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- Entertaining on a Budget: Summer in Paris
- Mikasa Clearance: Daily Deal
- Simple Syrup: Budget Food Tip
- Martha Stewart Glassware on Sale at Kmart: Daily Deal
- Tile Tattoos: The Look for Less
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Food & Groceries
Simple Syrup: Budget Food Tip
Simple syrup is a common ingredient in mixed drinks, as well as many summertime drinks like lemonade and iced tea. The syrup is literally simple – it’s a mixture of equal parts sugar and water.
To make, bring 1 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan, then pour in 1 cup sugar. Stir constantly and, once the sugar is fully dissolved, remove the pan from the heat and allow it to cool. Once cooled, it can be used to sweeten iced tea, mint juleps or mixed drinks, or to make lemonade
For lemonade, combine:
1 cup simple syrup
1 1/2 cups lemon juice (about 8 lemons)
5 cups cold water
Stir lemon juice and 1 cup each of water and simple syrup in a large pitcher. Add more water and syrup to taste.
Pink Lemonade
1 cup simple syrup
3 cups cold water
1 cup cranberry juice
1 cup lemon juice
Stir ingredients together, then refrigerate for about an hour before serving.
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Stumble ThisDiscount Online Groceries: Budget Grocery Tip
Does anyone enjoy grocery shopping? Week after week, it seems like we’re going back to the store for the same old items: coffee, paper towels and cereal, and battling the over-crowded aisles long checkout lines in the process.
There’s a better way: Amazon offers a program where you can purchase groceries on the online superstore. In fact, the new “Subscribe & Save” program allows users to save an extra 15% on commonly used items, such as coffee, shampoo, and laundry detergent.
Sign up for the service and you can also set up a delivery schedule for delivery every one, two, three, or six months, and get free shipping on every order. In addition, Amazon offers e-mail reminders of upcoming shipments so you know when to expect them – so you can stay home rather than making yet another trip to the market.
Mini Apple Pie: Budget Food Tip
We love the comforting aromas and taste of a homemade apple pie -- there's just something about the mingling smells of apples and cinnamon baking with a flaky dough crust, and the taste of the pie alongside a nice scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Lucky for us, apples are just starting to show up at farmers' markets and farm stands. Why not pick up a half bushel and whip up a delicious apple pie? To make homemade apple pie -- without all the work...
Raspberry Chicken: Budget Food Tip
Don’t you love to cook those meals that only look fancy, but are in reality super simple to make? This raspberry chicken is one of those – the chicken is baked in the oven or cooked on the grill, and topped with an easy raspberry sauce that’s actually salad dressing. With raspberries in season right now, the makings for this meal are easy to come by, and the flavor is truly fresh.
You’ll need:
3-4 skinless chicken breasts
1 1/3 cup raspberry...
Sprout Your Own: Budget Grocery Tip
Sprouts are back. A staple of 1970s diets, they’ve returned with a vengeance – and for good reason. Sprouts contain many disease-preventing phytochemicals. Many sprout varieties are rich in antioxidants, protein, vitamin D, vitamin C and isoflavones. And, sprouts you grow yourself are fresher and much less expensive than those pre-packaged store sprouts. We checked our local grocery store and found that a 4 oz container of sprouts were selling...
In-Season Fruit Pies: Budget Food Tip
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has named July National Blueberry Month. Blueberries are now at their peak of freshness – they’re in season through August – so they’re inexpensive at most grocery stores or farm stands. Now’s the perfect time to pick up a few pints or pick your own.
A tasty way to enjoy the bounty of berries available now is with a fresh fruit pie. Fruit pies are easy to make, require just a few ingredients and preserve the...
Isaac Mizrahi in the Kitchen
We're used to seeing Isaac Mizrahi in a showroom surrounded by clothing, but he has a domestic side too--watch him make his favorite ice cream, mint chocolate chip, in this video from epicurious. Follow the recipe and you'll never have to leave the house for ice cream again.
Gas for Groceries: Budget Grocery Tip
When we signed up for the store savings card at our local grocery store, we were immediately enrolled in a fuel-discount program. Each time you purchase groceries or gift cards, you earn points toward gas that can be redeemed at participating gas stations. A handy occurrence when gas prices have been hovering around $4 per gallon. And everyone has to buy groceries, right?
A handful of grocery stores participate in similar programs when you...
Angel Food Ministries: Budget Grocery Tip
We’re all looking for ways to save on our food budgets. So when we heard about Angel Food Ministries, which offers enough food to feed two people for nearly an entire month for just $30, we were anxious to try it out.
The program offers a variety of meat, vegetables and other foods for about a dollar a day. Each month’s menu changes, and can include fresh, in-season fruits and vegetables, several meats and vegetables, and other foods. For...
Homemade Lavender Sugar: Budget Food Tip
For an extra-special touch to a homemade dessert or an extra flavor treat to your tea, try lavender sugar. Lavender sugar is surprisingly simple to make – it only looks fancy.
If you grow your own herbs, this is a great way to make use of them – try it with lavender or other flowers, or try mint, rosemary or other fresh herbs. Place the herb sugar in jars and seal tightly, and use throughout the year or give them to foodie as home made gifts....
Snow Peas Five Ways: Budget Grocery Tip
Snow peas, or sugar snaps, are just beginning to make their appearance in grocery stores and at farmers’ markets. These crisp, springtime beauties can be served hot or cold, cooked or even just raw, and make a delicious side dish to any summer meal.
To make use of the seasonal bounty, here are a few of our favorite ways to prepare snow peas. Just give them a quick wash first under cold running water, especially if you're eating them (pods and...
Homemade Sorbet: Budget Food Tip
Sorbet is a delicious and refreshing summertime treat, or a nice between-courses palate cleanser. But how do you know how much sugar and other additives is in your store-bought sorbets?
With summertime just getting starting, a plethora of fresh in-season fruits is now available – and at great prices. Why not pick up a few extra fruits at the market and whip up a home made batch of sorbet? It takes just a few steps to make, and the flavor is...
Community Supported Agriculture (CSAs): Budget Grocery Tip
Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is when a farm sells its produce as “shares” directly to the public. Share holders receive a box of produce each week, which can also include other items from the farm, such as flowers, eggs, meats and baked goods.
Sometimes known as "subscription farming," CSAs generally involve the customer to a much higher level than farms simply supplying products to the public. For example, some farms send a...
Kitchen Porn: Epicurious Tours Celebrity Kitchens
For those of us who drool over Sub-Zero frigs and Viking Stoves, Epicurious provides us with a behind the scenes look at the kitchens of some of our favorite celebrities like Isaac Mizrahi (whose home collection at Target will be sorely missed). While it seems quite unfair for people who don't know their asparagus from, well, you know, to have such fabulous kitchens, these glimpses into the kitchen good life more than fulfills our weekly dose...
Marinades: Budget Food Tip
Marinades are an easy and effective way to add extra flavor and zip to your meats, and can tenderize a tougher cut of beef as well. These three marinades go well with poultry, pork or beef, and are simple to make.
Lemon Rosemary Marinade
1/3 cup olive oil
1 lemon, thinly sliced
6 sprigs rosemary
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Spicy Asian Marinade
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine
1 tablespoon minced garlic
Food Expiration Dates: Budget Grocery Tip
So you’re getting ready to make a quick breakfast omelet, but before you can crack open an egg you notice that the expiration date on the egg carton pas passed. What to do?
Did you know that, except for poultry, infant formula and some baby food, product dating is not required by the federal government? More than 20 states, however, mandate dating of some foods. When dates are applied to a product, generally by the manufacturer and sometimes...
Homemade White Sauce Three Ways: Budget Food Tip
Homemade white sauce is easy to prepare, inexpensive and surprisingly versatile. It can be mixed with other ingredients to make a simple pot pie, a variety of vegetable cream-based soups, and even homemade cheese sauce for fondue, drizzling over broccoli or other vegetables, or for macaroni and cheese. Following is an easy recipe for white sauce, and three simple ways to use it.
White Sauce
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 teaspoon...
Bake Your Own Bread: Budget Grocery Tip
There’s nothing like the aroma of fresh-baked bread. With the advent of bread machines, making bread at home has become easier than ever. However, you don’t need any fancy equipment to make bread at home from scratch – just basic ingredients that can all be readily found in the grocery store. And home made bread is much less expensive than store bought – and the freshest bread you can get.
The New York Times published a much-publicized recipe...
Tomato Basil Pizza: Budget Food Tip
Looking for a quick, easy and budget-friendly meal idea? Look no further than pizza. This home made and crispy pizza tastes fresh as spring, thanks to a generous topping of sliced Roma tomatoes and fresh basil. Roma tomatoes are less watery than other varieties so they won’t add unwanted juice to the top of the pizza, and the basil ribbons add a burst of flavor to each slice. Store-bought pizza dough (or pizza dough from your favorite pizza...
Pick Your Own: Budget Grocery Tip
With the warm weather comes a plethora of fresh and in season fruits and vegetables. Instead of buying fruits and veggies at the local super store, where they may have been trucked in from thousands of miles away, why not get back to nature and pick your own?
You-pick farms are located throughout the United States, and provide a great opportunity for adults and children to learn more about how different types of produce grow and how it’s...
Homemade Granola: Budget Food Tip
A great dry snack out of hand, or breakfast cereal with milk, granola is easy and inexpensive to make at home. Whip up a batch in minutes, and store in an air-tight container to last for about a week.
You will need:
4 cups old-fashioned (not quick cooking) oats
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Optional:
2 cups dried fruit, such...
Equip a Kitchen for $200: The Look for Less
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The New York Times ran a great article on how you can get everything you need for a kitchen for $200. Read the article to discover how Time’s food columnist Mark Bittman outfitted a kitchen for $200. We were so inspired; we thought we’d give it a try.
You can save a lot of money on stocking up your kitchen by simply hitting up garage sales. A lot of people sell Pampered Chef items for super cheap prices and garage sales are great for finding...
Free Coupon Sites: Budget Grocery Tip
With the prices at the grocery store skyrocketing, most of us are looking in every direction for ways to save. One of the simplest ways is to clip coupons – a few minutes of time going through coupons can save a lot of money at the register. If you don’t have time to flip through the newspaper’s coupon sections, check out these coupon Web sites to download and print coupons.
Coupons.com offers coupons and easy recipes – we like this one for Continue reading
Sausage and Peppers: Budget Food Tip
Here’s a quick stir fry meal when you’re pressed for time but want a delicious and hearty meal: sausage and peppers. Use turkey or chicken sausage for reduced fat, and throw in an extra bell pepper, more mushrooms or some sliced zucchini for more vegetables.
You will need:
2 bell peppers (use red, green, orange, or a combination), cut into strips
½ medium onion, sliced
1 12-oz package pre-cooked sausage, sliced about ¼ inch thick
3 cloves...
Substitutions: Budget Grocery Tip
With the price of groceries soaring, everyone’s looking for ways to save. Whether it’s buying in bulk, substituting items or going vegetarian (one night a week, at least), there are many ways to save at the register without feeling the pinch.
Following are a few ways to save some green at the supermarket by substituting items.
Dried vs. fresh. Dried beans, for example, are much cheaper than canned beans. A recent trip to the supermarket...
Restaurant Recipes at Home: Budget Food Tip
Welcome to The Budget Casa, where we help you create a fabulous home a budget.
Check out our home decorating tips, easy do-it-yourself projects, advice for entertaining on a budget and share your tips in our decorating forum.
Who doesn’t love to eat out? Whether it’s trying a new dish, or your usual at the local restaurant, it’s one of life’s pleasures to enjoy sitting back and letting someone else do the cooking.
However, those dinners out...
Planting Seeds from Foods You Eat: Budget Gardening Tip
An inexpensive way to grow fruits and vegetables you know you’ll love is to plant the seeds from your favorite fruits and vegetables.
Seed saving has long been popular for reproducing plants from heirloom seeds, and it can easily be done from fruits and vegetables you purchase at the store or at a local market. First, start with organic produce, such as from farmers’ markets. These are the most likely to be of “heirloom� variety, and...
Farmers’ Markets: Budget Grocery Tip
The arrival of May heralds the beginning of many local farmers’ markets. Farmers’ markets are an excellent resource for fresh fruits, vegetables, cheese and other dairy products, and even plants. Produce is extremely fresh, as it comes from the farmers right around your neighborhood, and prices are usually better than at the supermarket. Buying local produce at a farmers’ market is a great way to support your local community and your...
Watermelon Drinks: Budget Food Tip
One of the surest signs that summer has arrived is the appearance of watermelons in the store. Nothing says summer like the sweet and refreshing taste of red ripe watermelon, enjoyed by the slice or chopped up into cubes in a fruit salad.
In the store, look for a firm watermelon free of bruises. Pick it up and tap the side with your palm – it should sound like a hollow thump, and feel heavy for its size. Watermelon is also rich in the...
Use Your Leftovers: Budget Grocery Tip
Sure, you can clip coupons and watch for in-store sales and specials. However, there is another easy way to save on the groceries you buy: use your leftovers. How often do you end up tossing out wilted fruits and vegetables? Do leftovers get used, or just get left over in the fridge until they are unrecognizable?
As grocery prices continue to escalate, many of us try to do everything we can to save. However, too often that savings gets...
Cinco De Mayo: Entertaining on a Budget
Cinco De Mayo, meaning the fifth of May, celebrates a key victory by the Mexican forces on May 5, 1862, over the French in the fight to expel the French from Mexico.
Over the years, this holiday has evolved to celebrate the culture and experiences of Mexican Americans. On Cinco De Mayo, everyone is a little Mexican. So even if your Spanish consists of one word—fiesta—you can still whip up some carnitas, ask your friends to bring the...
Bruschetta Chicken: Budget Food Tip
We love meals that only look difficult. This recipe for bruschetta chicken takes just a few ingredients, and the meal is made in a Crock Pot slow cooker for ultimate convenience. Put the ingredients together in the morning, and by dinner time, a tastes-like-home-made Italian meal is nearly ready.
You will need:
3 skinless chicken breasts
2 14.5-oz cans diced tomatoes
6 garlic cloves, sliced
1 cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons dried basil
Package...
5 Ways to Save: Budget Grocery Tip
As grocery prices continue to escalate due to increases in oil prices and other factors, saving money on groceries is important. Following are five easy ways to save on your weekly grocery bill.
1. Never shop hungry. Your mother might have told you this one: never shop hungry. It results in impulse buys (generally of the least healthy variety) and, when you get home, a whole lot of foods you can’t do anything with. Instead, follow rule #2.
Organic Food for Less: Budget Food Tip
It’s Earth Day, so we are giving you some tips on how to make your home earth-friendly for less. One way to do this is to buy locally grown organic food. Buying organic food can be a little pricey. But, hopefully, with these tips we can show you some ways to make it feasible for your budget.
1. Food Co-ops: Food co-ops help you connect up with local farmers, so you can buy everything from meat to veggies straight from the growers. And the...
Earth Day: The Budget Ecoist
Today is Earth Day; a day when we are all reminded that we should make our approach to life a little greener. In celebration, below is a round-up of some of our favorite tips from the Budget Ecoist on how to be green without spending too much green.
The Budget Ecoist helps people save the earth and their wallet with tips on simple, fabulous ways to be green. Here are some of our favorites:
Dip-travaganza: Entertaining on a Budget
Going out can be expensive, but having people over can be frustrating. So what are you going to do? Well, before you slap on some lipstick for another night on the town consider how much are you really spending on cab rides, gas, movie tickets, drinks, appetizers? Save yourself some money and have a fun night in with your friends.
Having people over should be fun and uncomplicated. You don’t have to serve your guests a four-course meal or...
Takeout Without the Guilt: Budget Food Tip
We love the idea of healthy fast food, but the reality of it isn’t so common. Fortunately, restaurateurs are catching on and healthy choices are starting to crop up in the trendier cities.
With an emphasis on healthy, natural and organic eats, a new genre of "fast food" restaurants has evolved to meet the needs of an increasingly conscious consumer base. Now organic fare isn’t limited to the grocery or specialty store, meals cooked at...
Baking with Costco: Budget Grocery Tip
A recent trip to Costco netted more than just a case or two of paper towels and more dog food than our 10-lb “miniature� daschund could ever eat in her lifetime. No, Costco has expanded its baking section to include a variety of higher end items at decidedly lower end prices. We scored: a 16-oz bottle of Kirkland Signature pure vanilla extract for $5.99, Kirkland Signature ground cinnamon for $3.39, and a package of whole vanilla beans for...
Jewelry Tree: DIY
Urban Outfitters has a fabulous jewelry tree for $26, but looking at it, we decided to make our own. Here is an easy step-by-step how to for making your own jewelry tree.
Supplies:
- tree branch
- wooden base, JoAnn’s has the best prices
- drill
- wood glue
- spray paint—any color you want
1. Find the perfect dead branch. If necessary, cut it down to size. If you cut the branch off of a live tree, give it a few days to die and stiffen up.
Free Guide to Sushi at Home: Budget Food Tip
Long popular in California, sushi has turned into a huge trend in America. Even traditional meat-and-potatoes lovers are giving in to the delicate, salty and sometimes spicy flavors of sushi. To enjoy the treat at home, Geyser Peak Winery is offering a free 16-page booklet, "California-Style Sushi at Home." The booklet includes recipes, step-by-step instructions, how-to diagrams, and even a grocery list.
Once your booklet arrives, consider...
Easy Baked Fish: Budget Food Tip
For a quick weeknight dinner, fish is a good and healthy choice. A 3.5 oz Tilapia fillet contains 2.4 grams of fat and 98 calories, and packs 21 grams of protein. Plus, it's healthy, sustainable and low in mercury (see the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch site to learn more about making healthy and sustainable seafood choices). Available fresh or frozen, Tilapia is a great buy for health-conscious meals. (We found 1-lb bags of frozen Tilapia...
Fresh Herb and Tomato Frittata: Budget Food Tip
For a delicious breakfast, lunch or dinner, try a frittata. They are simple to make and a great source of protein. This recipe calls for leeks and basil, but any variety of herbs can be used. Fresh thyme or winter savory could replace the basil, and yellow onions or even scallions could be used in place of the leeks. For a dinner, round out the meal with some bread and a green salad.
You will need:
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons leeks,...
Meals for Four under $15: Budget Grocery Tip
We’re always looking for a way to save money on groceries and still make delicious meals. So when we found out that Whole Foods offers a booklet online, Meals for Four for under $15, we had to check it out. From ready-to-top pizza crusts and easy baking mixes to scallops in a delicious sauce, the recipes will help you get a great dinner on the table quickly and deliciously, with ingredients easily found at Whole Foods or other grocery or...
Chocolate Curls: DIY
Creamy curls of chocolate can make any dessert just that much better. Even if the dessert is nothing more than ice cream, chocolate curls can turn your dish from plain to fabulous and the best part is you don’t have to be a pro to make them
Odds are, you have all you need to make fabulous chocolate curls right at home. Here is what you need:
Make Your Own Flavored Sugars: Budget Food Tip
Flavored sugars are expensive and sometimes difficult to find. The next time you need vanilla flavored sugar, make your own. Simply take 1 cup granulated sugar and add a vanilla bean. Store the sugar in an air-tight container, and let sit for about a week before using. To use, give it a stir to evenly distribute the vanilla flavor. Remove vanilla bean and reserve for another use.
Vanilla flavored sugar is a great substitute for plain white...
Successful Warehouse Shopping: Budget Grocery Tip
A membership to a warehouse doesn’t automatically mean you’ll get the best prices. In fact, some items may end up costing more in bulk than they would at a discount or superstore. Following are five tips for successful warehouse shopping.
1. Make a list. If you have an idea of what items you need to purchase, you won’t end up overspending on impulse items or products you don’t need. It might also help to do a dry...
Natural Easter Egg Dyes: Budget Food Tip
Instead of buying the packaged dyes for your Easter eggs, why not try a natural approach? Using nature’s rainbow you can create eggs in a wonderful variety of colors – and using products you most likely already have in your pantry or refrigerator.
Before hard boiling, wash eggs with a mild soap and water to remove any dyes, chemicals or oil that might adversely affect the dyes.
You will need:
Hard-boiled eggs
White vinegar
CookThink.com: Home Trends
What : CookThink.com is a new recipe site that helps you find recipes by what you are craving.
What they say: “To find a recipe based on what you're craving, plug up to eight tags into our "cookthink it" search tool. You can do in this two ways. Type one tag at a time into the search bar and hit "return" on your keyboard. Or for some inspiration, just click on the ingredient, dish, cuisine and mood icons above and choose from a cloud...
Make Your Own Baking Powder: Budget Food Tip
Bread, muffins, biscuits, scones, cakes … if you frequently bake any of these from scratch, you probably have all the necessary ingredients on hand. But did you know that baking powder, the leavening agent that goes into these (and many other) recipes to help them “rise� can be made from scratch as well? Many bakers make their own fresh baking powder. What’s more, many commercial baking powder products contain aluminum...
Make Brown Sugar: Budget Grocery Tip
Brown sugar is a staple in many baking recipes, but did you know you can make it yourself at home? It’s quick, easy and more natural to make your own brown sugar, using ingredients most likely already in your pantry.
You’ll need:
1 cup white sugar
1-2 Tbsp. molasses (1 Tbsp. for light brown sugar and 2 Tbsp. for dark brown sugar)
To make:
Dump into a food processor or a medium mixing bowl and mix. If you are mixing by hand, use...
Expired Eggs: Budget Grocery Tip
Don’t throw out good eggs just because they have passed the marked expiration date on the carton. A simple at-home test can tell you if the eggs in your fridge are truly expired: Fill a large bowl with water and carefully lower the eggs in. A very fresh egg will immediately sink to the bottom and lie flat on its side. This is because the air cell within the egg is quite small. The egg should also feel heavy.
As eggs start to lose their...
Five Uses for Potatoes: Budget Food Tip
The humble spud. A steakhouse staple and frequent side dish at holiday dinners, the baking potato has more uses than you might think. Here are five not-so-common ways to use this common ingredient.
Pick up glass. The next time you need to pick up shattered or broken glass, try slicing a potato in half, then slide and blot it along the surface to pick up any small shards (use a flashlight to better see any small pieces).
Soak up excess salt. A...
Homemade Pancake Mix: Budget Grocery Tip
There’s no need to buy that boxed, premixed pancake/biscuit mix when you can make it yourself – plus it’s cheaper and fresher, too. In a Mason jar or a container with a tight-fitting lid, combine:
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3 tsp baking powder
1 T salt
2 T sugar
Shake to mix. Store tightly sealed in the refrigerator, and use within three months.
To make pancakes:
Measure 2 cups of mix into a...
Flavored Coffee: Budget Food Tip
We like our flavored coffee as much as the next person, but those designer drinks get expensive after a while. Here’s an easy way to make your own flavored coffee.
Use pure flavor extracts to add flavor to your next cup of Joe. McCormick makes a great variety of extracts, including almond, amaretto, raspberry and vanilla, all for around $4 each (the price of one designer coffee!) and available at any grocery store. The pure extracts are...
Absinthe: Entertaining Trend
What: From TrendCentral, “After making its debut in the US for the first time in a century, absinthe has become the latest adult beverage to lure the cocktail crowd. As a result, absinthe tasting parties are now popping up as the latest in retro entertainment, similar to how fondue parties have been trendy in recent years. Produced using traditional distillation methods and ingredients, including wormwood, only two brands of absinthe...
The Look for Less: Green Spring Cleaning
Its about that time to plan your spring cleaning, but this year, do it green. A lot of your favorite cleaning brands offer earth-friendly alternatives to harsher chemicals, which makes it better for you and the earth. Also, read our posts on how to make your own earth-friendly oven cleaner, window cleaner, and toilet cleaner. The best part is, all of the products and ideas are budget-friendly too. Here are some of our favorite green cleaning...