Whats For Dinner ~ Beef and Been Enchiladas ~ Saving Money Eating Mexican At Home

When I crave Mexican I refer to my cookbooks rather than going out for an expensive dinner. Tonight on the menu was Beef and Bean Enchiladas, side of Refried Beans and Taco chips.  Tonights dinner came from Favorite Brand Name Incredibly Easy Weeknight Meals. Recipe was tweeked with some changes due to our likes and what I had in the pantry.

needed
nonstick cooking spray
3 cups of shredded mexican style cheese
1 1/2 cups sour cream divided
1 can of Rotel with green chiles
1 pound of ground beef ( if you want chicken use 2 cups of diced chicken)
1 10 oz can of Ortega Enchilada Sauce
10 8 inch soft flour tortillas

Preheat oven to 350 , spray 13 by 9 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray
Reserve 1 1/2 cups of cheese, 1/2 cup sour cream
Brown hamburger, degrease and add drained can of Rotel with green chilis, add remaining sour cream and shredded cheese. Mix and warm
Spread about 2 tsp of enchiladas sauce over each tortilla. Top each with about 1/2 cup of meat mixture and 1 or 2 small teaspoons of refried beans. Roll up tortillas, arrange seam side down in baking dish.
Top tortillas with remaining enchiladas sauce. Sprinkle with reserved cheese
Cover with foil. Bake 50 or 60 minutes or until hot, remove foil and bake 5 more minutes.

Serve with some sour cream, side of refried beans and some chips. Dinner is ready.

We saved money eating at home and it was so tasty. Hubby and I ate 4 of the 10 enchiladas,  I was able to freeze remaining enchiladas. Hubby and I will have dinner some evening with just having to thaw and reheat.

2013 My 13 Goals For The Year PLUS update on my 2012 Goals HOW DID I DO

Now that it is time to think about what my goals are going to be for 2013 I was looking back on what I had written at the beginning of 2012. There they were right on my side board looking at me was my 2012 Goals .

I have to admit that I have not looked at it in months. I wonder if I accomplished any of these goals. The following is what I wrote.


Hard to believe that 2011 is almost gone. Just days away till we start a new year. Time to work at planning what I would like to accomplish this next year.

1. Cutting down the cost of eating out expense. If we do eat out try to find a coupon to reduce the price or bring home some of it to eat another time
2. Pay down debt of $2610 this does not include our car that has a balance of $7500
3. Work at decluttering our home by selling items I buy items to resell faster. Boy things pile up fast. Cookbooks, books, barbie clothes and dolls and so much more.
4. Build up our eBay and Amazon sales to about $1,000 a month net
5. Read the New Testament on a daily basis. I have a 5 minute a day New Testament to help me accomplish this
6. Try one new meal a week and blog on it
7. Eat better and find time to walk daily with the goal to eventually lose about 40 pounds
8. Work on my family research on a weekly basis trying to break down some of the brick walls
9. Read at least two books a month one being a non fiction book.
10. Spend more time with family and friends and less time watching TV
11. Be more organized around the home with chores, coupons organizing

Regarding my goals for last year

1.  Still eating out a lot but we are using coupons, deals or eating at places that cost less. This is our main entertainment and works when we are out hunting for items to resell. We have been known to buy a sub sandwich on sale and a McDonalds $1.00 soda and eat in a park.
2.  Personal loan is $300 and car loan is $4,200, if we make normal payment March of 2014.
3. Working at decluttering is hard when we buy to resell, as items go out we add more to the pile.
I just bought more Barbie and friends dolls and items and I am busy listing and selling.
4. I have added etsy to the selling menus besides eBay and Amazon. We are selling a 1,000 or more a month among the three before costs. Hope to increase that by quite an amount so that it is $1,000 net
The rest of the goals have been hit and miss. I did not lose 40 pounds so that is on this years goal list. Did not get out and walk 1/2 hour daily.  I did read some books but did not get read as many as I would like to have done.
I did try a few new meals but did not do it on a weekly basis.
Lots of improvement to be done this year, but alot of goals and dreams to get done. Emergency fund is not there at this time

For this year Goal of 2013

1. Get that $1,000 in emergency fund
2. Pay off the $300 personal debt and attempt to get car paid off by end of year or sooner.
3. Work at selling some personal items that we do not need or want to accomplish goals number 1 and 2.
4. Continue to sell on eBay, Amazon and etsy working to increase sales above the $1,000 total.
5. Lose at least 25 pounds and hoping to get it to the 40 pounds by eating less and walking more.
6. Read my New Testement this coming year. I did that on and off this year. Into it this week and hoping to get into the habit before the New Year comes.
7. Continue to work on my photo and genealogy project. You can read about my family at my other blog My family Roots Run Deep.
8. We have joined a reading group based on Religion and Science. Our book for January now and into January is " The Great Partenship"  by Rabbi Jonathan Sachs. Hubby and each bought the book and hope to start this week. Goal is to read first 77 pages by the 9th of th of January.
I also hope to add a fiction to the reading list every month. I am in the process of reading  " Stalked"  by Brian Freeman. It is the third book in his series.
9. Look forward to finding more interesting recipes to try out and share with you.
10. Hubby and I hope to work towards a goal of traveling around the country this next winter. Means saving money and decluttering some of our items. Will share more of this if we go to the next step.
11.Continue spending more time with friends and family each  month.
12. Contine to work on being organized with meal planning, coupons, rebates and chores around the home.
13. To be find ways to make life happier and better for myself, hubby and family.

This is a good start on what I would like to accomplish this next year. Sounds like a lot but just a little every day will help on some of these goals.
Do you have any goals you would like to accomplish next year?
Thanks for stopping by.. hope to see you soon and lets keep saving together.. Grace

ARE YOU A HORDER OF STUFF Do You Think It Is Time To Start Downsizing?

ARE YOU A HORDER OF STUFF Do You Think It Is Time To Start Downsizing? Hubby and I have been asked to help a church member rid them selves of the items in their apartment.  She is about 80 and moved into an assisted living home. She loved to entertain and has about 4 sets of dishes at least. I know of a daily set of silverware and then there was the good silver ware. There is 2 china hutchs full of small pretty items and nice serving dishes. The cupboards are full of more dishes and pots and pans. There is a lot of furniture in this small apartment and the walls have nice art work. Nothing real expensive but nice works. The closets are full of clothes and hats.
We were asked if we wanted to help her sell her items. There are no estate sales allowed in the building so everything would have to be packed up and moved out.
Hubby and I decided it was to much work for us especially with the furniture needing to be dealt with.
We found a friend who deals with items like this. They will make a bid today and part of the deal will be to clean out the apartment of everything.
Our church friend asked us to deal with the silverware and we got a price on that for her.
As I walk into our apartment I look around at everything we have. Alot of it is items we buy to resell. Problem is it takes time to resell some of the items I buy and they pile up around here.
This month with the holidays I have held back on buying alot of stuff to resell. We went to a church sale and bought a bag of books for $5.00. We were fussy with what went into the bag. I have the civil war books up for sale on eBay and have a vintage Childrens Bible History book for sale on ebay with a bid already. My plan is to continue being careful with what I buy and to try to concentrate getting items up for sale as soon as possible.
Yesterday I took several collectible ashtrays to the antique store to resell plus a vintage child's sewing machine in box that I had bought several months ago.
Take a moment and look around your own home. Is it time to start to parting with your extra things?
This time of the year may not be the perfect time to start but it could go on your list of goals for the next year.
Thanks for stopping by. Grace

Tip For The Day ~ Choose Your Coupon Keeper

Tip for the day, choose your coupon keeper. Whether you like a small index card box, a check size accordian file, a binder with top loading dividers organizing your coupons will make your shopping easier.
A few minutes of organizing your coupons and remembering to bring them is like money in the bank.

Thanks for stopping by.. Grace

Tip For The Day Things To Toss Out

Here are a few items to throw out with out thinking. Sewing patterns with pieces missing, glues , pens and markers that are dried out, anything broken or beyond repair and any thing you can not identify.


Thanks for stopping by for Tip For The Day Grace

Tip Of The Day ~ Breeze Through Your Shopping

Tip Of The Day .. Breeze through your shopping. Get a map of the store. Next time organize your grocery list and coupons according to your journey through the store.

Thanks for stopping by Grace

Snowy Day We Deserve Comfort Food ~ Home Made Chili On The Menu

Yesterday was beautiful winter day.  About 35 degrees with blue skys.

This morning we woke up to a snow storm
Dinner tonight was Chili with shredded cheese and sour cream. Saltine crackers on the side. I had taken a couple of spoonfuls yesterday for last nights chili dogs. Recipe for the chili can be found on the right hand side.

Thrifty double duty dinner ideas. Today we stayed inside and just worked at putting items up for sale on eBay.
Hope the snow ends and I can get out of the house tomorrow morning. Thanks for stopping by. Grace

Tip of the Day Grocery List Smarts

Tip of the day is getting frugal and smart with your grocery list. Make your grocery list do double duty. Save one of the envelopes you get in the mail, make your grocery list on it and stuff your coupons inside.

If you happen to use all your coupons you just toss that envelope into the grocery store garbage.

If you go to a couple of different stores than just grab 2 used envelopes from your mail trash.

Thanks for stopping by Grace

Whats For Dinner Tonight Chili Hot Dogs

Threat of snow storm tonight makes me want to huddle down inside. We had some frozen chili so thawed out. Boiled 4 hot dogs, microwave 4 spoons of the chili. On top of the dogs, spooned the chili and spread 4 pieces of  velvetta cheese. Continued under broiler for a few minutes.
Add some chips and dip and a little baked beans and dinner is done.

Clutter Tip For The Day

Designate a shelf or book case to store your DVDs and limit your entire collection. Should you buy a new one find your least favorite and donate it.
You can bring to thrift store, library or maybe a senior center.
My VCR finally broke and rather than buy a new one I am selling or donating my VHSs. When at garage sales should I see a stack of DVDs I will check to see if there are any of my favorite movies to buy.

Thanks for stopping by for Tip For The Day Grace

Clutter Tip Of The Day ~ Weed Out Old Personal Hygiene Items

I know it is hard to throw away some items, nail poilsh or blush. The are not empty yet but maybe they are getting to old.
How about once a year for some and every few months see what you have in your bath room. Plan the first of the month to cull out old items.
Body wash is good for 3 years, facial cleanser 6 months, moisterizers 1 year, sun screen 1 year, mouthwash 3 years, nail poilsh 2 years, shampoo and conditioner 2 to 3 years, blush 6 months, eye makeup 3 months, lipstick, 1 year, mascara 3 months, hair spray and gel 2 to 3 years.
Looking at this list I see I need some new make up.

Thanks for stopping by Grace

CLUTTER TIP OF THE DAY ~ CLIP AND SAVE FAVORITE ARTICLES

Rather than keep a pile of magazines save only the articles, recipes or ideas you are interested in. Keep them in an accorion file or a stack of loose file folders labeled travel, recipes, decorating ideas or what ever.
Toss out the old magazines or donate to a senior center, dentist office or you may come across an orgaizing saving shiny paper for a project.
Right now my grand daughter and my church are saving shiny paper to recycle for class trips.

I keep my recipes in a file folder next to my cook books, when I want to try a new recipe I have this folder to search through.

Thanks for stopping by Grace

Life Goes On One Photo At A Time 12/5/12 From My Picture Window

Here is a picture of my beautiful city, Lake Superior and bridge from my front window. Last year I was doing a blog where I attempted to take a picture one day at a time. Life got busy and I did not keep up with the blog.

This morning as I took this picture of my beautiful city my thoughts went to that blog. I went and visited some of the pictures I took and memories came back of part of that year. The idea was take part in Project 365, a picture a day. There are pictures of my city, my lake, my grandchildren, food we cooked and food we ate out.

We had just moved back to Duluth, my home town, relocating from the Houston, Texas area. We rented the tiniest of apartments, steps from the beach but so small we had to move a year later.
So here we are in an apartment near the hospitals and views of the lake that are breath taking.

We are in a much larger apartment and have a view of Lake Superior from all windows. Project 365 is a great idea to see your life one picture a day.

Enjoy this wonderful picture of Duluth and Lake Superior. Grace

TIP OF THE DAY ~ USE THE LAUNDROMAT TO CATCH UP

If you are over loaded with dirty laundry you can catch up by gathering every thing up and going to your local laundromat. You can do 5 or 10 loads at a time.

CLUTTER TIP OF THE DAY The Bathroom and Your Makeup

Idea for storing your make up. Transform an ordinary tooth brush holder into a make up caddy. Grab all your make up brushes and eye pencils and store them in tooth brush holder or even a pretty drinking glass or coffee mug you are not using. Any room left add your masacara to the group.

CLUTTER TIP OF THE DAY ~ The Junk Drawer

Here is another clutter tip for your junk drawer. Instead of buying costly storage containers use your throw aways. Clean out your small jars, save boxes from your checks. You get the idea. Use these items to store away paper clips, rubber bands, batteries, twistie ties or what ever.

thanks for stopping by for Tip Of The Day Grace

HUNTING For TREASURES Every Day ~ Selling Antique Medical QUACK Books on eBay

While visiting one of our regular haunts I spotted a pair of old books sitting on a shelf. Closer look told me they were antique medical books with a lot of false/ quack remedies. Soon they were walking out the door with me after putting down my $10.00 cash.

Once home I did research and found some similar to them on the Internet for sale. Both Amazon and eBay had them for sale auction and at buy it now prices. The ones I saw were one book only while mine were published in a two book set. Most were selling in that $35.00 to $80.00 price.

Rather than offer at a buy it now price I decided to put up for auction starting price of $24.95. To my pleasure they ended up selling for $75.00 plus shipping. 

Nice profit for a pair of antique books, but they will give the buyer hours of fun reading.

How are your sales going this Christmas season? We have been busy selling on eBay and Amazon and the antique store is even doing good at this time.

Grace

WHATS FOR DINNER ~ Hamburger Hot Dish, Vegies and Home Made Bread

Whats for dinnert tonight was home made hamburger hotdish, peas and home made bread.
Warms up the house and our tummys.

 

Have a great night and full tummys. Grace

CLUTTER TIP OF THE DAY Tidy Up A Messy Drawer

Clutter tip of the day is to help you organize a drawer in no time. Organize a junky drawer in seconds using a plastic silverware try. They come in different colors and sizes and are easy on your budget.
Perfect to for small batteries, twist ties, rubber bands or what ever.
Thanks for stopping by for tip of the day. Grace

CLUTTER TIP OF THE DAY Do Away With Cook Book Clutter

Are you over loaded with cookbooks. I know I am but I buy and sell cook books so they are in and out of my kitchen.  But I do have cook books I tend to keep. Problem is there is only one or two recipes I like and cook over and over. I do have a recipe binder where I put some of my favorite recipes or ones I want to try.
Tip of the day is to get a three ring binder and mylar pages and place your recipes between the pages and then into your cook book. You can also use a photo album.
If you store all your favorite recipes in your binder you will have a recipe book to hand down to your grandchildren.
Thanks for stopping by Grace

CLUTTER TIP OF THE DAY 10 Minutes A Day Helps

For today's clutter tip of the day it is all about what can you do in 10 minutes. In 10 minutes you can zip through  alot of your chores. In 10 minutes you can unload the dish washer, or load the dishwasher if that is the chore that needs to be done. In 10 minutes you can wipe off your kitchen counters.
The secret it to take care of things now. When you bring in the mail go through it right away and toss what is not needed right now. Procrastination breeds clutter. When we act on things right away will gradually disappear.

CASH FOR TRASH ~ UGLY SWEATERS ARE HOT ~ Making Money Selling Used Items

Cash for trash is about Christmas ugly sweaters. I have heard from others that they are hot and great sellers on eBay. I picked up some sweaters earlier in the year and tried to sell them with no luck. Now that Thanksgiving is over I will give them another shot and hope to be successful.
I have seen some at the thrift stores lately but not ugly enough or to expensive. Here are the sweaters I will be relisting on eBay tonight.

I will continue to hunt for them and buy when the price is right and they are ugly enough to win a Ugly Christmas Sweater contest.

REFUNDS ~ I LOVE REFUNDS ~ $15.00 ON P&G Products Printable Refund

I love refunds and they are few and far in between these days. Here is one that is good right now on Proctor and Gamble products and printable.
Buy $50.00 worth of certain products listed on form, add the UPCs and your register receipt and mail before the dead line.
How simple is that?
Print out your refund form, check your past receipts to see if you have any of these products already purchased and mail before the dead line of 12/31/12. Postmark by1/30/13.

If you do not save your receipts from the grocery stores or drug stores you may want to start to do so.
I have an old envelope stuffed with them. Not only can I refer to them for prices of products but can use them if needed for a rebate.
I keep them for about 4 months or so than toss.

Thanks for stopping by Grace

David Ramsey's Baby Steps Update Friday 11/16/12

I love to read David Ramsey's books and listen to his CD's. Once we found a set of his CDs at a yard sale and bought for just a few dollars. After listening to it for over a month we finally sold the set on eBay for a nice profit. I am always on the look out for another set of CDs. Will again refresh myself with his ideas and then resell.

There was a time we were drowning in debt, hated it but did nothing about it. Times have changed and our debt is shrinking and our emergency fund is slowly growing. Our challenge is baby step number 1 and have a $1,000 dollars in the savings account that is not earmarked for nothing else but emergency. We are about half way to that first $1,000 and debt is shrinking to just the car payment and a small loan of $300. Once we get to the $1,000 mark we will put any extra money on the car till paid off. Once the car is paid off I want this money to go into savings towards the time we need another car. Would be nice to have a good chunk to put down on a used car.

How is your savings account is it growing or will it shrink with the holidays around the corner. We plan to shop for gifts on the frugal side and of course there is no credit cards to use so no damage will be done in this catagory.

Thanks for stopping to read about my baby step number 1 challenge. I hope for you that your savings account is growing and your debt is shrinking. Grace

CASH FOR TRASH Wednesday 11/7/12

I love to hunt for treasures and resell them on the Internet. I have been busy listing and selling some of the vintage cook books from a recent auction.
Another favorite of mine is vintage postcards and photos. Several of the postcards were from over seas and are now going back over seas to Ireland.

Here are a couple of postcards I have for sale right now on the etsy. The one below is of Picadilly Circle and the lower one is humorous with both male and female quite busy drinking from a bottle of liquor.

 

I recently sent several postcards to Ireland after selling them on etsy. They went to a film company. Maybe they will be come props in a film.

I recently sold the above cook book on eBay for $9.99.

eBay was good for sales last month with sales also from etsy and Amazon. I enjoy hunting for items, having the chance to sell them and of course the addition of some extra cash in the pocket book helps for sure.
Thanks for stopping by for cash for trash. If you are busy selling on the Internet I would love to hear from you and what you like to look for.  Grace

MENU PLAN MONDAY 11/5/12

Time to plan my menu for this week. We have a busy week happening. Monday is auction night, Tuesday is voting and taking friends to vote who do not have a car.  Thursday is auction night if there is anything of interest.  Saturday we are having a fall fest at church and I will be helping sell bake goods and Sunday ushering at church. On top of all this I want to go to a book sale on Monday and try to arrange to have a table at next Mondays auction for selling some glassware I bought last weekend. Add to all this hunting for new items to sell on the Internet, antique store or where ever.

This weeks menu will be simple, easy and using items I have in the house. One night will be trying a new recipe and I have not chosen anything at this time.

Monday soup and sandwiches with chips
Tuesday Cheesy Lasagna soup see Sundays posting for recipe
Wednesday Left overs from going out Sunday for lunch. Olive Gardens pasta deal of one today and another for home. We both chose cheesy spaghetti with meat sauce for home.
Thursday meatballs in gravy with potatoes and peas
Friday left over Lasagna soup
Saturday will make a new recipe that night hopefully
Sunday easy dinner of maybe hotdogs, beans and chips

Hope that your menu plans are simple and tasty. Thanks for stopping by for menu plan Monday. Grace

SOUPS ON SUNDAY ~ COOKING CHEESY LASAGNA SOUP

Today I am sharing one of my favorite recipes, Cheesy Lasagna Soup and linking it up to Soups on Sunday blog party.

Clink on the link to get the recipe. It is so tasty you will be happy you tried it. I will save the left overs to eat on Election night. No cooking that day for me.
Check out what others are cooking at the soup party.
Thanks for stopping by. Grace

YUMMY RECIPE ~ APPLE COFFEE CAKE

Recently I was given a couple bags of apples from a neighbors apple tree. I shared one bag and the other is sitting on my kitchen counter.
I decided to make a coffee cake recipe out of  the Best of Betty Crocker 2010 cook book

Apple Coffee Cake prep time 15 minutes, start to finish 1 hour and serves 8

Streusel topping
2/3 cup of Original Bisquick mix
2/3 cup of brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 cup of butter

Coffee cake
2 cups of Bisquick
2/3 cup of milk
3 TBLS of sugar
1 egg
2 medium cooking apples peeled and thinly sliced (2 cups)

Glaze
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 to 3 tsps of milk

Heat oven to 400. Spray 9 inch square pan with cooking spray. In small bowl mix 2/3 cup of bisquick, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Cut in butter using pastry blender or pulling two knives through ingredients in opposite directions, until crumbly. Set aside
Stir 2 cups of bisquick mix, 2/3 cup of milk, sugar, and egg. Beat vigorously 30 seconds. Spread half of batter in pan. Arrange apples slices on batter, sprinkle with half of streusel topping. Spread remaining batter and sprinkle. Sprinkle nuts if desired.
Bake about 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool 20 minutes. Stir glaze ingrediants until smooth enough to drizzle.Drizzle glaze over warm coffee cake

Enjoy with coffee or a cold glass of milk

This was really good and hubby and I enjoyed it for several days.
Thanks for stopping by and visiting. Grace

CLUTTER TIP OF THE DAY Tidy Up The Junk Drawer

Here is another tip for decluttering the Junk Drawer. Save those small jars, check boxes or pill bottles and use to store batteries, rubber bands, twist ties, paper clips or what ever.
Why spend money on expensive organizing containers when you can reuse and save money.

Thanks for stopping by for tip of the day. Grace

CLUTTER TIP FOR THE DAY Tidy Up The Junk Drawer

How about one more clever tip for organizing your junk drawer. Instead of throwing away those small baby food jars, check book boxes, pill bottles or what ever. Clean them out to organize items in your drawer. Perfect for matches, birthday candles, twist ties or what ever. Besides be good for the environment you are saving money by not having to buy  expensive boxes for organizing your home.
Thanks for stopping by for tip of the day. Grace

HOARDING MY COPPER PENNIES Found In Rolls of Coins

A week ago my post was on hoarding pennies. Copper pennies that is. I went to the bank and picked up $5.00 in dimes and $5.00 in pennies.
Nothing found in the dimes and only 1 wheat penny found in all of the pennies. Normally I find at least 5 or 6 wheats. Several copper pennies found and counted. I now have $7.50 in copper pennies.

Filled up one of my tins with coins that were not copper plus the dimes where nothing was found. Totalled to $25.26, $20.00 put into savings account and I asked for $5.00 in pennies to go through.

Thanks for stopping by for Found In Rolls Of Coins. Grace

Wierd Wednesday ~ Chipping Away At The Budget and our Phone/ Internet Bill

Wierd Wednesday is a post  time where I can share ideas on how I am chipping away at the budget. Our cell phone bill is high. We have 2 phones and 2 lap tops that are wireless.I like to be wireless. That way no matter where we go I have internet access.
I am always going so close to my budget time on my wireless internet time and hubby barely meets half of his limit.

A few minutes spent in at their kiosk at the mall and we combined all time used into one lump time limit and cut our phone internet bill by $30 to $35 a month. That is a savings of over $300 a year.  We now are able to have a small clothing allotment in our budget of $30.00 a month.
That does not seem like much but neither of us are clothes hounds. We are more likely to find a pair of jeans or a t shirt at thrift stores than buying new. Save the money for items we do not want to buy use.

Can you find a way to chip at your budget by a few dollars?
Thanks for stopping by for Wierd Wednesday and Happy Halloween every one.

WHAT'S FOR DINNER ~ Impossibly Easy Taco Pie

What we had for dinner tonight was a new recipe to us. We love Mexican and had bought some biscuit a couple of weeks ago as part of a drug store deal.
The recipe calls to be used in a 9 inch glass pie plate but I used a small casserole dish instead. Pie plate would be great for presentation but no matter what kind of dish you use it was tasty, super fast and easy to make.

Impossibly Easy Taco Pie
Recipe came from Best of Betty Crocker 2010
Prep time 15 minutes
 Start to finish 50 minutes
serves 6

1 lb of  ground turkey breast or ground beef ( we used beef)
1 medium onion chopped (1/2 cup) no onion in house.
1 package (1 oz) Old El Paso Taco seasoning mix or what is on sale
1 can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso chopped green chiles, undrained or what is on sale
1/2 cup of Original Bisquick mix
1 Cup of milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup shredded Colby Monterey Jack Cheese blend (2 oz)
1 medium tomato chopped (3/4 cup)  I used some can tomatoes instead
1 1/2 cups of shredded lettuce ( I skipped this
2 medium green onions sliced if desired ( I skipped this)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray 9 inch glass pie plate with cooking spray. In 10 inch skillet, cook beef and onion over medium high heat, stirring occasionally until no longer pink. Sprinkle taco seasoning mix over meat, mix well.

Spread meat mixture in pie plate. Top evenly with green chiles.

In medium bowl, stir Bisquick mix,  milk and eggs with wire whisk or fork until blended. Pour in pie plate.

Bake 25 minutes. Top with cheese and tomato.

Bake 2 to 3 minutes longer or until cheese is melted.  Let stand 5 minutes before serving.  Sprinkle with lettuce and onions.

Serve with refried beans and taco chips. Salsa and sour cream on top of pie mix if desired.
Serving calories if using turkey 250 calories. This was very tasty and will be put into my recipe book for another time. Grace

THRIFTY THURSDAY ~ LIMIT OR STOP SHOPPING AT CONVIENCE STORES

Convience stores are easy to stop in to buy some soda pop, a bottle of water or some chips but in the end it is costly to your wallet.
Soda Pop is a $1.00 and you could of bought a 12 pack at the grocery store for about $$4.00 to 6.00
.
Next time you want something to drink pick up a 12 pack and chill at home. Grab one on your way out and you can put the saved  50 cents or so into your piggy bank. Before long you have a few dollars to put into your savings account or to pay down a debt.

We like to throw a cooler with ice into our car and carry soda pop and water with us. When we neglect to do this we end up stopping at the gas station and throwing money out the window.

Thought for the day and every day is Never underestimate the value of a small amount of money.

WIERD WEDNESDAY ~ ARE YOU HOARDING YOUR PENNIES

Are you hoarding coins? Here is interesting article on why some people are hoarding pennies and nickles.

I have been putting pre 1982 pennies in a large bottle. I believe that it will be a long time before the goverment allows copper pennies to be melt. But in the mean time I am having fun looking through pennies, sorting any wheats I may find and putting pre 1982 in this vintage bottle I bought at an auction.
I have been saving nickles and dimes from my change to put in my savings account. Painless way to save some money. I also throw a dollar or two in a cookie jar. Just added $40.00 to savings account last week from my cookie jar. I took the tin that was full of pennies to the bank. We added $12.95 to savings account today towards the start of an emergency fund,  $62.95 so far. I want to start with a minimum of $1,000, snowball two small loans and then work to pay off the car.
I will have to check out the hoarding coin chat site soon.
Are saving your pennies or do you plan to start saving your copper pennies? I plan to roll up my copper pennies and sell on eBay when I have a desirable amount. This will then be added to emergency fund.
The nickles and dimes being thown into jars will be brought down to the bank next time I fill up my penny tin.
How is your emergency fund coming? Are you working to pay down your debts to become debt free?
Grace

Menu Plan Monday 10/22/12

Plans this week for our menu plan is simple and easy but tasty cooking. We did not have grilled cheese sandwiches last week as planned so will be moved to this week.

Monday was can Hash, Corn and toast I prefer my left over has from meat loaf but for a quick dinner Mary Kitchen has is tasty and easy
Tuesday Spaghetti with meat balls from the freezer with bread and butter
Wednesday Ground Beef Stew over mash potatoes
Thursday Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup with Chips
Friday Try a new recipe Beef and Bean Wraps
Saturday Chicken and Rice casserole with peas
Sunday Left over Buffet


Check recipes collection on right hand side to get recipes for Spaghetti, Ground Beef Stew, and Chicken and Rice casserole.
Thanks for stopping by for menu plan Monday Grace

VINTAGE COOK BOOKS BOUGHT AT ESTATE AUCTION

Last Monday we were at a local auction house about 150 miles away from home. Weekend spent with family and friends ended at the auction house on Monday night. 450 items for bid during the night. Lots of sport cards, signed foot balls, glass ware and art work. I had my eye on a few items but they all sold for more than I was willing to pay. I have to buy right to be able to sell so I have my limits of purchase price. Last on my list of things I wanted was 5 boxes of vintage books, mainly vintage cook books. Cook books from 1890s to mid 1950s.  My buying price was some where between $60.00 up to $100 for these boxes. There is a 15 percent buying premium added to purchase price. It was between me and some dude at the end. His bid was $95.00 I went to $100.00 and going going gone, no sound from the other side of the room and the boxes were mine.
Mine, mine all mine. Next move was to pay for them before leaving with my pay pal card. Sign for my purchase and I will get 1 percent back from pay pal. Not alot of money but my belief is NEVER UNDER ESTIMATE THE VALUE OF A SMALL AMOUNT OF MONEY.
I spent Thursday and Friday afternoon listing the first ten cookbooks from these boxes and sent them up Friday night on eBay for auction.
I shared the titles on my For the Love of Junk blog site last night. Take a peek if you like. I believe my $115.00 was a good investment but I have a lot of work ahead of me.
Do you buy and sell on eBay, Amazon or Etsy. My second income comes from all three sites with eBay being number 1 in sales right now.

Sitting on my desk is the next 5 to list on eBay and send up tonight. I love the cover art on this book.

 

 

 

 

Well back to listing my cook books, have a great weekend and happy hunting for treasures for your collection or to resell. Grace

Weird Wednesday ~ Living Within Our Means 10/17/12

I want to be consider weird, I want to live within my means. I want to be able to pay cash for what I want or need for my family.

There are three ways to Live With In Your Means...

1. Increase your income

2. Sell some assets
3.Decrease your expenses

Pretty hard to decrease the expenses, every thing is real tight as it.  Hubby and I are always on the hunt to buy items to resell on eBay, etsy, and Amazon.
I would like to add an extra $850 a month to the income or $213.00 a week. This would be money to travel to twin cities more to hunt, to put money away to travel next winter, additional weekly money to add to entertainment and to have a budget for clothing. This is not in our base budget because of tightness.
Monday night we were at an auction and I bought 5 boxes of vintage cook books and recipe books. Invested $115.00 from pay pal account.  This week I will be working to see how may I can list on eBay to sell.

Last week we had a fairly good week on eBay. One thing I sold was a great 1970s vintage men's suit as a buy it now for $60.00 before expenses.  All the money from sales last went to buy the cook books at auction and to travel to cities to see family and friends. And on the way home we stopped at three thrift stores and found some great books for resell. 

 

Well time to get busy listing some of those cookbooks on eBay for auction.   Thanks for stopping by to visit. Do you sell on the Internet to add to your income. Grace

 

Menu Plan For Week ~ Whats For Dinner Saving Money Eating At Home

This weeks menu plan is late, we were in the twin cities for time with family and friends and to do some hunting for STUFF to resell. Great time with family and found some great items to resell on eBay, etsy or Amazon.

This weeks menu starts with tonight
Wednesday is Orange Teriyki Beef over noodles see yesterdays blog
Thursday is Meat balls with gravy,mash potatoes and left over bake beans.
Friday is Tomato soup with grilled cheese and chips
Saturday Enchiladas from the freezer ( last weeks left overs) with refried beans  recipe posted a few days ago.
Sunday is left over Teriyki Beef with noodles and what ever left over buffet

Breakfasts will be eggs and toast or cereal
Lunches are soup and sandwiches

Hope your week is full of wonderful eats and happy memories. Grace

Tempt My Tummy Tuesday Orange Teriyaki Beef with Noodles

I am sharing a recipe that we first made a few months ago. Orange Teriyaki Beef with Noodles. It was fantastic and I have decided to make it tomorrow night. 

It is frugal to make and unbelievable easy and has fantastic flavor.
Click on the link to get the recipe. I am sharing this at Blessed with Grace.

Thanks for stopping by.. Grace

What's For Dinner ~ Beef and Green Chili Enchiladas

Whats for dinner how about Beef and Green Chili Enchiladas. 

 It has been awhile since I prepared this and so were so good it will have to be on the menu more often.  To get recipe click on link. Chicken your preference no problem.

 

 

Being that there is only two of us I have enough for another meal and a small lunch. Thrifty dinner and so good.

 

Thanks for stopping by for whats for dinner. Grace

 

WANT TO SAVE $15 OR MORE A DAY ~ GO HOME FOR LUNCH

Hubby and I love to go out to lunch. Pizza one day, buffet or chinese another day. When we want to cut back money spent we stop at fast food. By the end of the week we have easily spent $75 to $100 just on eating lunch out.
Today after running our morning errands we headed home. Love to eat out but feels good to not spend the cash.
We had left over Mrs. D's sloppy joes, some baked beans and chips. When I eat these am 8 years old ago and having lunch in Mrs. Daugherty's sunny kitchen with my friend Patti and our sisters.  Tasty and frugal lunch. They were served open face over a thick slice of our home made bread.

Thanks for stopping by for lunch. Grace

BAKING MY OWN BREAD THANKS TO BREAD MACHINE

A few weeks ago while grocery shopping I bought a used bread machine for $20.00. If it had ever been used sure was not often by the way it looked.

This is one of the best appliances in my home now. We have not bought a loaf of bread at the grocery store in weeks. Why buy bread when this is so easy. I mix up the ingrediants, set the timer and when I wake up in the morning a loaf of bread will be ready in minutes.

So far we have made only the basic white bread.
The following recipe is for my size machine.
3 1/4 cups of bread flour
2 tsp of salt
2 TBSP of dry milk
2 TBSP butter
3TBS sugar
11 oz of water
1 1/2 tsp of yeast

There is nothing like a slice of fresh home made bread. Perfect for breakfast with our eggs, sandwich at lunch or even with our home made spaghetti sauce and pasta.

Thanks for stopping by, I will be saving this over at blessed with Grace check what others are sharing there.

TIDY TIP OF THE DAY ~ SHARE FAMILY TREASURES NOW

This is one tidy tip I need to start doing more. That is share your family treasures now. I have started by passing down family mantle clock to one son and my china to one of the granddaughters. My other son has been given pretty glass bowls I was given at my first wedding.  Step children have received items that their grandmother gave to me. Better they have it now to enjoy.

Now I need to get busy with some of those family photos. Thanks for stopping by for tip of the day. Grace

TIDY TIP FOR THE DAY ~ SAY GOOD BY PRODUCTS YOU'LL NEVER USE

Today's tidy tip for the day is say good bye to shampoos, conditioners and any other bath product you will not use.
Donate them to your local women's shelter or to homeless shelter.
I am always watching for deals at Walgreens and CVS for these types of products. I will stock up on the good deals and then bag up a bunch, bring to church and they will bring to the local drop in center we have here in town.
Any can food that is in date but you do not plan to use bring to the local food shelf. Please do check the dates. Old food can or boxed belongs in the trash.

thanks for stopping by for tip of the day. Grace

TIDY TIP FOR THE DAY ~ DONATE WORN OUT TOWELS TO THE ANIMAL SHELTERS

Do you have old towels that are not the right color or getting worn out? Rather than tossing out bring them to your local animal shelter. They will appreciate the gift more than you can believe.

Thanks for stopping by for tip of the day.Grace

Menu Plan 9/30/12 Saving Money Eating At Home

Menu plan for this week will be as follows
Breakfast will be eggs and toast or cereal

Sandwiches and soup, pancakes and left overs. Fridays are lunch out for clam chowder and usually Saturday is lunch fast food after garage sales

Monday night is auction night at a local business. I plan to bring sandwiches to eat before the auction. Mine will be egg salad and hubby's will be turkey.

Tuesday  Spaghetti and meat balls with slices of breads home made of course

Wednesday  Tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Crackers on the side.

Thursday  Barbecued Chicken, potatoe salad and baked beans

Friday left over spaghetti and meatballs with bread and butter

Saturday grilled steaks, potatoes and veggies

Sunday  will be lunch out and light dinner of anything left over for the week.

Hope your week of menu planning goes well. Grace

Garage Sales ~ Waking To The Smell of Fresh Bread

I love to garage sale with my dh. Hunting for treasures to buy and sell on the Internet. During our hunt a couple of weeks ago I noticed a bread maker that look like it had hardly been used if ever. Asking price was $20.00, I tried to bargain with her but no go with reduced price, I gave in and after giving her a twenty dollar bill it was mine.
Since then I  have been making my own bread. Mix up at night, set the timer and wake to the smell of bread baking. So far we have made 4 loaves and it is better tasting than anything I can buy at the grocery store. 
Our one problem was trying to cut it. We planned to get out the stores to see if we could find something to hold the bread while we cut it.
Well that was solved this last Friday. While at a garage sale I noticed another bread machine for sale and next to it was a contraption to put your loaf of bread in and slots to put your knife to cut the bread nice and straight.  I asked if I could buy the bread slicer only and for $1.00 it was mine.
What a great help this is. My bread is sliced nice and straight and goes into the toaster so much easier.

I am always looking for needed items at garage sales, besides recyling the item I keep the savings in my pocket book.
I look forward to making my own pizza crust soon using my bread maker to mix the dough.

Thanks for stopping by and if you see a garage sale sign I hope that you will take a moment and see if there are any treasures waiting for you.  Grace

SELLING ON EBAY VINTAGE KEYS

Selling keys on eBay can be profitable if you can find enough. I am talking about just ordinary keys. Not the vintage skeleton and barrel keys, those can be even better.

At an auction a couple of weeks ago I bought a large jar full of keys for $10.00. Last night they sold for $81.00 sale price.
Perfect for crafting or what ever the buyer wants. I was happy with the price as was hubby. Next time he will be pointing out a large jar of keys instead of saying huh.

Have a great day, what are you selling on eBay that surprises you.?

Tip For The Day Lets Go Clothes Shopping Without Guilt

Today's Tip For Today is going clothes or shoe shopping without the guilt.
Each time you go shopping and bring home a new outfit find an out fit that you are not wearing or one that really does not fit any more and donate it to a charity.
Some one else can enjoy that once owned outfit. We have 4 different charities in our town plus a location where clothes are given to those in need and meals are served to the hungry.
This is my favorite place to donate but I share with all charities since they are do good in different ways.

Thanks for stopping by for Tip For The Day.. Grace

Tidy Tip For The Day If You Do Nothing Else Make The Bed

If you do nothing else in your bedroom at least make the bed. I may not get the dusting done or sweep the hard wood floors but I want to make my bed. It instantly makes the bedroom seem cozy. The room will instantly seem organized if the bed is made.

Thanks for stopping by for Tip For The Day.. Grace

Organize Those Articles and Tips

I am always finding interesting articles and recipes that interest me. Instead of hanging on to the whole magazine or newspaper I clip the interesting piece and put it into a file folder. That way I have it if I want to read again.

Thanks for stopping by to read what is on of interest to me today. Grace

SAVE A DOLLAR A DAY Get in the Habit of SAVING

Found today in todays news articles in the finance area was an article on saving a dollar a day and to start investing for your retirement.  Interesting article if you are want to start investing with a small amount of money.

I have jars on the window sill that holds my nickles, dimes and tins for pennys. I also throw a dollar in my cookie jar every once in awhile. Think I will attempt to get in the habit of throwing a dollar in every day. At this moment I think I have a couple of dollars in nickles and another couple of dollars in dimes. In the cookie jar is about $12.00. And then I have my penny jar with probably $5.00 or so.
Adds up to over $20.00 probably. Enough to maybe buy a share of face book if I wanted to and if I found a low fee broker.

Thanks for stopping by to read what is of interest to me today. Grace

Clutter Tip For The Day Subscription Magazines

Give up any subscriptions that you are not reading. Not only is it a waste of money but just adds to the clutter around your home.
For example one of our grandchildren was selling subscriptions for a fund raising. We wanted to help so we ordered one magazine. Every month it comes but neither of us sits and reads it. Next time we will tell them to order one they would like to read and just pay for it.
In the mean time the reading in the bathroom grows every month.

Thanks for stopping by. Grace

Clutter Tip Of The Day Ridding Yourself Of Movies and Music That is Unloved

Clutter Tip Of The Day Getting rid of music and movies that you don't love enough.

Every buy a movie or piece of music and it just does not do any thing for you.  Best thing to do is to donate to a thrift store or sell in your garage sale.
You will have  a collection that means the most to you and some one else will enjoy the rest.

Thanks for stopping by

Clutter Tip For The Day Organizing Your Movies

Clutter Tip For The Day. Do you love to watch movies like we do? Do you have to many movies?  My suggestion is to buy a book shelf that has a deep shelf. Then double up your movies on each shelf. Place the DVD or video tapes that you do not watch as often in the back. In the front half of the shelf you can place you favorite movies or movies that you have not watch. 


Thanks for stopping by for another tip of the day.

Clutter Tip Of The Day Storing CDs

Recyle old shoe boxes by storing your CDs in them. Place the title up so you can read. Pick up some divider tabs and label with types of music if desired.
Want it to look special? Wrap with wrapping paper or spray paint it. Ready to go and so thrifty by using a shoe box that would of ended up in the trash.

Thanks for stopping by

Clutter Tip For The Day How Many Hair Dryers Do You Have?

Clutter tip for the day. How many hair dryers do you have. Do you have more than one? Well you only have one head. How about trying out all the dryers, find your favorite and donate the rest.

Thanks for stopping by..

Monday Menu Plan 9/10/12

Time to plan our menu for this next week. I like to cook one or more items that we can either freeze for future meals or to have a couple of times during the week.
Menu is plan around what ingrediants are in the house and using some of the items on sale this week at the grocery store.

This week we will be in town only four days so an easy week of meals. Rest of the time we will be at family, friends or eating out while hunting for treasures to resell.

Sunday tonight is hubby's version of sloppy Joes. See previous post for directions and pictures. Beans and chips.

Monday Tomato soup, grilled cheese and chips

Tuesday Pancakes and bacon

Wednesday left over Rich Burgers, chips and beans.

That will take care of it for the rest of the week. Hope that your weeks menu is easy and yummy. Thanks for stopping by Grace

What's For Dinner Tonight ? Sloppy Joes Rich Burgers

Do you ever just sit there wondering what should we have for dinner tonight?  Feeling tired and want something tasty, easy and thrifty.  How about trying my sweet hubby's Rich Burgers.  It is a sloppy joe on a bun but with a cheesy rich taste.

We added a spoon of beans and a few chips and done was done in minutes. Half of the hamburger mixture and beans were left over so dinner will be a repeat later in the week.

Hubby browns some hamburger adding a little lawry salt and pepper. Drains off any excess grease.  To the hamburger he adds ketchup  and brown suger to taste. Simmer for about 15 minutes.  We add a piece of velvetta cheese to hamburger bun, top off with 1/4 of rich burger mixture to each serving and you are ready to go. You can use any cheese you like but velvetta melts nicely.

Hope that you enjoy trying out this version of a sloppy joe. I am sure it will be a hit. Thanks for stopping by.

Clutter Tip For The Day Declutter The Shoes In Your Closet

The clutter tip for the day is Give Unwanted Shoes The Boot Out The House. It is time to go through your shoes at least once a week like you should do with your clothing.
Give away shoes that are in good condition but you no longer like or they do not feel confortable.
Should there be a pair or two that you love and may wear once or twice a year that is fine. Store them for those special occasions.

Thanks for stopping by to read clutter tip for the day.

HUNTING FOR COOKBOOKS AT WEEKEND SALES

I love to hunt for items to resell on the Internet. One of my favorite items to look for is cookbooks.

This weekend these are the four I picked out to resell. They were found at a church book sale.

We found a Betty Crocker Cookbook , Rachael Ray, Fanny Farmer Cookbook and a White House Cookbook.

 

But until they sell they are mine to read and enjoy. Thanks for stopping by to visit.

Clutter Tip For Today ~ By Vintage Antique Steamer Trunk For Memorabilia

Clutter Tip For Today ~ By Vintage Antique Steamer Trunk For Memorabilia. Find an interesting vintage steamer trunk or even a cool funky new one. A trunk that will fit into your rooms decor and store your keepsakes in your trunk. What fits in the trunk you can keep stored out of site.

CLUTTER TIP FOR TODAY ~ GIVE A FUR NEW LIFE

After grandma died and my mother was no longer wearing her mink coat my sister had the 2 fur coats turned into darling bears. I have these cute bears sitting on a shelf to remind me of my mother and grandma. So much better than giving a fur coat to thrift store and it is gone for ever. You can search the Internet or ask a local seamstress if they can do make over furs.

CLUTTER TIP FOR TODAY APPRAISE ANTIQUES BEFORE SELLING THEM

Clutter Tip For Today ~ Appraise antiques before selling them. If there is a chance that you may have a treasure call a local appraiser of antiques. Spending some time in the library or on the Internet can also be a help research your item.
Our historical society also gives appraisels once a month. We have taken items to them in the past. Sometimes this can be a help also.
Tip is to have a questionable item checked out before selling it at a garage sale or giving to a thrift store.

CLUTTER TIP FOR THE DAY Save Space With A Snapshot

Clutter Tip For Today. If you have sentimental items that are taking up valuable space and they are not some of your favorite items, take a picture of it.
Then you can give it away or donate it. I have family items that were passed down to me. When we moved and I could not take them with me I passed them on to the children.

Books, Books and More Books Hunting Book Stores For Treasures

I believe you can never have enough books around, that is unless they are totally over powering your life. As long as that is not happening I am always on the look out for another book to either read, sell or eventually both.
Today the errands were to go to post office to mail books we had sold go to the library to take out a book for our book club ( a Case for God ) and lastly to go to one of the small local book stores to see if they had books by a couple of authors.
Yesterday we had visited a book store run by a church. I had taken along my copy of  " Book Finds How to Find, Buy and Sell Used and Rare Books" by Ian Ellis. I thought it would be interesting to search their book shelfs to see if I found any of the 1,001 books that could be found and may be collectible.  The clue is collectible because author's can be popular and hot and go down in value at the whim of the public.
We only had an hour so I searched the mysteries to see if I could find anything. This is a used store that gets their books by donation only so what you find is what has been dropped off. There are alot of the popular authors on the shelves. The only author I found that was on my watch list was Lia Matera. Here first four books are were printed in paperback only and then she went to hard covers of her mysteries.  I found an ex library copy of "The Good Fight" in hard cover and a copy of "A Hard Bargain"  also in hard cover.  Both are first editions but of no real value. Though " The Good Fight " is first title in hard cover published being it is an ex library copy makes it a reading copy only.  The other title has no real value and also a good reading copy and then both will be sold eventually.
Todays bookstore hunt was to a paperback exchange. I found 4 titles by Lia in paperback with one being her second title. So that was fun to find.  They will all be gently read and then put up for sale. At this time I am putting a value on the 2nd title she wrote in paperback at $10.00.
Also found were two titles by Brian Freeman to read.  His books may not sell for much, is location is my home town and he writes a great mystery. I now have several of his books and most are signed and for sale on Amazon.  I am hoping to get them read before they sell.
Time to go and list some of my books to sell so I can continue my hunt of books. On my to do list later this week is to search the thrift stores and another book store to see what can be found.