Let's face it: Times are tight and budgets are shrinking. But there are ways to stretch, and even (gasp!) have fun doing it! This blog is about finding ways to get more from every household dollar, and enjoy every precious minute.
One of the best ways to start incorporating more organic, local and
fresh ingredients onto your dinner table is to grow your own garden. It
does take a little investment to get it started, but that investment can
easily be earned back within the first year or two of your gardening
efforts...
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
With the use of smart phones and tablets, moms are using apps to do
anything from keeping track of their grocery lists to scheduling play
dates in order to simplify their daily lives and organize their
families. Here are a dozen apps to begin simplifying your mom world...
Grocery shopping. Not one of my favorite tasks. When I shopped with
three young children in tow, keeping them orderly was nearly impossible.
So once they were old enough to safely walk around a grocery store on
their own, I devised what I think was a brilliant plan to make shopping
not only more bearable, but fun!...
The smell of fresh bread baking in your own oven. The thought of adding a
dollop of butter to it, watching it melt and soak into the warm bread.
Then biting into it and letting the warm, fresh bread melt in your mouth
and fill your heart and tummy with that cozy comfort that only
hot-out-of-the-oven, baked bread can bring...
Wednesday, April 04, 2012
Do the words “spring cleaning” overwhelm you? Are you thinking I can barely keep up with the day-to-day chores, let alone think about taking the time to spring clean my entire home? Well, don’t toss in the towel until you have tried my one hour a day spring cleaning options!...
...Here’s a simple and quick craft project that is great for displaying
some of your favorites recipes without damaging them. This project also
works with other paper goods such as vintage post cards, decorative
playing cards, greeting cards and more...
Digital coupons are paperless coupons. They don’t have to be clipped or
kept in a binder or folder. They won’t get lost between the house and
your grocery store. They are a wonderful way to spend less money on
groceries…
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
After another morning of chaos, missing shoes, forgotten jackets and
piles of laundry strewn across my children’s bathroom I concluded that
it was time to begin modeling and molding my children to become
organized beings...
As a crafter and lover of antiques, I collect a lot of things. One
collection is vintage brass label holders. These holders are found on
the “fronts” of furniture such as file cabinets to hold a slip of paper
or a card with the name of the drawer’s contents...
With spring beginning in the Southern half of the country, and just around the corner for the Northern half of the country, I thought a little “how to” on asparagus was in order. Asparagus is at its peak in gardens across the country in the early and middle parts of spring...
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
...Not only have children’s birthday parties gone from simple to
extravagant but they have also gone from frugal to breaking the bank. I
say it is time we take back the frugal birthday parties and discover fun
and inexpensive ways to celebrate our children’s special day with these
frugal birthday party tips...
When my daughter was in preschool she would run to me at pickup time
with her artwork in hand. Her teacher suggested to the parents that they
not say “Pretty! What is it?” rather “Tell me about it!” They said this
because at that young age artwork is less about the results and much
more about the joyful experience of creating it...
Reduce unplanned leftovers with the “cook once, eat twice” cooking
method. Not only will you save money and end the “we don’t want
leftovers” complaints – you will also cut your weekly cooking time in
half. The idea is to cook a larger quantity of meat one night and use the leftovers to create additional meals through out the week...
Wednesday, March 14, 2012
...I love getting to “play with my food” in fun and clever ways (despite
all the warnings I received as a child, and warnings I give my children
now). I love getting to surprise my husband and my son with fun and
different foods in their lunch boxes every now and then...
I’m a woman of few recipes. My family would attest to that. Luckily,
my husband is a wonderful cook. It’s not that I’m not a good cook, I
just figure with his great talents, why rock the boat! I do have a few specialties, mostly with minimal ingredients such as my easy homemade tomato-onion soup...
Oh, chocolate chip cookies. Yummy, yummy cookies. They’re about to get a little yummier and a little chocolate-ier.... I love these because they are simple, easy to make with the kids and uber-delicious...