Learn About Grid-Tied Renewable Energy

Did you know that you can actually produce your own electricity with some fairly affordable products? Not only can you cut your own electric bills, you can even earn credit towards high energy use months, and best of all, you can even sell your excess energy back to the electric company!

These products are call grid-tied because they are tied into the public utility grid. They usually rely on solar or wind power, and your choice of a product would probably depend upon where you live. A sunny southern suburban home may do better with a small, lightweight solar system. A midwestern farmer may choose to rely on high tech wind power.

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Well, in this distressed economy, it is probably no surprise that sales of SPAM, at least, are surging. People are trying to trim their budget any way they can, and if they have to resort to including a few cans of the classic canned meat in the pantry, then that’s what they do.

SPAM is produced by Hormel Foods Corp., and they have reported increased sales of the pork product, even though the cost of a can has risen too. Right now, a 12 oz can, is about $2.62, up about 7 percent from last year.

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Multiple $1 Into 70,000!

Can you save a buck a day? This is a great exercise to do with older kids, but I know many frugal adults who do it too. Get a jar, and then scoop out your change every day. This includes any change you find on the floor or in the laundry or in your couch. Try to make sure you put at least $1 in the jar every day.

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Real Ways To Lower Your Electric and Gas Bill

We have already discussed rising gasoline prices, and we’ve discussed the associated increase in groceries. However, your home utility bills are certain to spike just like gasoline prices do. In my part of the world we are just starting a long, hot summer, and that’s red alarm electricity bill time for us. Other parts of the world worry more about home heating. And of course, lighting and appliances, use energy all year long!

Of course, you can find hundreds of ways to save energy. I am listing the ways that cost very little to do.

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Serve Breakfast For Dinner To Eat Healthy For Pennies

Your grocery bill will look more like 1999 if you switch to breakfast for dinner a few times a week. Plus, everybody likes breakfast food, and these meals are usually very quick to prepare. I actually got this idea from my brother who adopted this practice while he was putting himself through graduate school. I wanted to mention this to be fair. Not all frugal grocery shopping tips come from women!

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Fun Ideas to Entertain on the Cheap!

I need to watch my budget. But last night, impulsively, my family and I decided to step out to dinner and a movie. After I got home, I realized that I’d spent almost $100, which really knocks out my entertainment budget for the month. When I do go out, I don’t like to limit what everybody can order, so these nights out need to be saved for special times. But I wanted to look into ways to experience good times for less money.

Rent Movies The Smart Way!

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Gasoline Savings Ideas That Work

You can barely turn around without seeing a product or idea to help you save money on gasoline consumption. Of course the best tips is to try to limit your driving. You can limit your driving by planning the trips that you need. In other words, if you need to go to the grocery store and drop your kids off at their scouts meeting, it would be best to plan these two errands at the same time. If you work an hour away, this may be time to consider the bus or carpool.

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Forget the Shopping List

Oh it is a good idea to jot down staples that you have run out of. You need to remember to pick up ketchup and milk and toilet paper if you have run out. But I am not a big fan of detailed shopping lists. For one thing, I find it tedious to have to plan out an entire week of meals, and with the way my life runs, that list seldom works out for my family anyway. For another thing, when I shop sales, I need to plan meals on the fly.

Take a Calculator and Sticky Notes

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Cheap Fish Recipe with Tuna

We are all told to eat more fish, but sometimes that seafood counter has some pretty expensive prices. In order to be healthy, and get our share of fish, we need to turn to good old canned tuna and salmon. But tuna with mayo gets old after awhile. So let’s dress it up with a great recipe for tuna cakes. These are very similar to crab cakes, but cheap and easy to make!

By the way, a good way to handle your grocery budget in a frugal way, is to look for tuna and salmon on sale.

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Make Cheap and Easy Tacos and Tortillas

Most taco recipes do not include the tortillas. But I learned this from one of the most frugal cooks I ever met, and in my humble opinion, nothing tastes better then fresh tortilla right out of the pan. Compare fresh tortillas to packaged tortillas. Its like the difference between fresh bread and day old bread! And of course, it is much cheaper to make tortillas then it is to purchase them. On the other hand, time is money, and if you are pressed for time, don’t feel guilty about buying a package of tortillas either. Note: I added another cheap recipe for bisquick tortillas to the end of this post.

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