Day 3 (Continuation of Baby Menu)
Breakfast- oatmeal with applesauce
Lunch- Plain applesauce
Dinner- Chicken Vegetable/Noodle Soup
As you can see, my baby girl is not that picky. I actually, made enough soup on day one to last her the whole week. That saves me lots of time. So, do not be surpised if you see this soup again. I have to maximize my time. We all do.
Happy Savings,
Lisa-21SmartWays
www.21smartways.com
What is so wonderful about one pot wonders? Well, it takes one pot, there is typically more to spare, and a one pot wonder can serve as a great spot for leftovers and leftunders. Leftunders are what I refer to as all those underutilized treasures in your refrigerator. They are typically kept under everything else; like your milk, cheese and eggs. Things you use more often. Great examples are carrots, leeks, thyme and peppers. Basically, vegetables are leftunders that you can certainly makeover into a great one pot wonder. A one pot wonders can be anything from casseroles to stews. My favorite one pot wonder though are soups. Soups are a perfect place for leftover meats, fish, rice, pasta, vegetables and herbs.
In addition, hot soups are great to enjoy in the cooler fall and winter months as well.
Happy Savings,
Lisa-21 Smart Ways
www.21smartways.com
Recently a friend of mine asked me, “What types of foods are you preparing for your 9 month old daughter”? As I responded to her, I thought about how many times I have been asked that question and how many new moms appear to be a little confused about what to feed their babies at this time. It is a perplexing time. Although mother’s milk and formula are still very much staples in your new baby’s diet, there is still a lot that your little one should not have. The gradual introduction to new foods, potential allergies, food safety and possible choking hazards are all things that need to be taken into consideration.
Over the next five days, I will track my daughter’s dietary conquests and culinary explorations. Of course, only you, your baby’s pediatrician and your baby can determine what is best to eat. But, my hope is that other parents will find inspiration and maybe even share some of your ideas as well. In the interest of saving money, all of the food is prepared at home. In the interest of food safety, I only use the freshest ingredients, food is pureed or mashed according to your baby’s stage of development and any food portions that have already been noshed on should be thrown away. Oh and just so you know, my baby does not have any teeth yet.
Day 1 (9/27)
Breakfast: Mixed fruit melody with infant oatmeal and mother’s milk
Lunch: Roasted chicken pieces, avocado and chickpeas
Snack: Applesauce mixed with plain yogurt (full fat variety)
Dinner: Roasted chicken, corn, chickpeas mixed with yogurt
Happy Savings,
Lisa-21 Smart Ways
www.21smartways.com
Sale papers come out about once a week. There are probably some sitting on your countertop or mailbox right now. You are probably thinking…” I will wake up on early on the weekend and leisurely head to the grocery like I usually do”. While that may sound like a good idea, it may not be to your benefit. I too have had to adjust my grocery shopping schedule to get the best selection on store savings. If I don’t, all my fellow suburban moms grab and get all the best selections before I have even had the opportunity get a morning cup of my usual green tea. This is especially true for limited times offers and store freebies. If you are thinking… I can’t possibly do my grocery shopping during the week consider this; you don’t have to do all of your shopping during the weekdays. You can pick up just a few items on your way home from work. If your local store is offering buy one get one free deals or any other freebies, get to the store as quickly as you can. Although some grocery stores offer rainchecks when an item is “out of stock”, some sales operate on limited quantities and rainchecks may not be offered. So what did I do today? Well, I headed to the grocery store of course. Today is Friday, but my local Target store has a special on eggs. With my coupon, one dozen eggs were free!
Happy Savings,
Lisa- 21 Smart Ways
www.21smartways.com
Now, why would I pay for a warehouse membership card again? I t still does not suit my family. See my articles Warehouse Membership Shopping Part 1 and Warehouse Membership Shopping Part 2 . For the third year in a row, I will take advantage of the 60- day free trial membership that BJ’s offers. The great thing about this opportunity is that if you time it just right, you can coincide the free trial with the holiday season. That’s just around the corner by the way.
Click for your savings today
Happy Savings,
Lisa-21 Smart Ways
www.21smartways.com
Check Prices, Receipts, Save Money
Tellers, cashiers, computers…basically, anyone that handles your money can make a mistake. This is why it is ultra important to check all your receipts all the time. You will be surprised by how many mistakes you might find and how much money you can save. But what if I told you, there is a way to prevent many of these mistakes from costing you money. That’s right…a cashiers’ mistake does not have to cost you a dime if you just pay attention. While shopping, it is important to not only look at the prices of items, but also to commit prices to memory if you can. Even if you do not remember the exact price of an item, knowing the general price point will make it easy to spot a mistake once you get to the check out.
In order to notice a discrepancy in price you have to pay attention. I know…your cell phone is ringing, the latest gossip magazine is calling your name and what that other customer has in her cart are all things that can divert your attention. What is she doing with all those rutabagas anyway? But really, you are losing money here. On a recent trip to the grocery store I noticed that the clerk rang up each of my 3 cans of corn for more than twice the amount that they were marked on the shelf. Now firstly, if I did not remember the price of the corn, I would not have realized that there was an error. Secondly, if I had not been paying attention to the clerk as he was ringing up my items, then I would not have noticed that there was a difference in price.
I immediately notified the cashier, who alerted the manager and resolved the inconsistency immediately. Not only did this save me money, but because I realized a mistake was made while I was still in the line, I saved time too. Who wants to come to the realization that you overpaid for an item after you have already left the store. If that happens, you have a few choices:
After all, it is only a couple of bucks anyway. But as we know, a couple of bucks can add up rather quickly. If however you did not know this, you now do. Go on and be a beacon of “savings knowledge” to others.
Happy Savings,
Lisa-21 Smart Ways
www.21smartways.com
Did you take your last dip in the pool, drive your last long road trip and attend your last summer social this Labor Day weekend for the summer? Well, I hope you did. Let’s hope you did not forget about all those Labor Day and end of summer sales either. If you did, there is always next year…just kidding because there is still time! Many stores extend their sales beyond Labor Day. Even if you don’t get the Labor Day sales ...
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