The 4-H girls and I are back in the kitchen this fall, doing a unit on candy making. I came upon this new book, Ghoulish Goodies, which has a number of recipes for Halloween candies and treats.

So far we’ve made: Monster Eyeballs, Chocolate Spider Clusters, Witches’ Knuckles, Monster Cupcakes, and Chocolate Mice. For our final meeting next week, we’re making Caramel Apples. They’re having a blast!

I’ve found the recipes are easy enough for the girls to follow and make with little assistance and supervision. I particularly appreciated the instructions for how to melt chocolate in the microwave and in a double boiler. We opted to use the microwave which was a nice lead-in to my lesson on microwave safety.

The one drawback is that the girls have chocolate everywhere. And I mean EVERYWHERE! I know the mess is par for the course when cooking with kids. But these recipes definitely call for older clothes and aprons. Yowza!

If you’re looking for a little fun in the kitchen with the kids this Halloween, check out Ghoulish Goodies.

Show Description
Handmade gifts are hot, hot, hot! So unique and heartfelt, handmade gifts can also be inexpensive. Use your warehouse smarts to make your gift-giving dollar stretch even further. Kati gives examples of gifts she’s made and given using warehouse ingredients.

Show Notes
Organic Body Care Recipes by Stephanie Tourles
Cordials From Your Kitchen by Pattie Vargas, et. al.

Also, check out the July issue of The Herb Companion Magazine for recipes to create your own scented waters and colognes. Why not enjoy those summer blooms longer!

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 Quickcast #23 -- Handmade Gifts From the Kitchen, Part 2 [7:13m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Show Description

Fix, Freeze, Feast recipes use many ingredients found at the warehouse clubs, in addition to the featured tray pack product. Why not combine recipes to use other bulk products also, and double your savings? See page 39 and take a listen.

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 Quickcast #22 -- Double The Savings [4:11m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Show Description

Kati uses virtuous circles to identify large and small savings opportunities. She challenges staycationers to spend initiate a virtuous circle of their own. Remember the old saying, “Mind the pennies and the dollars take care of themselves.”

Show Notes
AP article, “Fewer Americans Taking Vacations This Summer.”

Excellent Playdough
Apologies. I misspoke and implied that this is my recipe. I should have said that this is a recipe from my Moms Club. It is excellent. When my son was in kindergarten, I signed up for “playdough mom duty” one month. His teacher loved it so much, that I became her go-to gal in other months when no parent has signed up. Waiting for Kool-Aid to go on sale, and buying the other ingredients in bulk, will make this recipe even more economical.

1 cup flour
1 cup water
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 cup salt
1 tablespoon cream of tartar
1 packet unsweetened drink mix, such as Kool-Aid

Cook over medium heat, until mixture pulls away from sides of pan and becomes like playdough in consistency. Knead until cool. Keeps 3 months unrefrigerated.

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 Quickcast #21 -- Virtuous Circles [5:07m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Show Description
Kati talks coupons. Tune in to hear what works for her

Show Notes
“5 Best Coupon-Clipping Websites” according to SmartMoney.com. Check them out!
GroceryGame.com. Kati briefly discusses her use of this service (years ago)

Here are the detail from our toothpaste example:
$3.79 for 2 tubes
- $1.50 (two $0.75 off manufacturer coupons)
- $1.00 (two $0.50 off store double coupons)
= $1.29 for two tubes, or $0.65 each. Not bad for 10 minutes of work!

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 Quickcast #20 -- Coupons [5:06m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Note from Kati:
Thanks for your patience! The tiger’s really had me by the tail this month. Next show posted on May 3rd. Happy Spring!

Show Description
Consumers spend hundreds of dollars every year on disposable paper products. Why keep paying for disposable products (plus tax) and generating unnecessary garbage when you don’t have to? Cloth is reusable and will save you money for years, if not decades, to come.

Show Notes
The link to my podcast on Homemade Household Cleaners.
The link to Melissa Breyer’s article at Care2.com.

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 Quickcast #19 -- Disposable Paper Products [3:59m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Show Description

Planning meals to use up left over foods and canned goods, can save hundreds of dollars a year. Kati shares planning tips, offers resources, and links to the meal planning form she uses each week.

Show Notes

AllRecipes.com–above the search box, click on the “Ingredients” link. You will be directed to a site where you can search recipes by specific ingredients.

Recipezaar.com–to the left of the search box, look for the “Ingredients” radio button. Click it on, then add your ingredient to initiate your search.

Other Links: Cornell Food and Brand Lab;
Kati’s Meal Planning Form (adapted from Franklin Covey’s). After you download the form, take it to the copy store and have it printed double sided. Cut the form in two and use one half-sheet per week. Notice the “Use It Up” column. Here is where I note the items I want to try to use up, before planning.

Find out about Kati’s classes and scheduled speaking events at KatiNeville.com.

Visit The Forklift blog on or after, March 31st to download a copy of Kati’s free article, “10 Tips: Meal Planning to Save Money.” Subscribe today so you don’t miss it!

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 Quickcast #18 -- Use It Up [5:44m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Show Description

Food buying clubs and co-ops are as American as apple pie. DIY-ers can save money on groceries by combining orders and buying direct. Hear about Rebecca from PortlandGreenParenting.com.

Show Notes

See what Rebecca’s up to at PortlandGreenParenting.com. She has a list of co-op distributors there too, but here they are again. UPDATE: I didn’t know that Rebecca’s group was featured on our local news. Go Rebecca!

Azure Standard
Bob’s Red Mill
Thundering Hooves
Frontier
Organically Grown Company
Mountain Rose Herbs

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 Quickcast #17 -- Food Buying Clubs and Co-ops [4:28m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Show Description

Kati is paying more attention at the grocery checkout lately. She’s noticing sale products ringing up inaccurately, wrong produce codes applied, incorrect change made, and coupons completely missed. Use her strategies to avoid getting ripped off.

Show Notes

7 Strategies to Avoid Getting Ripped Off At Checkout. Please feel free to download and forward this article to your friends that are looking for ways to save money. It’s intended for personal use only though, so please email me to ask before you post it or reprint it.

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 Quickcast #16 -- Avoid Getting Ripped Off at Checkout [6:27m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Show Description

In this episode, Lindsay shares some ideas with the hesitant Fix, Freeze, Feast reader – if you wonder where to start, begin by listening to these tips!

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 Quickcast # 15 -- Big Picture to Delicious Dinner [5:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download