Recipe: Roast Chicken with Potatoes and Broccoli w/ Breadcrumbs

I was waiting to take pictures of one of my roast chickens, but that isn't happening any time soon, so I will just put up the recipe for now. 


Roast Chicken and Potatoes

1 roasting chicken (about 4lbs or so)
1 gallon water, cold but heat up 3 cups
3/4 cup kosher salt
2/3 cup brown sugar 

2 Tbls butter or margarine
2 tsp herbs of your choice, dry (I also sometimes use fresh when I have my garden, but only more sturdy herbs like thyme and rosemary)
Pepper to your taste
oil

4 medium potatoes. If waxy with thin skin, just scrub and cut into 3/4 inch pieces. If russet (hey you get what is cheap!) peel and cut into similar sizes. 
salt
pepper
mix of herbs that compliment what you are using with the chicken
two cloves garlic, minced
More oil

1. Mix salt and brown sugar in the warm water until dissolved. Pour the rest of the cold water in. If it is still warm, chill for a bit. 
You can do this as a whole chicken, but this way the brine works faster and it cooks more evenly. 
2. Butterfly the chicken by first cutting out the backbone, preferably with poultry shears. Then, run a sharp knife around the outside of a thigh and pop the joint out of place. It should come off easily. Repeat on other side. Turn the chicken around so that the breast if faced upward. Press on the middle of the breast until it snaps (you should hear it) and the breast flattens a bit. Remove wings if desired in a way similar to the legs. Here you can just leave as is, or cut it into smaller pieces. The giblets and wings (if removed) should go in a plastic freezer bag and frozen for the soup (recipe forthcoming). 

3. Place the chicken into a soup pot and cover with water. A large container which is narrow is a good choice. Refrigerate for a 1/2 hour to an hour. 

4. Mix together softened butter or margarine with the herbs and pepper. Remove the chicken from the brine and pat dry. Gently loosen the skin and with a small spoon deposit small amounts of the butter mix under the skin towards the center of piece of meat. With your fingers, smooth the butter mix until it is evenly spread. 

5. Toss potatoes with herbs, garlic, oil (use your judgement, just a light coating will do) and salt and pepper. 
6. Rub the skin with some olive oil, place in roasting pan with potatoes (put the potatoes under the bird for extra flavor or outside the bird for a crispy outside) and roast in a preheated 375 degree oven for 35 minutes. Take its temperature after until the thermometer registers 165. Remove from oven, cover with foil and let rest for 15 minutes or more.  Remove potatoes to a bowl and cover with foil.

If you wish, you can make a gravy. Skim the fat off of the drippings in the roasting pan. If the roasting pan can be used on the stove top, put it on a burner over medium heat. If not, you can deglaze the pan without the heat and pour it into a sauce pan. Deglaze with enough liquid to make 2 cups total, including drippings. Use almost anything. Apple juice makes a nice gravy as does wine if you happen to have some on hand. Don't worry if it is red or white, just steer clear of wine that is very sweet (a little sweet is fine) or has a very strong flavor as the wine does reduce and concentrate the flavors.
Bring to a light boil and whisk in flour. Heat until thickened and let simmer for a few minutes to remove the raw flour taste. Strain if desired and serve with chicken and potatoes.
Mix 3 Tablespoons of all purpose flour in a jar with a cover with 1/2 cup of water.

This can feed from 4 to 6 people. Save all the leftover meat and place in a container in the refrigerator for the soup. Save the bones in the freezer. 

The bird is moist and needs no basting because of the brine. If you are feeling creative, add other flavors to the brine. Oranges, lemons, bay leaves, cinnamon sticks etc. are all nice additions, just keep the salt to water ratio the same.

If you are not feeding a lot of people, there may even be enough meat leftover for sandwiches or another dish. If you are using smaller birds or have a larger family, brine two at a time, just make sure that the water (with the proper ratio of salt) covers the top of the chicken and of course, prepare more potatoes.

The broccoli is incredibly easy. If you are using fresh, steam it until crisp tender, otherwise just defrost. I use frozen, it is cheaper and already cut up. Saute some garlic in olive oil (or what you have on hand, margarine will do, but watch butter as it burns easily). Add in breadcrumbs and toast until the crumbs start to brown. Toss with broccoli and salt and pepper until warmed through. Do it last though as the breadcrumbs will get soggy if left to sit too long.

And there you have it. This meal is the most work intensive of all the meals, which is why I choose it for Sunday. If you work on Sunday, just make it on a day you have time, planning the soup for later on in the week. For our family, we tend to plan menus starting on a Friday or Saturday due to shopping and time. As such, the menu posted is very flexible, as long as you don't plan for the soup before the chicken because the chicken bits are needed for the soup.

Dinner Menu For a Week (cheap)

There are a lot of menus out there that say they are cheap, and for some they might be. I know that when I am in a bind, they are too expensive. Maybe my plan is pricey for some too, but it is one that I know I can rely on in a pinch. For under 70 dollars with no sales or coupons, I can feed my family of four dinners. For me, I generally have oatmeal or something in the house for breakfasts and lunches are whatever we can scratch up, which may be a post for another time. For now, I am dealing with dinner as that seems to be the most expensive meal for most households, when everyone tends to eat together.

This menu does not include the old faithfuls of boxed mac and cheese or ramen, because everyone knows about these cheap meal substitutes. At another time there will be a post on creative ways to use these types of things, but today I am concentrating on a very basic dinner menu when the sales in your area are just terrible. This week there is a nice cut of steak on sale for 4.99 a pound, which is truly a good deal, but we can't afford meat at 4.99 a pound regardless of it being a good deal. This is not about finding deals, but about using what is typically available in the grocery on a bad sale and coupon week. 

Here is my quickie, go-to menu for lean weeks. Much of the ingredients are usually in my cupboard, so it doesn't cost as much. I make an assumption that there are some basics in the cabinet like spices and salt etc.. These recipes can be created differently, using what you already have, so don't panic! Just give it all a look and see what you can make do with.

 
See? Super easy. Generally those of us on a tight budget tend to have equally tight schedules, so ease was also a major consideration when making this menu.

Now, here is the grocery list. Again, make do with what is in your pantry! There are weeks when I have 1/2 or more of these things in my possession, and I almost always have some of these things from weeks when I had extra to stock up.

I will put up my own recipes in the next post. Same bat time, same bat channel.

How I save on groceries: Couponing

Don't touch that "back" button! Seriously.

A long time ago, more than 17 years past, I entered the world of couponing. The world was kind to couponers back then, with 2 for 1 sales and triple coupons galore. I could pick up 150.00 worth of groceries for a third of the cost. The problem was that the food was junk. Now, if you are in such a bad way that you can not afford healthy foods regardless, this was an okay strategy. We had shelves of cereals filled with HFC's and salty premade foods that we got for practically nothing.

Then I became more aware of how various additives in our foods affect our bodies. Grim realization that I was probably contributing my my child's weight problem, and even though we were pretty bad off financially, I did what I could to reverse the problem.

Fast forward to now. My husband's pay raises have not kept up with the cost of living for over a decade now. He does not make enough to keep a roof over our heads, never mind food in our bellies unless I do some major budget cutting.

Yes, our farm stand helps a great deal. We can get bulk foods and shave the costs off of the next couple of weeks food budget, relying on the foods we purchased cheaper. The foods are healthier and local for the most part, and if not their own, it is labelled. I have started canning to take advantage of these deals, but I know that I am still in a better position than many who simply do not have the cash all at once to take advantage of these types of deals.

In comes the coupon experience again. I have decided to jump back in, just more cautiously this time around. My savings are different because I only choose things we generally use, but I still can stock up on things without shattering my weekly/biweekly budget. This week I saved 51.00 dollars and spent a little over 80.00 dollars. Since I was able to take advantage of other sales, I didn't have to worry as much about some of the basics, but this works even if you are still dealing with buying the basics.

First up, join My Points. If you would like to help me out, just send me your email and I will send you a referral which will get me more points. Otherwise, just sign up straight on the site. This place will send you emails (I suggest making a folder and rule to send them to their own place to avoid clutter in your mailbox) that you can click on to earn points. There are also surveys and such. I mention this because they also have links to coupons. You receive points for clipping and using these coupons, so you are getting a double whammy. Points can be used for gift certificates at many different online and brick and mortar stores like Target and Amazon.

Once you are done there, go to SavingStar , sign up and enter your shopper cards for all of the places you shop. Once you do, you can load savings onto all of your cards for specific food items. For instance, this week I purchased Toaster Strudel (yes I know.. not good for you, but a nice treat) for 2 for 5.00 and had 3 75 cent off coupons plus a .75 cent credit for three at SavingStar. The math is:
6 @ 15.00
- coupons: .75 cents off 2 (had three)
-doubled coupons: .75 cents off 2 (for three coupons)

So, I spent  10.50 for six packages (usually 2.89 a package here). Now, Savings star is sending me .75 cents (after I have accumulated enough credits) so my total cost is now 9.50 meaning I spent 1.63 a piece.  I am now receiving over 5.00 in cash from SavingStar due to combining sales, coupons and the offers there.

Generally I don't like buying a lot of premade items, but with everyone working or going to school (or both), having a quick snack or even breakfast, is not a bad idea. Along with that, there were many other sales available, such as a whole roaster chicken for .99 cent a pound. Between the sales and coupons I have enough food for my family for some time.

There are many sites out there that will help you stretch a buck. The trick is to be sure that your family will actually use the products. I have said time and time again, it isn't a bargain if you never use it. I got a few quickie meals because my husband isn't very good at making things from scratch unless it is planned out for him, so having a couple meal helpers are a good idea. We aren't eating them regularly, but they are good to have in a pinch. Homemade bread is wonderful, but if you don't have time to make it (and yes, it can be very cheap), finding a good deal on whole wheat bread is important, but if you are making it all the time, then it isn't worth it for your family. (Personally I do both, depending on the time I have).

This takes time. You need a printer to use the paper online coupons, and that can be expensive depending on the quality of paper and how expensive your cartridges are. That needs to be taken into consideration too. I probably spent an hour yesterday clipping and planning the stores I would go to and what I would buy.

Another source of savings that are often overlooked are "Catalinas". These are the coupons on the bottom of your receipt. I get .20 cents off every gallon of gas for my purchases, plus over 10.00 in additional, in-store coupons for items that I either purchase or could fit into my weekly menu.

It takes creative meal planning and a willingness to try new things, but it is a system that works for many people. If you are even luckier and can pay off your credit bill immediately (like, as soon as you use it, just go online and pay right away), you can use reward credit cards for your purchases saving you even more money! I do not suggest doing this if you are not positive that you can pay it off as soon as you get home though. Even one months of interest could blow any rewards you receive away.

Organizing DVDs

Yesterday I decided to tackle our DVD collection. Over the years we have collected a number of DVDs, most from a place that sells second hand ones are really low prices. They had taken over the shelves I had built many years ago for my extensive collection of books. While I love books in all ways, we just didn't have the space for all of the ones I was collecting and I wasn't using them, so they were donated. Now I had a place for all those DVDs! Except, I didn't.

The collection was unwieldy and because the shelves were not made for DVDs they were not the most efficient use of space. I plan to replace the shelves, but in the mean time what to do? I wanted to do this as cheaply as possible but still have them look good. I checked out the usual places for decent looking plastic bins, but could not find anything that worked with the room and the disks.

Then, as I was looking up DVD cases on Amazon, on a whim, there they were. Perfect! And I didn't have to deal with black as they have brown also. They are heavy cardboard, have real snaps to put them together and are pretty sturdy. Each package of two costs a little over 10 dollars and each box holds approximately 13 DVDs in regular old fashioned sleeves. They would hold more if you are using them for slim sets.

I grouped them by type: Animated Disney, Action Adventure, etc.. You will have to make your own labels. Luckily, I had some heavy stock paper around, so I measured and cut out pieces double the length and folded them in half. When I put the labels in with the open side down, it parts slightly and keeps the label in and not falling through the bottom. This is not free however I decided to apply for the Amazon credit card for the 30 dollar bonus. The trick is to not use it of course, so if you don't think that you can restrain yourself, do not do it. It will not be worth it, even for that great deal on 100lbs of wheatberries.

Here it is all done except for the knick-knacks that I haven't found a place for yet. I can give away most of them, but some have strong emotional attachments to deal with.

Of course I still should redo the shelving, but that is for another day, as I have an interview for a temporary position in my field, so I won't have a lot of time for it hopefully. Fingers crossed!

New Pretty...Free!

Free is not always free. That is a golden rule of shopping. Sometimes though, things are actually free sometimes.

I have been looking off and on for a 1950's vintage (or even retro which is a new version of an old style) table and chairs set. I wanted it to have the chrome and ideally be red. I have seen them for sale and have seriously considered getting one, but I was either too late for the really inexpensive ones, or they turned out to be in bad condition.

Imagine my surprise when I was looking at Craigslist for my area in the "free" section on a lark and there, two entries down was a free genuine 1950's table. I called immediately and indeed it had just been posted and still available. It was about 20 minutes away (not highway), so there was the cost of gas, but that is it. I didn't even need a truck.

Even better, it was the color I wanted. My husband and I went right out and picked it up. At first I was a little disappointed because the chairs appeared to have a marble like texture.

This is what they looked like, except even worse. We had done some scrubbing before I thought to take the picture. When they were home, my husband started washing them and discovered immediately that this was all filth from many, many years of use. Still, the chrome is beautiful and there is nothing that a little elbow grease will not fix, so we went to work.

We did spend some money on cleaners. With antiques or vintage things, you have to be careful of how you restore them or they lose significant value. After a week of scrubbing and quite a lot of armor all, they are finished. I am incredibly pleased with the result!

I still have a lot of work to do in the kitchen (including repainting the walls), but this set makes me happy every time I look at it. There are four chairs, but for the sake of a decent picture I left one out.

The value? Well to me it is priceless. This is an almost mint condition vintage piece. Used and dirty they easily go for 400 or more dollars, and the chrome is not always in very good shape. A new retro set costs upwards of 1500 dollars!

So, if you have your heart set on something, go to the places that list freebies in your area. I look at Freecycle or Craigslist for the best finds. Just remember to figure in the cost of fixing or cleaning and how much it will take to get it home. For about 20 dollars I brought home a very desirable piece of furniture that is going to look great when I finally finish the kitchen in the style I like. It will take a while to get the things I need as I look for bargains, but it will be well worth it.

If you have found a great bargain like this and want to post it, please feel free! Happy freebie hunting!

Cheap Cleaners

Homemade window cleaner:

You think I am going to say "vinegar" don't you? While it is a cheap cleaner and if you really work at it, doesn't leave streaks, I am here to say that you do not need a subscription to the newspaper so that you can wad it up and wash windows.

Vinegar was my go to for a while. It is cheap, especially at Costco, and doesn't hurt my skin. Thing is, it smells. I noticed it when I went to another person's house who using vinegar for everything. They had cleaned in the morning and by the afternoon I could still smell it and it did not smell clean to me.  Yes, it still has plenty of uses, there is no denying that, but for windows and general cleaning I use this mix, which is also cheap:

Window/All-Purpose Cleaner

2 2/3c. water
2/3 c rubbing alcohol
1 tsp dish detergent (or a little less like I do)
1 tsp ammonia

Mix it all in a clean spray bottle clearly marked for this cleaner and go to town. I use it on everything I would normally use a cleaner on. I find that my mirrors and windows are very streak free with little effort. Don't wash windows in the direct sunlight though, that will streak no matter what you are using.

For copper pans (or copper bottomed like a couple of mine) are taken care of with a mix of vinegar and some salt and baking soda to make a paste. Keep it in a container near the sink for easy access.

Burnt on gunk on the bottom of your pan? Throw some baking soda in there and simmer for a while. Check in here and there to see if it has loosened. The gunk will not just float away, but it will be considerable easier to remove.

Okay, off to the dentist with the child.

Farm Seconds

Here I am again talking about canning. With El Nino making an appearance in the Pacific we are having some crop failures in the basics across the United States and there is some concern about parts of Central and South America. That means that all corn, wheat and barely are expected to rise in price. Since we are pretty dependent on corn in this country, this is something that should be taken into consideration. That of course, brings us back to my canning adventures.

I realize that this blog tries to stay away from the rally cry of "stock up while on sale", but sometimes it is a terrific idea if at all possible. Hopefully these ideas will help make it a little more possible. Since the point to canning is to save money, buying things that are expensive makes no sense generally. I did splurge on some freshly squeezed lemon juice for a batch of Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate, although if you take into account the cost of lemons it wasn't really too out of reach if I would have made it anyway. Let me tell you, it is delicious and will be a lovely thing come winter when strawberries are imported and, let's face it, tasteless and pricey.

For this recipe I came across some farm stand seconds inside of the store. I picked up two quarts of local berries for two dollars less a quart than sold normally. You may be wondering about the quality of the goods. Normally seconds are simply those things that are not "fit to sell".  That means that they may have surface anomalies or possible a little more ripe than is usually sold.  These berries were a little ripe, but no where near overripe.

This is what was left after making the Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate. I didn't think to take a picture before, partially because I wanted to use them before my appointment yesterday. As you can see, they are really pretty, and this is from yesterday. They are much sweeter than you will find in a regular grocery store and are perfect for jam, if I had enough. Since the season for strawberries is definitely over, there won't be more this year, but next year I will be armed. I am going to call up the farm, Wilson Farm, and see if they offer other things than the berries and tomatoes.

Today I am making peach jam, as local peaches and sugar were on sale at the regular grocery market. Zucchini from the farm was .99 cents a pound, which is a little high for this time of year, but still .50 cents a pound cheaper for the very marred up squash at the grocery store. With those I will be making bread and butter pickles as well as zucchini bread for the freezer.

Keep an eye out for sales on staples and stock up the best you can when they are on sale. To avoid weevils, put things in the freezer in a sealed container or freezer bags. I found sugar on sale, but it wasn't the best sale so I just got two bags this time. Usually these things go on super sale over the holidays. I am not certain that this will happen this year due to drought, but if you can, do it. You do have a chest freezer, right?

A decent chest freezer can be found for free on Craig's List or Freecycle for your area. If not, try the items for sale as you can often get a good price. Just be careful as the older models use so much electricity it may not be worth it, so decide based on that.

I am also planning salsa today. I was hoping to get tomatillos yesterday, but alas, they had very little stock left.  Today I simply have to pick up ice, jalapenos and possible a dried chili pepper or two. Since we tend to eat a lot of salsa, and the jars are quite pricey for what they are, this is a very good investment. Here is a picture of the plum tomato seconds that I got for over a dollar less a pound:

Pretty huh? 

So, the lesson is to buy seconds from your local farmer if possible and can things that you use a lot or that you know you would use a lot if you could afford it. It is not hard, and if you are canning acidic foods (tomatoes need a little extra to be canned this way), all it takes is a large, deep pot with a cake rake on the bottom and some canning jars. Below is the recipe for the Lemonade I made. 

Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate (From the Ball Book of Preserving)

2 cups cleaned, hulled and mashed (this is a quart of fresh strawberries and maybe a little more for a full six quarts)

6 cups sugar

4 cups lemonade, fresh (if you can't find fresh or lemons are too expensive don't bother it won't taste very good due to there being very little, if any, actual lemons in the other stuff)

Put everything in a deep, stainless steel pot and cook over medium high heat until sugar is dissolved and the temperature is 190 degrees F. (88 degrees Celsius). Do NOT boil. Really.

Ladle hot mixture into prepared jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. I will post how to prepare jars below. Slide a none metallic spatula (or a long bamboo chops stick) around the edges to remove air bubbles. If necessary, add more mixture to top off. Wipe the edges of the jars, this is very important and easy to forget. Top with heated lids and screw bands on. Just twist until you feel it take hold and then just a little more. Finger tip tight.

Place in canner (the water should already be very hot/boiling). Bring back to a boil and time for 15 minutes for pint jars. Quart jars should go for 15 minutes also, although some sources say 20. I used the National Center for Home Food Preservation guidelines. I had to use general citrus guidelines (I used Grapefruit) because this is a pretty acidic product. 

Remove from canner with a jar lifter. This will save you much pain, buy this piece of equipment. You will thank me. Place on a baking rack that is covered with a kitchen towel. If the counter is slippery, put a towel or something grippy under the rack, like that rubbery shelf liner.

To prepare jars for canning: There are a couple schools of thought on this. Some people feel that you should boil the jars for 10 minutes before using to fully sterilize them. There are others who feel that they should just simmer and the wait in the water to be used is fine. I go with the boiling for safety sake. Leave the jars in the hot water on a simmer until ready to be filled, regardless.

Simmer the brand new lids. Do not reuse. The bands don't require anything but being clean and in good repair. Do not boil the lids as it will mess with the seal. While not necessary, a lid wand is of great use. The one I use is a magnet on one end for lifting the lids and a flat end for removing air bubbles.

Canning, is it worth it?

Canning was something that my family did when I was a child. It was a necessity for us. For about three years we lived in a place that had no utilities whatsoever and no one working for money. There were barter jobs which got us some basics sometimes that we couldn't grow in the sandy, rocky soil, as well as supplies for building and such. Because of this, we had a small refrigerator that was run on bottled gas. This was terrific, but not stable enough nor large enough for any kind of major storage. This is where canning came it great.

All of my life we have had large gardens no matter where we lived. Here it was even bigger with fields of potatoes to get us through the winter without having to buy other starches as often, like rice or flour products. We also had a "green" garden, with everything one would expect from a North East garden. Tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, broccoli, cabbage and more were grown there. We canned all sorts of things, experimenting with sauerkraut and other  foods that did not require a pressure canner as my mother had a great fear of them due to the older ones occasionally blowing up. Given the unreliability of our heat source, this was a pretty legitimate concern.

What this taught me was the value of having food put up. Because of the lack of pressure cooking, it also taught me that there are only so many pickles and relish one can eat before not finding it "cute" anymore. Now I have a greater appreciation for variety and try not to keep all of my harvests (from garden or farm stand) in vinegar solution. I do have dill pickles, and sweet pickle relish, but I also have Victorian BBQ sauce and Lemon Green Beans and plan on an old fashioned corn relish from the bushel I got from the farm stand for 20 dollars.

It is probably far too late for anyone to start a garden this year, so I am going to write up about my getting the corn. Corn is going up in price generally, probably due to climate changes and possibly from too many "mono-crops". A mono-crop is planting all of the same variety of a plant. This is what happened in Ireland during the potato famine. No, I am not hugely worried about our foods being wiped out, but I am concerned about rising costs. Less yield means higher prices. With this in mind I researched the price of corn and found that my local farm stand had their own corn in season and 20 dollars a bushel which isn't bad for table corn. CNN on 2012 Corn explains this a bit, though of course it has the mandatory "don't panic" at the bottom. I am certainly not suggesting we panic, that would be silly. The trend is not great though and I feel better with knowing I have a winters worth of corn in my freezer and cupboard.

My family and I husked the bushel while my husband and I took turns blanching it. Blanching is throwing food in boiling water for a few minutes. We found that with this incredibly fresh and sweet corn we would bring a large pot of water to a boil, throw in six ears of corn, put the lid on and let it sit for six minutes. Usually recipes and instructions will say to bring it back to a boil then cook, but I did not find this necessary. I wouldn't recommend putting more corn in as it will cool the water more and change the cooking time.

After each batch of blanching we would bring the lightly salted water back to a boil and start cutting the corn off of the cob. It takes a little practice to reduce waste,but we were not making creamed corn, so no scraping of the cob. After cutting off the kernels, I would break them up as much as I could and spread them out on a cookie sheet to cool. Once pretty cooled I packed them in 3 cups increments in quart freezer bags, lying them flat and removing as much air as possible. I have tried the sealer bags for freezing but have had no luck and I do not have the money to try to do it again right now. Freezer bags work, but you do have to watch for freezer burn after a point.

Once bagged, they were labelled with the quantity and what it is for storage. I also set aside on large bag with 8 cups and another with 12 for a couple of canning recipes that I want to try. It is very satisfying to see all that corn lined up in my freezer. We all nibbled as we cut and it is amazingly sweet and tasty. Blanching helps to keep it that way in the freezer. You can do this without freezing, but it will lose some of its flavor.

Important to keep in mind:

Blanching is very good, but not necessary. Better to lose a little quality than the whole inventory. A little planning will make this trade off unnecessary, barring emergencies (like me having a mini-stroke in the middle of making blueberry jam)

Corn quickly loses sweetness once cut. This is why I went to my farm stand where they grow it. We couldn't process it that day, but because it was so fresh letting it sit one day wasn't too bad. The same day would have been better still though.

Should your corn not be as sweet as desired, you can add sugar to the water with the salt. It isn't perfect, but it does add a little freshness to the corn. Processing it right away is much better.

Make sure you have enough bags/containers before starting. It is discouraging to think you have enough and find as you are beginning that you don't. I used quart sized freezer bags and a couple of gallon ones for the canning recipes. (Well, that and I didn't check first so ran out of quart bags)

Pick all of the silk from the ears. Be very careful here. It is a bit tedious, but very much worth it. I used a soft touch with a vegetable brush to dislodge any silks that were caught in there, as well as some wayward husks.

Make sure that you have a stable place on which to cut the corn. There are many things you can do. I am pretty good at this, so I was cool without using anything, but I have heard folks use a bundt pan (place the ear in the middle and the kernels fall into the bowl) or squishing a paper bowl in a larger bowl for stability. Corn cutters are not necessary unless you are afraid of injury. Corn comes in all sizes though, so you will not get very uniform results with this.

This can be a family affair! Pull up some seats, turn on the telly and pass around paper bags. Fun for everyone! Seriously, it was fun it an odd way. Plus I could tell "when I was a kid" stories.

I will come back with some recipes as I do them. The blueberry jam needs work though as I found it far too sweet. I will have to research that more. Look around your yard, I found a large rhubarb plant growing wild, so that is why I have Victorian BBQ sauce. That recipe will be included later. Also, pictures soon too.
Pack in quantities you use. Three cups are good for our household. My oldest child is not around much so it is mostly three of us, so this amount is more than enough for a side or recipe.

I've Been a Naughty Woman

Things have been crazy here and not even close to frugal. It seems that when you use a credit card "just this once" you (me ) suddenly think "oh, another 20 dollars isn't going to be a  big deal" and then "Eh, I already used this, what is one more time?". In other words, I have been the fail in the frugal department. It is going to take some doing to pull us out of this one. So, if you are in debt and are thinking that it just doesn't matter any more, take heart, you aren't the only one.

After graduating, I have student loans and a bit of credit card debt to make up for money I wasn't bringing in. Not a great plan, but better than going hungry, right? Not especially. We are now much more in debt and because I haven't been officially in the workplace since 2001 I am pretty much unhirable, despite my many years of experience, education and skill. This has been very discouraging and probably has contributed to my " I don't give a f****" attitude about money lately. I have been in the workplace off and on, but once I started school I couldn't do both and be in charge of the entire household. I know, there are many who can, but personally, I have my limitations. I also thought that graduating at the top of my class would mean something, but it really doesn't. I have been offered one job, and that was for 9.00 and hour at a Walgreen's which is a 45 minute drive away and no buses go there to save on gas and wear and tear on the car. Very discouraging. This is precisely the type of job that I am not supposed to have and why I am considered "disabled" by my state. I can't get money for it for various reasons, but I am disabled. My motivation for school was because of this unfortunate turn of events. I was ready to deal until I was told I had to give a urine test. At first I was "okay" with it. It is humiliating and terrible, especially for such a low paying job (in my state there is no way you can live on that, or even two jobs at that wage. Rent alone would take all of it, even at the cheapest places). I was ready to go ahead and hope I could manage until a better job came about. Then I read the release. Paraphrased it said that it could share my testing information with any employer. Since I am on a number of medications that bring a false positive and I would have to prove that, I was not amused. My bosses have no need to know what medications I am on and I am certainly not going to give the place the right to share it with "any" future employer. Yes, I feel guilty about not doing the job, but this could put future, better paying jobs in jeopardy.

The decision has been made by my entire family to go ahead and do graduate school now. I can go on the Archiving track at my alma mater, and my certificate at the same time. I will also be placed for an internship for a semester, thus netting me some current experience in the field. It is going to be expensive, which is where the frugal, or not so frugal comes in. Adding more debt is not what we want to do, but me not finding a decent paying job is going to add debt no matter how we look at it.  I have gone this far, I may as well go all the way, which we were planning anyway, once the bills were caught up.

I also had a mini stroke recently (last week), and that has not made things easier. I am still plowing ahead with my application, but I have been left forgetful and it is difficult to concentrate. I was also in the hospital for a week. Thank goodness for insurance! My state already has a health care reform law similar to the Federal one, and because of that I was covered. That is 5,000.00 a day for six days. The block is inoperable as far as this hospital is concerned, so I am bringing it to a better one, because Plavix and aspirin alone is basically buying time. There is a time bomb in my head. Before anyone thinks it, they can not figure out why I have this. I have lost considerable weight (95 lbs in the last year and still losing), my cholesterol is within normal limits, I can't have any milk products with lactose (less cholesterol in my diet) along with many other diet restrictions which kind of force me to be healthy even if I were disinclined to do it on my own.

Why am I sharing all of this? Partly because I need to vent for my own purposes, and also because it is important to give others a good look at how someone trying to be frugal can be waylaid. If you are going through big things, well, you aren't alone. It IS hard. I am not even sure if we can do it. What I will try to do (if I don't feel too embarrassed and guilty) is share how things are going. My purpose in this is to help others, and my experience tells me that being all "perfect" really doesn't help people, especially normal folks who falter and sometimes just fail. Folks reading this need to know what a screw up I can be and that we all make pretty crappy choices sometimes. You are not alone.

Hopefully this is the beginning of straightening out this mess. Yes, I am adding to it with school. I am not sure if that is wise or not, I hear conflicting beliefs and facts on this. So, unsteadedly and afraid, we (my family and I) are stepping out into it and taking a gamble. While we do such, it will be incredibly important to not add too much to our debt. That is mind, we set off in a new direction and hopefully a more frugal and thoughtful one.

Thank you for reading.

Happy Mother's Day!!

Every person who holds a child close to their hearts, every person who has sacrificed for a child, everyone who has given love to a child that wasn't getting enough, you are all Mothers! I guess that there are some stereotypical stuff that remain in the realm of "Mom", but there are many men who also fit there too!
Myself, I have two amazing daughters by birth and many others who I call my heart children. I love them all very much and would do just about anything for them. Today, I express my gratitude for having these wonderful people in my life that I can share my love with.
In keeping with the theme of the blog, I would like to share with you what is going on around here. I haven't been very frugal for a while. I have many excuses, some which are very reasonable and others that are not. Regardless, we need to tighten those belts in a big way until I get a decent job. I am also looking at poorly paid positions to get us through until I get one that actually uses my skills, but some money is better than no money. Because of this, my family were incredibly frugal for today but also supremely thoughtful. Yes, you can have both!
My husband lugged a CRT television (it is really big!) to the house through someone at Freecycle.org that we both have been wanting for our room so we can watch movies and things that the rest of the family aren't interested in, or just for a little alone time. My youngest made me a wonderful breakfast with items we had in the house with a great deal of thought for my dietary issues (I just had surgery). My eldest drew me a wonderful card, and I LOVE her art, especially when she does it with love and thought.
Today we are visiting DeCordova Museum for which my husband has free admission for us all because of where he works. The inside is closed right now, but the grounds are open and full of lovely sculptures. With the weather the way it is, it is perfect. For those of you who don't have the benefit of free admission, Moms are free today and everyone else is half off while the building is closed. Just bring your own snacks because the cafe is also not available.
After, we are going to one of my favorite farm stands, Wilson Farm were we can pick up some lovely fresh and local produce, even this early in the season. That is the only money that we will be spending, and it is part of the grocery budget.
Are there things that you are doing today that keeps you on track financially but are still thoughtful and fun? I am fortunate to live where I do, there is always something happening, but even in smaller towns there are often little festivals or specials for holidays.
I wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day!!!

Please help me go to China!!

Please donate towards my going to China with the Scholar Laureate Program. It is a diplomatic trip but I will be able to spend a lot of time outside of that learning about different cultures in the country and making this an experience worthy of my resume. Every little bit helps, and I have a 750.00 scholarship towards it. The 5000.00 includes my airfare. Thank you!!! Give

Habits of the Poor

http://www.cracked.com/blog/the-5-stupidest-habits-you-develop-growing-up-poor/  This is actually a great article and may help some who don't understand the choices people make when they have very little money to work with. These are hard habits to break and part of the reason for this blog.

Menu Ideas on the Cheap

I am sure everyone has heard this over and over, plan a menu and make a shopping list then stick to it. This does in fact work, but when everyone is busy it is hard to take a look at what you have, what you need and also important, what you and your family wants. I have been incredibly fortunate these past months while waiting for tenants and had quite a bit of food given to me. Still, this menu can be pretty cheap if you shop well and when you can use coupons and sales to make your menu decisions. Personally, there are only a couple of places I shop because I don't think that using all that gas, mileage on the car and quite frankly the value of my time makes going all over the place worth any bargains I may get.

Yes, I do coupon. I am not an extreme couponer anymore, that is true, but if I see a coupon for something that we will use, I use it. I get mine online as in my area the Sunday paper just isn't worth it anymore. The paper costs over 2 dollars now, and I only use a few coupons if any because most of it is stuff I wouldn't buy anyway. If you weren't going to buy it, it does not matter if you are getting a bargain because you are still spending money you normally wouldn't have.

On to the menu. This past week I sat down and figured out what I had in my pantry, freezer and refrigerator. Then I went to the store flyers that I go to and listed things on sale that we like. After that, it was online to find recipes that matched these ingredients.

Menu plan for over a week:

Stuffed Shells and Tomato Sauce: We had the shells in the freezer from a long ago sale and a friend gave me a box of plain sauce. She also gave us garlic, but any seasonings you have on hand will do, use your imagination! Garlic and onion powders should simmer a while to rehydrate though.

Seasoned Pork with Creamed Spinach and Roasted Herbed Potatoes: I also had a nice piece of pork from my friend (not sure of the cut though) but assorted chops can be found on sale often. Seasonings are what I have on hand. I purchased some frozen spinach and we have milk in the house. I had some russet potatoes that have seen better days, but added with a couple of red potatoes and a sweet potato (both purchased, but not a whole bag, just two pieces each) and tossed in oil, or whatever fat you have on hand and some herbs and it is quite yummy. If you have  a little to splurge, try some fresh herbs in there too.

Curried Lentils and Rice: I have had two types of lentils in my cabinets for a while. We aren't big legume eaters, but we do like curry, so I found a recipe and will be using my red lentils for it. The rice was given to me, but it is also really cheap. If you are not good at cooking rice, try Freecycle for your area. Someone may be giving away a rice cooker. It does make life much easier. I even got a pound of yeast through them which I am still using. The seasonings I have in my collection.

Golden Sesame Tofu with Rice and Vegetable: When I wrote the menu I was not sure which vegetable to use, but we went with some canned green beans which said friend gave us. If you visit food pantries canned vegetables are often given out, so if you need the help, get it! Do not be ashamed, these are hard times. Tofu is pretty inexpensive when compared to meat. Even my husband liked it. The Whole Foods recipe called for honey, but any liquid sweetener will do in a pinch, just think about how it will flavor the dish before using. I had a lot of sesame seeds from when I was making bento for my daughter, so I toasted those up. This is a very nice dish, even for meat eaters.

Pizza: Flour, yeast, water, salt and a little oil is all you need for the dough. There are a million dough recipes out there, but this is what it boils down too. You do not have to make the perfect thin crust that you are used to from take out places. I  stretch mine on a baking sheet and they love it. The cheese was on sale and I had a coupon, I was going to forgo toppings as it is extremely filling without any, but then at my second store found a stick of pepperoni for a great price. We have also put cut up pineapple on it, leftover chicken etc. With this I am using the mentioned tomato sauce seasoned, but if you like BBQ I have also use that sauce with Monterrey Jack and/or Cheddar cheese and it is quite yummy, especially if you have some chicken left overs or pulled pork etc. Very, very inexpensive meal, and it fills all four of us up perfectly. Rarely are their leftovers, and those are eaten the next day without fail.

Tuna Casserole: This is one of those things that you either love or hate I think. I always hated it myself, but we were given a bunch of light tuna and egg noodles. I used cream of chicken rather than cream of mushroom, which was on sale and I had coupons and it was much better to my tastes. I threw in some leftover frozen peas that were wasting away in the freezer, a few handfuls of cheddar cheese from that cheese purchase and topped it at the end with some breadcrumbs I found that needed to be used up, but you can use anything you like. Chips have been suggested to me as excellent, I know Ritz (TM) are really good crumbled on the top and my recipe suggested french fried onions. I tossed the plain crumbs with some butter, garlic powder and onion powder in a skillet for a little bit. It was not loved, but everyone said that they were fine with having it again. Better than I expected to be truthful.

Shepherd's Pie: Ah, a standby. We had purchased a large box of instant potatoes a long time ago, but if we didn't have that we would use whatever potatoes are on hand to mash. The hamburger was part of my care package, but around here we can find it for about 1.99 a pound sometimes so I buy as much as I can and pack them in 1 lb packages. I have some canned corn from said friend and I got some gravy powder in bulk when I got the potatoes. I think we were preparing for a storm when we got them. You can use pretty much any vegetable, frozen or canned, though I have never tried fresh. I don't know if it bakes long enough for fresh, but hey, one can always try!

Minestrone Soup: Friend also gave me a box of kidney beans. At the discount store chicken broth was on sale, but I also have some in the freezer because I try to save bits from chicken and vegetables and make a broth when I have enough. Throw in some carrots, potatoes and whatever vegetables you have on hand and some pasta or rice and you are done. If you are feeling adventurous you could make some bread or biscuits.

Beef and Chicken Potpies: Okay, this was a cop out meal. The discount store had them pretty cheap and we each got the kind we liked for a fairly quick meal. Not the healthiest, but cheaper than take out.

Sweet and Sour Spam and Rice: Before crying foul, I am not a Spam eater generally. My husband and kids have an affinity for it, so if it is cheap I will buy a can or two. I also will always pick up canned pineapple in juice whenever I can. Add some cornstarch, brown sugar and a little vinegar and you have sauce. One can, four people. There will also be a vegetable as we have some canned and frozen still.

Italian Sausage and Peppers: The sausage does go on sale, but you can use any raw sausage that you like and can afford. I just sear the sausage, add some broth and chopped onions with cubed potatoes and simmer until almost done, then remove the lid so what remains after a while is a nicely seasoned sauce. The peppers I cook on the side and add in so they don't get mushy, but you can just throw them in if you want.  I had some sausage leftover from our bulk shopping trip many months ago so they needed to get used up.

Spinach Egg Drop Soup: Seriously cheap, especially if you made your own broth. You can used canned/boxed or heck, bouillon cubes are okay too, just a little salty so keep that in mind. Bring to a boil, add chopped frozen spinach, bring back up to a boil and drizzle some scrambled egg over the top. It will cook quickly. Nutmeg is an awesome spice for this dish and to be filling it needs some sort of bread to go with.

Corn Chowder (or Chowdah around here): A  little chicken broth, some milk or if you have it some half and half, corn, potatoes, onions and if you have it some crisp bacon or bacon bits to sprinkle on the top. If you like your chowder thick, make a slurry with some milk and flour to thicken it up, just make sure it cooks a bit to get the flour taste out. My family can not get enough of this. I am too the point where the only pot I have big enough to feed them is my stock pot. Even without bacon. There are no green or colored vegetables in this one, which is a down side, but it is cheap.

Beans, Rice and Cheese: I honestly don't know how this will go, but I have the beans and rice on hand and the cheese was inexpensive, so we will give it a try. Nothing ventured nothing gained.

There was also "homestyle" mac and cheese on sale which set us back about three dollars for a family meal. Making it homemade is not really cheap unless you have access to inexpensive cheese or Velveeta is on sale, which I am not terribly fond of. It is an easy meal my husband can make, so in it goes for a quickie, don't order out meal.

Because I made use of coupons and sales and what I have on hand, I spent roughly 100.00 for two weeks of meals and oatmeal, dried fruit etc. for breakfasts and lunches. I even got some generic cookies for a treat. Eggs, milk, bread, yogurt (coupons!) and some additional things like flour and sugar  were also purchased, so if we had been a little more frugal it would have been even less. I also have enough here for some more bland dinner options, many in fact. Meatless Spaghetti and sauce can be tedious as can rice and beans, but we also have plenty for that too.

If your cupboards are bare do not despair! (no, that was not rhymed on purpose). First off, see what you do have. If you are in a bind, go to a food pantry! Please, do not go hungry because you are ashamed or feel that there are others more deserving. You deserve to eat! Sometimes we need help to stretch those food dollars, that is how I did it. While it isn't often you get fresh meat at the pantries, they often have tuna or canned chicken. The canned beef is palatable if drowned in a sauce you like, but try to avoid it. Frozen generic vegetables are rarely bad, although you may find a stem or two in them. Find uses for legumes. My family does not like them, but i am pretty sure that they will be okay with these recipes because of the flavors. Also, try for your food stamps. I might get flamed for that, but they are there to help. If you can, get them. Record numbers of people are on them because of the economy, you are not bad for getting them.

Once I am done with this set of menus I will do it again and post the results because I will have far less items on hand at that point, making it more of a challenge. Also, search for coupons! You don't have to be a fanatical couponer to get some savings. There are many sites on line, and I will make another post about that type of online support soon.

On Banking

I will admit to being completely uncomfortable with our banking systems in the United States. Even with that, and my dismay as programs such as the "dead peasant policies" that many have on their employees, which means that they collect insurance if an employee dies while working for them, there are also frugal reason why one should very seriously consider who they bank with.

Questions to ask yourself:

1. If this is a mortgage, are they going to sell it to another company who will in fact change the terms without you having any say. This is important because it costs money to refinance with another bank if you don't like the terms or don't trust the company.
2. Are they charging for your checking account? There are many small local banks and credit unions that do not charge for these services.
3. How do they handle overdrafts? I have just done some research on one popular and large bank and found that they are very tricky about this. They will "hold" money that has been withdrawn through an ATM or POS machine and approve more money if you need it even though you have spent it, but then, when the hold is gone, you are suddenly overdraft and are paying fees for each one. The bank I was looking at, as of four years ago, would charge more if you had overdrafted in the last 12 months and continue to charge until you have your balance back up again. This is even with overdraft protection. Read those papers that the new regulations require banks to send out in regards to this. If you have trouble understanding it, you can ask the bank or go online, or if you are really lucky, ask a friend who is a banker or lawyer to help you understand what you are agreeing to.
4. Do they pressure you to create accounts or loans that you don't need? We had to deal with a bank for a while where every time we walked in to do anything, we were cornered and questioned why our mortgage wasn't with them or why we didn't have a checking account with them. My daughter has since transferred to our bank, and believe me, they tried the guilt trip and attempted to make us question our decision. No bank should pressure you like that whenever you need their services.
5. New one I found out, if you write a check, will the person cashing it at your bank be charged a fee if they don't have an account with them? We just had that almost happen to us with a check. Then they wouldn't accept it and they would not tell us why. Since this was a business issue, it was imperative that we know the basic issue. Was the account closed? Was there not enough to cover it? I don't expect or want any personal information like how much is actually in there or social security numbers, just whether it is going to bounce on my account. I worked in a local bank many years ago (when it still took 5 days at least for a personal check to go from one account to another) and we were allowed to say whether or not the funds were available at that time. I couldn't promise it would be there when the check went through and I definitely couldn't give a balance, but letting them know if the funds for that particular check was there at the time was perfectly acceptable. In that, I am not sure if it has changed, but it is not unreasonable to asked.
6. Make sure you understand any and all fees associated with your accounts. Late fees for loans, overdrafts, low balances, ATM charges, replacement cards and online account payments are some that you should know before making the commitment to bank with them.

I am no longer in the banking business, so some of the rules have obviously changed, but you should know all of these things before going in and giving them your money. It is your money and in truth they are borrowing it and making investments. That is why runs on banks cause such problems, because the banks rarely have enough in actual cash to cover everyone's accounts at one time. Sure, some fees are fair and cover their expenses, but some banks are worse than others.

Also, watch where you use your ATM. I have been charged up to 5.00 to use a machine for cash. Try to plan ahead and take out all the cash you will need for the week from an ATM that does not charge you, or if it does at least you are only being charged once rather than many times as you withdraw as needed.

I doubt I need to remind everyone to keep careful track of balances. In this day and age it is remarkably easy to do, even if you do not use a check register. In an age of ATMs and POS machines, this accounting seems to have fallen to the way side. Look online, see what is available against what they say is in there. These are two different things. The available amount is what they consider you actually have, and don't forget to check and see that all your charges have gone through and use simple math to figure out how much you have left. I still think that old fashioned registers are the best, but also realized that this is much harder to do now that you don't have a check number to put down to identify the withdrawal.

Now, for the most part I practice what I preach, but I still haven't changed my money market to a regular checking despite never having a balance that keeps me from being charged and the charge is always more than the interest earned. So, on that note, my husband and I will be changing account types as soon as possible.

Internet savings

Since we have three students in the house, well minus one now that I have graduated, we really need internet. Going to the library isn't out of the question, but many people use it so there is a wait and also you only get a little time on the computer. When researching this can be a problem. My last paper took hours and hours of research time, mostly online.

The first thing that you want to do is look at the different providers in your area. Verizon Fios for us is FAR more expensive than Comcast, but in different parts of the country things change and there are more choices in some places. Look them up! The difference in price can be huge.

Another thing to check is to see if they have "student packages". These are usually only a limited time offer, from Fall semester until the end of Spring Semester, but can be a big help. Also, check daily for good deals. We got our internet and telephone for 50.00 a month (which comes to over 60.00 with all the taxes and surcharges). Internet is becoming a necessity it seems. Right now one can still live without it, especially if their college has facilities or their local library, but it does appear that everyone wants you to have an email address, including possible employers.

I think that the free email services are well known by now. While an address usually comes with an internet package, there is also Hotmail, yahoo, and Gmail plus others that are not as well known. I recommend having two, a professional one, usually with your name in some form that is easily recognizable and one for the sort of mail that gets you spam. My experience with Gmail sorting out spam has so far been excellent. I have rarely found anything of importance in the junk folder. I have one address for all my professional needs, and then I have my original which is connected with blogs such as this one, a Facebook page, recipe and coupon sites etc.. That also makes it easier to be sure that you don't miss that important email that is offering you an interview or giving you a job.

As it may have been noticed, I have yet to take advantage of the "ad sense" program here. I will be doing so at one point though because it will help to earn real money. Also, there is a program called MyPoints where you can earn points through clicking emails, making purchases from affiliated stores, using their grocery coupons, filling out surveys and getting friends to join. The link I provided will not be a referral for me though, as they seem to have suspended that particular way of acquiring members. They also have other ways. You will get mail that you don't want though, but that is what happens with many of these programs. You might want to make a different email for this.

With MyPoints you are collecting points for gift certificates or to make donations to causes, but with Inbox Dollars (and this link IS a referral link, if you click and join I will also get credit for your usage) you get actual money. It isn't a lot, particularly if you don't have a lot of time, but it does add up and could make you some pocket change. If you are really up for it, I am sure that much more can be made, but it takes time on the computer. They also offer grocery coupons and affiliated stores that will help you add to your account.

Lately I have been ignoring the emails because I have been so very busy something had to go. Since I am now just job hunting, I have a little more time to click through the ads and things. The hardest part to remember is to look their first before making online purchases! I have some anxiety issues about shopping in malls and such, so during the holidays everything but the stocking stuffers come from internet purchases. Yes, the shipping can make it less frugal, but if you are finding really good deals, which sometimes includes free or reduced shipping, it can be frugal. There area also some places where you can order online and have it shipped free to a local store for pick up. Payless shoes used to do that, but they seem to be closing down all around. I do believe Best Buy also has this program. So, you find a sale, you see if one of your pay sites is affiliated with them, enter the store through that site and you can find great sales, free shipping and also get points or dollars for the effort.

A final note on this for now. Be aware! Anyone asking you for money to join is probably misleading you at best, completely fraudulent at worse. Any site asking for your social security number or demanding a telephone number (this is usually optional, not mandatory) should also be approached carefully if at all. I never give out that information unless I am absolutely sure of the site I am using, such as the FASFA site for student loans. Also, the federal loan and grants site is a government site with .ed.gov as the end of the address. Any others are going to make you pay for something that you can easily do yourself, so do not fall for it!

Now I am off to update my accounts and start making some money again. Have a great day everyone!

Looking for Help

The last few days have been, well, interesting. I am currently trying to find a job after graduating from University in December. The market is pretty grim to be sure. Still, I am posting resumes on job sites and creating cover letters for specific jobs like a crazy person. I have had a few bites from job services, but I haven't looked into them yet. Some charge, and seeing as we really don't have the money, I will not be using their services.

In a fit of blind panic set off from seeing that the monthly passes for our public transport may go up 21 dollars in a few months, something that my family relies on, I started looking for more help. In my searching I found: http://www.fairfoods.org/ which is an organization for Massachusetts, I believe the Boston area. This organization will, twice a month (or more if you can travel) give out produce and other foods for 2 dollars a bag. You have to bring your own bags of course. The important thing about this for those of you who do not live by Boston is that you can go to your local government sites, either the state site, which is where I found this, or you town/city's sites. From my state site there is much information on services available, from weatherizing to help paying for heat to seeing what programs you qualify for, including SNAP (food stamps). While online I wasn't approved for SNAP, when I went in I found that there are forms that take our situation into account and we did get help. We now get 90 dollars a month, which is something. For your state website use this link: http://www.usa.gov/Agencies/State-and-Territories.shtml and there is a list of all the states and territories.

If you have children under 5, check out the WIC program. This voucher system helps you to get formula (if you are not breastfeeding), cheese, milk, juice and cereal. In some places you even get vouchers for local farmer's markets. This is extremely helpful and they are a bit more generous in how much you can make in order to qualify than SNAP is.

As far as the job search goes, I am applying for things that I had hoped were far behind me. Because of my disability there are some jobs that I have been strongly advised not to do, but when you are broke you do what you have to. If I do end up in that type of job, hopefully it won't be for long and all will be well. I am also looking for sites that help to create resumes and job specific cover letters. I will post what I find.

Bills, what to do?

I am pretty sure that everyone here knows to keep their heat down and if you can afford it, on a timer. You know to unplug appliances and chargers that are not in use, and to keep all of your appliances running efficiently. Maybe what you don't know is that many local utility companies have energy saving programs.
One example is when we moved into this house we had a very gross and old refrigerator. We dealt with it because we didn't have a lot of extra money, but at the time, this was before the housing bubble, we could save a little for improvements. Not much, so I looked into my electric company's energy saving project. They sent a person to my house who put in three or four florescent bulbs (this was 15 years ago, so they were very expensive) and even better, subsidized a new refrigerator for us that was better on electricity! We got a lovely Maytag refrigerator that is the right size for our household, brand new. We paid 250 dollars for it, on time payments. They even took away our old one which would normally have cost us an additional 20 dollars for the city to pick up. I strongly encourage you to look at your companies and see if they have this service available and then do it. If you are in a really bad spot like we are for now, the co-pay for a new appliance, if it is offered, may feel out of your reach. I get it, no money is no money, it doesn't matter how much it will save in the long run. Still, see if there is somewhere you can cut back for a few months and make payments if at all possible.

Both utility companies (electric and gas) offer special rates for people under a certain income level. You will find the program on their web site or maybe another source that has services listed for your area. If you are on food stamps (SNAP) you are usually automatically eligible for this lower rate.

You may have noticed that I have left out internet, cable and phone. That is because everyone has different needs. Personally I really believe that now we really need to have SOME access to the internet, if not at home, then at a cafe or library. If your needs are small these are excellent ways to check email and a social program or two. In our case we really needed to have internet in the house due to my research heavy workload at college and even more pressing, that both of my girls require a lot of access for their schools too. It is assumed that you have easy access to the internet. As an aside, my oldest daughter's professor actually assumed that all the young adults had data plans and smart phones! My daughter uses a flip phone. I thought it was strange because it is a community college, which is where people often go to cut college costs.

We found a plan through Comcast that gave us a land line phone and a limited bandwidth internet for 50 dollars a month. It has gone up about 12 dollars in the years that we have had it, but so far it hasn't changed. We don't have cable television, but we do pay 8 dollars a month to stream Netflix which helps us not rent movies that inevitably go back late, and we can watch what we want without paying 100 dollars a month for basic cable which, let's face it, kinda sucks now. I do wish we had BBC, but that is neither here not there, it is a small sacrifice. For cell phones we went about it this way. Our first phones were pretty cheap, but with all the payphones disappearing and my youngest daughter's school not allowing them to make phone calls from the office, they are sort of becoming a necessity. So, we got the inexpensive phones and use a pay as you go plan. 25.00 for three months. Each phone call is 25 cents a minute and each text is 20 cents. This is taken from the 25 dollars, so no surprise bills. My oldest pays her own, which is very helpful. My younger child knows that she must be very careful with using her phone and she has had to remind her friends that she can't just text all the time. It took a while, but they finally figured that out. When I got my student loan I paid the 100.00 for a year of time for her and myself. Since we only use it for important things for the most part, it isn't hard to keep the costs low.  So, 75.00 for three months worth of time. not too bad. I would rather not "need" this, as just a decade ago I had our phone turned off as a luxury because we had ready access to a pay phone. Not any more. My husband needs it for work, I needed it at first because I was away from home and my youngest was in elementary school and I felt safer with her having one on her because of the school's policy on using the phone at the school. If you feel you can do without, then by all means do! 

Weatherize. I know, we all know this, but it is important. There are less expensive ways of doing it. They aren't necessarily attractive, but they work. A long sewn up tube of a nice heavy cloth filled with sand or rice makes an excellent device for placing at the bottom of your doors. I do not know about you, but I remember my Gramma having these, with faces on them! You can also stuff newspapers in cracks to alleviate some of the loss of heat or cold.

Trash pick up. Many places include this in their taxes, but we have recently started being charged per bag, but recycling is free. With four people, three of whom are girls who have more trash and a cat who uses litter, we are able to keep our trash to under 1 33 gallon bag a week most of the time. We are lucky and have a garbage disposal, but we also have a compost. If you don't, maybe one of your friends would appreciate the contribution. We recycle everything possible. All junk mail, all glass, all plastics 1-7. If you order take out (come one, we all splurge if we can, it helps morale) look at the bottom of your clam shell. It may actually not be Styrofoam but a plastic and recyclable. They also have ones that are compostable which can go in with the papers. Since we really can't buy a lot of things, packaging is kept down, so it isn't terribly difficult to keep the trash down.

This sort of has to do with the trash. Go to www.freecycle.org and look up your area. Not only can you find things you may need second hand, but you can also list things that you want and, more importantly for me, things you want to give away. We recently had someone looking for clementine boxes! I have also found homes for my broken pottery, old toys and a fryer that was pretty gross. Yes, I was honest and told them that it was gross, dishonesty is a bad thing anyway, but especially here. If people get taken they tend to not trust you. We have found homes for many things that normally would have been thrown away, and since our trash costs, well, you can see where this goes.

So, look up your utilities, see if you can downgrade your cell phone and internet connection and take advantage of special pricing and programs to help you save money. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle! It is not only earth smart, but money smart too. Good luck!