Recently, we realized that my husband may have a sensitivity to gluten. So, we have begun the process of removing gluten from our diet. And, if you haven’t done it, you may not realize that gluten is EVERYWHERE! However, there are a few things that, at this early stage, are carrying us through the bread-less, pasta-less lifestyle in a thrifty manner. Just to clarify, we can have bread and pasta that is gluten free. It’s just that it costs an arm and a leg. And, we haven’t yet begun to make our own gluten free bread (oh, that’s coming soon, though).
That said, my husband wanted spaghetti a few nights ago. Usually easy prep for me. However, I didn’t want to go to the grocery store and pledge next month’s income for 8 oz of pasta (okay, okay, I’m exaggerating a little bit!). In any case, I wondered what it might be like to make something Italian using the potatoes in my pantry. I looked online and realized that I was not the only one to have had that very same thought! Potato lasagna was an option, using potatoes instead of pasta!
I made a very simple–but very yummy–lasagna using potato slices (that I’d boiled until they were tender beforehand) in place of the pasta. I didn’t have ricotta. So, I just used what I did have.
1 lb ground beef
1 onion, chopped
1/2 bunch of spinach
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1/4-1/2 cup chopped italian parsley
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
1 jar of pasta sauce
1 cup of shredded mozarella cheese
4-5 potatoes (which I boiled for a few minutes before slicing)
1. Brown ground beef and add onion, garlic, parsley, spinach, additional seasonings and jar of sauce. Simmer.
2. Thinly slice potatoes and layer them into a 9×13 greased pan. Lightly salt and pepper potatoes.
3. Top potatoes with 1/3 of the sauce mixture and then with 1/3 of the cheese.
4. Repeat the layering of potatoes, sauce and cheese. Then, top this layer with remaining sauce and remaining cheese.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until it begins to bubble.
Of course, you can transform almost any lasagna recipe inexpensively into a gluten free one by substituting potatoes for the pasta. But, you can also have a tasty dish by just using what you have (even without ricotta and eggs, etc). Keep in mind that you don’t have to be gluten free to enjoy this tasty variation on traditional lasagna! Enjoy!
I taught a couponing class at my local mom’s group this past week. Bless her heart, but there was one lady there that was just terrified of couponing. She said it was overwhelming and that she tried to start before and just couldn’t do it. It kind of made me sad because couponing doesn’t have to be scary and overwhelming. You don’t have to be like the people you see on some extreme couponing show. You can start simple and still save tons of money.
Does couponing overwhelm you? Do you find yourself looking at sites like Thrifty Divas and feeling like you just don’t get it? Here’s my quick start guide to couponing. If you are a person that is overwhelmed by all this coupon talk, start here.
1. Buy one paper a week. Either go to your local gas station and buy a paper or have it delivered. Most newspapers will cut you deal when you are just buying the Sunday paper, so it may be cheaper to have it delivered. This is where a lot of new couponers go wrong. They want to be like the extreme couponers and get stockpiles that take up their basement and get 10 copies of the Sunday paper. Don’t do that! Start small and just deal with one set of inserts.
2. Don’t clip and sort. When I first started, I didn’t do the whole binder thing. It was way too much for me. Instead, I bought one of those accordion file organizers and I simply wrote in black marker the date of the insert. Then when Thrifty Divas does your local store match ups, we will tell you the date the coupon was in the paper and what insert it was in and you’ll know exactly where to get it from. Just put them in date order in your folder and you can easily find them.
3. Only do store match ups. This is such an easy way to get started. Thrifty Divas will post match ups for you so all the work is done. Finding your own deals can be kind of daunting if you are new to this. However, we will do the work. Below is an example of a match up we did last week for Walgreens.
Johnson Dental Floss, 55 yd. $0.99
With in ad coupon, Limit 3
Use $1.00/1 Reach Floss from RP 3/4 (exp 5/31)
Final Price: Free
The first line is the price of the item. The second line tells you that there is an in store ad that makes the item $.99. My local Walgreens doesn’t require you to show them the ad, but some may. So just to be safe, clip the in store ad. This is an ad found in the Walgreens advertisement you get in the newspaper or when you walk in the door. The third line tells you about a coupon for that item. It says what the coupon is for, where it’s from (RP=Red Plum) and the date it was in the newspaper. Finally, the last line tells you the final price which in this case is FREE!
That’s pretty easy huh? If you are new to couponing, don’t try to get fancy. Just follow Thrifty Divas match ups and then you can move onto more complicated couponing when you are more comfortable.
Try the 3 easy steps above and save money!
We give a lot of Thrifty Tips about couponing and saving money. But, I think that some of us (that definitely includes me!) need to remember to implement healthy boundaries in our money-saving and couponing lifestyles. But, rather than just talking about those healthy boundaries, let’s take a look at what happens without healthy couponing boundaries.
What Not to Do
- If you want to burn out as a couponer, follow at least four couponing sites and make multiple stops to the same stores in one week…because you go as soon as you see the deal posted.
- If you want to burn out as a couponer, set aside things that help you get recharged (like reading, working out, family time) if they get in the way of finding deals, clipping, printing or organizing coupons or actually making your purchases.
- Buy things you don’t need simply because you can get such a great deal.
- Watch “Extreme Couponing” for comparison and tips, as opposed to sheer entertainment.
- Tell your friends and family about all the deals you’ve gotten, even when they show no interest.
- Don’t enjoy something for which you paid full price.
Okay, so some of the above listed items are a bit extreme but not by much! 
In reality, the above list reveals both the extreme and the balance. While saving money can enhance and enrich our lives in so many ways, if we are not careful, it can also rip us off of real life. And, that is no bargain at all!
We’d love to hear from you whether you’ve burned out, prevented burn out, or recovered from it! What did you do? Please share your story with us!
I used to think that being frugal and eating healthy were mutually exclusive lifestyles. After all, have you noticed the difference between organic and conventionally grown produce? However, over the years my husband and I both have read and seen enough that we feel committed to eating as organically as is possible. At the same time, we live on a fairly tight budget. So, I thought I’d offer just a few tips on merging frugality and healthy living.
First Things First
Part of the way our family is able to eat organically is by placing a priority on our food. We make cuts in a lot of other areas in order to be able to spend money on all natural and/or organic foods. So, I do not do very much shopping–at this point–for clothes or shoes, etc. My husband has a basic wardrobe that works for his job. Our children have plenty of toys and clothes (many of which are hand-me-downs in great condition and gifts from family).
Produce
Rarely will you find a coupon for produce. However, produce goes on sale seasonally. So, shop seasonally! I buy apples when they are on sale and pears when they are on sale. I check to see whether the spinach is less expensive than the kale on any given week.
Meat
I can’t remember the last time I paid full price for beef, chicken or turkey. We buy organic ground beef regularly. However, we know that our store marks down the price of meats the day before the “sell by” date. As such, we can buy organic beef and organic or all-natural chicken for half (sometimes even less than half) the price!
Bulk
We buy all our oatmeal, rice and even popcorn kernels from the bulk section at our local grocery store. They carry both conventional and organic options. It’s another way to make it more reasonable to eat organically. By the way, every few months, our store has a 20% off everything in the bulk section. So, it’s always an opportunity to stock up.
What are some of the ways you save on buying all natural or organic for your family?
My husband and I care about making sure we and our children eat as healthy as possible. At the same time, I want to have healthy treats around, ones that taste good but don’t make us feel bad about having eaten them. My guess is that we are not alone! There are ways to hide veggies in food, make fruit fun and more available to eat. However, baking is a fun way to sneak in a few healthy, yummy ingredients for your family.
Here’s a recipe for cookies I make sure we have all the time in our home. My husband and daughter eat them as breakfast cookies as well as for a snack in between meals. It’s a fantastic way to get some good fat, fiber and even some protein into your family’s diet.
Ingredients*
1 1/2 cups wheat flour
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup steel cut oats (soaked in about 1 cup of water)
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1/2 cup sunflower seeds (optional)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2-3/4 cup brown sugar
dash of salt
1 bag (10 oz) dark chocolate chips (at least 60% cocoa)
1/2 cup milk
1 cup coconut oil
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
Directions: Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Then mix all the wet ingredients. It may be helpful to heat the steel cut oats for just long enough to allow the coconut oil to melt in the water with the oats. Mix all the wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix. Add the sunflower seeds and chocolate chips.
Scoop batter into rounded tablespoons a greased cookie sheet. (Depending on thickness, you may need to press down on them lightly so that they aren’t completely round.) Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes (longer if you prefer them to be more crunchy than soft).
Then, enjoy cookies that are actually good for you and your children! No guilt! That’s the way a cookie should be.
*We use organic ingredients that we buy in bulk. You can also add more sugar if you prefer it sweeter.
My 3-year-old daughter is a huge Veggie Tales fan. So, when we first started talking about making plans for her birthday party, it didn’t take long for the names “Bob” and “Larry” to come up. I started looking online and found lots of examples of Veggie Tales cakes that moms had made for their children. While I love to bake, I had some concerns about being able to pull off Bob and Larry. One of the concerns was food coloring. My husband and I did not want to use any of the chemicals, artificial substances that are found in conventional food coloring. Before long, I found that there are many ways to color food without using the toxic elements. So, what would I use to color the frosting for my daughter’s birthday cake?
FOOD! What I found was refreshing and fun. I could use food that is healthy and even organic to add to my homemade cream cheese frosting to get the desired effect without the artificial colors.
Here is what I used to get the colors I needed for our Veggie Tales birthday cake.
For Bob (Red), I pureed blackberries and a few strawberries and mixed them in with some pureed baked beet. I prepped my daughter beforehand by talking about the very real possibility of a “dark pink” Bob. But, at least he’d be one we would feel great about eating. Incidentally, she didn’t care that Bob wasn’t red. She was thrilled about the character on the cake as it was.
For Larry, I put a little bit of spinach in a saucepan with just a little bit of water. Brought it to a boil and cooked for about 3-4 minutes. When it cooled, I pureed the spinach until it reached the texture of a paste.
In both cases, I added the “color” to the cream cheese frosting until I got a shade that would work. Incidentally, you can’t taste the spinach and there’s only a hint of berry in the “red” frosting. Both green and red on chocolate cake were a big hit with the family.
There are so many fun, inexpensive and healthy ways to make food coloring. Have you tried making food coloring at home? What other colors have you made at home?
Love is in the air…or, is that the smell of yet another commercial holiday? I don’t mean to sound cynical; however, Valentine’s Day can be a very expensive “holiday” if you are guided at all by the commercials we see. Dinners are incredibly over-priced on February 14, or the entire weekend if it falls on a weekend. Flowers are ridiculously priced. (By the way, yes, I did instruct my husband NOT to buy me flowers for Valentine’s this year). Cards, candy, anything pink or red (it seems) are all marked up! However, I don’t believe you have to boycott Valentine’s day in order to save your money. I know that I am among many Thrifty Divas when I say that you can have your cake and eat it too!
Speaking of Cake
Who says that the chocolate we enjoy for Valentine’s day has to be store bought? Baked goods are always a hit. Cookies, muffins, cupcakes or cake! My husband loves chocolate even more than I do! Hard to believe but it’s true! In any case, last year for Valentine’s day, I found a great chocolate-lovers cake recipe and made it for him for Valentine’s Day. It was such a hit that it became the recipe I used for my daughter’s birthday cake (per hubby’s request) 
Besides cake, you can always make chocolate candy at home too! And, at a FRACTION of the price! Plus, I always think that with what we make at home, you don’t have any of the additives and preservatives that we get with store bought sweets.
Who Needs Hallmark?
Make your own card at home! It’s so easy to do, and it’s so much more personal and fun than picking out a card that someone else wrote to express your love to the love of your life! If you have children, include them in the process. There are lots of websites to assist you and your children with templates to make it easy and fun. Here’s one site with a few examples of cute homemade cards. Now that my daughter is old enough to enjoy crafts, she will be making Valentine’s cards for daddy and her baby brother this year too!
A Romantic Meal
There is no substituting for the convenience of eating out. However, often eating out on a “holiday” is not only expensive but takes more time because of everyone else getting in line to pay for that convenience To me, what constitutes a special meal is not simply what’s offered on a menu but what the people eating want to eat. There are a lot of meals that my husband may call his favorites. However, few rank as high as either steak or fried chicken. Yep, he’s a southern man who loves his fried chicken! Any meal can be turned into a special one when you start with the menu of your choice and perhaps light a candle or two.
What else do you do to enjoy Valentine’s without spending so much money?
You know that sales aren’t coincidental. They are planned out in advance in light of holidays, national events and other occasions. There are a few things about the February deals are predictable: chocolate, candy and other sweets. But, here are some more for which you can keep an eye out!
National Canned Food Month
Look for canned fruit, vegetables, pie fillings and soups on sale this month. The canned food may also include meats like tuna, chicken and salmon.
Super Bowl Sunday
Snacks and drinks for the Big Game. You’ll notice sales and coupons for all these items. Soda, chips, dip, cheese, sandwich items, crackers, snacks, chicken wings, fruit and vegetable trays will all be discounted this weekend. So, don’t pay full price for your Super Bowl party snacks.
National Hot Breakfast Month
This makes me wonder whether there is a National Cold Breakfast Month…just wondering. Look deals and coupons for oatmeal, Cream of Wheat, frozen waffles, syrup, waffles, pancake mix, hash browns, bacon, sausage and even eggs! As a matter of fact, “like” Great Day Farms” on Facebook and get $1.00 off of your next carton of Great Day Farms eggs. 
)
Valentine’s Day
Of course you’ll find all the Valentine’s Day goodies on sale too: boxed and bar chocolate, lubricants and KY jelly, perfume, cards, stuffed animals, gift sets, wine/sparkling cider, flower arrangements and candles.
Seasonal Produce
This is always one of my favorite categories of sales every month. I have gotten organic apples at great prices recently. This month, look for lower prices on artichoke, asparagus, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, chard, collards, grapefruit, kale, oranges, parsnips, pears, potatoes and turnips.
Have I missed a category? What else have you found discounted this month?
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