I’d like to share a resource with you and your readers that can help people find ways to create a meal that is nutritious, filling, pleasing to all and also budget-conscious in these difficult economic times. The US Potato Board knows that economic times are hard and families may be forced to make cutbacks to their budgets, but there is one thing no family should have to sacrifice—nutrition. In order help parents provide nutritious food for their families, the US Potato Board created www.MomsDinnerHelper.com, an online recipe resource and blog. I’ve copied our new Pennywise Potato-Turkey Wraps recipe below. Not only does this recipe represent all of the sections of the food pyramid, but it also only costs about $1.84 per serving.

According to the US Potato Board, potatoes are one of the least expensive items in the produce department, and one of the most nutritious. In fact, in most places you can still get potatoes for less than 25 cents a spud – and with only 110 calories in a medium potato that’s naturally fat-, sodium- and cholesterol- free, the tater can’t be beat.

Pennywise Potato-Turkey Wraps

• ¾ pound (12 ounces) potatoes, cut into ½-inch dice
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon canola oil
• ¾ pound (12 ounces) ground lean turkey
• 1 large carrot, shredded
• 1/3 cup sliced green onions with tops
• 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
• 2/3 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian herb seasoning or basil
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 large (9 to 10-inch) whole wheat or high fiber tortillas
• Light sour cream (optional)

Place potatoes in microwave-safe bowl; sprinkle with water. Cover, venting one corner. Microwave on HIGH 5 to 8 minutes just until potatoes are tender. (Time will depend on wattage of your oven.) Meanwhile, heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add and break up turkey; cook 5 minutes, tossing occasionally. Mix in carrot; cook 2 minutes. Add potatoes and onions; cook and toss 2 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; mix in tomato sauce, cheese, and herbs. Cook, stirring occasionally, 4 to5 minutes until mixture is hot and most of sauce is absorbed. Season with salt and pepper. On work surface, lay out tortillas. Place ¾ cup hot turkey mixture on each; fold and roll up as for burritos. Cut in halves and place on serving plates. Accompany with sour cream, if desired.

You can find much more on www.MomsDinnerHelper.com
• Additional recipes and dinnertime tips
• Nutrition information
• Opportunities to share your own recipes, comment and rate recipes to win prizes
• “Tater Talk” – A blog about everything from parenting to potatoes

Thanks Liz for sharing such a wonderful recipe with our readers.

One piece of advice I found was to set your thermostat at 68.  This is warm enough for most people and it is cheaper to wear a sweater than to warm the house to t-shirt temperature.  You should also look into getting a programmable thermostat if you don’t have one.  I love mine.  It is set at 67 - 69 during the day and goes down to 58 at night when I’m in bed.  I’ve programmed it so it kicks on and warms up the house about the time I wake up.  Since I like a cool bedroom this is ideal for me.

Another interesting idea and one I’ve used in the past is to cook more casseroles and baked goods during the winter.  Not only can you make tasty and frugal meals for your family, you’re also using your oven as a heat source.  Depending on where you kitchen is placed in your home, you can warm up a couple of rooms while you cook a meal.  I also like to leave the oven door open for a bit after I’m done cooking.  Ovens take a while to cool down and can still heat the air even after they’ve been turned off.

Another easy thing to do is check the weather stripping around your doors and windows.  If it’s cracked or old, make sure you replace it.  This will help stop leaks and drafts and help keep the heat inside your house where it belongs.

You should also make sure to check your furnace filters and change them if they’re dirty.  Filters that are clogged and dirty make your furnace work harder and take longer to heat air.   Most filters should be changed every 30 to 90 days.

Finally, with shorter days come an increased need for lighting.  If you haven’t already, you should really looking into Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs.   These bulbs last longer and can save you a substantial amount over the cost of regular bulbs during their life cycle.  I have to admit, I’m not always wild about the light these give off, but they are cheaper and they do last much longer.  For savings like that, I’m willing to put up with light that’s a bit less flattering.

I used them in the laundry and really liked the scent included in my sample, “Energy”. Also the soap nuts did a fine job of getting even my husbands grimy work clothes clean. These are a great “green” solution to laundry detergent - which comes in huge plastic or cardboard containers and isn’t exactly environmentally friendly.

After my pleasant experience with soap nuts I visited the Laundry Tree website and was impressed with the amount of information there is about this natural cleaner. There prices are extremely reasonable and I’m thinking that as soon as I get another credit card gift card (since we don’t use a debit card or a credit card) I’ll have to order some more for myself - 40 loads of laundry for $10. That sounds reasonable! And - it’s environmentally friendly, something I do care about even though I’m not fanatical about it!

The Laundry Tree website has a “contact us” form that I used to let them know that I had received a sample of their soap nuts, liked them and was posting this review on my personal blog. After the review published I received a note from Lisa thanking me for the review and mentioning that they could be flexible in payment options if I needed that - another sign that this is a quality company. I emailed Lisa back and asked if she would be interested in doing a giveaway here on A Frugal Housewife and she quickly replied that they would be happy to do a giveaway with us. That means that 10 of you lucky commentors will receive a Sample Bag (it will do about 8 loads of laundry) straight from the Laundry Tree - use them yourselves, give them as stocking stuffer’s… they really are a great “green” product and you won’t be disappointed!

To Win:

Leave a comment with one of your “green” cleaning tips or a question about environmentally friendly cleaning products and practices!

The giveaway will close Tuesday night, November 25th, 2008, at midnight and winners will be chosen using Random.org I’ll post the winners here sometime Wednesday and will send the winners email addresses to Lisa at The Laundry Tree who will contact you to get your shipping information.

For more great Works-For-Me-Wednesday tips visit Rocks In My Dryer, our hostess, by clicking here.

Step 1: Know How Much Debt You Have - There is always a temptation to hide from ourselves when we know we’ve screwed up or when things seem overwhelming.  When you’re working to pay down debt, you must have a complete and accurate list of all outstanding commitments.  You can’t scale the mountain if you don’t have an accurate idea of how big it is.

Step 2: Pay Off Something Small - Pick the smallest debt you have and focus on paying it off.  This does two things.  First of all, it allows you to experience success right off the bat.  Second, it proves to you that debts can be paid off.  You pay off a big debt the same way you pay off a small one, you chip away at the debt until it’s gone.  Paying off something small allows you to get some practice in before you tackle the big stuff.

Step 3:  Focus Only On Today’s Climb - Mountains are high and they’re steep.  If you focused on the fact that you had to climb an entire mountain, you’d never leave the base camp.  It’s the same with debt.  Focus only on what you have to pay that month.  You do need to keep track of payments you’ve made and you do need to know what’s left to be paid, but you can do that addition and subtraction once a month or once a quarter.  In the short term, just focus on what you have to do today or this week.  By focusing on short term goals, you’ll be less overwhelmed and less likely to give up because the task seems so huge.

Step 4: Apply Found Money to Debt First - Suppose you get a raise or a relative gives you a cash gift over the holidays.  Your first instinct might be to splurge with that money, but you need to resist that instinct.   Instead, use the money to pay down debt.  If you simply must splurge, split the gift in half.  Use half to pay down some debt and do something fun with the other half.  That way, you’ll be reducing at least a portion of your debt.

Step 5: Allow a Few Indulgences - Only you know what you consider an indulgence, but even if you’re on the strictest of budgets you should allow yourself at least one.  Perhaps it’s coffee once a week. Maybe you like to get a manicure once a month.  It will most likely be something small, but the size of the indulgence doesn’t matter.  What matters is that it feels like a luxury to you.

Getting out of debt is a process and, depending on how much debt you have, it could take some time.  The good news is that if you are truly dedicated to changing your spending habits and are willing to follow the tips outlined above, you’ll discover that managing your money and getting out of debt is easier, and faster, than you thought it would be.

This is what you need

• 1 lb bacon, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 4 cups chicken stock or chicken broth, or enough to cover potatoes
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup heavy cream

For topping:

• Cheddar cheese
• Green onions
• Bacon

Cook bacon over medium heat until done. Remove bacon from pan and set aside.

Drain off all but 1/4 cup of bacon grease and saute celery and onion until onion begins to turn clear. Add garlic and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the cubed potatoes and toss to coat. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes.

Return chopped bacon to the pan and add enough chicken stock to just cover the potatoes. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender.

In a separate pan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Cook stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the heavy cream. Bring the cream mixture to a boil and cook stirring constantly until thickened. Slowly pour the cream mixture into the potato mixture. Stirring constantly.

And there you have a nice bowl of cream of potato soup. 
 

Today’s world is stressful.  The economy is in a tailspin.  The election has caused divisivness in a lot of places.  People are constantly trying to do more with less, less time, less money and less assurance that things will turn out well.  Add to that the fact that most of us are constantly being told that we should always be striving to accomplish some goal, and you’re creating a recipe for a regiment of both physically and mentally exhausted people.

If you want to have the best mental and physical health possible, you need to have an escape, something you do just because you enjoy doing it and something that transports you to a place where worry and stress don’t exist.  Maybe it’s a favorite television show.  Perhaps you have a favorite author who writes books that always make you smile.  You might draw, or embroider or build things in your garage.  What you do doesn’t matter, the fact that you do it does.

Everything that we do in life doesn’t have to be quantified by whether or not it will advance our goals.  Sometimes it’s enough just to relax and enjoy ourselves.   I think, especially in today’s world, we all need to remember that.

At the time we had just purchased our house and I was purchasing furniture for our living room, dining room and bedroom.  Everything I needed to purchase was going to be from one store I really liked in town.  I worked with one salesperson and her and I went through all the furniture I was considering.  I wasn’t in a hurry for the furniture and I had time to shop around.  This gave me an idea as to what pieces were out there and how much they were going for.  I do this whenever I’m considering purchasing anything.  Always compare pricing.

I ended up back at my store in town  looking to purchase 2 couches, recliner-rocking chair, a bedroom set, dining room table and six chairs.  We negotiated pricing and I was able to get several hundred dollars off the total price.  As she was working up the paperwork I asked if she would be willing to throw in 2 lamps and a beautiful picture I wanted for the living room.  We worked out a deal and my total savings was about $2,000.00.  That wouldn’t have been the case if I didn’t ask and negotiate. 

Is this something you do in your daily life?  Negotiate pricing, ask for what you want?  Even a trip to a fast food restaurant I find myself asking specifically for 5 ketchup.  I use to say can I please have extra ketchup then get home and there are only 2 in the bag.  So now I ask for 5 and I get 5.  It sounds so silly but it works.  Try it - even with something simple today.

So what are we to do?  If we need to return something will the store be open?  If we purchase gift cards will they be honored in 3 months?  If we have a big ticket item that is under warranty will the store be able to honor the warranty?

We all are going through some tough times right now and looks like it isn’t going to get any better any time soon.  Even when I did my grocery shopping this week, I noticed a lot of products are now in smaller cartons yet the price is what it was.  Thank goodness the price of gas is going down.  I paid $1.99 this morning.  That’s a big help to our budgets. 

Right now, consumers aren’t spending and if we aren’t spending how are these stores suppose to stay afloat?  It’s a confusing time right now and I’m not sure what the answers are. 
What do you all think?  Will you change the way you shop in the coming weeks? 
 

If you know you’re planning to travel, make your plans as early as possible.  It may seem nuts to book a flight in July that you won’t take until Thanksgiving, but it will help you save on plane fare.  The earlier you can books flights and hotel rooms the more money you’ll save.

Another great way to save is to be flexible on your travel schedule.   The heaviest and most expensive travel days are the day right before the holiday and the Sunday of the weekend after the holiday.  If you can avoid travelling on those days, it is quite possible your fares will be cheaper.

If your budget is tight, but you still want to drive to see your family for Christmas, don’t be afraid to ask for gas cards as a Christmas gift.  It’s likely that one or two of your relatives will like the idea of such a quick and easy Christmas gift and will give you a gas card or two which will help pay for your drive back home.  If your family generally gives each other larger gifts, tell whomever asks that the best gift would be to spend the holidays with your family and ask for a plane ticket.   If you propose this idea early enough in the year, your family may be able to find a plane ticket at a very reasonable price.

If you absolutely can’t afford to travel, one solution may be to invite everyone to your house for the holidays.  You will still probably spend some extra money on food and utilities, but it will most likely be less than you would have spent on travel.

Yesterday I was looking at my six year old niece’s feet and then when I got home at the size 12 boots I bought her (size recommended by her Momma) and I’m not sure those boots are going to fit her - if they don’t the gift receipt that is tucked in the box will make it easy to get the boots exchanged for the proper size. Also at my baby shower I received two monitor’s off my gift registry - the gift receipt made it easy to return one of them and replace it with something else we needed. It’s a simple thing, but one that is easy to forget - gift receipts do work for me and I ask for them anytime I can! What about you - do you include gift receipts, when you can, with the gifts you give?

For more Works For Me Wednesday tips - click here to visit our host, Rocks In My Dryer.