A Cold Wind a'blowin'....

Hi, Everyone.
We've all been enjoying SOUPS thru these cold days....

It's been REALLY cold around here since Christmas. 

Winds, mixed with low temps equals UNCOMFORTABLE to be outside. When I got up on one of these cold, cold  morning and saw how cold it would be all day long, I immediately thought of HOMEMADE POTATO SOUP....just LUV that soup.

 In fact....is there ANYone that doesn't like a good soup on a cold day ??

For some reason, THIS pot of soup was extra good....

well, for one thing, I had a little bit of HALF and HALF to add to the pot

and it really made my soup creamy.

I added a LOT of cubed potatoes, and since I was out of fresh celery,

I added CELERY SEED to the pot, along with fresh, diced onion.

I added lots of shredded cheese and fresh, chopped green onion tops.

The only thing that kept it from being

 LOADED POTATO SOUP

was lack of bacon and sour creme...I was out of both.
(since many trips to the grocery store COST MONEY, I try to go as little as possible)

I nearly ALWAYS make cornbread to go with our Potato soup ............

but I had a can of

Crescent rolls in the fridge that was due to BURST WIDE OPEN just any minute so I decided to serve those with the soup instead.

I had beautiful photos of the rolls but just discovered all the photos are on my DESK TOP...

and my DESK TOP is at the Computer Hospital .......

BUMMER !!

Now, these ended up REALLY good.

Melted butter brushed on each roll, before rolling.

Sprinklings of

 GARLIC SALT...

CRACKED BLACK PEPPER

SHREDDED EXTRA SHARP CHEDDAR

rolled and baked until nice and brown.                      ummmmm um, good !

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 Speaking of a COLD WIND BLOWING, I think we might all get ready for some hard times ahead. Taxes, excessive spending and health care is going to take a huge toll on a lot of people, business and the nation, in general. The next 4 years and beyond are liable to be pretty rough.

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A few of my humble suggestions are...

 get as many of your bills paid as you possibly can ...I firmly believe the people with as few bills as possible will weather the storm a lot easier.

I remember my mother telling me that the people with less debt during
THE GREAT DEPRESSION faired a lot better than those that had a lot of debt.
 "Be assured that it gives much more pain to the mind to be in debt, than to do without any article whatever which we may seem to want." ~ Thomas Jefferson, June 14, 1787

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Save as much money as you possible can...even if it means doing without some of the things you are used to. Try cutting down on your grocery bill each week. Even a few dollars tucked back are going to help you in the long run.

"A bargain ain't a bargain unless it's something you need." ~Sidney Carroll

 Lots of veggie soups ....cheap and very good for us. We don't need red meat more than 2 times a week...chicken or pork, one day a week and salads and veggies the other days. Cheaper, more healthy and THEY'RE GOOD. ;)) These veggies are well known for slimming a little off a well padded butt. :)

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SAVE YOUR LEFTOVERS:
If you make cornbread and you have half a skillet left, put it in a Ziploc and into the freezer. Every single thing you can freeze will not only save ya lots of money, you'll have that cornbread, some night when you need bread with your black-eyed peas and you'll be tickled to death not to have to MAKE it. :)

Of course, I realize I am of the age that SAVED everything....and sometimes, I might overdo it just a little....but I love having quick things I've made, in the freezer, just in wait for me to serve with my meal.
I've lost count of how many pots of soup I've made FROM LEFTOVERS that were delicious.

♥ ♥ ♥

Cut spending on your gasoline (thank goodness, price IS down a little) by combining errand trips into one or two.

 People that don't NEED two vehicles can save a TON of money by cutting back to one vehicle....less gas...less insurance, less upkeep.

Mr. Sweet and I did this 2 years ago and have never looked back. It doesn't bother us a bit to share the car with ea other. :) I love the extra money it gives us to help pay bills AND TAXES.

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EVERYone knows this...

Wash your hands OFTEN...Mr. Sweet and I have found that IT IS TRUE, that by doing so, it really helps to keep you more HEALTHY....which means less dollars spent on doctor visits and meds. I keep a bottle of HAND SANITIZER in the car and we use it after shopping, before and after going to a movie or restaurant....going thrifting....we use it ALL the time.

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AND...we are VERY loyal to our DAILY vitamin. We just don't miss. I am convinced that is one reason we have been doing so well the last couple years. No trips to the doctors other than for annual appointments. (knock on wood) Every trip to the doctor's office or to the pharmacy that we can avoid is money in our pocket.
OBAMACARE is going to be so expensive,......
Not knowing fully how much MEDICARE is going to be cut, I pray every night that our good heart doctor will be able to continue his practice.....his judgment and knowledge has saved Mr. Sweet's life twice. The same for his cancer doctor.

Our security system was only $40.00 a month but when I called to cancel it, the lady asked what the problem was. I told her that we needed to trim our budget so we'd  be able to save a little money and I thought we could do without the security alarm. She was the SWEETEST thing and said that she could cut it in half for us (something about being senior citizens and NEEDING the security) so we now pay $20 a month and it really helps.
Don't be afraid to ASK for a reduction in any of your monthly bills. There's some mighty nice and understanding people in this world.

We downgraded our DISH NETWORK tv because, first of all, there were a lot of channels we didn't watch and  secondly, it was a way to save MORE money monthly. So, we went from $87.00 a month to $37.00.
We are just fine with the channels we get.

As soon as our contract with AT&T is out, we will switch cell phones. We only TALK on our phones....no bells and whistles....I think the PAY AS YOU GO at Walmart might be a good plan for us. I SELDOM use my phone...only on trips, mostly. 
Mr. Sweet bought a MAGIC JACK for our landline that will save us a ton of money. We haven't tried it yet....will connect it at our new home and I will be sure to let you know how it works.

I know a lot of people have canceled their land lines and just use their cells....we would rather have an old fashioned phone. :)) 

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These are just a few ways we might save a dollar here and there....there's many.

But, with things in such an uproar with our economy and such...we better suck in our breath and get ready for a COLD WIND a'blowin.

Just know that as long as we look for the best and keep our spirits up, no matter what,
we'll all be just fine.

                                                              XOXOXO
                                                 bj

Please share with all of us on the  MONEY SAVING tips that YOU might have......

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