Frugal Frozen Pancakes

These are my pancakes cooling before they go into the freezer.

In the previous post, I talked about pancakes for dinner.  I have another frugal suggestion that will also save you time! 

When you make your pancakes, make a double batch and freeze the leftovers.  Just wait for them to cool and put in a plastic freezer bag or container.  This saves money by not having to reheat a stove, or wash extra dishes.  It also save you time.  All you have to do is pull the pancakes out of the freezer and microwave or toast them.  This makes a super quick breakfast idea or you can use them for dinner again. 
Also, try other things besides the standard butter and syrup.  Syrup is expensive, try brown sugar and cinnamon or cream cheese and strawberries.  Honey and blueberries work as well.  Chocolate chip and banana pancakes are a big hit with the kids.  When we were little, we would have brown sugar and butter on ours.

A Sunday Task

Okay, I forgot to take a picture of my vegetables waiting to be washed and cut up, so you'll just have to use your imagination with this picture, sorry!

A few weeks ago, I was looking for a recipe that I never did find, but I stumbled across an article that talked about time-saving things that you should do on Sundays to get ready for the week.  One of them was washing and cutting all of your fruits and veggies that you would use that week.  I have to say that for the past few weeks, I have been doing just that and it makes a big difference!

Here a few thoughts/pros:

• We have been eating LOTS more fruits and vegetables because they are there and ready-to-go. 
• There will be less waste.  You will not look in the back of the fridge in 2 weeks and realize that the peppers you bought are now more wrinkly than a raisin.  
• Have your kids help you.  If you have children, give them a job to help.  My oldest can peel carrots, the middle washes them and my youngest picks up any errant peels that fall on the ground.  I have heard that kids are more likely to eat food that they help to prepare.  (That and ranch dressing goes a long way in our house!)

You obviously don't have to do these things on Sundays, if that isn't a great day for you, pick another evening or time that works best for you.  I have a friend who will take an evening every so often to make a bunch of pancakes with her husband to go into the freezer.  Quality time comes in all different packages...

Frugal Tip: Organizing Your Coupons You Plan to Use at the Store

This is a quick tip on organizing your coupons when you head to the store.  I save all of those junk mail envelopes that come with credit card solicitations, bills you pay online, etc.  As I am figuring out what I am going to buy from the store, I write my list on the blank side of the envelope.  If there is a corresponding coupon, I put it in the envelope.

I always still take my bigger envelope organizer with me in my purse, so that I can have them in case something is on clearance at the store that I have a coupon for.  You can then just add your coupon to the envelope so none of them get lost.  When you're done, just recycle it or use it to put your receipt in until you can deduct or file it at home. 

Dishwasher Tricks

I happened to catch some of Rachel Ray while waiting at my doctor's office the other day.  She had a segment about using the dishwasher to clean things other than dishes.  Go to here for more details, but I will outline them quickly for you.

• Baseball Cap:  Wash it up without ruining the brim.
• Makeup and Hair Brushes:  Remove hair, put in the silverware compartment, and presto!
• Fake Flowers:  Put them on the top shelf and let the dishwasher do all of the dirty work.  (Too bad my fake ficus tree won't fit in there.)
• Plastic Toys:  Place your plastic toys (make sure they don't have holes or electronic parts) in lingerie bags.  Don't forget those disgusting bath toys!
• Glass Bowl Light Fixture:  Put it on the top shelf to make your lights brighter.

** I have not tried any of these, so please proceed with caution.  Not responsible for any damaged goods!

Enter Your Grocery List, Get Emails with Corresponding Coupons

I just signed up for this today.  So, I will let you know in a few days if it works.  This company, Lozo, is advertising that if you enter your grocery list and email address, they will email you coupons for things on your list.

This would be helpful to those of you  just getting started in the couponing/grocery game, if they follow through on what they are saying.  I will let you know.  You can also search MoneySavingMom.com's coupon database if you need something quickly.  This is what I do before I do my shopping.

Going Green: Plastic Bags

This little tidbit falls more into the 'things that I never knew' category than a money saving tip.  Did you know that you can recycle a lot more than plastic shopping bags in the bins provided at Meijer and Walmart? 

Most take any clean film made of #2 or #4 plastic, including dry cleaning bags, bread and newspaper bags and the wraps from bulk snack and water bottle cases.  Also, the wrapping from toilet paper, napkins and paper towel packages. 

What can't go in:  salad bags, cling wrap and frozen food bags.  For more info, see plasticbagrecycling.org.

Quick Tip: Hang Your Broom Up

This tip is not really of the money-saving nature.  It falls more in the sanity-saving nature.  Do you store your broom in the pantry?  Does it fall out or over or into you every time you open the door?  Simply put a nail on the wall, and hang it up.  It will literally change your life.

Frugal and Helpful Tips for Painting

• Wrap aluminum foil around doorknobs and hardware to protect from paint splatters.
• To protect from drippy paint, puncture a paper plate and push it over the paintbrush handle.
• After you finish painting a room, write the amount of paint that was used and the color behind the light switch plate.
• If your paint has dried, boil vinegar, put the brush in and let simmer for a few minutes.  Remove the brush and wash it with soap and water. Rinse well.
• When painting knobs for a piece of furniture, screw them into an empty egg carton.  Leave them there until dry.
• Paint a thin line on the outside of the can when finished to show how much is left.
• If you are painting wooden chairs, nail small nail in to the bottom of each leg to get the legs off the floor so they don't stick to anything.
• Don't discard old window curtains, shower curtains or sheets.  Save them to spread out on the ground to protect from paint splatters.

Remember to Vote Today!

Remember:  Today is the primary election, so don't forget to get out and vote!  I found a great website that can tell you exactly who will be on your ballot.  You can also find your polling place, confirm that you are registered to vote and even register to vote online.  It is:  indianavoters.in.gov.

MealTrain.com

Although living a frugal lifestyle is important, it is imperative to be thankful and generous with ones blessings.  A home-cooked meal is edible gold for a friend or loved one going through a rough time, a new mommy or someone recovering from surgery.  Visit http://www.mealtrain.com/ to help organize and streamline the process of asking, scheduling, and facilitating the making of a home-cooked meal for someone in need.  You can invite people to contribute via email, set up a calendar of when meals need to be dropped off, have people schedule a date when it is convenient for them to make a meal, and allow the meal recipient to list their favorite (and least favorite) foods.  Click here for a tutorial on how it works.  This service is free of charge and a genius idea!