Frugal Tip Friday: Cloth napkins

Today's frugal tip is to start using cloth napkins. We just started using these a few months ago and we are loving it! They are easy to use and wash and are really rather inexpensive to buy! We got all of ours at Goodwill on a half off day. We got between 20 to 30 napkins (in four colors/patters) for about $4.00. As you can see below, they aren't the prettiest selection in the world, but for every day use it doesn't really matter. We also have a nice set in dark green for when we have company over for a nice dinner. You could also very easily make your own if you have a surger. I don't, so I bought mine ready made.

We keep our in a small basket on the table, just like we did with the paper napkins before and where they can be easily gotten to when I set the table. I wash them with our towels and they actually enjoyable to fold, but I've always enjoyed folding towels (though I can't say the same for the rest of the clothes.) We also tend to use one napkin for all three meals as they just don't get "dirty" very quickly, but that also depends on what we are having. Fried chicken usually means for a messy napkin by the end of the meal. :o)

They also have many other uses. I have covered up leftovers in the fridge with them instead of using plastic wrap or foil. I have used them to play peek-a-boo with a baby at the dinner table to keep her entertained for just a few more minutes while Mommy finishes her meal. I have used them as a baby head scarf in play. They work great for wrapping up things to go into a picnic basket (cookies, bread, a sharp knife, hot sandwiches wrapped in foil then in a napkin to keep them warm, ect.)

Cloth napkins are frugal in that you don't keep buying and throwing away paper ones. Just imagine yourself throwing away a penny or two every time you toss out a cloth napkin.

Thankful Thursday: Week #13

~ Library books

~ Snoods

~ Big, beautiful families to gain knowledge and encouragement from

~ Nursing bracelets

~ Wind chimes

~ Thunderstorms

~ Babies that sleep right through thunderstorms

Quick Tip Tuesday: Hand Soap Plus

Do you ever have greasy hands from cooking that your regular hand soap just doesn't have enough umph to get clean but you don't want to loose the softness and nice smell that it gives you in exchange for using your dish soap to get them clean? Well, there is a solution!

In my regular hand soap pump, I keep a mix of 1/2 hand soap and 1/2 dish soap for scrubbing my dirty kitchen hands. You get the power and grease fighting of the dish soap and the smell and softness of the hand soap all in one! Just pour about equal parts of each into the soap bottle, replace the pump and shake for a minute or so.

This mix also works great on my husband's hands after he has been working on the cars!

Extended rear-facing carseats

On last weeks Thankful Thursday post, one of the things I was thankful for was "extended rear-facing car seats." After I had posted this, I realized that many people may not know what this is. Some of you may wonder why we are choosing to do this.

Well, this is actually something that I had never heard of until after our little "L" was born. I always thought that once she out grew the infant car seat that she would be put into a forward facing car seat and that's just how it was. So when I heard the words "extended rear-facing" I was intrigued.

After much research, talking to parents who choose to extend rear-facing their children and seeing video of how a child's body reacts in a typical car crash, I was convinced.

Typically, an infant is kept in a rear-facing car seat (usually one that has a base and carrying handle) until they are 20-25 pounds or 1 year of age. This has been the "norm" for a long time. Well, new research (this is just one of many studies) is showing that extending the time a child is rear-facing for as long as possible is actually safer and causes less injuries and deaths. This extension is done by placing a child into a rear-facing convertible car seat after they have out grown their rear-facing infant car seat or starting them in one to begin with.

There are now many models of extended rear-facing car seats of choose from. They range in price from $120 to upwards of $400. We have found a great one that is rear-facing from 5 to 40 pounds then turns forward-facing up to 65 pounds for about $140 (look on Wal*marts website for this price.) This will mean "L" will be rear-facing till she is 3 to 4 years old (unless she out grows it in height first) and then turn forward-facing, in the same seat, till she is ready for a booster seat.

Here is a great sight for more information on the benefits of extended rear-facing. Please, look over the whole site, it's a good one! And here are the recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics on child safety seats.

So, that is why we are choosing to do this. We may be called weired (wouldn't be the first time, won't be the last) but I will feel good knowing that my child is in the safest place possible when we are out and about!

Weekly Meal Plan

Saturday lunch: "L" and I are going to the Indianapolis Children's Museum with a dear friend of mine and her brood of three handsome fellas. Going to have a simple picnic lunch there.

Saturday dinner: taco salad

Sunday lunch: Italian chicken pasta

Sunday dinner: Pizza pasta pie and garlic bread

Monday lunch: picnic at the park with Daddy) toasted tuna salad sandwiches, cottage cheese, deviled eggs

Monday dinner: baked salmon, hard boiled eggs (mashed with butter on top), green beans, and fried potatoes

Tuesday lunch: baked potatoes and salad

Tuesday dinner: baked chicken, scalloped asparagus, and Lima beans

Wednesday lunch: chicken chunks, homemade mac & cheese, and peas

Wednesday dinner- Friday Dinner: leftovers

Sausage Chili Bake

This was on last weeks menu to try and I said if it was good, I'd post the recipe. So, it was evidently good! :o)

Ingredients:

• 1 pound smoked sausage, cut into 1/4 inch slices
• 1 small onion, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
• 1 tsp. garlic powder (or garlic salt, we just watch our salt intake)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 can (14.5 oz.) stewed tomatoes, undrained
• 1 can (15 to 16 oz.) kidney beans, undrained
• 2 cups biscuit mix (store bought or homemade)
• 1/2 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup milk
• 2 eggs

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 350'F. Spray a 10-inch skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium-high heat. Cook sausage and onion in skillet for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender. Spoon into ungreased 9x9 or 8x8 inch baking dish. Stir in garlic salt, chili powder, tomatoes and beans.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the remaining ingredients until blended. Pour over sausage mixture.
3. Bake uncovered 35 to 40 minutes or until crust is light golden brown.

Notes: There was quite a bit of liquid when it was finish cooking, though later the leftovers were less moist as some of the liquid was absorbed into the mixture. Next time I might drain a little of the juice off the tomatoes or beans. Also, the "pour over sausage mixture" is a joke. It is way to thick to pour! Instead, you have to spoon it on in lumps all over the top and then kind of spread it out. It will pretty well even out when it is baked. I also cut the sausage into smaller pieces. I cut it in half length wise and then sliced it into 1/4 inch thick pieces. I also used a little less than a pound and we didn't miss it. Between the beans and the sausage, I figured it was plenty of protein!

Makes 6-8 servings. Serve with green beans, a side salad or just by itself. Either way, it was quite tasty!

Frugal Tip Friday: Baked potato night

Looking for a frugal meal option? Once a week, institute a baked potato night! Potatoes are cheap! You can buy a 10 pound bag for under $4.00 and have about 25 to 30 medium sized potatoes. You can also buy larger "baking potatoes" as well, just stay away from the ones individually wrapped in plastic to the "baked" in the microwave as they are super pricey. They are really easy to make and can be topped with just about anything!

Preheat your oven to 350'F.

Scrub your potatoes well using a nail brush or veggie brush.

Jab a fork about 1/2 inch into each potato about 2 places on each side and once on each end of every potato.

Rub each potato down with oil (olive, veggie, canola, bacon grease, lard, ect.)

Place into a shallow baking dish or on a cookie sheet, not touching each other.

Bake at 350'F for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. They are done when the skin is slightly wrinkly and a fork goes in smoothly (should feel like when you boil potatoes for mashing.)

Serve with any of the following:

• bacon bits (homemade or store bought)


• shredded cheese


• sour cream (or plain yogurt)


• salt


• butter


• broccoli


• chives


• salsa
• Be creative!

You can also pair the potato with a side salad, a bowl of soup, or a cup of fruit. Bake a few extra while you are at it. They warm up great in the microwave for a light lunch the next day at work! Try a baked sweet potato. I usually bake some of each as my hubby likes the sweet potato and I can give some to my little "L" as she is starting solids and really enjoys making a mess on her tray with chunks of sweet potato!

This is frugal as potatoes are filling, inexpensive and yet still very yummy. You can add what ever toppings taste good for each family member and they are usually things you have on hand.