Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Savings Match Up

There is a new service out there for those of you that want to coupon and save as much money as you can on groceries but are short on time or know how.  Savings Match Up will search out the best prices to price match and coupons for you for a small fee.

https://www.facebook.com/SavingsMatchUp
 or email at
savingsmatchup@gmail.com

Saturday, October 26, 2013

The essence of Frugality. 8 meals out of one.

If you know me I am truly a tightwad.  I refuse to pay full price for anything at the grocery store or any store.  Since moving to the big city, I have found so many more places to price match for Walmart.  This is awesome since the cost of living is more expensive here.  I am going to explain here how I got the absolute more out of a deal. 

A couple of weeks ago, I found a sale on meat.  I ended up getting a beef roast for $1.49/lb.  That on its own is a really good deal but I stretched that roast out into 8 meals and not just left over pot roast.  

  1. On Tuesday, I made pot roast and fresh homemade yeast rolls. 
  2. Wednesday morning I packed Mr. J's lunch with Roast beef sliders using the left over yeast rolls. 
  3. Wednesday night, for dinner we had Beef Stew. I used the left over broth from cooking the pot roast that I didn't use for Gravy and added red beans, split peas, frozen mixed veggies, cut the left over roast up into bit size pieces, rice, and barley, then added the left over gravy, carrots, potatoes, and peas from the pot roast served with homemade cornbread.  
  4. Thursday night for dinner, I took the some of the stew from the night before and put it in a cast iron skillet topped with homemade biscuits for a rustic beef pot pie
  5. Friday lunch, I had the the left over rustic pot pie, and J had a bowl of stew and left over cornbread.
  6. Saturday Dinner, I made actual pie crust from scratch and made a real pot pie out of the left over stew, and 2 mini pot pies out of the left over crust and 2 ladles of the stew for J to take for lunch next week which would be meals 7 and 8.  
Price break down:
  • 3.65lb Round roast             $6.89
  • 4 russet potatoes                $0.40         (from a 10lb bag at 2.98)
  • 1 lb carrots                        $0.50
  • 1/2 package of frozen peas  $0.50
  • 3 mushrooms                     $0.10          (from a package that I got for .69)
  • various seasonings              $0.50 
  • 1/4 bag red beans                $0.25
  • 1/4 bag split peas                 $0.25
  • 1 bag mixed veggies frozen   $1.00
  • 1/2 c rice                             $0.25
  • 1/4c pearled barley                $0.13
  • Cornbread  ingredients           $0.20 ( equivalent of 2 jiffy mixes)
  • Biscuit ingredients                 $0.15(equivalent of 1 bisquick mix)
  • Pie crust ingredients              $0.35 
  • Fresh yeast rolls ingredients   $1.75
Eight meals for $13.22.  And it is healthy with plenty of veggies.  This week I will see what I can do with Chili!  Enjoy!!!

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

Baked bean Casserole and Apple betty for dinner.

Good morning to you all.  Last night for dinner I made a dinner that is a favorite in my house.  Baked bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and for dessert Apple betty.  My bunch with the exception on M loves baked bean casserole.  He doesn't  like beans.  Both are easy recipes and they are below.  Mashed potato recipe isn't because just about everybody has their own recipe for that.

Baked bean Casserole
( family of 5)


  • 1 lb hamburger meat
  • 32 oz pork n beans (canned or fresh made) 
  • 10 splashes of  worchestershire sauce
  • 3 tbsp of minced onion
  • 1/4 c brown sugar
Brown the hamburger meat in a large cast iron skillet,  then add the pork n beans with all the juice,  Worchestershire sauce, onions, and brown sugar stir and throw in the oven for about 20 minutes at 350.  

 Apple betty
  • 1 quart of Apple pie filling (I use my canned apple pie filling if using store bought pie filling 2 cans)
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/4 c sugar
  • 1/4 c brown sugar
  • 1 tbsp  cinnamon 
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 stick of butter softened
Pour in your pie filling  then mix the other ingredients in another bowl then pour on top and bake at 350 for 45 minutes until the filling is bubbling up and the crust is browned.