Save Dollars at Disneyland- Food and Beverage Edition

With ticket prices on the rise to enter the happiest place on earth, it can be hard to enjoy yourself if you're so strapped for cash once you get in there.

Here is a huge tip for saving dough on your vacation to Disneyland, World, or any lesser theme park, really. As you already know, we roll deep. This trip we are a group of 8-12 people. Disney sells a 16.9 oz water for $3.50. YOU COULD BUY A WHOLE CASE OF WATER FOR THAT MUCH!

So, DO IT. Carry them bootches in your stroller.

Better yet, get these:

We must've saved probably $100-200 on water alone last time we went to Walt Disney World just by investing in those bottles. PLUS, we stayed super bossy and hydrated. The heat in Orlando (and Anaheim) is no joke! (BTW: I lived in FL for almost two years while working for the Mouse!) Every restaurant gives out free water, as well. (Not the outdoor food carts though, unfortunately.)

Tip: Bring two waters per person (if your kids can handle carrying two waters. Ours have little SF Giants backpacks to hold their goods.) Standing in line is a little mundane sometimes, but it still takes a lot of out you on a hot day. Stock up. It's summer, dude.

The Kid having an apple fruit leather while waiting in line for the new Matterhorn!

Sidenote: If you decide to buy a case of water, do yourself a favor and plan ahead. With your two bottles, fill one water bottle almost to the brim, and throw it in the freezer overnight. (If you're using your Brita, don't freeze the top, just in case. I don't know how the filter would react to freezing. Anyway, keep refilling your ice bottle with your non-ice bottle. Cold water all day. You're welcome. Super-side note: You could even go the extra mile and see if a water filter will fit in your hotel room.

And snacks, man! You could save a ton of money (and probably an inch or two on the waist) if you bring waters, Gatorade, cherries, and fruit leather like we did on this trip. Thing 1 is always saying how great it is to save money, without skimpin on quality. It's especially true here, honestly. Always know what you're putting in your body. Just because it costs more doesn't always necessarily mean it's better (or better for you.)

Lastly, please excuse the lack of posting. Thing 1 and the rest of my family are too busy having a friggin BLAST!! Carsland just opened and it's sick. Definitely a must see! Anyway, hope you all get to see it at some point, even if you're not a fan of the movie or Disney. They know what they're doing, I swear. Well done, Imagineers!

Have a magical day,



PS THANK YOU for all the page views, y'all! The contest is really gettin' on, so get in there while you can. Scroll back a few entries to see how you can enter the "Junk in my Trunk" contest! :)

PPS Here's a pic of Thing 1 taking my advice and me showing off the label of my fav flavor: ripened raspberry! They sell these at the park, as well. (Though we got ours at Costco for a fraction of the price- WINNING!)

Got { T } Pain?

Hey there, homie!

   Heard you got a pain in your neck and it's not your baby mama/daddy. I am sorry, Bro, but I got a solution for you:
     Take pain reliever aids. Notice I didn't say, "Tylenol, Advil or Motrin"? That's because I don't buy them. I buy the generic form or store brand. If you look at the ingredients they are the exact same dosages, just in different packaging,  and at times DOUBLE the price! So why not save some dough, and buy the cheaper one?

     The same goes for any type of over-the-counter pills. This is just my opinion and observation. Please consult a doctor...yada..yada..yada...yada... I might be Asian, but I'm not a nurse.

Per the FDA website:[The] FDA firmly believes that generic drug products that have gone through the approval process can be used with the full expectation that consumers will receive the same benefits from generics as they do from brand name equivalents.

"Got my mind on my money and money on my mind." (But I definitely don't have a headache because I just saved money on my pills!)


50 Cent richer,

Thing 1

The "Junk in my Trunk" Contest

All right, here's the deal. I am in the process of redecorating my room. I have found so much random stuff. But alas, I'd like to make my random stuff YOUR random stuff.

I was going to start with just sending out an extra Hellogoodbye album that I found in my sock drawer. I purchased a bunch of them when they were on sale for times like these. (It's an awesome summer album! I love them!) But Thing 1 mentioned last night that Justin Halpern of @shitmydadsays recently did a giveaway since he has a new book out, I Suck at Girls. He gave away something like a box of condoms and his new book. Genius.

Now, I'm not promising any prophylactics, but we're turning it into more of a grab bag situation. The Hellogoodbye CD may or not be in this lovely package. We'll value it at $20, I guess.

THE RULES OF THE GAME: 

(will run for two weeks: starting NOW until June 27, 2012 at 11:59 pm)

Un. To become eligible:

- Follow us on Blogger. Comment on any or all posts.

- Share a link to a post on Facebook (tag one of us so we can see it)

- Follow us on twitter and hashtag #thefrugalasians or @thefrugalasians when you link a post.

- Email us at thing1@thefrugalasians.com or thing2@thefrugalasians.com and give us a money-saving tip or your favorite budget-friendly recipe, we'll feature it if we feel like it!

- Pin one or more of our posts. 

- Follow one of our other blogs: Beyondtheballs (Thing 1) and @212degrees (Thing 2)

Deux. Don't be a jerk and email us if you haven't done any of these things. It's just not nice, and I will find out and send you a lump of coal. (HOW'S THAT FOR A GRAB BAG?!?) Friends, relatives, randoms are eligible to play along (mainly because I hate not being eligible to win cool shit just because I'm related to someone…and don't worry, we don't play favorites). Make sure we have a way of contacting you! At the end of your comment, leave your email, twitter, etc.

Trois. Have fun with it! Basically, pimp us out somehow and you could win something fun AND FREE! Pick your fav (if you have one), and let us know what you're up to! I know we're going to have a blast with these grab bags. If this goes well, we'll do another one, and another one…BONUS: Become eligible more than once by posting on multiple platforms, we'll give you double entries. Because we can.

Winner will be picked by opening up the following windows: twitter, pinterest, blogger, email, closing our eyes, and picking a platform first. Then, spinning around ten times then pointing at the screen thus deeming the winner. 

Hey, this is serious business and fair is fair.

 We will be in touch with the winner shortly after the deadline. I'm sure there's legal mumbo-jumbo that's suppose to go here, but we'll keep it light and fluffy for now. Oh, no purchase necessary. (Right? That's always at the beginning of the fine print!)

Happy cooking/shopping/pinning/tweeting whatever you're doing today!

(May the odds be ever in your favor.)

(Yeah, I just quoted The Hunger Games.)

Sincerely,

Repurposing Food (aka Making Stuff out of Leftovers)

So, you've met Thing 1, huh? She is a PIECE, I swear!

Anyway, as she and I've explained, there's many a mouth to feed in this household. I try as hard as I can to make sure nothing goes to waste because it literally pains me when I have to throw something away.

Two of my most common repurposing situations include leftover baguette and leftover sauces. (Usually, these are the things that people throw away immediately if not consumed. No one likes stale bread and what's the point of keeping a sauce if the item it came with is gone?) Most say "garbage", and I'm like, "SCORE!" What's that saying, "one man's trash is another man's treasure?"

Anyway, my leftovers went from this:

Stale bread (cubed)  tossed with a crapload of parm, Newman's Own salad dressing, salt, pepper, parsley flakes, garlic powder, and fresh garlic. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 400, checking mid-bake and giving 'em a little flip.

After you do that, you end up with this:

CROUTONS! Literally everything is so much cuter in a jar, too. Yesssss.

I experimented with this batch, as I usually do every batch. I've yet to find a consistent combination that I am willing to use over and over again…because everything in my pantry and fridge is also inconsistent. But again, if it was, that'd be totally unfun. I usually use some type of oil, mainly extra-virgin olive oil from Trader Joe's or one from my local orchard so everything sticks together. 

Important things to remember:

- Less is more: When adding all of your oil and seasonings, add half of what you've got first, then gradually add the rest. Stuff is pretty potent regardless, you shouldn't ever end up with crappy tasting croutons.

- Make sure that your bread is evenly coated, and that your garlic is not too small (it'll burn otherwise). If you do it right (this is where the mid-bake flip becomes important), you'll end up with nuggets of roasted garlic in there, too. Your breath will stink, but you won't care. Super sweet and roasty, and the friggin best.

- Let croutons fully cool before storing in a airtight container. Also, be sure to taste them to ensure that they're completely dry. If they're not, throw 'em back in the oven for a few more minutes. If you're scared of burning them, leave the croutons in for longer at a lower temperature. What you don't want is a moist center with a crunchy outside. (That's what she said?) The moisture from the center will make your croutons go bad faster. (Even though these won't last a day, I bet, that's still no bueno.)

I didn't give you quantities on purpose, play around with this one. If you like more cheese, add more cheese. If you want no oil involved, don't add it. They'll still be croutons, but some stuff might not stick. Be warned.

So easy, practically free, and from scratch. Can't get much better. Add to your next Caesar salad, or as a snack for the children. OR pulse them in a blender or food processor, and BAM- you've got bread crumbs, WHAT!!! 

There are so many possibilities! 

P.S. I'll post about the sauces next time! I got too juiced about the croutons that I forgot about them! Oopsies!

P.P.S About to post about the giveaway!

Thing 1 in the hizzzouse! Holla!

Wuzzzup? Wuzzzup? Wuzzzzzzzzup!

Let me take the time to introduce myself. I am Thing 1: the older, louder, embarrassing Frugal Asian. I have 3 children with my husband of almost 10 years, 2 sisters, and a brother. We all live together! One BIG happy family! As Thing 2 has already said, we feed hella folks, but don't like to skip out on taste and quality. Same goes for what I will be posting: I like to have fun and have fairly nice things, but I don't skip out on quality of items/activities.

 I just don't want pay FULL price.

 I will be posting random tidbits of money saving tips. Some of them you may already know from just talking to me or following me on twitter, but bear with me, we have some newbies and I want them to save some dollars, too. :)  Let the money saving commence!

Tip # 1: Read EVERY post of this blog. Follow us on twitter @thefrugalasians!

I don't make dollars. I just make sense,

Best Summer Purchase EVERRRR

Popsicle molds!!

 My niece, Camryn, helped make watermelon popsicles a while back. It's so fun to do family projects, insanely cheaper than the boxed ones...AND BETTER FOR YA! Plus, the popsicle molds were really cheap (less than $8/pack of 6 and 4) and they're reusable.

Watermelon Popsicles

1/2 medium sized watermelon (like the size of your head), diced

1 lemon, juiced

2 tsp. sugar to taste, optional

Popsicle molds

Patience

Now, I'll tell you, this could've been a lot easier to do. Like, a lot freakin easier than I made it. I could've pulled out the blender and thrown all the stuff in and hit the puree button. But guess what?

THAT'S A WHOLE BUNCH OF NO FUN.

Camryn wanted to help, and in omitting the blender altogether, we made that possible. Our friend, Monica, was over and helped her "juice" the watermelon (pressed it through a collander into a bowl).

They had a lot of fun doing this, but I'm pretty sure they were incredibly unsanitary…I saw them sneaking bites. Brats.

As they pressed the watermelon (like you would grapes for wine), I added lemon juice. I ended up adding two lemons, but I went overboard. I should've tasted after the first one. Rookie mistake. (Sidenote: here's where you add the sugar if you want.)

Throw the tops on…(Goofballs)

Important things to remember:

Tip: Use a funnel and ladle to fill the popsicle molds. No one likes a messy and sticky kitchen. Also, make sure the lids are on tight and pour slowly!

Et voila!

Here are the molds we used: Rockets and the other ones were ice cream cones! SO. FRIGGIN. CUTE. Toss them in the freezer for at least 4 hours, but overnight would be better to ensure they're firm enough to stand on their own.

The half watermelon had tons of juice so we saved some for the next batch. (If I had to guess, it was about a quart and a half)

So, I'd love to show you a picture of the finished product, but wouldn't you know it- our damn refrigerator broke that same night! They never froze! So bummed. In other news, I'm pretty sure my little brother drank the juice even though the bag said not to. Cool.

We're gonna make them again once we get a new fridge this weekend. It's so hot outside, these things are necessary! 

Total for 25ish popsicles (that we would've made with the extra juice): $2.50! If we would've used the whole watermelon, we definitely could've made at least a million. Just saying. 

Enjoy your weekend, all! We are up in the few hundreds in views- so awesome, thanks! 

Sincerely,

Thing 2

P.S. Don't ever leave Mon alone with my phone again.

P.P.S Don't worry, Thing 1 is working on her posts…I think.

P.P.P.S Maybe this was a bad idea…Should've made it thefrugalasian.com lol 

Chicken Adobo & a Rant on Food Waste

One of my biggest pet peeves in life is wastefulness. More specifically, food waste. It's a waste of time (usually my time) and money, among other things. I come from the culinary world, and food waste meant time and hard earned money down the drain. Hard work should never go wasted.

One of the most crucial parts of cooking for so many people (8-12) at least 3 times a week is keeping food waste as low as possible. My main asset to the family is turning nothing into something. Majority of meals include a protein, a starch, and a vegetable. Luckily, we live in a straight farm town, and veggies are readily available. 

The day I came up with this blog, I was making Chicken Adobo in a crock-pot. My mom used to make this Filipino dish, and my Grandma before her. Everyone in our family has their own versions: chicken only, chicken/potatoes, adding hard-boiled eggs. All different, all great in their own right. You can do that, too! Change it up to make it yours. 

Chicken Adobo 

(can be substituted with beef*, pork**, etc.) 

-yields 20 servings (divide into 4 for a 5 person dinner)

My weapons of choice: 1 crock-pot, 1 cutting board (or two), 1 chefs knife, 1 really good peeler.

4 lbs. chicken thighs (boneless, skinless…will fit in the crock-pot better and faster cooking time!)

20 garlic cloves, crushed

1 yellow onion, chopped

1-2 c. vinegar (Heinz white distilled, not apple cider)

2-3 c. soy sauce (Kikkoman, the best and only brand I ever use. You can use their low-sodium if you want to cut down on salt)

5-7 bay leaves

5-7 medium Russet potatoes, peeled medium diced (smaller you cut 'em, shorter the cooking time) Pictured: Russets and reds. I had a few leftover so I decided to use them.

4-6 c. white or brown rice, cooked
Steamed vegetable of your choice, I chose broccoli!

Set your crock-pot to 6 hours on HIGH. Throw the garlic cloves and onion in. 

Add vinegar and let it warm up (about 7 minutes). Prep your chicken in the meantime; trim off all extra fat.

Add soy sauce and bay leaves. Taste. 

Sidenote: If it makes your eyes water, and clears your sinuses, you're going the right direction. (My family likes tart and tangy Adobo, so 1-2 c. is good for them. It may not be for you, so start with 1 cup. Go from there). 

Add chicken, stir it up, and make sure the liquid covers as much as it can. 
If it doesn't immediately, don't worry. It will. 

Add potatoes on the outside ring of the crock-pot. Cover and let it ride.

 About 3 1/2 hours in, give it one full stir. Serve with some rice and veg (suggestion: we are big broccoli eaters). 

* Cook on low for 8 hours, use stew meat if it's available ($15 per 4 lb. package)

** Cook on low for 8 hours

Important things to remember:

- Do not stir frequently while using a crock-pot. Doing so depletes the temperature by 25 degrees each time. Ever heard the saying, "A watched pot never boils"? YEAH. 

- Tip: Vinegar mellows out as it cooks. So, even though it's super eye-watering at first taste, it will turn out to be way smoother at the end of cooking time. You can always adjust at the end, too. That's the beauty of cooking! You can change things and make it seem like you did it on purpose :P

And hey man, clean up is easy. Remember you're working with poultry, so make sure your work area stays tidy and sanitary. Cross-contamination is not the business.

Total for this meal: $21.66 for 20 servings including starch and vegetable. That's two dinners for 8 people, which comes out to less than $1.50/person per night.


Print this recipe

Want the breakdown? I will post it if you want! Let me know in the comments :)

Hope you try this one out, it's forrealzies bomb. Let me know if you do!

Happy Cooking! (Sorry, Julia! Still working on it)

Sincerely,