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Planning a Holiday Budget

Being on track with a budget can really ensure that your spending doesn’t get out of hand. This is true whether you have a food budget or an entire household budget. Having a budget for holiday spending can be very important. We all tend to overspend at this time of year. Let’s get started planning out our budgets. It isn’t very hard to do, but there are certain areas that tend to get overlooked. I’ll help you out on getting everything organized if you would like. Let’s start as always with the list. It isn’t simply a list of people … Continue reading →

Use Less in Emergency Baking

Baking is a science, right? Well, yes, it is. But, that doesn’t mean you can’t mess with the formula every now and then and still get great results. You can use these ideas whether you have run low on your ingredients but still need to provide a meal or food for your family. That is why I call it emergency baking. You can also use these ideas to save money on your groceries in general. I’m not talking about substitutes, either. In emergency baking, you use less of whatever is normally required for your baked goods. This post is inspired … Continue reading →

Some More Frugal Cooking Substitutions

One of the great things about practicing a frugal lifestyle is the opportunity to be creative and work with what you have, rather than running out to purchase anything additional. Using cooking substitutions is a good example of that sort of practice and attitude. Many times, when you “make do” with what you have, you even discover something new. Cooking is definitely one of those things that allows for a little substitution here and there. Out of something? Use something else. Here are some more ideas for frugal cooking substitutions. If you are making your own gravy (and you should … Continue reading →

More Budget Baking (and Cooking) Substitutions

If you need to prepare a frugal meal, but you are missing a key ingredient, there is no need to panic or run to the store. Save time and money with some budget baking and cooking budget substitutions. Yesterday, in Budget Baking Substitutions, we talked about how it pays to use what you have on hand. We covered what to do when you run out of baking powder, brown sugar and chocolate chips. Today, we’ll concentrate on making some diary substitutions. I don’t know about you, but I do use a lot of dairy in my baking an cooking, especially … Continue reading →

Budget Baking Substitutions

Baking your own meals and snacks are a really great way to save money. But sometimes you just don’t have everything you need available. Do you sometimes find yourself short some weeks on pantry items? If your stockpile went low or you are between pay periods you can still practice some frugal baking. For me, I hate paying full price for my groceries, so I tend to wait for the sales and coupons, or at least the opportunity to buy in bulk. This morning I wanted to take advantage of some zucchini I had to make a couple of loaves … Continue reading →

Should Cats Drink Milk?

The image of a cat lapping at a bowl of milk is a pretty common one… but is milk really a healthy drink for your feline friend? The Cat Fancier’s Association suggests that while many cats like the taste of milk, they typically don’t need it as part of their daily diet. A well-nourished cat shouldn’t need to drink milk, but he might like to once in a while. Too much milk too often could cause digestive issues, like diarrhea. In fact, many cats may even be lactose intolerant — this means that they can’t digest the sugars (lactose) in … Continue reading →

How to Save Money on Chicken

Chicken can be a good low cost source of protein for your family. It’s versatility makes it easy to use for main meals or even side salads. Chicken freezes well, too, either raw or cooked. Still, even though chicken can be inexpensive compared to other meat sources, the prices have been steadily increasing in the last few years. Getting your food budget to stretch as far as it can go is important for a family. With that in mind, here are some ways that you can make the most of your resources and save money when you buy chicken. The … Continue reading →

Potlucks for Frugality

Here is a great little idea to reduce the cost of feeding your family. I write frequently about eating out. This is because most people eat out more often then they should in regard to their budget. I am no different. I grew up in new York City, home of some of the best restaurants and even fast food places in the country. I also like the social aspect of eating out. You can get together with family and friends, spend time together and try something different. So back to my idea. Instead of eating out, why not schedule several … Continue reading →

Five Tips for Great Slow Cooker Meals

Using your slow cooker or crockpot is a great money saving idea. You can use inexpensive ingredients and have dinner ready with ease, avoiding the cost of eating out. I often get a lot of questions about using slow cookers, especially from people who find that their meals are dried out, tasteless, over or under seasoned or a strange texture. But most of the time, this can be corrected easily by following some basic guidelines or tips to freezer cooking. Here are five tips for great slow cooker meals. Be careful about opening the lid. While some recipes do benefit … Continue reading →

TVP and The Frugal Cook

Have your heard about TVP? It is an easy way to get the protein you need while increasing the number of meatless meals you make. TVP is a cheap, yet healthy, alternative to ground meat, and can be used in most of your regular recipes. TVP is textured vegetable protein. It contains a lot of fiber, and of course, protein, so it would make a great addition to anyone’s diet. It is also very economical. An entire meat loaf can be made out of TVP for very little money. TVP is made out of soy flour, and it comes in … Continue reading →