Thrift My Sass

Disclaimer:  The views and opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any company mentioned in this or any other blog post.  Any content provided is my own opinion and are not intended to malign any religion, ethnic group, club, organization, company, or individual. I'm a big fan of protein bars (and cookies, etc) as a handy, portable snack. I've tried a huge number of protein snacks over the years and I wanted to compile my thoughts into a blog post (that I intend to update) so that others can determine if they'd like to spend money on these products. I don't usually take pictures of these snacks but I will make a concerted effort to do so and add them to this post. Brand:  Barebells Flavors Tried:  Creamy Crisp, Cookies & Cream, Peanut Caramel Soft Protein Bar, Hazelnut Nougat Review:  I haven't met a Barebells flavor I didn't like! My favorite flavor is the Creamy Crisp, which I think ...

 As part of my preparations for my  Low Spend 2025 , I have been searching through all of my home storage and auditing what I would like to keep or give away. Plenty of kitchen items, ill-fitting clothes and shoes, and unworn accessories have gone to my neighborhood Buy Nothing Group and made others very happy. Removing these excess items has revealed a stash of products that I had previously purchased, but couldn't find due to clutter. For example, I found two separate 3-packs of my favorite body wash in the basement. The packages were hard to see on my cluttered storage shelves, so I had bought duplicates of the same product. I also found two 3-packs of shaving cream! Clearly, my basement is a well-stocked corner store and I likely will not need to buy those products again for several years. I didn't realize I had 2 packs of dishwasher tabs under my cluttered kitchen sink! The cabinet under the bathroom sink was similarly cluttered. I had old hairbrushes and a rarely-used ha...

 It's easy to get into the habit of picking up a sweet treat when you are out running errands, but those bakery delights are sure to add up in cost. I will be sharing my tried-and-true recipes for homemade sweet treats to save you money whether you are budgeting or doing a no-spend challenge. Recipe up top, tips below. This sweet treat is naturally gluten-free and dairy-free, so it is perfect if you are someone with food allergies. This recipe is also very low in points on the Weight Watchers program. Lava Cake Base Recipe 1 banana 1 egg 20g cocoa powder 20g sweetener (I use Swerve) Splash or vanilla extract (optional) Combine all ingredients in a mini blender until smooth. Pour into a greased ramekin and bake at 350 for 18 minutes. It will look underdone in the middle but will set as it cools into a chocolatey molten center! Molten lava cake topped with zero-sugar chocolate chips Optional Enhancements: Swap out the banana for half a cup of pumpkin puree. Unsweetened applesauce doe...

 I've put more thought into my previous idea of doing a no-spend year for 2025 and set some parameters for myself. This will be more of a low-buy year than a no-buy year because I already live a frugal lifestyle and I would like to continue working toward some fitness goals that include enrolling in a new Zumba school and continuing my distance running efforts. I made myself a graphic on the free website version of Canva to organize my thoughts on the parameters I have set for the challenge. Expectations: In the spirit of full transparency, I give myself too much credit for my frugal lifestyle. While I was brought up to shop sales, take advantage of coupons, and make do, I have caught myself spending a handsome sum on unnecessary expenses many times. I expect that the low-spend challenge will reveal that I am doing that somewhere in my life without even realizing it. My race expenses will probably be much higher than I realize and I'll be annoyed with the expense For example, I...

I've seen headlines for no-spend weeks, months, and even years all over the internet ever since I learned about the FIRE movement circa 2012. TikTok has been calling this frugal flex a " No Spend Challenge ."  While I've never held myself to a no-spend period of time, I have cut my expenses down to the bare necessities a few times. One memorable period was the three-month period between getting pre-approved for my mortgage and closing on my house. I ate down the pantry and baked my own bread to ensure my bank balance didn't budge to ensure my statements would pass muster when my financing was fully approved. While I went back to my old (admittedly frugal) spending habits after moving into my new empty house, I never forgot that extra few thousand dollars that seemed to appear out of thin air. Given the current state of economic uncertainty as of the time of writing ( November 2024 ), I find myself drawn to the idea of a no-spend month for January 2025. It's t...

  This recipe is a riff on the spinach and cheese recipe that I posted several years ago. It has the flavor of a broccoli and cheese soup without the heavy cream.  Ingredients: 8oz fat free cottage cheese 2 Laughing Cow soft cheese wedges 2 eggs 16oz uncooked broccoli florets 1/4 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs Onion powder Garlic powder Black pepper or red pepper flakes Parmesan cheese to sprinkle on top Directions: Steam broccoli on stovetop or in microwave I weighed 16oz of broccoli into a glass Pyrex container, added a cup of water, and cooked in microwave for 12 minutes Blend Laughing Cow cheese, eggs, and cottage cheese in small blender or food processor, then add to a mixing bowl Chop up or use potato masher to break the broccoli into small pieces. Add to the mixing bowl. Add the breadcrumbs and seasonings to the bowl and mix all ingredients together Pour into greased pie plate and top with parmesan if desired Bake at 375 Fahrenheit for 45 minutes or until well browned...