The Duffy Chronicles, Episode II -- -- The Sweater, Part 2

Success!!  The secret is to use a MAN's sock.   I modified the pattern in the previous post , left the ankle cuff intact, and it is as cute as can be!  Duffy LOVES it.  We even took a little walk up the road today in 39 degree weather, and no shivering.

Take a look : 







As far as I am concerned, this sweater is a HUGE success!   Not counting the first experimental purchases, I will have four sweaters for $2.00.  Not too shabby, eh?

 

 Next Post - easy dog toys from stuff you have lying around.......

Have a safe and sane New Year's Eve!.. Grandma will be home playing with Duffy and the Grandsons.   

New puppy for Christmas? How to make a home for Fido without breaking the bank!

Okay, Grandma got herself a Velcro-dog for Christmas.  He's a tiny Chihuahua that I have named "Duffy." 
I had a really tough time picking out a name - we tried out Mar'teenie,'  Poncho, Lefty,  Dennis (the menace,) Monte(zuma,)  Tuffie, and others.  Some of the names we called him (like when he forgets where to potty) are un-publishable, a  lot were just too common or too gooey (* like yum-yum or pookie or sweetie-pie,)   and many were just plain d.u.m.*

Along with puppies come challenges. There's personal hygiene, diet, exercise equipment, vet bills, wardrobe, toys and games, and the cleaning crew.   --- and those are only the ones I've discovered in the last four days.


 This series will focus on frugal ways to own a dog responsibly without breaking the bank......Even though he is worth it  (I mean, look at that face!)

First Things First : Homemade Urine Eliminator:

First and foremost, there will be accidents.  They are inevitable with a puppy.  The good news is that they can be 'yesterday's news' with some diligence on your part and a handy spray bottle of  urine eliminator.     




WalMart has this on their website for $5.99, but you can make your own for pennies with vinegar, water, peroxide, dish soap, baking soda, a couple of old spray bottles, and a brush.. CLICK HERE  to be magically transported to the E-HOW website and the recipe.  Duffy is pretty well confined to the hardwood-floored family room, but he is, of course, mobile, and well (blush)  ....sh** happens.

 I keep a squirt bottle of the  vinegar solution under my end-table for quick disposition of accidents, and I follow through with the soda and peroxide treatment after the vinegar has dried.  (You want to be careful because the vinegar will react with the soda, and you don't want to discolor your carpet.)  I find that this system destroys the urine odor,  short-circuiting his natural instinct to relieve himself in the same spot.

Click the blue link above, or Click Here to be magically transported to the E-How website!

**Note :  Duffy is not a good student so far.   It may be a long few weeks.  I will keep you posted.**

Next post :  Wardrobe:  How to make a dog sweater.  

The Duffy Chronicles - Episode II - How to make a puppy sweater!

Well, good news!   Duffy went potty three times yesterday afternoon outside!   I am not sure whether he is the one being trained, or if I am...but progress is progress.  The homemade urine eliminator  I made is working great!  New problem : our Pacific Northwest winters are wet and cold, and my poor little tropical breed Chihuahua starts shivering as soon as his feet hit the deck.  Duffy needs a sweater. I found some cute ones at the mall today, but they run $10 to $25. I can do better than that.

I found this video on you tube :  Note the word 'large' in the description.

A trip to the dollar store and a few snips later,  I had hoped to have several sweaters for my handsome Duffy and some adorable photos for this post.  I put a sweater on him and stood back to admire my work and snap a few photos.  But Duffy had other ideas.   He folded his legs,  rolled over and refused to move.   I chalked it up to a "puppitude" (puppy with an attitude) and figured he'd get used to it.   "I am the alpha dog,"  I told myself. (Yeah, right!)  Plus, the sweater was really cute.




Grandpa (who is apparently a puppy whisperer)  took one look at this pathetic-looking upside down puppy with the bad attitude, picked him up and said, "That's too tight. He hates it and he's miserable.  Take it off!"   

So off to plan B.  I took one of Grandpa's old (and bigger) white tube socks and cut it in much the same way as the video, and it seemed to fit much better with a lot less attitude, but totally not cute.

So it's back to the dollar store in the morning for larger, cuter socks.  Sometimes experiments have some unexpected costs, but hopefully I will still have four dog sweaters for a grand total of $4 plus tax. (small unusable socks $2,  larger usable socks $2,)  - still not bad.

Hopefully I will post photos tomorrow with the final verdict.   Cross your fingers.

Next post : Creative and cheap dog toys.

Christmas Leftovers - Prime rib&barley soup for a soggy winter night. Kinda makes the week after Christmas less melancholy!

Okay - so you and your family enjoyed the prime rib roast you shared on Christmas Eve, and you have a bag full of tasty, delectable bones and scraps.   It goes against my grain to toss out anything, especially Prime Rib (duh!) 

So, yesterday's lunch here at Grandma's house was an absolutely awesome prime rib&barley soup made with the broth and meat from those bones, boiled, seasoned, and fortified with veggies and barley.  Yum!!

Here is my recipe.   Note there aren't too many exact measurements because everyone likes different amounts of the add-ins....you can add more, or less, or none of any of the items without affecting the integrity of the soup.

*leftover bones, etc. from a 7 lb prime rib roast..  It's okay to leave some fat on the meat, as it adds flavor to the broth.. (you will cool the broth and skim the fat off the top later.) 

*Celery - about two stalks - your preference diced
*Carrots - one to two - your preference diced
*onion - 1/4 to 1/2 diced
*potato, any type, diced
*Bay leaf
*Salt
*Pepper or peppercorns
*Pearl Barley (From the bulk foods section) 1/3 to 1/2 cup as per your preference
*Au jus mix or beef boullion cubes if desired.

Cover the bones with water, bring to a boil, then simmer about an hour to extract the broth.  Pour through a colander and refrigerate the liquid until it is cold enough to have separated the fat. (usually several hours.)  Skim off the solids with a spoon or spatula and discard.

(Note : I used the leftover au-jus from dinner to amend the broth and add flavor....if you need more flavor, just add another package of au jus, or some bullion cubes.-just remember that any time you add these ingredients, it significantly increases the sodium content!)

While the liquid is cooling, remove the usable meat from the bones and share one or two with your four-legged family members.  There is no need to get every little mystery piece, but there will be plenty of small chunks of good meat.  Reserve the meat in a bowl.  Expect about 4 cups of meat but your results may vary.

Place the skimmed broth into a large saucepan.  Add the meat, barley pearls, carrot, celery, potatoes, and onion.  (If your family is anti-onion, just throw a half of one onion, unsliced, into the mixture and remove it before serving.) Pop in two bay leaves, and salt and pepper cautiously.

I have also been known to toss in any leftover vegetables from dinner - this year it was a cauliflower/broccoli/carrot combo platter, a boiled red potato, and some corn.

Simmer s.l.o.w.l.y. until the barley plumps up,  one to two hours, then serve with rolls, bread, or crackers, and a salad for a nice, warm winter lunch or dinner.

This last batch made about 12 cups of soup.  Your results will vary depending on whether or not you thin out your broth,  amend your broth, or add more veggies or barley.

Enjoy!

Standing Rib Roast - cheaper than ground beef? I've seen it! I have it!

Summit Trading (Puyallup) and Tukwila Trading (Tukwila)  have the most incredible price I have ever seen for a standing rib roast!  $2.99 per lb!!


I was just over there and bought enough for Christmas Dinner, Easter Dinner (family of 6,)  and 2 smaller-sized roasts for birthdays....Twenty Pounds for just over $60...   WOW, just WOW. 

The meat is beautiful.  If you live near these stores and are planning on Prime rib for dinner on Christmas, I urge you to check it out before paying nearly $10/lb anywhere else. You have to buy at least 10 pounds to get the $2.99 - but at these prices you can afford it!  Less than ten lbs is $3.49, still a huge bargain.

Run, don't walk. YUM!!   Merry Christmas!!

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Thanks, Coupons and Freebies Mom

Free Calendar from Betty Crocker!

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Extreme couponing is not for everyone, and that's okay!

OKAY, I get it.  EXTREME couponing is not for everyone - few of us have the time or energy to plan one of those TV trips where you get $1000 of food for $8.23 - but you CAN cut your grocery bill significantly by paying attention to these savvy tips:

1.  DO YOUR HOMEWORK. Just because something is on sale at a specific store does NOT mean it's the best price. 

2   CHECK YOUR STORE'S BULK BINS.     I have purchased Parmesan cheese, hard candies, spices, cereal, flour, gravy mixes, beans, dried fruits, and many other things I would not have expected. I paid 18 cents last week for a baggie full of basil.   (Note : keep and refill your empty spice bottles.)  Browse - it's fun!

3.  If your store does not have a bulk foods section, check the ethnic food aisle.  At my local TOP Food and Drug, there is a rack of spices like cumin, pepper, paprika, cinnamon, and others (all commonly used in Mexican recipes) that are packaged in baggies, priced way way less than those sold around the corner in the little jars.

4.  PAIR A COUPON WITH A GOOD SALE.  My Albertson's had single rolls of 'Bounty' Paper towels on sale for $1.99 yesterday.  I had a $1 off coupon ( which I doubled,)  making each roll FREE.  (Free = Good)

5.  PAIR A MANUFACTURER COUPON WITH A STORE COUPON FOR DOUBLE SAVINGS.  Target is putting out some pretty decent coupons right now to promote their new grocery sections.  "Stack" a store coupon with a manufacturer coupon for awesome savings.

6.  SUBSCRIBE TO THE SUNDAY PAPER. Most coupons are found in the inserts (SmartSource, RedPlum, Proctor & Gamble, General Mills...etc.)  Peruse the store sale ad for sales and store coupons.
  
Many publishers have subscription specials, so call to find out the best deal for you.  If you choose to purchase your papers on the newsstands keep in mind that they have often been relieved of their inserts by unscrupulous couponers.  When you have home delivery, your inserts are guaranteed to be there.

7.  KNOW YOUR STORE'S COUPON POLICY  These policies are posted to the store's website, and I have provided links to some of them below.  Many stores double or triple coupons, but place restrictions on the number you can use per transaction; others require that you cannot use more coupons than the actual number of items in your cart.  Forearmed is forewarned!

8.  LOYALTY ISN'T ALWAYS REWARDED.  One store may have the best prices on meat, but you will pay more for milk.  Another will have great prices on vitamins, but you will pay through the nose for eggs.  Shop the circulars (you can find them online at the store's website), and plan your shopping trip accordingly.  Make a big loop and hit your stores in order for maximum savings. See #9 below to save some gas.

9.  ADMATCH.  WalMart will match a competitor sale price, which is outstanding because you don't have to drive from store to store and waste gas getting the sale prices.  There are Wal Marts everywhere (three within 10 miles of my house!)   Just take the competitor's ad to the store with you and show it ot the cashier when you check out. Read Walmart's policies carefully, because the sale price has to be specifically stated in the ad
(no BOGO Buy-one-get-one-free, etc.....)

10. MAKE FRIENDS WITH YOUR CASHIERS.  ALWAYS BE POLITE, say please and mostly say THANK YOU.  Be courteous to those behind you.  If the line starts backing up, end the current transaction, then go to the end of the line.

11. DON'T CLEAR SHELVES.  Others want to save too, and really....how many toothbrushes do you need? Some frugal folks justify clearing shelves by giving the items to charity, but I personally disagree with that stand.  Most of us don't need charity, we just need a good deal. Please leave some for us.

12. USE THE INTERNET.  Follow blogs like this one for daily deal postings.  Subscribe to emails from sites
that search for free samples.  Join facebook and follow several local bloggers.

13. STOCKPILE.  I don't mean HOARD, simply buy a few extra items each time you find an awesome price.  You maximize your savings this way.  IF YOU WAIT UNTIL YOU NEED SOMETHING YOU WILL ALMOST ALWAYS PAY MORE FOR IT.


Most of all, HAVE FUN!!  Saving money is a necessity, but it also provides for a real challenge.  Keep your
mind active putting deals together.  Get out of the house to go shopping.  Most of us who are retired need to
get out more, and shopping can be decent exercise.


Here are links to some common store's coupon policies. Google your store if it's not listed here.
 
Rite Aid Coupon Policy
Albertson's coupon policy
CVS Pharmacy policy
Safeway Coupon Policy
Walgreen's Coupon Policy
Wal Mart Coupon Policy
WalMart AdMatch policy