There are many ways, but if you haven’t read or heard about The Complete Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczyn, you are missing a fun look at saving your pennies.  My particular favorite is her way of looking at cooking meals quickly and easily.

Often, especially during the busier summer months, my thoughts turn quite easily away from cooking, until the yell “what’s for dinner?” comes through the door.  It’s usually a little later than during the colder months because we tend to stay out until the sun goes down, which comes closer to bedtime now.

So, sitting down with an easy formula for creating a simple meal is a must for me and my family.  Here’s an inspired “outline” for throwing together a fast and delicious meal that your family will never tire of because no two meals are ever the same!

You’ll need:

• 1 cup of a main ingredient -  like tuna, chicken, turkey, ham, or beans
• 1 cup of a second ingredient -  like celery, onion, mushrooms, peas, or tomatoes
• 1 or 2 cups of a starchy ingredient -  like potatoes, cooked pasta, or cooked rice
• 1 1/2 cups of a binder -  like a cream of soup, sour cream, yogurt, or any white sauce
• 1/4 cup of something extra -  like olives, almonds, nuts, pimiento, or anything special
• seasoning to taste -  with salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, or whatever you desire
• topping to match the dish -  like bread crumbs, cheese, croutons, french fried onions, or nuts

Just list your main ingredient choices, second ingredient choices, and so forth, in columns, post it on your refrigerator so you’re ready to pick and choose according to what’s on hand. Be sure that all the ingredients are cooked if needed, then throw everything together in a casserole dish, and heat together.

You can go any direction you want… Mexican, Italian, Asian, or, my favorite, School Cafeteria!  Surprise your family, and yourself, with your ingenuity!

Lo and behold!  A virtual trip to the zoo appeared!  I was pretty sure I would discover what exhibits were at the zoo, but didn’t even consider the amount of  interesting live or video-taped animal antics we could see… and all right there for the clicking!

The site I found to be very easy to use and full of goodies was The National Zoo, aka The Smithsonian National Zoological Park.  Click on the live cam link to, hopefully, catch the pandas, flamingos, lions, panthers, and a whole host of critters roaming around, going about their business.  You may not get a glimpse right away, but it’s worth keeping the cam going as long as you can to see what’s happening.  One link we enjoyed was a video of the “fishing cats” catching their dinner.  That’s truly worth seeing while you wait for the lions to wake up and walk around.

Of course, there are other zoos that offer virtual visits along with live cam shots of many of their resident critters.  Do a virtual zoo search and you’ll be surprised what you’ll find… for free!

A virtual visit to a zoo may not be the same as a real live visit, but on a rainy day, when the kids are restless, and you’re going a bit batty yourself, the ability to relax and watch a couple pandas play, or watch a mama and baby elephant on parade, can really boost your family’s morale.  Learn something new and have a little fun… without the cost of admission!

According to MSN Money, Sears unveiled KidVantage in 1991 but lately has been sort of quiet about it. You may not even see it advertised inside your local store.  Just go up to the kids clothing department and ask.  You should be able to sign up there.  You can not sign up on the internet.

The idea is, if your youngsters are particularly hard on their clothing, wearing holes in the knees of their jeans before they outgrow them, Sears will replace the item of clothing.

Sears also offers a percentage off if a certain dollar amount of clothing is purchased at one time.  Of course, you’ll want to investigate the details, and cost, to belong to this Club.  It may be worth your time, especially if your little ones are rambunctious little critters!

So, I’m thinking, if she can do it, so can I.  Reading her book has been an adventure.  More so than watching the cooking shows, which I love, but often feel intimidated by all the ingredients I’m simply not going to ever buy.  For two reasons:  1) They’re too expensive, and 2) I’ll never use them again and the bottle/can/box will go stale or rot.

What I’m thinking is that if you’re on a tight budget, Mom, and you’re looking at even a half dozen recipes to add to your repertoire, this may be the place to look.  It’s a great read and the recipes are simple and down to earth.  After all, what do you imagine is available at 99 Cents Only Stores?

We don’t have those stores here, but I’m certainly going to be able to find some of the ingredients at the dollar stores we have.  What I can’t find there, I will find at my local grocery store.  And there won’t be any fancy-schmancy ingredients to rob my food budget!

The reason I brought this up is because when we create a household budget, the first thing that most of us examine is how much money we spend on groceries.  The food budget is the most flexible item and the easiest to reduce.  We all buy too many prepackaged foods and expensive treats, so if we eliminate even a few, we’re seeing results very quickly.  But, what would happen if we really looked at our grocery bill from another angle?  If you had to fill your pantry from scratch with a very limited amount of money, what could you buy?

We’re not going to look at what we normally eat, we’re going to look at what we COULD eat to save money.  Here are a few examples of food items that cost very little, but yield the nutrition we need, as well as full bellies!

Brown rice – This packs a whole lot of nutrients and fibre, and should be a mainstay in every household.  Do not substitute with white, processed rice, although that’s tasty, too, you won’t get the same nutritional value.

Potatoes – Full of nutrition and fibre, and is also a great “vehicle” for a whole bunch of other food.

Pasta – Choose good, whole grain pastas in a variety of shapes and sizes to create interesting yet frugal meals.

Nuts – Compare the price of nuts to meat and you’ll see how adding nuts, or even relying on them for your protein, will stretch your budget as well as boost your nutrition.  Buy raw nuts, like almonds, and learn how to roast your own for added value.

Dried beans and peas – This is the Mother Lode of frugal nutrition.  Black beans, garbanzo, navy beans, pinto beans, split peas, lentils - you name it, they are another staple in every pantry.  Used as protein or vegetables, the nutritional value is the same.  You can NOT afford to skip this food group.

Eggs – Of course, we can’t forget eggs.  Breakfast, lunch, or dinner, there are enough ways to cook an egg that you can never tire of them.

Onions, Celery, Garlic, salt and pepper – I choose these for flavoring.  You can boil up a pot of bean soup by itself, but onion, garlic, and celery bring the soup to life.  Eating should be enjoyable, not just frugal.  Of course, salt and pepper brings everything together.

Carrots – Another flavor enhancer, but more of a vegetable to round out a meal and to add to rice and pasta casserole dishes.

Greens – We’re talking kale, turnip, and collard.  Relatively inexpensive and packed with vitamins and minerals, and fibre, too.  Kale happens to be my favorite because it doesn’t cook down as much as the others, so you’re left with a nice pot-full.

Well, you get the picture.  If you just started with these few items, you could feed your family for quite some time.  Adding a few things as you go, like bread, milk, peanut butter, and apples, will round out your diet.  Let’s hope aliens never steal all your food, but I hope you reconsider your food choices the next time you go through your food budget.  Give it a try… see if you can create a meal with just the foods listed above.  Have fun!

Food:

You’ve got to eat anyway, so maybe now is the time to get your kids involved in the kitchen.  Start simply with lunchtime snacks like celery with peanut butter and raisins, aka “Ants On A Log” and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  Depending on the age of your children, have them do as much of the preparation as possible.  It not only gives them something new to learn, but kids who help prepare their own food often are more inclined to try new foods.  You may want to cook up a couple batches of pasta and rice to keep in the fridge.  Then, have a variety of frozen veggies that the kids like, so you can have them just throw together their very own “casserole.”

Gardening:

A great way to teach your kids about gardening is to start with a couple simple tomato plants.  Get a clay pot or other outdoor-style planter clean and ready, with your kids helping, of course.  Buy good potting soil suitable for vegetable plants.  Give your kids the tools they need, and a little instruction, and watch the intensity they exhibit when they start planting.  This is serious work for most kids and it keeps them interested for a long time as they watch their plant blossom, then produce.  Individual containers work well, but if you have a garden spot in the ground, that’s great.  A fun idea is to plant a “naturally pest-free” mini-garden.  In a larger container, plant two or three grape or cherry tomatoes, and include a stake for support.  Then, around the parameter of the container, plant green onions, and between the onions and the tomato plants, plant a sprinkling of dwarf marigolds.  The combination of onions and marigolds is a natural defense against bugs that love tomatoes.

Crafts:

Projects for the sake of fun are great, but when you provide a craft that will actually create a needed item, kids will give more attention to it, and take more pride in the completion of the project.  Look around the house for things that your family can use.  Do you have a bunch of pictures piled up waiting to be put in frames or a picture album?  Can you hand some of those pictures off to the kids to creatively frame and display?  There are many ways to create frames that are inexpensive and unique. Start at garage sales and thrift shops.  Purchase a variety of old frames along with other interesting objects, such as buttons, old sheet music, or anything that looks interesting.  Lay everything out for the kids, give them a bit of instruction, and ask them to go ahead and design a frame or two.  Once they get started, they’ll be looking for all kinds of objects to create frames, especially if they’re framing pictures of themselves!  The same applies to photo albums.  It’s easy to cut and paste and turn a plain scrap book into a special family album.  Other items you may need around your house will come to mind as you look around.  How about a bulletin board or two?  Or some artwork for the family room?  Placemats, coasters, and bookends are all projects that can easily be designed and built by kids.  The idea is to help your kids develop a vested interest in their craft by creating a useful object.

These are just a few ideas for filling the time your kids have now that their days are not occupied with school.  When Autumn rolls around again and the kids are back at school, you’ll all have memories of a summer well-spent!

That may be reason alone to pack up the family and take a drive this summer.  Just to support our park system and boost the economy.  But what about your own economy?  Perhaps the cost of admission to a national park is beyond your means right now.  Well, this may be the time to rethink your vacation plans.

Secretary Ken Salazar has announced that admission to the 147 national parks and monuments that charge entrance fees will be lifted three weekends this summer.

The fee-free weekends are June 20-21 (Father’s Day weekend), July 18-19 and Aug. 15-16. Fees typically range from $3 to $25.

Fees for camping, tours, concessions and other charges collected by third parties are not included, but many parks are offering further enticements. There are online vouchers for restaurants and retail stores.  We found free houseboat rides in several states, including Nevada, Arizona, and Texas.  There are free tours scheduled, as well as complimentary photos at several parks.

This summer, take the opportunity to visit our national parks with your family.  You’ll be teaching your family a valuable lesson by paying homage to our great national treasures, and saving money at the same time!

So, Mom, how do you give in without giving up your frugal ways?  There are several advantages to adopting a kitten or cat during June, National Adopt-A-Cat Month.  Many shelters are offering incentives, such as free spay and neuter programs, reduced or free vaccinations, and free health screenings for the new adoptees.

Special consideration may be given to folks who adopt older cats.  Reduced adoption fees and free vaccinations may be offered.  Of course, if a pair of playful kittens is more your style, and you can keep up with the energy, a shelter may offer incentives for this double adoption, as well.  Because there are more kittens and cats in shelters in the month of June than any other time of the year, you will find shelters eager to find homes for their resident felines.

Be sure you discuss all the ups and downs of having kittens or cats in your household.  Research the costs, the time, and the work that it takes to care for a cat.  Investigate the breed, if applicable, the differences between the requirements of a male cat versus a female cat, and the benefits of certain traits, such as long hair versus short hair.  Then, visit several shelters in your area, get some one-on-one time with the cats and kittens, and ask about any discounts or free services offered by the shelter if you choose to adopt from them.

This may be the perfect time to welcome a new little fuzzy friend into your household.  Do your homework to ensure that everyone benefits from your new addition to the family.  Have fun!

Hey!  You’re a tax payer, right?  Over the years you’ve thrown a few shekels into the coffers of your state and federal government, right?  Whether with income taxes, sales taxes, or property taxes, you have a vested interest in government sponsored programs.  You, and we, ARE the government.  So, what about those programs that we’ve all funded?

Whether you are trying to go back to school, start a business, or just pay for your child’s daycare, there may be some help available to you.  These are not handouts - you do have to qualify for many of the programs sponsored by our government.  Click on this link to GovBenefits.gov to find out what’s available to you in the way of a grant, loan, or scholarship to help you and your family.

You may have fallen accidentally into a personal recession, or you may have made some mistakes that landed you in a tight financial situation.  Either way, you have given your support to our government when you were able; your taxes were used to create these programs.  Now is the time to get the help you need… with the programs you helped fund.  This is your money – these are your programs.  Check out GovBenefits.gov to see what federal or state programs are available to you to get back on track to achieving your goals.

Since we no longer buy a Sunday newspaper, I have found a nice neighbor lady who is thrilled to get rid of all that stuff inside her Sunday paper.  That’s one source for coupons.  Another source is circulars in the mailbox and at the grocery stores themselves.  And, for all you computer savvy people, you probably already know that you can access actual grocery store fliers, complete with coupons, on the internet.  Just type in the name of the store you normally shop, and you’ll be given the complete flier to page through.  Print out the coupons and there you go!  Some stores even honor other stores’ coupons, so don’t be afraid to bring along the competitions coupons, too.

Even though magazines have become quite expensive, there are still some more reasonably priced weekly and monthly magazines out there that offer great coupons.  I’ve found a magazine for less than $2 that offers hundreds of dollars in coupons and deals inside the covers.  That’s a great return on investment!

Oftentimes schools will have fund-raisers in which you can purchase a coupon book.  Review the coupons carefully before you decide to buy to make sure you will recoup your money, as well as end up with a few extra dollars in your pocket.

Using your computer, once more, you may want to search some of the websites that actually find coupons for you.  Some may be for internet shopping only, but I’ve often found coupons to print and clip for local stores carrying items that we need.  Be sure not to agree to pay for this service as there are many sites which are free to use.

It’s always fun for me to go into the grocery store armed with my pile of coupons.  I like to watch the total on the register keep going down, down, down, until I get to the final amount due.  It’s just so rewarding to get money back for a pile of otherwise useless paper. Long live the coupon!