Suddenly Frugal Blog

A few weeks ago my supermarket had chicken on sale for $.79 per pound. As any smart frugal shopper would have done, I stocked up. Yesterday, I finally got around to using some of that chicken–which was chicken legs and thighs, I think. (This one package, with six generous pieces of chicken in it, cost a whopping $4.12.)

I decided to make “fried” chicken in the Crock-Pot, something I done before, thanks to A Year of Slow Cooking’s recipe for drumsticks (though I can no longer find that recipe on the site). I didn’t have the recipe in front of me but remembered most of it, and tried my own version with these simple ingredients:

4 to 6 chicken thighs (you could use breasts, drumsticks, whatever will fill your slow cooker)
1 c whole-wheat flour
1 T paprika
1 t salt
1/4 c canola oil

I used the canola oil to coat the bottom of my slow cooker. Then, I dumped the flour, paprika and salt in a large bowl, and used a spoon to mix the ingredients. After that I washed the chicken pieces in the sink to remove any feathers, fat and other goo you sometimes find with on-the-bone chicken. One by one, I took each piece of chicken and “rolled” it in the flour mixture. If rolling didn’t fully cover the pieces in the flour, I grabbed it by the handful and sprinkled it over the chicken until it was coated liberally. Finally, I placed each piece of chicken in the Crock-Pot. I could fit only two pieces in the bottom of the slow cooker, and then I placed the rest on top. I put the slow cooker on high for six hours and went outside to shovel the driveway. (We got 12 inches of snow this weekend.)

About halfway through the cooking time, when everything was starting to smell yummy and my family was beginning to ask when we would be eating dinner–even though dinner was hours away–I shifted the chicken in the slow cooker. I took the pieces from the bottom, which were now sizzling, and switched them out with the pieces that had been on top. Then I put all the pieces back in the slow cooker, placed the top back on, and let it cook for the remainder of the time.

You know how you’ve heard about chicken that just falls off the bone and melts in your mouth? Yeah, well that’s what happened with this chicken. Though it wasn’t fried in a traditional sense, it sure tasted like a reasonable facsimile. We rounded out dinner with rice from the rice cooker and vegetables steamed in the microwave.

Like the French toast I made last week, this is definitely a recipe I’ll be making again when my kitchen is put back together.

Today’s Freebie Friday is dedicated to freebies related to the Super Bowl. Many of them are good on Super Bowl Sunday only. Some happen to fall on Super Bowl Sunday but you can enjoy them at other times as well. Here’s your roundup.

• While kids always eat free at Champps on Tuesdays, from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., you’ll find a special deal on Super Bowl Sunday: if you buy 10 wings on Super Bowl Sunday, you’ll get 10 wings for free. Who doesn’t love wings with football?
• Plan on eating at McCormick and Schmick on Super Bowl Sunday? If so, bring the kids along. At certain McCormick and Schmick locations (such as the one in Bridgewater, New Jersey where I had lunch this week), kids eat free all day Sunday. That is, you get a kids meal for free with the purchase of a regular entree. Nice!
• Denny’s is giving out free Grand Slam breakfasts to celebrate the Super Bowl. However, the freebie occurs on Tuesday, February 9th from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. (Thanks Consumerist for this tip off.)
• New York City residents (and football fans) should head downtown to Delmonico’s on Super Bowl Sunday: between 5:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., Delmonicos (56 Beaver St.) will be giving away free fried chicken, French fries and beer!
• My most favorite band ever Barenaked Ladies is giving a free concert on the Fort Lauderdale beach on Saturday, February 6th as part of the Taste of the NFL celebration.

Yet another misnomer from the slow cooker: French Toast in the Crock-Pot. I think some of my Facebook friends through I was off my crock when I posted yesterday about how good my French Toast in the slow cooker smelled. I guess, like stir-fry in the Crock-Pot, they couldn’t conceive of how one could take a griddle- or pan-specific dish like French Toast and make it in the Crock-Pot.

Well, first off, kudos go to Stephanie O’Dea from A Year of Slowcooking. She’s the one who first introduced me to the concept of making French Toast this way. (In case you’re not familiar with Stephanie’s blog or book, she spent a year making dinner every night in the slow cooker.) I tried her recipe in 2009, and ended up with a mushy version of bread pudding that I loved but everyone else in the family did not. For them the texture of mushy French Toast was too much to handle.

When I decided to try the recipe again yesterday, I figured I need to do some tweaking in order to avoid a repeat of the mush disaster. So I modified it, mostly by using half of the liquid requirements that O’Dea’s original recipe called for. Here’s what I used this time around:

6 eggs
3/4 cup skim milk (you can use whichever kind of milk you like; we only get skim or fat-free milk)
1 loaf of bread
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 T cinnamon
canola oil, butter or cooking spray
powdered sugar

Coat the inside of your slow cooker with canola oil, butter or cooking spray. Since the French Toast has the tendency to stick to the sides, grease it liberally.

Place the loaf of bread in the slow cooker. (My slow cooker is on the smaller side, so I ended up only being able to fit about 3/4 of the loaf of bread inside.)

In a bowl mix the eggs, milk, brown sugar and cinnamon.

Pour the liquid mixture over the bread. It should be enough to cover the loaf halfway.

Turn the slow cooker on low for four to six hours.

(You’ll use the powdered sugar as a dusting when serving the French Toast.)

Verdict: The brown sugar was starting to caramelize about three hours into the cooking time, but at the same time, the bread was getting mushy, with extra liquid in the bottom of the slow cooker. So I used a spatula and flipped the bread over (to avoid burning), and then cooked for the remaining time without the top on. This allowed the extra liquid to burn off.

While the French Toast was still a bit mushy when we ate it, dusted with powdered sugar, my daughters gave it a thumbs up–then went back for seconds. They didn’t even use any maple syrup on it. Instead, they said it was like eating a gigantic cinnamon bun for dinner.

While this probably wasn’t the healthiest option to serve for dinner, it was cheap, easy and quite yummy. Even when our kitchen is put back together again (which it should be by the end of February), I would still make this recipe again.

P.S. In case you’re interested in purchasing Stephanie’s book…

We can all use some reminders about the most frugal ways to get clothing for our families and ourselves. That’s why today’s blog posting comes courtesy of thredUP, an online clothes swapping community. (thredUP kids is coming soon!)

thredUP seems to be a great option for families that don’t live near enough to consignment or thrift stores, but would still like to get more value out of their used clothing by swapping it with others. And God Bless the Internet for making this all happen. Now onto the 10 frugal clothes shopping tips!

1) Create a shopping budget. Determine what percentage of your income you feel comfortable spending on clothes (hey, we’re not here to judge). Set that amount aside or track it monthly or annually.

2) Evaluate your wardrobe before you shop. On average, we don’t wear 25% of the clothes in our closet, which leaves you with significant swapping ammo. You can organize a swap party with local friends. If you’re strapped for time, online swapping sites like thredUP allow you to swap clothes from the comfort of your own home.

3) Shop smart. Once you’ve exhausted swappable resources, head out into the “real world” with your frugal helmet intact. Consignment, thrift and resale shops are great for finding discounted gems. Spend time sorting through racks and be sure to ask when new inventory is displayed so you can get first pick!

4) Head to the mall with a game plan. Make a list with two columns: need and want. Thinking this through ahead of time will deter impulsive purchases.

5) Negotiate whenever possible. While some prices are set in stone, many stores provide a little wiggle room, such as boutiques and consignment shops. Also, don’t hesitate to ask for a discount on blemished items. You should feel comfortable suggesting your own discount, as these are rarely fixed.

6) Shop for the future. If you’re shopping for staple items that you need every year, buy them in the off-season. Purchase winter clothes in the spring and summer clothes in the fall.

7) Spend on accessories. Rather than buying new outfits, spend less money updating your wardrobe with accessories. Scarves, belts, necklaces and hats, can all refresh your look. Head to inexpensive accessory stores to change up your style year to year.

8 ) Consider a piece’s upkeep when considering buying it. Check out the cleaning instructions before purchasing an item. Dry-cleaning can be a huge expense. If the cost of three cleaning cycles nears the original price, it’s probably not worth purchasing.

9) Green saves you green. Organic clothes last longer! Natural fibers are less susceptible to wear and tear. Investing in linen and wool clothing can save you serious cash over time.

10) Buy with your lifestyle in mind. You may love summer dresses and tank tops, but if you work 9 to 5 in an office all summer, you likely don’t need many.

Even if your favorite team isn’t playing in the Super Bowl this year, chances are you are either going to be attending or hosting a Super Bowl party on Sunday, February 7th, when the Indianapolis Colts meet the New Orleans Saints in Miami. A recent VISA survey showed that six out of 10 Americans will be at a party on this date. That same survey determined that the average American spends about $175 on a Super Bowl party.

Think you can’t have a Super Bowl party on the cheap? Think again. Here are my five frugal Super Bowl party suggestions:

1. Make it a potluck party. Why not spread the spending around by asking your guests to bring a little something to share with everyone else. Everyone loves a potluck because it makes the menu more interesting and, especially for the host, it takes a lot of the prepping pressure off. Best of all the entire price tag for the party doesn’t fall on your shoulders.

2. Do away with disposables. Sure clean up is a snap when you can just throw out all the cups, plates and napkins. But how much money will you be throwing in the trash in the process? Instead, plan to set out reusable plates that you can put in the dishwasher at the end of the night. Don’t have enough place settings to go around? Ask family and friends to bring their dishes along, or head to your nearest thrift store and pick up a few extra plates for pennies a piece. Since most Super Bowl parties are buffet style, no one is going to care that your dishes aren’t a matched set.

3. Limit your menu to save cash. Instead of grilling burgers and dogs and serving chili and having side salads, try limiting your menu to one or two affordable options. Chili in a Crock-Pot will make most people happy. Plus, the only sides you’ll need are sour cream, shredded cheese and some bread. You can even have two slow cookers going–one with a meat chili and the other with a vegetarian version. Slow cookers use the least amount of energy of all of your appliances so you’ll save this way, too.

4. When shopping for your party, choose store brands over name-brand products. According to the Private Label Manufacturers Association, you can save about $40 per grocery trip if you choose the store’s brand products over the name brands. When it comes to your Super Bowl party, you can probably find everything on your shopping list and not pay brand-name prices for them–from hunks of cheese to sprinkle on your chili to the spices you’ll use to give your chili some kick.

5. Don’t waste money on decorations. Who’s really going to notice if you’ve hung streamers in the favored team’s colors so why spend the money on something you’re just going to throw away at the end of the night? Instead, borrow footballs, helmets and other gridiron paraphernalia from your family, friends and neighbors and use those freebies to dress up your space.

What kind of Super Bowl party (frugal or not) are you having or attending this year?

Got a move in your future? If so, consider employing one or more of these green strategies that should also save you some green.

1. Sell your stuff before you pack the truck. Put some cash back in your wallet by offloading your items via a yard sale, Craigslist or Freecycle before packing up your home. I know we were able to get about $100 spending money just by taking the time to identify items we didn’t want or need to take with us when we moved, so we sold them. Plus, by doing this, we created less trash after our move. Also, the fewer things you have to the move, the less you’ll spend paying movers.

2. Rent boxes instead of buying. This saves big time in a number of ways. First, you don’t waste gas driving around looking for empty boxes to use. Second, you don’t have to drive to the store to buy boxes–companies like Rent Your Boxes will drop off the boxes for you–and then pick them back up when your move is over. And third, renting is cheaper than buying. A typical family spends about $45 on moving boxes. If you rent them, you’ll spend about $23. Plus, you’ll get part of your money back when you return the rented boxes. I doubt you’ll find the same deal from a retailer.

3. Use environmentally friendly packing materials that are also free. I’m talking about using your clothing, throw rugs and rags to wrap your goods so you don’t have to spend money on packing peanuts or bubble wrap. Shredded paper also works great to cushion breakables. Then, when you’re done with your move, you can put the shredded paper in the compost, and the clothing,rags and rugs in the laundry to clean up.

4. Rent the smallest truck possible. The bigger the moving truck, the more it will cost–and the more gas it will suck up. If you’d like to save some green–and do right by Mother Nature–figure out how to move yourself efficiently without having a big truck hauling all of your stuff. The folks at Flat Rate Movers also suggest asking if your mover has any green options, such a trucks that use biodiesel.

Any other tips to have a green move that saves green? Let us know.

I couldn’t track down any new freebies this week so I’m just grouping them all together below. If you have the inside line on freebie information, send it my way, OK?

Miscellaneous Freebies

• McDonald’s is also getting on the free Wifi bandwagon.
• Live in Southeastern Pennsylvania/Central New Jersey and need a job? Then register for the free job search workshop being held on February 1st.
• Kids eat free every at Perkins Restaurant and Bakery between 3 and 10 p.m. daily. The catch (which isn’t much of a catch all)? You get one free kids’ meal with each adult entree purchased and your kids must be 12 years old or young.
• The free Taco Fresco deal at Taco Bell still seems to be going on, as in the online coupon still shows up when you click this link to the Taco Bell site. So download and enjoy while you can!You can download a free “The Biggest Loser” workout mix “tape,” courtesy of Subway. (That’s to Miami FL on the Cheap for a lead on this deal.)

Click below to watch my January 27, 2010 money-saving segment on the the “10! Show” in Philadelphia. This was my second appearance on the show this month.

Yeah, I know, lice. It’s a gross topic. But once you have kids, chances are they’re going to come home from school, at some point, with lice. And winter seems to be high-time for those little lice buggers to populate kids’ heads, what with hat sharing and all.

First of all, keep in mind that if you kid has lice, it doesn’t mean you’re a bad parent, or that your kid is dirty. If anything, it means your kid’s hair is too clean! Lice like squeaky clean hair because they can grip it better. Oily hair that needs a good washing? Not so much a lice favorite.

Also, your kid does not need to be quarantined or kept home from school, despite the letter your school nurse sends home. Even the National Association of School Nurses does not believe that a child should be excluded from school, just because he/she has lice.

Now, onto getting rid of the lice. You don’t have to spend a fortune taking care of the problem or make yourself crazy my going out and buying all new bedding. According the American Academy of Pediatrics, lice cannot stay alive for more than 48 hours once they are off your child’s head. So once you’ve removed the problem, you’re one step closer to getting rid of the lice. How do you go about getting that removal started? Here are three tips to lick lice.

1. Wash all of your child’s recently worn clothing and bedding in hot water and then run through the dryer on hot. (It’s the one time I break my frugal rule about no hot-water washes or long dryer cycles.) Take any stuff animals your child may have come into contact with, and seal them in a garbage bag. You’ll keep them this way for at least two weeks to kill any lice that may be on them.
2. Apply something to your child’s hair to kill the lice. I’m not a big fan of the expensive over-the-counter lice treatments, especially because they are chemical-laden and don’t always work the first time around. Plus, some lice have become immune to these treatments. That’s why I’ve used the olive-oil-and-shower-cap treatment to much success when treating lice. Basically, you douse your child’s hair with olive oil, enough so that it’s sopping wet, and work it through to the scalp. Then you put all of that olive-oil hair up under a shower cap and let him/her sit like that for four hours. (Keep a towel nearby to wipe away any dribbles.) The olive oil works to either smother the lice or make the hair so slick that they can’t “grab on” anymore and slide off. After the requisite time period, wash out the olive oil and shampoo/condition as you normally would. You can also find free, non-toxic ways to get rid of lice on the Hair Fairies website here.
3. Be prepared to nitpick. You’ve heard that phrase, right? Nitpicking? Well, with lice that’s exactly what you need to do–pick out all the nits of lice from your child’s hair. You’ll need to invest in a nit comb, which has very tight teeth, and comb your kid’s hair through, almost strand by strand, over the entire head. Keep a magnifying glass nearby to look at anything white and suspicious on your child’s hair. If you can’t slide the nit off the hair, use a pair of small scissors and just snip that strand below where the nit is. Don’t worry: you don’t have nits on so many strands of hair that your child will end up with a bald spot. Have your child sit on the floor in front of you, preferably while watching an engrossing TV show, so you can nitpick undisturbed.

We’ve had lice once in our house and by following these three steps, we never had to worry about it again.

The 10! Show in Philadelphia has asked me back again to offer additional frugal-living tips. The show broadcasts at 11 a.m. on WCAU–the NBC affiliate. As soon as the video is available online, I’ll post a link. I’ll also share my tips at that time, in a separate post.