frugal meals - cutting chicken

I thought this week I would share with y’all something we do at our house to cut down (pardon the pun) on the cost of chicken. We cook a lot of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and my mom has found that slicing the chicken in half (lengthwise) helps the chicken cook more evenly and it stretches farther. With the obvious exception of teenage boys, most people are actually satisfied with half a chicken breast, rather than a whole one, and most of them don’t even realize that what they’ve been served is only half of what people usually serve!

This little tip is one of many that has saved us quite a bit of money in the kitchen. I’d love to hear some of y’all’s ideas!

Bekah’s Bookshelf

Hello, ladies!

As I was posting some items for sale over on the bookshelf forum I realized that I don’t think I’ve ever shared the forum info with y’all.

Bekah’s Bookshelf is an online swap/sale forum -  mostly for homeschool goods, but also for just basic family-friendly items. No posting fees. No selling fees. No ads. (I used to sell used books and curriculum on consignment, but when we moved to a smaller house there wasn’t room for a full-fledged business anymore.)

It’s small right now, but growing. The more people who join and post, the more stuff there is to select from and the more people to be interested in your items!

I just posted some clothes that have made it out of the closets and are sitting in a cardboard box on my bedroom floor.  Later this week I’ll be posting some more books and videos.

Stop on by and take a peek! You do have to join the forum to sell, but it’s completely free.

Thanksgiving place cards

Hello, ladies!

I hope y’all all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.

One of my tasks each year is to make place cards and decorate the table for Thanksgiving dinner, and I thought I’d share some photos of the place cards.

I took basic craft tags, covered them in brown paper bag, and decorated them using two colors of paper, two stamps, two markers, and one decorative paper punch. The result was 10 place cards that complemented each other with their matching colors and similar designs, and yet none were identical. (I did this on Thanksgiving morning and was a tag short, so I didn’t create one for myself.)

When the tags were finished I rolled up white napkins and tied the tags to them with pieces of twine. The result was a napkin holder/place card in autumn colors that added a simple decoration to each place setting.

FreeRice.com

I came across a website yesterday that I wanted to share with y’all. It’s called Freerice.com and the purpose of the site is to send rice to people in third-world countries . . . while helping site visitors boost their vocabulary!

When you open the page, you’ll be presented with a vocabulary word followed by multiple choice answers. After you answer the first three questions the system will determine your starting vocabulary and will give you new words according to that level of difficulty. Get three in a row right and you’ll move up a level. Miss one and you’ll be bumped down. And for each vocabulary word you get right, FreeRice will send 10 grains of rice to someone in a third-world country!

Increase your vocabulary and help feed the needy at the same time!

There are 50 difficulty levels, though the site FAQ’s mention that most people don’t make it over level 48. I played for about 5-10 minutes, answered 20 of 23 questions correctly, and was at level 39 when I had to stop to take care of some chores. When my mom stopped after some 3000 grains of rice, she was at level 45. Let me know how high you get!

Fall Photos

Frugal Fridays - free health and beauty product samples

How clean is your water? Find out with this water test strip.

And while you’re testing your water, why not find out how hard or soft it is?

Clean and Clear facial scrub

Dentek Oral Care samples

Head and Shoulders shampoo sample

Maybelline Superstay Silky foundation sample

mystery shampoo from Proctor & Gamble

Jergens lotion sample pack

Holiday Issue 2007

Hello, ladies!

I wanted to let y’all know that A Lady in Waiting has “published” a special holiday issue available via download. This special issue is packed with articles, ideas, and inspiration on Christmas, Hanukkah, and Thanksgiving . . . recipes, gift ideas, favorite holiday traditions, and more! As I was putting this issue together it kept growing and finalized at 24 pages - 8 pages more than our print issues!

You can purchase a copy here for $3.00 - if you’re a subscriber, this issue is free as my gift to you.

I also want to let y’all know about a great sale my friend Kristy Howard over at The Homemaker’s Cottage is holding this week. Kristy has compiled several cookbooks that she sells in e-book format and is offering them half-price for the week of November 12-17.

I’ve read through the first of these cookbooks and was delighted with the simplicity and practicality of the recipes and ideas. Although Kristy’s recipes use mostly whole foods, she’s also not above including a recipe or two that may include a “box-mix” cake or other not-quite-from-scratch ingredient. Her first book, Meals for a Month, Volume 1, begins with an overview of menu planning and her ideas on lunches. The four following chapters each open with one or two breakfast ideas, followed by recipes for that week’s meals.

The way Kristy has written out the week’s menus is the best part about this book! Each day has a full dinner menu - main dish, side dish if appropriate, and sometimes even dessert. Included throughout the menus are “Timesaver Tips” that let the cook know when to make extra and save it to be used later in the week, what ingredients can be prepared the night before, etc. This is a great tool for someone new to menu planning or even a veteran menu-planner who just wants to let someone else handle the job for a little while. Kristy makes it simple to serve well-balanced, nutritious meals for your family without having to put a lot of thought into the menu!

Be sure to visit The Homemaker’s Cottage while these e-books are on sale . . . every order this week comes with a free copy of the e-book Every Homemaker’s Guide to the Kitchen.

The Tea Room

The Tea Room at A Lady in Waiting is now open! Come by for a visit.

Your ideas are welcome, so send a note with your recipes, articles, reviews, and other tea ideas.

(Today is the last day of the Autumn Extravaganza, so don’t forget to stop by!)

Autumn Extravaganza

The sale is live!

The Autumn Extravaganza has now officially begun. Thursday’s article on writing thank-you notes is up…if you’re interested in reading that, make sure you do it today as the article will change tomorrow. The gift of the day is  Journeys of Faithfulness by Sarah Clarkson - all orders placed today will have an opportunity to win a copy of this fabulous book (I actually read the whole thing in one sitting when I received my copy several years ago. )

Swing by the sale page for a visit! And while you’re there, make sure you drop me a note about one of your favorite holiday traditions - it may be featured in the magazine.