Thriftism

Almost everyone can agree that they love brownies, but maybe not everything that comes with eating brownies. The refined sugar and flour along with high calorie make brownies a diet buster and a real no-no for those going gluten free. While these bean brownies are not quite as amazing as the real deal, they are pretty darn tasty and satisfy my sweet tooth. Plus, these puppies are gluten free, high in protein and fiber, making them a great snack anytime of the day. Even better, there are only 6 ingredients, resulting in incredibly easy to make brownies.  What you'll Need: 3 Eggs  2 Cup Pinto Beans 1/2 C Cocoa Powder 1/3 C Honey 2 T Coconut Oil 2 T Vanilla  Preheat oven to 350. Mash beans or blend in your food processor (Ninja!) Add in the rest of the ingredients and blend some more. Once you have reached a fairly smooth consistency you're ready to bake. Grease a brownie pan and bake at 350 for ~20 minutes or until a to...

March and April flew by much too fast. We're very sorry we missed a whole month of posts! The PE exam was April 21 and we had to spend too much time studying. Now that we've crossed the taking the exam off of our goals list, we will get back on track for the blog and our youtube channel. Here's a two-month update since we missed the last goal check-in. Here's where we at Thriftism stand: Take 6 Courses Online Began A Life of Happiness and Fulfillment on Coursera (1/11/17) Install Bathroom Heater DONE!! So nice to have a warm bathroom. Stain/Finish Captains Bedframe No progress here, this one seems to be a challenge for us.  Read 12 Books Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown The Summons by John Grisham Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen  Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen (~50%) Lots of textbooks/references, but I'm not sure that counts.   Take 2 Trips (Mexico & TBD) Trip 1✔ We went to Cancun in January. This is always a favori...

Pizza is one of my favorite foods. When I was in college I would eat pizza several times a week. Too bad I came to the realization that pizza isn't very healthy (especially not if you're eating it for 7 meals during the week). We still get pizza every once in awhile, but we try to stick to foods that are both healthier and cheaper. Eating out or ordering in can get pretty spendy. Luckily, I recently figured out a real gem of a recipe when brainstorming how to use the remaining 30 spaghetti squash before summer arrives. (Yes, we still have that many squash in March - gardening saves us lots of money!) I didn't have high expectations for a squash pizza, but what the heck, might as well try it, right? Let me tell you, I LOVED IT!!! It's not quite the same as a thick crust pizza or as a crunchy thin crust, but it definitely tastes like pizza and has a fairly similar texture. It might be my new favorite recipe given the great taste, the nutrition (can you say calori...

The first time we went to Mexico I was very hesitant to take the bus. I don't know about your experience, but where I live, the bus is not convenient. You have to switch a few times and it'll take you an hour to get anywhere, not to mention the bus only comes by once an hour. Basically, I'll take the bus if it's my only option. Plus, public transport used to seem a bit daunting to me. For those of you in larger cities, laugh away, but again, I was hesitant to take on the bus in a foreign country.  Contrary to my first opinion, in most counties, public transportation is THE way to travel. Cancun doesn't have an underground system (at least not that I'm aware of), but they do have plenty of buses and taxis. Taxis are great if you need to get to a specific location and you're in a huge hurry and don't mind paying for your convenience. Otherwise, buses are still pretty quick and much more affordable.  If you watched the video, you can see that...

It's that time of the month... time to check in on goals you know? :) Have you been sticking with it or have your goals fallen by the wayside? Here's where we at Thriftism stand: Take 6 Courses Online Began A Life of Happiness and Fulfillment on Coursera (1/11/17) Install Bathroom Heater DONE!! Race decided to kickstart this year's goals. This is amazing to have in the winter. Stain/Finish Captains Bedframe No progress here, this one seems to be a challenge for us. Read 12 Books Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown The Summons by John Grisham Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen ~50%  Take 2 Trips (Mexico & TBD) Trip 1✔ We went to Cancun in January. This is always a favorite of ours. Where to next??? Looked into Peru and Russia, but not sure that we have the time off to visit either this year. Paint & Trim Guest Bedroom Painting is done, trim to be continued. Workout 4 Days/Week We are halfway there. We worked out around 2 Days/Wee...

Whether it's your first time to Mexico or you've been countless times, exchanging money can still be confusing when you're visiting a new location. In order to skip the learning curve we are giving a brief run down of places you can exchange dollars for pesos from worst to best as well as a few places you can use dollars while you're there.  Why exchange money?? I heard everywhere takes dollars... While many places do accept dollars, there are still many that do not. These include local stores and vendors. Plan on buying souvenirs? Be sure to have some pesos on hand, especially if you plan on visiting Isla Mujeres. Some vendors and restaurants will take dollars, but the exchange rate will be quite bad. Keep in mind they will have to exchange the money you give them. Currently the exchange rate is hovering between 20-22 pesos for every dollar. As of January 2017, a few convenience stores were willing to offer 15 pesos to a dollar. That means by having peso...

Birthdays aren't quite as fun once you reach that 21 mark, but that doesn't mean you should quit celebrating. Birthday are still a great reason to see friends and family, but most of all birthdays are great for getting free meals and good deals. Here are a few of the deals I got this year for my birthday and how much I saved. Perkins:  Get a free magnificent 7 meal. They have affordable options for others in your party too. A great added bonus is to visit on a Monday (They have free pie with entrees). iHop Free Rooty Tooty Fresh and Fruity-- This deal has gotten worse. While you still get fruity pancakes, you no longer get the eggs or sausage with it. Plus there aren't many affordable options if you bring a date. While we still enjoyed pancakes, I may rethink this deal in the future. Buffalo Wild Wings Free Snack Wings (Don't need to use on your birthday) Grand Junction BEST DEAL EVER!!! Love the sandwiches and you get a free small sub of y...