My Earth Garden

Often people who are of a frugal mindset get so easily bogged down in clipping coupons and watching for sales that they forget one of the most important ways to be frugal is to save their time.  Our time is valuable so it makes perfect sense for us to save it whenever we can. 

Here are 4 kitchen timesavers for the freezer you might not have thought about before. None of them will save a lot of time by themselves, but a few minutes here and there can certainly add up.

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Rough, dry skin sucks. Facial scrubs help to exfoliate rough patches, alleviate dryness, and deep clean your pores, but they can be expensive.

Why pay for something you can throw together in a couple of minutes using as few as two ingredients out of the pantry? Homemade facial scrubs have the added benefit of containing only natural ingredients that you can pronounce!

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No matter what the weather looks like outside right now, you can do your part to help usher in spring by planning your spring garden. In most areas, you have about three months before you can begin planting outdoors in earnest, but a little daydreaming along with some planning and preparation now will go a long way in April.

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As my beloved Red Heeler Sadie will tell you, dog treats don’t need to be complicated. If you can turn on the oven, you can make them yourself. The basic recipe I use calls for only five ingredients that most of you already have on hand.

As you can see from the photo above, she loves my homemade dog treats and I know your pups will, too.

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No one will believe this rich, flavorful dish came from the slow cooker, so just let them believe you labored for hours.

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Is there anyone who doesn’t love homemade sloppy joes? They are easy to make, fast to eat, and let’s face it – they’re delicious.

Sure, the canned sloppy joe mix is really tempting sometimes, but you really don’t need it. You can make your own sloppy joes in just a few minutes with basic ingredients you probably already have on hand, and you will know every ingredient that goes into your family dinner.

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UPDATED: 01/04/2014: This is a post from one year ago. I challenged myself to save according to the plan detailed below and as you can see here, I did it! In fact, by adding a couple of dollars here and there, I was able to save about $100 above the goal!

The original post is still intact below because I am reissuing the challenge for 2014 and I hope that you will join me. f you can’t set back the amounts according to this plan, make up your mind today to set aside a certain amount every week and stick to it.

Here’s to saving in 2014!

What if I told you that I have discovered a simple plan for saving money that helps you to easily save nearly $1,400 this year? I know, I know, you’re probably saying that there’s no way, but even though it might mean that you’ll have to start planning ahead a bit, it really is possible and starting with this first week of 2013, I’m on board.

Earlier today I saw a blog post about the 52 Week Money Challenge and was impressed by the simplicity of the challenge itself, not to mention how easy the challenge is to follow.

As you can see from the graphic, all you have to do is save the number of dollars that corresponds to the week of the year. On week one, for example, you save $1.00, while on week 30, you save $30.00. If you follow along each week, you will have saved $1,378.00 in 52 weeks, and that doesn’t take into account savings accounts that earn interest.

I am onboard with this challenge and have set up a separate savings account just for it. If you don’t have a savings account already, you might consider a money market savings account like the one I signed up for at ally bank online. It requires no minimum balance, has no minimum opening deposit, and an Annual Percentage Yield (APY) of 0.95%, which is a great rate especially for an account with no fees.

I’m in for saving more money in 2013, and this challenge is a great way to get myself motivated! What do you say? Are you in?

Pimento cheese is a southern staple; a delicacy that has to be done just right if it is going to be done at all. Like most southern food the flavor doesn’t come from a complicated process, but from time-honored combinations of the perfect ingredients.

The most important part of the process is leaving the mixture alone in the refrigerator before eating it. As tempted as you might be to devour it immediately, this stuff gets better after a day or two in the fridge.

Classic Southern Pimento Cheese Spread

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

2 hours 15 mins

Total time

2 hours 30 mins

 

Author: Michael Nolan

Recipe type: Spread

Cuisine: American

Ingredients

• 2 oz. pimentos, drained and minced
• 8 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ cup mayonnaise
• ¼ cup sweet onion, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Instructions

1. Mix pimentos and cheese together in a mixing bowl.
2. Add sugar and mayo and mix again.
3. Add onion and Worcestershire sauce and blend with a mixer at high speed, making sure to scrape the sides of the bowl to ensure a thorough mix.
4. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for no less than two hours, then serve your delicious homemade pimento cheese on a sandwich or atop crackers.

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I’ve never understood why anyone would buy a marinade at the grocery store. For starters, they are expensive. They often contain preservatives and other ingredients that are difficult to pronounce. You can also make your own marinade in five minutes or less at home with a few basic ingredients (most of which you probably have on hand anyway).

When I mix my marinades I like to use my Pyrex Glass 4-Cup Measuring Cup. It is large enough to act as a mixing bowl, I can use the markings to measure the liquid ingredients, plus it has a handle and a convenient pour spout to make using the marinade a no-brainer.

Greek Inspired Marinade for Beef

 

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Prep time

5 mins

Total time

5 mins

 

Author: Michael Nolan

Recipe type: Sauces & Marinades

Cuisine: Greek

Ingredients

• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 large lemon, juiced and zested
• 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 Tablespoon dried basil
• 1 Tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 Tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a small mixing bowl
2. Whisk together until thoroughly blended.
3. Pour marinade over the meat and refrigerate, allowing it to marinate for 4-5 hours.
4. Remove from the refrigerator and allow meat to return to room temperature before cooking.

Notes

Wait until just before cooking to salt the meat, as salt will draw the moisture from the meat making it dry and tough.

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