Thursday, December 22, 2011

My Favourite Holiday Pie


I know most families have a "must have" dessert that absolutely needs to grace their Christmas table to make the holiday complete. For many of us, it's a pie that fits into this category, and it's no different at my house. I first made this Cranberry-Apple Pie several years ago and it was such a huge hit with everyone it's now our traditional holiday dessert. It's such a festive colour and a perfect blend of sweet and tart - the ideal combination to finish off Christmas dinner!

Cranberry-Apple Pie

Pastry dough for a double crust, 9" pie

1 1/2 cups cranberries (fresh or frozen)
1 1/2 cups chopped, peeled apple
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
pinch of salt
3/4 cup water, divided
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp rum extract (optional)

Instructions:
In a medium saucepan, combine the cranberries, apple, raisins, butter, sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg and 1/2 cup water. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10-15 minutes (until cranberries burst). Combine cornstarch and remaining 1/4 cup water; add to saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until filling is thickened. Remove from heat and add rum extract (if using).

Roll out half of the pastry dough and fit into a 9" pie plate, leaving extra pastry around edges of plate. Add filling. Use remaining pastry dough to make a lattice topping (instructions here if you need them!).

Bake pie at 400F for 40-45 minutes or until golden brown. I like to give this at least an hour to cool before serving so it's not too runny. Serve topped with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

I shared this recipe at Full Plate Thursday

Looking for more great recipes? Check out my recipe index (scroll down the page a bit to get to it) and my brand new book!

Saturday, December 17, 2011

My Christmas Gift Plans This Year

 It's just over a week until Christmas - which seems to be the point every year where I wonder if I have everything I need to "pull it all together" gift-wise for the season.

So I thought I might as well share my gift plans for this year - it will help me sort out how well prepared I am (or not), and perhaps give you some last minute ideas as well!

WARNING: GIFT SPOILERS AHEAD! If you're on my gift list, please stop reading NOW :)

Hubby is getting a dress watch (which is not a surprise as he helped me pick it out!) and a 10 class pass for my hot yoga studio (he has come with me a few times in the past and hinted more than once that he might like to come with me occasionally).

My 14 year old son is getting a Nerf gun and a pair of slippers (two items he specifically requested).

My 12 year old son will also find a Nerf gun under the tree, plus a toque with his hockey team's crest on it (again, both items were specific requests). Extra bonus: the hat is made by a local company that is owned by a family in our neighbourhood!

Both boys will also find a new pair of gloves under the tree, which they did not request but definitely need!

In addition to the above, I'm going to be making up a "gift certificate" for a family night out (dinner and a movie). We rarely eat out *or* see movies in the theatre, so this will be a special treat (my kids still talk about the last time we did a whole dinner-and-a-movie evening as a family, which was several years ago!) 

Stockings:

We all love our stockings around here! One year when things were really tight, my hubby and I decided not to do stockings for each other - and we really missed them. So I don't think we will try skipping them again :) 

For the boys: mini-flashlights (for camping), some of my homemade lip balm, $5 gift cards for Tim Hortons (we have one in our neighbourhood and they love to go there with their friends), vouchers for tickets to a Hamilton Bulldogs (AHL) game (my husband got these for free!), plus assorted candy (some will be homemade, and some will be leftovers from what we bought to fill their Advent calendar). I also have a deck of "Things Every Teen Should Know" cards for my older son and a stocking-sized book of challenging mazes for my younger son, both of which I picked up at yard sales this summer. It's a tradition in our family that an apple and a couple of clementines go in the very bottom of the stocking, so that should just about fill them! Santa will also be leaving each of them a book beside their stocking (both of which were yard sale finds). 

For hubby: He will also find lip balm and homemade candies in his stocking, plus the "His" soap from The Guelph Soap Company (which is made less than an hour away from me). I still need to track down a few other things for him - he's pretty well stocked up on toiletries so I'll need to get creative - suggestions welcome :)

My sisters-in-law are getting my homemade lip balm. Last year I gave them all a little pampering gift of some homemade cleansing grains, and I want to make it a new tradition to give them a little nurturing treat every year (we don't officially exchange gifts, so I want to keep it small!). I am going to have them all packaged up fancy with cellophane and ribbon like the one in the picture in the bottom right corner. Doesn't that look like an elegant little gift for 25 cents?

My dad and grandmother will both be receiving photo calendars that I bought through an excellent deal on Groupon (I got two high quality calendars for a total of $20, including shipping!). They will also be getting copies of my book, of course :) I have been making each of them a gift basket of baked goodies and canned goods for years and years, so this year will be no different in that regard (the top right photo shows one of the baskets from a couple of years ago). This year's baskets - which are usually repurposed clementine orange crates - will include Sweet Potato Pound Cake, Cran-Raspberry Jam, dill pickles, sweet pickles, salsa, Candied Peanuts, Coconut Neapolitan Candy and Christmas Granola.

Most of my friends and I don't exchange gifts through mutual agreement - we'd rather just enjoy each others' company, and relax with some cookies and hot beverages! We also stopped buying gifts for our nieces and nephews a couple of years ago since we all felt the kids already got way too much "stuff" and we didn't need to add more. Since we've scaled down the gifting, I've noticed that our gatherings feel more relaxed and enjoyable without the present-opening frenzy - and the cousins have plenty of fun just spending time together.


I do have one close friend that I've maintained a gifting tradition with, and we also buy gifts for each others' kids as well. I always do up a big food basket for her and her family, and usually give her a modest personal gift or two. This year, it will be my book plus a basket of assorted personal care goodies - some Apricot Citrus soap from the Guelph Soap Company, plus homemade lavender-grapefruit sugar scrub and a little sample size of my homemade deodorant (which I'll also do in the lavender-grapefruit scent). For her kids, I have some good hardcover books plus some Christmas activity and colouring books. 

Wow, I think I am actually almost ready for Christmas - I still have a couple of things to whip up in the kitchen, and I haven't started wrapping yet, but I definitely won't be running around in a last minute shopping frenzy!

If you still need a few ideas for easy and inexpensive gifts, check out my Ten Quick and Easy Homemade Christmas Gift Ideas. And my book is now available on Amazon.com (still waiting for it to go up on Amazon.ca - sorry, fellow Canadians, I'll keep you posted!) 

Are you "ready" for Christmas? What's going under your tree this year?

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

My Book Is Here!!


The moment I've been waiting a LOOONG time for is finally here - I have an actual, honest-to-goodness real live copy of my book!

This is the proof copy, which means it's not for sale quite yet - but it will be VERY SOON! As long as I don't find any major errors in the proof that need changing, it should be listed on Amazon by the middle of next week at the latest - just squeaking in for the get-it-shipped-before-Christmas deadline (in the U.S., anyway!). My husband has already given it a look through and didn't find anything amiss, so keep your fingers crossed :)

I'll be sure to let you know when it's available, and update the Cheap Appétit page here on the blog with links to all the relevant Amazon pages (it will be listed on .com, .ca., and also .gb and .austr I think!).  

Writing a book has been a lifelong dream of mine, and I still can't quite believe I've actually done it. I've written newsletters, op-ed pieces, tons of blog posts and other assorted articles, but nothing else has come close to seeing a whole book with my name on the cover!

Guess what everyone in my family is getting for Christmas this year :)

Monday, December 12, 2011

Weekly Menu Retrospective #53


Welcome to my weekly roundup of the past week's eats. I prefer to report what we ate in the last week, rather than what we're planning to eat in the coming week. Why? The reason is pretty simple: although I usually have a general idea of what we're going to eat in the next week or so, life often unfolds a little differently than planned, and I adjust my menu plan on a near-daily basis to accommodate leftovers and other not-possible-to-plan-ahead circumstances. I find this is the easiest way to ensure that I minimize our family's food waste. I'm also willing to admit that I'm a rather spontaneous cook, given to preparing foods that strike me as the most appealing thing to eat right here and now!

BOOK UPDATE: My book, Cheap Appétit : The Complete Guide to Feeding Your Family for Less Than $400 a Month (While Eating Better Than You Ever Thought Possible) has finally gone to press. I still don't have an exact date when it will be available for purchase,  so stay tuned - you'll know as soon as I do! I've started putting page references to recipes that are in the book in my menu plans so you'll know where to find them once it's released :) For more details about the book, go here.
 
Monday: Indian-Spiced Honey Garlic Chicken (p. 188 Cheap Appétit), Coconut Rice (p. 199 Cheap Appétit), peas and carrots

Tuesday: Sausage and White Bean Casserole, broccoli

Wednesday: Everything-But-the-Kitchen-Sink Lentil Soup (p. 162 Cheap Appétit)

Thursday: Leftover Buffet for kids (hubby and I out at his work Christmas party)

Friday: Bacon, Egg and Potato Hash (a variation of Make-It-Your-Way Potato Hash, p.140 Cheap Appétit) 

Saturday: Spaghetti with Creamy Tomato Vegetable Sauce

Sunday: Crispy Pork Cutlets with Milk Gravy (variation of Crispy Parmesan Chicken with Milk Gravy, p. 186 Cheap Appétit), mashed potatoes, green beans and carrots, assorted Christmas cookie platter

For more great meal ideas, check out Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.com

Saturday, December 10, 2011

My $10 Holiday Outfit


My husband started working at a new company this past January, and as it turns out they hold a pretty fancy Christmas party for their employees and spouses. I haven't had to get really dressed up for the holidays in a number of years, so I was scrambling to put together an outfit that would be suitable for this occasion without spending a lot (since we've already busted our clothing budget for this year!)

I didn't even have a pair of high heels that fit me, since my feet stretched out and gained a size after I had my younger son (the fact that he's now twelve years old gives you an idea how often I get really dressed up - nope, not even a wedding in our family in all that time!)

Thankfully, Value Village saved the day by having a 50% Off Day at the end of November. We decided to go to the store that's located in a more affluent neighbourhood as I figured I'd have better luck finding "fancy" clothes there.

I got *really* lucky and found a pair of black patent leather Rockport heels that fit me perfectly for just $6.50. I also found a black and silver top to pair with the black velvet skirt I already own for another $3.00. I added my "good" pair of dressy silver earrings to finish off the outfit.

Total cost to put this outfit together: $9.50.

The party was on Thursday night (and it was really quite fabulous!). No, I certainly didn't win the "best dressed" award, but I certainly didn't come close to winning the fashion booby prize, either (ladies, please don't wear strapless, low cut dresses to a WORK Christmas party!!). There was actually a pretty wide mix of styles and levels of dressiness at the party, so I blended in pretty well :)

You may or may not like my holiday style, but that's not really the point. With a little creativity and resourcefulness, I think it's possible to put together whatever look you're going for, very inexpensively.

For many of us, holiday outfits are worn so infrequently that I just don't think they're worth spending a lot of money on. In fact, I may just try holding a holiday clothing swap with a few friends next season, so I have something new to wear to next year's party!

How do you do "holiday fashion" on a small budget?

Thursday, December 8, 2011

RECIPE: Sausage and White Bean Casserole



I don't know about you, but at this time of year when the days are dark and chilly and filled with a million and one holiday-related activities, a comforting home-cooked casserole is just what I need at the end of the day.

I created this Sausage and White Bean Casserole when I was fiddling around with ingredients I had on hand earlier this week. It tasted even better than I expected and was a huge hit with my family. I think even reluctant legume eaters would enjoy this dish, as it doesn't taste "beany" at all, just creamy and flavourful! It would be great to tote along to any holiday gathering.

Ingredients:
6 Italian-style sausages, cooked and diced
3 cups cooked white beans (or two cans, rinsed and drained)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 red pepper, diced
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup milk
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp dry mustard
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
2-3 tbsp olive oil or melted butter

Instructions:
In a medium saucepan, saute the onion, garlic and red pepper in butter until soft. Sprinkle flour over vegetables and stir until well coated with fat. Slowly add the stock, stirring contantly. Add the milk and continue stirring until sauce thickens. 

Add oregano, salt, pepper, paprika, dry mustard, beans and sausage. Pour into an 11 x 7 inch baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese. Add the olive oil or butter and stir until crumbs are evenly coated. Sprinkle evenly over top of casserole.

Bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly and golden brown on top.

Serves 6. 
I shared this recipe at Full Plate Thursday and Frugal Food Thursday.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Welcome, Simple Organized Living Readers!

Me and my hubby back in 1997 with our less-than-a-day old son Noah

Today I have a guest post on Ten Breastfeeding Tips for New Moms over at Simple Organized Living. 

I wanted to give a big welcome to all of Andrea's readers who have come to visit me for the first time. I hope you'll stick around so we can get to know each other better! If you want to learn a bit more about who I am and what I blog about, check my about page.

Some posts I think you might find particularly useful right now:

Ten Quick and Easy Homemade Gift Ideas
Seven Natural (and Cheap!) Ways to Calm a Cold
Six Natural and Cheap Ways to Freshen Up Your Home (if you're having lots of guests this holiday season!)

If you're looking for ideas on how to "do Christmas" on a tight budget, check out my Christmas on a Dime page, as well as my Thrifting & Gifting page for further ideas on how to give great gifts without spending much money.


Finally, if you're searching for frugal, family-friendly recipes, please take a stop by my Food page (scroll down to the bottom for an index of all the recipes on the site). I also have a book coming out very soon (sometime in the next few weeks!) called Cheap Appétit: The Complete Guide to Feeding Your Family for Less Than $400 a Month (While Eating Better Than You Ever Thought Possible). You can read more details about the book here, and be sure to come back in January when I'll be giving away a few copies!

I hope you've enjoyed your visit to Abundance on a Dime and that you'll want to stay in touch. You can sign up in the sidebar on the right to get email updates every time I write a new post. I'm also on Twitter and Facebook if you want to connect there. 

Thanks for stopping by and I wish you a wonderful holiday season!

Monday, December 5, 2011

Weekly Menu Retrospective #52


Welcome to my weekly roundup of the past week's eats. I prefer to report what we ate in the last week, rather than what we're planning to eat in the coming week. Why? The reason is pretty simple: although I usually have a general idea of what we're going to eat in the next week or so, life often unfolds a little differently than planned, and I adjust my menu plan on a near-daily basis to accommodate leftovers and other not-possible-to-plan-ahead circumstances. I find this is the easiest way to ensure that I minimize our family's food waste. I'm also willing to admit that I'm a rather spontaneous cook, given to preparing foods that strike me as the most appealing thing to eat right here and now!

BOOK UPDATE: My book, Cheap Appétit : The Complete Guide to Feeding Your Family for Less Than $400 a Month (While Eating Better Than You Ever Thought Possible) went to press the week before last. I still don't have an exact date when it will be available for purchase,  so stay tuned - you'll know as soon as I do! I've started putting page references to recipes that are in the book in my menu plans so you'll know where to find them once it's released :) For more details about the book, go here.
 
Monday: Apple & Bacon Baked Beans (p. 177 Cheap Appétit) , honey roasted carrots, fresh baked bread (from Whole Wheat Refrigerator Bread Dough, p. 239 Cheap Appétit)

Tuesday: Spicy Peanut and Tomato Soup (p. 163 Cheap Appétit), cornbread (p. 212 Cheap Appétit)

Wednesday: Toad-in-the-Hole (p. 180 Cheap Appétit), peas, leftover carrots

Thursday: Cheesy Mac and Beef Skillet (p. 148 Cheap Appétit)

Friday: Leftover Buffet

Saturday: Spaghetti

Sunday: Pork and Apple Stew (p. 156 Cheap Appétit), freshly baked bread (from refrigerator dough)

For more great meal ideas, check out Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.com

Saturday, December 3, 2011

A Handful of Holiday Thoughts


My husband has very kindly passed his cold on to me (that's the spirit of holiday giving!) and due to my congested head it seems I'm incapable of forming a long enough string of coherent thoughts to write a whole post on one topic. So I'm just going to toss out a few random tidbits that might prove useful in planning your festivities.

1. Christmas Eve is THREE WEEKS FROM TODAY. Despite the fact that I'm way behind my usual schedule in terms of Christmas preparation, I shall NOT panic. I will NOT try to accomplish some superhuman list of activities in the next 21 days. I will do the things that are most important to me and my family, and let the rest fall by the wayside. I really like what Sarah over at Clover Lane has to say about just saying no to the Christmas craziness.

2. I am going to start baking cookies this weekend. Cookies are one of the things that are very important to Christmas around here. If you are planning to do cutout cookies with your kids (or someone else's), I cannot recommend these White Velvet Cutouts highly enough. The dough is incredibly forgiving; it doesn't crumble or dry out so it's perfect for kids to work with - and it makes great tasting cookies! Other favourites in our house are Cookie Jar Gingersnaps (I use 1/2 cup butter and 1/4 cup of coconut oil in place of the shortening, and a full tablespoon of ginger), Magic Cookie Bars (I make my own condensed milk for use in this recipe), Eggnog Thumbprints, Whipped Shortbread and my mom's fruitcake cookies - which are a really unique cookie and an old family recipe that I just might get around to sharing here!

3. If you're looking for some clutter-free gift ideas, Angela over at My Year Without Spending has a great post on Experiential Gift Ideas.

4. If you could use a good laugh, Kristen over at The Frugal Girl shares 10 Ways to Have a Disastrously Spendy Christmas. I know none of you will be doing anything on that list. right?

5. If you're looking for some more quick, homemade personal-care type products to pair up with the lip balm and hard lotion I shared last week, head over to Crunchy Betty for over 20 great ideas.

Do you have a quick holiday-related tip to share with us?

Monday, November 28, 2011

Weekly Menu Retrospective #51


Welcome to my weekly roundup of the past week's eats. I prefer to report what we ate in the last week, rather than what we're planning to eat in the coming week. Why? The reason is pretty simple: although I usually have a general idea of what we're going to eat in the next week or so, life often unfolds a little differently than planned, and I adjust my menu plan on a near-daily basis to accommodate leftovers and other not-possible-to-plan-ahead circumstances. I find this is the easiest way to ensure that I minimize our family's food waste. I'm also willing to admit that I'm a rather spontaneous cook, given to preparing foods that strike me as the most appealing thing to eat right here and now!

BOOK UPDATE: My book, Cheap Appétit : The Complete Guide to Feeding Your Family for Less Than $400 a Month (While Eating Better Than You Ever Thought Possible) went to press last week. I still don't have an exact date when it will be available for purchase,  so stay tuned - you'll know as soon as I do! I've started putting page references to recipes that are in the book in my menu plans so you'll know where to find them once it's released :)

Breakfasts: French toast, blueberry pancakes, banana chocolate chip muffins (p. 96 Cheap Appétit), cherry clafouti (p. 223 Cheap Appétit), baked oatmeal (p. 91 Cheap Appétit)


Lunches: sandwiches, leftovers, pizza

Dinners:

Monday: Creamy Tuna Pasta with Peas & Carrots (p. 146 Cheap Appétit)

Tuesday: Potato, Cheddar & Bacon Soup (p. 165 Cheap Appétit), tossed salad


Wednesday: Smothered Meatballs (p. 143 Cheap Appétit), rice, green beans


Thursday: Chicken Paprika (p. 185 Cheap Appétit), mashed potatoes, peas and carrots

Friday: Pork Fried Rice (p. 139 Cheap Appétit)

Saturday: Everything-But-The-Kitchen-Sink Lentil Soup (p. 162 Cheap Appétit)


Sunday: Tex-Mex Shepherd's Pie (p. 173 Cheap Appétit), Apple Butterscotch Blondies (I halved this recipe and baked it in an 8 x 8" dish)

For more great meal ideas, check out Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.com.

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Ten Quick & Easy Homemade Christmas Gift Ideas


It's already less than a month until Christmas - can you believe it? I thought it was about time I shared some of my favourite quick and easy homemade gifts; the ones I rely on year after year whenever I need to pull something together at the last minute. They are sure to please just about anyone on your gift list!

Food:

Candied Peanuts

"Puppy Chow" (for people!)

Homemade Bread

Food Theme Basket Ideas

Christmas Granola

Cracker Toffee and Chocolate Bark

Personal Care:

Lip Balm and Hard Lotion: The newest addition to my homemade gift arsenal; I gave some to a friend yesterday and she was very impressed with it!

Winter Daily Facial Scrub: I gave this to my sisters-in-law last year and it was a huge hit! I make mine with just the rice flour, oats, and coconut and toss in the chamomile and/or calendula if I have some on hand. I like to add grapefruit essential oil to mine, but it's great even without any essential oils added.

Milk Bath: I don't think much could be simpler than this one! Combine equal amounts of dry milk powder and baking soda. Add essential oils if desired. Give with instructions to add one cup to running bath water. (I use this all the time myself; it's a great skin softener).

Do you have any tried-and-true simple homemade gift ideas to share?

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Make Your Own All-Natural Lip Balm for Less Than 25 Cents a Tin!

 Everything you need to make your own lip balm and hard lotion

Every once in a while I try out something new that really rocks my world. This weekend I had such an experience when I made my own lip balm for the first time. It was actually a side project of making my own hard lotion, which I have been promising to make for quite some time now. I finally got around to it, and I am beyond thrilled with the results!

This project is great on just about every level: it uses only 3-4 ingredients (depending on whether or not you add essential oils), it's very simple to do, and you get a whole whack of high quality, natural moisturizing products for less than ten bucks. I hope you can understand how exciting this is for someone who lives in a part of the world where winter can be very long, cold and punishing to your skin :) And I can promise you, you will never go back to one of those nasty petroleum-based balms or fork over a ridiculous amount of money for a natural balm again after you've tried out this stuff.

What you'll need to make your lip balm and hard lotion:
(My recipe is adapted from the one on the MadeOn Skin Care Products site)

Coconut oil
Cocoa butter (the pure stuff, not a cocoa butter lotion)
Beeswax
Essential oil of choice (optional)

Some type of double-boiler system (I used a small stainless steel bowl inside a small pot)
A kitchen scale to weight out the ingredients
Molds for the hard lotion and tins or small containers for the lip balm

In my area, coconut oil is easy to find and beeswax is available at the health food store. The pure cocoa butter is the most difficult item to track down (I got mine at Well.ca).

As far as the molds go, I used an ice cube tray for the hard lotion and reused a bunch of old lip balm containers plus a few other small containers I had around the house for the lip balm. To reuse old lip balm containers, wipe out any residue with a paper towel, then boil the containers for several minutes - this will help melt any remaining residue off and make sure there aren't any bacteria lurking around in there. Wipe dry thoroughly with a clean paper towel and they're ready to refill!

What you do:

Weight out equal proportions of the coconut oil, cocoa butter and beeswax (I used 4 ounces of each for the batch I made).

Melt the beeswax in the double boiler (This step took quite a while as I had a big hunk of beeswax to melt; you can grate it if you have a separate grater you won't use for anything else as you'll never get it all off, or buy beeswax pellets rather than the solid block).

Once the beeswax is melted, stir in the coconut oil and cocoa butter; they will melt pretty quickly.

Quickly pour the hot mixture into your hard lotion molds, leaving about 1/4 of the batch behind for lip balm (I think I probably used a bit less than 1/4 of the batch for the balm, but just eyeball it - you really don't need much to make a lot of balm!) Let the hard lotion set up for a couple of hours before removing it from the molds.

To the remaining mixture, add a bit more coconut oil (I tossed in a fairly large spoonful). This will make the lip balm a bit softer so it's easier to apply. Put the mixture back over the double boiler for a minute to get the coconut oil melted in and keep the mixture hot so it doesn't start setting up on you while you're pouring out the lip balm. Remove from the heat and stir in 15-20 drops of essential oil (I used peppermint, which gives the balm an addictive mint-with-a-hint-of-cocoa flavour).

Quickly pour the balm mixture into your tins or containers.

This is what I had when I was done:


14 hard lotion mini-bars plus the equivalent of about 12-13 commercial-sized tins of lip balm (I have 10 containers of balm, but some of them are significantly larger than typical commercially available ones).

Note: My hard lotion popped out of the ice cube tray quite easily, but if you have trouble getting yours out of your mold, try putting it in the freezer for a few minutes as I've heard that helps it come out easier.

I calculated that it cost me just under $10 to make this entire batch of lotion and balm. Since I used less than 1/4 of the batch for the lip balm, that means I got 12-13 lip balms for less than $2.50, or about 19 to 21 cents a tin - for the best lip balm I have EVER tried! 

 Hard lotion bars in a fancy dish for my bathroom counter 

For those of you who aren't familiar with hard lotion, the way you use it is to rub the bar over your skin. Your body heat will cause it to slowly melt, leaving a light oily coating on your skin which will absorb in fairly quickly. My husband, who has always found regular lotion too greasy, loves this stuff and may actually NOT have chapped, flaky hands for the first winter in forever this year. The mild cocoa-honey scent makes it perfect for a unisex family-use household product, too.

Not only will my lips and hands be super-happy all winter, several of my balms and hard lotion bars will be Christmas gifts this year, too. If you look closely at the photo above, you can see the container in the top right hand corner has a silver snowflake sticker on it - which is how I will decorate them for giving.

So, have I convinced you to give this a try, too? I'm willing to bet you'll be as hooked as I am on this homemade balm!

Monday, November 14, 2011

Weekly Menu Retrospective #50


Welcome to my weekly roundup of the past week's eats. I prefer to report what we ate in the last week, rather than what we're planning to eat in the coming week. Why? The reason is pretty simple: although I usually have a general idea of what we're going to eat in the next week or so, life often unfolds a little differently than planned, and I adjust my menu plan on a near-daily basis to accommodate leftovers and other not-possible-to-plan-ahead circumstances. I find this is the easiest way to ensure that I minimize our family's food waste. I'm also willing to admit that I'm a rather spontaneous cook, given to preparing foods that strike me as the most appealing thing to eat right here and now!

I have some exciting news! My book, Cheap Appétit : The Complete Guide to Feeding Your Family for Less Than $400 a Month (While Eating Better Than You Ever Thought Possible) is going to be coming out very soon! I still don't have an exact date, but it should be sometime right after American Thanksgiving. I'm going to start putting page references to recipes that are in the book in my menu plans so you'll know where to find them once it's released :) 

Breakfasts: bagels with cream cheese, peanut butter toast, waffles, banana blueberry muffins (a variation of the Banana Oatmeal Muffins, p. 96 Cheap Appétit) 

Lunches: grilled cheese, Toad-in-the-Hole (p. 180 Cheap Appétit), sandwiches, leftovers, Pizza (p. 133 Cheap Appétit)

Dinners:

Monday: Potato, Bacon & Egg Hash (a variation of Make-It-Your-Way Potato Hash, p. 140 Cheap Appétit)

Tuesday: Pork & Apple Stew (p. 156 Cheap Appétit)

Wednesday: Everything-But-the-Kitchen-Sink Lentil Soup (p. 162 Cheap Appétit), Garlic & Cheese Biscuits (p. 213 Cheap Appétit)

Thursday: Indian-Spiced Honey Garlic Chicken (p. 188 Cheap Appétit), Coconut Rice (p. 199 Cheap Appétit), carrots

Friday: Leftover Buffet

Saturday: Spaghetti with Creamy Tomato-Vegetable Sauce

Sunday: Roast chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, carrots, peas, Chocolate Mousse in a Minute

For more great meal ideas, check out Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.com.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

The (Sorta) Secret Second Lives of My Stuff



It's standard operating procedure for us frugal types to reuse things as many times as possible - it's an ingrained part of our lifestyle! While we often reuse items for their original purpose (e.g. hand-me-down clothes, washing and reusing baggies), I tend to get more of a kick out of the times we use things for an entirely different purpose the second (or third, or fourth) time around.

Some examples that come to mind:

1. Our jack-o'-lantern: Obviously, its first life was as a Halloween decoration. While most people simply discard their pumpkins once trick-or-treating is over, we bake ours up and make pumpkin puree.

2. My husband's hockey stick Muskoka chair: Assembled from busted hockey sticks and an old futon frame, this project gets top marks for ingenious use of scrap materials!

3. Random clothing reuses: Our clothes tend to go through several lifecycle stages; first they're "good" clothes, then once they get too rough around the edges, they become work clothes (for messy jobs like painting) or play clothes for the kids. Many times pants that are worn out at the cuffs or ripped at the knees become shorts. After that, things start to get more interesting. Really worn out stuff becomes rags, T-shirts may become T-shirt yarn, and old wool sweaters can be felted to make a variety of items. I even made my no-sew menstrual pads from an old polar fleece top and some old washcloths. My sewing skills are pretty limited, but if I was a bit more competent, I'd make quilts with old clothing scraps, too!

4. Assorted food scraps: I try to keep our food waste as close to zero as possible. This often involves recycling little bits of leftovers into a variety of new food forms. My Everything-But-The-Kitchen-Sink Lentil Soup comes in handy for using up a wide variety of items. And the inedible food bits get tossed into the compost bin and reused in our garden. I also sprinkle coffee grounds around my acid-loving plants such as the rhododendron, or use them to whip up some Mocha-Frappuccino Face Mask for a little spa treatment!

5. The wooden planter boxes on our deck: These were built using scavenged wooden pallets (a great free source of wood!).

Does your stuff have a secret second life, too? I'd love to hear some of the clever ways you reuse your household goods.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Weekly Menu Retrospective #49


Welcome to my weekly roundup of the past week's eats. I prefer to report what we ate in the last week, rather than what we're planning to eat in the coming week. Why? The reason is pretty simple: although I usually have a general idea of what we're going to eat in the next week or so, life often unfolds a little differently than planned, and I adjust my menu plan on a near-daily basis to accommodate leftovers and other not-possible-to-plan-ahead circumstances. I find this is the easiest way to ensure that I minimize our family's food waste. I'm also willing to admit that I'm a rather spontaneous cook, given to preparing foods that strike me as the most appealing thing to eat right here and now!

Breakfasts: banana blueberry muffins (subbed blueberries for choc chips in this recipe), bagels with cream cheese, pancakes, bacon/eggs/hash browns/toast

Lunches: sandwiches, leftovers, pizza

Dinners:

Monday: grilled cheese (quick dinner for Halloween night!)

Tuesday: Everything-But-the-Kitchen-Sink Lentil Soup

Wednesday: Sausage and Apple Saute

Thursday: Lemony Chicken & Spinach Pasta

Friday: Sloppy Joes, carrot sticks, chocolate chip squares (birthday dinner requested by my son)

Saturday: Leftover Buffet

Sunday: Baked Pasta, tossed salad, Pull-apart Garlic & Parmesan Breadsticks, apple crisp

For more great meal ideas, check out Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.com

Saturday, November 5, 2011

A Look Back at My "No Spend" Month

At the beginning of October, I issued a "No Spend" Challenge for the month. My plan was to buy nothing except the absolute necessities for the entire month, and to keep my grocery bill below $325 as we'd gone over our grocery budget the last couple months prior (mostly due to purchasing surplus in-season produce for canning and freezing).

I'd planned to give you an update on this a bit sooner, but what can I say? I feel like I'm a bit behind in just about every area of my life right now! So, here's how it went:

Our grocery bill came in at $312.61 for the month, so we squeaked in at $12.39 under my goal. YAY!!

I had identified a few items that we would probably need to buy in October: a winter coat for my older son, winter gloves for both boys, Halloween treats, a birthday gift for my older son, and some coconut oil.

My husband found a great winter coat for my son at Value Village for $11.54 (I was *very* happy about that, as I was beginning to think we were going to have to break down and buy him a brand new one, which would have cost a heck of a lot more!). We didn't end up purchasing my son's birthday gift until the beginning of November (his birthday was yesterday, so yes, it was a bit on the last-minute side). We also didn't get around to buying winter gloves yet as it's been a relatively mild fall so far. We spent $33.31 on Halloween candy and $6.99 on coconut oil.

So far, so good, right? Well, we also had a few unexpected expenses thrown into the mix. Hubby had to go stock up on wood screws to fix my younger son's bed when it broke ($7.45), and he bought two new inner tubes for his bike after he got a flat ($22.58). We also needed some new bungee cords ($10.16 for a multi-pack) and I forgot to bring my yoga mat to class one day and needed to rent one ($2). My husband and son both needed new hockey water bottles ($6.76) and we splurged on a top hat at Dollarama for my younger son's hobo costume ($2.26).

That brings the grand total for our "no spend" month to $103.05. It's not quite "nothing", but it's a heck of a lot less than we've been spending on miscellaneous expenses the past few months. 

I think I might just have to have another "No Spend" month in January! Maybe some of you will care to join me?

Monday, October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween!


Hi gang! I know I've been missing in action for the last week or so and just wanted to pop in and wish you all a Happy Halloween.

Don't worry, everything is fine, just a lot on the chaotic side around here. I've been spending a ridiculous amount of time putting the finishing touches on my book manuscript, which WILL be going to press sometime very, very, soon (and you'll definitely hear about it when it does!)

So have a very spooky day and I'll be back "for real" sometime later this week.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Clean, Green - and Cheap?!?


I've been using non-toxic cleaning products since long before it was the "in" thing to do, but for some reason it wasn't until much more recently that I became aware of all the nasty things that might be lurking in my personal care products. Over the last couple of years, I've gradually been phasing out products that are less than friendly and replacing them with safer choices. I've found this to be a somewhat daunting task for a variety of reasons.  Many of these safer products are astronomically expensive compared to "mainstream" products, making it a bit difficult to wiggle them into a modest budget. To make matters even more confusing, a lot of those more expensive products that are labeled "natural" and/or "organic" are not any safer than the mainstream stuff - they still have many of the same harmful chemicals in them! And finally, some of the natural products leave a lot to be desired in the performance department - and if they're not effective, I'm certainly not paying a premium price for them!

I eventually came up with a set of criteria for my "ideal" products:

 -rated between 0 and 2 on the Skin Deep Database. This is an excellent, free online resource which allows you to look up over 69,000 personal care products and get a rating from 0-10 of their safety (0-2 is their "low risk" rating).

-Canadian made

-not tested on animals

-manufacturer has signed the Compact for Safe Cosmetics

-product performs well for its intended use

-it's affordable enough for my family to use on a regular basis


Ultimately, I would love the product to meet ALL of the criteria, but that hasn't always been possible so far! The Skin Deep rating, price and performance are my biggest priorities, and after that I try to find a product that will fulfill as many of the remaining criteria as possible.

Before I share the specifics of the products I'm currently using, I'll share my 3 main strategies for keeping costs down:


1. Eliminate as many products as possible from your regimen: Because my personal care routines are pretty simple, I use only a small number of products, which helps keep expenses (and bathroom clutter) to a minimum.


2. Look for homemade options first: I have been successful in making several of my own products, all of which are extremely inexpensive compared to commercial products. They all work great, and I can customized them to exactly meet my own needs and preferences.

3. Buy in bulk where possible. Once you've found a product you love, buying it in the largest size available will often yield substantial savings (sometimes reducing the cost by 50% or more).

I also have a little opportunity for my readers to save some money at Well.ca. You'll notice I've linked to them a few times further on in the post (those are NOT affiliate links). They are a great online Canadian company, and have a HUGE selection of natural products, as well as offering free shipping anywhere in Canada with no minimum purchase. I have a coupon code I can offer you for $10 off a $40 purchase if you're a new customer. It's not supposed to be posted on public sites, so if you'd like the code just email me at abundanceonadime AT gmail DOT com and I'll happily send it to you!

So, without further ado, here are my current favourite all-natural personal care products:

Liquid hand soap: Nature Clean Citrus Liquid Soap. I totally love this stuff! Not only does it have a great clean citrusy scent, it meets every single one of my criteria, making it about as perfect as a product can get. It's also supposed to be available in a 3 litre refill jug, which would help reduce the cost and packaging, but so far I've yet to track it down anywhere I shop.

Bar Soap: Guelph Soap Company Eucalyptus and Mint Bar Soap. This soap is made less than an hour away from me and it's a great bargain for a natural soap! I've seen many natural bar soaps priced from $5-7 a bar, which is just not realistic for my family's budget. I purchased this soap for $1.59 a bar (you have to buy a pack of six to get it at this price, but it's worth it!). My husband and I both use it for shaving. It has a rich, creamy lather and doesn't dry out my skin. It's also a nice solid bar which doesn't melt away to nothing like a lot of other soaps do.

Body wash: I've been using Nature Clean Body Wash which I received as a gift. It's a pretty good product as far as meeting my criteria, but I've been underwhelmed by the scent. I'm planning to switch to Dr. Bronner's Organic Citrus Liquid Soap when I run out of my current body wash. As an added bonus, it's an extremely versatile product; I've been using their peppermint liquid soap in my homemade cleaning products as well as for handwashing and pretreating laundry.

Facial cleanser: I make my own "cleansing grains" (pictured in the glass dish above) using my adaptation of Crunchy Betty's winter face scrub. I make it with just the rice flour, oats and coconut with whatever essential oils I feel like adding (my current favourite is grapefruit) and I'll add calendula and/or chamomile if I happen to have some around. I've been using this for about a year now, and my skin has been wonderfully soft ever since (I gave it to my sisters-in-law for Christmas last year, and they all raved about it!)

Moisturizer: I use coconut oil on my face and body. People with less mature skin than I might find it a bit heavy, in which case grapeseed oil might be a better option. I've been looking in vain for a good affordable heavy-duty hand moisturizer for the winter months and I'm planning to try my hand at making some hard lotion any time now (I'll report back on how it goes!)

Deodorant: My husband and I have been using this homemade deodorant for about a year and a half now and we both love it. I like to add some essential oils to give it a pleasing scent - equal parts lavender and grapefruit for me, tea tree and peppermint for hubby. Our two boys have started using it too, now that they're old enough to need it!

My two remaining holdouts are toothpaste and shampoo/conditioner. I have really sensitive teeth and haven't found anything that works as good as the toothpaste I've been using since I was a kid. And I have a hard time finding hair care products that work well for my thick, curly, frizz-prone hair (I've tried the no 'poo thing with little success). I have my eye on the Yes to Carrots line as a possibility when I've used up my current shampoo stash.

Do you have some favourite personal care products or recipes to recommend? Please share in the comments!

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Our Annual Apple Picking Expedition

On Monday, we made our annual jaunt to Myers Apple Farm. We've been going there for what must be getting close to a decade now, and the fall season would just not be complete for our family without an apple picking adventure! We love this farm because they have a great selection of apples, as well as a small petting zoo, a corral full of horses and other goodies such as pumpkins and cut flowers. And I love it even more because they have not gone hyper-commercial like a lot of the other farms around here, which charge an admission fee and have a more carnival-like atmosphere. We're fortunate that although we live right smack in the middle of a dense urban area (a city of half a million) the apple farm is just a short 15-20 minute drive away.

Unfortunately, I had "camnesia" for our latest excursion (and apparently I was similarly afflicted last year, as I don't have any photos of that occasion, either). So I'll share a few photos from 2-3 years back (I cannot believe how much younger my kids looked back then!)

My younger son Nathan enjoying a freshly picked apple, Fall 2009

My hubby Joe and older son Noah, picking apples in fall 2009

Family photo amongst the pumpkins, October 2008

One of our classic family photos: Noah the Horse-Headed Boy 
(this was *not* taken intentionally - the horse moved just as I snapped the shot, which makes it even funnier!)

And I just love this sign, posted at the entrance to the farm:


Empires are our favourite apple variety. I think they're the perfect mix of slightly tart with just the right sweetness, and they're nice and crisp. Last year, much to our disappointment, the farm had a severe shortage of Empires, as they were hit with a May frost just when the buds were forming. We got the last half bushel of apples they had last year and weren't actually able to pick any apples because there weren't any left on the trees. This year, happily, there was a bumper crop of Empires and we were able to pick a full bushel, despite the fact that we went up a couple weeks later than we usually do.

Newly fortified with our bushel of fresh-off-the-tree Empires, we'll have a good supply to make all my favourite apple dishes! I've shared a couple previously here on the blog:

Upside Down Apple Oven Pancake
Pork & Apple Stew
Baked Oatmeal

And there are a bunch more in my upcoming book, Cheap Appetit (which really will be coming out sometime soon - there have been quite a few delays, but it will definitely be available well before Christmas!)

Apple Crisp
Morning Glory Muffins
Sausage and Apple Saute
Apple & Bacon Baked Beans
Carrot & Apple Salad
Apple Raspberry Squares

Do you go apple picking? What's your favourite apple variety? Do you have a favourite apple recipe to share?

Monday, October 17, 2011

Weekly Menu Retrospective #48


Welcome to my weekly roundup of the past week's eats. I prefer to report what we ate in the last week, rather than what we're planning to eat in the coming week. Why? The reason is pretty simple: although I usually have a general idea of what we're going to eat in the next week or so, life often unfolds a little differently than planned, and I adjust my menu plan on a near-daily basis to accommodate leftovers and other not-possible-to-plan-ahead circumstances. I find this is the easiest way to ensure that I minimize our family's food waste. I'm also willing to admit that I'm a rather spontaneous cook, given to preparing foods that strike me as the most appealing thing to eat right here and now!

Breakfasts: apple pancakes, baked oatmeal, aloha muffins, bacon/eggs/hash browns

Lunches: turkey sandwiches, grilled cheese, pizza, leftovers

Dinners:

Monday: "Turkey overs" (Thanksgiving dinner leftovers)

Tuesday: Macaroni & Cheese with Ham and Peas

Wednesday: Cabbage & Beef soup, cornbread

Thursday: Chicken & Vegetable Coconut Curry

Friday: leftover soup and cornbread

Saturday: Bacon, egg, and potato hash

Sunday: Smothered pork (this recipe using pork chops instead of meatballs), peas and carrots, rice, apple crisp

For more great meal ideas, check out Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie.com.

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Five Ways Having Money Can Save You Money


When your budget is particularly tight, it can be hard to build up savings. I know, I've been there! But I'd have to say that, right after paying off debts, building savings is the second most important thing you can do to gain more control of your finances. Having extra money in the bank will not only let you sleep better at night, it can actually help you to save even more money, thus allowing you to contribute even more to your savings account. Even if you have to start by saving a very small amount each week, it's worth it to make it a habit, and it will always pay off in the long term.

Here are five ways having extra money will help you save even more:


1. Paying in full for large purchases upfront can result in substantial discounts:
As I've alluded to previously, my husband has been in the process of getting a dental bridge made at a nearby university's dental school. Getting the work done at the dental school rather than at a dentist's has already saved us a HUGE amount of money (in the thousands) but we had an opportunity to save even more when we paid for the lab fees in full immediately, rather than putting them on a payment plan. We were offered a 20% discount, which on the $1600 bill amounted to a savings of $320. In the past, other businesses have offered us discounts for paying in cash. It can't hurt to ask, and you may save yourself a large chunk of change!

2. You can take advantage of great deals and buy things BEFORE you need them
The worst time to shop for something is when you needed it yesterday! By having extra cash on hand, you can more easily plan for your needs in advance, and purchase items when you find a terrific sale. You can also afford to buy items in bulk, which often results in a large savings. Having the ability to buy in large quantities when staple items like food, personal care and cleaning products are at their rock-bottom price means you can avoid having to pay full price for household necessities.

3. You can take care of little problems before they become big problems
Getting repairs done as soon as you notice they're needed will usually stop them from becoming much bigger, more expensive problems. Ignoring that funny noise your car's making because you don't have the money to pay the mechanic will usually end up costing you much more in the long run.

4. You can more easily cope with unexpected expenses
Life happens, and even those of us who try our best to plan ahead will likely be hit with some type of unexpected expense at one time or another. Appliances sometimes die without much warning, and a sudden death or illness in the family might require a flight across the country. Having a cash reserve to draw from when these type of expenses crop up means that you can avoid putting them on credit cards and accruing huge interest fees.

5. You can buy larger-ticket items secondhand
If you want to buy things secondhand from private sellers, you usually need to have cash on hand to do it (unless you're buying online on a site like eBay). Shopping locally for larger ticket items like appliances and cars will require the ability to pay in cash. When our washing machine died this summer, we were able to replace it within a couple of days by making a cash purchase of a 2 yr old machine in pristine condition, from a private seller we'd located on Kijiji. If we didn't have the cash on hand, we'd have had to buy retail *and* slap it on a credit card, both of which would have meant we'd have paid a lot more to replace our washing machine.

Can you think of any more ways having money helps you save even more?

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

RECIPE: Black Bean Chili


We recently enjoyed a week of summer-like weather here in Southern Ontario (our Thanksgiving weekend was apparently the nicest weather we've had for that holiday in 50 years!) Today the weather's snapped back to more typical fall temperatures, and there's a lot of rain in the forecast for the next several days. In other words, it's perfect soup and stew weather!

One of our favourite meals in the cooler months is Black Bean Chili. In fact, I make this so often I can't quite believe I haven't shared the recipe here yet, but somehow I've never gotten around to it!

This recipe is easy to customize to your own family's preferences. It can be made vegetarian by omitting the ground beef, and the level of spiciness can be controlled by adjusting the amount of chili powder. If you prefer more tomato texture, you can use a 28 can of diced tomatoes plus 2-3 tbsp tomato paste in place of the crushed tomatoes (you will probably need to add less water as well).

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium red pepper, diced
1-2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 -1 lb ground beef
3 cups cooked black beans
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1 cup water
12 oz can of corn, drained
1 tsp cumin
2-3 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

grated cheddar cheese, sour cream and chopped avocado for topping (optional)

Instructions:
 In a large, heavy bottomed-saucepan or deep skillet, saute onion, garlic and red pepper in olive oil until they start to soften. Add ground beef and cook until no trace of pink remains.

Add black beans, tomatoes, water, corn, cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Simmer for 20-30 minutes, adding more tomatoes and/or water as needed to get desired consistency.

Ladle into bowls and top with cheese, sour cream and/or avocado as desired.

Serves 6-8.

I shared this recipe at Full Plate Thursday

Friday, October 7, 2011

Keeping Your Frugal Flow Even When Life Gets Frantic


It's been quite a crazy week chez McLaughlin: 

1. On the weekend my younger son's bed decided to collapse (one of the steel supports for the wooden slats under the mattress collapsed, thankfully NOT while he was on it!)

2. On Tuesday, my husband went out for "a quick bike ride" before dinner - and was still not home an hour after he should have been! He had gotten a flat he wasn't able to fix about 15 km from home and I ended up needing to go rescue him, driving through a fairly high-traffic area during rush hour (which, since I rarely drive, was extremely stressful for me!)

3. On Wednesday, I came home from the library in the middle of the afternoon to find my 86-year-old grandmother in my living room (the kids had let her in the house). Since she doesn't drive and has never come to visit me all on her own before, this was a bit of a shock (she took a bus and a taxi to get here from my hometown about half an hour away from the city). After she'd gone to all that trouble to get here, I couldn't very well send her home on the next bus out of town! So I invited her for dinner and arranged for my hubby to drive her home later that evening. We had a very nice visit, but it sure threw my plans for the day right out the window.

4. On Thursday, my husband had to drive to London (Ontario, not England!) to spend a full day at the dental college there where they are working on making him a bridge. This is going to save us a lot of money, but the appointments tend to be made on fairly short notice (last time he had less than 12 hours notice; this time it was a few days). This disrupted the day's plans as, since we only have one vehicle, I now had to bike my kids the 5-6 km to the karate studio where our homeschooling group meets every Thursday for drama and crafts. Thankfully, the weather was lovely, but I did have to reschedule an appointment so I could have enough time to get home after dropping them off.

Needless to say, it's felt like somewhat of a chaotic week! And despite our normal schedule being disrupted at just about every turn, our frugal habits remained well in place:


-we didn't run out and buy my son a new (or even secondhand) bed when it broke. He slept on an air mattress for a few days until my husband had time to properly fix the one we had - it's now sturdier than ever!

-even though it was close to 7 p.m. by the time I got my husband and his disabled bike back home on Tuesday night (and we were both pretty worn out at that point) we didn't resort to fast food for dinner - instead I quickly whipped up my Cheesy Mac & Beef Skillet, which takes very little time and even less effort (and uses staple ingredients we always have on hand)

-I was able to invite my grandmother to stay for dinner on the spur of the moment, and adjust our meal plans to accommodate her tastes while still making good use of the foods that most urgently needed eating up

-because my kids are used to walking and biking places rather than being driven everywhere, they were easily able to ride 5-6 km with me to get to their Thursday activities. Yes, we could have taken the bus, but the service to that part of town isn't very good, and it would have taken several times longer for me to drop them off there and get myself back (plus we saved several dollars in bus fare and got some exercise to boot).

Sometimes it DOES take a little more effort to make frugal choices when life takes its unexpected twists and turns. But the more firmly ingrained your frugal habits are, the easier it is to stick with them even when the going gets a little bit rough. It's nice to know that even though life threw us a few curve balls this week, we still came up swinging for Team Frugalista full force!

Hopefully life will settle down a bit now, as I have a lot of prep work to do for this weekend's Thanksgiving dinner.
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