Charity emailed in tonight and said:
Readers may want to check out their Kraft First Taste account. I had an offer for free Jello Pudding Mix-Ins in my account today! Free is always nice! -Charity
Let us know if you get this offer!
Guest post from Chelsea of Stay-At-Home{MADE} Mom
Planning a birthday bash every year for every child can be exhausting, hard on the budget, and leave us with cluttered boxes of party supplies and toys. So in order to simplify, my husband and I adopted the birthday tradition he grew up with. We have chosen to throw only four large birthday parties for each of our children – 1st, 5th, 10th, and 16th.
During the years that we don’t throw a large party, we will have a simple cake and ice cream celebration with family. We also plan to implement a couple more traditions (like their favorite dinner or breakfast in bed) to make their day more special.
So whether you choose to throw an extravagant party every year or not, here are five more ways you can save money and simplify.
1. Simplify the Theme:
Instead of buying princess everything, buy one princess product to branch off. For example, you can buy a princess cake, but choose to buy paper products in a solid pink. Or, buy princess plates, but make a simple cake at home and decorate it inexpensively.
2. Simplify the Decorations:
Make a birthday banner by hand with pictures you scored for pennies. Sprinkle color-coordinating confetti on plain table cloths. Blow up balloons that double as décor and a game. Save leftover decorations for future parties or donate them to a family who can’t afford their own.
3. Simplify the Guest List:
While it’s tempting to invite everyone you know, it’s best to have enough space and food for everyone. It’s important to figure out how many people you can realistically afford to host and stick to that number.
4. Simplify the Party Favors:
In my opinion, party favors aren’t even essential, but if you want to provide them, keep it simple! Kiddos don’t need an entire bag filled with trinkets and candy. Some of my favorite ideas are cellophane-wrapped chocolate-dipped Oreos, a boxed cupcake, or some fun pencils tied with a ribbon.
5. Simplify the Gifts:
If family members or close friends come to you for gift ideas, consider suggesting that they “go in” with you on a bigger gift. A new bike, zoo memberships, a telescope, or something else that you know would get a lot of use. I find that most people are very open to this idea since it saves them the hassle of finding and wrapping a gift.
However you decide to celebrate, when it comes down to it, there are only a few things a child truly wants on his or her birthday:
- To feel loved.
- To know that others are blessed by another year with them.
- Something fun — because it is their day.
If you accomplish those three things, whether frugally or elaborately, it will be a memorable day. Find what works best for your family, and enjoy celebrating one another!
Do you have any other ideas to save money on birthdays?
Chelsea is a blessed wife, mommy, and child of God. In her free time, she loves crafting, cooking, and blogging at Stay-At-Home{MADE} Mom about her budget-friendly creations.
Update: Make sure that you put the coupon code in on shopping cart page, before you start the checkout process. Look on the left side where it says “Have a Coupon Code?” and apply it there. Otherwise, if you start the checkout process, you won’t be able to get it to work.
Abe’s Market is offering free shipping this weekend, no minimum required. Plus, you can get $5 off any $5+ order when you use coupon code E-W5-aU612 at checkout.
You can get lots of great deals by combining these two promo codes. Check out the food section and sort by price for some different options of purchase you can make for pennies out of pocket!
Let us know what you get!
Note: The site is getting slammed with traffic. It was running really slow for me this afternoon, so be prepared to be patient if you’re trying to get this offer.
Thanks, Moms By Heart!
Download a free copy of How Huge the Night.
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Find more ebooks that are free today over at The Prudent Pantry.
Please note that the price is currently $0.00, but that could change at any time. Be sure to check the price before checking out to verify that it is still free.
These ebooks are specifically for Kindles, but you can go here
Taste of Home is running their very popular $5 Cookbook Sale right now. These tend to sell out quickly and make great gifts!
Use coupon code CBN15 to get 15% off plus free shipping, making the cookbooks just $4.25 shipped!
Thanks, Moms By Heart!
(Note: The link in this post is my referral link. Read my disclosure policy here.)
JCPenney.com has Men’s Arizona Polo Shirts for just $5. Use coupon code JCPSHIP to get free shipping to your local store.
Reader tip from Amanda who blogs at Simple Revelations:
I love my slow-cooker. Soups, casseroles, meats, bread, breakfast — what’s not to love about a contraption that can do it all, and save me time?
One of my favorite money-saving crockpot recipe is Shredded Chicken. It’s a lean, protein-rich basis for meals and it only requires around 10 minutes of active involvement to make.
Plus, depending on where you live, you’ll probably be able to find chicken breasts for around $2 a pound. Compare that to the typical $7 a pound for deli lunch meat, and you’re saving a bundle on sandwiches using chicken salad on your sandwiches instead of deli-bought ham or turkey.
How To Make Shredded Chicken in the Crockpot
- Purchase a large package of boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Put as many as you like (I’d do 10 or so) in your slow-cooker, cover with water (boiling water if they’re frozen, to get them cooking faster) and sprinkle with a few seasonings. I often use a dash each of lemon pepper and Montreal chicken seasoning
- Cook on high for 4 hours or so, or low for 6 hours or so, until they are cooked through and literally falling apart at the touch.
- Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and put in a large pan.
- Shred with 2 forks.
- Let cool and store in the refrigerator for use all week long.
Variations: During cooking, substitute the water out for your favorite BBQ sauce or green salsa, and use the meat for BBQ chicken sandwiches/pizza, or a tender and flavorful fajita meat. This is great for dinner guests when you don’t have lots of time to prepare.
Ways to Use Shredded Chicken
Use your supply of shredded chicken for lunches and dinners throughout the week. Some favorite meals ideas are:
- Soups (chicken noodle, Matzo ball, coconut chicken, buffalo chicken soup)
- Waldorf Chicken Salad (to eat as salad, sandwich, or wrap)
- Chili
- Avocado-bound Chicken Salad
- Fajita/Enchilada/Taco meat
- Pizza topping
- Buffalo Chicken burgers (just mix the meat with a good dash of Frank’s Red Hot sauce, to taste)
- Salad topping
- Quesadilla filler
- Any other recipe that calls for cooked chicken
What’s your favorite way to use the slow-cooker?
Amanda Dykes is a historical romance author who aches to share God’s grace. She’s a spastic shutterbug, unabashed word nerd, and lover of truthful writing that resonates. She can be found scribbling words on her blog and her online Christian Fiction Book Club.
Complete the Fall Allergen Pop Quiz and you’ll be able to print a $3/2 All Detergent coupon.
Thanks, Common Sense With Money!
Note from Crystal: Thanks so much for joining me for the Lunchbox Freezer Cooking series. It’s been a fun adventure! For the last post in this series, Michelle from The Willing Cooking is sharing an allergen-free recipe for those of you who have food allergies in your home.
Guest post from Michelle of The Willing Cook
A good friend of mine makes Peanut Butter Scotchies on occasion — a delicious and calorie-loaded recipe. I have had the pleasure of indulging myself in this treat a few times, and let me tell you, there is a reason why she doesn’t make them very often. 
Since we have wheat, dairy, egg, soy, corn, and a few other allergies at house, I would be the only one who could eat Peanut Butter Scotchies if I made them. While I’m sure I can enjoy an entire pan of these bars, I certainly don’t need to. So, I embarked upon a mission to make an allergen-friendly (and a little healthier) version that my family can share with me.
My first attempt at these bars, while delicious, almost sent us on an emergency dentist trip because they were so hard. I couldn’t leave them alone though — the taste was amazing! After a bit more tinkering, I finally got the recipe down and I’m thrilled to share this recipe with you today.
Chocolate Nut Butter Crunch Bars
(makes a 9″x13″ pan of bars)
Ingredients:
- 1 cup raw sugar
- 1/2 cup brown rice syrup (I buy mine from Tropical Traditions.)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 1/2 cups allowed nut butter (you can use peanut/treenut-free Sunbutter, almond/cashew/other treenut butter, or peanut butter)
- 4 cups rice krispies (Kellogg’s gluten-free variety work great; add more, if needed)
- 2 cups allowed chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life: dairy, soy & nut-free)
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil
Directions:
- Add raw sugar, brown rice syrup, and water to a 5qt pot; whisk over medium-low heat until it starts to boil. Turn heat down to simmer and continue to whisk for 3-5 minutes, until you notice it start to thicken a little. (We are thinning out the brown rice syrup a little, but also burning most of the water off.)
- Remove pot from heat and whisk in nut butter. If it seems too thick, you can place the pot back on the turned off burner. When all is well combined, stir in the rice krispies 1 cup at a time, until completely incorporated. (If it is too runny, add a little extra rice krispies. I added about 1/4 cup more.)
- Grease a 9″x13″ glass baking dish (very important step!). Pour rice krispie mixture into the dish and press down evenly. Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or until it hardens somewhat.
- When the baking dish has been in the refrigerator for 30 minutes or so, start making your chocolate topping. Using the same pot as before, make sure all the rice krispie remnants are removed. Over low heat, whisk together your chocolate chips and coconut oil. (Yes, you want the little bit of the nut butter mixture from earlier to mix in with the chocolate.) Continue to stir the chocolate until it melts and is smooth.
- Remove your baking dish from the refrigerator and spread your melted chocolate over the rice krispies evenly. Place the dish into the freezer (or refrigerator for longer time, but I couldn’t wait) for 20-30 minutes.
- Once the chocolate is solid, Slide a knife around the edges of the bars to loosen them from the sides of the baking dish. Lay out a piece of wax or parchment paper, roughly cut to a 9×13 size. Carefully flip the baking dish over on top of the paper so that the bars easily come loose and fall out (chocolate will be face side down). You may have to give the underside of the baking dish a few taps to get it out.
- Carefully flip the bars back over so the chocolate is on top (it may be easier to cut the rectangle in half first). Using a large, sharp knife, start cutting your bars into the desired size. Serve or freeze in an airtight container for up to 6 weeks.
These bars are so good, you’ll never guess they were allergen-free!
Michelle is blessed to stay home with her three children (ages 10, 7, and 4), while her husband works to provide. When she’s not experimenting with allergy-friendly meals, she’s blogging about it at The Willing Cook. Through the Willing Cook, her hope is that you gain peace of mind in your kitchen (and your pocket book) and are able to serve those you love who suffer with food allergies.
Are you joining us for Lunchbox Freezer Cooking? If you’ve blogged about a lunchbox recipes you’ve made for your freezer, leave a link to your post and recipe below. I can’t wait to see your yummy recipes and ideas!
Money Saving Mom® is an upbeat and encouraging blog dedicated to helping you 
