Frugal In Florida

Because April is my Money Month (income taxes, boat insurance, house insurance, flood insurance AND wind storm insurance all come due in the next 45 days ... I need to stay focused on them little green soldiers and be lining them up to do battle for me!   So I've opted to make April a Money Control Month and will be doing things, even more intentionally, to reduce my outlay of cash!  Not to mention, we hosted the Princess and her Hubby's reception late February and I had a real hard time reining in the spending for March 😂 First Up is Friday Nights ... and it's all about Friday Night Pizza! Ok, ok, let's make ONE thing clear ... I am NOT a low carb girl by any means. I AM aware of my grain and dairy intake and well, traditional pizza just totally blows that right out the door. I'm also really into the crock pot cooking stuff, which is WHY you get  another  version of a  pizza , MY way ;-) Yup, I LOVE pizza ... the sauce, the gooey cheese, ...

If you are doing a #JanuaryWhole30 you most likely are going through a ton of dish soap lately ... you know, cook, eat, wash and repeat for 30 days straight. I LOVE Dawn dish soap. I've made it no secret that there are certain things that I'm brand loyal ... such as Dawn, Tide, etc.  I can't help it ... and NO, Dawn has NO idea who I am ... it's just what I prefer! So ... when I was able to pick up one of these Dawn Direct Foam bottles a year ago with a great sale and coupon, I was so excited. It's perfect for a quick clean up on something that's not so messy and it keeps the sink fairly empty on a low volume cooking day ... I even bought the refill bottle which is basically almost 2 refills worth ... but that was pretty expensive. And then, that ran out. Oh sad day! But guess what?? You can do this yourself and I can't believe I didn't look into that before!! Ready to hear how easy it is?? Mix half water and half soap, place in bottle, p...

This stuff kicks butt for removing ALL KINDS OF STAINS!   And being that I'm a Dawn dish soap kind of girl, it's perfect! I hate buying stain remover ... that little bottle of Shout that you could never get the last bit out of (the little straw thing was about 1/4 inch too short in the bottle costs me around $3 to $4 back in the day. I just hated using that stuff, not to mention, honestly, I don't think that stuff worked all that well if you didn't spot it immediately ... So today's little tip will make you very excited if you think like me ... If you have white t-shirts or them damn dress shirts that hubby used to wear to work every day that are starting to get that dingy armpit ring (and collars too!) go grab them R I G H T now!!! I promise you, it works and I am amazed every time I use it!  Original idea came from  One Good Thing By Jillee  (gosh I HOPE you've visited her site before, she's a wealth of information!) Here's how I did it: ...

Well, let's face it, I've fallen off the wagon 100% when it comes to planning my meals for the week. Which has led to a few nights of a plate of nachos, a few nights of just a glass of wine and a many nights of being HANGRY which is never, ever a good thing. So I figured, what the heck, the new month starts on a Saturday and I might as well get back in the groove of things and just DO IT. MENU PLAN The concept is simple and honestly, once you get used to doing it weekly, it becomes so much easier and you really will save a lot of money AND time! 1.  Take a look at that family calendar.  You really don't want to put your menu together without looking at this first! On those busy days or late nights, obviously, that will be the night you want something EASY! 2.  Take a look at your pantry, freezer(s) AND refrigerator(s). See what you have on hand as of this very minute.  Take inventory of the meats in the freezer! 3.  Come up with TWO meals that can b...

If you are looking for a healthier alternative to Ranch Dressing ... this IS IT! Dairy Free.  Grain Free. Sugar Free. Gluten Free. AND EASY It's also Whole30 approved, just in case you were wondering! This recipe is totally from  Whole Sisters  and I give them FULL credit ... this is just me saying I made it, I loved it and I want to share it with the world!! Give the girls a drive by and check out their site, it's chock-full of good stuff! Here's how I made it egg, room temperature 1 tbs lemon juice, room temperature 1 cup olive oil 2 tbs red wine vinegar 1 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper 3/4 tsp onion powder 3/4 tsp garlic powder 1/2 cup canned coconut milk handful of parsley, leaves pulled off and stems discarded dash of dried dill Grab yourself a tall jar and make sure your  immersion blender  fits in the top ;-) I speak from experience! Place everything in jar, insert your immersion blender and let it rip. Make sure ...

I used to love to get the Mandarin Chicken Salad from Wendy's back in the day ... I thought I was being super healthy, you know? Of course, that was before I learned about reading labels and such ... amazing how something so "healthy" could be so very bad for you. So ... when I came across  THIS  salad at  My Natural Family  not too long ago, I knew I had to give it a try ... and, man, I'm so very glad I did! Talk about an awesome, flavorful salad ... and even better, when I opted to make it at the last minute, I had EVERYTHING on hand so it fit the bill! *With summertime fast approaching which in my world means Bikini Time, even at the soon to be ripe ole age of 53, I am pulling out my favorite, healthy salad options! Here's what you need: 2 boneless/skinless chicken breasts head of lettuce (romaine) chopped in bite size pieces (I used one artesian baby romaine head) 1 red pepper, sliced and chopped in bite size pieces 1 large carrot, coarsely shredded...

I think you should make a quick stop at the store today and surprise your spouse with this little treat this evening! Doh. I've seen the NAME numerous times, just had no idea what it WAS! Yeah, coming from a self-proclaimed, self-taught foodie, that was slightly embarrassing. So of course, the next time we were out at a more upscale Italian restaurant, we ordered it for the appetizer. Bleh.  What a disappointment. Seriously. Do NOT spend the money for this in the restaurant when you can make a much larger, better tasting version in your own kitchen with little effort. Seriously...tomato season is fast approaching (whee!!!) and you can always pick up the Sorrento sliced "fresh" mozzarella at your local grocery store to create this ... Now remember, this is a Hubby recipe, so things are estimates, NEVER ever measured ;-) 3 nice size, ripe but firm tomatoes, sliced medium thickness.  If they are extra seedy/juicy, let them drain a bit Fresh mozzarella sl...