When it comes to cost, rice is a very cheap staple to keep on hand. Basmati rice is a bit different than traditional white rice since it doesn’t stick together like regular rice. Basmati rice costs a little more than white rice but is still an inexpensive staple to keep in your kitchen pantry. It is also nice to have on hand for healthy recipes such as this cold basmati rice salad. Read more »

I did some after Christmas shopping today and it was no surprise to see  Valentine’s day items being displayed. It used to amaze me how early stores put out new merchandise but anymore it doesn’t surprise me. We may have a long winter ahead but I know that it will be no time at all before we start seeing spring and summer merchandise being displayed such as grills, picnic tables and  patio umbrellas. And I can only imagine that those living in warmer climates pretty much shop for outdoor items year round. Read more »

A few months ago I started a series of posts with the intent of curbing my grocery spending habits. Since then I had gotten sidetracked with other things and didn’t follow through as intended. For my family living frugal is a necessity and we are really good about that most of the time. For example, I did really well shopping around the sales at Christmas time and for what I think is the third year in a row we did not use credit cards at all. When it came to groceries however it seems that I really let our grocery budget get out of hand. Read more »