Being Booga

Well today I finally did something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time.

I made homemade SOY MILK.

I got my “recipe” by viewing several different YouTube videos and researching online. The processes were all basically the same:

Soak Soy Beans overnight.

Drain / Rinse.

Pulse 1 cup at a time in blender with 3 cups of water. Strain through cheese cloth into large pot. Squeeze to get all the liquid out.  Do this in batches. I processed a total of 3 cups of soaked beans, one cup at a time in the blender, with 600 ml filtered water.

I read somewhere that 3 cups soaked soy beans will make a gallon of soy milk. Is this right?

Then you boil the liquid “milk” for at least 25 minutes (boil, then simmer - scimming off foam as it develops, and stirring occasionally to keep it from sticking to the bottom of the pan).

**The cooking part of the milk is very important in order to destroy something that would otherwise made the soy liquid indigestible.**

Okay all’s well so far. It looked great and I loved the soy aroma.

Then I got a phone call and needed to be somewhere - fast.

So since it had been 30 minutes cook time, I went ahead and starting pouring the hot milk into clean, hot, sterilized Quart jars. I had enough milk to fill two Quart jars.

When I returned later, I found the milk had cooled down. I poured myself a tasting glass and… YUCK!!!

Not only is it disgusting, it’s slimy and there’s CHUNKS of… soy…

So … since I’d read that 3 cups Soy Beans = 1 Gallon Soy Milk my first thought is “Do I add filtered drinking water to this to make it a gallon?” - Followed by, “Do I strain the milk again to get rid of the chunks?”

I am NOT sure. I could also try adding some flavors. My neighbor Becky gave me some Agavae syrup to try. I also have vanilla, honey and sugar.

Tomorrow it’s back to the hearth to see what I can do with this. In the meantime, I really hope to hear from anyone who has experience in making Soy Milk.

I love soy milk and the price of dry soybeans is right - I get my soy beans in my local Asian market. I’d love to be able to make my own soy milk to enjoy!

Please Comment!

I had a really good consumer experience recently. No, no one is paying me to say this! It’s just a good tip from me to you…old fashioned blogger style!

Because I was in possession of Target Portrait Studio’s prized 50% Off savings coupon from my Entertainment 2008 Book, Joe and I decided to go with them for our portraits. We’re so glad we did!

We loved our photographer. He made the “work” of posing fast and fun and light - and our photos came out great! We got to see our photos instantly and had a really good time putting together the packages. With the coupon, we saved a bundle - well, 50%!

This was about a week ago. Then today I got to view our sitting at SmileStation.Com - where we can order additional prints later. I love online convenience.

While checking that site, I came across a link for more Target Portrait Studio Coupons… so here it is - Enjoy!

Click here for Portrait Savings at Target Studios

As for other studios - if you do your research online you will probably find a printable coupon for major / chain portrait studios - try Google Search!

The code is “BACK10″ and it’s only going for 4 days - the site is Allegro Medical. The reason I’m listing it here is that this online store offers WAY more than just medical supplies. What catches my attention is the home fitness products and their low prices:

FitBALL Excercise Balls $13.99
FitBALL Sport Extreme $12.95
FitBALL Air Pump $4.00
FitBALL Balance Disk $12.95

They also have steppers, monitors, home gym products, braces, bands and clothes! I can’t believe how much of a variety of products this store carries, not just medical supplies. It’s going to be my new Walgreens!

The site is AllegroMedical.Com and the discount code is BACK10 and will give you a 10% discount on their already low prices.

Happy Bargain Hunting!

Is ONLINE LEARNING a Frugal Solution?

With the current price-of-gas crunch not to mention tuition, books, time off work to consider, ongoing education can seem out of reach. I think there is a solution, however. I’ve been a long-time student myself at Virtual University - an online “University” offering a variety of interesting classes for as low as $25 for 3 classes. To me, it’s silly to not keep on learning when you have the means - so why not?

All you need is internet, a computer or laptop, and some extra time. Most classes can be completed in just a couple hours per week. Many of these classes give you college credit, too.

If you’re more serious about it and want an actual degree online, then there are many options available for online learning through accredited institutions.

If you’re not sure if online learning is for you - then I recommend taking a practice class. Capella University is offering a FREE week-long “Readiness” Seminar to help you explore your readiness and motivation for online learning. It looks really interesting. I myself haven’t taken this class since I know I fit well with the online learning experience. Then if its a good fit for you - you can get your degree online.

If you have had an online-learning experience, would you please comment? I’m interested in hearing the different viewpoints on how the online learning alternative is a good “being frugal” solution to traditional brick-and-mortar colleges and universities.

The SHARE Colorado Warehouse Food Sale happened on Saturday, May 10 in Denver, Colorado.

I participated, and I’m so glad I did!

What can you fit into a 12 x 12 x 14 cardboard box?

As the photo shows you can fit a lot if you pack it well! Could you believe that you could fit over $100 worth of groceries and meat into it?

You can! I wasn’t sure how it was going to work. I expected a savings of at least 25% but I was amazed to find out I was able to fit an estimated $115.00 worth of meat and groceries into that little $30.00 box! I saved an estimated 74%!

The SHARE Colorado Warehouse Food sale works like this:

Each shopper gets a shopping cart with 2 boxes. You can choose to just get one box, or you can get several boxes - there’s NO LIMIT.

Each “box” (12 x 12 x 14) costs $30.00.

They don’t care what you put into the box, so long as the top can be closed and taped flat. So it was extra fun to see how much I could actually get into the box. I did a lot of rearranging and sometimes I’d find something I really wanted so I’d take something out and put it back, in order to fit something else. When it was all done, I had a few very small spaces left at the top of the box where 3 little boxes of strawberry jello fit perfectly. I had a packed-full box with NO wasted space.

Here’s what I got:

Meat / Seafood / Deli:

3 lb. Boneless Pork Roast
1 lb. Ground Turkey
7 oz. Cocktail Franks
2 lb. Bratwurst
1 lb. Breaded Fried Shrimp
3 lbs. extra lean ground beef
2 lbs. buffalo steak
6 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast
1 lb. Pollock Fillets
2 1/2 lbs. chicken leg quarters
1 lb. beef franks
12 oz. package bacon
5 ounces shaved turkey

(23 1/2 pounds of meat!)

Pantry / Frozen:
24 oz. Bag Birds Eye Classic Italian Blend
4 packages strawberry jello mix
1 jar grape jelly
18 oz jar peanut butter

Dairy / Produce:
2 1/2 lbs. Sharp Cheddar Cheese
2 1/2 lbs. Jack Cheese
16 oz. American Cheese Slices
2 tomatoes

Estimated Value $115.00 (and this is based mostly on store sale prices)
Cost: $30.00
SAVINGS OF 74%

The shopping experience was similar to any warehouse shopping experience such as Costco or Sam’s. The food items were kept in their boxes and were loaded high on pallets, the aisles were wide, and with it being a warehouse there was an open-market feel. People browsed through the aisles, shopping and placing items in their carts and into their boxes. When finished, we went through the payment line where volunteers gave us a tape gun to close up our boxes and take payment.

Easy!

I only got ONE BOX and yet my freezer is FULL of frozen meats and seafood and I have well over a few month’s worth of cheese and meat. Not too bad!

The great thing about this program is that it’s open to everyone. Another great thing is that there is NO LIMIT on how many food boxes you can buy. Only having $30 to spend, I opted to just get one box. But I saw families shopping with their kids, who had 2 shopping carts (2 boxes in each cart).

TIPS TO MAXIMIZE SAVINGS:

There were a lot of pantry items available such as pasta, canned goods, pasta sauces, juice boxes and mixes. Items such as these are easily found on sale throughout the year at major groceries and can easily be combined with coupons. If you want maximum value, pass up these items and go for meat and seafood and dairy which usually cost 2.99 - 6.99 a pound even on sale. This way you can buy these foods for less than $1.00 a pound! That’s right, I added up the pounds of meat I got and it added up to about 24 pounds.

I also got a few other items such as peanut butter and jelly and I picked up the jello boxes because I had some tiny spaces in my box to fill and I enjoy strawberry jello! The “$30.00 per box” is what FITS into the box and it doesn’t matter how much the box actually weighs.

I’m definitely going to be watching for future chances to participate in my SHARE Colorado Food Coop. I spoke to one of the volunteers on my way about volunteer opportunities. She invited me to come on out for the next “bag day” where they get the monthly food orders ready for distribution. I set the date in my calendar so I can show up and volunteer. This program is mostly successful because of volunteers and it’s a program that’s making a huge difference to me and for families of this region so I’m going to do everything I can to help them.

For more information and to check on upcoming events see the SHARE Colorado web site.

Like this information? Have something to add or something to say? Please comment!

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