Frugal In Florida

Whenever I walk through the produce section at Whole Foods and Publix, I'm amazed at the amount of prepackage, cut up fruit. Like really? $4.99 per pound for YOU to cut up MY fruit? No thank you. That's not very kind to my wallet and well, to ME, nothing beats the smell of fresh cut watermelon in the kitchen ... too bad we can't bottle it and sell it as a room freshener! We'd all be rich! Anyway. I do understand the fact that some people just don't want the hassle dealing with a whole melon. BUT really, the mini melons they have now days make it much more dealable! I picked up 2 melons the other day for $5. And I promptly cut one up on a Wednesday evening, AFTER I got home from working all day and grocery shopping. Yup, I did. Because, really, it's not so very difficult. Wash melon and dry Place on cutting board and get out your sturdiest knife. I am a big proponent of good knives ... you don't have to spend a fortune but certainly t

Hi, Hi! Do you know what today is?? Today is Menu Plan and Meal Prep Day! Sweet! Ok, maybe it's not all that exciting but it should be! Oh, did I mention it's also the official week start of the Pantry/Freezer Challenge? Even better, don't you think? Let's get the Pantry/Freezer Challenge out of the way first, shall we?  For the month of July, my goal is to buy ONLY produce, dairy and bread. Mind you, we don't really eat a lot of bread or dairy, but there are a few in the household who eat cereal and make smoothies with milk ... so I got to make sure they are taken care of. The bread? Well, it's only because the boat is back in the water and boating and sandwiches (and beer!) go hand in hand. Beer? Not sure yet about what I'm doing with that. I need to lay off it for awhile but not sure if the other family members will follow suit so that's up in the air still. My goal is only spend $240 for the month of July on actual groceries, the produce, dair

When times are good and your wallet is fat, it's easy to forget about the frugal things you do on a day to day basis that made that wallet fatter and the times better. I've decided to remind myself of things that I do, or need to re-focus on doing since I seem to have been on a wave lately with extreme frugalness one month and extreme spending the next. Yes. It's true.  I figure that if I try to practice these tips consistently and then a few things I need to get back on track, the wallet will certainly get fatter again, right? Half the battle is recognizing a weak spot! So here you go,  Frugal Tip #4: Shop your kitchen pantry, fridge and freezers BEFORE you menu plan and BEFORE you shop. What, you don't menu plan?? Are you kidding me? Ok. I know. It's not for everyone ... but I can tell you from experience, having some kind of plan does help aleviate the "whats for dinner" or "I'm tired and hungry and do not know what t

I seem to have re-discovered my love of Margaritas it seems with all these recipes lately! Ahhh ... it's summertime, I'm trying to be more mindful of just what I eat (ahem, GRAINS, I'm looking at YOU) and well, Tequila IS one of the cleanest alcohols to drink if you must ;-) So Ritas are on my mind ... Now, this one was more of a curious tasting than a "yummm, I must try this immediately" ... which is ok ... because, once again, I had everything on hand ... and you do know that I like to try and Use What We Have around here ;-) ... and man, were they ever refreshing and interesting. Glad I gave them a shot! The key with this round of margaritas is to try and remember ahead of time that you want to make these because you want them to hang out in the fridge for a little while to do a little meet and greet because the jalapenos are going to be kicked out before the real party starts. Ready to make yourself FOUR lovely, refreshing ‘Ritas? 1 cup ru