More tips to help a lady out!

If you are a mom in a hurry, you know the next evening you will not have time to make supper, make this the night before your busy evening, when you leave for work, put it in the crock pot, it cooks on low 10 - 12 hours and that gives you time to work, supper will be done when you get home! Change up ingredients to your liking!

AND REMEMBER we like crock pots, they do not heat up the house in the summer!!!

Crock Pot Meat Loaf
2 lbs. ground beef
1/2 lb. ground sausage
2 med. onions, finely chopped
1 clove of garlic, chopped
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1 c. sour cream
1 can cream of mushroom soup
1 1/2 c. bread or cracker crumbs
1 1/2 c. milk

Soak bread or cracker crumbs in milk. Mix meat, seasnonings and soaked crumbs thoroughly. In a separate bowl, mix sour cream and mushroom soup. Make meat mixture into loaf and place in crock pot. Pour the sour cream-soup mixture over top. Cook in crock pot 10 to 12 hours on low.

I have said this a million times, buy boneless, skinless chicken breast or tenders while they are on sale, no more than $2 a lb. Put them in your crockpot with water about a cup or two, and seasonings such as salt, seasoned salt, pepper, garlic powder, ETC, just which ever you prefer. Cook on low 5 - 6 hours, Drain the water. Shred the chicken with 2 forks. Save it for soups, chicken and dressing, casseroles, or mix in BBQ sauce (warm back in crock pot for 20 mins) and serve bbq chicken sandwhiches, mix in a cheap can of pasta sauce and a few more seasonings and cook a box of penne pasta. Good meal to feed 6 or more for about $4. You can freeze the cooked chicken and pull it out and use when needed!

If you buy the cans of pasta sauce you will save tons of money, add a few more seasonings and they taste just as good. I always add sugar. For some reason that seems to make it even better. Just a little, maybe 1/2 tablespoon.

Need to save money on your power bill?

Last September Shayne and I had a $376 power bill (that was from the usage in Aug), this September ours is $267 and that bill has a $15 late fee included! The one from 2008 did not!

First way to save $ is clearly pay the bill on time and wa la you have saved $15! But sometimes that just does not work! So what else did we do???

I think the thing that helped us the most was, we put in an attic fan. We did not realize it but our house did not have one, it costed $80 and Shayne installed it himself and I think that saved us mega $.

Also we had sawnee come out and put switches on our ac units, they are switches that cut the ac's off certain times. They were free, and they give rebates if you let them put them on yours. I think $12 a month for a certain period of time.

Look online and see what rebates you can get money back for?? It is not hard to look online or call your power company and see how you can save extra cash!

We wash our clothes, except towels on cold water only now.

We changed our bulbs to the walmart brand of energy savers.

We run our ac on 75 all day till late evening and then 72 at night. Back to 75 as soon as I roll out of bed, I mean I wake up with that on my mind.

We also did have our air ducts cleaned out. That was $600. If you asked me now do I think that money was well spent I would say ABSOLUTELY NOT! He is the reason that we got an attic fan, so I am thankful for that. BUT our house is still as dusty, and our filters still get FILTHY very quickly, I do not like this.

Homemade Applesauce!!! made in the crockpot, talk about a good mom! Make this for your baby!

Chunky Applesauce

Peel and cut desired amount of apples into 1/2 - 1 inch chunks. Place the chunks in your crock-pot and add about 1/2 cup water. Set the crock-pot to low and cook 4-6 hours or until the apple chunks are very soft. Mash to desired consistency and add sugar to taste if desired.

Don't forget applesauce is a great side with a sandwhich at lunch or served with or on porkchops for supper! And of course in oatmeal at breakfast!