This post was previously posted in 2012 but this thrifty tip is timeless~

Frozen vegetables are something we can often get pretty cheap using coupons.  But what if there is a cheaper way?

Hence: DIY Frozen Veggies

I did 3 vegetables but there are MANY more you can do!

I did bell peppers– I purchased 3 pks of Peppers for $3.27.

I washed and sliced each pepper to my personal preferences.

 

Then I stuck them in a freezer bag, labeled, dated and rolled all the air out.  Put it into the freezer. Voila- done.

Total Cost: $3.27 for the vegetables and .10 for the freezer bag= $3.37 for 3 lb 6 oz worth of green peppers.  The equivalent amount of pre-packaged would cost (at stock up price) $5.25.   And they are full of preservatives and other additives!

Next up: Celery

I purchased one bunch of celery for about $1.25.  I washed and cut it up and put it in a freezer bag.  I use it to cook soups and stews so I don’t need it raw and fresh.

I ended up with over a pound of sliced celery!

Next I had 2 bags of carrots to process.  I actually got both 1 lb. bags free using coupons Ebfarms.com sent me when I wrote them and requested coupons.

I washed, peeled and cut the carrots up.

Then I placed them in a pot of boiling water for about 2 minutes.  This is “blanching” which destroys enzymes and bacteria that breaks down the food.

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One thing I try and teach at all my classes is that whenever you reach a threshold in a rewards program where you are eligible to cash out- You need to do so.  

Letting points or rebates accumulate for a long time in a rewards program (especially a new one) can be dangerous.

A perfect example is Plink.  They abruptly shut their doors a few years ago.  All points that have been earned have disappeared.  POOF. Gone.  Those rewards you were saving up for?  Gone.

I use a lot of rewards  & rebate programs: Ibotta , Checkout51, Shopkick . SavingStar  , Shopmium , Recyclebank – those are just a few of them.    Every time I hit a threshold to cash out (and each program differs) I do it immediently.  This avoids the frustration and anger if one of them would shut their doors- keeping the rewards (or cash) I earned!

As soon as you hit that threshold- cash out.  If you plan to save that money (or rewards)  for Christmas or another event- cash it out into gift cards and put them aside but don’t let the program hold your rewards hostage.  It’s very dangerous because honestly we never know what is going on behind the scenes of these companies and programs or when we may find the “Closed” sign on their website (or app).

Just a savvy saver tip!

 

I love my cashier friends- so I asked one of them to give me the top 5 things that happen at checkout that annoy them- and we all know that making friends with our stores than making them mad!  Here are 5 things that annoy our cashiers and how we can avoid them (plus most of these make our lives a bit easier too!)

Many stores rate cashiers on IPM (items per minute)- how fast they scan so they are interested in getting shoppers through the line as fast as possible.

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I have 3 in school this year at two different schools. This means 3 lunches, 3 getting dressed, 3 making sure they have their supplies and heading out to two different schools (because we don’t get bus service to the Magnet School)…all while dealing with a baby!  So I want to share some of my tips for making life a little easier when it comes to packing lunches!

So onward to my Lunch Station Tips:

Set it up Right:

I cleared out an entire cabinet in my kitchen.

The drawer holds all the reusable containers, sandwich bags, juice boxes, plasticware and napkins.

I used the pull out shelving to hold the food items.

I put different containers I had on hand (many from the Dollar Tree) to hold the different foods.  Some of the variety packs had nice sized boxes so I cut the tops off and let them hold everything in place.

They will each be able to pick one sweet (pudding, cookie or rice krispies right now) and one salty (Chips or Crackers) and they can take a granola bar, fruit cup or raisins if they wish.

In addition, in the freezer we will have  a large stock of DIY Uncrustables.

I will have the same set up in the refrigerator.  An entire shelf devoted to lunch making.  They will include:

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Getting my 4 (ok the baby is too little still- so 3) kids to help around the house is hard.  There are often tears, whining, hiding, pretend illnesses, coughing fits….the list of ways they try to get out of it is long!

If you are like me,  you’d like your kids to do chores around the house with little to no argument.  In most cases, this is easier said than done.  There are a few ways to get a little more compliance and a little less fight.  Check out some of the tips below for inspiration.

1. When choosing chores, choose age appropriate chores and don’t expect too much.  Each child has different strengths and abilities, and if they aren’t capable of completing their chore to your high standards, they’re likely to get discouraged and not try at all.  It’s better to have to redo “missed spots” than to have nothing done at all.  Practice makes perfect.  Remember that the main purpose of chores is to teach responsibility and work ethic, not to have a spotless home (which is honestly impossible with 4 kids anyway!). I know that my son is incapable of seeing the dirt under the table while his twin sister cannot wash a window to save her life.  She uses 500 paper towels on a single window and it’s still streaky.  Give her a broom though, and she attacks those crumbs like a pro and his windows sparkle with a single rag!
2. Think outside of the box.  If a chore entails washing a floor, buy a pair of mop slippers and let them slide around while doing it.  They may want to do the entire house!  You can also get just about every cleaning, gardening, and household tool in a funky print or pattern.  Everything is more fun for children when it’s fun to look at.  Wouldn’t you rather sweep with a zebra broom than a plain one?  If you’re on a budget, you can use stickers or designer duct tape to decorate the tools for pennies.  One of my daughter’s favorite games when she was 5 was to play Cinderella.  I had to be the evil stepmother but my floors got washed- BY HAND.
3. Play some upbeat music.  Since adults move faster and have more fun when their favorite songs are playing in the background, it only makes sense to think that a child would enjoy a little background concert as well.  There’s nothing wrong with dancing through chores.  Let them pretend the feather duster or dish wand is a microphone – they can be a rock star in their own home.
4. If you have more than one child, throw a little healthy competition into the mix to get them motivated.  For example, whoever can get their chores done first is the “winner”.  When we play the music- whoever finishes before the song is up gets to pick the next song- this only works for quick jobs though.
5. Don’t underestimate the power of rewards.  The reward can be money, a special treat, or even a book from the library – it doesn’t matter what it is as long as it’s something the child wants.  Be careful with this one though.  If you reward them for everything they do, it will backfire and they won’t want to help with anything unless they get something in return. Rewards don’t have to be tangible.  Try letting the “winner” choose the dinner menu or what television program they’ll watch that day.  In our house, the one who does their chore the best gets to pick what chore they want tomorrow- everyone else gets whatever Mom choses to give them randomly!  No one ever picks cleaning the living room- that’s the messiest place of all- they always pick washing the table after dinner!  Sometimes we use the power of a Red Box movie- whomever gets their laundry put up (properly again is the key word) gets to start watching it.  As they finish they can go to watch as well- but they know the longer they take the less of the movie they get to see.

I think every mom wishes their children will help out because they want to, but the truth is sometimes they need a little extra encouragement to get the job done.  As a matter of fact, we all do!  You may just find that while making chores more fun for your kids, you make them more fun for yourself as well.

 

 

My parents are coffee junkies. They can go through an entire bag in just a few days!  It can really add up – especially if you are buying coffee out.

Let’s look at a few ways we can reduce the cost of that coffee habit!

1. Go Reusable:  If you have a Keurig check out some Reusable K Cups you just fill them with your favorite coffee!  You get the convinience of one time use cups but not the expense.  Have a regular coffee machine?  We’ve had a reusable filter for years and a quick scrub after use and it is still going strong!  You can find some deals on Reusable Coffee Filters.

2. Don’t Be Brand Loyal.  I made a pot of coffee for my dad one evening.  We aren’t big coffee drinkers in my house so I don’t keep the fancy (ahem- expensive) stuff on my shelves usually.  He was impressed with the coffee and wanted to know what variety of his beloved Starbucks it was.  He was amazed that it was Chock Full O’Nuts that I had picked up really cheap!  Give the less expensive brands a try it may take a bit of trial and error to find the best coffee to water ratio for you but you may surprise yourself!

3. Reuse your Coffee. I can already see the looks “Drink old Coffee! No way!” It’s easy to make an iced coffee in the evening – just put the left over morning coffee in a pitcher or glass in the fridge.  Add flavored creamer or milk and ice in the evening- viola- your caffeine fix on a dime! You can get double duty out of one pot!

4. Store it properly.  The bags that the coffee comes in probably isn’t good enough to keep your coffee fresh for long. Check out some alternative storage options like this Tightvac Coffeevac 1 Pound Vacuum Sealed Storage Container,.

5. Use coupons!  Buying coffee while on sale and with a coupon is the easiest way to spend less on your coffee habit.  Check out the currently available coupons for coffee!

*The sales above will start 7.9 at Harris Teeter!

It amazes me that stores think that we are not smart enough to spot a fake bargain.  Here’s a perfect example of a sale that will start 7/9 at Harris Teeter:

You have two choices for canned Pepsi:

Buy (5) 12 pk cans of 12 oz each for $2 each (You must buy 5 to get this price)
OR
Buy (2) 8 pk cans of 7.5 oz each for $2.99 and an extra $1 off when you buy them both together = $2.49 each

So let’s run some math

12 pk cans
12 pk cans x 12 oz each = 144 oz per 12 pk
5- 12 pks at $2 each = 720 oz for $10
that comes out to .01388888 per ounce (let’s round that to .014)

 

8 pk cans
8 pk cans x 7.5 oz each =  60 oz
2 8 pk cans $ 2.49 each ($2.99 – $1 off wyb 2 ) = 120 oz for $4.98
that come out to .0415 per ounce

.0138 or .0415…..which would you rather pay per ounce?  EVEN if you planned to only use 7.5 ounces of soda you are going to pay nearly 3 times as much per ounce to get the 7.5 ounce cans than you would to buy the 12 ounce cans.

Yes you have to buy 5 12 pks of Soda to get the cheaper price but soda doesn’t expire in a week- it might not last on the shelf for a year like pasta but it doesn’t expire too quickly.  Even if you couldn’t use 5 packs yourself – find a friend or family member to split it with you- you’ll both come out ahead!

 

My family takes a lot of road trips, spends a lot of time at the park and travels to see family a lot during the summer.  It’s HOT and we get thirsty.

A fountain drink at the fast food restaurant will run you about 1.50.

A 20 oz soda at the gas station will cost about $1.59.

A 6 pack of Coke can be as low as $2.00 at the drug or grocery stores.

Of course a 24 pk of water is even cheaper (and healthier).

Either way- you can save a TON of cash by bringing your own drinks with you. Most times we put a small cooler in our van when we will be gone a while and put some fruit and some bottled drinks. If we’re going to be gone most of the day, we pack a full lunch.

In fact, today we are traveling to Raleigh to pick up my mother in law & we had a cooler full of food- keeps us out of the drive through lane!  Instead of using bags of ice (or cleaning out my freezer) we froze the bottles the day before in our deep freezer.  We’re using them on the bottom of the food to keep it all cold with some ice from our freezer. We will also put some unfrozen ones in there too.

When it comes time to eat our lunch the water bottles will have partially unfrozen & the unfrozen ones will be cold!  By the time we leave Raleigh and head home – the frozen ones will be icy cold & unfrozen!

What’s your road trip tip?

You’ve heard of a cheap date, but not all cheap dates need to feel cheesy!   Here are some ways to have a memorable date without breaking the bank!

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