Monthly Archives:

May 2014

Update: Current Reader Giveaways & $25.00 Target Gift Card Will Be Given Away For Opinion On Future Giveaways Winner Announced!!

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Hello again, savvy savers!  I wanted to remind everyone again of the current giveaways on the blog:

Cinco de Mayo Wreath & $40.00 Reader Craft Store Gift Card Giveaway!

Product Review: Life & Food Green Coffee Bean Extract & Reader Contest!

Daily Living Planner Review & Reader Giveaway!

World Book Night 2014 Reader Giveaway & 2015 Aspiring Writers Essay Information!

Also, I would like to know if you all prefer the Rafflecopter form for giveaways? I previously used rafflecopter on my former blog, but had found that the program did not allot for people using multiple email addresses for various different social media outlets, and I found that though there were a good number of entries, several were by one or two people, which in my opinion, negates the fairness of the giveaway! Just the other day, I was thoroughly hung-up to dry by a random blogger, scolding me for  not using  rafflecopter; she stated that clicking buttons on my webpage were inconvenient, and too time consuming. I wanted to let my readers give their take on future giveaways. Please leave me a comment! One commenter, who is subscribed to my blog, (or wants to subscribe, this step will be verified), will receive a $25.00 Target Gift Card for doing so!

Good luck, everyone! 

-Update: Congratulations to Carol O (Carol, please email me so that I may be able to send you your gift card this weekend), for winning this giveaway, and thank you all for your opinions, suggestions, and comments! I’d also like to thank those who left Facebook, Twitter, and email messages with suggestions, as well!

Gardening On A Budget: Mother’s Day Update!

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Happy Sunday, everyone! Here is this weeks gardening Mother’s Day post update!

This week I was able to plant the other half of my herbs, including my lavender, thyme, basil, lemon grass, parsley, bay leaves, and mint. Also, the tomato sprouts are coming up and in a week, should be able to be thinned, and then planted outside! Even in the face of all the horrific storms this week, everything was thankfully spared, and growing right on schedule! As for the other areas of my year, we have had nearly constant rainfall, so tilling and further planting has been on standstill, for the next three posts, I should have plenty to share; I will be planting both my potted and upside varieties next weekend. Aside from rain, and the largest amount of pollen I have ever seen (we have composted four trash barrels full), out pots of Green beans are beautiful, as seen above!

Also, the squash plant, though small, is growing! In addition, my mum plants from last fall have doubled in size, and will have sucker that need to be plucked in the next few weeks! This week to come I will be planting my hill of strawberries, starting potato and sweet potato towers, as well as creating a summer butterfly flower bed!  As well, 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 wonderful Grandmother for Mother’s Day! 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!

Current Reader Giveaways & $25.00 Target Gift Card Will Be Given Away For Opinion On Future Giveaways!

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Hello again, savvy savers!  I wanted to remind everyone again of the current giveaways on the blog:

Cinco de Mayo Wreath & $40.00 Reader Craft Store Gift Card Giveaway!

Product Review: Life & Food Green Coffee Bean Extract & Reader Contest!

Daily Living Planner Review & Reader Giveaway!

World Book Night 2014 Reader Giveaway & 2015 Aspiring Writers Essay Information!

 

Also, I would like to know if you all prefer the Rafflecopter form for giveaways? I previously used rafflecopter on my former blog, but had found that the program did not allot for people using multiple email addresses for various different social media outlets, and I found that though there were a good number of entries, several were by one or two people, which in my opinion, negates the fairness of the giveaway! Just the other day, I was thoroughly hung-up to dry by a random blogger, scolding me for  not using  rafflecopter; she stated that clicking buttons on my webpage were inconvenient, and too time consuming. I wanted to let my readers give their take on future giveaways. Please leave me a comment! One commenter, who is subscribed to my blog, (or wants to subscribe, this step will be verified), will receive a $25.00 Target Gift Card for doing so!

Good luck, everyone! 

Ways To Stretch The Dollar: Tenderize Cheaper Cuts of Meat With Homemade Tea Tenderizer & Marinade, For Only $0.05!

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Good afternoon, savvy savers! Here’s another way I find to stretch a dollar in my home kitchen! I used tea to create an awesome-tasting meat tenderizer, which can be used on lesser expensive cuts of beef and pork, which make these cuts melt-in-your-mouth good! All of the ingredients can be purchased at your local Dollar Tree, and each usage will cost only $0.05!  This recipe can be used as either a dry-rub tenderizer or as a marinade.

Here how I make the blend:

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons of loose leaf black tea
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

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Instructions for dry rub tenderizing:

1) combine all ingredients, rub on meat, wrap in cling wrap, and refrigerate 4 hours.

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Instructions for use as a marinade:

1) Boil a pot of water, then allow the water to cool until just warm.

2) Put in the above spices and tea, and steep for 5 minutes.

3) Strain the marinade.

4) Add the sugar and stir until it dissolves.

5) Marinade beef 3-4 hours, pork for 3 hours, and seafood and poultry for 1 hour.

6) Enjoy!

Everything I Freeze To Save Money!

Tutorial Tuesday

 

Good afternoon, savvy savers! For this weeks Tuesday Tutorials, I wanted to post about some of the items in my home, that I purchase in bulk and freeze, for savings down the road!

 

 

 

Here are few things here, that I freeze:

1) Cheese: Freeze blocks of cheese for up to a year; shredded cheese works well also, and you can prevent clumping by adding a dash of corn starch prior to freezing! Remember to let cheese thaw on counters before refrigerating, after freeing!

2) Pancakes: I make large batches bi-monthly and freeze servings in snack baggies, as needed; I save $30.00 annually by doing so for breakfast!

3) Bananas: I freeze banana, peeling on, and use for smoothies and bread; to use, microwave for 30 second, cut the peel tops, and squeeze out!

4) Rice:  I cook monthly batches of rice in my rice cooker, and then freeze for quick night sides.

5) Pies: I always bake pies in multiples, then freeze covered in wax paper, then bagged in large gallon ziploc; these last up to a year.

6) Corn: I freeze corn, husks and silk intact. in gallon ziploc, and then pull out to grill when needed; fresh corn in the winter is amazing this way, when paired with 4/$1.00 summer pricing! Be sure to compost scraps!

7) Pasta: Whenever I cook pasta, I usually cook the entire box and then freeze portions as needed for nightly meals.

8) Flour: I store my flour, double bagged, in my freezer to prevent infestations in summer.

9) Mashed Potatoes: I always freeze unused mashed potato portions, in smaller snack bags, up up to two months in my freezer!

10) Stock: I always boil and use leftover bones to make stock. Once stock is made, let completely cool, strain, and then place in ice trays to freeze; I like to add herbs to mine and seasoning as well. To store, pop the cubes in snack baggies for up to a year!

11) Uncrustables: I make my own uncrustables by using biscuit cutters to cut sandwiches, crimp the edges with a fork, and freeze in lunch bags up to a year; I save $42.00 annually by doing so.

12) Potato Chips, Crackers and Pretzels: I keep my snacks in smaller bags, frozen for up to a year, and thaw for one hour before serving.

13) Milk: I buy milk on sale and freeze for up to a season; also note you should shake up milk before drinking after freezing!

14) Eggs: When eggs drop in price to $0.99 a dozen at Walgreens, I stock-up, crack eggs, and put portions in snack bags to freeze for recipes down the road!

15) Lemon/Lime Juice and Zest: I often freeze lemon juice from my potted citrus trees, in ice trays, then transport cubes to snack baggies for up to a year; as well as freeze the zest for homemade stove-top potpourri in winter!

16) Hamburger: I often cook extra ground beef and turkey, then freeze the extra seasoned amounts in snack baggies for recipes, especially in the crockpot for later on!

 

I hope these money-saving tips help you, as much as they help my family!

Here’s to saving!

 

Save $48.00 Annually By Running Laundry Through The Spin Cycle Twice!

Asian drycleaner standing behind counter, Edmonds, Washington, United States

Good morning, savvy savers! For this weeks Greener Living Tip, I wanted to share with you a tip I recently learned about. According to the National Energy Council, homeowners can save, on average, $4.00 monthly, and $48.00 annually by spinning their clothes twice in the spin cycle before placing them in the dryer, even HD models! According to reports, this will reduce overall clothes drying times by a third, and save you $48.00 a year!

What an easy way to save money, energy, and time!

Here’s to greener living!

Healthy Lifestyles Series: eMeals Information & Cinco de Mayo Menu Ideas!

Hello again, savvy savers! Happy Cinco de Mayo! Today, I wanted to post again about on of the diet strategies I have implemented into my new diet and healthier lifestyle, eMeals! The folks at eMeals have graciously allowed me to partake in a free one-years subscription of their service, and I will be including these meal options into my current healthy lifestyle strategy, and I also wanted to bring you, my readers, information on their services as well!

Here is an interview-style feature of eMeals.com:

Emeals

eMeals, was founded by Jane DeLaney & Jenny Cochran in 2003. Both Jane and Jenny are  typically very busy moms! Jane was frazzled over trying to pull off dinner for the family week after week. Her meal plans were scribbled on napkins and lost in her purse. So she went to work creating a better way to make meals happen. Jane recruited Jenny, a fabulous cook, and her sister to help her with the everyday operations of the company. Working with a talented team of meal planners, they developed eMeals to feed their families and preserve their sanity. Hundreds of thousands of partnerships, friendships, and business relationships later, Jane and Jenny built a way to make moms’ lives easier, by bringing manageability back to America’s dinner table.

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What is eMeals?

eMeals is an email based service, which offers over 50 weekly meal plans based on a user’s preferred food style, family size, and grocery store. Food styles, or prepared eating habits, include classic meals, clean eating, paleo, simple gourmet, low fat, low carb portion control, natural and organic, vegetarian, gluten-free, slow cooker, and our new 500 calorie plans. eMeals also  provide 7 simple to follow recipes with corresponding grocery lists each week. Meal plans are tied to the weekly sales and seasonal specials at selected grocery store chains. The result is our mass following of loyal customers who save time, money, and their sanity while providing delicious and healthy home cooked meals for their families.

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Can you really save money by using eMeals?

The average eMeals customer says they save around $1,000/year on groceries, and that doesn’t even include all the time they save. And we all know time is money! Over 50% eMeals subscribers have a targeted weekly budget for their grocery spending.  As well, keeping this in mind, eMeals structures meal plans around seasonal specials and in the case of specific stores such as ALDI, Kroger, Publix, Ralphs, Safeway, Target, Walmart, and Whole Foods!

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Does eMeals have any new promotions?

We just released our new 500 calorie plans, a new Publix Portion Control Meal Plan, as well as a new COSTCO Meal Plan. We are always looking to expand our meal plans to what our community tells us they need! We are happy to offer The Lady Prefers To Save readers 15% off with the coupon code DINNER15.

Are you involved in any charity work?

For five years, eMeals has been one of the largest funding sources for the Haiti Nutrition Project which is a program that curtails and reverses severe malnutrition within infants and children in Haiti. This program distributes Medika Mamba, which is a Haitian term for “peanut butter medicine,” a daily food supplement that provides complete nourishment needed for the growth and health of young Haitian children.

What should new customers know about your company?

We are a company based on the ideals of having dinner together as a family. That is such a valuable gift you can give to your children, your spouse, and anyone else that joins you at your table. We want to make it easier to facilitate dinner together as a family where connections and memories are made.

How can your customers get the most out of eMeals?

Sporadic grocery spending and multiple trips to the store is money down the drain. Having a plan, period, is what saves people the most money and controls spending. Having a consistent plan at your fingertips, ready to be shopped at a moments notice is GOLD. In comes eMeals. Forgetting to bring your list to the store is also money down the drain. Eliminating that problem is gold too. In comes the companion eMeals app. Your list is always on your phone – ready when you are.

Useful tips:

1) Determine how many meals you need for the week. There are seven meals on each week’s menu.

2) The app can skip any of the meals you choose to not cook and it will automatically delete those items from the grocery list.

3) Shop your stockpile first and delete items you may already have from the grocery list

4) Be sure to purchase the pantry staples that you may not have that are required for the meals you choose to cook.

5) Stick to the list!

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We also have not only dinner plans, but breakfast, lunch and dessert to help you get all your meals planned out with minimal effort. Use this tool to your advantage!

Is there anything else that you would like for The Lady Prefers To Save readers to know about eMeals?

eMeals is always adding more plans to meet the growing eating lifestyles that emerge. Paleo and Clean Eating are examples of that and happen to be two of our most popular plans! We would love to have The Lady Prefers To Save’s readers sign up for eMeals with the discount code DINNER15 for 15% off.

Also in celebration of Cinco de Mayo, be sure to check out this sample Cinco de Mayo themed menu from eMeals!

Here’s to the Journey!

In accordance with FTC Guidelines: I hereby disclose that I received complimentary products from the company being reviewed above, in exchange for my honest opinion and review of my experience.  I was not compensated for this review, but received a free membership. All opinions in the post are 100% my own. Individual results or experiences may vary. Please consult your physician, dietitian, or diabetes specialist before starting any diet. You can obtain more details information about the company, its products, and policies by visiting their respective websites, which will be linked above.