Tips for Getting MORE and a Tony’s Pizza Giveaway!

Tony's PizzaI am  working on learning how to manage my household while stretching dollars and here are a few ways I’m doing that, that you can do too!

Get  MORE out of Food:

Every woman I know is trying to get more out of dinner these days, whether it’s more groceries for the dollar or more food in those groceries, or more meals out of that food.  It’s tough when we’re so tight on time–and money.  But if you can take a few minutes to plan out a solid menu you’ll actually save yourself time in the end.

Think about it.  How many times have you gone in the grocery store for a bag of shredded cheese and walked out with everything but that one ingredient you needed most?  Or, maybe you remembered the cheese but ended up with $100 worth of junk food that you really didn’t need because you were mindlessly throwing things in the cart without trying to put together a meal.  It happens to me all the time.

But it doesn’t have to happen if I simply make out a list and stick to it.  Seriously.  That’s not so complicated, is it?  You can even get the kids involved.  Make it a Sunday evening ritual if it helps.  Write down the meals you want for the week, what it takes to make them, and then stick to that list when you’re in the store shopping.  Having a list also could help you look for coupons you can use instead of aimlessly clipping and buying items simply because they’re on sale.

You can even come up with a couple meals made from the leftovers–possibly lunches the next day.  There are grocery shopping list templates all over the web if that makes it easier for you.  No matter how you choose to go about it, I highly suggest you get that list going soon.  It could make all the difference.

Get MORE around the House:

I am always thinking of ways to reuse things we might normally discard.  I really don’t need to hold on to the container the strawberries come in or the little plastic paper clip containers, but I do. I do a pretty good job at finding some way to reuse containers.  For example, Strawberry containers make really good marker and crayon holders and paper clip containers make good boxes for nails and other small items.  How do you reuse every day household items?

Get  MORE from your money:

Saving money can be hard.. but even doing small things like shutting doors quickly when it’s cold outside and not letting the water run, can save a considerable amount of money on your water, electric, and gas bills.  Also, consider turning the TV off a couple of days a week. Make two days a week “No TV Day”.  You’ll be amazed at the things your kid’s find to do.  Maybe they’ll play outside, make up a few games, or clean their rooms! That last one was a joke. 😉  Turning off the TV just two days a week will save money on your electric bill.  You’ll see a difference.

Do you need  MORE out of every day life?

One lucky winner will receive a $500 Visa gift every day – to put towards anything they want – you could put this towards your grocery bill every week for a month!  This giveaway is not hosted by TheMommyInsider.com.
Visit Tony’s Pizza 99 Days of More website to enter for a chance to win every day!

GIVEAWAY – Win a full value Tony’s Pizza Coupon!

Tell us what your most savvy household tips are in the comments below and we will choose the two most creative comments to receive a full value coupon for any Tony’s Pizza product.  Yum!  Give yourself a break and let Tony’s Pizza foot the bill for a night.

Entries accepted through March 16th.  Open to U.S. residents, 18+.

Extra entries:

Disclosure:  This giveaway is being provided by Tony’s Pizza as part of my participation in their 99 Days of More Program.  I am a Tony’s Pizza Brand Ambassador through a compensated Mom Bloggers Club member program.

Alicia Hagan, Mom Blog editor

65 thoughts on “Tips for Getting MORE and a Tony’s Pizza Giveaway!

  1. When I make chicken stock out of leftover parts I freeze them in those hillshire farm lunchmeat containers and freeze them. They are perfect portions for adding to soups, gravies, etc.

  2. tip- when wanting to core your lettuce with no muss and in 1 second just slam it hard with the core side hitting into the counter and instantly your lettuce is de-cored! Works every time!

  3. If you need to clean the dried, baked-on food out of your microwave, fill a microwave-safe mug or cup with water and heat for at least two minutes. The steam will loosen the food and you will not need to use chemical sprays to clean it.
    Thank you for the giveaway!

  4. pour vinegar on the garbage when you put it out by the road, it will keep the animals from getting into it and making a huge mess

  5. I do laundry every morning , so I can have my weekends free.
    I cook most of my week night dinners on Sunday , so i only have to reheat them after work.

  6. I make my own spray starch: 1 heaping tablespoon corn starch and 2 cups water. I use the blender to make sure there are no lumps and then pour into a spray bottle. Make sure you use one with a mist option. Shake between sprays. Keep in the fridge for up to one week.

  7. I freeze yogurt in their containers and then place popsicles sticks in them. Once frozen, remove the container and boom! You have a perfectly healthy, creamy popsicle 😀

  8. Whenever I have leftover pork chops, I cut the up in bite size pieces and add then to my Marinara sauce for pasta.

  9. When ground beef is on sale, buy the largest package(s) you can find. Immediately when you get home, prep the meat for many different meat entrees.

    Take half of the meat and make your standard meatloaf mix with bread or cracker crumbs, eggs, chopped onion, bell pepper, and celery, dried onion soup mix and other seasonings or ingredients as desired. From the meat loaf mixture, make 1/3 of the meat into a large meatloaf, another 1/3 into mini-meatloaves, and the last 1/3 into meatballs. Place meat items into different freezer bags, label and date bags, and place them into freezer.

    Take the other half of the plain ground beef and saute it with chopped onion, chopped, bell pepper, and chopped celery. When meat is finished cooking, drain and discard grease from the meat. Divide meat into 4 dated and labeled freezer bags for: tacos, stroganoff, spaghetti sauce, and sloppy joes. When you are ready to cook those entrees just add the meat mixture to the appropriate sauces or seasonings and your entree is almost done.

  10. A good way to make sure you have extra money for unexpected expenses is to always round your checkbook up to the next dollar on purchases. Like if you spend $3.45 and round it up to $4.00 eventually you will have a nice cushion in your account! Thanks!

  11. sometimes we save the remains of oranges and lemons from squeezing fresh lemonade or orange juice.. then we boil them for 20 minutes with cinnamon sticks as a natural air freshener.

    crc123(at)live(dot)com

  12. I clean for 15 minutes everyday, Monday-Friday. I chose a different room and only focus on a particular task. If I don’t have a schedule, I might clean too much! 😉

  13. Air conditioning the entire house used to cost us tons of money every summer. 2 years ago I was at a yard sale and bought a small window AC (perfect condition and it was only $1!). We put that in the window of the den and don’t run the central air anymore. We only really need AC in the den because we can eat, play, use the computer and watch tv in there. We can even sleep in there if we feel like it. Doing this has saved us over $100/month off our electric bill and I think other families could do it too. Best $1 I ever spent.

  14. i buy most of my cleaning products and trash bags at the dollar store… they have name brand items and good quality items for so cheap!

  15. Place dryer sheets in your shoes after a few uses before you throw them out, this will help with the smell and less static cling in with your socks.

  16. I get a fresh scent in the house by putting a dryer sheet over the vents sometimes. It gets a nice scent in the air of the whole house.

  17. i use rags on my swiffer, toss em in the laundry when i’m done. i get rag bags at goodwill, (like$2 for 15 rags)use a sharpie to make a mark, so those rags are only floor rags. i am saving space in the landfills and keeping more chemicals out of my house b/c i use a lemon and vinegar solution on my floors, cleans great and leaves a good smell. the vinegar smell fades right way, the lemon smells good all day. i use good old murphy’s wood oil soap on the hardwoods.
    tattgiff at centurytel.net

  18. I keep a large bin in my bedroom for garage sale we have once a year. I add stuff to it constantly. That way the house doesn’t become cluttered & my child doesn’t have clothes in her room that are too small.

  19. Make your own laundry detergent! We found an easy recipe, and we now wash our clothes for just pennies a load. Much more thrifty than paying for name brand liquid or powdered detergent (or even store brand).

  20. I have a chore sheet that everyone in the house gets a chore a day to do. I feel if everyone helps out than the house stays clean.

    1. Great idea SaraLee. I’ve tried chore charts before but we never stick to them. Now that my kids are a little older, 11 and 4, maybe I should try again?

      Alicia

  21. Save to make soup those odds and ends of vegetables, meats that are too small for another serving rather than throwing them out. Just put them in a resealable plastic bag in your freezer, adding to it as you have opportunity to, until you have enough to make soup with! Very healthy and frugal! jgs0925(at)gmail(dot)com

  22. It can be so exhausting to do all the housecleaning in one day. So, what I do is one small area a day and clean something up right away that I see dirty, dusty, etc. By keeping on top of everything at all times, I don’t feel like I’m really cleaning.

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