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A Budget Smart Cook’s Secret Ingredient
One of the things I love most about summer is that fresh herbs can be found just about everywhere, in the produce department of any supermarket, at farmer’s markets, and yes, your own backyard. And there are two great things about herbs. One they’re packed with flavor, so a little goes a long way. And two, they can make even the blandest of foods taste like gourmet fare. Herbs Go with Just About Everything You can add herbs to just about any dish, everything from sandwiches to pasta If you’re got a recipe you love but you’re growing tired of it, try adding some fresh herbs. One of my favorite…
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The Budget Smart Girl’s Guide to Wine
There’s nothing that says luxury and the good life more than sitting down on the patio and sipping a glass of good wine on a hot summer’s evening. I used to think that being a Budget Smart Girl meant that I’d either have to forgo this one little pleasure, or be forced to buy a wine that wasn’t that great. However, as the philosophy of the Budget Smart Girl’s lifestyle is to have luxury but at your own price, I did some research and happy to say you can enjoy a great glass of wine at a Budget Smart price, and here’s how- Don’t Always Look at the Price Here…
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Top 5 Tips For a Green Kitchen
The folks at Noble Juice sent me these tips and as they’re a great way to save money too, I thought I’d pass them along to you- COMPOST – Nearly 75 percent of all waste in landfills can be recycled according to earth911.com, and kitchen waste is a huge culprit. Consumers can even purchase juice and water in compostable bottles if you know where to look. Noble Juice (www.noblejuice.com) is available in a 100 percent compostable, plant-based bottle that does not contain petroleum like typical plastic bottles! Readers can do their part for the environment – and their garden – by composting organic kitchen waste. Home composting kits are readily…
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The Budget Smart Girl’s Guide To Travel Bargains
Right now it seems like we can’t win when it comes to traveling. Gas prices are creeping up to $4 a gallon, which puts a squeeze on both road and air travel. But as Budget Smart Girls know, there’s always a way round high prices. Whether you’re hitting the road or taking to the friendly skies this summer, here are some tips and sights to help your money stretch further. Airfares You might have found somewhere cheap to stay, but now it’s getting there on a budget. A couple of sites to check out include www.cheapflights.com and www.cheaptickets.com. Last year I chatted with Marita Hudson Thomas who is part of…
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Portion Control-One Way To Be Budget Smart
A couple of things got me thinking about one easy way to make your food dollar stretch even further, eating less. I don’t mean starving yourself to save money, but simply cutting back on the portion sizes. There’s been lots of media coverage about this topic. Most of us eat more calories than we actually need, and hence, pack on the pounds. And restaurants serve us portion sizes that could easily feed two people. The two things that got me thinking about this topic were, one, I was sent this very interesting article ‘Lose Weight and Eat Well on $6 a Day’. And the second thing was that last weekend…
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The Budget Smart Girl Guide to One Way To Make Money
Etsy and a Chat with Rachael Ward If you read my Budget Smart Girl’s Guide to Selling Arts and Crafts, you might remember I mentioned an online community called Etsy www.etsy.com. It just so happened that after I wrote that piece I was working on another article, this one was about cosmetics. When I went looking for people to feature I was contacted by Rachael Ward, who by coincidence sells her line of cosmetics on Etsy. As I planned to write about places that Budget Smart Girls can sell homemade items, and Etsy being one of them, I asked Rachael if she’d like to share her experience, what it’s like…
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The Budget Smart Girl’s Guide to Pedicures
Warm weather means slipping on the sandals or the flip-flops. It also means that our feet and toes are on full display. One way to get perfectly groomed feet and nails is to get a pedicure. And you don’t always have to spend a lot of money to achieve the perfect look. Here are some tips, product recommendations and my step-by-step guide to getting a pampering pedicure at a Budget Smart Girl’s price. Let’s Get Started My philosophy is if your feet feel good, the rest of you feels pretty darn good too. And one way to make your feet feel great is to soak them in warm, fragrant water.…
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Oh No, Not Carrots Again!
One day I was in the middle of making dinner when I realized I was preparing carrots and broccoli. That shouldn’t sound too alarming. After all, they’re good for us. However, the scary thing was I’d served those same two vegetables almost every night that week. I only hoped that no one else had noticed how repetitious dinner had become. It’s all too easy to fall into a routine of cooking the same foods and making familiar dishes that we could throw together while wearing a blindfold. And nothing shouts budget food more than serving the same old, same old, over and over again. My epiphany that day made me…
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The Budget Smart Girl’s Guide to Yoga
Sticking with a budget, no matter how ‘good’ you are, can be stressful. And if you’re like me, someone who’s running around trying to do a hundred things at once, it’s nice to unwind now and then. A favorite way to do just that is practicing yoga. In fact, I’ve given yoga a couple of attempts. I’ve signed up for classes only to find that most of the poses are beyond my range of motion and I’ve given up. And yes, lost the money I paid for the class. I then decided to give yoga a try at home. There’s less embarrassment for me and it costs a lot less…
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Budget Smart Outdoor Foods
One of my favorite summer activities is packing the picnic basket and heading to one of the local parks. And apart from the cost of the food, it’s free entertainment. Whether you’re planning a picnic or a cook out, here are some of my favorite picks for summertime budget smart food. Hamburgers with a Twist Everyone loves a hamburger and they’re easy on the budget. However, the biggest drawback is a plain hamburger can be shall we say, tasteless. Think about all the new ways you can serve a hamburger. How about putting the topping inside the hamburger before you cook it? I’ve tried filling them with foods like blue…