Cutting Hair @ Home

I cut my husband's hair all by myself! I am quite proud of this fact. He hasn't seen a barber for over three years.

We purchased a set of $30 clippers at Target (love that store...)

His hair grows quickly, but unevenly, so he needs it clipped every 4-5 weeks. At $10/cut and 12 barber visits per year, we've probably saved $360 over the past three years just by cutting his hair on the back porch or in the basement. We spread out a big sheet to make cleaning up easier.

To us, it is totally worth the savings.

Who Likes Free Samples?

I sometimes run across free samples on some 'frugal' or 'coupon' websites I read. I found this on a website! This guy wrote to 100 different companies to see if they would send him free samples! Sure, it cost him $39 in postage (when stamps were 'only' $0.39!)

Is it worth the time? Probably not, but the wording of his request letters sure is funny!

Chicken Fajita Pizza

This is so easy and yummy. I make a crust with Bisquick (I know, not real healthy, but it's fast!) and then I use frozen bell peppers. This time, I used chicken that had already been cooked and frozen, but usually I do cook it in the skillet, the way the recipe cites.
Chicken Fajita Pizza

Crust:
1 1/2 cups Bisquick
1/3 cup very hot water
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mix the Bisquick and hot water together, about 20 strokes. Press onto pizza stone sprayed with cooking spray and then sprinkled with cornmeal. *the cornmeal makes the crust crispier*

Topping:
1 T oil
1 package of frozen bell peppers
1/2 cup salsa
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into strips (or some cut-up cooked chicken...)
2 T taco seasoning
1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
In a skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for about 6-7 minutes, until no longer pink. Then add the frozen bell peppers and stir them around for about 5 minutes. Add the salsa and taco seasoning and stir for a few more minutes until heated through. Remove from heat.

Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese over the uncooked pizza crust. Cover with the topping from the skillet. Top with the other 1/2 cup of cheese.

Bake for 15 minutes and enjoy!

Learn From Mistakes...

I made a big mistake today. I was cleaning the floors and wanted to clean my kitchen throw rugs. My little boy was napping, so I thought instead of vacuuming, I could put them into the dryer on "air fluff" and the lint trap would catch the dirt.

The dirt ended up all over the inside of the dryer. I had clean(er) rugs, but had to wipe out the inside of the dryer. Yuck. Not a time saver. I was annoyed.

French Pressed Coffee

I really like coffee. We usually buy whole bean coffee, whatever is cheapest, from Sam's Club or Costco and grind the beans ourselves. I had been making 3-4 cups each morning in the coffee maker, but it seemed like I was constantly grinding beans! I was using the coffee maker instead of the french press because I didn't have to wash the coffee maker. Also, if I wasn't ready to drink the coffee immediately, it would stay warm on the coffee maker, unlike the french press. It was purely a convenience issue.

My husband pointed out I could use fewer grounds if I used the french press. Also, I wouldn't have to use a disposable filter. (Note: we do have a reusable filter, but I don't often use it as I dislike cleaning it with a toothbrush. However, buying 100 unbleached coffee filters at $4.99 comes out to $0.0499 per use, so I'm opening my eyes to more money which could be saved!) Plus, the french pressed coffee tastes better!

I'm now taking the extra 2 minutes per day to boil water and then wash the french press. One con: the french press does make less coffee. A hidden pro: I consume less caffeine!