Feeding 6 for 8 - Blueberry Pancakes

Who doesn't love breakfast for dinner?

Menu:

• Blueberry pancakes
• Turkey bacon

Recipe:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/4 cups milk

4 tablespoons butter, melted

1. Stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in a mixing bowl.
2. Stir the egg, milk and melted butter into the flour mixture, working only until the batter is thoroughly moistened. Vigorous beating will produce leaden pancakes.
3. Lightly grease and heat a heavy griddle or skillet.
4. Drop the batter onto the cooking surface. Cook one side, then flip.

Yield: About 18 pancakes.

Shopping List:

• Blueberries (in season!) - $1.99
• Turkey bacon - $2.29
• Flour (if you happen to have run out) - $1.57

Stuff You Should Have Already:

• Baking powder
• Salt
• Sugar
• Eggs
• Milk
• Butter

Grand Total:

• $5.85
• (Way under $8, so you have a little wiggle room if you ran out of any of the staples listed above)

Feeding 6 for 8 - Intro

These are lean times for some; in fact, for most people I know. Economically, fiscally, financially - however you want to say it - these days average families are working harder than ever to make ends meet.

But times of lean are good. They help us appreciate the abundant times more. They help us examine every area of our lifestyles and spending habits and hopefully come up with creative ways to spend less while maintaining a healthy, happy way of life.

So begins my new series, "Feeding 6 for 8," in which I demonstrate that you can easily feed 6 people for $8 or less without having to resort to rice and beans every time! Why 6? Well, there are plenty of magazines, websites and blogs out there showing you how to cheaply feed a family of 4. But most of the families I know have 3 or more children. Plus, I myself live in a household of 6 people. So, 6 it is. And 8 it is the dollar amount I pledge to not go over for each meal.

Stay tuned!

Dear Sunglasses, R.I.P.

A few months ago I found the cutest, bling-iest pair of sunglasses at Ross for $5.

My purple, diamond-studded, XOXO sunglasses made me feel so hip every time I put them on. A friend of mine called them my rock star glasses. They polished off all my outfits perfectly.

Then they broke.

And my heart broke a little with them.

You know that feeling you get when you put on your favorite pair of thrift store jeans, or sip a mug of home-brewed coffee perfectly crafted by You? That feeling of satisfaction, when you just want to smack your lips and congratulate yourself for finding such pleasure in something you made yourself or got for next-to-nothing? I had that feeling about these sunglasses. And then it popped like a balloon.

No, they could not be repaired. One of the sides broke off completely. Maybe you're thinking, "If you had spent a little more money on sunglasses, they wouldn't have broken." Perhaps. But expensive things break, too, and then you're not only heartbroken about the item that's ruined, you're upset about how much money you lost.

Thankfully, I am only out 5 bucks. And I can get new sunglasses. But they can never replace my rock star glasses. Thus I am writing this post in honor of my dear purple XOXO sunglasses, who will be sorely missed.

In lieu of flowers or condolence cards, please share about your favorite cheap thing that simply makes you happy when you wear it, use it, eat it, look at it, or whatever it.