Thanksgiving Tips and Ideas

Happy Thanksgiving! Here are a few ways that I save on the Thanksgiving dinner. Thanksgiving is my holiday that I prepare for 14 people. With a little help, I do not have to make everything m self. My mother-in-law makes all the pies and my sister-in-law brings the cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes. As a family we each pick a holiday and mine is Thanksgiving to prepare. As you already know I look for deals to save money and Thanksgiving is no exception. So today I will share with you Thanksgiving savings tips.

1.       The first and most important things to save on are the turkey and ham. I wait to the last week before buying my ham and turkey because this is where you will get your best prices. I went into the store for my last minute items and spent my $25.00 dollars to receive my turkey for 57 cents a pound for a 22-pound turkey. My ham I paid 79 cents a pound.  To make my day easier, I make my turkey and ham the day before in my Nesco roasters than just rewarm on Thanksgiving Day.

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2.       The second thing I make is that famous green bean casserole. This week I had several coupons for those Frenches Onions so this saved me about 50 cents a container. Since I grow all my own vegetables and can them my green beans were free.

3.       The third food item I save on are those brown and serve rolls. Don’t buy those name brand ones for over $2.00 a package when you can get a generic brand for under 80 cents for 12. I like Aldis and Save A Lot for these deals.

4.       Now for the table cloth and napkins. Every year after the Thanksgiving Holiday I watch for the clearance sales to buy next year’s table cloth and napkins.  My table cloth cost me $1.00 and my napkins I picked up for 50 cents a package.

Thanksgiving is a wonderful holiday to get together with family and friends.  Serving 14 people doesn’t have to break the bank when you shop right and look for those bargains and use those coupons. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving from Suzie Homemaker.

Coupons, Coupons, Coupons

Coupons, Coupons, Coupons, what to do with coupons! This is another big way I like to save money. Groceries can be very expensive, so I do everything I possibly can to save on my grocery bill. Today I will give you several ways to save with coupons. I went grocery shopping a couple of days ago and saved over $15.00 dollars just by using coupons.

There are several ways to use coupons:

The first way is to cut out those coupons from your Sunday News Paper. If you do not get the paper just ask a friend or neighbor for the Sunday ads. If this doesn’t work go to your local library for the Sunday paper.

The second thing I do is check out magazines for coupons. Plus I cut all the coupons off the boxes of cereal and baked goods.

The third thing I do is check out your local grocery stores for store coupons. Some grocery stores even have double coupon days. This is where you can save big. I have gone into the grocery store and bought cereal for under a dollar a box because of double coupons and the cereal being on sale at the same time. My tip is to go into the store with the intent to only buy the sale items and use my coupons to save big.

My most important site I visit each week is Coupons. Com. Just print off the coupons you want and save them. Don’t be afraid to print off more than you need each week because some last for more than one week before they expire.  This is one way I get to try different products that I wouldn’t have normally tried before.

Here’s my big thing I like to use. I used to use a little coupon container, but I found this very hard to sort through all the coupons. Now I decided to make it easier. I bought myself a picture album with slots for pictures, this is where I put my coupons. I label each page according to categories like meats, dairy, juices, soups, paper, plastics and more. When I am in the grocery store I just flip the pages and find the coupon items I am looking for. I am much more organized and able to find what I am looking for. Each week I take out any coupons that are expired and put new ones in.

This is just another way I save on my grocery bill. Like I said I ended up saving over $15.00 dollars just using coupons that I cut out of magazines, Sunday ads, off of box goods and from Coupons.com. I like the comment I get from people in the store saying I am organized and the looks I get from the check- out staff when I give them a handful of coupons. Yes, organizing and cutting coupons take time but it is well worth the effort when you see the savings. Have fun coupon hunting and saving money on all your grocery shopping trips from Suzie Homemaker.

What to do with Leftovers

What to do with those leftovers! Don’t throw them away, this is wasting money. There are so many things you can do and make with leftovers or food that is getting older or too ripe. Like most families, my children do not like leftovers.  So here are a few ways to use those leftovers without the children knowing about it.

1.       Use those leftover vegetables in omelets for breakfast or make a vegetable soup for lunch or dinner.

2.       Make some smoothies from fruit or vegetables. Take your very ripe fruit and freeze them to be used later for smoothies. I like to freeze raspberries, apples, strawberries and pears. All these can also be used in pies or sauces at a later date.

3.       Make your own stocks and broths from the meat and vegetable trimmings. After I make a roast or chicken I take the leftover juices and turn them into stock for soups and gravies. Just freeze the juices and use at a later date. Why buy broth and gravy from the store when you can make your own.

4.       Freeze those crusts or stale bread. I like to use these for French toast and homemade bread crumbs. Take your bread crumbs add a little olive oil and spice and bake. French toast, all you need is a couple scrambled eggs and milk and a little cinnamon. Dunk your bread in mixture and fry them up.

5.       We do not go out to eat very often, but when we do we ask for a takeout container. Most meals are way too large so the leftovers become a meal for the next day. Another great way to save is to split a meal .Just ask your server to bring two plates and share your meal. I do this a lot with the children because they can’t eat a big meal by themselves.

6.       Once a week clean out your refrigerator. Anything that doesn’t get eaten is now put in the freezer.

7.       Even though the children don’t like leftovers, I declare a day free so mom does not have to cook. Every leftover is taken out and is laid on the table. Everybody takes there pick and makes their own meal. This is a way to have no arguments, because everybody gets to choose their own meal.

Be creative with those leftovers and the whole family will be happy.  Throwing away food is a waste of money. As you can tell I do everything possible to save money.  Being a stay at home mom means finding any way possible to cut costs. Another food savings tip from Suzie Homemaker.

Pumpkins, Pumpkins

One last thing to can this year is my pumpkins. Today I would like to finish up with the holiday pumpkins. Don’t throw those pumpkins away. As you can see I have 5 very big pumpkins to deal with. My pumpkins were grown with seeds that were thrown in a mulch bin, so they were free. After I used them for decoration for Halloween, now I will can them and save the seeds for roasting. I will also give you some recipes for pumpkin bread and how to roast those delicious pumpkin seeds.

How to can Pumpkin

1.       Wash the pumpkins off

2.       Cut the pumpkin up into large pieces

3.       Scoop out all the pumpkin seeds and save

4.       With a large spoon scoop out excess skin

5.       Place pumpkin on baking sheets with a little water on bottom so they do not stick

6.       Place in oven at 350 degrees for about 1 hour

7.       Pumpkin is done when you can push a fork in and it come out soft

8.       Take a spoon and scrape away pumpkin from the skin

9.       Place in food mill and squeeze out excess water

Time to can the pumpkin

After washing your jars and checking for any cracks. Now it is time to fill your jars with your cooked pumpkin. Press your pumpkin in your jars to about ½ inch from the top. Boil your lids and screw on covers tightly. Place in your pressure canner at 10# of pressure. For quart jars can for 90 minutes and for pints 55 minutes.

Pumpkin seeds

Clean off excess pumpkin and place on cookie sheets to dry. I let mine dry for at least a week.  When dry melt butter and pour over your pumpkin seeds. Now salt your seeds and place under a broiler. Watch very carefully so your do not burn them. Your pumpkin seeds are done when they turn a golden brown. Place your pumpkin seeds in a sealed container when they are cooled down. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Bread

4 eggs                                      1 cup vegetable oil

2/3 cups water                         3 cups sugar

3 ½ cups flour                          2 teaspoons baking soda

½ teaspoon salt                        1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg                 ½ teaspoon cloves

1 teaspoon ginger

15 ounces of pumpkin puree

Now mix eggs, oil, water and sugar. Add all spices and mix well. Just add your flour and mix well. Pour into 2 greased bread tins and bake at 350 degrees for 1hour or until a tooth pick placed in center comes clean. Let cool and enjoy.

I hope you enjoy your pumpkin seeds and bread from Suzie Homemaker.