We thought we’d start off our fast & frugal recipes with our version of Yaki Soba, the Japanese equivalent of Chow Mein. This meal can be made in about 5-10 minutes and for under $1.00 per person.

Yakisoba Ingredients

• 1 pack of Ramen Noodles (Maruchan, Top Ramen, etc.) – but we won’t be using the soup base powder
• Cabbage – chopped
• 1/2 an Onion – cut in slivers
  
• Oil
• Soy Sauce
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Sugar

Ramen noodles are about $0.12-$0.15 a pack, and as low as $0.08 a pack on sale, cabbage is one of the more economical vegetables at around $0.69/lb. where we live, as is onion which you can buy in bulk bags for about $2.00. This dish is also really good with sliced mushrooms added in, but alas, I used up all the mushrooms on yesterday’s breakfast of mushroom & onion omelet scrambled eggs.

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This is a really handy and yummy recipe we have been using a lot lately. It’s great as a snack or as a meal, and something the whole family is sure to love. The recipe is flexible, just as it is whenever making your only pizza. The cost of each slice probably comes to about 25 cents (depending on your toppings). Preparation time is about 5 minutes and baking time about 10 minutes.

This is a great recipe to have kids make on their own. Each member of the family can prepare his/her pizza toast as desired.

Following are 3 versions of our Mediterraean Pizza Toast recipe. As the Mediterranean flavor may not be palatable to some younger children, check out the alternative topping suggestions and combinations farther down.

Mediterranean Pizza Toast

Ingredients

• Wheat bread
• Olive Oil
• Mozzarella Cheese
• Feta Cheese
• Diced Roma Tomatoes
• Spinach
• Basil
• Garlic (fresh or powder)

Preparation Instructions

1. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 375° F
2. Spread a teaspoon of olive oil on a slice of bread
3. Sprinkle 2 teaspoons mozzarella cheese over the surface
4. Spread minced garlic or sprinkle garlic powder over mozzarella
5. Spread out diced tomatoes and spinach
6. Crumble feta cheese over top
7. Sprinkle basil on top
8. Toast in oven or toaster oven for about 10 minutes (or until cheese is brown)

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In the past year, propane cost has inflated so much that our bills do not decrease even when we conscientiously use less fuel. So Penelope and I have learned that it is more efficient to heat water in the microwave before using it to cook on the stove or other appliances. Because a microwave oven heats water much faster than other means, we can cut the costs of cooking with our stove, slow cooker, or oven by taking this step.

In cooking rice, for example, we start with microwaved water which comes to a boil in less than a minute, allowing us to turn the stove to low for the remainder of the cooking process. Usually, a large pot of rice takes five to ten minutes to come to a boil–or longer if it contains chicken and vegetables (our dogs’ food).

Our new slow cooker also takes several hours to bring a pot of chicken to a boil. If we had thought to begin with heated water, it would have cost very little to maintain that temperature, whereas heating is the most expensive use of electricity.

A microwave oven works by exciting water molecules to motion and the water produces heat. This is significantly more efficient than other appliances which produce heat and then transfer it to your food by diffusion, losing much energy along the way. Water is especially resistant to temperature change, making heating by diffusion very expensive.

A water molecule has a positive end and a negative end (like a magnet). A microwave is an electromagnetic wave which causes the molecules to turn—like passing a strong magnet over a group of weaker magnets.

While some people have concerns about potential health risks associated with microwave ovens, the levels of radiation emitted by a microwave during operation is rated by the FDA as being safe for humans. It is also a non-ionizing form of radiation which is not associated with cancer risk. Microwaves are also used for wireless internet access, broadcasting, cable TV, and mobile phones. Like television and computer screens, which we all know to emit radiation, I definitely think the benefits of using microwave ovens outweigh the risks.

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When I got the idea for my last post, Financial Lent: A Frugal Fast to See What You Can Live Without, Madoline and I wracked our brains for what our financial fast could be. And to be honest, it was really difficult, because we have been economizing so much lately and cut out almost all extra money-costing things.

Things we already don’t do:

• Smoke or drink
• Go to or rent movies
• Shop recreationally
• Eat out
• Drive a lot (I drive 2-3 times a month to run errands, which I can’t do without a car because we’re somewhat isolated

Things we considered cutting:

• Watching DVDs or TV online, but considering it’s one of the few activities we enjoy together and we don’t go out for entertainment, I wasn’t quite willing to give that up.
• Tying to cut our electric bill by not using lights for a week. This would entail getting up and going to bed with the sun, which we will be trying in a while once we get our sleep schedule synced for this.
• Computer use, but as most of our computer use is for income purposes, I decided that this wouldn’t be a practical one at this time.
• Eating less, but as we average 2 meals a day, it didn’t seem a wise idea.

Chocolate and Ice cream

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I will show you how to make a nice storage chest from a regular cardboard box. The box shown here is an economy size carton of baby wipes, of which we buy a lot because they are great for cleaning dogs and upholstery. If you shop economy or family-size, you should have a good supply of nice large boxes to convert into chests. These chests can be stacked and displayed all over your house, storing essentials or rarely used items conveniently out of sight. Fantastical treasure chests would be great for children’s rooms to encourage stowing away one’s treasures (a.k.a. putting toys away).

The Box

1. Leave the top of the box open to start.
2. Draw a line around three sides of the box at the level you want the box to open.
3. Using a box knife, or other old knife, carefully cut the lid on three sides.
4. You can now flatten the top, which skews like a parallelogram.
5. On the fourth side, score only halfway through the cardboard to make a hinge.
6. Tape the top of the box shut and you have your chest with a flip top.

Covering the box
Either fabric or paper (gift including wrapping paper) is suitable for this. I usually use white glue, but you may prefer wallpaper paste or decoupage medium as being more durable. It is easiest to cover a chest in several pieces. Have a little extra covering to wrap around the lip of the chest for a nicer finish. I used a navy twill which had to be withdrawn from my costuming business because of imperfections. A lighter or floral print material would give the box a completely different air. if you so desire, you may apply one or two coats of clear varnish to protect the box.

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We thought we’d start off with some basic money saving tips for everyday life and then move on to more specific matters. The important thing to keep in mind in a frugal lifestyle is that every little bit adds up. A few cents saved here and there may not seem like much at one time, but consistently saving a few cents at a time can and will make a difference amount to a noticeable difference.

A good way to see this for yourself is to start a coin jar or piggy bank and put in every bit of loose change you find lying around the house: in your pockets, desk drawers, under couch cushions, in the car, etc. What starts out looking like a few unpromising handfuls of change can turn out to be $5, $10 or even $15. So it’s not going to pay next month’s rent, but it can pay for many other things that you may need (or want).

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Favors for Nice Customers

Here are some examples of our experience in dealing with customers in our business where we, as a business, decided to do one of our customers a favor in return for niceness on their part.

Example #1

We have a customer who has ordered costumes from us for her Great Dane twice before. She is always very friendly and polite in her emails, always saying “please” and “thank you,” never demanding or expecting special treatment, and we often exchange little personal updates on ourselves and our dogs. For this Halloween, she decided to dress her dog up as “Lipstick on a Pig” and asked us to make her a set of custom pig ears and tail. We invoiced her for the ears and tail, and after she paid, she realized that she had forgotten about feet. Because she is a good customer and we have a friendly relationship with her, we decided to throw in some matching pig’s feet for free. This made her really happy (we received an enthusiastically grateful email) which made us happy as well.

Example #2

We have another customer who orders very elaborate costumes from us every year. She competes in dog costume contests and always emails us to tell us when she wins and sends us pictures of her dogs wearing our costumes, which we never tire of seeing. She always asks how we are and sends us holiday greetings, and even mails us custom Christmas cards of her dogs wearing our costumes. Because she is such a nice customer, we often charge her a little less for her custom items than we otherwise might.

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