Thursday, July 4, 2019

Times of Extreme Frugality



So...it's been awhile. 5 years in fact. In that time we have moved twice and are now back in good ol' upstate NY. It is good to be back.

Midwest or east, some things don't change. Once again, we find ourselves needing to tighten our belts (if only my increased girth would allow me to wear a belt), and I have declared us in a time of extreme frugality.

Many of us find ourselves there occasionally. Luckily, we've had lots of practice in pinching those pennies til they squeal and I've decided to share some of our tightwad ways in the hope that: 1. we might be of help to others, and 2. others will share their skinflint hacks.

For my first post, I was going to share my latest baking adventure, extolling my cleverness in cheap, from scratch cooking. I'm still going to, but it turned out to be an example of a frugal fail. Such is life.


I volunteered to bring dessert to a family gathering. Looking around for what I had on hand, my eyes locked on the jam shelf. 



With over 40 jars of jam, I figured I could spare some for a dessert. So I did a quick internet search and got a recipe for jam cake. I had the other ingredients, so set to making a glorious mess in the kitchen.






Mixed it all together and popped it in the oven. The recipe said 350 degrees for 20 minutes. When the timer dinged, the batter was still soupy. Set it for 10 more minutes...then 10 again...and again. I lost track of how long it took to set and it never really cooked throughout. And a taste of the finished cake was Yech! So, the compost pile is now one jam cake richer.

And I brought an apple cake from a tried and true recipe to the gathering.


What are some of your less than successful attempts to save a buck or two? We won't judge, promise!









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