Tips on How to Freeze Foods

Susan Brannon

It can save a ton of time to triple your normal recipe, eat one and freeze the other two portions of your meals. You don't have to triple or double your recipe but you can save your excess foods in the freezer. You will want your food to taste delicious when it thaws.  If you don't store the food correctly, things just may not turn out right and you have lost your meal.

There are some basic guidelines to make your life easier, and help you to get the best results when freezing your foods.

• First you need to make sure that you have the right containers, bags or wraps that are designed for the freezer.  They are made to keep the moisture in, and the odors out.  Using regular sandwich bags or plastic wrap are not thick enough to do the job.

• Divide the food into small portions, to ensure rapid freezing and better quality.

• Make sure that the food is tightly wrapped or sealed and make sure that you have removed all the air from the container because if you don't it can "dry" things out and "burn" your food.  If you use a plastic container, make sure that you fill the entire container leaving room for expansion.

• Freeze the food as quickly as possible to minimize ice crystals. Wait for hot foods to cool down before freezing.

• When placing the food into the freezer, make sure that you leave room around the container, so the food will freeze evenly.  Once it is frozen, then you can stack it up.

• Label your food and date them using a sharpie marker so you know how long the food has been in there and if it is still good or not.

Liquids:  Freeze sauces and broths in freezer bags, laying them flat.  This will save space and will thaw faster.
Breads:  Make sure that the breads are sliced before freezing so you can take out the amount that you need at a time. 
Casseroles: You can line a casserole dish with foil, and freeze it in the container, then once it is frozen you can lift up the foil and re-use your casserole dish.  You can freeze already cooked casseroles, or uncooked.
To do pancakes you can separate them with wax paper before putting them in the freezer to prevent them from sticking.  It is great to cook more than you need and freeze them!

Tips on Finding That Job

Susan Brannon
31 August 2011

With the downfall of our economy, companies cutting back both employees and hours, or outsourcing jobs to other countries, it is no telling how long it will take to find a job.  You may land a job in a week, or 1 year.  You can look 24/7 and 365 days a week with no luck and without an interview.  Even temporary work services is down and not hiring.  There are over 16 million people looking for work.  You will need to be patient, do not take it personally, and stay persistent.

Adjust Your Mindset:

1)    Decide that you are going to get a job, and there are no other options.
2)    Spend as much time looking for a job, because this is your new job!  Spend more time on looking for that job, than you did in your previous job.
3)    Be willing to take something that is "beneath you"  This way you will stay connected in the workforce.
4)    Disregard the talk that no one is hiring!  Companies are always looking for productive solutions, new creative ideas, that create more money.
5)    Stay away from others who are unemployed, their attitude may creep up on you and you want to stay positive.  People can feel your energy, if you are down trodden, or up in spirits.  No one wants to hire or be around those who are depressed, maintain a positive attitude.
6)    Do not relay on your resume' to land you the job.  You are the person that will help you to land your job.
7)    Bypass the HR department, find the decision makers, keep your shoulders high, and head forward.

What you need to do:

1)    You need to develop a system for looking for a job.  Try not to focus on the results, but the system that you use.  Keep a list of where you have searched, including the dates and process.  I would suggest an excel sheet with columns;  When,Who, What, Contact, How, Response, and Notes
    When:  The date
    Who; list the company name
    What;  The job position; title
    Contact; name of person, phone number, email,
    How: Online or hand in resume'
    Response: An automatic email, a call, an interview
    Notes:  when you should follow up, and how...by a call or email.      Also include, notes about the company, their website etc... This     way if you land an interview, you can be prepared to research the company before going.

2)    Make sure that you are looking at places that fit your talents.  If you do not know accounting, don't apply for a bookkeeping job.  If you like people, apply for customer service positions.

3)    Don't waste your time online.  The number of people who find a job online is between two to five percent at the most.

4)    Tell everyone that you know, that you are looking for a job.  Send out mass emails; even if it is to someone that you hardly know.  Tell neighbors, friends of friends, the grocery store that you shop at...everyone.  It is not beneath you to let everyone know.

5)    Update your resume' (that is a given) and have a digital copy (pdf) and paper copies on hand at all times.  The average resume' is read in 10 seconds.  You need to hit the reader with your mouth and in person. 

6)    After sending your resume' follow up with a call and introduce yourself to the supervisor.  Ninety-eight percent of companies in the U.S. have fewer than 100 people working for them.  Contacting one of the managers is not hard to do.

Where to look:

With job freezes, hiring freezes, and layoffs that means (and we all know this) that the competition is tough.  You need to dig deeper, the quality of your job search skills becomes critical, your skills need to be better, you need to be aware of "career branding" and you must be strategic about approaching employers.

1)    Don't count on job boards.  I call them resume' black holes.  The data system hunts for "key words" relating to training skills, degrees and experience.  Even if you are a perfect match for the job, your resume' may never get to someone who could stand by your potential value.  Also, a vast majority of jobs are Not Advertised - online or anywhere.

2)    Tap into your Network find out about job leads, before they go public.  It is more important to know who knows you, than what you know.  Keep in touch with everyone, and keep them on their radar to gain access to job leads.  As I stated in a previous article: using LinkedIn to connect with a current employee with a company that you are interested in.

3)    Offer help to others:  For your contacts; pass along a tip or article to your network, it is like putting money in the bank.  Offer to give a lecture, a link to a website of interest.

4)    Blogs:  Find blogs relevant to your interest written by professionals, become a regular commenter.  This way you will not be judged by your resume' but your ideas and passions.  Once you have developed a rapport with a blogger, ask about career advice and job leads.

5)    Create "your brand" and develop and promote it:  Don't be modest.  Become an "expert", volunteer your skills for a community project, engage in an online forum, create a website, and yes...blog.

Don't get discouraged, in the meantime, find a way to earn money to get you by, offer house cleaning services, land a part time job, and remember that it is temporary until you find that job you really want.

Related Articles:

How to get a job using LinkedIn
LinkedIn Profile Tips
Job Search:  Don't Apply Online

Tips on How to Save $800 a Month!

Susan Brannon
7 August 2011

Here are some examples on how you can find that extra money to put towards your credit card debt.  Some of these examples may not seem like a lot, but if you add them together, they add up to enough to help pay down your high interest credit card debt.  If you can do all of the suggested tips, then you really can save up to $800.00 per month!  Saving is not easy, and requires persistence, endurance, and a strong will!  You will feel much better once you find the places to cut back, to help you pay off that credit card debt.

1)  Hang dry your clothes:  average for electric dryers is $.50 a load, for Gas $.25.  Lets say you wash 3 loads a week electric:  $1.50
                                            x 4         6.00 per/month

2)  Buy only one all purpose cleaner.  You do not need 10- Example: (aprox. values prices found on Netgrocer (I listed their cheapest prices)
glass cleaner - 3.85            Borax                 $5.15
floor cleaner - 4.49            Vinegar and Water
Bathroom/cleaner - 4.59         for glass and more!     .95
toilet cleaner -  3.19
total:          $16.12          Total                 $6.10

A savings of $11.00
Cleaners that Borax can do:
Ant repellent  5.39
carpet stain remover  $4.49
car wash cleaner  3.59
unclog drains   4.49
week killer     5.69

Total:        $23.65
Grand Total:  $39.77  every two months: $19.88 per month

Savings of:   $33.67

3)  Get rid of cable TV or switch to basic. $75.00 per/month (Comcast)
    Basic cost $20.00
Savings?  $55.00 per/month 

4)   Shop around for the cheapest car insurance.  You may find quite a savings out there! Example:  If your car is old and you do not get comprehensive: you can pay as low as $522 per year.
Premium plans cost anywhere from $1,000 per/year to $4,000 per year depending on your risk factors.  By shopping around, you may be able to save up to $500 per/year or more.  That is a $41.66 savings at minimum!  Some polices can save you up to 50%.

5)  Ask your mobile cell phone provider if they have cheaper plans for you.  They will be happy to assist you in finding a better plan, but you need to ask if when you change your plan, they add another year to your contract.  Then you need to weigh the value of adding another year to your provider.  If your contract is about to finish, shop around for better deals, the cost are competitive and you may find that you can save quite a bit on your cell phone bill. 
Example:
The average cost for a mobile phone is $50.00 per/month; Virgin mobile prepay is $25.00 per month for 300 talk minutes and unlimited data.  This is a $25.00 per month savings.

6)  Consider selling your car and buying a motorcycle...this saves on both insurance and on gas!  A motorcycle gets an average of 56 miles to the gallon.  The car gets an average of 25mpg.  At the current average cost of gas at $4.00 per gallon, that could end up with quite a savings!  Women can use motorcycles too, why not?  Example:  The average car holds 16 gallons of gas.  You use one tank a week at the cost of $64.00 per week.  You can drive 400 miles on that tank of gas.  With a motorcycle you can drive the same distance for $28.74.  That is a $36.00 per week savings! A savings of $144.00 per month (not including the insurance savings)

7)  Quit eating and buying all junk food.  Simply put, pre-made junk food costs more.
Example:  Healthy Choice Chicken with Rice at $2.95 a 15oz can.  Serves 2 people, but you will not get full and the product is all processed food and not really a full meal.
1 chicken (Organic) $6.99
bag of vegys (organic) $2.69
1 onion                  .50
Total               $10.18

Now, use this chicken and cook it in your crock pot, remove 1/2 of the chicken and put it in a pan, mix your vegetables and cut up onion, throw in a little rice (.69 16 oz)  That meal cost you: $6.68, BUT!  You will have more than one meal, you can use the leftovers for your lunch at work, and another dinner (for two)  Instead of getting just one meal, you now have 4 the real cost for you first meal (and the other three) is: $1.67

A savings of: $1.28  Now, you still have another 1/2 of a chicken to make another meal with as well.  If you cook at home, quit buying pre-made foods and junk foods, you really can cut your food bill.  If you spend $450.00 per month on food, you can reduce that cost down to $300.00  This is a $150.00 per month savings.

8)  Sack your lunches.  Simple.  When you cook your meals, as in the example in number seven, take the extras to work.  The average lunch is $7.00 per day the total per work week is: $35.00 per month: $140.00

9)  Go out for dinner only once a week - The average dinner for two including one drink is $50.00.  If you go out to eat three times a week you are spending $150.00 a week or $600.00 per month.  If you cut that down to once a week, you will save: $400.00 per month.  And...cut up your credit cards.

10)  Change to florescent bulbs (if you can stand it) Or go, High Intensity light:  Example:  a 60 watt light bulb cost the average of $6.81 per month to use.  A fluorescent bulb is $1.60 a HIL is $3.21

You have five 60 watt bulbs in your house:  that is $34.05 per month.  A florescent is: $8.00 per month  A Savings of: $26.05 per month.
HIL- $16.05 a Savings of $18.00 per month.

Total possible Savings per month from these changes is:  $867.59 per month!

Some of these ideas are in my 30 More Tips for Saving.  I just put the main ones that will be easier to focus on and to show, what you can really do.

Tips on Eating well and Inexpensive

Susan Brannon
26 July 2011
I just posted information on GMO foods encouraging all of you to stop eating their products.  (See links at end of article) But I know, we do not have any time and little money to make changes.  I decided to start including fast, healthy and inexpensive recipes on this blog.  They will be posted randomly as time goes along.  However, I think that I will at least post a few to get everything going.
First I must make a few suggestions:

• Go to the farmers markets around you.  It is the best way to ask if it is organic or not.  The prices are normally less and the produce last much longer and more fresh than the grocery stores.
• If you are lucky enough to live nearby farms, most of the times they offer specials on picking your own!  Spend a Saturday morning picking your own.  The produce should last you a week and cost less.
• Print and keep a list of the GMO food brands from a previous article.  This way you can keep track of what is what.  Normally, there are alternative choices.
• When shopping, try to shop only on the outer walls of the grocery store.  The stuff in the isles is normally the stuff that is not good for you.  You will find that after a while, you will hardly walk down the isles anymore!
• Find your local natural food store, but remember natural does not mean organic! Keep track of their sales and plan your menu around the sale items!  This way, you will not get stuck eating the same things every week, and you can buy the better quality foods for less.
• If you eat meat, do so only once a week.  Buy your meat at the natural food store.
• Eat more fish, if possible.  Combine your fish with either rice or potatoes to balance your proteins.
• Eat more grains, more and more grains.  Oatmeal, topped off with raisins and nuts in the morning, brown rice instead of potatoes.
• Make more vegetable dishes, they are healthier, less expensive and good.
• In the winter, cook soups.  Use your slow cooker, when you come home from work, your meal will be ready!

Related articles:

The Story About GM Seeds

Our Food System and GM Seeds

Labeling of GMO Food Products sign the petition

Bad Seed - the Dangerous Truth About Our Food (Video)

US against Europe over Monsanto GM Food Crops (Video)

Fake Foods Help Yourself with GM Treats!  (Video)

GM Food Brands 
How to Pay off Credit Card Debt and Live without Them!
Avocodo and Potato Salad (10 Minutes)
Best Vegetarian Chili Recipe