If you’ve never eaten at Abuelos, this is a great Mexican food restaurant that our whole family really likes.  We don’t eat there very often, but we always enjoy it when we do.

My husband and I went there to celebrate our anniversary, and the great thing is that we had a coupon for “Buy an entree and two drinks and receive a free entree.”   I joined Abuelo’s eClub last year and received a coupon like the one mentioned just for joining.   The timing wasn’t right so we weren’t able to use the coupon.  So what we did this year was to wait to have my husband sign up for their eClub until the week before our anniversary.  That way, we were able to use the coupon for joining  on our actual anniversary date.

Not only were we able to get a free entree, but we had enough food left over for a meal at home the next day.  We both really like their enchiladas.  I usually barely eat two enchiladas by the time I’ve eaten a lot of chips and salsa.  My husband wanted three enchiladas.  So…we each ordered the four enchilada plate which was only $1 more than the three enchilada plate (and remember one plate was free).   There was so much food that we only ate half of our refried beans and “Papas Con Chili” (their signature dish of whipped red potatoes, four cheeses, red & green peppers, sour cream, garlic, and  jalapeno – yummy!).  We both got take-out boxes for our leftovers plus took our refill of chips and salsa that we had barely touched.  Like I mentioned, we had enough food for another meal at home.  The Frugal Novice would think that this was very frugal!

(I was not compensated in any way for this review.  It is strictly my opinion.)

If you’ve never been to Central Market which is one of the freshest grocery markets in the country (Texas locations in Dallas, Ft. Worth, Austin, Houston, & San Antonio areas), then I recommend going at least once. Try to go close to lunch time because they have delicious samples of food throughout the store.  And they have printed recipe cards to give their customers for the foods they are sampling.  Here is one recipe that is good to serve guests:

SMOKED SALMON DIP

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 pound Smoked Salmon
• 2 8-ounce packages of cream cheese (try reduced fat)
• 2 green onions
• 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

DIRECTIONS:

Put all ingredients in food processor (or blender) and blend to desired consistency.  Serve with crackers or baguettes.  (Central Market has fresh-made baguettes in their bakery department, and they’re reasonably priced.)

What do you do with a coupon after you cut it out?   I used to have an accordion style coupon holder where I would file my coupons.  That wasn’t the most efficient way, though.   The Frugal Novice tells about using the binder method for storing coupons which is a very efficient method.  Christi shows detailed instructions with pictures on how to set up the binder.

I have a friend, Diane, who I called the “Coupon Queen” because she saved an unbelievable amount every week using coupons, and she used the binder method also.  That method is the way to go!

Jason’s Deli is one of my favorite places to eat. They have such fresh, healthy, and even some organic foods. I have a couple of girlfriends who have birthdays within just a few days of mine. For the past three years, we have met at Jason’s to visit and celebrate our birthdays. It’s also a time we catch up with each others lives. Another great thing about Jason’s is that you don’t have to rush. We can take our time and enjoy visiting, even if it’s for three hours!

(I was not compensated in any way for this review.  It is strictly my opinion.)

The days of adolescent acne are long gone, and I’m so glad.  I must admit that I have gotten an occasional pimple every now and then.  It is mildly annoying and usually goes away quickly.  Some people really have a problem with acne, though, and it doesn’t go away quickly.  I’ve recently read that some people even have pimples on scalp.  I imagine that would be very annoying and irritating, especially when brushing one’s hair.  I’m thankful I just have to deal with one or two pimples once in a while!

There is a lot of information and there are a lot of reviews available online for all sorts of things such as diet pill reviews.  Just about anything you would want to know about anything is somewhere online.   Being able to do searches online for topics of interest or concern is wonderful.  One of the main types of information I like being able to access is recipes.  I find there are several variations of recipes to choose from for the same dish.  And there are helpful reviews on those recipes, too.  The reviews are great!

Well, I must admit that this is not my picture, but I like it.  Our son laughed because this is a free picture used by others.