Use THIS coupon to save $5 off a $25 purchase at Ace Hardware from 104/-10/10!

Ever since I watched Cheaper by the Dozen (still one of my favorite movies and books) as a child I have been fascinated with efficiency. When I had my own children (two of them, not twelve, so you’d think it would be easier!) I started trying some experiments of my own. When it came time to clean the bedroom and do other household chores the method that I found worked by far the best was the timer method. I would set the timer for a reasonable amount of time that I thought they could accomplish the task (usually 5-10 minutes) and I would have them race the clock to see if they could finish before the timer went off. I didn’t have to offer treats or anything else because they were just so excited to beat the time. Sometimes they won and sometimes they lost but they always moved quickly and never lost sight of their goal.
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I began wondering if the timer method would help me become more efficient. The first thing I did was to see how long it took me to do certain tasks. I was amazed to find that almost every job in the house that I did could be done in under 10 minutes – dishes, make the bed, mop a floor, fold a load of laundry… but I found that setting a timer for my work didn’t go over as well as with the children. Oh, I could easily get the work done that quickly but it was the starting that was the problem.

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I decided to go about my timer method from the other direction. I would work on a project that I enjoyed like reading a book or going online or knitting or playing games with the children or whatever UNTIL my timer went off. I would usually give myself 20 minutes or so for the fun task. When my timer went off I would go do one of the chores on my list – knowing that it was probably only going to take 10 minutes or so and then I could go back to my fun task… until the timer beeped again. This method has worked so well that I am still using it over 10 years later. I especially find it useful when I am doing right-brained activities. My 17-year-old daughter and I do this now together. We play a game or watch television or something until the timer beeps and then we run off to each accomplish a job and come back to our activity. We get a lot accomplished – work and play!

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In using my timer method I spend more quality time having fun with my children and participating in activities that I had put off previously because I felt I didn’t have time for them. I am also more productive at making it through my to-do list.

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I highly recommend purchasing a timer and trying this out for yourself! Let me know how it works out for you.

Do you love Freebies? Check back this Friday for our first ever Freebie Friday! Head over to Olay on Facebook HERE and “Like” them and watch their wall tomorrow for your chance to score a freebie!

The Golden Corral Military Appreciation Day will be Monday, November 14th.  Mark your calenders! MORE INFO HERE

Use THIS coupon to save $5 off a $25 purchase at Family Dollar for three days –from 10/7-10/9!!

Group A added this new Tombstone Pizza $1/3 coupon this morning.  My local grocery store has these on sale for $2.99 right now, so just $2.66 after coupon! Remember, you can print each coupon twice.

Hurry over to Tiny Prints on Facebook HERE and “Like” them.  You will then be able to use the promo code TREAT11 to score a FREE Halloween Card!!   Make sure you choose the option ship it to yourself and the shipping will be free!

1. Refurbished Kinect for Xbox 360 only $70 shipped!

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2. All You Magazine Subscription only $10!!

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3. Free Sandisk 4GB USB Flash Drive at Staples!

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4. Select DVDs with Footloose Movie Money only $7!!

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5. The Wizard of Oz 70th Anniversary Edition DVD only $5.49 at Amazon!!

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6. Sam’s Club Membership: 15 weeks for $15!!

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7. FREE Chairlift and Tram Rides at Snowbird!

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8. Zaycon Foods: Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breast only $1.49 per pound

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This is a penny pinching recipe in that it cost me nearly nothing to make. My garden has been abundant with Roma tomatoes.
But, of course, time has a value and this does take an investment of time.
This was my first time making homemade ketchup and I really think the flavor is worth the effort. It’s not at all like store bought ketchup. Much more complex flavor, which is wonderful for me since I don’t much care for regular ketchup.

This is adapted from a Jamie Oliver recipe based on the ingredients I had on hand today.

For 2 pints of ketchup you will need:
3 pounds of peeled, diced, Roma tomatoes
(Roma are best for this because of their low water content. You can use others but you’ll need an extra pound or so and after chopping them, allow them to drain in a colander for a bit. I’d like to try this next time with some of the different colored heirloom varieties. I’ll bet the colors and flavors would be quite unique.)
1 1/2 cups water
1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
one inch piece of fresh ginger, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1 Tablespoon dried basil
1 teaspoon ground coriander
2 whole cloves
salt (start with 2 teaspoons and adjust later)
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tablespoons olive oil

Heat the olive oil in a large stock pot, over medium heat. Add the celery, onion, ginger, garlic, red pepper flakes, basil, coriander, fennel, cloves, salt and pepper. Cook until veggies are soft, about 10 minutes.
It’s okay to let them brown a bit. That’s flavor!

Now add the tomatoes and the water. Stir, scraping the bottom of the pot to deglaze the pot and get all the flavor stirred in.
Now you will reduce this by half. Here’s a little (admittedly OCD) trick that I use to judge when it has been reduced by half.
Put a skewer into the pot, all the way to the bottom.

Now mark that skewer where the top of the sauce was so you’ll have a way to judge when it has reduced enough. I use a sharpie.

Bring the sauce to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and let it simmer, uncovered until it has reduced by half, stirring occasionally. This took abut an hour for me. And it looked like this when it was done.

At this point, you can push the sauce through a food mill or a fine sieve to make the sauce as smooth as possible and remove the fennel seeds and cloves.
I have a powerful blender and don’t have a problem with a little texture to my ketchup so I just put it through the blender, in two batches, until it was as smooth as possible.
Put the sauce into a clean pan and stir in the red wine vinegar and the brown sugar.
Mark your skewer again, because it needs to reduce by half again.

Bring the sauce to a boil over high heat, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until reduced by half or as thick as you want your ketchup to be. It will thicken a little more as it cools.
This is a good time to check for seasoning and add more salt if you like. If it tastes a little too tart form the vinegar, a little more salt will tone that down.
This took another hour for me and the last half hour needed more frequent stirring as it was getting very thick by that time.
When the ketchup is finished, it can be kept in the refrigerator for several weeks.
I have no delusions that my two kids will choose this gourmet delight over the shiny, bright red gel that comes from the store. So I chose to can mine. This recipe yielded 4 half pints. I processed 3 and put one in the fridge. I’m excited to get some gourmet burgers and fries on the menu this week for my ketchup’s grand premiere!

If you want to can yours, put your water bath canner on to boil during the last half hour of reducing the ketchup.
Heat jars and lids in simmering water until ready to use. Do not boil.
Ladle hot ketchup into hot jars leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Remove air bubbles. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight.
Process jars in boiling water canner for 15 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex when pressed in center. Enjoy!

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FALL IS IN THE AIR! And soup-season is here! Yay! I love good soup. I could eat it for every meal when it is chilly outside. Here is a favorite recipe of mine. If you love Olive Garden’s fagioli soup…now you can make it at home!

1 lb ground beef (I usually use 1/2 lb)
1 small onion, diced (1 cup)
1 lrg carrot, julienned (1 cup) sometimes I grate mine
1 stalks celery, chopped (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes, with liquid
1 15 oz can red kidney beans, with liquid
1 15 oz can northern beans, with liquid
1 15 oz can tomato sauce
1 12 oz can V-8 juice
1 TBL white vinegar
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp thyme
1/2 pkg Ditali pasta (short macaroni tubes)

Brown the beef in a large saucepan. Drain off fat, if any. Add onion, celery, carrots, and garlic and saute for 10 minutes. Add remaining ingredients, except pasta, and simmer for 1 hour. About 50 minutes into simmer time, cook pasta according to directions until al dente, or slightly tough, about 10 minutes. Drain. Add the pasta to the soup and simmer for 5-10 minutes and serve. Serves 8.

If you find that it is too tomatoey, add some water until you find a consistency and taste you like. This recipe also freezes well. Enjoy!

Group A added this Old Orchard Cranberry Naturals Juice $1/1 coupon this morning.  This is a great coupon, so print it before it disappears!  Remember, you can print each coupon twice.

Zaycon Foods is in process of taking orders for their Chicken Savings Event across the country.  You will need to sign in to see exact ordering timeframe and the pick-up date and time at a location near you.
• 100% natural chicken with no added hormones, additives or artificial ingredients
• Comes directly from the processor and has never been frozen
• Sold by the case — 40 lbs in each case (divided into 3 or 4 smaller bags if you want to split with someone else). $59.60 per unit ($1.49lb)
Click here for more information on this event and/or sign up to be notified of future events.