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Premeditated Leftovers™

Prep-Ahead Meals, Cooking Tips, and Frugal Living


How to Turn Thrift Store Finds into Christmas Gifts

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Whether you are trying to do Christmas on a budget, a homemade Christmas, or a zero-waste holiday presents, you will find many clever thrift store Christmas gift ideas below to help you with your goals. Thrift shopping is a great way to save money year-round. You can get children’s clothing cheaply, housewares, and even furniture.Read More

7 Fun Ways to Give Gift Cards

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Do you feel bad when you give gift cards because it seems kind of boring? Here are some fun ways to give gift cards to make them a bit more unique. Do you love the versatility of giving gift cards but don’t like how impersonal they feel? If you seem to battle with the giftRead More

How to Host an Ornament Swap

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Swapping ornaments with friends is a great way to snag some new ornaments for you, while gifting some festive ornaments to others. If you have ever been curious about How to Host an Ornament Swap but weren’t sure where to begin, take a look below at some helpful tips on how to get started. Hosting anRead More

9 Frugal, Last-Minute Gift Ideas

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We have just a couple more weeks of shopping left to do before Christmas is here. With the holiday coming up on us so quickly, you may be scrambling to find something that is not only great for the recipient, but easy on your wallet. Here are 9 Frugal, last-minute gifts: 1. Head to theRead More

Welcome. I'm Alea!

On Premeditated Leftovers I share simple recipes made with whole foods, practical shopping tips, time saving techniques, and meal planning strategies. I also share tips for minimizing food waste, so more of the food that is purchased ends up on the table.

While volunteering as a budget counselor, I realized that food is the element of most people’s budgets where they have the greatest control. I set out to develop low-cost recipes from scratch to prove it’s possible to create delicious meals on a limited budget. Eating well while spending less is about more than just creating recipes using inexpensive ingredients; it’s about creatively combining ingredients so you don’t feel deprived and are inspired to stick to your budget.