Save a Dunkin’ Donuts Iced Tea Lemon, and Then Use the Lemon Juice for Home Brewed Tea.

I imagine the first thing that pops into your mind if you have been reading my blog is, “What’s he doing buying tea at Dunkin’ Donuts if he wants to save money?” To tell you the truth, it is usually not I that gets the tea from Dunkin’ Donuts, it is my wife. My wife likes to splurge sometimes and get an iced tea from Dunkin’ Donuts. There is nothing wrong with that. In fact, she does it so rarely that we probably end up spending about the same amount on tea. This is because I usually drink 2 or 3 pots of tea a day, where 5 bags make a pot. Though I am only spending pennies for each bag of tea, since I drink it more often, it ends up that we are probably spending about an equal amount of money. That is, unlike many Americans, my wife does not frequent Dunkin’ Donuts every day. Instead, it is that every now and then she gets a donut and an iced tea. She gets her iced tea with lemon. This is where I come in.

After my wife is finished with her tea, she gives me the lemon. I save the lemon, and squeeze out the juice into my tea. Every now and then I like a little fresh lemon in my tea, and this is one way I don’t have to spend any extra money for it.

Lastly, you could probably eat the lemon peel. If it is already squeezed, then it probably won’t be too sour. I have been known to eat my grapefruit and orange peels. In general, eating peels of fruit adds bulk for better bowels. In fact, next time, I think I’ll try eating the lemon peel.

Super Frugality: Get Energy Packed and Save Money on Coffee

I like a lot of coffee. Specifically, I think it is that I am addicted to caffeine. As far as I am concerned, this habit is quite expensive. I have already discussed the joys of shopping for coffee at the Christmas Tree Shop to save money. Ocean State Job Lot is another great place to find coffee for a low price. This blog/note is not people who buy their coffee at Dunkin’ Donuts, Starbucks, or some other coffee shop by the cup. However, if you buy coffee grounds or coffee beans, this is for you. Making coffee at home is less expensive than buying it by the cup at a coffee shop. What’s more, you won’t have the beans to cook with to get that extra added punch of caffeine. Save on you craving! Get the most caffeine for your bean by first making coffee with it, and then eating the leftover coffee grounds.

By themselves, coffee grounds are not very tasty. If my guess is correct, then you will agree with me on that one! However, coffee grounds should not be thought of as a food by itself, but as a spice. If you cook your coffee grounds into your food, chances are that you will find that don’t need to drink as much coffee to get the same high. Drinking less coffee means not having to make as many cups of coffee for breakfast, which saves on the amount of coffee grounds you use. Saving a little here and a little there adds up! And, why waste some perfectly good used coffee grounds!

Are you sold? Here is where to begin. Begin with breakfast. To save time, most coffee makers can be preprogrammed to turn on before you wake up. I recommend doing that. That way you can have your coffee and your breakfast at the same time. When you wake up, my guess is that breakfast starts with a cup of coffee. A good thing to mix the grounds with is grits. Try putting a table spoon or two of coffee grounds in your grits before you cook them.

Here is a sample recipe (grits will vary in how much water is required):

1. Pour yourself a cup of already made coffee.

2. ¼ cup grits

3. Combine with 1 table spoon of USED COFFEE GROUNDS from the already made coffee.

4. Combine with a pinch of allspice, or cloves, or nutmeg.

5. Combine with a pinch of cinnamon.

6. Combine with a pinch of salt.

7. I like to make my grits with soy milk. So what I do is when measuring out the necessary liquid to make grits in a measuring cup. I use 50% water, and 50% soy milk. If you aren’t allergic to milk, then it’s okay to substitute regular milk for soy milk. That is, a package of grits will probably prescribe the amount of water to use. Here I substitute water for liquid, using the prescribed amount of liquid in a 50/50 ratio of the kind of liquid. Make sure you use the prescribed amount of liquid because grits expand. You don’t want to literally blow up your insides and wind up at the hospital!

8. Cook for the time prescribed amount of time on the grits package.

9. Add a tablespoon of soy butter. If you aren’t allergic to milk, then you may consider using regular milk.

10. Sweeten to taste with brown sugar, or white sugar, or Stevia*.

*Stevia is a sugar substitute.