Making Spaghetti Sauce

I have a fairly large garden and I grew quite a few tomatoes. I started these from seed inside my house in a little greenhouse I have. (It is about 3x4 feet and tall with a number of shelves.) I usually buy seeds on clearance for .10 a packet and freeze them until the next year, so my starts cost me next to nothing. I did buy some special greenhouse starter soil this year for starting some other vegetables with no luck. Putting seeds right in the ground, except for tomatoes I have found usually works best.

Here are some of my tomatoes from the garden. I don't peel my tomatoes before cooking them down. That's too much like work! I wash them and cut them into chunks and put them into a large pot. I have a metal processor that is hand worked to squeeze out the pulp.

Here is my makeshift summer kitchen. I can cook the tomatoes or whatever else I have down without heating up the kitchen. This small cooker cost about $40.00 and my husband bought the propane tank on Craigslist used but I am not sure what he paid for it. It cost me $17.00 to fill it up with propane.

 Here is a good shot of the tomatoes. I added olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, garlic, dried celery and Parmesan. I added what looked like the right amounts. Sorry, no recipe! My daughter asked me to also add some store bought sauce to stretch this since homegrown tomatoes taste SO much better than store bought. I bought this lovely pot at a garage sale for .50. It radiates heat evenly so no burning!

Out of this pot, I got these four packages. These are about equivalent to a little more than a jar of store bought sauce each. It takes a LOT of tomatoes to make a little sauce.

Growing your own doesn't always save much money, but the quality and taste is very good and it is a very satisfying process if you like this as a hobby.

Happy Savings!

$10.00 Eye Exams! Expires 9/17/16

Visionworks is having a special on eye exams for only $10.00 per exam!! That is an amazing price! Here is a link to a coupon. Only valid in certain areas and it expires on 9/17/16.

https://www.visionworks.com/couponDetail?storePromotionId=1400011&gclid=CjwKEAjw3Nq9BRCw8OD6s4eI5HASJABsfCIaPhml9Rn1bmdi87gtq2upOBXPTNFRsjgG4NWYWUeSmhoCU5bw_wcB

Happy Savings!

Save on School Supplies!

Now is the time of the year to stock up on school supplies for the whole year! Many stores have great deals on school supplies right now, just to get you through the door. If you take advantage of these deals now, later on in the year when you need something, you will have it already in stock. You won't have to make a special trip to the store or pay a higher price not to mention you will get good deals on what you need right now for school.

It can be hard when you have back to school clothing and everything else to buy to stock up. However, once you get the ball rolling, after the first year of this, you will rarely need to pay full price for any school supplies! Take advantage of different store deals (keeping in mind the gas you will spend. of course), rebates and whatever else you can find and then keep a special drawer full of supplies. When your son or daughter says they need some colored pencils, for class, you will have them handy and will save both time and money, as they will already be there! No special trips to the store and no full price for the items!

Happy Savings!