Christmas Shopping has begun!
A couple of weeks ago, my 2-year-old fell in love with the Thomas the Train set at my aunt's house. We went to Walmart and she begged for it, but the prices were ridiculous - $10 for a piece of train? No thanks!
This morning the 1-year-old and I went to IKEA. We bought a ton of pieces for less than $36. IKEA's Lillabo train sets are compatible with the name brand trains, and they are a fraction of the cost! My children are going to be so excited to see what Santa leaves for them on Christmas morning.
If you have a little one who has his heart set on Thomas the Train, it will save you a lot of money if you buy the IKEA set and perhaps add a few of the Thomas engines and cars.
As a bonus, I got 1% back toward my next purchase just by using my debit card to pay. :)
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
Paying for Christmas
Christmas is 89 days away! Times are tough this year for a lot of people. If you are like me, you like to plan your purchases, look for deals and get everything out of the way BEFORE Black Friday.
Our Christmas Gift Fund strategy has two key components:
1. Keep it simple. The holiday season is about being with the ones you love most, not about seeing how much credit card debt can be accumulated. Gift-giving should bring joy, not agony and debt. We like to think of simple things to give to the ones we love the most.
We might spend $75 on each of our children this year, which represents a 50% increase over last year's budget. We buy basic toys that both kids can enjoy. Our children don't need fancy toys with all of the bells and whistles; they would rather play with things that require a little imagination. Last year's Christmas gifts to our children were a tricycle, a Step 2 Shopping Cart, a couple of books, a stuffed animal, a Tinkerbell jewelry box and a Sleepy Time Dora doll. They were so happy, and they use and appreciate each of the gifts 9 months later. Their grandparents tend to go overboard as grandparents do, and there is only so much room in the house for toys.
My husband and I don't give each other gifts because we find joy in watching our girls open their gifts. My family usually has a very simple Christmas - my sister and I don't exchange gifts, we choose to spend $10 on each of the kids. We usually buy a little something for our parents and they buy a little something for us. My husband's family does much more for Christmas gifts, which is where part 2 comes in handy...
2. Pay for gifts with freebies. My top two perks are Swagbucks and VISA Rewards.
If you haven't heard of Swagbucks, visit www.swagbucks.com and sign up today! You can earn points for doing what you do every day anyway - internet searches. They also have a way to earn points for doing surveys, answering daily polls, etc. You can use the points to purchase gift cards. For example, 450 Swagbucks will buy a $5 Amazon gift card. Those points really add up over a year.
Our Bank of America credit card has a rewards program as well. Every year in October, we redeem our points earned ($1 for every $1 spent) for gift cards that we either use to purchase gifts or simply give to others. It is important to keep in mind that these points are only really worth anything if you don't go into debt to accumulate them. ALL CREDIT CARDS SHOULD BE PAID IN FULL EVERY MONTH for this freebie to work. My husband and I charge everything on our cards and pay them off each month. This allows us to earn points for spending money that we would normally spend anyway for food, gas, etc. By the end of the year, we usually have enough of points to buy several hundred dollars' worth of gift cards. Since we don't pay any interest, annual fees or late fees on credit cards, this makes it FREE MONEY!
I am so excited about this Christmas! My husband is employed again, I have two happy and healthy toddlers, and my parents are still alive and they live 5 miles away from us. Life is so good.
Our Christmas Gift Fund strategy has two key components:
1. Keep it simple. The holiday season is about being with the ones you love most, not about seeing how much credit card debt can be accumulated. Gift-giving should bring joy, not agony and debt. We like to think of simple things to give to the ones we love the most.
We might spend $75 on each of our children this year, which represents a 50% increase over last year's budget. We buy basic toys that both kids can enjoy. Our children don't need fancy toys with all of the bells and whistles; they would rather play with things that require a little imagination. Last year's Christmas gifts to our children were a tricycle, a Step 2 Shopping Cart, a couple of books, a stuffed animal, a Tinkerbell jewelry box and a Sleepy Time Dora doll. They were so happy, and they use and appreciate each of the gifts 9 months later. Their grandparents tend to go overboard as grandparents do, and there is only so much room in the house for toys.
My husband and I don't give each other gifts because we find joy in watching our girls open their gifts. My family usually has a very simple Christmas - my sister and I don't exchange gifts, we choose to spend $10 on each of the kids. We usually buy a little something for our parents and they buy a little something for us. My husband's family does much more for Christmas gifts, which is where part 2 comes in handy...
2. Pay for gifts with freebies. My top two perks are Swagbucks and VISA Rewards.
If you haven't heard of Swagbucks, visit www.swagbucks.com and sign up today! You can earn points for doing what you do every day anyway - internet searches. They also have a way to earn points for doing surveys, answering daily polls, etc. You can use the points to purchase gift cards. For example, 450 Swagbucks will buy a $5 Amazon gift card. Those points really add up over a year.
Our Bank of America credit card has a rewards program as well. Every year in October, we redeem our points earned ($1 for every $1 spent) for gift cards that we either use to purchase gifts or simply give to others. It is important to keep in mind that these points are only really worth anything if you don't go into debt to accumulate them. ALL CREDIT CARDS SHOULD BE PAID IN FULL EVERY MONTH for this freebie to work. My husband and I charge everything on our cards and pay them off each month. This allows us to earn points for spending money that we would normally spend anyway for food, gas, etc. By the end of the year, we usually have enough of points to buy several hundred dollars' worth of gift cards. Since we don't pay any interest, annual fees or late fees on credit cards, this makes it FREE MONEY!
I am so excited about this Christmas! My husband is employed again, I have two happy and healthy toddlers, and my parents are still alive and they live 5 miles away from us. Life is so good.
Monday, September 20, 2010
First Birthday Party on a Budget
Yesterday we celebrated my youngest daughter's First Birthday. My daughter had a wonderful time, and her guests feasted on grilled pork chops, macaroni and cheese, carrots, peas, rolls and 2 kinds of birthday cake. It was perfect, and it cost us about $40.
Our philosophy on birthday parties for toddlers: less is more. I have been to many First Birthday parties where the child was so overwhelmed he/she cried the entire time. We wanted our daughter to be relaxed and able to enjoy her special day with the people she loves the most. We invited each set of grandparents, her Aunt, Uncle and cousin and a friend and her daughter. 9 adults and 4 children.
Thanks to my favorites - Walmart and Sam's Club - we were able to pull it off for less than $5 per adult. I made the cakes out of a box, and put sprinkles and a "1" candle on top. Our 2-year-old decided her sister needed to have a Winnie the Pooh party, so we bought Pooh party hats. That was the only birthday decor we had, and it made our party no less enjoyable and special than a party where parents go all out with matching plates, napkins, cups and cake. Not that there's anything wrong with that - we just couldn't justify the cost of having a cutesy birthday party for a child who is too young to know the difference.
The food was delicious. Everyone had a great time. There was plenty of room and food. Our daughter received a ton of gifts. I had a stress-free day because we kept things simple. Priceless.
Our philosophy on birthday parties for toddlers: less is more. I have been to many First Birthday parties where the child was so overwhelmed he/she cried the entire time. We wanted our daughter to be relaxed and able to enjoy her special day with the people she loves the most. We invited each set of grandparents, her Aunt, Uncle and cousin and a friend and her daughter. 9 adults and 4 children.
Thanks to my favorites - Walmart and Sam's Club - we were able to pull it off for less than $5 per adult. I made the cakes out of a box, and put sprinkles and a "1" candle on top. Our 2-year-old decided her sister needed to have a Winnie the Pooh party, so we bought Pooh party hats. That was the only birthday decor we had, and it made our party no less enjoyable and special than a party where parents go all out with matching plates, napkins, cups and cake. Not that there's anything wrong with that - we just couldn't justify the cost of having a cutesy birthday party for a child who is too young to know the difference.
The food was delicious. Everyone had a great time. There was plenty of room and food. Our daughter received a ton of gifts. I had a stress-free day because we kept things simple. Priceless.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Get yourself to Harris Teeter!
If you live in the Southeast, this is the week to check out Harris Teeter for great deals on meat. If you don't live here, Harris Teeter is our local upscale grocery store, my favorite grocery store!
I bought enough of meat for 11 meals and spent a whopping $19.96!
First, I found the Sirloin Steaks marked down because they had a "sell by" date of today. They are HUGE - enough to cut in half and make 2 meals for our family. So I bought a pack for $5.04. We are eating them tonight, along with our cheap Sam's salad mix and baked potatoes.
Then we ran across some country-style pork ribs, enough for a meal. They were marked down to $2.79 because they had a "sell by" date of today. They went into the freezer.
We picked up 4 whole chickens on special for $0.59 per pound. The limit was 4, so I'll be back each day until next Tuesday to stock up. Each whole chicken will make 2 meals for our family. They averaged less than $3.00 a piece. We cook those in the microwave with celery, carrots, potatoes and spices for a delicious meal! With the prices of these chickens and the cost of the vegetables at Aldi and Sam's, we will spend about $2.50 per meal. Winner.
I can see we are going to need to buy another freezer, especially since deer season is coming up.
I bought enough of meat for 11 meals and spent a whopping $19.96!
First, I found the Sirloin Steaks marked down because they had a "sell by" date of today. They are HUGE - enough to cut in half and make 2 meals for our family. So I bought a pack for $5.04. We are eating them tonight, along with our cheap Sam's salad mix and baked potatoes.
Then we ran across some country-style pork ribs, enough for a meal. They were marked down to $2.79 because they had a "sell by" date of today. They went into the freezer.
We picked up 4 whole chickens on special for $0.59 per pound. The limit was 4, so I'll be back each day until next Tuesday to stock up. Each whole chicken will make 2 meals for our family. They averaged less than $3.00 a piece. We cook those in the microwave with celery, carrots, potatoes and spices for a delicious meal! With the prices of these chickens and the cost of the vegetables at Aldi and Sam's, we will spend about $2.50 per meal. Winner.
I can see we are going to need to buy another freezer, especially since deer season is coming up.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Fresh Bread and 12 Minute Chicken
Lately, there are two things in my kitchen that I cannot live without: the bread machine and the Pampered Chef Deep Covered Baker. Both have enabled me to cook good food for my family without consuming store-bought food additives.
I inherited the bread machine from my husband's first marriage, along with a bunch of other really cool stuff and a sweet husband. Up until 3 months ago I never used it, probably out of intimidation. One day I decided to give it a try and it was so easy and fast - just dump in the ingredients and turn it on. Now we don't buy store-bought bread. Once you go to homemade bread, you won't go back. It is just SO GOOD, especially when it is still warm. We have saved so much money by making our own bread. Flour, oats and yeast are very cheap at Sam's Club. I bought my ingredients in bulk about 3 months ago and have made 3-4 loaves of bread each week for the past couple of months for the cost of about 20 loaves of inferior store-bought bread - and I still have a ton of ingredients left!
Then there is the Deep Covered Baker. Unfortunately, Pampered Chef doesn't sell them anymore, but I have found a similar microwave-safe clay baker at Sur La Table that would probably work just as well. They can be pricey ($70 - 100), but well worth the cost in terms of durability, convenience, time you save cooking, quality of food and using the microwave instead of the kitchen-heating oven. One might think the microwave would leave the food dried out and tough to eat, but food actually comes out very moist. You can cook 3 chicken breasts in 12 minutes, a whole chicken in 30 minutes or a whole chicken with veggies for less than an hour. I have also made some kick-booty baby back ribs and pasta dishes in the microwave in just minutes. We no longer buy chicken nuggets or frozen grilled chicken strips - we just cook the breasts in the microwave, divide them into portions and freeze them for healthy, non-processed food for our family.
If you have either of these items in a box in your closet - take them out and start using them. You'll be so glad you did! If you don't have either, they are certainly worth buying or receiving as gifts.
I inherited the bread machine from my husband's first marriage, along with a bunch of other really cool stuff and a sweet husband. Up until 3 months ago I never used it, probably out of intimidation. One day I decided to give it a try and it was so easy and fast - just dump in the ingredients and turn it on. Now we don't buy store-bought bread. Once you go to homemade bread, you won't go back. It is just SO GOOD, especially when it is still warm. We have saved so much money by making our own bread. Flour, oats and yeast are very cheap at Sam's Club. I bought my ingredients in bulk about 3 months ago and have made 3-4 loaves of bread each week for the past couple of months for the cost of about 20 loaves of inferior store-bought bread - and I still have a ton of ingredients left!
Then there is the Deep Covered Baker. Unfortunately, Pampered Chef doesn't sell them anymore, but I have found a similar microwave-safe clay baker at Sur La Table that would probably work just as well. They can be pricey ($70 - 100), but well worth the cost in terms of durability, convenience, time you save cooking, quality of food and using the microwave instead of the kitchen-heating oven. One might think the microwave would leave the food dried out and tough to eat, but food actually comes out very moist. You can cook 3 chicken breasts in 12 minutes, a whole chicken in 30 minutes or a whole chicken with veggies for less than an hour. I have also made some kick-booty baby back ribs and pasta dishes in the microwave in just minutes. We no longer buy chicken nuggets or frozen grilled chicken strips - we just cook the breasts in the microwave, divide them into portions and freeze them for healthy, non-processed food for our family.
If you have either of these items in a box in your closet - take them out and start using them. You'll be so glad you did! If you don't have either, they are certainly worth buying or receiving as gifts.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
Cheap Entertainment
Since I became a SAHM 3 months ago, it has been about 120 degrees outside every day. ;) Without cable television, I have had to get creative with entertaining my kids. Coloring, building castles with wooden blocks, and playing baby dolls can get old after a while. How do I reward my kids for being good? I take them to Walmart.
Walmart is not only entertaining for adults - we have all seen the People of Walmart website - it is a poor man's Disneyland for toddlers. My 2-year-old gets excited as soon as she hears the word. Just the ride to Walmart is exciting, as my 2-year-old likes to point out waterfalls (fountains, sprinklers, etc.) and lighthouses (cellphone towers) along the way. It seems we live in a very scenic part of the country...
Then she shouts "Walmart!" and the real fun begins. The girls like the shopping carts with the double toddler seats so they can sit side-by-side and giggle at each other.
We usually start out in the food section. My girls can spend 20 minutes just watching the chickens cooking on the rotisserie. We talk about all of the food we see. Then we make the rounds to the big televisions, the fish and the bicycles, pointing out letters and numbers on the store's signage along the way. If they behave themselves, they get to go through the ToyMuseum Department. The beauty of this is that they can look at the toys all they want, and even play with some, but we don't buy anything. Santa Claus gets some good ideas, and Mama is able to pick up a few necessities along the way.
Occasionally we shake up our routine and go to Lowes instead. Our local home improvement store is full of fun things for toddlers, and the girls get to drive the race car shopping cart through the store. Holiday yard decor, the outdoor garden center, the outdoor furniture and the ceiling fans are our favorite areas.
It doesn't take much to entertain my kids. Shopping is a real treat for them, and we usually run into nice old ladies along the way. I hope they never lose that sense of wonder and appreciation for the simple things in life like the rotisserie machine.
Walmart is not only entertaining for adults - we have all seen the People of Walmart website - it is a poor man's Disneyland for toddlers. My 2-year-old gets excited as soon as she hears the word. Just the ride to Walmart is exciting, as my 2-year-old likes to point out waterfalls (fountains, sprinklers, etc.) and lighthouses (cellphone towers) along the way. It seems we live in a very scenic part of the country...
Then she shouts "Walmart!" and the real fun begins. The girls like the shopping carts with the double toddler seats so they can sit side-by-side and giggle at each other.
We usually start out in the food section. My girls can spend 20 minutes just watching the chickens cooking on the rotisserie. We talk about all of the food we see. Then we make the rounds to the big televisions, the fish and the bicycles, pointing out letters and numbers on the store's signage along the way. If they behave themselves, they get to go through the Toy
Occasionally we shake up our routine and go to Lowes instead. Our local home improvement store is full of fun things for toddlers, and the girls get to drive the race car shopping cart through the store. Holiday yard decor, the outdoor garden center, the outdoor furniture and the ceiling fans are our favorite areas.
It doesn't take much to entertain my kids. Shopping is a real treat for them, and we usually run into nice old ladies along the way. I hope they never lose that sense of wonder and appreciation for the simple things in life like the rotisserie machine.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Frozen Salmon on Tuesdays
A couple of days ago, one of my Facebook friends mentioned he was eating fish for dinner. About 5 of us piled on and commented that we, too, were having the same thing. I would eat fish every day of the week if I could, which brings me to one of my favorite food topics these days: SALMON. I'm going to start pronouncing it "SAL-mon" since there is an "L" in it. Take that Merriam-Webster!
Once each week we try to have salmon filets. They are filled with Omega-3's, low in calories and high in protein. We usually pair it with bread and a salad. Sometimes I cook fresh veggies from the garden or I microwave or stir-fry bags of frozen veggies with a little soy sauce and olive oil. [Shopping tips for the frugal: field green salad mix from Sam's Club - a huge box for less than $4 lasts us a week at our house; almost-free salad dressings we buy during triple-coupon days at Harris-Teeter; frozen veggies - Sugar Snap Peas Stir Fry blend, Walmart Great Value brand is very cheap).
We buy the bags of frozen, individually-wrapped SALmon filets at Walmart for about $5 for a bag of 4. The best part about the individually-wrapped filets is that they can be thawed in the sink in minutes if you forget to thaw them in the refrigerator ahead of time. This multi-tasker tosses the frozen filets in with the dish water - they are vacuum-sealed, so no soap gets in!
I used to brush them lightly with olive oil or butter, then sprinkle a little dried dill weed and some pepper on them. Easy enough, but I wanted to make it taste like gourmet food since our budget no longer allows for eating out. After searching the internet and combining a few ideas from various websites, I came up with 2 of our favorite salmon recipes:
1 - Bourbon Salmon: a shot of cheap bourbon, a shot of olive oil and a tablespoon of soy sauce.
2 - Marinated Salmon: 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 or 3 tablespoons each of butter, soy sauce, lemon juice and cheap or leftover white wine (Leftover wine? Who has leftover wine?).
Mix the stuff together, dump it over the salmon. We bake them at 400-425 degrees for about 15 minutes, basting them in the juices every 5 minutes. After-dinner cleanup is easy if you line your pan with aluminum foil.
Either recipe is just delicious. The kids like it, too.
*** While I'm thinking about it: if you need outdoor furniture, now is the time to get it. Lowes has everything marked down to 50% off right now. We bought a very nice market umbrella for our back deck today for less than $40. Our 2-year-old was delighted with the "big red octagon", and it covers half of our deck. Now if only the temperatures would break... here in the Carolinas it looks like it will take another month for fall to come around.
And now I leave you with a Haiku:
How I love salmon
I add the missing "L" sound
Just like Grandma did.
(I miss you Grandma Pressley. You left us in September, and it's always a hard time of year. Might have to blog about Grandma-isms one of these days.)
Love,
Cindy
Once each week we try to have salmon filets. They are filled with Omega-3's, low in calories and high in protein. We usually pair it with bread and a salad. Sometimes I cook fresh veggies from the garden or I microwave or stir-fry bags of frozen veggies with a little soy sauce and olive oil. [Shopping tips for the frugal: field green salad mix from Sam's Club - a huge box for less than $4 lasts us a week at our house; almost-free salad dressings we buy during triple-coupon days at Harris-Teeter; frozen veggies - Sugar Snap Peas Stir Fry blend, Walmart Great Value brand is very cheap).
We buy the bags of frozen, individually-wrapped SALmon filets at Walmart for about $5 for a bag of 4. The best part about the individually-wrapped filets is that they can be thawed in the sink in minutes if you forget to thaw them in the refrigerator ahead of time. This multi-tasker tosses the frozen filets in with the dish water - they are vacuum-sealed, so no soap gets in!
I used to brush them lightly with olive oil or butter, then sprinkle a little dried dill weed and some pepper on them. Easy enough, but I wanted to make it taste like gourmet food since our budget no longer allows for eating out. After searching the internet and combining a few ideas from various websites, I came up with 2 of our favorite salmon recipes:
1 - Bourbon Salmon: a shot of cheap bourbon, a shot of olive oil and a tablespoon of soy sauce.
2 - Marinated Salmon: 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 or 3 tablespoons each of butter, soy sauce, lemon juice and cheap or leftover white wine (Leftover wine? Who has leftover wine?).
Mix the stuff together, dump it over the salmon. We bake them at 400-425 degrees for about 15 minutes, basting them in the juices every 5 minutes. After-dinner cleanup is easy if you line your pan with aluminum foil.
Either recipe is just delicious. The kids like it, too.
*** While I'm thinking about it: if you need outdoor furniture, now is the time to get it. Lowes has everything marked down to 50% off right now. We bought a very nice market umbrella for our back deck today for less than $40. Our 2-year-old was delighted with the "big red octagon", and it covers half of our deck. Now if only the temperatures would break... here in the Carolinas it looks like it will take another month for fall to come around.
And now I leave you with a Haiku:
How I love salmon
I add the missing "L" sound
Just like Grandma did.
(I miss you Grandma Pressley. You left us in September, and it's always a hard time of year. Might have to blog about Grandma-isms one of these days.)
Love,
Cindy
New to this!
A year ago, I spent a couple of months in the hospital with a complicated pregnancy. My daily life went from managing a successful career and my home while being a wife and mother to lying on my side in a hospital 45 minutes from home all by myself. I had HOURS/DAYS/WEEKS of nothing to do but surf the internet, watch television and post the details of my boring hospital stay on Facebook (anyone remember the "I have the best blood pressure on the hall!" post???). A friend suggested I start a blog. I've never been a writer, so I didn't seriously consider it. The baby was born and I went back to work.
Now that I am a Stay at Home Mom, I am exploring more ways to live frugally and simply and I am rediscovering my love of cooking. Between all of that, my life experiences and being Mama to 2 beautiful daughters (11 mos and 2 1/2 years), there just might be enough of interesting stuff to write about a couple of times each week. My goal is to share information that may help others to live simply, not just to make this an "all about me" blog.
I hope this is an enjoyable experience for all of us. Let me know what you think!
Love,
Cindy
Now that I am a Stay at Home Mom, I am exploring more ways to live frugally and simply and I am rediscovering my love of cooking. Between all of that, my life experiences and being Mama to 2 beautiful daughters (11 mos and 2 1/2 years), there just might be enough of interesting stuff to write about a couple of times each week. My goal is to share information that may help others to live simply, not just to make this an "all about me" blog.
I hope this is an enjoyable experience for all of us. Let me know what you think!
Love,
Cindy
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