I love ThriftyFun. It IS fun! I was learning to be frugal before frugal was even a word! I don't even remember hearing the word "thrifty." We just did it! My dad grew up in the depression so we heard a lot of those stories.
I can get real creative using leftovers. When you make a meal, stuff usually goes together pretty good. I take the leftovers and make soup. I just add more vegetables, tomato or mushroom soup (homemade!) and whatever else suits my fancy. I may serve it with a grilled cheese, egg or peanut butter sandwich. Homemade soup is much cheaper than the canned stuff.
I also make my own hot chocolate mix using really good for you deep chocolate! You can control what goes into it. I leave out the sugar creamer and add my choice to each serving, like stevia, sucanat and real cream or evaporated milk.
My daughter refreshed my memory about making bone soup. Buy a whole chicken, roast it for the flavor for one meal. Keep the bones, skin and trimmings. Put them all into a pot of water along with 1/4 cup vinegar (to extract the calcium from the bones), and an onion, some carrots and celery then simmer in a crockpot for maybe 24 hours! You can discard the veggies then, or if you're like me, you could figure out some way to use them. Some people add them to the compost pile.
You'd be surprised how much more meat you can get off the bones. Anyway, after you're done with your really good chicken stock, you're ready to make some more really good soup. It smells up your house real good! Have fun, y'all! God bless you real good!
By virginnyb65 from Charles City, IA
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I love homemade soup! DH would never eat it and insisted on THE noted store bought stuff. I always made soup for my boys when they were little but DH never tried it. His mother was one of the tragic stories of the depression. When things started looking up and all her family and friends were back at work she gave up all semblance of frugality. She never fixed leftovers, made soup or cooked potatoes in their jackets for fear that people would think she was poor.
When DH and I started to notice that his fave brand of soup wasn't very good any more he asked me if I remembered how to make the soup I made when the kids were little. I said yes and we have been eating homemade soup ever since. Now, mind you, we were married for more than 50 years when he made the alarming discovery that my soup is better than Campbell's but it takes longer for some people.
Definite thumbs up on the bone soup! Cabbage is also an acid and added to bones, will leach out the calcium (for those who do not like vinegar). Another option is lemon, which then results in a beautiful broth for making the Greek, Aveglemono. Delicious!
Like your tips etc. I've always made my own soup. I roast the chicken first, use some for a chicken dinner. If there's any left over I use for sandwiches or wraps with raw veggies and salsa.
This is an amazing post. I am serving more soup this year, it is one of my favorites! I had no idea about the vinegar or cabbage I am so glad I read these posts!
Blessings, Robyn
MartyD, LOL thats very funny!
I also didn't know about the cabbage and the chicken bones I will try that next time. Also the lemon sounds good too.
For years I have collected bones (chicken, turkey) to make soup stock, using vinegar. You can put them in a bag in the freezer until you get enough, or get around to making soup!
My time sure is "worth something, too!" I get to do what I love to do! Amen? Amen! Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
I have a hint about the chicken. If you save the skin, bones and tail, do it before you cook the chicken. Just debone it first. Then freeze the parts you saved. When you are ready to make soup cook these and you have a nice broth and the flavor from the bones. Add whatever else you have to make a nice soup.
You really got my thumbs up at making your own hot chocolate mix! A great, and easy idea. I am always running out of hot chocolate mix and DH does the grocery shopping and "accidentally" (ahem) forgets to buy it (cause it is expensive).
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