Save That Hard Brown Sugar

Photo: Shutterstock

Yesterday my mom brought me a brick of brown sugar.  You could have hurt someone with it, that is how hard it was!  She was at a loss as to what to do with it.  She was going to throw it out but figured I could use it in a chili or something.  

This was a perfect opportunity to try a remedy I had heard of but never tried.  I used a cut piece of apple and added it to the sealed container.  With in a few hours the edge of the brick was softening.  It took just under 24 hours and it was better than new!

What a great way of pinching pennies!  Instead of tossing it I was able to save it and save my mom some money.  I am returning her sugar to her the next time I see her.

Butter Spread

I am a butter person. I love butter. "Butter is better" is my motto. Coming from a culinary background this is what is engrained in us from the beginning. Quality ingredients equals a quality product. But there are times when I don't want to wait for the butter to soften or I forget to put it out for the rolls. So I suck it up and use the spread stuff. Not the same but it does the job in a pinch.

We all know a great way to pinch pennies is to buy in bulk (most of the time).   I look longingly at the value of the big bulk of butter spread thinking, "what a great way to pinch pennies", but I don't want a 3 lb tub of hydrogenated oil sitting on my dinner table.  So I have surpassed it up until now.  I had this realization that I COULD but the big tub but I could transfer part of it into a cute covered crock.  I rarely use the crock but I love it.  Now I have killed multiple birds with one stone!  I got my value, I get to use a serving piece I rarely use and I get spreadable butter-like spread on demand.

Rite Aid Kotex Deal

I was in Rite Aid today to try and get my Soy Joy bars for free but they were out of them yet again.  Wonder why they were out? (roll eyes)  So I had a few minuted to peruse the isles and see what penny pinching I could do.  Pictured above is the deal I found.  

Kotex 18 ct. regular tampons regular priced 3.99.  On sale 2/$6. I had a coupon for $1 off 2. PLUS they also have a Single Check Rebate for $2 off when you buy 2.

Valid from 01/25/09 to 02/28/09
$2.00 Rebate
Kotex/Poise

Purchase Two (2):
• Kotex Maxipads, 28-44 ct.
• Kotex Tampons, 36 ct.
• Kotex Lightdays, 80 ct. or larger
• Poise Pads, 20-30 ct.
• Poise Pantiliners, 44-48 ct.
Selection may vary by store
Offer valid 01/23/09 - 02/26/09 in select California stores and 01/25/09 - 02/28/09 in all other stores.
LIMIT ONE (1) $2.00 REBATE

Normally 2 boxes would cost $8 (rounded up).  After rebate, store special and coupon I will be getting them for $1.50 a box.  Not bad.  That is 64% off.  I will take it.

Read This Article from Wise Bread

THIS is an awesome article from one of my favorite blogs, Wise Bread.  Go read it....It has some wonderful tips and hints.  I would love to tell you I think one idea is better than another but they are all just wonderful!  Check them out.

Valentine's Day Dessert

In our penny pinching days we don't go out to eat much these days....if ever.  So going out on Valentine's Day is out of the question.  My husband is a chocolate fan so I wanted to give him something yummy and chocolaty for dessert tonight.  I remember seeing THIS recipe in a magazine over christmas.  I did a google search and found it.  Let me tell you this is a WINNER!!!!!  You would be paying upwards of $10 for this dessert in a fine dinning restaurant.  I added cut up strawberries on the side and it was heaven on earth!  I did omit a few spices and the wine (I didn't have any on hand) and it was wonderful!!!  The cakes even oozed like they did in the photo.  MMMMM.   But if you are a recipe diehard refer to the link above. We will be making this one again and again. Let me know if you make it and how you like it!!

4 ounces chocolate
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup confectioners' sugar
2 eggs
1 egg yolk
6 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Nutmeg


Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Butter 4 (6-ounce) custard cups or soufflé dishes. Place on baking sheet.

2. Microwave chocolate and butter in large microwavable bowl on HIGH 1 minute or until butter is melted. Whisk until chocolate is completely melted. Stir in wine, vanilla and confectioners' sugar until well blended. Whisk in eggs and yolk. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour batter evenly into prepared custard cups.

3. Bake 13 to 15 minutes or until sides are firm but centers are soft. Let stand 1 minute. Carefully loosen edges with small knife. Invert cakes onto serving plates. Sprinkle with additional confectioners' sugar. Serve immediately.

Make Ahead: The chocolate mixture can be prepared up to 10 hours ahead of time. Pour the batter into prepared custard cups; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.

Nutrition Information Per Serving:
Calories: 567 Sodium: 209 mg
Fat: 35 g Carbohydrates: 57 g
Cholesterol: 219 mg Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 6 g

**photo from McCormickgourmet .com

We are back from Old Navy

We just got back from Old Navy and the girls had a great time looking at all the items. We were almost going to get Valentine t-shirts but Emily spotted the soccer balls on the way to the register. Turns out this was the best deal of all. (They do not need another shirt but it was free...who am I to complain?) 

Here is the breakdown:

Original price of ball: $8.50
In Store Promotion:    $2.00 ($6.50 discount)
$5 Coloring Coupon:   $5.00
_____________________
                                               FREE

With the balls being $2 we 'splurged' and go 2 per girl. We walked out of the store with 4 balls (sticker price$34) for FREE.  I don't know what the girls like more,  getting the $5 certificate or walking out the store with their own bag.  Got to love free.

Why Didn't Any One Tell Me!?

Possibly it is because you thought I knew but I didn't.  Turns out Walgreens has this program called "Easy Saver".  You aren't kidding me!  This month they have 6 items that are free after rebate.  PLUS you can do your rebate on line I was in today and I was able to get the multi-purpose solution, the shampoo and the cold care lozenges.  They were out of the other three.  Go figure.  But I will be back don't you worry!  In fact while I was there a clerk was ordering more of the lip gloss and the foundation.  She said that they are not able to keep the free items in stock.  Not a surprise.  She also told me that you are able to use a manufacture coupon on top of the Wallgreens in store coupon.  (This is called stacking coupons.)

Once you have gotten your freebies go through the little easy saver booklet and check out the other money saving coupons.  Keep in mind because they are Wallgreens coupons you can stack THESE coupons with manufacture coupons!  PLUS...it gets better...through out the month these items in the booklets will go on SALE.  Did you get that? On sale, Wallgreens coupon and then stack it with a manufacture coupon.  How cheap can you get it?

**Photos from Wallgreens.com

60% off at Restaurant.com

I am a fan of Restaurant.com.  My husband and I have gotten certificates from them in the past and it is a great deal!!  They are helping us out yet again and offering another coupon code TREAT.  This will get you 60% off your gift certificate purchase of $25.  For those math challenged that is a $25 certificate for $4!!!!

See website fore more information and complete details.  It is an awesome deal! Hurry, coupon only valid until February 15.

Photo from Restaurant.com

Bath Paints

My girls were given THESE bath paints for Christmas.  They are tons of fun and they have easy clean up.  But I am looking at these tiny tubes wondering what is in and can I make it?  It seemed silly to be buying tub paints at $1 per tube.  Talk about money going down the drain!

So once again I hit the web.  My first hit was an awesome hit.  Family Fun dot com came through again! HERE is the link.

But alas I can't follow directions!  But I don't think it was too detrimental to the end product.  The only thing I omitted was the soap.  I figure they are in the tub... there is enough soap in there.

Here is the directions from the web site:

To make the paint, dissolve one envelope of unflavored instant gelatin in 1/4 cup hot water and let it sit for 10 minutes. Combine 1/2 cup cornstarch, 3 tablespoons sugar and 1 3/4 cups cold water in a saucepan, and stir until cloudy and smooth. Cook the cornstarch mixture over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until thick. Reduce heat, add the gelatin mixture and 1/4 cup mild, liquid dishwashing soap, and stir until smooth. Let cool.

Divide equal parts of the mixture into small bowls. Add several drops of different food coloring to each (light colors are easier to clean). Store the paints in airtight jars.

Keep in mind I didn't add the liquid dishwashing soap.

I made the batch and allowed my girls to add the colors so they could have a hand in the creative process. We divided the batch into 6 portions and added about 6 drops of liquid food coloring per portion. I was impressed as too how vibrant the colors were. The only think I think I will do different text time is I think I will push the uncolored gel through a fine mesh strainer. There were some corn starch lumps in the batch. Not a big deal. I don't think the kids notice but I did! If I were giving it as a gift I would want it to be perfect!

**photo from the Family Fun website.

Great Stuff

Now just so you know I do not work for Dow industries. No one that I know works for them for that matter!

With it being as cold as it is here in the north it got me to thinking about how people insulate their homes in the winter. I remember that shortly after we moved into our home my husband opened up all the outlets on the exterior walls and squirted this 'STUFF' into the empty space in the outlet. If you think about it your entire wall is insulated with the exception of the outlets. So basically you have this thinly covered rectangle hole in the side of your wall. By using an insulation you are stopping air flow thought the outlets! Replace the covers and out of sight out of mind. But you will remember that they are insulated and saving you energy dollars!

Another thing he did was squirt 'STUFF' in the crack where out bilco-doors are joined to the house. If you have access to where they are joined to your house take a look and see how big that crack really is!

Be sure to use the correct 'stuff'. There are different types for different applications. Check out the website to see all the possibilities and how to use the product.

Draft Dodger

I have a large slider door in my kitchen and I have noticed that I call feel cold air leaking in at the bottom. The air is coming from the trough where the door slides back. So what do i do about it!? Block it! Or as Martha would say "Dodge it!" Here is a video that inspired my draft dodger. For my fabric I used cream flannel. Cream because it 'blended' with the framework of the door but you can use what ever you have on hand. I was fortunate to have fabric on hand. I come from a sewing family so finding scrap fabric never seems to be a problem.

Now Martha uses some sort of expensive earth friendly kitty litter. I am all for earth friendly thing but these are penny pinching times and I am not going out to buy kitty litter when I don't have a cat! So I filled my draft dodger with rice. Dry rice that is! I have a huge 25 pound bag of rice from Bj's and I just scooped enough to fill my tube about 3/4 full. I am sure you could get creative and add essential oils like lavender or cinnamon but as I said before these are penny pinching times and I don't have those in stock right now.

You can make these for any door or window that has a draft. I don't know if it will make a huge difference in our gas bill but at least my tooties won't be cold when I walk by the slider!

My Pic Tales

I have been on the hunt for a penny pinching way to print my digital scrapbook pages. Ideally they would be in an 8x8 bound book but I was getting to the point of finding a way of printing the pages individually and them putting them in a book.... old school style. Searching and searching the internet. Finding sites that are awesome but didn't fit my entire bill of sale.

Here were my parameters:
-Easy upload and/or easy software usage.
-8x8 hard bound book. (high quality and customer reviews are a given)
-MUST have an allotment for more than 100 pages. (I have more than 100 pages... how can I cut any memories!?)
-The price HAD to be under $100.

I was finding two out of the four or three out of the four but it wasn't until I came upon My Pic Tales did I hit 4 out of 4!! After some initial struggles with the software (my own learning curve) and working through some of my own server issues I am sure I will have what I am looking for.

A quote from their web site regarding the features of the photo book:
Made of Silk coated or Glossy paper - 100 lb text or 80 lb cover (for wire-o)
Laminated custom covers or Black leatherette standard hard covers
Laser Printing
Glue bound or Wire-O Bound
Sizes: available in Landscape, Portrait and Square

And here is a quote from the same page about the hard bound photo books reguarding prices:

Minimum Price:

4.25 X 4.75 (The Brag Books) - $10.99 additional page - $0.50
5X7 (The Handy Dandy) - $19.99 additional page-$0.50
8X8 (The Scrap Book) - $19.99 Additional page - $0.50

Custom Hard Cover $5.99 extra

8.5X11 (The Classic) - $29.99 additional page-$0.50
10X10 (Square) - $29.99 additional page-$0.50
12X12 (The Legend) - $39.99 additional page-$1.00
11X17 (The Panorama) - $49.99 additional page-$1.00

Custom Hard Cover $10 Extra


I ended up getting a hard case, 8x8 (the Scrapbook), no custom cover, 108 pages and the cheapest shipping they had available. I did note that they are having a special on their hard cover books. 50% off!! (valid only until January 31, 2009) Check the front page for the code. So I got my entire book for $36.57. Shipping included. I was happy with that. If I had ordered my book through shutterfly it would have been over $100 and I wasn't able to get all 108 paged included!

Oh and another feature of My Pic Tales....they don't put their logo on you book! In fact if you have a logo they will put it on for FREE! I will let you know when my book arrives if it was worth my hunting all over the web to find this deal.


Just in case you are wondering... I do NOT work for My Pic Tales. I just came upon them and wanted to pass this information onto my other penny pinching friends!

Cupid Poo(p) Another Tic-Tac Box Wrap

Here is a cute quick craft for you to make for your sweetie or for a bunch of sweeties. My daughter will be taking these to preschool as her Valentine treat. I used the small Tic -Tac box. Pictured are the white Tic-Tacs but red or pink would work as well.

HERE is your download.

Step 1. Print out the page on card stock.
Step 2. Cut them apart.
Step 3. Score them 1 1/2" from the left and the right side.
Step 4. Cut 12" of 1/8" ribbon. I used white but red, pink or silver would be nice as well.
Step 5. Apply double stick tape width wise on the back of the wrap. I used 1/2" width of this brand.
Step 6. Center your ribbon on the tape and press to adhere.
Step 7. Wrap the Cupid Poo(p) wrapper around a small box of tic-tacs. Press the tape onto the box. This will help when you tie the ribbon.
Step 8. Tie ribbon.

If you are feeling super creative you can use a heart punch at the bottom under the envelope. I don't have one but you might!

Squeaky Clean

For some strange reason I got motivated today to clean my bathroom. Upon inspecting the mirror, in desperate need of attention, I reached for my glass cleaner. Low and behold I was out. (I wonder if that I why the mirrors were so bad? Probably not. I am just lazy.) So as not to loose my momentum I hit the internet in search of home made window cleaner.

Here is what I found:
Step 1
Mix 2 cups of water with two cups of rubbing alcohol and 2 tbsp. dish washing liquid. Shake or stir until the mixture is well blended.

Step 2
Pour the window cleaning solution into a clean spray pump bottle. It's fine to reuse bottles from other cleaners as long as you wash them out well.

Step 3
Spray the solution just as you would commercial window cleaner. Wipe dry with newspapers until dry. Newspaper cleans best and it leaves a lightly protective film that causes water to bead.

Step 4
Remove stubborn spots by using vinegar. You can spray it full strength on the spot or dab it on. Wipe the stubborn spot away and then clean the area with the window solution if you need to remove streaks.

Step 5
Wash the inside of your windows in one direction and the outside in the opposite direction. If there are streaks you will see whether they go from side to side or up and down and you'll immediately know which side needs further cleaning.

Step 6
Don't clean windows in direct sunlight because the windows can dry from the sun before you've had a chance to clean them thoroughly. Make sure to clean on overcast days or move around the house washing the windows not facing the sun.



I found that if I crumpled the newspapers up and flattened them out, crumpled up again and repeated a few more times they were easier to handle. This way they were 'softer' and more cloth like. So pinch a penny and clean a mirror!

Adventures in Making Laundry Soap

I just made another batch of homemade laundry soap. My last batch lasted since the end of October. Not bad for .94! But when I made this batch it turned out a lot more gelatinous than the first batch. The only thing I can figure I did different was I brought the mixture to a simmer in attempts to be sure everything was equally dissolved. The end result was a big pot of congealed soap. Picture a large runny jello mold. There was no way this was going to easily pour out of my container.

So my daughter and I used my food processor to puree the gelatinous mass. Bit by bit we got the whole thing pureed. I would have liked to have had a immersion blender. But mine had broken a long time ago from over use making baby food.

So if you have the same results this is how I have resolved this problem. My only hope is that it doesn't re-congeal!

Do You Know About Red Box?

Have you discovered Red Box movie rentals? It is a vending machine that dispenses DVD's and the machines are located in convenient locations. For me my local Redbox location is at my grocery store. The great thing about Redbox is that each DVD costs $1 to rent per day. So if you are picking up some groceries and want to take home a movie to watch that night it is right there and it will cost you $1. No additional stops to the movie store and it is cheaper than the movie store. The trick is you have to return it by 9 p.m. the day after you rent the DVD or they will charge you an additional $1 (plus tax). The penny pincher in me wanted to see if there were any deals or specials to be had. So I went on their web site and found that if you sign up for their SMS alert you get a text message to your phone with Redbox offers. Recently it has been a free DVD rental on Mondays. There is also an offer for first time renters to receive a free movie rental via e-mail. Both are wonderful offers. So pinch a penny in the new year and snuggle up with your loved one and a DVD rental from Redbox!

photo by ShawnblogLicense: Creative Commons

Stretch Your Holiday Gifts

Here is what I have done with that sweater that was the wrong size and how I made the most out of my penny pinching Christmas dollar. In case you haven't noticed retailers are desperate for your dollars! This is such a good thing for you, the Penny Pincher.

I am very fortunate that I have relatives that attach gift receipts to each piece of clothing that they gift. I take the sweater to the counter and get the clerk to scan the gift receipt to see how much was spent on it. Have the clerk put the amount on a store credit or a gift card. You now have your gift on a gift card/store credit. Now you are able to get full advantage of the after Christmas deals. For example an extra 25% off the entire store! So if you did indeed change your mind on that sweater you just returned you can get it for the sale price, plus 25% off. Your penny pinching relative would want it this way. The catch is you HAVE a gift slip or the actual receipt. Other wise you will get the price the item is selling for that day.

Coffee Sugar Scrub

Coffee is wonderful to invigorate you in the morning. You probably have a cup of joe in the morning so why not kick start your routine and start the day with a coffee sugar scrub? The caffeine in the coffee brings the blood to the surface and helps disperse the cellulite cells (over time that is!). The olive oil is an excellent moisturizer and the oatmeal helps retain that moisture. The sugar is a great exfoliant. So this is how I make my coffee/sugar scrub.


Ingredients
Coffee Grounds
Use coffee grounds, ground to an espresso or even turkish ground. They type of coffee doesn't matter.
White Sugar (brown can be substituted if you wish)
Oatmeal (ground to a fine powder in the food processor)
Olive oil
Vegetable oil



Procedure

Combine equal parts of coffee grounds and sugar.
Add 1/2 cup ground oatmeal per 2 cups of coffee grounds.
Combine.
Stir in olive oil so the mixture looks like sloppy wet sand that you find at the edge of the ocean where the waves crash.
Add vegetable oil if you want it to be more oily. All olive oil can be used but I pinched pennies by doing 1/2 olive oil, 1/2 vegetable oil.



Once this is all stirred around and combined you are ready to package. I found containers at Sunburst Bottle Co. I used the 8 oz. clear with black lid I even got the coordinating shrink bands for that extra special professional look. I am sure there are other packaging companies out there but this is the company I went with. If you happen to choose this particular size container I have a label for you. I printed this on a sheet of self adhesive sticker sheet, cut them apart and put them on the container before I put on the shrink band.

Enjoy!

PS Also pictured are the personalized coffee sleeves I had blogged about HERE.

It's A Wrap!

I think the most pinch for my penny that I have gotten to date is my Sam's Club box of plastic wrap. It is 2000 square feet of clear wrapping goodness. At the time I bought it I paid under $10 for the box. Times have changed. In the past 7 years (that is right I have had the same box of wrap for 7 years and counting!!!) the price has gone up but so has the square footage. The box is now in the $13 range and has 3000 square feet per box. For all you penny pinching calculators out there that is $.0043 per square foot. Less tha 1.2 of a penny.
I love that the box has a slider on it to cut the wrap instead of a sharp metal edge. And the wrap actually clings! I have wrestled with 'brand name' wrap at other people's houses and it does not cling nearly as well as my big box of wrap. The only drawback to my big box of wrap is the size. It does not fit neatly on the door under your kitchen sink. BUT if you have a spot in your cabinet or your pantry for the box it will be well worth the space sacrifice. I love my big box of wrap.

Starbucks Syrup

Did you know that Starbucks will sell you the syrup they use to make their yummy drinks? There is a Starbucks in my Target and they sold me the bottles for under $7.25!! Isn't that fabulous?! I can get a lot of use out of a bottle. This would be a great gift for the coffee lover in your life. Having a bit of Starbucks at home. Complete the gift by pairing it with a personalized cup sleeve.