The Cheeseparer has a Dinner Party

An old writing friend came to town this week and I invited her and some others for a mid-week dinner.  I tried to find something everyone would like which wouldn't totally blow out our diets.  Settled on a mostly Mediterranean menu which contributed to delicious lunches.  The full fat Greek yogurt rocks, as did the special feta from Whole Foods.  Here are photographs of the meal.  The orange-mascarpone tart with pistachios was to die for.  Oranges will be cheaper than berries or chocolate desserts.  Very healthy too.  Whole Foods has a nut table where the shopper can pick out exactly the amount she needs.  No waste or extra money.   Ratatouille  is also an economical choice and can be made a day ahead of time.  The Mediterranean Diet is healthy, but not cheap to cook.  

Hearty Breakfast

Woke up to gloomy weather and rain on a bleak Saturday. First thought was "ugggh!" and the next thought was oatmeal!

Oatmeal is cheap and filling and nourishing. It even tastes good. We make sure it tastes good by sticking a few plump golden raisins into the pot right before it's done. 2% milk with a dollop of cream and a spoonful of demarara sugar (or brown) puts the icing on the cake, so to speak. Of course you will want a helping of juice or fruit to balance the meal.

At our house we don't "do" instant oatmeal. We buy the stuff that has to cook for five (5!) whole minutes, which gives you time to set out the bowls, tiding up the kitchen, pour the juice and get your head centered. It tastes better, too. For a real (non cheeseparing) treat, sometime buy the steel cut oats when they are on sale. I also like Silver Palate oats, but don't have anymore coupons. Occasionally the house brand oatmeal can be purchased for a dollar.

Oatmeal also makes good filler for meatloat, and good bread, and you canmake make oatflour out of it in the Cuisinart and use it in cookies. Good source of fiber, too. So what are you waiting for?

It's tasty anytime, so don't procrastinate until you get a gloomy Saturday.

The Cheeseparer.

Chicken Soup From a Nail

Not chicken soup for the soul, but rather a belly-warming nourishing soup for practically nothing.

I started with the reduced broth I used to cook some chicken breasts that had both bone and skin, so there was some substance to it. I always cook chicken breasts or pieces with aromatic vegetables for more resonance. I had a small piece of pork tenderloin that I chopped up and added to the chicken.

Apropos the chicken, I always have a cup or so of white meat "scraps" in the freezer. Bits and pieces not used in another dish. Could be trimmings or just extra.

O.K. Chop up something from the onion family. I used three scallions, but anything will do as well. I chopped up some carrot, celery, and one clove of garlic and set them to cook in a mixture of butter/olive oil.

I added some peas that that been defrosted and a few chopped grape tomatos. Then I added the broth and some thyme, marjoram, a pinch of rosemary and some dehydrated chives. A goodly sprinkle of sweet paprika. Salt and lots of pepper. Add chicken and cook until the veggies are tender.

In a separate pot, cook 1/3 cup of rice in some water. When the rice is done, add to the soup and cook a few more minutes. Correct seasonings and serve.

I made some biscuits from low-fat Bisquick and 2% milk. They were delicious, especially with softened whipped butter. Yum!

The taste is good and believe it or not, it sticks to the ribs. I made the soup from stuff on hand, bits and pieces. It was like free food.

We ate the leftover biscuits for breakfast with butter and honey. I love Bisquick. They have a recipe for "onion cheese supper bread" that is the best. Google it.

Regards from the Cheeseparer

Save Money on Groceries and Clothes

The resale shops are doing great in the recession. You can buy and sell. Such a deal.

http://www.wivb.com/Global/story.asp?S=8254721

The grocery store sucks up lots of our dollars. Here are some useful hints about shopping smart as well as frugally.

http://www.news4jax.com/money/16102954/detail.html

Go Forth, but Cheaply

Here are some tips for budget travel. Sometimes ya just gotta get outta the house.

http://www.alondb.com/Budget/Articles/Money_Saving_Tips_For_Budget_Travel.php

The Cheeseparer

Mary Mary Quite Contrary and also a little bit frugal

I don't know about you, but last year I spent over $200 on annuals, a few perrennials and bedding plants and didn't have a lot to show for my money, although the garden looked good.

Every year it seems we spend more for fewer plants. I've taken to keeping my geraniums from one year to the next and have had luck with that. You just have to be patient when they hit the sun in the spring and cry "uncle!" They do recover.

Here's a garden site with beaucoup good advice about gardening on the cheap. By the way, you get a lot of bang for the buck with nasturtiums and even a screw-up gardening can grow them from seed.

Read on: http://gardenerstips.co.uk/blog/tips/money-saving-tips-in-the-garden/

Remembrance of Things Past

Washing out bread bags! That was one of my jobs as a kid, because I had frugal family who had experienced the depression. How I hated it. Hated margarine, too. Still do. My grandparents raised a big garden and kept chickens. As a kid I wore pajamas made out of muslin feed sacks. Soft fabric and pretty patterns. My grandma and I used to giggle about our "feed sack pajamas." Can you beat that? Comments to this blog are always welcome, if clean.

We had a cheeseparing dinner (without cheese) last night. Tuna and noodle casserole. The tuna was on sale. Confession: I hate tuna in water. Doesn't taste right. Doesn't even taste good. So I suck it up and buy the fancy Italian kind packed in olive oil. Of course I drain the oil out, and last night I used the oil to make the sauce, a white sauce with bits of scallion and red bell pepper. Salt and pepper. Sometimes a sprinkle of cayenne for complexity. 2 cans of tuna. 3/4 lb. noodles (on sale at Ocean State Job Lot). Nice thick sauce. Crushed potato chips on top. Bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Served with a green salad. A bit of ice cream (on sale, natch) later on.

This will yield two evening dinners and at least one lunch. How frugal is that?

Here is the link for savings hints from the Grandma. Mine was the same way. Loved the photos and the commentary. Love the web for finding such treaures. Frugal Tips from the Past.

http://untraditionalhome.com/?p=309

The 10 Most Hated Money Saving Tips

I love this guy.

http://www.freemoneyfinance.com/2007/11/the-10-most-hat.html

At least he waffles a bit on the pet issue. Since I stopped smoking (20 years ago), I've always had money in my wallet. And that was before the cost of ciggies went through the roof. I have also saved on cold medicines, sore throat medicines, etc.

Used clothes are cool. Just have them cleaned.

The tip below is the funniest one I've seen yet.
Donate shirts to the Salvation army, then buy them back for 50 cents, already cleaned. Whooeee!

http://blog.andyblume.com/?p=513

University of Maine has some tried and true tips

Holy cow! I didn't know that universities still had "extention" programs just like in the old days. These tips have been around for a while, but as new generations need to know how to tighten ye old belt, these suggestions are good.

http://extensionnews.blogspot.com/2008/04/tips-for-saving-money-on-groceries.html

Planning menus and cooking for several meals makes a lot of sense and takes much of the work out of cooking. The food channel has a mid-afternoon program that gives details on how to do this.

Here are more grocery saving tips. Never shop hungry is some of the best advice. Take a list. Yada. Yada. You should commit these ideas to memory.

http://www.dchieftain.com/news/79070-04-02-08.html

Cook once, eat twice.

Tips for Organic Groceries and Everything Else

Organic foods tend to be a lot more pricey than "regular" foods, but sometimes the payoff is better. We have been eating organic carrots, and they taste so much better that we will pay the extra money.

The mom below can guide you through finding coupons for organic foods:
http://greenandcleanmom.blogspot.com/

Yum!

This blogger has, like the cheeseparer, collected tips from everyone. You should have enough saved to finance a cool weekend somewhere.
http://beingfrugal.net/2008/04/03/frugal-tips-to-survive-a-recession/

Money Morning Cheese Parings

Tried and true advice, but maybe new for you. I don't know where he/she goes for dinner for $20 -$30. Fast food emporiums? Yuckko cafeterias? No booze? We think we got off cheap if we spend $60.

http://www.delayedquote.com/money-saving-tips-for-the-rest-of-us/

The best way to save is not to spend. Duh!

A humorous look at cheeseparing

Maureen Lang has an internal debate about how to save money for a vacation.
http://www.southtownstar.com/news/lang/866286,033008lang.article

Saving money is sort of like losing weight. If you already eat healthy meals and don't "do" junk food, you have far fewer options than if you're a burger and fries person. Likewise, with personal finance, if you are already frugal and clip those coupons and shop those sales, how to make further cuts is more difficult.

Maybe my readers have some ideas?

The Cheeseparer

Cheeseparing Tips From All Over

Today’s cheeseparing tips from all over:

Tried and True Tips for Grocery Savings:
http://www.courant.com/business/custom/consumer/hc-savemoney.artmar27,0,3570490.story

And MORE: http://www.mlive.com/food/index.ssf/2008/03/savvy_shoppers_share_tips_to_f.html

I liked the idea of planning your menus around the meat and produce specials. In the Boston area there are occasionally BOGOS (buy one get one) on meat, and you can pop one into the freezer for a “free meal” later in the month.

Northern Nevada Rocks

The ever-reliable Reno Gazette has good tips for European travelers. You don’t have to live in Northern Nevada to take advantage of these.

Northern Nevada is one of the least populated areas in the U.S., a land of strange contrasts and vast deserts, also a land of extreme beauty. A camping trip to Soldier Meadow would be a cheap vacation. Southwest has flights to Reno.
http://www.soldiermeadows.com/

Or hie thee to the Olde Country
http://www.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080323/NEWS/803230350/1321

Of course you could go to Burning Man and have the experience of a lifetime. Depending upon your camping accommodations this could also be a frugal experience. Or not.

http://www.burningman.com/

No tickets at the event this year. It’s a life-changing experience.

The Cheeseparer

47 Ways to Save!

TechnoCrunch has a handle on saving 47 different ways.
http://www.techocrunch.com/47-tips-on-how-to-save-money-every-day-without-much-effort/

May The Eastern Bunny Bring Coupons Galore

Here's the Friday stuff:

From the Contra-Costa Times.
http://www.contracostatimes.com/columns/ci_8622799?nclick_check=1

The tip about using the Sunday funnies for wrapping kids birthday presents is great. I used to do that a million years ago. The presents always looked cool.

Cook and home and save money. Save even more money with these tips:
http://sixoclockscramble.blogspot.com/

Wallet Pop:
http://www.walletpop.com/2008/03/21/get-a-great-start-on-a-healthy-frugal-and-green-life/

Great Ideas from All Over

The Money Case will help you save:
http://blog.themoneycase.com/

Read the comments for good money saving tips:
http://someonebeingme.blogspot.com/2008/03/where-is-money-going.html

Buying coffee all the time can be a real wallet drainer. Use a commuter cup from home. We buy good, cheap coffee at the Ocean State Job Lot.

Look for the free day at local museums. Search out free or cheap concerts in the local paper.

Save on groceries! Great blog:
http://becentsable.blogspot.com/2008/03/works-for-me-wednesday-centsable.html

Another excellent blog: Clean you house with baking soda, well, almost:
http://frugal-life.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!74E2ED49D47DDB89!993.entry

And Thrifty Mommy know a thing or two about clipping coupons. ://www.thriftymommy.com/

I’ve been doing that for years and years. I have a pretty good organizational system that I’ll share on a day when there aren’t so many GOOD BLOGS to recommend.

The Cheeseparer