Archive Monthly Archives: April 2009

TVP and Bean Burrito Mix

1 cup plain or unflavored TVP granules 3 tablespoons dry onion 2 tablespoons dry bell pepper (optional) 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1 tablespoon chili powder 1/2 teaspoon cumin 1/4 teaspoon oregano 2 beef bouillon cubes Combine the TVP and all of the other ingredients in a resealable plastic container. I like to use zip-lock bags. […]

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Easy Chili

1 pound ground beef 1 large onion, chopped 2 cloves garlic minced, or 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 15 or 28 oz can of tomatoes 6 oz can tomato paste 4 cups cooked pinto or kidney beans(see note below) 1 tablespoon chili powder 1 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon pepper 1 tablespoon dry parsley (optional) Get out […]

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Red Beans & Rice

1 pound dry kidney beans (approximately 6 cups cooked) 2 quarts of tap water 1 pound turkey sausage 1 large onion, chopped 4 stalks of celery chopped 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic 2 teaspoons salt Good shot of Tabasco Sauce Hot Cooked Brown Rice or White Rice (double the recipe for the rice) Soak the […]

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5 Cheap Ways to Eat Black Beans

By Nicole Dean If you have a family budget worked out, you know how hard it is to stick to it without having some real concrete plans and strategies to stretch your money as far as it will go. Usually, the first area we can squeeze a few extra dollars out of our wallets is […]

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Second Hand Shopping

One of the easiest ways by far to save money on just about anything is to shop second hand. Shopping for previously used items is not only cheaper than buying new it helps to reduce consumption of new goods when perfectly usable items are already in existence. It reduces the amount of garbage entering the […]

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Home Heating This Winter

One of the easiest and most effective ways to keep your heating bill down this winter is to turn down the thermostat. This means cooler temperatures in the house but there are several things you can do to help keep your family cozy and warm while saving money at the same time. Be proactive – […]

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Apple – The Frugal Fruit

We love apples around here. I don’t think a week goes by where we don’t eat them raw or cook with them. Apples are inexpensive (especially if you go out and pick them yourself), store well and can be used in a variety of dishes. I use them as a pancake topping, in my oatmeal […]

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Affordable Herbs – Dry Them Yourself

Herbs are a great way to flavor almost any food dish, but buying them at the store can be expensive. A more cost effective option that adds money to your pocket and flavor to your meals is to grow and dry your own herbs. It can also be tons of fun, especially if you have […]

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Frugal Breakfast Foods

If you are a regular on the site, you already know that some of my favorite frugal breakfast items are homemade muffins and oatmeal. Pricewise almost nothing can beat either one of them, but if you are looking for a little more variety for that all-important first meal of the day, try some of these […]

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Frugal Grocery Shopping

Prices for anything from groceries to gas have been soaring the past few ones and our hard-earned dollars are challenged to stretch further. Now, we may be able to ride a bicycle around town if we can’t put gas in our cars. But, we have to eat. There’s no getting around that. So, we have […]

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Homemade Sanitary Pads

I learned about homemade cloth menstrual pads on a Christian Ladies’ message board in 2002. I had just been diagnosed with Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome or PCOS. Some of my symptoms were heavy, irregular and painful menses which left me feeling very much like the Woman in the New Testament with the issue of blood […]

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Beverage Bargains

Beverages are one of the easiest places to save money on your food bill. In order to do this we have to be willing to let go of old expensive attitudes and open the door to newer, cheaper ones. All beverages besides water, milk, and fruit juice are luxuries. This includes kool-aid, soda-pop, coffee, cocoa, […]

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Hot Dog Ramblings

Hot Dogs, Wieners, Frankfurters, Franks, or Dogs; whatever you call them, they are one of the main stays of low cost cooking, especially if you have children to feed. In my hot dog explorations I have discovered that all beef franks taste the best, at least to my taste buds. They are usually the most […]

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Chicken Tips And Bargains

It used to be that the cheapest and tastiest chicken you could buy was the whole chicken. This is no longer the case. With all of the low-fat and weight loss paranoia around today, chicken breasts have become as popular and available as sirloin steaks used to be in the 1960’s, when meat and potatoes […]

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Homemade Convenience Foods

Are convenience foods ruining your budget and robbing you of your hard earned cash?  Fight back with these great recipes.  Create your own convenience foods, and pocket monstrous savings in the process.  Begin by substituting your Homemade Granola for expensive Zowie Wowie Sugar Puffs.  Then move on to more ambitious projects like Biscuit Mix, Flavored […]

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