Eating Inexpensively

As the last of the leftover Halloween candy dwindles, it’s time to turn our attention to Thanksgiving—truly, my favorite holiday of the year. In just three weeks, I’ll be hosting my family for the big feast—at least 13 people in my home. No easy feat, but at least the budget is under control. [Continue reading on Babble...]

Frugal Dinner Idea: Stir-Fry Splash (Plus NAKANO Splash Madness Sweepstakes Details)

We cook with a lot of fresh produce around here. Sure, it can get expensive, but I have a few tricks to keep it under budget. First, I plan my menu around the sale items, then I make sure none of it gets wasted. One of our favorite ways to use up a lot of [...]


How To Use Easter Leftovers

If you celebrated Easter this weekend, you probably have a fridge full of leftover ham, eggs and mashed potatoes. We spent the weekend with my parents, joining my extended family for dinner yesterday. It was quite a feast—ham, chicken, potatoes, noodles, deviled eggs and desserts. Oh, the desserts. Luckily, being gluten free kept me away [...]


Planning Ahead for Easter Dinner Savings

Easter dinner is pretty standard around here. There will always be baked ham, mashed potatoes & gravy and deviled eggs from leftover Easter eggs. As for the rest of the meal, I plan a few different options, then wait to see what I get on sale over the next few weeks before making my final [...]


There’s More Than One Way to Go Green For St. Patrick’s Day

Wow—I can’t believe how fast March is flying by! It’s my favorite month of the entire year—and not just because it’s my birthday month. The snow melts. The sun begins to shine. And, my calendar tells me spring is officially on its way. But, first—St. Patrick’s Day. We don’t usually do much around here, short [...]


Fun, Frugal Valentine’s Day Menu

It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and I hadn’t given the food a 2nd thought this year. Thank goodness I’ve partnered with Foodily—they’re on top of it, for sure! It’s a family affair at around here. We’ve never had much luck with sitters (although the hubby’s parents offered babysit tonight—hooray for date night!) and rather than be [...]


Mexican Pizza Recipe: Fun, Frugal Lunch for Kids

Most of the time, I don’t want my kids in the kitchen when I’m cooking—I enjoy a little solitude while I prepare dinner each night. However, I want them to grow up knowing how to cook, so I let the monkeys in now & then. By this point, my oldest can even prepare an entire [...]


1 Chicken = 3 Meals (Introducing Foodily Menus)

I’m so thrilled to be a brand ambassador for Foodily—I’ve been playing with the site for awhile now, and it is pretty much awesome! Cooking at home is a great way to save money. Not only can you steer clear of restaurants & drive-thrus, but you can plan meals around the sale items for even [...]


Snackbowl: Frugal Superbowl Snacks & a Contest from Diamond

Are you Party Planning Hall of Fame material? Diamond’s Snack Bowl 2011 contest offers the opportunity for you to showcase your party skills. Enter now through 2/7 with a photo or video that shows off why you deserve to be in the hall of fame for party planning excellence—finalists will be selected by a public [...]


31 Day Budget (Day 14): Budget Dining Out

31 Days to a Better Budget Budget Dining Out Each day of the series offers new tips, ideas and a challenge to start the year with a solid financial plan. As long as we’re still on the subject of a food budget, let’s talk about dining out. This is actually an easier number to control—you [...]