Frugal Summer Fun

As summer vacation draws to a close (at least here it does), I've been thinking about the ways that I've been keeping my kids entertained all summer long (without breaking the bank…).

THE LIBRARY--has been huge for my kids this summer!  Not only did both of my boys get library cards, but they also offer many summer reading events throughout June and July.  We had a really awesome library system in MI that gave you points for books you read over the summer that you could turn in for prizes.  Check out your local library for the summer reading program near you!

THE DISNEY STORE--is offering Summer Play Days everyday all summer long (even after school starts back up here).  There are various events (story time, trivia, learn to draw etc.) that occur every day at the store for free.  At the end of each event, the kids are given a wrist band with a different Tsum Tsum character on it.  A new bracelet is available starting on Wednesday of every week.

POOL PASSES--Our township offers pool passes for residents to use the 14 or so township pools.  The cost for my family of 5 is about $140 total for all summer long.  With an admission of $6 per person per day, the season pass more than pays for itself and its a relatively inexpensive option once you shell out the initial amount.

MEMBERSHIPS--Use those memberships to museums.  You've probably already paid for them so all you need to do is pack a lunch and you've got a frugal, fun day/afternoon/morning planned.

PINTEREST--There are numerous ideas for keeping kids entertained on Pinterest.  My kids gave all of our Cars a bath the other day on the back porch and all it required of me was 2 deep pans filled with water and a water/soap mixture.  I saw an idea for a marble maze that looked pretty awesome too that we might try (once I get a large box to use).

PLAYDATES WITH FRIENDS--We have gotten together with numerous friends from school and church all summer long too.  Gather some phone numbers for friends (or neighbors) and text and set up some playdates.  I've found that if I do the initiating (which is often the hardest part for some…), its super easy to find some friends to hang with (and most of the moms are appreciative that you reached out).

I'm sure there are some other great ideas that I've missed but hopefully this list is a great starting place.  Happy Summer!

Free Township/City Events

Since we've moved several times across several states for the last nine years, I always make it a point to seek out free community events in the area.  Not only do they load you up with all sorts of freebies (I got my favorite hat free at an event), but they can provide you with valuable resources and information for the area in which you live.

The Meet Your Local Community (fill in the blank) are really valuable because not only do you learn about things like neighborhood watch and numbers for the fire department/police but because you can learn about things that are offered free to residents (or you are already paying for in your taxes…).  My kids got to grab some donuts and some activity books and sit in some fire vehicles while my husband and I learned about neighborhood watch, vacation watch, the best way to control the TX mosquitos in our backyard and free engravers (to put identification numbers on your valuables if they ever get stolen) and paint kits (for painting your house number on the curb).  All of these things were very useful to us as newcomers to the community.

I encourage you to check out the websites for your local township or city and see what events they are holding (most of the time they are free!).  Educate yourselves on your community and build relationships with the emergency personnel where you live.  What do you have to lose anyway?

Wholesale Shipped to Your Door? With Discounts and Rewards Points!?

I recently discovered Boxed.com.  What is it?  It's a website that sells wholesale items without you having to pay a membership fee.  I love this as its a bit complicated to get to the wholesale clubs near me and doesn't justify me going for the few things I'd buy.

Are there discounts on items?  You bet!  They also have a rewards program where you earn points for credit on their website.  And there are some great discount codes for their website too.  I have yet to pay full price for an order.  Here's a code for a $15 credit just for signing up: QWXWS.

Their shipping is super fast too.  I put in an order around 3pm CST yesterday and my order will reach me here in TX from GA tomorrow.  They state that it usually takes 3-4 business days to receive your order.

All in all, I'm impressed.  I can get Annie's fruit snacks for my kids without paying close to $5 a box for 5 packets.  Thirty-six packets are $14.99 on sale right now!  I also stocked up on baking powder and condiments.   Need diapers?  They have them too!  They also carry Honest brand which is chlorine free and better for the environment.   If you live in select areas of Brooklyn or Manhattan they are also testing delivering perishable groceries (read: fruits and veggies, frozen etc.)  Check it out.  I love not having to drag my kids to the warehouse club and ending up with a whole bunch of stuff I didn't need….

Lower cost napkins for the kids

I have a 5, 3, and 1 year old.  My kids are notorious for making a mess of their faces and hands at every meal.  I don't have an exact count on how many paper napkins we'd go through but it would be a lot and I'd be buying them frequently.  Therefore, to not only save some money but also some trees, I purchased some kids' washcloths to use instead.  

You can pick them up at Target or TJMaxx, Ross, or Marshalls for fairly inexpensive (even better if you can find some with the red markdown sticker, because honestly, who cares if they are hot green or mud brown if you are going to wipe a dirty face with them?)  I can get them wet if I need to and add a little soap (Can paper napkins or paper towels do this WITHOUT falling apart or living paper traces?) or the kids can use them dry.  I throw them in with my towel laundry so its not like I have to do extra special loads to keep them clean.  I save the environment and my money :)  

See what I mean?

Craft Supplies on the Cheap

My kids like to do crafts.  I don't like to spend a ton of money on craft supplies though.  I've begun over the years (like before my oldest was born), to collect craft supplies when I find them super cheap somewhere (free, on clearance, given to me from a friend, recycled from other things I purchased, etc.).

Now, I don't go crazy and I'm not a pack rat by any stretch of the imagination.  I have one stacking bin with pull out drawers to fill.  I fill it with little things: paper, markers, crayons, stamps, pads, pipe cleaners, buttons, etc.  Whenever I happen to be somewhere and there's a really good deal on something, I pick them up and put them in the bin.

All the little things I picked up over the years are kept in that bin and now my kids help themselves to craft supplies and paper to make their masterpieces.  I encourage them to use their imaginations with what I have on hand instead of making trips to the craft store for specific things.

Crafting…cheaper.

Kitchen Creativity

We are getting ready to move out of state.  That means I need to start paring down my pantry and finish up all the stuff in my freezer.  I am finding that in order to clean them out and use everything in there I'm having to be very creative in the kitchen when it comes to meals.   This means that I'm also saving money but not being wasteful (i.e. trying to use absolutely everything up) and not going grocery shopping.

I got to thinking that this is not only a good tactic for when one is getting ready to move but living solely on what you have in your freezer, fridge and pantry can be a good exercise to save some money in any given month.  Inevitably, you stock up on stuff that's on sale some weeks so there's always something lying around that you can whip up in a creative dish.

Heck, you could make it a challenge and see what any given family member can come up with with only the ingredients on hand!  Whoever has the best sounding dish, gets their dish prepared for dinner that night…Better yet, make the winner prepare said dish!

Moral: Save money.  Be less wasteful.  Have some family fun on a boring Sunday evening.

Dinner Pancakes…My 4 year old loves 'em!

I usually feel like I have to pull teeth to get my 4 year old to eat any vegetables.  But if I make Dinner Pancakes, he just eats them up.  He knows there are vegetables in them, but he loves them anyway!  Here is my working recipe for Dinner Pancakes:

pancake mix (your favorite store bought or homemade)
some vegetables (I've used broccoli, mushrooms, onions, corn, carrots, and zucchini)
olive oil

I start by chopping up the vegetables into small pieces.  Then I sauté them until soft in a pan with some olive oil.  I mix up the pancake mix for however many pancakes I want.  Then I add the cooked veggies to the mix.  Then I just make the pancakes as usual in an olive oil coated pan.  Serve with some sour cream.  That's it!  Be creative and try new combinations.  You may discover one you really love.  I love adding corn to mine since it gives it a bit of a sweet taste.

This is a great way to use some veggies that need to be used in the fridge.  It also takes little time to throw together.  It's also frugal since its meatless.  It's a total win-win; I save money and my four year old eats veggies…

Our Healthy and Frugal Ice Cream

My kids love ice cream (who doesn't?).  However, its not exactly cheap or completely healthy.  So my kids love to help me make Banana Swirl (which is what my kids call it after they saw it on an episode of Daniel Tiger's neighborhood).  

It starts with some frozen bananas.  Whenever I buy bananas at the store, they always manage to get a bit more ripe than my kids like for eating before we eat them all.  Those bananas that are starting to get lots of brown spots on the peel, I peel and throw in a container in the freezer.  When I want to make some banana swirl, I just pull out the container and throw them in the blender with a few more ingredients.  Below is our favorite recipe for Banana Swirl:

some frozen overripe bananas (as many as you would like)
about a 1/2 cup of milk (can be adjusted for the number of bananas and other ingredients you are using)
a few squirts of chocolate syrup

Add all the ingredients to the blender.  Blend until desired consistency is reached.  I usually end up with a consistency of a Wendy's frosty which is perfect!  Then enjoy!

Must Haves for Baby

Since baby number three arrived last month, I've been thinking about all the baby things that I absolutely wouldn't live without (as well as those that I never opened).  At the top of the list is definitely some waterproof pads.  I use them for everything (changing pads, to put down on the changing table to stop pee from "traveling,").  I love using them in the crib for when my baby leaks through her diaper.  It sure beats having to change the whole sheet in the middle of the night...

Cloth diapers.  I love them.  I love that I'm not throwing my money away every 3-4 weeks on a new box of diapers and the amount of trash my family of 5 puts out to the curb every week amounts to about 1 trash bag full (yes, its true).  I've got both a set of prefolds with a snappi and they work great for the early days and they are economical.  I also have some Bumgenius 4.0's that are awesome and do double duty in our house since my 2.5 year old wears them too.  Adjustable, one-sizes are a great way to save some money.  I also like to support local businesses so check out Diaper Junction in Virginia Beach, Va.  They have some great sales on diapers throughout the year so you can save even more money.

A fan or a sound machine are also on my list of must haves.  Anything to create a bit of noise so baby is not falling asleep in pure silence.  I use a fan to create white noise in boys' room so they don't hear us bustling around downstairs and wake up.  I've got a baby sound machine that also has a projector on it that plays white noise (heartbeat, ocean waves, rain) as well as songs that I put on when I put my 6 week old down for the night.  It's like a mobile but doesn't hook onto the bed and just sits on the floor.  It also doesn't require batteries which is a good thing in my book as they are expensive and not very environmentally friendly.

A good baby carrier is a must.  I have an Ergobaby carrier that I wouldn't live without (especially since I have two older children under the age of 5 to chase around).  It's comfortable to wear and my baby loves to be in it.  It can be worn on the front or after about 6 months of age can also be worn on the back.

Those are my must-haves.  I know there are definitely other things that you need for a baby, but these are the things that I think are often forgotten or overlooked.  :)

Quality Gently Used Designer Clothes for Kids (and Women!)

I love to be able to be as green as I possibly can in just about every aspect of my life.  I definitely frequent the thrift store and consignment shops in our area when I can.  It's much easier for me to do a bulk of my shopping online though.  This is where ThredUP comes in...

ThredUP is an online consignment shop that sells quality, often never used women's and kids clothes.  They pick out only the best of the best to sell from consignors who send in bags of clothes to their company in CA.  You can sell your very gently used clothes and get credit to use on the site.  I've gotten some really great things from there for my boys (and now my little girl who's due any day now...).  They carry some of the really great brands: Gap, Baby Gap, Old Navy, Janie and Jack, Gymboree, Children's Place, Loft, Ralph Lauren, Banana Republic, Ann Taylor,  J. Crew among others for less!  I've gotten some really great stuff for less than $5 that looked brand new.  I've ordered stuff before only to get it in the mail and have certain items credited back to me (they had slight flaws that were not caught before I placed my order).  I have yet to find the flaws by the way.

Anyways, I hope you check it out!  Here's a link that will get you signed up with an account (for free) and give you a $10 credit to go shopping with!

Maternity for Less

So I'm in the home stretch of my third pregnancy and while my first two pregnancies were over the winter months, I had to purchase some summer maternity wear this time around.  I had tried the resale outlets around us and had no real luck in my size and what I needed.  I hit up Old Navy as they are generally cheaper for clothing in general than some other retailers.  I couldn't believe the prices on some of their maternity stuff.  I was able to find stuff on sale in the past in their maternity section when we lived in another state but the store nearest me here had absolutely nothing on sale.  So where did this leave me?

I had a brilliant idea while standing in the middle of store.  I made a beeline for the back of the store to the clearance section and searched for shirts made of stretchy material a few sizes larger than what I would normally wear (to accommodate a growing belly).  I was able to find 4 tank tops for about $2 each after my 10% off coupon!  I'm still wearing them now at 34 weeks pregnant and they have turned out to be an awesome buy.  

Pants are a bit trickier but anything stretchy and low rise (so your belly can grow) works pretty good too.  You may have to get something in a size or two larger to fit the best and the longest during your pregnancy.  

Pet Food--More Convenient

So my dog doesn't eat the cheapest dog food out there....He eats Blue Buffalo, which costs a decent amount of money but I'm convinced its better for him.  I used to make a trip across town to the local Petsmart to pick up bags of this food (since I could use my Petperks card when it was on sale).  However, there's nothing really on that side of town that I need to get besides dog food.

Today I found a solution.  Petsmart.com offers free shipping on certain brands of dog food (Blue Buffalo is included.)  Not only that but I found a coupon code for $15 off a $75 purchase plus free shipping (which I was already getting...).  It made each bag $44.49 (ie. way cheaper than I've ever paid per bag even with my Petperks card in store.)

Moral: Why should I trek across town when I can get dog food delivered to my door for less than what I'd pay in-store?

Greening Your Babies

I know I've written about this before (in a more brief way) but I thought I'd write something a bit more in depth now that I'm fully committed.  Right before my second child was born I looked into using cloth diapers because a friend of mine on Facebook had mentioned they were going to do so.  I did all kinds of research and decided what we were going to use and just went for it when the diapers I bought fit my little guy (right around the month and a half mark).

My little guy is now 25 months old and we are still holding strong.  I purchased some Bumgenius 4.0's at the very start of our cloth diaper journey and they are still holding strong 2 years later!  I have maybe 20-24 diapers I use on a regular basis doing laundry every 3 days or so.  It is by far the easiest laundry I do since none of it really requires folding and I don't put the covers in the dryer.  The best part is I'm not laying out 40 dollars plus a month in diapers either!

I purchased most of our diapers on a buy 5, get 1 free promotion that Cotton Babies was running.  This promotion is currently running again if you are interested in getting some diapers.  So I saved money there and I bought some baby cloth washcloths at the dollar store for wipes which saves me on disposable wipes too.  (Might as well since I'm doing the laundry anyway).

Not only am I saving money by cloth diapering but I am helping to save the environment by placing fewer disposables in the landfills.  It really is very easy to do and the cost in the long run is proving to be far cheaper than diapers (especially since I'll be able to use these diapers on multiple children).

Interested in cloth diapering?  Check out Cotton Babies, Cloth Diaper Geek, and Jack Be Natural for great tips and information on how to get started!

Small Kitchen Appliances Worth Having

A friend of mine is getting married this summer and it got me thinking about all the "stuff" I registered for when I got married.  Some of it I've definitely used.  Others...not so much.  So I thought I'd put together a quick list of the items I use all the time and consider worth their weight in gold.

1. Rice Cooker--I use it to make quinoa and all different kinds of rice.  I recently made copycat Chipotle Cilantro Lime rice and it was awesome.  I use this all the time because I can set it and forget it.

2. Crock Pot--Great for set it and forget it meals.  I especially like making crock pot lasagna in it.  I use it at least once a week.

3. Stand Mixer--I have a Kitchen-aid one.  I use it to make icing, pizza dough, cookies, etc.  It's a multi-functional machine and you can buy all sorts of attachments for it so it does even more.

Those are the small appliances I use all the time.  I have a few other things I use a good bit (a set of reusable containers, measuring spoons and cups and kitchen utensils) but these are all things that end up on one's registry anyway.  Hope this was helpful.  :)

Greening Your Dog's Poo...

Yeah, I went there...While I think its great that people are responsible pet owners and buy bags to bag their dog's poo, I do it a little differently.  I don't buy bags for dog poo, I reuse other bags around the house.  Grocery bags are ok as long as you check to be sure that there are no holes... My favorite though are bread and bagel bags.  Not only are they hole free, since the bread has to stay fresh, but they are usually very strong.  The best part is that they are free!  These are bags I was going to throw away anyway, why not reuse them?  I'm not adding to the manufacture of new bags (of which I would have to pay) and I'm being a little more green.  

My New Favorite Place to Shop

I've been a long-time admirer of Trader Joe's and their business model.  There are no Trader Joe's factories.  Their model is a lot like a small, privately owned grocery store.  A lot of their products are made by the big companies, but Trader Joe's keeps the cost of their products down (sometimes in half) by having a contract with these big companies that doesn't allow them to advertise their affiliation with making products for Trader Joe's.  This is great as a consumer because I don't have to coupon (which also costs a company money to do) to get a great deal on great food products.

They have pretty good prices on organic.   Organic at the regular supermarket is almost always outside of my budget.  I have a heart attack just looking at the $6/half pint price of organic blueberries (one of the dirty dozen veggies/fruits)!  Trader Joe's prices on some of their organic products are pretty good compared to your regular grocery store and oftentimes it looks and tastes better too.

They have a wide variety of different foods.  I love that I can get different types of peanut butter (including something called cookie butter), different kinds of gourmet type noodles, sundried tomatoes, and chia seeds, etc.  There's a lot of really healthy stuff at reasonable budget prices.  Heck, you can try something you've never had at Trader Joe's and if you don't like it for any reason, they'll take it back and refund you.  Why not try something new?

And here's another big reason I like to shop here--taste.  The stuff I buy at Trader Joe's almost always tastes better than similar products I buy at the grocery store.  I can pay the same amount for TJ's wheat crackers as I can on Meijer brand wheat crackers.  And I think TJ's taste better!

It's a little bit further for me to travel to Trader Joe's but I think I might try to do it more often out of principal of price and taste.

Wondering where some of Trader Joe's products come from?  Check out the following article: http://www.chow.com/food-news/64791/trader-joe-s-exposed/

Coupons With Minimums Equal to Your Discount

I love when I come upon a great coupon.  I'm not an extreme couponer by any stretch of the imagination (See my rant on extreme couponing here).  I do keep an eye out in my email and in my mail for great store coupons that come my way.

I recently came upon a $15 off your first order at thredup.com (an online resale boutique) coupon with no minimum to spend.  I paid just shipping costs for 2 pairs of shorts and a pair of pants for my 3 year old.  The pair of pants I ordered apparently had a very small stain (I couldn't even find it for a really long time) so they gave them to me for free!  Oh and gave me a credit on my account (I didn't actually spend any money on this order so I basically got a free credit).

I got an email from Thredup the other day for free shipping, one day only.  I bought 2 pairs of shorts for my youngest and didn't pay a cent (since I used the credit from the pants).  The shorts I ordered came in the mail the other day and again, one pair must have had a stain because they refunded it as well (I have yet to find the flaw, by the way...).  I now have $4 in credit sitting in my Thredup account.  This is a major bonus because I can either cash out (and make myself $3.99 on everything I've purchased from Thredup lately) or keep it in my account and wait for another free shipping day and get more free stuff.

I also got a JCP flyer the other day.  I was surprised to find in the inside cover a $10 off your purchase of $10 or more coupon/code.  I used it to buy my son 3 pairs of pj pants for next year and had them shipping to the store (i.e. I didn't have to pay for shipping).  I got 3 pairs of brand new pj pants for $2.12.  Not too shabby....

The moral of this story is check those flyers for retailers you get in the mail or your email, you never know what kind of deal you can work out with the coupon and clearance items....

*The above is not an actual working coupon, just a nice example of a coupon with a minimum that's equal to the discount :)

For All the Students Out There

This post is for you!  My husband recently went back to school to get his PhD.  We don't have cable and I have two kids running around so often getting to the store for things other than groceries can be difficult.

We looked at getting an Amazon Prime membership but wasn't sure it was worth $79 to us at the time. However, we did find that my husband qualified for Amazon Student, which gave us a discount on Amazon Prime membership (only $39 for a max.total of 4 years).  Half price?  It was a no brainer!

We've had Amazon Prime for a year and its been great!  We enjoy access to the instant videos on Prime which are free with our membership and free 2 day shipping.  With all the incentive groups out there (Swagbucks and E-Miles) that offer Amazon gift cards as prizes for earning "bucks" or for depositing miles, it makes it a no brainer too.

Get In Shape for Less

It's the New Year and that means resolution time!  I think its safe to say that almost everyone puts "lose weight" or some iteration thereof on their resolution list at least once in their lifetime.  So here are some tips to keep the cost low on your quest to be fit!

• Check out workout DVD's from the library.  It's free!  No gym membership required!  My library even has some Zumba dvds.   
• Search the web for workout videos.  You'd be surprised what you can find.  Try Youku.com in addition to Youtube.  I've found some Zumba videos there...
• Check out a membership to your local YMCA or Rec. Center.  Usually its less than $100 a year and it may include classes as well as gym and pool usage.  
• When in doubt...search Pinterest.  There are many things posted on getting in shape/losing weight on Pinterest and you may just find the blog/inspiration you've been looking for.  Here's a link to one of my boards that has some fitness stuff on it to get your started.  

Hope this helps you on your way to a slimmer/more fit YOU!  And Happy New Year!

Holiday Cards...Can they be done on a Budget?

It's the most wonderful time of the year....Time for holiday cards....you either love 'em or hate 'em.  The big question is, though, can you do them on a budget?  I think the answer is, "yes."  Here are some tips for budgeting for cards this year.

1. Look for deals for free cards.  Shutterfly, Treat, and Cardstore all provide codes around this time of year for free cards.  All you pay is shipping.  Heck, Cardstore even ships them for free so they are completely free!  You may need to sign up for their emailed newsletter to get a code or search retailmenot.com or raininghotcoupons.com for a code.

2. Postage...its a killer...I suggest only sending cards to those people you are really close to and maintain a relationship with more than just at the holidays.  It really cuts down on the number you need to send.

3. Still having a hard time justifying the money for postage?  Adjust what you are spending on gifts.  A lot of our gifts this year are handmade.  I've pinned some great ideas on my Pinterest board and have even used some of them in the past couple of years!  (What good are Pinterest boards unless you use them? Right?)