frugal food

8 years ago, I hosted my first Thanksgiving. It was such a great time, but it was stressful because there were 19 people in our small basement suite! I had helped make a Thanksgiving with my mom while I was growing up, but it was my first time making a turkey on my own. No pressure, right? There were no disasters (thankfully) and that was where my love for cooking turkey began. My love for turkey has only continued to…

It’s pumpkin season! (In case you didn’t know.) People all around are posting about making pumpkin EVERYTHING – not just pie, but muffins, bread, chili, pasta sauce, coffee, etc. etc. So today I’m going to give you a quick little tutorial about how you can make your own pumpkin puree, which will save you money and will be healthier than what you can buy in the stores. I’ll also link up some money-saving pumpkin recipes at the end. Ready? (Note:…

I don’t know about you, but I get hungry in between meals. It seems that when I get hungry, I also get grumpy, and we’ve come to realize that Fred I often fight more when I feel hungry. To avoid these unnecessary fights, I’ve started thinking through some snacks that have protein and are healthy, don’t cost a fortune, and that I can throw in my purse and go. I bought a few things that I like that I thought…

I hate getting up in the mornings. I usually hit the snooze button 1-4 times each morning. My husband usually has to coax me out of the bed. I’m working on being better at this, but until I become a morning person that just pops out of bed, I need to find ways to save time in the morning. Something that I do to save time is taking breakfast with me on the go. Two months ago, I shared my…

I promised last post that I would share my recipe for making broth in your crockpot, so here it is!  Homemade broth is great – you can make it taste however you want, and it allows you to use your turkey carcass for something meaningful. (P.S. We’re still eating our leftover turkey meat 9 days later –  I love it! I’ve used it in a stir-fry, in enchiladas, for sandwiches, with rice, and leftover with mashed potatoes. So versatile! ) Here’s…

I love turkey. It’s a delicious meat, and it’s a shame that we only eat it a few times a year. The thing I love most about turkey is how versatile it is, and how affordable it can be! Today I’ll share with you what I’ve learned about stretching our meat budget by investing in this tasty bird. I find turkey when it’s on sale and then cook it in my crockpot. This allows all the meat to be cooked…

I hate the rising cost of meat.  As I alluded to in my last blog post, we’re trying out some new ways to incorporate more affordable types of protein into our diets. I love chicken, but I always end up paying more than I want to. Today I am going to share one of my favourite meatless options with you: chickpeas! Chickpeas, otherwise known as garbanzo beans, are a great source of protein and they are quite inexpensive. Like many…

I hate throwing things away. It’s not hard for me to give things away, or to throw away useless things, but I have trouble throwing away boxes, ribbons, and food (specifically). I have seen mold in many different colours because I keep things in the fridge until I’m forced to by the fungus growing on them. (This grosses my husband out, but what can you do?) This is sometimes helpful in being frugal, and has allowed me to save money…