Betty Crocker $10 in coupons booklet
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Chance to win Schick Razor
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giveaway
Pamprin Sample
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid44310.aspx
Shutterfly 50 free prints and free shipping
www.shutterfly.com
Ive used this company a few times. Love them!
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Do the words actually sink in?
Ive gone over this a million times with my children. But you know how they are, they have to figure it out themselves. When my husband and I first started dating, we really didn't have that much money. And you know what that means? Hamburger Helper and Mac n Cheese. Not the most healthy but it was what we could afford. Then we cut out all red meat and started using ground turkey. As we started making more money, had our children, etc. We decided that it was time to cook more at home and less out. Mostly so our kids would grow up eating healthy and get a better start. But the difference was, we taught our children why and how to eat healthy. From when it goes into your body, what happens. To what vitamins are in what. Sometimes you say things to them, but are not sure if it actually sinks in.
But there's hope. My daughters don't like a lot of sweet stuff. If they do get sweet stuff from family or friends, they sometimes get stomach aches if they eat too much. They don't like fast food or processed food. I think all the words we said actually sunk in. Yippee! So all those hours of cooking whole chickens, peeling potatoes, growing our garden, and going to the market actually did some good. And they love helping me make dinner.
So some advise. Start early. They are never too young to teach healthy cooking. My twins are already asking me about how healthy things are. If your kids are older, there still is hope. You can still make their favorite things but healthier. . You don't have to turn into health nuts, their poor bodies will go into shock. Not really but you get the idea. Little steps make big impacts. Here are a few tips that really helped us get started.
1. No soda. This was the hardest for me. I craved it. But you will survive without it.
2. Less sugar. Crystal Light is a great start. So yummy. When baking use 1/2 apple sauce and 1/2 sugar. Stop buying candy. Replace half sugar cereal with Cheerios's. Use more fruit.
3. Whole Wheat-noodles, bread, crackers, pretty much everything. You not only will be getting healthier but will stay full longer. Regular noodles seem slimy to me now. Use whole wheat flour only. There is no difference in taste, just looks different.
4. Better Meat-Buy meat with less fat. Chicken, turkey, and fish are great. I pretty much only eat white meat. I take the time to cut as much fat and skin off as possible. Plus I bake my meat a lot so its really juicy. You can be on a budget and still get good meat. Chicken is super budget friendly right now. Value Grill packs and whole chickens are almost always on sale now for $1 or less a pound.
5. Stop buying processed foods. No Velveeta cheese, no powdered gravy, no precooked anything. Learn how to make gravy, use regular cheese, and just try to do things yourself. not only does this save you money but its way more healthier.
6. Bake. There are super easy things to bake. Throw in some shredded veggies and they would never know. Zucchini and carrot are great for this. There are tons of recipes out there using vegetable puree and they wouldn't even taste it. Let the kids help and I promise they will eat it. I even take another step and add flax seed. I add it to anything I bake. Can be bought in bulk too.
7. No fast food. Or as less as possible. There are times when you have to do it but be smart about it. My kids do not like fast food. They would much rather go home and request mac n cheese that I make. Don't get me wrong, they love pizza. Pizza is in a whole different category. But you can make pizza too...See get the idea?
8. Produce as snacks. Apple sauce all natural, cut up apples, carrots, red bell peppers, and even celery with peanut butter. When in season, my girls love lemon cucumbers. Its like apples to them.
9. Choice's-how about a fruit smoothie instead of chocolate syrup in milk? Just need milk and frozen fruit. How about crackers and peanut butter instead of chips? Or better yet buy apple chips.
10. Fresh is best. But frozen will do. I try to use fresh items as much as possible. If something fresh is on sale, I will buy a ton and freeze it. Like red bell peppers are 4/$1 now. I bought 8, cut slice up 6 of them and put on a cookie sheet and froze them. 2 are for meals for the next few days. Then once frozen, throw in a freezer bag and they wont stick together. I do this to all fruit and veggies. Makes my buck go a long way.
11. HAVE FUN with it. Its a learning process. Make it a game with the kids. It will work.
The thought of any fast food, processed food (hot dogs, Bologna, etc) just makes me sick to my stomach. I would much rather go home and find some good stuff. And if you ask my kids, they would say the same. Unless it involves pizza. All rules are out the window. LOL! So yes, their is hope, and your kids will eat healthy. There are ways around it.
But there's hope. My daughters don't like a lot of sweet stuff. If they do get sweet stuff from family or friends, they sometimes get stomach aches if they eat too much. They don't like fast food or processed food. I think all the words we said actually sunk in. Yippee! So all those hours of cooking whole chickens, peeling potatoes, growing our garden, and going to the market actually did some good. And they love helping me make dinner.
So some advise. Start early. They are never too young to teach healthy cooking. My twins are already asking me about how healthy things are. If your kids are older, there still is hope. You can still make their favorite things but healthier. . You don't have to turn into health nuts, their poor bodies will go into shock. Not really but you get the idea. Little steps make big impacts. Here are a few tips that really helped us get started.
1. No soda. This was the hardest for me. I craved it. But you will survive without it.
2. Less sugar. Crystal Light is a great start. So yummy. When baking use 1/2 apple sauce and 1/2 sugar. Stop buying candy. Replace half sugar cereal with Cheerios's. Use more fruit.
3. Whole Wheat-noodles, bread, crackers, pretty much everything. You not only will be getting healthier but will stay full longer. Regular noodles seem slimy to me now. Use whole wheat flour only. There is no difference in taste, just looks different.
4. Better Meat-Buy meat with less fat. Chicken, turkey, and fish are great. I pretty much only eat white meat. I take the time to cut as much fat and skin off as possible. Plus I bake my meat a lot so its really juicy. You can be on a budget and still get good meat. Chicken is super budget friendly right now. Value Grill packs and whole chickens are almost always on sale now for $1 or less a pound.
5. Stop buying processed foods. No Velveeta cheese, no powdered gravy, no precooked anything. Learn how to make gravy, use regular cheese, and just try to do things yourself. not only does this save you money but its way more healthier.
6. Bake. There are super easy things to bake. Throw in some shredded veggies and they would never know. Zucchini and carrot are great for this. There are tons of recipes out there using vegetable puree and they wouldn't even taste it. Let the kids help and I promise they will eat it. I even take another step and add flax seed. I add it to anything I bake. Can be bought in bulk too.
7. No fast food. Or as less as possible. There are times when you have to do it but be smart about it. My kids do not like fast food. They would much rather go home and request mac n cheese that I make. Don't get me wrong, they love pizza. Pizza is in a whole different category. But you can make pizza too...See get the idea?
8. Produce as snacks. Apple sauce all natural, cut up apples, carrots, red bell peppers, and even celery with peanut butter. When in season, my girls love lemon cucumbers. Its like apples to them.
9. Choice's-how about a fruit smoothie instead of chocolate syrup in milk? Just need milk and frozen fruit. How about crackers and peanut butter instead of chips? Or better yet buy apple chips.
10. Fresh is best. But frozen will do. I try to use fresh items as much as possible. If something fresh is on sale, I will buy a ton and freeze it. Like red bell peppers are 4/$1 now. I bought 8, cut slice up 6 of them and put on a cookie sheet and froze them. 2 are for meals for the next few days. Then once frozen, throw in a freezer bag and they wont stick together. I do this to all fruit and veggies. Makes my buck go a long way.
11. HAVE FUN with it. Its a learning process. Make it a game with the kids. It will work.
The thought of any fast food, processed food (hot dogs, Bologna, etc) just makes me sick to my stomach. I would much rather go home and find some good stuff. And if you ask my kids, they would say the same. Unless it involves pizza. All rules are out the window. LOL! So yes, their is hope, and your kids will eat healthy. There are ways around it.
New Freebies!
Schick© Quattro© Titanium Sample
Choose between 2 razors
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Del Monte savings
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Could win 4 pk fruit cup, grapefruit bowl, tomatoes, or coupon for low sodium vegies. First 50,000 winners
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Beeswax Salve Sample
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same idea, just a very small survey
Cast your vite Burt Bee's
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vote why you prefer natural, you could win lip balm, a t shirt, or a year supply of Burt Bee's
Choose between 2 razors
http://www.schicksamples.com/
Del Monte savings
Sign up for their newsletter and get coupons and free stuff
http://www.delmonte.com/solutions/
Could win 4 pk fruit cup, grapefruit bowl, tomatoes, or coupon for low sodium vegies. First 50,000 winners
Lilipads Flow Alert
http://flow-alert.com/
enjoy worry-free days
Beeswax Salve Sample
http://www.beeswaxsalve.com/
Email for a free sample
1 year subscribtion to Antique Magazine
http://a388.g.akamai.net/7/388/1603/0001/www.freebizmag.com/emailantiques06welcome.htm
Free subscribtion to US NEWS
http://www.rewardsgold.com/mags/usnews/sg_usnews_pg1.htm
Just answer a few questions about your current phone. They dont ask for your number, just a survey
Free Bridal Magazine
http://www.rewardsgold.com/mags/bride/sg_bride_pg1b.htm
same idea, just a very small survey
Cast your vite Burt Bee's
http://sweeps.votefornatural.com/
vote why you prefer natural, you could win lip balm, a t shirt, or a year supply of Burt Bee's
Friday, September 26, 2008
Easy ways to live greener and save you $$$
Here are a few ways that I save money on a regular basis. Ive been doing this for years so its second nature for me.
1. Hang dry all towels, wash clothes, or just about anything easy to hang dry. Polyesters are fast drying. This saves me 192 loads a year.
2. Make my own laundry soap. This is SUPER economical. Ends up only costing me 1 penny per load when I make my own. And I only have to make it once every 3 months or so. Regular soap would cost you anywhere between 14-20 cents per load.
3. Use Eco-friendly products. Seventh Generation is my favorite. I wait till it goes on sale and use my coupons. So I'm paying half price usually.
4. Buy in bulk. No packaging which is saving tree's and saving you money.
5. Stop buying bottled water. We didn't buy a whole lot but it still have saved us money. Most newer fridge's have a filter system so just use that water and a reusable container(look for #2 on bottom its the safest plastic)
6. Coupons coupons coupons. Most Eco friendly products are starting to give out coupons. Yippee! If you love a particular item, just email the company direct and 9 times out of 10 they will send you coupons. Most the time you can just sign up on their site and they send you some.
7. Buy used. We buy 95% of our everyday home/clothing items from goodwill/thrift stores/yard sales. I would rather save something from going in the landfill than buy a new one. Undies, bra's and socks are new but that's it. Its not only recycling, but its WAY less expensive. I find all the popular brands my kids want and all the ones I like too. You would be surprised what people get rid of.
8. Walk walk walk-I walk or jog 3 times a week to the store, park, or where ever. I have a jogging stroller that has a big compartment in the back so I just put food back there. This saves me money, gas, and the earth doesn't get my gas fumes. Plus gets me exercise.
9. Plant a garden. Easy to do. You end up paying pennies for produce when you grow it yourself
10. Can or freeze-I canned green beans this year. No I didn't grow the beans but I bought them when they were in season so they were cheap. I did end up forking over money for the pot and jars but over time this will pay for itself.
11. Buy recycled items. Recycled packaging. Recycled paper products. Stop cutting down tree's and just reuse the paper we have. Either buy stuff with no packaging or buy items that have recycled packaging. Support the companies that are willing to pay more to better this earth.
12. Reuse-we reuse paper bags for recycling stuff in our home. We reuse lunch meat containers for left overs. We reuse single serving apple sauce containers for ice cream, yogurt, etc. Old shirts we give my oldest daughter so she can make quilts for her barbies. Think how you can reuse something before you throw it away.
13. Reduce-Don't turn on lights until it gets dark. Turn off the water while brushing your teeth. Use half the recommended amount of laundry soap, are you really that dirty? Stop drinking soda or at least half the amount. Yes you will get over it, I did. Make your own coffee. I know crazy huh? Only go out 2 times a month instead of every week. Stop getting all those extra channels on your TV. Little things like that add up to hundreds by the end of the year. Just reduce little by little.
14. Recycle-recycle as much as you can. Then you can get a small trash can and that will save you money. You will stop putting things in the landfill too.
15. Last but not least, think. Think how our actions will impact our children's lives. How will they live after were gone? How will their environment be? If we do something now, we just might be able to fix the problems we have caused.
1. Hang dry all towels, wash clothes, or just about anything easy to hang dry. Polyesters are fast drying. This saves me 192 loads a year.
2. Make my own laundry soap. This is SUPER economical. Ends up only costing me 1 penny per load when I make my own. And I only have to make it once every 3 months or so. Regular soap would cost you anywhere between 14-20 cents per load.
3. Use Eco-friendly products. Seventh Generation is my favorite. I wait till it goes on sale and use my coupons. So I'm paying half price usually.
4. Buy in bulk. No packaging which is saving tree's and saving you money.
5. Stop buying bottled water. We didn't buy a whole lot but it still have saved us money. Most newer fridge's have a filter system so just use that water and a reusable container(look for #2 on bottom its the safest plastic)
6. Coupons coupons coupons. Most Eco friendly products are starting to give out coupons. Yippee! If you love a particular item, just email the company direct and 9 times out of 10 they will send you coupons. Most the time you can just sign up on their site and they send you some.
7. Buy used. We buy 95% of our everyday home/clothing items from goodwill/thrift stores/yard sales. I would rather save something from going in the landfill than buy a new one. Undies, bra's and socks are new but that's it. Its not only recycling, but its WAY less expensive. I find all the popular brands my kids want and all the ones I like too. You would be surprised what people get rid of.
8. Walk walk walk-I walk or jog 3 times a week to the store, park, or where ever. I have a jogging stroller that has a big compartment in the back so I just put food back there. This saves me money, gas, and the earth doesn't get my gas fumes. Plus gets me exercise.
9. Plant a garden. Easy to do. You end up paying pennies for produce when you grow it yourself
10. Can or freeze-I canned green beans this year. No I didn't grow the beans but I bought them when they were in season so they were cheap. I did end up forking over money for the pot and jars but over time this will pay for itself.
11. Buy recycled items. Recycled packaging. Recycled paper products. Stop cutting down tree's and just reuse the paper we have. Either buy stuff with no packaging or buy items that have recycled packaging. Support the companies that are willing to pay more to better this earth.
12. Reuse-we reuse paper bags for recycling stuff in our home. We reuse lunch meat containers for left overs. We reuse single serving apple sauce containers for ice cream, yogurt, etc. Old shirts we give my oldest daughter so she can make quilts for her barbies. Think how you can reuse something before you throw it away.
13. Reduce-Don't turn on lights until it gets dark. Turn off the water while brushing your teeth. Use half the recommended amount of laundry soap, are you really that dirty? Stop drinking soda or at least half the amount. Yes you will get over it, I did. Make your own coffee. I know crazy huh? Only go out 2 times a month instead of every week. Stop getting all those extra channels on your TV. Little things like that add up to hundreds by the end of the year. Just reduce little by little.
14. Recycle-recycle as much as you can. Then you can get a small trash can and that will save you money. You will stop putting things in the landfill too.
15. Last but not least, think. Think how our actions will impact our children's lives. How will they live after were gone? How will their environment be? If we do something now, we just might be able to fix the problems we have caused.
Red Apple Deals-what to do with alot of seasonal and sale items
Red Apple has a great coupon this week. $10 off your $50 purchase. You can make the most for your money this way. here is how I did it.
Coupon for FREE MILK when you purchase 3 Malta Meal Cereals.
Scooter Cereals $2.99 each bought 3
Milk $2.99 FREE for me
Dairy Gold Yogurt 10/$4 bought 10
Goldfish Crackers 3/$5 I bought 3
Chicken value Packs 99 cents per pound
I bought 4 packs about 20 lbs worth of chicken.
Eggs 1 dozen 2/$3 bought 2
Trix Cereal (we mix with cheerio's when eaten) 2/$4 I bought 2
Coffee Creamer 99 cents
Red Bell Peppers 4/$1 I bought 8
Total cost $38.54
When I drove home, I checked my reciept. They over charged me for something and charged me 2 times for something. I called them, then went in and had my bill fixed. $4.67 in extra charges. Yah, not gonna let that one slip by me. So my actual bill was lower.
$36.83
Thats very little considering I bought 20 lbs of chicken. And came home with 4 heaping paper bags of food.
I seperated chicken into 9 freezer bags. 1 was just chicken wings so that should be yummy! I could of split it up into smaller amounts but weve stretched so much over the last month that we diserve to eat more. I ended up with 4 big pieces of bones(they tuck it under the pretty parts of the chicken) and necks left over so I pulled all the skin and fat off that I could, chunked up some carrot and put enough water in to cover it all. I boiled it for 30 minutes on medium heat. Once it was done I pulled all the bones and stuff out and waited for it to get to room temp. Then put it in the fridge until tomarrow. I will then scoop all the fat that hardened at the top out and throw it out. Whala! Stock. I will do this to all my chicken bones. I love this stock way better than the store bought kind. Plus less sodium.
All those red peppers I bought also had a plan too. I kept 2 in the fridge for tonights dinner. The rest I cleaned, chopped up and put on cookie sheets in the freezer. Once frozen I moved to a freezer bag and back in the freezer for later use.
Coupon for FREE MILK when you purchase 3 Malta Meal Cereals.
Scooter Cereals $2.99 each bought 3
Milk $2.99 FREE for me
Dairy Gold Yogurt 10/$4 bought 10
Goldfish Crackers 3/$5 I bought 3
Chicken value Packs 99 cents per pound
I bought 4 packs about 20 lbs worth of chicken.
Eggs 1 dozen 2/$3 bought 2
Trix Cereal (we mix with cheerio's when eaten) 2/$4 I bought 2
Coffee Creamer 99 cents
Red Bell Peppers 4/$1 I bought 8
Total cost $38.54
When I drove home, I checked my reciept. They over charged me for something and charged me 2 times for something. I called them, then went in and had my bill fixed. $4.67 in extra charges. Yah, not gonna let that one slip by me. So my actual bill was lower.
$36.83
Thats very little considering I bought 20 lbs of chicken. And came home with 4 heaping paper bags of food.
I seperated chicken into 9 freezer bags. 1 was just chicken wings so that should be yummy! I could of split it up into smaller amounts but weve stretched so much over the last month that we diserve to eat more. I ended up with 4 big pieces of bones(they tuck it under the pretty parts of the chicken) and necks left over so I pulled all the skin and fat off that I could, chunked up some carrot and put enough water in to cover it all. I boiled it for 30 minutes on medium heat. Once it was done I pulled all the bones and stuff out and waited for it to get to room temp. Then put it in the fridge until tomarrow. I will then scoop all the fat that hardened at the top out and throw it out. Whala! Stock. I will do this to all my chicken bones. I love this stock way better than the store bought kind. Plus less sodium.
All those red peppers I bought also had a plan too. I kept 2 in the fridge for tonights dinner. The rest I cleaned, chopped up and put on cookie sheets in the freezer. Once frozen I moved to a freezer bag and back in the freezer for later use.
Free things to do in Portland Oregon
You dont have to spend a pretty penny to have a fun filled day with the family. Take advantage of this nice wonderful weekend coming up. Pack a lunch and check out one of these local places.
Portland Green Walks
Learn about Portland's history through its parks and plants. Families meet up with PP&R staff and volunteers for guided green tours of parks, gardens, and natural areas throughout town.
Walks take place on Saturday mornings, 10:00-11:00am. Ages: All agesOutDoorFree!
For more info, call 503-823-3601.
http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/
Free Day at the Rhododendron Garden The Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden is free to visit every Tuesday and Wednesday! Kids will enjoy feeding the Garden's many ducks, geese and squirrels (whole corn kernels and grains only, please!), while the green thumbs in the family take in the Garden's lush scenery. This public park covers over nine acres and offers disabled access, a public restroom, a fountain, paved and unpaved paths, and occasional guided tours.
3/1/2007 - 12/30/2008Open daily, dawn to dusk.Ages: All agesOutDoorFree today!
Crystal Springs Rhododendron GardenSE 28th Ave. & Woodstock Blvd.Portland, 503-771-8386
Vintage Trolley Rides
Kids and adults alike love the old-style Vintage Trolley cars, and they're free! You don't need a place to go to ride the trolley. Just hop on and see where it takes you. Year-round you can ride on Saturdays and Sundays along the Portland Streetcar route between Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital in Northwest Portland and Portland State University following the regular Streetcar schedule. March through December you can also ride the Vintage Trolley on Sundays along the MAX line between Lloyd Center and SW 11th Avenue. You know the kids will love this one!
Saturday Market
Beginning the first weekend in March through Christmas Eve, every weekend in Portland will include the fun-filled Saturday Market. Arts & crafts, unique items, musicians, international food court & more for the entire family to enjoy. Ive been going to this market for years now. One reccomendation is a good stroller thats easy to push in many directions. It can get pretty crowded. Also bring some change for the kids to give to entertainers. There are almost always neat, funny, wild, and crazy people doing everything you can think of just for some change. Its a fun way for the kids to watch people being creative and also they just love throwing the change in the hats. I would also highly reccomend bringing your own lunch. When you have kids, the money can really add up. Plan to buy 1 item from the dozens of booths. There are tons of local artist and you can really get a good deal. This is a really fun market for kids.
Burnside Bridge SW 1st Ave.Portland, OR 97209Market Information (503) 222-6072info@saturdaymarket.org
Multnomah Falls
This is Oregons #1 tourist attration. And it is family friendly. Pack a lunch and dont forget to take your camera. Parking is the only problem I can think of. You do sometimes have to wait a few minutes to find a spot. I reccomend using a narrow stroller. There is a gift shop and eating area easy for you to regroup. The trail is pretty, narrow, and curvy. Once you get to the bridge, its so beautiful. Take lots of pictures. The next part of the leg is only for those who like adventure. We went here earlier this summer and yes we brought our kids. The older girls walked with no problem on their own. My twins were an issue. We had a side by side bike stroller (easy to push) but the path is so narrow that sometimes we had to stop and let people pass us. We only made it 80% of the way due to exaustion. Pushing the twins up those crazy pathways pushed us to the limit. Great exercise for the kids. Plus the kids could see our van from the trail. They were so excited because our van looked like a small dot because we were so high up. This is another reccomended attraction.
50000 Historic Columbia River HighwayBridal Veil, OR 503-695-2376
Grant Park & Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden
Grant Park has sports fields and game courts, a playground, picnic tables, a wading pool and an outdoor swimming pool, restrooms, and walking paths. Grant Park also boasts the Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden for Children. These statues immortalize Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins and Henry's dog Ribsy, characters from Beverly Cleary's beloved children's books.
NE 33 & US Grant PlacePortland, Oregon 97212Grant Park 503-823-PLAY
Were planning on going to this one soon. My kids just love the Beverly Cleary's books.
Forest Park
With more than 5,000 acres to explore, Forest Park is the largest city park in the United States. There are 50 miles of trails and 30 miles of gated roadways for mountain biking. Visit Forest Park for a run, hike, bike ride, or horseback ride. Because the park is so large, there are many entrance points. Volenteers are there during the day pulling ivy off of tree's so you might even be able to watch them.
NW 29th Ave & Upshur St to Newberry Rd Hwy 26 many signs pointing where to go.
International Rose Test Garden
Portland's International Rose Test Garden is the oldest official, continuously operated public rose test garden in the United States. Portland is the only North American city that can issue its awards to roses of merit throughout the world." This place is very kid friendly. Has lots of flowers to look and smell plus lots of bugs to discover. And its also a very romantic spot too. Bring your camera to take pictures of the Portland Landscape. We love driving around the neighborhood around the test garden too. Beautiful house's are everywhere lining the small winding roads. I would pack a lunch, and bring a blanket to have lunch on.
400 SW KingstonPortland, OR(503) 823-3636 up the street from Oregon Zoo
Pioneer Courthouse Square
Located in the heart of downtown Portland, Pioneer Courthouse Square is affectionately known as the City's "living room." With more than 26,000 people passing by the Square each day, and thousands more visiting the Square directly, it is the single most visited site in Oregon's most visited city.The Square is one of Portland's leading outdoor venues, hosting over 300 events each year that range from large-scale concerts to cultural festivals. The Square is a true symbol of Portland with its bricks symbolizing the people that make Portland such an extraordinary city. From the sculpture of a man offering his umbrells, to the theater showcasing Portland's history, to the broze chessboards, and dont forget to find all those historic tiles. Kids will love the Echo Chamber. Just stand on the round marble stone in the center of the small amphitheater, face the steps and speak. You will be amazed at what you hear. Have fun with the kids looking at all the famous named bricks. Everyone from Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Dan Rather, Sherlock Holmes, George Washington, and even Mr. Bill. And dont forget to let the kids watch the water fall. The waterfall cascades down a series of large granite blocks into a reflecting pool below. The fountain serves as the major entry into the Visitor Information Center. You can easily get to this by taking the max. Saves you on gas and money. Another reccomended place. located in the heart of downtown Portland at 701 SW 6th Avenue bordered by SW Yamhill, SW Morrison and SW Broadway.
http://www.pioneercourthousesquare.org/default.htm
These are just a few things to do in Portland. I will be following this later with more free things to do. From hiking, to many other things. Check back soon.
Portland Green Walks
Learn about Portland's history through its parks and plants. Families meet up with PP&R staff and volunteers for guided green tours of parks, gardens, and natural areas throughout town.
Walks take place on Saturday mornings, 10:00-11:00am. Ages: All agesOutDoorFree!
For more info, call 503-823-3601.
http://www.portlandonline.com/parks/
Free Day at the Rhododendron Garden The Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden is free to visit every Tuesday and Wednesday! Kids will enjoy feeding the Garden's many ducks, geese and squirrels (whole corn kernels and grains only, please!), while the green thumbs in the family take in the Garden's lush scenery. This public park covers over nine acres and offers disabled access, a public restroom, a fountain, paved and unpaved paths, and occasional guided tours.
3/1/2007 - 12/30/2008Open daily, dawn to dusk.Ages: All agesOutDoorFree today!
Crystal Springs Rhododendron GardenSE 28th Ave. & Woodstock Blvd.Portland, 503-771-8386
Vintage Trolley Rides
Kids and adults alike love the old-style Vintage Trolley cars, and they're free! You don't need a place to go to ride the trolley. Just hop on and see where it takes you. Year-round you can ride on Saturdays and Sundays along the Portland Streetcar route between Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital in Northwest Portland and Portland State University following the regular Streetcar schedule. March through December you can also ride the Vintage Trolley on Sundays along the MAX line between Lloyd Center and SW 11th Avenue. You know the kids will love this one!
Saturday Market
Beginning the first weekend in March through Christmas Eve, every weekend in Portland will include the fun-filled Saturday Market. Arts & crafts, unique items, musicians, international food court & more for the entire family to enjoy. Ive been going to this market for years now. One reccomendation is a good stroller thats easy to push in many directions. It can get pretty crowded. Also bring some change for the kids to give to entertainers. There are almost always neat, funny, wild, and crazy people doing everything you can think of just for some change. Its a fun way for the kids to watch people being creative and also they just love throwing the change in the hats. I would also highly reccomend bringing your own lunch. When you have kids, the money can really add up. Plan to buy 1 item from the dozens of booths. There are tons of local artist and you can really get a good deal. This is a really fun market for kids.
Burnside Bridge SW 1st Ave.Portland, OR 97209Market Information (503) 222-6072info@saturdaymarket.org
Multnomah Falls
This is Oregons #1 tourist attration. And it is family friendly. Pack a lunch and dont forget to take your camera. Parking is the only problem I can think of. You do sometimes have to wait a few minutes to find a spot. I reccomend using a narrow stroller. There is a gift shop and eating area easy for you to regroup. The trail is pretty, narrow, and curvy. Once you get to the bridge, its so beautiful. Take lots of pictures. The next part of the leg is only for those who like adventure. We went here earlier this summer and yes we brought our kids. The older girls walked with no problem on their own. My twins were an issue. We had a side by side bike stroller (easy to push) but the path is so narrow that sometimes we had to stop and let people pass us. We only made it 80% of the way due to exaustion. Pushing the twins up those crazy pathways pushed us to the limit. Great exercise for the kids. Plus the kids could see our van from the trail. They were so excited because our van looked like a small dot because we were so high up. This is another reccomended attraction.
50000 Historic Columbia River HighwayBridal Veil, OR 503-695-2376
Grant Park & Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden
Grant Park has sports fields and game courts, a playground, picnic tables, a wading pool and an outdoor swimming pool, restrooms, and walking paths. Grant Park also boasts the Beverly Cleary Sculpture Garden for Children. These statues immortalize Ramona Quimby, Henry Huggins and Henry's dog Ribsy, characters from Beverly Cleary's beloved children's books.
NE 33 & US Grant PlacePortland, Oregon 97212Grant Park 503-823-PLAY
Were planning on going to this one soon. My kids just love the Beverly Cleary's books.
Forest Park
With more than 5,000 acres to explore, Forest Park is the largest city park in the United States. There are 50 miles of trails and 30 miles of gated roadways for mountain biking. Visit Forest Park for a run, hike, bike ride, or horseback ride. Because the park is so large, there are many entrance points. Volenteers are there during the day pulling ivy off of tree's so you might even be able to watch them.
NW 29th Ave & Upshur St to Newberry Rd Hwy 26 many signs pointing where to go.
International Rose Test Garden
Portland's International Rose Test Garden is the oldest official, continuously operated public rose test garden in the United States. Portland is the only North American city that can issue its awards to roses of merit throughout the world." This place is very kid friendly. Has lots of flowers to look and smell plus lots of bugs to discover. And its also a very romantic spot too. Bring your camera to take pictures of the Portland Landscape. We love driving around the neighborhood around the test garden too. Beautiful house's are everywhere lining the small winding roads. I would pack a lunch, and bring a blanket to have lunch on.
400 SW KingstonPortland, OR(503) 823-3636 up the street from Oregon Zoo
Pioneer Courthouse Square
Located in the heart of downtown Portland, Pioneer Courthouse Square is affectionately known as the City's "living room." With more than 26,000 people passing by the Square each day, and thousands more visiting the Square directly, it is the single most visited site in Oregon's most visited city.The Square is one of Portland's leading outdoor venues, hosting over 300 events each year that range from large-scale concerts to cultural festivals. The Square is a true symbol of Portland with its bricks symbolizing the people that make Portland such an extraordinary city. From the sculpture of a man offering his umbrells, to the theater showcasing Portland's history, to the broze chessboards, and dont forget to find all those historic tiles. Kids will love the Echo Chamber. Just stand on the round marble stone in the center of the small amphitheater, face the steps and speak. You will be amazed at what you hear. Have fun with the kids looking at all the famous named bricks. Everyone from Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Dan Rather, Sherlock Holmes, George Washington, and even Mr. Bill. And dont forget to let the kids watch the water fall. The waterfall cascades down a series of large granite blocks into a reflecting pool below. The fountain serves as the major entry into the Visitor Information Center. You can easily get to this by taking the max. Saves you on gas and money. Another reccomended place. located in the heart of downtown Portland at 701 SW 6th Avenue bordered by SW Yamhill, SW Morrison and SW Broadway.
http://www.pioneercourthousesquare.org/default.htm
These are just a few things to do in Portland. I will be following this later with more free things to do. From hiking, to many other things. Check back soon.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Seventh Generation Reviews
Rating is a 1-5 basis. 1 meaning lowest rating, 5 meaning highest rating
I have not tried all the Seventh Generation products but have tried most. Here are 4 of them that I tried this week. These have all been used by my family. This includes my 3 yr old twins, and older girls.
Seventh Generation Tall Kitchen Bags30 2-ply bags w/ties
I paid around $4 for this box, thats 50% more than most bags. I usualy will get whats cheapest but this time I wanted to be more Eco Friendly. I must say that these bags are super heavy duty. No rips or tears occured while using or pulling out to throw in the trash bin. There is a minimum total recycled content which is 55 % .Post-consumer content is 16% which isnt much but WAY better than anything else ive seen. Packaging is 100% recycled paper.
I rate this a 4 stars. Would of gave it a 5 if it was more economical. Its just too pricey for me to pay full price. I will switch on and off with my regular bags. Still helping the environment a little bit.
Seventh Generation Natural Dish Liquid Lemongrass & Clementine Zest 25 oz. Non toxic, biodegradable and hypo-allergenic. Ive been using this item for a year or so now. I see no differance between this and any other soap except that this is much more earth friendly and safe for your family. Smells really nice but not overwhelming. Made from coconut based surfactants , whole and natural plant essences and natural oils. Bottle is 25% post consumer recycled plastic. And is not tested on animals. Ive tried the lavender as well but I prefer this scent.
I paid a little over $1 for this. They were on sale at Fred meyers for $2.49(usually $3.49) and I had $1 off coupon that the website sent me. Costing me only $1.49. Just about the same price as other name brands. I wait for these kids of sales and stock up.
I rate this 5 stars Great price great product
Seventh Generation Natural Fabric Softner
Blue Eucalyptus & lavender 40 fl oz 40 loads
I was a big fan of liquid softners for a long time. I had to stop using due to 2 of my daughters having excema and allergic to all dyes and perfumes. I recently found this item again at Fred Meyers. So I was thrilled when I found this. Its in a great small package which is 25% post consumer recycled. Its also non-toxic, biodegradable, and hypo-allergenic. Has no optical brighteners, no petroleum based cleaners, no animal tallow derivatives, no testing on animals and is safe for septic and grey water systems. I have used this all week and love it. I would prefer a stronger smell but will take what I can get. It makes our clothes soft and no static what so ever. Again I bought this on sale for $3.99(usually $4.99) and had a $1 off coupon so I only spend $2.99 for it.
Rate this 5 stars. Great price, great product.
Seventh Generation Toilet Paper 4 roll per package
Seventh Generation Paper Towels are made from 100% recycled paper, with a minimum of 80% post-consumer content.Natural color paper towels are unbleached.White paper towels are whitened without chemicals containing chlorine. No added dyes and fragrances ,Safe for septic systems ,Ideal for low-flow toilets. Again no differance except that its eco friendly. Worked wonderful. Not too thin and not too thick. Again I bought this on sale for $1.99(regular $2.99) and had a $1 off coupon. I paid only 99 cents. Great deal!
Rate this 5 stars. Great price for a great product.
I have not tried all the Seventh Generation products but have tried most. Here are 4 of them that I tried this week. These have all been used by my family. This includes my 3 yr old twins, and older girls.
Seventh Generation Tall Kitchen Bags30 2-ply bags w/ties
I paid around $4 for this box, thats 50% more than most bags. I usualy will get whats cheapest but this time I wanted to be more Eco Friendly. I must say that these bags are super heavy duty. No rips or tears occured while using or pulling out to throw in the trash bin. There is a minimum total recycled content which is 55 % .Post-consumer content is 16% which isnt much but WAY better than anything else ive seen. Packaging is 100% recycled paper.
I rate this a 4 stars. Would of gave it a 5 if it was more economical. Its just too pricey for me to pay full price. I will switch on and off with my regular bags. Still helping the environment a little bit.
Seventh Generation Natural Dish Liquid Lemongrass & Clementine Zest 25 oz. Non toxic, biodegradable and hypo-allergenic. Ive been using this item for a year or so now. I see no differance between this and any other soap except that this is much more earth friendly and safe for your family. Smells really nice but not overwhelming. Made from coconut based surfactants , whole and natural plant essences and natural oils. Bottle is 25% post consumer recycled plastic. And is not tested on animals. Ive tried the lavender as well but I prefer this scent.
I paid a little over $1 for this. They were on sale at Fred meyers for $2.49(usually $3.49) and I had $1 off coupon that the website sent me. Costing me only $1.49. Just about the same price as other name brands. I wait for these kids of sales and stock up.
I rate this 5 stars Great price great product
Seventh Generation Natural Fabric Softner
Blue Eucalyptus & lavender 40 fl oz 40 loads
I was a big fan of liquid softners for a long time. I had to stop using due to 2 of my daughters having excema and allergic to all dyes and perfumes. I recently found this item again at Fred Meyers. So I was thrilled when I found this. Its in a great small package which is 25% post consumer recycled. Its also non-toxic, biodegradable, and hypo-allergenic. Has no optical brighteners, no petroleum based cleaners, no animal tallow derivatives, no testing on animals and is safe for septic and grey water systems. I have used this all week and love it. I would prefer a stronger smell but will take what I can get. It makes our clothes soft and no static what so ever. Again I bought this on sale for $3.99(usually $4.99) and had a $1 off coupon so I only spend $2.99 for it.
Rate this 5 stars. Great price, great product.
Seventh Generation Toilet Paper 4 roll per package
Seventh Generation Paper Towels are made from 100% recycled paper, with a minimum of 80% post-consumer content.Natural color paper towels are unbleached.White paper towels are whitened without chemicals containing chlorine. No added dyes and fragrances ,Safe for septic systems ,Ideal for low-flow toilets. Again no differance except that its eco friendly. Worked wonderful. Not too thin and not too thick. Again I bought this on sale for $1.99(regular $2.99) and had a $1 off coupon. I paid only 99 cents. Great deal!
Rate this 5 stars. Great price for a great product.
PLASTIC save money, stop putting chemicals into your body and landfills
Recently ive stopped using plastic ziplock bags. You dont really think about how many bags you use when you pack your childrens lunch's. I have to pack 2 lunch's per day. Usually there are 3 per lunch. Thats 6 per day, 30 per week, 120 per month, and 1,440 per year. Everyone of these end up in a landfill. That made me sick to think that JUST my family puts that many in a landfill to sit for thousands of years. So here's what ive started doing.
Use reusable plastic containers. Remember my Tupperware addiction? Yeah! I can use them. So I pack everything in reusable containers now.
Recently ive discovered that any plastic with the number 7 on the bottom has possible chemicals(bpa) slowly leaking into your food or drink over years. There has been recent research to follow up these claims as well. So I dug out our reusable plastic gerber juice containers that we use everyday for their juice and guess what? Yep, #7. I felt sick again. So I tossed those out. Im on the hunt for differant juice containers now. For now we are using small disposable water containers I recently was able to get free. These are #1 which is okay for a while but easily holds bacteria and smells. So they will due until I get something better. They say #2 is the safest plastic.
HAVE YOU CHECKED YOUR PLASTIC BOTTLES AND CONTAINERS?
http://www.americanchemistry.com/s_plastics/bin.asp?CID=1102&DID=4645&DOC=FILE.PDF
This is a link to information about each number you find on the bottom of plastic
Use reusable plastic containers. Remember my Tupperware addiction? Yeah! I can use them. So I pack everything in reusable containers now.
Recently ive discovered that any plastic with the number 7 on the bottom has possible chemicals(bpa) slowly leaking into your food or drink over years. There has been recent research to follow up these claims as well. So I dug out our reusable plastic gerber juice containers that we use everyday for their juice and guess what? Yep, #7. I felt sick again. So I tossed those out. Im on the hunt for differant juice containers now. For now we are using small disposable water containers I recently was able to get free. These are #1 which is okay for a while but easily holds bacteria and smells. So they will due until I get something better. They say #2 is the safest plastic.
HAVE YOU CHECKED YOUR PLASTIC BOTTLES AND CONTAINERS?
http://www.americanchemistry.com/s_plastics/bin.asp?CID=1102&DID=4645&DOC=FILE.PDF
This is a link to information about each number you find on the bottom of plastic
Walmart Coupon Deals
In this past Sunday Paper there are several good coupon deals. Here's what I picked up the other day at Walmart
Suave Lotion .75 cents off
Pick smaller size bottle (great purse size) 99 cents
You pay 24 cents
Suave shampoo/conditioner $1.50 off 2
Normal bottle size only $1.25
You pay $1 for both
Cover Girl Foundation buy one get one cover girl free
1 foundation $4.32
1 cover girl bonus pack eye shadow plus liner $5
I recieved the foundation for free
$5 for both
cover girl $1 off any product
Cover girl lash curler $4.56
I paid $3.46
These are just a few that I was able to get. I bought a total of 19 items.
Original bill $52.42
After my coupons $26.45
Past coupons were used as well from other magazines, papers, etc.
Poptarts
2/$5
used $1 off coupon
paid $2 per box
Noticables starter kit
$5.97
$5 off coupon
paid only .99 cents
Glade Warmer kit
$3.50
buy 1 get 1 free
paid only $1.75 each
Glade Warmer Refills
$5.27 for a 2 pack
buy 1 get 1 free coupon
$5.27 for 4 single refills
Glade Gel Warmer kit
$1.74
.75 cents off coupon
paid only 99 cents
Scott Sponges
$1.12
coupon for buy 2 get $1 off
Paid only $1.12 for both
So as you can see, my home is smelling good now!
Suave Lotion .75 cents off
Pick smaller size bottle (great purse size) 99 cents
You pay 24 cents
Suave shampoo/conditioner $1.50 off 2
Normal bottle size only $1.25
You pay $1 for both
Cover Girl Foundation buy one get one cover girl free
1 foundation $4.32
1 cover girl bonus pack eye shadow plus liner $5
I recieved the foundation for free
$5 for both
cover girl $1 off any product
Cover girl lash curler $4.56
I paid $3.46
These are just a few that I was able to get. I bought a total of 19 items.
Original bill $52.42
After my coupons $26.45
Past coupons were used as well from other magazines, papers, etc.
Poptarts
2/$5
used $1 off coupon
paid $2 per box
Noticables starter kit
$5.97
$5 off coupon
paid only .99 cents
Glade Warmer kit
$3.50
buy 1 get 1 free
paid only $1.75 each
Glade Warmer Refills
$5.27 for a 2 pack
buy 1 get 1 free coupon
$5.27 for 4 single refills
Glade Gel Warmer kit
$1.74
.75 cents off coupon
paid only 99 cents
Scott Sponges
$1.12
coupon for buy 2 get $1 off
Paid only $1.12 for both
So as you can see, my home is smelling good now!
Bertolli Sauce Sample
http://www.condenet.com/promo/bertolli/sweeps/saucegiveaway/entry/long
Quaker Moms Care
http://www.quakersnackbars.com/subscriptions/default.aspx
Have you joined Quaker Moms Care yet? Sign up so you dont miss some really great coupons or savings. Ive heard from other moms that they have recieved free products in the mail by suprise from them. Not just sample size, but full size products. How cool would that be? Cant hurt to try!
Lactaid Free Sample
http://www.lactaid.com/vcrc/offers/nmcampaign.jhtml?WT.mc_id=rga08_nw408&id=vcrc/offers/la_freesample2.inc&oid=5018&bid=21&formType=C
Rigister to recieve a free sample. This is really good and not chalky. My daughter used this and said it was super yummy plus her tummy felt better within minutes.
Seattles Best Coffee Sample
http://signup.tryseattlesbest.com/captureAddress.iphtml?item=100198&source=&utm_campaign=&utm_medium=&utm_source=&p
I odered this one and it came within 10 days. Tried it and it was so yummY!
Jiffy Free Recipe Book
http://jiffymix.com/recipeform.php
Remember those blue and white small box's of muffin mix? Yah, those things. If your in a pinch, forgot to make something, this book has the best idea's on how to make the best of your little box's in the pantry. I dont use these but I know alot of people who do. Bonus- its a fairly large recipe book!
Free Copy of Hallmart Holiday Cards
http://hallmark.businessgreetings.com/7005-4600-3-0
You can order up to 10 samples. Click on the card you want, and on the page it will say ORDER THIS SAMPLE. A small box will apprear for you address info. Thats it. Only annoyance is that you have to do this for each one. I did this last year and they were so nice. Of course it will say sample on the inside. So what you do it but out a square piece of your favorite paper, and glue over the word sample. Add your own words and DONE! There are many other things you can do with these so hurry so you have plenty of time to do before christmas. And its just a few weeks away!
Shutterfly free 50 prints and free shipping
http://www.shutterfly.com/landing/viewSignup.sfly?fid=cfc052618fa55cb2
You can get holiday outfits out and dress the kids up. Take a few differant pose's and order your free prints! Great holiday gift with a card. Hey, why not put them in your Hallmark cards your gonna get for free? Talk about low cost! You have enough time to do this before christmas. Dont wait till the last minute.
http://www.condenet.com/promo/bertolli/sweeps/saucegiveaway/entry/long
Quaker Moms Care
http://www.quakersnackbars.com/subscriptions/default.aspx
Have you joined Quaker Moms Care yet? Sign up so you dont miss some really great coupons or savings. Ive heard from other moms that they have recieved free products in the mail by suprise from them. Not just sample size, but full size products. How cool would that be? Cant hurt to try!
Lactaid Free Sample
http://www.lactaid.com/vcrc/offers/nmcampaign.jhtml?WT.mc_id=rga08_nw408&id=vcrc/offers/la_freesample2.inc&oid=5018&bid=21&formType=C
Rigister to recieve a free sample. This is really good and not chalky. My daughter used this and said it was super yummy plus her tummy felt better within minutes.
Seattles Best Coffee Sample
http://signup.tryseattlesbest.com/captureAddress.iphtml?item=100198&source=&utm_campaign=&utm_medium=&utm_source=&p
I odered this one and it came within 10 days. Tried it and it was so yummY!
Jiffy Free Recipe Book
http://jiffymix.com/recipeform.php
Remember those blue and white small box's of muffin mix? Yah, those things. If your in a pinch, forgot to make something, this book has the best idea's on how to make the best of your little box's in the pantry. I dont use these but I know alot of people who do. Bonus- its a fairly large recipe book!
Free Copy of Hallmart Holiday Cards
http://hallmark.businessgreetings.com/7005-4600-3-0
You can order up to 10 samples. Click on the card you want, and on the page it will say ORDER THIS SAMPLE. A small box will apprear for you address info. Thats it. Only annoyance is that you have to do this for each one. I did this last year and they were so nice. Of course it will say sample on the inside. So what you do it but out a square piece of your favorite paper, and glue over the word sample. Add your own words and DONE! There are many other things you can do with these so hurry so you have plenty of time to do before christmas. And its just a few weeks away!
Shutterfly free 50 prints and free shipping
http://www.shutterfly.com/landing/viewSignup.sfly?fid=cfc052618fa55cb2
You can get holiday outfits out and dress the kids up. Take a few differant pose's and order your free prints! Great holiday gift with a card. Hey, why not put them in your Hallmark cards your gonna get for free? Talk about low cost! You have enough time to do this before christmas. Dont wait till the last minute.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Seventh Generation Sale STOCK UP!
Fred Meyers is having their Seventh Generation products on sale until this saturday. On their website you can print up some coupons to use with these sales and get them as low as only $1.50.
www.seventhgeneration.com Sign up for their newsletter and they will let you know of upcoming coupons.
FYI-if you dont have a printer, there are coupons hanging right below the product at Fred Meyers for 50 cents off . Website has better coupons but take what you can get. This is how I buy my Seventh Generation products. My favorite is their dishsoap, and spray all purpose cleaner. I think I paid a little over $1 for each of those on Sunday.
These cleaners are plant based and super safe for around kids. All packaging is usually 50% recycled packaging. I will review these items soon so keep checking back.
www.seventhgeneration.com Sign up for their newsletter and they will let you know of upcoming coupons.
FYI-if you dont have a printer, there are coupons hanging right below the product at Fred Meyers for 50 cents off . Website has better coupons but take what you can get. This is how I buy my Seventh Generation products. My favorite is their dishsoap, and spray all purpose cleaner. I think I paid a little over $1 for each of those on Sunday.
These cleaners are plant based and super safe for around kids. All packaging is usually 50% recycled packaging. I will review these items soon so keep checking back.
Walmart Samples + more!
Jergens Lotion
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid51366.aspx
Huggies Diapers size 1,3, or 5
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid19518.aspx
Benefiber
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid52334.aspx
Colgate Toothpaste
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid51468.aspx
Gain
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid49638.aspx
just a scent sample but has a good coupon attached. I recieved this one this week.
John Frieda
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid50150.aspx
Good Nights
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid40610.aspx
Nicorette
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid50732.aspx
Pledge Multi Surface Whipes
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid51024.aspx
great product.Im a bzz agent and this is my current Campaign. Its wonderful!
Other great offers
Johnson and Johnson baby products. Coupons to print out for many items
http://www.johnsonsbaby.com/specialOffers.do
Always Infinaty Sample
http://www.walgreens.com/dmi/always/default.html?ban=swp_always_infinity_tile9
recieved this one
Gax-X Sample
https://secure.novartisotc.com/secure.novartisotc/gasx/trial_alt.jsp
recieved this one
Free Iams Cat or Dog food
http://www.iams.com/iams/en_US/jsp/IAMS_Page.jsp?pageID=IPP&deepLink=dogNutrition
recieved this one but havent used the coupon yet. Need to find specific type in store still. This is a newer type and not all stores have it yet.
Betty Crocker Warm Delights
http://freewarmdelights.bettycrocker.com/WarmDelights/Default.aspx
sign up for newsletter (use junk email for this one) have recieved item
Mr Clean Eraser
http://mrclean.com/en_US/sharethelove.do
share a story of how you use a eraser. Personally the best thing ever invented if you ask me. #1 thing I use in my rental duplex's. No fumes and gets almost everything off anything.
Greenies Dog or Cat samples
http://www.greenies.com/en_US/FreeSample/?csid=632
I recieved these pretty quick. Cat and dog loved them.
Iams Healthy Naturals $5 off Coupon
http://www.startsampling.com/sm/100325/captureAddress.iphtml?item=100325&source=CHNE
Great coupon that comes quick
Iams Pro Active $3 off coupon
http://www.startsampling.com/sm/100327/captureAddress.iphtml?item=100327&source=
another great coupon
Thats it for now. This should keep you busy for a while. LOL!
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid51366.aspx
Huggies Diapers size 1,3, or 5
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid19518.aspx
Benefiber
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid52334.aspx
Colgate Toothpaste
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid51468.aspx
Gain
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid49638.aspx
just a scent sample but has a good coupon attached. I recieved this one this week.
John Frieda
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid50150.aspx
Good Nights
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid40610.aspx
Nicorette
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid50732.aspx
Pledge Multi Surface Whipes
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid51024.aspx
great product.Im a bzz agent and this is my current Campaign. Its wonderful!
Other great offers
Johnson and Johnson baby products. Coupons to print out for many items
http://www.johnsonsbaby.com/specialOffers.do
Always Infinaty Sample
http://www.walgreens.com/dmi/always/default.html?ban=swp_always_infinity_tile9
recieved this one
Gax-X Sample
https://secure.novartisotc.com/secure.novartisotc/gasx/trial_alt.jsp
recieved this one
Free Iams Cat or Dog food
http://www.iams.com/iams/en_US/jsp/IAMS_Page.jsp?pageID=IPP&deepLink=dogNutrition
recieved this one but havent used the coupon yet. Need to find specific type in store still. This is a newer type and not all stores have it yet.
Betty Crocker Warm Delights
http://freewarmdelights.bettycrocker.com/WarmDelights/Default.aspx
sign up for newsletter (use junk email for this one) have recieved item
Mr Clean Eraser
http://mrclean.com/en_US/sharethelove.do
share a story of how you use a eraser. Personally the best thing ever invented if you ask me. #1 thing I use in my rental duplex's. No fumes and gets almost everything off anything.
Greenies Dog or Cat samples
http://www.greenies.com/en_US/FreeSample/?csid=632
I recieved these pretty quick. Cat and dog loved them.
Iams Healthy Naturals $5 off Coupon
http://www.startsampling.com/sm/100325/captureAddress.iphtml?item=100325&source=CHNE
Great coupon that comes quick
Iams Pro Active $3 off coupon
http://www.startsampling.com/sm/100327/captureAddress.iphtml?item=100327&source=
another great coupon
Thats it for now. This should keep you busy for a while. LOL!
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Great Christmas Gift
Here's a link for free Maxim Magazine. All you need to do is review a razor you like very much. Super easy to fill out.
http://www.rewardsgold.com/mags/maxim/storage/tf_survey_maxim.htm
Plus once you fill it out, there's another option for reivewing a favorite aftershave and you get the magazine Blender for free as well.
http://www.rewardsgold.com/mags/maxim/storage/tf_survey_maxim.htm
Plus once you fill it out, there's another option for reivewing a favorite aftershave and you get the magazine Blender for free as well.
September $80 overview
As you know, this last month has been super tight for my family. I had to stretch my money as far as it could go. I have had alot of people ask me how I do it so I thought I would give you a little break down of how I did it.
I have several websites I go to when all I have is basic ingredients. Some have religious content, some are just plain facts. I use them strickly for the recipes.
www.frugalabundance.com is the best place to find good old fashion recipe's. From chicken soup, to dumplings, to your moms favorite dinner recipe. If you only have the basics like flour, egg, water, and baking soda then this is your place.
www.hillbillyhousewife.com is a good place to also get good idea's. Not only does it have great recipes, it also has tons of ways to think of new idea's to use your items you already have. From patterns to make your own girly products, to good lunch idea's. You name it, its there.
www.recipezaar.com this is a place ive been going to for years. For instance:I have cod but want to try something new for it. Simply type in cod and hundreds of recipes will pop up. All are reviewed by other people so you know if anything needs to be adjusted, left out, or whatever. People are honest.So its great if you have a item to cook but dont know what to do with it. I found a great Cod Chowder this way. It was a big hit with my family.
Here are some other ways I saved money.
Free Produce-I genereall take at least 3 walks a week up to the store or around my block. On the way there are several fruit tree's that people neglect and fruit falls on the ground. In most states there are laws for these problems. If the fruit is on the other side of the property, you can pick it. I try to avoid this, not only can the owner get angry but I dont feel right about it. But I will pick them up off the ground. Apples have been ripening around here so there's plenty of them on the ground. I just pick up the ones that have no worm holes. Not only are the free, but free from sprays too. They must be on public sidewalks or I will not take them. I did pick some once but felt horrible. Anyways if its hanging over the property line, most states state that its legal. I would check your laws.
Last week on another walk, a neighbor put out a box with the word FREE on it. It was 2 huge zucini's. I took them home and made a plan. I gave one to my neighbor and the other I used in several dinners. You can also shred them up and use them in zucini bread. If its too much, simply shred up and put in freezer bags for later use.
Blackberrie vines are everywhere. They are like weeds. They grow in any spot anywhere. I will pick those too. My kids love them and we can freeze them for later use. Pie's, on ice cream, in cereal. Etc.
The bread store-this is a local program ran by the senior living center in a neighboring town. They ask for small donations in return for you getting free bread products. Bread, buns, bagels, etc. They usually also have pickles, relish, and stuffing. If your lucky, they will have donuts. Plus the seniors all have gardens and donate their extra produce they cannot eat. I usually go to this store once a week. I plan my meals around what I get from them. This week it was lemon cucumbers. My kids love these and eat them like apples. These will not go bad so dont have to freeze them. They are like candy to my kids. This has saved me tons of money.
Plus they also have a thrift store located right next door. Super low prices. So if I have anything I need, I check there first. I would rather buy a used item than get a new one. Im saving it from being put in a landfill eventually. Also another way of recycling. Plus I just like old stuff. And this store supports my Tupperware habbit. Even better!
Friends and neighbors give me produce. One neighbor gives me her extra produce that her family wont be able to eat. She is part of a share program (pay monthly fee get 2 bags of produce a week). So once in a while she will give me extra zucini, lettus, or whatever. And my next door neighbor gives us things once in a while too. And I do the same in return. Its a win win for both of you. Last night she gave me 1 bundle of garlic, and a head of lettus. So get to know your neighbors. Its worth it. And we also give each other childrens clothing and things too. There's no limit.
Also on my walks, I will hit up my local grocery stores. We only have a Safeway, Walmart and Red Apple store. Safeway is the only place that marks down their meats and dairy. So I go early in the morning and buy up their markdowns. This is the way I get yogurts for almost free, and all my meats. I will buy up their markdown meats and take them home to freeze. I can get turkey, and chicken for only $1 per pound this way. I buy alot and stock up. I did this in August and it actually helped me get through September. Thankfully! I didnt have to worry about meat.
Snacks-this is whats the hardest part (for me) when were stretching our dollar. Snacks are not cheap. We find alternatives. I make homemade popcorn, make cracker peanut butter sandwiches, free fruit, and things like that. Walmart has their brand of cheese crackers and we eat those alot. They are only $1.33 a box. Cheapest around. Sometimes I make simple sugar cookies, or even oatmeal cookies for snacks. We use whole wheat flour, I add flax seed, and sometimes fruit if I have it. They love these. I cut up apples, heat them up with butter and a tid bit of brown sugar. They love that as well. There are endless idea's. Just ask friends and family.
Well this is how I only spent $80 for 3 weeks of food for my family of 6. Thats about $26 each week. Thats only $1.26 per meal. I hope ive inspired you.
I have several websites I go to when all I have is basic ingredients. Some have religious content, some are just plain facts. I use them strickly for the recipes.
www.frugalabundance.com is the best place to find good old fashion recipe's. From chicken soup, to dumplings, to your moms favorite dinner recipe. If you only have the basics like flour, egg, water, and baking soda then this is your place.
www.hillbillyhousewife.com is a good place to also get good idea's. Not only does it have great recipes, it also has tons of ways to think of new idea's to use your items you already have. From patterns to make your own girly products, to good lunch idea's. You name it, its there.
www.recipezaar.com this is a place ive been going to for years. For instance:I have cod but want to try something new for it. Simply type in cod and hundreds of recipes will pop up. All are reviewed by other people so you know if anything needs to be adjusted, left out, or whatever. People are honest.So its great if you have a item to cook but dont know what to do with it. I found a great Cod Chowder this way. It was a big hit with my family.
Here are some other ways I saved money.
Free Produce-I genereall take at least 3 walks a week up to the store or around my block. On the way there are several fruit tree's that people neglect and fruit falls on the ground. In most states there are laws for these problems. If the fruit is on the other side of the property, you can pick it. I try to avoid this, not only can the owner get angry but I dont feel right about it. But I will pick them up off the ground. Apples have been ripening around here so there's plenty of them on the ground. I just pick up the ones that have no worm holes. Not only are the free, but free from sprays too. They must be on public sidewalks or I will not take them. I did pick some once but felt horrible. Anyways if its hanging over the property line, most states state that its legal. I would check your laws.
Last week on another walk, a neighbor put out a box with the word FREE on it. It was 2 huge zucini's. I took them home and made a plan. I gave one to my neighbor and the other I used in several dinners. You can also shred them up and use them in zucini bread. If its too much, simply shred up and put in freezer bags for later use.
Blackberrie vines are everywhere. They are like weeds. They grow in any spot anywhere. I will pick those too. My kids love them and we can freeze them for later use. Pie's, on ice cream, in cereal. Etc.
The bread store-this is a local program ran by the senior living center in a neighboring town. They ask for small donations in return for you getting free bread products. Bread, buns, bagels, etc. They usually also have pickles, relish, and stuffing. If your lucky, they will have donuts. Plus the seniors all have gardens and donate their extra produce they cannot eat. I usually go to this store once a week. I plan my meals around what I get from them. This week it was lemon cucumbers. My kids love these and eat them like apples. These will not go bad so dont have to freeze them. They are like candy to my kids. This has saved me tons of money.
Plus they also have a thrift store located right next door. Super low prices. So if I have anything I need, I check there first. I would rather buy a used item than get a new one. Im saving it from being put in a landfill eventually. Also another way of recycling. Plus I just like old stuff. And this store supports my Tupperware habbit. Even better!
Friends and neighbors give me produce. One neighbor gives me her extra produce that her family wont be able to eat. She is part of a share program (pay monthly fee get 2 bags of produce a week). So once in a while she will give me extra zucini, lettus, or whatever. And my next door neighbor gives us things once in a while too. And I do the same in return. Its a win win for both of you. Last night she gave me 1 bundle of garlic, and a head of lettus. So get to know your neighbors. Its worth it. And we also give each other childrens clothing and things too. There's no limit.
Also on my walks, I will hit up my local grocery stores. We only have a Safeway, Walmart and Red Apple store. Safeway is the only place that marks down their meats and dairy. So I go early in the morning and buy up their markdowns. This is the way I get yogurts for almost free, and all my meats. I will buy up their markdown meats and take them home to freeze. I can get turkey, and chicken for only $1 per pound this way. I buy alot and stock up. I did this in August and it actually helped me get through September. Thankfully! I didnt have to worry about meat.
Snacks-this is whats the hardest part (for me) when were stretching our dollar. Snacks are not cheap. We find alternatives. I make homemade popcorn, make cracker peanut butter sandwiches, free fruit, and things like that. Walmart has their brand of cheese crackers and we eat those alot. They are only $1.33 a box. Cheapest around. Sometimes I make simple sugar cookies, or even oatmeal cookies for snacks. We use whole wheat flour, I add flax seed, and sometimes fruit if I have it. They love these. I cut up apples, heat them up with butter and a tid bit of brown sugar. They love that as well. There are endless idea's. Just ask friends and family.
Well this is how I only spent $80 for 3 weeks of food for my family of 6. Thats about $26 each week. Thats only $1.26 per meal. I hope ive inspired you.
Monday, September 22, 2008
Bread Store Goodies
I needed to buy more solar lights for my home so I decided to hit up the bread store and local thrift store owned by the same people. I hit the jackpot. Here's what I ended up with
Bread Store
1 cantelope
3 large tomatoes
2 english muffins
I think local people who have gardens donate left over produce from their gardens. Really nice of them to donate them. These things are expensive to buy and my kids will appreciate them. I explain to them that people give them to people who need them. Its kinda like a lesson learned. Appreciation is a huge part of my kids life. And hopefully they will do the same when they grow up. Help others who need it.
Thrift Store
1 large snack Tupperware container
1 Tupperware Pickle container
1 small Tupperware Container
1 steam Tupperware container
1 rainbow clown wig
1 clown outfit
1 fireman hat
1 fireman jacket
4 learning books
All this for only $7.00
And on the way out, an older man gave me two purses. ! Perlina handbag and 1 fossil. I looked them up on the internet today and both retail for over $149 each. That was super nice of him. They are both leather and will last for years to come.
Bread Store
1 cantelope
3 large tomatoes
2 english muffins
I think local people who have gardens donate left over produce from their gardens. Really nice of them to donate them. These things are expensive to buy and my kids will appreciate them. I explain to them that people give them to people who need them. Its kinda like a lesson learned. Appreciation is a huge part of my kids life. And hopefully they will do the same when they grow up. Help others who need it.
Thrift Store
1 large snack Tupperware container
1 Tupperware Pickle container
1 small Tupperware Container
1 steam Tupperware container
1 rainbow clown wig
1 clown outfit
1 fireman hat
1 fireman jacket
4 learning books
All this for only $7.00
And on the way out, an older man gave me two purses. ! Perlina handbag and 1 fossil. I looked them up on the internet today and both retail for over $149 each. That was super nice of him. They are both leather and will last for years to come.
Stretchy Dinner "Mexican Rice Dish"
For those who know me, I try to stretch my money as far as it will go. I try to make meals that will be enough to feed all 6 of us, and a few lunch's for my husband. Well this meal (recipe below) is really filling, healthy, and usually will have left overs for my husband to take to work for a few days. Here's a break down of how much I spend on each item, etc. This can be eaten many ways. Usually when we get paid, we will eat this in tortilla's with vegies to top. But when money is tight, its eaten alone with cheese on top. Sometimes over lettus as a mexican salad or even topped with broken or stale tortilla chips ive saved up. You can even use it with chicken broth to make a mexican soup.
Mexican Rice Dish (main)
3 cups of brown rice (can use white but doesnt fill as much) 50 cents
1/2 ground turkey (you can use any meat) $1
2 cups pinto beans( you can use any bean) .60 cents
2 cups frozen bell pepper mix with onion (you can use fresh but its more expensive) 50 cents
1 tsp garlic
2 palmfull of chili pepper
1 palm of ground cumin
1 palm of paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup water
Cook rice accordingly. I use a rice cooker so while its cooking I cook up the meat etc. Brown ground meat and set aside. Cook bell pepper mix and garlic. Throw your meat back in and add spices with water. Stir up and wait for rice to finish cooking.
Once finished add rice to your meat vegies mix. Let cook until juice's are gone and absorbed into rice.
This meal goes a long way. My kids LOVE this and would eat it everyday if I let them.
Mexican Rice Dish (main)
3 cups of brown rice (can use white but doesnt fill as much) 50 cents
1/2 ground turkey (you can use any meat) $1
2 cups pinto beans( you can use any bean) .60 cents
2 cups frozen bell pepper mix with onion (you can use fresh but its more expensive) 50 cents
1 tsp garlic
2 palmfull of chili pepper
1 palm of ground cumin
1 palm of paprika
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 cup water
Cook rice accordingly. I use a rice cooker so while its cooking I cook up the meat etc. Brown ground meat and set aside. Cook bell pepper mix and garlic. Throw your meat back in and add spices with water. Stir up and wait for rice to finish cooking.
Once finished add rice to your meat vegies mix. Let cook until juice's are gone and absorbed into rice.
This meal goes a long way. My kids LOVE this and would eat it everyday if I let them.
http://www.nurturedpets.com/freesample/Default.aspx
Free Sample of Nurtured Pets Anti-Lick Strips
http://www.babysmells.com/Diaper-Genie-Decorative-Decals.aspx
Free Diaper Genie Decals
Could be used on genie or even just on a window or mirror
http://www.startsampling.com/sm/21561/captureAddress.iphtml?item=21561
Free Playtex Sport Tampons
Not many to show today but as soon as there are more, I will post asap!
Free Sample of Nurtured Pets Anti-Lick Strips
http://www.babysmells.com/Diaper-Genie-Decorative-Decals.aspx
Free Diaper Genie Decals
Could be used on genie or even just on a window or mirror
http://www.startsampling.com/sm/21561/captureAddress.iphtml?item=21561
Free Playtex Sport Tampons
Not many to show today but as soon as there are more, I will post asap!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Todays Deals
Well today was a super busy day for me. My husband was riding his bike at Whistler Canada so I had to do double duty. Since I couldnt take both the girls to their game, I had to drop one off at her coach's house so they could take her. Then drive 50 minutes away for the other game. We lost but really learned alot from this game. Drove home, and picked up my other daughter. On the way home, there was a garage sale. Two house's right next to each other actually. They had so much neat stuff, I wish I had brought more money. Here's what I found.
7 Tupperware tumblers. 3 rose pink and 4 cool retro green. $1.50
2 headbands 10 cents each
1 Strawberry Shortcake(original) book
1 Little Bear book
1 Heman book
2 plaque's with Raggity Anne and Andy on it
All those for $5
Plus a friend of mine was at his parents house and he called me to inform me that his mom was giving up a bunch of her old Tupperware. He bought it all for me and I have to pick it up. He actually said it was "The old and stinky kind you like". I am so stoked! He's probably gonna give it to me free of charge. He's just that kind of guy. Cant wait to find out what kind it is, I will let you know asap.
Stopped by the Bread Store today and donated $1. here's what I was able to get
2 whole wheat bread
1 whole wheat bagel
1 pk chocolate donuts
1 bag of lemon cucumbers(which are my favorite!)
These will be great for the girls lunch's. They are small enough to just throw in their bags and they can eat them like apples. If you ever want to try something new to grow, try these. Super easy and they give lots of produce. They do travel so put up a border around them to contain the. These you can eat the seeds no problem. They are super soft so you dont even know your eating them. Kids just love them too.
7 Tupperware tumblers. 3 rose pink and 4 cool retro green. $1.50
2 headbands 10 cents each
1 Strawberry Shortcake(original) book
1 Little Bear book
1 Heman book
2 plaque's with Raggity Anne and Andy on it
All those for $5
Plus a friend of mine was at his parents house and he called me to inform me that his mom was giving up a bunch of her old Tupperware. He bought it all for me and I have to pick it up. He actually said it was "The old and stinky kind you like". I am so stoked! He's probably gonna give it to me free of charge. He's just that kind of guy. Cant wait to find out what kind it is, I will let you know asap.
Stopped by the Bread Store today and donated $1. here's what I was able to get
2 whole wheat bread
1 whole wheat bagel
1 pk chocolate donuts
1 bag of lemon cucumbers(which are my favorite!)
These will be great for the girls lunch's. They are small enough to just throw in their bags and they can eat them like apples. If you ever want to try something new to grow, try these. Super easy and they give lots of produce. They do travel so put up a border around them to contain the. These you can eat the seeds no problem. They are super soft so you dont even know your eating them. Kids just love them too.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Whole Roasted Chicken store bought VS Roast your own chicken
I hear a lot from friends how buying whole roasted chickens for around $5 can be stretched for 2-3 meals. This is totally true but I wanted to give you a different option. Keep an eye out for whole chickens in your meat section on sale. I will buy only if its around $1 sale.
My local Red Apple store has a reopening sale going on this week and whole chickens were only 89cents per pound. Super cheap! I bought two and froze for later use. Each cost me about $4. Saving me $1 because I'm cooking it myself.
So here are your 3 dinner idea's out of your 1 chicken.
1. Thaw out, and bake according to directions. When done, there is enough white meat for the 6 of us. My kids aren't big eaters so it goes a long way with us. Otherwise you can shred the chicken and use it in a gravy over potatoes or even have fajitas.
2. Pull the left over white and dark meat off and use in pasta, or even salad's. You can just put it in a bag and freeze it or use it the next day.
3. Put bones in a big pot with a lot of water and boil. I throw in celery and onions for extra flavor. I prefer not to put in the chicken skin, it will break down and you will have to skim the fat off later. Once boiled for about 20 minutes, let cool. You can put in freezer containers for later use at this point but I prefer to put the pot in the fridge and take out later. The fat will harden at the top and you can easily take it out. This way its 99% fat free. You can use this broth for soups, gravy, and even rice dishes. You can get many many meals out of this.
There you go, 3 ways to use your oven roasted chicken. I hope Ive inspired you.
Store bought-usually $5-$5.99 each and usually around 3 lbs
Roast your own-$4 and is 4 lbs
Small savings but well worth it
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Even more samples
Free Calcium buddy coloring book
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs_details.cfm?from=milk&pubs_id=5639
Free calcium buddy coloring book for kids. Limit 1 per email address so if you need more than one, just use a dummy email.
Free Cells and Genes coloring book
https://cissecure.nci.nih.gov/ncipubs/details.asp?pid=1084
Also from the National Cancer Institute, you can order this children's coloring book on Cells, Genes, and Protein Machines! Click "Place Order Now" toward the bottom and then "Checkout" to enter your mailing information. Says it ships in 4 business days!
Free Sun Maid Fall recipe books-GOOSEBERRY PATCH
http://www.sunmaid.com/recipes/Recipe_Booklets.html
Order up to 4 free recipe booklets from Sun-Maid! Get your free copies of the "Fruit & Sunshine," "The New Taste of Tradition," "Recipies for Healthier Eating" and "Family Favorite Recipes." Fill out the respective forms to request yours.
Free "eyes" coloring book
http://catalog.nei.nih.gov/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=6&idproduct=70
See All You Can See: Activity Book for Ages 6 to 8 contains mazes, games, and comic strips designed to help children between the ages of 6 and 8 learn about parts of the eye and how they work, as well as eye safety and first aid for eye injuries. Add the item to your cart and the follow through the checkout process to receive yours.
Free Golden Book coloring pages to print
http://www.randomhouse.com/golden/printfactory/print_factory.php#
Print Free Golden Book Coloring + Activity Pages
-->Print out coloring pages and activities for your child - totally free! Courtesy of Golden Books.
http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs_details.cfm?from=milk&pubs_id=5639
Free calcium buddy coloring book for kids. Limit 1 per email address so if you need more than one, just use a dummy email.
Free Cells and Genes coloring book
https://cissecure.nci.nih.gov/ncipubs/details.asp?pid=1084
Also from the National Cancer Institute, you can order this children's coloring book on Cells, Genes, and Protein Machines! Click "Place Order Now" toward the bottom and then "Checkout" to enter your mailing information. Says it ships in 4 business days!
Free Sun Maid Fall recipe books-GOOSEBERRY PATCH
http://www.sunmaid.com/recipes/Recipe_Booklets.html
Order up to 4 free recipe booklets from Sun-Maid! Get your free copies of the "Fruit & Sunshine," "The New Taste of Tradition," "Recipies for Healthier Eating" and "Family Favorite Recipes." Fill out the respective forms to request yours.
Free "eyes" coloring book
http://catalog.nei.nih.gov/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=6&idproduct=70
See All You Can See: Activity Book for Ages 6 to 8 contains mazes, games, and comic strips designed to help children between the ages of 6 and 8 learn about parts of the eye and how they work, as well as eye safety and first aid for eye injuries. Add the item to your cart and the follow through the checkout process to receive yours.
Free Golden Book coloring pages to print
http://www.randomhouse.com/golden/printfactory/print_factory.php#
Print Free Golden Book Coloring + Activity Pages
-->Print out coloring pages and activities for your child - totally free! Courtesy of Golden Books.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
SAMPLES SAMPLES GALORE!
Nestle Morsels has a fabulas coupon right now. I wasnt able to get it due to my printer being out of ink so I found a link to get one sent. So here is two option for those who have a printer and those who dont.
No printer
http://bricks.coupons.com/help/InstallGuide.asp?tqnm=rimpbyp67202591&bt=wi&o=53649&pt=&lang=&ws=&ct=&ci=&cl=&cp=&eb=&c=TH&p=s10078055_g67693f6d-53d9-4871-bb1d-a40dbef61e5c&z=&r=&pc=&tc=
Those with a printer
http://www.verybestbaking.com/promotions/default.aspx Sign up for their newsletter and get the coupon.
Bear naked Granola Sample
http://www.bearnaked.com/postcards/sample.asp
Eucerine Foot Cream sample
http://www.eucerinus.com/septdiabetesnewsletter/
Walmart Jergens Sample
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid51366.aspx
Mr Clean Eraser
http://mrclean.com/en_US/sharethelove/signup.do
Share a story of how you use them and you get a free sample
Natures Bounty Free Reusable Tote
http://www.naturesbounty.com/totebag/index.aspx
Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Sample
http://www.paulmitchell.com/headforchange/
Lower right hand corner
Walmart Pledge Whipes Sample
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid51024.aspx
Dior Mascara
http://www.dior.com/pcd/International/JSP/Library/Full/full_L6.jsp?pTPL=1081&pLANG=engb&RUB=null
bottom right hand corner
Barilla Pasta free post cards
http://www.discoverbarilla.com/?postcards
Limit 2 per household
FYI-could be framed for free art
Free Rad Cat Food
http://www.thehealthypet.com/contact_us.php?osCsid=2e19dd7d0354281adb4b22fcc7fa549a
Fill out contact info. Add your name, address and request a free sample
Free Jelly Beans
http://beta.candydirect.com:8222/Default.aspx
just fill out form
Free Gorilla 1 oz sample
http://www.gorillaglue.com/toughteam/join-tough-team.aspx
Free Kotex Sample
http://kotex.eprize.net/perfectfitsweepstakes/index.tbapp
No printer
http://bricks.coupons.com/help/InstallGuide.asp?tqnm=rimpbyp67202591&bt=wi&o=53649&pt=&lang=&ws=&ct=&ci=&cl=&cp=&eb=&c=TH&p=s10078055_g67693f6d-53d9-4871-bb1d-a40dbef61e5c&z=&r=&pc=&tc=
Those with a printer
http://www.verybestbaking.com/promotions/default.aspx Sign up for their newsletter and get the coupon.
Bear naked Granola Sample
http://www.bearnaked.com/postcards/sample.asp
Eucerine Foot Cream sample
http://www.eucerinus.com/septdiabetesnewsletter/
Walmart Jergens Sample
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid51366.aspx
Mr Clean Eraser
http://mrclean.com/en_US/sharethelove/signup.do
Share a story of how you use them and you get a free sample
Natures Bounty Free Reusable Tote
http://www.naturesbounty.com/totebag/index.aspx
Paul Mitchell Tea Tree Sample
http://www.paulmitchell.com/headforchange/
Lower right hand corner
Walmart Pledge Whipes Sample
http://instoresnow.walmart.com/enhancedrendercontent_ektid51024.aspx
Dior Mascara
http://www.dior.com/pcd/International/JSP/Library/Full/full_L6.jsp?pTPL=1081&pLANG=engb&RUB=null
bottom right hand corner
Barilla Pasta free post cards
http://www.discoverbarilla.com/?postcards
Limit 2 per household
FYI-could be framed for free art
Free Rad Cat Food
http://www.thehealthypet.com/contact_us.php?osCsid=2e19dd7d0354281adb4b22fcc7fa549a
Fill out contact info. Add your name, address and request a free sample
Free Jelly Beans
http://beta.candydirect.com:8222/Default.aspx
just fill out form
Free Gorilla 1 oz sample
http://www.gorillaglue.com/toughteam/join-tough-team.aspx
Free Kotex Sample
http://kotex.eprize.net/perfectfitsweepstakes/index.tbapp
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Support for moms
Im sure everyone could use some support. Even the most secure person needs advisee so with that in mind, I came up with these free online places where thousands of moms and dads go for advise. So check them out, play around, and keep an open mind.
www.cafemom.com Ive been a member for a year now and love this site. Their are thousands of groups, and im sure one just for you. I found this site helpful when it came to finding parents like myself who have children with excema. When doctors couldnt tell me what was causing it, I found other parents who have lots of info and insight. I now know whats causing it and its almost completely gone. This is my all time favorite site.
www.clubmom.com Not a member but looks alot like cafemom and even has links to cafe mom on it. Worth looking around.
www.ivillage.com Seems to be about you as a mom and children secondary. Pretty large site and has lots of sponcers. Everything from coupons, freebies, beauty, go green, health, and pregnancy and parenting.
www.momjunction.com Kinda like myspace for moms. Creat personal pages to share with friends, ask and answer questions. Plus you can hear moms from your area. Smaller site but seems pretty informative.
www.mothersclick.com Connecting learning and sharing. You can get answers, check out groups, lots of activities, classifieds, look at reviews, recipe's, blogs, look at photo's, look up resources, and even shop. Pretty cool site.
www.mayasmom.com Where parents share. Its similar to cafe mom but on a smaller scale. You can become part of a group, search for groups, discuss and share idea's. Worth a peak.
If you have any great sites you love, comment me
www.cafemom.com Ive been a member for a year now and love this site. Their are thousands of groups, and im sure one just for you. I found this site helpful when it came to finding parents like myself who have children with excema. When doctors couldnt tell me what was causing it, I found other parents who have lots of info and insight. I now know whats causing it and its almost completely gone. This is my all time favorite site.
www.clubmom.com Not a member but looks alot like cafemom and even has links to cafe mom on it. Worth looking around.
www.ivillage.com Seems to be about you as a mom and children secondary. Pretty large site and has lots of sponcers. Everything from coupons, freebies, beauty, go green, health, and pregnancy and parenting.
www.momjunction.com Kinda like myspace for moms. Creat personal pages to share with friends, ask and answer questions. Plus you can hear moms from your area. Smaller site but seems pretty informative.
www.mothersclick.com Connecting learning and sharing. You can get answers, check out groups, lots of activities, classifieds, look at reviews, recipe's, blogs, look at photo's, look up resources, and even shop. Pretty cool site.
www.mayasmom.com Where parents share. Its similar to cafe mom but on a smaller scale. You can become part of a group, search for groups, discuss and share idea's. Worth a peak.
If you have any great sites you love, comment me
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Sunday Deals
Here's a cool freebie if you are a clean freak like me. Mr.Clean is offering a free mini magic eraser for sharing a story of how you use it.
http://mrclean.com/en_US/sharethelove.do
Free Kashi Cookie
Play the cookie game and get a free cookie sent to you. Plus you can send one to a friend as well
http://www.kashi.com/stealacookie/getmycookie
Free Yogi Tea Sampler
http://www.yogitea.com/Pages/FreeSamples.html
Free Greenies for your pets!
http://www.greenies.com/en_US/FreeSample/?csid=632
http://mrclean.com/en_US/sharethelove.do
Free Kashi Cookie
Play the cookie game and get a free cookie sent to you. Plus you can send one to a friend as well
http://www.kashi.com/stealacookie/getmycookie
Free Yogi Tea Sampler
http://www.yogitea.com/Pages/FreeSamples.html
Free Greenies for your pets!
http://www.greenies.com/en_US/FreeSample/?csid=632
Friday, September 12, 2008
Have old Tupperware?
I have a great bowl set that had a cracked lid. My mother told me they have a lifetime warrenty but I wasnt entirely sure because it was pretty darn old. So I found out some good news and thought I would pass it on to you.
Go to www.tupperware.com
Go to Product Information on top of page
Click Warrenty
Read Limited Lifetime Warrenty
Limited Lifetime Warranty: Tupperware® products are warranted by Tupperware U.S., Inc. and Tupperware Canada, a division of Premiere Products Brands of Canada Ltd. ("Tupperware Canada"), against chipping, cracking, breaking or peeling under normal non-commercial use for the lifetime of the product. Please call Customer Care toll-free at 1(800) 366-3800 for free replacement. If, due to unavailability, actual product replacement cannot be made, comparable product replacement will be made, or credit toward future purchases of Tupperware® products will be given. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state. Warranty replacement parts or items will be subject to shipping and handling charges.
YES THAT IS CORRECT! They will replace with a comparable product replacement.
I was just calling to replace the lid on my bowl but since they no longer will make them anymore, they are replacing mine for only $4.50 shipping charge. And I keep my old bowls. Here is what I did.
Called the number and spoke to a really nice man.
He will ask for the product number which is located on bottom of actual item.
He will look it up in his computer and find out if its still being made or not.
If you have more than 1 piece that is broken or cracked, let them know so you only have 1 shipping charge.
Thats it, its that easy. So get out your Tupperware and inspect them.
Go to www.tupperware.com
Go to Product Information on top of page
Click Warrenty
Read Limited Lifetime Warrenty
Limited Lifetime Warranty: Tupperware® products are warranted by Tupperware U.S., Inc. and Tupperware Canada, a division of Premiere Products Brands of Canada Ltd. ("Tupperware Canada"), against chipping, cracking, breaking or peeling under normal non-commercial use for the lifetime of the product. Please call Customer Care toll-free at 1(800) 366-3800 for free replacement. If, due to unavailability, actual product replacement cannot be made, comparable product replacement will be made, or credit toward future purchases of Tupperware® products will be given. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state. Warranty replacement parts or items will be subject to shipping and handling charges.
YES THAT IS CORRECT! They will replace with a comparable product replacement.
I was just calling to replace the lid on my bowl but since they no longer will make them anymore, they are replacing mine for only $4.50 shipping charge. And I keep my old bowls. Here is what I did.
Called the number and spoke to a really nice man.
He will ask for the product number which is located on bottom of actual item.
He will look it up in his computer and find out if its still being made or not.
If you have more than 1 piece that is broken or cracked, let them know so you only have 1 shipping charge.
Thats it, its that easy. So get out your Tupperware and inspect them.
September 11,2008
Easy Mixican Rice Dish
Serves a family of 6 plus enough for dad to take to work for lunch the next day
1lb Ground Meat (I used ground turkey sausage)
3 cups rice (we use brown rice)
2 cups frozen pepper blend or your own blend of red, yellow, green, orange peppers
1/2 onion diced (I used dried onion)
1 tsp fresh garlic or 1/2 tsp dried garlic
1/2 tsp salt
2 palm of Chili Pepper
1 palm of Cumin
1 palm of Paprika
Optional:any kind of beans or hot sauce
I use a rice cooker so I started with the rice. 6 cups of water with 3 cups of rice. Turn on. White rice would need to be cooked as stated on package. Cook until done and set aside.
Brown up your ground meat then add your pepper blend and onion. I would also add beans at this time if you want them. I didnt have any so we went without.
Add spices and 1/2 cup of water. Once stirred completely, add rice. Cook until all juice is absorbed. Your done. I shredded some cheese on top.
Other use's for this rice mix
1.Taco Salad
Use this mixture on top of lettus, add broken up tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, hot sauce. Done!
2. Mexican Soup-add broth of your choice with chives. Done
3. Put inside homemade tortilla's and have taco's or burrito's
4. Put in glass pan, add bottoms of tortilla chip bags, shredded cheese, and bake until crispy on top.
This is a staple at our house. We love mexican food and this is a favorite. I love it because it fills up my kids and they dont nag for food anymore.
Serves a family of 6 plus enough for dad to take to work for lunch the next day
1lb Ground Meat (I used ground turkey sausage)
3 cups rice (we use brown rice)
2 cups frozen pepper blend or your own blend of red, yellow, green, orange peppers
1/2 onion diced (I used dried onion)
1 tsp fresh garlic or 1/2 tsp dried garlic
1/2 tsp salt
2 palm of Chili Pepper
1 palm of Cumin
1 palm of Paprika
Optional:any kind of beans or hot sauce
I use a rice cooker so I started with the rice. 6 cups of water with 3 cups of rice. Turn on. White rice would need to be cooked as stated on package. Cook until done and set aside.
Brown up your ground meat then add your pepper blend and onion. I would also add beans at this time if you want them. I didnt have any so we went without.
Add spices and 1/2 cup of water. Once stirred completely, add rice. Cook until all juice is absorbed. Your done. I shredded some cheese on top.
Other use's for this rice mix
1.Taco Salad
Use this mixture on top of lettus, add broken up tortilla chips, cheese, sour cream, hot sauce. Done!
2. Mexican Soup-add broth of your choice with chives. Done
3. Put inside homemade tortilla's and have taco's or burrito's
4. Put in glass pan, add bottoms of tortilla chip bags, shredded cheese, and bake until crispy on top.
This is a staple at our house. We love mexican food and this is a favorite. I love it because it fills up my kids and they dont nag for food anymore.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Hi, My name is Nancy and I have a Tupperware addiction
Yes, its true. Im addicted to old Tupperware. Not the new stuff, just the old stinky ones you find in yard sales, back of a shelf in thrift stores, or sometimes in free box's. I am totally stoked right now because I found many new pieces to my collection. Here's what ive collected for only $4 today.
Large square Storage -For flour etc. Old school white
Square Ice Cream Holder-comes with thin plastic insert to slide square boxed ice cream. New looking and old school white
Small Party Susan-3 seperated area's in a round container. Used for dips etc. Old school white
Easy Pour with lid-used for salad dressings etc. Old school white
1 rectangular bacon holder-New looking. Bright basic yellow
3 mixing bowl set-no lids but fine with me. Yellow, green and blue. Kids will use these while baking and such.
Hot Dog holder-newer line. Clear white with black lid. Has original paperwork inside it. Holds 1 pack of hot dogs.
So stoked!
Cant wait to find more. Maybe I should become a Tupperware consultant. I just love the stuff. I can sell the newer stuff to pay for my old stinky Tupperware addiction. ?? Hmmm... To be continued
Large square Storage -For flour etc. Old school white
Square Ice Cream Holder-comes with thin plastic insert to slide square boxed ice cream. New looking and old school white
Small Party Susan-3 seperated area's in a round container. Used for dips etc. Old school white
Easy Pour with lid-used for salad dressings etc. Old school white
1 rectangular bacon holder-New looking. Bright basic yellow
3 mixing bowl set-no lids but fine with me. Yellow, green and blue. Kids will use these while baking and such.
Hot Dog holder-newer line. Clear white with black lid. Has original paperwork inside it. Holds 1 pack of hot dogs.
So stoked!
Cant wait to find more. Maybe I should become a Tupperware consultant. I just love the stuff. I can sell the newer stuff to pay for my old stinky Tupperware addiction. ?? Hmmm... To be continued
September 10,2008
Today seemed like a very long day for me. Got the kids off to school and babysat for a neighbor of mine. After that I tried to catch up on laundry.
Been pinching pennies for about 2 weeks now so I wanted to splurge a bit for the girls. They are the ones who suffer through this. Us as parents are okay with eating the same thing over and over or getting creative when cooking. But when your kids, its differant. Its so much worst and annoying. I remember many times when we literally had the basics and my mom would try to be very creative in making my lunch's. I remember being so annoyed and seeing other kids with yummy treats. So today I decided to treat them.
Their favorite food around our town is Muchos Gracias. Its a very small mexican place down the road. Super yummy. So I sacrificed $11 to buy them dinner last night. It was very hard for me to do it but I know they needed it. How am I able to feed myself and 4 children for only $11 you may ask? They have specials and we shared. I only bought 3 meals and split them up. My husband didnt want anything so I only needed to feed 5. I dont think thats bad considering it fed so many. Plus its was SUPER yummy!. Well worth it.
I noticed my pantry is getting bare bones now. I still have alot of meat, cooking basics and bulk rice and beans. But hardly any snacks and no fruit. So tomarrow I will be heading to the bread store to see what they have. Hopefully some vegies again, apples, etc. This helps me out so much. We have no english muffins or bagels so we need those. But we will see. I will take anythign right now.
Afterwords im checking out the grocery outlet for their markdowns. They almost always have good deals on lunch items and snacks. I will keep let you know my cool finds in tomarrows post.
Been pinching pennies for about 2 weeks now so I wanted to splurge a bit for the girls. They are the ones who suffer through this. Us as parents are okay with eating the same thing over and over or getting creative when cooking. But when your kids, its differant. Its so much worst and annoying. I remember many times when we literally had the basics and my mom would try to be very creative in making my lunch's. I remember being so annoyed and seeing other kids with yummy treats. So today I decided to treat them.
Their favorite food around our town is Muchos Gracias. Its a very small mexican place down the road. Super yummy. So I sacrificed $11 to buy them dinner last night. It was very hard for me to do it but I know they needed it. How am I able to feed myself and 4 children for only $11 you may ask? They have specials and we shared. I only bought 3 meals and split them up. My husband didnt want anything so I only needed to feed 5. I dont think thats bad considering it fed so many. Plus its was SUPER yummy!. Well worth it.
I noticed my pantry is getting bare bones now. I still have alot of meat, cooking basics and bulk rice and beans. But hardly any snacks and no fruit. So tomarrow I will be heading to the bread store to see what they have. Hopefully some vegies again, apples, etc. This helps me out so much. We have no english muffins or bagels so we need those. But we will see. I will take anythign right now.
Afterwords im checking out the grocery outlet for their markdowns. They almost always have good deals on lunch items and snacks. I will keep let you know my cool finds in tomarrows post.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
September 9,2008
Again, had to drag myself out of bed. Sleep hasnt been coming easy lately. Hopefully soon my body gets used to this schedule. Today was my get stuff done day. Unfortunatly the twins each had an accident so I had to wash all their bedding. I took a break today from walking up to the store. Kids had their usual breakfast today.
Cereal
Blue berry bagel
juice
Followed by the usual lunch
Peanut butter and jam(homemade) sandwich
crackers
granola
cut up apple and pear
crystal light
I managed to get alot done today. I made a new rule for the kids and hopefully it will stick. "No toys downstairs". This is what gets my house messy. Toys laying around, papers and crayons on the floor, dirty clothes, etc. Toys are the biggest annoyance out of all of them. So no more toys downstairs. We will see how this works.
My husband and I have come to the conclusion that we want to sell our house and move back to our old down. So in the next few months we will be renovating our home. Alot of painting, updating and stuff like that. We live in a newer home so no major things to do. But by adding new fixtures, door hardware, a deck, and things like that we should get top dollar for our home. If we get what we paid for our home, were happy. We just miss our old town, our old friends, and the old school system. So I will let you know how everything goes and the ups and downs. Should be fun.
My neighbor (who we love) watched our kids so my husband and I were able to have dinner alone. Been a long time since we have had alone time so we were excited to drop the kids off and leave. We went to a small place by the river. It was really nice and quiet. We only spend about $25 for our dinner which is really good. We each had a dinner and a beer. It was so yummy and we loved being able to hear each other talk without kids interupting. I had so much fun. It really was great being able to talk about things, look at each other , and remember why exactly we love each other so much. Once in a while you just have to get out without kids and just look at each other and think about why you love each other. Over the last 10 1/2 years we both have changed. Change is good if you ask me. I love my husband more and more each day. Watching him with our girls, he turns to putty. Its just amazing watching him.
I made the girls dinner before we dropped them off.
Fried Potatoes ($1)
Turkey Sausage Links (1.99)
Crystal Light or water
We stopped by our local Walmart after we ate dinner. I needed milk and it was on the way home. Walking around we stopped by the electronics area and they had the new mermaid movie. My girls have spazzed out everytime they see the store display (letting know when it was coming out) or anytime it was on tv. So my husband bought it for them. He's such a softy. So when we picked the girls up, we showed them and they pretty much were ready within a minute to go home. I made popcorn (oldschool popper) and they all ran to get their pillows and blankets to lay down and watch the movie. We all got comfy and watched the movie together. It really is a great movie and we all enjoyed it. It was another good day.
Cereal
Blue berry bagel
juice
Followed by the usual lunch
Peanut butter and jam(homemade) sandwich
crackers
granola
cut up apple and pear
crystal light
I managed to get alot done today. I made a new rule for the kids and hopefully it will stick. "No toys downstairs". This is what gets my house messy. Toys laying around, papers and crayons on the floor, dirty clothes, etc. Toys are the biggest annoyance out of all of them. So no more toys downstairs. We will see how this works.
My husband and I have come to the conclusion that we want to sell our house and move back to our old down. So in the next few months we will be renovating our home. Alot of painting, updating and stuff like that. We live in a newer home so no major things to do. But by adding new fixtures, door hardware, a deck, and things like that we should get top dollar for our home. If we get what we paid for our home, were happy. We just miss our old town, our old friends, and the old school system. So I will let you know how everything goes and the ups and downs. Should be fun.
My neighbor (who we love) watched our kids so my husband and I were able to have dinner alone. Been a long time since we have had alone time so we were excited to drop the kids off and leave. We went to a small place by the river. It was really nice and quiet. We only spend about $25 for our dinner which is really good. We each had a dinner and a beer. It was so yummy and we loved being able to hear each other talk without kids interupting. I had so much fun. It really was great being able to talk about things, look at each other , and remember why exactly we love each other so much. Once in a while you just have to get out without kids and just look at each other and think about why you love each other. Over the last 10 1/2 years we both have changed. Change is good if you ask me. I love my husband more and more each day. Watching him with our girls, he turns to putty. Its just amazing watching him.
I made the girls dinner before we dropped them off.
Fried Potatoes ($1)
Turkey Sausage Links (1.99)
Crystal Light or water
We stopped by our local Walmart after we ate dinner. I needed milk and it was on the way home. Walking around we stopped by the electronics area and they had the new mermaid movie. My girls have spazzed out everytime they see the store display (letting know when it was coming out) or anytime it was on tv. So my husband bought it for them. He's such a softy. So when we picked the girls up, we showed them and they pretty much were ready within a minute to go home. I made popcorn (oldschool popper) and they all ran to get their pillows and blankets to lay down and watch the movie. We all got comfy and watched the movie together. It really is a great movie and we all enjoyed it. It was another good day.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
September 8,2008
Today was so beautiful when I woke up. Its just one of those days that you close your eyes and smell the nature. It was nice. I forget to do that sometimes and need to remember to do it more. If only you could pause real life...
I was thinking today about my life and where I am at. I remember telling myself to not get in a rut and be the best mommy I could be. Well I felt like I was in a rut. I dont wear make up anymore, I dont particularly care about what im wearing, and I didnt feel pretty anymore. It was time for change. I was concerned about my budget and almost didnt do anything. But then I remembered, once in a while I need to do something for myself. Its hard for me to let go and just think of myself. So I did it. I tried to save where I could but I did it. I cut my hair (coupon for $8.99 cut) and bought hair dye(which was on sale). A couple of months ago, my husband paid to get my hair professionally done and I had yet to get it retouched. There was no option due to budget issues. I just cant see paying $100 every 3 months to get my hair done. Yes it makes me feel better about myself, and it was nice to get out of the house with out my kids. But its just way to expensive. So I did it my way and only cost me $17. And it was worth it. I feel so much better. Whens the last time you took time for yourself? Even if you cant spend any money on yourself, you can do simple things. Try these and see how you feel and dont give any excuse like im not going anywhere. Who cares, just do it.
Take a hot bath
Give yourself a Pedicute
Give yourself a manicure
Wear mascara
Tweeze your brows
Shave your legs (seems simple but oh my gosh does it make you feel better)
Wear lipgloss
Put on a dress
Wear those booty jeans you like so much
I actually walked up to the store to buy the hair dye but later drove up because of time. I wanted to suprise my husband so I had to do it fast. I packed snacks and stuff for the girls so I wouldnt have to buy any food.
The older girls lunch was basic but good
Chicken Soup
Granola Bar
Cut up apple or pear
Crystal Light
Crackers
So tonight because of the new me, I decided to make something ive never made before. I grew up watching my mom eat clam chowder but never liked seafood myself. Today I do eat some seafood but nothing too crazy. Alot of white fish. Well I had some cod and looked up recipes to use it. So last night I made cod chowder. It was a huge success. If you are not a big fan of fish, you should try this recipe. Its basic but wonderful plus it doesnt take much ingrediants.
Clam Chowder
3 carrots diced
3 stalks of celery diced
4 potatoes peeled and diced
1 onion diced
2 mushrooms diced (I pureed it due to some not liking mushrooms)
4 cups of milk (I used powdered milk)
olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Saute carrots, celery, onion and potatoe in olive oil till tender. Add milk and spices. Cook and boil for 5 minutes. Give or take minutes depending on how big your vegies are diced. If not thickened enough, use potatoe masher and mash a cup or two of ingrediants. Let sit for 5 minutes and serve.
I hope ive inspired you to do something new. Try to do something for yourself, and try something new. I did and I had a wonderful day. Plus I feel so much better.
I was thinking today about my life and where I am at. I remember telling myself to not get in a rut and be the best mommy I could be. Well I felt like I was in a rut. I dont wear make up anymore, I dont particularly care about what im wearing, and I didnt feel pretty anymore. It was time for change. I was concerned about my budget and almost didnt do anything. But then I remembered, once in a while I need to do something for myself. Its hard for me to let go and just think of myself. So I did it. I tried to save where I could but I did it. I cut my hair (coupon for $8.99 cut) and bought hair dye(which was on sale). A couple of months ago, my husband paid to get my hair professionally done and I had yet to get it retouched. There was no option due to budget issues. I just cant see paying $100 every 3 months to get my hair done. Yes it makes me feel better about myself, and it was nice to get out of the house with out my kids. But its just way to expensive. So I did it my way and only cost me $17. And it was worth it. I feel so much better. Whens the last time you took time for yourself? Even if you cant spend any money on yourself, you can do simple things. Try these and see how you feel and dont give any excuse like im not going anywhere. Who cares, just do it.
Take a hot bath
Give yourself a Pedicute
Give yourself a manicure
Wear mascara
Tweeze your brows
Shave your legs (seems simple but oh my gosh does it make you feel better)
Wear lipgloss
Put on a dress
Wear those booty jeans you like so much
I actually walked up to the store to buy the hair dye but later drove up because of time. I wanted to suprise my husband so I had to do it fast. I packed snacks and stuff for the girls so I wouldnt have to buy any food.
The older girls lunch was basic but good
Chicken Soup
Granola Bar
Cut up apple or pear
Crystal Light
Crackers
So tonight because of the new me, I decided to make something ive never made before. I grew up watching my mom eat clam chowder but never liked seafood myself. Today I do eat some seafood but nothing too crazy. Alot of white fish. Well I had some cod and looked up recipes to use it. So last night I made cod chowder. It was a huge success. If you are not a big fan of fish, you should try this recipe. Its basic but wonderful plus it doesnt take much ingrediants.
Clam Chowder
3 carrots diced
3 stalks of celery diced
4 potatoes peeled and diced
1 onion diced
2 mushrooms diced (I pureed it due to some not liking mushrooms)
4 cups of milk (I used powdered milk)
olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
Saute carrots, celery, onion and potatoe in olive oil till tender. Add milk and spices. Cook and boil for 5 minutes. Give or take minutes depending on how big your vegies are diced. If not thickened enough, use potatoe masher and mash a cup or two of ingrediants. Let sit for 5 minutes and serve.
I hope ive inspired you to do something new. Try to do something for yourself, and try something new. I did and I had a wonderful day. Plus I feel so much better.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Money Saving School Tips
I know I'm a little late on talking about saving money on school, but I just started this blog and the tips can be used all year long. My school shopping starts the last day of school. Yes, its early but its the only way I can afford to get things. Little by little.
I have 2 options where I live to buy things new for school. Walmart and Fred Meyers. Both of which I cannot afford to pay full price. I'm usually at both places about once a week, just to keep up on their markdowns. I go to the bread store every week and Fred Meyers is across the street so its handy for me. I hit up every mark down section in each store. Every few weeks they mark down their stuff even more. Walmart will finally mark down things to $1 each. That's great for my budget. I can get shirts for my daughters, socks, undies, etc. The thing I find hard to get in the markdown section is jeans. I almost never find them for cheap.
Fred Meyers will have a sale the week before school starts and it will usually be 60% off the lowest marked price on clearance. This includes shoe's, clothes, and pretty much everything. I try to get their shoe's at this time. They have great brands like Converse, Nike, etc. Good shoe's that wont fall apart. I pick them over the Walmart fall apart (what we call them). But be aware that its packed and try not to bring small children if you can. It can get very overwhelming and stressful. Just bring the ones that have school and you need them to try on stuff. And have fun searching for good stuff.
Another option is thrift stores. Some people get weirded out by thrift stores but I grew up with them, and so have my children. We wash everything when we get home and set aside for school. You would be surprised whats at these places. This year I decided to use the same back packs from last year since they still looked brand new. I bought them from Gap for a really good sale price. Worth the money, they are made really good and sturdy. One was a messenger bag and the other is a back pack. Well my middle daughter wanted a messenger bag because the big kids use them. I found a Gap messenger bag at Goodwill and only paid about $1 for it. She was so happy. We find our winter coats this way, sweaters, and pretty much anything you can think of this way. I can afford name brands for them and not be broke. Most items are things kids never wore that their parents spent way too much money on. Their loss, my gain. Kids will never know these things are used and my kids can be super cool just like everyone else. My girls are so skinny that they can only wear certain brands that are way too much money for me to buy. So this is another plus for us. If you have a Goodwill outlet, shop there first. Everything is by pound so the more you buy, the less it is. Take a friend and split up the weight too. If you buy 50lbs or more you get it for only 69 cents per pound. That's super cheap. Shirts are only 10 cents, jeans are 30 cents about, etc. Plus the more friends you have, the more coverage you have in the store. We split up and meet every 20 minutes to swap what we found for them and what they found for you. Check their website to find a store near you.
Another place to find stuff is at garage sales. I find shoe's, shirts and pants for as little as 10 cents. Again, way worth the money. And if you take a bike ride with a backpack, no gas money involved. Really saving you money this way! Plus you can talk people down a bit if you want. I usually don't, most are just happy to get their stuff out of their house. Another good way to get stuff for your home this way. I have this addiction to old retro Tupperware. Its sad but true.
Hope this is helpful and you can still save money this way. There are lots of garage sales still going on. People are making room for their new stuff so hit up garage sales. Have fun!
I have 2 options where I live to buy things new for school. Walmart and Fred Meyers. Both of which I cannot afford to pay full price. I'm usually at both places about once a week, just to keep up on their markdowns. I go to the bread store every week and Fred Meyers is across the street so its handy for me. I hit up every mark down section in each store. Every few weeks they mark down their stuff even more. Walmart will finally mark down things to $1 each. That's great for my budget. I can get shirts for my daughters, socks, undies, etc. The thing I find hard to get in the markdown section is jeans. I almost never find them for cheap.
Fred Meyers will have a sale the week before school starts and it will usually be 60% off the lowest marked price on clearance. This includes shoe's, clothes, and pretty much everything. I try to get their shoe's at this time. They have great brands like Converse, Nike, etc. Good shoe's that wont fall apart. I pick them over the Walmart fall apart (what we call them). But be aware that its packed and try not to bring small children if you can. It can get very overwhelming and stressful. Just bring the ones that have school and you need them to try on stuff. And have fun searching for good stuff.
Another option is thrift stores. Some people get weirded out by thrift stores but I grew up with them, and so have my children. We wash everything when we get home and set aside for school. You would be surprised whats at these places. This year I decided to use the same back packs from last year since they still looked brand new. I bought them from Gap for a really good sale price. Worth the money, they are made really good and sturdy. One was a messenger bag and the other is a back pack. Well my middle daughter wanted a messenger bag because the big kids use them. I found a Gap messenger bag at Goodwill and only paid about $1 for it. She was so happy. We find our winter coats this way, sweaters, and pretty much anything you can think of this way. I can afford name brands for them and not be broke. Most items are things kids never wore that their parents spent way too much money on. Their loss, my gain. Kids will never know these things are used and my kids can be super cool just like everyone else. My girls are so skinny that they can only wear certain brands that are way too much money for me to buy. So this is another plus for us. If you have a Goodwill outlet, shop there first. Everything is by pound so the more you buy, the less it is. Take a friend and split up the weight too. If you buy 50lbs or more you get it for only 69 cents per pound. That's super cheap. Shirts are only 10 cents, jeans are 30 cents about, etc. Plus the more friends you have, the more coverage you have in the store. We split up and meet every 20 minutes to swap what we found for them and what they found for you. Check their website to find a store near you.
Another place to find stuff is at garage sales. I find shoe's, shirts and pants for as little as 10 cents. Again, way worth the money. And if you take a bike ride with a backpack, no gas money involved. Really saving you money this way! Plus you can talk people down a bit if you want. I usually don't, most are just happy to get their stuff out of their house. Another good way to get stuff for your home this way. I have this addiction to old retro Tupperware. Its sad but true.
Hope this is helpful and you can still save money this way. There are lots of garage sales still going on. People are making room for their new stuff so hit up garage sales. Have fun!
Sunday, September 7, 2008
September 7,2008
Since ive overdone myself over the last few days, I thought I would take it easy and just clean house. Yeah right! I think I might of had too much coffee or just tired of my house being dirty. I went on a cleaning rampage. Turned on the I Pod unit and jammed out while cleaning. I feel like such a dork when I say this, but I was so happy when I was able to mop the floor. After that it was lunch time.
Lunch was tuna n cheese
Annie's mac n cheese (free with coupon they sent me after I emailed them)
1 can of tuna (49 cents)
1 cup of pea's (about 30 cents)
and served a bunch of sliced apples with it(free, picked off a tree)
I wanted to make a special dinner tonight for my husband and the kids. One of those dinners that hopefully my kids will remember for a long time. Weve been pinching pennies for so long that I think we diserved it. A couple of weeks ago Safeway had Jenny O turkey tenderloin on sale for $4.99. That was a good deal considering its usually $10. Plus I had a coupon for $1 off so I only paid $4.00. I wanted to wait for a while so it would be used for a special treat. So here is what I ended up making.
Turkey Tenderloin-roasted turkey marinade ($4)
Mashed potatoes(about $1)
Green Beans (my beans I canned)
Turkey Gravy (made from turkey juice's)
Bread and butter (free from bread store)
It was the most quiet dinner ever. Meaning that they were too busy stuffing their mouth's that they couldnt talk or argue. They loved it so much. Plus we had enough left overs for my husband to take to work and for me to eat for lunch. It was a good night for me. I did all the dishes and my house was still clean. I made a quick and easy dessert out of some apples I picked on a walk from the other day.
Warm Apple Dessert
cut up apples and peaches(or any fruit you want)
1/4 cup of brown sugar
Dab of butter
Cooked until tender
The kids just love this dessert. They actually requested me to not put so much brown sugar this time. I was so happy to hear that. I try not to use too much if any at all and was so proud that they actually prefer it this way.
The kids settled down and we had about 30 minutes of tv time before they went to bed. No fighting and they went to sleep right away. It was a good day.
Lunch was tuna n cheese
Annie's mac n cheese (free with coupon they sent me after I emailed them)
1 can of tuna (49 cents)
1 cup of pea's (about 30 cents)
and served a bunch of sliced apples with it(free, picked off a tree)
I wanted to make a special dinner tonight for my husband and the kids. One of those dinners that hopefully my kids will remember for a long time. Weve been pinching pennies for so long that I think we diserved it. A couple of weeks ago Safeway had Jenny O turkey tenderloin on sale for $4.99. That was a good deal considering its usually $10. Plus I had a coupon for $1 off so I only paid $4.00. I wanted to wait for a while so it would be used for a special treat. So here is what I ended up making.
Turkey Tenderloin-roasted turkey marinade ($4)
Mashed potatoes(about $1)
Green Beans (my beans I canned)
Turkey Gravy (made from turkey juice's)
Bread and butter (free from bread store)
It was the most quiet dinner ever. Meaning that they were too busy stuffing their mouth's that they couldnt talk or argue. They loved it so much. Plus we had enough left overs for my husband to take to work and for me to eat for lunch. It was a good night for me. I did all the dishes and my house was still clean. I made a quick and easy dessert out of some apples I picked on a walk from the other day.
Warm Apple Dessert
cut up apples and peaches(or any fruit you want)
1/4 cup of brown sugar
Dab of butter
Cooked until tender
The kids just love this dessert. They actually requested me to not put so much brown sugar this time. I was so happy to hear that. I try not to use too much if any at all and was so proud that they actually prefer it this way.
The kids settled down and we had about 30 minutes of tv time before they went to bed. No fighting and they went to sleep right away. It was a good day.
Saturday, September 6, 2008
September 5,2008
Today was a fun but long day for the kids and I. My middle daughter had a soccer game at 9am sharp. Besides it being really cold, the game was great. She won both her games. I decided to take a day trip out to see my family. They live about 45 minutes away so I had to prepare. Usually I would try to buy them lunch while were out there but I packed lunch's instead.
Lunch
peanut butter and jam(homemade) sandwhiches
Cut up apples (free picked off a tree)
Annies Organic Bunnies crackers (free with coupon they sent me.I emailed them)
I stopped by the bread store to pick up some stuff for my sister. This time they had other goodies. They had fresh squash from a local garden, and apples. Plus a freezer full of tortilla soup. So I grabbed a few of each for her. Also a few packs of bagels. It was the least I could do, she was giving me some jeans for my daughter. I couldnt afford to give her money, so I thought this would help her out.
By the time I pulled up to the house, the weather cleared up and the sun was out. My sister had a bunch of jeans for my daughter. I have been looking at yard sales and goodwill for 2 months and found nothing for her. My mother and sister make a living off thrift store's and eBay. Which is reccomended if you want to make money at home. She was happy to get them out of her house, and I was happy to finally have some pants for my daughter.
Visited my moms house which is right down the street from my sisters place. Just hung out and talked for a while with the kids. She gave my girls a bag of barbie clothes she had been saving for them. The girls couldnt wait till we went home. They wanted to play with them so much. We gave out hugs goodbye and headed home a while later.
The drive home was long, not sure if it was because of traffic or because I was so tired. I was happy to be home. So today I spent NO MONEY! I had alot of fun too. So this is a idea, visit family or friends when your broke. Maybe throw together a potluck dinner. This is free and easy to do. Until next time, or I will just see you tomarrow.
Lunch
peanut butter and jam(homemade) sandwhiches
Cut up apples (free picked off a tree)
Annies Organic Bunnies crackers (free with coupon they sent me.I emailed them)
I stopped by the bread store to pick up some stuff for my sister. This time they had other goodies. They had fresh squash from a local garden, and apples. Plus a freezer full of tortilla soup. So I grabbed a few of each for her. Also a few packs of bagels. It was the least I could do, she was giving me some jeans for my daughter. I couldnt afford to give her money, so I thought this would help her out.
By the time I pulled up to the house, the weather cleared up and the sun was out. My sister had a bunch of jeans for my daughter. I have been looking at yard sales and goodwill for 2 months and found nothing for her. My mother and sister make a living off thrift store's and eBay. Which is reccomended if you want to make money at home. She was happy to get them out of her house, and I was happy to finally have some pants for my daughter.
Visited my moms house which is right down the street from my sisters place. Just hung out and talked for a while with the kids. She gave my girls a bag of barbie clothes she had been saving for them. The girls couldnt wait till we went home. They wanted to play with them so much. We gave out hugs goodbye and headed home a while later.
The drive home was long, not sure if it was because of traffic or because I was so tired. I was happy to be home. So today I spent NO MONEY! I had alot of fun too. So this is a idea, visit family or friends when your broke. Maybe throw together a potluck dinner. This is free and easy to do. Until next time, or I will just see you tomarrow.
Friday, September 5, 2008
September 5, 2008
I think I bit too much off today. Today was going to be a laid back day, or so I thought. I planned on taking a walk to the bridge to feed the ducks after lunch. Planned on just cleaning house and getting laundry done. Then my other neighbor asked if I wanted to walk up to the local Dollar Tree store and I couldnt say no. I love the Dollar Tree. I only bought a soda pop, which I shouldnt of done but couldnt resist. Been forever since I have had any carbination.
Stopped by Safeway on the way back. Only one good deal today to report. Foster Farms chicken breast slices found in the lunch meat section. It was marked down to $1.99 and I had a $1 off coupon. Then bought a Odwala Bar for only $1. So I did pretty good. Only spend a little over $2.
Finally walked home and had just enough time to get a load of laundry in the wash, hang dry some, and fold some. Then walked up to feed the ducks. Kind of rushed to do it because I had to be back in time to get the girls from the bus stop. Which I did on time. But now im pooped! My legs are aching and im tired. At least I did something and got exercise at the same time.
Dinner
1 bag of spinach (marked down to $1.29)
1 box of whole wheat noodles (.80 cents with coupon)
1 bag Foster Farms Chicken Breast Strips (99 cents deal today)
Made a simple white sauce, added garlic, and parm cheese.
Served with a side of pea's and corn.
Under $3 for a dinner for 6
Went online and searched for samples. I should mention that I do this everyday right after breakfast. Its a habbit now. I recieved my bzzagent package today. I was invited to the Pledge Campaign a few weeks ago. Came with a full size bottle (super cool!), lots of samples, and coupons. Ive used this before and I love it. Plus I love free product! If your not familure with bzz agent, there's a link on the right hand side. You get to try new products and keep them. Its wonderful. Last campaign I had was the Aveeno spf 15 one. That one was really fun too.
Anyways, im going to sit down and rest my legs. Havent been able to sit down all day and I need it.
Stopped by Safeway on the way back. Only one good deal today to report. Foster Farms chicken breast slices found in the lunch meat section. It was marked down to $1.99 and I had a $1 off coupon. Then bought a Odwala Bar for only $1. So I did pretty good. Only spend a little over $2.
Finally walked home and had just enough time to get a load of laundry in the wash, hang dry some, and fold some. Then walked up to feed the ducks. Kind of rushed to do it because I had to be back in time to get the girls from the bus stop. Which I did on time. But now im pooped! My legs are aching and im tired. At least I did something and got exercise at the same time.
Dinner
1 bag of spinach (marked down to $1.29)
1 box of whole wheat noodles (.80 cents with coupon)
1 bag Foster Farms Chicken Breast Strips (99 cents deal today)
Made a simple white sauce, added garlic, and parm cheese.
Served with a side of pea's and corn.
Under $3 for a dinner for 6
Went online and searched for samples. I should mention that I do this everyday right after breakfast. Its a habbit now. I recieved my bzzagent package today. I was invited to the Pledge Campaign a few weeks ago. Came with a full size bottle (super cool!), lots of samples, and coupons. Ive used this before and I love it. Plus I love free product! If your not familure with bzz agent, there's a link on the right hand side. You get to try new products and keep them. Its wonderful. Last campaign I had was the Aveeno spf 15 one. That one was really fun too.
Anyways, im going to sit down and rest my legs. Havent been able to sit down all day and I need it.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
September 4,2008
Today was a good day for me. Walked the girls to the bus stop on time and came home nice and awake. Dressed the twins, and jogged up to Safeway to look for deals. No really good deals to brag about but peach's were 99 cents per pound. Cheapest around here so I bought 5 for the girls to have in their lunch's for next week. Should be ripe by then. Picked up some kitty litter for a new kitten we adopted. 2 gallons of milk for the week were needed too. Spent about $10. Should be able to get by this next week with no problem. Started jogging home and about half way my jogger stroller wheel broke off. I was able to get home by just putting it back and taking it easy home. My handy husband fixed it for me yeah!
My neighbor invited us to walk with her to the park so we did this too. Packed snacks for the girls and they played for a bit. Came home and put them to bed. It was great. 30 minutes of quiet time. Went through my pantry to see what we wanted for dinner, my thoughts were for mexican but we didnt have any beans. Hmm. I brought out ground turkey from the freezer just in case. My other neighbor came by with some cucumbers for me, that was really nice of her. And FREE! Later I went to bring her some banana bread I had made a few weeks ago and froze for later use. She gave me some fresh red peppers from a share she is part of. Every week she drives up and gets 2 bags of produce for $20. She has had so much that she gives me what she cannot eat.
Did some cleaning around the house, and some laundry. I do it when I can instead of spending all day one day a week. I try to do it at night during non peek hours by setting my washer on a 6hour timer. Saves a tiny bit but I will take what I can get.
Next thing I know my other next door neighbor brings over fresh non cooked tortilla's for us. They couldnt eat them all so she gave us the rest. It was like watching a puzzle be put together. Now I had ground turkey, red peppers, and tortilla's. I was deffinatly able to put something together with all that.
Here's what I did and it cost me about $2 to make
4 cups cooked brown rice (bought in bulk)
3 fresh red peppers (free)
1 cup frozen corn
taco seasoning (i make my own)
tortilla's (free)
Add in some shredded cheese and sour cream if you have any and WHALAH!
Lunch's Today consisted of:
Peanut butter and homemade jam sandwich's (free bread)
1 apple cut up
1 small bag of Annies Bunny Crackers (free with coupon they sent me by contacting them)
crystal light or water
1 granola bar
My twins lunch was pretty much snacks.
1 bagel (free from bread store)
4 graham crackers
a few organic chocolate paul newman cookies (free with coupon they sent me by contacting them)
water
Was a good day, cant complain too much. I had to hold myself back from buying soda but I didnt and feel good about it.
My neighbor invited us to walk with her to the park so we did this too. Packed snacks for the girls and they played for a bit. Came home and put them to bed. It was great. 30 minutes of quiet time. Went through my pantry to see what we wanted for dinner, my thoughts were for mexican but we didnt have any beans. Hmm. I brought out ground turkey from the freezer just in case. My other neighbor came by with some cucumbers for me, that was really nice of her. And FREE! Later I went to bring her some banana bread I had made a few weeks ago and froze for later use. She gave me some fresh red peppers from a share she is part of. Every week she drives up and gets 2 bags of produce for $20. She has had so much that she gives me what she cannot eat.
Did some cleaning around the house, and some laundry. I do it when I can instead of spending all day one day a week. I try to do it at night during non peek hours by setting my washer on a 6hour timer. Saves a tiny bit but I will take what I can get.
Next thing I know my other next door neighbor brings over fresh non cooked tortilla's for us. They couldnt eat them all so she gave us the rest. It was like watching a puzzle be put together. Now I had ground turkey, red peppers, and tortilla's. I was deffinatly able to put something together with all that.
Here's what I did and it cost me about $2 to make
4 cups cooked brown rice (bought in bulk)
3 fresh red peppers (free)
1 cup frozen corn
taco seasoning (i make my own)
tortilla's (free)
Add in some shredded cheese and sour cream if you have any and WHALAH!
Lunch's Today consisted of:
Peanut butter and homemade jam sandwich's (free bread)
1 apple cut up
1 small bag of Annies Bunny Crackers (free with coupon they sent me by contacting them)
crystal light or water
1 granola bar
My twins lunch was pretty much snacks.
1 bagel (free from bread store)
4 graham crackers
a few organic chocolate paul newman cookies (free with coupon they sent me by contacting them)
water
Was a good day, cant complain too much. I had to hold myself back from buying soda but I didnt and feel good about it.
You really can save money quick 5-Steps
So Ive talked about how to save money, even pennies at a time. Never really talked exactly how you can so here you go. This is a short term way of saving. By doing frugal things like I do on a daily basis, you can save slowly. You don't really see the savings until you look at your account later and see that you still actually have left over money. Its so fun to see that. Well here are a few steps in saving money more quickly.
Pick a goal
You need to have a specific, realistic and measurable goal in mind. Something like "I'm gonna save $200 in five months." This can be pretty easy to do. Transfer $10 a week into a savings account. If that's too much, cut that in half. Many experts say you need to have a stash just for emergencies. This would of came in handy when our vet bill came up last week. My lesson learned. I will be starting a plan along with you to save money. We can do this together.
Need some motivation. Try to hang a picture of the item your trying to save for. Or maybe just works like "penny by penny you will get there" or "$200 isn't that far away". Something along those lines. You would be amazed how much more you will think about saving money just by reminding yourself.
Go for it!
This might not be something you will want to hear, its not something I want to hear but its needed. You need to pay yourself first. Before you pay your bills, food, anything. You need to put aside how much exactly you put a goal for every week. Put it away, out of sight and out of mind. That way you wont have any excuse not to put any money away. Its all done and you can think about other things.
Watch and have fun
Once you start stashing your money, its fun to watch it grow. I would recommend getting a savings account or setting up a certain account for this. You can check online, or go to the bank. Its just fun to see how little by little you saved money.
Easy and immediate ways to save money
1. Sell it! Ebay, Craigs List, Freecycle, Garage Sale-Go through every single inch of your home. If you ha vent touched it in months, changes are your not going to. Remember : One mans junk is another mans treasure. Have a garage sale. If you don't think you have enough for your own, ask the neighbors, friends and family. If you get enough people you can make signs for Multifamily Garage Sale. People will flock in to rummage through your junk. Try online sales. If its something rare, worth money, or something brand new just try to sell it online. Some are free, or some are just charging change. Its super easy and fun to do.
2. Cut back-I know its hard but just do it. You know what I'm talking about. Those fancy coffee drinks, cigarettes, sweets, bottled drinks, or just junk food. Saving an average of $3 a day by not getting that fancy coffee will save you $1095 a year. Crazy huh? So even if you cant cut it out completely, just try to only do it once in a while. I cut out coffee drinks almost completely when I moved into this small town. I have a coffee machine/espresso (Xmas gift) so I can just make myself a drink at home. I was just lazy and was working part time so it was easy for me to justify a drink here and there. Then it turned into almost everyday. I saved over a thousand a year just by not buying fancy drinks. Now I make and pack my own. And it was a lot easier not to get them when I stopped working and became a full time mommy.
3. Fuel-Think about where your going to drive for the week, try to consolidate things into one day. If I'm going to the bread store, I will hit up Fred Meyers for their mark downs, and if I need veggies I will hit up the farmers market all in one trip. Saves me tons of fuel. We don't think about it when we just "run up to the store real quick". All those "real quick" runs will use up a ton of gas. Or sometimes my neighbor will ask me if I need anything from a store. "yes yes yes". Don't feel bad, you will do the same for them. Saves you both gas. Try letting your kids ride the bus. That alone will save you gas. Or walk them to school. You get healthy and cut back on gas. Drive behind semi trucks. They cut the wind for you, in return saving you fuel cost. The TV show "Myth busters" did a whole episode on if it really helped gas mileage. They saved an average of 10-15% increase in fuel economy. Now I'm like a truck leech. Where there's trucks, I'm usually behind them. There are many ways you can save on fuel cost. I now walk, bike or jog anywhere I need to go within 2 miles of my home. Saves us big time.
4. The 3 r's Your children learn this in school and you should know it by now.
Reduce-buy bulk. Less packaging, the less you pay. Buy less junk food saves you money. Reduce the amount of fast food you buy or just even stop buying it all together.
Reuse-We use reusable containers for my girls school lunch's. I reuse plastic containers that we get food in. We use them in crafts too. I reuse my fabric sheets several times. They are biodegradable ones that done smell and they stop static cling several times over. Saves me money and Eco friendly. I buy 99% of the time used. All clothes are used except for undergarments. This saves us a ton. And everything is handed down. Shoe's are bought used as well. We buy a new pair of athletic shoe's for the new school year but buy used for play shoe's.
Recycle-If you have a large trash can, you can recycle and cut down your garbage. In return you can request a smaller can and pay less on your garbage bill. If you start a compost bin (drill holes in a trash can with lid) and you have less waste plus great compost for your garden.
All these idea's help the environment and help your wallet.
4.No Plastic- Stop using your credit cards, pay them off and cut them up. Not only are you buying things when you don't have the money for them, your paying more in the long run with interest. If you pay late, theirs late fee's. They are bad all around. I have to admit we have 1 card for just in case. I too will need to learn this lesson. Keep telling myself plastic is bad. It really is in the environment but also bad for my pocket.
5. No payment time- You know those times that banks or credit cards say you can skip a payment? My bank has this option every year around November to help out people at Christmas time. Well how about just taking that payment you were gonna pay, and put it in savings? No out of pocket savings there! Or if you payed off some bill or product. Like furniture or a car. When you pay it off, still set aside that money in savings. You would be amazed how much you would save up.
So these are a few ways to save money with quick results. Keep checking back because I have lots of other ways of saving money. but a little at a time.
Pick a goal
You need to have a specific, realistic and measurable goal in mind. Something like "I'm gonna save $200 in five months." This can be pretty easy to do. Transfer $10 a week into a savings account. If that's too much, cut that in half. Many experts say you need to have a stash just for emergencies. This would of came in handy when our vet bill came up last week. My lesson learned. I will be starting a plan along with you to save money. We can do this together.
Need some motivation. Try to hang a picture of the item your trying to save for. Or maybe just works like "penny by penny you will get there" or "$200 isn't that far away". Something along those lines. You would be amazed how much more you will think about saving money just by reminding yourself.
Go for it!
This might not be something you will want to hear, its not something I want to hear but its needed. You need to pay yourself first. Before you pay your bills, food, anything. You need to put aside how much exactly you put a goal for every week. Put it away, out of sight and out of mind. That way you wont have any excuse not to put any money away. Its all done and you can think about other things.
Watch and have fun
Once you start stashing your money, its fun to watch it grow. I would recommend getting a savings account or setting up a certain account for this. You can check online, or go to the bank. Its just fun to see how little by little you saved money.
Easy and immediate ways to save money
1. Sell it! Ebay, Craigs List, Freecycle, Garage Sale-Go through every single inch of your home. If you ha vent touched it in months, changes are your not going to. Remember : One mans junk is another mans treasure. Have a garage sale. If you don't think you have enough for your own, ask the neighbors, friends and family. If you get enough people you can make signs for Multifamily Garage Sale. People will flock in to rummage through your junk. Try online sales. If its something rare, worth money, or something brand new just try to sell it online. Some are free, or some are just charging change. Its super easy and fun to do.
2. Cut back-I know its hard but just do it. You know what I'm talking about. Those fancy coffee drinks, cigarettes, sweets, bottled drinks, or just junk food. Saving an average of $3 a day by not getting that fancy coffee will save you $1095 a year. Crazy huh? So even if you cant cut it out completely, just try to only do it once in a while. I cut out coffee drinks almost completely when I moved into this small town. I have a coffee machine/espresso (Xmas gift) so I can just make myself a drink at home. I was just lazy and was working part time so it was easy for me to justify a drink here and there. Then it turned into almost everyday. I saved over a thousand a year just by not buying fancy drinks. Now I make and pack my own. And it was a lot easier not to get them when I stopped working and became a full time mommy.
3. Fuel-Think about where your going to drive for the week, try to consolidate things into one day. If I'm going to the bread store, I will hit up Fred Meyers for their mark downs, and if I need veggies I will hit up the farmers market all in one trip. Saves me tons of fuel. We don't think about it when we just "run up to the store real quick". All those "real quick" runs will use up a ton of gas. Or sometimes my neighbor will ask me if I need anything from a store. "yes yes yes". Don't feel bad, you will do the same for them. Saves you both gas. Try letting your kids ride the bus. That alone will save you gas. Or walk them to school. You get healthy and cut back on gas. Drive behind semi trucks. They cut the wind for you, in return saving you fuel cost. The TV show "Myth busters" did a whole episode on if it really helped gas mileage. They saved an average of 10-15% increase in fuel economy. Now I'm like a truck leech. Where there's trucks, I'm usually behind them. There are many ways you can save on fuel cost. I now walk, bike or jog anywhere I need to go within 2 miles of my home. Saves us big time.
4. The 3 r's Your children learn this in school and you should know it by now.
Reduce-buy bulk. Less packaging, the less you pay. Buy less junk food saves you money. Reduce the amount of fast food you buy or just even stop buying it all together.
Reuse-We use reusable containers for my girls school lunch's. I reuse plastic containers that we get food in. We use them in crafts too. I reuse my fabric sheets several times. They are biodegradable ones that done smell and they stop static cling several times over. Saves me money and Eco friendly. I buy 99% of the time used. All clothes are used except for undergarments. This saves us a ton. And everything is handed down. Shoe's are bought used as well. We buy a new pair of athletic shoe's for the new school year but buy used for play shoe's.
Recycle-If you have a large trash can, you can recycle and cut down your garbage. In return you can request a smaller can and pay less on your garbage bill. If you start a compost bin (drill holes in a trash can with lid) and you have less waste plus great compost for your garden.
All these idea's help the environment and help your wallet.
4.No Plastic- Stop using your credit cards, pay them off and cut them up. Not only are you buying things when you don't have the money for them, your paying more in the long run with interest. If you pay late, theirs late fee's. They are bad all around. I have to admit we have 1 card for just in case. I too will need to learn this lesson. Keep telling myself plastic is bad. It really is in the environment but also bad for my pocket.
5. No payment time- You know those times that banks or credit cards say you can skip a payment? My bank has this option every year around November to help out people at Christmas time. Well how about just taking that payment you were gonna pay, and put it in savings? No out of pocket savings there! Or if you payed off some bill or product. Like furniture or a car. When you pay it off, still set aside that money in savings. You would be amazed how much you would save up.
So these are a few ways to save money with quick results. Keep checking back because I have lots of other ways of saving money. but a little at a time.
September 4, 2008
I was so busy yesterday that I just couldnt even think of getting on the computer. But I promise, ive had my coffee and im fully awake right now. Or at least soon. Yesterday was a busy day for me. Here's the run down.
School Lunches
1 apple cut up
1 granola bar
crystal light
peanut butter and homemade jelly sandwich or cup of chicken soup with crackers
ziplock bag of crackers
Decided to drive to the next town over to get food from the bread store. We will be going through lots of bread now that the kids are in school so this is a weekly trip for us. For those not familure with the bread store, its a free food system ran by the local senior center. They own 2 buildings right by each other. One for free bread items and one is a thrift store. All donations and sales go to the senior centers. They get free bread, bagels, food, etc from farmers or stores and you can pick what you want. They have a donation box to give what you can. Sometimes I have money and sometimes I dont. They dont judge and are happy to get what they can. I usually will give them a little more next time I come in. They get all our change, my twins just love putting the change in the box. We sometimes get vegies, fruit, canned goods, home goods, and pastries. Here's what I brought home yesterday. I picked up 2 bags, one for us and one for my neighbor.
1 large bag of assorted rolls
4 loafs of bread
2 bags of bagels
1 package of cookies
2 lbs of small apples (donated by a farmer)
We then went to fred meyers which is right next door. Hit all mark down sections and this is what i picked up.
1 2lb bag of assorted fresh broc, cali, and carrots $1.99
package of shredded cheese $2.49
1 package of fresh spinach $1.29
I had a friend with me so we stopped at her house to drop her off. She invited us to hang out for a few minutes. She has blueberry and huckleberry bushes around her home so she said we could see if they were ripe and pick some. Luckily for us they were ripe. So we picked some and took some home to freeze. Nothing like free fruit! We can use these later for when I bake breakfast muffins.
Soccer night for us so I took my daughter to practice. When I came home, to my suprise my husband was making dinner. Here's what he made
Box of risotto rice
1/2 lb of steamed vegies (bought today)
1/2 lb Ground Turkey
Roll (from today)
Dessert:I cut up those free apples, added brown sugar and a bit of butter and cooked for a few minutes. Let it cool off and the kids ate it while it was warm. So yummy! And free!
Was a great day until I checked with the library to see if we had any over due books. Yep, we owe $24. Very dissapointed in ourselves. My girls dont keep track of the books or dvd's , and I wasnt checking up on them so it was both our faults. But the girls will be helping pay for this bill. good lesson learned and pretty sure they wont be doing that again. Hopefully when paid off, they will be very good at keeping track of them and returning them on time.
All in all it was a good day.
School Lunches
1 apple cut up
1 granola bar
crystal light
peanut butter and homemade jelly sandwich or cup of chicken soup with crackers
ziplock bag of crackers
Decided to drive to the next town over to get food from the bread store. We will be going through lots of bread now that the kids are in school so this is a weekly trip for us. For those not familure with the bread store, its a free food system ran by the local senior center. They own 2 buildings right by each other. One for free bread items and one is a thrift store. All donations and sales go to the senior centers. They get free bread, bagels, food, etc from farmers or stores and you can pick what you want. They have a donation box to give what you can. Sometimes I have money and sometimes I dont. They dont judge and are happy to get what they can. I usually will give them a little more next time I come in. They get all our change, my twins just love putting the change in the box. We sometimes get vegies, fruit, canned goods, home goods, and pastries. Here's what I brought home yesterday. I picked up 2 bags, one for us and one for my neighbor.
1 large bag of assorted rolls
4 loafs of bread
2 bags of bagels
1 package of cookies
2 lbs of small apples (donated by a farmer)
We then went to fred meyers which is right next door. Hit all mark down sections and this is what i picked up.
1 2lb bag of assorted fresh broc, cali, and carrots $1.99
package of shredded cheese $2.49
1 package of fresh spinach $1.29
I had a friend with me so we stopped at her house to drop her off. She invited us to hang out for a few minutes. She has blueberry and huckleberry bushes around her home so she said we could see if they were ripe and pick some. Luckily for us they were ripe. So we picked some and took some home to freeze. Nothing like free fruit! We can use these later for when I bake breakfast muffins.
Soccer night for us so I took my daughter to practice. When I came home, to my suprise my husband was making dinner. Here's what he made
Box of risotto rice
1/2 lb of steamed vegies (bought today)
1/2 lb Ground Turkey
Roll (from today)
Dessert:I cut up those free apples, added brown sugar and a bit of butter and cooked for a few minutes. Let it cool off and the kids ate it while it was warm. So yummy! And free!
Was a great day until I checked with the library to see if we had any over due books. Yep, we owe $24. Very dissapointed in ourselves. My girls dont keep track of the books or dvd's , and I wasnt checking up on them so it was both our faults. But the girls will be helping pay for this bill. good lesson learned and pretty sure they wont be doing that again. Hopefully when paid off, they will be very good at keeping track of them and returning them on time.
All in all it was a good day.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
September 2,2008
September 2, 2008
Today started out at 6:30am. Dragged my butt out of bed to wake the girls up. I am not a morning person. I literally takes me at least an hour to fully wake up. My poor children. So here is what was on the menu for lunch. All containers are reusable for less waste and save money.
chicken soup
Crackers
Apple sauce
half an apple cut up
crystal light
granola bar
After I walked the girls to their bus stop, my neighbor and I went for a walk. Safeway had no deals today. Really didnt suprise me, they are not the best at giving deals. I did take back a few beer bottles so I made 60 cents. Not much but every little bit helps. I pack snacks for the girls when I go for walks to keep them from asking me to buy stuff. Today was cut up apple's and pears(other half of the older girls that I packed in their lunch's). Plus some crackers with water.
That usually ties them over till we get home.
After that we walked accross the street to Walmart. I remembered these coupons I recieved last week for Kashi Crunch Cereal. Walmart wanted $3.49 each box but I had two $2 off coupons. So I only paid $1.49 each. Pretty good deal. Plus cereal is a must in our home. I was walking over in the womens section and they had womens shirts for only $1 each. I had about 5 in my hand for a while but then thought to myself "Do I really need this?" No, I have about 30 shirts at home perfectly good. So I put them back. But $1 each was a really good deal. So if you need shirts, check out Walmart.
So I had left over brocoli trunks from the other night and 1 package of Jenny O sausage. I wanted to use these up before they went bad. So I cut up some carrots, celery, and beans I bought locally from a market and cooked them up. Added the sausage and threw in some brown rice. Then everyone got to put their own soy sauce, which my kids just love. I made a whole bunch so my husband can take some to eat at work. I think he has enough for 2 lunches.
So today went well. Didnt spend but maybe $3 which will be enough for the girls to have cereal for a few days. Tomarrow will be spend doing laundry and babysitting for a neighbor of mine. Until then
Today started out at 6:30am. Dragged my butt out of bed to wake the girls up. I am not a morning person. I literally takes me at least an hour to fully wake up. My poor children. So here is what was on the menu for lunch. All containers are reusable for less waste and save money.
chicken soup
Crackers
Apple sauce
half an apple cut up
crystal light
granola bar
After I walked the girls to their bus stop, my neighbor and I went for a walk. Safeway had no deals today. Really didnt suprise me, they are not the best at giving deals. I did take back a few beer bottles so I made 60 cents. Not much but every little bit helps. I pack snacks for the girls when I go for walks to keep them from asking me to buy stuff. Today was cut up apple's and pears(other half of the older girls that I packed in their lunch's). Plus some crackers with water.
That usually ties them over till we get home.
After that we walked accross the street to Walmart. I remembered these coupons I recieved last week for Kashi Crunch Cereal. Walmart wanted $3.49 each box but I had two $2 off coupons. So I only paid $1.49 each. Pretty good deal. Plus cereal is a must in our home. I was walking over in the womens section and they had womens shirts for only $1 each. I had about 5 in my hand for a while but then thought to myself "Do I really need this?" No, I have about 30 shirts at home perfectly good. So I put them back. But $1 each was a really good deal. So if you need shirts, check out Walmart.
So I had left over brocoli trunks from the other night and 1 package of Jenny O sausage. I wanted to use these up before they went bad. So I cut up some carrots, celery, and beans I bought locally from a market and cooked them up. Added the sausage and threw in some brown rice. Then everyone got to put their own soy sauce, which my kids just love. I made a whole bunch so my husband can take some to eat at work. I think he has enough for 2 lunches.
So today went well. Didnt spend but maybe $3 which will be enough for the girls to have cereal for a few days. Tomarrow will be spend doing laundry and babysitting for a neighbor of mine. Until then
I'll take that challenge!
Last week we had to take our puppy to the vet and ended up paying a $400 vet bill. So this months budget was cut way back. Literally, I have about $100 for 4 weeks of food and what ever else comes up. First I was freaked out, worried, and had an upset stomach. So after a horrible nights sleep, I finally am able to rethink this whole thing. Instead of thinking of this as a horrible struggle were going to have to go through, I'm thinking of this as a challenge.
I'm going to try to do things for free with the kids. Go to the park, go on a walk, hang out with friends, do crafts at home,and things like that. We already have soccer practice twice a week and a game every week so that will keep us pretty busy. I'm going to walk up to the store every other day to check out the local clearance sections. Keep an eye out for seasonal produce to use as well. And any time I want to buy something I'm going to ask myself "Do I really need this?" So this is my plan. Check back to see if I make it, laugh with me while I struggle, and hopefully we will keep our head above the water. My goal is to not have to ask my husband for any money. He's the one who paid the actual vet bill and already has to pay most the big bills so I just want to ease his mind. We will see how this goes.
I'm going to try to do things for free with the kids. Go to the park, go on a walk, hang out with friends, do crafts at home,and things like that. We already have soccer practice twice a week and a game every week so that will keep us pretty busy. I'm going to walk up to the store every other day to check out the local clearance sections. Keep an eye out for seasonal produce to use as well. And any time I want to buy something I'm going to ask myself "Do I really need this?" So this is my plan. Check back to see if I make it, laugh with me while I struggle, and hopefully we will keep our head above the water. My goal is to not have to ask my husband for any money. He's the one who paid the actual vet bill and already has to pay most the big bills so I just want to ease his mind. We will see how this goes.
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