Money Savers

Last year was a year of cutting out some expenses in our budget. I love finding ways to save money so I enjoyed learning new things and trying them out. The best part was seeing our bills lowering. That is extra rewarding.

Since these things have helped us so much, I would love to share them here. Hopefully it will help someone to save a little cash. So to keep you on the edge of your seats, I will share bits and pieces in my next several blogs. Let me know what you think!

Money Saver #1

Making food from scratch. Don't let this scare you. Yes, it does take a little more time and planning than a prepackaged meal, but it saves a lot of cashola and it's healthier. So here are some ideas. Some of the main things I make are granola, bread, pizza, casseroles, soups in the crockpot, pasta dishes, and sweets. We also eat a lot of beans and rice and I try to be creative with how I use them (burritos, quesadillas, tacos, soups, etc.) A good resource for recipes is http://www.allrecipes.com/. I get some good ideas from there.

Another aspect of making from scratch is buying fresh veggies and fruits instead of canned stuff. Some veggies I buy frozen if I need to. They are also good to eat as snacks throughout the day. I also buy some of my baking necessities and spices in bulk at our local healthfood store. Some of these items are cheaper than Walmart! Imagine that.....

So since I am talking about making meals from scratch, I would love to include our favorite pizza recipe. It makes enough for 3-5 pizzas so I half the recipe for our family. Yummy!

**If you have a KitchenAid mixer, you can just add the dough mixer before you add the second measurement of flour.

1 package or 1 tbsp. active dry yeast

about 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups warm water

In mixing bowl, combine yeast, 2 cups of flour, and salt. Gradually add water until just blended. Increase speed and beat for 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of flour to make thick batter. With spoon, add enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn dough on floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if necessary. Shape dough into ball and place in greased bowl. Cover and let rise for an hour in a warm place. Punch down dough, cut in half, place on lightly floured surface. Cover and let rise for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 450. Grease and sprinkle cornmeal on pans. Roll dough out on prepared pans. Add olive oil (or tomato sauce), dried oregano, minced garlic and desired veggies and meats. Sprinkle 8 oz. mozzarella cheese on top.

Bake for 15-20 minutes.

*If you are in a hurry, you can omit the 1 hour rising time and just let dough sit for 15 minutes.

ENJOY!!!!!!