Monday's Money Saving Tips!

Here are this weeks Money Saving Tips!

***Hubby and I received a Shark Steam Mop for a wedding present over three years ago. I'm a bit old fashioned, so, I still like to clean my floors the 'old fashioned' way. (On my hands and knees).  But, once in a while, when company is coming and time is short, it's nice to have back-up.  Unfortunately, somehow I missed that this 'handy helper' required distilled water, instead of plain old tap water.

Wouldn't you know it-that just when I needed a little assistance with my dirty kitchen floor on Saturday -Mr. Steam Mop decided to go on strike.  No steam.  No water.  Nothing!  After a few 'choice' words, I shoved it back in the hall closet, and went about scrubbing my kitchen floor by hand.   Grrr!

Well, yesterday, hubby pulled that darn steam mop back out,(bless his heart) and tried to figure out what the heck was wrong with it.  Thirty minutes later, hubby proclaimed with great pride that he'd found the problem.  "It's broke," he said, as he shoved it back in the closet.

Needless to say-it wasn't broke.  Because I hadn't used distilled water, as recommended, the hole where the steam comes out was plugged.  ****Cheap fix-I filled the water reservoir with half water (distilled-mama didn't raise no fool!) and half vinegar.  After plugging it in-I forgot about it, and went about my other chores.  Three hours later, I checked back-and guess what?  It worked!

Check out  Better Homes and Garden's and Real Simple, for other uses for vinegar that will save you $$!

****Everyone that knows me-knows how much I love the "Pioneer Woman!"  Ree Drummond not only comes up with some pretty spectacular recipes- she makes them all look so easy.  But, there is more to her than just exceptional cooking skills.  Ree puts a lot of planning into each every one of her meals.
It has been over a year since I watched this episode, where Ree is preparing dishes to fill up her freezer.  There she was-with that glorious smile on her face, showing me how 'easy' it is to whip up enough casseroles to last months (longer in our house since there is usually just the two of us), and save money by freezing them. Talk about planning!  Talk about organization!

 I can still remember the excitement and determination I felt that day.  So much so-I went right out to my local dollar store and purchased every foil pan they had.  Later, I made a list of all the ingredients that I would need to make our favorite casseroles.  With that in hand, I headed out to the market.  That is when my 'bubble' burst.  You see-Ree has her "Marlboro Man'-a cattle rancher.  How much do you want to bet they butcher their own meat?  Buying enough meat for two weeks in our house- is one thing.  Buying enough meat for months’ worth of meals....uh negative!  It just wasn't feasible with the price of beef and pork.  Not for us-and I'm sure not for most people.

What is feasible?  Well, do what the Pioneer Woman does-PLAN-but do so feasibly! (That way you won't end up like I did-feeling like a complete failure!)  But, no worries.  I got over it-and I made my own plan, based on our budget!

I began by not restricting myself to just our local market.  Sure, it's nice to buy local-especially when it comes to meat.(if you're like me-you feel a sense of comfort knowing that pound of ground beef you're cooking up for spaghetti- came from a local moo cow.)  But, if you do some research (like I did) you might just find a butcher shop who offers 'bundle' sales on local beef and pork.  Instead of paying $4.00 a pound in at your local market- you can buy in 'bulk' and your savings can be significant. The best part-they wrap your meat in the portions you request!

Next-hubby and I became our own butcher!  That's right!  Every few weeks, hubby and I would go to our local market and check out their specials.  If we were lucky-they would have pork or beef roasts on sale-and we would grab up a few of each.  Later, at home, we'd cut them into boneless pork chops-steaks, strips for stir fry-and stew meat.

We also checked out ads for some of our local 'big box' stores. Every once in a while-our local Wal-Mart or Super Target has specials on family packs of organically grown chicken.  When this happens- we snatch up a pack each of- legs, breasts, and thighs, and divide them up in freezer bags.  The average cost for each family pack is around $8 and provides us with enough chicken to make 15 or more meals!  That is less than $2.00 per meal!!!

Now we're talking!  Now I don't feel like a failure!  Now I can fill my freezer like my mentor Ree!
For more tips on how to save money when buying meat- check out this site!

Happy Monday folks!!!