Five Frugal Things – Quick and Easy Ways to Save Money with Cheap and Easy Home Maintenance

When we bought our house, the salesperson suggested we change the filters in our heating and air conditioning system every month on the first of the month to keep it from working too hard trying and using a ton of expensive energy to suck air though a dirty filter. Doing so also helps extend the life of the unit which saves a lot of money compared to buying a new filter every month.

I don’t have kids in school but I still keep an eye on the Back to School shopping sales because it is a good time to get a deal on office supplies, small appliances (think items you use to cook in a college dorm) for early holiday shopping, and clothing – especially if it involves an end of summer clearance sale.

Of course I will save even more money if I don’t go shopping at all and most of the time I do but it’s also nice to check something off my wish list at a deep discount for some up coming events.

Here are five tips I used to save money this week.

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How to Freeze Green Beans

Last weekend my husband and I visited his parents to help them pick and preserve the homegrown bean explosion in their garden.
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You can preserve fresh green beans by canning, freezing, and dehydrating. Although I’m not personally a fan of the taste of rehydrating dehydrated green beans (though Lacey is) I didn’t even give dehydrating a thought. I don’t know how to pressure can and since I was there to do this for my mother in law instead of her doing it while I watched and learn  we were all in agreement that freezing is the way to go.

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Besides we were all in agreement that we like the taste of frozen green beans better.

Five Frugal Things – How I Saved Money on Food This Week

Most bloggers write and post their little posts on how they saved money here and there on Fridays. Which is great but honestly most of time I end up doing those little frugal hacks on the weekends when I have more time to do them. I’m trying something a little different and writing my five frugal things tips about how I saved money in big and small ways during the previous week.

Clear as mud?

Good. Let’s go!

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12 Ways to Reuse and Recycle Can Koozies

I never really thought much of that first promotional can koozie (can Koozies look like this for reference) my husband and I got from a street festival. I chucked it into the could be useful but I doubt it we’ll use it cabinet and forgot about it until years later when I pulled a wet soda can out of a cooler with melting ice and the hostess tossed me an insulated can holder to keep me from dropping the slippery can. (Disclosure: I am including affiliate links to the items I use for your convenience.)

It kept me drink cold longer in the searing heat that day too. What a concept!

After that I searched the cupboard for those two now deemed useful coolies and found that left unsupervised they multiplied like bunnies into a nice free promotional big beer cozie* family.

*Or coosie (cozy, cosie.) Or huggie. Or bottle hugger. Or beer sleeve. Or bottle jacket. Or the so awesome I can’t decide which name is my favorite: coldy holdy or the Australian stubby holder.

Whatever you can them, I have a bunch of ‘em.

And believe it or not can Koozies are extremely useful beyond their intended purpose of keeping drinks in cans, bottles, or mugs (with a little scissor surgery) hot or cold!!

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12 DIY Can Cooler Hacks That Save Money

Pineapple Spoon Cake Recipe

I usually wait for an invitation to a cookout, BBQ, or party to bake. It’s not that baking is hard. It’s more eating one piece of homemade cake and sharing it with friends and not the entire cake by myself!

I wanted to make a cake that is so delicious that my friends at the cookout and BBQ party wouldn’t realize that it is dairy free so I can enjoy it too. Generally I just swap out the cow milk with almond milk until I remembered someone with a nut allergy was going to be there as well as someone with an egg allergy.

Can you make a crowd pleasing cake that is also dairy, egg, and nut allergy friendly? Yes you can if you make my pineapple spoon cake recipe! 


This cake recipe is perfect for potlucks because it also travels well especially if you use a glass baking dish with a lid like this one that way you don’t have to worry about the glaze leaking out from under plastic wrap that doesn’t stick to anything but itself. (Disclosure: I am including affiliate links to the items I used for your convenience.)

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How to Make Dairy, Egg, and Nut Food Allergy Friendly Pineapple Spoon Cake Recipe

The Best Baked Sweet Potato French Fry Recipe You Will Ever Make!

Today's #SummerGrilling recipe has been sponsored by The Spice House, however, all opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. #ad #SummerGrilling #TheSpiceHouse

What is a grilled burger without French fries?

Lonely. That’s what.

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How to Grill Steak for Beginners

Today's #SummerGrilling recipe has been sponsored by Hamilton Beach, The Spice House, and BBQGuys however, all opinions are my own. #ad #imabbqguy #HamiltonBeach, #TheSpiceHouse  #SummerGrilling

One of our oldest and dearest best couple friends are moving out of state to start a new adventure. As I was running Saturday errands, I got a text that they sold their house.  I decided to throw them a dinner party to celebrate that evening.

“What? Are you nuts?!” you say. No, not this time because I had an ace up my sleeve. My secret fancy but easy dinner party weapon was already in an reusable insulated shopping bag in the trunk of my car – steak.

I don’t eat steak or, red meat for that matter, very often but when I do it is grilled.  Growing up on Ohio’s North Coast, it was common for dads to trudge outside to grill steaks in the winter snow because, “steaks were meant to be grilled.”

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