Update 2: Eating More Fat

Back in October, I started to forgo any dairy but full-fat. I was concerned that I would become obese. So far, I do not believe I am obese. I don't have a scale, but it's looking like I'm still fitting into all my clothes. In December I contracted the Black Death and probably dropped a solid 5 pounds or so, but I don't think that's a factor anymore.

Now, this is not a plan for those who can't stop eating. The trick here is to stop when you're full. For example: I ate a dove bar the other day. It was soooooooo rich and delicious!!!!!!!! Later, my sister offered me some dark chocolate. I just could not handle it. The dove bar was so rich anything else would make me feel gross, and I just didn't really want it (!!!!! I always want chocolate !!!!) so I ate one little piece and gave back the rest. Hopefully this will last. I will tell you one thing: If I had eaten a Skinny Cow, I would've inhaled 17 other things after it, those things do not satisfy me at all.

Clean-Out-Your-Cupboards Beans and Rice!

I decided I need to eat more beans and rice; in part because it's good protein, and in part because it's cheap! I looked up a recipe tonight for it, and it called for a bunch of stuff I didn't have--onions, garlic, etc. So! I took the lazy route and dumped a can of kidney beans, a can of mild enchilada sauce, and a can of black beans (the kind that have spices and lime in them). I just simmered them together while my rice was cooking and viola!

I just so happened to have shredded cheese (as always!) and sour cream, so I topped it with that...this would be good to dump anything else on top, such as avacado, guac, fresh tomatoes...whatever.

I'm guessing that between those 3 cans and the rice, the total was $5. I can probably get 4 servings out of that, so that's like $1.25/serving! Awesome! I wish I had made that more often my whole life. Sheesh! The beauty is, there are so many variations to this that you can experiment and never get bored (I always get bored.)

Get cooking! And tell me if you come up w/ a good combo!

PS this would be good for CROCKING!

One-Armed Consumer Reporting: Pond's Clean Sweep

When you go ahead and shatter your elbow, you realize that there are several things on the earth that one cannot easily do with only one hand. Washing one's face is one of those tasks that works so much better with two hands. As such, I was forced to buy face wipes, as it was the simplest and least sloppy way to wash my face off. I purchased these pre-moistened Ponds Clean Sweep ones. Now, a while ago I got a mini pack of these at the dollar travel bin section at target. I put them by my bed for those times when I roll in at 3a.m. and can't be bothered to wash off my face--I thought I could at least wipe it down. Well, that morning never happened so I bought this bigger box.

Anyway! Listen, these things are not recommended. They are pricey! And there is no type of exfoliation whatsoever, and I must say my skin hasn't been that bad in a while. It was total pizza face. I wouldn't even use these for travel or early morning roll-ins. If I really need to wipe down my face again I'm hitting the Huggies baby wipes and will probably save $10/pack. Furrealz.

I Need a New Magazine

A few months ago I was at a party and I literally sold three subscriptions to Domino magazine because I love it so much. 2 seconds later, they folded! I am so pissed!!!!!! In the meantime, I've been looking for a new mag to fill the void without much luck. All the good magazines fold!!! DAMMIT!

I recently picked up a copy of Better Homes and Gardens (don't laugh--it had a really good home decorating section and good recipes) and Martha's revamped mag, Living. Now, last time I checked, Martha's magazine was pretty pricey--$60 or something for a year. This new one is very good, and at a lower price of maybe $15/year. (You have to do some math to figure it out). Of course, her mag for the younger crown, Blueprint, folded recently, which broke my heart as well...sigh! I guess I'll make do with these until something more amazing comes out...let me know if you have any other suggestions.

Smugal tip: Do not sign up for mags online! They are sneaky, and if they have your credit card number, they will renew your subscription without asking you. I always pay by check so they can't charge me for renewals I don't want.

Recommended Book: The Complete Tightwad Gazette

My sister recommended this book to me, and she's totally bonkers over it. I'm usually leery of these types, because often, I feel if one has any common sense, one knows 99% of what's in here. However, this book is actually compiled newsletters about being a tightwad, with readers writing in w/ tips and asking for advice, etc.

There is tons of cost comparison and anaylsis...you could spend hours, months, or years on some of this stuff. This is pretty helpful if you're a single gal...but more helpful if you've got a family to feed on one income. Overall, still pretty useful. I like how she sprinkles recipes throughout...for example, she gives a quick granola recipe that could maybe save me $5/month or so. So I'm game. Anyhoo, I'll try to throw in some of her tips here and there to inspire you.

Tightwad Gazette Tip: I've always torn my dryer sheets in half, thus doubling how long the box lasts. One tipper suggests that you can tear the sheets up as much as 4 times with the same results. Now I will literally be able to use 1 box for 1-1.5 years, thus saving me personally maybe $2-10 or so, depending.

Pasta Salad: We Are Friends

A few weeks ago my friend brought over some pasta salad. I was always afraid of making this, because in high school i made "suddenly salad" and thought the homemade pasta salad ingredients had to be all herby-spicy-something i don't know. Anyway, it turns out you can just make pasta and dump the contents of your fridge and pantry in it, plus olive oil! For good measure I used fresh garden chives and Italian herbs. Viola! It can be as cheap or expensive as you want it. I am a huge fan. This is a perfect summer meal. I can't believe I'm so late to this.

One-Armed Consumer Reporting: Oral-B Floss Picks

Well! Part of the reason I fell off the blogging wagon is on account of shattering my elbow. As such, simple every day tasks became more challenging, if not impossible. Flossing my teeth was one of those things. I am, by nature and nurture, extremely serious about oral hygiene. However, it's always been hard for me to get really seriously into the flossing game. I figured a shattered elbow was a good enough reason to try out these (environmentally irresponsible) floss picks.

I'm not going to lie: I don't mind these. They get me flossing better than regular floss. They're kind of fun. If you're a reluctant flosser, they might be for you. The downside is that a) they're more expensive than regular floss; b) sometimes the floss breaks in the pick, so you could go through 2-3/time; c) you have to rinse it off if you get a big chunk of nasty...you can't just reposition the floss. Overall, if you need a fun way to kick-start flossing, give it a shot.

Verdict: Only if you're a reluctant flosser.