The Frugal Times - Issue #1

Welcome to the very first issue of The Frugal Times. I'm so very excited to be able to bring this to you.

We all know that things aren't looking all that great on the economic front. But, no matter what happens, whether things get better or worse on the markets, learning to live a frugal life is a good idea. So, to that end, I've decided to start this weekly article with ideas, recipes, tips and hints to help you achieve that frugal lifestyle we're all looking for.

If you have anything you would like to contribute to The Frugal Times, email me and I will be sure to add it in for you.

Now, on to the fun stuff!

Frugal Decorating

Ok, I'll admit, this isn't exactly a decorating tip, but it will save you money. ;)

Burning scented candles and potpourri is a great way to give your home a wonderful, welcoming smell. It can get a bit expensive though as we can go through candles at an alarming rate. It's frustrating when they don't burn evenly too. It seems like such a waste to throw away that unburned portion. So, don't do it! Save all the unused bits of wax in a baggie. Then, using a potpourri burner you can use up those last little bits. Just place a small amount in the top and burn like normal. The candle wax will melt and you'll be able to use up every last little bit of your favourite scent!

This also works well if you spill the melted wax. Just let it harden, scrape it up and put it in a baggie.

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Frugal Recipes

This is a recipe that I make fairly often for my family. Everyone likes it and it costs about $5.00 to make if you get the meat on sale. It doesn't have a name, though. I just haven't taken the time to come up with one!


1 lb hamburger
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1/3 cup parmesan cheese (you can use more or less according to your family's tastes)
1 onion, chopped.
Salt and pepper to taste
1 small can corn
1 cup Bisquick mix
1/2 cup milk
1 egg.

Preheat oven to 400 F

Cook hamburger, salt, pepper and onion together until fully cooked. Stir in soup, parmesan cheese and corn until fully mixed. Pour mixture into lightly greased casserole dish.

Mix Bisquick, milk and egg until blended. Pour over hamburger mixture.

Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown.

This is also a good way to use up leftover corn or another vegetable. Rather than using a new can, just use up what's in the fridge. Because we are saving what we don't eat, right? ;)


Wacky Cake

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
6 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup water

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift flour, sugar, salt, soda, and cocoa together into an 8x8 inch ungreased cake pan. Make three depressions. Pour oil into one well, vinegar into second, and vanilla into third well. Pour water over all, and stir well with fork. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tooth pick inserted comes out clean. Frost with your favorite icing.

From the wonderful blog Pregnant With Cancer

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Money Saver Tip

Why waste money on sandwich bags? Just save your milk bags! When you empty one, open the top, wash it out really well and let it dry. Now you have a free sandwich bag that you can use. And because it's heavier plastic, you can use it over and over again!

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Interested in advertising in The Frugal Times? Email me for accepted sizes and costs!

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That's it for this issue. Be sure to stop by on Monday for more!

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Luke 16:10-12 - “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

I'm taking the plunge today and putting an ad on Kijiji to start selling eggs. I'm really rather excited about it! It will be the first time I've ever sold something like this. Pray that we will be able to recoup some of the cost of keeping the chickens, please!

This homesteading, simple life, frugal living thing is tough. I know everyone already knows that, right? I just thought it beared repeating. ;) Over the years, we've developed some habits that we need to change. So, what we've decided to do is change one habit at a time. I mean, if we try to tackle them all at once, I think the whole family will implode. ;)

Starting Nov. 1, we are going to work on our frivilous spending in the form of eating out. We tend to stop in at McDonalds to grab something quick more often than we should. It's really just too convenient. But, we just can't afford it anymore.

So, to work to that end, I'm going to be bringing back the weekly dinner menu that we used to use, but during the selling of the house and the move went by the wayside.

Every two weeks, I sit down with the calendar and my meal list and schedule each dinner meal for that pay schedule. Then, using the recipe for each meal, I make my grocery list with only the ingredients used in each meal. Of course we have our basic need grocery list as well.

By using this method we can usually shave at least $50 off our grocery bill if not more.

If anyone needs more information on how to set up a workable dinner list, let me know. I can post a more detailed how to here on this blog.

Yesterday's Shopping

Well, it went great yesterday! Not only were we able to get some excellent clothes at an amazing price, my teenage daughter now believes me that second hand clothing isn't the end of the world!

We spent just over $100 and this is what we got:

Myself: a pair of jeans, two skirts, two sweatshirts

My Husband: a pair of jeans

My Son: 3 pairs of pants, a new fall/spring raincoat

My daughter: 2 sweaters, a new pair of pants.

It was fabulous! We will definitely be going back. It was incredibly busy there being the last Saturday before Hallowe'en and honestly, none of us do crowds very well. So we're going to go back sometime when it's not quite as busy. ;)

Taking The First Step Towards Frugality In Shopping

We're on our way today to make our first steps towards frugality and simplicity. Unfortunately, that means spending money, which seems a bit backward, doesn't it? ;)

Everyone in our family needs winter coats, snow pants and boots, including my husband and I. Hubby also needs new shoes, I need new jeans (the knees and for lack of a better word, crotch, are almost completely worn through and aren't going to last much longer) and dress pants. The kids both need some mucking around clothes for cleaning out the chicken coop so they aren't wrecking their school clothes. We're looking at close to a thousand dollars just for winters coats and boots! So, we're heading to a second hand store today!

We've never shopped in a second hand store, so this will be something very new for us. We're having a hard time convincing our teenage daughter that it will be ok for her to buy something there. I'm hoping that once she gets there and is able to see the quality of the clothes that she'll start to understand that it's not the end of the world. Being in highschool, appearances are very important to her and she's afraid. She doesn't want to be teased by her friends and those who aren't her friends.

This is a huge step for us! I'm excited and very proud of my husband and I. Normally we would just head to WalMart or the mall to buy these things and spent way too much money. This is a great step in the right direction.

I'll be sure to stop back in and let you all know what we got!