Bread crumbs and cubes

Need bread crumbs? First off, don't buy them! They're just what they say: bread crumbs. If you ever have bread in the house, you have bread crumbs. If you need more than what is in the bottom of the bread sack, put a slice or two on a plate and set it on the refrigerator or other out of the way place for a few days, or put them in the oven on very low. Spread them thinly and they'll dry faster. Do you need bread cubes (croutons)? Cut into cubes, season and bake at a low temperature until they're crisp.

Don't forget the bottom line

It's simple. When your income won't cover your outgo, you have two choices. Increase your income or decrease your outgo. Neither one may be easy, but one of the two has to be done, unless you're opting for bankruptcy or homelessness.

Keeping cut flowers

Got a bouquet of flowers? Keep it looking fresh. First, cut the stems at a 45 degree angle, and get them in water as quickly as you can. Remove all leaves that are below the water level. Replace water before it becomes cloudy and recut the flowers every third or fourth day. Add something to it to delay the growth of bacteria: A copper penny, an aspirin or a few drops of vinegar.

Happy almost Thanksgiving!

Now (just before Thanksgiving) is the time to stock up on flour and spices and other baking things. Most stores will be having sales on those as well as good deals on turkey and ham, too. Watch the other things though... you could lose all your savings by paying too much for fruit and nuts.

Make the most of your Thanksgiving turkey

If you're having the traditional turkey dinner for Thanksgiving, you'll be needing ideas for leftovers soon! But don't try to eat it all up right after Thanksgiving. Around February, turkey starts looking good again. Pull the meat off the bone and freeze it until later, then boil the carcass until it falls apart. Take out the bones, strain the broth and pick out the smaller pieces of meat that stuck to the bones. Freeze these small pieces covered with some of the broth and you'll have excellent starter for turkey and noodles or turkey and rice or turkey and vegetable soup.

Countdown to Thanksgiving

Over the river and through the woods... maybe not. But surely down the street or over the land in an airplane. Traveling with kids over the holidays can add to the stress. Don't let it; let your kids take along a favorite toy or book for comfort. Don't buy anything new for the occasion, the kids need something familiar and you don't need to add more stress to your budget.

A couple of months???

Wow, has it been that long? How time flies when you're having fun. Or busy. Or not. Old age... anyway. You did save your Halloween pumpkins? Now's the time to bake them, puree them and use the pulp just like you would canned pumpkin. Cheaper. Better. More frugal. :)

Are you extremely frugal?

Are you? Sometimes I am; sometimes I am not. That's human nature. With Christmas coming up in a couple of months, the shopping spirit comes alive for most of us, frugal or not. Now's the time to hold tight. Make a gift budget and stick to it. Plan now before the fever hits. If you haven't already bought gifts, make lists and pay attention to costs. Start watching grocery sales for things you will need for Christmas dinner or parties and get them while the price is lowest.

Get the last of the ketchup...

If you're frugal, you want to use up all those bits of tomato sauce, ketchup or chutney etc., that come in bottles. If you add a little vinegar and shake, the liquid will pour out. Use it for marinades or sauces. Garlic, onion and other spices makes it gourmet and no one will know.

Simple frugal rules

Simple frugal rule number one: Spend more time on the things that save you more.

Simple frugal rule number two: Spend less time doing the things that don't save very much.