I remember hearing some buzz about this earlier in the season – but couldn’t pin it down until today. Apparently, there really is a national shortage of canned pumpkin. Libby’s Pumpkin has confirmed it on the Very Best Baking web site.
So it would be smart for you to count up now how many cans of [...]

Dimes 2 Vines has the directions for homemade baking mix (aka fake “Bisquick”).
I’m going to print this off and put in my cookbook shelf. I knew there were recipes available for this stuff, but hadn’t looked it up. I do occasionally make biscuits with baking mix.

Peg has posted Confessions of a Once a Month Cooking Drop-Out at Hillbilly Housewife.
I read a book on the Once a Month Cooking concept many years ago, and never did mess with it! I quickly gave that book away.
But Peg did learn some time-saving tricks along the way, so go check out her post.

Angel Food Ministries is a discount grocery purchase program that is open to anyone of any income level. There are several distribution points in southeast Michigan and northwest Ohio.
If you are one of my local readers, there are distribution sites in Monroe, Bedford Township and Dundee, Mich. Grocery orders can be placed on line at [...]

Here are some of the fun but frugal blog posts I’ve seen this week:

ABC Frugality: Decorating for Pennies Part II. She’s got some great tips that work for rental housing.
Wise Bread: 5 Quick Fixes to Salvage a Good Meal. I’ve done that leftover bread trick many times.
Make it From Scratch: A little girl’s headband. This [...]

What’s one way to avoid doing your own baking at Christmas?
Buy some goodies at a Christmas bake sale or cookie walk. Here’s the list of the Monroe, Mich., bake sales we have on file at The Monroe Evening News.
If you are capable of doing your own baking, this is not a money-saving tip. However, if [...]

Wal-Mart has issued a press release detailing how a family can assemble a Thanksgiving Day menu for $20. This information is a bit more relevant for my local readers in Monroe, Mich., than in previous years, because our Wal-Mart now has a grocery store!
The list:

One 12-pound Grade A turkey (when priced at 40 cents a [...]

With the increasing popularity of the de-cluttering and eco-friendly movements in recent years, I’m noticing an increased interest in food gifts at Christmas time.
Those who “have everything they want”, who live in a small home or apartment, or who are trying to reduce their physical impact on the environment, are usually not interested in the [...]

Do you shop at a Busch’s Fresh Food Market? There are several Busch’s stores in southeast Michigan including Carleton, Livonia, Ann Arbor and Farmington Hills.
In the grocery ad for Nov. 8-15, the store is introducing its Busch’s My Way program. You sign up and use either a registered bank card or a key tag or [...]

This post is for my readers in southeast Michigan and northwest Ohio:
The churches of Whiteford Township in Monroe County, Mich., have announced they will have free food on a “first come, first served” basis for any Ohio or Michigan resident during a distribution from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday Nov. 21 at Crossroads Community Church, [...]