MegfromAllAboutAppearances's comments

Ways to Avoid Food Waste - Blog Entry

11 Jul 2008 01:27 PM

Food waste drives me nuts -- something which I inherited from my mom, I am certain. For some people, the drive to not waste food is an excuse to overeat, so that's something I'm very careful about. In addition to buying less, I've been trying to make less food for myself at a given time. For example, I use smaller measurements when making oatmeal or I use one slice of bread when making PB&J. I know I can make more if I want later, but usually I don't. It's also a great strategy if you're trying to lose some weight like I am ; )

Saving Money on Household Beverages - Blog Entry

09 Jul 2008 10:13 AM

My husband and our two roommates are soda drinkers, but they're been getting better. One thing that has helped our budget is always having a few pitchers of sweet tea in the fridge. The way my husband makes it for himself, there's plenty of sugar to satisfy that craving for sweet (though I like mine with less). I also sometimes drink hot tea.

Tea is really cheap as it is, but the real trick is to get loose leaf tea. Even the gourmet varieties are usually cheaper (and better tasting) if you don't get it bagged. In my opinion, buying bagged tea is buying air, packaging, and a nasty bag taste.

Anyhow, it doesn't take special equipment to make a great pot of it on the stove. Boil some water in the pot (or get it to just almost boiling). Turn off the heat. Set a regular fine mesh strainer (you may already have one) on top of the pot so that the bottom sits in the water. Then add in the tea to steep for a few minutes. Add sugar while it's still hot if you want it sweet. Wait for it to cool a bit then pour into pitchers and stick in the fridge. I know I've left a lot of variables, but truth is, it's hard to scew up and there's a lot of room for different tastes. And you can use lots of different teas. We really like green, even though traditional southern sweet tea generally uses black teas.

Minimizing Your Wash Will Maximize Your Savings 3 - Blog Entry

26 Jun 2008 11:21 AM

I think these posts are great. Even though it seems like common sense, I know it must not be by the looks I've gotten when I've suggested rewearing clothes.

Even though I try to look really stylish outside of the house, around the house you'll find me in my pjs/lounge/work clothes: a t-shirt and some gym shorts or yoga pants. I wear them till they smell which, depending on how long I wear them and what I do while wearing them, could be a few hours or could be a few days.

I also rewear my outside clothes a lot since I might only wear them for a few hours -- though that gets harder to do when it's so hot out. But if they are hardly worn at all, I'll put them back on the hanger or into the wire drawer in my closet where I toss clothes that can be reworn. Having a place like that really helps.

Avoid These Garage Sales - Blog Entry

21 Jun 2008 02:55 PM

Good ideas Mary! I think I'm all yard-saled out for now, but perhaps next time.

Where to Get Free Food - Blog Entry

21 Jun 2008 02:52 PM

I love that you've mentioned wild foods! I just recently got into foraging and have found it to be a really fun hobby that's healthy, yummy and saves money. More than that, though, it's cool to be walking around the neighborhood or driving down the road with my new eyes that suddenly sees really cool, really useful plants everywhere.

Here are some that I have around me: Clover, wood sorrel, spiderwort, grape leaves (maybe grapes later this summer), purslane, dandelions, wild plums, black berries, evening primrose, and many more that I have yet to i.d. confidently. Back where I grew up we also have prickly pear, wild blueberries and tons more stuff.

The dandelions are a great place to start. They're easy to i.d. by the leaves (no dangerous lookalikes), very common, and pretty much all parts of the plant can be eaten at some time or another (especially if you don't mind bitter flavors since the leaves get bitter as they get older).

Toilet Paper Wedding Dress - Blog Entry

20 Jun 2008 10:54 AM

LOL. I wouldn't wear a toilet paper dress out in public, but at my bridal shower my relatives had fun designing tp dresses on two "models".

Avoid These Garage Sales - Blog Entry

19 Jun 2008 09:56 PM

I don't get up early enough to be a frequent yard sale shopper, but the conclusion I've come to is that when I do go to yard sales I get great deals on stuff I don't need. I probably could get some stuff on my shopping/wish list, but it wouldn't be worth the gas, time, and money spent on impulse buys. Plus, I prefer to research things online before buying them.

Now, I did make a good bit of money at a yard sale I had a couple months ago. It was the first of three that my husband and I held with some additions from our new roommate. Even though the last two had plenty of further additions from our roommate and my mom, we hardly made anything. The second yard sale's disappointing profits we blamed on it not being held on the first weekend of the month, but the last one was timed right in that respect. I think the gas prices here are just too high and people too broke.

New Grocery Shopping Techniques (2) - Blog Entry

17 Jun 2008 10:57 PM

I rarely if ever use coupons. I've never paid for newspapers and I've never been impressed by the coupons I have spotted in the paper -- or anywhere else for that matter. Most of the coupons are for some new, "improved", more processed than ever "food". I'll pass. Even when I do find coupons for things I eat, the generic is cheaper almost every time. But when I do find that rare useful coupon, I make darn sure that I use it.

New Grocery Shopping Techniques - Blog Entry

17 Jun 2008 01:11 PM

We've definitely changed our grocery shopping habits in our household. We used to drive down to the neighborhood grocery store several times a week, plus go to Sams every week or two, but we've been trying to limit grocery shopping trips and really strategize.

As it stands, we alternate which stores we go to so that we get fresh produce coming every week to two weeks, but can also stock up on other items where they're cheapest (and even alternate the fresh produce a bit). When our garden has more edible things in it, I hope we can cut back further, but I try to eat a lot of fresh produce despite the cost (though I have nothing against supplementing with wild food when I can get it).

So for example, we still go to Sams Club every few weeks. There we get berries, spinach, tomatoes, bananas, onions, etc. When needed, we also stock up there on paper products and nuts.

In between Sams Club trips, we also go to a local grocery store that has a lot of more exotic choices, as well as great deals on dry food in bins like couscous and sushi rice. The produce there is also cheap. Sams has cheaper per unit on what produce they carry, but this store has more selection and I can just buy one piece at a time. They also have real treats like honey wine and Dagoba chocolate, so I really look forward to the trip as it's my time to splurge a little. They even have veggie plants for sale, so I take some back with me to my garden. My husband loves the meat there, which is also priced great for the quality (which is best in town as far as we've seen).

Then, if there's anything else we need, we may stop on the way home at our neighborhood grocery store. It's a good store, the prices are actually quite good and the overall selection is great, however the prices for the things that I actually eat in quantity just aren't as good as at the other stores and they don't carry some of the things that I really like such as Dagoba chocolate and non-grape wines. However, it's close by enough that we can go there if we did forget something -- though I make a point not to make a trip there in the car if that's the only place I need to go. I either combine trips or walk. It's not far to walk, but most of the time my husband has to go out for something work-related anyhow so we just wait for him to go out.

Don't Buy Cheap - Blog Entry

17 Jun 2008 12:47 PM

Great post! I pride myself on being frugal, but there are moments when I look around and think that no one would know it by the looks of my home and its contents. Our place is well-organized since we got rid of the clutter, but it's not spartan by any means, and what remains is for the most part, really nice stuff.

I buy a lot less these days, but what I do buy I try to buy right the first time. I carefully consider everything that I want/need in a product, check reviews, and (when I can) carefully look over the product. Rarely do I ever get the cheapest option. I'd rather go without then put up with poor design and bad materials.

I looked around for months before finding what (I hope) is the right tea kettle for me. I wanted something that worked well, was easy to use, didn't look ugly (since I keep it out on the stove), and that wouldn't burn my hand like the previous one did. When I found the the tea kettle I was looking for, I was more than willing to pay extra.

Right now, my husband and I are looking for a replacement meat thermometer for ours that broke. We're considering getting a wireless one, but we haven't been impressed by the reviews we've read so far. So, we may be waiting a little while longer.