Memorial Day savings

Memorial day should be a day when we honor those who have fought for our freedom in our armed services. But it has also become that start of summer weekend where every furniture store, car dealership, and department store runs ads for deep discounts on their items. Of course, some of the sales will not end on Monday,but will continue throughout the week. Supermarkets as well will offer specials on traditional picnic items such as watermelon, soda pop, hamburger, hot dogs, chips, buns, and condiments. This is a great time to stock up on the items that your family uses on a daily or weekly basis. I purchased 5 twelve packs of pop (assorted brands)for $12, chips were $1.99 per bag (Lay's) and gourmet buns were 2/$3 (normally $2.59 ea). And I took my coupons and reduced my grocery bill by $64.

Gardening took over most of the weekend. There is something special about putting my hands in the dirt and watching things grow. Here is to hoping your seeds are planted and your harvest is on its way.

Hope your weekend was all that you wanted it to be. Till next time..............

Sunday again.........

I had a delightful day with two of my grandkids yesterday. But one thing that I seem to have forgotten is how much teenagers can eat. My frig was pretty much void of junk food which at 14, is the food of choice. So I decided to shop from my cupboard. And with the help of the kids, we spent time together, spent no additional money, and had plenty of goodies for those teenage bellies. I had a couple of boxes of instant pudding and milk, so that was made up in a jif. I always keep powdered milk on hand as well just in case I need milk for a recipe and have none on hand. We had the normal staples so Quest made a batch of snickerdoodles and Skylar made some brownies. We watched a movie that we owned and I popped some corn. I had deer steak in the freezer, instant potatoes in the cabinet and green beans frozen from last year's harvest, so we did have a nutritious dinner.

So try shopping from your cupboard. Many web sites offer free recipes where you can plug in the ingredients and a plethura of recipes are available. So lets see......frozen turkey......cornbread stuffing mix.....frozen corn......

Well, I guess I had better get to searching.....Later.....

Long time no post

I won't lie.  I have been having a dispute with Google, but finally after a short hiatus, I am back.  Won't be beaten.  So today I want to talk about pets.  I have two little dogs that I love dearly:  Angel and Sugar

Angel and Sugar are spoiled rotten West Highland Terriers.  There is nothing, and I mean NOTHING, that I would not do for them.  But owning high-maintenance puppies can be tough during financial crisis.  So without our precious pets making any sacrifices, here are a couple of things you can do to keep your pets happy and without digging for quarters in the sofa.

1.  Westies need to be groomed.  At between $35-$55 each for grooming, I have found that by having them cut just a bit shorter, I can extend their time between appointements and I bathe them in between visits myself.  I do trim around their faces myself(ever so carefully)  And a trick to that just groomed smell:  baby powder.  Not sure how this works on dogs that are not white, but a liberal dusting of baby powder after a bath, will turn that smelly tan dog into a scentful white puppy in no time.

2.  My puppies love treats, don't you?  But the treats that they prefer are a bit pricey.  Up to $7 for a package that really doesn't last very long with these two.  So....make your own!  There are several free recipes on the internet.  You can roll them out like sugar cookies and cut them into shapes or Angel's personal favorites are made like drop cookies.  Some dogs like peanut butter, some like cheese, some like beef, some like tuna.  Do a google search and use ingredients that you have on hand.  Mine have flour, corn meal, a little garlic powder and chicken broth.  I throw in a little grated cheese if I have it.....Yummy!

3.  Do your pets like toys?  You can save loads of money by skipping the toy section at you local petstore and look at second hand stores or garage sales for stuffed animals or squeaky toys.  Some baby toys are perfect for puppies too.  Just make sure if your dog is a chewer, that he is not left alone with a toy with stuffing. 

4. Love is free.  More than treats or toys, your puppy just wants to be loved.  Now that is a money saving tip we can all live with!

Till next time.........

Monday Musings

When I was a mall shopper, a lunch hour shopper, a shopper of boredom, I never once set foot in a Dollar Store.  Yuck, I thought.  A dirty, unorganized place with a bunch of junk, not worth a dollar.  But not necessarily so!  I was shown the error of my ways by my daughter.  While there may be some dollar stores where not everything is $1, or where things are junky, dirty, unorganized, it is not the case with one particular store.  I LOVE shopping at Dollar Tree. 

The Dollar Trees in my area are clean, organized, and the people who work there have all seemed pretty friendly.  Not all merchandise is a bargain, but there are some really good buys.  One thing that is always a great buy are greeting cards (2/$1), gift wrap and bags, party decor, and holiday items.  You can also find bargains on toiletries, kitchen utensils, books, and some food items (expecially canned goods and spices).  You can find chipss, soda pop and I have even found Smart Ones frozen meals for $1. 

Not all things are great buys so be careful of some cleaners, craft items, and toys.  But you can get a dog collar for a buck, as well as dish towels and spatulas.  Always look before you buy.  A $1 package of baggies may not be a great buy if there are only 20 in the box.  Just as you would do in any grocery stores, read labels and packaging and you could just walk away with a great bargain!