Free Food -- It's out there people!

...And I'm going to tell you where/how to get it! Kathy suggested this idea when I first told her about some freebies I get and even if this isn't available to you in you area, maybe you can take some of the ideas and put them into action.

The first place is church--oh yeah! Now, I'm Christian and I go to a Baptist church, but this will apply to any religious group that gathers regularly. I get most of my breakfast right after/during morning bible study! Coffee, pastries, etc. Yum! After the church service, its time to go downstairs again for a light lunch (they usually have cheese slices, bagels, and fruit) and also to get some very important freebies. My church has a deal with our local Panera bread store that someone from our church will come in on Friday and pick up a huge crate of leftover bread. Then on Sunday this crate is put out during fellowship and people are invited to take bags of the bread, rolls, bagels, and other goodies. This has really helped my family save money and live more frugally in these difficult economic times. I am so grateful that someone thought of this idea.

Next freebie place: work. I work in an office and coincidentally (or not) I am a serious coffee AND tea drinker. This takes care of me all day, which means, not only do I not have to transport my own beverage from home, but I'm not tempted to buy one from the dining room when I'm tired of plain water. Besides this offering, I recently found out that my company allows employees to take one piece of handfruit (ie a banana, apple, or other) from the dining hall every morning for free! I usually bring this fruit home or have it at lunch since I've already eaten breakfast in the morning.

Other things I always keep an eye out for are special events at restaurants and other retail places. It's always fun to go out and also get a special treat!

Let us know where you find your free food!

Alison
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Frugal Update!

Hi All!

So unfortunately, the reason I haven't updated is because there hasn't really been anything to update about... last Sunday, the coupons were so tragic that I didn't even clip any.

However, I have had a turn around of luck, which I'd like to share with all of you.  I'll be doing some couponing tomorrow and things to look forward to are: free SoyJoy bars ($.50each at CVS, buy either 5 or 6 for free w/ $3 off 5 printable online), free blockbuster movie rental (Bird's Eye Voila! Moms promotion--submit a paragraph and picture of your mom, receive a printable coupon via email about 1 month later), and hopefully 25 free picture prints at RiteAid!

Also, free ice cream social to benefit the "Make A Wish" foundation, tonight from 5pm to 8pm at Coldstone Creamery.

Alison
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Fun, Frugal, and Retro Recipes!

Now, when I say retro, I don't exactly mean what everyone else does...I go way back. Think 1924 ala Fannie Farmer! For those of you who don't know, she was the legendary founder of the Boston Cooking school and author of several versions of her own cookbook. I found a totally free, online version at: http://bartleby.com/87/

See? You're saving money already--I saved you from buying a cookbook! My favorite recipes in here are the simplest. Pancakes, biscuts, and potato recipes are great for beginners. She just states everything so clearly. Well, except baking instructions...since she was working on a woodstove/oven you're going to have to guess.

Being frugal starts with being simple to me. That doesn't necessarily mean protein, potatoes, and veg every night! Being creative is important too. I just try not to get to bogged down in details.

My new motto: simple fun, simple finances, simple food.

Cheers,
Ali

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Frugal Lessons: Don't buy what you don't need

On Saturday I went to Stop and Shop. Now, that in itself was a mistake, because shopping on the weekends is pretty much hell, but what can you do.  Anyway, the best deals I saw in the flyer were for lean cuisine (half price), Prince Pasta (I have so much pasta already), Thomas' English Muffins (I'm all set on breakfast food for months), etc.  Basically, instead of shopping we grabbed the few things we needed: Ground Beef, Pork Chops, Paper Napkins, Eggs, and Coconut Milk.  Now, the meat was on sale, so it was as good a deal as you can get at Stop and Shop, but we could have gotten a better deal on Napkins and Coconut Milk.  On the other hand, we didn't notice we were out of napkins until we were out, so we really needed them, and we use coconut milk so infrequently that buying it when we don't explicitly need it isn't the best idea.  I think the only thing we got that wasn't on our list was Cambell's tomato soup, but it was on sale and we had thought about buying it anyway.

I could have gotten more free pasta-roni, but I haven't eaten all the rest of the pasta-roni I got for free.  I could have gotten some relatively cheap pasta but I still have a ton from when it went on sale at Shaws.  I could have grabbed some English Muffins, which I love, but If I don't drastically reduce the number of cereal boxes in the top of our coat closet my roommate might kill me.  Sometimes the best thing to do is not to buy it, even if its a great deal.


What really good deals have you resisted lately?
~Katharine


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