Saving on Herbs and Spices

My husband enjoys trying new recipes. Those recipes usually have a list of herbs and spices that (1) we don't have, (2) will cost a fortune, and (3) can't be substituted with another item. So that leaves me, the grocery shopper, in a bind when it comes to keeping a budget. One fateful day, however, I was walking the aisles of Bi-Lo looking for something and spotted an herb and spice section that was not in its usual place. Nor was it full of those tell-tale red labels (ahem, McCormick) and outlandish price tags. I was looking at so-called "international" herbs and spices:

(Can you believe it?! The pumpkin bread I made with these very spices tasted just as good as any other I've had!)

At full price, these bottles were cheaper than any sale I've seen. Probably because when McCormick items go on sale, it's usually only vanilla extract and food coloring. And when there is that occasional coupon...well, a coupon for $.75 off of 2 is laughable. Plus, what are the chances of you finding just the herb you need on sale when your husband decides to cook? So next time you are looking to spice up your life, keep these tips in mind:

• look in the international foods section of your grocery store (the ones shown above were on the Hispanic aisle at Bi-Lo)
• get your basics from Aldi for a little over $1 each (garlic powder/salt, onion powder/salt, paprika, chile powder, etc.)
• look for the store brand (Great Value at Walmart has a decent selection)

If you really want to go extreme, buy a strawberry pot and plant the herbs you use most often! My husband is growing herbs I had never used before, but it encouraged me to get creative in the kitchen! I've had very few disasters, by the way, and have discovered several "keeper" recipes.

The Quest for Finger Foods

If you have a tot who is forging the road to independence, you know what I mean about finding new and inexpensive finger foods. In my searching, I began to wonder if Gerber has a monopoly on snacks for babies and toddlers. No, you just have to do a little wandering in the grocery store to find other options. I'll give you a quick list of what I've found as a replacement for those expensive treats.

• cereal bars- fig newtons work just as well and are considerably less expensive per serving (check out Aldi for a great price)
• cheese puffs- Walmart sells items made by Sensible Portions (like Veggie Straws) in which the ingredient lists are short and readable; compared to the Gerber prices, even the all-natural Cheetos cheese puffs are a better deal
• yogurt- Dannon's 32 oz natural yogurt can be portioned into individual servings; the vanilla flavor is great for combining fruits and vegetables (the sweet potatoes and yogurt combo is packaged by Stoneyfield in their YoBaby line)
• applesauce- many store brands have the natural variety of applesauce in larger jars; as with the yogurt, portion into individual servings
• baby puffs- all I have for this is buy generic--I'm not sure I could get away with anything else

I will admit that I sometimes buy the Gerber snacks when I have a coupon and when they are on sale. (Go here for coupons.) I also buy individual packs of yogurt and applesauce when they are a great deal. Such things are much more convenient for traveling.

Homemade Gifts: Not Crafty? Then Be Crafty!

I'm not necessarily a very crafty person when it comes to arts and crafts. But I think I can sometimes be pretty crafty in coming up with creative gifts. It's a sort of craftiness that you can acquire if you put your mind to it. First, consider what you have seen in stores or what you've been given that you found really thoughtful or useful. Could you easily make that same thing at a fraction of the cost? Would the giver of a homemade gift you received be willing to share her tips/recipe with you?

Second, think about the possibility of revamping what you already know how to do. I have a great hot chocolate recipe that I didn't use for several years. I began seeing hot chocolate "cones" sold in stores for $4-5 each. When I had previously given the hot chocolate as gifts, I put it in basic sandwich bags. Now I had an idea for a new gift with an old recipe!

Third, don't let what comes your way pass you by. The moms group I belong to had a recipe exchange last fall. One of those recipes was for homemade hand lotion. The mom who shared it mentioned that those she had given it to loved it. All of the women in my family received the lotion for Christmas last year, as did Alayna's teachers at church.

Finally, if you think your homemade gift is kind of lame on its own, come up with a theme to beef it up. To go along with the hand lotion I made, I added in other personal care items that were inexpensive (mostly free with my couponing adventures). I'm already thinking about Christmas gifts this year. My theme? Well, I can't give it all away, but it involves the kitchen.

In case you are interested, I'll leave you with the homemade hand lotion recipe as published in Parkwood Baptist Church's cookbook.

* 8oz Vitamin E cream or lotion

* ½ cup Vaseline

* 15 oz baby lotion

Mix all together. You may prefer more Vaseline. Store in a glass jar with lid. (3-4 oz Mason jars are a good gift size.)

My tips: you can find these items at dollar stores; baby food jars are also a great storage/gift option; I don't believe the exact amounts are necessary- just adjust until the lotion is a good consistency.

The BBBs: My Experience

Who doesn't enjoy shopping at Bed Bath & Beyond and BuyBuy Baby? But how often do you see decent sales at these stores? Maybe I don't frequent them enough, but it seems rare. Perhaps the reason for this is their generosity in offering coupons. You can make your own sale whenever you want! I'm sure you can find the official coupon policies of the BBBs on their Websites, but I thought I would share with you my personal expierences when using coupons. You might learn something your stores do!

At Bed Bath & Beyond I've...

• used expired coupons
• used coupons on clearance items
• used multiple coupons in one transaction

At BuyBuy Baby I've...

• used current Bed Bath & Beyond coupons
• used current Babies R' Us coupons (mailed and printed versions)
• used multiple coupons in one transaction

I heard it from a friend that you can also use Bed Bath & Beyond coupons at Babies R' Us, but I've never tried it. I've found Babies R' Us to be somewhat limiting when it comes to coupons since there can be no sale affiliated with the item and it's not always possible to use more than one coupon in the same transaction. Even so, you now have options to never pay full price at these stores!

What? Diaper Genie Refills Cost How Much?

I was fortunate to be gifted a Diaper Genie and several refills by a great friend. Unfortunately, the refills ran out within the first couple of months after having Alayna. The convenience of the Diaper Genie is great, but the expense is as stinky as the diapers you put in it. Last time I checked, the refills were about $6 each. The only generic type I ever found was at Walmart, and they were $5. Not much better, in my opinion.

So I set out to find another option. I knew there had to be something out there. That's when I found a YouTube video showing how to use basic kitchen trash bags! This was over a year ago, so I couldn't find the video. But I did find several others showing basically the same thing if you want to do a search. Essentially, you fluff out a trash bag, jam it into the place where you put the diapers, then wrap the top around the empty refill cartridge. The plastic ring from the refill is what helps hold the trash bag in place when you are feeding yucky diapers through. Here are several pictures showing how I do it:

Bag is fluffed and stuffed into the Genie.

Top of bag is wrapped around ring to secure it.

All ready to use!

Just so you know, you can also buy diaper pails that are made to use trash bags. That might be something to consider if you don't yet have a stinky little one.

Happy pails to you!

MATH UPDATE: I realize I didn't give any hard and fast numbers to show trash bags are a cheaper option for the Diaper Genie. The refill doesn't have a bag count, but rather one continuous bag you cut and knot when the pail is full. I can roughly say, though, that one refill at $6 lasted around 3 weeks (this was with smaller diapers, mind you). A box of 28-count Hefty trash bags retails for $7 at Walmart (not on sale and with no coupon). Even using 2 bags a week, this box will last well over 3 months. I recenlty stocked up on 45-count boxes of Hefty trash bags for $2. I don't think I need to do the math for you to know that is a great deal!

Put the Scissors Down!

I'm not talking about my child here (but she is cute, isn't she?). I'm talking to you, crazy coupon clippers! Wait a minute. Isn't this blog by a gal who is an avid coupon-user? That's right, I use coupons when I shop. But I only clip the coupons after I've made my shopping list. Here's why...

Clipping is what prevents many from even using coupons. They don't want to spend the time clipping and organizing. Or they spend the time clipping and feel like they actually need to use them all, thereby spending more money than they would have without the coupons. For me, I hated cleaning out all of those expired clipped coupons from my organizer. Not to mention, these days I try to limit my scissor-use to protect those little fingers you see above.

At the beginning of this year I started a method that has saved time, and money. I'm going to give you a simple list to hopefully get you started:

1. Buy 2-3 newspapers (depending on your family size) each Sunday when there are coupon inserts.
2. Collate and file the coupons by date in an accordian file.
3. At least a day before you plan to shop, visit a site like Southern Savers to make your personalized shopping list.
4. Only clip the coupons from your list (Southern Savers provides the insert name and date for easy reference). Tip: highlight or mark corresponding dates with the same color or symbol so you can cut all your needed coupons from an insert at once.
5. Take your list and envelope of coupons to the store and save!

There are numerous how-to articles and videos if you want more information on couponing, so I'm not going to go any further for now. I want to emphasize that you should do what works for you. Even if you can't get the hang of couponing, at least only buy what is on sale. But before you give up on couponing, give yourself several months of practice. I know it took me that long to feel comfortable doing it and to know that I was actually saving money.

Tumbleweeds

Isn't she a beauty? That's Meggie, our Golden Retriever who is pushing the ripe old age of 8. She's the reason I'm so attached to my Swiffer. But even the Swiffer can't keep up with a shedding long-haired dog sometimes.

We've tried numerous things to try to help the shedding situation. However, brushing daily, especially in the winter, often leaves Meggie's skin very tender and dry. Once we gave her fish oil every day for a couple of months and that helped a lot. But a bottle of fish oil at PetSmart was about $20! That definitely doesn't fit into our budget these days.

So while scanning through blogs, I found another random piece of information. Pour olive oil on your dog's food each day to help their skin and coat! I have found lots of great deals on olive oil lately, so I stocked up and gave this a try. The amount of tumbleweeds floating through our house has probably decreased by 75%! That's a big deal to me.

While this still isn't necessarily cheap, it has saved some of my sanity. When Alayna was crawling I was very particular about our floors and was desperate to keep the balls of hair out of her mouth. Maybe someone else out there will find this piece of information helpful as well.

(Another warning for you: Some dogs have sensitive stomachs and may not tolerate such a remedy. Your dog may also have a few bathroom issues while adjusting to the new diet. So use caution and perhaps slowly work up to a tablespoon or two each day depending on your dog's size.)