$5 Family Meals | FIVE Quick & Easy Cheap Dinner Recipes Made EASY!
Вставка
- Опубліковано 11 тра 2024
- If you’re struggling, consider therapy with my sponsor BetterHelp. Click betterhelp.com/frugalfit for a 10% discount on your first month of therapy with a licensed professional specific to your needs.
TOP 10 Ways to Save on Groceries - www.grocerybootcamp.com/cut-y...
FREE Inventory List - www.grocerybootcamp.com/pl/21...
Music by Epidemic Sound
$5 MEALS | QUICK & EASY CHEAP DINNER RECIPES | CHEAP MEALS MADE EASY! Welcome back to my channel, Frugal Fit Mom.
Today we have seven tasty meals that cost under 5 dollars each! These are fast, easy, and most importantly, KID APPROVED.
► ITEMS USED IN THIS VIDEO
Crockpot - amzn.to/3YJBoNr
Cutting Board - amzn.to/3Fjw1xF
Skillet - amzn.to/3JDfreM
Hand Mixer - amzn.to/3T9VejM
Mixing Bowl - amzn.to/3T9hmL3
Get Free Recipes here - frugalfitmom.com/
Find me online:
~~Instagram - frugalfitmo...
~~Facebook - / christinethefrugalfitmom
~~Website - frugalfitmom.com
For business inquiries please contact me at: contact@tablerockmanagement.com
✨ FREQUENTLY MENTIONED LINKS + DISCOUNTS ✨
ludabottles.com/FFM
Get 2000 Bonus points with FETCH rewards: FP9XH
Get a $10 bonus on Ibotta - ibotta.risj.net/E65yD
Shop my Favorites on Amazon: www.amazon.com/shop/frugalfitmom
00:00 $5 family meals
00:50 Pasta with veggies
2:20 Cookie Bars
8:30 Ranch Chicken
10:00 Pancakes & Bacon
13:35 Chili
17:35 Curry
18:20 Muffins
Disclaimer
In compliance with FTC guidelines: Any/all of the links on site/video are affiliate links of which Frugal Fit Mom receives product credit or a small commission from sales of certain items, but the price is the same for you. Frugal Fit Mom is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. Links on this site may include affiliate links to Amazon and its affiliate sites on which the owner of this website will make a referral commission. Thank you for supporting my channel!
#frugalliving #cheapfood #frugalfitmom
We homeschooled our son. He started dual enrollment at the local community college. He completed his first two years of college by the time he graduated high school. He started at the four-year college as a junior. Was still able to live at home during the whole time. It was amazing. And he loved knowing he wasn't "wasting time" finishing high school when he really wanted to pursue college. Also, being homeschooled, he always just assumed that I was "giving" him his straight A's through school. When he graduated from high school and community college at the same time carrying a 4,0 in both places, he knew I wasn't giving him good grades. He earned every one of them
Good for you and your family. I really cannot stand parents who think homeschooled kids are dumb and the parents give fake grades. My son was on a college level for everything in 5th grade. He got sick of all the nonsense, violence, and drama at the school and asked to leave. He had straight A's in public school; and, for all the years until he graduated 12th grade.
A friend told me that when she and her siblings were getting old enough for college, her family bought a home in a college town for the kids and made them all attend the same college. They lived in the home and were considered local residents, so they didn't have to live on campus or have a meal plan. After all five kids graduated, the family put the home back on the market and sold it for more than they paid for it. 5 kids, no room and board, earned money renting rooms to a few of their friends along the way, and a profit at the end for flipping the house. This is how rich people live.
My daughter had her Associates degree before she graduated from High School. She got full tuition for the other 2. She worked part time and lived at home. Very proud mama!
I homeschooled my son. Did you know many of the subjects high schoolers take in one school year are the same as a 1 semester college course? (Algebra, English, History, ect). My son, upon finishing a course subject for high school, would go to the local college test center and take a CLEP or DSST exam and get college credit. He tested out of 1.5 years of college while in high school. The cost is super cheap too. Currently (Mar 2024) it costs $121.50 at the local college to take the exams for a 3 credit hour exam (a handful of exams can earn more credit hours btw - i.e.: English lit & American lit). He then attended the local college to complete all his prerequisites for the university he wanted to transfer too. We saved a ton of money for his degrees. After he finished his BA he went on and got a masters.
This is pure genius!!!❤
I had no idea this was even a thing! Brilliant!
What a great tip!
We did the same thing. I did also pay for dual enrollment sometimes for classes I couldn’t teach, like Latin, which counted as high school but also fulfilled his foreign language requirement in his degree.
Check your state though, I did CLEP tests in Virginia, then later unexpectedly moved to WA state. I found out WA state doesn’t accept CLEP tests and had to take the classes after all and wasted my money on the tests. 😢
One of my favorites is a sheet pan dinner. I'll cut a russet potato into chunks and toss in a bowl with salt, pepper and granulated garlic. That goes in the middle of the foil lined pan. Then I toss half a bag of frozen broccoli in the residue from the potatoes and put it on one side. Then I add some Greek yogurt and Dijon mustard to the bowl, add chunks of chicken and mix. I'll place the chicken on the other side of the pan, then spoon the leftover yogurt/mustard over the broccoli. The whole thing goes into a 350 oven for 30 minutes, and comes out delicious.
That sounds amazing!!! Thank you for sharing
I did this quite recently (sheet pan dinner) for the first time. I also added mushrooms and fresh green beans, because I love them, and they came out great!
Im doing a 30 day pantry/freezer challenge. Theres only me in my house, but i still think its a great idea 😊
I did one last year in December, my shopping habits changed afterwards
I have been shopping once a month, taking advantage of coupons, manager's specials, senior discouts, etc. I always save about 50%. Hoever, I am not really aware of how much things "normally" cost. I went to Costco for a case of diet DP and it was 51c a can where a few months ago it was 33c a can. Wow! Eye opener!
My daughter also did the dual enrollment and graduated her senior year with a full year of college under her belt. She then was awarded a full four years scholarship to the university of Michigan. She graduated up with a double major because of her high school dual enrollment. She had to be very dedicated to her studies, which she was anyway. It was a full load because she held a job as well, but it paid off. I was, and still am, so very thankful for a child who was self driven and education minded. I never had to remind her to get things done because she came home and homework was first thing. That carried through to college when she was away from home, and still does in her career today. Her hard work has paid off.
One of the biggest things for her, and her friends, was to have the emotional support from the adults in their lives. That made a lot of difference on the days when she felt like it was absolutely too much and needed encouragement. We always need to be their biggest fans, and cheerleaders. Our kids are the most important investment we can make. I know from watching your videos that you have that same dynamic with your kids, they know they can count on you. ❤
You could totally do a college kid meals video with mini fridge, microwave & toaster. I asked, mine said micro scrambled eggs & brown & serve sausage, pizza bagles, & cheese salami crackers & apple sauce were go-to's, along with lean cuisines, and pb & j & lunchmeat roll ups.
Yes, a college kid cooking vid, please pleas Pul-LEEZ!
I store nuts in the freezer. They last much longer.
I had the same thought!!!
Butter, too!
Same with butter and pecans
We do the same.
Thanks!!!
Did anybody else's sound cut out towards the end of the chilli recipe? It came back for the muffin segment.
Yes. It did for me as well.
But not near as long.
Yes
Yep!
Yep!
Yes
When I make chili, I do half ground beef and half lentils to stretch the ground beef.
One of our go-to cheap meals is "bean tacos" - I make homemade refried beans with dry beans (half a bag makes 8 cups of refried beans) and then I just warm up tortillas on the stove, add some cheese and beans and get it all warm + hot sauce. It's not the healthiest but it's super cheap and with plenty of leftovers that can also be used for other meals.
You can also add a cup or two of cooked beans to the chili to cut the beef back even more (I'm from Texas, so the beans thing is sacriligious lol -but I like it!)
My daughter did the college credit in high school thing. She went to the state college. She entered as a Sophomore, so it also helped the acceptance situation as she was considered a transfer student instead of a Freshman. So also saved on food plan, as we didn’t have the “required” freshman food plan rules, and didn’t have to live on campus.
Years ago, when I was working in the local hospital’s Physical Therapy department there were just two of us and I was the Occupational Therapist. For strokes we had a bag of marbles and a collection of nuts and bolts. I know it sounds silly (and boring) but pick each marble up individually and move them from one pile to the other. Two cereal bowls might be useful here. The nuts and bolts are pretty much self explanatory. Put the nuts on the bolts and then take them off.
Beyond this you might want to take up crochet and piano. Another thing is squeezing a nurf ball for bas flexibility and strength.
If your occupational therapist has a finger table so much the better. We had one but seldom used it because out here in the country recovery was (and probably still is) centered around helping people relearn practical tasks.
Two other exercises you might want to work with are lacing and tying shoes and twirling a chopstick between your fingers.
I know it’s a lot of work and it seems boring and tedious but when you can do everything you used to do I think you will agree that putting in the work is actually worth it.
In case you are wondering, the reason I was the “occupational therapist” was because I had a little accident back in 1970 that left me all but completely paralyzed on the lef-hand side of my body. I say “all but” because I was able to get most of it back, excluding the functional use of my left hand and I did not want any of our patients to have to deal with the kinds of frustration I had/have been dealing with since that accident.
Also please keep in mind that being that I live in a relatively rural environment most of our exercises were centered around things people could do at home after they left the hospital.
Take care.
Prayer Too
💕🤗
Thank you for your story of recovery 🙏 I was a nurse for 35 years . Loved helping others.
Hi! Thank you for sharing your story & therapeutic/rehab exercises! I'm a COTA working in peds home health. 😊
My youngest daughter did the dual credits in high school. Not only did she graduate college early, but she was able to get a second degree at the same time. Highly recommend
Dual credit makes so much more sense to me than AP courses for credit! AP courses here are needlessly tough (tougher than 300 level college classes unless you’re at an Ivy League maybe!) and can tank GPA. Dual credits get the same thing accomplished in a more realistic way without making school have to be the only focus of life for high school kids. And yes, super affordable here…our state (maybe it’s our district?) covers 2 courses free! No reason not to if your kid might be headed to college.
My college kid spends maybe $100 a month 😂 he has mom who helps and friends and local church does free lunch on Tuesday and Thursday he volunteered at.
That’s wonderful!!
I live in Georgia and they call that dual enrollment and it’s free! All my kids took advantage of it and what a blessing it was. I highly recommend it!
Dual enrollment with the high schools is incredible!! My daughter knocked out her psychology and sociology requirements.. so good!
When I was at BYU the meal plan was 1500 a semester. When I moved off campus the next year I literally fed myself for 100 bucks/mo. When I got engaged I make my finances lunches and he came to my house for dinner and I fed the both of us for 50 bucks a week/200 a month. So cheap compared to today.
About the college food thing, I would say its your hint to make a series of affordable and nutritious meals using only a tiny airfryer, a tiny rice cooker (that doubles down as a slow cooker) and maybe a kettle :D
So you can combine little sales - once a week clearance grocery or whatever - with cooking for one (which you've definitely done before) plus using no stove or oven :D
Yes, the cost of meal plans at college is exorbitant. But most make it a requirement to be on a meal plan freshman year. It’s more like eating at a restaurant every meal. The school has to pay for all the food options and pay for all the workers to prepare and serve the food is included. Saved SO much money when they move off-campus and have a kitchen.
Going to college is a dam waste!!
I think your comparison to a restaurant is apt, as far as staff, menu options and cleanup, and that means that the cost isn't out of line. I can't get a meal at a restaurant for $7.22 per meal, not even breakfast. If the food is good and well-prepared, so that the students will eat it, it's a reasonable deal. Now text books, those are exorbitant!!
At my son's college text books are optional for most classes. Most professors utilize online text access.@@phronsiekeys
As I said in my main comment, I had some choices with meal plans and didn’t have to get every meal on the plan. However, even when I got an apartment, still on campus, I got the cheapest meal plan for social reasons and the reality is I didn’t know how to cook much back then and there were no UA-cam cooking videos or even all recipes (.com). The internet was in its baby years, like IRC chat and “the World Wide Web” on Netscape Navigator was the internet.
Anyway I only ended up getting in the apartments as a Junior because my friend was chosen as an RA in the on campus apartments and got to pick all her roommates, bypassing the housing lottery. The on campus apartments were like 90% Seniors because they were first in the lottery.
This is relevant because this is why even in an apartment I was on the cheapest meal plan, which allowed like 1 meal a day in the cafeteria because except for my roommates most of my friend group were Juniors and still in the dorms eating in the cafeteria.
@@peggypeters6676How do you become a nurse, CPA, attorney or even a teacher? You have to go to college.
Quick note, there's a CLEP program where ANYONE can take college classes (think free ones available online), pay $100 for the proctor when they take the test, and if they get a passing score, they just got 3 college credits. Colleges usually give a list of CLEP credits they will accept on their websites. There's a book (don't let the title throw you) called Homeschooling High School for College Credit that describes the process. Our oldest is in 10th grade (homeschool), and that's what we're hoping to use to get her some college credits under her belt. (If your child/student doesn't get a high enough score, there is ZERO GPA penalty, and they can re-take the test when they're ready.) BTW, this is Harriet, not my hubby, LOL.
See my reply above about the Modern States FREE classes that then give you a voucher for a free CLEP test. You just pay about a $20 proctor fee.
My son did this and skipped a few math classes.
We call the college program as a high schooler, Running Start. Our junior is doing that program full time and he’ll continue in his senior year, graduating with a high school diploma and an AA degree from community college. He knows what he wants to do in college and he’s excited to be ahead starting at a 4 year college. He loves it we love it, recommend!
Explain whaa an raus Running Start ?
In Florida it called dual enrollment and it free too all kids who have a GPA of 2.5. It’s the best thing for kids to take in high school who necessarily wouldn’t be able to afford college or have to take out student loans.
That’s what I did! Between dual enrollment and scholarships, I never paid for my AA and Bright Futures and lower online tuition got me through UF for a bargain
I am here to prove you can teach an old dog new tricks. I was frugal before but now l am super frugal, prepared and am saving dollars hairs like crazy!❤U
The thing about college meal plan is that friendships are formed in the dining halls. I tried skipping it one semester and it was too much of a hassle. That said, if the college allows for different tiers of meal plans, I would go with a lower tier. A lot of kids end up grabbing a granola bar or whatever for breakfast anyways on their way out the door to class.
My son started college as a second semester sophomore. Once in college, he was able to graduate college with a TRIPLE major, including a year abroad. Talk about save us some money on tuition it also allowed for his year in Germany.
Here you don't have to pay for college classes while your in highschool your GPA just has to be good enough! Our daughter is in firefighter/EMS classes in highschool she will graduate this year and I already have your EMS certificate and a good job after highschool but she wants to go to college for fire science
My favorite frugal family recipe that feeds my husband and I for at least 2-3 meals is a sheet pan meal! I need to do better on using fresh vegetables (or at least buying them fresh and freezing them myself), but I toss together a bag of frozen broccoli, a bag of frozen peppers and onions, a sliced up sausage (usually turkey or chicken sausage are our favorites but any works) with some olive oil and whatever seasoning you like (we like fajita seasoning). I bake this at ~400 degrees for about 45 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes so it doesn’t stick to the pan. I serve with rice, cheese, salsa, etc. We love it!
I just made a dish my family loved
Taco pasta
1 box Mac n cheese (gv brand .58)
Bush’s side kick taco fiesta black beans (1.54)
Can corn (.64 gv brand) -only use 1/2 can
Taco seasoning (.47 gv brand) only use like 2 tsp
Can green chilis (.84 gv) only used 1 tbsp
Grand total was
4.07 and you’re not even going to ALL the ingredients
I cooked the noodles in water with taco seasoning to add flavor
Once it was cooked I drained it and added the corn drained
The whole can of beans
The green chilies and the cheese powder packet and mix it together
Eat and enjoy
The university in my town charges $6,470.00 for the 3-meals-a-day (21 meals per week) plan for the academic year. Scholarships, grants, and loans can be used to pay for meal plans. Therefore, it's a pseudo-monopoly.
I have two adults that have gotten degrees from WGU all online, a lot cheaper than a traditional school and both have good jobs. One is a CPA & one a network engineer. Think outside the box!!
It cost us $1100 extra per year for my son to do his college online so much cheaper than attending the school.
As a mom.I love my online classes. I am not a driver so it is easier for me to not go on campus every day.
Christine, yes, we're spending that for my daughter's dining plan at a public uni - not a private school! It's not really for the food. Half of it is a "dining fee." Freshman living on campus have to have a dining plan. Beyond that, you do not have to have a dining plan. Daughter is moving into an old on-campus apartment next year and is super excited to start cooking her own meals! She currently has a little electric skillet that she makes noodles and eggs, etc., she uses in her room. BTW, the dorm kitchens are gross!! Nobody's mom lives there. lol
I appreciate when you do this type of video. Family meal ideas/prep while discussing real life issues. Probably interesting to me due to the fact that my kids are in the same age range as yours. You often give random nuggets of advice that are so helpful. Feels like I'm hanging with a good friend. Thanks!
I had some nasty cuts from my mandoline at home, and when I started cooking professionally I was told to throw out anything that was too small to handle safely. Now when I'm using one at home, I'll cut the last bit with my knife (in addition to using "cut proof" gloves for the mandoline). I still save a lot of time, but I don't risk the injury! I hope your recovery gets easier ♥
For a way to get your credits faster, you can take a Dante's test without having taken the class. For basics like entry level math or ELA its a good way to get credits for only about $50 a class. Where I went to college most classes were 3 credit hours. So 5 of those is basically a semester for only $250!
Also, you can view a TON of actual college class lectures for FREE on UA-cam.
when doing cookies or bars can put a square piece of bread in container to keep them fresh,soft-- got this from my mother in law yrs ago and is great!!!
Our son did the concurrent enrollment his senior year of HS. Finished his Associates at the community college and transferred to a Big 10 school for his bachelors. Lived at home to save money.
Trick is to get your work study job in the food service/catering department....then you get paid for your shift AND a free meal and can get the reduced meal plan. But it costs so much because basically every meal of the day is an entree, 1-3 alacarte lines, full salad bar, cereal all day, etc.
My favorite way to make brussel sproats is cut them in half and crisp the cut side down in an oiled cast iron skillet for 8ish minutes. Then put in oven for 8-10 minutes at 425. Take out and while hot sprinkle on crumbled Greek feta and drizzle on honey. Soooooo good!
Best!
Yummmo! Going to do that tonight - thanks!
Sounds delicious!
I am so, so, so sorry for what you're dealing with your finger. You are in my thoughts and prayers for healing and comfort.
Lady, I am your newest subscriber and I'm so happy to come across your video's. As a current cancer patient still dealing with the shock of the diagnosis while struggling to even make healthy meals that can help someone that is underweight at 113pds @5"6 & recently diagnosed as severely malnourished, only to have my food assistance cut in half when I needed it the most😮. I guess that assistance is only for the illegal immigrants that have never worked a day in this country now.
Not for tax paying American's that have been hit with hard times or health problems.😢
Your video's have truly restored my faith in humanity because I was literally sitting here worrying about how Id even afford groceries at this point in my life when I can barely get out of bed.
I truly appreciate you more than you know❤
Don’t be shy to ask for help from friends or the local food bank, church or to even just go in and make an appeal to social services. They may have other resources that are not as well publicized.
My daughter went to early college high school and graduated with a associates degree. It didn’t cost us anything. It’s saved us so much money.
My Mom shared if you put a couple of slices of apples in dried up brown sugar, it softens. it works! I love watching you and your beautiful family! Thanks for inspirational meals on a budget!
Noticed you had same issue with brown sugar I do, someone told me good tip to use the bottom saucer of clean/new terra cotta pot to keep it from clumping so much! Been following you awhile keep up the great work, you're one of my inspiration ambassadors!
I had some bad finger cuts and burns in the last couple of years. I hear you, and hope it heals well. I no longer use razor blades for crafting. It takes a year or two for some of the finger cuts. Still have some numbness in the tip but life is good. Praying for you!
Great conversation about college meal plans. Looking at this next step in life 😮. Can you do a video for dorm food alternative options.
Its great that you helped your son with college to give him a head start- that just proves how smart you guys are!!😅
My mother cut off the end of finger,many years years ago. The nail grew back over where she had to have stitches. She had problems for several years. Dont give up. It does get better.😊
Good luck on your injury. Tip try the frozen chopped onions, I get them at Kroger. They are great for cooking, obviously they wouldn't be good in place of a fresh but in chili, soup, casserole etc they are great.
When I was in college from 2012-2014, I did a plan option where you get 1 visit a day to the cafeteria. I would stuff their to-go containers as much as possible and eat leftovers for dinner. Also had a mini fridge, microwave, toaster, and crockpot! If I really needed an oven to make cookies, there was a communal oven that no one ever used. I’m sure my meal plan was MUCH cheaper than $2600 that’s insane!!!
I love your cooking videos and I think people who didn’t learn as a kid can easily learn lots from you. Love to see some super basics videos for people who don’t know how to make anything.
Brown sugar saver disks work really well. Thank you for the video!
These meals are awesome, definitely gonna try some of them. Thank you. Prayers that your finger heals quickly.
My eldest daughter also went to a private university. Her cost per semester for the meal plan was similar in price. THANK GOD her tuition was covered by scholarships. She paid for her meal plan by tutoring. I also visited once a week and brought her food/snacks. It was a very expensive educational experience but she came out with 2 bachelors and a masters!
My son starts dual enrollment as a homeschooler in the fall. We're very excited that it's an option since we will be a family with multiple kids in college at the same time.
First time I’m actually writing down a grocery list, then on my way to Aldi. Hopefully this helps me.
Great video as always, love these recipes! 😋 Prayers for healing too ❤
I have a fellow homeschool family that is doing some kind of dual enrollment college credit program. My children are all done with that now but two of them took college classes online for free and while they didn't receive any credit for them they sure learned a ton! My oldest went on to monitor classes at the local college which is also free and again, learned a ton! If you don't know what you have in mind, definitely do all the free things!
Nice! Thank You for the ideas! 🙏🏼❤
Wow, glad you let us know about your finger. Back in 1973 I cut the exact same finger and had to have stitches. Luckily I didn't have any nerve damage but it was such a pain not using my fingers for awhile. Hope it finally stops bothering you! Have loved watching you for years, thank you for all the info with us!!
Thank you for your input on college! There's so many unnecessary costs, and kids just go to be going sometimes, which adds up quickly!!
My niece did the dual enrollment while in high school and when she graduated HS she also graduated with a 2 year degree. It’s an amazing opportunity and saves so much money. I wanted my son to do it but we were lucky he barely graduated HS.
Thank you for videos like this that remind us that there are ways of saving and still getting food on the table.
Thank for the tip about "nut dust! "
My daughter doesn't enjoy pecans or walnuts, and I suspect it is the texture. We'll give this a try!
I love all your videos! I have moved around a lot in the last few years with my family of 5 (for my husband's job). When I was in my home state, Ohio, it was much easier to find clearance and discount food. I was in a food oasis for sure. Now that I am in a very rural area in Northern Cali it is a much different story! We have 5 grocery stores for multiple counties unless you want to drive an hour. All that to say even though there isn't a lot of discounted food like you have every other tip completely applies! No matter where you live being prepared and planning out meals will ALWAYS save you so much money. Love all the advice and wisdom!
Another great video-- cooking ones are always a fave. My brown sugar tip-- store it in the bag it comes in and just use a twist tie-- it stays soft. If you like your containers just put the bag in the container. I also will stick the measuring cup in the bag to fill it and pack the brown sugar into the cup with my hand on the outside of the bag.
Thanks Christine, you’re right in the money here, as in saving it by using mostly cook from scratch recipes ❤
Yeah, college meal plans are such a scam. Plus, there were no kitchens in my dorm, so it's not like I really had much of a choice. Would highly recommend renting a mini-fridge/microwave combo for the dorm room tho! Worth the price, very convenient and gives the student a bit of flexibility so they aren't 100% reliant on the dining halls
I haven’t had a hand injury - my husband has had 2 mandolin”incidents”- no more Ma Colin in our house🙂
However I dealt with severe plantar fasciitis in both feet- basically out of commission for a year- so frustrating! Then I fell down sone marble stairs and did a huge number on my knee! Again so frustrating and slow
I’m sorry for what you are going through- praying for a complete recovery💕
Ouch 😢
My daughter graduated high school with a 2-year associate degree that she then applied towards a 4-year degree at a prestigious college. I'm lucky to live in a state that pays for community college during Jr. and Sr. year of high school as long as the student is getting a high GPA. We only had to pay a $100 admission fee towards this program and about $300-400 worth of books per year. Successful program, for sure!
I also love the Belgian chocolate chunks from aldi.
My husband makes a great sloppy joe with only 2 ingredients! The first is the ground beef and the second is a can or two of chicken gumbo soup. It's amazing and so easy. Of course, you can add lentils if you like, but you might be able to add more rice to the gumbo soup so you don't have to eat the lentils.
In the state of Ohio dual enrollment classes for high schoolers are free at public colleges. They even pay for books. My kids graduated from high school with 36 college credit hours that all transferred to their colleges
It's not just the food. It's the staff, the fuel, washing and dishes pots and pans, waste, building running, maintaining.
Glad your finger is healing! My oldest is graduating from high school this year and I wish I had pushed him more into the dual enrollment. My younger son is starting high school in the fall and we just did his planning for HS. He does not do well with online courses, so I don't want to push him with those but they have comp 1, comp 2, and college algebra for the local community college taught at the high school and they get dual credit so he will be doing that. My friend's son just completed his first year at LSU and they require freshman to live in the dorm and have a meal plan. He will be in an apartment for sophomore year and she says it's much less expensive!
UMass at Amherst is $3300 per semester for unlimited meals. (My son ate 4 meals a day) We homeschooled and he graduated with over 2 years of credits by attending community college for both high school and college credit. Massachusetts has a transfer program from community college so we knew he was getting a high quality education. He did go a full 2 years so he could do a semester abroad. He chose Germany which has free tuition, very low-cost housing, and he even got a stipend from the university which covered his food costs. The most expensive thing is the US university charging a fee for the program to transfer his grades. My second son did 2 years of community college during high school as well and went to a private college (I don't even want to talk about the price, but he had to come up with "merit money" scholarships if he wanted to live there; so he did.)
Praying for you and your healing both physical and emotional 🙏 including you in my daily prayers. 🙏 thank you for your perseverance , strength and endurance during your recovery. I believe in miracles, God is good all the time. Thank you for sharing all the things 😊
I'm definitely going to try that with brussel sprouts. I love brussel sprouts so always looking for different ways of cooking them.
The Brussels Sprouts look amazing!!! I’ve never thought of using the food processor with them.
I teach at a high school in Iowa and our district offers FREE concurrent enrollment classes through our community college in town. I teach 2 of those courses in the health science pathway. My oldest daughter graduated from high school with 38 college credits that she got for free. (Many of them transferred as electives because she went to a nursing school that required students to take their nursing classes.) I do not think our students understand how fortunate they are to have that opportunity here.
I’ve been making cookie bars for years…same yummy snack, in no time flat!!
Great tip on the nuts in cookies. I really like nuts, all nuts, but not in my sweets. I will totally grind the nuts for my next batch of cookies. I don't like black beans or kidney beans. I like pinto and white beans. I enjoyed all the money saving recipes today. Love from Texas ❤
College meal plans are a rip off. I was able to eat for roughly $30-$50 a week depending on what I was making. I had a mini fridge with freezer, insta pot, mini hot plate, toaster/toaster oven combo, small microwave, mini personal blender, mini waffle maker, pot, pan, dishes, utensils, cooking utensils, cutting board, knives, and storage containers. I had everything I needed to cook all of my meals. It saved a ton of money! I was able to graduate completely debt free with my scholarships and grants and only needed to pay $400 a semester once I got to my university after community college.
Great ideas!! I used to use the bread trick for brown sugar but then my niece was diagnosed with celiacs so now I use a slightly damp paper towel to help keep it moist. :)
Taking classes through community or technical colleges (whether in HS or not) is cheaper than taking them in state colleges and you can usually transfer the credits. A go-to meal prep for me is beans and rice, or beans, rice and canned tomatoes.
I have been trying to rationalize ordering a new pizza cutter when my wheel functions, but you just showed me what I needed to see!! ❤️
I bought a package of 6 chicken thighs for $1.86 they were within best biy date. Last week I bought a package of 2 chicken thighs for just $.74. Again in date. Look for clearance and sale items to add your pantry and freezer.
Keep in mind the $650/ month cost of meal plan covers not just food but also staff, electricity, fuel for cooking, water. If, they can do a 2 meal plan and have a microwave or access to a kitchen - we had one in my dorm in the basement that was rarely used, her daughter could save money. Or, if she does not have a kitchen to access or a microwave is nit allowed then a coffee pot to make soup, Mac and Cheese, sandwich items or salad items, hot Cocoa, instant coffee Oatmeal in packets instant, crackers so on
when my daughter was in college she introduced her dorm to peas and tuna on toast..apparently it was a big hit because once the gravy was made all you had to do was make toast and heat the gravy back up...to this day hands down one of my favs
Regarding college meal plans: Get the lowest plan available, maybe only 1 meal per day. Most people (especially girls) don't eat 3 full meals per day. 1 big meal, plus yogurt, fruit, etc. in the dorm room and grab a bagel or something when out on campus.
my sons college you can buy different levels of meal plans...depending on how many times you swipe your card you can be as low as $2150 or as high as $2800.
My kid is doing concurrent credit for english and math. The downside i've seen with a few of our kids ("our kids" - kids that graduate from the school i work at) is that after earning their associates degree in high school, they go from our tiny school to a large university. They don't have classes with their dormmates and their classmates are juniors and seniors with already established friend groups. It can be very challenging socially. The upside, of course, is the less time spent in college and the financial savings.
agree with chopping nuts for cookie, but dust is too small. Love your recipes. thanks
Best thing we did after freshman year for both our sons was to make them room off campus together. We paid rent and they were responsible for their food (using summer job money). Taught them how to eat on a budget and they became awesome cooks to boot!
I’ve just seen your chilli recipe, I’m trying to copy it with what I’ve got at the moment, thanks so much for the help ❤
regarding "kids that know what they want to do": most colleges/universities have requirements that are the same no matter what the major is, basic english, math, science, history/social studies..... if they can take these in a more frugal manner and save their college experience for "what they want to study" more power to them!
MN offers a program called PSEO (post secondary education option), and it covers the college classes completely. I did online stuff through one college my junior year, and then my senior year I switched to another college and just went there for all my classes.
I accidentally cut tiny bit of my right thumb off years ago from a mandolin.
Christine we just purchased special gloves to show and help our kids (old enough to use sharp knives),have not tried them yet. Supposed to help not cut your self (our oldest is bit scared of sharpness). I’m not mentioning this to belittle or make fun,just thought be helpful to you or anyone if they need special gloves for themselves. I apologize if it’s taken wrong way.
I’m glad you are healing and you had someone to talk to. 🙏🏻on continues healing journey.
I was just listening to a video from last year that you put up about saving money and as I started watching this, an idea came to mind about a little side hustle that I could start!! Thanks!! 😁🤪🎉
Yes that is the going rate on food plans. I spent less in a year for everything in college (room, food plan, tuition books) for myself than one semester of his room and food plan. It is crazy.