Living On A Dime

Tag: Save On Food

Free School Lunches – Readers’ Answers

Free School Lunches – Readers’ Answers

This is A Reader Response to our post, “Is It Wrong To Use Free School Lunches?“

Dear Readers, A while back, Melinda wrote asking our opinion of accepting free school lunches if you qualify. You can read our initial response here. Since then, we received these reader comments on the same subject and we thought you might find it interesting. Tawra

Hi Tawra,

I just read Melinda’s question regarding reduced school lunches. Having been on both sides of being able to afford and it being a real pinch, AND having worked in the public schools this past year, I would like to offer an additional perspective.

First of all, school lunches are not funded by the Department of Education or local school taxes. They are a program of the USDA to help farmers use the surplus. I don’t know all the specific details, but at least some of the foods are surplus that the government has ALREADY purchased and needs to distribute. That said, the local, state and federal layers of the education system DO look at the numbers of students receiving free and reduced price school lunch when determining where extra money will be spent. That is the only legal way of determining average income of a school/neighborhood or district. So, if a family decides to not sign up, that ultimately does cut the dollars being sent to that school.

Also, for those who decide they will take their reduced or free school lunch some of the time and bring lunch from home most of the time, that is great but be aware that if your school uses a debit account, the juice/milk and/or dessert that children often buy when bringing a bag lunch from home, actually will reduce your debit account more than just buying a whole reduced price lunch. Sounds stupid, but it’s true. At our elementary school, reduced price lunch was 40 cents. Milk plus dessert was, I believe, 65 cents.

I would suggest if you are truly feeling guilty about “taking” the lunch program, then make a donation of cash or food to a local food bank or use the extra cash to help out a friend.

Much of the same goes for the state Children’s Health Insurance. The numbers are used to make estimates of how many children are low income and thus be able to use the figures to appeal to state and federal levels for additional funding. Yes, it all ultimately comes out of our pockets but at least think about making sure some of it gets diverted to your neighborhood. :)

          -Christy

Hi Tawra,

I would like to reassure Melinda to please use the free meals at school. This is a Federal program, not welfare. I raised 3 children on this program and it is a lifesaver. If enough people do not use the program that do qualify for it ,it could be discontinued, and the people that need it will not have it. Please do not feel bad or guilty about using these programs.

          -Lisa from Gloucester Point, Virginia

Tawra, the federal government uses the number of students enrolled in the free/reduced lunch program to apportion other federal funds to schools for programs.

For example: If you have 2 schools with the same number of students and the same number of children eligible for free lunches, but at school A 50 children enroll and at school B 100 children enroll, then School B is going to get a lot more federal dollars for programs like Head Start than school A. The number of children enrolled in the free lunch program is used as a proxy in the funding formulas for several federal programs.

          -Maria from Washington, DC

In response to the free school lunch question… I am a teacher and we wish more parents would take the free/reduced lunch. First, the school receives a lot of money for each child on the program. Second, there isn’t a chance of the child being embarrassed. As a teacher I don’t even know who the kids are in my class who are on the program.

Lastly, this also helps with your school’s end of the year test scores. In Missouri, we have the MAP. The school not only receives a score, but there are sub categories in the schools. One is free/reduced lunch. Not to sound cruel, but the more kids who score better on the test on the free/reduced lunch program the better the score is for that sub category. If one category fails the entire school is considered a failed school.

          -Lisa from Gloucester Point, Virginia

August 31, 2020
What is an Appropriate Food Budget?

Elise from Kelowna, British Columbia writes:

Hi Tawra and Jill,

My husband and I are saving hard for a mortgage down-payment and we are trying to stick to a budget, but I don’t know what is an appropriate amount of money to allot for food per month. I try to get everything on sale and in bulk, as well as utilizing free sources of fruit and vegetables. (Here in the Okanagan they are all over!) Could you give me some advice about this? It is just the two of us — we have no children yet.

Thank you for the help, and also thank you for this inspiring website. I always read your articles and they boost my resolve to be as frugal as I can while still living life richly.

Thanks again, Elise

Hi Elise! Well, first let me tell you that we’re jealous that we don’t live in the Okanagan. From what we’ve seen of it, it’s beautiful country up there!

The answer to your question depends on a lot of factors. I can’t really give you a dollar amount because the price of food varies from state to state and from the US to Canada. When Mike and I were living alone we spent $125 a month on groceries (US dollars). My best advice is each day or week think about where you can cut a little more from your bill. No matter how much you cut, there is only so far you can go. Eventually you will get to an average point and the will be a steady bill for you. Then focus on how you can save in other areas.

Generally, if you cut out the convenience foods and go to restaurants as little as possible you will be well on the way. Since you are saving extra hard right now, I would cut out all of the restaurant trips except maybe on your anniversary and try for no expensive convenience foods. Then, when you have saved what you want to save, ease up on those things a little if you like. Also, keep in mind that it may be worth it at times to use convenience foods if you have an opportunity to make more money with the time you save. For example, if you and your husband can work some overtime this week and it pays well, but it eliminates the time you have to prepare meals for the week, it might be worth buying some TV dinners. Still, whenever possible, I’d prepare some freezer meals ahead of time when things are slow to make up for the time you may not have later.

It sounds like you are well on your way to getting it as low as you can. I hope you get your down payment quickly!

-Tawra

photo by: Masahiro

August 27, 2020
Frozen Grapes

Grapes (as many as you can get on sale)

Wash and separate the grapes. Drain and put on cookie sheet. Freeze. Store in freezer bags. Give to older kids as frozen treats. Note: Do not thaw; grapes become mushy when thawed.

From Dining on a Dime

August 12, 2020
Are Warehouse Stores Wearing Out Your Wallet?

Many people head off blindly to the local warehouse store to buy cases of their favorite products, but are warehouse stores actually saving you money? (more…)

January 21, 2020
13 Easy Family Menu Ideas – Dinners Your Family Will Love

These family menu ideas are easy to prepare and can help you save a lot of money on meals. You’ll find helpful tips and 13 easy menus to get you started! (more…)

January 6, 2020
Buy Pumpkins After Halloween

Buy Pumpkins After Halloween

This is a tip one of our readers posted and I thought it was a really great idea! Of all the things I am busy buying on clearance after Halloween, pumpkins wasn’t one of them. Duhh!! What was I “not” thinking? Thanks for the great idea! (more…)

October 31, 2019
Homemade Croutons Recipe and Bread Tips

This easy homemade croutons recipe is a tasty way to use leftover bread! You’ll also find some great tips for reducing waste and saving money on bread! (more…)

January 26, 2019
Is Aldi Cheaper? Aldi Stores Can Save You Money!
Is Aldi Cheaper? Aldi stores are wonderful little supermarkets that can really help you save money on your food bill. These tips will help you shop and save at Aldis!

Is Aldi Cheaper? Save Money Shopping at Aldi Stores

Please Note: We are not affiliated with Aldi stores and we cannot pass along your messages to Aldi Supermarkets. If you wish to contact Aldis, you can find contact information for them below.

I spend $250 a month on groceries. One of the best things I do to keep my budget is to do most of my food shopping at Aldi Stores. You can get a good price, get in and get out fast and you don’t have to mess with using coupons.

An Aldi store is a small discount warehouse store. It is not an outlet store and does not sell outdated or rejected products. They offer a double your money back guarantee for all of their products. If you don’t like it, they will give you your money back plus a new item. The foods are mostly Aldi brand foods. The Aldi brand is usually very good quality. I have only had one or two items where my family preferred the name brand over the Aldi brand.

The savings are significant. On a lot of items, I can save $1 or more over the price at a regular grocery store. Here’s an example: Chocolate chips at the local supermarket cost $1.99. Aldis regular price is .99. White bread in the supermarket costs $1. Aldis bread costs .59. Whole grain bread costs $2.59 in regular grocery store, but Aldi’s regular price is $1.29.

Aldi stores are all over the world. Here is the link to the Aldi website to see if one is near you:

http://www.aldi.com

There are a few rules to follow that keep Aldis prices low:
1. Aldi stores accept only cash, debit or food stamps.
2. They don’t accept coupons.
3. You have to pay a .25 deposit to get a shopping basket. There is a little quarter machine on the basket. When you return your basket, it gives you the quarter back. This keeps prices down because they don’t have to pay someone to get baskets.
4. You bag your own groceries at Aldi stores. Bring your own bags. Put all your extra plastic sacks in an empty tissue box and bring it with you. You can also use the boxes they have there for free. If they don’t have any boxes available and you forget your bags, they charge $.10 per bag for you to buy them.
  When the checker checks you out, she puts the groceries right back into the basket and you have to take them to a separate counter to bag or box them. I usually roll the basket out to the car and box it there so that I can strap my 2 year old into his car seat while I pack the groceries. That way I don’t have to chase him around while I’m trying to get packed and I get packed up in five minutes instead of 10 or 15.
5. To get the freshest produce, ask when their truck comes and go shopping the next morning.
6. Be prepared. The checkers check you out very fast. I have timed it and on average it’s 2-3 minutes check out time with a full basket of groceries. It may be a little awkward the first time getting used to a different way of shopping, but once you do it once or twice, the savings are addicting!
By shopping at Aldi, I get two weeks worth of groceries (excluding meat — I buy it elsewhere) for $100.00. I am in and out of the store in 30 minutes including bagging my groceries. Plan a little longer the first time as you learn your way around the store. Try it a couple of times and see if you grocery bill doesn’t go down!

Please Note: We are not affiliated with Aldi stores. We are just happy customers. If you wish to contact Aldi, visit their web site at http://www.aldi.com. If you wish to contact Aldi, you can find contact information below. We do not know anyone at Aldi, so we cannot pass along messages for their company.

Comments about this article from our inbox:

Dear Tawra,

I just wanted to thank you for your article on shopping at Aldi’s. I recently shopped there for the first time and I was very pleased with the wide selection they had available and the prices are FANTASTIC. Shopping there has already reduced the amount of money I spend for groceries to feed my family of 4 (which includeds two VERY hungry teenaged boys), and I look forward to saving more as I continue to shop there each week for my groceries. Thank you for you wonderful web site and I look forward to readying more tips and articles to save money.

Sincerely

Shellia Jean A.

Tawra,

I just read your article about Aldi’s. I wanted to suggest taking a heavy duty laundry basket so the cashier could put the items directly into the basket which would save time. It would also be a lot easier to unload at home.

MaLia from Kansas

To Contact Aldi Store Headquarters:

In the United States:

Customer Relations
ALDI Inc.
1200 N. Kirk Rd.
Batavia, IL 60510

Phone: (630) 879-8100

If you’re outside the United States, you can find contact information for Aldi on the web at http://www.aldi.com.

Aldi is a great store where you can save lots of money!

[dining]
July 31, 2017
Easy Watermelon Pickles Recipe

This easy Watermelon Pickles recipe is a yummy way to use leftover watermelon rinds and reduce waste! These Are REALLY YUMMY!! Just Like Sweet Pickles! You can find this recipe in our Dining On A Dime Cookbook on page 173. (more…)

July 12, 2017
Homemade Fruit Roll-Ups Recipe

This homemade strawberry fruit roll-ups recipe is an easy to make alternative to store bought fruit roll-ups. Great for school lunches, picnics, road trips and more! (more…)

May 19, 2016
Homemade Chocolate Mint Cookies Recipe

Homemade Chocolate Mint Cookies Recipe

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
1 egg
1/4 tsp. peppermint
1/2 cup sour milk (you can put a tablespoon of vinegar into sweet milk to make it sour)
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp. soda
1 tsp. salt
2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix in order. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 5-10 minutes.

Frosting/Drizzle:

Frosting: Use Butter Cream Frosting made from scratch or canned. Add 1/4 tsp. peppermint and a couple of drops of green food coloring. Frost the cookies.

Drizzle: Melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 tsp. shortening in microwave and drizzle over frosted cookies.

For more easy recipes like this chocolate mint cookies recipe, check out our Dining On A Dime Cookbooks!
[dining]

May 22, 2015
Stretching Your Food and Reducing Waste

Stretching Your Food and Reducing Waste

I wrote a lot about portion control in our Groceries On A Dime e-books but there was one tip I left out (I try to think of everything but, once in a while, I slip up) :). If you are really trying to stretch your food or have more control over your family’s portions then fill their plates at the stove or in the kitchen.

Don’t serve your food family style with large platters and bowls on the table to pass around. It is a proven fact that most people will eat more with large piles of food sitting in front of them. If someone is really full but they want seconds because it tastes so good, they will probably think twice about it if they have to get up and walk into the kitchen or to the stove to get more.

Here is a point that I did cover in the Groceries On A Dime e-books but I think it is worth repeating. Get serious about watching the food you throw away, especially with little ones. If they didn’t eat a whole potato last time, chances are they won’t eat one the next time so start small, even if means having to give them seconds.

When my kids were little (and even now with my grandkids) I usually took very little food on my own plate because there was always food left on the kids’ plates. Since I don’t mind eating their leftovers, I usually eat what is left on their plates.

When my kids were little they would take a drumstick from the chicken, pull two or three bites off and leave the rest. I never took my own piece of chicken because I got more then enough cleaning their “bones”.

Those were just a couple of ways I managed to feed my family on almost nothing. For more tips like this, check out the Groceries On A Dime e-books.

-Jill

Photo by: jbloom

February 21, 2015
Raspberry Rhapsody Salad Recipe

This Raspberry Rhapsody Salad Recipe makes a refreshing light salad to go with your dinner, to serve as a dessert or as a nice treat when your friends come over!

Raspberry Rhapsody Salad Recipe

6 oz pkg. raspberry Jello
2 cups boiling water
2 cups raspberry sherbet
1/2 to 1 cup frozen or fresh raspberries

Dissolve Jello in boiling water. Add sherbet and stir until melted. Add raspberries and chill until set. You can change the Jello to orange and use orange sherbet and mandarin oranges or strawberry Jello with strawberry sherbet and strawberries.

photo by: muffet

January 24, 2015
Using Leftover Crumbs

Here’s how to use all those leftover crumbs!

How often do you toss leftover crumbs, whether they are in the bread bag, cake or dessert leftovers or something else? Which if us hasn’t cringed at throwing away that last piece of cake? You can usually use these leftovers for something else, saving money and often adding something special to another food item! Try these tips for using leftover crumbs:

Leftover cookie crumbs – use leftover in place of graham cracker crumbs when making a graham cracker crust.

Leftover bread crumbs – save in a bag in the freezer. When you have enough, toss leftover crumbs with oil and seasoning. Toast until golden brown. Use in place of Parmesan cheese or us in stuffing, casseroles or bread pudding (without the oil and seasonings)

Save and use cake crumbs, cookie crumbs and brownie crumbs as a ice cream topping

Use cereal leftover crumbs for topping on muffins, yogurt, pudding, oatmeal, fresh fruit or use 2 cups with 1/2 cup margarine and your favorite herb, broil on a flat pan until browned. Use on top of hot vegetables, macaroni and cheese or casseroles. Store unused portion in an airtight jar.

Leftover Jelly or Jam? – use for popsicles or add more water, boil and make syrup

One serving of leftovers? – Line a muffin tin with foil. Put one serving of leftover mashed potatoes, meat anything and cover with foil. Freeze.When frozen store in labeled plastic freezer bags.

Add leftover cooked rice to pancake batter. – Cook as usual. Serve with butter and syrup. They make a hearty breakfast.

Sundae Pie – Crumble leftover cookies, angle food cake, pound cake or brownies in a pie pan. Spoon vanilla ice cream on tip. Spread on a thin layer of strawberry jam and cover that with chocolate and butterscotch ice cream topping. Freeze and serve for dessert.

photo by: little blue hen

May 24, 2014
What is Washing Soda?

What is Washing Soda?

A Reader asks: “What is washing soda? Is it baking soda?”

Tawra: Washing soda is not baking soda.

Washing soda should be in the laundry section of your grocery store. It comes in a yellow box, made by Arm & Hammer, but it’s NOT baking soda. If you’re interested, washing soda is Sodium Carbonate (Na2CO3), baking soda is Sodium Bicarbonate (NaHCO3), and borax is Sodium Tetraborate Decahydrate (Na2B4O7*10H2O), all different chemical compounds.

You can find it locally at Walmart or in the laundry section of most stores. You can also order it at many places online.

Homemade Laundry Detergent Recipe

Homemade Laundry Detergent Video

Demystifying The Laundry Detergent Dilemma

Can You Save Money Making your Own Laundry Detergent?

May 13, 2014
Homemade Ketchup Recipe

This easy homemade ketchup recipe is great to use to make homemade ketchup whether you have unexpectedly run out of catsup or you just want to save some money! (more…)

April 26, 2014
Hot Spicy Fruit

This is a great dish to serve for a holiday party. You can make it a day or two ahead of time and then stick it in to bake right before the party. It will make your house smell delicious. You can use this all the way from a holiday brunch to an evening party.

Hot Spicy Fruit

1 (15-16oz.) can pear halves
1 (15-16oz.) can peach halves
1 (15-16oz.) apricot halves
1 (20oz.) can pineapple chunks
1 (16oz.) can bing cherries
1 (11oz.) can mandarin oranges
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup brown sugar
1-2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (if you don’t have that use 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg and 1/8 tsp.ginger and cloves each)
1/2 cup sliced almonds

Drain fruit well and place in a greased 9×13 pan or casserole dish. Mix brown sugar, pumpkin spice and butter. Pour over fruit. Sprinkle with almonds. Cover and refrigerate until serving day. Bake uncovered at 350° for 40-45 minutes.

You can add or take away fruit as needed. For example, if you find bing cherries are too expensive, then use an extra can of peaches instead.

photo by: tambako

February 19, 2014
Time Saving Kitchen Tips
Most of us have enough going on in life that we don’t want to spend a lot of extra time in the kitchen. There are lots of easy little changes you can make to your routine that will help you save a lot of time so you can have more time for your family and the other priorities in your life. Here are some easy kitchen tips from our Groceries On A Dime e-books to get you started.
1. Make simple meals. One-dish meals can contain your meat, your vegetable and your bread.
2. Things to do the night before:
  - Plan your meals.
  - Put things in the refrigerator to defrost.
  - Pack lunches.
  - Set the table for breakfast. Prepare breakfast foods the night before. For pancakes, mix dry ingredients the previous night. In the morning, add wet ingredients and cook.
1. Cook Once, Cook Big:
  - Make large batches of beans and store in 1- or 2-cup portions.
  - Make large batches of granola and store in an airtight container. If used for lunches or snacks, divide into single-serving plastic bags or containers.
  - Brown a large portion of ground beef and store in 1-cup portions. You can also do this with roast, pork and round steak.
  - Cut up extra ingredients for another meal when using onions, green peppers, etc.
  - Cook double batches of rice or pasta to be reheated later in the week.
2. Buy staples that you use often in quantity.
3. Make double or triple the amount when you prepare main dishes. Freeze. Label with the name of the dish and cooking instructions. Later when you are too busy to cook, put in the crockpot on low or set the timer for the oven to start dinner before you get home.
1. Place all pre-made meals in one part of the freezer. That way your husband and kids can easily find the meals when you aren’t at home.
2. Try exchanging meals with another family. Cook double the amount and take half over to them. Later, they cook double and bring it to you. That is one less night you have to cook and it brings variety to your menu.
3. Have family members help. There is no reason why the kids can’t help out with the cleaning, including dishes and other chores, so that you have time to prepare meals. Have everyone remove his or her own dirty place setting from table and put away 4 or 5 additional items. The table will be cleared quickly using this method. Wash your dishes right away. If you don’t let them sit, the food will not get stuck on them. This will save you a lot of time because you won’t have to do extra work trying to scrape food off the dishes when you’re cleaning the kitchen before the next meal.
4. When unloading the dishwasher, set the table for the next meal.
5. Put away containers and clean up as you cook.
[dining]
February 18, 2014
Money Saving Breakfast Tips
Here are some suggestions that will help you simplify and save money on your breakfasts.
- To make “instant” maple and brown sugar oatmeal:
Before bed add oatmeal and milk or water to a bowl with 1 drop of maple flavoring and brown sugar to taste. Let it sit overnight in the refrigerator. In the morning microwave for 90 seconds and enjoy!
- Children’s morning routine:
  Don’t let kids eat or watch TV in the morning until they first are dressed and ready for school and have their beds made and their rooms picked up. Then let them eat breakfast.
- Save bacon grease
  Use it for frying eggs, flavoring corn bread, muffins or for greasing pans.
- In coffee cake
  Substitute equal amounts of apple juice for the milk, then add 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon.
- In syrup
  Stir in 1-2 tablespoons of orange marmalade into a cup of warm maple syrup. It perks up ordinary pancake syrup.
April 29, 2013
Ways To Use Old Tea Bags
Ways to Use Old Tea Bags – Make Tea Bags Useful

A Reader from Nampa, Idaho Writes:

“I have loads of old tea bags. Are there any ways I can use them or should I just throw them away?”

Tea bags have many uses other than making tea to drink. Here are some ways to use old tea bags without simply throwing them in the trash…
- Tea bags work well for tea dyeing craft and sewing projects.
- If you have curtains or a tablecloth with colors that are too bright for you decorating scheme, you can tea dye them that give them a pretty muted look. This works especially well for the country or antique look.
- I also keep moistened tea bags in a plastic bag in the freezer or fridge. When I have a headache or my eyes are burning, itching or just puffy from eye strain, I lie with one tea bag on each eye for ten or fifteen minutes. It really is soothing.
- Use used herbal bags in your rice while you are cooking it to give a nice taste
- Use moistened used tea bags on sunburns or bug stings
- In your potting soil for fertilizer
- To deodorizer things. Stick them in a closet, inside of shoes or just sitting out in a bowl to absorb odors.
- If baking soda has failed for those burnt on pans try some used tea bags with hot water and let them soak awhile.
- Tea bags are a great degreaser. They use to be used all the time in a bucket of water to mop floors with.
-Jill
April 26, 2013
Stop Apples from Browning

Stop Apples from browning

My apple tree went crazy producing apples this year so I will probably be using this tip!

Jill

From: Kimberly H.
I’m not sure if you take tips from subscribers, but I thought I’d pass this along. . .

My mother is a home economics teacher and taught me several years ago that salt water will keep apples from turning brown when cut. It is cheaper than using lemon or lime and always on hand.

I just fill a bowl with a mixture of water and about 1 Tablespoon of salt and put it in the sink. As I cut the apple (or anything else) I let it apple sit in the mixture. When I’m done cutting, I just rinse off the apples – and that is it!!! Easy, cheap, and works WONDERS! Try it – the apples will not turn even hours later! My husband is a chemist and he is trying to figure out why this works, but it does :)

PS From Jill

It has been a couple of years since I got this tip and I use it all the time now. I love it. I don’t even rinse the salt water off. It is so much easier then lemon juice. First lemon juice tends to make everything slightly sticky. Second I don’t always have lemon juice on hand but I always have salt. Three it is much cheaper to use the salt and last I think it does a better job in helping with the discoloration then the lemon juice. This is really a winner.

photo by: thewrittengeek

August 18, 2010
More zucchini recipes

One year after having a dynamite of a veggie garden, we had zucchini coming out our ears!! We wondered, "What do we do with it???" I tried giving it away, some friends took it, most did not. A few ways I used them was:

#1. Made cookies with them, using a carrot cookie recipe. I also made the cookies with yellow summer squash. They were good (be sure to drain shredded zucchini or yellow squash really well before using them this way, or your batter will be really runny.) I took the squash cookies to work, everyone loved them! Some wouldn’t believe they had grated yellow summer squash in them.

#2. I used my deceased Mamaw’s recipe for Cucumber Pickle Relish. It was awesome!! We used it in potato salads, tuna salads, ham salads, chicken salads, etc. No one knew it wasn’t cucumbers till I told them!

#3. If you’ve never tried Chocolate Zucchini Bread, you should do so especially if you’re a chocoholic!!

Sincerely, Terri H.

I have made zucchini cake many times by just substituting zucchini for carrots in a carrot cake recipe. Yummy! (especially with the cream cheese frosting!)

Lori

Photo By: Paul Sullivan

August 11, 2010
Dessert And Cake Tips

In our dessert and cake tips you will find suggestions for useful cooking substitutions and ideas to make cooking easier while saving money.

Be careful to count the ingredient cost with candy recipes because sometimes making homemade candy is more expensive than buying candy in the store.

Slice a piece of cake in half. Turn the top piece with the frosting over and make a "sandwich". This is an easy way to send cake in lunch boxes.

If you are making a dessert like cookies and you find you have no eggs. Try adding 1/4 cup extra liquid such as milk for each egg and bake as usual. Most of the time it won’t hurt to leave out the egg.

Try using 1 Tablespoon soy flour instead of eggs in your recipes. It is much cheaper and handier to have on hand.

Keep a paper towel in your shortening. Just rub it on pans to grease. No need to clean a brush each time.

Substitute oatmeal for nuts in cakes, cookies and pies. Brown oatmeal in a bit of butter or margarine. The oatmeal adds a nice flavor and crunch.

To make holding the candy thermometer easier when making candy. Attach the candy thermometer to a wire whisk and lay the whisk across the top of the pan. It holds the thermometer for you and frees your hands. Buy chocolate on clearance after the holidays.

Chop solid chocolate bunnies, hearts or Santas and use in place of chocolate chips in baking.

From: Dining On A Dime

Photo By: timlewisnm

June 29, 2010
Money Saving Beverage Tips

Save Money On Beverages

Here are some easy tips that will help you simplify and save money on your beverages.

Kids don’t need and usually can’t drink an entire can of cola by themselves.
Pour the cola into a glass so two kids can split one can so you don’t waste an entire can of cola.

Latte
Mix 1/2 cup strong coffee with 1/2-3/4 cup of warm milk. Save $2 by doing this instead of buying a latte on the way to work every day.

Drink water
1/4-1/3 of most Americans’ grocery bill is spent on drinks, drink mixes and sugar for the mixes. Cut down on the amount of coffee, tea, juice, milk and soda your family drinks. Kids don’t need pop or excessive amounts of milk and juice. They can drink water.

One serving of orange juice is ONLY 1/2 cup. That juice counts as one serving of fruit. Most kids drink way more than 1/2 cup for a serving. Excessive juice is no better than a melted down popsicle.

Stir coffee or cocoa with a peppermint candy cane. It adds a nice peppermint flavor. Crushed peppermint candies may also be added.

Save extra coffee in a thermos instead of making a new batch or buy a smaller coffee maker.

For more money saving tips like these along with hundreds of delicious quick and easy recipes, check out our Dining On A Dime Cookbook now!

Photo By: larryvincent

June 9, 2010