5 Things I Did That Were Frugal This Week

1. I made a batch of homemade powdered laundry soap. It is easy and  should last us a long while.

2. I turned two different leftovers into two totally different meals. The first was some crockpot chicken which became stir fry. The second was some goulash I bought home from work which became a yummy soup.

3. I started and am almost finished planning a menu for the whole month of October. This will save my sanity and us money!

4. I made Kid# 5 some snacks for her cold lunches for school. One was a s'mores trail mix which was easy and yummy. The other was almond bark coated pretzels. The pretzels were getting kinda stale but I knew Kid # 5 would finish them off it I made white pretzels with them. 

5. I declined doing Secret Santa at work, which may seem kinda Scrooge like of me, but it is not in the budget and I would rather be " car payment free" by the end of the year instead. 

Spaghetti Sauce Recipe

I made a big batch of crockpot spaghetti sauce not long ago that turned out really good. I thought I would share the recipe and also have a place to be able to find it again :)

1 -105 oz can of Tomato Sauce ( from Costco)

3-Tablespoons Oregano

1- Heaping Tablespoon Minced Garlic

1- Bay Leaf

2- Teaspoons Basil

1- Tablespoon Onion Powder

4- Tablespoons Brown Sugar

1- Tablespoon Parsley

1- Teaspoon Thyme


Add all of ingredients to the crockpot.  Cook on low 8 or 9 hours or so. 

5 Things I Did That Were Frugal This Week

1. Kid # 5 had outgrown her tap shoes. I found her a " new" pair on ebay for less then half the cost of buying her brand new ones.

2. We have had our air conditioning off for a while now. We have yet to turn on our heat even though many people around us have for a few days last week. I love this time of year for cheap Ameren bills :)

3. Used all our leftovers to make lunches for my hubby. Used a few more to make soup for dinner. No food waste :)

4. For the last several months I have been using wool dryer balls in place of dryer sheets. I love them! I made mine myself and I really should do a post about them soon!

5. Received two checks in the mail for text books I sold online. 

5 Things I Did That Were Frugal This Week

1. Made a big pot od chili and used up little bits of this and that out of the refrigerator 

2. Combined my errands so that I didn't waste gas

3. Had to do some state testing for work. Earned and extra hour and half pay.

4. Found Kid # 3 some curtains at Goodwill for $12. They were nice, heavy, lined ones.

5. Found Kid # 5 a few shirts and a couple sweaters at a yard sale $6.75 spent 

" Cream Of" Soup Mix

 

 

I thought I had posted this recipe before but apparently I have not :( 

 

Anyway, I use this mix often in place of canned cream of whatever soups.  It is easy to use and stores well.

 

 

2 cups dry powdered milk

3/4 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup instant chicken or beef bouillon powder

1/2 teaspoon dried crushed thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried crushed basil

1/4 teaspoon pepper

 

Combine all ingredients using blender or food processor.

 

 

 

Store in an airtight container.  I store mine in a jar with the directions taped on :)

 

To prepare as substitute for 1 can of condensed cream soup in recipes, mix together 1/3 cup dry mix and 1 1/4 cups water in sauce pan. Cook and stir until thickened

Menu Sept 1 - 5

Monday- Pork Chops, grilled zucchini and baked potatoes

Tuesday- Pizza Burgers and salad

Wednesday - Crockpot sausage, peppers, onions, mushrooms and potatoes

Thursday - Nachoes

Friday- Snack night

We typically wing it for Saturday and Sunday :)