New Shoes on Clearance

Since the weather has been turning cooler here, I've been looking for new shoes for the last few weeks, but haven't been able to find anything I liked and in the price range I wanted. We made a trip to Chattanooga yesterday and stopped in the Walmart in Ooltewah. We rarely ever stop at this Walmart, but I'm glad I did because I found two pair of shoes that are very comfortable and both on clearance. Both pair of shoes were $43 before the clearance price and I paid $25, which saved me $18. So, if you are on the lookout for new shoes, be sure to check out the clearance section at your local Walmart.

Now I can retire the sandals I bought for $12 at the beginning of summer.  I figure I received six months use out of them, which works out to $2 per month, which isn't too bad. I'll bring them out again next summer when the weather warms up again and save myself even more money. :)

Belinda © Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2011.

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without”

Chili Tacos

One of my favorite ways to use up Chili is to make Chili Tacos, which is a tried and true family favorite. 

My grandmother used to make tacos this way when she was raising her family, and my Mom made these tacos when I was growing up, and now I make them for my family. 

My favorite way to serve them is with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, and onions on top. I'm serving these for lunch today.

Here are the ingredients needed for this recipe:

Homemade Chili

Ingredients:

12 corn tortillas (or 3 per person)
(less or more for smaller or bigger appetites) 

1 onion, chopped

1 tomato, chopped

lettuce, chopped

8 ounces cheddar cheese, shredded

Vegetable Oil

Directions:

Heat the Chili on the stove top until piping hot.

Lower the heat on the chili just to keep it hot.

In a separate skillet, pour about 1/2 cup of vegetable oil in skillet and heat well.

Using tongs, place one tortilla in the hot oil and fry both sides.

Place onto a dinner plate.

Add one or two spoonfuls of chili onto the top of the tortilla.

Repeat the last two steps until there is a stack of three tortillas on the plate and then add as much chili to the top tortilla as you want.

Add cheese to the top of the chili.

Add other toppings as desired.

Enjoy!

Belinda

Saved $258 Today

Eighteen months ago I purchased a new bed for my daughter who needed a bed. The loan was from a local Mom and Pop furniture store that offers eighteen month interest free loans. 

 I've had the money to pay off the loan, but decided to hang onto my cash just in case something came up, and I'm glad I took this route because of the child support issues we've had the last eight months. 

The loan was up today however and I paid off the balance in full, which saved me $258 they would have tacked onto the bill. Glad to have saved the money and have this "debt" paid in full.

Belinda 

© Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2011. 

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without”  

Disclosure: The FTC requires bloggers to disclose any type of advertising revenue received from our blog. As such, please note we make money from in-text affiliate links like Amazon as well as the banner ads on our blog.

"Is Junk Food Really Cheaper?"

I love this picture!  Mark Bittman, columnist for the New York Times, recently wrote an article called, "Is Junk Food Really Cheaper?"  I know I've read the argument that it cost more money to eat healthy than it does to eat a more processed diet. Bittman challenges this argument in the article. He says dinner at McDonald's will cost a family around $28 while a simple home cooked meal of roasted chicken with vegetables and a salad and milk will only cost about $14, and feed four or even six people.I really like the examples he provided in the picture. Click on the article to see a bigger shot of the picture.

Belinda
© Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2011.
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without”  

Disclosure: The FTC requires bloggers to disclose any type of advertising revenue received from our blog. As such, please note we make money from in-text affiliate links like Amazon as well as the banner ads on our blog. We do not review free products or provide paid reviews. The main goal of our blog is to educate you on saving money. Thank you!

Free Halloween Card - Today Only

Today (10/6) only, you can get a FREE Personalized Halloween Card from Tiny Prints! Choose from one of several Halloween cards and then personalize it for your trick or treater. After you design your FREE Card, enter code TREAT11 to get it for FREE! 

Be sure you have your card sent to yourself for it to be completely free. At checkout, you will have to use a credit card to process the order, but you will not be charged!

Belinda 

© Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2011. 

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without”  

Disclosure: The FTC requires bloggers to disclose any type of advertising revenue received from our blog. As such, please note we make money from in-text affiliate links like Amazon as well as the banner ads on our blog. We do not review free products or provide paid reviews. The main goal of our blog is to educate you on saving money. Thank you!

Frugal Saturday 10-1-11

This was a very good week for me because I was able to work every day, which will make for a good paycheck later this month.

Breakfasts this week were geared towards saving money and therefore made at home. They included peanut butter on toast, cherry, blueberry, or cheese pastries, which were bought at a discount at the Little Debbie thrift store, and scrambled eggs and toast. 

Lunches for my daughter are free at school because of our income, but lunches for me were packed from home every day. They included peanut butter sandwiches, roast beef sandwiches, sliced cheddar cheese and crackers, canned peaches, peanut butter crackers, and always water in my own container to drink. 

Dinners this week included grilled chicken sandwiches, homemade pizza, grilled chicken salads, chicken stir fry, and one night I made grilled cheese sandwiches and opened a can of Campbell’s vegetable beef soup, which I stocked up on during a sale this summer. 

The weather here is turning cooler, which is welcome and will offer some relief from the heat and expense from running the air conditioner every day. The temperature right now is 55 degrees outside, but our home is well insulated, which saves money on heating and cooling, and is 67 degrees inside right now. 

Laundry started as soon as we got home from school yesterday and included two loads last night and two loads this morning. I’m out of fabric softener, so I made a double batch of homemade fabric softener and filled two bottles, which will last us a while. I’ve folded and put away all four loads of laundry. 

Other Saturday chores include cleaning the house and taking off garbage all done with saving money in mind. 

Gas was $3.24 per gallon when I stop and filled up my gas tank last night. There are no planned outings this weekend other than dropping off garbage, so I will have a full tank of gas on Monday morning to start the school/work week. As of right now, I am scheduled to work two days next week, but that can and usually does change on a daily basis. Combining errands helps me to save money on gas as well.  

Dinner tonight will be tacos on fresh corn tortillas with the usual toppings of cheese, lettuce, tomato, and sour cream if desired. I also plan on making a couple of gallons of sweet tea for drinks this weekend. 

That’s what our week has looked like. My blog postings have been nonexistent during the week and for that I apologize, but it is because I’m working and then busy in the evenings cooking and getting ready for the next work day, which leaves me tired and with little to no time left to spend online. I hope you all understand. How are things going with you and your family this week?

Belinda 

© Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2011. 

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without”

October 2011 Child Support Update

September has come and gone and as a result I’ve been reviewing my finances. Earlier this month I posted about receiving less child support in August than the court ordered amount. Unfortunately, the child support we received in September was also less than the court ordered amount. 

Fortunately, as I posted about earlier this month, I received my first paycheck of the school year and that has made all the difference this month even leaving us with a little surplus at the end of the month, which is a good thing. 

This week I met with an attorney to discuss the issue of child support. My ex-husband is a hard worker with more than one job and there is just no reason for the child support to be less than the court ordered amount. Unfortunately, he remarried within the last year, which is when the problems began, and my attorney informs me usually when problems with issues like child support start.  My attorney has requested a retainer fee of $750 to take my ex back to court to resolve the issue. 

Fortunately for me I invested in a whole life insurance policy for my daughter when she was young. After speaking with my insurance representative I figured out that I have over $400 in dividends and can borrow the remaining $300+ against the policy to be paid back on my schedule. I made one last attempt to speak with my ex, but that proved to be unfruitful, and honestly, I am tired to asking him to pay what he owes our daughter. At this point in time he is in arrears of over $2,000.  

 I have asked the child support office repeatedly to help me fix this problem, which has also proven to be unfruitful. However, I did make one last attempt yesterday with the child support office to correct the problem. The fact is that if we went back to court, the child support would most certainly be raised, but I do not want to spend $750 for an attorney or go back to court. I have approximately seven to ten days before the check comes from the Insurance company, so that will give me time to see if my last attempt with the child support office fixes the problem. Otherwise, I see no other alternative than to take the issue back to court.

Belinda 

© Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2011. 

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without”