May Madness

March has nothing on May on my calendar!  May is filled to the max with school events, field trips, award ceremonies, parties, a garage sale...plus all my normal "life" stuff of work, families, kids.  When it gets like this, it is easy to kiss the budget goodbye and get into survival mode.  Help me stay in the ZEN BALANCE MODE of little time, little money, and little kids.  Please share what you find to be your BIGGEST timesavers.  Because I need them.  And some of my readers might NEED them too! THANKS!

Thank your for reading my blog!

I do love writing a blog (and wish I had more time to post!) but was really hoping for more of a discussion board effect (lots of comments/responses to each other, ect) I can see lots of people read it, and many want to respond but don't know how. I am thinking I might want to move this whole thing to another format that would be easier for comments.  Does anyone have any ideas of where it could move to??? I am wanting more feedback from you all, in some ways, I want to know if I am "normal" about various topics.  Lately, I have been thinking about my grocery spending.  I try to be "frugal", yet I am still spending over $600 a month (last month, close to $800!!!) I do have a family of five, and we eat in (not out often) and pack lunches for most of us every day. I am concerned maybe I am spending too much on groceries because I do alot of shopping at Sam's Club, and have to buy in bulk there, PLUS need a trip to a grocery store each week for produce/other items that I don't buy there. It is almost impossible for me to leave that store without spending more than $50, and usually it is around $100 or more.....

We've Got the Fever

But I don't know what kind of fever it is?! What is that kind of fever you get when you get cooped up inside because outside is just too (hot, cold, or in our case right now in north Florida, too smoky from wildfires). Well, whatever it is, we've got it.  We live in Florida for (our jobs, our house we can't afford to sell...ok those too but mostly...) the wonderful weather.  After school (work) we spend our evenings in and out of the house playing in the yard, walking the neighborhood, or visiting the playground you can see from our living room window.  But today, it wasn't raining men, it was raining ashes from the sky.  It is so smoky, I don't how the asthmatics can make it to work and school. We are TRAPPED.  What do you do when you get that stuck inside fever with little kids, little money, and little time?  If you are like us, you could do what we did tonight...Have a Don't Break the Ice or Don't Spill the Beans marathon (my little kids LOOOOOVE those games), visit PetSmart (it is like a field trip and dog show all in one trip), read a few extra books at bedtime...how do you try to make the days(and nights) a little more fun when you are cooped inside???

A Tisket, A Tasket, What's in your kid's Easter Basket???

Where are my holiday junkies out there? There must be some like me out there!  I love traditions, even though admittedly some get in the way of holidays true significance.  It is my job to teach my children the difference of what we do for fun (Easter baskets, egg hunts, bunnies, chicks, ect.) and the true significance of each holiday (for Easter, we teach the holiday is celebrated as a reminder of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus).  A few thoughts to consider as you are putting together baskets for your children this Easter....

1. Do they need a new basket every year? Can you reuse a basket from last year?  Or could you use another container as their basket? For example, I considered using a bathtub toy bin for my son, a cute lunch tote for my teen, or a bin or basket that could be used after Easter to organize in a bedroom or bathroom.

2. What is going inside?  I know candy  is popular and inexpensive, my children will have some, BUT the true cost of candy should include what it will do to their body and their teeth.  I will be putting a SMALL selection of candy in each basket, but do not want it to be the main event.  I use Easter Baskets as a fun way to give a new book, hair things, bubble bath, art supplies. It might be a bit of a cheat, but it is just a good excuse to give my children something I want them to have anyways!

3. Start early. Like the day after Easter, start your stash for next year (not candy) like egg decorating kits, or a new basket if you need it.  I constantly pick up inexpensive finds and hide them in my closet for the next holidays to come (Yes, I have already begun Christmas stockpiling)

Please comment on any other Easter basket thoughts or ideas for us to share! Thanks!

The "Great" American Road Trip

I was an extremely fortunate little traveler as a kid....although my dad took me frequently to California and Mexico (occasionally in First Class, spoiled!) I have just as many fond memories of myself squeezed in a teeny Dodge Colt with my mom and our family of 7.  The car was so small, I had to sit in the hatchback WITH my stepsister, sitting backwards for what felt like endless miles.  My mom is probably cringing when she reads this, but I will reassure you all (MOM!) it was great fun and I think I complained out of childishness and not harm!  Lunch on the road consisted of a budget. My stepdad and mom would give a number, and we had to stick to it, no ifs, and, or buts (it was a far cry from the swordfish I was served in first class, but we were being taught some important lessons...

1. Who cares what you eat, if you are fed, you are fine!

2. The memories are in the PEOPLE, not in what you did 

3.  Live your life within your means, no matter how meager

4.  Whatever your budget, you can have a vacation with your children. And you all can have fun. PERIOD.

There were times our trip consisted of a trip to a beach, or camping (LOTS of camping) or a weekend at grandparents. Yet still, I could write a novel of the family fun that was had on those trips.

Now our plans are in the works for our annual summer trip to Minnesota to visit our families.  My bank account looks more like my mom's did when I was a child, so we are working hard to act our WAGE and not bust the budget on our trip.  Here are a few things I am beginning right now to get the max for the minimum (thank you TJ MAXX) on our summer trip.

1.  Of course, the gas calculator...how much needed to get there and back multiplied by $5 which could be our price per gallon this summer...AND where the $ for gas is coming from. We also try to fill up at Sam's Club (saves around $2/ fillup) and buy any gas cards we can find at a discount for other national chains.

2.  Lodging expenses...where to stay (if possible, how much you estimate it to be, and where the money comes from)

3. Food...One of the most difficult parts of the road trip.  We pack a large cooler for cool drinks, produce, hard boiled eggs, sandwiches...yet still treat ourselves to one meal out a day on the road so we don't turn into sandwiches. We also start collecting fast food coupons a month before the trip in case that is where we stop.  I am also cashing in my Coke points for coupons for free Coke products for those times you just are craving something cold, sweet, and different on the road (My mom calls them Emergency Cokes, haha).

4. Activities...we take time looking on the map of our route and computer and create a list of interesting things close to our course.  This is a way to maximize your gas budget,by multitasking your route to final destination with some fun detours.  This year, we are traveling with a list from our local zoo of all the US Zoos that will reduce our admissions since we are members at our zoo. Redbox movies are also great for passing the time in the car since you can pick up and drop of hundreds of miles later.

Please comment on any other tidbits you can offer to travel comfortably at a price you can afford. THANKS FOR READING!!!

New Happy Meals?!

I am LOVING McD's new happy  meal choice, rather than fries OR apples, you can  get a split with a little teeny fry and apple slices (normal size) with no caramel.  This seems like a great compromise...it is HARD to eat at McD's without indulging in fries, but the little pack only has like 20 of them.  I wish I could order that, too!  Half the calories/fat than the small fry.  Plus, my kids burn off the excess calories by running around the playland after they eat.  Two thumbs up to that marketing genius!!!

Could Poor Lifestyles Damage National Security?

This week I heard the stat that 75% of our youth will be ineligible for military service due to obesity, criminal records, or failure to complete high school.  I was outraged by this! I am sorry, but this stat does not make me feel patriotic or proud.  As a teacher, I try everyday to influence my students positively, addressing each of these issues at an appropriate level for their age.  But some part of me fears this will not be enough, and cringes to think of their futures.  My own children is my true jurisdiction.  Absolute commitment to raise them each to their full potential is high on my to-do list.  As much as I want them to be ELIGIBLE for military service, I started to think about if  I actually want them to serve.  (because I would be afraid...not because I would not be proud.  If my children enlist, I am going to be the biggest red, white, and blue fan in the world.)  The irony of this is that I once (very happily) joined the Army.  The year was 1995, and the world was a different place then.  In the year 2012, everything feels tenser, heightened somehow (or I know more now than I did then?) Parents of troops, I salute you. I'll bet your are beyond proud. I considered skipping this post because I certainly do not want to offend or seem uncaring.  I care (here I am thinking about it, and my little kids would not be eligible for another decade! My teen just doesn't strike me as the military type, but she could surprise me!) I was just wondering how hard it is as a parent to let your children do something that terrifies you?  Fear of harm for your children is the strongest fear I can imagine.  Sounds a bit silly, but if you really don't want your children to join the military, you could overfeed them and encourage a sedatary lifestyle (absolutely, sarcastically kidding here--although some scared, selfish part of me REALLY wants to seal the deal so my kids never sign up.)  In a sense, the "could your kids join the military?" is a compass of sorts on a healthy lifestyle (active, decent diet, good grades, and no trouble with the law).  If your children can or do enlist, you have done a great job as a parent!!!  So I am trying to raise kids who COULD enlist although the jury is out on if I want them to enlist or not.  I just can't imagine the fear and stress of having those troops be my babies!---But guess who never thought about that fear for myself 17 years ago??? Me.  I bet I terrified my mom enlisting!  She never really let me know that.  She was supportive and loving and my biggest fan.  Just like I want to be for my own kids, regardless of the choices they make in life.  Parenting certainly makes you see things you did not see before you were a parent!

FinanceWorks

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FinanceWorks If your bank or credit union is offering this program on its online banking site, I STRONGLY encourage you to USE IT!!! This is phenomenal!  I have never had an easier time making a budget, and calculating what is left from each category.  Nearly all the work is done for me.  Simply put in a goal for each category you need, check in every few days and verify if the categories they put every transaction is correct ( I check every day, because I like to see my balance every day).  Purchases can even be split (like Target, spent $120, $10 on clothing, $34 on groceries, $60 on household, ect.)  If your bank is not offering this, I seriously suggest shopping around for one that does if you want to see EXACTLY how much you are spending on what items!  Easy budget in a few minutes a day!

Judge Much??!?

I saw this link to another blog on a friend's facebook.  I am almost sorry I clicked the link http://inashoe.com/2009/09/open-letter-working-moms/  My blog was not made with the working mom or the stay-at-home mom thought.  I actually hoped both types would be able to resonate with the squeeze of little time, little money, and little kids.  But this letter made feel judged.  Like I need to justify myself, and the life I have chose.  But here is the hysterical part to me...Most of her suggestions on how a mom could afford to stay at home, I am already forced to do to make our budget goals every month (with the exception of the 13-year-old minivan...I just bought a 4-year-old one, and it was still more than I wanted to spend....but it was really important to my husband, so I caved)  I would be one of these moms who would WANT to stay home with my kids, at least while there are young (before school).  However, if I stayed home, we would have no health insurance (ok, we would apply for Medical Assistance), no retirement savings (making us dependent on Social Security which may or may not be there in the future), no life insurance (leaving the other spouse flat broke in the event of one of our deaths).  I do not work to buy name brand clothes, a big house, or a new car.  Oh, and the tidbit about sell your house so you can stay home with your kids...um, this was posted in 2009, the height of the recession. It was not a viable option then, nor is it now as we are $40,000 underwater in our 1500 square foot house in a neighborhood that is less desirable than we would prefer.  I have great friends who are blessed to stay at home, but they don't judge my working as a flaw.  It would be great if this blog could be judgement-free in regards to this topic because obviously, there is no easy answer to the question, "to work, or not to work".

How to Spend Spring Break, Without Spending All You've Got!

This week is DEFINITELY a big perk to being a teacher!  As a teen, I can remember my mom asking me what I wanted to be and I said, "a mom".  PROBABLY not the answer she expected, but I knew at a young age I wanted to have a family of my own.  My reality sank in a few years later when I realized being a mom was GREAT, but having money to take care of your family is kindof necessary to really enjoy your family.  What job would be perfect for a mom who had to work, but wanted to put her family first?  A TEACHER!!!  Of course, before I became a teacher, I didn't realize how often my classroom and its students were going to become a priority over my own children; but when push comes to shove, I can put my children first.  But this week, there is no choice to make! It is my kids first, all week long!  So, what is the problem? That pesky budget keeps me from doing what I REALLY would want to go do with my kids this week (i.e., vacation, or Disney, shopping spree...something new and great each day) and forces me to into a REALITY.  What can the kids and I have a blast doing, without going broke?
*Playgrounds
*Library
*Friends' houses
*Zoo (we have a membership)
*Arts and Crafts
*Cooking/Baking
*Cleaning (ok, more fun for me....but I really enjoy it!!!!)
Today we are setting out for AC Moore (Arts and Crafts store) to treasure hunt for some fun crafts we can create together, followed by McDonald's Playland (We will just order a snack, apple dippers , drink, just enough to not be lurkers or loiterers).
Tomorrow, we will be hitting the zoo with a picnic lunch (our membership makes this FREE!)
Thursday, LIBRARY, and paint shopping for my teenager's room (she will be busy painting Friday)
Friday, helping big sister paint (They will actually enjoy this, I promise!!!!)

Dream Vacation...ummm, no.  Realistic Vacation is more like it! But we are having fun, and making the most of what we have.  Please post any other ideas you have that are fun for the kids and attainable for those with a budget!

You Are Only As Smart As Your Debt

If this saying is true, I am probably a total idiot.  I embrace the whole "debt-free is the life for me" mentality. I love it.  I hate debts and the gobs of money banks make off of borrowing it to us. A few years ago, my husband and I agreed to DOLP (dead on last payment; this is a method of snowballing debt endorsed by David Bach) as well as REFUSED to take on any more debt.  He agreed. I agreed.  We succeeded for a while. And then we failed.   We have three kids and an overactive dog and years ago had completely outgrown our cars.  But because of DOLP we were to buy our next car CA$H.  The problem? Every time we had a few hundred saved up for said car, life would happen. Then, push came to shove.  The paid-off car (11 year old Kia Sephia) died a slow, tortuous, death.  The time to buy was now, we were backed into a corner!  Ok,  could we have gone to a one-car family? Truly, yes.  Would we go insane in the process? Possibly.  I have heard how awesome one-car families are, and "Yay, you!" if you are one.  But remember that, I don't want to be the cheapest family in America, thing?  We signed over another five years of payments.  Sad, but true.  However, instead of thinking of all the Benjamin Franklins I am kissing goodbye, I am thinking the the sanity I get to reclaim.

Long Time, No Post

And I am so sorry! One might think I didn't post because I didn't have anything to say...but on the contrary! So much has happened in the past few weeks.....we bought a new car, took a mini-family getaway, switched bank accounts....thankfully I am on my first day of Spring Break, and I do plan on making up for no posting!

Holy Guacamole!

Word of advice, look at your pay stub!  Out of sheer curiosity, I pulled out my husband and my latest pay stubs tonight.  We are very close in pay scale, and I was expecting to see similar deductions in terms of taxes, social security, and medicare.  But I didn't!  We realized tonight, hubby hasn't adjusted his withholding since years before we were married (almost 7 years ago!) We married, had a kid, then had another, and never changed the status!?!  Granted, our tax returns are quite huge (nice) BUT, we really need the money in our budget NOW, not in a year.  When I looked at his total withholding for the current year (less than 2 months in...) his withholding was $1000!  Compared to mine, which was $250.  Ummmm....So glad I had a moment to look at the stubs tonight, and I am uber-curious (AKA excited to see his next paycheck with adequate withholding for a family of 5!)  Any tips or advice on how to choose what to claim, happily post away below!

They Can Calculate THAT??!

Wow, they have some amazing skills over at Northwestern Mutual!  They can calculate things I never dreamed of!  According to their survey, I should save enough money to be alive until age 90!  See what your age is here:  http://bit.ly/xcI76k They have other pretty awesome things to check out, like should you save or pay down debt,  What will it take to save for a college education, how much am I spending, ect.  Totally free to use, of course, but what a wealth of good info.  Check it out today! Any comments on the calculators go ahead and post below!

Coddling Kids

This was the headline on Fox News today and it  certainly grabbed my attention.  As a teacher, I have felt countless times what I interpreted as parents "coddling" kids.  Many of my peers feel the same.  Unmotivation is raging from where I stand, and often parents are enabling kids to "pass the buck" so to speak and not take responsibility for actions (of themselves and their children).  I see lots of 4th grade homework done in adult handwriting, have had parents in tears that they let down their children when truly the children were the ones who chose their actions! Parent conferences are centered around, what am I going to do about a problem, not what parents or students can or should do. How common the occurrence is, no one can truly answer.  And truly, we hope that most parents do not fall into this category.  However, I believe I myself am guilty of this with my own children at time ( I can be a total softee, I SOOO need to practice dropping the hammer) Tim Elmore, Author of Generation iY (i stands for I, ipods, ipads, ect. like an online world) appeared this morning on Fox and Friends News to share some tips on how to raise kids with the end goal of SURVIVING without their PARENTS (because some day we will not be on this planet for them, and we need them to THRIVE. 80% of college graduates are moving back home...will they be ready when that option does not exist???)  I found myself agreeing with most of the things he said and attempted to buy his book for my Nook after hearing his view.  It is not available at Barnes and Noble at this time, but online I found it could be bought in an ebook format for $8.99 here  http://www.savetheirfuturenow.com/book.html  I do plan on reading this book at some point, but am not buying until I hear some good reviews (perhaps I could review a copy on my blog and facebook for those interested).  But for now, the thing that stuck with me, was "Velvet-Covered Brick".  Tim says parents need to be a brick covered with velvet....soft and loving on the outside, their biggest cheerleader....but a brick on the inside meaning teaching them they are preparing for a life WITHOUT YOU to help them.  This means being tough, letting them fail (if they do on their own), not smoothing over every bad situation for them.  He also author a book called "Habitudes" my 15 year-old is reading in her small group at church, so he has a Christian viewpoint. Here is a link to a YouTube video of the speaking on the iY generation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ya1YKTzPvY8  Parents of the iY generation, let me know what you think about Tim Elmore, have you read his stuff, will you?

Priorities!

Sorry for the posting break, but I had a much needed break from reality with faraway family coming to stay for a bit!  The budget stayed close to intact too, thanks to eating at home (mostly) and picnicking (no idea if I spelled that right!) for food...visiting the beach, national parks, and playgrounds for entertainment...but truly, if I had maxed out the credit cards this week, it would have been worth it because time with family is my absolute priority one (but what a great bonus I didn't swipe the card once!!!)  But get ready for a posting frenzy....there is LOTS of financial activity going on here....stay tuned!

Barter Board

Stuff you don't need is quite annoying, you have to look at it, clean it, organize it, store it, or try to sell it and it just sucks the energy out of you!  Doesn't it feel great to just cut it loose!  I love dropping off a huge load of outgrown clothes to Goodwill, or selling something (especially quickly!) on Craigslist (last week, we sold a Kohler Pedastal Sink and faucet for $100 on CL, it sold in like a few hours!) But sometimes, it can be hard to just give away things that you worked so hard to pay for!  What about starting a barter board?  Put up a piece of tagboard in your work break room, and have people post things they want to barter for...or the price they will sell it for.  It is easy to connect with a lot of people at the workplace and think of all the unused stuff that could get a new home!  We have also tried a coupon drop at work, but it took alot of work to organize the coupons nicely...maybe just a bin of coupons in the breakroom for people to peruse (is that a word??) through.  This could work in mom's groups or among friends as well, maybe even a facebook app or a blog among friends?  Let me know what you all think of this idea!

My type of roses!

Awww, sigh, love is in the air and all that on Valentine's Day!  My husband has proven once again he knows how to make me tick...my roses were in pots and ready to put in the ground (when the weather gets a bit warmer!!) Don't get me wrong, it would be awesome to get some huge bouquet of roses, but for the price he would pay, to only enjoy it for a few days, would leave me feeling blue after the holiday!   Well done, to my husband Todd!

Turning Point

I just ate a big old piece of Humble Pie.  Remember a few weeks back when my daughter was "impressed" with me for giving a homeless man money? Something that may not come through about me on my blog is I do like to give to the less fortunate, and have a hard time passing by homeless men on the streets without giving them a dollar (and once, I gave a man in the grocery store a $10---he was buying fruit and no liquor and I just had to). It is something I remember doing even as a young teenager.  Even if I know they are going to go buy a beer with it, it doesn't really bother me because frankly, if I were sleeping on the streets I think I would need a beer to fall asleep.  My church does a lot of homeless outreach, and today was a big event day with free medical screenings, haircuts, massages, and job placement for homeless people.  Of course, I was thrilled to volunteer.  But it never is quite what I expect.  First of all, it was hard to tell the difference between many of the volunteers and guests.  The number of homeless women and children is staggering.  Of course, people of the street have a very different look from the large number of technically homeless who live in hotels or with relatives, ect. But secondly, I was stunned to be told by one of the organizations leaders I need to stop giving them money as they stand with a sign on the street.  I can buy them Mc.D's or a cool drink (non-alcoholic, of course) on a hot day; but giving them cash when such a large number (on the street) are addicted to drugs and alcohol just fuels they addictions enabling them to stay clouded and foggy (as opposed to clear-thinking, which could get them working or connected with families who only take them in if they are clean.  This is going to be very hard for me to do.  They are people, and I cannot, will not ignore them. Maybe I will start offering them a stick of sugarless gum or something?  I know this is not the normal norm of my blog, but it today was  such a good reminder for me  that is we live free of addictions with our families' love; we are incredibly rich and truly don't need anything more.

Super "Super Foods"

For years, I have read about so-called "Super Foods" that fight cancer, obesity, and improve your overall health.  Many of the foods on that list are things I actually LOVE, and if money were not an object, I would be thrilled to fill my family (and myself) with foods from the list because frankly they are DELICIOUS! According to the WebMD website

Top Superfoods Offering Super Health Protection

• Beans
• Blueberries
• Broccoli
• Oats
• Oranges
• Pumpkin
• Salmon
• Soy
• Spinach
• Tea (green or black)
• Tomatoes
• Turkey
• Walnuts
• Yogurt

Many of these foods, I can and do eat and feed my family often (beans, oranges, tomatoes, and yogurt) but others I LOVE but can't afford to put in my grocery cart every weekend (I was drooling over the salmon today at the store...but $23 for the package would have put my bill up to $160 total!) and OATS?! I had not realized they were so great.  I have a huge can of them, and they are cheap, time to recipe search on what to do with them so I can pump my kids full of their super-food powers (post any recipes with oats in the comments below if you have one!)

For YEARS, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries had been park of that second category.  My kids LOVE THEM (ewww, some bad diapers after overdosing) but I didn't love the price tag ($3 or more on a teeny little pack my kids would eat in less than 24 hours).  We tried the U Pick Blueberries at the blueberry patch (which we love, and will continue to do when they are in season)  but there was no inexpensive way to score the berries during most of the year.  Perhaps I am just a little stubborn.  I had read hundreds of times to try the frozen fruit route, but I imagined tasteless blobs of goo posing as fruit. Luckily, at times, I am an impulse shopper.  The 48 oz. bag of triple berries lingered before my eyes.  I considered the Fruit and Yogurt Parfait sold at McDonald's and thought, I could try the same idea at home. Rather than buying my children Go-Gurt (which they love!) I bought a tub of ordinary vanilla yogurt (super food too! See list!!!) to go with it and whipped the fruit and yogurt together for a bedtime snack.  Absolutely, a delicious, nutritious, and inexpensive treat! $2.99 per pound at Sam's Club for the triple berry 48 oz. bag. Also, Target has their's on sale for a bit more ($9.99 for a 48oz. bag) this week if you don't have a club membership.  So if you are like me, and never attempted the frozen berries...you are missing out for real! Try it!!!!

Cleaning for Less

Absolutely, few things feel better than a clean house!!! This week has been fast-paced, non-stop, and I have been trying to sneak in pockets of cleaning time.  My house suffers as the calendar fills up!  Multi-tasking is essential.  My favorites are folding laundry while catching up on DVR ed shows, dishes and countertops while chatting on the phone, and bathroom cleanup while my children bathe.  Could I use a cleaning lady? YES! Can I afford one?? NO!  Maybe someday, but for now, I try to maintain the budget as well as a clean house.  I have been experimenting with cleaning supplies on the cheap.  Most of these are also eco-friendly (which is a bonus, I don't have to stress as much about kids touching them).  For floors (I have Mohawk Laminate) I have been making a bucket of hot water and white vinegar (a disinfectant) and scrubbing with cheap shams from the Dollar Tree.  The shams can be washed for repeated use, and even clip onto a Swiffer (I was sick of buying those expensive pads).  As an all-purpose cleaner, an empty spray bottle (found at the Dollar Tree as well) with one tablespoon of Borax (Walmart, under $3 for a large box), 1/4 cup of white vinegar, hot water to fill and a dash of dishsoap at the end.  I use this to spray down my flattop stove, counter tops, appliances, table and chairs.  And the price is practically free!  Maybe $0.25 a spray bottle? Toilets are trickier, you can scrub with baking soda , but I am still stuck on my toxic Lysol and Lysol wipes.  If I find a better alternative, I will post it, but I think germ killing is of the essence here!  I have been reading through a book called, "Green Clean" including vinegar, citrus, and baking soda and trying many of the ideas.  You wouldn't believe all the things you can do with vinegar (and is is under $2 for a large jug!) Post any multi-tasks or cleaning on the cheap tips here! I am off to scrub the dinner dishes...

Free Seminars at the Jacksonville Public Library!

I know, I am a huge library junkie!  It is a frugalista's dream!  Free books, movies, cd, and ebooks!  But this month's newsletter has got me PSYCHED even more for my library....http://jpl.coj.net/lib/newsletters.html
Michelle Singletary (columnist "The Color of Money") will be attending a seminar (yes!!! this is more awesome to me than a music concert!!!!) and seminar topics will be perfect for my blog (raising a money-smart kid....uhhh, yes!) I don't know if any of my local readers have a desire to attend with me, but I am sure it would be more fun with a friend....maybe we can even find a two-for-one lunch coupon?) Marking my calendar for March 24th at Noon!

Stockpiles

With current coupon-mania (think, Extreme Couponing on TLC) stockpiles of food are in! The concept is smart, buy low, by combining the best possible scenarios with sales, manufacturer coupons, store coupons, rebates, ect. It is smart to never pay full price for items one regularly uses.  Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending how you look at it) I don't have the space (nor desire) to stockpile to these proportions.  But I do enjoy having a two-month or so supply of many non-perishables.  My pantry is like a saving account, stocked with all the deals I have found.  Cereal, dressing, noodles, and many more pantry staples are used quickly in my house!
Stockpiling healthy and beauty goods is extremely common (and smart!!) too, for the same reasons.
But what I'd like to suggest to you is a spin-off of this concept. Do you stockpile cards, wrapping supplies, and gifts?  The credit for this idea comes from my childhood, and my memory of my mom bringing me to her hiding place, a desk in her bedroom, to choose cards and gifts for friends when I was invited to parties.  It was like a little store hidden away with all kinds of treasures that would make great gifts!  I have continued this tradition (my hiding spot is a cubby in my bedroom closet) stocked with gifts for children and adults (candles, lotions, jewelry for the adults...toys, coloring supplies, bubbles for the kids) When I see things that would make a great gift at a great  price, I buy multiples!  This keeps my gift budget to a level I am happy with because I can "afford" to get a gift for everyone!  I also do this with gift bags, wrapping paper, and bows so I can avoid last minute trips to the store for overpriced wrapping supplies!  Cards are best bought by the boxful (at a savings of $3 per card!!)
My current gift supply has a groupon coupon ($70 value, bought for $20) for husband's upcoming birthday, two art kits (50% after Christmas) for Valentine's Day alternatives for my little kids, 4 vases (found at Goodwill, used for a wedding for sweet 16, will put in a bouquet of flowers from the grocery store for a friend or teacher), lots of Yankee Candle Company candles (super markdowns on the website in January), even 4 beautiful Christmas ornaments for my co-workers next Christmas.  Buy now, even if you do not know who it will be for, because inevitably you will want to give a gift to someone soon!

Junk Mail is Not Always Junk!

Be careful what you throw away from your mailbox and delete from your inbox!  Mail can be full of goodies and freebies for potential customers!  My mailbox has been stuffed with free samples, valuable coupons from awesome companies!  And my email? Last week, Pampers Village sent out a code for a free Shutterfly photo mug ($10 value!) right in time for Valentine's Day. Many people set up a junk mail email to share with companies and keep their box from getting too crowded.  But I want the deals right to my inbox so I don't forget or miss them!  Today, I received this from Target (Apparently, I shop there too much!)

Hello everyone.

Late last week, our friends at Target put our two value packs of 
Kandoo Flushable Wipes on a Temporary Price Cut. 

This promotional pricing is in effect NOW and ends on 
Saturday, February 11, 2012.

We thought you would want to know so you could take advantage of 
the additional in-store savings. These prices make Pampers Kandoo 
the BEST deal among the flushable wipes offered at Target.

Here's the deal:
• The 150-count package – which comes with a free tub – is $1.00 off. 
Price per wipe is less than 3¢.

• The 400-count package has been reduced by 15%. 
At one local store, we found this box for under $10. Wow!

And because we've seen how much you love to win things from us, 
we have a few prizes here at the main lily pad to give away. 

SIMPLY FORWARD THIS EMAIL TO AT LEAST ONE FRIEND by Monday, 
February 6, and we will enter you into a random drawing for a 
Pampers Kandoo Flushable Wipes Gift pack. We have 35 of these packs 
to give away. (Don't worry, we can track who has forwarded this 
email. Technology is super.) Cut off time for our giveaway is
noon Pacific / 3:00 Eastern on Monday, February 6.

I do love the Kandoo Wipes, and combined with a coupon this would be even sweeter! If you have not visited their website before, you might be able to get a $1.00 off coupon www.pamperskandoo.com/Special-Offers

What great things have you found in your mail (or email) lately?

Raise Them RIGHT!

Yesterday, I ran through Target to finish up my needs for the week and my 4-year-old daughter spotted a book she really wanted, "Strawberry Shortcake" something or another.  As a teacher, I LOVE the fact my kids love to read!!!  Absolutely, I was tempted to grab that impulse buy, with its $5 price tag, just to see my cutie reading a book!  She still had Christmas money in her piggy bank and we could have easily grabbed it.  The problem?  It wasn't on sale.  My mother taught me to shop (and she did it well, thank you very much!) and the shopping rule is , "if you don't need it NOW, and it is not on sale, you don't buy it now!"  As a child, I understood eventually most everything WOULD go on sale.  Out came my inner teacher, "Look at the red tags over here. See that? It means this is on SALE! Strawberry Shortcake is not on sale, but we will check back next time we are here and we will buy the book when it goes on sale." Suprisingly, my daughter agreed (no fuss?!! I have a witness to this too!) After checking out with my goodies (some great Target sale price+ Target coupon+ Manufacturer coupon= SWEET deals! Check out my free nail polish!) the cashier handed me my receipt and a Catalina machine (those Target coupon printer things) coupon for, ironically, $2 off a children's book of $5 or more!  I made sure to make an impression! I put the coupon in her piggy bank, and then tonight I took her and her piggy bank and her coupon off to Target to get her book that went on "sale" with its coupon.  Needless to say, she was THRILLED, I was glad I could follow through so that she does not interpret "When it goes on sale...." to mean, "I am never going to buy this for you...." Now I can postpone her spending money until we find great things at a great price!  It didn't hurt that the cashier broke her $20 bill, so now she thinks she has "more money" since she got back more than one bill (I didn't correct her, I trying to teach a lesson here!!!) On the way home, she asked me if I was "impressed" (yes, she is not even 4 and a half yet!)  And I said, "I am VERY impressed." It is certainly a great time to begin teaching my daughter about saving money!

Kid's Lunch Idea

Lots of schools to run to every morning!  My oldest is in high school, my middle child comes to my school with me,  and youngest goes to a homeschool (we tease that it is his school, he is 18 months old, but watching the older children get schooled---and I am sure he is soaking it in too!)  Packing a lunch for the day is the way to go in my household.  The meals are cheaper (most of the time) but the real reason is I can pack much healthier than the "healthy" school lunches (chili cheese fries.  as the entree??? obesity epidemic, anyone?) Anyways...  Yesterday, on my trek through Target, we found the best price for sandwich bags on the Up & Up brand bags.  I try to use the washable containers as much as possible, but we need to keep the bags nearby because of the large number of lunches we pack each week.  My 4-year-old daughter saw this "girl" on the box from Target and loved her, so we decided to pack her up for lunch at school!  We took one slice bread, spread peanut butter , sliced bananas and raisin (the box had blueberries, but we didn't have any, so raisins was our stand in, glued on with a bit more peanut butter) and an apple slice for her mouth.  Lemon juice was squirted on the apple to keep it white.  After school, I asked how it was, she said, "Yummy!" so we shall make it again tomorrow.  Grand price? Cheap! And healthy too!  Post any healthy, yummy, and cheap ideas you have to feed your kids away from home (or at home, homeschoolers!!)

The Power of Paint

Are you underwater?  Did that term even exist before the Great Recession?  We, like most Floridians who own their homes are underwater (I think I heard 60% mentioned in Obama's State of the Union? Can anyone confirm??) and can not, will not be able to move anywhere anytime soon (or ever?) That can feel a little depressing, so now is the time to improve your home (since you are stuck in it anyways!) This month, we refurbished two spaces in our home.  The first picture is my 4-year-old daughter's room. For the price of $10.97 for the gallon of paint, her room has a completely updated look.  We also rearranged furniture and hung a few things in different spots.  You can see a framed fairy picture and a dragonfly hook both purchased from my favorite store---Goodwill! I love how people think I am nuts to shop there, but I think the donations I see there lead me to believe the donators (spell check is saying that is NOT a word???) A.K.A.,  The shopaholics who donate all their brand new things there are the CRAZY ones, and I am there to swoop in and scoop it up with barely a budge to my budget.  Who's crazy now???

The second picture is my window seat in my front living room.  The paint for this came to a whopping $7 to contrast the previous light blue color with a sort of frame to the space!  The was also the prime time to fill in some pesky nail holes and a saggy curtain rod and rehang evenly.  Then, we (ok...not we...my husband) covered the seat part with leftover wood laminate from our kitchen redo a few years ago.  The black fluer de Lis (spelled wrong, for sure!) were less than $3 at Wal*Mart, and washing the curtains to make them look new? FREE!  Finally, the trim piece along the bottom, $6 at Home Depot!  A brand new reading nook for me (just add pillows) for just over $15.

Paint has a HUGE effect on your space.  If you are feeling blue, head to nearest paint counter and change it up.  You won't regret it, and it is a price we all can afford!

www.skinnytaste.com

Big thanks to a Facebook friend, Shannon, who recommended I check out this website for healthy meal ideas!  Here is a sample of one of her favorites from the site:

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2008/11/crock-pot-chicken-taco-chili-4-pts.html

She suggested using any leftover as a filling for quesadillas, making two meals from one batch.

I estimated my family could eat this for under $5 because we buy our chicken breasts in bulk from Sam's Club, at a price of $1.97/lb, rice in 12 bag for $6/bag, taco seasoning in bulk (uber cheap!!!), skip onions because my husband is too picky, and grow our own cilantro!

Thanks for the tip, Shannon!

Menu Jan 30th- Feb 10th

Many of you may not to be so explicit with your menus, but for those of us living paycheck to paycheck, in addition to budgeting money, we need to "budget" our food.  Menus help the budget by limiting last minute take out, impulse shopping trips, and wasting food we already have by letting it spoil.  I recommend writing your menu from payday until the next payday so you know your family will be fed (healthy food!!!) no matter what your bank account balance is.

Monday: Jan. 30 Crockpot Chicken ($3), Steamed Broccoli ($2), Microwaved Baked Potato ($1.25)
Tuesday:  Jan 31 Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup with Celery and Carrots (Leftover from Monday) and Pulled Pork Sandwiches ($2) leftover from Sunday Dinner
Wednesday: Rice and Bean Enchiladas ($3) with frozen corn ($1)
Thursday:  Grilled Chicken Breast Sandwiches (with Honey Mustard) ($4), Ore-rida Fries ($1) Green Salad
Friday: Homemade Beef Stroganoff ($3), egg noodles, fresh veggies (carrots and celery--left from soup on Tuesday)
Saturday: Lunch- Pizza ($3) and Salad, Dinner- Tacos($3), black beans($1), and corn($1)
Sunday: Lunch-Flounder ($5) rice, lettuce salad, baked potato Dinner Chicken Alfredo ($5) frozen peas ($1)
Monday: Feb 6 Spaghetti ($3) Green Beans ($1)
Tuesday: Feb 7 Breakfast for Dinner, eggs, fruit, waffles ($3)
Wednesday: Feb 8 Grilled Chicken Breast, rice, salad ($3)
Thursday: Frozen Pizza, salad ($3)
Friday 10: PAYDAY! Treat the family to dinner out!!

I try to include additional fresh fruit and veggies with every meal that is not listed on the menu so nothing spoils.

Paying it Down

Most of my readers are in the mindset debt is bad, but most of us NEED it, to live the life we want to live.  We are working hard at keeping our debts to a minimum, and paying them off as quickly as possible (Who HATES those truth-in-lending statements that show you what your home or car REALLY costs, after the bank takes their TREMENDOUS chunk?) There are various schools of thought on HOW to pay off debt (if you have it....once again, those who don't have debt, you are awesome, congrats, wish I were there with you, but I am not!!!) Paying off the highest interest rates first saves you money paid in total interest...smart for the bottom line of how much interest you pay, but may not help the money going out every month as much as our method.  We are squeezed tight right now, due to increases in most everything (except our paychecks).  To make more money in our budget, we need to reduce the bills that go out every month. I have shared earlier how we divide up our monthly bills into four chunks (one per pay check our household receives each month) so that we are paying about the same amount in bills each pay day. The leftover amount is just never enough!!!  So we need to increase the amount of leftover money after bills!  Tax time is coming soon, and rather than spending (ok, confession, I am sure I will spend some--but frugally, on something we TRULY need, more to come later) or saving (smart to do, will save what is left over), we are making priority one with our taxes paying off debt that eats up our budget every month.  Two items wiped off our bill list will save us close to $400/month (or $100 per paycheck!) and should feel like a "raise" on our paycheck.  However, the interest rates are relatively low, 9% and 4%. If we paid the same amount to our highest interest rate (17%!!!) it technically would save us more in dollars, but would not provide immediate relief to our budget  (saving perhaps $20/month).  So with tax time coming (or when windfalls come your way---I see I have a lot of Europeans reading my blog, sweet!!! I don't know when tax time comes in Russia...?) Think carefully about those extra chunks of money that come your way, and make them work the way that is best for you.  When I was younger, and money came my way, my mother would tell me, "You can spend it any way you want, but you can only spend it once." Simple, but oh so true.

Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining

A few good things DID come out of the car tease of 2012!  Shopping for financing gave us a sneak peek at our credit scores (at an all time high, I think! Our hard work is paying off, slowly but surely). My mom (great money mentor she is!!!) suggested if we must finance to try to do it at a credit union.  GREAT advice, if we would have bought, we would have saved almost 5% interest!!!!  That is as much at $5000 over the life of the loan (if my math is right?)  which I would be happy to spend myself instead of handing over to the BANK!  We had never set foot in  credit union before going for the sole purpose of an auto loan.  What a discovery!  We walked out with a new checking and savings account that should save us some decent money every year by reducing fees our previous bank was charging (to use OUR money, huh?) and paying interest on everything--even checking?! Right off the bat, we will save around $20 this summer when my job as a teacher does not automatically deposit paychecks (and my bank punished me to the tune of $8.99/month for no direct deposits while off work).  Also gone are my pesky $3 fees every time I transfer money from my savings account to my checking account more than 2 times every month.  This was necessary fee at my previous bank because I was paid for the whole summer in full (TEMPTING!) and had to be responsible and transfer my pay to checking twice a month.  So ANY pull of money from savings in the summer = $3 fee.  Discovering the benefit of credit unions was worth the headache of last weekend, and I am hoping some of my readers might take a look at credit unions in their area.

uggg, sorry so long between posts!

Last weekend was a "too little" nightmare.  My trusty 2001 Kia Sephia bit the dust (or so we thought) and my husband and I spent the weekend/and week! trying to fix it, car shopping, applying for car loans (boooooo), sharing a car and stressing over where the money was going to come from.  I cannot tell you how this made me feel, I spent my days adding, subtraction, and reworking our family budget in my head without resorting to cutting off our cable or eating a diet of (soley) ramen.  For YEARS I have been at war against debt, trying desperately to escape some expensive mistakes of my ( and my husband's!) youth.  I was determined to pay off the debt we had and not bring in any new debts. That is easier said than done, for sure. I envy those debt-free families we hear  about on the Clark Howard Show, and certainly aspire to that goal!!!! However, being a one-car family is just not for me (although it would fit my budget!). I mean, it was fun to have a chauffer (husband!) for a few days, I majorly missed car freedom (aka, leaving work when I wanted to, not when Todd was there for my pick up!) We had succumbed to sign on the dotted line.... The time was near to chain ourselves down to another payment, but in an unexpected turn of events, a $2.99 (not a typo, we almost spent $15,000 we didn't have instead of the chump change auto part!!!)  fuel injector O-ring (picked up the part myself! I am woman, hear me roar) reincarnated the no-longer dead vehicle.  So now, I can continue to have a dream, that one day my family will have NO DEBT!  However, that dream might die when the Kia REALLY bites the dust.......

Don't let the bills pile up

Yesterday was payday.  Years ago, payday was a celebration, out to dinner, shopping, rich for a day!!!  But when one grows up, and decides to try to be in a good financial position, payday is not quite as fun.   This is my tried and true system of how to pay all your bills on time, every time.
1.  Start with a list of all your bills for the month. Include who is paid, how much, and when it is due.
2.  List all your pay days for the month.
3. Divide up the total of all your bills by the number of paychecks you will be getting.
4.  Make a list for each payday of what bills will be paid.  For example, my January 13th paycheck said, "$xxx to savings for Feb. Mortgage.  $xxx student loan.  I try to hit as close to the target of step 3...bills divided by paychecks, so that I typically pay out in bills an equal amount each payday.  (Bills that are larger than your paycheck, like mortgage, divide up into 2 paychecks.
5.  I set up my bills to be paid on electronic pay, so I don't even need to do much else when payday actually arrives.
6.  Check off each bill as it goes through your account, so you know they each got paid.
I keep my list of paychecks and bills in a notebook, typically a few months in advance (mine are budgeted until March right now) so if you have money stress, it is not over bills (it is over the small amount left over AFTER bills). This strategy makes paying bills QUICK, and keeps a close eye on your bottom line (and I wish that bottom line was bigger!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Know when to say "Mercy!"

Too little time to post today!  I did make time to play Don't Break the Ice with my little ones MANY TIMES, read 4 books at bedtime to my kids, worked the treadmill for 40 minutes, and SQUEEZED a few minutes into Target to get my son the toddler train table on clearance for $45 (from $90!), AND tried a new meal for my family, "Cashew Chicken" from the book "Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half" I mentioned a few days ago on this blog.  It was REALLY GREAT, inexpensive, healthy, and possibly the best part, enough for two meals, so I froze half of it for a meal in a few weeks---Just simmer, make rice to serve it over and bon apetite (sorry to the French-Canadians if I spelled that wrong...no time for a dictionary tonight....) But as for the rest of my responsibilities, tonight I say , "MERCY!!!!!"

Not just money, TIME!

I have spent the past few days blogging about money...how to conserve, not waste, and trust me, I LOVE saving money. But I need to remember the little things I blog about is not just the little money I have, it is the little time I have, too! Truly, for many of us, time is more valuable than money.  Tonight was a sad night in the house.  My normal after bedtime work out did not happen.  Instead I spent the evening taking the kids to two of their favorite (freebie!) places.  After dinner we headed out to the library (uhh, free books? YES!) and PetSmart (My kids are animal freaks, they are more than happy to hang out peeking in the tanks without bringing anything home---our house is at it MAXIMUM PET CAPACITY with a dog and two cats)  Upon returning, there were bedtime rituals and books, and I wasn't free of little kids until after nine.  Normally, I would go ahead to the gym at this point....but my kitchen was not finished being cleaned, and lunches weren't yet packed. So with a somberness I accepted the fact there would be no calorie burning tonight.  An occasional off-night is acceptable, but I am trying maximize my time!  So....I am considering diving into the land of Once a Month Cooking.  Proponents of OAMC claim it saves you massive time because you do all chopping, cooking and washing on the same day (instead of in little segments every day).  I am quite intimidated, I have never done anything on a scale this large before, so I will need an smaller scale experiment  first.....OAWC (Once a Week Cooking).  On Sunday, I am planning on making all of my meals for the WEEK.  I want to see if it A. Actually Works B. Saves me Time and C. Will it save me money???? I will be going where no one in my family has gone before....wish me luck.  Also, please post any experience you have with this phenomena AND any meal ideas you think freeze well I can make on Sunday to pull out for meals this week. Thanks for reading!

Make it Last

In the early 1940's when supplies and food were being rationed and waste was considered as an act against the war effort...mothers on the homefront were bombarded with propaganda and slogans like "Use It Up-Wear It Out-Make It Do!"  and Food is a Weapon. Don't Waste it.  Buy Wisely. Cook Carefully. Eat it All.  What goes around truly does come back around, as many of these slogans can help us through our lean times of lately.  Tonight, my menu plan for the week hit a near tragedy.  After a full day at work, I came home hungry and ready to begin the dinner-time mambo.  The menu was for chicken burritos, but as I assembled the ingredients something went awry.  We are tortilla-aholics in our home, so I never dreamed I would find only four tortillas in the pack (and no extras in the freezer!? No crunchy shells or chips for nachos either...)Ahhh.   five people and four tortillas does NOT equal DINNER.   Then,  it came to me, the tortillas were burrito size, but normally we don't go crazy filling them up and we eat 1 or 1 1/2 each.  I would have to succumb to a quick trip to the store (wasting my time, and money!) But then I remembered my blog, and thought...What would World War 2 mothers do?  Make it work!  And I did! I made a large pot of white rice (Mahatma, just over $1 a bag..cooked 50c worth), refried beans (another buck) and frozen corn (under a dollar).  Then we stuffed our four tortilla shells with all of it, chicken, cheese, beans, rice corn, lettuce, tomato....big burritos!  My little ones shared one, and each of us (mom, dad, and teenage daughter) had one to ourselves with a small salad on the side. And we are FULL!  All in all, probably a $6 meal for five (pretty healthy too, topped with fresh cilantro from the garden!).  But without my mantra, it could have easily been a backslide, trip to the store to buy more shells (which inevitably turns into $20-30 worth of impulse purchases--more if I send hubby ;)  Repeat after me:  Use It Up-Wear It Out-Make It Do!

MUST SPLURGE!

We are not America's Cheapest Family (and we don't want to be!) My Dad had a great philosophy about money, he said, "There is always more money to be made." meaning, enjoy your money!  My Mom had a great one too, "You can spend it any way you want, but you can only spend it once."  My divorced parents were the ultimate money yin and yangs.  COMPLETE opposites. Both parents formed my money mentality, per se, although as you can see from my blog--my mom had a lot more pull in this area!  The point is, we all need to splurge on a few things that we can truly appreciate; but I would never want to splurge to the point my needs (or my family's needs) did not get met.  One man's splurge is another man's bargain!  Today, after church, Kayleigh saw a heavenly sight.  Dairy Queen looming right next to our church parking lot.  "Mommy, I was a good girl at church. Can I have ice cream?"  The angel on my shoulder said, "Certainly it would be cheaper to buy a carton at the grocery store and bring it home instead...." The devil, "Oh, just spend your hard earned money on Dairy Queen. It will make Kayleigh happy".  I pulled into the drive through line, not sure what I was going to order.  Then, I remembered, doesn't Dairy Queen sell ice cream by the pint? We have chocolate syrup, caramel, and strawberries at home.....So today our "splurge" (that many will argue was not a splurge!) was $3.20 worth of plain vanilla Dairy Queen ice cream brought  home to enjoy.  We all enjoyed it, and still have leftovers!  Go ahead, comment away, tease me if you want.....what are your "splurges" others won't consider a splurge?

Better than Fast Food!

Eating at home is superior to fast food in many ways: dollar signs and calories, plus family time cooking together!  However, when work gets tough, life gets busy, or kids have a bad day, the drive through line or pizza place sucks your money like a magnet.  I cannot focus on "What's for dinner???"  when the kids are melting down or I have gobs of things to do.  To avoid the takeout temptation, I strongly recommend you write a menu on Sundays ( I will post mine in a bit) to avoid mid-week take out, shopping trips, and dinner time stress. Plan your meals with the week's activities in mind (no big prep meals on a night kids have activities!) Look at your menu before you go to bed and make sure you take what you will need out of your freezer (aka, the bank!  Using your freezer is money in the bank!!!) To manage my time in the kitchen better, I need to plan!!! Typically I boil a dozen eggs (they work for breakfast, lunch, snacks, or salad toppers) for the week; I like to make a large pot of chili or soup for lunches that are easy to grab in the morning (healthy too! Today I am making chili AND lentil soup for the week ahead).  Sometimes I make pasta salad, cut fresh veggies, anything I can do to conquer the week ahead without breaking the bank or the diet.  Before you shop for the week or plan your menu, do yourself a favor and take an inventory of what you already have and/or need to use up before it spoils (The ultimate waste of money, who cares how cheap it was if you don't eat it!!!).  Today, I am using up six yellow squash I had bought for only $1.11 a couple of weeks ago, the last skinny stalks of celery left over from the week, a wrinkly green pepper from my garden before the freeze (no good raw, but fine cooked with wrinkles)  Great price, healthy food, and the perfect addition to my lentil soup!  Do you have any Sunday cooking ideas that help your family stay fed without sacrificing lots of time, money, and health? Add them here! Thanks for reading!

Crowdtap!

I added a new link on my blog for Crowdtap.  It looks pretty cool...simply enter your demographics and lots of market research can come your way.  You choose a charity to contribute 5% of what you earn to...I chose water for developing nations...and then you get paid with Amazon $, gift cards, merchandise to try, ect.....for sure worth a try!  It is on the right side top of my blog.

Combating the Lie of "I can't afford to buy healthy food!"

As a teacher, I see the whole childhood obesity epidemic first hand.  It is a problem, a big problem...and honestly, I am probably contributing to it with occasional candy and treats to my students and plenty of sugar is being consumed in our house.  However, I believe there is a problem and I attempt to feed my children a moderate diet that includes as much "good for you" stuff I can afford (and they are willing to eat!). They also lots of sugar, white flour; typical American diet stuff.  When I go to the store, I am sticking to a budget but that "budget" cannot be at the expense of my family's health. I find that bananas, bags of apples, nuts, raisins, applesauce, and beans are always inexpensive choices, and they are good for us too!  Processed foods many of of buy cost  much more than many whole foods!  I think people who say they would buy healthy food but it costs too much are lying to themselves.   Ok, I get that if you buy all organic foods, shop at Whole Foods, gluten free, ect., YES, your grocery bill will be HUGE.  What people need to realize is you don't need to do THAT to feed your children well (and if you can afford it and that lifestyle is important to you, WONDERFUL, I am just not in that position).  This is what I overheard today shopping at Sam's Club: two overweight children (ages around 9 or 10?), "Yum! Clementines! We love these! Can we buy them?"  I don't hear the overweight  mother's response (honestly, at the moment they asked I was thinking about which produce I would be buying for my family....) but I see the family as  I approach the checkout.  In their cart is a huge pizza (Sam's Club) and a big box of crab cakes (what is the nutritional info on these? awful, fried for sure).  The Clementines were $5.48 for a 5 lb. crate (GREAT price) yet they are not in the cart.  I know I am not supposed to judge other people, and I don't know what the mother said (I hope it was, "We already have a 5lb box of clementines at home. I bought them yesterday!"  and the kids say, "Yay!") but I want to be the  kind of mother who says, "Yes!" when my kids ask for healthy foods, and if I can't afford what they picked out (sorry, not going to spend $3.99 in a bitty box of berries) I can offer them an alternative at a price that works within my budget.  I'd love to see some comments on nutritious food for our families that every wallet can afford. Thanks for reading!!

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year (for shopping!)

I look forward to this time every year!  By the end of January, the malls and Target will be a dangerous place to be (for my bank account!) I love the post-Christmas markdowns as the stores try to reduce their inventory.  To make the money I am about to spend work as hard as possible, I am trying to think about the coming months and what we will want/need.  So far, I have bought Valentines gifts (non-perishable), Easter Basket stuffers, and birthday gifts at HUGE markdowns.  I have my eye on an awesome kid's table that is super low to the ground for playing or art at 50% right now at Target (original price was $90, it is now $45) that I could easily save until My son, Levi's 2nd birthday June 1st.  The top side looks like a train table, and Levi just got his first Thomas the Train set for Christmas.  Of course, I could gamble waiting for Target to mark it down to 70% off, but I risk losing the deal if they sell out.  Who are the January shoppers like me???  What do you buy every year in January?

Hooked Up With Facebook!

I linked up my blog with facebook! I want to see how big this can grow, so feel free to share with anyone and everyone you think will appreciate it.  And THANK YOU to my first followers of Life With Little!

I-I-I-I Work Out!

I am a freak.  I actually like to workout.  However, I am a mom first and foremost, and my gym (Planet Fitness, only $10, less if you pay the full year up front like I did!) has no childcare.  Plus, I work all day and the last thing I want to do after a long day away from my kids is leave my kids.  My solution? When the weather is nice, I stick my kids in our wagon and wheel them through the neighborhood with friends. Great conversation, and so nice to be with my kids...but not the biggest calorie burner around.  So, I have taken to 8pm workouts!  This allows me to put my munchkins to bed so they don't even know I am gone!  Off to the gym I go, with an Ipod, my Nook, and a (refillable) bottle of water.  Then I take to the treadmill for whatever I can squeeze in that night. Tonight was a bit of a dud. They closed at nine, and my rowdies wouldn't settle down until 8:30.  It was a deciding factor. Do I tell myself I have no time to exercise?  That is a lie! I have 30 minutes (20 after driving there) and by golly I used every last one.  500 calories burned? Not even close! But I will be happy to kiss the whopping 200 calories I did burn good bye!  Here is my challenge to you: don't say you don't have enough time for X, Y, or Z.  Make the time you do have work.  Read for five minutes or take a ten minute walk.  If we don't meet our goals because we don't even try to use the little bits of time we do have we are foolish.  What feats can you complete in five or ten minutes?

Daaaa Nook!

I received a Nook for Christmas (only $80 for the Simple Touch Reader at Best Buy on Black Friday) and this purchase has been incredible.  Yes, it is a splurge.  Sure, I could be all super saver and never buy books, only lend from the library ect.  Yes, that would be cheaper (except my late fees, and if you lose a book, OUCH!)  I think the Nook will pay for itself in no late fees alone.  I do LOVE a good book, though, I can see spending a lot  on new ones to read.  However, I have found a few great solutions.  A.  I can download ebooks from the library (they will NEVER be late, woohoo!) B. The Lend Me feature on my Nook is nice, I have already borrowed two books from friends (and I can't lose them!!! Awesome!) C.  Barnes and Noble has a Daily Deal feature send to my Nook every day! Sometime they are studs, sometimes they are duds, but I am loving the deep discounts they offer and I have found two studs so far!  D. Free Book Friday! Today's was a goody! "I Used to Know That: Stuff You Forgot From School" by Caroline Taggart.  There is also a decent James Patterson book for only 99 cents!  

Breakfast That Saves Time AND Money (and makes my kiddos HAPPY!)

Tonight, the menu at the house was breakfast for dinner! Delicious and nutritious--and a money saver. Plus my kids actually EAT it.   Yesterday, I found an extension of this idea in a book called "Cut Your Grocery Bill in Half" by Steve and Annette Economides (The book was the Daily Deal on Barnes and Noble.com...$3.40 for my Nook!).  The back of the book has a section of recipes, including "Steve's Killer Pancakes".  It includes a great pancake recipe that A. Makes ALOT of pancakes B. Boosts the nutritional value by including whole wheat fiber C. Tastes good, too! Really!!  My husband and I preceded to cook bunches and bunches of pancakes, let them cool, and stack them, freeze them (per book's directions) to later reheat them.  My kids LOVE Eggo Waffles, so I am hoping these will be a hit and for a small fraction of the price.

Thanks for Finding My New Blog!

I really don't know all the places this blog will go.  But I do know this--my entire life I have wanted to write.  The idea of writing a book sounds big, unfathomable.  I mean, I have little time, little money, and little kids to care for! I can't sit for hours building the next New York Times Best Seller!  But I do have a lot to say, and I want to hear from you too.  This blog is going to be about how we "do it all" with so little.  Thanks for following!