Ok, so I have to admit I'm no Betty Crocker. I have even burned green beans on a couple of occasions. I'm still not sure how I manage to do that. But a friend of mine sent me this recipe for a cheap alternative to cheesecake. This is what I want this blog to be about, everyone sharing their tricks. Anyway, I pasted the recipe from her email.
cheapo dessert idea.... cheesecake pie. cheesecakes are expensive in the grocery store and this is a great alternative. i don't know if you have an aldi in augusta, but we do in greenwood. this recipe came from an aldi pie shell brand "baker's corner." i can make this for less than $3 because usually, all i have to buy is the pie shell and the cream cheese. most of the other ingredients most people have on hand as standard ingredients (eggs, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, salt). hey - i even left out the lemon juice several times....
1 - 9 inch Graham Cracker Pie Crust
1 - 8oz cream cheese softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp vanilla
dash of salt
2 eggs
Topping (recipe follows) (I typically leave the topping off. it isnt that good and require an extra ingredient).
Fresh fruit or fruit topping optional
Preheat oven to 325%. in a bowl combine cream cheese, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla, and salt. mix until well blended. add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. place crust on a baking sheet and pour in pie filling. bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until inserted knife comes out clean.
topping: combine 1 cup cour cream, 2 tbsp sugar, and 1/4 tsp vanilla. carefully spread over pie. continue baking 10 minutes; cool. chill 3 hours. top with fresh fruit or canned fruit filling.
prep time: 10 minutes baking time: 35-40 minutes (with topping) chilling time: 3 hours
I may just have to try this one myself. I do love some cheesecake. I hope others follow suit. If you don't have an Aldi nearby, or another discount grocery, that's when you just wait until you see the items go on sale at your local grocery. They are BOGO frequently around holidays.
If you have any other quick and easy recipes that are light on the pocketbook I'm sure we'd all like to see them. Happy blogging!!!!
Friday, September 11, 2009
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Home Improvement Cont.
Well last time I wrote it was about saving $ on home improvement projects. As an example, I shared about our porch swing. Well this year I found more outdoor furniture for our porch. And again I waited. I found a small table and chairs that I thought would be just so cute....but the only problem was the price. It would have cost about $300 to buy what I wanted. So again I waited until the store was closing out their summer seasonal items. At first they marked down all their outdoor furniture 50%, but they had tons of them on the shelves. So I checked in a couple times a week to keep tabs on how many they still had in stock.
I knew they would mark them down again, it was just a matter of time. I have found that Tuesdays are mark down days for Lowe's (at least the ones here around Augusta).
You can ask at your local store if they have a set day. Sure enough 2 weeks after they were marked to 50% they were marked down again to 75% off. I was so excited!!!! One employee even told me that Tuesday morning that I knew "how to play the game."
I got the table and 2 chairs for about $72. But that's not the end of the savings because I also had a 10% off coupon in my purse. (I try to keep my coupons with me at all time). You can do the math, I ended up paying about $65 for everything.
In the time I spent waiting on the sale, I had time to save for the purchase too. Since it's not a necessity in our house it may have not have gotten purchased had I not planned ahead.
If you have a favorite store that offers coupons, check ebay. Now it's not legal to sell coupons, but you can pay someone for their time and effort and postage to find coupons you need. I think the last time I purchased ones for Lowe's I spent $1.50 for 5. So as long as I spent at least $15 they paid for themselves. And I'll just tell you right now, I saved a lot more than that. In fact, I even gave one to my hair dresser and you would have thought she won the lottery!!!
If you have any good stories on how you save money post them, I would love to hear about it.
I knew they would mark them down again, it was just a matter of time. I have found that Tuesdays are mark down days for Lowe's (at least the ones here around Augusta).
You can ask at your local store if they have a set day. Sure enough 2 weeks after they were marked to 50% they were marked down again to 75% off. I was so excited!!!! One employee even told me that Tuesday morning that I knew "how to play the game."
I got the table and 2 chairs for about $72. But that's not the end of the savings because I also had a 10% off coupon in my purse. (I try to keep my coupons with me at all time). You can do the math, I ended up paying about $65 for everything.
In the time I spent waiting on the sale, I had time to save for the purchase too. Since it's not a necessity in our house it may have not have gotten purchased had I not planned ahead.
If you have a favorite store that offers coupons, check ebay. Now it's not legal to sell coupons, but you can pay someone for their time and effort and postage to find coupons you need. I think the last time I purchased ones for Lowe's I spent $1.50 for 5. So as long as I spent at least $15 they paid for themselves. And I'll just tell you right now, I saved a lot more than that. In fact, I even gave one to my hair dresser and you would have thought she won the lottery!!!
If you have any good stories on how you save money post them, I would love to hear about it.
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Home Improvement Stores
Isn't the weather outside just gorgeous!!! I love the first hint of fall. It makes me want to sit outside on my front porch and read a book. When we purchased our house in May of last year we had no way to fill up all the space on our oversized front porch. But instead of running out and buying new stuff right away, I went and picked out what I wanted...and waited.
I have found, like many of you I'm sure, that patience can save you some serious cash. I knew that our porch was crying out for a swing. I searched all over the internet at all different kinds of sites, and decided that a simple swing was best for us. The swing I liked, for appearance and price, was located at several places. One of the chain home improvement stores was one of them. So, I went to the store and checked it out...and waited. We already make frequent trips to these stores since we are slightly addicted to home improvement. So as the end of summer approached I would check out the price. Waiting on it to go on clearance. I think everyone knows that seasonal items go on clearance, but knowing when to look is key. I usually won't buy on an items first markdown, unless it's 75% off. When the item starts being marked down, I do a couple of things. First, I see how many of the item that the store has on the shelves. Usually if they're clearance they put everything they have out. Then I'll check out their website, if they have one. By doing so, you can search other nearby stores for their stock and price. Then I'll wait until I think they're going to sell out or until they post another markdown.
By using this method, I saved 67% on a 4ft. white porch swing. With this particular purchase I found the item at a nearby towns store and purchased online. Then my husband went by and picked it up a few days later when he was in that area for work.
And if you have a coupon for the store that just makes the savings even greater. You just need to ask if they will take it on clearance items. I know that Lowe's will take 10% off coupons if the item rings up at the sale price. If you negotiate a price and the cashier has to manually override a price, then a coupon can not be used. But that's another day.
So does anyone out there have any tips for saving money at home improvement stores? I have more money saving stories and tips for the best day to shop for clearance markdowns and how to get those 10% coupons whenever you want. So come back and read more and share your own stories and tips.
I have found, like many of you I'm sure, that patience can save you some serious cash. I knew that our porch was crying out for a swing. I searched all over the internet at all different kinds of sites, and decided that a simple swing was best for us. The swing I liked, for appearance and price, was located at several places. One of the chain home improvement stores was one of them. So, I went to the store and checked it out...and waited. We already make frequent trips to these stores since we are slightly addicted to home improvement. So as the end of summer approached I would check out the price. Waiting on it to go on clearance. I think everyone knows that seasonal items go on clearance, but knowing when to look is key. I usually won't buy on an items first markdown, unless it's 75% off. When the item starts being marked down, I do a couple of things. First, I see how many of the item that the store has on the shelves. Usually if they're clearance they put everything they have out. Then I'll check out their website, if they have one. By doing so, you can search other nearby stores for their stock and price. Then I'll wait until I think they're going to sell out or until they post another markdown.
By using this method, I saved 67% on a 4ft. white porch swing. With this particular purchase I found the item at a nearby towns store and purchased online. Then my husband went by and picked it up a few days later when he was in that area for work.
And if you have a coupon for the store that just makes the savings even greater. You just need to ask if they will take it on clearance items. I know that Lowe's will take 10% off coupons if the item rings up at the sale price. If you negotiate a price and the cashier has to manually override a price, then a coupon can not be used. But that's another day.
So does anyone out there have any tips for saving money at home improvement stores? I have more money saving stories and tips for the best day to shop for clearance markdowns and how to get those 10% coupons whenever you want. So come back and read more and share your own stories and tips.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Hello
Hello!!
Ok, so I'm starting a blog. The thought just came to me this morning. I constantly find myself giving other moms advice on how or when to save money on the things that I purchase for my family. So I thought there has to be a lot of moms out there who have great tips to share, and a lot of moms out there that would love to be on the receiving end of this kind of advice.
I don't know exactly the forum that this blog will take, but it's open to anyone that wants to save money. Please ask questions, read other peoples advice, post advice, or give feedback on advice you take.
So today is Wednesday, the day of the week that grocery stores start their new sales. Their sale weeks usually run from Wednesday - Tuesday, with special sales that could run on other days. I spent some time this afternoon going through the store papers, making my grocery list, and clipping coupons. I think it might have taken me about 25 minutes. In that 25 minutes, I divided up what items to buy from which store. I usually use a legal pad to do this. That way I can see everything all together and I'm not flipping constantly back and forth.
If I find that some of my staple items are not on sale, that's when I make the dreaded trip to one of those big supercenters for the cheapest price. That's when knowing the prices of the items you regularly buy at the discount stores comes into play. If I only need to go for 1 or 2 items, I'll weigh the difference in price and the time it will take me to go the extra step and decide if its worth it.
A lot of your local supermarkets will double your coupons up to a certain amount. Check with your local stores about this amount. Personally, my local Bi-Lo doubles coupons up to $0.60, and Publix up to $0.50. I try to combine these coupons with the weekly sales that the stores offer.
I also like to take advantage of Bi-Lo's meal deals. I think they offer these every two weeks. They will put together a bundle of items for a reduced price. For instance, a few weeks ago it was 2 frozen pizzas, Mayfield Ice Cream, a 6pack of Coke, breadsticks, and a container of whipped topping for about $10. This weeks special is from the deli with your choice of a rotisserie chicken or 8 piece fried chicken, 2 1lb. side dishes, and a 4 pack of Hawaiian rolls for $9.99.
Now, I'm not good enough at this to only pay $1 for $200 worth of groceries like I hear some people doing. But, I do usually save between 33% and 60% on my total food bill.
Well, I hope this will help some of you out there. Don't forget to comment any thoughts or ideas you may have. I will try to update often with more tips on saving money on everything I buy for my family.
Ok, so I'm starting a blog. The thought just came to me this morning. I constantly find myself giving other moms advice on how or when to save money on the things that I purchase for my family. So I thought there has to be a lot of moms out there who have great tips to share, and a lot of moms out there that would love to be on the receiving end of this kind of advice.
I don't know exactly the forum that this blog will take, but it's open to anyone that wants to save money. Please ask questions, read other peoples advice, post advice, or give feedback on advice you take.
So today is Wednesday, the day of the week that grocery stores start their new sales. Their sale weeks usually run from Wednesday - Tuesday, with special sales that could run on other days. I spent some time this afternoon going through the store papers, making my grocery list, and clipping coupons. I think it might have taken me about 25 minutes. In that 25 minutes, I divided up what items to buy from which store. I usually use a legal pad to do this. That way I can see everything all together and I'm not flipping constantly back and forth.
If I find that some of my staple items are not on sale, that's when I make the dreaded trip to one of those big supercenters for the cheapest price. That's when knowing the prices of the items you regularly buy at the discount stores comes into play. If I only need to go for 1 or 2 items, I'll weigh the difference in price and the time it will take me to go the extra step and decide if its worth it.
A lot of your local supermarkets will double your coupons up to a certain amount. Check with your local stores about this amount. Personally, my local Bi-Lo doubles coupons up to $0.60, and Publix up to $0.50. I try to combine these coupons with the weekly sales that the stores offer.
I also like to take advantage of Bi-Lo's meal deals. I think they offer these every two weeks. They will put together a bundle of items for a reduced price. For instance, a few weeks ago it was 2 frozen pizzas, Mayfield Ice Cream, a 6pack of Coke, breadsticks, and a container of whipped topping for about $10. This weeks special is from the deli with your choice of a rotisserie chicken or 8 piece fried chicken, 2 1lb. side dishes, and a 4 pack of Hawaiian rolls for $9.99.
Now, I'm not good enough at this to only pay $1 for $200 worth of groceries like I hear some people doing. But, I do usually save between 33% and 60% on my total food bill.
Well, I hope this will help some of you out there. Don't forget to comment any thoughts or ideas you may have. I will try to update often with more tips on saving money on everything I buy for my family.
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