Dollar Store shoppping

Good Buys at the Dollar Store

Never been in a Dollar Store? You may be in for a surprise! If you think that these stores carry just cheap, throw-away junk, think again! Good buys on quality products make these stores a must-shop, especially during the coming holiday season.

Not all Dollar Stores are the same to put it gently. First off, some of these places have now become $1.50 Stores while others have always had offerings well over a dollar. Some specialize in just one type of merchandise such as cards, paper products and party decorations.

My favorite among the dollar stores in our area is Dollar Tree. Their stores are clean, well lighted, neatly arranged, and everything truly is just a dollar. Whether it's name-brand laundry detergent, glassware, sweatpants, toys and games, or health-and-beauty-aids, your one dollar buys a lot, AND kids love coming here!

These are great places to shop for stocking stuffers, but think beyond that to the number of small presents you end up buying each year... remembrance gifts, reciprocal presents, stuff for the kids to take to classroom parties. For $5 you can put together a box of pens, pencils, markers, stencils and all sorts of papers. Or you can bundle some lip balm, hand cream, hand sanitizer and cold-killing spray in a winter comfort kit.

There are wonderfully heavy glass, traditional tulip-shaped sundae dishes to wrap with a big jar of sundae topping and a can of nuts. And cards are 2/$1.00 so you could pick an assortment of cards and still have enough money to put stamps on each envelope, a boon to those who don't get out much in the winter. The possibilities are unlimited... and seriously thrifty!

It used to be that dollar stores were cash only, but even that is changing. Many now accept a credit card; after all, study after study has shown that we spend more when using a credit card!
And it's so true... I went to Dollar Tree last week, $6 in hand, to get Super Glue, laundry detergent, cards and something else, I forget what. Then I saw the sign that they now accept VISA. I picked up some yarn, Pear's and Yardley soaps and a couple of other things. Yup! $17 plus tax!

Check out a couple of these stores in your area and see if they aren't both fun and frugal. Quite a deal!

Mary

The Ultimate 5-Minute Quick-Fix

for Serious Chocolaholics

Plus, Freezing Salsa


Every once in a while I come across a recipe that sounds strange, delicious but decidedly strange. Such a recipe, called The 5-Minute Chocolate Mug Cake, crossed my desk last week, sent by a long-time-but-never-met-friend. It's a recipe that just begged to be tried, and I'm telling you... this mug cake is a great idea! Definitely kid-doing easy, and perfect for drop-in company, or for dieters who absolutely MUST have some chocolate cake, but don't want a whole cake in the house tempting them.

You mix the ingredients, put in a coffee mug and microwave for 3 minutes. It's a cake, but the bottom is sorta soft and fudgy, almost like a molten cake. It firms up as the cake cools. Eat out of the mug or tip out on a plate. This would serve two if you felt generous, and most definitely wants some whipped cream or ice cream on top.

The 5-Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

4 TBSP flour
4 TBSP sugar
2 TBSP cocoa
1 egg
3 TBSP milk
3 TBSP oil
3 TBSP chocolate chips (don't skimp)
1/2 tsp vanilla
a coffee mug - your standard mug is 12 oz.

Put all dry ingredients in the mug and mix well, add egg and mix thoroughly. Pour in the milk and oil, once again mixing well, stir in chip and vanilla. Microwave in its mug for 3 minutes (a 1,000 watt microwave). Cake may rise over the top of the mug, but don't worry.

I'm going to make this tomorrow night for four of us, but I'll put all the ingredients (x4 of course)in a bowl, mix and pour into the mugs to cook. Thanks for sending this on to me, Gemma.

Freezing salsa...

This is the time of our harvest when I often have many ripe tomatoes, but not really enough to break out the canner and quart jars. So, I make a lot of salsa, and I freeze it. The first year we tried this as an experiment, we were happily surprised at the excellent results, and since then this is the only way I do salsa.

For my salsa, I just cut up tomatoes, green peppers, and onion in whatever proportion I have or that looks good. I add garlic and snipped parsley, a little vinegar and some oil, salt and pepper to taste. Mix well, and then I freeze in pint plastic containers. Since my husband doesn't like cilantro and I do, I clearly label those containers that I've added it to, AND also those batches I've made with hot peppers.

My favorite way to use this salsa, completely thawed or not, is to just put in a small fry pan, bring to somewhere near bubbling, layer good white fish on top and just simmer until the fish flakes.

And now, back to the Patriot's game!

Mary

Locavores, Rejoice!

A Bounty of Fresh, Local Produce Available NOW

Blueberries, peaches and cukes, oh my! Local gardens, farmstands and farmer's markets are bursting with fresh produce from apples to zucchini, so take advantage. Home Depot recently reported a surge in freezer sales this past quarter so folks are certainly thinking ahead to the coming winter. But don't overlook fresh treats too. The following recipes are adapted from my Frugal Family Kitchen Book.

Fresh Taste Blueberry-Peach Pie

An unbaked pie with a glace topping, this combines two of our best Maine fruits for just-picked flavor.

4 c blueberries
1 or 2 peaches
3/4 c sugar
1/4 c water
2 TBSP cornstarch
1 TBSP butter
1 TBSP lemon juice
1 8" or 9" pie shell, baked and cooled

Over medium heat, cook 2 c berries with the sugar, water and cornstarch until clear and thick, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, add butter and lemon juice, stir and cool. Pit and chop peach(es) - the huge peach I used was smooth-skinned so I didn't peel - and add to the remaining 2 c berries, pour into pie shell and evenly spread the glace mixture over the top.
Can be served at room temp or chilled.

Pasta Primavera

A perfect way to dress up bits and pieces of any veggies in your garden, the sauce - which goes together very quickly - also makes an excellent veggie dip.

Sauce

2 TBSP basil
2 TBSP parsley
2 TBSP butter
1 8 oz cream cheese
2/3 c boiling water
1/2 grated parmesan cheese
2 TBSP olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1/2 c scallions or chives finely cut

Cream togehter the basil, parsley and butter, blend in the cream cheese, parmesan, oil, garlic and scallions or chives. Stir in the boiling water and blend well. To be honest, I usually just throw it all together in a bowl and stir until smooth.

If you're adding broccoli, cauliflower, carrot pieces, summer or zucchini squash, lightly steam and drain well before adding. Things such as tomato chunks, cucumber slices, peppers, even radish slices can go right into the sauce.

Cook up whatever you want for pasta, arrange on a platter, top with the veggie- and herb-rich sauce, a sprinkle of cheese to top and enjoy!

A Simple Summer Supper

Inexpensive, quick to put together, colorful to serve, nutritious to eat, this puttanesca has it all. When my daughter first gave me this recipe it actually looked...well, kinda' boring. In its orginal form, it's delicious, with the extras I added, downright delectable.

A puttanesca is an olive-oil-based pasta sauce. The very name has a colorful history (look it up!), and there are many, many variations on the basics. Some recipes call for anchovies, others suggest adding a variety of veggies. Let me give you the original simple recipe, then my additions, and THEN, you add what you'd like.

Simple puttanesca

1 c chopped or finely cut parsley
1 c sliced scallions ( I often use chives or green onion tops)
1/2 c olive oil
2 TBSP drained capers (in brine)
2 TBSP caper brine

Mix and add to a big bowl of freshly cooked spaghetti or other pasta. I added chopped fresh tomatoes, black olives, and garlic. Another time I'm going to try it with some grated asiago cheese or maybe even shrimp. Serve with a nice red wine, chunks of French bread... ahhh, good stuff.

This is served at room temp, keeps well in the refrigerator and makes a wonderful lunch.

Raspberries, Blueberries and Green Beans...

This has turned out to be a dreadful year for raspberries, with unending fog alternating with ceaseless humidity all accompanied by intermittent rain! What started out as a bumper crop of raspberries has pretty much mildewed on the canes. Luckily we had gotten quite a few picked and frozen before the damp and drizzly weather settled in.

That same weather can also devastate the green beans, but so far we've been lucky and the harvest continues heavy on those. I've frozen some whole, some cut, some french-cut, and I suppose I'll once again try dilly beans. They've only come out well for me one year, but I must say, those were delicious.

And then there are the blueberries, ripening as I write. Aside from the crows we share with, the berries are doing well. As we have five or six kinds, they ripen over a nice long stretch which this picker appreciates. I may make some blueberry pancake syrup for Christmas presents, but mostly I just freeze them.

So much else seems slow this year, especially the gazillion varieties of asters I grow. Some of the other flowers are flowering later than the past few years too. I just hope we don't get any early frost as I so love working with the flowers and hate to see the season end. I've been harvesting, cleaning and hanging to dry a wide array of everlastings including lots of celosia, statice and strawflowers of every color. I love seeing them hanging in neat little bundles from the nails and cup holders Bert put up all along the beam in the garage.

All and all, life is good in the garden. And how does YOUR garden grow?

Some Indispensable Garden Tools

Well, the plantings all done, the harvest has just begun with a few crops such as peas and green beans coming in, but wait! the weeds are thriving too. What to do, what to do?

I have to tell you right off that I truly love to weed, I'm an old-fashioned hands-and-knees weeder, and in spite of the mulching we do, there 's still plenty to deal with in our various gardens. Our main garden is something like 80 x 100' and there are another half dozen plots ranging from two that are 20 x 20' to some in the 10 x 10' range. And then there are the flower beds of which there are way too many!

Our two main garden weeds, probably yours too, are lamb's ear and purslane. Both are nutritionally rich, but I'd never in 1,000 years eat enough salad to use all that grows in even one corner of the garden. The purslane also does offer some mulching value as it grows way out from its roots and low to the ground preserving some mositure. It's actually a pretty efficient plant, one of many that we perhaps don't value as much as we should.

But, I just want them out of my garden! There are so many fancy garden tools available, but I've found that just three things are all I really need to manage all we grow. My trusty trowel of course, then my set of two circlehoes , and finally, my rubber knee pads.

I'm sure you have a trowel that's a favorite as I do. Mine is sturdy, stainless steel with a rubber handle, fairly broad and comfortable for my hand which is important. I'd never heard of circlehoes until a friend gave me one, whereupon it quickly became my absolute favorite go-to tool. I bought a second one, the larger size offered by Index Innovations, Inc (http://www.circlehoe.com/). They have (at least) four sizes and the mini I have cost $6.99 at a local garden center two years ago. This is the most useful size for just about all I do around and between plants, while the larger one I use on the walkways. I can't talk about my circlehoe without sounding like an ad, but please check out the website as this tool is so much more versatile and kind to your hand and wrist than any of the old "scratchers" I've used in the past.

And finally, there are my kneepads. It's easier on my back to actually kneel down and weed, and yet I don't want to wreck the knees of long pants, or get grub totally ingrained in my knees, OR, inadvertently kneel down on a sharp rock which really, really hurts! The knee pads of a rubbery material have straps that go behind the knees and clasp with velcro. At first, the straps can be stiff and somewhat annoying, but as the pads get broken in, the straps become softer and truly unnoticeable.

And now, having written this, I have GOT to head down to the garden... the weeds calleth!

Mary

And Now... Some Frugal Fishing Tips!

Last week we took a look at so many ways to have a great staycation. One thing I didn't mention was going fishing, a very favorite pasttime of mine since childhood. You don't need a lot of fancy equipment, you don't need a license (for saltwater fishing - well, not at the moment anyway, but DON'T get me started on that issue!), and bait can be free to cheap.

I'm going to focus here on freshwater fishing although there's nothing like fighting the bluefish, reeling in stripers (which we do sometimes on Sunday mornings right in the Royal River here in our small Maine town), or going way further out for haddock and some other good eating fish.

In keeping with the idea of a staycation, we'll be, not at our own home, but visiting a lake in NH where some of our best friends live, wonderful people we also happen to be related to, our daughter and son-in-law, Heather and Tim. They have a big u-shaped dock and I'll be out there at sunup and at sundown. What do I catch off their dock? Well, one day two years ago, I had a five-species day, but mostly it's small- and large-mouth bass, nice, fat, feisty ones, including the grand-daddy known as Darryl. And, yes, we do have NH licenses.

My fishing equipment is nothing fancy and my fishing bag is old but well-stocked with extra hooks, swivels, etc. My bait is worms; I am not a fly fisherman.

Now, as some of you know, I am a vegetarian (although I guess I'm really a flexitarian as I do still eat some seafood), I am strictly catch-and-release, and I've always tried to live by Christina Rossetti's admonition to "Hurt no living thing." Soooo, a few folks have asked me, isn't there some hint of hypocrisy in all those worms I drown? What can I say?

As I've mentioned before, I keep a worm bin. Raising worms, formally called "vermiculture," is invaluable for good gardening as well as fine fishing! My worm bin is a big old plasic tub that I fill with freshly-pulled weeds, some dirt still clinging to the roots, and any worms I come across as I garden. I start the worm bucket as early in the spring as I'm in the garden, and I keep it right through the end of fishing season, the last of September. Yes, I ice fish, but use different live bait for that.

The worm box has a top that's snug, but not air-tight. I check the box once a week or whenever I'm going fishing to be sure the worms still have fresh fodder to make their incredibly rich castings. Once or twice during the summer, I empty the box, sift the castings for use as potting soil, mulch or fertilizer, restock with weeds and dirt and put back about half of the worms. The other half of the worms I scatter in garden areas that need aereating or enriching. Now, I'm dreaming of one of those worm composters that I could keep right through the winter in our root cellar... hmmmmm...

Aside from any old-fashioned frugality of fishing, or the fun of the cast, the bite, the set and the catch, there is the wonderful peace of fishing, hearing the still, small voice of God in the morning mist at sunrise, and the call of the loons helping color a glorious sunset at the end of the day. What a blessing!

Mary

Staycations: Spending a Little to Save a Lot

(Part five of a five-part series this week)

All week we've explored some ways to save money while still having fun during a stay-at-home vacation. Now it's time to look at some slight extravagances (wait, isn't that an oxymoron?), some affordable ways to do those things that truly say "vacation" to you. And just what are those things?

Take a few minutes to think about three things that you really treasure during a vacation. Is it just the downtime to sit around, maybe read or just laze on a beach, is it shopping in unusual places, or is it a truly elegant evening out?

For really relaxing, consider renting a portable hot tub for a week, one that will be delivered and set up right in your own backyard. Have a mini-spa day, with a hair stylist, make-up consultant or masseuse coming to your home. And don't think this idea isn't for the men, they like pampering too!

If a day at the beach is your choice, try a new beach and pick up a packed gourmet lunch to enjoy there. Although we in Maine have many beaches from small and rock-strewn to white-sand and almost-warm waters, Bert and my biggest beach treat is a trip to Crane's Beach in Ipswich MA. Miles of perfection overlooked by a castle! And Zabaglione's, a bakery-cafe in Ipswich, offers the best beach fare and gorgeous baked goodies you can imagine.

If you're feeling that a little bit bigger splurge is in order, stay, even just one night, right on/near your favorite beach and enjoy the sunset and sunrise walks you always miss. And, yes, the Castle Inn at Crane's Hill does offer lodging, not inexpensive but this is the most perfect mini-vacation I can imagine!

But maybe it's shopping that's a big part of your usual vacation as it is for the great majority of travelers and tourists. In your mind set a figure that you can honestly afford to...well, fritter away. Now be sure you have this amount in CASH. No credit cards, not one cent more than your cash cache.

Where to go shopping? Well, do you want to find some souvenirs to take home, even if you never left home? Are you looking for a new golf club, some funky clothes, local pottery, or would you like to just keep an open mind to whatever may fortuitously present itself?

If you've never been to an auction, they generally cost nothing to attend, can be so much fun and you can find the most unexpected treasures, things you never knew you just had to have! Some are estate sales, some are more specialized featuring old fishing gear, or even art or antique firearms. GO! BUT, stick to your cash amount as it's easy to get caught up in the bidding.

Or, pick three shops, nearby or a little further afield, that you've always intended to check out. For me, that would be a jam-crammed barn filled with antiques and who-knows-what, and probably a nearby llama farm that makes and sells lovely soft yarns. I'll have to think about my third choice, but I suspect it would involve books...

And then there's that lovely dinner out that often caps your away-from-home vacations. The secret here is to treat it as a real dress-up night out, maybe complete with limo. After all, you've been pretty darned frugal all week! There are always a few totally elegant, four-star restaurants in your vicinity, places you've read about, admired and yet that you've just never dared to visit. But, you've probably spent that kind of money on one of those away vacations without a second thought. This IS your vacation, so go for it! Heck, order some champagne...

I hope you've had or are now planning - a wonderful staycation. Let me know how it goes, and please share your good ideas too.

Happy Fourth of July!

Mary

Staycations: Play Together, Save Money!

(Part four of a five-part series this week)

One of the very best parts of a staycation is that you can gather family, friends, and neighbors together and spread the cost - and work - of some great adventures. Hosting a progressive picnic, having a street dance, even a large-group camping trip can all save money, bring a new dimension to your fun, and build a sense of community that will last long past your stay-at-home vacation time.

Let's look at a few ideas where getting a group together will make a big difference. First, almost any activity that costs can cost less for a group. Say, two or three families - maybe twenty people total -have been talking about trying that new Thai restaurant in town. ASK! Contact the manager and ask about a group rate for a sampling lunch, dinner on their least busy night, or some other money-saving idea they may suggest. Always deal with the person who has the power/authority to make these kinds of decisions.

Same goes for local attractions, concerts, fairs and festivals. ASK! You'd be amazed how eager organizers can be to just get people through the front gate of their event and how willing they can be to steeply discount admissions for a group. This can apply to everything from horseback riding to astonomy programs at the local observatory.

But the best way to save some money this summer is to get together with others for at-home activities. Maybe you plan your own neighborhood field day with three-legged races, balloon tosses, penny pitches, a cake walk and such. Maybe you organize a contra or square dance checking with your local dance group to see if they'd help organize, maybe provide callers, even suggest cheap music sources. How's about a night at the drive-in, a movie shown outdoors in someone's big back yard, complete with popcorn and brown cows (the kind you drink, not the moo-ey ones).

If you plan to do anything substantial outdoors, be sure to invite/let all the neighbors know ahead of time, AND be sure to check in with your town hall, both as a courtesy and to be sure no permits are needed.

When my siblings and I were young, all the kids in the neighborhood put on a play or variety show every summer in a borrowed barn owned by one of the neighbors. I don't really remember much adult oversight, where we got our ideas, how it all worked out with kids of such a wide age range, but I do so remember all the neighbors of every age sitting on the benches in Mr. Flibbert's dusty barn, buying our lemonade, and howling with laughter at whatever we were presenting.

While today's kids may go to theater camp, I can't forget the variety show a totally nuts group of us pulled together a few years ago. One fellow who hadn't played his saxophone since high school - a long time ago - performed pretty darned credibly, one adorable little girl tap-danced, the five high school boys with their garage band were thrilled to have everyone - anyone -actually listen to them, and one of our town's oldest citizens decided to do some magic tricks. Well, every single one of those tricks came undone, fell apart somehow leaving the audience absolutely limp with laughter!

And so, anything that gathers a group, whether old friends or ones-to-be-made, can add a whole new depth to your staycation. Please let me know when the ice cream soical is as I'd love to stop by!

Tomorrow: Now, let's spend some money, a little anyway, on this stay-at-home vacation.

Mary

Staycations: Playing Hometown Tourist

(Part three of a five-part series this week)

This is a tough one as there's so much available within 25 miles of most people, things we've seen and said, "Sometime I'd like to check that out." But, we never do... until company comes and we have to play tourist in our hometown. So, even if you aren't expecting visitors right away, let's see what there is to do nearby.

First, let's talk about mindset and all those things that...well, they just aren't you. Auntie Alice, your favorite relative, is coming to visit next week. She's 79 and loves anything to do with music and art. Big John, your older brother will be along in early August and he's into cars and car racing as well as being a history buff expecially when it comes to WWII.

And then there's Bubbles, your still-exuberant, effervescent, and a bit exotic college roomie. She's into "experiences," the more daring the better. Oh, and don't let me forget, your son's friend Sergio from Spain, you know, the family he lived with during his junior year abroad, well, that friend is coming through and he loves the night life!

Okay, so what things would you plan to do with each of these guests?

Because Maine is such a summer-rich state with a gazillion free outdoor concerts, fairs, festivals. art shows, and so, so much more, it's not only hard to even begin to give you ideas, but I also need to keep in mind that, even if you don't live here, hopefully, your area offers this kind of bounty too.

Go to your nearest tourist information center and peruse all the brochures, even ones you think you'd have no interest in. After all, your "company" may have! Go online to your state and county chambers of commerce and tourist info sites. Check event listings online at radio, tv and newspaper sites, and in the many free local newspapers available just about everywhere these days.

For Auntie Alice, there are free outdoor concerts in settings from intown parks to seaside to village green. Bring a blanket, chairs, an elegant snack or picnic and enjoy. Many towns and cities now offer "art walk," once-a-month evenings when all the local galleries, artists, and even antique shops welcome visitors, some even providing music and light refreshment. Check out nearby college museums which often house unexpectedly deep collections. And finally, consider taking Auntie to a class, maybe paint-your-own pottery, island basket crafting, or even SAORI weaving.

Now for Big John, check out what's coming for car shows, especially those oldies nights of shine-and-show at the local burger joint. Here in Maine we're lucky enough to have several auto museums, and the Owl's Head Transportation Museum, covering all forms of transportation, is outstanding. They have vintage plane fly-ins, and their auto auction in August is a great day. We also have a number of short-track racing venues in this area. EVERYONE should go to at least one drag race in their lifetime and jet-cars-under-the-stars is a blast! In our area, as throughout our country, we have a number of military sites worth visiting, and especially here, some of the old coastal forts and fortifications. And one place Big John would be sure to enjoy (yup, IF you're visiting Maine) is Eagle Island, Admiral Peary's home.

Bubbles will be fun to host because possible adventures abound in the summer! There's white-water rafting, which isn't terribly expensive and is most definitely an experience! (I almost drowned the last time I went.) There's panning for gold, and digging for native gems, which here in Maine is likely to be tourmaline. You can rent canoes or kayaks, and a moonlight canoe trip can be magical. Spend a day out on the water with a local lobsterman, eating your catch at day's end. Downhill biking on ski runs is more than I could manage, but hey! if Bubbles is up to it, great! This doesn't even BEGIN to suggest all that's available, but one more idea if you do find yourself in Maine this summer: Gulf Hagis, often called The Grand Canyon of Maine is an absolutely spectacular hike!

And finally, just when you've had quite enough company, thank you! along comes Sergio from Seville. He likes the night life. Now for me, this would be a serious challenge... first staying awake past 8 at night, then the music, the chaos, the drinking... oh, this is SOOOO not my scene!

I'd take him to the local comedy club, and then I'd find some suitable guides, maybe a foreign student group from the University, for checking out the other nearby 20-something haunts. A cop-out? Sure and no qualms either! Be very aware of Sergio's age and make sure any helpers you enlist are of legal drinking age...just in case. Now, I will be the one who's sympathetic the next morning with all sorts of home remedies for whatever may ail our guest!

There is an incredible number of things to sample on your staycation as a hometown tourist. If some possibility just does not appeal to you, then that's the very thing you simply must do!

Tomorrow we look at ways to come together with family, friends and your larger community for the very best staycation fun!



Mary