Search Results for: my trade list

A List of Cheap and and Nutritious Kids Snacks

Sure we could go out to Target and load up on pre-wrapped and pre-boxed snacks for the kids, but that quickly gets expensive. Plus those snacks can get boring pretty quickly. This is why manufacturers are constantly reinventing the packaging, or the colors or the flavors of their standard snacks in order to spark new interest in their products. With the kids being close to being out of school, we are going to need some seriously cheap snacks around here for them and for their friends. They have to be cheap, too. With summer, I can be more flexible, since … Continue reading →

Cooking with All Things Trader Joe’s

Trader Joe’s is like a celebrity around here. Whenever anyone mentions anything to do with food or groceries, inevitably, Trader Joe’s comes up. Their selection of specialty products, combined with reasonable prices makes them a big hit with most families. There are always some interesting products at Trader Joe’s to try, including seasonal products. Sometimes I’ll look at something such as a unique sauce and think that while it looks good, I would have no idea how to use it. That is what this cookbook is all about. It takes advantage of all of those ingredients, especially the pre-prepped items, … Continue reading →

Diet Soda Myth

It is not uncommon knowledge that soda leads to weight gain. The empty calories and large amount of sugar make this a no brainer. So dieters who love soda have turned to diet soda to ease their cravings while not consuming calories. Shortcuts rarely work in construction projects or dieting. Weight loss by replacing your daily soda with diet soda is not supported by research. In fact, the opposite has been discovered yet not conclusively proven. As someone who thinks diet soda and regular soda are not fit for human consumption this research is meaningless to me. However, I know … Continue reading →

Spending Time With My Sister Part IV

It is amazing how time gets away from us. We made a really quick stop at the grocery store; both my sister and I have very quick gaits and we were moving through the store to get the items that we needed. Upon our return, we realized that we really did not have very much time to make the frosting and eat dinner. As soon as we walked in the apartment I got to work making the cream cheese frosting and my sister nursed the baby. After the muffins were iced, we rushed to eat as much of our dinner … Continue reading →

Trader Joe’s Good Deals

It took me a long time to visit a Trader Joe’s grocery store. One of the reasons was that it wasn’t located conveniently to our home. The other was that I never saw any sales for it. I heard that they sold a lot of fresh and organic products, which made me think they were also expensive. But after a move and a few of their clever fliers, we tried Trader Joe’s, and there are a lot of good deals. Yesterday, I posted about a recent shopping trip to Trader Joe’s, so today, I wanted to share some of the … Continue reading →

Going to Trader Joes

I am a woman of product loyalties. This is something I share with my husband. We only own Mac computers,for example. We nearly broke our hearts when we decided to buy a minivan that wasn’t a Ford, and the debate is still on about the merits of Sony versus Panasonic VCRs (yes, even in the DVD and Blu-ray age). The loyalty extends to grocery stores as well. There is one chain store that I like to frequent, and when we moved, I was reassured that there was a location near our new home. I like knowing where the different aisles … Continue reading →

How I Got My Home Gym For Free

The fact that I’m frugal spreads over into every part of my life, from my diet and clothing, to my health routines. Of course, I wouldn’t sacrifice my health just to save a buck, but I do look for free ways to work out. A lot of doctors recommend walking, but since I live in Tucson, Arizona, walking outdoors any time between the hours of 6am and 9pm isn’t going to happen, especially during the summer. I don’t like being uncomfortable, and trudging around in the heat kills any of my good intentions to exercise. Staying indoors where the temperature … Continue reading →

Can I Call Myself a Frugalista? A bit of Frugalista Gossip

When I started writing for the families.com Frugal blog, I decided to take a frugal fashion angle as my girl Mary Ann Romans seems to have the rest of the category well under control. After a little talk, we decided that I fit the frugalista mold and so, my “frugalista” blog posts were born. So a week or so ago, I got an email warning that there was a lawyer serving anyone who called themselves a “frugalista” telling them to cease using the term. (I never did get the warning myself.) I decided to put the phrase on hold and … Continue reading →

A List of the Best Generic Brands

Buying the store brand of an item, from diapers to food is usually a great way of saving money, especially if you don’t have coupons. But let us face it. Some generic brands are better than others. It can be intimidating trying new generics when you have never tried them before. You don’t want to wind up with a leaky diaper or sour mayonnaise. Over the years, my friends and I have tried many different kinds of generic items. You can use our experience to make the best choices, and to save yourself both the legwork for trying different generic … Continue reading →

Tips for Craigslist 2

Last time I spoke a little bit about Craigslist and how it is a great resource for buying items for less than the normal retail cost. We did wind up buying a large wooden swingset this past weekend, thanks to Craigslist, and we have purchased several other items in the past this way. We have also sold some items on Craigslist, and it has been pretty worthwhile. Here are more tips for Craigslist, this time will concentrate on using it to get rid of your unwanted items. Put up good inventory and be honest. While it has been my experience … Continue reading →