Recession Busters # 60: Food, Fun & Frugality

Recession Busters # 60: Food, Fun & Frugality

1. I watched Clara’s video for depression style pasta and peas. The recipe was rather freestyle:
Cut up one potato, and some onion, and sauté in pan with a little olive oil. Add a can of peas. Add enough water to cook pasta and bring to boil. Add pasta and then turn off heat under pan. Allow to sit at least ten minutes. Salt and pepper are added to taste, and if desired, can add a little tomato sauce. Yum!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuMkW35BwK8

2. Of course, recession news has been all over the media for months. Recession busters I have come across? Packaging home services, such as cable, telephone, and internet. Shopping around for the best electric rates.

3. I have practiced some money saving tips forever, such as grocery shopping with coupons and specials, buying store brands, etc. I have also been a Consumer Reports subscriber for years and it is a great source of information for shopping wisely.

Money & Finance #59: Credit, Money Management, and Saving

1. I read the article How Credit Reports Work. One of the interesting things I learned was the breakdown by percentage as to how a credit score is determined. The hints on how to improve your score were also enlightening.
2. We have never had a formal spending/budget plan but have always contributed to savings, lived within our means, and are aware of our finances. That being the case, I really do not plan at this time to implement a formal spending/budget plan. If I were to do so, however, I liked the website suggested, on About.com’s Frugal Living section.
I also bookmarked a couple of sites that I would be useful to suggest to patrons.

3. On the TCDRS website, I found the information in the Service Center to be the most useful. As I get closer to retirement, perhaps I would find it useful to log in to check my balance but for right now, the yearly written statement is sufficient.