THE DOLLAR STRETCHER

"Living Better...For Less"


December 13, 1999
Volume 4, Number 50


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In this issue:

Introduction

The Butcher Speaks
Christmas Meats
by John Smith

Ask Miserly Mom
Do-It-Yourself Christmas
by Jonni McCoy

Timely Pooch Tips
by PoochGranny!

Gourmet Holidays - Buffets
by Liz Tarditi

Tips, Quips, Quotes & Questions


Introduction
by Gary Foreman
gary@stretcher.com

Hello to all my Frugal Friends!

I don't know about your house, but we've been scouring newspaper inserts, mail fliers and TV ads trying to find the best prices for gifts. Don't tell my kids but we've been checking the ads for a certain toy that they didn't even ask for. Thanks to a reader I discovered a site that does all the ad searching for you. Just enter your zip code and tell them what item you'd like to find. They'll tell you who has the item on sale and what price you'll find at the store. And you don't need to join anything to take advantage of their database. Nobody asking for your mother's maiden name for a password. They include all the sales they can find. None of this excluding stores that don't pay them a fee. I like that kind of integrity. This is one of those neat sites that could save you time and money. After you've decided who has the best offer on that video game your kids want you can get it on your next trip. Check them out at www.shoppinglist.com/?_from=b%3dstretcher

We also want to congratulate the winners of the Dollar Stretcher November sweepstakes. Marilyn Brinkley and RD were our two winners. They'll each receive a copy of Debi Taylor-Hough's "Frozen Assets". I think it's the best resource to help you learn how to cook more than one meal at a time. For more information about the book visit http://members.aol.com/dsimple/index.html.

Don't forget that you can enter this month's sweepstakes by referring The Dollar Stretcher to a friend www.stretcher.com/sweeps/ referDec99.cfm. You'll have a chance to win both of Jonni McCoy's books: "Miserly Moms" and "Frugal Families".

We also want to thank our friends at Winning Ways for their help. Winning Ways Sweepstakes Newsletter has tons of sweepstakes to enter, informative articles, hints & tips on how to win, plus worksheets to help keep you organized. There's a free sample issue posted on the Web site at www.onlinesweeps.com or you can request a sample issue by sending an email message to winningways@onlinesweeps.com.

All the Best!
Gary


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The Butcher Speaks
Christmas Meats
by John Smith

Christmas meats can't be beat until you get the bill. It's an awful shame that we spend so much money for our Christmas holiday meal. We all want to present a nice spread for our friends and family but I for one am in favor of cutting corners, even at Christmas. Now I know there are many people out there that would sniff at the thought of trying to save a buck at Christmas but I am not writing this article for them. This ones for you baby! You know who you are. You're just like me, you want good stuff and you want it now and you want it cheap. It can be done.

My favorite dinner entree is Prime Rib. There is nothing like a nice juicy prime rib and there is nothing quite like the price tag either. Prime rib can cost you as much as $8.99 a pound and there really is nothing that can replace it in terms of tenderness, flavor and juiciness. The only alternative is to watch for an ad and thank goodness there are many for prime rib this time of year. If you are lucky you can find a prime rib on sale for as low as $2.99 a pound. The alternative is to get a cut that will still eat very well and will cost you a lot less. A top round roast is very nice and can be found for about $2.99 a pound in most places. Now that doesn't sound so special but there is a way to get that nice big top round roast for less. Look for a full cut round steak ad. You should be able to find round steaks anywhere from a ridiculous low of .99 cents a pound and up. Once you have found an ad to your liking call the butcher and ask for an 8 to 10 inch full cut round steak. Then ask him to seam it out for you. He will separate the top from the eye and the eye from the bottom. You now have 3 really nice roasts. The top round will weigh in the neighborhood of 6 to 8 pounds making a very nice oven roast. Roast this baby in the oven at 325 degrees until it reaches the desired temperature and you have a delectable entree at a very good price.

Fresh leg of pork is another popular Christmas roast. The pork leg makes a nice oven roast and it will retail for somewhere around $1.99 a pound with a bone and a little more without. It is a pretty good value if a pork roast is what you want. There are no alternatives to a fresh leg of pork unless you can find a boneless pork loin on sale for the same or less. Sometimes you can, and since the boneless pork loin is of a higher quality go with the boneless loin if the price is similar.

Ham is always a favorite at Christmas and there are hundreds to choose from. The whole bone in hams are outstanding and can be found at good prices if you are careful. Stay away from the fancy wrapped and netted hams. These will bring a premium and they really are not any better than the plain Janes. When choosing a whole ham look to see if they are well trimmed. If they have excessive fat stay away. Also be careful of the cheap boneless hams. Read the label and see how much water is added. Some of them have as much as 35 percent water added. These hams may be lean and look nice but they eat like bologna. Another thing to watch out for are the 'Buy a Ham and Get a Turkey Free ads'.

You can usually buy a turkey and a ham on sale separately for less than what you will spend when you buy a ham and get turkey free. Remember nothing is free. If you purchase your Christmas Turkey at Thanksgiving you can take advantage of the terrific prices and do even better. Another thing, if you need some ham or sliced deli meats for a meat tray or something, it is cheaper to go to the meat department and purchase the little hams and turkey breast portions. Have the butcher slice them rather than getting it from the deli.

Roasting Chickens for a small family instead of a large turkey at Christmas is really a nice way to go if you can get one for the right price. The trick in choosing the right roaster is to not fall into the most overworked trap in the meat counter. Do not pay more money for a roasting chicken than what the fryers are selling for. The reason is simple. The roasting chickens are the exact same chicken as the fryer. Everyday we take 5 or 6 of the largest fryers, take them out of their bag they come in and place them in a meat tray, rewrap and price them at 10 to 30 cents more a pound. Every store I have ever worked in has done it the same way. It's an institution. It doesn't sound honest but the label does say fryer for roasting so we haven't lied we just take advantage of you.


Every one has a special meat dish they like to make at Christmas. If you would like more information on how to find alternative cuts of meat to use in your dishes to save money order a copy of John's book "Confessions of a Butcher/Eat Steak on a Hamburger Budget and Save". Send check or money order for $5.95 plus $2.00 for shipping to:
Ark Essentials
PO BOX 12062
Salem OR, 97309


Ask Miserly Mom
Do-It-Yourself Christmas
by Jonni McCoy

These two questions both are about Christmas, so I'll answer them together:

This year I am on a very tight budget. Besides cutting down my Christmas gift list, I was thinking of making my own crafts to give out as Christmas gifts. Any suggestions? I have saved a lot of household throwaway's such as juice lids, paper towel holders, toilet rolls, etc. Maybe I can invent something with these? Thanks! Damaris

I like to sew, bake and make any Christmas presents possible. But my husband and I feel pressure by his family to "do it up" present wise for his family. It is an underlying expectation. We make a budget and stick to it, but feel pressure to buy certain gifts that exceed our desire for spending. What can we do? Deborah/Calif.

When it's time for a special occasion, we tend to throw the budget out the window. We think things like, "Oh, it's their birthday," or "But it's Christmas!" And we march into further debt.

So, how do I keep the gift and party madness from putting me in debt for months? First I plan what we are going to spend. I list all of the people that we usually buy gifts for (birthdays and holidays) for the entire year, and the parties that we usually throw (birthday, Christmas, Thanksgiving, monthly church potluck, etc.). Then we decide the maximum amount that we will spend on each person for each occasion. We then add up the year's total and divide by 12. This gives us the amount that we need to set aside each month in order to achieve those goals. If it's too much for our budget, we then scale back on certain events or gift giving, and stick to it.

The focus should be on the friends and relatives, not the food and gifts. To scale down the cost of entertaining, try to change the type of party. Instead of serving dinner, serve dessert or have "tea." If you want to serve a dinner, make the main dish and let others bring the side dishes.

Gift ideas for adults can be tricky. I have found that if I find myself wanting to spend a lot on a person, there is usually something wrong in my attitude. I ask myself if I am trying to buy their love, or impress them. I believe that what people want is thought and effort more than money, so I try to make my gifts for friends and relatives. There are numerous books in the library on simple, homemade gifts that look great. There are a few of my favorite ideas below.

When a baked or homemade item is inappropriate, I try to buy something. I watch for sales throughout the year, and store gifts for holidays. This also increases the ability of the gift to be thoughtful, instead of a "quick fix." Waiting to shop near the holiday only will cost more. Few things are on sale, and you'll be tempted to pick items you wouldn't normally.

Gift Ideas and Recipes:

  • Make a sachet from a small piece of fabric with a simple ribbon tie. Fill it with any of the following: rose petals, cotton balls with vanilla powder, cinnamon sticks with orange peels and cloves, lemon thyme and lemon verbena leaves, or lavender flowers.
  • Bake your gifts. Some of my favorite gifts from the kitchen are spiced nuts, or orange-chocolate truffles.
  • Make a gift basket with a theme such as pasta. Include in the basket a wooden slotted spoon, a small bottle of olive oil, some herbs, and maybe a recipe card or two.
  • Give a movie pass and a bag of special popcorn kernels.
  • Make flavored coffee mixes, soup mixes, layered cookie mixes, or other similar ideas and put in pretty jars (found at craft stores). Attach, using some ribbon, a card with mixing instructions.

    Happy Holidays!


    Jonni McCoy is the author of "Miserly Moms - Living On One Income In A Two Income Economy" and "Frugal Families - Making The Most Of Your Hard Earned Money!"

    Visit the Miserly Moms Website at www.miserlymoms.com

    "The advice given in this column is based upon personal information and experience. For further information on the disclaimer, please visit this address: www.miserlymoms.com/MOMdisclaimer.htm


    Timely Pooch Tips
    by PoochGranny!

    Of Course, we all know you can give a Pooch some Aspirin For aches and pains--especially older dogs with aches & pains. but--PoochGranny says to beware the candy coated Aspirin Tablets! They can badly hurt or maybe even kill your Pooch! We've heard of Pooches that ate a lot of them---thinking They were candy! They paid a terrible price! PoochGranny says the Poor Pooch cannot smell the Aspirin itself when it is coated with the candy stuff. Pooches would probably not eat it if it just smelled of Aspirin. Anacin works well also. It contains Aspirin.

    Just keep your Pooch out of the medicine cabinet!

    And, believe it or not, PoochGranny has found that Pepto-Bismol can help your Pooch with an upset stomach! Since we humans get Two tablespoons, a fifty pound Pooch would get about one third Of that as a dose. Figure it out for your Pooch! It really works! Just don't give too much! Often works just as well as some high-priced prescription!

    And just like humans, if your Pooch is on antibiotics remember to give him/her cultured yogurt with acidophilus, which will help replace the bacteria the Anti-biotic destroyed in the Pooch's stomach!


    Love dogs? Then you'll want to subscribe to PoochNooz. It is free! send mailto:shamrock99@earthlink.net?subject=subscribepn. No copy needed in the body of the message.


    Gourmet Holidays - Buffets
    by Liz Tarditi


    (c) 1999

    When Gary suggested that I write an article on some Gourmet Party Tips for the holidays, I was thrilled - what a great idea! But there is so much I can tell you about that I knew it would have to be a two-part series, at the very least. In this first article, I'm going to tell you how high-end hotels and caterers set up, arrange, and organize their buffets so that they seem expensive, but keep the overall costs low. You don't have to have ten tables of food and a carving station to take advantage of the common sense solutions that are widely used in the industry.

    Buffets are very popular for entertaining groups. It's exciting to see a beautiful feast displayed along a long table. Because the presentation is so bountiful and rich, people naturally take much more food when they serve themselves in a buffet line than when they sit down to pre-plated food, or pass bowls around a table. Much of the food gets wasted, because guests wanted "just a taste" but took a heaping double serving onto their plate. That's why caterers and hotels charge more for buffet service, instead of plated, sit-down service. People eat a lot more. (From personal experience: I catered a lunch supposedly for 160, but they ate 240 generous "normal portions" of everything, some guests going through the buffet line 3 times!) So, my first tip for your holiday party buffet: if you are really on a tight budget for your event, have a sit-down dinner, or hire a neighbor's kid or a niece or nephew to work as a "server" on the buffet. It seems more elegant to your guests, but you are making sure everyone takes ONE helping of the different foods when they go through the line - especially the more expensive selections - at least until everyone has been through once. Also, be aware of the size of your serving utensils. If you want people to take a 2 oz. portion, don't give them an 8 oz. serving spoon. Simple portion control, disguised brilliantly, saves you money and the worry that you might run out of something.

    Most people believe that a buffet is arranged by the order of the courses that they would be served if they were sitting down. But actually the foods are generally arranged from cheapest to most expensive. I'm not saying the foods should ever LOOK cheap - that's the biggest no-no I can think of! The food used in a buffet is not cheap, by any means. I mean "cheapest" and "most expensive" relative to the other foods being served. Imagine a lavish display of breads, and several very delicious condiments (flavored butter, herbed spread, tapenade) that is very large and impressive. It also fills up room on the guests' plates. Next comes a selection of salads, and they fill up more of the plate. Then the vegetables and starches of the meal, and once again, more choices make everyone want to squeeze on "just a taste" of everything. Lots of colors and flavors! Finally, the guests hit the "main course" (the protein) and their plates are already piled high, so when they are served a smaller portion of the Shrimp Stir Fry, or Five Cheese Lasagna, it seems like so much more - after all, the guests had to "find" room for it on their loaded plates!

    Your caterer even makes sure that when there is more than one of something - three salads, for instance - the food items are arranged in that grouping so that the least expensive is first, and the most expensive is last. Of course, now that I've shared this little secret with you for planning your party at home, you can use it to your advantage the next time you go out to a hotel or restaurant for a buffet: before you get in line, and without disrupting the other guests, of course, walk along the buffet backwards (from the end to the beginning) to see what they have last in each section. Then you know what's up there worth waiting (and saving space on your plate) for.

    Your buffet will have a functional flow to it - like a train along tracks. You don't want your line of people to crash into each other getting to and from the food table, so watch where you'll be setting up. You don't want a guest getting hit in the face by an opening door, or have the food right next to a bathroom, just for safety and sanitation reasons. Placing the food too close to the bar is also a bad idea - your guests will all cram into one small space, and nothing will entice them to spread out.

    Decorations on your buffet don't need to be elaborate or expensive. Foods can be used as decorations, and in fact, are the MOST correct things to use because they are edible: a collection of squashes and gourds, scattered nuts in their shells, fruit, even ornaments that you mold out of salt dough, dry, and paint are very desirable. (I've made life-sized crabs, star fish, angel fish and even an octopus for a seafood buffet display before.) Or use what you already have: houseplants, tea light candles, pretty snowflakes cut from silver paper, spray-painted pinecones, flower petals, greens, confetti, curled ribbons, even brightly colored leaves and pebbles can decorate a table. An old mirror cleaned with vinegar can become a fabulous platter for a cheese or dessert display, or just beautifully reflect a collection of candles. Think height, not just colors and shapes, when choosing things to decorate the buffet. Anything can be used to give height to the buffet. A potted tree makes a great centerpiece, and raises your "height" 4 feet! Use fabric to bunch, crunch and cover risers to make your buffet more interesting. Make risers using upside down pots, books, or sturdy boxes hidden under fabric to support serving dishes (be careful that they are solid and secure!), and other decorations. You can rent almost any color tablecloth and napkins for the same price as white, and you save yourself the time & hassle of washing and ironing. Why not order an extra tablecloth for decorating the table, after it's covered? or use fabric found in the local thrift store, especially old prom and bridesmaids dresses - you may hate the dress, but how would the skirt material look draped as part of a "tablescape" with soft lights reflecting it's sheen? Just don't place candles where they can catch fire to someone's sleeve!

    With all of the fun things you can do to decorate the buffet, it's easy to overdo it and get too fussy. Never underestimate the importance of free space. Sometimes people need to re-adjust their plate grip, or put a drink down to serve themselves food. It helps avoid accidents, and makes for a more professional look, to keep your table from being overcrowded. Remember that the food is the focus and should be the first thing that catches the guests' eyes, not the decorations. It has it's own colors, and "theme" that you want to compliment, not detract from. And, if you have a server, they need to be able to reach across the table to place the food on the guest's plate. Don't make their job impossible with overcrowded decorations.

    Make sure all of your serving dishes and decorations fit safely and securely onto your table before the party. Guests can get badly injured from tipped over warming servers spilling hot liquids, falling serving forks, or knocked-over candles that were precariously "balanced" between two tables or on a weak riser. The table will get bumped, a lot, so arrange things securely in advance.

    You don't need to put out all the food you made all at once - just some of everything, and as it runs low, add more into the serving bowl. This tip isn't just to keep up appearances. If something spills, or someone sneezes into a dish (it happens) the food you have in reserve is emergency backup. In a professional setting, we don't re-use food once it is placed on a buffet, because of all the people it is "exposed" to. So we make up the original display, and then periodically replenish it. That way there won't be as much food thrown away when the guests appetites are satisfied. Unserved leftovers were kept fresh and wholesome in the kitchen. (But were available just in case!)

    Finally, during your party, make sure you patrol your area every ten minutes or so, to check to see if you need to replenish a food item that's running low and collect trash people leave behind. Trash on the buffet? Yes. It's disgusting. I know none of the genteel readers of the Dollar Stretcher would ever think about doing this, so I'll explain: You spend weeks planning the buffet, preparing all the food, and then arranging it to impress and delight your company, only to have some mouth-breathing, raised-in-a-barn cretin leave toothpicks, used cocktail napkins, shrimp tails, crab claws, drips of sauce, and half-eaten plates all over the table. For everyone to see. The least they could do is try to hide it in a nearby potted plant. In a professional setting, we try to make sure that the last person in line's experience through the buffet is as pleasant and fresh as the first person's. Servers help - people are less apt to leave refuse behind when they can get "caught". But since my nice readers would never know about this, I thought I should mention it.

    My next article will be on planning out your food quantities for your holiday parties; how many hors d'oeuvres should you have for each person, how to plan a party menu, and how to decide if you can do it yourself, or if you need professional party help. You can read it at www.stretcher.com/stories/99/991213c.cfm.


    Chef Liz Tarditi is the President and Executive Chef of Today's Gourmet www.todaysgourmet.com, a personal chef service based in Kirkland, Washington which provides delicious, home-cooked gourmet meals everyday for busy clients all over the Eastside.


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    Tips, Quips, Quotes and Questions

    Preparing for a Layoff

    I also work from home and bring in $200-$300 a month. When my husband's company closed at the beginning of this year, they had given us warning. They paid him severance pay (1 week for each year he'd worked there) plus vacation pay he had coming. In all we had two month's salary plus his unemployment to work with until he found another job.

    One thing we did was immediately cut back unnecessary expenses - eating out, buying other than groceries and "have-to-have" things, clothes and other things that could wait till later and save up as much as possible. We also checked into his 401(k) to see if we could take that out instead of rolling it over (don't do this unless it becomes absolutely necessary - you'll never save that money back up). Look for odd jobs that either of you can do in your spare time (I took on babysitting my niece). Get prospects lined up for new jobs, but don't jump at anything available. You don't want him to lose any benefits he may have coming from his current company and if he can't stand it an quits, he's lost his unemployment benefits, too. Another thing it forced me to do was check my rates on insurance, etc. and to decide what bills were unnecessary. I changed my auto insurance to a company that charged me over $200 a year less and took options I didn't use off my phone service. I called credit card companies to see what kind of deals I could get on balance transfers and not only lowered some interest rates, but it didn't hurt so much when I could only make the minimum payment.

    We made it through the layoff, and he ended up with a job he likes making $2 an hour more than he was before. Sometimes that push out of your comfort zone is what you need to make your life better.
    Kristi B.

    Editor's note: more suggestions on how to prepare for an expected layoff at www.stretcher.com/stories/99/991213a.cfm

    Substitutes for Sodas

    Being a single mom with 3 growing and "always hungry and thirsty" older teens, I can understand the dilemma of the "Soda Wars". Some of my tips are these (they work--I tried all of them).

    Challenge your family. If they are willing to try alternate drinks such as juice, tea, water etc. the money saved from "soda" can be put aside for a special family time such as ordering a pizza and renting a video. Also challenge them to develop their own drink ideas. When my children were younger, they experimented with mixing different flavors of kool aid and quite often were very successful. The only rule was it could not be wasted. Flavors not high on the list of drinking were frozen and made into home made popsicles.

    Challenge them........they quite often provide very satisfactory and creative solutions on their own.
    Vicki T.

    Editor's note: more suggestions at www.stretcher.com/stories/99/991213b.cfm


    Editor's note: Please send your tips to gary@stretcher.com with "Tips" as the subject. If we use your tip or reply to 'Can You Help' in any of our publications we'll send you the next three issues of our print newsletter as a 'thank you'. The monthly print edition contains articles that do not appear in our online editions. For a sample copy, send your name and address, along with $2 to: The Dollar Stretcher, Dept OL, PO Box 23785, Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33307.


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    Additional Stories on the Dollar Stretcher Website This Week:

    Preparing for a Potential Layoff
    http://www.stretcher.com/stories/99/991213a.cfm

    Alternatives to Soda
    http://www.stretcher.com/stories/99/991213b.cfm

    Gourmet Holidays: How to Plan Your Party
    by Liz Tarditi
    http://www.stretcher.com/stories/99/991213c.cfm

    Frugal Gift Wraps
    by Deana Ricks
    http://www.stretcher.com/stories/99/991213d.cfm

    Christmas Fun Foods & Recipes
    by Jenny Wanderscheid
    http://www.stretcher.com/stories/99/991213e.cfm

    Holiday Decorating
    by Kathleen Wilson
    http://www.stretcher.com/stories/99/991213f.cfm

    The 12 Days of a RoMANtic Christmas
    by Michael Webb
    http://www.stretcher.com/stories/99/991213g.cfm

    Water Heater Leaks
    The Natural Handyman
    http://www.stretcher.com/stories/99/991213h.cfm

    Winterizing Your Car
    by Ask Bob: The Auto Answer Man
    http://www.stretcher.com/stories/99/991213i.cfm

    Let Your Forced Air Furnace Do It's Work
    by Warren Cook
    http://www.stretcher.com/stories/99/991213j.cfm

    The 'OnLine' 12 Days of Christmas
    http://www.stretcher.com/brm/991203.htm

    Safe Online Shopping
    http://www.stretcher.com/brm/991203a.htm

    Y2K Ready or Not
    http://www.stretcher.com/brm/991203b.htm

    Free PC's
    http://www.stretcher.com/brm/991203c.htm

    Your Credit Habits
    http://www.stretcher.com/brm/991206.htm

    Counterfeiters Could Cost You This Christmas
    http://www.stretcher.com/brm/991207.htm

    Is Online Banking for You?
    http://www.stretcher.com/brm/991207a.htm

    Could a Home Equity Loan Help You?
    http://www.stretcher.com/brm/991208.htm

    Are You Buying Too Much House?
    http://www.stretcher.com/brm/991209.htm

    Firing an Employee
    http://www.stretcher.com/brm/991209a.htm

    Taking Your Business Online
    http://www.stretcher.com/brm/991206a.htm

    Hiring Your Company's First Employee
    http://www.stretcher.com/brm/991206b.htm


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    Copyright 1999 "The Dollar Stretcher, Inc.". All rights reserved unless specifically noted.

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