is on your credit report. Since all 3 credit bureaus my contain different information, you need to get a separate report from each one. I don't recommend getting one online or getting a combined report which will summarize all 3 into 1 report. Especially if you plan on disputing any of the information. I'll explain why later. I went into each of the 3 credit bureaus websites and got the address to send a request to as well as an 800 number to call to order a report. I've chosen to call each one a request a free copy of my credit report. This saves me the 40 cents for a stamp, time to draft and send the letter or the hassle of having to cancel a membership once I get my free report and the waste of ink to print it out. When I called the toll free number for Experian, I was surprised that after selecting the option for an annual copy of my free credit report I was givin a new 1-800 number to call. After calling the 1-800-322-8228 number and going through a ton of ID checks I was able to order a report for each of the 3 credit bureaus. It was a nice option that I could order all 3 reports from JUST one phone call. They stated that my request would be processed in 15 business days. So, if you include mailing time in that I should receive my report in about 4 weeks time or less. So, looks like step 2 will be in about 5 weeks!

Jambalaya

2009-08-04T06:48:00.000-07:00

This is one of those recipes that I always do a little different. Every time I've made it it turns out delicious. Here are the basics:

1 family size box Zatarians Jambalaya rice mix
1 cup rice
2 cups chicken stock
3 1/2 cups water
1 onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 celery stock, chopped
1 16 oz can chopped tomatoes
Meat: you can do any combination of the following or all 3 as I do. About 1/3lb chicken, chopped 1/3lb smoked sausage, chopped 1/3lb shrimp
1 cup frozen okra
2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper
Hot sauce or cayenne pepper to taste

Pour a little oil in a large pot. Sauté onion, bell pepper, celery, sausage and chicken for about 5 minutes. Pour in water, chicken broth, tomatoes including juice, rice, salt and pepper, Zatarians and however much hot sauce or cayenne pepper you might want. Bring to a boil. Stir, cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for about 10 minutes then add shrimp if you are using them. Recover and continue cooking for another 15 to 20 minutes. Serve and enjoy!

Menu Plan Monday 8/3/2009

2009-08-03T07:07:00.000-07:00

We made it through most of our meals last week but a few are being bumped for another time.
Here's what this week looks like for us.

Monday: Jambalaya
Tuesday: Leftover Hamburgers & Hot Dogs from Saturday
Wednesday: Leftover Ribs & Chicken from Sunday
Thursday: Leftover Jambalaya
Friday: Supreme & Pepperoni Pizza
Saturday: Burgers & Hot Dogs w/ potato salad, cole slaw and fruit salad
Sunday: BBQ Hot Wings w/ rice

The coming weeks are going to look a lot like this one. My hours at work are changing and I'll be there for 10 hours a day now. But, that means that I'll be getting every Friday off!!! I'm very excited about that. My plan will be to make enough food during my days off to carry us through the week. I think this is a great idea and don't know why I didn't think of it sooner. Sounds like a great way to avoid the midweek, "I don't feel like cooking tonight, I'm too tired!"

DIY: Fixing Your Credit

2009-07-27T12:27:00.000-07:00

So, I've made some mistakes in my past. Well, some might say a lot of mistakes. Anyway, my credit has suffered because of the decisions that I've made and I'm now looking for ways to fix it. I stumbled upon a website called, "creditinfocenter". It gives you the instructions to go about repairing your credit instead of going through a credit repair agency. The steps seem somewhat simple and I figure it's worth a shot. So I think that I'll post the steps I'm taking and the results. I would love it if anyone that has been through a similar situation and could give me what their experiences were.

Menu Plan Monday 7/27/2009

2009-07-27T12:26:00.000-07:00

This week will be a no shopping week for me, if possible. I need to make up for the fact that I OVER spent last week and we have a lot of stuff on hand. So we will be eating the following:

Monday: Leftover chicken parmesan/burgers and hot dogs
Tuesday: Lemon Chicken Bake w/ broccoli
Wednesday: Leftovers
Thursday: Pulled Pork Sandwiches w/ potato salad, cole slaw and fruit salad
Friday: BBQ Chicken Pizza
Saturday: Burgers w/ potato salad, cole slaw and fruit salad
Sunday: BBQ Ribs and Chicken w/ baked potato and noodles

Discount Grocery Stores

2009-07-27T12:25:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I took a trip to somewhere that I normally never go. In fact, a year ago I would have never been caught dead there. Now, I have reevaluated some things in my life and know what is really important and where you buy your groceries is not one of those priorities. So I was off to the discount grocery stores in search of bargains galore. Now, I have read about fellow bloggers that have had great success with discount stores and I had high hopes. To my dismay, I was surprised at what I found.

The first store that I hit was Save-A-Lot. This is one store that I will NEVER go back too. My first clue should have been the fact that there were only 2 additional cars in the parking lot. This First off, the smell. There was a disgusting smell to that place that could be detected before even entering the store. Apparently, this store does not carry and name brand items which is not a big deal but most of the food looked like it had fell off of the back of the truck into some dirt on the way to the store. The customer service was horrible and to top it all off, most of the prices were the same as name brand items carried by Walmart. At least at Walmart I could use a coupon and get the item even cheaper and in better condition without having to hold my breath as I run through the store. Maybe it was just my store, I'm not sure, but unless they build another one in my town I won't be going back. The first place to cross off my list. At least I can say that I tried and it's not worth it.

Next on my list was Grocery Outlet. This store is much better. The one downfall that I don't like is that they don't put out a weekly loss leader, so you would need to make the rounds of the store every week. They have the same policy of accepting coupons as many of the grocery discount store have, which is they don't accept them. I was also surprised that many of the items in the store could be purchased cheaper elsewhere when on sale and at an even lower price if you caught a sale and had a coupon. Now, if you didn't want to mess with coupons, looking at sales fliers and making a few trips to different store then Grocery Outlet is defiantly worth shopping at.

From my experiences yesterday I can conclude that if you do your research, you can get a better deal at your local grocery store. If you don't have time, about an hour or two per week max, but still need to stretch you grocery budget, then give your local discount store a try. What have you got to lose anyway. But for some of us, we like to play the game and save as much money as possible. It maybe sickening or a waste of time to some, but we enjoy doing the research and stockpiling things when we find a great bargain. For now, I'll stick to my regular procedures for grocery shopping but I will make the occasional trip to grocery outlet.

Meal Plan, a little late really late in the week

2009-07-24T15:12:00.000-07:00

This weekend I have family coming over so I'll be making a big dinner Saturday night. The following are what we'll be eating this week

Breakfast:
Cereal
Waffuls
Pancakes

Lunch:
Frozen dinners
Tuna and crackers
Sandwiches
Leftovers

Dinner:
Shredded Beef (for burritos, taquitos, etc.)
Cheeseburgers
Chicken Parmesan, Shrimp Fri Davilo and lemon ligunie
Pizza

Grocery Challenge Update

2009-07-24T15:00:00.000-07:00

With week 1 under my belt I'm going through week 2 strong. My total for last week was only $44.43. That's unbelieveable. I don't know when the last time was when I spent that little of an amount on groceries. Now, you have to remember that I am working off a unregularly large stock pile. I'm hoping that this week will go as good as last week. So far this week, I've spent a total of $29.36. I'm having company over this weekend and plan on cooking a large dinner but most of that will come from my stock pile. Also, we haven't eaten out since I began the challenge! That's really good for me. Don't get me wrong I've wanted to but it's getting a little easier now and I'm learning to make the foods that I'm craving at home.

A Delicious and Very Frugal Recipe

2009-07-21T20:09:00.000-07:00

I want to share a recipe with you that is super frugal and delicious! I made it over the weekend for my in-laws. I needed a lot of food and didn't have much money to do it. So, my answer is Chilaquiles (pronounced chill a key lays). It's a wonderful Mexican tortilla casserole. It's great for using up left over meat and salsa, or salsa ingredients. Also, you could make this meatless and no one will ever know. My husband didn't until I told him and he's one of those guys that won't eat it if there's no meat. Made enough to feed about 7 of us with enough leftovers for us for one more meal. I froze what was remaining so I can use it one night that I don't feel like cooking.

Ingredients
1 jar of salsa, or home made salsa(about 2 cups) I like to use up produce that is going bad to make salsa
2 cups of chicken broth
80 corn tortillas
oil
Any meat of your choice or go meatless. We like chicken the best. I use the legs because nobody in the house is crazy about them and I usually buy the whole chickens when they are on sale and butcher them myself. So I usually have a lot of legs to use up.

Directions
Heat enough oil in a large pan to fry tortillas in. Cut tortillas into about 2 by 2 inch squares. For the regular size tortillas, I cut them 3 times across one way and 3 the other way. Fry in oil until stiff. Let them drain on a paper towel or rag. In the blender, combine salsa and chicken broth. Place tortillas in a casserole dish mix in salsa and broth. Add in any meat you might be adding. Cover with foil and bake at 350 for 45 minutes. Enjoy!

Garden

2009-07-17T20:34:00.000-07:00

I wanted to blog about my most resent adventure, gardening. I have always wanted to have a garden all of my life but just haven't had the opportunity. Well, I ordered me a copy of the all new square foot garden and I LOVE it!!! It's super simple and works very well. I do believe that the pictures below speak for themselves.

This is a picture from when I planted everything. I think I got a little bit of a late start. Next year I will plan ahead further. Some things were planted from plants and others were from seeds started in a Jiffy box.

This is just 2 weeks later! Hard to believe right? The only fatality that we had was one of the tomato plants. I'm not sure what was wrong with it.

The funny thing is, when I was out watering tonight I didn't think it had changed very much. Then I saw the picture that I took 2 weeks ago and I was shocked! I also found this little guy while I was poking around.

Can you see him? It's almost like playing Where's Waldo.

Menu Plan Monday or I guess Sunday

2009-07-12T20:42:00.000-07:00

I usually do my shopping over the weekend due to work so my meal plan will be titled with whatever day that my fall on. So this is what we are planning on eating this week. This week also begins my shopping and eating out strike. I hope I survive.

Breakfast
Blueberry Oatmeal
Cinnamon raisin English muffin
Bagel

Lunch
Chinese Chicken Salad
Lean Cuisines
Sandwiches

Dinner
Carne Asada Tacos w/ rice and beans
Spaghetti
Chilaquiles
Hot dogs w/ potato salad

At the end off the week when I get ready to post my next menu plan I will let you know how I’ve done.

I think I have a problem

2009-07-08T20:34:00.000-07:00

I want to give you a warning before you look at any more of this e-mail. For some, well probably most, of you what you are about to see will shock you. The following are picture from my fridge and pantry inside our house as well as our freezer outside in our garage.

This is a picture of the many different types of cereal that we have on top of our fridge, do to lack of space in the cupboards

The fridge inside our house, stuffed to the max

The pantry, again every space available has something crammed into it.

Our stand up freezer in the garage. I guess the fact that it's packed so full helps reduce the amount of energy that it consumes right? Still, there is no way to justify how I came to get so much food in my house. This doesn't even include the amount of food that gets thrown out every week come trash day. So this is my first step in saving money. Make a meal plan using mostly ingredients that I have on hand, cook dinner with extras to freeze for nights that I don't feel like cooking, eat at home because believe it our not, even with all this food at home we still eat out a lot, and only buy exactly the things and amounts that I need. I plan on posting my meal plans and shopping trips here every week. I have also joined the Grocery Challenge to try to keep me on track. It starts July 13. If you want to join, click here http://www.allyou.com/general/grocerychallenge/ to sign up before July 13. Wish me good luck!!

A little background....

2009-07-08T12:02:00.000-07:00

I wanted my first post to give readers a little background info on me and why I’m starting this blog. First off, my name is Megan, I’m 24, married for 3 years and have a wonderful baby boy who is 13months. All my life I have had a hard time making up my mind on what it is I wanted to do with my life and I’ve finally came to a conclusion, to be a stay at home Mom or some would a say house wife. It was a big relief once I had finally made up my mind and announced it to my husband. There is only one problem. Right now I am a huge supporter in my families’ financial stability. My job provides the core and backbone of our income. Now, don’t get me wrong, my husband does work and he defiantly works very hard but he’s in construction and as everyone knows construction is not doing so well these days. None the less, he is on board with my wishes and I know he wants nothing more than to be able to make my dreams come true. Right now we are looking at a projected date of hopefully 2 years from now me being able to stay home. There are a lot of things in the mean time that need to be taken care of before that can happen and the big one would have to be changing our lifestyle. We need to penny pinch and save. This is the beginning of my journey. I have a feeling it’s going to be a crazy hard ride. So here we go