Clothesline Challenge!

Alright ~ time to share how much you have SAVED on either your gas or electric bill by using your clothesline instead of your dryer!

This month there was about a week where it RAINED almost everyday.  So I used my dryer at that time, but MOSTLY have line dried everything!  My last bill, I saved $40 off of our usual bill!  We also got a swimming pool during this time and have been running the pump, but we STILL reduced our bill!

Now, how about YOU!?!?!  How did you do?  Did you save?  Tell us about it!!! 

Clothesline Challenge

I'm kind of freaking right now because my pictures didn't exactly get saved when we did the computer cleaning.... I mean we THOUGHT we saved them and it DID save SOME....  So I am using some images from Microsoft!  Thank you for saving me Microsoft Images! 



Anyways, the last several months I have been FLIPPING OUT at the increasing amount of electric in our household!  We just can't afford to spend anymore on electricity!  One thing that has made a NOTICEABLE difference in the past, has been when I use my CLOTHESLINE!  My husband actually figured out that 2 years ago, we saved over $100 that summer (about 4 months)... 

So, in wanting to save EVEN MORE, I am going to challenge MYSELF, as well as YOU!  I want to see how much we can truly save each month on our electric bills!  Of course there are other little shifts in electric, but I want to see if you can notice ANY differences at all!

If you don't have a "proper" clothesline, it doesn't matter.  Use some clothesline in between a few trees, whatever you can do to get those WONDERFUL smelling clothes and save some $$$.

You up for it?  Check out your latest electric (or gas) bill (whatever kind of dryer you have).  Look at the total, and let's see what kind of difference we can see! 

So join me!  Let's DO this!  :)

Growing Lettuce INSIDE!

 I live in Indiana, and in the Winter, if you want lettuce, you have to buy the nasty lookin' stuff in the store.  Well, this last summer, I finally figured out (it wasn't hard!) how to grow lettuce in my garden successfully, and it was AWESOME!  My boys loved it too.  And it was GREAT to be able to get large amounts of lettuce when I needed it without having to pay the organic lettuce prices! 

So, I am going to try to grow lettuce INSIDE this Winter!

A few months ago, I bought a container with lettuce in mind.  I asked my son to fill it up with dirt for me:

Since we ARE in the house, gardening in a small container, I am using non-conventional gardening tools:

Here are the seeds that I saved from my Austrailian Yellow Leaf Lettuce:

I spread some around in the dirt, then with my  "gardening tool", I "raked" them into the soil:

I then watered, and stuck my pot in a south-facing window.  I can almost taste the lettuce now!

The container needs cleaned up a bit, but I think it will do quite nicely!  Have you ever tried gardening inside?  How did it go?

A Review in Frugality

Now that the boys are back to school, I think life will slow down a little bit... at least during the day! And I am reviewing some things, like how am I doing with our money? Am I still practicing what I have preached?

As I look through different things and start cleaning out other things, I remember a few items and thought it may be helpful if I list them out. Not only for you, but for me!

Here are a few ways to be frugal:

• This one is obvious to ME, and what we are currently working the hardest at... Growing our own food! Some people may argue that gardening and putting up your food can be just as expensive as buying it from the store. Well, you are right. It CAN be. But mine hasn't been. You may have an initial investment of jars and what not, but if you start plants from your own seed (pennies!) and grow the plant yourself, then stick the plant in the ground, you will be able to harvest fruits and veggies for next to nothing. Especially when you realize you don't need fancy equipment. Example: We just canned grape jelly. We had to buy more jars. So even with our invested jars, we spent about $1.50 per pint jar of jelly. You cannot find organic grape jelly for that price! Take away the cost of the jars, we will only have pennies in the whole cost next year! So consider a garden/ herb garden/orchard...
• Get some animals! A very cost effective animal is a chicken. They can produce eggs for you, you can sell your extras (to make back some or pay for all of your feed money) and have organic or at least natural, free range eggs. Then in a few years when your hens get too old to produce, you can have some meat. You don't need expensive feeds, you need free range! More animals that would be beneficial: cow (pasture raised), goats (pasture raised- meat/ milk), turkeys, and more. If you cannot pasture raise animals, it will end up being more expensive, and not as healthy.
• Turn off your lights! This is one we constantly struggle with. When it starts to get dark, my boys think they need every light on in the house. A way to help with this is to remove some light bulbs! We have done this in our upstairs hallway, and basement. Another way to make sure every light isn't on, walk the house. As a mom or dad, it's just a fact that kids will leave lights on. Walk the house and turn them off. I have even gone as far as taking the bulb away from my son's room because he kept forgetting to turn off the light when he went to school. When he finally got his bulb back, he thought about it a lot better!
• To go along with the last one, use a clothes line! Your electric or gas dryer sucks up the money. Last year, I remember we saved about $200 during the summer months by using the clothes line. That is a big savings!
• Don't buy a lot of disposable. This means disposable plates, cups, napkins, paper towels, etc. Sometimes it IS just easier, but don't make it a habit, and you can save money.
• Don't buy single serving items. The costs of single serving puddings, chips, crackers, granola bars, oatmeal, etc is a rip off! Don't do it! Buy a large bag or container and split up the items yourself. You can also make your own and split it up. You can also use reusable containers instead of having individual packaging for each thing. Plus making your own is healthier! :)
• 
  
• 
• Bake! Healthy. Delicious. Cheap. 'Nuf said.
• Make grocery lists. Buy ONLY what you have on your list, UNLESS you see a SPECTACULAR deal that you just cannot pass up.
• Make a menu plan. Make it a week in advance, and stick to it. This will make it easy to shop, and less trips to the grocery store.
  
• Don't make a bunch of trips to the store! We live about 15 minutes away from the town where I grocery shop. So making a few trips a week would waste a LOT of gas! I only plan on ONE trip into town a week.
  
• Figure up how much money you want to spend at the store, and DON'T overspend! This can EASILY happen. For years, I went into a MEGA grocery store, and had a list of a few items. I would come out of there having spent 4 times what I should have. Stores do this! Don't fall prey!
• Keep your home and vehicle clean and in good condition. OK, I'm not talking about daily living here. I DO live in a house with 4 boys, I KNOW the reality. BUT (stay with me here), I have also been in homes that when trash is left to sit, it leaves a stain. When the stain sits, it causes bugs, you can have bacteria, and much more. If a chair leg breaks, fix it right away, don't just leave it for someone to get hurt on or to cause worse damage to the chair and have to get a new one. When you don't make sure the oil gets changed in a timely manner in your vehicle, it can cause worse problems that paying $20 (or less if your handy!) for the original oil change! Don't leave things outside to rot. Especially during wet months or during the Winter. Bring them inside, cover them, etc. Take care of what you have, and it will last you a LONG time.
• Don't be afraid of coupons! For a few years now I have used coupons, not just in a casual manner, but so much so that I was saving LOADS of money on my grocery bills. Right now, I don't use the "processed food" like I did before, so I don't have as much need for coupons. So I don't buy the paper. BUT, I DO check coupons.com for PRINTABLE coupons. They still are beneficial, and I still save about $5-10. a week with my printable coupons. You can see one source I use on the right hand side of this page (scroll down a little). You can usually print 2 of those by hitting the "back" button.
• Don't be afraid to STOCK UP! I love going to "bulk" stores. I usually buy 50 lbs of white flour, 25 lbs of wheat, bulk sugar, bulk cocoa, flax, (whole)seasonings, regular oats and more. This way the "per pound" price can be cheaper! And if you go through a lot of ingredients (baking for a family) then it is VERY cost effective, plus chances are you will have ingredients on hand to make most anything you want!
• Wear your clothes more than once. BEAR WITH ME HERE! Clothes I wear to church on Sunday goes on a clean body to sit in a clean church. I come home, and there is NO reason to throw them in the laundry! Sometimes I wear jeans for 2-3 days in a row. If I am around the house, and not doing any "dirty work", no one knows any different! I usually wear my staple "white tank top" all of the time. To "mix it up" a bit, I wear shirts OVER the white tank. These shirts usually can be worn again also. The less laundry I have to wash, the better!

Of course this is just a basic list (there is so much more!), but hopefully helpful and thought provoking!

People actually assume that we are "normal" people, until they come to the farm! Our pastor's wife told me one time that she thought my hubby and I were kind of preppy people. Then she got to know us, visit our home, and find out what we REALLY DO, and she says she was so glad to find out how down to earth we were!

Frugal doesn't mean "poor" looking, sending your children to school in rages and eating beans and rice for meals. Frugal is all in how you want to spend your time and money.

Now that I have reviewed my own list, I need to keep plugging away and improving! What have YOU found is a great way to save money?

Saving Money with Coupons and MORE!

Another thing I need to get into again is shopping with coupons. I have done this in the past, and saved TONS of money on groceries. And the last few months I have done it a little, and haven't saved NEARLY what I could have been saving. So I am going to repost some info that I have posted before on my other blog. Along with some updated info. Hopefully this will encourage you to do a little work and reap some big rewards.

First, this year I am going to be tracking my progress with an Excel Spreadsheet that can be found HERE. Thank you to The Coupon Project!!! That way I won't have to try to keep some notebook that the boys will drag off and end up drawing in. Now it is on my computer, and very handy to pull up and add to!

Second, I have a Coupon Binder! You can check it out HERE. I buy coupons either from the local gas station on Sundays, but more times then not, I buy them from Coupons & Things by Dede. There you can buy whole inserts of coupons. They are much better coupons then end up in my local paper. I match the coupons up with store sales and take advantage of stores that double and triple their coupons.

Third, I meal plan. I had stopped doing this for a little while, and BOY DID I NEED TO GO BACK! I find that when I don't meal plan, our eating is not as good! We don't eat out, but I make a lot fast foods at home. But aren't always packed with good stuff either. I also am in such a rush at dinner time, that I always WISH that I had a plan! If I make a meal plan and keep it, I can have something in the crock pot cooking, I can have frozen meat already dethawing the night before. I can have the bread rising and ready to eat by the time dinner comes around. Planning your meals helps in MANY ways. And most always insures that you have all of your ingredients! Which is a bonus!!!

Forth, I make a shopping list, AND I STICK TO IT!!! Before I go to the store, I look at the ads, usually on-line. Then I make a list of what I think I have coupons for, and what I need for the next week or 2. Then I check through my coupons, noting on my list any coupons that I have. Then I can pretty closely figure up what I will be spending.

Fifth, I shop only once a week. You have to figure what works best for you and your family, but don't go more than once a week! If your list contains all of the above, you won't need to shop more than once. The problem with going more than once, is the temptation of picking up something else that you "need". I used to shop at Wal-mart, and I remember coming out of their EVERYTIME with over $100, when I would just run in to get a few things! Never again. I can't afford that!

Sixth, make more from scratch! Don't be afraid to make bread, or a casserole. Find a friend who can help you, if you just don't cook, and ask them for help!!! My sister told me the other day, that she loves homemade bread and would like to make it, but the yeast scares her! The whole rising thing, then kneading, then rising again... It can be scary! Until you do it! Putting together a casserole and then serving it to your family for the first time, can be scary too! What if they don't like it??? BUT WHAT IF THEY DO!? Follow the directions, take your time! You can do it! I personally don't buy much convenience type food. If I buy a 2 liter of soda, it will usually sit in our backroom until we have company or another special occasion. Chips, I will buy a bag, then they will also sit in the cupboard for a special occasion. Instant mashed potatoes, no thanks. Meals in a box or bag, no thanks. If I can get those items free with coupons, I usually give them to our local food bank. My family's health is important to me!

Last, set a dollar amount and stick to it, but be flexible! I know, contradicting myself! But not really. If you currently spend $200 for your family of 4, and you KNOW that could come down, Set an amount of $150, then if that was super easy set it lower for the following week. But if you "fail", don't be afraid to try it again. Failures are how you learn!

There are MANY resources to learn how to "coupon" and save money by matching coupons with sales. Here are a few I use:

• Money Saving Mom
• Daily Essentials and Deals
• Deal Seeking Mom
• Freebies for Mom

If you watch those sites also, you can get TONS of free samples on things you may like to try! Or samples that are GREAT for traveling.

We will see how well I do again, when I really work on it. In the past, I have saved well over $150 a week on groceries (including toiletries, diapers, etc). And right now I am feeding, diapering a baby and cleaning all of the above with $100. Actually I think I am feeding the dogs out of that too. But it can be much better! For a while I was spending $70 or less per week!

Hopefully you are encouraged to check out some sites and try it yourself!

See More Frugal Ideas on Life As Mom!

Excalibur Dehydrator- A Great Investment!

I love having a garden (as you have seen on here) and I love being able to pull things out of the freezer or cupboard in January that came from our garden. First of all, because it just tastes better! Second, because it healthier! Third, it can also be cheaper! I say can because if you have to invest in canning jars, or an extra freezer to store all of your harvest, then it may cost you a little more. At least to start.


Well, for a while now I have wanted to try a good dehydrator. I've had a dehydrator before, and it just never worked that great. And at the time, I just wasn't sure what to dehydrate!


Last year, I filled my freezer. And over half was great buys from the grocery store and about 1/3 of it was fruit I picked and froze. My freezer was pretty full. And NONE of it was from my garden! This year I have a garden and would like to keep a lot of it for this winter!


Now what do I do, buy another freezer? Nah...


I did some research on dehydrators. And all of the articles I read said make sure you get the kind where the fan blows over all of the items in the dehydrator, not trying to blow through one level to get to the other levels. And the kind many people pointed to was the Excalibur. It just sounds better doesn't it? =)



I would suggest that you read up on their site HOW MUCH you can do with their dehydrator! And there is a TON! It's not just for dehydrating either! It's just a great multi-use appliance! I am surprised how much it does, I can't wait to try it all out!!! GO ahead, check it out.



So, the people at Excalibur sent me their 5 tray, 26 hour dehydrator. Oh. My. Goodness. Love it. Love it. Love it. It felt like Christmas the day the dehydrator came. I was impressed with the size!




It contains 5 LARGE trays with 8 square feet of tray area. Perfect for families with small gardens and a few fruit trees. Built-in on/off switch. 5" fan, 440 watts. Adjustable thermostat and 26 hour timer.



I even, so far, have got to dehydrate a few things! Bananas (YUM!), Peaches (these will be AWESOME in cereal and oatmeal!), and apples (These are also going to be great in oatmeal and for snacking!!!). Check out one day last week:



And I can keep all of these things in sealed baggies or seal Tupperware, and they will stay good for LONGER then if you froze or canned them! AMAZING!

Right now, if you order a dehydrator from Excalibur. There are lots of great freebies! Check these out from their site:

July Special
If You Place Your Order Before July 31st, 2009 You will Receive:

• FREE 10 Year Extended Warranty - On All 5 and 9 Tray Models-- SAVE
  $29.95


• FREE Polyscreen Pack-- Save up to $32.00


• FREE 28 Page Dehydration Guide-- Save $6.95 **love this**


• FREE Banana Slicer - SAVE $6.95


• FREE Shipping Via FedEx Ground (within the Continental US)- SAVE up to $35.00


• HI, AK, PR and Armed Forces Address get 50% Off Shipping Charges Through USPS


• Canadian Orders Receive 40% Off Shipping Charges Through USPS- Please Note-
  International Customers are Responsible for all Duties and Taxes.
  

Just Select the Model You Would Like to Order and the FREE Gifts will be Added to Your Order.

PLUS, just for YOU my loyal readers, Excalibur has said they will take an additional 10% off of your order, with the code MB09 in the discount coupon box when you check out. When the order is completed, it will reflect your 10% off.

So, If you are serious about putting some fruits and veggies up for the winter, check out Excalibur! I really do suggest to check them out! It takes up less room, and is a lot cheaper!

3 weeks after having the dehydrator, I am still super excited about it. I just got some potatoes, and am going to try potato chips, as well as potato flakes (can you say easy mashed potatoes!?).

So, check them out. If you are serious about putting some produce up for the winter months (and longer!), I would have a serious look at dehydrating with Excalibur!

Vacationing with Family- Tips & Reviews

One thing I absolutely LOVE to do with my family, is to go on vacation! Who doesn't? But, travel with kids can be difficult and expensive.

So, what I want to try to do with this segment is to try to share what has worked (and what hasn't!) when we plan a vacation and travel with family. This can include your kids and also extended family.

I also want to share some of our favorite vacations, and tips for those places also. As always, your comments and info are important too. So if you have some helpful info that has worked for your family, please share! Many of MY travel tips have been used for years by me, and passed down from my mother who had 5 children who made travel interesting for her! So, we will say there is a lot of experience here...

So, first things first! You have decided 'We need a vacation! We want to go to _______(insert name of vacation location)!'. NOW what do you do?

What you need to do as you explore ideas, and get information, is you need to make sure you keep all of that info together. I use a notebook, a regular school notebook. First, I write down our ideas. We want to go _______. While we are there we want to see _______. We want to do _______.

Second, establish a budget for your trip. If you are planning to fly to Paris, your budget cannot be $2000. for a family of 6. Probably impossible. Give yourself a realistic amount. Maybe vacation somewhere a little closer.

Third, research! Look on the Internet, look in magazines, talk to people! I have never went with a travel agent. I AM THE TRAVEL AGENT! I don't want to pay someone else to do work that I can do myself! While you are researching, and brainstorming, and gathering ideas... WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN! Write down that Aunt Jane told you about their vacation to Hawaii, and how they found this really great hotel, that was reasonably priced and had many accommodations for kids. Or your next door neighbor just took a trip to New York City and found a great place where their family ate cheaply for the whole vacation. After you write these things down, research it for yourself. Look up how much it costs. Look up if it really even exists! Make sure these places are as great as people are saying they are.

Make sure you are making accommodations you can all live with for a week (or however long your vacation is). If you have kids traveling with you, make sure you have accommodations that will suit them! We don't like to stay in hotel with the boys, because USUALLY there is no play area, there is no areas that they can run and we get glared at for letting them! We also prefer, when traveling with our kids, that we have (at least) a kitchenette so we can have food and eat in, if we want. This is SO much cheaper for us. So we make sure our vacations include this. Make sure each person has what they need!

Once you get all of these great ideas and research done, you will want to make some final plans. Planning months ahead is great, especially for reserving hotels or vacation spots. 1 year in advance is the best time. Many places will only take reservations for hotels and homes a year in advance. Sometimes this is different. Call on the place you want to stay at. Make sure the Internet or brochure price is the correct price. If they tell you more over the phone, don't be afraid to question the price you see on the Internet (or brochure). Sometimes they will end up giving you that price! If they are a lot more then what you expected them to be, don't be afraid to tell them that their info was misleading and you won't be staying with them! This is NOT rude, as long as you act professionally. They need to know that they need to change their info if they want people to vacation with them! Also, make your final arrangements according to what you want to spend, etc. Cross out info for the items that are out of budget!

Look into buying tickets to attractions and shows before you leave. Sometimes, a lot of times, this can save you money. And you may have a better spot at a show if you reserve early! Make sure to get confirmation numbers and final costs, and write them down in your notebook. Also ask them to send you a receipt. When you get the receipt, keep it in your notebook (staple it in or paper clip it, or have a folder with your notebook). This is important because if they don't have your info, and you show up waiting to see the show, then you may not be staying if you can't prove you paid for it! Bring all info with you!

How much is gas going to cost? Figure up the miles, guesstimate the gas prices (make them a little high) then figure out your total cost for gas. (also make sure your vehicle has proper tune-ups and such BEFORE you leave).

When I have all of my prices, I add it to my budget. Like this (please don't critique my math skills, I am NOT a mathmatician!):

• Gas $2.90 p/gal, 500 miles (round trip), Vehicle mileage is 18 miles per gallon highway. 18 /500 = 27.77 x $2.9 = $80.55 Total Cost for gas



• Housing House for 1 week $400 per family + $50 deposit = $450.



• Amusement Park tickets (bought ahead) 1 day, $45. per adult, $30 per child= $90 adult + $90 kids= $180. total for tickets



• Food Eat out 5 times, $40 x 5= $200 to eat out. Groceries (use your own judgement to guesstimate this total, go high) $300. + $200= $500 Total for food.



• Shopping (This is also however much you feel you want to spend on your vacation. Figure in all of the places you are going, and are you going to want to buy something from each place? ). $200. Total Shopping

Your total figured for you vacation $1410.55.

So, if your total is $1410, take at least $1500 with you, and have money somewhere in case of emergency. You don't want to be stuck somewhere with a flat tire, and to buy a new one, you have to spend your food money for the week!

I do this for any vacation that we plan. And we just make sure that we know once the shopping money is gone, that's it! And once the eating out money is gone, we go back to the house and make sandwiches! It is a vacation, BUT you don't want to break the bank to have fun!

You also want to make sure you save ahead for your vacation. You don't want to not have electricity when you come back because you wanted to buy all of your kids the "I went to Texas, and all I got was this stupid T-shirt" shirt. Know what I'm sayin'?

When planning your vacation, PLANNING is the key word. If you are planning for your extended family, make sure everyone knows the costs. I usually make a paper (Like the budget above) and print it out for everyone, so they know what their costs are. I usually write what they owe on one thing or another, or when they need to send in the money for the housing, etc. It helps if at least ONE person is organized, and has all of the information. It can actually be counterproductive to have a different person take care of different parts of the trip. Sometimes wires get crossed, and Susan thought Janet was supposed to take care of the amusement park tickets... Ooops.

So, that my friends, is a brief rundown of how I get organized for vacation planning. If you have any questions, don't be afraid to ask! It is hard to get all of the info in without writing a book! Also, if you have any suggestions for planning a vacation, please leave a comment! Any helpful info is appreciated!

More Vacationing with Family- Tips & Reviews COMING SOON!

In the News!

Check out an article that came out in our paper today, about our frugal grocery shopping! Thank you to Lindsay Brown who wrote the article, and followed my shopping trip 2 weeks ago!

Feeding Boys on a Budget

As I think about living with boys, on a budget, I also HAVE to think about how I am going to feed their ever increasing appetites! My brother, while in High school ate 2 peanut butter & jelly sandwiches AND a big bowl of ice cream BEFORE BED. Not for dinner, not for lunch. AS A BEDTIME SNACK!

So, as I think someday I will have an 18 yo, a 16 yo, a 14 yo, and an 11 yo all under my roof in 10 years, I also have to wonder how we will manage buying all of the food that we will have to have to feed them.

Right now, I have a $70 a week budget. That includes laundry soap, shampoo, napkins, cereal, meat, milk, etc. Everything basically. I deal shop, using coupons. So, I look at all of the sales at several different stores, then I try to see if any of my coupons match-up. If they do GREAT! If not, I still have to consider if I can get it that cheap anytime from somewhere else. If it is the lowest price I will probably see for a while I stock-up! This method has worked well for us this last year (I started doing this about a year ago). We will be doing a lot more gardening and canning/freezing this year also. Hopefully that will help!

I wonder what everyone else does for saving money on groceries and/or feeding boys (or any teens really). Can you give advise to us with younger children? If you have some good advise to give, please leave us a comment or a link if you have written about these things on your blog. Thanks so much, can't wait to hear your comments!

Go Out Tonight!

Copy the picture above and take it to Lone Star Steakhouse in the next 10 days, and get $10 a purchase of $25. or more! I got this in an e-mail because I have signed-up with their e-club, and they periodically send me things like this. If you are interested in restaurants that do this go to my Cheap Date post HERE.

Enjoy! Maybe, I'll see you there! =)

Swagbucks

Just wanted to give an update on the Swagbucks bar that I downloaded on my computer. Go HERE to see the original post. In one months time, we have earned enough to get 2 $5. Amazon e-cards (that's $10., Math has always been my thing... ). $10 for doing nothing but searches on the Internet. I already have a small "wish list" of things I would like to get with my free money!

Have you tried it yet??? Go HERE to get their tool bar and start searching (for FREE)...

Moneysaving this Holiday Season

OK, I KNOW how hard it is to give gifts when the money just isn't there! I have been trying to find new ways this year, to save money anywhere and everywhere. If you look at my sidebar, you can see some of the sites that I frequent to find good grocery deals.

I just found another site that would be great to have when you need to do your gift shopping. It is called Coupon Cabin. Go here to see some of their great dollar off coupons, and percentage off coupons. Like I said I JUST found this myself, and will be using some of these coupons VERY SOON! Happy Shopping!

Homemade Christmas Gift Ideas

When I search the Internet, I always bookmark ideas for gifts. Whether for Christmas or birthdays or whatever, you can save some money on making your own gifts! Which I love!

This year, with my husband's family, the adults are exchanging names for Christmas, and we have a $5. limit. With the kids, we are also exchanging names with a $10. limit. How can we possibly get any GOOD gifts for $5 & $10 ???

Well, first of all, you need to do some deal shopping! You can get lots of good deals on things by shopping the deals. Go to Money Saving Mom or Common Sense with Money. They list good deals & free items. Along with my sister-in-law's blog, Daily Essentials & Deals. Plus, these sites will all help you save money on other items too!

Second, you can make items to give for Christmas or other holidays! I realize not everyone is "CraFtY", but there are some crafts that with some time and patience, almost anyone can do!

So, I am going to include some links here that you can try. Some take a little more ability, some don't take as much.

So try these:

• Make ornaments for your Christmas tree or just to hang on a shelf, out of cinnamon & applesauce. These smell really good! Go HeRe.
• These Felt Crowns take a sewing machine, but would be a great gift for children who love to dress up! Go HeRe.
• Make bulb forcer, HeRe. And decorate it in pretty paper! Hardly any craft-ability needed!
• HeRe is a trash to treasure project. Take a sweater you don't want anymore, and make cozies for your kitchen items!
• Try a "Rice Pillow" to warm you in the winter, or to help that achin' neck or back. Great gift. Go HeRe.
• These are also a cute idea, and a moneysaver for the person you are giving them to. Wool Dryer Balls. They help your clothes dry faster! Gotta Love Faster and Cheaper! Go HeRe!
• Also, the gift of FOOD is great! Find little tins on sale, make some type of favorite food item, and it's a great gift that anyone who likes to eat, will love!

Do you have any moneysaving tips for Christmas or some great sites to look at for ideas???

Learn How To Save Lots of Money with Couponing!

For some help on how to "Coupon", go here. It really is not as scary as it sounds! It actually is something I really enjoy doing!

To see some of my grocery pics, and how well I have done "couponing", go here.

MoneySaving 101

I don't mention it a whole lot on here, but I am a person that LOVES to save money on groceries, toiletries, anything and EVERYTHING that I can. The person who got me into it and showed me how to get started, was my sis-in-law, Megan. She has a blog HERE, and she just posted on how to do "Couponing". It's very good, and there are more to come!

So, if you are interested at all in saving lots (and I mean LOTS) of money on your groceries, toiletries, cleaning items and more, go to her blog and get started!!!

My story is, we used to spend $350.+ one week on groceries, the next week we would buy the fill-ins and spend $50.+. We had (at the time) 2 adults, and 3 little boys (ages 6-3). Right now, we have the addition of a baby (so added diapers, baby food, etc). We have 2 adults and 4 boys. And I try to keep my grocery bill at $80. a week. I have actually been keeping it below that. I think 3 weeks ago, I spent $50. and last week, I spent $40. This week, I spent $75. That included 2 packs of Pampers diapers, 7 1/2 gal. of milk, 2 gal. of soy milk, some baby food, razors (free), tea (free), toilet paper (free), gum & Hershey Candy bars (free), plus all of the normal foods. If you would like to see my menu for the week to see we don't skimp on eating good, go here. Be sure to look around on the site for other ideas!

Reminder, visit my sis-in-laws site to find out how to get started!!! If you have ANY questions, be sure and ask!!! I would be glad to help!

Dates and Saving Money

I mentioned on my other blog for women, some ideas on Cheap dates.

I have, within the last few days, signed up for more E-Clubs of some restaurants we like. And guess what??! Most of them had birthday clubs (where they e-mail you a gift for your birthday, maybe free or money-off of meals!). And all of them would send you specials and deals!

Here are ones I have contacted:

Lonestar Steakhouse- They sent me a $15 off for my birthday, and they have also given us a free appetizer coupon and lunch specials coupons.

Applebee's- They have an E-club, but I am not sure they have a birthday club. I know they do for Kids though. You have to sign-up while you are there, and then they give your birthday boy or girl a free meal for their birthday!

Ruby Tuesday- This one is in Angola, and also I believe in Fort Wayne. They have an E_club and birthday club. I have actually signed my husband up for some of these so we won't have like 5 places to eat around my birthday. Plus, I'm all about spreading the love, and saving money. =)

O'Charleys- This restaurant I know is in Fort Wayne and Mishewaka (I believe). Kids eat free here with a paying adult. Which is very nice. This is everyday. I signed up for their E-club and they also have a birthday club. They have already sent me a coupon for a free appetizer.

Texas Roadhouse- If I weren't married to the most wonderful man, I would probably leave him for the Roadhouse's rolls and cinnamon butter. I know my hubby would probably do the same, if I weren't so wonderful... Anyways, the great news is they also have a E-club, and a birthday club. And they have (since Friday) sent me, a free appetizer coupon for signing up, a free appetizer for my "belated" birthday. And also a note to say that kids eat free there on Halloween. While we don't celebrate Halloween, it would save us a lot on money to go on that night with the kids! And they don't have to dress-up!

I hope this helps with a great date night! I am also going to be looking up and posting on place your kids can eat free!!! Stay tuned!