Cheaper drugs

Well, looks like AAA + CVS pharmacies have teamed up to offer AAA members prescription discounts.

AAA claims that its members save on average 24% on perscription medicine not covered by health insurance. They say you can use it on anyone in the household -including pets. Very curious. (I'm guessing you don't need to go to CVS for Rover's petmeds...)
If you want to look into it further to see if this would help your household's situation, go to www.AAA.com/prescriptions or call a local agent at the 1200 S. Main St. at 734-747-7000. Usually AAA auto insurance runs expensive but the renter's or homeowner's insurance is pretty competitive, gives you full membership services and access to all of those AAA discounts.

About those tortillas

So here's the recipe for flour tortillas that I use as a combo from several sources. If I had gotten this from one place I would cite it, but since I've borrowed from a couple of different ones, then experimented to see what works for me, I don't have a proper trail or Web site to point to.

Of course you can substitute half of the flour with wheat flour or make it all with wheat flour for a healthier version. If so, add some extra milk, but the ratio for those modifications is still a work in progress for me, so give it a try to see what you come up with.

Tortillas
Ingredients:
2 Cups Flour (s) -if you want wheat mixed in
1 & a half Teaspoons Baking Powder
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
2 Teaspoons Canola Oil
3/4 Cup lukewarm 1% Organic Milk

Directions:
Stir flour(s) + powder to sift it a couple of times.
Add salt + oil to the milk. Then, gradually add that milk mixture to flour as you have it mixing with a dough hook attachment on the #2 or #3 speed on the Kitchen Aid Mixer for about a minute or two. Remove the big dough ball from the hook and knead it vigorously for 2 minutes (good way to get out aggravation:) on a floured surface. Cover with a damp cloth or damp paper towel while you let the dough rest for about 15 minutes. Come back, divide the dough into 8 balls. Let it rest another 20 minutes or so. Roll out each tortilla ball. Quickly "bake" on a hot, dry skillet for about 30 seconds each side as you press with a spatula to deflate air bubbles.

On Background, Why a forum?

I'm hoping this blogspot will end up being more of a "How are we gonna..." rather than a "How-to" per se. So, I'm hoping for a good exchange of ideas on how to cut costs while taking advantage of the pleasantness that is Ann Arbor. I am on a quest to learn how to be more frugal and would love to hear from others who are the same.

Terry Prisk is a man who got an epiphany while on I-96. He says on his Web site that God spoke directly to him on that highway and now he's lead pastor of The River Community Church up in Livingston County. So if Prisk can get an idea while in traffic to start a church, maybe it's okay that I got the idea for a blog forum while making tortillas?

At first, I came to be making my own handmade flour tortillas in an effort to save a little money. But they ended up tasting way better than store-bought fare and quickly became a family favorite. Most of the time it's either spend time to save money or spend money to save time. Surprisingly, tortillas, I am happy to report, don't take much time at all.

You can let the dough rest about 15-20 minutes or so. That gives you enough time to tackle a little task in the meantime. (I called a doctor's office, went through it's phone tree and had a question answered about my daughter's surgery.) Total estimated time of actual work to make about 8 tortillas = 12 minutes or so. Time chatting with family as you do it + the much yummier taste = priceless. Added bonus: It saves you about $2.69 compared to a bag of flour tortillas at the store so you are doing work at about $13.45 an hour at that rate of cost savings. Not bad. And remember, $2.69 could get you a latte at one of our nearby Espresso Royales.

So that's just one little quick, easy way to save a little money. Please share your ways:)