I love having this mix on hand, they are sooooooooo good!
Brownie Mix
6 cups of flour
4 tsp. salt
8 cups sugar
2 cups unsweetened cocoa
2 cups shortening
Cut shortening into flour, Mix in the rest and store. You can either store in a large zip lock baggie or a covered container.
To Use: 2 1/2 cups mix, 2 eggs, and 1 tsp vanilla. Mix all and turn into greased pan.
Bake @ 350 for 20 to 25 minutes. You can add chocolate chips if you like.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Cake Donut Mix
This recipe I received from an internet friend known as Lambie, She is a Super Person! She has helped me save lots of $ by sharing her frugal mixes with me and among other people.
Thank you Lambie aka Katie!
Cake Donut Mix (3 to 4 times this recipe)
4 1/2 cups of flour 1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup dry milk 1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup of sugar 1 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tbsp baking powder 1 1/2 cups shortening
Mix all and cut in shortening.
To Use: 2 1/2 cups of mix, 1 egg, 1/4 cup of milk or enough to form a soft dough, 1 tsp vanilla.
Knead till smooth. Pat and roll till 1/2 inch thick and cut with a round glass and use pop lid to cut out the middle hole.
Bake @ 350 on your ovens middle rack for 20 minutes or fry in an electric skillet @ 350 to 375 turning on both sides till golden brown. Make donut bits with centers.
Dip and roll in powdered sugar, sugar and cinnamon mix or you can also spread the top with icing sugar with sprinkles on top.
These donuts are not fluffy, they are like a cake donut. When I make these I make them about 1 inch thick as we like ours a bit bigger but you can adjust it to your liking :)
Thank you Lambie aka Katie!
Cake Donut Mix (3 to 4 times this recipe)
4 1/2 cups of flour 1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup dry milk 1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup of sugar 1 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tbsp baking powder 1 1/2 cups shortening
Mix all and cut in shortening.
To Use: 2 1/2 cups of mix, 1 egg, 1/4 cup of milk or enough to form a soft dough, 1 tsp vanilla.
Knead till smooth. Pat and roll till 1/2 inch thick and cut with a round glass and use pop lid to cut out the middle hole.
Bake @ 350 on your ovens middle rack for 20 minutes or fry in an electric skillet @ 350 to 375 turning on both sides till golden brown. Make donut bits with centers.
Dip and roll in powdered sugar, sugar and cinnamon mix or you can also spread the top with icing sugar with sprinkles on top.
These donuts are not fluffy, they are like a cake donut. When I make these I make them about 1 inch thick as we like ours a bit bigger but you can adjust it to your liking :)
I joined BlogRush!
It is free and helps to bring more traffic to your blog! There are different subject areas that you can classify your blog with blogrush when joining. I joined under the finance section as I am trying to pick up ideas on investing, debt payoffs,goals etc...
When I joined and upon approval they issued me this link www.blogrush.com/r12433712 as a referral. You can copy and paste it to your web address bar at the top of your page to find out more information or to join if you like :).
I am excited to see how many times my blog will be put on others...
If you decide to check it out let me know what you think ok? I will update in a couple of days with my experience with blogrush as I have only just joined but it looks like this is going to be fun!
When I joined and upon approval they issued me this link www.blogrush.com/r12433712 as a referral. You can copy and paste it to your web address bar at the top of your page to find out more information or to join if you like :).
I am excited to see how many times my blog will be put on others...
If you decide to check it out let me know what you think ok? I will update in a couple of days with my experience with blogrush as I have only just joined but it looks like this is going to be fun!
Thursday, November 22, 2007
How to save Money.
The key to this success if you havn't already done so is to change your habits. Start with trying "one" new savings idea opposed to several. Give yourself time to adjust.
Financial Goals are a great example. I know that if you are anything like me there are several goals which can be listed. It can become overwhelming to think or even write down your goals while all along thinking.....so many goals, not enough money to contribute to each and make an impact. What do you do in a case like this? It is called "Prioritize".
Ask yourself what is a "Must save for now" and what is a "Must save for soon". You need and want to pay off your debt but at the same time you need an emergency fund while all along you are also wanting to plan for a trip for next year with your family. Wow! decissions decissions eh?
Dh and I are at the point where we need to figure out what will work for us. I feel like we are going in circles. What we are considering changing is this:
(1) I picked up a part time job and have been putting that extra money towards our debt pay off. I am going to switch things up a bit and keep paying debt as if we don't have my income. I will start taking my income and putting into our ING account towards our emergency fund.
(2) Now comes the "fun" part. After the emergency fund has been funded with a minimum of $1000 I will be taking 1/2 of my pay to go towards our fun money and put the other 1/2 towards paying down debt again. Say for example I can put aside $200 a month for our fun money, it doesn't mean that we have to spend all of our fun money at once.That is a lot of money compared to what we have been spending. It is an idea to at least try.
So, we want to pay off our debt,still enjoy living in the present while all along planning for our future. We are trying to figure out a way to really have it all.
What are you all doing?
Financial Goals are a great example. I know that if you are anything like me there are several goals which can be listed. It can become overwhelming to think or even write down your goals while all along thinking.....so many goals, not enough money to contribute to each and make an impact. What do you do in a case like this? It is called "Prioritize".
Ask yourself what is a "Must save for now" and what is a "Must save for soon". You need and want to pay off your debt but at the same time you need an emergency fund while all along you are also wanting to plan for a trip for next year with your family. Wow! decissions decissions eh?
Dh and I are at the point where we need to figure out what will work for us. I feel like we are going in circles. What we are considering changing is this:
(1) I picked up a part time job and have been putting that extra money towards our debt pay off. I am going to switch things up a bit and keep paying debt as if we don't have my income. I will start taking my income and putting into our ING account towards our emergency fund.
(2) Now comes the "fun" part. After the emergency fund has been funded with a minimum of $1000 I will be taking 1/2 of my pay to go towards our fun money and put the other 1/2 towards paying down debt again. Say for example I can put aside $200 a month for our fun money, it doesn't mean that we have to spend all of our fun money at once.That is a lot of money compared to what we have been spending. It is an idea to at least try.
So, we want to pay off our debt,still enjoy living in the present while all along planning for our future. We are trying to figure out a way to really have it all.
What are you all doing?
I changed my blog fonts and colours
I was getting tired of the lime green and white colours so thought I would change them.
What do you all think?
I am not a computer whiz, I don't even know how to download pictures on here lol. I really would love to have a digetal camera but I don't think that will happen for a bit yet.
Well, I am off to double check these colours :) .
Editing to add that I figured out how to add a picture lol.
What do you all think?
I am not a computer whiz, I don't even know how to download pictures on here lol. I really would love to have a digetal camera but I don't think that will happen for a bit yet.
Well, I am off to double check these colours :) .
Editing to add that I figured out how to add a picture lol.
Feeling and looking Great on the Cheap.
First of all, What do you all do to feel and look Great without breaking the bank while paying down debt and living the frugal life? Do you ever feel like you are in a rut? Where do you turn when you want to just give yourself a little boost?
I started shopping in my home first of all. I have had a small bottle of expensive perfume which I received as a Christmas Present about 3 years ago and kept in my dresser drawer, never used. I have always just used the spray cologne.I decided to treat myself and I dabbed a bit of the perfume on my wrists and along my jaw line opposed to behind my ears before going to work yesterday morning and the scent was there all day!
Do you ever do that? Have certain things which were given to you as a gift and for whatever reason you don't even open the box it is in? You maybe set it aside thinking one day maybe? I even have two foot spas! One I took out of the box about 8 months ago to try but for some reason I couldn't figure out how much water to put in it etc lol guess I was in too much of a hurry to take my time back then.....The other has never been opened. So, both have never been used. What a waste! I will be using the one which is already opened this weekend.....the other I will let my teenaged dds use.
I havn't used nail polish since this past summer and decided to use a light shade of my dds.WOW! I feel like a million bucks! I gave myself a manicure to boot, usually I just use the nail clippers and off I go. Oh, and don't forget your toe nails!
I usually only wear mascara when going out, if that. I had some light lipstick and a lip gloss which I had bought last year and had used only once.I felt like my makeup was complete the other day when I started using it again to go to work. You have to be careful with using outdated makeup but my lipstick and gloss were still ok.
Putting aside shopping from home, I went and paid to get my hair cut yesterday before supper. It cost me $16 as I went to a small home business salon. I can cut my own hair but I wanted a few layers added which is hard for me to do as I tend to over extend the layers thus it becomes slightly uneven not to mention that my arms feel like weights while doing this. I asked the stylist for a shampoo and cut, I did not need her to dry it this saved me and extra $2. The last time I went to a hairdresser was about 3 1/2 to 4 years ago so this was truly a treat for me :).
Do You have anything that you could shop for in your home? What do you do on the cheap/frugal for "You"? I would love to know :).
I started shopping in my home first of all. I have had a small bottle of expensive perfume which I received as a Christmas Present about 3 years ago and kept in my dresser drawer, never used. I have always just used the spray cologne.I decided to treat myself and I dabbed a bit of the perfume on my wrists and along my jaw line opposed to behind my ears before going to work yesterday morning and the scent was there all day!
Do you ever do that? Have certain things which were given to you as a gift and for whatever reason you don't even open the box it is in? You maybe set it aside thinking one day maybe? I even have two foot spas! One I took out of the box about 8 months ago to try but for some reason I couldn't figure out how much water to put in it etc lol guess I was in too much of a hurry to take my time back then.....The other has never been opened. So, both have never been used. What a waste! I will be using the one which is already opened this weekend.....the other I will let my teenaged dds use.
I havn't used nail polish since this past summer and decided to use a light shade of my dds.WOW! I feel like a million bucks! I gave myself a manicure to boot, usually I just use the nail clippers and off I go. Oh, and don't forget your toe nails!
I usually only wear mascara when going out, if that. I had some light lipstick and a lip gloss which I had bought last year and had used only once.I felt like my makeup was complete the other day when I started using it again to go to work. You have to be careful with using outdated makeup but my lipstick and gloss were still ok.
Putting aside shopping from home, I went and paid to get my hair cut yesterday before supper. It cost me $16 as I went to a small home business salon. I can cut my own hair but I wanted a few layers added which is hard for me to do as I tend to over extend the layers thus it becomes slightly uneven not to mention that my arms feel like weights while doing this. I asked the stylist for a shampoo and cut, I did not need her to dry it this saved me and extra $2. The last time I went to a hairdresser was about 3 1/2 to 4 years ago so this was truly a treat for me :).
Do You have anything that you could shop for in your home? What do you do on the cheap/frugal for "You"? I would love to know :).
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Our Investment Property Taxes Will Be Going Down
YAY! We had a new tax bill come out for our investment property a few months ago and we had just bought this place this past June. The taxes went from $1700 a year up to $2600 a year. They had assessed the house for $124,000 but when we had it appraised by the same office it was valued at $88,000. I found that odd and when I called their office the lady who answered the phone said that the assessment was what the house is worth and the amount you could sell the house for. I tried to tell her that she has the assessment and appraisal mixed up lol.
The house needs a lot of work but it is solid and sound. It was listed by the real estate agent for $95,000 and we actually got it for $82,500 as the owner was retiring and he and his wife were waiting to hop in their Rv to travel for a year around North America. the house was used as a rental prior to selling. The renters really did a number on the inside of this house, holes in the wall, the toilets and sinks are ok but not by much, we need to replace them, new windows etc...I guess the unobstructed ocean view, walk out basement over looking this as well, triple sized in town lot etc make up for it lol.
We had told the municiple taxation people that the taxes were way to high and we were appealing their decission. Well, they went yesterday and the tax man said that whoever had done the assessment must have parked down at the bottom of our driveway (it is 400ft long) and just taken a picture from there. He is going to have our taxes lowered....YAY!!!!
Dh and I will be calling one day this week to see what we will officially owe on our taxes.
I need to find a book/information for Canada regaurding what is claimable for tax purposes when owning an investment property.
I am so Happy that we had asked for them to recheck the taxes....this will save us quite a bit of money for now anyhow I am thinking.
March Break I will be going down to see about painting and patching up any holes in the wall. We owe $61,000 on this property and house prices down that way are still climbing. Dh and I have only seen pictures of this house but we had an inspecter go in prior to purchasing and the real estate agent is a good friend of the families whom we have known for years. My mother fell in love with the house and their quality of life has shot way up compared to the house they were living in before. My parents also rented out their house as it was not selling and after their mortgage,taxes and renters insurance are paid they have an extra $30 from the rent money.
The house needs updating but all in all this was a very good investment, especially since this was our first time.
The house needs a lot of work but it is solid and sound. It was listed by the real estate agent for $95,000 and we actually got it for $82,500 as the owner was retiring and he and his wife were waiting to hop in their Rv to travel for a year around North America. the house was used as a rental prior to selling. The renters really did a number on the inside of this house, holes in the wall, the toilets and sinks are ok but not by much, we need to replace them, new windows etc...I guess the unobstructed ocean view, walk out basement over looking this as well, triple sized in town lot etc make up for it lol.
We had told the municiple taxation people that the taxes were way to high and we were appealing their decission. Well, they went yesterday and the tax man said that whoever had done the assessment must have parked down at the bottom of our driveway (it is 400ft long) and just taken a picture from there. He is going to have our taxes lowered....YAY!!!!
Dh and I will be calling one day this week to see what we will officially owe on our taxes.
I need to find a book/information for Canada regaurding what is claimable for tax purposes when owning an investment property.
I am so Happy that we had asked for them to recheck the taxes....this will save us quite a bit of money for now anyhow I am thinking.
March Break I will be going down to see about painting and patching up any holes in the wall. We owe $61,000 on this property and house prices down that way are still climbing. Dh and I have only seen pictures of this house but we had an inspecter go in prior to purchasing and the real estate agent is a good friend of the families whom we have known for years. My mother fell in love with the house and their quality of life has shot way up compared to the house they were living in before. My parents also rented out their house as it was not selling and after their mortgage,taxes and renters insurance are paid they have an extra $30 from the rent money.
The house needs updating but all in all this was a very good investment, especially since this was our first time.
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