Money Saving Entertaining Idea

Next time you are entertaining and do not want to break the bank on the dessert, try serving granita. All you need is a liquid, freezer, glass baking dish, and a fork. Place the liquid of your choice into a glass baking dish and place it in the freezer. Every 30-45 minutes, run a fork through the liquid. Repeat this until the mixture resembles course sugar. Spoon into a dish and serve. This looks and tastes fancy, but most granitas cost only about $1! The flavor possibilities are endless. You can use fruit juices, espresso and chocolate, or even mixed drinks, wine, or cocktails. 

 

Saving Money on Meat

Today I struck gold at Walmart! I was able to get 12 packages of meat total for under $30! To be more specific, I purchased 2 packages of chicken tenders, 2 packages of bone-in chicken thighs, 5 packages of chicken tenderloins, and 3 packages of thin cut pork chops for under $30! How you ask? Walmart had a boat load of meat cuts in their meat case that featured a sell by date of 10-02-13 (which is tomorrow). Sure the sell by date is tomorrow, but as long as I freeze the meat, I can have it on hand and take my time using it! There is no difference in taste or quality. So...next time you are in the grocery store, check the sell by dates. Purchasing meats the store is trying to get rid of because of a nearing sell-by date is a great way to save money! 12 packages of the above meats would have cost me over $49 according to the original pricing stickers. That is a savings of over $19! My only issue now is finding a place to store all of this meat! Maybe I should invest my savings into a deep freeze.

 

Save Money by Making your Own Breadcrumbs

I do not know why I never thought to do this before, but I just saw this on Food Network and had to share it! 


Save money by making your own breadcrumbs out of the heel of your loaves of bread and scraps of crust. Simply toss the bread scraps into a food processor or a blender and, tah dah!  Neither me, nor my fiance, care for the heel of the bread so this would be a great way to be sure we are not wasting any money by tossing the heels out and we will save money on breadcrumbs! This would also be great if you have picky eaters in your house that do not eat the crust! 

I use a lot of bread crumbs! Homemade baked crispy chicken strips, "fried" baked zucchini, fried pickle chips (a really inexpensive appetizer might I add), baked pork chops....bottom line is we use them constantly so this is really going to come in handy. 

You can also make your own seasoned breadcrumbs by toasting your crumbs in a skillet with olive oil and the favoring of your choice. These would be great with garlic, lemon pepper, Italian seasonings, the possibilities are endless.