This Month’s Favorite Articles ~December 2010

Sometimes is it funny to see which articles are popular each month.  Here’s a few from this month.

1.  Paper Jamz Review
I did this one a few month’s ago and it’s still the top article each month.

2. Tassimo T20 Brewbot Review – So Simple a Five Year Old Can Do It
I enjoyed reviewing the Brewbot and continue to appreciate the coffee from it.  My kids like to make me coffee because it’s so easy.

3.  30 Ways to Clean with Vinegar
I wrote this post this summer.  If you haven’t read it, you might want to take a look.  I clean most of my house with vinegar.  It is a safe and inexpensive way to clean.

4.  CVS Deals 7/13/10
I have no idea why this is a top read.  Just what of those unexplained things I guess.

5.  Bumble Bee Foods BlogHer Party
I was a representative for Bumble Bee Foods.  They sponsored my trip to BlogHer and I attended a party where I met Chef Scott Leibfried of Hell’s Kitchen.

6.  12 Tips for Regifting
It is said that 2 out of 3 people have regifted or thought of regifting.  Consider doing something useful with those unwanted gifts.

7.  Menu Plan Monday ~ December 20

8.  Oreo Truffles Recipe
This is the first time I have made these.  They were very rich.  You don’t need to eat many of them.

9.  This Week’s CVS Deals ~ December 26

10.  Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe
I have been making this recipe for at least eight years. It is a Thanksgiving and Christmas favorite.

Which article was your favorite?

Tune into The Sound of Music This Sunday

I normally don’t write about movies and tv shows, but this one is special so I thought I’d announce it.

Sunday December 26th, 7:00 p.m et. (check local listings)  – THE SOUND OF MUSIC airs in HDTV as the “ABC Sunday Movie of the week”

Monday December 27th, check local listings – THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW re-broadcasts THE SOUND OF MUSIC reunion episode.

Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is also celebrating the 45th anniversary of the five-time Academy Award-winning The Sound Of Music by releasing a restored and remastered version in Blu-Ray and High Defnition.  You can purchase the movie on Blu-Ray or dvd. 

I plan to use my DVR to record the movie for our Friday night family movie night. 

My Personal Christmas Wish List

It is a rare thing that I make a Christmas wish list.  I am not a materialist person.  I strive to live beneath my means, save money, and cut out expenses wherever I can.  The past few years have been very tough on us financially.  We have moved, had a house unsold for nearly a year, two house payments, a big financial loss on our home, loss of a job, etc.  I know not to ask for anything this year because realistically it’s just not going to happen.  Sometimes it’s nice to dream a little though. 

So if money were not an option, I would want:

1.  A vacation - Due to the above mentioned reasons, we have not been on vacation in yearssssss.  I desperately want to go somewhere and have a good time with my husband.

2.  Stand mixer - In the past few years I have been doing more and more cooking from scratch.  A stand mixer would be nice for making breads and such.

3.  Food processor - This year I canned tomatoes and salsa and I cooked and froze pumpkin.  Once again, I am doing more cooking from scratch and a food processor would really help relieve some of the frustration involved.

4.  Panini maker - This one is for my husband.  He has been wanting one.

5.  A new wardrobe - I started staying home with the kids over seven years ago.  I have been adding clearanced pieces here and there but it is very rare that I get new clothes and my wardrobe is looking pitiful.

These are my personal wishes.  Of course, if I were asking for something not for myself I would ask for all of the children in the world to be clothed, fed, and loved.  I would ask that all of the orphans have a home.  No matter how badly our circumstances are we have so much to be thankful for as we are so blessed and rich in the United States.

What’s on your Christmas wish list this year?

A Thrifty Way to Stuff Shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child

For the past 13 years, I have stuffed shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritan’s Purse.   How many shoeboxes we fill depends upon our budget and how many bargains I find during the year.  One year I put together 11 shoeboxes and this year I only did three. 

I do want you to know that you can fill a shoebox for very little money.  It just takes some creative thinking and shopping throughout the year.  Each year I take advantage of after season sales, back-to-school sales, CVS free items (from coupons and extra care bucks) and clearanced items.  I keep a tote in my garage with the items I collect and then in November I use these items to stuff shoeboxes.

Tonight we put together our shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. Here is a list of the things that were in one of the boxes and the cost involved.

• composition notebook  – $.10 back-to-school sale
• doodle pad – $.50 clearance
• pencil pouch – $.25 September school clearance
• pencils – $.10
• mechanical pencils $.10
• toothbrush – free
• toothpaste – free
• Don’t Break the Ice travel game – $.30 after Christmas clearance last year
• Polly Pocket car with doll – free with coupon
• gloves – $.25 after winter clearance
• soap – $.25
• socks – $.25 clearance
• teddy bear – $.25 yard sale (new, still in plastic)
• Crayola crayons – $.25 back-to-school clearance
• tote bag –  $1.00, Target 90% off clearance
• pencil sharpener – $.25
• small toys – free
• washcloth $.25 (from a multi-pack on clearance)
• candy – free (We had a bunch of candy from a church fall festival two weeks ago.)
• chapstick – $.10 (clearanced multi-pack)

As you can see, we were able to fill a shoebox with nice gifts for less than $5.  This shoebox may be the first gift this child has ever received.  Sarah Pinnix from RealLifeBlog.net has posted an informative video explaining more about OCC. 

My kids were so proud of the shoeboxes.  Filling these shoeboxes provides an opportunity to teach children to be thankful for what they have, to tell them about others that are less fortunate, and to pray for others.  It’s a hands-on lesson in compassion for others.

National Collection week is November 15-22.  Check out the OCC website to download shoebox labels, find out acceptable items for the shoeboxes, local drop off locations, or to donate online.  Samaritan’s Purse is a reputable non-profit organization that also provides emergency relief.

BeeWell for Life: Free Resources for a Healthy Life

Bumble Bee Foods has introduced BeeWell for Life, a site that provides resources and tools to help consumers achieve a healthy lifestyle and make a difference in the lives of those touched by breast cancer.

BeeWell for Life features blogs written by Coach Jenny Hadfield as well as nutritionists Willow Jarosh and Stephanie Clark. Online tools are available to measure energy balance. Members can access and manage the impact of their daily activities to make the most of their healthy lifestyle.

My favorite part of the BeeWell for Life website is that we can make a difference in others’ lives. For every mile members walk, run, or bike, Bumble Bee donates $.15/mile to Breast Cancer Network of Strength. Up to $200,000 will be donated. Every mile makes a difference. This is going until October 31, 2010 so hurry and become a free member so that you can make an impact!

Bumble Bee has also made healthy living a bit easier for those of us on the go.  You cand download the mobile app and track your miles from your mobile device.

I am member of the Bumble Bee Foods Bee Squad.  I also attended the Bumble Bee Foods BlogHer Party, but I am not obligated to write about their products.

Happy Blogoversary to Me!

Back in 2004, I was a young part-time working mommy at a local preschool.  Each day on my way home from work, I would listen to a bit of The Clark Howard Show.  Clark would talk about saving money and he would take calls from listeners who needed financial advice.  Saving money was something my mom taught me and so it was of interest to me.

Flash forward to 2006. I was still listening to Clark Howard and enjoying his money saving advice. I remember one time I sent out a ranting email about how Americans spent $1.50 for each dollar they earn and that it was going to catch up with us soon.  Unfortunately, it did catch up with us.  On a positive note, my soapbox episode landed me a job working as a blogger writing about saving money.

Since then, the big company and I have parted ways but I still love to save money.  Blogging has challenged me to find more ways to save money, helped me with financial accountability, allowed me to earn money, and provided many other opportunities for networking and meeting others.

It’s hard to believe it’s been four years.  I hope you’ll stay with me on the financial journey as I discover more ways to save money.

Sick and Tired

In case you’re wondering, I haven’t disappeared. School started back last week. Things started out fine and then somehow I got sick with some terrible allergies or a cold (not sure which). It’s been a tough week for me as I haven’t had any energy when I get home. Today is day 7 of the sickness so I hope that I’ll be feeling better soon. I look forward to posting some money saving tips or sales this weekend.

I hope you all are well!

Reusable Gifts Bags Might Be a Frugal Choice

One of the newest products in green living are reusable gift bags.  These bags are durable and as you can see from the picture, they are attractive as well.

There are some pros and cons of reusable bags to consider.

Pros:

1. The gift bags are reusable.
2. They come in many attractive designs and colors.
3. You could use them for other purposes such as a tote bag or lunch bag.

Cons or things to consider:

1. You can also reuse paper gift bags that others give to you and wouldn’t need to buy any.
2. Since these bags are new on the market, you probably won’t find them on clearance.  You can find regular paper gift bags on clearance.
3. Would you hang on to the bag and use it again and again, or would it just become more useless clutter?

I’m not saying that these reusable bags are the wrong choice.  I actually like the idea.  The thing is, I have a whole under-the-bed box full of other paper gift bags so it’s unlikely that I’ll be buying any of the reusable bags soon.  Also, at $2.99 each, I probably wouldn’t purchase them.  Some people may pay $3-5 for a gift bag, but that’s not my kind of thing.  I’m sure there are other places to purchase the bags for a more affordable price.  Who knows, maybe the Dollar Tree will start carrying them soon.

What are your thoughts on the reusable gift bags?

image (c) Karen Weideman

Bumble Bee Foods BlogHer Party

As I have mentioned before, I am a representative for Bumble Bee Foods.  This year for BlogHer, Bumble Bee Foods threw a party for other bloggers.  

Chef Scott Leibfried was at the party to fix up some of his super easy recipes using Bumble Bee products.  At the party, he made three of his recipes.  They were so delicious!

Here are some of the members of the Bee Squad at the party with Chef Scott. It looks as though there is also a party guest in the picture.

Chef Scott is preparing the Asian Tuna Wraps.  These were sooo good!  It reminded me of an old favorite Asian Bistro I used to frequent. 

Here are the Asian Tuna Wraps that Chef Scott made. Sorry for the very poor picture quality.  It was a spur-of-the-moment picture and I did not set my camera correctly.  You can see a better picture by clicking on the actual recipe.

This is Chef Scott and me.  He was very friendly and easy to talk to.  He answered people’s questions and entertained us all with his delicious recipes.

Before leaving the party, I had Chef Scott sign my Lands’ End tote bag that we were given at the party.  In case you are wondering what it says, it’s “Cook Well”.

You can find more recipes at the Bumble Bee Foods website.

Picture 1 is used by permission of Elizabeth at Table 4 Five. All other photos belong to me.
Disclaimer: Bumble Bee Foods sponsored my trip to BlogHer.

Wordy Wednesday: From My Yard

We purchased our home less than a year ago. During this time, we have thoroughly enjoyed watching the flowers and plants arrive during different times of the year.  It seems as though when one plant becomes dormant, another blooms. 

Here are a few recent pictures from my yard.

I’ve been trying to figure out the name of this one. According to some googling, it appears to be an Agastache Blue Fortune. If that is incorrect, please let me know. Thanks.

Beautiful Phlox.  All of the plants and flowers in my yard are low maintenance, which is a definite plus for me!

I have always thought these were Black Eyed Susans but when I was looking on a website today, they had these listed as Redbeckia Goldsturm.  Perhaps that is the proper name for them.  Are these Black Eyed Susans to you?

This is a low growing creeper and looks great around the rock border.  It looks like this through nearly the entire year.  I would like to have more of this plant, so I would appreciate anyone helping me to identify it.

Happy Wednesday!

images (c) Karen Weideman

« Previous Page — Next Page »