Monday, March 2, 2009

Cheaper Meat Alternatives / Save Money on Meat

I have also learned that anything you can do with one pound of meat, you can also do with half a pound.

Stay with me here, and I will show you how.

Many of you out there are probably just shaking your heads saying "The recipe calls for ONE POUND of ground beef . . ." (ground turkey, ground chicken, chicken breasts, whatever)

If you are a meat eater, you have noticed the outrageous increased cost of meat at the grocery store. You also do not want to go without it. You don't have to, but you do need to find a way to cut your costs when purchasing meat. First thing I want you to do when you make a trip to the grocery store, and meat is on your grocery list, is purchase some generic freezer bags. Why? Because from now on, whatever you have been using that meat in when preparing your meals, you are going to use HALF. When you get home, you are going to open up several of those freezer bags for your convenience and then open up each meat package and separate the meat - 1/2 of it in one freezer bag, and the other half in the other freezer bag. Provided that those meat packages are one-pound packages. If the packages of meat are heavier than one pound, then do the math, and separate meat into 1/2 lb. packages or as close as you can get.

Tacos? Go ahead and use a half pound of meat. It will work. Know how many tortilla shells you need to fill and keep that in mind as you mentally divide the prepared meat evenly into that number of shells. Supplement it with cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, even sour cream or salsa, if you wish. It isn't noticeable when eating the tacos.

Meatloaf? Not a problem. Add bread, green peppers (yellow or red or a combination of any or all), uncooked oatmeal flakes, eggs, whatever else suits will stretch the meat sufficiently. About five minutes before you need to remove the meatloaf from the oven, shut the oven off and pour a can of mushroom soup over the top of it. Or ketchup. Whatever you wish. My favorite meatloaf recipe? For the bread, use rye. For flavor, sprinkle some garlic and onion powder and a light sprinkle of italian seasoning. Then use the mushroom soup over the top. It is wonderful.

Spaghetti? Use 1/2 pound of meat or less in your sauce. You will not miss the meat in your spaghetti.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole by Campbell's? We have gone from 3 -4 chicken breasts to using just a couple of what they call chicken tenders (much smaller, weighs much less) to even just one chicken breast that we cut up when the dish is finished baking. When the chicken is cut up and mixed throughout the entire casserole dish, this is still a delicious meal!

You get the idea now. Try it for a week. Be creative. Not only will you not be miserable at dinner time, but your checkbook will thank you.
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An up and coming business with very little overhead

Have you considered grass painting?

As seen in Fortune and Inc. Magazines

Anyone here been out of work for quite some time and trying to find a way to start your own business so that you can get back to work and getting some income? I have been thinking that maybe it is the best and quickest way to earning money once more. Not to mention that perhaps in this day and age, it is best to be dependent on no employer. After some extensive research, I have learned that grass painting is an up and coming business and very cheap to get started. You just need to know the "ins and outs" of the business. I did an online search to see what is available to those wanting to start their own lawn painting business, and frankly, I was disappointed at the lack of resources. To be even more frank, I was surprised by advertisers who seem to be offering a lawn painting business in a box, for lack of a better term, and at a huge upfront investment to the entrepreneur. It is not wise to put so much money out up front at the beginning of any business.

There is an ebook available that can get you started for much less than anyone else is offering to get a lawn painting business started, and there is already a 2nd edition available. In the 2nd edition of "How to Start a Lawn Painting Business" ebook, the following topics are covered:

  • How to formulate a business plan and how to reach your personal/professional goals;
  • What equipment you need, where to get the equipment, and how to use the equipment;
  • How to market your business, to include building a website, online marketing, search engine optimization, "on foot" marketing, how / where to purchase marketing materials, sample marketing flyers, and who your likely customers are;
  • How to prepare estimates, a sample price sheet, where to get your information from, and how to deal with your customers (recommendations for payments, billing, etc.);
  • Common pitfalls and mistakes to avoid;
  • List of best resources (many of which are free) with hyperlinks included so that you can click on the resource and be immediately directed to the recommended vendor, website building company, etc.
  • How to set up your home office with specific administrative instructions, and much, much more!

Learn how to get your copy here.