New Uses for Bread

It happens to all of us. You end up with the two bread ends and you just toss them. Or your bread goes stale and you can't stand to make a sandwich with them. Or the inevitable more hotdogs than buns or vice versa. I just store my leftover bread in a bag in the fridge or freezer and make some of the below recipes as I feel like it. Well here is a great list of things you can do to make sure this bread doesn't go to waste.

• Croutons 
• Bread Crumbs- you can either make them from the croutons or toast some bread and then stick them in a food processor.
• Toast- Use stale bread to make toast. You more than likely won't notice it is stale.
• French Toast- another great use for stale bread.
• Grilled Cheese- again you probably won't notice the bread is stale.
• Bread soups- There are quite a few recipes that call for bread to thicken the soup. 
• Bread pudding- Yum! There are lots of recipes for this one, and everyone has their favorite way to do it. I have to say though there hasn't been a bread pudding that I didn't like
• Use hotdog buns to make mini meatball subs. Just cook up some meatballs in some red sauce place on bun and top with some mozzarella (or any other cheese of your choice)
• Try to refreshen the bread by dipping it in cold water, draining, and then heating in the oven.
• Garlic Bread- Some butter and garlic powder heated in the oven. Yummy. You can add cheese for some cheesy garlic bread. (Ok so I love cheese!) You could use hotdog buns to make bread sticks.
• Use old hamburger buns to make open faced sandwiches like an open faced pulled pork sandwich. You can use regular bread too. An open-faced turkey sandwich with gravy or Salisbury steak would be yummy.
• You could also use old hamburger buns to make personal pizzas. (Or English Muffins or Bagels)
• Stuffing/dressing. I always use stale bread to make my stuffing for Thanksgiving. Use some chicken broth, sauteed onions and celery, and your pretty much there. (I'd love to give an exact recipe, but this one has been passed down by just eyeballing). 
• Bruschetta
• Breakfast Casserole
• Feed the birds. They won't mind if it is stale. ;-)

Do you have a recipe for leftover bread? Share it in the comments!

Publix Ad

Sorry this is a little later than usual, but since we are down to one computer in the household, the computer goes to the person with the highest need at the time. Michelle over at iheartpublix has this weeks ad up. Check it out HERE.

Again, I'm not seeing way too much to be excited about this week, but I do see a few things that seem pretty decent. I'll have my list up in the next few days for you to see what I am buying.

Monday Money Sense- Keeping your info safe

I know today was supposed to be about Credit Scores, but since this is fresh on my mind I will write about this instead.

Late Saturday night my personal email was hacked. The email sent out basically said that I was mugged in London and that I needed money to get home. The hacker also changed my password, alternate email, and security questions. 

I must say it feels awful! I almost feel violated in a sense. I was able to gain access within an hour of it happening (thanks to a wonderful brother who txted me at 12:30am to tell me). Because it was noticed quickly, they weren't able to get into other accounts such as my facebook, my other email accounts, etc.

Now when it comes to email hacking it can be the result of a few different things. They are:

• Malware, Spyware, Virus- Usually the result of downloading something unfamiliar, or visiting suspicious websites
• Phishing- This is when an email or link is used to collect personal information. Usually they try to be convincing claiming your account needs to be verified or that you need to login to see some sort of material.
• Key Loggers- these are essentially a form of spyware. Essentially it is program that tracks every single thing you type. It can be done remotely or on your computer.
• Bots- Essentially the concept here is that a computer (or a bunch of computers) crawls the web and essentially tries various combinations of letters and numbers.

For my personal situation, I know it was one of the last two, leaning toward the bots. The reason I believe this is because I haven't clicked any links or responded to any phishing emails. I've also run several different virus scans (I have a couple because a couple years ago I got a really bad virus on my computer out of the blue that resulted in a complete reformatting of the computer, so now I am extra cautious), and come up with nothing. I don't think it is a key logger because absolutely none of my other accounts have been hacked. Some people have wondered if maybe it was a site I signed up for that may have done it. I don't believe this is so because when I sign up for sites I always use my surveys and offers email address, so if an email address was going to be hacked I would have assumed it would be that one. So this really leaves the bot, which is really quite scary.

So I thought it might be nice to have a great list of ways to keep your information safe on the internet:

• Use a complicated password. This link shows how long it takes for a hacker to hack certain passwords. The best passwords are a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols. Unfortunately not every site with a password allows symbols, but use them if you can. (I'll admit my password wasn't the strongest it could have been) 
• Change your password regularly. I think this was my big downfall. I often forget to change passwords. If you look at that link above again, you'll notice that even the strongest passwords can be hacked in a couple months to a couple years depending on the hackers set-up. 
• Don't use the same password on every account. Imagine if your email was hacked and you use the same password for everything. From your email they can see where you have accounts, and if the password is the same it's that much easier. (Given enough time they may be able to access all of your accounts). I believe this is the reason all of my other accounts were not compromised.
• Don't give away passwords. A company will never contact you to ask for your password (this goes for email or telephone). Also, if you arrive at a website via a link and it tells you need to login or re-login, don't do it. Manually type in the website (www.facebook.com, www.yahoo.com, etc.). Hackers are really good at making a login page look just like the real thing. 
• Have a good spyware/firewall/virus protection. 
• Make sure on websites that you enter passwords that you are on a secure connection. Depending on your browser you might see locks, have a yellow url bar, etc. But one sure fire way is to look for the https:// at the beginning of the web address.
• Be careful what you do on public computers or through public internet. 
• Be cognizant of the emails you send and receive. If somehow you get hacked, you have no idea what they may gain from it. This is what is most unsettling for me right now.

If your account has been compromised, it can take sometime to get access to it again. When you do make sure to check everything, make sure your mail isn't forwarding to some other account, check your filters, etc. This is a good source for gmail.

I hope this may prove valuable for some of you. Hopefully, none of you will have to go through it yourself.

Friday Favorites- Learning about Your Ancestors

I really love doing genealogy. Part of that comes from my church background, but it is also something that I find to be so interesting. So today I am going to share some of my favorite links for learning about your ancestors and the pros and cons to each.

Family Search
Pros
-Free!
-Quite a few resources, including social security death index, and a few censuses
Cons
-Not many sources
-Have to be careful of user uploaded information that may be incorrect.

Pilot Family Search
Pros
-Free!
-More records.
Cons
-Some information is incorrectly indexed due to how it was recorded. (More about this later)
-The search engine isn't always as intuitive as you would like, so you may need to search things a few different ways to find something.
-Is a pilot program, so still has a lot of tweaking to do.

Google
Pros
-Good for general information on surnames, countries, etc.
-Occasionally you'll find a website with complete family trees.
Cons
-It's just the search engine so your results may be muddled with typical search junk.
-A lot of information out there.
-As with all information on the internet, it can be full of mistakes.



Ancestry
Pros
-A lot of resources
-Worldwide Resources
-Lot's of users willing to share their findings
-Good search program
-User friendly
-Save Features
-Free trial
Cons
-Price. I must admit it can be pricey, but I have reached the point where all of the free routes have pretty much run out of information for me. My husband and I both do it, so we share one account (which we both can be on at the same time).
-Need credit card for free trial, which is kind of a pet peeve for me. However, it is very easy to cancel.


Here's a site if you want to help index records to make them free for everyone.
Indexing
Indexing is where you look at a record and type it into the computer, thus creating a digital, searchable copy of the record.
The reason I like to do indexing is it helps me to learn how records were recorded. I learn how census takers writing is sometimes easily confused, etc. It helps me to understand the records I am using to make my records.


Hopefully, you'll find these sites interesting! If you are interested, I can do more entries in the future on this subject. Let me know by leaving a comment below!

Publix Trip 8/19/10

I spent $37.45 for $126.33 worth of groceries, saving $88.88 or 70%. I will submit for another $5 Kellogg's Gift Card bringing it to 74%. (Not pictured Sparkle Paper Towels)

See my original shopping list here.

Added:
(2)Fresh Express Salad BOGO $3.69
(1) Bag Potatoes $3.69
(2) Rico Rice 99¢
(2)Chef Boyardee 10/$10
   -$1/1 Target HERE
(2)Peter Pan Peanut Butter BOGO $2.59
   -$1/2 School Day Savings Booklet 
   -$1.50/4 Conagra Products Printable (not sure where it was from)
Deleted:
Athenos Feta (not BOGO)

Prices, Price Changes, and Coupon Changes
-Changed (4)Frosted Flakes for (2)Corn Pops and (2)Fruit Loops because $1.50/2 didn't say Frosted Flakes, also BOGO $4.39 not $3.99
-Chips Ahoy BOGO $3.69 not $3.25 (but free with both coupons)
-Gallon Milk $3.35
-Store Brand Baggies $1.59 for 50 Sandwich size
-Store Brand Bread $1.59
-Was minus 1 coupon on the Fruit Snacks because the printing messed up on it.

The trip was ok. For some reason my favorite cashier was anti-overage today. I don't know if it was a new rule or what. I didn't get to ask the manager because my toddler was ready to go, but I'll probably give them a call. I think it was only annoying because it was mainly the baggies and bread, which were both manufacturer's coupons that they will be reimbursed the full amount plus 8¢. I probably lost out on a couple dollars of overage. It was also interesting because with the reach she took 2 Publix coupons and 1 Manufacturer's, you would think the store would want it the other way around.... Oh well. You win some, you lose some.

Frugality- Stockpiling

If you follow my blog, you may have noticed me talk about food storage before. I realized that what some call stockpiling I call food storage, it's the same concept really. Below I will outline what is and isn't stockpiling, as well as why some people get backlash for doing it.

What is stockpiling?

• A supply of what your family needs for a specific period of time. This period of time could be a year, until it goes on sale again, or the amount you can use before something expires.
• Buying large quantities of something at it's lowest point, so that you never have to pay full price.
• Preparing for a rainy day buy knowing you always have the necessities for your family on hand.
• Using what you bought!
• Having a source to help out others in need.

What is not stockpiling?

• Buying large amounts of things just because "it's a great deal!" even though you already have 100 of them.
• Buying large amounts of things that you will end up throwing away without using because they will expire.
• Buying large amounts of things that you have no purpose for. (For example, buying a bunch of cat food because it is a money maker when you don't have a cat.)
• *The great exception to the above is if you are donating it all, which is definitely ok in my book. (But don't be surprised if people question your generosity if you got the rest of your groceries for free by buying these "donations")

Why do stockpilers get backlash?

A lot of stockpilers get backlash for what they do. I think this is just like everything in couponing, a few bad apples spoil it for the whole bunch. Here is a list of reasons why I we sometimes get backlash for what we do:

• Shelf-clearing- Whether the person special ordered the item or not, the perception is that the person cleared the shelf. Also, even if you special ordered you can cause a backlog of clear shelfs because the warehouse fills the special order before the store orders. 
• Buying 50 just for overages- Plain and simple I think this puts a bad taste in many peoples mouths. I occasionally buy something solely for the overages, but it's usually only one or two. But then I see others buy 100 of something really useless (like phazyme, ecotrin, vivarin) resulting in $50 of overage, so they can buy their other groceries cheap. It's worse when they buy something they don't need (like cat food or vitamins), but yet is something you do need and you can't seem to get it. So basically what is your intent of buying 50 of something? To prepare for your family or to get overages? It will probably answer the question of why you get backlash.
• Buying risky coupons- This may make the store upset, especially if you buy printables because the risk of fraud greatly goes up. You also risk backlash from fellow couponers if you end up with 20 tearpads/peelies/blinkies/booklets because a lot of people believe someone "took" all of the coupons from their store. If you buy these types of coupons, you encourage people to steal all of these types of coupons to make a profit. 
• Selling the items- This one really bugs me. I was at the Fleamarket this weekend (mmm fresh produce!) and saw a person with a stand called "Half-off Retail." I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw that everything there I knew was dirt cheap, free, or a money maker in the past few months. I saw Kraft Sandwich Shop Mayo, Sundown Vitamins, Windex, Bic Razors, etc. I'm certain a lot of people would give backlash to this.
• Being "greedy"- Basically not helping others when you have the means to. 
• Being a "hoarder," crazy, dooms-dayer, etc- Some people just see stockpilers as crazy. Don't take it personally! Some just don't get it, or can't see a need in having as much of something as you do. Try to teach them or just don't talk about it.
• Here's a good article that I think show how stockpiling can go wrong.

Hopefully this sheds a little light into the world of stockpiling. Join me next week for more frugal tips.

Shopping List for 8/19

Blue= Manufacturer's
Green= Publix
Red= Competitor's


(4)Kellogg's Frosted Flakes BOGO $3.99
    -(2)$1.50/2 Printable HERE 
    -(2)$1/2 Target HERE


(16) Powerade Sports Drink BOGO $1.25
    -Buy 10, Get 5 free Hangtag


(2) Chips Ahoy BOGO $3.25
    -(1)1 package Free wyb 1 Nabisco Cookie and 1 Gallon of Milk (promotion over)
    -(1) $1 off wyb Cookies and Milk Peelie


(1) Gallon Milk

(2) Hefty Trash Bags BOGO $6.89
    -(2) $1/1 HERE

(2)Kellogg's Fruit Snacks $1.99
    -(2) $1/1 HERE


(1) Angel Soft Toilet Paper $5.49
(1) Sparkle Paper Towels $5.49
    -$2/2 Angel Soft and/or Sparklefrom Children's Miracle Network Donation Sheet


(2) Store Brand Baggies
   -$2 on store brand baggies wyb (2) Kellogg's Cereals Fuel for School Booklet


(1)Store Brand Bread
   -$2 on store brand bread wyb (2)Kellogg's Fruit Flavored Snacks


(2) Sorrento Stringsters 2/$6
   -$1/1 from 8/15/10 RP
   -75¢/1 Blinkie


(2) Reach Floss $1.49
   -(2)$1/1 HERE
   -(2)$1/1 $15 of Saving Sheet


(2) Athenos Feta (reportedly BOGO)
   -BOGO HERE


-$5/$25 Save-a-lot Coupon

Winn-Dixie Trip

I spent $42.43 for $77.32, saving $34.89 or 45%.

I went to Winn-Dixie today mainly because they had some great produce deals, and because I wasn't seeing too much I want at Publix this week. But when I got to Winn-Dixie they were having some great meat deals too. So here is what I got:

(2) Bottom Round Roast BOGO
     (both for $12.16)
(2) Packs Pork Chops BOGO
     (about 7 lbs for $13.65)
(1) WD Hamburger Buns $1
(1) WD Hotdog Buns $1
(2) El Monterey Burritos $3.99 each
     -$1/2 Promotion
(1)Bunch Broccoli 88¢
(1) 3 lb bag onions $2.50
(1)Bag Grapes 98¢/lb
(1)Cucumber 50¢
(2) Apples 88¢/lb
(1) 1lb bag baby carrots 88¢

I think $42 is more than reasonable for a bunch of meat and produce. I think a pot roast is in the near future. I just need potatoes...

Water Storage- Great Resources

For more emergency preparation information, click here.

Below are some great websites for information on water storage with an explanation as to what they share. I hope you will check them out.


Food and Water in an Emergency(pdf)- This is a publication put out by FEMA. It has a lot of concise to the point information on water storage, as well as information on many other emergency prep items.

Calculator- A great calculator for food storage, I believe it is only doing a two week supply of water.

Basic Guidelines- Some basic guidelines for water storage.

EPA- EPA's FAQ on all things water. You can search it for all sorts of info such as emergency water treatment and sources.

Emergency Essentials- One of many sites that sells commercial water storage equipment. You can find containers that are specifically made for long term water storage.

I will bookmark these in my favorite websites tab for future use. Hopefully you will find some use in them!

SocialSpark

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of IZEA. All opinions are 100% mine.


I just signed up for a site called SocialSpark. I think it will be a great way for me to bring more giveaways to you!

What is SocialSpark?
SocialSpark is a website that provides me with "sparks" or ideas for content. These "sparks" may be giveaways, opinions, or samples. Companies use sites like this to get the word out about their products through word-of-mouth marketing. The website then offers me a bit of monetary compensation for taking the time to tell you about their products.

The great part is I will still be posting what I want on my blog because SocialSpark allows me the option to pick and choose the "sparks" I want. You will always get my 100% honest opinion, in fact, that is what the advertiser wants! You will also always see a disclosure on these posts letting you know that I had a little bit of inspiration for the post.

I think it is a great tool for bloggers! Signing-up is easy. You can sign up for SocialSpark through this link. They will ask for the typical information about you and then information about your blog, such as blog category, interests, etc. I am still learning how to use the site, but it seems pretty user friendly.

I look forward to bringing you more word-of-mouth advertisements in the future because I like knowing what other people think before I go and spend money on something. Hopefully you will enjoy some of the benefits too!

For more information: