Menu & Recipes for Week of September 13th

This week starts the cooler weather here in Texas. I have enjoyed watching the rain for the past three days. Horrible baseball weather - great baking weather!! Fall welcomes back all of my family's cool-weather, comfort foods. I am so excited to share them with you this season.

Have an a Fall-bulous week!

http://docs.google.com/View?id=dc7vbv4c_14gbz9hffp

Game Day Munchies

Football season has arrived. I know some of you are football widows, but I love football. Tonight's the kick-off and the game is on as I post this!

We do kick-off Sunday up right. I fix a nice breakfast and then start on the day's buffet of munchies. I make plenty to nibble on throughout the entire day. No, there is not a formal meal the remainder of the day (unless I make wings). There are Italian Sausage Balls, Turkey Roll-ups, Rotel Cheese Dip, Assorted chips, crackers, Football Brownies, Football Sugar Cookies, Vegetable Tray, and a Savory Dip. The recipes and tips are available at http://docs.google.com/View?id=dc7vbv4c_13frhrkmfs

This should give you something to look forward to even if you don't enjoy the game. Have a great Sunday and go Cowboys!!

$5 Dinners

This week's menu is all about using what is already in your pantry, freezer, and refrigerator. I wanted to share a wonderful website called $5 Dinners. This is a great site for very inexpensive meals that feed a family of 4. Be sure to check it out at http://www.5dollardinners.com/

I challenge you to spend as little as possible on groceries this week. Take the money you save and stash it in the holiday shopping fund! The savings quickly add up. I do this about four times a year and easily stash about $500-600.

Pantry Cleanup Menu

This week is my quarterly Pantry Cleanup. I try to always keep a well stocked pantry so that I can whip up a quick meal or a quick dessert. I also stock up on those items I use frequently when there on sale and I have great coupons. This makes for excellent money savings as well as convenience. It does create the need for me to monitor what is in the pantry and keep an eye on the expiration dates. The result is Pantry Cleanup week.

This week, we will eat based upon what is already in the pantry, fridge, and freezer. (Bonus - we can stash the saved grocery money into savings!!!!) I have written out the meals for the week from my kitchen to give you some ideas. All of the meals are super simple and inexpensive.

Have a wonderful week!!

http://docs.google.com/View?id=dc7vbv4c_12f9kwdb49

Cell Phone Contract Loop Hole

I was recently having a conversation with a friend who was complaining about their cell phone contract. The monthly fees seemed to just keep going up and she felt that she could do better. This got me to thinking, there has to be some way to actually get out of a cell phone contract. Research revealed that there is already a website setup for this. Cellswapper allows you to trade contracts. What a wonderful idea! I'm hoping it isn't too late for my friend to do so.

http://www.cellswapper.com/

Radiant Barrier = Energy Savings

You see the ads everywhere for radiant barrier and you wonder "Does it work?" We wondered the same thing and decided to take a chance on it. I cannot tell you how happy we are that we made this investment. It is an investment!

I'm not a fan of the Texas heat! I like it cool. Our thermostat is set on 75-77 during the day and 70 at night. You would think the electric bill to keep our 2000+ square foot home would be off the charts. Our bills are down 46% in June, 53% in July, and 51% for August! The radiant barrier has worked wonders.

The benefits go beyond the electric bill. Our upstairs use to be stifling hot in the afternoons - not anymore. Hate the harsh, hot air that first comes out of the vents when the AC turns on? Not anymore! It is not cold, but not hot either. The AC unit doesn't run as much either (this will extend the life of the unit) and you can actually go in the attic during the summer without passing out.

Most companies are running specials right now - EAS (Efficient Attic Systems) is the company we chose and were very pleased. The current special with them is 50% off the normal costs plus free insulation (less than $1000 for us). They arrived on time, finished the work in one day, and cleaned up after themselves. The service was exceptional! Topping off these savings is the Residential Energy Efficiency Credit allowed for 2009. This will decrease our tax enough to almost pay for the radiant barrier. It is definitely worth researching and considering!!!

Back to School Menu

Monday is back to school and my little one is not so excited. We've met the teacher (the one he wanted) and dropped off all of the supplies and still he shows no excitement. My solution - allow him to set the menu for the week. I hope you will find these kid favorites a hit in your home too!

http://docs.google.com/View?id=dc7vbv4c_11g7td96cg