This and That

I have a bunch of not-so-related items today...starting with the Fridgesmart giveaway winner. Megg, you've been emailed...congratulations! And thanks to everyone else who entered. I hope you will check out Gretchen's Tupperware site if you are interested in getting some Fridgesmart stuff of your own.

It was a crazy week around here; both our little ones came down with stomach bugs. Thankfully they were 12 hour bugs, and even more thankfully, Martin and I only suffered from lack of appetite! But something like that always makes me feel behind for a few days. I tried to do some fun things once we started feeling better, including our second batch of Homemade Turkish Delight! E loves the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and so she is particularly enamored with making something from the book.

We used this recipe from Sprinkle Bakes...made in the microwave! The second time around was wayyy better; I adjusted the microwave cook times because I halved the recipe. I'm really impressed with this Turkish Delight - it melts in your mouth!

Trying to take advantage of the great Fall weather, I took the kiddos to the park this morning. My little man knocked his chin climbing and bit into his tongue. And for 11 months old this kid has quite a mouthful of teeth. He's got three nice tooth marks in his tongue now, but thankfully a phone call to the doctor was all that was necessary. 

I'm pretty sure I have some dessert to dump for Food Waste Friday today. Does anyone else waste dessert?It was leftover from a family get together over Labor Day and with all the stomach bug stuff I think it will probably get dumped this afternoon!

I'm hoping our trip to Colchester Farm is uneventful so that I can get a picture of our CSA items up tomorrow morning!

Ah...summertime!

I feel like things can tend to get really hectic in the summer...places to go, people to see, all sorts of fun things to do...I'm trying to make sure that I take time to be in the moment this summer. Here's a few of the (thrifty) things I'm doing:

Sun-tea (brewed in my backyard). In an adorable mason-jar glass (a hand-me-down from my MIL)

A good detective novel (from my local library).

Watering and tending the garden with my 2-year-old (excited to see how far these zucchini have come already!). And anticipating new recipes to use up the oodles of squash growing in my little raised bed garden!

Grilling for dinner (to keep the heat outside) and working on my hot dog challenge for this summer! (Texas Ranger dogs, copycat of Johnnie's Dog House).

What ways are you enjoying the moments this summer?

Food Waste Friday

I've been participating in Food Waste Friday with The Frugal Girl for a while now; I go through our fridge (and freezer) on Friday and toss anything that has gone bad. I also take a look at what needs to be used up so that it does not go bad and try to work that into our meals over the next few days. This has really helped us to throw out less food (and so we're actually buying less because we're using what we've already bought!).

This week's casualties were fairly limited -- a very mushy and fuzzy cucumber and a little serving of a fruity dessert that was looking like a science experiment.

We have leftovers in the fridge that will get used up this weekend, so I'm shooting for a no waste week next week!

Amazon is still running lightning deals, so if you are looking to do some online shopping, that would be a great place to start.

You can still stock up on Yardley soap through Saturday at Walgreens for just 69 cents a bar. This is a great deal, and perfect for homemade laundry detergent!

My husband and I had a blast using our free movie tickets last night! Be on the look out for specially marked cereal boxes for tickets of your own!

Staying cool on another 100+ degree day

We've got another day of temperatures over 100 degrees here in Delaware. Everything is getting pretty burnt to a crisp, especially since we have only had a thunderstorm or two in the last few weeks also. We're trying to stay cool, and really having a pretty good time along the way!

The ceiling fans are always on (except for taking pictures of them :-)


We had breakfast in the pool!

It was already above 90 by 9 this morning!

The a/c at our local library felt great!

We picked out some great new books (including Bob and Otto - too cute!)

Leftover pasta salad from last night made for another great cold meal.

And local peaches were a hit too!

And I just set out some sun tea out back for a refreshing treat with dinner, which will be grilled chicken wraps with plenty of cold veggies.

How are you handling the heat? Any other ways that you and your family are keeping cool?

Smarter Spammers - Beware!

Over the last week, I have received several different "spam" emails that appear to be from totally legitimate companies (Amazon, Google, Twitter, Facebook, and Hallmark). The email has the logo of the company in it and looks very official. The tip off is that all of the emails have attachments and the message of the emails tells me to "open the attachment to see _______" whatever it is that particular company might really email me about.

For Hallmark it was an e-card, but Hallmark e-cards tell you who they are from (this one did not) and there is a link to follow to the online card (not ever an attachment).

For Facebook, it said I had a new message (which can be viewed on facebook's site, not an attachment to an email).

For Amazon, it was in reference to an order with an order number (but there was no link, just the attachment).

Be very cautious with emails like these! The first few did not go into my spam folder because they looked real. After I reported them as spam, they have been going to the spam folder. I have also only noticed these in the email address that I use for my survey companies/free samples. This may or may not be a coincidence, so just be aware that these emails are looking much more like legitimate emails than they used to!

Reducing our Paper Waste

Today, many blogs are sharing tips for how to conserve more and waste less in honor of Earth Day. While I think it is good that there is a day to help us remember that we need to take care of our planet, I also think it is more important to be a good steward of the planet on a daily basis. For our family, this means taking practical steps to make our daily routine more "green".

One of the biggest things that we have done over the past year is working to reduce the amount of paper waste we throw out. We used to go through a TON of paper towels, and often it was just for something as simple as spilled water on the counter or floor. The same was true for paper napkins - we'd use them for something little and then toss the napkin in the trash.

So, about this time last year, I went to Walmart and bought a pack of 18 washcloths for $4. We keep these in our napkin holder near the table. It looks a little funny, but they sure get the job done.

When I need to wipe up condensation from the table after dinner, I use a washcloth. If I'm wiping down the counter tops after cleaning up the kitchen, I use a washcloth. To clean off my daughter's sticky fingers and face after a meal, we grab a washcloth (instead of a wet wipe!).

After they've been used, we make a pile in the kitchen, which I take to the laundry room at night to be washed with the next load. Since we have so many, we never run out, and I actually prefer them to paper towels! A regular wash cloth is thicker so it gets grime up better AND cleans better when it is wet. I try not to cringe when we are over at people's houses and see them going through paper towels sometimes!

We've cut way back on our paper towel usage and we use no paper napkins (except if we're having a party). I know we've saved a ton of money on paper products, but we've also drastically reduced the amount of paper waste that we throw out. It's great to see all of the good things that have come from such a simple change.

Have you started anything in the last year that has cut down on your waste? Using washcloths is a super easy place to start! Also, think about going through your fridge once a week to see what food needs to be used up before it goes bad...you can check back tomorrow to see how we did this week with Food Waste Friday!

What makes a good deal?

Many of the things that I post about are "deals". But what is a deal? Or rather, what makes a good deal? Pretty much every week there is something at Rite Aid that is free after single check rebate. Every store puts out a weekly ad that is filled with sales. And don't forget about all the internet shopping options: overstock sites, Amazon, cash back sites....and credit card points.

With how much you can save, its tempting to spend.

The biggest way to save money is to just not spend it. Obviously that cannot work with everything, especially now as we are entering the gift hunting season. I thought I would share a few thoughts about what, in my opinion, makes a deal "good".


1. You can afford it.
Affording the 5 cent candy after sale and coupon isn't what I'm driving at here. That falls more into the second point. Maybe a better way to think about it is the question, "Is this the best use of my resources right now?" If I am at the grocery and I see a deal where I can get cereal on sale AND I have a coupon -- I'm there! But say my budget for the shopping trip is $30 and my current groceries cost $30. Chances are that I have the money to spend on cereal (although if I'm shopping with cash, maybe not). Do we eat cereal? Sure, but because of careful shopping, we have several boxes of cereal at home. In this situation, it is probably better for me to wait and buy the cereal when I had planned to buy it. Or, if I really think I can't pass up the cereal sale, I could put something else back to stay within my budgeted amount.

Only you know how your budget works. I try to keep mine flexible enough that I can go over in one area, providing that I make up for it in another area.

When it comes to Christmas gifts, the best way I know to shop is to have a budgeted amount to spend for a certain person and then to stick within that amount. For many of us that is a no brainer, but it really is important.


2. You need it.
Now there is something to be said for getting a product just because it is free, and then giving it to someone who can use it. I requested a free sample of dog food once. We don't have a dog, but I gave it to friends who do. I probably will not do that again, however, because it took me upwards of a month from when I received the sample to actually get it to them! Likewise, a couple weeks ago I could have gotten Super Polygrip for free at Rite Aid and I had a coupon...woohoo! Except I don't use it (thankfully) and I would have had to ask around to give it away. I probably could have found someone who would benefit, but the time involved to shop for the product and then donate it was a commodity that I did not have to spare then.

This point is not as helpful in relation to Christmas shopping, because many times a gift is something that a person wants and may not need. But the basic idea applies. I'm not going to buy my husband a 1354 4-By Rack Tackle System just because it is on super clearance because he hasn't fished in years and it is not something that we have time or effort for right now.

A few other thoughts about "deal" shopping.

It takes time to learn what is a good deal for you and your household. I stocked up on $.99 toothpaste at Rite Aid a while back. I've since learned that I can get the same toothpaste for $1 at the Dollar Tree or I can get better toothpaste for free periodically from Rite Aid.

Just because something is 70% off does not mean it is cheap! Sometimes I'll see online that a SuperExpensiveBrandNameCompany is having a clearance sale. Well 50% off of $300 shoes is still$150! Would I normally pay $150 for shoes? So just because they were $300 does not make it a good deal for me.

The deceptive "you saved $48.72!" at the grocery. The more important number is how much you spent. If you are able to save $48.72 and only spend $5, that is probably a good thing! But if you bought 6 bottles of Mop and Glow for your 10 by 10 kitchen because each bottle was a $4 savings....not so much.

I try to evaluate the cost of what I'm buying by comparing it to homemade. There are tons of coupons for laundry detergent, and tons of sales. I recently bought those new Purex 3 in 1 sheets (because they were free), but normally I write laundry detergent sales off as one less thing that I need to think about, because I am able to make my own for so cheap. Plus, I prefer what I can make to most anything out there!

Lastly, it has been really helpful for me to remember that there is always another deal. Maybe not for the exactly same thing or exactly the same price, although most products do go on sale more than once! Many things rotate when they are a good deal -- the way fruits and veggies go in and out of season.

Do you have any additional input about how you make your budget work for your family?

Tying up some loose ends

I wanted to touch on a couple different things today.

Acme

I went to Acme today and can confirm that both the fruit snack and Pillsbury catalina deals are working. There are even $1/2 coupons in the refrigerated isle for many different Pillsbury products. My $10/$25 purchase did not print out for my first transaction, so I had to go to customer service and get them to print it for me. If your catalina does not print and you know you bought the right things, don't be afraid to ask them to give it to you! They had to try twice to get mine to print, but I was able to finally get it.

Rite Aid

I didn't get around to posting about Rite Aid this weekend (we had a lot of family and friends over this weekend for my daughter's dedication at church)...there are many cold care items that are free after single check rebate. My favorite is the EOS lip balm. This is awesome lip balm....not only does it look really cool, it tastes great (and is free after SCR)! When I was there today they were low in the chapstick section, but there were more of this lip balm by the registers.

Also (and this is huge!), my friend MVB told me that she was able to use the $5/$25 purchase coupon along with the $5/$20 purchase Video Values coupon in the same transaction. I went today and I was able to do the same!

Walgreens

I prefer Rite Aid to Walgreens 9 times out of 10, but I will be going to Walgreens this week to pick up some Yardley Almond Soap for making laundry detergent. It is on sale for $.69 this week, so I'm stocking up!

Target

The Playskool musical sit-n-spin is on sale for $20 at Target this week - which means you can get it for $10 by using the $10 off coupon from coupons.com or from the Sunday paper inserts from yesterday.