Bargain Boutique Soaps...

I had a great morning strolling through yard sales in my 

little town.  And strolling it was - I took my

 time and just enjoyed the experience.   

I'm preferring this unhurried pace of life more and more!

Thought I'd share my favorite find with you...

 These little soaps are $10 for a set of 3 -

 according to the Ten Thousand Villages website.  

And do they ever smell wonderful!  

(By the way - if you don't have a TTV near you - by all means - shop their site!  

They are an awesome Christian fair trade ministry with delightful unique goods!)

But the going price for me just this morning?

$1 - for 4 bars!  Now how fun is that?  

I find boutique style soaps and candles with some regularity 

at garage sales.   They are great for gifts and

 sometimes (like today) for my own pampering!

 So if you haven't been to a yard sale for a while - 

go with relaxation in mind.  

Chat with your neighbors, 

make a new friend and find a treasure or two.

  What a great start to my day it has been!

Menu Monday (A Frugal Tip and a Breakfast Casserole)...

Very early in our marriage I realized that the one place we could 

make choices to stretch our budget was at the grocery store.   

Monthly menu planning may save in the kitchen - but not necessarily money.  

Rather - I chose to shop the sales and lower priced items - 

and make my meals from what I had on hand.

  That included cooking for guests.  My meals were more simple... 

but those savings added up and we paid off our

 home long before many of our peers.
(On just one income with extra medical bills.)

Fast forward to today....  I have a girl's weekend getaway 

coming up.  My contribution to the meals will be a 

breakfast casserole.  My goals?  1. Quick (mostly able to prepare ahead)  

2. Inexpensive 3. and Gluten Free.  I will be shopping at my 

local discount grocery store which equals savings 
without the 'sales and coupons' headaches. 
(Since eating gluten free - coupons have not been a great option.)

 The store rarely has hash browns but usually has tater tots.  

So... I am searching for recipes with that in mind.  

And look what I found!

   Bacon Breakfast Bake via Bubble Crumb

Go check out the recipe.  This will be a snap to put together 

in the AM.  I can  bake the tater tots, saute the veggies and 

fry the bacon (or use cooked sausage or ham - depending on what I find) 

all ahead of time - and simply assemble onsite.  Easy Peasy!

Bottom line - figure out what food you have to work with - 

and cook from that.  

The internet makes this a snap...but you can search the 

index of your cookbooks too!

Thanks Pinterest and Bubble Crumb! 
Linking to Modest Monday