Atlanta's Frugal Mom

  Take a load off your laundry?  I’ll be the first to say it:  I loath laundry!  Perhaps because it’s one of those household tasks that literally never ends, or because stubborn stains just seem to laugh at you time after time, or perhaps it’s the snarky sock monster — for whatever reason, I know I’m not alone in my feelings about this.  Am I right? In any case, I’ve developed a few strategies to help ease the pain of this never-ending saga known as laundry.  Take a look, and see which ones work for you, or what more you would add to this. * Schedule it : I do one load of laundry every weekday.  (An awesome tip I picked up from The Stressed Mom !)  I’ve found that by sticking to a schedule, and doing just one load a day, it’s MUCH more manageable for me.  I bring that load down either first thing in the morning or after I put the kids to bed the night before; throw the clothes in the dryer in the morning; then fold while the kids n...

Macaroni and cheese is one of my favorite dishes.  Not the fake version that comes in the blue box, but the real deal.  My mother made it from scratch when I was a child, and now I do the same for my family.  Often times I’ll just make it with American cheese and a little bit of butter and milk, but lately I’ve been playing around with richer, creamier versions.  Multiple cheeses, heavy cream, and even a pinch of cayenne can take this simple comfort food to an entirely new level.  My newest recipe (which I’m sharing today) has quickly become a favorite in our home.  A layer of seasoned breadcrumbs and a few minutes in the broiler gives it a lightly crispy topping that is a perfect compliment to the delicious, creamy sauce.  The result is a delicious dish that is similar to one you would get at a restaurant!  (For more make-at-home restaurant style dishes, check out this post with 10 of my favorite copycat recipes !)   Restaurant Style Macaroni and Cheese Ingredien...

One of my favorite dishes to make is chili.  It’s effortless, great for any season, and it freezes perfectly!  It’s also a great source of protein, and can be very good for you when it’s not coming from a can!  I’ve been making lots of chili over the last month because the hubs won’t stop eating all the frozen stock I put away.  He eats it on everything.  Fries, hot dogs, rice, nachos, potatoes….you name it, he’ll cover it with chili.  Luckily it’s made with ingredients that are simple to find at any grocery store, and I spend about 10 minutes physically preparing it, so it’s not too bad.  Don’t let the longer list of spice ingredients scare you off either.  I promise this spice mix is 1000x times better than what you get in the pack at the store, and it’s wheat and preservative free! My favorite two ingredients in this chili are the sausage and the smoked paprika.  Something about chili with sausage is just SO much bette...

So I kinda threw my food budget out the window over the holidays, and now we’re playing catch up.  I actually find it rather entertaining, because being short on funds means I have to get really creative with healthy meals that don’t break the bank.  Earlier this week, Lori over at Vann Clan 5 shared a simple no peek beef tips recipe that got me thinking. I headed out to Aldi to do my shopping and was stoked to find THREE marked down packs of eye of round steak for right at $3.00 each.  I LOVE picking up discounted packs of tough-as-leather-nobody-wants-to-buy-it meat at Walmart and Aldi, because once you slow cook it, it’s tender as can be!  I grabbed some carrots and onions and a few more ingredients and headed home to make some magic.  This is *such* an easy recipe for anyone to make, check out my $5.00 No Peek Pot Roast below! $5.oo No Peek Pot Roast Ingredients: 1 pound of cheap beef (cut into 1/2-1″ cubes) – $3.25 2 cups of chopped carrots (I used 5 ...

Today was the first day back at school for my daughter, so she naturally felt compelled to show off her new pink threads. Little guy had his one-year check-up this morning, too. Both are doing quite well, but only ONE is sleeping off the ensuing traumas from their morning. 😉 Playing with teething beads, all 22 lbs of him. Pretty in (all) pink –yep, those are cowgirl boots. Keep on saving!  :o) –Barbara   **This post may contain affiliate links.**

Today was the first day back at school for my daughter, so she naturally felt compelled to show off her new pink threads. Little guy had his one-year check-up this morning, too. Both are doing quite well, but only ONE is sleeping off the ensuing traumas from their morning. ;) Playing with teething beads, all 22 lbs of him. Pretty in (all) pink --yep, those are cowgirl boots. Keep on saving!  :o) --Barbara