Recession Vegan Gift Pack! November 11, 2009
Posted by thefrugalvegan in Holidays.Tags: recession vegan gift pack
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I have finally reopened my Etsy Shop selling my zines and other goodies. This is something I came up with for those who don’t have much cash but want to treat someone or themselves. It’s called the Recession Vegan Gift Pack. $5 Shipping included in Canada and US. Please see the listing for what is included:
http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=34030675
I will be adding more recession gift packs as they sell, all with different items so please stay tuned!
Ridiculously Easy Blueberry Wine Jelly November 10, 2009
Posted by thefrugalvegan in Food Recipes, Holidays.Tags: blueberry wine jelly, frugal holiday gifts
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Every year I look for new crafts or recipes to make for holiday gifts. I came across a recipe for wine jelly but I wanted to make it more exciting than a regular wine jelly so I picked a local blueberry wine to use. I hear that sweeter wines produce a nicer jelly. You can use other red fruit wines such as blackberry as well. Some jellies are made with herbs but I wanted a simple easy recipe and found one on allrecipes.com. This is great for your non vegan friends as it is supposedly good on cheese & crackers and even just on toast.
Blueberry Wine Jelly
- 3 1/2 cups wine (any red wine but I used blueberry)
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice (I used bottled)
- 1 (2 ounce) package dry pectin
- 4 1/2 cups white sugar
A very successful weekend of freebies at the malls: how did it happen? November 9, 2009
Posted by thefrugalvegan in General Content & Rants.add a comment
This weekend proved to be a successful one of freebies & deals & it wasn’t even something I did on purpose. I ventured over to the mall as I had to get some thermal shirts that my partner loves so I decided to get a few more for him for Yule. Lucky for me they were on sale for less than 50% off so I bought two which came out to less than the price of one even with tax. yay!
I noticed that a department store was having a scratch and save and lots of sales though I didn’t need anything but still ventured in. I got a sample of some men’s cologne my partner likes but is almost out of, then I found a table with free coffee and cookies. I was hungry so this was perfect timing. Then I left as I didn’t want to be tempted to purchase anything.
I headed to Banana Republic and scored 6 samples of their various men’s colognes. I just wanted one kind but she decided to give them all to me..sure! I will be adding these in my friends’ Yule gift bags. They are not liquid samples though. They are cards with a paper sheet that you can rub on yourself for the scent.
I walked into a drugstore just to browse. I decided to chat with the sales lady and we chatted about perfumes and make up. Although she did not have a sample of what i wanted, I got one that was even better; a mini size of DiorShow Masacara, one I haven’t tried yet and was dying to but did not want to spend the money! woohoo!
I then walked into a fancy department store to look for a perfume I like but don’t want to spend money on right now, just wanted to spray it on. I didn’t ask for the sample but decided to chat with the woman about that scent and others and in the end she still gave me two samples of the one I like, which means I don’t have to buy it yet. The samples will last me a month or so!
I had to go to The Body Shop to pick up a body scrub as I am giving my partner a “coupon” for a free body scrub for his birthday. He likes it when I do facials, masks and scrubs on him and has been asking me for a long time so I decided to make a coupon for him as a gift and buy a nice scrub to do it. I got a free hand scrub/massage with the product and a full size Vitamin E body butter (worth $20) as well as samples for facial serum, two foundations and a sample of their new love lotion. All these to be added to Yule gift bags.
I scored about 15 free things Saturday.
Sunday I headed to an even bigger mall but I ended up not sticking around too long. Two malls in two days is just too much for me, even one mall in a month is too much 
I love Lush so this is the first store I went into. I love seeing what new products they have as it gives me ideas on what I can recreate at home. I settled on a bath bomb with pop rocks in it because I thought it was a neat idea. I inquired about a few more products and received a free sample of hair pomade for a friend of mine who is picky about hair stuff and a sample piece of one of their bubble bars which I want to try for my Dollarstore vs Luxury series.
The only other store I visited was a department store, also looking for some fragrances to test out. For some reason, the woman figured out that I was French too and was extremely generous with me, giving me 5 X 8ml samples of various men’s colognes. WOW! I am not sure how she figured out that I am French, she just said something to me and I responded then was a little shocked that she knew I understood her given the fact that we live in an english province. Maybe I do have an accent….lol
All and all I received 20+ samples of goodies for my Yule gift bags! This is a great time of year to get free things and samples as every company is trying to push their products. Remember not to be pushy and be polite and get samples that you are interested in, not just things that you want to get for free because it’s free. 
Filling up that Holiday Stocking for free! November 6, 2009
Posted by thefrugalvegan in General Content & Rants, Holidays.add a comment
We all love stockings. Up until just a few years ago my mom would still give me one and it had always been my favourite gift to open. Stockings don’t have to cost anything and are supposed to be filled with small trinkets and goodies, not things like $50 gift cards and ipods people!! Remember when we used to get clementines in there? What happened with that? I don’t have kids so I don’t have to fight with anyone regarding the contents of a stocking, but sometimes parents have to put their foot down, too many kids are spoiled rotten these days, it’s awful. Here are some things you can get for free, but plan early!
*If you happen to go to trade shows or conventions, you can always get free things there. Have a look around. I usually go to a Health Show every year and get a free goodie bag with things in it.
*Go to freebie sites, start collecting early and keep a box set aside for them. There are SO MANY free things to be had out there from big companies. A few years ago I kept a box with all the freebies I got just to see how full it would get. Over the course of a several months it was filled with things like books, cards, samples of makeup or soap, shampoos, cleaning products….amazing.
*Craft Shows. Right around the holidays there are a lot of craft shows. Some crafters give out free samples of things that you can keep and set aside. (like soap pieces for example)
*If you are planning to spend money on some holiday gifts, look for items that you get something free with purchase. This time of year that’s easy! Use the free gift for a stocking.
*Best Buy gives you a gift card if you trade in an old cellphone. So dig out that dinasaur phone of yours and bring it it!
*Cash in credit card points or airmiles for free gift cards, magazine subscriptions, video rentals or movie tickets. They often don’t cost a lot of points.
*My drugstore often has deals where if you purchase a certain amount, you can get a free gift card of some sort. It is usually movie tickets or coffee cards. I rarely go in and spend $40 in one shot, so sometimes I wait till I need something big or lots of things then make a big trip so I can get the freebie.
*Make some cool Rock Candy! Most people have sugar in their pantry, so follow this recipe: http://candy.about.com/od/hardcandyrecipes/r/rock_candy.htm
*Go to a department store and ask for samples of perfume and make up. Maybe get a free makeup application while you are there
*PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has a lot of free stuff to give away like stickers and booklets. Check out their website for all the freebies. www.peta.org
*Print out some free Baking and Cooking E-books here: http://www.preparedpantry.com/baking-guides.htm or some other independent books can be found here that are free, http://www.ebook88.com/shelf.html or do a search for free ebooks online.
*Make Compilation CDs with the recipient’s favourite music or a new band that they may not have heard of yet. Myspace.com has tons of free indie music that can be downloaded from upcoming artists!
*I don’t recommend eating at fast food places, but sometimes they will give away free trinkets for children, even crayons and a colouring sheet or book. I’ve seen people just come in and not buy anything and ask for a toy for their child.
*Make candy or caramel apples! Most of us have sugar and apples at home or this time of year you can probably still get some for free from farmers. http://www.allfreecrafts.com/halloween/candy-apples.shtml You can use recycled chopsticks to put in the apple. The caramel ones aren’t vegan but you can replace some of the ingredients to make it vegan!
*Make a free printable calendar for kids that they can colour in: http://familycrafts.about.com/od/calendars/a/2010calendars.htm
*Have a swap or exchange with friends of items that you no longer want or things that you want to re-gift. This can include clothing, gadgets, handmade crafts, bath & body items (un-used), kids’ toys…
Good luck!
‘Tis the season: Not giving into deals & ways to save on holiday purchases November 5, 2009
Posted by thefrugalvegan in Holidays.add a comment
Alright so it’s the beginning of November. We’re already starting to see holiday themed things in stores everywhere and online. It’ s like all stores are screaming out to me “DEALS! DEALS! DEALS! PLEASE BUY ME!!” knowing that we all love a good deal, it’s hard to pass up sometimes.; all those pretty packages with all kinds of nice goodies in it! *eyes gleaming*
You’ll start seeing everything from “Buy one get two free” deals to Value Packages on make up, perfumes and other popular items. There are good deals to be found everywhere and sales people (or maybe even just the display) will make you believe that you need it, want it or just HAVE to have it. Trust me, those purchasing devils are with me too; I understand how hard it is to walk away from it all. Here are a few things you can do to avoid such unnecessary purchases:
*Stay out of stores altogether unless you need something. Make a list of things you need if you go into the store and stick to the list. If things on your list is on sale, great, stock up but otherwise, get out as fast as you can when you’re done
*Ask yourself if you really NEED it. “Oooooooooh that make up set is only $50 but it’s worth $150!” Ok, do you have makeup at home already that you’re using? Do you really need $50 worth of it? Probably not. If you can split this up between 10 people on your list, then maybe it’s ok.
*If you’re tempted with a very good deal, like one of those value sets, perhaps you can split it up between a few people for gifts. Say you see a package of 5 pillar candles in a set and you did plan on getting candles for a few friends. Get the box but split it between people instead of giving all the candles to one person.
*If you must shop online, get coupon codes at Retailmenot.com or other coupon code sites. It’s best to get coupons which have free shipping or a dollar amount or percentage off your total purchase. Getting a free lipstick with purchase isn’t going to save you anything unless you planned on giving a lipstick to someone on your list. Don’t buy online unless you find a coupon either.
* Instead of going to stores looking for gifts for people (sometimes we think that something will catch our eye for a certain person if we don’t know off-hand what to get them), look through weekly flyers instead. You’ll be less tempted to buy things this way but still be able to look. The flyers will have sale-items listed as well which will help you save. Most flyers have digital versions as well which can be found on a merchant’s website.
*If you end up purchasing something where you get a free gift, save the free gift and give it to someone else. Also ask for samples of things from merchants as they can be used for stocking- stuffers!
*If you purchase something online, make sure that you don’t get caught with duty charges if you are shopping cross-border. This happened to me before and I ended up spending more than I could have imagined. Try getting products locally if possible but if you buy online and the store is not in your own country, email the company or federal customs officials to find out if duty charges will be applied to the item(s) in question.
*Stick to your list!! Don’t buy something you didn’t plan on buying. If you found something cheaper and better for someone, then it’s ok, but don’t add extras to your list. Stick to your budget as well. It’s good to make a budget. Make envelopes with cash in it for each person you are giving to. Let’s say you have a $25 limit on your child, then put $25 in it and go shopping with that, don’t pull out that credit card. If it’s more than $25 then don’t get it.
As a little extra tip here, I’ve noticed that the more gifts I buy for people, the more mad they are with me. I have been making most of my gifts for a few years now and when I don’t give as many handmade things one year, I get in trouble. Kind of nice for my wallet and it proves to me that I have amazing friends and family around. I’ve even given to someone who I find rather materialistic and was shocked that my handmade goods were very appreciated. Money can’t buy things like that because it comes from the heart.
Happy Shopping!
Super Fast & Frugal Easy Macaroni Tomato Dinner for 6 November 4, 2009
Posted by thefrugalvegan in Food Recipes, General Content & Rants.Tags: fast & cheap meal, frugal vegan macaroni tomato dinner for 6
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This is a recipe that was given to me by a friend. She used to eat this as a kid and now her own children request it! It’s the easiest thing to make, perfect if you want to feed 4-6 people but have little time or ingredients. My partner loves it too. You won’t regret it! I altered the recipe a bit by adding some nutritional yeast & soy ground but both are optional.
By not adding the soy or nutritional yeast, this costs about 40 cents a person (if feeding 6). I bought the noodles at the dollarstore and canned tomatoes at a discount store. I had a $1 off coupon for the Earth Balance too. If regular margarine is used, then it’s even cheaper but eating regular margarine is like eating plastic! yuk. If you add the soy and yeast it’s about 95 cents per person for 6 people.
1 454-500gr package of noodles (any kind, macaroni is good)
1/4 to 1/3 cup Earth Balance Margarine (Lots of margarine is the key)
1 28oz can of diced tomatoes
1 pkg of soy ground (optional)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Cook noodles until “al dente”. Add all other ingredients, stir and serve. That’s it! This won’t take longer than 15-20mins to make. I had it for dinner one night and enough leftover for 5 work lunches! It’s really nice comfort food
Create a fancy ambience for your party: Floating candles & petals November 3, 2009
Posted by thefrugalvegan in Frugal Entertainment.Tags: floating candles and petals in bathtob or bowl, frugal fancy ambience for a party
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Floating Candles & Petals in Bathtub/Glass Bowl for parties
If you are having people over and would like to create ambiance, (assuming your bathtub is on
the same floor you’re hosting people) fill the bathtub with water, add a few drops of food
colouring if desired and place some fresh flower petals and floating candles in the bath. You
may also add some essential oils for scent. When guests walk into the washroom they will
be pleased!!
If you have a powder room without the bathtub, fill a glass bowl with water and do the same thing, place on the floor (out of the way!) or if it’s small enough, on top of the toilet tank with a cloth so it won’t slip
This is a really frugal way to set the mood for a party. Get flower petals for free at a flower shop as they often recycle or discard petals and flowers that can no longer be used to sell or make an arrangement.
Stock Photo
No Pectin Apple Jelly Recipe November 2, 2009
Posted by thefrugalvegan in General Content & Rants.Tags: frugal apple jelly, gifts in a jar, no pectin apple jelly recipe
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I had tons of cooking apples to use and planned on making apple sauce but changed my mind and decided to tackle apple jelly from scratch. These make great gifts! Here it is:
No Pectin Apple Jelly
About 5lbs of apples (more is fine, you’ll need at least 4 cups of juice)
4 cups water (add more water if you have more apples)
Chop apples in 4 and remove seeds and stems. Place in a large stockpot and add water. Cook on medium heat for about 40minutes until apples have mostly turned into mush. Line a large colander with a cheesecloth and strain apples. I place a large lid on top and something heavy on top of the lid to squeeze the juice out faster. Leave for a few hours to strain fully. Cover juice and refrigerate for several hours, the juice needs to be really cold before you begin cooking it. (I tried using it warm-ish and it didn’t set properly, so trust me on this one!)
To make jelly, use 3 cups of sugar per 4 cups of juice. Stir and cook until thermometer reaches 220 (jelly stage). Pour into hot sterilized canning jars and process it water bath for 10 minutes. Let cool overnight then store in cool dark place. An opened jar of jelly will last about 3 weeks in the fridge. Feel free to add cinnamon, cranberries or other spices to taste though I left mine plain this time.
*You may also buy fresh apple cider from the market and use that as well.
Happy Jelly Making!!!
Healthy Crockpot Pumpkin Butter Recipe (no refined sugar) November 1, 2009
Posted by thefrugalvegan in Food Recipes.Tags: crockpot pumpkin butter recipe
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Finally, I managed to make my pumpkin butter this weekend. This is my own recipe. I didn’t want to use any refined sugar in this and I ended up with a nice creamy tasty butter that isn’t too sweet but definitely full of flavour.
Healthy Crockpot Pumpkin Butter
8 cups pumpkin puree (I used fresh)
1 cup maple syrup
1 cup amber agave nectar
1 cup orange juice
1 Tbsp cinnamon
2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp vanilla extract
Place all ingredients except for vanilla in a crock-pot. Stir well. Cook on high for about 4-5 hours then on low for another 1-2hrs. You will end up with about 5 1/2 cups of butter after much of the liquid is absorbed. Make sure you mix every few hours and leave the lid off just a bit for the last few hours of cooking so more of the liquid can evaporate. Refrigerate overnight then add vanilla (just make sure butter is cool before adding the vanilla). Blend with a hand blender or food processor to make it smooth. Place in canning jars and freeze. This is good for one year in the freezer and about 3 weeks in the fridge.
Sesame Ginger Dragon Bowl Recipe October 29, 2009
Posted by thefrugalvegan in Food Recipes.Tags: sesame ginger dragon bowl
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While in Montreal I was at a vegan restaurant called Aux Vivres and enjoyed a tasty Dragon Bowl. After being back home a few days I was craving it and decided to recreate the dish last night. Here it is!
You’ll need:
*Cooked short grain brown nice
*Raw veggies, I used: shredded carrots and cabbage, broccoli & sprouts though you can use anything. Shredded beets & daikon radish are good choices as well. Feel free to add tofu!
Dressing (mix in a blender): (my recipe)
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp sesame oil
2 tsp freshly grated ginger
1 tsp nutritional yeast
4 Tbsp Tahini
1 heaping Tbsp agave nectar (you could probably use maple syrup too)
A splash or two of orange juice (maybe 2 tsp)
Place about 1 cup of hot cooked rice in a bowl, top with raw veggies and pour dressing on top & sprnkle with sesame seeds if you have them. That’s it! Very satisfying
