Creative Uses for Ice Cube Trays is a post from: LivingFrugalTips.com - Learn about: Living Frugal, Frugal Tips, Saving Money, Saving Money Tips

The good old-fashioned ice cube tray is becoming increasingly scarce in most homes since the advent of the automatic ice cube maker. I actually had the need for an ice cube tray and picked up two for less than a dollar each.

My initial need came about a few months back with the approaching winter season and the need to pick the lemons and limes off my trees before an overnight freeze hit. With bags of citrus I then proceed to juice them and pour them into the trays to make cubes. Once frozen I put the lemon cubes and lime cubes into big Ziploc bags and have used them for months.

I have since found many creative uses for ice cube trays that I wanted to share:

Make Lemon Cubes

• Juice your lemons, freeze them in the trays and then store in a Ziploc bag. Add a cube to your ice tea for fresh lemon taste.

• Place a cube or two to a Ziploc bag with pork or chicken, add a few drizzles of olive oil and salt and pepper and marinate meat. Cube will melt slowly as in the refrigerator, or if meat is frozen it will melt as the meat defrosts.

• Make a homemade salad dressing with olive oil, lemon and garlic — 1 cup of olive oil, 1-2 lemon cubes, 1 teaspoon minced garlic and salt and pepper.

Make Lime Cubes

• If you like a fresh lime wedge in a cold beer or with a Gin and Tonic, or Coke, for example, you can simply add a lime cube. It’s great because not only does it add great fresh lime flavor, but it keeps the drink cold too.

Organize Jewelery

• Another creative use for ice cube trays are great to organized your earrings by placing one set in each cube. And, because they are so flat they easily fit in vanity or dresser drawers.

Organize Craft Beads

• Sort different colors and sizes in each cube area.

Workbench Organizer

• Organize different sized nuts and bolts each in their own little cube area. You can place in your workbench drawer or on top of the work bench for easy access.

Seed Starter

• Place a little dirt and one seed in each cube and use to start growing your seeds. Once plants have formed they can then easily be planted in the ground or in larger pots.

Make Frugal Frosty Paws Ice Cream (Cubes)

• You can read my post on this — Frugal Frosty Paws Ice Cream Recipe for Fido. Dogs love them and they are quick and easy to make.

Make Popsicles

• Pour your favorite juice into the tray cover with saran wrap and then take popsicle sticks or tooth picks and poke a whole int he saran wrap and place one in each cube.

Freeze Foods

• Freeze egg whites if you make a recipe only requiring the yolks.

• Freeze stocks such as chicken stock for later use in recipes.

Use as a Mold

• More creative uses for ice cube trays — they can be used for candy or soap molds.

I hope that you find these Living Frugal Tips and creative uses for ice cube trays useful. I so love when one little product can be used and reused so many different ways.

Please share any other ways you use ice cube trays — just add a comment.

Frugal Frosty Paws Ice Cream Recipe for Fido is a post from: LivingFrugalTips.com - Learn about: Living Frugal, Frugal Tips, Saving Money, Saving Money Tips

Maggie's Birthday Celebration

With the temperatures warming up and the dog days of Summer quickly approaching, there’s nothing better than a cool treat to get tails wagging. If you’re like me and love to give your dogs special treats from time to time, then you will love this frugal frozen treat for fido.

My two dogs love ice cream and whenever we have it they get a little taste at the end. Then I discovered Frosty Paws ice cream for dogs which comes in a peanut butter flavor that they love. But it’s a bit pricey so they only get it on special occasions. The Frosty Paws ice cream for dogs costs between $3.59 – $3.99 for a box of four little serving cups.

For a fraction of the cost you can make this great Living Frugal Tips version at home. I’m calling it Frugal Frosty Paws Ice Cream and there’s another benefit besides the low cost — by using Soy Milk you can ward off any problems if your dogs happen to be lactose intolerant.

Ingredients:

• Soy Milk – regular or vanilla flavor can be used, and you can also use the light version for fewer calories
• Peanut Butter
• Honey

Directions for Making Frugal Frosty Paws Ice Cream for Dogs:

1. Mix one quart Soy Milk (which is 1/2 of the half gallon container that Soy Milk typically comes in)
2. Add one big scoop of peanut butter
3. Add 2 tablespoons of honey
4. Melt all of the above ingredients together on top of the stove on medium to medium heat, stirring constantly.
5. Let cool a bit and then pour about 1/4 cup into little paper cups such as the mini Glad brand for individual single servings. Or you can use an ice cube try for a smaller serving size.
6. Freeze until firmly set.

When ready to serve they easily pop out of the little cups or ice cube tray and you can place the Frugal Frosty Paws Ice Cream on a plate or in a bowl for your dog to enjoy. It’s definitely best to serve outside.

My two dogs just love it!!

If you would like to learn how to make dog biscuits and save money, then definitely check out my Peanut Butter Flax-abulous Dog Cookie recipe. You can serve these with the ice cream or anytime for that matter.

The ice cream and cookie combo is great for doggie Birthday celebrations too.

Maggie Waiting for Her Homemade Cookies

Maggie's Brother Gus Enjoying Frosty Paws

Bon Appetit My Furry Friends!

Natural Remedies for Dogs that Save Money is a post from: LivingFrugalTips.com - Learn about: Living Frugal, Frugal Tips, Saving Money, Saving Money Tips

Casey and Maggie

Our dogs are our kids and we call them our “Fur Coat Kids.” While we would do anything for them, running to the vet for every ailment is not our style. Our first course of action is to do extensive research for natural remedies for dogs. I am not a vet, nor do I play one in the blog-sphere, but, I have found several very effective natural remedies for dogs that save money. They have been very successful in resolving ailments in my two dogs and I thought they would be worth sharing:

Dog Arthritis – Glucosamine and Condroitin

Our little dog Casey progressively had difficulty walking over the course of a few days and we take dog walks daily. My husband took her to the vet and she was diagnosed with dog arthritis. She received a prescription which she took for a week, but it caused her to have blood in her stool. We immediately took her off the meds and started giving her Glucosamine and Condroitin. I give her 1/2 of a 1500 mg tablet with a little peanut butter every morning. It’s a ritual and my big dog Maggie gets one daily. It’s amazing. Vets will prescribe it, but I just went to Sam’s Club and got the biggest bottle they had for the best price. After a few weeks she was back to her old self taking long walks daily, and running after her ball. She’s been med-free dog arthritis free, and walking fine for 6 months now.

Dog Incontinence or Leaky Bladder – Soy Beans

Next up my big dog Maggie had a leaky bladder. It started one day after consuming lots of water, post walk. When she got up after resting for a while there was a small leak. After watching her for a few days and seeing the randomness of it all I did a little research and found that dog incontinence may afflict 20% of female spayed dogs. Low estrogen levels develop and the low estrogen levels cause a weak bladder sphincter. There were several recommended prescription medications designed to increase estrogen levels, however all had side effects. Instead I bought some organic soy beans and add them to their dinner nightly. Soy contains a natural chemical that mimics estrogen. It took about two weeks to notice a difference and after 4 – 6 weeks … no leaks at all. We’ve been leak-free for about 3 – 4 months now.

Repel Fleas and Other Parasites – Garlic

While studies are not conclusive on the effectiveness of adding garlic to a dog’s diet to repel fleas and parasites, we’ve found it to be successful. We add a small amount of DRY minced garlic to their food daily and have not had them on any other flea or tick remedies. My vet and groomer (before my husband starting cutting Maggie’s hair to save money) suggested this. It’s important that it is the dry, minced garlic and NOT garlic salt or the wet minced garlic sold in the produce area. Just a dash will do.

Dog Allergic Reaction – Benadryl

Maggie got bit by a wasp and her mouth and nose started to swell. Picture Will Smith in the movie Hitch.

We immediately gave her one Benadryl tablet and within 30 – 45 minutes the swelling subsided and after about 2 hours she was as good as new. I keep this on hand as she reacts to such bites quickly and it’s happened more than once.

Alternatives to Store Bought Dog Treats – Carrots, Green Beans and Homemade Biscuits

My dogs would choose raw vegetables over a store bought treat any day. Carrots and green beans are their favorites. In addition to soy beans of course. They actually really like the green beans frozen. They also love my homemade Peanut Butter Flax-abulous Dog Cookies that I make. Another healthy source of estrogen boosting ingredients.

As always, consult your vet. Again, I am not a vet, but these solutions have been researched, suggested by vets or other pet “experts” and tried out with success on my two dogs.

Let me know if you have any other natural remedies for dogs that save money and more importantly have worked for your pet.

Ya GOTTA love the doggies!

An Irish Feast Fit for Big Guys in Kilts is a post from: LivingFrugalTips.com - Learn about: Living Frugal, Frugal Tips, Saving Money, Saving Money Tips

Since I’ll be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day over the weekend I figured I’d share my recipes a few days early so you have time to shop and perhaps even celebrate over the weekend too. I mean seriously … celebrating this festive holiday properly cannot be done on a Wednesday night folks!

I’m fondly remembering our trip to Ireland several years back. We had a blast and it easily goes down as our best vacation ever! It’s just beautiful and the people are so fun-loving and friendly — I guess that could be brought on by the endless rows of empty Guinness kegs that would line the streets in the morning as the beer truck would go around and pick up the empties.

Regardless, the generations still come together and enjoy the music and dance, we went to tons of amazing old Irish pubs and danced and drank and really experienced the culture. They all seemed so proud of their country and traditions and shared stories with us and taught us to dance the Irish jig. Hilarious … there are pictures somewhere. We stayed in a wonderful old castle called Adare Manor. I’d highly recommend it … we will go back.

So, here’s what I’ll be cooking up for my St. Patrick’s Day Celebration:

Corn Beef and Cabbage Recipe

1. Place corn beef (point cut or plank/flat cut) in pot. I get mine at Publix and it comes with a season packet.
2. Cover with water.
3. Add 2-3 cloves or garlic, 2 bay leaves, and a few pinches of salt and pepper.
4. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat, cover and simmer on low for 4-5 hours. Long and slow is the trick. Basically simmer for one hour per pound.
5. When corn beef is done, remove and cover on a plate.
6. Use the same fully flavored water to cook the cabbage which I quarter and cook for about 10 – 15 minutes on a medium to higher heat until tender.

Note: I’ve made this in a crock pot before but it doesn’t get as tender due to the slightly lower temperatures.

Roasted Red Potatoes (I prefer to roast my potatoes versus boil, but either is good)

1. While the meat is cooking I clean and quarter my red potatoes and then microwave to partially cook for about 8 – 10 minutes.
2. Place in a zip lock bag or covered Tupperware bowl.
3. Add 2 – 3 tablespoons of olive oil, pressed garlic and salt and pepper.
4. Shake to coat and then place on a baking sheet or baking pan coated with non-stick spray and place in the oven at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes.
5. Check mid-way and toss. You want them nice and lightly browned on all sides.
6. For the last minute or so I usually turn on the broiler to get that extra little yummy crispness. Keep watch and the broiler cooks them quick.

Now it’s all ready to serve and enjoy … with a cold one of course!

Beverage of Choice: An ice cold Smithwick’s (our drink of choice in Ireland).

Dessert: Homemade Irish Cream – Like Bailey’s

If you are feeling a little adventurous, here is a homemade Irish Cream recipe that’s sinfully delicious that a friend shared with me!!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup light cream (I used heavy whipping cream, which made it even richer)
• 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
• 1 2/3 cups Irish whiskey (I used Jameson we toured and taste tested while in Ireland … yum)
• 1 tsp. instant coffee
• 2 tbsp. Hershey’s chocolate syrup
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. almond extract

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender and set on high speed for 30 seconds.
2. Bottle in a tightly sealed container and refrigerate. Shake before using.
3. Will keep for up to 2 months.

Enjoy your day, dance a jig, throw back a pint, listen to some Irish songs (they’re are all so fun and upbeat … ok, other than Oh Danny Boy) … who wouldn’t have a smashing good time. Oh, and enjoy the corn beef and cabbage recipe too.

“For each petal on the shamrock
This brings a wish your way-
Good health, good luck, and happiness
For today and every day.”

Check out some of my other recipes that you might enjoy:

Velveeta Rotel Chicken Pasta Casserole Recipe

Skinny Margarita Recipe

Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe

Roasted Red Pepper and Chipotle Hummus Recipe

Turkey Lasagna Recipe with Lasagna Sauce

Lisa’s Nearly Famous Pulled Pork Recipe

Quick and Easy Mighty Meatloaf Recipe

Turkey Pot Pie Recipe

14 Fun Ways to Pass the Day Trapped Inside is a post from: LivingFrugalTips.com - Learn about: Living Frugal, Frugal Tips, Saving Money, Saving Money Tips

Photo by DigitalRedEye

If you find yourself trapped at home and on the brink of going stir-crazy due to inclement weather caused by rain, sleet, snow and ice — here are 14 things to do when trapped inside.

These Living Frugal Tips are low-cost or no-cost ways to have fun.

1. Have a movie marathon – curl up with pillows, blankets and popcorn and watch your favorite movies on TV or DVD.

2. Recycle garbage into art - grab the contents of your recycle bin, scissors, glue, construction paper, glitter and whatever else you have on hand and lay it all out on the kitchen table and get creative with your kids. They have amazing imaginations and can truly turn trash into treasures.

3. Clean out your clothes closets – The upside to this drudgery task is that you can then plan a clothes swap with your friends where you all bring in your discarded clothing items and trade them. Great saving money tips to update your wardrobe without spending a dime.

4. Break out the board games – Monopoly, Twister, Yahtzee, and good old fashion card games are making a huge comeback and bring families together.

5. Plan a treasure hunt – I did this for my nephews and it was a hug hit. Make up clues on individual sheets of paper, each leading to the next clue and then hide them. A sample clue might be: “Push a button and I run, you’ll hear a bell when your food is done.” This would lead kids to the microwave where they would find the next clue. You can vary the difficulty level by age. Of course there is a treasure that they find in the end. This can be a little box of spare change or a piece of candy or a little hand-made coupon entitling them to a special privilege like staying up one hour later.

6. Turn old cards into gift tags – If you saved your Christmas cards or old birthday cards, you can take your pinking shears, hole punch and ribbon and turn them into gift tags for future use. See my post on Creating Gift Tags from Old Cards.

7. Cook make-ahead meals – Another Living Frugal Tip is to go to your pantry and see what you have on hand that you can use to whip up some make-ahead meals for the coming week. Crockpot soups, pulled pork, meatloaf, lasagna, and baked spaghetti are all great options. Simply make, bake and store in the refrigerator or freezer for quick meals later.

8. Get out and play – Depending on the weather conditions, you can certainly still get out and play in the snow. I have fond memories of sledding, skating, and making snow forts. But the best part of all was coming back inside to a warm fire and homemade hot chocolate!

9. Creative snowman contest – Each family member can make a snowman and then use different household items to dress and decorate it. Take pictures and share on Facebook or via email with friends and family.

10. Take a trip down memory lane – Watch old home movies or go through old photo albums and reminisce.

11. Make a fort – We all remember the fun we had making forts as kids. A cozy, creative place where we could hideout and play. Do it again, with or without your kids.

12. Read a good book – You can curl up and read your favorite novel or if you have kids you can create a reading circle where you read together from your favorite book, each taking turns to read a page or chapter out loud.

13. Make gifts from the heart – Get creative and make a gift for an upcoming holiday.

14. Have an at home spa day – Perform a series of “at-home spa treatments” with your little girls or girl friends. Style each others hair, do a facial mask, paint your fingers and toes, take a bubble bath. Have fun with it and relax.

Please add to these fun Living Frugal Tips and saving money tips and share other fun things to do when trapped inside. Regardless of what you do, have fun and make it a great day no matter what you do!

Photo Credit: DigitalRedEye (License)

Create Gift Tags from Old Cards is a post from: LivingFrugalTips.com - Learn about: Living Frugal, Frugal Tips, Saving Money, Saving Money Tips

In the spirit of recycling and reusing things as much as possible, this is a great idea from Living Frugal Tips to save you money and make use of old Christmas cards or any old cards for that matter. Instead of throwing them away each year, cut off or cut out the front of the card and use them as gift tags. I’ve been doing this for as long as I can remember.

You can make them as simple or as embellished as you wish. The easiest thing to do is simply use pinking shears to cut off the front or cut out the card image, punch a whole in the corner, and string a ribbon through the corner. If you want to jazz them up a bit more you can add glitter, buttons, or bows to the front of the gift tag.

This is a very quick and very easy project to create gift tags from old cards and save you money too. If you want more ideas on how to reuse your old cards you can also go to ehow.com.

With that said, save your holiday cards this season and turn the old into something new for next year. If you have kids, this can turn into a fun post-holiday craft session on a rainy or snowy day.

Quick and Cheap Christmas Door Decor is a post from: LivingFrugalTips.com - Learn about: Living Frugal, Frugal Tips, Saving Money, Saving Money Tips

Christmas Door Decor

Christmas Door Decor

If you find yourself wondering what you can do to spruce up your front door for the holidays, here is a quick and cheap Christmas door decor idea that will also save you money.

After last years holidays I pitched my old door wreath and fake poinsetta plants that had survived far too many years of wear, but was then left wondering what to do for this years holidays. Not wanting to spend the money now on new items when I can get them 1/2 price the day after Christmas … I got creative.

It’s a beautifully wrapped present — unique, fun and unexpected … and dare I say the hit of the neighborhood.

Instructions:

Step 1 – Find a sturdy cardboard box. .

Step 2 – Poke two holes in the top corner of the box and insert a plastic tie, string or wire which will serve as the hanger. I used a little plastic zip-tie.

Step 3 – Tape the box shut and then wrap it up in your favorite gift wrap. Make sure to cut a little slit in the back to expose your hanger. Then add a beautiful bow.

Step 4 – Now it’s ready to hang. I used another plastic zip-tie and secured it to my door.

Quick and easy Living Frugal Tips idea that will save you money. I saved money and used stuff that I had to make this homemade door decor. I color-coordinated it with the house color and added a few lights to a plant that I had on the front porch and that was it.

A minimalist approach.

Be creative. It’s fun!

Reuse Old Things to Make a New Centerpiece is a post from: LivingFrugalTips.com - Learn about: Living Frugal, Frugal Tips, Saving Money, Saving Money Tips

While decorating for the holidays I wanted a little something to put on my coffee table. But I didn’t want to spend money buying something new that once the holidays were over would just take up space and collect dust. So, in the spirit of turning something old into something new, I wanted to share this quick and easy centerpiece idea.

I rummaged through the house and came across the silver charger that I bought last year after Christmas at Target for 75% off. Next I grabbed my beautiful glass bowl that normally holds my match collection. After emptying the matches and neatly tucking them away until after the holidays I had a start.

Next I needed something to fill it with. I started with the candle and then used some festive cloth napkins and some fun glass bead napkin holders to complete the look.

It’s nothing special, but at night when the candle is lit the beads sparkle  and it brings great joy in knowing that it didn’t cost me a penny.

It’s fun and easy to be resourceful and remix or reuse old things to create something new. Give it a try

How to Make Dog Biscuits & Save Money is a post from: LivingFrugalTips.com - Learn about: Living Frugal, Frugal Tips, Saving Money, Saving Money Tips

Maggie Waiting for the Homemade Dog Biscuits

Making things yourself saves money. That’s the plain and simple truth. And, there is also so much satisfaction with being self-sufficient and doing something yourself.

We have two dogs that are our “children” and we love to spoil them with toys and yummy treats. We often go to the nearby dog boutiques and love to look at all the unique pet items and delicious gourmet goodies, but we always leave empty handed as we can never justify paying the high prices.

With that said, yesterday I decided to try my hand and baking some homemade dog biscuits. I researched some recipes online and then modified accordingly based on what I had on-hand. They turned out doogie-delicious and I thought the name I came up with was cute too. Here’s the recipe.

Peanut Butter Flax-abulous Dog Cookies

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup water
• 2-1/2 cups whole wheat flour or soy flour
• 1/2 cup Flaxseed

Directions for Making Homemade Dog Biscuits:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Combine oil, peanut butter, and water.
• Gradually add flour and Flaxseed, one cup at a time, then knead into firm dough.
• Roll dough to 1/4″ thickness and cut with cookie cutter.
• Place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. For baking harder bones, roll bones thinner or leave them in the oven while they cool.
• Makes 3 dozen.

I happened to have a bone shaped cookie cutter, but any shape will do. They were super quick and easy to make and I figured the cost was about $1.35 – $1.50 total for 3 dozen cookies. If  I bought these at the store I would have paid $9.00 – $12.00 or more. The dogs loved them and I tried them too. Peanuty goodness. There was no sugar which is the biggest difference versus our cookies. Next time I may add a bit of honey or experiment with some decorative carob icing.

Happy baking!

Turkey Pot Pie Recipe – Great Use of Leftovers is a post from: LivingFrugalTips.com - Learn about: Living Frugal, Frugal Tips, Saving Money, Saving Money Tips

Are you wondering what to do with all your leftovers? Making a delicious classic turkey pot pie or chicken pot pie recipe has become a wonderful tradition of mine. It’s quick and easy, and because you can use all of the leftovers from a  holiday meal or any meal and it’s very inexpensive.

The crusts are often on sale and often times have coupons on the package. I just got mine on sale and with a $1.00 off coupon on the package for even more savings. Or, you can check out the Pillsbury website for money-saving coupons and even more great recipes.

Classic Turkey Pot Pie Recipe:

Crust:

• 1 (15 oz) package Pillsbury Refrigerated Pie Crusts

Filling:

• 1/3 cup butter or margarine
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1-1/2 cups chicken broth
• 2/3 cup milk
• 3 cups shredded turkey (or chicken)
• 2 cups mixed vegetables  (You can use frozen, but I prefer fresh and use all my leftover veggies. You can even use up your leftover green bean casserole)

Directions for Turkey Pot Pie Recipe:

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Prepare pie crust as directed on package for two-crust pie using 9-inch pie pan.
2. Melt butter or margerine in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook 2-3 minutes until tender. Add flour, salt and pepper and stir until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened.
3. Add turkey or chicken and mixed vegetables and mix well. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into crust, seal edges and flute. Cut slits in several places in top crust. Cover the edges of the crust with loose tin foil as they tend to cook faster and brown quickly.
4. Bake at 425 degrees for 30-40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Enjoy this yummy traditional favorite. It’s comfort food at its best!

Other recipes that you might enjoy:

Velveeta Rotel Chicken Pasta Casserole Recipe

Skinny Margarita Recipe

Chicken and Rice Casserole Recipe

Turkey Lasagna Recipe with Lasagna Sauce

Roasted Red Pepper and Chipotle Hummus Recipe

Lisa’s Nearly Famous Pulled Pork Recipe

Quick and Easy Mexican Meatloaf Recipe

An Irish Feast Fit for Big Guys in Kilts – St. Patrick’s Day Recipe