Breakfast for Days!

Lately, Shane and I have both been on hectic work schedules leaving us to buy a biscuit or hope there's breakfast at work. Not exactly such a good plan. I'd always seen those make-ahead-freezer breakfast burritos flying around on pinterest and thought I'd try my own Egg McMuffin version.

I'm not the hugest fan of regular sausage patties, toooooo greasy for my likings and I've recently been trying to use egg whites in conjunction with our scrambled eggs to cut the cholesterol and up the health factor.

So were born a rather DELICIOUS batch of breakfast sandwiches that we can grab for crazy week day mornings!

Freezer Breakfast Sandwiches
16 english muffins (Kroger had these bad boys on sale 4 6 packs for 5 dollars!, Price per Unit, $0.21)
16 slices of cheese (1.99 per pack, $4.00, ppu $0.25)
8 eggs and half of a large carton of egg beaters (I already had this, but I'd estimate that you could use a whole carton of either and the cost would be around $4.00, ppu $0.25)
16 Turkey Sausage Patties ($5.00, ppu $0.31)
Plastic Wrap, 200 feet ($1.99, ppu $0.01)
Sandwich Bags, 100 ct ($1.99, ppu $.02)

1. Toast all muffins and top with cheese (be careful not to close the tops on the cheese otherwise they get stuck together. Yeah. I did this. DA.)
2. Line the turkey sausage patties up on a large cookie sheet and broil for 7 minutes, flipping once halfway through. Add these on top of cheese.
3. Scramble the eggs/eggwhites after seasoning with salt and pepper. I left mine a little runny, knowing that they would firm up in the microwave on reheating.
4. Add a scoop of eggs on top of the sausage and immediately close with the top half of the muffin.
5. Wrap muffins in plastic wrap and stick in a sandwich bag and into the freezer they go!

To Reheat, let thaw out a bit on way to work (30 min-1 hr) and nuke for 70 sec.

Cost for all supplies (I had 6 leftover muffins, and tons of leftover plastic wrap and bags): $22.00
Cost per Sandwich: $1.05
Cost of Chickfila Biscuit: $2.29
Cost of Mickey D's McGriddle Combo: $6.00 and one heart attack.

A Little Couscous Goes a Long Way

My new favorite thing is Couscous. Its yum, its relatively healthy, and best of all-- its CHEAP! Yesterday at lunch I was in that place where you just kind of have to throw random shiz from your pantry together to make something and this came out quite nicely! Plus it made enough to feed pharoah's army, I'll end up eating it for at LEAST 3 lunches. I've priced it out so you can see the cost per recipe and cost per serving, in true Diva on a Dollar Style. 

Couscous Fagioli

1 box Garlic and Olive Oil Couscous ($1.49 at Aldi)

1 can of Italian diced tomatoes, drained (75 cents, Kroger)

1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained (99 cents, Wal-Mart)

grated powdered parm cheese, to taste (approx $2 for the whole can at Aldi)

2 tbsp Zesty Italian dressing ($1.89 for the whole bottle at Aldi)

Make Couscous as directed, stir in all other ingredients and enjoy hot, or refrigerate (I fridge'd mine). 

Total Recipe Cost (with TONS of cheese and dressing leftover to use for other economical recipes) = $7.12

Total Cost per Serving (4 servings)= $1.78

Southwest Couscous

1 box of couscous, whatever flavor you want-- I'd prb use the garlic and olive oil again....

1 can of diced tomatos opt

1 can of black beans

1 can of corn or mexicorn

Southwest Ranch Dressing to taste

Directions: Same as above

Total Recipe Cost (w/o tomatoes) = $5.16

Total Cost Per serving= $1.29

My Life, Re-purposed...

One of the things I crave in this life is having a purpose. A reason I'm here. To be indisposable to someone. To add purpose and joy, perhaps, to someone else's life. In my 25 years of living, I'd say that my greatest purposes have been as a family member and friend. I define myself as a daughter, a niece, a cousin, a sister, a best friend, but when examining closely, I realize that I define myself only in relation to others.

Re-purposing, for those of you who don't watch HGTV, is a common (and somewhat of a buzz word right now) term for taking one thing and making it into another (hopefully at little to no cost)....  Re-purping, as it is fondly called by my best friend Anne-Miller and me, is one of my favorite past times. It brings life to old, outdated things, and excitement to the people who get to transform or use the things for a new purpose. Anne-Miller and I  have re-purposed a number of things over the course of our friendship... making old jewelry into new jewelry, bringing my mother's kitchen back to life, re-defining friendships and relationships to bring in new purper's to our club (Braden this means you), re-arranging furniture, painting my room raspberry pink (when we were in high school.).... and it's become a bonding thing for us. We thrive off of each other's creativity and ideas, but the best thing is that our projects always turn out exactly the way we want them to (or better!). At the end of any given project that we've done, always follow the words "I would have bought this in a store!!" or "I would have paid someone to do this!"....

There's nothing like the feeling of that perfectly finished re-purp, except maybe the journey that you took to get there. Anne-Miller and I are going to be starting a website, that will take you through the ever-creative journey of our re-purposed lives, adventures, jewelry, furniture, home makeovers, and everything else along the way..... (stay tuned for more details and web address)

The best thing about re-purposing is that, like life, it is a never-ending cycle. You can choose to leave some of the old characteristics with the new piece or make it something totally different and unrecognizable. You can leave a hint of what it was, while still making it what it is, and leave possibilities open for what it can become. I am going to re-purpose my life, and define it in relation to me, Callie the Creative, the crafty, the (still) best friend and faithful family member. I will be part of what I was, I will be excited about who I am, and I will be open to what I can become.

Deal of the Week!- NYC City Curls Mascara

I’m so picky about Mascara. I nearly fainted when Maybelline discontinued Sky High Curves. Luckily, to keep me from hanging myself, Rimmel came out with Sexy Curves, and all was well again. The week that I moved into my apartment, I had spent, well, a little too much from doing the obligatory, first –week- in- new- place grocery run and in perfect, I’m so broke timing, I ran out of mascara. I had 7 dollars left for the pay period. I had no wine. I had no mascara. What’s a girl to DOOOOOOO? Making me choose between Wine and Mascara is like making me choose between Heath Ledger (Rest In Peace) and Ryan Gosling. Either way you go, you’re going to wish you had chosen the other one.
I went to Walmart figuring maybe I could find some way to snag both, and thankfully for my sanity, I ran across my new best friend. NYC City Curls Mascara. For the Bargain Price of only $2.64!!!!!!!! I was so excited that I had found any mascara at all for that price, I think I may have done a Hurkee in the middle of the makeup aisle. But, I wondered, does it WORK like it costs 2.64? I checked out and got immediately in the car to apply, and save anyone else from having to see me with blonde eyelashes. Lo and Behold, It works, just as well as my beloved Rimmel. I was so excited I had to share. For the price and performance, NYC City Curls Mascara is SOOOOOO the Diva on the Dollar Deal of the Week.

Guest Post: Dining on a Dime (or less!)

The below post is compliments of my roomie and fellow frugal mcdougal, Katie Corsetti. Read more on her blogs, The Abbreviated Confessions of a Twenty-Something and Better With Bacon.

Enjoy!

When dining out, it seems that restaurants are just giving away home necessities.  They do this to make sure you are completely satisfied in your choice to go to their location and consume their products. Well, the last time you went to Chick-fil-a and you needed ketchup, didn’t you notice that it was already sitting on the counter behind you along with other dining accoutrements? Here’s my few tips and tricks to save a few bucks on free stuff that we as consumers already pay for because they are built into the  cost of the food


 Any time you get a meal always ask for the accoutrements or take more than you need if they are on the counter / table. For example:

 Ketchup, mayo, and mustard packets

  Jelly and jams packets / tins

  Napkins

Salt and pepper packets

 Any sauce you may enjoy (EX: Polynesian, honey mustard, BBQ etc etc)

 Sugar packets

 Creamers (some may be iffy about this because it is dairy, however, I deem it to be fine because it’s been sitting on the counter for a hot minute anyway, plus its been packaged)

   Mints

   Matches

Think about it.  These dining necessities are already built into the cost of the meal.  The restaurant has to make a profit after everything is all said and done.  So what do they do? They make all the above “free” to you but in reality, they over price the meals to make up the difference. Therefore, since you have already purchased a meal, you can use as much or as little as you need of any of these items.  Restaurants bank on the fact that most people won’t ask for any or only need a few of these, so what’s the difference if you snag a few more?  For things like ketchup and jelly, I bring these to work so that my snack cabinet in my cube is stocked.  Now I don’t have to buy an extra ketchup and jelly, plus I don’t have to keep it in the work fridge (ours gets emptied every Friday. BUMMER!) I’m not saying to take 3 handfuls or ask for 20 packs of anything, but if you snag a few extra, no one will notice or care


Get a meal big enough for you to eat only half…then take the 2^nd half home as left-overs! Now you have two (sometimes even 3!) meals from one AND you’re not over stuffed at the dinner table (bonnnusss) You’ve just turned one $7.79 dinner into three $2.60 meals


  Anytime you eat somewhere that gives you a “starter” or what I like to call “filler” such as bread, corn bread, rolls, or chips and salsa, ask for another basket (its free!! Read: built into the price of your meal already) and take it home with the 2^nd half of your leftovers.  Now you have bread / rolls to add to your next meal or just stick the bread in the food-pro and make them into bread crumbs for frying your chicken in


  If you order a drink like coke, tea or sprite, always get a to-do drink! (sorrryyyy the law says no to-go margaritas or beerskis…. sadtrombone.com ) You’ve already paid for it and most places will give you free refills. To get the most bang for your buck, ask for no-ice and you can take it home to add your own ice.  Ice fills up the cup and you are robbed almost 50% of the drink!! Rude! This also goes for drive-thru drinks too!


Anytime you go to the grocery store or to target, save the bags!! Use them as garbage bags in your bathroom.  Take your lunch to work in them.  Bring food to a friend’s house in them. You can use these bags for everything and anything. They are so handy and now you don’t have to purchase a lunchbox OR trash bags for your small trashcan in your bedroom/bathroom. They were given to you fo’ free!

This last one is not  food related, but, I’ve found that if you go to a hotel and stay more than one night, put the shampoo and conditioners in your bag. The house keeping will replenish it in the morning! Or, you can call down to the front desk and ask for more. These are also built into the cost of the room. Now you have shampoo and conditioners for when you travel to places without housekeeping and you don’t have to buy / bring it. It makes your travel bag lighter and saves you a little extra cash!

Call me frugal. Call me cheap. Call me a penny pincher. Call me whatever you want. All I know is that over time I’ve saved at least $100 on NOT purchasing the above items, but instead using what I already paid for and not feeling guilty about it!  Try it out! 

Tell your bank account you’re welcome in advance, 

Katie

I. Heart. Aldi.

My newest serious relationship is with Aldi, the discount food store. I've put Chipotle on the back burner, it just wasn't working for me anymore. I went on a date with Aldi last week, when I needed some stuff for breakfast and it was right next to my oil change place. At first glance, it's a little weird and I was iffy on it. I knew the stuff was cheap, but I'd never tried it before, so I was leery of the quality. Was this really too good to be true? I decided to have our second date last night, since I ran out of totinos party pizzas, and have been in desperate need of groceries since I moved into the new place about 3 weeks ago. Last night absolutely sealed the deal for me. Nearly everything I bought was close to half the price of what it would have been at Wal-Mart or Kroger (excluding sales or coupons, but still!) I walked out of Aldi with a stocked pantry, for 56 dollars. I bet you I won't have to buy groceries for a month. (True or False?: I immediately called my mom and my roommate to tell them about my savings, and was shrieking like a little girl. TRUE.)

If you're expecting a regular grocery store I have to mention that there are a few small quirks about my new boyfriend Aldi, that if you didn't know at first, might skew your perception of its fantastic-ness. One, you must have a quarter to get a buggy (don't worry, it gives it back at the enddd), two, there are no baskets, and three, there are no shopping bags-- you have to BYO or they have boxes for you at checkout. They also tend not to have obscure items (I couldn't find quick grits or Catalina Dressing)...But if you can get past these quirks and open your mind to the savings, you'll be absolutely amazed.

Items of Note: Ground Turkey- $1.49/lb, Winking Owl Cabernet- $2.62,  English Muffins, 6 count- 99c, Rice Krispie Treats (yes I eat like a kid, don't judge me) 8 count- 99c, Frozen Chicken Pot Pie- 59c ( I have no idea if this will be good, but for 59c, I figured it was worth a try!)

Being the Self-Professed Wino that I am, I have to stop for a second and rave about the Cabernet. It was the smoothest red wine I've had in a whileeeeeeee. I'd say, very comparable to a Kendall Jackson level, but a bit sweeter, which suited my tastes fine. No bite at all, which is super unusual for cheap red wine! Perfect to serve while entertaining, and if you're looking to buy in bulk, a six-bottle case is around 16 dollars! For $2.62, its my Diva on a Dollar Deal of the Week!

Try Aldi, I know you'll love it as much as I do!

** Side Note... After raving about it when I got home, my roommate decided to try Aldi as well for her evening grocery run and had just as much success as I did!

Groceries 101

First of all, I don't get the deal with couponing. Well actually, scratch that. I do get it if you have a large family, or a large residence to store the 24,000 rolls of toilet paper that you bought at a nickel each.
But seeing as how I have neither, I think couponing is actually quite bogus. When that TLC show first came out, I wanted to quit my job and become a professional coup-er. No Lie.The idea of getting a free anything is almost better than sex to me, so needless to say, I was quite interested in the whole process of clipping and saving.
But after some further research, in most cases, it's just cheaper for me to buy the Store Brand. I'm single and I usually only need one of whatever item I'm buying. I get that I'm the exception and that most people operate on a multi-person lifestyle, but not me. I'm ridin solo, and gettin some sweet ass bargains on the way.

So here we go: A list of rules to follow when grocery shopping. In most cases, I get out of the store for 30 bucks or less and this lasts me about 2 weeks. I do eat out intermittently, cause I'm having a very serious love affair with Chipotle, but I figure no one eats EVERY meal at home, right?? (i hope?)

Rule #1. The Kroger Brand Rocks my Socks Off.
ok-- for those of you who don't have Kroger, insert Wal-Mart and move on with your day.
They make almost everything, and it's always just as good, if not better once you doctor it up with some spices.  Now, there is a smallll catch when using the Kroger Brand Specifically. They have 2 Store Brands. The Kroger Value Brand  and the other, more expensive Kroger Brand (I've linked, so if you don't know, you can check out the difference). Here's the catch: the cheaper brand is actually WAAAAAAAAYYY better quality in my experience. Perfect example, Peanut Butter. KVB tastes like Peter Pan, Regular Kroger Brand, tastes like carboard blended with Peanuts.

Rule #2. Know Your Stores
This may be hard for some of you who don't LOVE to shop like I do, but I highly recommend at least getting equipped with the bargain store landscape of your area. The more you frequent stores, the more you know what's cheaper, where. If you always went to Wal-Mart, you might not know, for example, that a bag of 8 frozen chicken breasts is almost a buck fifty cheaper at Aldi than at Roll Back Central. (Btw, the total price at Aldi is $5.84. totaling $1.36 per piece--I dare you to find a cheaper breast anywhere. Breast! hahahahaha- I kill myself!) And Ground Turkey is almost 3 bucks cheaper at Wal-Mart than at Kroger. If you plan your shopping trips and schedule accordingly, you can save some dough by traveling to the best place for the item you're looking for.

Rule #3. Plan Your Meals
Not only is this a money saver, but it's also a great time saver. I love it for just me, but I can only imagine the load it would take off if you had a family with a hectic schedule! I try to do it about two weeks at a time, but you can plan however fits your schedule best. For me it's easy to get 3 meals out of one dish, and if you plan, you don't have to eat them all right in a row, you can mix them up and then your tastebuds aren't sick of spaghetti 24/7. It's also great practice to turn leftovers into other meals. See my other blog for an example. as well as some additional laughs and general rowdiness. cheapcooking.com is a fantastic website that has great recipes, as well as money saving ideas, making Rule #3 an absolute breeze!

Of course I'll keep you updated on my specific fantastic finds, but these 3 rules are ones to live by, and a good foundation to build your bargain empire on. I like to refer to it as an "Empire", mainly because my pantry and my closet are the only "Empire's" I'll probably ever build....