Tag: Money saver

Shari’s Money Saving Hacks

by thesaltyexchangeLeave a Comment on Shari’s Money Saving Hacks
Shari’s Money Saving Hacks

Money. Savings! We can all agree that saving money and managing your finances looks different for everyone. I don’t claim to be an expert by any means, however, I have come across some money saving hacks that I want to shout from the rooftops! OR just type out here in ‘blog form’ for you to enjoy! Who knows, maybe you’ll adopt some of these ideas into your everyday life. In the comments, let us know what your favorite money saving hack is?!

Okay, I have to start with one of my favorite swaps- paper towels. Several years ago after buying a Costco size bundle of paper towels… I thought about how often I used paper towels and I wondered if there was anything else I could use instead? Rags? Kitchen towels? Reusable paper towels? After a quick search I found Dot and Army’s Unpaper Towels. I waited for them to go on sale and I bought several. Now I set these by our regular paper towels and much to my surprise the kids, Alex, and I prefer them over the actual paper towels. Initially, they are not as absorbent but after a few washes they soften up to become more absorbent and even more amazing. We also use Dot & Army’s Cocktail Napkins. I highly recommend this swap! 

The next money saving hack involves something sneaky… so sneaky that I felt dumb when I finally took care of it. Do not feel bad if this applies to you, we are in this together! Well let’s just say I am a huge fan of free trials for various apps. A workout free trial, sign me up! A new photo editing app, sign me up! You get the picture. Those free trials turn into unplanned monthly subscriptions and if you aren’t careful they start to add up. I highly recommend (if you are an iPhone user) to go into your settings, click on your name at the very top, then click on subscriptions. This screen will show if you have any renewing subscriptions and you can turn them off right from this screen. My friends, I WAS PAYING FOR SUBSCRIPTIONS I DIDN’T USE! I like to think that I learned my lesson but just to be safe, I check this tab monthly. I’m not kidding. I encourage you to take a look at what you are subscribed to- your bank account will thank you!

Another money saving tip (that I fail at all the time) is meal planning. Ok, I know, some weeks are better than others. However, I have saved a lot of money doing this and really recommend it. I start by sitting down and writing out our top 10 favorite meals. List off all the ingredients needed for those meals. Then I pick 4 or 5 of them and put a check mark next to the ingredients that we already have on hand. Yes, I take an inventory of the pantry and fridge. Whatever 3 meals with the most check marked ingredients go on to the meal plan that week. We grocery shop for the remaining ingredients and stick to only buying groceries needed for the meal plan. People, this meal planning ingredient trick has saved me more times than I care to admit and now I unconsciously have items stocked for quick meals we love. Our favorites almost always on hand are: White Sauce Chicken Enchiladas, Tuna Pasta Salad, Wendy’s Chili (knock-off recipe), and Chicken Fajitas! We can mix and match various other meals with items from the fridge and pantry but meal planning ahead of time is worth it! Also (extra tip) to save time, money, and energy just double your favorite dish or dishes and freeze half for later. We have a meal planning document that I created and am happy to share with you, email us at thesaltyexchange@gmail.com and we will send you a meal planning pdf with some basic instructions!

Happy Saving!!

Kendall’s Homemade Almond Milk

by thesaltyexchangeLeave a Comment on Kendall’s Homemade Almond Milk

I wish I could say this was my recipe… but it’s not. It belongs to Lisa Bryan over at Downshifology. I cannot sing her enough praises. Lisa makes meal prepping and recipes easy. What I really appreciate about her is that she helps you to realize that being healthy doesn’t require a large bank account or too many gadgets or gizmos. Head over there for some wonderful tips and tricks to maximize your kitchen and try something new (she also focuses on travel and lifestyle). 

Okay, so this almond milk recipe has proven to be a huge hit in my home and in my neighborhood. It’s so easy- it’s almost ridiculous. For my family, making almond milk is actually one way to save a little money and keep it clean. You would be surprised what’s actually in your almond milk to keep it on the grocery store shelf… when you make it at home though, you are only looking at a handful of ingredients. 

Ingredients and Process

1 cup of almonds (raw and organic- plain ole almonds)

Once you’ve got your cup ready, put it in a glass container and cover the almonds with water. This glass container should have a lid so that you can seal them. I usually put in the refrigerator because I let them soak for 8-12 hours. See Lisa’s site for more tips.

Once they have soaked, rinse them with cold water and put them in a super powerful blender… I personally use a Vitamix (as does Lisa). Now pour in 4 cups of cold, filtered water. 

Here is where you can get creative. I put a pinch of salt, 2 dates, and a splash of vanilla extract in. Alternatively, Lisa suggests you could use maple syrup or honey. There are lots of different ideas out there for you to try. I recommend the dates because the milk ends up being super thick and smooth! Once you have put it all together, fire up the blender for 1-2 minutes on high. 

Now, to strain… you can use a nut-milk bag (which is a thing…) or if you have a cheesecloth on hand, that works too. Pour the mixture from the blender into the bag or cloth and strain it all out into a bowl of sorts. I use my very handy dandy Pampered Chef measuring glass that is meant for larger liquid things like pancake batter or homemade salad dressing. It’s perfect for a batch of almond milk. Then, I pour it into my glass jug and put the lid on before refrigerating. Voila- I am done!

I have found that my almond milk keeps for 5 days but it is recommended only at 3 days. To be fair, my refrigerator is incredibly cold- which I think helps keep it the extra few days.

If you are wondering what to do with leftover almond pulp, check out Lisa’s site, Downshiftology, for some great ideas.