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Peter, Peter, Pumpkin SOUP Eater

Tonight I used my pumpkin puree, and I didn't make pie. I made pumpkin soup. And it was actually pretty good. I made dinner for the two of us for only a few dollars each. The pumpkin cost me $1.50, and all the ingredients were about $5.00, so for $6.50 total, I fed my little family for two days. The potatoes that went into it were 3 lbs for $1.00, and the cream cheese was .50, and the half-and-half was a few dollars. Add a loaf of bread, and you have dinner! Please enjoy my own recipe for pumpkin soup below and enjoy it on a cold night. There are a few of them coming up soon!

60 oz pumpkin puree (2 cans 30 oz each)
28 oz chicken broth (2 cans 14 oz each)
1 8 oz package cream cheese
2 cups half-and-half
2 T garlic powder
1/2 cup dried onion
1 t red basil
salt to taste
3 t cornstarch with 1 T cold water
Four large potatoes cut into small cubes
dollop of sour cream and parsley to garnish

Whisk puree and broth together over low heat. Add cream cheese and stir until melted. Add the half-and-half and whisk. Heat until warm. Add garlic powder, dried onion, red basil, salt, and cornstarch and stir well. Stir in potato cubes and heat over low heat until the potatoes are soft. Ladle into bowls and spoon a dollop of sour cream on top with some sprinkles of parsley on top. Enjoy!!

When Life Hands You Lemons, Make Pumpkin Pie?

Halloween is fun, isn't it? But it seems like we're left with a lot of left-overs once the doorbell stops ringing. But there's a way to make your pumpkins last throughout the entire season. “How?” you might ask, “My pumpkins mold and turn squishy after a few days. Well, just turn them into pumpkin puree.

This doesn't work if you've carved your pumpkin the traditional way; you know, cutting off the top, scooping out the insides, and then carving a face all the way through. However if you choose a less traditional way of carving, such as just engraving part way into the pumpkin [see picture below] painting the pumpkin, or using external facial features, this can work for you.

You can display your pumpkin all Halloween season long, enjoy the ghoulish face you chose to depict. But then at the end of the season, you have a shrunken up, molding, worthless gourd that you spent the time decorating and that you just have to throw it in the garbage can. This always makes me feel a little down. It's the same reason I have a hard time with for-display-only gingerbread houses. However, if you chose one of the less-traditional options listed above, you can enjoy the fruits (no pun intended, although technically a pumpkin is a fruit) of your labors all the way through the holiday season.

Making pumpkin puree is easy. Simply cut your pumpkin in half, with the stem on one half, and the bottom on the other. Scoop out all the seeds and innards—you can save them in a bowl if you like pumpkin seeds—and clean the flesh thoroughly. Place the halves in a roasting pan with the cut sides down and pour one to two cups of water in the bottom of the pan. Cook in an oven heated to 350° until tender, about 90 minutes or so. The flesh will have turned a dark umber color (the noted color for pumpkin pie). Pull them out of the oven, and let them cool. Once cool, scoop the flesh out into a bowl, and put it in the blender or food processor until you have puree. I like to freeze the puree in baggies in one cup increments, so that I can easily incorporate it into recipes.

Now you can enjoy Halloween all season long in the delicious pumpkin pies, pumpkin rolls, and pumpkin cookies you create. After all, tis the season.

How to Get Products You Use Everyday for FREE

I just got a bag of dog food. For free. And what's even more amazing is that we actually have a dog, so it's a free sample that we can use. There's nothing worse than getting free samples of things you can't use. It's like being anti-caffeine and getting a free packet of Folgers™ . However, this wasn't just your average came-with-the-mail sample; it was a 10lb bag. “How in the world?” you ask. Simple. I wrote to the company.

Yup, that's right, I just dropped them an email. I explained how I was a loyal customer, how we had tried other foods and had not had the successful experience with them as we had with this particular brand. I then went on to explain that because their food was of the highest quality, it was obviously more expensive to produce, and therefore more expensive to us, the consumer. I mentioned how times for us (like everyone) were hard, and how we'd prefer not to switch to a cheaper, and hence, lower quality food for our pup, but we just didn't have the resources to continue on with them at their current prices. I asked if they had any type of coupon or voucher they saved for loyal customers, and if so, could I possibly qualify? Just to get us through for a little while, mind you.

And voila! A day later, I received an email informing me to keep an eye on my mailbox as they had sent some coupons my way. I also received a certificate thanking me for my continued loyal patronage. If there's one thing companies love, it's loyal customers. And a loyal customer who has taken enough time out to actually write the company is a loyal customer who they would like to keep. Obviously I'm satisfied enough to write to them, therefore they're banking that I'm satisfied enough to recommend them to other pet owners. And here's the kicker: I am.

I wasn't trying to scam them and I wasn't trying to “score”. Everything I mentioned in my letter was 100% true. We love that food for our dog. We have tried other foods and they messed with his digestive system. This particular food doesn't. And what's more, is it's one of two foods that vets recommend. So I felt completely confident in identifying myself as a loyal consumer.

So when I received the coupons, along with several that were $2.00 off, there was a voucher in there for a free 10lb bag of food. And that's enough to last the pup a month. Certainly enough to get us through until the next paycheck. Sometimes it's worth it to be a loyal customer. And free is a price that's worth it to me.

As always, stay tuned for out next post and if you have anything that you would like to see discussed or addressed on Financial Fix Utah, feel free to email financialfixutah@gmail.com.

I got $130 worth of groceries for $60

"How?!" you ask, "How did you accomplish this? Tell me!" Well, my friends, I will. Coupons. Coupons and weekly sales. I bought off-brands, stacked sales with manufacturer's coupons, and was able to create meals from what I found on sale. I didn't pay full price on anything. Most people don't clip coupons these days, and if they do, they're ashamed of it. Clipping coupons, buying the store brand, and settling for meals created from what's on sale, rather than creating a menu and then shopping for it is seen as inferior. Well, I have a new idea and I think we should embrace it. Here it is: let's not give our money away anymore!

Now, I know that this is hard for some people to wrap their heads around, but stay with me. Just because something costs more does not necessarily make it better. Does that surprise you? Well, I'll tell you a secret. It surprised me a little too. I mean, we all know that that store- and off-brands are cheaper because they are inferior, right? I mean, that's why they're cheaper. I hate to break it to you, folks, but this myth is perpetuated by the producers of name brand items. If they make you believe that the store brands are the lesser brands, then you'll shell out the money to pay for theirs. Full price usually, too. But take a look at the ingredient list for a Western Family Skillet Meal (Cheesy Shells)™ versus Hamburger Helper™ Cheesy Shells. I think you'll be surprised.

Western Family™

Serving Size 1/2 cup mix (41g)

Servings per container 5

Amount per Serving as packaged as prepared

Calories 160 320

Calories from Fat 40 120

____________________________________________________________

% Daily Value**

Total Fat 4.5g* 7% 22%

Saturated Fat 1.5g 8% 27%

Trans Fat 1.5g

Cholesterol less than 5mg1% 19%

Sodium 760mg 32% 34%

Total Carbs 26g 9% 10%

Dietary Fiver 1g 5% 5%

Sugars 1g

Protein 4g

____________________________________________________________

Vitamin A 0% 2%

Vitamin C 0% 0%

Calcium 2% 8%

Iron 6% 15%

Folic Acid 15% 15%

*Amount in Package

**Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie Diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your caloric needs

Hamburger Helper™

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 1/2 cup (41.0 g)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 150 Calories from Fat 18

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 2.0g 3%

Saturated Fat 0.5g 3%

Cholesterol 5mg 2%

Sodium 710mg 30%

Total Carbohydrates 29.0g 10%

Dietary Fiber 1.0g 4%

Sugars 3.0g

Protein 4.0g

Vitamin A 0% • Vitamin C 0% Calcium 2% • Iron 4%

* Based on a 2000 calorie diet

Now you can see that the differences are negligible. But the price difference isn't. Hamburger Helper™ meals cost anywhere from $2.50 to $3.00 whereas Western Family Skillet Meals™ are $.95 a piece. Now, I know that doesn't seem like a very big difference, but in the long scheme, those dollars add up. And the reason for the price difference? Packaging. The name brands spend more money on flashy packaging, whereas store- and off-brands don't. Therefore they can offer the same product for less cost. Now doesn't that seem like a difference you can buy into?

Tell me what you save money on by leaving me a comment below!

Let them eat . . . leftovers?

So, the other night I was looking through my fridge, trying to decide what to make for dinner, and I didn't see a whole lot. Or, at least, I thought I didn't. I was tempted -- and I mean sorely tempted -- to order in, or go to my parents for free food, or run to the store to get something to make dinner. But, that's not how you save money. That's how you spend money, and usually more than you meant to. I was hungry. Being hungry + going grocery shopping = spending more than you have in the bank. And that is a recipe for disaster. So, I decided to make it work.
Speaking of recipes, did you know that you don't always have to have one? Or at the very least, not follow it explicitely? There are a few elementary rules to creating your own culinary masterpieces.
First: Less is more.
Now, I know there's a heady excitement to breaking out of the box, and creating something that is all yours, and with that comes the tendency to over season. Then you're stuck with something that started off a soup and ended up as a solid stroganoff that tasted strongly of dill and cilantro, not that I know that from experience.
Second: a homemade recipe is like an art project; you have to know when it's perfect, and let it be done.
When you're finishing up that art project and the bowl of fruit looks realistic and edible, you feel so excited that you just keep adding and adding to it, trying to make it even more perfect, and suddenly, it's too much and ruined. The same can be said for culinary experiments. You have to know when to stop.
Third: a few basics can create an amazing meal.
Knowing how to create a roux (pronounced "roo") is invaluable. A roux* is a mixture of flour and fat used to thicken a sauce or soup. A roux can be the basis of a delicious white sauce, gravies, or even a stew. Also worth knowing, is how to mix up some marinades. They can turn a blah piece of meat into something amazing.
So, this brings me back to standing in front of my fridge. I remembered that I had some carrots and celery I'd gotten halfprice from Sunflower, a local farmers' market, and a crook-neck squash that my mother-in-law gave me from her garden. I also remembered that we had some steaks in the freezer from a birthday dinner we needed to use up. So, I whipped up a teriyaki marinade for the cubed meat, sauteed the vegetables, stirred it all together, and voila! Stirfry. Add some sticky rice, and you've got a great meal for the next two days. Making more than you need is a great idea, because then you only have to cook a couple of times a week. Freezing the extras can make your month easier. And let's face it; who couldn't use an easer month?
*Recipe for Roux:
Equal parts flour & butter. Melt butter, add flour, and stir until browned.

Provident Living: Part II

Last week we discussed how it's not enough to just only spend the money that you actually have, but to create a financial reserve, or emergency cushion.  Now, one week later, let's assume you did your assignment and kept track of every penny you spent for one week and separated your necessary expenses from your unnecessary ones.  Did you find anything that surprised you?  I know I did.  We as Americans are trained, from a young age, in the art of consumerism.  We are trained to buy, buy, buy, that it's good for the economy while saving is not.  "After all," the financial advisors who are supposed to be experts say, "what good is your money tucked away safely in a bank?  It's not boosting the economy by circulating.  Therefore, saving = bad!"

Not true, I say to those "experts"!  What good does your money do being in the bank?  I'll tell you!  The good it does is for YOU.  Not only do you earn interest on it (the longer you pledge to keep it in the bank, the more interest you earn) but it's a financial buffer, something that helps you sleep at night, because if little Timmy needs braces or the transmission in your car goes out, you won't lose your home.  It gives you the capital you need for a new venture, should an amazing opportunity come your way, without making you reliant on other peoples' money.  People say that credit makes our world go round.  I say no!  The world goes round on it's own.  Credit only causes good people bad stress.  That's not to say that, in the hands of a responsible person, a credit card can't be useful and convenient.  But going into debt for a TV or shoes or something you don't need or even really want, is one of the choices most fatal to financial independence.

So, now is the time to say "No" to instant gratification.  Not only do things mean more when you work for them, but you'll find that your longing for the latest purse or the newest video game console goes away quickly when you compare the amount of money you'll need versus the number of hours you would need to work to have the cash in hand to purchase it.  Should you weigh these factors and still decide that your life would be better with the purchase, then by all means, do it.  However, make certain that the money for this purchase comes from the extras and not from, oh, say the funds set aside for your mortgage payment.  Because a Nintendo Wii is useless without a living room to play in.

As always, send your questions or comments to financialfixutah@gmail.com and tune in next week.