Too Ripe Bananas & Amazing Dog Treats

Yin and Yang napping. We didn't name them that but we sure could have.

I've never knew what to do with too ripe bananas. I've heard freeze them. I could use them later for banana bread-I cannot eat wheat and my daughter only likes bananas by themselves. Recently 3 ingredient dog treats was recommended on Pinterest. (Pinterest has a pretty good algorithm). The original post is Homemade Peanut Butter Banana Dog Treats at http://munchkinsandmilitary.com/2015/02/homemade-peanut-butter-banana-dog-treats.html

Ingredients I have on hand in my kitchen: an almost empty oatmeal box,
 an almost empty peanut butter jar and three very ripe bananas.

Simple enough the recipe called for: 1 1/2 cups uncooked Oatmeal, 1 large Banana, and 1/2 cup Peanut Butter. That didn't match my ingredients. I had 1 cups uncooked Oatmeal, 3 medium Bananas and 3/4 cup Peanut Butter. Also probably because of the change of ingredients, my treats could probably been cooked even longer than the 20 minutes at 350°F. Either way the pups love them. So don't be afraid of changing the proportions.

I made two big ones with my dog bone
cookie cutter and the rest about 2 inch rounds. 

Update 08/26/2017: both of the dogs loved these!!

Online Sales of My Art Items - An Initial Investigation

I have been having so much fun with my arts and crafts. A couple of people have said I could sell them.


Tonight (technically last night since it's way past midnight now), I looked at selling on Amazon and Etsy. I tried to sell something on eBay years ago and got no bites. Also, I don't like the bidding aspects.

Amazon was very pricey but I know there is value in just the name. If I plan to sell under 40 items each month, there is no monthly charge. For a $5.00 item, the $0.99 per item listing fee + 15% (min$1.00 referral fee). That $1.99 per item is a pretty hefty chunk. If the item were $20.00 the fees would be $3.99.

Etsy is considerably cheaper. For that same $5.00 item, there is a $0.20 per item listing fee + transaction fee of 3.5% in this case $0.175 + processing fee of 3% in this case $0.15. That's 53 cents per item.
If the item were $20.00 the fees would be $1.50.

Well, I guess I need to take another look at eBay.

Cutting Back

Everywhere I go my friends and family are talking about cutting back. I have been able to maintain a similar grocery bill over the last 4 years despite the increased costs by doing a few things.

1. Try to not overbuy: if there are items that you inevitably throw away, (for us Fruit Loops comes to mind, it always becomes stale before anyone wants to eat them) stop buying them. It sounds simple but it isn't always. I was also having bread go stale. Shopping more frequently but buying less has helped that. My family seems to go in spurts with bread. They eat 2 loaves in two days then they don't eat any bread for a week. Also, bread can be frozen and I have 2 half loaves in there now. One is my gluten-free loaf that I leave in there and the other is just plain bread.

2. Try to buy the cheapest size. There are several items that I buy that it is cheaper to buy in the smaller size. Bring your calculator and check the per-ounce price.

3. Try the no-name brand or store brand. Most items will be just fine. My family actually prefers some store brand items over the more pricey advertised national brands.

4. I started buying all my staples at a cheaper store. I alternate, one week at Aldi's and the next at Publix. Aldi's is small but clean and has cheaper basic staples but may not have my son's favorite cereal or my daughter's favorite cheesy turkey dogs. Publix is a huge supermarket but it has a homey feel and has had many of the same employees all 15 years that I have been shopping there.

5. Save coupons. We read the paper online, so I grab the coupons from my mother and father-in-law. I don't bother with coupons under a $1.00 off. I don't bother with things I don't use; just the brands of items I am already buying. I put the coupons with my dollars. Some weeks I don't take any coupons, other weeks I'll grab three or four. It only takes a few minutes to look through them.

6. Buy the meat that is on sale. When whole honey-baked hams were on sale I bought two. One was for right then, and the other went into the freezer for a month. I also kept the fat (for seasoning beans) and the bone (to make broth for soup) in the freezer. The whole fryer chickens are an easy meal too. Just bake, add a few favorite sides, and the family meal feels like a feast. My family likes these sides: sweet potatoes or mashed potatoes, carrots or peas, and salad as the sides. I bake the chickens and everyone is so happy.

7. When either grocery has sales on items we always use, I grab a few. When the cereal is on sale I grab two boxes not just one.

There are plenty websites and articles on how to save money these are just the things that I use.