See You at Junktique

The Frugal Hostess will be at Junktique next Sunday, and you should come.  She's selling some small housewares and an enormous amount of designer clothes, shoes, and accessories.  Think Chanel, Armani, Ungaro, Ralph Lauren, and Facconable, in all sizes.  The event benefits someone, but hopefully it mostly benefits The Frugal Hostess, because she is b-to-the-roke broke.  Please, help the .... uh .... people who need helping, and help TFH have a merry Christmas!!!

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Ask The Frugal Hostess: Martha Stewart is a Thief Edition

On random days, The Frugal Hostess answers your questions.

Leave 'em in the comments or send your email to frugalhostess AT gmail DOT com.

Dear Frugal Hostess,
What kind of gift should you get someone for their 3rd, 4th, or 5th wedding?
Best wishes,
Sanctity O' Marriage

Dear Ms. O' Marriage,
Hmm.  That's a tough one.  How about a box of Lucky Charms?
Love,
TFH

Dear Frugal Hostess,
What's your greatest regret?
Yours,
Fake Reader

Dear FR,
The Frugal Hostess has one regret.  As a child, she and her best friend Martha used to play a delightful game they called "Hostess."  One girl would be The Cheap Hostess, and one girl would be The Expensive Hostess.  The children would flit around a dinner table, setting and resetting the table.  Much hilarity ensued.  Time passed, and the girls grew up, but they continued to share the dream of one day running a lifestyle empire that celebrated entertaining.

Cut to the late 1980s, when it was time to put their dream in motion. Cheap was upgraded to Frugal and Martha was upgraded to Martha Stewart.  Bitch.
Bitterly yours,
The Frugal Hostess

Dear FruHo,
I'm in a bind.  My wedding anniversary falls on a weekend that my in-laws have asked to come for a visit.  While I love and adore them, I've been planning a special weekend away to spend some quality time with my wife.  How can I tell her that her parents aren't welcome?
Sincerely,
Romantic Husband

Dear RubHubs,
Sorry, but you are busted.  Even if you do remember the actual date of your wedding anniversary, which The Frugal Hostess highly doubts, there is no frickin' way that you actually planned a celebration in advance.  So, you know, quit lying and sack up to the fact that your MIL and FIL are coming over.  You lying liar.  Gah.
Love,
TFH

The Frugal Hostess has lots of love to give. Or at least plenty of smart-ass advice.  You can join the Frugalistas on Facebook for exclusive content, follow on Twitter @frugalhostess, or subscribe so that you always know when a new post appears.

Holiday Round-Up

The Frugal Hostess wrote eight posts that had something to do with Halloween, and she got to thinking, "Hey, FruHo, someone may want to be able to find those all in one place at some point, like when your life becomes the basis for an episode of 'Law and Order: Special Fashion Victims Unit'.  Let's make a special place for them to live!"  Thus, she is proud to introduce FruHo Holidays.

At the moment, the site contains articles just from Halloween 2009 (which you've probably already read), but look for round-ups of each holiday as it passes.  You can also click on the links in the new section to the left, under TFH's picture.  And please feel free to make comments about how FruHo Holidays can help you more, since so many of you read this blog and immediately implement its lessons.  Ha.

Seriously, The Frugal Hostess would be delighted to know what you would like to see on FruHo Holidays.  Spill your guts in the comments.

Brilliant Idea: Tomato Paste

Dude.  This is a brilliant idea.  Pass the Fritos.

Imagine that you need a tablespoon or two of tomato paste.  You're at the store, walking the aisles and doing the higher math it takes to determine a price comparison.  You look at the cans of tomato paste.  There's that tiny can, which costs a price, and then there's that bigger can, which costs a different price.  That different price turns out to be significantly less per ounce.  Huh.  But, what the freak are you gonna do with 15 ounces of tomato paste?

Enter this brilliant idea.  Cue super-hero music played by large orchestra.

Buy the bigger, cheaper can.  Hell, even if it's the same price per ounce, by the bigger can so that you're dealing with less packaging to recycle.  Use the amount that you need for your recipe, and then parcel it out in single tablespoon portions.  Using the tablespoon measuring spoon, plop the tomato paste out on wax paper at intervals.  Then cut the wax paper into squares, twist the squares into little packages like beggar's purses, and put into an air tight container.  Presto, pre-measured tablespoons of tomato paste at a cheaper price, and none has to go to waste!  Brilliant!

FruHubs may or may not have thought of this.  Jackass has all the good ideas. 

The Frugal Hostess is not very smart. Please leave a comment that will increase her brain power. You can also join the Frugalistas on Facebook for exclusive content, follow on Twitter @frugalhostess, or subscribe so that you always know when a new post appears.

A Message from The Frugal Hostess

The Frugal Hostess gets lonely. Please comment. You can also join the Frugalistas on Facebook for exclusive content, follow on Twitter @frugalhostess, or subscribe so that you always know when a new post appears.

FRUHUBS FOOD: A New, Semi-Regular Recipe Column

Well, you had to have known it was coming.  The Frugal Husband is a bad-ass chef, and The Frugal Hostess would like to exploit that for her own benefit.  You know, aside from eating everything he cooks, which is delightful.  Thus, FRUHUBS FOOD.

Today's episode is Pulled Pork and Barbecue Sauce (please sing that the way the deep-voiced fellow does in the old Chili's commercial for baby back ribs).  (And then sing the falsetto part "Chi-iiii-li's..baby-back ribs.")  (Then the deep part again, "BAR-BA-CUE SAWSSSE.")

Good times.

OK, so, remember how FruHo talked about smoked pork butt recently?  Well, The Frugal Husband decided to whip one up, as it were, and smoke it for eight hours after giving it a good rub down with a rub he made.  Then he had to show it up by making his own barbecue sauce.

Here's how:

Ingredients

7-8 lb. pork butt

2 quarts of water, or enough to cover the butt

8 oz. molasses (Be sure it’s not made of high-fructose corn syrup, yuck.  If you don’t have molasses, use 16 oz. of brown sugar.)

8 oz. salt

1 tablespoon peppercorns

1 tablespoon of brown sugar

Directions

1.  Heat two cups of the water.

2.  Dissolve the salt, then add the molasses and other ingredients.

3.  Once everything has melted, let it cool to room temperature.  If you’re short on time, put in ice cubes.

4.  Add remaining water and pork butt.

5.  The pork butt should stay in the brine overnight or a minimum of six hours.

After you brine it, rub it with some rub.  The Frugal Husband has a Secret Recipe for butt rub (ha!), but here’s a hint – all of the ingredients in the picture above are in the rub.  Aye, there’s the rub.  Ahem.

So, rub your butt (but not someone else’s butt, unless you have permission), and then smoke the pork for eight to ten hours.  Whew.  FruHubs usually gets up super early to make this.  It’s worth it.

OK, once your butt is juicy and tender (seriously, TFH can’t stop herself – what do you expect?), pull it apart with forks and put it on sandwiches.  It’s good with a delicious sauce and some coleslaw on the sandwich. 

Sauce?  Do you mean Barbecue Sauce?  FruHubs won’t come off his sauce recipe either.  Seriously, FruHubs, what’s the point of having a recipe column if you won’t give out your recipes?  But he says that there are a number of great recipes for both rub and sauce, and you should look them up.  What a pain -- a pain in the butt!!!  (Wow, this topic is comedy gold.)

Enjoy your butt!

The Frugal Hostess has a secretive husband. Any comments? Join the Frugalistas on Facebook for exclusive content, follow on Twitter @frugalhostess, or subscribe so that you always know when a new post appears.

More Halloween Party Ideas and a New Friend

The Frugal Hostess is always on the look out for new ideas for saving money while living an excellent life.  To that end, she's recently add a new friend slash long-lost sister to her RSS Reader.  Ladies and Gentlemen, please meet The Broke Socialite!

TBS and TFH have become fast friends, and The Frugal Hostess reads The Broke Socialite's every word.  So, when this post showed up today, FruHo knew she had to share it.  Here are some of TBS's great ideas for an inexpensive Halloween fete.  Enjoy!

The Frugal Hostess is always looking for more friends. Feed the comment beast.  You can also join the Frugalistas on Facebook for exclusive content, follow on Twitter @frugalhostess, or subscribe so that you always know when a new post appears.