Homemade Taco Seasoning

So I think I was last to know that you can make your own taco seasoning. But here is my recipe. I know taco seasoning isn't THAT expensive, but I've always felt stupid for paying a dollar for a tiny packet of seasonings that I was sure I had at home in my cabinets. 

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon chili powder

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/4 teaspoon onion powder

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon corn starch

1 teaspoon dried onion flakes

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

I usually double or sometimes triple the recipe so I don't have to mix up more every time I need it. It keeps just as long as all your seasonings would. Just make sure you store your taco seasoning in an airtight container. Two heaping tablespoons are about the equivalent to a packet, depending on taste.

Sherylyn

Easy Peasy Meatloaf

It has been a busy week! My 5 year wedding anniversary was last Friday (February 10), so we, of course, were busy spending time together. Then Saturday, my cousin, Acacia, and some of our closest friends and family threw us a surprise  party! It was one of the best nights of my entire life and I'm so thankful to all involved! I love you all so much!

Along with the surprise of the party, we were also surprised to find out that 2 of the main contributors of the party happened to be our best friends that live 2 hours away! So the rest of the weekend was devoted to spending time with them which means we didn't sleep much. And I don't do well with that. So my body has been mad at me and gave me a cold. Body jerk!

I'm not feeling 100% better so I decided to make one of the easiest recipes ever! My aunt taught me this one. The original recipe only contains 3 ingredients (not counting the topping).

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 can stewed tomatoes (14.5 ounce)
1 box Stove Top stuffing (I use generic because that's the kind of girl I am.)
1/2 cup chopped onion (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray an 8 x 8 square pan with cooking spray. (You can use a loaf pan and increase the cooking time. The square pan is quicker.)

2. Mix beef, tomatoes, onions and stuffing in a bowl.

3. Spread the meat mixture in the pan.

4. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees.

5. Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.

6. Remove meatloaf from oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Normally I cover the top with ketchup before baking, but when I went to look for it in the fridge I remembered that we were out! So I looked up a recipe for meatloaf gravy. I'll be honest with you guys, it wasn't very good. So first chance I get I'm going to smother my leftovers with ketchup. Because friends, that's the kind of girl I am.

Sherylyn

I'm So Excited and I Just Can't Hide It (Since a Blog Is Public Domain)

Well folks, here in the Seward house we FINALLY have Internet. I cannot tell you how sad it is to go without Internet this long. You know, since it's been a week and a half. There are plenty of sacrifices I can make to save money, say the fact that we haven't had cable for over 3 years (except for the time we lived with the in-laws), and I am all for covering up windows and putting things at the base of doors to keep the draft out, even if it means I only save $5 a month on my electric and gas bills. But I am here to tell you about some money saving tips for television and movies that can make you oh so happy!

Television: Like I mentioned, we haven't had cable television in 3 years. We did away with Cox back then and we were paying around $50/month just for the basic channels. That was difficult for the hubby since he really wanted to go up with our cable package and get digital channels. We also had a TiVo machine which was costing us $12.95 a month in service to record our favorite shows. This was also at a time when I wasn't in school and we didn't have an active toddler who only can stand television if Nemo is swimming around on it or the Bubble Guppies are singing their catchy little songs. Now that we live on our own again, we do need a little bit of entertainment so we decided to try out Hulu Plus. After the one week trial, we will be paying $7.99 a month for all the television shows (except for Happy Endings, which they don't have and which happens to be a HI-LARIOUS show) we normally would watch and record. So let's do the math:

What we used to spend:

Cable: $50/mo

TiVo to record it: $12.95/mo

What we spend now:

Hulu Plus: $7.99/mo

Savings:

$54.96/mo or $659.52/ year!!! That's a nice little vacation!

Movies: Movies here is Wichita are expensive. $10 for a ticket and then if you want food, you have to donate your left lung for a plate of fries and a sip of Diet Pepsi. Rentals aren't too bad, with the Redbox and Blockbuster Express kiosks everywhere, but Redbox upped their price from $1 to $1 and some odd cents and that just doesn't fly with me! Family Video isn't too bad with their prices and tend to have a decent selection, but if you are late returning your movie, after two days you could have purchased the movie for cheaper than the late fee you are paying. Justin and I suck at returning things on time. Like movies. And library books. And items we borrow. So Netflix has been a decent choice for us. We just get the streaming selection and pay $8 a month for that. So for our movies, documentaries, and some tv shows, we pay less than going out to the Warren! Not too shabby.

How do you save money on your entertainment?

Adrianna