HAUTE COUTURE!!

Yes, it's been a while!!
But to make up for lost time, I've discovered a fabulous site: Haute Couture. They hold limited time sales from the top designers, in almost every category, there are some fantastic bargains to be had!!! I'm enclosing my own personal invite to all of you, follow the link and get started. The best part, is that for every friend you refer, when they make a purchase, you get a $10 credit, and as a special Holiday promotion, right now, you will get $20!!!
Don't be scared by the name; even though there are expensive items, dress your babies, teens and yourself for much less then it costs in the high end stores. Coach just ran a great sale, be sure to check back often (I'll also post them) to catch the best deals, and just in time for the holidays!!!


And here is my own personal invitation for you!

http://www.hautelook.com/invite/mgrove945746

Super Sunday Deals!

I found some fantastic deals, check them out!

Designer Shoes For $7.95

Target Free Shipping When You Spend $50 Or More!!

Cute Bishop's Sleeve Dress $8.74

1 Yr Glamour Magazine $4.95

1 Yr of Weight Watcher's Magazine $4.95

Halo 5" Recessed Lighting Fixture includes Black Baffle & White Trim Ring (case of 6) $24.99!

Use code CASH50 and get 50% off any order Hooked On Phonics

MXM 40% Off All Pants- Oct. 10-13/09

Avon Buy One Get One Free

Save $40 On Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo X2 Ultimate

Super Sunday Freebies! (10/10/09)

Don't Forget to follow me on Twitter! Lots of FANTASTIC FREEBIES coming this week; also will be listing contests now! I try to confirm that all my freebies/offers that I list are still available, but hurry, they run out fast!!

Free Vaginal Contraceptive Film

BCAA Stack™ Grape Sample

Free Subscription-Living The Country Life

Teachers-Free Scholastic FASTT Math Kit

Free Velvet Milk Aloe Spa Mask

Free 2010 Pulp Fiction Desk Calendar

Free Breast Cancer Awareness Twibbon

Free Luke Bryan Album Dowload

Free Address Labels From The National Foundation For Cancer Research

Free Can of Enfamil Baby Formula

Free Sample Dromeo Analgesic Lotion

Free Herbal Essence Conditioner Coupon-Hurry!

Sign up For the American Eagle aerie email list & receive a free gift every month!!

aerie

Free Oust Gift Pack

Soup

Fall begins a new season of soup making at our house, as well as stews & anything else that can be made in my large stockpot and frozen. Soups can vary from very quick soups, that you can make in a short amount of time (ex: French Onion Soup, Cabbage) to others that will require a longer amount of time, (Chicken soup from scratch) because it will involve making your stock first.

Soups are a nutritious and frugal way to feed your family. Don't be afraid to experiment, this is how heirloom family recipes are created! Always keep extra soup in the freezer, especially if you work, and have a hectic schedule. You can quickly defrost in the microwave and heat. When I was working my million hour a week jobs, I use to make soup on the weekends.

I'd like to share my list of essentials that I use for my own soups:

• Stockpot/s. Here is a link that gives you some good information on choosing a stockpot: Choosing a Good Stockpot I did not spend a fortune on mine. Hubby bought it for me at Costco's, I believe it was $39. And I've had great success with it.
  
• Additional Freezer. Essential for the frugal home. I suggest a self defrosting, high Energy Star Rated model.
  
• Containers. We do eat a lot of soup from the Chinese restaurant. It's cheap, and you get those wonderful sturdy pint & quart containers, which are perfect for freezing soups/stews/chili. They last forever. And you can hear them in the microwave.
  
• Cheesecloth and/or old pantyhose. For straining stock. I also cut off the feet/legs of my old pantyhose. Why? Because I can put my herbs, peppercorns, cloves, etc in each piece, tie it and toss it into the pot as I'm making my stock, then just throw it out afterwards. I also found out this week, that I can actually stretch out the top half (panty part) of the tights over my colander to strain the stock. Yes, they were laundered, ha.
  

Above is the basic equipment, now let's move on to the ingredients. Try to buy veggies in season, or buy, par boil, cut up & flash freeze in large Ziploc bags, or use a vac seal system. You can also save leftover vegetables and put it a Ziploc bag, but, some vegetables will get mushy doing this. I buy all of my veggies/fruits at the produce stands at my local farmer's market, or other farm stands. Everyone's taste varies, but the list below is usually what I use in soups.

• Fresh Veggies I always have on hand: Carrots, Onions, Potatoes, Celery, and Cabbage.
  
• Veggies I buy in season: Corn, Beans, Peas, Root Vegetables, Zucchini, Cauliflower, Tomatoes, Scallions, Leeks
  

Of Course it is so much better & cheaper to grow your own veggies and herbs, (we haven't been able to, the last couple of years) Also check your area & see if they have a produce Co-Op.

Pantry items:

• Beef & Chicken soup base paste (I get at the Wholesale club, lasts a long time)
  
• Tomato or V-8 juice
  
• Legumes
  
• Noodles, Pasta
  
• Seasonings-Italian herb blends, onion powder, Mrs. Dash, etc
  
• Rice-White, Brown, Wild
  
• Canned chicken
  
• Barley
  

Other items:

• Tortellini's (frozen or dried)
  
• Frozen veggies-Whatever is on sale that's good for soup; Peas, Mixed, Green Beans, etc
  

There are only 3 of us in the house, so the amount of items & variety has changed over the years. I usually shoot for making at least 6-7 quarts of soup at a time. Our favorites here are Chicken, Beef vegetable w/barley, Stuffed Cabbage Soup & French Onion, Tortellini.

Basic Chicken Soup Recipe

I usually allow 2 days for this recipe, as I refrigerate the stock overnight to allow all the fat to rise to the top, and be skimmed. You can also place in containers to do this, or if it's colder weather, place outside in a safe place covered.

Stock:

• 1 Whole chicken or Chicken Parts (you can also use the gizzards, etc)
  
• 1 Large Onion, quartered
  
• 2 Celery Stalks, quartered
  
• 2 Large Carrots, scraped and trimmed, cut in half
  
• Peppercorns & Whole Cloves (I put into old piece of pantyhose, tied)
  
• Salt & Pepper to Taste (you can always add more, when the stock is done)
  
• Cheesecloth for straining stock & a colander
  
• Veggies for soup-Carrots, Onions, Celery (you can also add potatoes if desired)
  
• Noodles or Rice
  

Rinse chicken well, place in a large stockpot w/onions, carrots, celery, seasonings. Cover with water, pot should be 2/3 full. Place over high heat, bring to a full boil, and turn down heat to about medium/low. Skim off foam that forms, after that is done (may take a few minutes) lower heat to low, cover and simmer for at least 2-3 hours, depending on the size of the chicken. Chicken should be ready to fall off the bones when it is done.

When the chicken is done, turn off heat, and get ready to strain your stock. Everybody has their own way of doing this, but the easiest for me, is to put another large pot in the sink with a colander over it, and the cheesecloth on the bottom of the colander. I first remove the larger pieces of chicken, bones and veggies into a large bowl to cool.

I then slowly strain my stock. At this point is when I refrigerate/cool my stock, so I can skim off the remaining fat in the liquid before moving on to the final stage of cooking.

After the chicken you removed has cooled, separate the useable chicken from the skin, bones, and stock veggies. Cut into bit size pieces. Store until you are ready to finish your soup.

After you have skimmed the fat from your stock, place back in pot, and bring to a boil.

Clean & cut up the vegetables you are adding to your soup.

Place chicken and vegetables back into stock, simmering until vegetables are tender, approx. 30 minutes.

Tip: I always make whatever pasta or noodles separately, and then add to the soup.

Please feel free to send my own soup recipes at libbyrose63@comcast.net, and I'll be sure to publish them in a future post!

Free/Cheap Blogger Templates

Want to spice up your Blog? There are loads of Free or Dirt Cheap templates out there. Some of them already have a link back built in, but don't forget to be gracious & put a Designer's button on your blog if you use them.

My very favorite free Blogger Template designer is Shabby Blogs: http://www.shabbyblogs.com/

Here are some other free Blogger Templates:

LeeLou~Just discovered her!
http://leeloublogs.blogspot.com/


http://btemplates.com/
http://www.pyzam.com/bloggertemplates
http://blogger-templates.blogspot.com/

http://www.thecutestblogontheblock.com/

Have some more? Leave a Comment & I'll add them!

Free Craft Stuff!

Feeling crafty? The holidays are quickly going to be upon us, and yet again, I am vowing to be thrifty and impress my family & friends with my beautiful, homemade creations. My intentions are always a lot more impressive then the results, but I always manage to pull at least a couple of neat things I create.

Here are some links to help get you started on your future wonderful offerings.

P.S-It's always nice to make a few extra and donate to senior centers for bingo prizes.

http://www.favecrafts.com/ An absolute treasure trove of just about every imaginable craft idea you could want; clear, easy to understand instructions w/illustrations, very well categorized. Free E-Books too!

http://www.allfreecrafts.com/ Lots of easy, simple crafts/gift projects. Check out the Almond Oatmeal Facial scrub to make & give as gifts

http://www.craftbits.com/ Tons of Beauty & Bath projects

http://www.craftown.com/

http://www.ediblecraftsonline.com/ Awesome site!!

Save On Clothes Sunday

I'm a thrift store junkie. So is MM. And he has more clothes then me. He mostly wears oxford shirts, and khaki Docker's type pants to work. Casually, he wears jeans, flannel shirts, and just about Carhartt anything. He buys probably about 95% of his clothing at Goodwill. He also gets quite a few of his shoes at Bargain Outfitters (http://www.bargainoutfitters.com/)

My daughter goes to school, and everybody thinks we have money. Seriously. I get her designer jeans at the thrift store, ones that normally cost anywhere from $75-$200, and a lot of them look like brand new. Thank you to all the parents who dish out the big bucks for their kids clothes!!!

Last year, in one visit to the thrift store, I scored 4 brand new jackets-Coldwater Creek, Sag Harbor to name a couple, plus 3 pairs of jeans, to include Calvin Klein & Ralph Lauren. I'm a jeans, turtleneck and tweed jacket kind of gal, and for under $75, I had a fully rotatable wardrobe. I even got the turtlenecks there. Plus, we donate all of our old clothing back to GW, and get the tax deduction. We figure we pretty much get our clothing for free now.

A Couple of weekends ago, hubby & I hit a GW in upstate NY. I scored 2 pair of leather boots. Brand names. I also got some new Mary Kay shower gel for $2.00, I only bought one, should have gotten all of them.

One of my favorite children's stores The Children's Place, always has great sales racks. And now you can buy their clothing online at Amazon. Shipping is only $5 for your entire order, and you can can some very cheap stuff. And its cute.
http://www.amazon.com/ Search for The Childrens Place

Check out http://www.classiccloseouts.com/ for some great deals. Most of their stuff is $9.99 and under, with tons of items, like skirts, for $4.99. And, they have a plus size category.

Weekend Cheap

I wanted to put in a plug for MyPoints.com www.mypoints.com
You can earn points/rewards for fantastic items, gift cards, etc. in different ways: Shopping, surveys, games, search the web, etc. Ive been a member for over 10 years, and although I got a bit lazy about utilyzing it, Ive earned gift cards (I picked Home Depot). Ive gotten my hubby to use it to. It really is worth checking out and signing up for, the points can add up fast! Its one of the best online products of its kind. It also has a referral program.

Check out Terry's Village for some cute decor & 20% off, plus free shipping for orders over $49 (ends 9/14/09) Be sure to check their sale stuff. Enter code WTX8344 at the checkout

http://www.terrysvillage.com/


Great cheap software-Instant downloads or free shipping!

http://www.selectsoftnow.com/

Bargain Outfitters-Great deals on clothing, household, etc

http://www.bargainoutfitters.com/
$5.00 Off Your Merchandise Order of $49 or More...

Coupon Code: BF1050
HURRY! Good through September 15, 2009

Pillsbury-Coupons, money saving recipes

http://www.pillsbury.com/

Coldwater Creek Outlet-300 items for under $30

http://www.coldwatercreek.com/



Free Nestle Carnation Holiday Recipe Guide-Instant Download or SnailMail

http://www.verybestbaking.com/



Free Sample Curel Itch Defense Lotion

http://www.curel.com/

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

9/11

I know this is a cheapie blog. However in tribute to the memory of all those precious lives lost on 9/11, I will pick up tommorrow.

Cheapest Places to Eat in NYC

I have a daughter at NYU. We go to the city now then we ever did, but it can cost a fortune to eat out. Presently exploring Chinatown & Little Italy; if you know of any awesome, cheap restaurants there, please share!!!

The Cheap List
http://nymag.com/restaurants/cheapeats/2009/57877/

Free/Cheap Magazines

ALL FREE MAGAZINES
http://www.all-freemagazines.com/

MAGAZINE PRICE SEARCH.COM
http://www.magazinepricesearch.com/under5.html

Vanity Fair Magazine-$12 a yr!!
http://www.vanityfair.com/

More to come!!

Welcome.

Welcome

Yeah, yeah, I know, another blog/site about being frugal, cheap, thrifty. Let me ask you this: Do you like just saving money, or do you want to really save money and live the good life? (sounding like a cheezy infomericial now) I like to live the good life. I like having nice things.

I'm a firm believer in taking care of life's priorities first. Pay your bills. Feed & clothe your family, before you consider buying that fancy designer purse.

I (and my hubby aka Mountain Man or MM for short) have both been broke. Ive been bankrupt. Through hard work, imagination, creativity and the love of saving a buck, we have a pretty darn good life. And I truly believe that I can help others at least make their lives easier by sharing.

While I try to get a handle on the tech stuff, excuse the boring facade of my blog. It will get better. I'm starting slow. Be patient.

And hey, spread the word, because I will be doing give aways and contests. And post pictures of my finds. And feel free to share your tips and deals, I'll post em' with full credit.

My first link of the day is for the Sears outlet stores. Anybody remember the old ones? Where they sold just about anything? Mostly items from their catalogs. The outlet stores they have now are great for finding appliances, tools, etc. Check the site to see if they have one near you.

http://www.searsoutlet.com/d/index.jsp