KitchenPC: Free Help When The Cupboard is [Almost] Bare!

Stretch your grocery budget with help from KitchenPC.com. This free website - still in beta mode - helps you find recipes based on the ingredients you have in your kitchen at any given time.

Click on the 'Meal Planner' tab, and enter each food item you have on hand, one at a time. After you have entered all the ingredients, recipe suggestions are instantly displayed. So you just might discover a fabulously delicious dinner idea for your family tonight without having to spend another dollar at the grocery store.

But I have to admit that even though it is so helpful to get a recipe instantly using the remnants of my kitchen cupboards, what is really fun about this website is the option to have recipes read out loud to you! Yep, step by step instructions are read aloud as you cook! You will need to download the free browser extension, Firesay, to enable this option. But once you get it set up, it is so much fun to use! (You can read more about Firesay Here.)

Want more free features you say?? Here are a couple more: you can also add your own favorite recipes to the site, create recipe-generated printable shopping lists, and create your own monthly meal planning and shopping calendars.

Definitely worth a look-see! Check it out at www.KitchenPC.com.

Budget-Friendly Grilled Cheese Waffle Sandwich

April is National Grilled Cheese Month (who knew?) so I thought I would share an easy, inexpensive grilled cheese recipe that is totally kid-friendly. All you need are waffles, cheese and a skillet. Easy-Peasy!

Are you all ready for the tricky directions? (you might want to grab a pencil to jot these steps down.)

Place sliced Cheddar Cheese on a frozen waffle, then top with another frozen waffle. In a nonstick skillet, grill the waffle sandwich in butter until waffles are crispy and cheese is melted.

And you are done. ( Did I mention the words, easy-peasy??)

We sometimes add veggie bacon strips also (place bacon on the sandwich before grilling) for an extra yummy grilled cheese sandwich.

 Fruit, tomato soup, cut up veggies w/ ranch dip, and apple sauce all make easy kid-friendly healthy side dishes to go with the Grilled Cheese Waffle Sandwiches.

Do you have a favorite grilled cheese sandwich recipe?

Save Money, Save Time: Shop From Home With Alice.com

 Alice.com is an online grocery store for home essentials like toilet paper, toothpaste, paper towels, coffee and more with free shipping and automatic coupons. Plus you will get 20% off your first order. They have a HUGE assortment of household items and lots of great features to setup lists and automated carts and shipping. It's actually fun to shop there, and Alice can save you time and money.

It is completely free to set up your account with Alice.com, and you can start shopping and saving right away. The products you pick will stay in your account. Then when you shop again, they will come up in your 'My Products' section making it easy to reorder those items again. Oh, another nice touch - you can set reorder reminders so you will never again run out of, let's say, toilet paper!

Once you have your products selected, you will see a display of your shopping orders, discounts and taxes. Then comes the nicest part of all. Your shopping order is delivered to you. Free.

Free delivery. [Doesn't that sound so nice??] 

And might I add, fast delivery?? [seriously.] And everything arrives packed safely and securely (no leaking bottles and stuff!)

Go check out Alice. You will wonder how you have been able to do without her this long!

Free Gardening Help For People With Green(less) Thumbs!

I have no green in my thumb. None. Zilch. In fact, every spring I get a bit glum about my lack of gardening finesse, as one of my secret desires is to be the proud owner of a fabulous garden. So when I came across this marvelous tip courtesy of the Tightwad, I got so excited I wanted to share with you right away!

Go to Sproutrobot.com (after you finish reading this post, of course.) There you will just fill in your zip code and instantly a 'planting calendar' for your area pops up. This calendar lists the types of veggies, fruits and plants that should grow well in your neck of the woods, plus when the seeds should be planted.

They even provide planting instructions for the particular seeds you will be planting - very easy to read instructions for green-less thumb gardeners like me!

Then, because they are so nice, they will even send you email reminders to make sure you do not miss the specific planting windows!

Cool, right? Now I know this may not completely green up my thumb, but I am willing to give this a try. I really think this might be my year to finally get to watch my garden grow.

( eek!)

Get Free Coupons and Discounts at Recyclebank

If you have not heard of Recyclebank yet, you are in for a treat! This site is all about helping people find ways to recycle and live greener lifestyles - they are so dedicated to their passion that they reward their members with some awesome coupons and savings! 

Membership is free and takes just minutes to complete. Then you can click on the 'earn points' tab to find all the various ways to earn points. When you earn points, you will be able to redeem them for various discount coupons, and start saving a little extra money!!

When I first signed up, I took several easy quizzes and games right on the site, and I earned 75 points in a matter of minutes. And the points were reflected in my account almost immediately. (Plus, I learned about Eco-friendly practices some companies are taking to help protect our environment!)

 Points can be redeemed for some pretty cool discounts on your next purchases.  Here are just a few examples of rewards that you can redeem your points for - just remember there are many, many more!

• 50 points will get you a coupon for $5 off at Vons/Pavillions when you spend $50 or more
• 230 points will get you a free one year subscription to Martha Stewart Living Magazine
• 75 points will get you a coupon for a free bottle of Dasani Water when you buy one
• 100 points will get you a coupon for $2 off any Kashi product (one of my faves)

And there are oodles more coupons and rewards. 

Getting started with Recyclebank is easy:

1. Register for an account

2. Check your email for a verification link

3. Once you log in, click the 'Earn Points' tab and find the many ways to start earning points

4. Spend your points by clicking the 'Get Rewards' tab!

Have fun and save some money! Two of my favorite things to do!

Dealigg: Coupons, Freebies, and The Best Daily Deals

 

Perhaps you have already bookmarked the site Dealigg, and are making sure to use it before shopping online. But in case you have not, let me tell you a little about the site..

Dealigg is a unique coupon site in that it is run by shoppers themselves. Users post the best shopping bargains they have come across on the web, and the site's members vote on whether or not it really is a great deal. So let's say you are shopping online for a new TV, and of course you would like to save some money. You would go to the categories section, click on ' TV,' and the most current online deals that other shoppers have found will all be shown, along with how many votes each has received.

Many (many) times I will drive myself crazy wondering if a deal I have come across is really a good one. I will debate with myself, hem and haw, and drive myself crazy wondering if there is a better coupon or money-saving bargain that I am missing.

I love getting others' opinions. I really do. I am just not good at making shopping decisions by myself (now you know more about me than I meant for you to, lol.) It just makes me feel better to know what others think, and if there really is a better deal out there, or if a particular bargain is one I should grab.

In a nutshell, I really like Dealigg. 

If you haven't checked the site out yet, you really should. After all, you have nothing to lose, and money to potentially save by doing so!

Save Some Money With These 4 Tips For Using Ammonia Around the House

If you have some ammonia in your cleaning supply cupboard, then you can use it to solve some common household problems. You may be familiar with these tips already, but if not, try them out. You just might find yourself  saving money by not going to the store and spending money on things you don't need after all!

Use ammonia to get rid of oily stains. Mix one part ammonia with two parts water. Gently blot the solution directly on the stain, then rinse with water. (Always be sure to test the solution on an inconspicuous area of the fabric first.)

Use ammonia to keep animals away from your trash cans. Fill a spray bottle with 1 tsp. of ammonia with 1 quart water. Spray the inside of garbage can lids as well as the garbage bags inside the cans. Use gloves to keep your skin from being irritated! The smell of the ammonia will help deter raccoons and other pests from investigating your trash cans as they will think another animal has already 'marked' the trash can.

Use ammonia to get your windows sparkly clean. Clean windows with a soft cloth dampened with a solution of 1 cup clear ammonia in 3 cups water. Your windows will be crystal-clear and streak-free.

Use ammonia to clean bathroom tiles. Clean bathroom tile and get rid of mildew by washing them with 1/4 cup ammonia in 1 gallon (3.7 liters) water.