By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of BobbisBargains.
A picture of one of my salads with sliced baby squash.
I love a good salad. I’ve been told by many that I make FABULOUS salads. I tell people that it is easy. Just open the fridge, chop up whatever is in there and, ta-da, you have a salad. Let me be more specific.
Grab a large container. Get out your cutting board and your best knife for cutting veggies into small pieces. I like my salad pieces to be smallish so I can combine different flavors for the perfect bite.
Here are the ingredients I used for the last awesome salad I made.
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of BobbisBargains.
UPDATE: There IS going to be a free food swap at Frugal Festival Food! Get your food swap ticket here.
PREVIOUSLY: I went to my first food swap this weekend and I immediately asked myself – Should we have a food swap at Frugal Festival Food! on June 25? I am hopelessly hooked on this new trend, and you will be too. Almost everyone there was a newbie. Even the hostess of the event, Faith Landsman, had only been to two previous food swaps. I don’t want to sound redundant, but REALLY, everyone was going around the room saying the same thing. “This is so much fun!”
What is a food swap?
A food swap is an activity where people bring homemade foods that they have prepared and packaged in such a way that
A soda display at Ralphs. jeff_soffer / Flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
Ralphs is closest to my home so when I forget something from Trader Joe’s, Ralphs it is. Here are my six secrets to saving money at Ralphs.
Clearance rack – This is one of the best kept secrets at Ralphs and other grocers. When food nears its “sell by date,” employees move it to a special clearance rack that is often hard to find. But it’s worth seeking out, because items are 50% off or more! At my local Ralphs, the rack is all the way in the back near the refrigerator section. It tends to have a lot of bread and a few blemished produce. Last time I found whole wheat dinner rolls for $.99. We ate them that night with pasta and they where yummy.
Meat sale – You don’t have to stick to
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of BobbisBargains.
My new double boiler
I make hundreds of chocolate-dipped pretzels and candies each year as presents, saving me many hundreds of dollars. Because I make handmade candies, I can be very generous in my gift giving and participate in food swaps. A new tool has made my gift-giving process significantly quicker (and time is money).
I have always used my microwave to melt chocolate. In fact, melting chocolate was one of the few reasons I owned a microwave. But melting large quantities of chocolates in a microwave is not very efficient and it lessens the flavor of the chocolate. I was on the lookout for a used double boiler because I certainly didn’t want to pay retail.
Corn is already $.20 an ear in my 'hood. Credit: Bitman/Flickr
Coupons for produce is almost unheard of, so one way I keep my grocery bill down is buying in season fruit and vegetables. Look for prices on the below produce to start falling. Produce grown close to home is also a good bargain bet.
This list comes from FruitsandVeggiesMoreMatters.org, which has more info and recipes when you click on the links below. My favorite summer produce includes beets, green beans, corn, peaches, strawberries with mint for dessert, and tomatoes for fresh salsa. What about you?
Apricots
Asian Pear
Beets
Black Currants
Bell Peppers
Wendy Copley / Flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
I like shopping at Trader Joe’s because of their friendly customer service and their money-saving deals. If you’re new to TJ’s, here are six tips to boost your savings at this grocery store.
Try it before you buy it – Don’t spend money on food your family doesn’t like. Keep in mind that any product on the shelf can be sampled. Employees are allowed to open up any jar or box to let customers try them. No can do on wine, though. The Trader Joe’s I frequent also has a section in the back where they always give out free samples. I’ve been able to try sauces, salads and their coffees before forking over my hard earned cash.
Avoid prepared foods – Trader Joe’s has a variety of food from Mexican to Indian cuisine, but it’s easy to spend too much! My favorite right now is
Cascadian Farm / Flickr
This is a post by BargainBabe.com writer Yazmin Cruz.
I was looking for a recipe to use my freshly cut asparagus from my garden when I came upon a recipe from one of my favorite food blogs. It reminded me of spring and so I tweaked it to my liking. This recipe includes three of my favorites: pasta, cheese, and lemon.
It was delicious, inexpensive, and fast to make on a week night. Another reason I like this easy dinner recipe so much is because it’s versatile. You can add different in season veggies like peas, green beans, or even chicken to make it more hearty. I added chicken that needed to be used. This pasta recipe can also be serve with warm bread and a small soup, if you’re really hungry.
VirtualErn/Flickr
Used your BBQ yet this summer? Look for these four affordable cuts of beef at the grocery store. Plus, the three leanest cuts of beef below. I got these tips from ShopSmart mag, the savvy-shopping magazine published by Consumer Reports.
1. Flatiron, boneless blade, petite steak, top blade, patio steak. This cut may be labeled any one of the five above ways. Runs about $5/lb and has nice marbling, which gives the meat a tasty flavor.
Was this "lay out" powered by homemade sports drink? Credit: popofatticus/Flickr
I just learned a recipe to make my own sports drink, which I consume liberally during summer sport season (ultimate Frisbee and volleyball, mostly). This recipe comes from ShopSmart magazine, published by Consumer Reports. I’m so excited to try this out and not buy Gatorade anymore!
Ingredients
4 c water
2 T sugar
1/2 tsp salt
Lemon juice or Kool-aid to taste
Directions
Mix everything together and voila! You’re ready to go. Add your preferred sugar-free flavor to taste. I’m guessing this stuff will last a few weeks in your fridge so try making a big batch and pouring it into reusable water bottles as needed.
What are other recipes you can easily make at home, thereby saving yourself a bundle?
I couldn’t help myself, even though watching these clips of Extreme Couponing makes me feel guilty. In this clip, a couponer named Treasure (how appropriate) runs into a big snag when a store rep tells her she interpreted the store’s coupon policy incorrectly. Are grocery stores no longer welcome of extreme coupon clippers???
There are a ton of hot ice cream deals going on right now thanks to Eversave, a Groupon imitator that organized a national “ice cream social.” To get these deals go to Eversave, then select one of the cities below. All but two are for 50% off!!!!
Chicago
Dana Café- $5 for $10 (gelato)
Providence
Donick’s – $5 for $10 worth of ice cream
New York City
By Bobbi Burger Brunoehler of Bobbisbargains.
mary_thompson/flickr
I love veggie chips and I pay WAY too much for these crispy treats. I convinced myself that they are healthy and therefore it is OK to pay at least twice as much as I would pay for a bag of regular chips. Boy, have I been taken in by packaging.
The fact is that packaged veggie chips are healthier than potato chips but still contain carbs, fats, and sodium.
How about controlling the fat and salt by making them yourself?
My favorite veggie chips are the ones made from beets. They are so colorful and impossibly swirled with white and color. Turns out you can make your own by
Easy salsa fresca recipe below. Credit: Faithful Provisions
I share five must read blog posts about saving money every Friday.
Cinco de Mayo recipes that taste good, even on May 6 and beyond. (Faithful Provisions)
The Express enabled fans to shop its entire catalog through Facebook. Is social media the new future of online shopping? (Direct Marketing News via NRF)
JobJab has a spirited rap video e-card for Mother’s Day, which you can watch a generic version of. Customizing and sending to your Mom costs $12 and gets you a year’s membership with access to 1,000 e-cards and videos. Update: Get 1-% off a 12 month subscription with coupon code MDAY10.
Free mobile coupons – The website 8Coupons, which provides coupons based on your location, just released a free iPhone coupon app.
A tax for driving is being discussed in Washington, according to Jim at Bargaineering. I work from home so I’m in favor. Get out your bicycle! On the flip side, taxing people for driving to work seems, well, un-American.
Soil in the making!
We picked up a huge composter for $45 this past weekend at a recycling event after outgrowing our $4 homemade composters. What excites me – other than rotting food waste in my kitchen – is the tip booklet that came with it. A complete guide to composting!
Making rich soil saves me a ton of money on dirt and shortens my grocery list – I’m growing my food! So don’t pay attention to compost rumors.
Convenience is the number one factor in locating your composter. If it’s too far away, you won’t use it, especially if you get nasty winter weather. One solution is to keep a smaller homemade composter near your kitchen door. When it fills up, make one big trip to your main composter.
A kitchen pail with lid is crucial. Fill it up with food waste during the day, then dump it into your composter as part of dinner cleanup. A lid keeps fruit flies away. We got bugs last summer so I’m dumping it after lunch, too.
Hair, dryer lint, and paper napkins
I’m getting addicted to Extreme Couponing – or the previews anyway because I don’t have cable so I can’t watch the whole show. Here are three recent previews.
Going bananas for free bananas!
Twins bring sass to the register.
Toothpaste for troops.
