When to Be Cheap and Recipe

Now that I am out of school and looking for a job I have a little time to post about what is going on in our family now. We are a family of four with only one full time worker at this time. Until I get a job and we get a tenant for upstairs we are living hand to mouth. As many of you can probably understand we are juggling our bills, paying one while letting the other be overdue and back and forth between things. We have a very tiny credit card debt from having to buy food and I will admit, ordering some take out. Yes, I hang my head in shame.

For the last six months we have had our food stamps cut to 90 dollars a month, but with the help of friends we do have some good staple foods and some other things also. If we did not have this help, we would be going to food banks, and folks? There is nothing wrong with doing that! These are hard times and most of us need all the help we can get. Things will get better, but until then, I will try blogging about cheap recipes, household tips and getting the most for your money. I will not talk about couponing.  I have done this, and quite well. I averaged saving 70% on groceries a week. The problem is that most coupons are for junk. Sugary cereals that leave you hungry right after you have eaten it, cookies, crackers, canned soups and other things that I normally wouldn't have purchased in the first place. So, in an effort to not only be cheap, but also keep things as healthy as possible, I gave up on most coupons. That doesn't mean one shouldn't look for them. There can be some really good deals, especially if you can combine them with a sale (although I think the grocery stores have caught on to that trick because it doesn't happen much anymore around here).

There are also some things that are smarter to buy name brand if you can. One of those things for us is the Bounty select-a-size (tm). We don't use paper towels much anyway, but for somethings, like drying meat, it is really the best choice. I have used generic and we go through them three times as fast as the brand name. One roll lasts us about two months, so we buy the more pricey ones, one at a time of course unless we have a little extra and the sale is good. My point is that sometimes it is better to go with brands names because in some instances they actually save you money. A roll of Bounty for 2.00 which lasts two months, or a Generic for 1.00 that barely makes it a month? I think that the choice is clear.

So, take a good look at what you use regularly and decide if you would spend less on better quality items or not. If you are one to use things like cream of mushroom soup, the generics are usually just fine, same with most frozen vegetables. Other things like toilet paper and dish soap (yes, the name brand will often last longer, especially if mixed with a little water) may be less expensive buying less at a time but having it last longer.

Food: First things first, what about food? Personally, I always have some sort of fat (margarine, butter, oil, vegetable shortening etc.), eggs, milk, flour, and sugar. If you generally have baking soda and powder around that is terrific. I can make a type of popover with leftovers. Add any condiment you have on hand, sweet or savory and you have a meal.

Sausage Popovers (this is what the recipe was called, but you don't need sausage)
2 beaten eggs
1 c. milk
1 Tablespoon oil (or any melted fat you have on hand)
1 c. Flour (all purpose)
1/4 teaspoon of regular table salt. Adjust if using larger grained salt, you will need more.

Leftovers. Meats of any kind, though flavoring them is a good plan, leftover vegetables (vegetables should be cooked first when necessary, like with carrots. Thawed and thoroughly squeezed out chopped spinach is also a neat choice. Originally the recipe was for breakfast sausage which is often on sale and are kept frozen. Just thaw first.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease bottom of and 8 inch bake pan. This is what I use, but a souffle dish or small casserole will also work.

Beat eggs, milk, oil, flour and salt until smooth. Pour into prepared pan. (if you are using a chopped up vegetable it is good to mix it in there a little before pouring) Top with chopped meat. Bake about 35 minutes until puffy and a skewer inserted near the center comes out clean.

Server with syrup, molasses, honey, mustard, ketchup (yeah I know, but kids like it) or anything else you like that is on hand and you think would work.