Stewed tomatoes for canning

'Tis the season for canning up what the garden has brought forth.  I've spent the last few days on corn, with still more to go, but decided to take a break and throw in a batch of stewed tomatoes.  MmMmMm...my house is smelling yummy!  I thought I would use the recipe from Ball Blue Book, but it just didn't seem to have enough flavor.  What is a girl to do but turn to Google.  After looking at different recipes, I kind of concocted one for myself. 

Stewed Tomatoes

4 qt. chopped tomato (I did not take the skin off)
1 C. chopped celery
1 C. chopped onion
1 C. chopped green pepper
2 T. sugar
2 tsp. salt
4 T. minced garlic
1 T. Italian seasoning

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepot.  Cover and bring to a boil, stirring prevent sticking.  Boil for 10 minutes.  Ladle into hot pint jars, leaving 1 inch headspace.  Process 15 minutes at 10 pounds pressure.

This gave me 6 pints with a bit left over, which will be going over some noodles later.  I think next time I will add 1 can of tomato paste to help thicken it up.


**Make sure to follow all safety measures and instructions when canning any type of food**

Gift of fresh produce

If you are a regular reader of Bear Necessities, you know how much I love living in my little town. This was once again reinforced last week for me. A friend of mine had posted on facebook about spending the day making spaghetti sauce and canning it. I asked for her recipe as this is something I have not yet done. Not only did she send me the recipe, but when I came home from church, there was a big bucket (27 pounds) of tomatoes on my porch!

The process of making spaghetti sauce is a long one. It took me about eight hours from start to finish, but Mm-Mm-Mm it is so worth every minute of it! Now that I have eaten really good sauce, the store bought stuff will never again be good enough. From this 27 pound gift, I was able to can 11 quarts and have enough left over for a meal.

If this wasn't enough, this same friend brought over a bag of green beans which I prepared and was able to can 10 pints! This friend doesn't know it, but come apple time, she is getting a HUGE box of apples left on her porch!

Frugal Tips

As I searched around the internet this morning, with my cup of fake coffee in hand, I came across some tips on being frugal from wikihow.com.

Use what you already have. Not buying something is always cheaper than buying something. Look around your house. Do you have another item that will accomplish the same purpose? Can you engineer a solution out of materials you already own?

Borrow items from friends and neighbors. In many situations, you do not need to own an item, you simply need to use it occasionally. If you have a reputation as a good borrower (i.e. returning items on time and in good repair), you will be able to borrow many items from your less frugal neighbors and friends. For example, unless you are an avid camper, you will only use a tent a few times a year. Don't buy one, borrow one from the boy scout leader in your Church.

Use public transportation. You will save gasoline and wear on your vehicle. If it is possible, eliminating your vehicle entirely is an excellent cost saving measure. Or, if you live in Podunk like I do, car pool.

Cook your own food. Restaurants are expensive because you pay for service, ambiance, and space to eat. Cooking your own food also allows you to customize recipes for maximum savings. If you have the space, gardening provides even greater cost savings when combined with cooking your own food.

Avoid name brands. Famous brands are usually more expensive. There are often cheaper, store-brand alternatives that may be of the same or superior quality.

Fix broken items. Often repairs are as simple as a paperclip or some glue or a coat of paint. Even if repairs require tools, it may be cheaper to invest in the tools for future repairs.

Replace only what you need to replace. You can buy a kit to refill your ink cartridge instead of buying a new ink cartridge every time yours runs out. You can buy a new wheel instead of replacing your stroller.

Buy items that are reusable. In the long run, throwing something away and repurchasing it many times will usually be more expensive than buying one durable item. A good example is disposable vs. cloth diapers.

Comparison shop. Compare different brands and packaging sizes of the same product. Sometimes a larger container will be cheaper per ounce. Compare prices between stores. Rarely will one supermarket have the best price on everything. With large purchases such as cars, savings can be even more substantial by comparison shopping.

OdoBan

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I am completely in love with this multi-purpose cleaner. With all its uses, it is very cost effective (frugal). Take a look at the list:

•Odor eliminator
•Air freshener
•Multi-purpose cleaner
•Laundry refresher
•Kills 99.99% of germs
•Original eucalyptus scent
•128 oz. jug of concentrate make up to 32 gallons
•24 oz. ready-to-use spray bottle
•Fabric refresher

I use it with my laundry, to clean my bathroom, kitchen, laundry room. I spray it on my laminate floors and wipe. The couch and chair along with the children's table and chairs are cleaned with it. When I had carpet, I would use it on those troublesome dog accident areas. The possibilities are endless...all for about $14 a jug!

I have a friend pick it up for me at Sam's Club, however, you can get it online...but you have to pay more for shipping then what you pay for the jug.

Eat the Fridge

Do you find science projects in the back of the fridge? Green oranges in the crisper? A bottle of...wait, what is that??

Food wasted is money wasted--not a very frugal thing. So, what are we going to do about this? Hmmmm {scratches head} let me think. I know! {Lightbulb moment} Use it up!

Instead of throwing that little bit of veggies away, put it in a container in the fridge to make soup with at the end of the week. Some meats can also be added to this. The water you drain off boiled potatoes can be added as well as the liquid drained off the veggies. At the end of the week, add broth, seasoning, noodles, rice...whatever you would like, and enjoy a waste-free soup.

If you aren't into the soup thing, you can keep your leftovers in a designated area of the fridge and once a week have a leftover buffet. Little dabs of this and that. The reason for a designated area is to keep science projects from happening.

If there are large enough amounts left for another meal, you can package them and place them in the freezer (make sure to mark what is inside and the date). You not only will save money, you will also save time later on when all you need to do is pull the package out, let it thaw and reheat.

Fruits getting a bit soft and no one wants to eat them? Cut into bite size pieces, add a bit of yogurt, stir and enjoy.

Groceries is one of the biggest areas we can save money. There really is no reason to ever throw out food.

Flash Freeze It

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I'm going to take a leap here and assume you enjoy saving both time and money. Flash freezing will help you accomplish both of those with little effort.

The money saving comes from stocking up when fresh items such as onion, potato, celery, carrot, blueberry, grape...etc are on sale. The time saving comes from having items cut and ready to use while cooking.

Let's use celery as an example. When it's on sale, I stock up and take advantage of the deal. I wash it and cut it into pieces I will use in soups and such. What then needs to be done is to line a cookie sheet with parchment paper, lay the celery pieces out in a single layer, pop the cookie sheet in the freezer for about an hour and presto! You have just done a flash freeze. Label quart size freezer bags with the contents and date. Put the frozen celery in the bag and toss it back into the freezer for later use. When you need some celery for a dish, pull the desired amount out of the bag. The reason for the flash freeze is to keep you from having one big frozen clump of celery in the bag.

I especially like to do this with onions so I get all the crying out of the way at one time.

Grapes and blueberries are also great for flash freezing. They can then be eaten either frozen or thawed. I do want to caution you though, don't thaw out a large amount at one time. Once thawed, the grapes need to be eaten in a relatively short amount of time or they tend to get a little mush factor going.

Watch those sale fliers for great deals, stock up and save yourself both money and time in the long-run.

Frugal Laundry

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To dry or not to dry, that is the question. Wait, what about hot or cold, name brand or generic, or even does it need to be washed? Gosh, it seems there are several questions when it comes to saving money in the laundry room. Hopefully I'll be able to answer of few of these for you today.

Dryer sheets
I have used the name brand, the off brand and the generic brands. I use them for static control, not to smell spring fresh. I have been equally happy with the cheap stuff as I am with the more expensive. When using a dryer sheet, tear it in half, as half a sheet does the job and gives you twice as much for the money. Used dryer sheets can then be re-purposed for dusting and then thrown in the bucket for fire starters.

Laundry detergent
Less is more! Use less, get more for your money. The detergent companies tell you to use the 'fill line' on each load, but that isn't necessary. Heavy dirty loads will require more detergent then your gently worn clothing. I also use two different detergents. For my jeans, dirty work clothes, towels and cleaning rags I use Xtra. For whites and better clothes I use Tide. Of course, the Tide is only purchased when I can get it on sale and use a coupon. The Xtra is also purchased in bulk when it goes on sale.

Temperature
Obviously, using hot water costs more than cold water. It also can cut the life of your garments. I wash dirty work clothes, whites, towels and cleaning rags in hot, everything else is done up in cold. Check the care tag in your clothing to see what the manufacturer recommends.

To hang or not
I absolutely love to use my clothesline! If weather permits, my clothesline is full on laundry days. Not running the dryer is definitely a good way to save money. I also have several wooden drying racks I am able to use in the house when I am unable to hang outside. Not drying also helps extend the life of your garment. Maybe I should clarify here that I do use my dryer even when I'm not using it. Clear as mud? I put the items in the dryer for about 4 minutes to take the wrinkles out before I hang them. Make sure to give them a good shake before hanging. Items that will be going on a hanger anyway are dried that way. If you want a bit more softness to your clothes/towels, simply pop them in the dryer for a couple of minutes after they are dried to fluff them up. For the items you do need to dry, remove them promptly when they are finished to reduce ironing (saving you both time and money).

Multi-use towels
Do you dry off with your bath towel and discard it? Tsk tsk tsk if you do. Around here, I do laundry twice a week, bath towels get refreshed twice a week. Papa Bear and I have nice hooks in the bathroom to hang our towels to dry after we shower. I mean really, I get out of the shower nice and clean. Now, our washcloths are definitely a one time use thing....{shudder} that's just gross to me to think of using it again.

Wash it?
Do you even need to wash that garment? The slacks I put on to wear for two hours on Sunday are definitely not dirty. They get hung right back up. The sweater I wear with another shirt under it when I don't do anything to get dirty or sweat is not dirty, it gets put back away to wear again. The jeans I didn't even leave my house in all day are not dirty. They get folded and put back on the shelf. You are able to save gobs of money by not even running the washer and dryer.

Garment care
Always read the care instructions for your clothing. Taking care of your items insures they will have a longer life, meaning you will spend less money needing to replace them.

By implementing even a few of these tips, you will be able to save some of your hard earned money. Now, scoot scoot scoot off to your laundry room and enjoy your savings!

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Bean and Bacon Soup

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After my burnt bacon fiasco of the other day, can you believe I actually used bacon again already? I'm safe there though as I don't have to fry it for this tasty recipe.

I love a good ham and bean soup. Problem is, I have tried to make many recipes only to have them be not quite what I was looking for. I put a request out on a recipe site I'm on with Face Book and was pleased to get a reply. I didn't quite use the recipe exactly, the following is what I ended up with. You will notice I used bacon instead of a ham hock, mainly because I didn't have one.

2 C. dry navy beans (could use Northern beans)
6 C. water
Water for soaking
2 carrots finely chopped
1 C. celery finely chopped (about 2 stalks)
1 onion chopped
2 potatoes diced small
4 chicken bouillon cubes
1/2 package maple flavored bacon cut into small pieces
1 T. Nature's Seasoning salt

Sort and wash beans. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 1 hour. Drain.

Place all ingredients in a 5 qt. crock pot. Cover and cook on high 4-5 hours. Mash about 1 C of beans if soup seems a bit thin.

I ended up putting this in a pot on the stove at about 4 hours as I was hungry! I brought it to a boil and then simmered it for about 1/2 hour. I did need to add extra water.

I will be trying this out again just to make sure it wasn't a fluke, but if all goes well, this will be my new bean soup recipe! I'm also thinking I'll be making a huge pot of this and canning it to put in the pantry.

This is a very inexpensive, frugal meal.

*FYI...do not eat this if you are going to be in a crowd later on.

Frugal Friday

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Hello my Frugal Friends, how did your spending go this last week? Did you remember to keep track of it all? In case you missed it, last week I gave a bit of homework.

"The first step to getting a handle on your finances, is to know where your finances are going. For one week, keep track of how your money is spent. Do you buy a paper, a coffee, a donut, a pack of gum each day? How often do you eat outside the home? Gas, bills, kids lunch money, toll booths, groceries?"

Were you surprised at the results? This step can be a very eye-opening experience.

This weeks homework will be much easier; pick the area you 'wasted' the most money and cut the spending in half. Continue to keep a spending log of this one area this week.

As promised, for your hard work, I will share a couple of homemade fancy coffee recipes with you.

Toffee Coffee
1 C. instant coffee
1 C. non-dairy creamer
1 C. brown sugar

Mix well (in food processor if possible) and store in air-tight container. Add 2-3 tablespoons to mug of hot water.

Cinnamon & Spice
2/3 C. instant coffee
1 1/2 C. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. allspice

Mix well and store in air-tight container. Add 2-3 tablespoons to mug of hot water.

Here's another frugal coffee tip:
After making a pot of coffee, turn the machine off (saving electricity) and put the coffee in a thermos to keep it hot. If you aren't going to drink a whole pot, put it in a beverage container in the refrigerator to be consumed the next day. Simply pour it in your mug and microwave 2 minutes. Unused coffee is also good in baking to take the place of water.

Grounds can be used more than once, simply leave in the basket and only add 1/2 the amount of new coffee for the second pot. When done, don't throw those grounds away! They are wonderful to put in your compost pile!

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Frugal Friday Series

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With the beginning of a new year, often people decide to make a fresh start on their finances; cutting back, paying off, saving. As with any type of clutter, our finances didn't get where they are overnight, don't put unreasonable expectations on yourself of them changing overnight either.

I'm thinking about having a Frugal Friday series of posts. Each Friday I will post about ways to cut down expenses, pay off debt and save for the proverbial rainy day. I want you to know I am not an expert in any way, shape or form, and the tips I give are just that, tips. Most will be tried and true tips I have used myself, since I am a self-proclaimed Frugalista. I like to be able to spend my money in the ways I want, not to always be a slave to bills and such.

The first step to getting a handle on your finances, is to know where your finances are going. For one week, keep track of how your money is spent. Do you buy a paper, a coffee, a donut, a pack of gum each day? How often do you eat outside the home? Gas, bills, kids lunch money, toll booths, groceries? Trust me, this step and the budget step are the most difficult things I will be talking about. Once these two steps are out of the way, the fun begins...honest!

So friends, grab a notebook and track your daily moves for a week. Come on, don't give me that look, it's only a week. After that, I will reward you with a frugal way to make fancy coffee to treat yourself with.

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Easy Potato Soup

We enjoyed a yummy soup for supper last night that was so incredibaly easy to make, I thought I would share it with you all.

6 cups water
8 chicken boullion cubes
4 medium potatoes-diced
1 small onion-chopped small
2 stalks celery-sliced
1 carrot-diced small
1 C. instant potato flakes

Place all ingrediants except the potato flakes into a pot, bringing to a boil. Turn down and simmer about 1/2 hour or so until veggies are tender, stirring occasionally. Once veggies are cooked to your liking, turn the heat off and add instant potato flakes. Let sit about 5 minutes uncovered for flakes to absorb some liquid.

This is wonderful served with hot creseant rolls.

Black Friday?

Admitedly, I am a wanna-be Black Friday shopper. I did actually sit in the frozen foods aisle last year after midnight for several hours in order to get a wonderful deal on a TV, but that is the extent of it for me.

I have a wonderful friend who is a Black Friday shopper from way back. She and her husband plan their stradegy, split up when they hit the stores, check out and get home before most of us are even up in the morning. I marvel at their talent.

I'm hoping to spend good quality time with them next year, learning from the Masters.

So Dear friends, do you do Black Friday?

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Baked Pumpkin Seeds

Halloween is over and you now have several pumpkins in your yard needing some attention. Before deciding to discard the lovely orange decorations, why not decide to eat them? Well, maybe not the whole thing, but who can resist those scrumptious seeds hiding inside? Mmmmmm. Just thinking about it brings back childhood memories of my mom making up this delicious snack for us (of course, us kids had to separate the seeds first from all the pumpkin guts).

Here is a recipe I have been enjoying for quite some time:

Baked pumpkin seeds

1 1/2 tablespoons margarine, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 cups raw whole pumpkin seeds

1.Preheat oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C).
2.Combine the margarine, salt, garlic salt, Worcestershire sauce and pumpkin seeds. Mix thoroughly and place in shallow baking dish.
3.Bake for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

I have been using olive oil instead of the butter for a healthier snack, however, I must admit I like the butter flavor better.

Apple of a Day

Apples, apples, everywhere are apples! At least, that's how it was in my kitchen yesterday...and I enjoyed every minute of it.

My dear friend, Alicia, came over yesterday for a lesson in canning. When we talked about getting together, I don't think she really had any idea what she was getting herself into. She was a trooper though. I showed her what to do and she put up 13 quarts of applesauce, filled the dehydrator, made three batches for leathers AND made her very first pie! I'm sure she slept well last night.

Providing for our own needs is becoming a lost art. It's wonderful to see someone get excited about it. Alicia has also re-newed my interest in it. I've been wanting to teach myself to can meat and soups the last couple of winters, I just haven't seemed to get it done. Now though, I have inspiration! Once I learn, then I will teach this to Alicia also. I guess with only having biological sons, I haven't had a daughter at my side to teach these skills to.

If canning/preserving is something you are interested in but don't have anyone to teach you, don't despair! I didn't either. I purchased Ball's Blue Book of Canning at Wal-Mart, watched yard sales for supplies, used the internet alot, and just learned my way through it.

So, dear reader, get out and get yourself some fresh fruit and veggies and preserve away!

Coupon Craze (craziness)

I'm a couponer from way back. I guess you could say I was couponing before it was cool. Wal-Mart cashiers and I would have clashes often as they just were not aware of their own policies. Coupons were easy to come-by as people who got the Sunday paper would be more than happy to give them away.

This is just not the case anymore. Thanks to shows like Extreme Couponing, more and more people are getting the couponing bug. With couponing being the new 'in' thing, things have changed for us old-timers to it. No longer are coupons so easy to come by. In fact, sometimes trying to buy a Sunday paper involves driving to several different stores just to find one.

Another draw back is the empty store shelves. As with most new things, people tend to go over-board with it. It becomes almost an addiction to see how low the grocery bill can get using sale ads and coupons. Stocking up with very little cash going out is the ultimate goal. The problem comes though when people try to stock up all at one time. This will wipe entire products off the shelves leaving none for others. Amongst us old-timers, this is considered quite rude.

On the bright side though, Wal-Mart cashiers are much more knowledgeable with their policies. This makes check out much less stressful. In fact, I have actually had cashiers tell ME of a sale on an item that I am purchasing. I know too, the cashiers are very appreciative when a couponer comes to the register prepared.
Stores are all trying to get the business, this brings about greater sales, which in turn brings about greater savings for those willing to put just a little time into research and preparing.

All in all, I'm very pleased that so many people are moving from the spend-spend-spend mentality to taking an active role in saving their families money. For many, it's a great way to involve the whole family in a project together.

As with most things in life, moderation is the key. Don't get so wrapped up in chasing the next great deal that you miss out on life.

Friends don't let friends coupon irresponsibly.

Chicken Rice Soup recipe

I made such a yummy soup last night, I just had to come on here and share it will all of you. It started all because I had one lonely little chicken breast in the fridge needing to be used up for supper. I cruised around some of my favorite recipe sites for ideas. What follows is what I finally came up with.

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, cut into thin slices
2 celery ribs, sliced
1/4 teaspoon thyme
2 quarts chicken stock or broth
2 cups white rice
1 chicken breast

Cut the chicken breast into smaller pieces (bigger than bite-size). Put this into pot containing 2 quarts water and 10 chicken bouillon cubes (this makes the broth called for). Cover and bring to boil, continuing boiling about 8 minutes). While this is cooking, place another pot over medium heat and add the olive oil. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and thyme. Cook and stir for about 6 minutes, until the vegetables are softened but not browned.

Remove chicken pieces to cool. Add vegetables to the broth, bringing it back to a boil. Chop chicken into smaller pieces and add back to broth. Add 2 cups white rice to broth, cover, remove from heat and let set 5 minutes or until rice has finished cooking. Stir well and enjoy!

*I did let this sit a bit before eating and found I needed to had 1 cup of water to it as it had thickened quite a bit.

Sunday coupon fun

I've gotten back into the whole coupon thing again. I go in spurts with it. Right now I'm really enjoying it. There are a group of us ladies that get together once a month after church to swap our coupons (q's). It's a great time of fellowship as well as helping one another with our q's and our tips for savings.

Sunday is an exciting time for me! I cut out my q's from the Sunday papers and also from my favorite online spots. I then sit with my pen and circle what I want from the sale ads (comps). The real joy for me comes when I can use both comps and q's at the same time! Oh what happiness I feel! I compile my shopping list in my notebook, writing out my comps by store, noting any q's to go with them. Then I list just the q's that I need to use up before they expire. I take all this with me to Wal-Mart as they honor competitors ads. It saves me the 30 mile drive to all the other stores.

Now the REAL fun begins. I do my shopping, making sure to keep my comps seperate from the rest of my shopping, this makes check out easier. I load all my comps at the check out first, giving the cashier the price I will be paying for that item. The cashiers appriciate when this process is well organized. Also, by being organized, it looks as if I know what I am doing and very seldom am I ever questioned. When everything is rung, I then hand my q's and watch the register to make sure they are rung correctly.

This whole process is so very enjoyable to me! What is even more enjoyable is putting these items in my pantry. I can stand back and look at all savings sitting on the shelves.

I am also careful not to waste any q's. I take my unwanted q's to the swap. What is not used there or has expired is sent to a woman who sends them over-seas for our military families to use.