Leftovers

"What's for dinner Mom?"

Well I try not to say leftovers.  This time I said:
Lunch:   Smoothies, over ripe banana, last spoonful of P-Butter in the jar, a spoonful of cocoa pwd and the last of the milk, ice (to make it cold and bulk up recipe)
Dinner: Cheese and Chicken quesadillas.  1/4 bag of frozen shredded cheese (thawed), leftover chicken breast, last of the tortillas.

One tray had  2 1/2 tortillas on it, the other had a real big one.  Used up all the different tortillas.
We actually had leftovers!

Size Matters

Size matters
It does, especially with groceries
To get the best deal you really do need to break down price per serving or unit.
I want to alert you to a new trend in my area of PA
SUGAR, 5 lb bags are now 4lb bags, and sometimes mixed together
Sugar is expensive, so just keep an eye out for sizes, especially if they are on sale.

FREE haircuts

Just made an appointment for my son to get his hair cut
At JCP in Exton PA
FOR FREE
for the month of Aug
Kids only K to 6th grade

Pair of Pears

My son likes pears, so we have a couple in the fridge.  Problem is, he's visiting his grandmother and aunt.
So what to do with pears that are ripe?
Dehydrated fruit of course.  I love the dried Granny Smith Apples from Trader Joes.  But pricey.
So I made my own fruit snack.
Slice pears, place on baking sheet (I have parchment/silpat under them)

 I sprinkled them with cinnamon

Bake at 200F for a couple hours until dried (Of course you can used a food dehydrator, or dry outside)

YUMMY snack

Surprise frugality

I was visiting my nephew in VA.  Keep in mind, he is a bachelor, TA at Virginia Tech....
What do I find on his deck?  CONTAINER GARDENING.  Awesome.
What is even better than that?  The containers used.
I believe that they are pans used to hold surgical instruments.  10 come in one package, open a package, use 2, the rest get thrown out. 
Check out their use.  And there are two for each plant, allowing for drainage, the top one has holes in it.

One cake mix...

Yep store bought. When my grocery store has a sale, the cake mix is .99 cents. 
Of  course I will have a coupon for .50 cents and the store will double it.
FREE cake mix.
I invested in mini muffins tins. (Of course I had a 50% coupon)
One cake mix made enough cupcakes for THREE events.
Instead of 2 doz cupcakes.  I had 60 little ones.
I took 20 to a 4th of July get together.  5 of us, so plenty for all plus leftovers to leave behind.
20 more were taken to the fireworks celebration to pass out to the kids and grown ups.
The final ones were brought to a girls night out.

Y?

I like to be frugal.  If people ask, I will more than gladly ramble on about it.  We ALL have our own opinions and lifestyles.  I do my best not to be preachy.
I DON'T belong to the Y.  Why?  Because I feel it is expensive.  People invite us to swim at the Y.  I try not to go, Why?  Because it is expensive.  10-15 dollars to swim for a couple hours. 
We are very lucky to have in-laws with a pool.  This is soooo much better for many reasons.  It is free.  We get to see family.  Win, win.  Yet I still get that look that I should join the Y.
My husband belongs to Planet Fitness.  10 dollars a month (The Y 80 dollars a month).  We swim at the in laws,  Free.  Seeing and spending time with family.  PRICELESS