Economical lunch - or dinner!

The humble potato has become a favorite lunch in this home. We split a (Costco-purchased) big bag of the oversized baker potatoes with friends and usually end up with about a dozen or so potatoes for about 4.40. One of these big potatoes is a meal for one person - sometimes, more than a meal! (For kids, I would definitely split one big baker potato between two people, or just use regular-sized potatoes purchased by the bag.)

Although I would definitely bake these in the regular oven IF I was already baking something else, it wouldn't be efficient to turn it on just to bake potatoes. My mom taught me how to end up with a great baked potato using the microwave. Cook on high in the microwave until soft and then wrap in a paper towel, so that two layers of the towel are covering most of the potato. (For my microwave, even though I have a turntable, I stop it midway through the cooking time and flip the potato on the plate from bottom to top. If I'm baking two at a time, I flip them end to end as well.) Wrap in terry cloth - kitchen towels, hand towels, washcloths. You want thick layers to keep the moisture in the potato. Let the potato steam inside these wrappings for five minutes. This results in a perfectly moist baked potato. ( I usually save these paper towels and use them for more than one baked potato.)

We like ours simple - sliced open, with a bit of butter and salt, or sour cream and chives, or grated cheese. Steamed broccoli and cheddar cheese is great too. If your hubby can't handle a meal without meat, try adding chili topped with grated cheddar cheese.

Aside from being the base of a hot, delicious meal, potatoes provide nutrients we need, one of which is potassium.

Let me know if you have any other topping ideas!

Enjoy!

Ebay for coupons and today's deals: Safeway and Raley's

Just a quick note for those of you who wonder where to get specific high-value coupons. I know coupon services are available, but I've never used one because I can usually find what I want quickly and easily on ebay. Coupons are usually available in lots of ten or twenty and a typical cost could be five to ten cents per coupon, although you could pay more if the coupons are high-value, "free item" or in high demand. For instance, I knew I needed to watch for a sale on Celestial Seasonings teas so that I could stock up again. I had recently gotten a coupon for .55/1 in the Sunday newspaper, so it was a good bet that these would be available on ebay. I happen to live in the North Bay Area, one of the areas in the country that gets fewer high-value coupons, so I had a hunch that there might be coupons "out there" with a higher value than .55. I was delighted to find that there were 1.00/1 coupons listed on ebay and I completed a sale on a "Buy It Now" lot with a reasonable cost for the combined price and shipping rate. The coupons arrived within four days and then I started watching for sales on Celestial Seasonings teas!

I ran to Raley's tonight before they closed to pick up some of the best deals I've seen advertised for a while. Those of you who have access to Aldi's or who don't live in California (!) may think these prices are high, but honestly, they're excellent for this area.

I got:

8 jars Classico pasta sauce @ 2/4.00 = 16.00
(one free box of Ronzoni pasta with every purchase of two jars, priced at 1.00 each on sale)
1 ten-lb. value pack of ground beef, 1.69/lb. if purchased in bulk = 16.88
10 boxes Celestial Seasonings teas, 3.19 and BOGO, minus 1.00 coupons on each box = .60 ea.

(minus 2.38 for tea for friend)
(minus 20 cents bag credit since I bring my own bags)

Total spent = 36.25

I could have gotten more tea at this sale, but like most people on a budget, I have a finite number of dollars that I can spend right now. The coupons are good through April 11, so chances are good that I'll find another sale before they expire. I did buy four boxes for a friend who drinks a specific variety that she can seldom find. She'll be happy to reimburse me for the tea and cost of the coupons at this price!

I do try to cook more and more from scratch, since that is the best way to save on costs (and to know what is going into our food!). However, I know from experience that in this household I have to have quick and easy options available for the times I'm rushed, or not feeling well, or hubby cooks dinner. Jarred pasta sauce is, for us, key to a healthier and less expensive option than the drive-thru or even most inexpensive frozen food. Sometimes the less frugal option at the front end (in this case, purchasing the jar of pasta sauce) leads to a far more frugal result at the back end (the dinner that ends up in our tummies on one of those rushed and harried nights).

I then stopped at Safeway for some of their "Dollar Deals" for the week. They were out of the Safeway Apple Juice (.99) but I got a rain check for four bottles. The tomatoes were .99/lb, but they didn't look very good, so I skipped those. Canned albacore was priced at .99, but I'm stocked up on that, so I skipped it. There were other value-priced items, but nothing that grabbed my interest.

I got:

7 jars of Ragu sauce @ .99 each
(daughter loves Alfredo sauce and Ragu has a "light" version that I'm okay with for occasional use)
2 cans Progresso Italian Wedding soup @ 1.25 each
(another quick meal option - this happens to be daughter's favorite)
(used .50/2 coupon)
1 loaf fresh bakery French bread @ 1.25 each

(minus 5 cents bag credit)

Total = 10.13)

Total spent at both stores = 46.38

Added these items to stockpile:

10 lbs. ground beef (to be split up and frozen in 1-lb. packages)
15 jars pasta sauce
4 1 lb. packages pasta
6 boxes herbal tea
2 cans soup

(And what was never intended for the stockpile, but would never have made it anyway - the fresh French bread - I'm afraid we got into that right away!)

Blessings on your day!

Well, I'm dipping my big toe in and testing the waters...

I've been wanting to set up a blog for a while and am frankly amazed at how easy it's been so far, especially since I'm nearly completely computer illiterate!

What I hope to do here is to share the little things that make life what it is. I have a love for decorating and happily spend time looking for ways to get the pulled-together results I love on a bare-bones budget. I'm also interested in many facets of frugal living - from freebies, bargains and coupons to second-hand treasures and inexpensive meals at home. Although I've learned so much about living well on less over the last many years, I WELCOME any new ideas, resources and creative solutions. I hope this will be an encouraging place to "set for a while", but ultimately, I want this blog to be a place where I can be "real" with you, and where you can be real as well.

I've got a lot to learn, including how to use the bells and whistles on my digital camera. (Baby steps, baby steps.) Be back soon!

Blessings,

Michelle