Monthly Archives:

August 2014

How to Make Blueberry Freezer Jam!

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Hello again, savvy savers! To finish today’s Health-Minded Monday posts, I wanted to share with you all one of my favorite ways to save money, and that is by making various forms of Freezer Jam!

I know you may be thinking, freezer jam? Yes, I often freeze prepped, but not processed jams, for use on toast, pancakes, french toast, and as toppings for ice cream. Though I still make the traditional, simmered then canned, jellies and jams, this method in many respects, is easier, cheaper, and tastes better. Also, it is worth mentioning for those traditionalists, when it comes to jam, this method of freezing kills the same microbes boiling would, as so this method is just as safe for your family! As yesterday found me with an extra pint of blueberries needing to be consumed, I thought this would make an awesome post.

So, here’s how I make it!

 

Ingredients:

  • Fresh blueberries; organic is always better and Driscoll’s generally has coupons on their website taking the cost of the berries down by as much as half.
  • Sugar (or sugar substitute)
  • Pectin

 

 

 

 

 

Instructions:

  1. Prepping your berries; make sure all berries are clean, have all stems removed, and are patted dry with a clean towel.
  2. Consider the math; for each pint of berries you will use 2/3 cup sugar and 2 teaspoons pectin powder.
  3. If using a sugar substitute, for each 2/3 cup of substitute used, add 1/2 teaspoon agave or yacon syrup.
  4. To begin, add your berries to your bowl; be sure to place paper towels under bowl now to prevent blueberry stains on counter tops!
  5. Mash your berries with a potato masher until smooth. If making large batches a bender can be used, and any retirements in the blender can be transformed into smoothies, as well!
  6. In a mixing cup add your sugar and pectin and form to incorporate; this blend should be lump-free.
  7. Add your mixture to your mashed berries, and whisk to incorporate.
  8. Let your mixture sit for 15 minutes; this will allow the pectin to congeal.
  9. Add your jam to prepared containers; if making in large batches or giving as gifts use prepped jelly jars, for this session I used BPA-free freezer-burn resistant, stackable plastic tubs.
  10. Make sure to leave 1/2-1 inch of headroom at the top of each container for expansion of the jam while freezing.
  11. Freeze your jam!
  12. The jam will last 12 months frozen.
  13. Before use, allow to thaw overnight in the refrigerator; refrigerate leftovers will last two weeks in refrigerator.
  14. Enjoy!

 

So, that’s it! Easy-peasy! I love how simple this jam is, and it is honestly one of tastiest jams around, it I do say so myself! If you make freezer jam, or have other jam or jelly suggestions please leave me a comment below, as I would love to hear about them!

Here’s to making more out of Monday meals!

Misty

 

Battle-Of-The-Bulge, Budget Style: Gardening To Lose Weight, Part II!

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Hello again, savvy savers! Today I am starting another new blog series, Battle Of The Bulge, Budget-Style! I will be focusing on ways to live a healthier, more active lifestyle while be able to afford clean, organic, obtainable foods! I believe this series can be worthwhile for many, who like myself, wish to get more in shape, not through crash-dieting but by small attainable lifestyle changes!  All of the changes I propose will be free or affordable, and most meals and plans will contain couponed savings or deals! Fads are fancy, but coupons are a commitment! With that said, here is where I am currently: I have a family history of high blood pressure, diabetes, and cancer. I am looking to lose 60lbs., find affordable non-gym membership options for working out, and change the way I consume food; this includes meals, snacks, and splurges!

Today I am 31 years young, I am 5’6”, and weigh 198 lbs; I am down one pound since last week. I walk my dogs but beyond this am not terribly active. My lifestyle causes sedentary behaviors; I work-from-home, blog, run two internet businesses, and perform advocacy work online as well. I am an internet-based excuser! Today this changes! Spring has sprung, and so shall I! I have taken up yoga, and have started working out with a pedometer on as well!

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For my 8th post, I wanted to discuss a new measure I have implemented to help in my healthier lifestyle choice, gardening! Did you know that according to the American Heart Association, gardening 1 hour daily will burn up to 400 calories, and considering that the average weekend project tales 4-6 hours, and that maintaining your yard weekly, in warmer weather, will take nearly 1 hour a day, you would, on average burn upwards of 2,400 calories a week! An entire days worth of calories! This is a staggering number! For me, I make sure to water the plants, lawn, and mow as often as I can, as its no longer a chore for me, but an exercise! I love that performing tasks for  hobby can lead to better health!

How awesome is that? For a small, simpler routine,  here is my suggested, and used, gardening workout routine:

  • Pull weeds in 1 flower bed for 10 minutes
  • Rake mulch back into place in all beds, as needed, for 10 minutes
  • Fertilize roses, bushes, and low-lying shrubs for 10 minutes
  • Manually edge 30 feet of driveway, sidewalk, or straight-edged areas, 20 minutes
  • Water front flowers beds, 10 minutes

So, by my routine, all of which I can accomplish before 8 am, or after 6 pm, and will burn 400 calories! No gym membership or lawn service needed! This is an awesome way to put on a few podcasts, listen to a cd, or just have some time to yourself, and your yard, for nothing more than time! I also keep my Shih-Tzu, Sassy with me while gardening to lose weight; I have metal screw-into-the-yard hooks in various places in my yard, which I leash and harness Sassy to, and move her from area to area; so I can bond with my fuzzy-love, lose weight, and clean my yard at the same time!  This is one of my favorite ways to burn extra calories, while creating a more serene home for my family and myself!

Also, if you are looking for other ways to save money, lose weight, and maintain your yard, beds, and landscaping, be sure to check out my frugal garden tips, here! 

Here’s to the Journey!

Misty

Saving On The Go With A Cup Of Joe: Coinstar Machines In Local Banks!

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Good morning, savvy savers! For this weeks Savings To Go With A Cup Of Joe post, I want to discuss ways to save money with spare change. Recently, my local Credit Union installed a Coinstar machine in their lobby. I thought this was such a strange occurance, as these machines tend to be in grocery stores.

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My branch manager explained to me, that more than 30,000 banks across the country will be installing a newer version of the machines, which will no longer change a counting and sorting fee, and allow users to deposit their change, via the coinstar slips, directly into their account, saving the tellers time in counting and weighing the coinage. She also informed me that these machines will give users the ability to place some coins in an account, and load other amounts onto pre-paid gift cards usage at local grocery and retail stores; I was able to use the card at my local Winn-Dixie! In addition, there will be an option to donate coins to local schools or redeem coins for Amazon.com gift card codes, which can be printed as a slip or your email address associated with your account can be entered, and the gift card copde sent directly to your amount balance; the Amazon cards would be wonderful to stock-up on Subscribe & Save purchases, or put back for holiday shopping later this year!

Adding to this the new data from the National Banking Association, which states that in 2013, the average bank user deposited $124.00 worth of change into their checking accounts, and just imagine adding the other coinage sitting around out homes, collecting in jars, l and laying hidden under the couch cushions! Be sure to check with your local branch and see if they have a coinstar machines as well!

Here’s to saving!

Misty

Weekly Gardening Update, 8/10!

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Happy Sunday, everyone! Here is this weeks gardening update!

This weeks Gardening Update revolved around my $1.00 rose bushes from Fred’s Super Dollar have thus far produced some of the most beautiful roses I have ever grown, as seen above. They are just so lovely, and I will be giving some today to my neighbors as a little community happy gift! I also love my free lattice, as it was recycled from discarded pallets, and works just as well as anything purchased at my local supercenter! I feed my roses a special homemade blend, which i will be blogging about in the weeks to come!

Here’s to next week!

DIY Pencil Pouches, In-Binder Supply Pouches, & Student ID Cases!

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Hello again, savvy savers! Today finds us with another awesome DIY project just in time for back-to-school savings! If you were anything like me as a child, you always needed a pencil pouch, supply case, and student ID bag; all needed to make sure that our schedules, Lisa Frank pencils, push-through lead insert-able pencils, scented Mr. Sketch markers, and the illicit ultra-cool, but highly impracticable pencil top erasers handy!

 

 

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So for this weeks Throwback Thursdays (which will also incorporate my weekly Thrifty Thursday post as well) series post, I will be showing you how to make DIY Pencil Pouches, In-Binder Supply Pouches, and Student ID Cases; also note that for the Student ID cases, you could also use these pouches for Epi-pen pouches, a pouch with business cards letting teachers and school personal know about food allergies, or feminine case products for young women! Also worth noting, be sure to check the Scotch website for everyday coupons on duct tape, colored tape, and the like; I purchased my rolls of Duct Tape, the day after Christmas for the past two years, at CVS with coupons, for only $0.10 per roll! I also purchase my baggies, with coupon at the Dollar Tree, making this project $0.15 per bag, on average!

 

 

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So, to begin you will need the following:

  • Scissors or Cutting Board
  • Ziplock bags; quart size for Pencil Pouches and Student ID & Gallon Bag for In-Binder School Supply Pouch
  • 3-Ring Hole Punch
  • Customized Duct Tape
  • Straight Edge
  • Card-stock or Scrapbook Paper Sheet
  • Sharpie or Colored Marker
  • Binder (or D Clip, if linking to a backpack)
  • Page Re-Enforcers, Optional

 

Here’s how to make the DIY Pencil Pouches:

 

 

 

  1. Lay a Ziplock baggie on a clean surface, as flat as possible.
  2. using a straight edge and sharpie, mark two inches off of the bottom of the baggie.
  3. Cut the two inch section off of the baggie and set to the side.
  4. Lay your tape flat on the baggie, and continue to wrap each strip of the baggie; each baggie will use three strips.
  5. Secure the bottom strip together.
  6. If you just want a pencil pouch, you are now done!

 

Here’s how to Turn Pencil Pouches into Student ID Cases:

 

 

  1. Using the piece of cut-off baggie listed above, lay the piece flat and cut it in half.
  2. Using a sheet of card-stock or scrapbook paper, cut a template to fit the baggie half sheet; I used a 3″x3″ sheet.
  3. The cut-out will act as a backing to whatever you will need to place in the pouch, for your Student Id, words of encouragement card, epi-pen instructions, etc.
  4. Place the card in the sleeve and place the sleeve on top of the pouch.
  5. Tape down both sides and the bottom section of the sleeve, leaving the top sleeve of the envelope open for the pouch.
  6. You’re done!

 

Also note, you can hole punch your pouch, and then add a D-Clip to the pouch, if adding it to a backpack!

 

 

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Here’s how to make the In-Binder Supply Pouch:

 

 

  1. Using the instructions for the Pencil Pouch and the Student ID instructions above, make a pouch using a gallon-sized baggie.
  2. When adding a sheet envelope to the top of the pouch, aim for a 4″x4″ rectangle to the pouch; this envelope can house your student schedule or emergency contact information.
  3. When your pouch is completed, using a three-ring hole punch, punch your pouch to accommodate its use in a three-ring binder.
  4. You’re done!

 

 

 

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So that it, folks! An easy-peasy DIY version of  DIY Pencil Pouches, In-Binder Supply Pouches, & Student ID Cases! If you make a similar version or have other DIY back-to-school tips that make help other LadyPrefers2Save readers, I’d love to hear about them, and feature them on my social media channels!

 

Here’ to saving,

Misty

 

 

 

What I buy At Save-A-Lot To Save Money!

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Hello again, savvy savers! For this weeks Wednesday Ways To Save, I want to discuss one of my favorite places to grocery and stockpile shop, and that is at my local Save-A-Lot store! For those who may not know, Save-A-Lot is smaller chain grocery store, that offers consumers higher quality, lower cost food option. The chain is known for cutting overhead costs by having customers bag their own groceries, emailing bi-weekly sales ads online to savings card holders, and by offering a mixture of brand and non-brand name items.

Some perks to shopping at Save-A-Lot:

  • The stores website offers great recipe ideas, a posted section called “Feed A Family of 4 For Under 5,” which shows healthy, affordable meal ideas, has a section to sign-up for their shoppers card club, and to view their “10 items for $10.00,” weekly deals!
  • The store also hosts an everyday sales promotion where you can buy 5 large family packs of various meat products, ranging from roasts, hams, and chops, to breakfast and pre-packed meat sections for only 17.00, as well as 1 pound tubes of ground turkey, a healthy alternative to beef, for an everyday stock-up price of only $1.00 a roll!
  • Save-A-Lot also accepts coupons, and although their website is a bit vague, it states that all valid manufacturers coupons will be excepted; from personal experience I would not use internet coupons at Save-A-Lot as their systems often cannot read the bar-codes.
  • Like with all other stores, I recommend you visit the Save-A-Lot webpage at the link provided below, and print a copy of their official Corporate Coupon Policy, keep it in your coupon binder, and take it with you whenever you shop at Save-A-Lot!
  • Also, be sure to sign-up for their loyalty rewards emails, and you will receive monthly emails, and you will receive, by mail, quarterly savings coupons, such as $5.00 off of a $25.00 or more shopping purchase!
  • Save-A-Lot also offers a butcher department, and though they are not visible to the general sales floor, the meat department has buzzer buttons which summon butchers for services; this is a great option for buying meats in bulk and having them wrapped in smaller quantities. Butchers will also season goods with their “special blend,” a Cajun seasoning, free of charge.
  • Save-A-Lot sales are tri-weekly; sales change the forth week of the month nationally.
  • Lastly, Save-A-Lot also features match-up recipes on their website, recipes that coincide with ongoing sales, which allow customers to make everyday family meals, all under $5.00 which feed a family of 4; recipes are updated monthly.

 

With all of that said, here are   items that I purchase at Save-A-Lot, no coupons needed:

 

 

 

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1) Bagged Lettuce and Cole Slaw Mix: Save-A-Lot carries Bagged Dole salad and Cole slaw packs, everyday priced at $0.89; this is $0.25 less per bag that Walmart’s own brand!

 

 

 

 

2) The Pick-5 Selections: Save-A-Lot features every valued pick-5 meat selections, where you can select from fresh poultry, pork, and beef products, as well as a large variety of pre-packages luncheon meats, cooked breakfast fare, and the like all for $19.99; the selections also include pork and beef roasts, pork spare ribs, and five pound chicken quarter bags.

 

 

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3) Rolls of Ground Turkey: In my family we generally consume ground turkey over ground beef for health reasons, and at Save-A-Lot the 1 pound chubs of rolled ground turkey are everyday priced at $1.49 per pound, and on the last weekend of each month, there is an a special where the rolls drop in price to $1.00 per roll; this is my stock-up pricing for ground turkey and monthly I buy numerous rolls of this product. Also worth noting, Save-A-Lot rolled meat products are certified pink slime-free and hormone-free.

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4) Spices: Save-A-Lot offers 12 ounce bottles of spices, herbs, and dry rubs, for $0.99 everyday priced; they carry basic seasonings as well as more hard-to-find for that price items such as Bay Leave, Ground Ginger, White Pepper, Curry Powder, All Spice, and several baking extracts. Considering that you can pay well over four times this amount at Walmart and Whole Foods, as well as that even the Dollar Tree, with their limited stock, only carries a very common varieties, this is an awesome stock-up deal!

 

 

 

5) Pantry Staples: Save-A-Lot carries 3 pound bags of rice, white and whole grain, and a variety of pastas, both bleached and whole grain as well, everyday priced at only $1.59, as well as $0.49 boxes of Jiffy corn muffin mixes; also worth noting I found $1.00 1 pound boxes of gluten-free kids alphabet pasta as well! This pricing cuts both Dollar Tree and Winn-Dixie pricing in half!

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6) Banquet Frozen Dinners: These dinners are everyday priced at $0.88 each!

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7) Canned Beans: Save-A-Lot offers navy, pinto, black, and kidney beans everyday priced at $0.59 a can!

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8) Jarred Pasta Sauce: Save-A-Lot offers 24 ounce jarred pasta sauces, in marinara, meat, mushroom, pesto, Alfredo, and chunky varieties for only $0.99 a jar!

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9) Canned vegetables: Save-A-Lot offers canned vegetables at everyday low pricing; canned potatoes and green beans are $0.79, canned green beans for $0.59, and canned hominy, corn, and mixed vegetables for $0.49 a can.

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10) TGIF Chips: Save-A-Lot offers 16 ounce bags of TGIF brand chips for $1.00 a bag, in assorted varieties; this is a saving of $2.69 a bag over Walmart pricing!

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11) Canned Pet Food and Treats: Save-A-Lot offers canned lamb and rice pet food, in grain-free varieties for only $0.69 a can; this is a saving of $2.00 a can over many Petco varieties. As well, you can purchase the Canine Carry out pet treat bags, in the 8 punch pouches, for only $1.00 a bag!

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12) 9 Lives Canned Cat Food: Save-A-Lot also offers 9 Lives canned cat food, in assorted varieties, everyday prices at only $0.49 a can; though this is not stock-up pricing, this is a good value, without coupons being needed, for a reliable brand of canned cat food.

So, that’s some of the ways in which I save money while shopping at Save-A-Lot! I hope this list inspires you to consider shopping at retail food outlets outside of the large boxes superstore labels for your family! Though Save-A-Lot is a no-frills shopping environment, the deals are plentiful, the aisles are clear, the products is well stocked, and the staff are always super courteous and polite! Please note, you can save time by bringing in your own reusable shopping sacks to Save-A-Lot as the chain does not bag groceries in a traditional manner, and instead has customers load groceries into a empty shopping cart, and then walk to a staged bagging area; bringing your own bags with you will save time in the process!

Here’s to saving!

Misty

Homemade 7-Eleven Cherry Slurpees!

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Calling all my savvy savers! If you were anything like myself as a child, then you treasured the summer months when only the icy cold chill of a cherry 7-Eleven Slurpee could quench your thirst! So for today’s Throwback Thursday post, I am giving you all my recipe for cherry slurpees! I use Splenda in my Slurpees, so my blend is calorie-free! You can switch this for cane or white sugar, as well you can change the blend to your palette, in terms of flavors! This recipe, and its ingredients can be made for under $0.20 each 16-ounce serving! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 Cups Cold Club Soda 1/2 Cup Splenda 1/4 Teaspoon Cherry Flavored Unsweetened Kool-Aid 1/2 Teaspoon Cherry Extract 2 1/2 Cups Crushed Ice

Instructions:

1) Pour your club soda, extract, and kool aid into a blender.

2) Put half of your ice into your blender, and blend for 30 seconds.

3) Place your blender container in the freezer for 30 minutes.

4) After 30 minutes, remove from freezer and then add your remaining ice, and re-blend for 30 second.

5) Serve in a chilled glass!

6) Enjoy!