It might pay off for you to review all your insurance rates and do some comparisons and research your options. If you don’t see any better rates, check with your provider to see if you are not missing some discounts. Most companies offer discounts for multi-line discounts so if you have your car insurance with one provider and your property insurance with another, changes are that you are missing on saving some money. Ask them if it would be an advantage for you to do things like increasing your deductible or removing collision coverage on older vehicles.

• Reduce Coverage on Older Vehicles

If your car is old and paid for, consider eliminating your collision coverage. This is the coverage that pays for any damage that you cause to your own vehicle, and it makes up a big portion of your insurance cost.

• Use One Insurance Company

Speak to you agent about grouping  all of your insurance policies – auto, home/renters, etc. –to his insurance company, and you are likely to receive at least a 10% discount

• Raise Your Policy Deductible

This move would reduce your premium drastically– deductible is the amount you pay out of your pocket if you need to make a claim. The premium difference between a $250 deductible and a $500 deductible is usually quite substantial, and the difference between a $250 deductible and a $1,000 deductible, even more so. Decide how much you can afford to spend out of pocket, and then adjust your deductible accordingly.

• Get a Quote Before You Buy

Before buying a new vehicle, call your insurance agent to find out how much it’s going to cost to insure the vehicle. Premiums can vary widely based on the make, model and year of a vehicle. This is one instance where smart shopping really pays.

• Drive Carefully

If you are considered a save driver by your insurance company, you will be rewarded with better insurance premiums. That means avoiding  speeding and staying out of potential problem like not wearing your seat belts. Most companies will further reduce your rate every time you go three years without a traffic violation.

• Drive Less

Are you an infrequent driver? Then, tell your insurance agent about it. Less time on the road means less opportunity to get into an accident, and this often translates into a lower premium for you. Are you a carpooler? Then, be sure to mention this as well. There’s more than one way to earn the low-mileage discount.

• Look For Teen Driver Discounts

Insuring a teen driver can be expensive, but there are things that you can do to minimize the expense. Ask about a good-student discount if your teen carries a B-average; then check to see if taking a safe driving course could result in an additional discount.

• Skip Monthly Bill Payments

Remember that you pay for convenience of monthly payments. Check with your agent about paying quarterly, bi-annually and annually. Review the rate difference and see what you can handle.

• Protect Your Car from Theft

Ask you agent or your insurance company if your car qualifies for a theft discount and what you could do to get it.

• Understand Your Policy

Your policy probably comes pre-packaged with a few extras you may not need. They may include things like road assistance and if you are insuring new vehicle, you most likely have that coverage from the manufacturer. Go over your policy line by line and ask questions.

Hope you found this information helpful, please send in your comments, suggestions and experiences – your input is always welcomed and very much appreciated

You can make a batch of these easy pies and freeze them to have a quick dinner ready whenever you need to. I have made these pies in smaller sizes as well, using little foil forms and I did them both ways – freezing them unbaked as well as baking them first and freezing them for later use. Personally, I prefer freezing them unbaked, carefully defrosting them at room temperature and baking them in time for dinner. You can use commercially available pie crusts, or make you own to make this pie truly country style homemade. Either way – it’s very easy to make and tastes great!

To make your own pastry, follow this link:

Flaky Pastry Recipe

Easy Country Style Chicken Pie Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup thinly sliced onion
• 1 tablespoon of finely chopped pepper
• 2 tablespoons of butter or margarine
• 1 can of condensed cream of mushroom soup
• ½ cup of milk
• 2 cups of chopped chicken meat
• ¾ cups of mixed vegetables
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Prepare pastry and line a deep 9” pie plate, reserving some pastry for top crust.
2. Saute onions and green peppers in butter until tender.
3. Add remaining ingredients.
4. Pour mixture into pie shell.
5. Roll out top crust. Make slits to allow steam to escape.
6. Place over pie and seal again.
7. Bake in moderately hot oven (425 F) for 20 -25 minutes or until pastry is done.

Hope you have enjoyed this recipe – please send in your comments, suggestions and experiences, your input is always welcomed!

This is the time of the year when there are plenty of fruits and vegetables to choose from and to use daily. Whether you use fresh fruits and vegetables or decide you will do some preserving, having that little extra help by understanding what can help you get the most out of your fruits and vegetables will avoid waste and save you money. I have put together a list of helpful tips so that you can do just that:

1. To ripen avocados quickly, place them in a wool sock and set in a dark place.
2. To revive limp asparagus, try placing them in a tall pot with ice water in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
3. Pickle juice should be saved and used for making coleslaw, potato salad, etc.
4. When making pickles, cut off ¼ inch from each end. The ends contain enzymes that may cause the pickles to soften.
5. Use a well-greased muffin tins to bake tomatoes, apples or peppers. They will keep their shape better.
6. If you cook your vegetables with a small amount of milk, it will bring out more colour
7. If you sprinkle salt into the water when you are washing vegetables, it will draw out insects.
8. When cooking onions or cabbage, boil a small amount of vinegar in a pan to remove the odours.
9. To prevent soggy salads, place an inverted saucer in the bottom of the salad bowl. The excess liquid will drain off under the saucer and the salad stays fresh and crisp.
10. To ripen a pineapple, cut off top, remove skin and slice. Place in a pot and cover with water, sweeten to taste, boil for 5 minutes, cool and refrigerate.
11. Oranges that need to be peeled for dishes should be soaked in boiling water for at least 5-7 minutes before peeling. This will make it easier to peel and remove all the white pulp.
12. If you sprinkle lemons with water and refrigerate them in a plastic bag, they will last a month or more
13. Salt will make grapefruit taste sweeter.
14. If you allow grapefruit to stand in boiling water for a few minutes, it will be easier to peel.
15. To make ripe olives taste better, soak them overnight in olives, place them in a brown be oil with a clove of garlic added.
16. To ripen fruit, place it in a brown bag in a dark place for a few days.
17. If citrus fruits are warmed in the microwave or warm oven for a few minutes, they will yield more juice.
18. Toss freshly cut fruit in lemon juice and it won’t darken. The juice of half lemon is enough for a quart or two of cut fruit.
19. Cook cranberries only until they “pop”- further cooking will make them bitter. And always use a teaspoon of butter to each pound of cranberries – it will eliminate overboiling and excess foam.
20. To eliminate the smell of broccoli, add a slice of bread to the pot
21. Cabbage odours can be container if you place a piece of bread on top of the cabbage when cooking in a covered pot
22. To keep cabbage red, try adding a tablespoon of white vinegar to the cooking water
23. To slip skins off carrots, drop them in boiling water, let stand for 5 minutes and then drop them into cold water
24. To keep cauliflower white during cooking, add lemon to the water. Overcooking tends to make cauliflower darker and makes it tougher.
25. The best way to remove kernels from an ear of corn is to use shoehorn.
26. A food brush will remove silk from corn.
27. Lettuce will not rust as quickly of you line the bottom of the refrigerator’s vegetable compartment with paper towels or napkins. The paper will absorb the excess moisture.
28. To keep mushrooms white and firm when sautéing them, add a teaspoon of lemon juice to each quarter pound of butter.
29. To shed fewer tears when slicing onions, cut the root off first, refrigerate before slicing and peel under running water,
30. When making stuffed peppers, coat the outside of the pepper with vegetable oil and it will retain its colour
31. Stuffed peppers should be cooked in muffins pans to retain their shape
32. To reharden potatoes, place soft raw potatoes in ice water for half an hour or until they become hard
33. When you store potatoes, place an apple with them and they won’t sprout.

I hope this information was helpful to you – please send in your comments, suggestions and experiences, your input is always welcomed and very much appreciated!

Everyone looks for places to cut expenses and save money. Some possible savings are right in front of you – all you have to do is look and have the information to change spending money you could be saving. Insurances are one of those things – here are few points that may help you save on your home insurance. Review of your existing policy is recommended, as is a conversation with your broker or your insurance company sales representative. Ask questions and get answers and you will save money!

Get a Quote Before You Buy

Do this before you purchase your home – you could have some pretty serious money. Seemingly identical homes can actually carry different premiums, because the amount is based on many different factors.The includes proximity to emergency services like the fire department, age of home systems – including heating, electrical and plumbing and others.

Don’t Insure the Land

As much as homes can be damaged in fires, floods and other disasters – not much can go wrong with the land. So purchase enough insurance to cover the value of your home.

Install an Alarm System

This is something that is worth looking into. Get a quote for an alarm system and check with your insurance company what discount you would be eligible for before making the decision.

Add an alarm system to your home; and your insurance company is likely to reward you with a discount, usually 5-10%.

Use One Insurance Company

Purchase all of your insurance policies – auto, home-owner’s, etc. – from one insurance company, and you’ll qualify for a multi-line discount, worth about 10% off of your total premium.

Raise Your Deductible

Give your home-owner’s premium a major trim by raising your deductible – the amount you’re responsible for paying when you make a claim. If you can afford to raise your deductible from $500 to $1,000, you could save as much as 25%.

Hope you found this information helpful – please send in your comments, suggestions and experiences, your input is always welcomed and very much appreciated.

I made this casserole couple of days ago and it turned out beautifully. If you have a lots of chicken meat leftovers, you can increase the quantities and double up on the meat layers, adding little sauce between each one. The other alteration you can make is to add another layer of bread slices between the ham layer and cheese topping. It’s OK to get creative with this recipe and use up your leftovers – it really turns out delicious, creamy and cheesy – the best use for leftover chicken or turkey!

Ingredients:

• 8-10 slices of fresh Italian bread
• 3 cups of whole milk
• 1/4 cup of butter
• 1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp. of salt
• 1/2 tsp. of freshly-ground black pepper
• 3 cups of chopped leftover turkey
• 6 slices of ham or a cup of ham chunks
• 6 slices of swiss cheese
• 1 cup crispy of onion strips (such as Fresh Gourmet) or French fried onions – you can also use coarse bread crumbs

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray or grease with oil or butter
3. Toast bread.
4. Place milk in a microwave-safe container and heat on high, 45-60 seconds, until warmed through, but not boiling.
5. Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. When melted, whisk in flour. Continue whisking for 2 minutes.
6. Add milk, whisking constantly to avoid lumps, until mixture thickens, about 10 minutes.
7. Set aside.
8. Place bread in a single layer in the bottom of the prepared baking dish.
9. Top with leftover chicken or turkey.
10. Pour sauce over the meat layer.
11. Top with ham slices or chunks of ham, then cheese slices.
12. Sprinkle crispy onion strips or  bread crumbs over top.
13. Bake for 30 -45 minutes

Hope you have enjoyed this recipe – please send in your comments, suggestions and experiences, your input is always welcomed and very much appreciated.

Can you believe the price of water bills these days?

Depending on where you live in the United States or Cananada water bills can range from $60 per month all the way up to an astounding $180 per month!

You can save quite a bit of money on your monthly water bill and put a bit more money back in your pocket through some very simple day to day actions.

For the record, we all have a responsibility to put forward our best efforts to conserve water. It’s a wonderful natural resource we need not only to survive but for our own health and the health of our kids – that should be everyone’s responsibility and focus.

More Garden Water Saving Tips

Hand sanitizers have become a regular item in many households – putting precautionary measures into place to avoid germs and bacteria. You can purchase them from a selection of hand sanitizers just about anywhere, but like with lots of other items, there is an easy way to make your own. The advantage is that you know what you are putting in and you can adjust strength and effectiveness as you need to.

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup Isopropyl alcohol 91%
• 1/3 cup aloe vera gel
• Essential oil in your choice of fragrance (optional)
• A bowl and spoon
• An empty container

What To do:

• Mix the aloe vera and Isopropyl alcohol together until well blended.
• Add 8-10 drops of essential oil to the mixture for fragrance (if desired), and stir well.
• Pour the finished hand sanitizer into an empty container and seal.

Contains 65% Alcohol

Tips:

1. Many essential oils like tea tree oil and lavender have antibacterial properties. Use one of these to boost the germ-zapping power of your hand sanitizer.
2. Save the bottles from store-bought hand sanitizer, and refill them again and again.
3. A little goes a long way with this recipe. Once applied, just rub your hands together until the moisture evaporates and the stickiness vanishes.

Hope you have enjoyed this information – please send in your comments, suggestions and experiences – your input is always welcomed and very much appreciated.

Use leftover sour cream to create this delicious pie – You will love the creamy texture and avoid discarding sour cream that you have sitting in your fridge. Its very easy to put together and you can use either store bought crust or make you own using my Flaky Pastry recipe:

Flaky Pastry Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of finely chopped tart apples
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 2 tablespoons of flour
• 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
• 1/8 teaspoon of salt
• 1 cup of sour cream
• 1 egg
• 1 pie shell, unbaked

Topping:

• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/3 cup of flour
• 1/4 cup of butter

Directions:

1. Mix 3/4 cup sugar and 2 tablespoons flour
2. Add sour cream, egg, vanilla and salt.
3. Add apples
4. Pour into unbaked pie shell.
5. Bake at 425° for 20 minutes.
6. Combine 1/3 cup sugar with 1 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/3 cup flour; cut in butter.
7. Sprinkle over pie and return to oven.
8. Bake for another 20 minutes at 325°.

Hope you enjoyed this recipe – please send in your comments, suggestions and experiences – your input is always welcomed and much appreciated

You cell phone service doesn’t have to cost you an arm and a leg each month – understanding what your service provider has to offer and what suits best your needs is the key. Review your existing plan, compare to other providers, make some notes and ask some questions, You will be surprised at the substantial savings you can realize. Here is a helpful guide that will point out number of ways you can control and lower your cell phone costs:

Track Your Talk Time

If you go over your minutes each month, you will be paying quite a bit of money for doing that. So it is time to start tracking your time and contacting your provider to find a plan that will match your usage better.

Use the Same Plan as Friends and Family

It is quite normal now for service providers to offer free between family network groups call – so look into a family plan and you will save big!

Don’t Use Your Cell Phone for Toll-free Calls

Believe it or not – toll-free calls are not free when you make them on your cell phone – so it is a good idea to save making those calls when you can make them from a land line.

Don’t Use 4-1-1

Dialing  411 from your cell phone could cost you as much as $1 or even more. If you have to find a phone number and the only phone you have available is your cell, try free service by Google by calling 1-800-GOOG-411

Consider Going Prepaid

If you only use your cell for occasional calls, a prepaid plan may be the best way to go. Still- shop around to find the best dea

Pick a Plan that Matches Your Talk Times

Monitoring your actual calls will help you determine the best plan for your use – it will clearly show you your patterns and picking the right plan based on that information will most certainly save you money.

Switch to Unlimited Texting

Watch the amount of texting you do – it can add up in a hurry! If you do a lot of text messaging, look into getting unlimited text messages plan and you will not have to worry about extra charges.

Ditch the Extras

Check your bill carefully to see what extras you are paying for. This could be things like phone replacement insurance, road assistance, ringtone downloads, games, video streaming, emails, web surfing – there are tons of cell phone extras that can end up costing you a lot of money. Sticking to the basics will leave you will a very basic bill.

Hope this information was helpful to you – please send in your comments, suggestions and experineces, your input is always welcomed and very much appreciated

There is a good chance that you have to discard foods that could be made to last longer if stored properly. Knowing how to avoid helping variety of foods from going bad will save you quite a bit of money and prevent waste.
Here is a guide to proper storage of some of the most common foods:

• Apples

Your apples will last longer if you store them on your kitchen counter – away from other produce. If you are planning to visit your local market and would like to purchase a bushel of apples you could enjoy over the cold winter months – here is how to:

1. Start with apples that will keep well. Late-ripening varieties – those harvested at the end of September will do well. They include Red Delicious, Ida Red, Crispin, Spy and a few others.
2. Inspect all apples for bruises, cuts and soft spots. Only perfect fruit is good for storage.
3. Sort apples by size – small, medium and large. Large apples don’t store as well so make sure those get eaten first.
4. Place sorted apples in perforated plastic bags or in boxes lined with perforated plastic to allow for air circulation.
5. Store in a cool basement, garage, fruit cellar or refrigerator. The idea temperature is 30 – 32F with 90% humidity.
6. Check your apples regularly for signs of spoilage and remove any damaged fruit.

• Notes:

1. Plan to store as soon after picking as possible
2. Avoid storing your apples near onions or potatoes – they will absorb flavour of other foods
3. Do not mix apple varieties as they will ripen at different times
4. Properly stored, your apples will last up to 5 months

• Bananas

Store bananas at room temperature until they ripen.Then move them to the refrigerator to impede further ripening. Freeze over-riped bananas to use for making muffin, cakes and breads. The peel will turn black but the fruit inside will be perfect for baked goods.

• Bread

Best way to store your bread is in a breadbox or on the counter, keeping it in the bakery bag you purchased it in.

• Butter

Best way to store butter is in its original packaging inside refrigerator compartment (not inside the door) Butter can also be frozen for up to 6 months

• Cheese

Remove cheese from its original packaging, then rewrap it in a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper and seal inside a plastic bag.

You can freeze hard and semi-hard cheeses – like cheddar, parmesan and mozzarella. Soft cheese like cream cheese, cottage cheese and ricotta do not freeze well. If you are planning to freeze cheese, leave it in its original packaging (or put into a layer of plastic wrap) and then place into a freezer bag.

• Eggs

Store eggs in their original carton inside the refrigerator – not inside the refrigerator door.

If you are wondering whether you can sue eggs that have passed they use-by date, you can do this simple test:

Fill a bowl with cold water and put in one egg at a time. If the egg sinks to the bottom, it’s fresh. If it sinks, but stands on its point – it’s till good but needs to used soon. If it floats to the top, it needs to be thrown away.

• Flour

If you want to be sure there are no insects or insect eggs in your flour, freeze it for 48 hours. That will kill any insects that may be present.Store your flour in an tight-sealing container in a cool, dry spot.Keep whole-grain flours in the refrigerator or freezer – that will extend their life.

• Garlic

Store fresh garlic unpeeled in an open container in a cool, dry place. For a long-term storage, garlic can be dried and braided.

• Honey

Store honey in a cool, dry place in an air-tight container. Honey will not go bad – it is recognized as the only food that does not spoil. It will however crystallize, becoming thick and cloudy. If this happens, remove the lid form the jar, place in a pan of water and hear over low heat until honey returns to its original consistency.

• Lettuce

Remove from store packaging first, then wrap in paper towel and place in a open storage bag

• Mushrooms

The best way to store mushrooms is in a paper bag inside your refrigerator. It is not a good idea to keep them in your vegetable crisper.

• Nuts

Keep nuts in shells until you are ready to use them and refrigerate or freeze any that you plan to keep for more than 3 months.

• Onions

Store your onions in a cool, dark place, away from moisture. If you have purchase a large bag of onions, try this: cut the legs off a pair of pantyhose, drop an onion into one of the legs and tie it off. Then drop in another onion and tie it off again. Continue until each leg is full. Then hang them up.

• Potatoes

Best way to store potatoes is in a paper bag, panty hose or similarly vented container. They need to be placed in a cool, dry and dark spot.

• Tomatoes

Store tomatoes at room temperature. Keep out of the sun, once they have ripened.

How to Freeze Tomatoes

1. Purchase fresh picked tomatoes from your local farmer’s market
2. Wash thoroughly and then freeze whole and unpeeled on a tray.
3. Transfer to freezer bags once they are fully frozen.

You can also do the following:

1. Wash and remove the ends of tomatoes.
2. Blanch, remove skins and freeze whole in proper freeze bags.
3. You can also chopped them after blanching and then place into freezer bags. You will have great supply for delicious soups, sauces and all your winter cooking!

Note: You will only be able to use frozen tomatoes in cooked recipes since freezing them will change their texture which will make them too soft for eating.

Hope you have enjoyed this information – please send in your comments, suggestions and experiences, Your input is always welcomed and very much appreciated!