Frugal Dippity Doo Meals

The other day I bought 4.2 KG Mitchells boneless ham at Superstore for $16.75.  Cut it into 6 ham roasts and four packets of ham slices for breakfasts.  We had one of the hams last night for dinner and will have the leftovers tonight (egg, ham and cheese toasted sandwiches) for a quick and easy meal.

Savings?  About 60% off buying the smaller hams that I have purchased in the past.  Now I have ham for a couple of months.  We are trying to eat less bacon due to fat content and cost so ham is an easy alternative having fewer calories.  It has high sodium but I am cutting salt out of a lot of other things in our diet so it evens out.

I was making a tuna casserole the other night and it struck me that everything in it was bought on sale, in bulk or reduced.

Ingredients
Two cups dry macaroni   - no name macaroni bought in bulk
Bread Crumbs                 - used bread ends and made crumbs in my mini food processor (love it)
Cheese                            - found two large blocks of cheese this week in the 50% off bin at Superstore, cut into small packs and froze much of it for later use
Celery                              - $1.29/head
Onion                               - bought 3lb bag of onions for $1 a few weeks ago
mushroom soup                - bought a case of Campbells soup a few weeks ago for $5.60
handful of frozen corn        - bought 3kg no name brand bag two months ago - this was the last
Tuna                                  -tuna 1 can bought on sale for .77 (sorry I forgot to list this in the original post - thanks Wean!)

Dinner and lunch the next day for less than $2.  It was yummy.

It pays to constantly scour the ads for deals and only try to buy when things are on sale.  Today I am off to get my 30 rolls of toilet paper on bargain and .25 cent mustard after coupon.  Cheers!

Cheapchick's Week

The Comox Valley

Mallards huddling in the wind

We took a very quick walk in the sunshine Saturday in part due to the extremely cold wind.  Yes, it's true.  We have officially turned into pansies.  Just last winter we withstood minus 35 degrees celcius temperatures in Alberta on a daily basis.   Here a blast of wind off the ocean on a zero degree day and we race back to the car :)

Sunday was Mom's 70th Birthday so we drove to take her to Brunch, a two hour drive each direction.  One day she will sell her little mobile and move to our town, hopefully in the next year or two depending on the realestate situation.  She is in good health and cheer and loved getting the gift-cards we gave her, perfect for someone who wants or needs little.  I made a blackberry pie and brought her ice-cream to enjoy from the stash of berries I picked in the summer.  It turned out really tasty.  We managed to stop off at our favorite farm market in her town and stock up on veggies, some of which will be used for tonight's stir-fry.

Today I made applesauce muffins for snacks and to use up some of the large frozen supply made from free apples in the summer.  I also picked up the painting(previously purchased for $20 for our home but it didn't turn out to be one that we wanted to keep) and hourglasses that I had with a consignment store as only one of the three hourglasses sold.  I will try and sell the others this spring at a local sale.  The hourglasses cost .99 cents each last year at Goodwill in Alberta and they paid me $6 so I am up $5.01!  Whoo hoo! Yes, this is the first real money I have made in my reselling venture.  Next plan is to open the ETSY store of which I am hoping for a nice sunny non-windy day so I can take some outdoor pictures of the items and get the store open.

I did make one stop at a thrift store this week, but found nothing for resale (I am trying to be very picky) or that I had to have so I walked out empty handed.  It is okay to do that, most people feel guilty leaving a charitable thrift store empty handed.  They make plenty off me  in both purchases and donations.

My fibromyalgia has been acting up this week, so feeling way less than 100%.  It comes and it goes and I self medicate which is much better than being on constant medication for the rest of your life.  I only take pain relievers when I must - on the rare occasions.  It comes with grouchiness, chronic fatigue and insomnia so needless to say I will be happy when the latest bout passes and I feel like getting out of the house again.  I tend to cocoon at home when I feel this way.

Have a great week!

Oatmeal 101 Breakfast of Champions

Favorite Garage Sale Cannister $1

My oatmeal is not boring and therefore my family and I love it. Yes, take plain oatmeal and add a bit of milk and it can be boring. We add some of these items every time:

Cinnamin
Cloves
Nutmeg
Vanilla
Raisins
Any bits of dried fruit like cranberries, figs, Raisins
Chopped Apple
Frozen or fresh berries

Today's oatmeal was chopped apple (free from September box Mother gleaned from a friend kept crisp in the fridge), cinnamin, dash of vanilla, handful of raisins and handful of dried cranberries. Breakfast for less than a dollar.

The secret to good oatmeal is putting the fruit and spice in with the water and bring to boil. The spices also make your house smell great. Use a wooden spoon to stir for one minute while simmering then remove from heat and let it set up - about 3 minutes. You will never burn oatmeal to your pan and it comes out perfect every time. Hubby eats his with Spenda and milk, I prefer a dash of brown sugar and milk. If you are going away for the weekend and have access to a kitchen you can easily pack breakfast in a bag this way.

After the breakfast of champions I am off to buy our .95 cent per pound holiday Turkey. Cheers!

Bits & Bobs

Lots of applesauce making this week with that free box of organic apples - made easier by use of the slow cooker. My house has a fabulous baked apple smell now, no need for air freshener! We ate some, froze some and used some for a batch of applesauce muffins which turned out very well. Of the large box that was given to me I have only used about 1/3 so am on the hunt for apple recipes to use the rest up. If you want to make applesauce in a slowcooker there are many recipes but I prefer just a cup of water and tablespoon of sugar per 8 apples and a sprinkling of cinnamin and a dash of vanilla.

I decided to sell the painting I picked up this summer for $20 as hubby does not like it as much as I do. I tried Craigslist and no luck so have put it on consignment in a new used goods store that just opened up. They thought they would list it for $75 and whatever they sell it for I get to keep 60%. I will keep you posted if it sells.

I haven't done any updates on freebies of late - all this haul came in the last two weeks. It pays to sign up for freebies, especially when on a tight budget but I only sign up for things either ourselves or an immediate family member can use. Hubby is allergic to Tide so that sample is to be given to my Mother. I have given up on signing up for hand cream samples as have enough lotions to last several years as it is.

It finally started raining here so it has been hard to get out and mow the lawn that is now growing again due to moisture. The leaves are turning (photos to come - I have to get out and take some pictures) and there is the lovely smell of ocean salt and woodstove smoke in the air. I love fall. Time for cozy warm drinks like tea, hot chocolate, and spiced rums by the warmth of the fireplace.

I hope you all are enjoying your lovely fall weekend! Linking up with Elaine at Sunny Simple Life's Sunny Simple Sunday.

Time for Pie!

One of my goals this summer was to learn how to become a better baker. My baking skills had been somewhat limited to muffins, cakes and biscuits. Earlier this summer I added scratch pizza crust from this very easy recipe from Canadian Living which I loved as it is yeast free and ready to use as soon as done.

My next hurdle was homemade pie crust. After picking twelve cups of blackberries (with numerous scratches to prove it) this week I was inspired to try my first pie from scratch. There have been a few frozen pie crusts in my past but no more.

Sorry about the picture. The pie was so good I forgot to take a picture until after we ate half. The recipes I used were both found on allrecipes.com (my favorite free recipe source):

1. No Fail Pie Crust I
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup shortening (I used Golden Crisco - room temperature DONT REFRIGERATE, I would not recommend using butter or margarine)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar


Directions
1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in shortening until it resembles coarse crumbs.
2. Mix egg, water and vinegar together. Pour into flour all at once and blend with a fork until dough forms a ball.
3. Wrap with plastic and chill in refrigerator (for at least 1/2 hr)

This recipe apparently freezes well. I had a little left over so will find out.

2. Blackberry Pie Filling I
Ingredients
4 cups fresh blackberries
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons milk
1/4 cup white sugar

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
2. Combine 3 1/2 cups berries with the sugar and flour. Spoon the mixture into an unbaked pie shell. Spread the remaining 1/2 cup berries on top of the sweetened berries, and cover with the top crust. Seal and crimp the edges, and cut vents in the top crust for steam to escape.
3. Brush the top crust with milk, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar.
4. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

I had no pie rack so improvised using a metal rack that goes in the bottom of my roasting pan. I also had no pastry brush so used a barbeque brush for the milk bath on top of the pie. Next time I would make the crust a little thinner as now trust this recipe to know it doesn't tear easily.


OMG maybe the best thing I have ever made! I still have some berries in the freezer for later baking, and yes, my piecrust making abilities will only get better from here on out. If you have never tried a crust before - try this NO FAIL RECIPE! Even if you overwork the dough it still comes out flaky.

I only had time to pick these berries and make this pie because...I quit that job! After three days I knew it wasn't me - but wanted to make sure so gave it a full two weeks and quit. Thankfully we are financially secure enough for me to make this decision. I have never quit a job in such a short period of time in my life, usually working at jobs from 2 to 10 years. Frankly life is too short to be stuck doing something you know you don't like. Life here on the island is no longer only about work work work, it is about living life the way we want to.

Fortunately, hubby's business made huge leaps and bounds this week and he has asked me not to find another job as he needs my help right now with administration. I was already his blog keeper and travel arranger. Now I will be doing more to ease some of the burden off him. He started his business six months ago and all his hard work is starting to pay off. I am very proud of him. The option is always there of getting another job but for now we are going to try this out.

You never know what curves life will throw at you and we count our blessings every day. Three months now living on Vancouver Island and we are definitely going with the flow!

Easy Homemade Salad Dressing From Grandma

I was invited over for dinner by a friend that I have known for over ten years and lives minutes from my mothers house this past week. She is a great cook so I would never turn down a dinner invitation. We had a great time catching up and I managed to snag this simple salad dressing recipe that she got from her Grandma.

Don't you love finding simple recipes that you have all the ingredients for without going to the store? The basic recipe:

3 tablespoons oil (olive, or vegetable)
3 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon yellow prepared mustard (just regular old mustard you put on hotdogs)
1 teaspoon sugar

Mix it all together and pour over a large bowl of salad. That is it. Easy and it tastes great. We tried it at home last night and hubby agrees, this is a keeper. Next time I will try it with honey versus sugar. I am sure you could substitute the sugar with lower calorie options as well or add a specialty mustard instead of regular prepared mustard. Another tip I like is that we always add fresh ground pepper to our salads, no matter the kind. It gives it some added zest.

1930's Cookbook Treasure

This is one treasure that I am keeping in our downsize - 1930 cookbook (made with magazine style pages for economy) I bought about ten years ago when working in a used/antiquity book store. I collect pre 1970 cookbooks - found at garage sales, thrift stores, and used book stores. If you would like to start collecting everything is also available at ebay - at premium prices. I prefer the thrill of the hunt.

Better Meals for Less: Purchased for $5
1930
By George E. Cornforth, Chef for the New England Sanitarium

The great depression was from 1929 to late 1930's, early 1940s. This book reflects that.

Some tidbits(some a bit wayward):
brown bread is described as "all of the wheat bread"
"I prefer to make cake without baking powder and soda because I think it is better not to have in food the chemicals that are left by the use of baking powder and soda" (yes it really says this-remember this is 1930)
"tea and coffee are used to relieve headache and when users of tea and coffee attempt to stop using them, they find that they have been having a headache for years, but did not know it!"
The author was not a supporter of tea and coffee but suggests "palatable hot drinks can be made from dried celery leaves, dried raspberry leaves, dried clover blossoms and pine needles, all somewhat valuable for their mineral and vitamin content"

Suggested simple daily menu:

Breakfast: rolled oats, milk, all-of-the wheat bread or toast, apple sauce, banana
Dinner (lunch): cottage cheese,baked potato, spinach, raw carrot and celery salad, honey and graham cake
Supper: green peas, sliced peaches, prunes, rye bread and butter

Notice - no meat? Many familes ate no meat for days during the depression. Most of those ingredients are ones you could grow your own or easily obtain.

From the Soup section

Washington Chowder Recipe:
1 cup diced potato
2 cups water
1 small onion
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup stewed tomates
3/4 cup corn
1/2 cup heavy cream
Slice onion and cook in the water with the potatoes. When tender add tomatoes and corn. Reheat ensuring it does not stick to bottom of pan. Just before serving add cream and salt.

A nice simple recipe isn't it? I might try it one of these days. A good suggestion was made never to throw out water that any vegetable had been cooked in, use it as a base for a future soup as contains minerals and vitamins valuable for good health.

If you are interested in depression era cooking check this out:
Taste of Home - several depression recipes

I am linking up with verymerryvintagestyle.blogspot.com, herlibraryadventures.blogspot.com , thethriftygroove.blogspot.com, www.shabbynest.blogspot.com - check them out!

The Gift of Friendship Loaf Starter

(my red sharpie pen remarks for the rest of the family)
A friend at work gave me this gift of friendship 10 day loaf starter today.

The recipe for the starter can be found here:

allrecipes.com
Amish Friendship Loaf Starter

My friends version adds a combination of 4 tea spoons of cinnamin and 1/2 a cup of brown sugar in layers at time of baking(day 10) making it a Cinnamin Loaf. There are many variations and I may try a cranberry orange version as well as it is a combination of ingredients I love.

I am on Day 1 and this gift is just what I needed to kickstart a somewhat lagging Christmas Spirit. Other than repairing my 10 lb wreath that was blown off the front door (50 km winds this week) with some of hubbys tile glue (all that I had on hand and it worked great) and watching a couple of Christmas movies I have done little to make Christmas at our house. I did manage to decorate the window sill but am still not sure where to put our little buddy screwy reindeer that hubby insisted I fish out of the Goodwill box this weekend. I think the sill could use a few cuts of pine boughs but I will wait to add those for a couple of weeks as our house will dry it out too fast and we don't want a fire hazard near the candles.

I have decided before this loaf is ready to bake(10 days) I will:

1. Mail all my Christmas cards to American and Canadian family members and friends

2. Put up Christmas tree (but wait on decorating until the kids weekend so they can put all the decorations on). The lights will help me get motivated. I think they are one of my favorite parts of Christmas. We don't have a "decorator tree". All our ornaments have some meaning including a few ornaments from the 1930s that were my grandmothers. Others are some that the kids (now 14, 16, 18 and 20) made when they were younger. There are even some I made as a teenager. I will also decorate my mantle and hang the Christmas balls in every window like I do every year.

3. Wrap the presents we already have purchased. We have done about 30% of the shopping so far. I have several wrapping sessions as we have a large family so like to spread it out plus like seeing some gifts under the Christmas tree. I have a few gift bags from stores that I need to alter into Christmas bags but in the spirit of the "no more Christmas Crap pledge" I promise not to purchase any crafting supplies and use only what I have in the house. Frugal habits often causes creativity as a side effect.

4. Do some baking including loafs from the above Starter. I don't do much Christmas baking, usually one batch of sugar cookies as the younger kids still enjoy decorating them and one batch of fudge. This year I will add a loaf or two to the mix.

5. Go shopping in my pantry for items to take to the food bank - I always buy on sale so this is a great way to give this time of year.

I like to have almost everything done by the 10th of December so I can relax and enjoy the Christmas spirit of the holidays. I have already recorded a bunch of television shows and movies (key PVR words: Christmas, holidays)to watch. My Mom is flying in from Vancouver Island late on the 23rd of December for a few days. We gather and have a no-meat Ukrainian Christmas Eve with hubby's family, my Mom and the kids(although the true Ukrainian Christmas is in the New Year) and then have an extremely quiet Christmas day - just me, hubby and my Mom as the kids are off to spend Christmas day with their Mom. We sit around in our robes, drink Baileys spiked tea and coffee, and smell the turkey cooking, stuff ourselves, and watch a movie after dinnerwards. Sounds nice, doesn't it?

My apologies for the quality of recent photos - but I go to work in the dark and come home to the dark therefore no great daylight shots with natural light for several months to come.

Happy Thanksgiving to all Our American Friends today - Plus I would like to say welcome to some recent followers of my blog - I am up to 9!

September Grocery Tally and Coupons Used

Septembers Budget was $450.00 minus 46.03 over from August = $403.97

Actual: $423.09 ($19.12 over budget)

Coupons Used: $83.53 - my highest month to date (Year to date $418.12)

Octobers Grocery Budget will be based on my new Thrifty Plan
$426.57 (see more on Thrifty Plan Guidelines here) minus $19.12 overage from September = $407.45.

This month I went over budget on purpose in the last week. Why? Great sales on produce with sales ending on September 30th. I would rather go a little bit over than pay twice as much for the same item the next week - that is the major benefit of carrying the overage from one month to the next. My overspend never gets out of control.

We have been cooking from scratch this week more, on Thursday was ground Turkey (that had been sitting in the freezer for several months) chili and baking powder biscuits. It turned out really good and we have a frozen batch for some future dinner when we don't feel like cooking. My chili is always a mish-mash of whatever is in the fridge. Leftover salsa, that last bit of barbeque sauce, some pasta or rice, and always tons of chili powder.

I scored one food product for free this week at Sobeys

$1.99 minus $2 coupon (no tax on food products in Alberta)= free plus 1 cent to apply to other groceries.

I found a great deal on gum at Rexall. They must have been selling off older stock - I wonder if gum expires?

4 packages for .16 each (photo shows 3 as husband stole one before I could take a picture) plus tax .68 cents (for 80 pieces of gum)

We also listed a few items for sale on Kijiji. One sold last night:

4 year old Costco Patio set (that was starting to chip pieces off the top as I am certain these were not meant for our harsh winters)
Sold for $400 - that goes straight into the Vancouver Island Furniture Fund(for anything we sell here that we have to buy there - is much cheaper than shipping an 800 pound patio set)

Things are starting to leave the house - selling things makes me feel like we are moving in the right direction. The patio actually looks much larger now that the set is gone and will likely show better when we sell.

Here is a shot I took a few weeks ago at sunrise. Seagulls flying high in the pink puffy clouds. Cheers everyone!

Turkey with Stuffing without breaking the Budget

We have a very busy family (four of which reside in 2 households) therefore when we are all able to meet up in the same place for a meal we celebrate. Tonight is turkey night for seven. The first time I cooked a turkey (age 33) was a bit scary. Luckily I happened to have my Mother visiting and was walked through the process. About 20 turkeys later and zero failure rate! According to my Betty Crocker cook book there is no difference between fresh and frozen turkeys. I wait until the turkey gets to .99 cents per pound and buy a young frozen turkey - 12 lbs in this case for seven - and there are always leftovers.

Here is a step by step Turkey cooking/stuffing recipe process:

1. Unthaw your turkey 2 days ahead - start out on the counter and finish in the fridge. If you prefer to thaw entirely in the fridge check the night before you are set to cook to ensure it will be completely thawed. If you run out of time you can also place the turkey in a sink full of water which speeds the thawing process.

2. Extract turkey from plastic casing - be sure to remove the neck piece and giblet bag that the meat packers leave inside the cavity. You can use those if you wish in making broth for future meals. You can also cook those outside the turkey as they add to gravy flavouring.

3. Thoroughly wash the bird. Salt the exterior-I never used to salt but find it makes the skin taste even better. Drizzle olive oil or rub butter/margarine over breast area

4. Place the bird breast side up. Most roasting pans come a small rack that make it easier to remove the bird when done roasting. I pour 1 cup water in the bottom to mix with the juices and butter/oil for basting.

My Mothers Stuffing Recipe:
3/4 cup chopped white onion
1 1/2 cup chopped celery (include some leaf bits for extra taste)
2 1/2 tablespoons poultry seasoning
2 teaspoons pepper
1 - 1 1/2 loaves of bread (any kind except rye) torn up into small 1 inch pieces
1/2 - 3/4 cup margarine
Water/Vegetable stock/Chicken stock as moistening agent

In a saucepan on the stove melt the butter, poultry seasoning, pepper, onions and celery just until butter melts and onions are starting to turn opaque then remove from the heat. Pour the mixture over the bread and add 1 - 2 cups of water or stock so that the mixture is just moist when thoroughly mixed.

Adjust ingredients to taste. I always make it exactly as above as hubby loves this stuffing. If you use less butter you must make sure to add extra hot water to give the stuffing some moisture. I prefer to stuff the bird (take your rings off first) with the stuffing putting excess under the skin beside the legs. I also prefer to use fresh bread (or recently thawed) versus day old or croutons that they sell for this purpose as find it tastes better. You could save bread ends for the month or two prior to turkey day for this purpose. I had a bag in the freezer for this purpose but hubby went and fed my bread ends to our little geese friends in the back yard :)

Some prefer not to stuff the bird for fear of botulism. I always immediately remove 100% of the meat and stuffing before we sit down to eat so generally that eliminates the risk but if you don't want to stuff I would recommend the above recipe used with 1 - 1.5 cups of chicken stock added - cook for 1 hour 325 - 350 degrees Celsius (same temperature as bird - you could even make a tin foil pouch of this if you don't have enough room in the oven for the 2 dishes)

Once the bird is stuffed make tin foil covers for the wings and leg/stuffing area otherwise the stuffing gets too dry or burnt in that area. Make a little tin foil tent over the whole bird (that is removable to baste every 1 -1 1/2 hr). I wonder why the roasting pan comes with a lid that all cookbooks tell you not to use when cooking turkey?



My 12 lb bird bakes at 325 degrees for 4 - 4 1/2 hours. We serve it with mashed potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, corn or salad. If you want to entertain more people I would add more side dishes.

My Turkey feast for 7 cost(approximates):
Turkey $12 (12 lbs frozen young)
Celery .50
Onion .50
Bread $2
Gravy (I buy gravy mixes as still can't make a great gravy on my own) $2
Potatoes $2
Butter/Margarine $1
Corn or salad $1
Cranberry sauce $1

Total cost $20 with leftovers

Happy Easter Everyone!