Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Frugal Friday



It's time for Frugal Friday tips again. I've been preparing for the family for the Fourth of July Celebrations by shopping and cleaning out the fridge and marinating meat for the BBQ. So a few things came to mind.
Shopping: When shopping always go with a list of your needs! Research the newspaper adds for sales and stick to your budget. Many stores take coupons, and the loss leaders at each store are great to stock up on. I noticed that cake mixes and baking items are on sale. Of course they are! It's too hot to bake, but if you purchase them now they will be in your pantry for the holiday season. I am allergic to preservatives so I need to wait until the fall when the price of grains go down due to the higher demand.
Save the pickle juice! I bought some beef short ribs on sale of course, but they are a tougher cut of meat so they require some marinating before they sizzle on the BBQ. I was out of vinegar and short on time so I didn't cut up the lemons, but saw the almost empty pickle jar in the fridge.I cut up the short ribs and placed them in a ziplock bag and added pickle juice, Braggs Amino Acid's ( a staple in our home), some fresh chopped garlic, salt and pepper. I marinate them overnight and then place them on the grill to cook. Dear Husband likes them smothered in Sweet Baby Rays' BBQ sauce so I pour some on at the very end of cooking. Delicious! They can also be slow cooked in a crock pot till tender. I also use some of the pickle juice in my Potato Salad recipe instead of vinegar.
Lattes! Our Church has a coffee shop and all proceeds go to help with missions, but when I can't get there to get an ice cold Latte, I just make one at home. I start to watch for all the ingredients that we like and slowly stock up on them. Clear plastic Cups and lids, whip cream, decaf beans for me, the real thing for Honey, none of those sippy drinks for him! They end up costing half as much as from a stand, and we can enjoy them on a hot summer evening.


Just took this picture myself of one of those homemade "sippy drinks"

I just learned how to ask Mr. Linky to my site, so if you have thoughts to share on Frugality 101 please add your link so we can come look and learn, and please don't forget to leave a comment.



Originally posted July 4th, 2008
Mrs. V. said...
Hello~*~*~*~~*~Just wanted to let you know I have updated.And, I have a cold pasta salad dish that I actually add pickle juice in as one of the ingredients! It's one of my favorite things!Mrs. V.

2 comments:

Vintage Linen Treasures said...

That latte looks wonderful. I never thought of making them myself and honestly don't know how. Is it coffee and milk and ice all whirled up in a blender?
Patricia :o)

Domestically Inclined said...

Hello Patricia, So nice of you to stop by again.

Hope you like my answer in my next post!


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