Jessica Smartt, Author at Humorous Homemaking

20 Frugal Real-Food Chicken Dinner Recipes

Post by Contributing Author, Jessica Smartt from Smartter Each Day

Do you like chicken but don’t want to break the bank? Read on for some yummy AND FRUGAL real-food chicken dinner recipes!

Y’all, there are some things I don’t mind spending money on. Every five years, I have an absolute breakdown and go spend some major birthday money on clothes that fit the body I actually have at that point. Also, date nights…Even if our budget gets very tight, we will scrimp and save to spend time together – eating, most likely. Because date nights together are that important.

But I will tell you something I do NOT like to splurge on.

It’s chicken, y’all. Whenever I see meals calling for prosciutto, and two and a half large chicken breasts PER PERSON, stuffed with some rare French cheese and umpteen fresh herbs…I click that ol’ browser shut as fast as I can. I’m sure it’s delicious, but I cannot afford to serve every member of my family three pounds of chicken in one sitting! No way. [Read more…]

25 Things I Buy At the Dollar Store

I used to be embarrassed to shop at the dollar store. I thought it was for old folks and people who just hadn’t gotten the great news about Target yet.

I’ve changed my tune, however, and today I’m sharing 25 items I love to swipe up at the Dollar Store. Before I get started, a few disclaimers:

Don’t go hog-wild and buy everything at the Dollar Store, just because it’s “a dollar.” I learned this lesson during my coupon days, too. Ooo, bubble gum scented air fresheners are only $.34 cents a can! I’ll take them all! Even though “$1.00” sounds good, it’s still pricey for some items, so just use your head, and don’t buy things you don’t need or use.
Not all Dollar Stores are created equal. In my region, I like the Family Dollar and the Dollar Tree. But there are some dollar stores that oughta be ashamed of themselves. Cluttered, messy shelves, half-made, chincy items…So judge your own store for yourself.
I’m not saying that these buys are the lowest deal you’ll ever, ever find in your whole life. If you are a super-shopper, a clearance-aisle master, an expert Amazoner like Stacy, you may have better deals for some of these things. I’ve never been a professional shopper who has my pulse on when nail clippers are on clearance for the lowest price of the season. I have two kids, I’m pregnant, I run a blog, I manage my son’s allergies, and I homeschool.

Shopping just isn’t my side job. [Read more…]

Save Money On Heating Costs (Without Freezing Your Bottom Off)

Here’s how I know I’m getting older:

I keep finding these frizzy, gray hairs. I’m only 32, y’all!! Is this normal??
Also, I the other day I found myself daydreaming about horticulture, and longing to visit some flower museum to admire all the species of flowers, which for most of my life have been very boring!
Finally, I constantly say, “Is there a draft in here? I’m freezing. Are you freezing?”

But seriously, y’all. It IS C.O.L.D. here. This is North Carolina. I didn’t sign up for 16 degree (F) wind chill!!

If you’re like me, when you get that heating bill in the mail, you cringe and wonder if they put the decimal in the wrong place. No one wants to spend $500 a month just to stay warm! Do they?? How to save money on heating costs is a constant question in the winter. Let’s go through some good options.

Keeping the thermostat low can definitely save you money. Some estimate that lowering it by 3-4 degrees can you save you about 10% a month. But once you’ve turned that thermostat down, how can you stay warm? Here are my tips to stay warm in a freezing cold house, without being miserable and freezing your you know what off. [Read more…]

Homemade Photo Gift (For The Un-Crafty)

Need a frugal Christmas gift? I have a great little craft for you today!

But wait!!!! Come back!! If you don’t bleed sparkles and glitter or needlepoint in your sleep, have no fear! Anyone can do this!

How do I know that? Oh, because I’m the most un-artsy mom God ever made. If you don’t believe me, look at my living room. I can cook. I can blog, I can remain calm when someone throws up on me (which truly is a skill to be noted). But crafts? And decorating? And scrap-booking? Oh, stop! Just stop.

Y’all, if I say this is easy, it’s easy. And it turned out great! [Read more…]

20 Delicious, Whole Food Meals To Serve A Crowd

I had way too much fun compiling this post. Also, I got way too hungry. Does anyone else need a snack while they’re browsing Pinterest? Anyone else? Delicious whole food meals perfect to serve a crowd – who doesn’t want that?! But I’ll tell you one thing…

Hosting a large group of people may be fun, but it is not always easy!

I mean, I’m great at cooking, and I’m great at being friendly. But being friendly while I’m cooking. Oh, man. My brain is just not big enough for those two tasks at the same time.

That’s why these meals, in addition to being super-yummy, and whole-foods, require most of the work to be done earlier in the day, so you can focus on your guests. No one wants to make small talk while whisking a demi-glace reduction for a dozen people, do they?

As promised, here is my list of twenty delicious, whole food meals to serve a crowd:

[Read more…]

Homemade Popcorn With Chocolate, Cherries and Sea Salt

A few months ago, Stacy introduced me to More Than Alive, and mentioned that she often reviews their products. Would I be interested, she wondered, in choosing a product from More Than Alive to review?

Um, let me think about that.

Yes!

I started browsing their site, and got really distracted by all those awesome water filtration systems. One day, that super-duper Big Berkey will be mine.

After I tore myself away from the water filter section, I stumbled on the organic yellow popcorn. [Read more…]

How To Host a Style Swap: A Fun, Frugal Way to Get New Clothes

A lot of things have fallen by the wayside since entering the world of Motherhood. I have no idea what songs are in, what shows are on…and I certainly don’t have time or money to keep up with every random fashion. Generally, I’m fine with these things. I knew what I signed up for. But every once in a while, a girl looks in her closet, and just wishes for some new clothes. Can I get an “amen”? Enter: The Style Swap.

[Read more…]

Crock Pot Southwest Chicken and Rice Chowder

The first time I ate Southwest Chicken Chowder, I’m pretty sure I cried because it was so wonderful.

I’m not usually this dramatic about my dinner, but at the time, I was three days post-partum with my second son, exhausted, weepy, and starving. And this yummy chowder was a gift from my friend, Kate, who knows that bringing dinner to a new mom is about #3 on the list of “Nicest Things You Can Do for Anyone.”

I have made this many times since then. I don’t always shed tears of joy eating it, but almost. I love that this dish is yummy and allergy-friendly, as we manage multiple food allergies. It’s perfect for rainy days, cold days, hot days, basically any day you need dinner. Which here, is every day. We do not skip dinner. [Read more…]

12 Essential Items For Your Emergency Stockpile

Nerdy confession…Emergencies sort of invigorate me. Tornado warnings are the most exciting. I jump into action, insulating the closets with pillows and craning my neck out the window to spot funnel clouds.

Nevertheless, it’s overwhelming to think about preparing my family for emergencies. I tend to struggle with anxiety anyway, so I sort of hyperventilate when I think about what we’d do for my asthmatic, food-allergic son without power or safe foods!

And there are so many questions:

What kind of emergencies do I need to prepare for? Earthquake? Stock market crash? Apocalypse?
What supplies and food do I need, and how much?
How do I store it all?
Can I stockpile on a budget? [Read more…]