LED Lights

Switch to LED lights whenever possible. Yes they cost more to buy, but they last much longer than other bulbs! They also use a lot less energy! My electric bill at Christmas time was cut in 1/2 by switching to LED decorations. Saving $ in several different ways adds up to a lot of $ every month!

Split Pea Soup (feeds 3 w/ leftovers) - $4.53

Ingredients:
1 bag cubed ham ($2.69)
1/2-1 medium chopped onion ($.80)
2 table spoons chopped garlic ($.12)
1/2 stick margarine ($.13)
1bag green split peas ($.79)

Prep:
1. Rinse peas with warm water in a strainer. *Be sure to dig through the peas and shuffle them around checking for small rocks! Yes, there are rocks sometimes!
2. Chop onion.  (When my daughters were younger and 'looking' for onions in their food, I chopped the onions large so they could pick them out. Now that they are older, I chop them small to get more of the flavor into the soup itself.)

Cook:
1. In a large pot on medium-high, saute butter, garlic, onion, and cubed ham until onion is soft and ham is a darker color (almost browned).
2. Add approximately 4 cups water and the dry peas. (You can always add a little more later if the soup is too thick.)
3. Bring it to a boil, then turn the heat down until it is simmering softly. (Low on my stove.)
4. Stir occasionally so it doesn't stick at the bottom. Soup is finished when peas are soft.

Note: I don't cook my soup to a complete mush. I like for some of the peas to still have shape. If you want it this way, check on it often.

Finished product:

Money Saver ALERT

I'm sure this one won't last long! For those of you near Scott AFB Illinois - the Commissary is selling the large tubs of plain non fat yogurt for 50 cents. Yes.....large tub for only 50 cents. They don't expire until November. Sounds like a steal to me!

Blockbuster Express Free Rental 'til Oct 31, 2011

Blockbuster Express is giving 1 free rental per day for Matt Damon movies in honor of his birthday. The offer is good until Oct 31 and you must use coupon code DAMON.
Thank you to Margie's Money Saver on the STL Fox2now website for this great deal!

Free My Sketch App for IPhone

I found an app called 'My Sketch' that is very cool! It says it is usually $1.99 but it's FREE for a limited time! You can turn a pic into a sketched drawing!