20 Tips to Save You Money

It's always smart to be frugal and to learn the difference between "want" and "need." While I'm not "extreme," I always look for ways to keep money in my pocket. Even using a few of these tips can really save you money. With debts spiralling out of control and the cost of living going up and up, it's so important to live within your means. Here are a few tips I've come up with:

1.       Use coupons and combine with sales when you can.

2.       Look at all your store flyers and ask for price matching when you go shopping.

3.       Make a meal plan for the week and shop accordingly.

4.       Start a stockpile.

5.       Bake your own bread – healthy, economical and satisfying!

6.       Cook your meals from scratch! It’s fun, good-for you, and can save you a bundle!

7.       Use powdered milk in your baking/cooking. You absolutely cannot tell the difference.

8.       Buy store brands over name brands.

9.       Home preserves: canning, freezing and drying food from your garden is a great way to enjoy healthy, organic (hopefully) food all year round.

10.   Grow a garden.

11.   Make hand-made gifts for birthdays, Christmas, etc. If you aren’t crafty, buy gifts at craft fairs and local Farmer’s Markets – support your Community

12. Instead of buying coffee everyday on the way to work, make your own at home and bring it in a travel mug. This really adds up!  

13.   Always sign-up/send away for product samples – these are great for travelling or to carry in your purse, and they usually send coupons too.

14.   Switch to a lower or no fee bank account.

15.   Sign up for loyalty cards and use them – points, etc build up and then you can use them for gift cards, free food, etc.

16.   Do you do a lot of online shopping? Don't mind doing online surveys? Sign up for Swagbucks Account and you can go through their shopping portal, earning "Swagbucks" along the way. You can redeem your bucks for Amazon as well as PayPal GC's among other things. My husband and I both do this, and so far this year we've earned $200 (which we applied to our Amazon account to use for Chrsitmas.) 

17.   Learn how to sew.

18.   Stop buying harsh chemical cleaners. Make your own with natural ingredients – save money and keep the kids (and yourself) away from toxic brews!

19.   When weather permits, hang your clothes to dry – this will save you on your electric bill.

20.   Have movie night at home instead of spending big bucks at the theater – make popcorn, turn down the lights and enjoy! No sticky floors or fighting for the best seats.

What are some of the things that you do to save money?

Free ebook: Free Stuff on your Birthday for Canadians

Steven and Lina Zussino (GroceryAlerts.ca) have put together a 140 page ebook that shares freebies that are available through a variety of merchants to Canadians on their birthday! Check this out - and be sure to share with your friends and family.

Thanks Steven and Lina!

http://www.groceryalerts.ca/free-stuff-birthday-canada-ebook/

I've Fallen Back in Love with my Slowcooker Recipe 1 - Ginger-Peach Chicken

For my first go with freezer dump meals, I thought I would try the ten recipes I found here. They all looked delicious, they were large so there would be leftovers (well, it's just me, my husband and 16 month old so this won't be true for everyone) and all had easy prep. Before starting, I made a list of everything I'd need (I had almost all of it on hand) and bought in bulk. I also pre-cut the chicken breasts and froze them ahead of time on parchment-lined baking sheets.

I then planned for an afternoon when my husband would be around (to watch the little) so I could have uninterrupted production time.

Prior to starting, I wrote on all my Ziplock bags (Large - Freezer type):
Recipe Name
Cooking Instructions
Any additional ingredients required at time of cooking

Then I set up my production line! I cut everything I needed for each recipe and measured from there. No sense chopping onion, crying about it, and then have to go back 10 minutes later to cut more!

When all was said and done, it took me 3 1/2 hours to make the ten meals. Not bad! I was pretty pleased with myself - the neatly labelled bags on my counter looked oh-so yummy. I was already planning my next kitchen day!

The first recipe I tried was the Ginger-Peach Chicken.

Ginger-Peach Chicken
Freeze in a bag:
2-lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts
12-ounce bag of frozen peach slices
1 red onion, sliced
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
2 teaspoons ground coriander
Cook on high for 4-5 hours.
Serve with rice.







I pulled the bag out to thaw the night before, and had it in the slowcooker after breakfast. Ok, so I was a little suspicious because it didn't call for any liquid to be added, but thought that the peaches might do the trick.

Snowflake Design Cowichan Style Canadian Wool Sweater

On with my day! Got some grocery shopping done, folded laundry and finished work on this awesome sweater.

The house smelled A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! I couldn't wait for dinner.

Sigh. Talk about disappointing! The flavour was awesome but the meal itself was way dry. Definitely lacking in any type of sauce to scoop over the rice (I used brown rice, so that's pretty dry in itself.)

Learning: plan on adding chicken stock (eyeballing it I'd say 2 cups or so) and additional spices if desired. I'd use something to thicken the sauce before serving, but that's up to you!

If you try this recipe, please let me know how it turned out for you!

Next time: Shredded Beef Tacos

I've Fallen Back in Love with my Slowcooker

Because who doesn't like coming home after a long day (or not) to a house full of the wonderful aromas of a yummy dinner already made? Or, who doesn't like throwing your meal into a crockpot and then being able to carry on with your day (laundry, shopping, cleaning, entertaining your toddler) until it's time to serve up the grub? For me, by the time it's time to start cooking I'm usually seriously exhausted. Some days, even though I have my weekly meal plan and everything's on hand and ready to go, I just don't want to do it. 

So, I've been scouring the Internet for new recipes, and came across some great ideas: set aside an afternoon or a day to prepare a couple week's or even a month's worth of meals. Hmmm. Definitely time saving down the road, and a way to save money - buy ingredients in bulk packs (like from Costco) and pick recipes that you can interchange the ingredients in. I like that! 

Over the next while, I'm going to share and review some of the recipes I've found online. So, give me a show of hands - who likes to save time and money? I do, I do! Do you have a slow cooker? Yes? Awesome! No? Go out and get one right now!

Happy Spring!

Spring!

It's a rainy, gloomy day here - but, it's melting the snow so I'm happy :) Finally. Although, we got off pretty easy this winter here in PG. I think that climate change is really starting to accelerate. It's a scary thought - what's the world going to be like for my son, and his children should he have any? And their children? What are we setting up for them besides RESPs? I don't even want to think about it. I'll just continue reducing our household waste, gardening, recycling/composting and mending our clothes.

My meal planning has really helped in reducing food waste (and our grocery bill!) Going in with a plan has been a huge benefit - and it makes me feel good. I usually sit down Thursday evening with all the flyers and my weekly plan template. Then, building on what I already have on hand, I pick through the sales and there we go! Meat's so expensive these days, so I try to buy it only when it's on sale and then I portion it out for freezing. A good Costco run everyone month/two months is worth it, as long as you know you're prices. Apparently Save On Foods now Ad Matches, so I'm pretty excited about that. We normally go into town to Superstore (which is a 20 min drive) because their deals make it worth it. Save On is not even 5 minutes away!

Well, off to work I go. I'm tossing some ideas around for a proper business plan - thinking big over here!

Happy St Patrick's Day!

I love today. I can wear green and celebrate my Irish heritage. Not like I'll get to partake in any wonderful brews, stouts, or ales, but I can enjoy the day nonetheless :) 

My lil Leprechaun is keeping me on my toes! Just got back from a "walk" in which most of the time was spent trying to keep his sunglasses and toque on. Silly! It's very sunny and a wee bit nippy out there, but NO! Hates the shades and the toque today. So much so, we had to turn around early and come home. Lol. It turned out ok though - on the way back we met up with one of Rob's bosses and it sounds like work is picking back up and Rob will be back at it soon. Whew! He's been driving me crazy, lol. We'll miss him though, when he goes back - gone for almost 12 hours a day, back home to eat dinner, play for an hour, then it's time for Liam's bed. At least he gets Fridays plus the weekends off!

Now I have my coffee, my knitting needles, and a DVD to pop in. I love my studio - not like it's quiet - sounds like there's a couple of elephants running around up there - but it's a space for me. Need to get some more of that sweater done, and I might play around with some other projects. I like to keep a few things on the go, so I don't get too bored. I think I have a form of ADHD for knitters. 

Well, off to it. Have a wonderful day doing what you do! :) 

So I've been wanting to write again but I honestly have no idea what to say. I suppose that I'll just talk about how things are going, day to day. I'm sure that they're many more moms out there like me that can relate, so maybe I'll make some new connections :)

My life is crazy. Awesome. Exhausting. Wonderful. Stressful. I have a husband and this little marvelous, disruptive ball of energy steamrolling through my world - aka a 14 month old boy. He and his dad are out right now, off to the play area at the mall.

I've been staying at home, working on my small business and taking care of my son. My husband's been laid off since the end of November and is going crazy, but that's the nature of the construction business, and he's getting lots of time with Liam. He'll be back to work soon enough, so I'm taking advantage of my time by producing loads of scrumptious knit goods for the craft sale season. I also get a fair amount of orders out of my Etsy shop; I'm currently working on a sweater for a lovely gal in North Van.

I love connecting with others who have home businesses - to discuss upcoming events, marketing, do's and don'ts. Do you have a business? Maybe we could connect sometime :)

Well, I know this has been short, but off to work I go. Have a wonderful day!!!