Why I do not buy sushi at the stores

Or at any mediocre Japanese restaurant, is because:

1. I am frugal. Obviously. Haha.
2. I am very hard to please when it comes to prepared food that I have to buy. I just can't let go of my $10 for 9 pcs. of ready made sushi that is not delicious. Japanese food is one of my favorites.  If I want to spend money on Japanese food, I will go to an AUTHENTIC Japanese restaurant, where I can enjoy a wide variety and splurge a little bit to experience eating a delicious Japanese dinner in a tatami mat room.
3. Sushi is very very easy to make. 
4. For $10 dollars, I can make around 100 pieces of california sushi rolls.

I made around 20 pcs. of california sushi rolls for, around $2 worth of ingredients.

You really won't use all of the ingredients that you buy for the sushi.

When  I calculated what could be the value of the ingredients I used, 

it's only $2 tops.

Before you can make sushi, you need this bamboo mat

Please excuse the mess :)

I know, it looks disgusting here lol, but I am a raw fish eater and an avocado lover! 

In this photo, taken a while ago, I used tuna instead of crab meat

Ready for the cutting

Not the best sushi roll job, but I like it with more stuff inside and less rice

Are you ready to make your own tasty sushi? :)

Check out this video on sushi making instructions :

Smooth, fabulous skin for less than your small cup of latte.

I would like to share a home made wax recipe, that is ancient and super natural. It took me a while to perfect the cooking part, but the waxing part is very easy to do. This recipe is a blessing. I do not want to spend $60 plus tip on a reputable spa for my waxing, and my skin is very sensitive. But I want a smooth silky skin always. So I tried this. I did not give up after 3 times in failing to cook the wax, but once I got it the 4th time, I was thrilled.

It's very simple. 

In a pan, mix

2 cups of pure white granulated sugar.

1/4 cup lemon

1/4 cup of distilled water

Cook it in medium heat, stirring constantly

Once it boils, simmer it in low heat while constantly stirring. 

Using a cooking thermometer (you can buy this in grocery stores in the cooking supplies area), take the temperature. Once it reaches 250-265 degrees, then it's ready. Once it cools, the sugar wax is ready. Wax on, wax and all hair off. :)

Results:  frugabulously smooth skin.

Cost: Less than a buck for the sugar and distilled water. 1.5 bucks for the lemon.

For a complete instruction on cooking the sugar wax and hair removal, watch the following videos:

My $5 healthy tuna salad

If you enjoy sashimi, or raw fish dipped in soysauce and wasabi like me, then this dish is for you.
It will take your taste buds to the tropics! I love the taste of tuna, it is an essential part of my diet, but I eat it in moderation. It is a healthy food packed with high quality protein, omega 3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, and other essential vitamins and minerals.

This dish is similar to the Filipino dish kinilaw na isda, but I made it simpler 

using the available ingredients in the house.

2/3 lb. of fresh tuna, cubed

1 fresh sliced cucumber

1 small fresh ginger minced

1/4 large red bell pepper chopped

1 tsp. minced onion

1/2 lemon, juiced

1/2 tsp sushi seasoning

1 cup white balsamic vinegar 

pinch of salt

Optional:  Jalapeno peppers minced

                 

Directions:

• In a bowl, add tuna and pour half of the vinegar, let it stand for 30 seconds. 
• Squeeze the tuna with a fork putting a little pressure, then drain the vinegar. Wash the tuna one more time with the remaining vinegar. 
• On a plate, lay the cucumbers, the tuna meat, then the ginger, onions, and bell pepper. Pour the lemon juice on the salad, sushi seasoning and salt to taste.  You may also add a little bit of vinegar  and salt for that extra flavor.

Now the cost. The tuna was for $9/Lb and the rest of the ingredients are pretty inexpensive. All are in very small amounts.  I spent $5 tops to make  this great dish. Simple, easy, healthy and rich in flavor. That's my fabulous tuna salad. :)

Smart way to do laundry

We just got back from Monterey an hour ago, and what a beautiful day. It was a perfect sunday on 17 mile drive  with my little one, my beau and his sister. We enjoyed the afternoon sun, laying on the beach on my white blanket and waited for the sunset. We over packed towels and blankets, and used all of them. And that means, over flowing laundry. Tomorrow is going to be a warm day again. Thankfully, because I very rarely use my dryer. And let me tell you why. First, it consumes a lot of energy which equals to money, and second, it damages clothes which means more money spent to buy new ones. My mama was the one who suggested it to me when she visited us here in California in 2008. I will never forget her face when she said,"Your dryer damaged my blouse, please don't put it inside the dryer again". She was not happy, but I am glad she told me that night. It was winter time, I thought her suggestion would never work, but it did, the clothes dried and smelled great...from then on, never did I use my dryer again, except for towels and my sheets. I still use the washer  to wash my clothes, and I do it in large loads.  Then I hang my clothes to dry. The delicate and light clothes, I always hand wash. The results: my little one's clothes look always new, my jeans never fade, my wardrobe looks new even the ones that were purchased 3-4 years ago. I use a clothes rack, there is one (picture below) at Walmart for $29.47. It's very useful and perfect for apartments, and houses too.

Sunday Breakfast

Most people like to eat out on sunday mornings. During my marriage,  we religiously went to Hobbies, on Montague, San Jose  and in Sunnyvale, because it is my ex's favorite thing to do on sunday mornings, and did not skip one weekend, except when traveling. We sat on the same corner table on Montague, and we were served by Lilia all the time. Their pancakes are made with whole wheat flour, that melts in your mouth, they make your eggs in different ways, and they have a delicious coffee cake.  It is a very good breakfast restaurant. $40.00 including tips at least gone every sunday morning. In a few months after the marriage, I started liking egg omelette with spinach and forgetting about fish and rice. Yes, I used to eat fish and rice for breakfast. That must sound weird to some but it's a common breakfast food in the Philippines. I eat the most during breakfast and lunch, very little at night.

After the marriage, I could not really throw money towards that luxury anymore, and I started cooking my own weekend breakfast, before taking off to enjoy the weekend. It felt good because not only it is, cheaper, it's healthier too. I can choose which oil to cook it with, the amount of sodium I throw in the dish, the amount of mushrooms and bell peppers. Things like that makes me more satisfied. I refuse to eat at McDonalds, although inexpensive compared to Hobbies,  it really does not taste good and disgustingly greasy. Breakfast food ingredients are inexpensive especially if you buy them in bulk, and for someone like me who knows how to cook, I feel that eating out, or buying  take-out every day,  is not only a waste of money, but a downgrade from the quality of food that I am capable to make. And with the present day's technology, every body who is not lazy to find a recipe can cook.

What is it called? I don't know haha.

But these are what is in the pan:

Olive oil

4 Eggs

1/2 Lb. Flank Steak

1/2 Chicken Sausage

1/2 Large Red Bell Peppers

4 pcs. white mushrooms

1 Tbsp. Sun Dried Tomatoes

Garlic paste

Dried Parsley

Sea Salt

Carrot oil

Pepper to taste

I love cilantro, I put them in most of my food

And the heavenly avocado of course :)

That's my fabulous sunday breakfast

Cost of the ingredients? around $8.00

Serves 3

My De Sede of Switzerland sofa : $100.00 Retail Value: A SHOCKER

I got a surprise, so big, that it literally made me gasp  and flip. I was curious about how much I could sell  my current sofa for, so I can replace it with a softer one.  
My beau calls it the "back breaker". 
I remember the lady whom I bought it from way back in mid 2008 told me that I am very lucky to get it for $100.00. She said, "If only I could take it back to Europe, but I have to leave in a couple of days." She said she paid something around $5,000. I said, okay. I decided to buy it because:
1.)  I needed a loveseat, and my budget was $ 150.00 LOL
2.)  It was genuine leather, which was impossible to get for $100.00, what designer furniture can you buy for $100  these days in California?  LOL.. it was too good to be true for me.
3.)  It was new, no damage and they had no pets in the house.


This sofa is very heavy, that my  2 friends and I were so exhausted after moving  it to my place. So I thought yeah, it could be worth something. It was a good deal.


Today, I searched for the brand De Sede of Switzerland, which is found on the inner fabric lining of the sofa. I found their website :  


http://www.desede.ch/en/


Wow very modern design. I love every furniture they have.


Then I found my sofa! the DS-2011  here:


http://www.desede.com/en/home-sector/collection/sofas/ds-2011/   


In this picture, it is black, mine is off white. And you can order it in the color and texture of leather that you desire. At this point, I was very happy to know that they have it on their website so I can send the link to prospective buyers.

But it did not have a price, so I searched for it on google since I now have the model number and found this listing on:


                                                        switchmodern.com  


                    http://www.switchmodern.com/Sofas/De-Sede-DS-2011-Sofa.asp

THE SHOCKING PRICE:

$8,820 - $12,360 

Wow, being the frugal woman that I am , this gave me so much happiness today! 

I have an expensive De Sede of Switzerland sofa?!  I could not stop laughing.

   This is the last time she can ever do her  planking  on my fabulous De Sede sofa.

                       Money spent on this fabulous European furniture: $100.00 in 2008

                                     Current retail value: $8,820 - $12,360

                                                     NOT FOR SALE  :)

The little black dress

A black dress, bought a year ago, was my project last week 

My beau invited me to go out to dinner and clubbing last Saturday.

I wanted something sparkly for the night, then I got this from my closet

Found this blouse when I was organizing my closet five months ago and then I set it aside cause I    thought I could use the sparkles one day. 

    Well this was the day. I removed the sparkles and attached them to the black dress.

TADA!!!

           I tweaked a boring black dress for a date night/clubbing

 Money spent to feel this fabulous? = $0.00

   I felt like I was wearing a new dress, he thought I was :)

Hello World, Welcome to my Fabulously Frugal life

A fabulous life for me is a life lived with excitement, happiness and content. I attain this  'every day bliss' by making the most of what I have and turning it into something extraordinary. I make it happen, by embracing a frugal lifestyle, yet never abandoning my love for fashion, beauty, art, good food, and  fun healthy activities.

Hopefully through this blog, I can inspire men and women alike. Those who are already happily frugal, please connect with me and share your experiences and tips on beauty, travel, food, finance, fitness, etc.

Let's all live a fabulously frugal life.  <3