Every Monday, I answer a few of the questions that my readers send me. If you have a question you’d like me to answer in a future Q&A post, just leave me a comment here or email me (thefrugalgirl [at] gmail [dot] com) and put Q&A in the subject line. I look forward to hearing from you!
I noticed most of your recipes use a stand mixer to mix all ingredients, what do you suggest for someone who does not have one?
-Bianca
A mixing bowl, a spoon, and a good strong arm can certainly fill in for a stand mixer! People have made bread for centuries without a mixer, so it’s quite doable. The mixer just makes the process easier by starting the gluten development before you even get to the kneading stage.
If you don’t own a stand mixer, then just make sure that you mix the dough up really well in the early stages, and knead it thoroughly. I wrote a little more about this in my “Do I need a stand mixer?” post.
Are there good sites out there where you can get coupons online without signing up for something? I don’t want to be on email lists, get ads, etc., I just want to search for coupons for things that I use regularly like basics. The coupons in the paper are rarely for things that we actually buy!
-Ruth
Yes, there are! The one I use the most is Coupons.com
(aff. link), but you can also print coupons at SmartSource without signing up for anything.
I can’t guarantee that those sites will have coupons for the things you need, as most coupons are for new products and for more processed foods (you’ll have a hard time finding coupons for plain oatmeal, plain yogurt, baking soda, cocoa powder, buttermilk and so on), but it might be worth taking a peek, and you may have some success finding coupons for toiletries, at least.
I see you are very good about recycling things and not paying full price for items, etc…including your cell phone. But how do you get internet service on a frugal budget? We don’t have internet right now and I kind of like it but my kids are getting older and need to do research for projects, etc..and are always asking me to get internet service. But since I’m so careful with our money I don’t want to pay a lot if they really do need it. Any suggestions?
-Patty
Well, high-speed internet service is one of those things that I consider a necessity at this point in time. I couldn’t exactly blog without it, after all!
Also, our internet saves us money in a variety of ways. Our phone service (Vonage) runs through our internet, which gives us free long-distance, our TV service (the Roku box) goes through the internet, I pay bills online (which saves me stamps), I keep up with people online (which saves me writing snail mail letters most of the time), and I print coupons online.
Plus, we use the internet for homeschooling purposes, for shopping research, for discounts on shopping, and for entertainment (blogs, YouTube, Facebook, and so on).
I really can’t imagine living without it!
Our internet is Verizon Fios, which costs $55/month, and I consider it to be well worth the price. If our internet bill started to be a budget-stretcher for us, I’d look for ways to cut other areas of my budget…the internet would be one of the last things to go.
(Verizon does offer some slightly lower Fios prices. We had a $45 plan previously, but it didn’t provide quite the bandwidth that we needed, and since we could afford the extra $10/month, we upgraded.)
I guess I’d just encourage you to shop around and see which company offers the most competitive price (it’ll vary from area to area so I can’t give you much specific help), but I wouldn’t necessarily encourage you to stay internet-free in the name of frugality. Consider all the value and convenience a home internet connection provides, and you may find that the savings the internet offers will negate or or at least soften the blow of the monthly internet bill.
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Readers, what do you have to say about these questions? The floor is yours!
Today’s 365 post: Daddy’s lap is a good place for a Sonia
Ashley
Sunday 11th of October 2015
How satisfied are you with Fios?
Kristen
Monday 12th of October 2015
Definitely the best internet service we've ever had!
Vicki
Tuesday 26th of April 2011
If your kids go to public school, they will need internet access. That is why we switched from dial-up to DSL thru our local phone company; my son would take hours to download something he needed with dial-up, when the same thing on DSL took a couple of minutes. Schools more and more not only insist on internet availability, but require certain types of printers, etc. Nowdays it is a necessity to have reasonably current computer equipment, including internet access.
Ban Clothing
Tuesday 26th of April 2011
I have a stand mixer however, I don't use it for making bread. I am all about feeling and I can get it just right if I use my hands. I have little girl arms so kneeding bread is hard work but definitely do able for anyone.
I was paying $35/month for internet however, my friend signed up and as a new customer she was given $10/month for the first year. I called, complained that I had been with them for 10 years... they ended up giving me the $10/month deal for a year at which time it will go up to $30 which is still cheaper than what I was paying before. I will likely cut it off after the year and sign with another provider to get a cheaper deal. It pays to shop around.
Sarah
Monday 25th of April 2011
Have a great week. Do you know of any more frugal meals with the cost of gas sky rocketing?
Aubrey @ Small Packages
Monday 25th of April 2011
On the stand mixer question: I realize they are a lot of money and you can use your arm, a spoon, and a bowl! That said, I inherited my grandmother's KitchenAid mixer, and I only had to replace it last week. It worked just fine for FORTY-FIVE YEARS. I only replaced it because it started to smell funny if I used it for longer than 30 seconds at a stretch and I couldn't get anyone to fix it. It was still truckin'. I got my new mixer with birthday money, and the way I figure it, $230 over 40 years is a good deal! Plus, my shoulder said thank you.