I always astound my friends by the way things just happen to me. Once when I was off of work for a few weeks (paid "vacation") I made some extra pin money by helping a friend with his landscaping business. I felt good about geting paid vacation and also earning more money on the side - as well as the fact that I was helping my friend get his business back on it's feet!

The first day I was out my friends told me I was mad. Why would you work on vacation?? I wanted to...

* Advantages of freezing prepared foods:

You cook when it is convenient for you.
It is more energy efficient, and just as easy, to bake more than one dish at a time.
You avoid waste by freezing leftovers and using them as another meal.
Special dietfoods can be prepared in quantity and frozen in single portions.
You save time and money by doubling or tripling recipes and freezing the extra.
Avoid the cost of take out meals by always having something...

#8 - Local Meat and Produce Markets

I knew a lady who went to the butchers and bought a side of beef, all cut up, every year when she got her tax refund. It gave her meat for the whole year for her family, and the price per pound was amazingly low! She kept them fed well on steaks and chops at less than ground beef price! If you can't use a whole side yourself (even in a whole year) go in with a friend - or several friends!

Likewise, in the summer our town has a wonderful...

Every day we face the same challenge - feeding our families well on a tight budget. We all know how hard that can be (am I the only one who had to crack open my daughter's piggy bank to buy milk at the end of the week? Didn't think so). So what's the solution? If feeding your family GOOD food is a concern then convenience foods are out of the question. Manufacturers make convenience food cheap only one way - cheap ingredients laced with additives to enhance the flavor of the cheap ingredients! But...

What Do I Make My Binder Out Of?

This size and construction of your binder depends solely on how many coupons you want to have with you when you shop. I routinely carry about 400 different ones. I find that the binder method works well for me even at that level.

People have been known to use baseball card pages in their binders - but others find these sections too small. I prefer the long thin binders used to hold photos. Cheap photo albums can be found at the dollar...