Who Doesn’t Love Free Stuff?

If you have a Kindle E-Reader, you might not know about all of the free content available.  There are quite a few sources, including a FREE section in the kindle book store at Amazon.com.  I’m happily using 3 free services that notify me daily of  kindle books available that day.  Most of these free books are only available for 24 hours so you have to grab them right away.  My Kindle is full of reading material that I’ve downloaded free and I don’t think I’ll ever get caught up enough to read everything on it.

If you don’t have a kindle you can download an application (no charge) for your computer and also for your android (I’m not sure about iPhones) that will allow you to read kindle purchases on them.

Here are my favorite and most used websites for free Kindle downloads.  If you go to the website you can sign up for email and Facebook  notifications.  You’ll get them daily.

Pixel of Ink sends links to several books per day.  If you click on the link to a book you want, you’ll go directly to the page on Amazon.  Pixel of Ink has kept me well supplied with fiction.  There is a variety of genres and it should be easy to find a book that interests you. There is also a Pixel of Ink Young Edition which features free downloads of books for children and teens.

Next, I love Dining Downloads.  I have downloaded upwards of 40 free cookbooks.  I admit I’m a cookbook junky.  Not only does Dining Downloads feature cookbooks, but I’ve also seen reference and how-to books related to cooking and even some fun culinary related fiction.  Many of the cookbooks I’ve seen featured have been specific to special diets, like gluten-free, diabetic, and vegetarian.

My last recommendation for free kindle books is Power Reads.  These are all non-fiction books, including books related to self-help, travel, health, biographies, and just this morning I got a notification about books teaching French and Spanish.

If you want to get in on the freebies, go to the websites and sign up for notifications.  I’m not affiliated with any of these services.  I just like them 🙂

 

 

Eating Healthy and Frugal Shopping

For years I’ve read  about how to save money on groceries.  I’ve known for a long time that I spend too much at the grocery store, and a few months ago I decided to use some of the tips I’ve read and heard  and try to lower my food costs.  The basic necessities have skyrocketed in price.  Things like dairy products, coffee (yes, it’s a necessity), and bread. But I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know.
I’ve discovered that trying to eat healthy has been a step in the direction of cutting costs.  In fact, trying to eat healthy has resulted in the cost savings that we’re experiencing.  I know that some will argue that healthy foods like fresh fruits and vegetables are expensive, but what I found is that by cutting processed foods out of our diets as much as possible, we have stopped spending our money on things like processed cold cuts, chips, soda, Lee’s beloved Little Debbie snacks. I don’t buy canned, boxed, and packaged foods much any more and I’m selective about the ones I do buy. We also eat less meat, with at least 1 meatless meal per week, and smaller portions when we do eat meat.
I should mention that I’m not much of a coupon clipper.  I do use store coupons and the occasional manufacturer’s coupon for items I would be buying that week anyway.  I don’t use coupons for anything that isn’t already on my list and I don’t stockpile.
Here are the significant changes that have resulted in lowering my food shopping costs.
1.  I start by making a weekly menu plan for our dinners. This is key!  I use the store ads (I have 2 grocery stores where I can shop here in Small Town, USA) and shop at whichever store has the best deals that week.  I don’t drive from store to store.  I plan our meals based on what’s on sale.  I use a weekly menu plan sheet that I found online and printed.  You can Google ” printable menu planner”  and find one that you like.  The completed menu for the week is posted so that I can look at it the night before and remove whatever I need from the freezer.  I never have a “what am I going to make for dinner?”  moment any more.  Lee enjoys being able to look at the menu to see what he’s getting for dinner.
2.  Our lunches are always leftovers from the night before.  I plan to have leftovers.  Sometimes  I make enough to freeze another meal, especially if I’m making soup or a crock pot meal.  I never buy any processed meats for lunches.  If there’s nothing left over from the night before, I always have tuna in the pantry and eggs and cheese in the fridge so I can make sandwiches.
3.  Breakfast savings came from cutting out the purchase of frozen breakfast foods and most cold cereals.  I make waffles, pancakes, and french toast and freeze what we don’t eat for another breakfast meal.  We eat hot cereals.  I don’t buy as much cold cereal as I used to, and what I do buy is whole grain, no added sugar.  I know that lots of folks skip breakfast.  We don’t.  Lee works hard on the farm and needs that morning meal.  I’m diabetic and can’t skip meals.
4.  Snacks are an area where we really see the savings.  Lee loves his snacks.  Do you know how expensive granola bars are?  Now I make my own and Lee likes them so much better than the store-bought ones.  I don’t buy cookies, I make them…but not often.  We bought a food dehydrator and I’m in the process of learning how to dry foods and make healthy snacks.  Apple, banana, and sweet potato chips.  Fruit leathers.  Kale chips.  I’ll let you know how it’s working out.
5.  I don’t impulse buy.  I have a list and I buy only what’s on the list.  I’ve gotten good about keeping a list in progress and I always add items I’ve run out of immediately.  When I make my list for the week I already have it started and don’t have to try to remember what we need. I buy for 1 week and don’t try to stock up on sale items other than staples that I like to have on hand all the time.
I think I’ve hit all the high points.  I realize that not everyone has time to cook everything from scratch.  I’m fortunate that I’m home all day, every day and I have lots of time to prepare our meals.  I don’t want to give you a dollar figure or percentage regarding my savings, because I’d like to watch it for a year or so to give it a fair trial, but I’m happy to report that my grocery bills have gone down a lot  and are consistently lower than they were a few months ago.