Homemade bread crumbs

Do you have breads that are about to expire?? Don't waste your money by throwing them...!!!
You can actually make bread crumbs from these old breads. Bread crumbs are used for coating or topping. Here's my recipe on how to make bread crumbs at home:

10 slices of Old breads
2 tablespoon of olive oil
a pinch of oregano
a dash basil
2 tablespoon of Parmesan cheese
salt + pepper

Blend all these together and bake for 10 mins on a 300F

When I make Mac & Cheese, I love to put homemade bread crumbs for topping...yumm!!

Get rid of the borders

Homemade drainer and it works :)

Don't you just hate while you're taking a shower and water just won't drain properly? I feel so disgusted just because my feet and legs are already cleaned. Few days ago, my shower tub won't drained. So i figured there was definitely something that caused it to clogged. The worst part is that my husband wasn't around so I had to search around to figure out how to resolve this problem. Thankful I found across something online. So I want to share this cool procedure with you. Here's what you need:

1 cup of baking soda
2 cups of vinegar
Boiling water

First pour the baking soda around the ring of the drain. Then start pouring the vinegar 1/2 cup, you'll see a bubbling reaction and keep pouring another 1/2 cup and so on. Doesn't this procedure remind you of elementary science experiment?? I love it :) After you finished pouring the vinegar, pour the boiling water.

This should remove all the grease from shampoo and soap. Once the grease have been removed all the hair that stuck in there should also be swiped away. Sometimes you might need to repeat this procedure two to three times. I used this procedure for my dishwasher too.
Well Good Luck!!

Frustrated because fresh herbs go bad so quick??

How long does fresh herbs last? couple days or a week max...
Well... I have a solution. Some of my dishes required fresh herbs such as Italian Parsley, Cilantro, Spring Onion, bell peppers, etc...
I lean this tip from my mom. I normally buy herbs but I don't used them.. so what should I do with the remaining? trash it? Well... I feel guilty throwing things out and I try not to. But seriously can fresh herbs stay fresh for 2 weeks? I don't think so. So my mom share me her solution. What she does with her herbs, she cleaned and kept them on ziploc or any plastic bag and then store them in the freezer. Just don't forget to label them. This will keep the herbs for a long time and you don't have to feel bad for throwing them out. 
I usually buy red and green bell peppers at a discount price and slice them into 1/2 inch and keep them in the freezer. A red bell pepper can cost more than $2.00/lb...it's insane!! But when they are on sale, you can find them for about $.49/lb. Can you compare the price difference?? So I really take advantage when they go on sale. I mean could by a can/jar of bell pepper but I found the taste a bit different. Many of my dishes requires fresh bell pepper so I really need to have them fresh and not from a can or jar.

Well... I hope this help you...remember saving money is very crucial.
Good Luck!!

Credit Card rewards and financial tips

Does anyone take advantage of rewards/points when using any of your credit cards??
Well I know I do. Honestly, we hardly carry cash nowadays. Most places accept credit card or debit card so why bother carrying cash, right??? I have received $$ cash, merchandise and gift cards just by swiping my card each time i purchase something. Some credit cards companies will give you up to 3x points on a particular item. Isn't it awesome?? Yesterday I just redeemed $150 Visa Card from one of my credit card. Before signing up with a credit card just double check if they'll give you rewards/points for every dollar you spent.

My husband and I only own 2 different credit cards. Don't have too many credit card because it'll be confusing and dangerous for you. Before opening a credit card, please read thoroughly the agreement. You should not agree to any credit card that will charge you an annual fee. If you have an excellent credit, normally they'll offer you with a 0% APR for 12 month (take advantage of this!!). Since you're not getting finance fee for 12 months, pay the amount that you can afford for that month. But please be careful... just because you have the ability to make a minimum payment without interest, it doesn't mean you can spent lots and lots of money. This is absolutely wrong, because after that 12 months is up then you might ended up paying a variable finance fee which can range to 15%, 19 and as high as 25%. The way I do it, I make a minimum payment for the first couple months and as my debt gets larger I start to increase my payment. Towards the end of the period, normally 4-3 months, I divide the debt amount and start paying them off... of course I have to consider my monthly budget. After the 12 period is up, I make sure that all my debt is paid off. I try not to pay finance fee ever.

Unfortunately, there are people out there who have debts on several credit cards. My advice is to sit down and analyze the credit card statements. Review which credit cards give the highest interest rate. The ones that gives the highest, you should try to pay them off immediately...pronto!! There is another option, most credit cards offer transferable balance with lower interest rate. If your current credit card is charging you 16% finance fee and another credit card company is offering 0% APR for 12 months and 3% transferable balance, boy you should take it. Let's do the example:

Debt 10,000

Bank A.
16% APR finance fee
10,000 X 16%/12 = $133 paying only interest itself
Say you'll pay $300 for this month ($133 int & 167 principal)
debt decrease to $19,700
9,700 X 16%/12 = 129
Following month make a payment of $300 ($129 int & 170 principal)

Bank B.
0% APR finance fee for 12 months
3% transferable balance
10,000 X 3% = 300
You'll pay $300 for transferring your debt and you will not be charge interest for 12 periods.

As you can see, Bank B will save you some money. On the other hand, you'll be paying interest all year long with Bank A.
So when you have lots of debt on your credit cards maybe try to seek help by consolidating them. Find a right financial institution that will help you and give you the affordable rate.
Do your research and calculation before you do anything.

Remember signing up a credit card every year is not really good as well for your credit.

Good Luck with your financial!

Save money on Fabric Softeners

You know those sheet fabric softener can be very expensive. Especially in this economy I feel like every time I go to the supermarket all the products' prices keep increasing. Here is a way you can save money on fabric softeners.
I normally buy my favorite liquid fabric softeners. I also bought a plain sponge (without scrub). I pour the liquid fabric softener in a container bowl then soak the sponge in it. Squeeze the liquid out off the sponge. Then just throw the sponge in along with your clothes inside the dryer.
This method should save you a lot of money. I hope this will be helpful to you guyz!
Ciao

Homemade Carpet Oder remover and Fresh Scent

I stop buying commercial brand to clean my carpet. Currently I am using my homemade Carpet odor remover when vacuuming. It gives me a fresh scent all over my house. I love it and I feel my house is way much better. Here is the recipe for my homemade:

1/2 cup baking soda
1 tablespoon of vinegar
10 drops of essential oil (you can find it at Walmart and the come in different kinds of scents)

You mix everything and just drop a little bit before you vacuum your carpet. Vinegar helps remove tough odor. The best thing about the essential oil is that I can choose any scents I like. This homemade is way cheaper than the commercial brand. Give it a try, let me know how it goes.

Good Luck!!

Homemade Dishwasher Detergent

So i was curious about people saying that the homemade dishwasher detergent works.
I tried making them myself at home and I used commercial brand as well...Yes both still give the white film and if you don't clean those dishes with a sponge prior to the dishwasher, you'll end up with dirty dishes (eeww..). I mean I'd probably stick with hand washing them. But when I do get lazy, I probably use dishwasher. So far this is the best recipe that works for me with my homemade dishwasher detergent:

1 cup washing soda
1 cup borax
1/2 cup kosher salt
store it on a container and don't forget to label it.

You'll only need 1/2 teaspoon + 2 squirts of dish wash detergent for each load and
1 squirt of dish-wash detergent for the pre-wash

couple drops of vinegar for the jet dry

Let me know how yours work out...thanks.

Good luck!

Garlic Paste save time + money

I used to buy garlic cloves but they only last for 2-3 weeks... max. Most of the time i found myself throwing the spoiled garlic. My mother in law thought me something very cost and time efficient when handling garlic. Seriously, I used to hate cooking because I hate the fact that I have to peel garlic...hahaha ever since I learn this technique, it had made my life so much easier in the kitchen.
At the Asian market H-Mart they normally sell big container of fresh garlic. It cost me about $10. But really I used it for months and months... This is how you do it. I blended about 1/4 and add water as they needed to get the blender rolling. The rest of the garlic, I freeze them. Once they are blended, just put them in a jar and keep it in the refrigerator. Make sure to close the jar real every time you use it.
My husband loves to use garlic on his rice... so garlic paste is very essential in our kitchen.

Good luck!!

$250 monthly groceries + others expenses for two adult

How do you spent $250 monthly on groceries and other supplies??
It's actually pretty simple but you need to invest couple hours from your busy lives to write down biweekly menus. Cook more delicious food and cut down on eating out. Here's how we do it in our house. We decided to do our shopping biweekly because it gives us less temptation to buy things. My husband told me that I just love buying things even if it is unnecessary. Most of the time I buy things because I started to image things that I'd cook or use them, but at the end I ended up storing them. And few months later, I found them and saw that they have expired...oh boy... :( This is dangerous for your pocket!!!
So anyways, started from the beginning of September 2011 I sat down with my husband and we brainstormed all dishes we liked. By doing this you can simply choose dishes that share same ingredients and food you love too. This is my 1 week example:
**Recipes & pictures will be posted soon** check it out at "Food & Life" blogg
Week 1:
Monday
Lunch - Tuna Melt Sandwich
Dinner - Chicken Mustard
Tuesday
Lunch - Chicken Mustard (left over from yesterday's dinner) & Salad w/ homemade honey mustard dressing
Dinner - Pork with Bacon
Wednesday
Lunch - Pork with Bacon
Dinner - Peruvian beef stir fry (Lomo Saltado)
Thursday
Lunch - Peruvian beef stir fry
Dinner - Chicken microwave with Ensalada Rusa
Friday
Lunch - Chicken microwave with Ensalada Rusa
Dinner - Fried stake w/ french fries & Egg & Salad
Saturday
Lunch - Fettuccine Alfredo with ham
Dinner - Chicken sandwich
Sunday
Lunch - Fried Korean wings serve w/ rice or potato
Dinner - The same dish but serve with either or again.

We love drumsticks, so we buy 14 pieces at the commissary for $3.95. If you're not in the military then you can find really cheap chicken at the Asian supermarket such as H-Mart. They are like $.75/lb I normally cook for 4 pieces for each meal. So we'll eat 2 pieces for dinner and the left over we eat for lunch. I also buy ice berg lettuce, carrot, cucumber, tomato and mushroom. to make my own salad. I also make my own dressing. Additionally, I think it's really good idea to invest on break maker machine and bread flours, if your family love eating bread.
These foods are really fantastic so you won't even think about going out to eat. trust me! They are so easy to make and quick. The most important to cook a delicious meal so you and your family will enjoy it.