Archive for the ‘Budgeting with Barbara’ Category

Do you ever have a busy weekend planned, but still want to enjoy simple, healthy, cost-effective dinners? Here’s what I did this past Memorial Day weekend:

Chicken was on sale, so I bought a Family Pack at my local grocery store ($6.47 for 6 huge, fresh breasts). I marinated them in a Yoshida’s/Soy Sauce mix for about 8 hours, grilled ‘em, and then thinly sliced and packaged them to take along for our holiday weekend meals. Saturday, I added tomato and cheese slices, and served grilled chicken sandwiches with chips and carrots. On Sunday, I chopped up a hearty handful of slices and we all enjoyed chicken Caesar salad with fruit and rolls. Then, on Monday, I warmed the remaining chicken slices, added all of the leftover veggies from the weekend, and made fabulous chicken fajitas.

Even after adding all of the extra ingredients to the bill, I still spent less than $1.00 per person (4 of us), per day for easy, healthy dinners.

Fun!

I purchased a fryer chicken yesterday from my local grocery store. It was on sale, and then marked down another 30% (I found it in the clearance section). I ended up only paying $1.90 for it! With that one chicken, I will be able to make 3 simple, low-cost meals for my family of four (keep in mind that includes two teen boys, so it’s a hearty four servings)! Here’s what I’ll do:

· Place the chicken in the crock-pot with a can of chicken broth. Add onion, celery and seasonings and let it cook for several hours.

· Remove the skin, chunk the meat, and pick through the bones, leaving a bit of meat on them (keep these bones).

· Separate the meat into 2 equal portions.

· With one portion, mix the chicken chunks with a hearty salad (add lots of veggies and/or fruit) and serve it with hot cheese bread (I buy bread from an outlet store, so it is really cost-effective).

· Use the second portion to make stir fry, fajitas, or chicken stew.

·  Stew leftover bones in a pot of water, then remove meat and discard bones;
to the broth, add veggies, beans, and either rice, potato, or pasta,
to make a hearty soup.

Come on, don’t be a chicken… give it a try!

I really dislike (okay, can I just say “hate”?) scrubbing baking sheets—especially when I need to remove melted cheese or baked-on meat juices. Yuck! Unfortunately, most of my family’s favorite foods involve the melting or baking of these two substances. Want to avoid the scrubbing nightmare? Read on for details!

1)                  Cover the baking sheet with aluminum foil

2)                  Place the food on top of the foil and season as usual

3)                  Bake/broil as directed

When the meal is over, simply remove the foil, throw it away, and wipe the tray—no mess, no fuss, and no scrubbing! Better yet?  Purchase inexpensive aluminum foil at your local discount store to use specifically for this purpose.

Saving money and time? Now, that’s a fabulous bargain!

Do you know how I saved money today? I assembled an entire treat-filled gift basket—for next to nothing! How? Read on!

·         First, I selected a basket from my “re-gifting” storage area

o   These items were either given to me (I loved them, but knew they would be a great item to re-gift), or purchased for a minimal fee and stored for these occasions.

·         Next, I prettied the basket with tissue paper (which I inexpensively bulk-purchased the day after Christmas.)

·         Then, I went to my pantry and filled the basket (I have a container marked “extras”, stockpiled with a multitude of treats; received for free, or purchased—on sale—for “giving” purposes.)

·         Finally, I tucked in a personal note (using stationary given to us after our donation to a particular charity.)

My friend was thrilled with her gift . . . and my checkbook is none the wiser!

When I receive a gift or earn a reward, I analyze the entire content . . . can the wrapping paper be re-used? Do I need the container it is packaged in? Does it contain an item that I know I won’t use? (I.e. my husband is sensitive to fragrances.) The following are typical items that I store for re-gifting purposes:

·         Baskets, tubs

·         Decorative boxes/bags

·         Ribbons, bows, tissue paper

·         Hand lotions

·         Shower scrubs, perfumed soaps

·         Scented candles

·         Magnets, stickers

·         Individually wrapped candies and bars

·         Plastic flowers

·         Decorative pens or pencils

·         Small stuffed animals

·         Knick-knacks

To keep these items organized, I store several plastic tubs (with lids) in a corner of my office. Each stackable tub contains groupings of these items, and is clearly labeled (just taping paper to the front makes it easy to change).

It’s easy to be economical—and organized!