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Poor (Wo)man’s Charcuterie Board

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If you’ve ever assembled your own fancy charcuterie (say shar-koo-tur-ee)/cheese board to pair with your favorite wine, you know it’s not as cheap as it looks. Sure, you can grab a couple blocks of average cheeses (think sharp cheddar and mozzarella), but let’s be honest, that’s just a boring cheese and cracker situation.

So how do you get the good stuff on a budget? If you like variety like I do, it’s going to be pretty wasteful (and expensive) if you get some big ol’ chunks of stinky cheeses. Let’s first determine what makes a fun and delicious charcuterie plate.

  • Cured meats
  • Cheeses
  • Nuts
  • Fruit/Veggies
  • Sauces/Condiments
  • Crackers/Bread

The expensive part is the meat and cheese. Surprise, surprise…I have the way you can enjoy this for a small group (2-4) and not break the bank.

Cured Meats – Go to your grocery deli counter and ask for 1/4 lb. of your favorite options (salami, turkey, etc.). No need to buy several full packages as a full platter of goodies will be plenty to fill your belly.

Cheeses – Some specialty grocers (Sprouts Farmers Market, Whole Foods Market, New Seasons Market) have random hunks of cheese, that are essentially odd shaped end pieces, thrown into a basket near the cheese area. This is where you find those ridiculous $39.99/lb options. All you need is a tiny sliver to enjoy. Can you imagine getting normal size blocks varying from $14.99/lb – $39.99/lb. Forget about it!

Nuts – Depending on what kind of nuts you like, this could be a little bit pricier. Grab one of those snack pack single servings you find at the checkout counter.

Fruit/Veggies – This one’s already a fairly cheap option. I love apples with cheese, and you only really need about a half of an apple between 2 people. I usually rummage through my crisper to see what I have. I added carrots in the platter above. If you want your plate to be pretty too, berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries) and kiwi are good choices).

Sauces/Condiments – I’m a real saucy broad, so this is my favorite add. Great options include: jellies/jams, mustards, and honey.

Crackers/Bread – Let’s be honest, while we love our carby options, they are just a vessel in which to get the tasty treats to our mouths. Grab a 99 cent grocery store baguette or any generic cracker you enjoy.

If you know of any other grocers that have an end piece cheese basket, let me know in the comments below!

For your viewing pleasure…look at the color the fruit brings.
Are you hungry yet?
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Get Free E-Books Legally!

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Mamarelli (aka my mom) took forever to buy into the e-reader, specifically Kindle.  She loved going to the thrift store, paying 50 cents for a book she could hold in her hands, and let it whisk her away to another world.  She reads so fast that she didn’t want to keep buying new e-books to feed her fix.  Low and behold, I discovered BookBub…the website where you can get deeply discounted or FREE e-books!

  • Once you sign up, be sure to update your settings:  select your categories, follow authors, and track your books.
  • Don’t have an Amazon Kindle?  That’s okay, they list e-books for these retailers as well:  Barnes & Noble Nook, Apple iBooks, Google Play and Kobo.
  • They often have the first of a series for free…then if you’re hooked, you’ll have to buy the rest.
So if you’re a used book reader and were on the fence because you didn’t want to pay full price for a book, it’s time to take the leap.  There are no excuses!

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3-in-1 No Sew Upcycle T-Shirt (gift bag, headband and tote)!

Facebooktwitterredditpinteresttumblrmailby featherI’ve come to the realization that I’m not quite as satisfied unless my craft is an upcycle.  It’s just not the same when you walk into Michael’s and purchase an assemble-yourself kit. I’d rather keep something out of the landfill and re-purpose it into something useful and fun.

I don’t know how to sew and I don’t have the patience to ever learn.  That means my glue gun comes in handy when I’m putting together a costume, outfit…or bag!

As you probably know, 85% of my clothing comes from a thrift store (usually Team Amvets Thrift Store).  Once I saw the idea of making a T-shirt tote, I had to look for some interesting designs.  It then came to me…why waste trees by using wrapping paper?  Or even a gift bag…I THINK most people reuse them for someone else’s gift, but they might only have a life of 3 holidays until they end up in the trash too.

What better use of an old T-shirt than making it into a gift bag for a baby shower, birthday, Christmas or even a “just because” gift?  Not only is it an adorable way to present a gift, but it’s a usable gift itself!  A collapsible tote to take with you to the grocery store, department store, farmer’s market, an overnight bag…the possibilities are endless.  Let’s take it 1 step further and not let those scraps go to waste either.  Make a headband with flower embellishments.

What you need:

  • A t-shirt of your choosing (the larger, the better)
  • Scissors
  • Hot glue gun
  • Glue sticks
  • Extra t-shirt/t-shirt scraps for additional embellishments

Step 1:  Cut above the bottom seam.

Step 2:  Fold the shirt in half and cut the sleeves off.

Step 3:  While still folded, cut around the neck.

It should look like this:

Step 4:  Go to the base of the shirt and cut about 3 inches up with about an inch between each cut.

Step 5:  Start tying the corresponding flaps to each other and double knot them.

It will look a little something like this after you finish the line…but you’re not done yet.

See this gap here?  I’m sure it would be okay if you don’t put tiny items inside, but I like a nice, solid bag…

Step 6:  Tie the flaps next to each other to close up those gaps.  Double tie these as well.

Ta-da!  This is actually acceptable as is…but not as much fun as it can be.

Step 7:  Take one of the sleeves and cut into 3’s.  Make sure the middle section is larger (this will be your headband)

Step 8:  Make a rose out of the smaller strip.

  • Put a dot of glue and make a triangle at the corner.
  • Start to circle the fabric around the center.  Run glue down the strip.
  • Be sure to twist the fabric to add some texture.

Look how cute these are!

Step 9:  Attach your rose embellishments to the headband with the glue gun.

All done!

Right here, you have “wrapping” for a Christmas gift, a Valentine’s gift, a birthday present for the poet/child/nerd in your life.

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An Easy Way To See Your Savings Grow (As Painless As Possible)

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Several years ago, Mr. Beaverelli ran across a money saving idea on Lifehacker.  We thought, hey, what is the harm in trying this? Nothing at all!  That’s when the Beaverelli $5 Fund was born.

Here’s the one and only rule:

If a $5 bill passes through your hands, you must put it in the fund.

But what if I break a $20 bill for an 89 cent item and they hand me back three $5 bills?  Too bad…put it in the pot!

You’ll be surprised how quickly it adds up.  We used to carry cash more often, but even though we almost strictly use cards, we still tend to slowly increase our dollars.  Over the past 5 years or so, we’ve managed to save a total of over $3,000.

An easy, painless way to save!

What do you want to save for?

  • Spending money on vacation – tips, gambling, street fairs…
  • Dig in during the holidays and have a little extra to spend on presents for your loved ones.
  • A new piece of furniture.
  • That cool gadget.
  • A larger flat screen.
  • A rainy day – you never know when it might turn into an emergency fund.
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