Soup & Biscuits

For what-ever reason, it snowed here last night, and we have had hail storms off and on today.  I decided to clean out my refrigerator and make a nice pot of hot soup.  Cleaning out the leftovers and throwing them in a pot, I call it Love Soup.  So today I built a fire, and have hot soup and biscuits for dinner.  I am going to lay around and watch a couple of Netflicks Movies.  This is going to be a Fabulous & Frugal Night.

Frugal Dieting

Ah, yes it is that time of year for me to think about slimming down, after this bitter cold, and full of snow winter that we had.  I wintered well....  gained 13 pounds.  I know it will be easier to drop some of it too as soon as the weather is nicer. I like to be outside, gardening, and working in the yard and going for walks.  In the meantime, I have cut back on my calories and upped my fiber intake.  I have been eating a lot of the Progresso Light Soup, my favorite is the Italian Garden Vegetable, Zero Points on Weight Watchers.  Ok, also I have been eating the Laughing Cow Cheese and the Extra Fiber Wheat Thins.  Then, the rest of the time I have been eating apples, bananas, oranges, carrots, and those snap pea pods.  I guess I am sort of rambling here....  but where I wanted to go was to the Websites of National Brands that I have been consuming, I was under the impression that if you visit their websites you can get coupons.  Well I could not find any place on sites to get coupons....so I am perplexed.  I check out the Sunday paper coupons, and will definitely keep any eye out for coupons for my favorite diet foods. 
I have also discovered that reading labels and checking the fiber, calories and fat in each item has really been an eye opener. 
I have only lost 2 pounds in the last 2 weeks, but I just know that Spring is coming and it will be much easier for me to eat healthier and lighter....  and hopefully keep dropping pounds.

Have a Fabulous & Frugal Day !!!! 

Save Money at the Eye Doctor

Ok, I find this to be rather irritating......  My daughter goes to the eye doctor for her annual exam, she usually wears contacts but needs to get glasses as back up.  She has not had a new pair of  glasses in about 3 years, so she is completely over due.  She is trying to pick out frames, and comes across ones that she likes and is going to go ahead and get them.  My daughter then calls me at work because the eye tech wants her to get "anti glare" on the lenses, evidently our insurance no longer pays for this, and the cost is 108 dollars out of my pocket.  My daughter calls me to find out if this is something that she should get, and I can hear the eye tech in the background.....telling my daughter that she had it on her last glasses so she should probably get it this time too.....  I AM SO MAD!!!!!!!!!
How in the world are we ever going to be able to save any money?  Our Insurance is expensive enough, and yes, the coverage continues to diminish and the deductibles continue to rise. 
Here is another scenario, at the dentist office ~~Same thing.  We get 2 "free" ...... (and I use the word "free" with extreme caution here because my insurance rates just went up again in January) cleanings in a year's time on our insurance policy.....  every stinking time I go there.... they want to take x-rays, and do a bunch of other stuff.  I finally told them the last time I was in there, that I was only there for the cleaning and that is all I wanted at that office visit and that I am not paying for anything extra.
How can we make these people understand that I do not want payments nor do I want to owe them anything above and beyond what I already pay for Insurance? 
I know that it is important to have insurance and to take care of yourself, I also utilize my "flex" plan at work to help offset some of the other expenses that our insurance does not cover.  But I just find that the ever increasing cost of medical procedures (and lack of coverage) to be ever perplexing.  I feel like there may come a day when you pay your insurance but can no longer afford to see the doctor, dentist, or eye doctor. 

Have a Fabulous & Frugal Day!!!!

Fabulous & Frugal Potluck

When was the last time you hosted a Potluck?  Potlucks are a fun and frugal way to host get togethers on a shoe string.  You can have a Potluck for just about any occasion, Birthday, Graduation, Just Because....You have all your guests bring a dish.  You can BBQ hamburgers or hotdogs or anything really.  Potlucks give you the opportunity to visit with friends and family and to enjoy some tasty dishes that you might otherwise not be subjected to.

Have a Fabulous & Frugal Day!!!!

Happy St. Patricks Day

Happy St. Patricks Day.........
Hope you all have green on today so that you may avoid getting pinched. 

Green is the color of money, and I am all about saving money.  I have been on my journey of saving money now and paying off my debt for almost 2 years.  I have made great progress, and have had many trials along the way. 
I started by making a budget.  Recording everything coming in.... and everything going out.  I realized there were a few areas that I could cut back on, mainly groceries and entertainment.  To cut back on groceries I started using coupons with a vengeance, and for entertainment, I just cut back, I also started reading more books for entertainment.  I really don't go out to the bars very often anymore and when I do, I stay away from the Lottery Machines.  My husband and I now only go during dollar beer time.  I also stopped eating out so much.  I used to eat out every week, Now I only eat out about twice a month.  I also started cooking the majority of my meals at home, and packing my lunch to take to work.
In the last almost 2 years, I have paid my car off, and paid off 3 of my credit cards.  I have managed to build a savings account.  I now have a thousand in my savings account, or emergency fund.  I also have a small stash in a safe place.  You just never know when something will come up that you need cash and the bank may not be opened.
It has taken me awhile to pay down debt and establish my savings account, it has taken patience, time and determination.  I would not go back to my "old" ways.  I really put my heart and ambition into becoming debt free, and I am so thankful I did not have to go through Consumer Credit Counseling.

Have a Fabulous & Frugal Day!!!!!

Enchilada Pie in the Crock Pot

INGREDIENTS1 lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef

1 small onion, chopped (about 1/3 cup)

1 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 can (10 3/4 oz) condensed cream of mushroom soup ( I also use a can of Tomato Soup)

1 can (4.5 oz) chopped green chiles

1 can (10 oz) enchilada sauce

10 corn tortillas (6 inch)

3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese (12 oz)

Paprika

Chopped fresh cilantro

1 In 10-inch skillet, cook ground beef, onion and garlic over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until beef is thoroughly cooked; drain. Stir in soup and chiles.

2 Spray 3 1/2- to 4-quart slow cooker with cooking spray. Spread about 1/4 cup of the enchilada sauce in bottom of slow cooker. Place 4 corn tortillas over sauce, overlapping and breaking in half as necessary to make an even layer. Top with 1/3 of beef mixture, spreading evenly. Drizzle with about 1/4 cup enchilada sauce. Sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese.

3 Repeat layering twice, using 3 corn tortillas and half of remaining beef mixture, enchilada sauce and cheese in each layer. Sprinkle paprika over top.

4 Cover; cook on Low heat setting 4 hours 30 minutes to 5 hours 30 minutes.

5 Let stand about 5 minutes before serving. Sprinkle individual servings with cilantro.

Easy & Creative Food Ideas

Today for an easy and creative change of pace, I made a pancake breakfast sandwich.  1 pancake cut in 1/2 with peanut butter and jelly made a perfect little breakfast sandwich.  For lunch today I am having rice-a-roni and mandarin oranges.  I have my Starbucks travel coffee mug, that I always take coffee in and sometimes I even make tea in it. Bringing my own coffee saves me from having to stop at a quickie mart or Starbucks in order to have a cup of Joe. Money saved right there is about 4 dollars. I am prepared for the day ahead of me. Saving money does not need to be complicated, use what you have on hand.  Utilize left overs, if you just can't do left overs, put them in the freezer and eat them later in the week or the next week.  My goal here is to not waste food, there is real savings here.  Also, it saves me from spending 5 to 7 dollars a day eating out.  I figure with this 5 to 7 dollars that I am not spending on eating out, and the 4 dollars or so I save by not buying coffee, I will pay my debt down faster. 

Have a Fabulous & Frugal day.