Stretching the Dollar

Is it just me, or has anyone noticed it is now considered "cool" to be frugal? I have been quietly frugal for years and have watched my friends blow money like it is going out of style. A little blip in the stock market (okay, so it was a big blip) and now all of my friends who happily drove their gas guzzlin' SUVs all over town on a whim have decided that they need to plan their trips, clip coupons and be big time frugal since it is now "politically correct"! I feel a little out of sorts because I am used to being one of a minority and I now have all these people asking me for money saving tips! So, in the interest of sharing my latest and greatest tips with my friends and family on my blog, here is what I did today:

It was taco salad night at our house and I decided to try a little tip I had heard about for stretching your hamburger meat. I browned one pound of ground beef, drained it, then added bread crumbs (one slice of whole wheat bread crumbled to very small crumbs), taco seasoning mix and twice the water called for to make taco meat. After it simmered for a few minutes, I drained a can of black beans and added them.

Guess what......SUCCESS! No one was any wiser to the bread being added. Every single one of my kids ate up the meat just like they always do. As a matter of fact, I usually add kidney beans, but tonight I added black beans and they seemed to like that better. Adding the bread helped the meat stretch a little farther than it usually does, and the kids get the added bonus of extra fiber! I will be trying this one again!