I get a newsletter from CLARK HOWARD and this is something I read today.

HSBC offers 6% on savings
For a limited time, HSBC – Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation – is offering 6 percent on savings accounts. The offer is good through the end of April at the online-only bank, and Clark says you should jump on the chance. To find more, visit hsbcdirect.com. If you have an existing account, you will not earn this rate. You will get 5.05 percent, which is still pretty good. But any money you add to that account will earn the higher rate. So, get cracking!

O.K.

Here's my plan.

Save a DIME at a TIME..!

I have started a DIME jar. A Quart Size canning jar with a screw on lid will be my container of choice.

I used a butcher knife and cut a SMALL slit through the lid, just big enough for a DIME to drop through.

After gathering the dimes from the coin holder in the car, dimes in the bottom of my purse, loose coins my DH just tosses into a bowl.

January total - $0.00
February (as of 02-05-07) $9.60

$20.00 challenge -$9.60

Wish it was more, But You have to have a beginning and I guess with 2007 and February being here, this is MY BEGINNING.

Wish me luck, and give me advice.

I plan to deposit it at $50.00, So I can get a few more DIMES for interest.

MarthaAnn

I am in the mood for this bread -- maybe
because I just had pizza.

MarthaAnn


Gougere Bread:

From Linda Larsen,Your Guide to Busy Cooks.
This fabulous recipe is simply a cream puff dough with cubed and grated cheese added. It makes a wonderful accompaniment to salads for lunch.
Prep Time : 20min
Cook Time : 40min
Type of Prep : Bake
Cuisine : French
Occasion : Party, Spring

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp. salt
pinch of pepper
2 cups flour
8 eggs
1/2 lb. Gruyere or Swiss cheese, cut into small cubes
1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

PREPARATION:

In large saucepan, combine milk, butter, salt, and pepper and bring to a rolling boil. All at once, add the flour. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the mixture forms a ball and leaves the sides of the pan clean.
Remove pan from heat and beat in the eggs, one at a time, making sure each egg is thoroughly beaten into the batter before adding the next. You can use a hand-held electric mixture or a wooden spoon for this step. Mix in the cubed cheese.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease two cookie sheets or line with Silpat or parchment paper. Scoop out dough, in pieces about the size of an egg, and place them on prepared cookie sheets in the shape of a ring, leaving a space in the middle 3" in diameter. Using a smaller spoon, place smaller pieces of dough on top of the first layer. Repeat on second cookie sheet to make a second ring. Brush gougeres with a little more milk and sprinkle each one with 2 Tbsp. of the grated Parmesan cheese.
Bake at 375 degrees F for about 40-50 minutes, until the breads are well puffed, firm, and golden brown. Serve immediately! 8-10 servings

How is going for your team?

I prepared a Bar-B-Que Pizza for the 2 of us.

used a quick mix for the dough (crust)

then used 2 or 3 tablespoons of store brand Bar-B-Q sauce as my pizza sauce.

Chopped leftover pork roast and tosses it with a small amount of sauce. Scattered it on top of crust.

Then I added freshly grated mozzarele cheese. Put into the over for 25 minutes

Crust was ALMOST Too dark, but we ate it anyway.


MarthaAnn

I have to say I am having some MIXED thoughts on working out the challenge in my head.
Let me explain HOW I live very Frugal and only buy purchases when I know the price has dropped.

I do learn prices and I do comparison shop.

My issue is: Did I really SAVE.

EXAMPLE : NEW CAR - 29,000.00 Negotated price - 20,000.00

I don't see it as I SAVED anything because I would NOT have made the purchase at 29,000.

I guess this is just twisted in my mind.
I do feel I save when I use grocery store coupons ONLY on the items I was ALREADY going to buy.

Please give me Some ideas on the best way to identify a savings.

I made my FRUGAL shopping trip to the grocery store on Friday.

Spent $24.50 then at the Bread store I spent $1.93, ( and caught a cashier mistake when I looked over my receipt at home) It should have been $1.50 plus tax

24.50
$1.93
Total for 7 days for 2 people - $26.43

Whole chickens were on sale for .69 per pound, So I bought 2 for 4.80, which was an UNexpected purchase-- But, I get a lot of miles from Chicken.

YES, I still chose to post this under the 20.00 Challenge, because I am reading HOW each of you are being so thrifty.

I know beef is a meat that men love, So, my WONDERMENT (QUESTION) is What dish do you plan to prepare on Feb. 14.

I am really searching around but right now, I am thinking of OF PASTA WITH CREAM SAUCE.

What DO YOU THINK?
( I don't make this very often, maybe 3 times a year.)

MarthaAnn
..x..x..x
" Vodka Cream Pasta"
Recipe courtesy of Rachael Ray


It's Rachael Ray's most romantic dish!

INGREDIENTS
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, once around the pan in a slow stream
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, minced
1 cup vodka
1 cup chicken stock
1 can crushed tomatoes (32 ounces)
Coarse salt and pepper
16 ounces pasta, such as penne rigate
1/2 cup heavy cream
20 leaves fresh basil, shredded or torn
Serve with:
Crusty bread, for passing

Heat a large skillet over moderate heat. Add oil, butter, garlic and shallots. Gently sauté shallots for 3 to 5 minutes to develop their sweetness. Add vodka to the pan (3 turns around the pan in a steady stream will equal about 1 cup). Reduce vodka by half, this will take 2 or 3 minutes. Add chicken stock, tomatoes. Bring sauce to a bubble and reduce heat to simmer. Season with salt and pepper.

While sauce simmers, cook pasta in salted boiling water until cooked to al dente (with a bite to it). While pasta cooks, prepare your salad or other side dishes.

Stir cream into sauce. When sauce returns to a bubble, remove it from heat. Drain pasta. Toss hot pasta with sauce and basil leaves. Pass pasta with crusty bread.

What can we do that is FRUGAL ?

Any ideas out there?

Does Valentine’s Day have to be expensive? Not at all. Are you and your loved one going through a tough time
financially? Even if you’re not, is the thought of saving
money more attractive to you than spending a small fortune
on Valentine’s Day gifts? If so, I encourage you to try
something different this year. Take the Valentine’s Day
Challenge. Set a small spending limit -- $5, $10 or
whatever fits your budget -- and agree with your spouse to
give gifts that are low in cost but high in creativity.

Let's see what ideas we can COME-UP with and share them here.

Thanks

MarthaAnn

O.K. today I am going to the grocery store. Will post later my BARGAINS and Savings.

Gotta get some cornmeal, for sure. It is amazing how doing without a staple puts a CRAMP in your menu planning and your cooking.

............
Ooops,
Did not get to the grocery store. My Mom called and told me she needed to go to the doctor,So. the daily plans were changed.

AS THE WORLD TURNS, continues.