Key Ingredient, Inc.

New Discount Travel Service

You may notice a few changes around my blog over the coming week or so.  First, and most importantly I think, over on the right hand side over there is a new heading that says "Good Deal Alerts".  Under that heading I'm going to be posting new pages with special hot deals.

I'm very excited about what's posted over there today!  It's information about a new discount travel site that I am now representing. Check it out and email or call me if you have any questions. 

Coupon Clipping Service

I have found a coupon clipping service that I think is truly truly fabulous.  They have lots of great coupons in stock, ship quickly, have very fair prices on their coupons, and offer some good promotions like free shipping or gift card drawings.  I have never recommended a clipping service before because I've never been overly impressed with anyone. 

In some ways I hesitate to recommend them now.  If everyone finds out about them it's going to be harder for me to find those hot coupons through them!  But I decided it was worth it to get the word out to my fellow money-savers about this fabulous service. 

So click on the image either below in this post or over in the sidebar and it should take you directly to their page. 

Happy Saving!

Cheap vs. Frugal

This question was posed to me recently.  What is the difference between someone who is cheap and someone who is frugal?  A co-worker of mine was telling me the story about a guy he knows who he considers to be "cheap".  Anytime this guy knows that one of his neighbors is going to be grilling he invites himself over and brings one hot dog.  He throws it on the grill, cooks the hot dog, and then heads home to eat his dinner.  My co-worker's point about this man was that instead of a) bringing enough for everyone or b) firing up his own grill, he just mooches off of other people.

I told him that I actually disagree.  This guy lives alone and does it really make sense to light the grill for one hot dog?  He's not inviting himself over for dinner and not contributing.  The only thing he's "mooching" is a small amount of space on a hot grill. 

But the conversation definitely got me thinking about it.  There are times that I will not buy something because I know I can get a better deal on it somewhere else.  I almost become obsessed with finding the lowest price.  Is that searching for a lower price a good use of my time which also has a value?  No, probably not.  But am I cheap?

I'm one of the best tippers I know, if I know or like someone who provides a service I will use them simply because I like them and not worry about the price at all, and I love to eat out in really nice restaurants for big events and celebrations.  But I also plan for those things.  Part of our eating out budget covers the fact that I know I almost always tip at a minimum 25%.  I set aside money ahead of time for celebratory dinners or expensive services so we're not scrambling to pay for it. 

So I am curious.  What do you think the difference is between being frugal and being cheap?  Post in the comments below. 

Vanilla Pudding Fruit Salad

This is one of those dishes that is great to take to summer potlucks or just to keep in the fridge to have with your dinner off the grill.  It is sweet enough it makes a good light dessert. 

It's also very simple. 

Tip #54

Vanilla Pudding Fruit Salad

1 can of sliced peaches in juice
1 can of pineapple chunks in juice
2 small cans mandarin oranges in juice
1 large can sliced pears in juice
1 large box of instant vanilla pudding

Open all the cans and drain all of the juice into a bowl.  Whisk in the vanilla pudding.  This will thicken the liquid but will still be a liquid consistency (it won't set up like a pudding).  Pour in the fruit and chill for at least 4 hours before serving.

This is a very easy recipe to adjust for larger gatherings or make changes as to what kinds of fruits you like in there. 

Clean or Replace Your Car's Air Filter

Tip #54

This is such an easy and simple way to get better gas mileage and save yourself a little bit of money. 

A clean air filter can improve your gas mileage by up to 7%.  This can save you approximately $100 for every 10,000 miles you drive. 

Cleaning the air filter is pretty easy.  Just follow the directions in your car's owner's manual.  Replacing it is also pretty easy.  Go to an auto parts store, tell them what kind of car you have and ask them how hard it is to change the air filter if you're not sure.  In my experience they are very helpful and will direct you on how to do it. 

Most car manufacturer's recommend that you replace your air filter every 12,000 - 15,000 miles.  If you change it once a year you should be in pretty good shape. 

Review Monthly Bills

If you're anything like me you use online bill pay to pay most, if not all, of your monthly bills.  Perhaps you don't even open the bills when they come to your house.  You can find the balance due online, you set up your bill to be paid, and you pay it.  It's quick, easy and done.  But this one thing could really be costing you.

Tip #53

Scrutinize each bill that comes in to your house carefully.  We signed up for a new cell phone plan in January of this year.  Recently I discovered that every month since January we have been paying an extra $15 for a service on our cell phones that we don't use.  I have an unlimited plan and I was paying that plus a plan for texting that was left over from my old cell phone plan.  So I had paid an extra $90 for something that I didn't need and wasn't using on this current plan. 

I was able to work this out with my cell phone carrier and they have credited our account the $90.  But who knows how long this would have continued if I hadn't looked at our bill.

I had a similar experience with our water/trash/sewer bill.  We were being charged for something that we weren't using.  I had never really read the bill very closely to know that was on there.  Even though it was only a couple of extra dollars every month it had been on our bill since we moved in to our house a year and a half ago.  $2 every month for 18 months is $36.  It's not much but it's something that I don't need to be paying. 

So really make sure you are taking a couple of minutes every month to really look at your bills and make sure the charges are correct. 

Ask for Savings Support from your Friends

Tip #52

If you are fairly new to the frugal lifestyle you may have encountered some sticky situations with friends and family regarding your new-found frugal lifestyle.  Although it should come as no surprise to anyone in the current economy but you still may have to sit down and talk with your loved ones and explain what you are doing.

Explain to them what you are doing and the changes you are making.  You don't have to share your reasons or anything you're not comfortable sharing.  Just let them know that you are making some changes and trying to be a bit more frugal. 

Also offer some suggestions of things to do instead of spending money together.

For instance:

• Instead of going out to a movie, rent a movie and stay in at someone's house and watch it.  There are so many benefits to this.  More comfortable seating, better snacks, and control over the pause button if you need a break, to mention a few. 
• Instead of going out to dinner, one person host a pot-luck.  You can all bring something to take the burden of the cost off of the host.  This can be a lot of fun and much more relaxed then going to a restaurant for dinner.
• Get together and learn to do something like make sushi, learn a language, start a book club, learn about a particular wine varietal, or play games. 

Not going out as often can make it a lot more special and a lot more fun when you do go out.  Also, having different people host get-togethers takes the pressure off of one person to have to do it. 

Simply having a conversation with the people you're close to and letting them know that you are trying to watch your budget can alleviate any stress you may have about adopting a more frugal lifestyle. 

Magazines

Tip #51

Do you subscribe to a few magazines?  Are you reading all of them every time they come?  If not, consider calling the subscription department and ask for a refund.  Sometimes they will refund the amount you have not received.  Others offer a guarantee that if you don't like their magazine they will give you back the entire subscription amount.

At the very least cancel your subscription so you don't continue to receive a magazine that you are not reading and enjoying every month.  My personal rule is if I'm not excited every time I find the magazine in the mailbox then I need to stop getting it.

If you are getting magazines that you are reading and like to receive you may not know what to do with all of those magazines when you're done with them.  If they are just stacking up, some suggestions for getting rid of the magazine clutter around the house:

• Donate your read magazines to a nursing home, hospital, local senior center, or other similar organization. 
• Check with a local pre-school, daycare, or nursery school and see if they need magazines for the kids to cut up and make arts and crafts projects out of.  This is a great use if you have lots of old magazines stacked up. 
• When you are reading the magazine tear out the pages that have an article, tip, recipe or anything else of interest to you.  Instead of keeping the entire magazine for that one good recipe, simply make a binder with sheet protectors in it and file the items from magazines in there.  

        I have a binder that is labeled "Magazine Good Ideas".  I have 5 different sections in         mine: recipes, decorating, kids projects, good tips, and miscellaneous good ideas.          This way I can easily find and try a recipe from a magazine.  If we don't like it I can         get rid of it.  But at least I don't have the clutter of a whole magazine hanging                 around for a recipe.  Periodically I flip through my magazine binder and clean out             anything I haven't already tried or is no longer interesting to me.

Finally, remember that magazines are recyclable!

Expired Coupons - Garbage Or Couponing Gold?

If you are a novice coupon shopper you may think that as soon as your coupons expire they should be thrown straight in the trash. But that is not always the case!

If you can't find a place to use the coupons yourself or would just like to help out our country's military families, you should know that commissaries on military bases overseas will honor expired coupons. Usually they will accept coupons up to six months past their expiration date. This can be a great way for military families to really stretch every dollar. There are several groups who gather and mail expired coupons overseas to families there who can use them.

If you are interested in doing this, make sure you sort the coupons into two categories: food and non-food. Clip the coupons out of the inserts. This will not only make it much easier for those receiving the coupons on the other end but also will make shipping less expensive for you. Consider putting the coupons into plastic baggies or rubber-banding them so they stay organized. Flat-rate shipping is a great way to get a lot of coupons to the military families without paying a lot for shipping. Your local post office may want to examine the contents of the package you are mailing overseas, so take the box or envelope to the post office open and then do the final taping there after it has been viewed by a post office employee. You will also be asked to fill out a customs form. This is common for anything that is going to a military base. This can be a great thing to help out the military families, so if your store doesn't accept expired coupons, consider sending them overseas.

There are also opportunities stateside to use expired coupons. Some stores will accept expired coupons. Finding out if your local stores will accept them is generally as simple as asking at the customer service desk or calling the store and speaking to the manager. It is best to not just try to pass them off to the cashier and hope you don't get caught. If it is not your store's policy to accept these, you can get a bad reputation as an unscrupulous coupon shopper.

Frequently companies that issue store coupons (coupons that are only good in their stores) will be more lenient with the expiration date on these types of coupons. Again, it's good to ask, but the closer to the expiration date, generally the better luck you will have with being able to redeem them. 

Stores that accept expired coupons are often proud of this fact and will prominently display a sign in their window or information on their website letting you know. But if your store doesn't do this, don't hesitate to ask and find out what their policy is.

There are lots more tips and tricks to using coupons to maximum benefit. For more information and to sign up for a free mini-course on coupon shopping, please visit http://www.KeyIngredientPublishing.com

Roasted Artichokes

This is one of my favorite quick and easy side dishes.  I make this one frequently! It is not the cheapest side dish I make (artichokes are not inexpensive) but it's really good and very quick and easy.  It also has so few ingredients that I thought it qualified as a money-saving side dish. 

Tip #50

Roasted Artichokes Side Dish

1 can quartered artichokes packed in water, drained
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons olive oil

Preheat broiler.  Mix together the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and garlic in a 8x8 pan that can go in the oven.  Put artichokes into the 8x8 pan.  Pour bread crumb mixture over the top of the artichokes and then drizzle on the olive oil.  Stir together until artichokes are well-coated. 

Cook under the broiler for approximately 12 minutes until the bread crumbs are golden. 

I serve this with a spicy mayo (recipe follows) to dip them in but it's really good by itself. 

Spicy Mayo

2 Tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 tsp sriracha (you can use more or less depending on your spice tolerance)

Mix together and keep in the fridge until you are ready to serve. 

Picture by magpie_mom