Use Your Noodle

One of my favorite inexpensive meals is pasta. It is so versatile! You can serve it hot or cold. Winter or Summer. There are endless variations of sauces. Most people like it, including kids.

I like to buy mine from the bulk bin at Winco. If you have bulk bins at a supermarket near you, check the price. I bet you'll find it's cheaper to buy it that way than in the box. Then you can store it in a tall canister or other container (I store mine in a heavy cardboard tube that once held whiskey). You don't waste so much packaging that way.Try the new whole grain pasta. I thought it would taste like cardboard, but it's actually really good, and has tons more fiber per serving.

An energy-saving tip I once read said to bring the water to a boil, add the pasta, stir, cover, and turn the burner off. The pasta will cook in the hot water after 15 or 20 minutes (check after 10 or 12 minutes). Before I read this, I used to leave the burner on simmer the whole time the noodles were cooking! Try it. It works perfectly every time.

Being a lazy person, I usually just buy some store-bought sauce (whatever's on sale, that I also have a coupon for) and doctor it up. I look for marked down bags of produce at the grocery store such as mushrooms, summer squash or red bell peppers that have a few dings and bruises. I chop the veggies, saute (or not) and add to the sauce and simmer for a while. I may throw in a little red wine if I have a bottle open. I buy Parmesan cheese in bulk and store it in the freezer. It keeps longer that way, and can be grated over the pasta while still frozen (just break a hunk off).

My second go-to sauce is pesto. I grow my own basil, which I give to my sister. She then makes pesto in the food processor with lots of basil, nuts (we prefer almonds, but walnuts work, and pine nuts are traditional), enough olive oil to moisten it, and a little garlic. The proportion should be roughly two parts basil, one part nuts. She jars it, and divvies it up between us. I store it in the freezer until I'm ready to use it. Then you just defrost it, toss it with the hot cooked pasta, and grate cheese over the top.

Occasionally I make a sorta like Arrabiata Sauce by chopping some eggplant and adding it to the store-bought sauce, along with a couple packets of the red peppers that come with takeout pizza.

Another nice sauce, which lets me take advantage of my mom's very prolific lemon tree, is made something like this. Whisk together about 2/3 cup olive oil with about 2/3 cup Parmesan cheese, the juice of 2 lemons, and a little salt and pepper. Add cooked, hot pasta to the lemon mixture. Toss with 1/3 cup chopped fresh basil and 1 T grated lemon zest. If it's a little dry, toss with some of the cooking water from the pasta.

Sometimes we are in a mac n' cheese mood, and I usually use this recipe:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Classic-Macaroni-and-Cheese/Detail.aspx

I like to add a little cooked broccoli or cauliflower so I can pretend I'm eating something somewhat nutritious.

Pasta Carbonara is not the healthiest either, but it's good for an occasional treat. The ingredients are very inexpensive. I use this recipe:

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pasta-Carbonara/Detail.aspx

Serve with a salad to get your vegetable quota.

On warm summer days, I make one of two pastas. The first is made by chopping my own garden tomatoes, fresh basil and a little garlic, salt and pepper, and simmering for a short time in a saute pan coated with a little olive oil. Then toss with cooked pasta. The second is made by sauteing fresh summer squash, mushrooms, and zucchini, then tossing with cooked pasta and Parmesan cheese. Both are served at room temperature.

On hot as *&$#@! summer days, I like to make a cold pasta salad by tossing cooked corkscrew noodles with store-bought Italian Salad Dressing, sauteed veggies, canned black olives, and cubes of meat and cheese, if desired. Chill until dinner time.

Any of the pastas above can be accompanied by a good loaf of bread. If you are eating pasta, chances are you are not carb-phobic, so you might as well have some bread too. As you can see from the links above, I like the site http://www.allrecipes.com/. There are tons of other great pasta recipes there, and you can also search by ingredient, if you have a specific ingredient you'd like to use up. Another tip: leftover pasta sauce makes a good soup base (another inexpensive meal)!

I hope you get a chance to try some of my pasta recipes. Let me know how you like them. Please share your own favorite pasta recipes, especially the quick and easy ones!

Money Maximization: A Game of Skill

What is the best way to make the most of your money? Learn some new skills. The more things you can learn to do yourself, rather than pay someone to do them, the more money you will save. This frees up cash for other needs.

One important skill you can learn is cooking. If you are not a very experienced cook, there are many ways to improve. You can watch cooking shows on TV, rent videos from the library, ask an experienced pal to give you some lessons, or take a class at a community center or junior college. Much can be learned from library books. My library has an excellent selection of recipe and cooking basics books. The Internet also contains a wealth of information on the subject. If you improve your cooking, you will not have to buy as many expensive prepared meals in the store, or visit restaurants as often. You also have a new source of inexpensive gifts! Besides, cooking can be a lot of fun as a shared activity with family or friends.

Another valuable accomplishment is learning to sew. Although in this age of cheap mass-produced clothing sewing your own duds from scratch is not always cheaper, it can certainly provide you with a more unique wardrobe. Acquiring the ability to make basic repairs and alterations, however, can save you some serious money. Tailors do not work cheaply. Cloth napkins, place mats, potholders, etc. to coordinate with the recipient's decorating scheme are also welcome gifts that don't break the bank. Sewing machine shops often provide free classes if you buy a machine there. You can also go the budget route, buying a serviceable machine at a yard sale or thrift store, and asking a snip-n-stitch-savvy friend to impart his or her basic wisdom. Community centers offer instruction in some locales.

Home improvement is another area where the hands-on approach is much easier on the budget. Home Depot offers special workshops to improve your competence in all sorts of areas, including painting, flooring installation, window-screen repair, ceiling fan installation, etc. New workshops are added all the time. Should you be tempted to use your gender as an excuse not to do-it-yourself, they even offer special workshops for women! Simple projects may even be handled with a quick perusal of a library book or web tutorial. I find encyclopedia-type books regarding basic construction techniques and household repairs in the thrift stores all the time. One caveat: please leave any complex jobs requiring the altering of your home's footprint, or those involving any possibly load-bearing walls or electrical work to the professionals!

A facility for basic auto repairs can likewise come in handy. I wouldn't attempt anything beyond changing the oil and wiper blades myself, but those of you with a willing tutor, good, clear set of instructional manuals, or especially informative website may wish to delve a little deeper. The financial savings can be huge!

An aptitude for investing your money is another arrow in the quiver of cash-management. Check out some personal investment books from the library, join an investment club, read Smart Money, Money or Kiplinger's magazine, pick the brain of a friend or relative who has grown their money successfully, or look for a community center or junior college course. Learn all you can, and make sure you understand the risks of any investment you are making. Also, be aware of any commissions or fees that will be charged when you invest, and how these will impact your returns.

Gardening is something that can be attempted with some limited success by even the (pardon the pun) greenest novice. Some additional know-how will greatly improve your chances of success, however. Shadow that green-thumbed neighbor, read the gardening section of your local paper, click on horticultural websites and borrow gardening magazines from the library. Nurseries offer excellent workshops as well. Home-grown fruits and veggies are cheaper, tastier, and more nutritious than their store-bought cousins. Grow your own flowers, too! A decorative pot of herbs, flowers or a cute succulent makes an attractive and reasonably-priced gift!

These are just a few examples of how gaining some expertise can improve your cash flow. Please share some of your own ideas.

Take A Pass And Save Some Cash

There are a lot of great tips out there on things to do to save money. What about things not to do to save money?

One thing I don't do is get expensive haircuts. I pass up Supercuts in favor of Sistercuts. My sister does a great job trimming my ends. I don't color it anymore, either. I don't have to spend hours getting my long hair dyed every four weeks, I avoid all the toxic chemicals, and the expense, and I find I don't mind the grey anyway.

No manicures and pedicures for me either. I find a simple set of manicure tools is all I need to keep my own nails neat and trim. If you like a more elaborate manicure, maybe you could give your friend one, and then she can do yours.

Another thing I avoid is tooth whitening. It weakens the enamel, and how white do my teeth really need to be? I do use a Sonicare toothbrush, which helps keep the stains polished off pretty well.

In this same category would be spray tans and botox. Lest you think I'm crazy for even thinking of these things, remember I live in Southern California. My natural pasty, wrinkled state is good enough for me.

Concerts are a no for me as well. The ticket prices make me cringe, and I hate the crowds anyway. I think I honestly enjoy listening to the CD at home more.

Ditto for amusement parks. It costs a fortune just to get in, the lines are insanely long, and I have motion sickness, so how much enjoyment can I really get out of the rides? If you have kids, you're probably stuck going there at least once in a while (make sure you have a coupon, though!) Seeing them have so much fun is worth the overinflated price.

Also in the entertainment category: movies. With today's ticket and concession prices, I rarely go to the movies. When a movie comes out that I want to see, I put it in my Netflix queue. There are so many in there I want to see, I never run out and don't mind the wait to see a new movie. Besides, that way I can lounge on my couch in my unmentionables and eat my own cheap popcorn.

With my Netflix subscription, I can also forgo an expensive cable package. They have all sorts of network and cable tv series on DVD, with no commercials!

When I go out to a restaurant, I usually skip the beverage and just order water. For a family of four, this can easily save you $10 every time you eat out.

When buying appliances, I always skip the extended warranty they try to talk you into purchasing. I've read that most appliances usually break down within the initial warranty period if they are going to.

Buying life insurance is another thing I haven't done. If you don't have any dependents, you don't need life insurance. For those with kids, though, this is a smart purchase.

Credit protection insurance is another thing I don't need. I don't carry a balance, so why would I need to pay for insurance that would make my payments if I was unemployed? If I simply took the amount of the premiums each month and put it in the bank, I would be self-insured. As far as protecting me if my card was stolen, I'm only liable for $50 anyway, and that's if I don't report the theft in the first 24 hours.

Expensive pet toys are another thing that pops into mind. I learned this the hard way one Christmas. I had bought this contraption that hooked over the back of a door and dangled a toy mouse tantalizingly in front of your cat. My cat walked over to the thing, chewed through the string holding the mouse, and ran off with the mouse. End of toy. I find a box to hide in and a milk cap or ping pong ball to bat across the floor are all that are required for a contented cat.

What if you cut some of these things from your budget and find that you miss them? If you do, bring them back! There's no need to be a martyr. It's about finding the things you really don't need to do or buy, so that you can afford the things you really need and enjoy.

What are some things you pass on to save cash? Would love to hear your comments, as always.

No School? Do Something Cool!

Pretty soon school will be out for the year. Moms everywhere are asking themselves the same question - how can I keep my kid entertained all summer? I have a few ideas.

Check and see if your local movie theater chain has a free summer movie program. Regal and AMC both offer one in certain areas. The movies usually start around 10:30 in the morning, and tickets are free! All you'll have to pay for is popcorn and drinks.

In most places, free movies and concerts are held in city parks in the evenings. Check with your local Parks and Recreation Program. We bring a blanket and a picnic.

See if your local library or bookstore sponsors a summer reading program. Most have a list of books in different age groups to be read, and offer a prize for reading some or all of the books on the list. It's a great way to keep your children entertained and sharp for school next year!

Check with your local museums and see what their free day is. Most have at least one day a month when admission is free. Enjoy the free air conditioning and soak up some culture!

Take your child camping. This is inexpensive fun for the whole family. Kids love to sleep outside in a tent and cook over a campstove. Besides, some exposure to nature is good for them. Just watch out for poison ivy!

Build a solar oven, and cook dinner outside on a hot day. I haven't tried this yet, but plan to this year! Here is a link to some simple instructions I found:

http://www.solarnow.org/pizzabx.htm

Use the sun to take photos using special sun print paper. You just place an object with an interesting shape on a piece of the special paper, expose to the sun for a few minutes, soak in water until you see the image appear, and let it dry. Here is one place to buy the paper online:

http://lawrencehallofscience.org/sunprint/index.html

Play miniature golf. This is a fun and inexpensive thing to do, and if it gets too hot, most places have an indoor putting green.

Go bowling. Your local bowling alley has kid-size balls too. I bet most of you haven't been bowling in years and have forgotten how much fun it is! Many bowling alleys offer a free summer bowl program too, it never hurts to make a few calls and check to see if your local alley is one of them.

Pick up some thrift-store costumes and have the kids put on a play or talent show. Invite other kids from the neighborhood to the performance.

Plant a garden together. It's not too late to start one. Sunflowers, tomatoes, radishes and zucchini are particularly easy to grow. Plant a few pumpkin seeds in June, and you can harvest your own Jack 'O Lanterns for Halloween!

Get up in the middle of the night and watch the Perseids Meteor Shower. Spread a blanket on the lawn and prepare to be impressed. This year it peaks on August 13th and 14th. Look toward the northeast after midnight. During the peak, you will see about 60 meteors per hour.

Send the kids on a scavenger hunt around the yard or house with a list of items they must find. Be sure to have a neat prize for the first one to find all the items.

Three words: water balloon fights!

Try this recipe for making ice cream in a baggie. I'm looking forward to trying this too!

http://crafts.kaboose.com/ice-cream-in-a-bag.html

This should be enough to get you started. Please comment with your own great ideas. Let's banish "I'm Bored" this summer!

Don't Throw It - Grow It!

This time of year, my thoughts turn to gardening. Right after that, my thoughts turn to how I can save money gardening. Over the years, I've learned a few cheap tricks that I'd like to pass on to you.

Many plants can be started from discards. A sprouted piece of sweet potato grows into a pretty vine. A potato that has formed eyes can be cut into pieces and planted in a deep container, such as a trash can. Once the vine has grown and then withered, the potatoes are ready. Simply tip the trash can over to harvest. A pineapple top can be planted, and will often grow into a pretty plant, which in some cases will even produce a new pineapple! An avocado seed, poked with toothpicks and suspended in a glass of water, will grow into a new avocado tree. Just make sure the fat end points down. That's where the root grows. It will take the tree many, many years to produce fruit once it's been transplanted into the ground, but who's in a rush? If you are, you may have to spend $30 or so and buy a more mature tree.

Many fruits and veggies can be easily started from seeds. I have had good luck with grapes, tomatoes, lemons, oranges, tangerines, bell peppers, squash and melons. Some of the seeds you save from supermarket-bought produce may not sprout. They are sometimes sterile, but it doesn't hurt to try. You can save seeds from your own produce that you grow, or trade with friends and neighbors or contacts you make here: http://www.seedsavers.org/. Some of these plants and trees will take many years to produce their edible offerings, but in the meantime, they are fun to grow.

In case you don't have a place for a traditional garden plot, what can you use for containers for all these plants? Some clever repurposed options I've seen include old shoes and boots, plastic kiddy pools, wagons, old leaky watering cans or fountains, cat litter tubs (these can be painted with that new plastic paint if desired), coffee or juice cans, old trash cans, barrels, tires (although I'm not sure I would plant edibles in these, toxins might leach into the soil), baskets, chairs with broken seats (line first with moss or coconut fiber), even old tubs and toilets! One of the cleverest examples I ever saw was a box spring and bed frame "flower bed" that had been planted with a variety of blooms. I have a couple of unused cat litter receptacles for one of those fancy self-scooping litter boxes, now kaput, which I intend to plant with herbs.

Whatever you use, make sure to poke some holes in the bottom for drainage. You will have to invest in some potting soil initially, but you can use the same soil year after year - just make sure to add some fertilizer. If you have any place for a compost pile, you can reuse your food scraps to make your own fertilizer. I share a compost bin with my neighbor. We both dump our scraps in the same bin, then after about six months, we divvy up the results.

I hope this has given you a few ideas to get you growing. As always, I'd welcome your tips and tricks. Please comment if you'd like to share your green-thumbed thoughts.

One Small Step For You, One Giant Leap For Earth-Kind

In honor of Earth Day, let's all vow to make just one small green change in the way we live. If everyone made just one change, it would make a huge difference. Once you start doing that one thing, it will feel so easy and natural, I know you'll go on to make other changes as well.

What are some cheap and painless things you can do to help the planet?

1. Change one lightbulb in your house to a CFL bulb.

2. Turn off incandescent bulbs every time you leave a room for more than 5 minutes.

3. Recycle a can or newspaper you would ordinarily throw away.

4. Buy a battery charger and some batteries to replace your disposables.

5. Walk or bike for one errand a week that you would normally drive for.

6. Start growing at least one vegetable or herb for your table. Tomatoes are easy, so is basil.

7. Start carrying your own water in a refillable steel or glass bottle.

8. Plug your appliances with a "standby" feature into a power strip, and turn off when not in use.

9. Use rags for cleaning instead of paper towels.

10. Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins.

11. Use handkerchiefs instead of tissue.

12. Compost your vegetable peelings, tea and coffee grounds, eggshells, etc.

13. Bring your own mug to work, Starbucks and so forth.

14. Start paying at least some of your bills online.

15. Use tupperware, thermos and a lunchbox rather than disposables for work and school lunches.

16. Wash out glass jars from pasta sauce, etc. and reuse to store rice, beans, and so on.

17. Buy staples from bulk bins and store in recycled containers whenever possible.

18. Choose the brand with the least packaging when grocery shopping.

19. Pass magazines on to friends and eventually donate to the library when done reading.

20. Cancel your junk mail at https://www.directmail.com/directory/mail_preference/.

21. Always do full loads of laundry, and wash on cold when possible.

22. Make sure dishwasher is full before running, and turn off heat dry setting and open the door.

23. Bring your own reusable bags to the grocery store.

24. Water your lawn and garden early in the morning or in the early evening to prevent evaporation and use less water.

25. Replace your expensive, toxic cleaning products with baking soda and vinegar.

Try adapting one or more of these ideas in your everyday life. I guarantee you will feel good about it, and you will be even happier with all the money you save as a result!

Eggstra Cheep Easter Fun

Even though the price of everything is up, and earnings are down, your kids can have fun this Easter without you plundering your savings. First of all, who says they need a new Easter basket every year? Get a couple of thrift store baskets. You can decorate them differently every year depending on what the kids are into. Themed candy, pens, toys etc. are available at the dollar stores, or even at yard sales and thrift stores. Start collecting stuff at the sales after Easter for next year. If you do buy candy at the drugstore or grocery store, make sure you have coupons. There are a lot of buy one get one, and rebate deals going on right now for candy and basket stuffers. If you want to go lighter on the candy, try popcorn, juice boxes, fruit snacks, etc. You can save the Easter Grass too, and use it year after year. The plastic eggs that you fill and hide can be reused year after year too.

As far as coloring eggs, look for the grocery store deals for free eggs with a purchase of a certain amount. You can pick up the coloring kits for next to nothing after Easter, but if you don't have any on hand, buy them on a good sale, or you can use food coloring. Just be sure to add a little vinegar to each color, and use hot water, then add a little cold. You can save the large yogurt or cottage cheese containers to dip the eggs in, then recycle after Easter. The dye is just food coloring, it will not hurt the recycling process. You can also dye eggs naturally with vegetable and fruit colors. There is a good guide for doing this here:

http://www.stretcher.com/stories/00/000410h.cfm

A white crayon works the same as the one from the kit for coloring on the eggs before dying. Whip up some egg salad with all those dyed eggs for cheap bag lunches during the following week!

If you're having a party, here's an idea for a cute little gift to send home with each child. Use green plastic strawberry baskets. Weave ribbon in and out of the slats to decorate, and use wire or ribbon for a handle. Fill with easter grass, candy and small treats. An egg coloring contest is a fun party activity. Offer prizes for the prettiest egg, funniest egg, most unusual design, etc. Dollar-store garbage bags can be slit at the top and sides for heads and arms, and used as smocks to protect the kids' fancy easter clothing. You can vary the standard egg hunt for older kids by placing scavenger hunt clues inside the eggs, leading them to a prize at the end.

I wish you all a Happy Easter. If you have any fun, frugal Easter tips or traditions, please share!