This Tuesday, March 1st from 7:00 am to 10 p.m., IHOP is having their annual benefit for the Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. In return for a voluntary donation, you receive a free short stack of pancakes. It's a great opportunity to do some good and enjoy an inexpensive breakfast with friends at the same time. If you have an IHOP near you, why not get out and show your support!
If you don't have an IHOP near you, enjoy some pancakes at home. They are cheap, easy to make, and can be healthy if you use whole grain flours and top them with fresh fruit, or make savory pancakes and top them with vegetables and cheese. If you prefer your pancakes with syrup, here's a thrifty recipe:
Homemade Pancake Syrup
This recipe is taken from The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczn.
3 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups water
3 tbsp. molasses
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. butter flavoring
1 tsp. maple extract
Bring all ingredients to a rolling boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Turn off burner but leave pot on burner until bubbling stops.
They are good for breakfast, or have breakfast for dinner once in a while! Good recipes abound on the internet. You can even make a few extra and freeze them, then reheat for breakfast on the go!
Have some pancakes today, and enjoy a sweet (or savory) stack of savings!
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Monday, February 7, 2011
Enjoy A Few Laughs With Your Better Half
While watching the DVD of a well-known comedian's recent live performance on Netflix instant the other night, it hit me. This would be a fun idea for a frugal Valentine's Day "date night" at home. After all, laughter is an aphrodisiac!
If you don't have Netflix, you can rent a comedy DVD or find one at your local library. Prepare some appetizers like they would serve at a comedy club. Make a pitcher of cocktails, or mocktails if you don't drink. Wait until the kids go to bed, get cozy on the couch, arrange everything on the coffee table and crack up together. If you get a little tipsy, well at least you don't have to drive anywhere. You won't have to pay a big bar tab at the end of the evening either!
Happy Valentine's Day!
If you don't have Netflix, you can rent a comedy DVD or find one at your local library. Prepare some appetizers like they would serve at a comedy club. Make a pitcher of cocktails, or mocktails if you don't drink. Wait until the kids go to bed, get cozy on the couch, arrange everything on the coffee table and crack up together. If you get a little tipsy, well at least you don't have to drive anywhere. You won't have to pay a big bar tab at the end of the evening either!
Happy Valentine's Day!
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Get A Move On
Although I fervently hope my moving days are over, a friend's recent move inspired this post. Moving can be an expensive proposition. Here are a few ways to lower the cost, and make things simpler.
Don't buy moving boxes. Look on Craigslist or Freecycle for someone who has just moved and is giving boxes away. Wine boxes are great for packing glasses and fragile knickknacks without wrapping. Ask at a liquor store or Trader Joe's for empty boxes. They are usually happy to get rid of them. Ask friends to save bubble wrap and newspapers for you. I packed all my plates between layers of padded mailers last time I moved. It was so much quicker than wrapping each one, and nothing broke! Use your linens as padding for breakables. If you are not able to use wine boxes, socks are great for separating glasses and protecting them.
Leave clothes on hangers. Make a small hole in the bottom of a garbage bag, poke hangers through, and tie shut. It goes without saying that these should be dollar store garbage bags. When you get to the new house, you can simply hang the clothes up.
Quilts and blankets are good for protecting furniture corners. They work just as well as those pads that come with the moving truck, which of course you won't be renting. Find some friends with a van or pickup truck. This means that you must be willing to help them when they move, too!
If you are only moving a block away, consider skipping the truck altogether, and hand carrying everything. As long as you have enough help, it's not that bad, and the planet will thank you.
Make sure you have lots of reusable bottles filled with cold water for your helpers. Consider making sandwiches for everyone ahead of time, rather than ordering pizza or other takeout.
I hope you'll be very happy in your new home!
Don't buy moving boxes. Look on Craigslist or Freecycle for someone who has just moved and is giving boxes away. Wine boxes are great for packing glasses and fragile knickknacks without wrapping. Ask at a liquor store or Trader Joe's for empty boxes. They are usually happy to get rid of them. Ask friends to save bubble wrap and newspapers for you. I packed all my plates between layers of padded mailers last time I moved. It was so much quicker than wrapping each one, and nothing broke! Use your linens as padding for breakables. If you are not able to use wine boxes, socks are great for separating glasses and protecting them.
Leave clothes on hangers. Make a small hole in the bottom of a garbage bag, poke hangers through, and tie shut. It goes without saying that these should be dollar store garbage bags. When you get to the new house, you can simply hang the clothes up.
Quilts and blankets are good for protecting furniture corners. They work just as well as those pads that come with the moving truck, which of course you won't be renting. Find some friends with a van or pickup truck. This means that you must be willing to help them when they move, too!
If you are only moving a block away, consider skipping the truck altogether, and hand carrying everything. As long as you have enough help, it's not that bad, and the planet will thank you.
Make sure you have lots of reusable bottles filled with cold water for your helpers. Consider making sandwiches for everyone ahead of time, rather than ordering pizza or other takeout.
I hope you'll be very happy in your new home!
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Savings Amassed In The Year Just Past
Many people scoff at me for taking the time to sign up for freebies, submit rebates and fill out surveys. At the end of last year, I became curious exactly how much money I make by taking advantage of freebies and rebates, and participating in surveys, focus groups, etc. Throughout the year, I've been keeping track. Here are my results for 2010.
The total value of all merchandise received, including free samples, items which were free with a coupon, and items that were free after rebate, including those store gift cards for $10 free at Kohl's or JC Penney, was $995.84. I did not include savings from regular cents off coupons, or my free magazine subscriptions, mainly because I pass them around to my friends and relatives, and I'm not sure which subscription is whose anymore! I estimated the value of each free sample at 25 cents, which may be a little low. Some samples are just a dab of lotion on a card, while others, such as coffee are worth more. I figured it would average out.
The total earnings from surveys, pay-to-click sites, participating in online communities sponsored by brands and programs like Nielsen Consumer Panel and Amazon Mechanical Turk was $890.22.
This comes out to a grand total of $1,886.06 from all sources for the year. This has not been a particularly good year for surveys or samples, with the state of the economy. If I had been keeping track in previous years, I'm sure the total would have been much higher. Is it worth it to do all the little things I do to earn extra money? I say definitely! With relatively little time devoted to these activities, you can really augment your household budget. Many of these things I do while watching tv, so they don't really take up much of my day.
I plan to write some posts in the future that go into greater detail about some of these programs. In the meantime, feel free to comment and ask any questions you might have.
Happy New Year to all my readers. Let's save some money in 2011!
The total value of all merchandise received, including free samples, items which were free with a coupon, and items that were free after rebate, including those store gift cards for $10 free at Kohl's or JC Penney, was $995.84. I did not include savings from regular cents off coupons, or my free magazine subscriptions, mainly because I pass them around to my friends and relatives, and I'm not sure which subscription is whose anymore! I estimated the value of each free sample at 25 cents, which may be a little low. Some samples are just a dab of lotion on a card, while others, such as coffee are worth more. I figured it would average out.
The total earnings from surveys, pay-to-click sites, participating in online communities sponsored by brands and programs like Nielsen Consumer Panel and Amazon Mechanical Turk was $890.22.
This comes out to a grand total of $1,886.06 from all sources for the year. This has not been a particularly good year for surveys or samples, with the state of the economy. If I had been keeping track in previous years, I'm sure the total would have been much higher. Is it worth it to do all the little things I do to earn extra money? I say definitely! With relatively little time devoted to these activities, you can really augment your household budget. Many of these things I do while watching tv, so they don't really take up much of my day.
I plan to write some posts in the future that go into greater detail about some of these programs. In the meantime, feel free to comment and ask any questions you might have.
Happy New Year to all my readers. Let's save some money in 2011!
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Hot Pockets
Some of you may have been wondering what's happened to me. I've been taking a little hiatus due to the hectic holiday season. I'll be back soon with more of my usual lengthy posts.
In the meantime, I just wanted to pop in here and tell you about a little brainstorm I had. My heater is out of commission, and while waiting for the repair guy to show up, I had a great idea! I have some of those cloth heating packs you microwave with the rice inside. I popped one in the microwave and then slid it inside my sweatshirt, which is the kind with the big pocket on the front. I am sitting here typing away on the couch, toasty warm! This would be a good way to keep your heater turned down low and still stay warm, particularly if you're just sitting around. If you don't have any of those heating packs, you can make a quick one by tying some rice inside a clean tube sock.
Hope this helps you to keep your heating bill low, and your comfort level high! Happy Holidays, everyone!
In the meantime, I just wanted to pop in here and tell you about a little brainstorm I had. My heater is out of commission, and while waiting for the repair guy to show up, I had a great idea! I have some of those cloth heating packs you microwave with the rice inside. I popped one in the microwave and then slid it inside my sweatshirt, which is the kind with the big pocket on the front. I am sitting here typing away on the couch, toasty warm! This would be a good way to keep your heater turned down low and still stay warm, particularly if you're just sitting around. If you don't have any of those heating packs, you can make a quick one by tying some rice inside a clean tube sock.
Hope this helps you to keep your heating bill low, and your comfort level high! Happy Holidays, everyone!
Monday, November 15, 2010
I Dig Freestores!
Saturday was the first gathering of LAfreestore. The LAfreestore is the project of Krisha, a student of Sustainability Studies at Cal Poly Pomona. It is a community exchange designed to bring together members of the community by the sharing of goods, services, smiles and great conversation. This type of exchange is good for many reasons. It's good for the environment since it keeps usable goods out of landfills. It's good for the soul because when we give to others we give ourselves something equally valuable. It's good for the community since it provides people a place to gather and exchange all sorts of ideas and things.
The origins of LAfreestore can be traced way back to the Digger movement in England in the 1600's. The Diggers were an agrarian, communal society, so called because they grew their own food. They began as the "True Levellers", a protestant movement that got their economically egalitarian views from a passage in the Book of Acts. The Digger colonies were completely wiped out by wealthy, influential groups of Landowners by 1650. The movement resurfaced in San Francisco in the 1960's, led by a bunch of improv actors and activists. They opened up stores where they gave away goods, services, medical care, transportation and temporary housing for free. They also prepared "Digger Stew" from donated and stolen vegetables and meat, and fed anyone who was hungry. From there, Freestores popped up in other cities throughout the sixties, with the largest in New York.
My friend and I had heard about the event through someone else, and we were not quite sure what to expect. Being big fans of Freecycle, which is an online version of the Freestore, we wanted to check it out. We gathered together some used clothes and shoes, paperback books and toiletry items in tote bags and set out. This first gathering was held in the Eagle Rock section of Los Angeles, in the parking lot of the Casa Princesa Cafe.
When we arrived, we were greeted by friendly volunteers who took our items to place out on the tables. We could look around and take anything we wanted. No money changed hands. We were encouraged to wear tags naming any skills we could offer to other community members, such as babysitting, housecleaning, Reiki massage or even telling a good joke! These name tags were intended to start discussion between us, and it worked! Before long we were chatting with each other, helping each other to pick out clothes, telling jokes and sharing stories.
All of the items were clean and in good condition. I was surprised by the variety of stuff available. There were children's and adult's clothes, food, shoes, books, jewelry, CD's and movies, housewares, toiletries, even some seed packets! Next time I'm going to bring containers of seeds I've saved from my garden! We didn't stay very long, but the event was scheduled to last until 2:00 and a band was scheduled to play later. At the time we were there, there were about 30 people, but the idea is that people come and go throughout the day, so I'm sure many more than that were in attendance.
Right now, the intention is to hold these events twice a year. If you are interested in volunteering, or just want more information, you can visit the website: www.lafreestore.weebly.com or follow the group on Facebook: http://goo.gl/Lrof. A few pictures of the event have already been posted on Facebook, and people are sharing their finds. Watch for the date and location of the next gathering! Hope to see you there! If you are not in the LA area, why not consider starting up such an event in your own community? I'm sure you would find it to be a very rewarding experience!
The origins of LAfreestore can be traced way back to the Digger movement in England in the 1600's. The Diggers were an agrarian, communal society, so called because they grew their own food. They began as the "True Levellers", a protestant movement that got their economically egalitarian views from a passage in the Book of Acts. The Digger colonies were completely wiped out by wealthy, influential groups of Landowners by 1650. The movement resurfaced in San Francisco in the 1960's, led by a bunch of improv actors and activists. They opened up stores where they gave away goods, services, medical care, transportation and temporary housing for free. They also prepared "Digger Stew" from donated and stolen vegetables and meat, and fed anyone who was hungry. From there, Freestores popped up in other cities throughout the sixties, with the largest in New York.
My friend and I had heard about the event through someone else, and we were not quite sure what to expect. Being big fans of Freecycle, which is an online version of the Freestore, we wanted to check it out. We gathered together some used clothes and shoes, paperback books and toiletry items in tote bags and set out. This first gathering was held in the Eagle Rock section of Los Angeles, in the parking lot of the Casa Princesa Cafe.
When we arrived, we were greeted by friendly volunteers who took our items to place out on the tables. We could look around and take anything we wanted. No money changed hands. We were encouraged to wear tags naming any skills we could offer to other community members, such as babysitting, housecleaning, Reiki massage or even telling a good joke! These name tags were intended to start discussion between us, and it worked! Before long we were chatting with each other, helping each other to pick out clothes, telling jokes and sharing stories.
All of the items were clean and in good condition. I was surprised by the variety of stuff available. There were children's and adult's clothes, food, shoes, books, jewelry, CD's and movies, housewares, toiletries, even some seed packets! Next time I'm going to bring containers of seeds I've saved from my garden! We didn't stay very long, but the event was scheduled to last until 2:00 and a band was scheduled to play later. At the time we were there, there were about 30 people, but the idea is that people come and go throughout the day, so I'm sure many more than that were in attendance.
Right now, the intention is to hold these events twice a year. If you are interested in volunteering, or just want more information, you can visit the website: www.lafreestore.weebly.com or follow the group on Facebook: http://goo.gl/Lrof. A few pictures of the event have already been posted on Facebook, and people are sharing their finds. Watch for the date and location of the next gathering! Hope to see you there! If you are not in the LA area, why not consider starting up such an event in your own community? I'm sure you would find it to be a very rewarding experience!
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
When Times Are Tight, Give Thanks For What's Going Right!
Times are hard, and many of us are feeling down. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, let's take time this year to be thankful for the things that are going right in our lives. Are all of your family members healthy, or has someone recently recovered after a long illness? Are the kids doing well in school? Are you still in the family home? Do you still have a job? Are you receiving unemployment or food benefits which are keeping your family from being truly destitute? Does your family have active military members who are safe, although they are far from home? Do you have a lot of supportive, nurturing friendships that you treasure? Things may not be perfect, but let's still not forget to count our blessings.
There are many ways of incorporating this into the holiday celebration. My sister has a small fabric memo board with ribbons to hold the messages. This year we are going to put out a jar of paper strips printed with "I am grateful for..." and a pen underneath the memo board. Each family member will fill one out, tuck it into the memo board, and we will read them during dinner. Some families have a small branch that they stick messages on, some write in a pretty book, others put them in a nice vase. No matter how you do it, you may want to include this activity into your Thanksgiving Day. It may help your family to feel a little more positive about their circumstances.
I wish you all a fun and relaxing Thanksgiving, surrounded by family and good friends.
There are many ways of incorporating this into the holiday celebration. My sister has a small fabric memo board with ribbons to hold the messages. This year we are going to put out a jar of paper strips printed with "I am grateful for..." and a pen underneath the memo board. Each family member will fill one out, tuck it into the memo board, and we will read them during dinner. Some families have a small branch that they stick messages on, some write in a pretty book, others put them in a nice vase. No matter how you do it, you may want to include this activity into your Thanksgiving Day. It may help your family to feel a little more positive about their circumstances.
I wish you all a fun and relaxing Thanksgiving, surrounded by family and good friends.
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