Left Over Soup

Yesterday, I decided to skip another trip to the fabric store.  I need one more piece of fabric for mom's skirt and some plastic bobbins but I can go early next week. It was an overcast day as you can see in the photo; the kind of day that calls for home made soup.

The church steeple is undergoing a face list. It's height has been increased by at least 10 feet and it now has a Celtic style cross which lights up at night. I like the changes.

I had to throw out some veggies earlier this week because I've been too busy to cook them. I resolved to use up some of rest in the crisper before they go bad too.

The soup simmering on the stove.  The sheen on the top comes from the overhead light, not oil.

Ingredients:

- 3/4 cup brown rice
- 2 cleaned and diced carrots
- 2 cleaned and diced stalks of celery
- 1/2 cup red quinoa (uncooked. This was left over from Thanksgiving)
- 1 medium chopped onion
- 1 large can of stewed tomatoes
- 1 medium-large can of kidney beans (rinsed)
- 1/2 cup cooked cabbage left over from earlier in the week
- splashes of hot sauce and soy sauce to taste
- water (as needed and depending how thick you want your soup)


First, boil the brown rice and water together for 15 minutes or so.  Brown rice takes longer to cook so it needs a head start.

When the rice is boiling, add diced carrots, onion and red quinoa and let all the ingredients boil together for another 20-30 minutes.  Next, add the rinsed canned beans, tomatoes, left over cabbage, hot sauce and soy sauce.

After boiling together for a few minutes, do a taste test and add more hot sauce and a very small bit of sugar to cut the heat if needed.  There was only a wee bit of hot sauce left in my bottle but it was a little too much so I added a about 2 teaspoons of sugar. Finally, simmer everything together for another 10-15 minutes or until the brown rice is fully cooked.

The soup is very tasty and healthy.  There is no oil and no added salt, other than what is in the prepared sauces in this soup.  There is also no meat but it is high in protein with brown rice, red quinoa and kidney beans.  Finally, this soup is very easy on the budget.

This week I hope to link up with Homemaker on a Dime when the new linky opens.

Frugal Finds This Week

How many of you have ever shopped and been overcharged for items? I usually watch the scanner when I'm paying for items so I can "catch" the errors. Often there are errors in the posted sale prices and the price at the till when the item is scanned.  Have you found that too?

This month I decided to track my household spending for groceries and all kinds of household items. I had kept my receipts and hope to do this for the next few months to see where my household funds are going. This is not a task I really enjoy but this year I want to see what I can really save on needless expenditures.

This is a sample of cheese from the company that made my purchase.

In creating my list, I discovered something that made my jaw drop. I paid $11.00 for a very small amount of Brie cheese. Now some small wedges of Brie at my local grocery store can cost that much and more. However I would not knowingly pay that amount and was certain I had selected something less expensive. Fortunately I still had some of the cheese and the original bar code and price label.  In checking my receipt, I discovered I had overpaid by about $4.50 (Canadian).  On another trip to the same store, the clerk mentioned I should simply bring in the receipt and the wrapping and I will receive my refund. Normally I would catch this kind of mistake right away but in this case, I was distracted by the friendly cashier when she was scanning my items at check out ;-) (Savings 4.50)

I haven't calculated all the food purchases for the week. I haven't actually purchased much other than 20 pounds of brown rice which will last me for a long time. I should have bought a smaller bag as we head into the warmer months and brown rice can go rancid. I also purchased some milk, cereals and bananas. I will add these to my monthly expenditures. I already know that my food bill for the month is higher than usual because I purchased more for the pantry than I do most months due to sales. This month I've purchased a variety of canned beans, canned tomatoes & canned soup. These will last for many months. I also bought a few cans of ground coffee. I still need to buy a large jug of cooking oil.

How many of you collect points at your favourite stores so you can use the points for purchases on items you need later?

This week I purchased over $40. (Canadian) of items at my local pharmacy. The cashier asked me if I had received any offer of points. I said 'yes' but I didn't have the points coupon with me. He suggested I return the following day with the coupon and ask the owner for a credit. Since the story is close to my home, I did exactly that.  The owner kindly gave me 9000 points instead of the 8000 points I was looking for. Now I have enough points (22,000 +) to get $30 off of a future purchase at the pharmacy.  I will wait to use the points until I need bread, milk, butter, eggs, bacon and household items like glass cleaner, toilet paper, plastic wrap so I can spend all the points at once.  This is the best way to get the full value of the points (so I've been told and so I've learned). (Savings $10.)

I also need to follow up on the store's head office because I made a large purchase in March for which I was to get 20x the points.  I don't think I received the credit.  A simple phone call will determine whether the error is the store's or mine.  A store error means another $10.value in points toward a future purchase.

I think probably most of you shop around for clothing bargains and I'm no different. In preparation for a trip to see mom, she asked me to purchase some clothing for her and she gave me a modest budget.  She primarily wanted some colourful summer tops.

I managed to buy 4 tops, 3 summery sweaters (she gets a chill easily), 3 necklaces and a pair of earrings. The grand total was $111. (Canadian, including taxes).  Shipping was free (normal cost about $10.) and I didn't have to travel to the store and browse the aisles because I ordered on line. Total savings on this shop was $200.  That's astounding!  The very next day, most of these items were back to the full price. It pays to watch the sales. As an added bonus, I will get some points toward a monetary credit to buy things later in the year. I think I will use it for heavy sweaters or nightgowns for winter wear. (Savings $210.)

I never think of savings in a fabric store unless I specifically go as a result of sale. The only fabric store that remains in my big city doesn't have fabric sales as such, but they do have clearance and remnant items.

I am not a seamstress but I do mend clothing and I make simple skirts for my mother. This week I did some fabric shopping in the remnant section for fabric to make skirts and other items like simple vests (savings of approximately $12.00). I also purchased 6 meters of snakeskin printed fabric for $1.00 a meter (a savings of $10. a meter!). (Total savings on fabric $72.00)

Do any of you shop on line for books? You can often get free shipping if you purchase $25. on Amazon (or like companies).  I mostly purchase books at the thrift store where I can get books for $1 to $3.  On a rarer occasion, I can purchase a book for 25 or 50 cents.  If I want a particular book though, I will likely have to buy it in a bookstore or on line. Recently, I wanted a particular book on the Dead Sea Scrolls. I also wanted a memoir of Elspeth Huxley who grew up in Kenya in the early 1900s.

I ordered the books on line and they were delivered to my door within a week. I saved about $12. on the cost of the books and approximately $7. on the shipping. (Total savings $19.)

When you go on a flight do you search the internet for air travel deals or ask your travel agent to investigate a cheaper fare if the first fares he/she quotes you are too high? I know many people who cross the border from Canada into the USA to get a cheaper flight.  I don't go that far.  I like to get to my airport in half an hour; not spend hours getting to the departure airport.

This week I investigated air fares on line then called my travel agent to book. I managed to save about $300 on the air fare.  However I spent some of the savings ($93) by paying for pre-booked seat because I like to ensure I get aisle seats for long trips.  It makes it easier for me to do chair exercises and to get up and walk around the plane whenever I wish. Anyone who suffers from swelling of the lower extremities needs to be careful when travelling long distances. (Total savings $203.)

Total savings this week: $518.50* Not bad. 

I'm always looking to stretch a dollar and this week I feel like I hit the "jackpot".

 

Of course, most weeks I am not buying books, clothes, fabrics and air tickets. Most of the time my savings are far more modest.  But by paying attention and shopping around when one does need to spend we can make significant savings.

Not everything was a "win" this week.  Sadly I did had to throw out about $7.00 worth of vegetables (Total savings minus $7. = $511.50). 

Normally I do not waste vegetables but this week I could not seem to keep up to vegetables and some strawberries before they went soft and moldy.  Sometimes fresh produce doesn't last very long at all before they go bad. If I wasn't busy out of house this week, I likely would have made some soups with the veggies and snacked on the strawberries.

In these economic times, most of us rely on saving on daily needs to help us through the month.  I'm looking for savings everywhere I can to help fund my upcoming travels and also to help all my sponsored kids in Zambia, Ethiopia and Kenya. 

If you are thinking about sponsoring a child but haven't yet done so and have questions, please feel free to contact me. I love to encourage people to sponsor a child or a family if they can.

 

* I adjusted this amount upwards as I had forgotten to include the $10./meter savings on the snakeskin pattern fabric I bought.