SAVE BIG MONEY AND GET LOTS MORE FLAVOR

How, you say?  By making your own soup.

A can of soup (the better kind, not condensed soup) costs ~ $2 a can and that is for about 2 cups worth.

I am making a really easy and delicious lentil soup today.  When I'm done, it will cost me about $1.50 for lentils, $1 for meat and 50 cents or so for onions.  Those are the main ingredients.  I will have over 12 cups of soup when it's finished cooking in the slow cooker.

So, it costs about 26 cents a cup or about a quarter of what the canned soup costs, plus there are no chemicals or hidden preservatives in it.

And lentil soup is really delicious and loaded with fiber to keep you feeling full after you eat it.  Whatever you don't eat when you first make it, you can store in a quart jar or plastic container and continue to enjoy it, heated up in the microwave.

WANT AN IPAD BUT DON'T HAVE $400-500?

I know a lot of people who are interested in tablets. 

You know what they are--portable computers that connect to the Internet, can hold E-books, can be used to check your email and offer an array of games to play on the run or keep your kids entertained.

How do you get around the huge price tags on these things? 

I have an idea.  Look for comparable products that are generic, not name brand.  Right now, we are selling 9.2" Android tablets for $150.  These are new, and in the box. 

Our customers are very satisfied with the product.  It comes with a one-year manufacturer's warranty against defects.

We have been using tablets since August, 2012 and have been very happy with the value that these generic tablets provide.

If you are interested in ordering from us, we can ship to any place in the United States for a reasonable amount.  Leave a comment on this post with your email or phone and we will contact you.

DO YOU HAVE $5 AND NEED HELP?

It only costs a little to get the help you need to
     market your book
     design a book cover
     find a recipe that will really impress and be delicious
     proofread something you've written, but you are no good at grammar and punctuation yourself
     find a way to reach someone else that is new and different

Just go to www.FIVERR.com.

For $5, there are thousands of items that people offer to help you out.

And $5 is very little money and you get something SOOO good!

I have two items listed on Fiverr right now.

1.  You can find my new picture recipe book, Chicken Italian, on Fiverr.  Look under Lifestyles and then Recipes.  Click on New and it will come up.  To make sure that you are getting mine, it should say that it is offered by SaveMoney101.  For $5, I will send you the actual book with the full color pictures.  You will get it delivered to your computer where you can save it or even print it out if you want.  (It is copyrighted, so you are entitled to one copy only.)

2.  Another item that I have on Fiverr I put up yesterday.  Many of you know that I taught shorthand for years and I am an expert in it.  Shorthand forms are really beautiful to look at and I have delighted many students by writing their names in shorthand.  That is what this gig is:  For $5, I will write your name in shorthand in the color of your choice and send it to you.  What can you do with that, you wonder?  You can save it, copy it, print it out or use it to enhance your signature line on correspondence (copy and paste.) 

Just go to Fiverr and click on Fun and Bizarre, then Your Message On.  Click on New and scroll down until you see the photo with the shorthand on it.  To make sure that you are getting mine, it should say that it is offered by SaveMoney101.

SAVE MONEY BY MAKING YOUR OWN HOT FUDGE SAUCE!

And is it good.  If you really LOVE chocolate, you'll especially love how easy this is to make.  We like to serve it over vanilla ice cream, but you can also use it instead of frosting on a cake.  Sprinkle with pecans or walnuts to top if you wish and dig in.  It tastes great.

Ingredients: 

1/4 c cocoa powder
1/2 c sugar
1/2 c light corn syrup
1/4 c milk or light cream
a pinch of salt

Stir these ingredients together in a saucepan until blended.  Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Boil for 3 minutes.

Take off the burner and add:
1/2 t vanilla
1  1/2 T butter

Stir to blend. 

This hot fudge sauce will harden up pretty quickly.  Plan to keep this on a warmer or low burner so it stays soft for serving.  Refrigerate leftovers.

HAVE YOU HEARD ABOUT FIVERR??

This website is really unique and a fun experience to get on and see what you can purchase for only $5.

I just listed my Cooking School Chicken Italian book on here.  You will find it under Lifestyles and then Recipes. 

This is my full-color picture book showing step by step instructions for making the delicious Chicken Italian dinner that my guests rave about.

Just go to www.fiverr.com and see what I'm talking about.

Not only can you buy gigs for $5 each, you can also list some for yourself and maybe pick up a few extra dollars every week.

Try it, you'll like it!!

ANOTHER PLUG FOR MY E-BOOKS!

I can see that several people went to Amazon and purchased my 2 books for Kindle and Android this month.

If you haven't heard about them yet, the first one is Saving Money 101--Smart Couponing.  I promise that if you read this book and put into practice the ideas in there, you will definitely save money on your grocery bill. 

I save 50% or more when purchasing our food for the week.

The book has about a dozen pages on where you can find coupons and also tells how to use them to your best advantage.

I hope you'll consider buying this one; the purchase price is only $3.25.  You'll save at least that much the first week.

My second book has gotten rave reviews:  Saving Money 101--Cooking School Chicken Italian.  This is a step-by-step photo book on how to prepare a delicious entree.  I haven't talked to anyone who doesn't like this dish.

This one only costs $1.

To see both of them, just click on www.amazon.net/author/dianeschmitt

FREE COLLAGE 8 x 10 PRINT

Walgreens has done it again.  From today through 5/11/13, they are offering a FREE 8 x 10" collage print from photos of your choice.

Just go to the Walgreens website:  www.walgreens.com

Sign in or create an account if you haven't already.

Go to the photo section.

Upload the pictures that you want to include in the collage.

Select them and arrange them in whatever order you want.  Choose a border color, title and orientation.

You need to put in the special code to apply for the free photo:  collage4you

Select the Walgreens where you want the photo printed. 

Mine will be ready ~ 9 pm tonight.  I'll probably just wait until we are out for errands tomorrow.  It's right on the way.  I'm looking forward to seeing our last trip to Disney pictures in this collage.