Frugal Traveler Blog

 We're working on planning a trip right now so I'm inspired to read about exotic locales we haven't visited before. I found a good blog on the New York Times website. It's called The Frugal Traveler. Looks like some really interesting posts. The blogger spent the summer traveling from Brazil to New York City for less than $500 per week- what a challenge!

Who knew? Crazy deals at CVS!

Have you ever shopped at CVS Drugstore? I haven't even though we have one not far from our house. I have never even looked at their Sunday ad! A friend of mine has really figured out how to save money at CVS. It's all about their "Extra Care Bucks." Here's a link to her blog post from today outlining the great deals she just got. I'm going to have to check out the CVS ad this week...

What a deal!

Wall Street Journal College Rankings- by Recruiters

The Wall Street Journal is out with its rankings of the best colleges according to corporate recruiters. If you or your child is in the process of picking out a college and plans to enter the workforce directly after graduation, I think that this ranking is just as important or even more important the one done by US News and World Report. It's one thing to go to a top-ranked school based on the amount of research grants, test scores, etc if you're looking to pad your application to medical school or another graduate program, but if you're looking to get a job after you graduate, wouldn't you want to know what recruiters think?

I'm happy to see so many public and state schools on the list, showing that your best option is not necessarily the most expensive, private institution. And go Big Ten with six of the top 16 spots!

2010 Wall Street Journal College Rankings

Why she never gets new things

Last week, we bought our daughter a new car seat. She is almost too big for her infant carrier so we got her the next size up, a convertible (meaning it faces rear now but can also face forward) car seat called the Graco Comfortsport. It was on sale at Target last week plus we had our extra 10% off from our Target Visa. And it seems really cushy and comfortable, we couldn't bring ourselves to get her the cheaper Cosco model that didn't seem to have enough seat padding.

Today I was reminded why we have bought her very few new things. Most of her toys, furniture, etc are from Craigslist, garage sales, gifts, etc. We haven't attached the seat into the car yet, and I decided to put her into the seat on the floor in the house to make sure the straps were adjusted correctly. I got her all strapped in and adjusted and she seemed very comfy. Then she spit up all over the straps and buckle! Of course the one brand-new thing she got has already been broken in. Oh well, I'm sure the car seat will have many more adventures over the next few years.

Thrifty Strategy- Library book sales

Have you ever been to a library book sale? Most public libraries have them a few times a year. They usually sell a combination of books they used to lend out and books that have been donated. You can find some great deals and they are usually well-organized, too. My mom got quite a few books for our daughter this weekend at a sale near where they live. I'm sure there will be several coming up now that school has started and it's fall, so do a google search and see what you can find near you!

Target online coupons- some good ones are back!

I saved quite a bit of money this week with the online coupons offered on Target's website. They have private label ones back again. I got $2 off frozen chicken, $0.50 off hand sanitizer, a free bottle of juice with purchase of two boxes of cereal.....

Meals for the week- Part Two

As I wrote here, I put together a week of meals based on the Sunday newspaper ads. I was missing two recipes from my mom so here they are, enjoy!

 

Rosemary Turkey Breast


Ingredients:

• One turkey breast- rinsed and patted dry
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• Olive oil
• 2 to 3 tablespoons rosemary

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325. Thaw and rinse turkey breast and dry with paper towels. Lightly salt and pepper breast inside and out.
2. Using your hands, rub turkey with paprika, then massage with olive oil
3. Pat rosemary leaves all over the turkey
4. Cover completely with aluminum foil and place in 9 x 12 pan
5. Bake 1/2 hour per pound. Internal temperature should be 170
6. Let rest on cutting board, covered, for at least 10 minutes. That makes it easier to cut and the juices will permeate the turkey instead of running out all over.

 Leftover turkey is perfect for sandwiches, soup, you name it!

Scalloped Potatoes and Ham

 

Ingredients:

• 1 can condensed cream of celery, chicken, or mushroom soup. I prefer mushroom soup
•  1/2-3/4 cup milk
•  Dash pepper
•  4 cups thinly sliced potatoes
•  1 small onion sliced
•  Ham- already cooked, thinly sliced, around 1/2 pound, more or less depending on how much you like ham (note, the ham that I listed in the original blog post is not cooked, so you'd need to cook it before using in this recipe) You could also just buy a single slice of precooked ham
•  1 tablespoon butter or margarine
•  Dash paprika

Directions:

1. Blend soup,milk, and pepper.
2. Arrange alternate layers of potatoes, onion, ham, and sauce in 1 1/2 quart casserole.
3. Have potatoes on the top layer. Dot top with butter;sprinkle with paprika.
4. Cover;bake at 375 for 1 hour
5. Uncover;bake 15 minutes more.
6. Stick a fork into the potatoes to be sure they are soft. Thinner slices of potatoes cook faster.