These easy apple butter muffins are packed with so much apple flavor — perfect for a fall brunch or quick snack on-the-go.
I found a recipe for Oatmeal Applesauce Muffin and wanted to try it, but since I was out of applesauce, I used apple butter instead.
I tweaked a few other things and wasn’t sure how it would turn out, but we ended up loving these muffins.
I froze some of them and reheated them today and they were still delicious!
If you don’t have apple butter on hand, I’m sure you could use applesauce. But we think the apple butter gives these muffins a rich flavor.
Ingredients for Apple Butter Muffins
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup apple butter (I used this delicious homemade apple butter recipe)
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup raw sugar (or brown sugar)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup raisins, optional
- 1 teaspoon sugar
How to Make Apple Butter Muffins
1. Preheat the oven to 400ºF and grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together oats, milk, apple butter, and eggs.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
5. Stir in raisins.
6. Spoon muffin mixture into greased muffin pan.
7. Sprinkle tops of muffin batter with sugar.
8. Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until done.
9. Remove muffins to a cooling rack.
10. Serve warm with butter!
How to Freeze Apple Butter Muffins
Let the muffins cool to room temperature, then freeze in a zip-top bag or tightly-sealed food storage container.
They will stay fresh in the freezer for up to 3 months!
Apple Butter Muffins
Ingredients
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup apple butter
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup raw sugar or brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup raisins optional
- 1 teaspoon sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF and grease a 12-cup muffin tin.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together oats, milk, apple butter, and eggs.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Stir in raisins.
- Spoon muffin mixture into greased muffin pan.
- Sprinkle tops of muffin batter with sugar.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until done.
- Remove muffins onto a cooling rack.
- Serve warm with butter!
Notes
Nutrition
Love this recipe?
Make sure to share and save it on your favorite platform below!
FREE 50+ Easy and Cheap Breakfast Ideas!!
Mornings just got so much easier with this FREE list of 50+ Easy & Cheap Breakfast Ideas for Busy Weekday Mornings!
Where do you want to go? Find someone who’s been there and ask for directions.
Where do you want to go? Find someone who’s been there and ask for directions.
On the Love Like You Mean It Cruise last week, we had docked for a half day at Key West. They’d told us over and over again that it was very important we be back on the ship at 1:30 p.m. as the ship was leaving the port at 2 p.m. and they didn’t want to leave anyone behind.
We made sure to verify the time before we caught a free trolley and headed out for a morning of exploring Key West. We were engaged in conversations with friends and weren’t really paying attention to how the trolley got us into downtown nor where the trolley was supposed to pick us up once we were ready to go back to the boat.
We loved the shops, the beautiful weather, visiting Harry Truman’s Little White House, and taking pictures of James Audobon’s house (we tried to find Earnest Hemingway’s house, but we got messed up on directions and missed it!). A little after noon, we decided it was time to start heading back in the direction of the boat. We felt like it was only a mile or so away and we had lots of time so we didn’t even mess with trying to figure out how to take a trolley back. We just started walking on foot.
We could see the ship docked next to our cruise ship in the distance, so we both confidently walked for blocks and blocks until we reached that ship, thinking it’d be easy to then just walk a little farther to get to our ship. However, when we got to the second ship, we discovered that you could only board that ship from that dock. Our cruise ship was right next to it, but the docks weren’t connected and all of the passageways were gated off.
So, we retraced our steps, and then headed in the direction of our cruise ship. After walking and walking, hitting dead end after dead end, we started realizing that this was nowhere as easy as we thought it was going to be. By this time, it was around 12:50 p.m. and we were beginning to panic a little knowing that we only had 40 minutes left before we were supposed to be back on board. Since they had no way of contacting us on shore, if the cruise ship left, we were stuck in Key West with nothing but the clothes on our backs and a little money. Not exactly what we’d choose
And not only were we panicking about the fact that we might be left behind, but we were now also in an area of Key West that was off the beaten tourist path. In fact, it started to look quite run down. There were people milling about who were very clearly not tourists — and it was pretty obvious that we were tourists — and lost tourists, at that.
After encountering a few rather creepy individuals, we decided to just start running for the nearest busy thoroughfare we could find — even though it was blocks away and we had on flip flops. (It’s amazing how those little details fade when you feel like you are somewhat running for your life!)
We finally breathlessly made it back to a more touristy part of Key West, with just 30 minutes to go until our ship was supposed to leave port. We were exhausted, out of breath, and still very lost.
Feeling a bit helpless, we did what we should have done from the start: we found a trolley that was stopped at a stoplight and asked for directions. The kind woman started to trying to explain to us how to get to back to the ship, but then she said: “Nevermind, it’s really hard to explain. Just get on the trolley and I’ll take you there.”
Let me tell you, those were sweet words of relief to us! With her experience and navigational skills, we ended up making it back to port in no time at all.
We both realized we learned a good lesson that day: if you don’t know how to get somewhere, it’s much more efficient to ask for directions from the get-go than to go on a wild goose chase trying to figure it out yourself.
We can apply this same lesson to our finances or to other goals in our lives. So much of the time, we can know the end destination of where we want to get to — be it to become debt-free or to lose 20 pounds or to build a successful business — but we really don’t have a clue how to get there.
So we try all these different rabbit trails and dead ends to get there, too embarrassed or proud (or just plain stubborn!) to stop and ask for directions from people who have been where we want to go. In the process, we end up wasting so much time and energy and end up making no progress.
Where do you want to go? Find someone who’s been there and ask for directions.
- Do you want to get on a budget? Read books and blogs with practical financial advice on living on a budget. Find someone in your circle of friends who is living on a budget and ask them if they’d be willing to review your budget with you and give you some pointers on what you can do to improve. Ask them how they’ve achieved the financial success they have. Encourage them to check in with you regularly to make sure you’re staying on track.
- Do you want to start a business? Read books and blogs on leadership, entrepreneurship, and marketing. Pick the brains of anyone you know who has or has had a business. Ask them to share their successes and failures. Ask them for their top three best suggestions for you, a budding entrepreneur. Ask them if they’d be willing to critique your business idea/plan.
- Do you want to be more successful at goal-setting? Read books and blogs on goal-setting and intentional living. Find a friend who does a great job of setting goals and ask them to mentor you in this area. See if they would be willing to help you determine what your pitfalls to goal-setting success are and to regularly check up on your progress.
Note: Don’t ever expect or ask for someone to spoon-feed you or try to leech off of someone else’s success. This is a guaranteed way to meet an instant closed door when you approach a successful person. However, most successful people will be more than happy to give you at least a few pointers if they see that you are motivated, teachable, and truly want to learn.
What area(s) of your life do you need to ask for directions in today? Who’s an experienced navigator you know whom you could go to and ask for some guidance from? Tell us in the comments.
52 Different Ways to Save $100 Per Year: Become a One-Car Family {Week 7}
52 Different Ways to Save $100 Per Year: Become a One-Car Family {Week 7}
At the beginning of every week in 2013, I’ll be sharing a different way you can save $100 this year. If you do all of these things, you’ll be able to save over $5,000 this year alone! Many of these things will likely be things you’re already doing, but hopefully all of you will pick up at least a few new ideas or some inspiration from this series.
Some of you have already rolled your eyes at this idea because you know downsizing to one car would never work for your family. I totally get that. I know that this suggestion isn’t for everyone.
But would you do me a favor and at least consider it, if you haven’t already? Because you’ll never know if something will work if you don’t at least consider it. Plus, if you’re really struggling financially, becoming a one-car family at least for a short while might be a way to find some breathing room in your budget.
How Much Can You Save?
Downsizing to one car is going to mean making some changes and sacrifices. However, if you think about how much you could save, it makes the changes and sacrifices sound a little more doable. So start there, if you’re needing some convincing.
Add up how much you’re paying in taxes, car repairs, and car payments (if any) per year. Then, think how much you’d save in gas if you dropped one of your cars and carpooled, used public transportation, road your bike, or just stayed home more.
Combine these two numbers together, and you’re more than likely to get a number somewhere in the vicinity of $1000 to $2000 per year — or possibly more. That’s certainly not an amount to sneeze at!
Our One-Car Experience
When Jesse was in law school, we had two rather used and unreliable vehicles for the first year. Since we were both working and he was in school, this was a near necessity. Or so we thought.
Then, I got pregnant and very sick. So I stopped working and came home to try and set up an online business (you can read my very long story of Becoming a Work at Home Mom here).
Not too long afterward, our second vehicle gave out. Because we didn’t have money to replace it and because I was now home full-time, we became a one-car family and we stayed a one-car family for the next few years.
Yes, it was a little challenging at times. I had to do all of my grocery shopping and errands on Saturdays. Or, I had to get up early (with little Kathrynne in tow) and take Jesse to work.
When we moved to Kansas City and Jesse started working for a law firm downtown that was a 45-minute commute, it was no longer feasible for me to take him to work. So I stayed home every day, all week long.
We lived close enough to walk to Aldi, if need be, and we were also within walking distance of the library and a park. So truthfully, I really didn’t feel all that cooped up. If I wanted to get together with friends, I invited them to come to our house. No one seemed to mind that I was always the one hosting things — and I loved it!
A few months after our second daughter was born, we were in a financial position to purchase a second vehicle and we’ve been a two-car family ever since. It makes it more convenient, but I’ve told Jesse that I’m always willing to go back to being a one-car family if the need arises. And I truly mean that.
Because honestly? Life was a lot simpler when you didn’t have the option of running out to do or buy this or that during the day.
How Much Did We Save?
Recently, I was being interviewed for a piece and they asked me for a specific number of how much we saved per month by being a one-car family for those few years. Honestly, we’d never sat down and done the math, so this was a fun exercise.
After lots of number-crunching, Jesse determined that we saved around $1500 per year by downsizing to one car. Since our budget was so tight during those years, that $1500 was huge for us — and likely one of the things that helped to keep us afloat.
A Priceless Lesson Learned From Being a One-Car Family
You know what was more valuable than the money we saved by being a one-car family? The lessons I learned on contentment during our one-car family experience.
I learned that it’s not stuff or busyness that brings fulfillment. Contentment is an inner state of the heart. Learning to bloom exactly where I was planted and to be content in my quiet, simple, ordinary life is something that all the money in the world can never buy — and these are lessons I’ll carry with me for the rest of my life.
Things to Consider Before Becoming a One-Car Family
You’ll want to think long and hard about the sacrifices being a one-car family will require. It has to be a family decision, or it will make everyone miserable. Everyone is going to have to be on board and be willing to be flexible for it to work.
In addition, it’s important to think about safety. If you live out in the country, far from civilization and you’re a mom of young children who is home all day, it might be wise to have access to a second vehicle in case of an emergency.
Finally, it’s necessary to consider how much extra time and effort becoming a one-car family will require. If you have a busy schedule, work two jobs, and are running children to lots of different activities, trying to share a car with your spouse might lead to more headache and frustration than it’s worth. Count the costs ahead of time before downsizing.
Transportation Options Aside From a Second Car
- Walk
- Ride Your Bike
- Use Public Transportation
- Buy a Moped
- Carpool With Friends or Co-Workers
Are you a one-car family? If so, tell us your tips and secrets for making it work!
Reader Tip: Save Money By Having “Date Mornings”
Christine emailed in the following tip:
We have all heard at one point that it is important to spend quality time with your spouse by having a date night — no kids, no distractions — just you and your spouse focusing on each other. Sounds good, doesn’t it?
If you are already doing this, that’s great! But if you are like me and my spouse, you might find that it’s difficult to make time for date night every week or every month.
Plus, it can be expensive. Pay a babysitter, go out to dinner, maybe a movie, gas… I am getting anxious just thinking about it! Furthermore, most nights I don’t have much energy after working, cleaning up the house, driving our daughter to her activities, fitting in dinner, weekly church events, and more.
My solution? Have a “date morning”. Our daughter enjoys sleeping in on the weekends, so we take advantage of this by getting up a little early on Saturday (7-ish) and enjoying a peaceful breakfast together, maybe a Netflix movie, or just talking. It costs us nothing, and we still fit in a couple of hours of “us” time. We also find it refreshes us and prepares us for the weekend! -Christine
52 Different Ways to Save $100 Per Year: Make Your Own Homemade Mixes {Week 6}
52 Different Ways to Save $100 Per Year: Make Your Own Homemade Mixes {Week 6}
At the beginning of every week in 2013, I’ll be sharing a different way you can save $100 this year. If you do all of these things, you’ll be able to save over $5,000 this year alone! Many of these things will likely be things you’re already doing, but hopefully all of you will pick up at least a few new ideas or some inspiration from this series.
Save Over $100 Per Year By Making Your Own Homemade Mixes
Making your own homemade mixes is such a simple thing, but the majority of families who don’t cook and bake completely from scratch would likely save at least $8-$10 per month by making their own mixes instead of buying them pre-made.
Of course, if you typically get boxed cake mixes for pennies with coupons, you’re likely not going to save too much. But if you’re routinely paying for cookie mix, biscuit mix, pancake mix, taco seasoning packets, and more, you’ll save quite a bit. And every little bit adds up.
Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets
Not only are homemade mixes themselves much more economical than buying them pre-made at the store, but they can also save you money by encouraging you to eat at home. If you have pancake mix already made or pizza dough in the freezer, you have fewer excuses to go out for breakfast or order pizza.
Homemade Mixes Can Save You Time
Take a little time on the weekend or some evening to mix together the dry ingredients for your favorite homemade cakes, muffins, brownies, cookies, or pancakes. Doing this ahead of time will cut your prep time in half or more — and make cooking and baking from scratch a breeze!
Homemade Mixes Are Healthier
Aside from the time and money saved, one of the big benefits of making homemade mixes is that you have full control of what you put into the mixes. You don’t have to worry about chemicals or other unwanted ingredients. This is also a huge plus if you are dealing with food allergies at your house.
How to Get Started Making Your Own Homemade Mixes
If you’re new to cooking and baking from scratch, don’t try to make everything from scratch. Just pick a few recipes that you think you’ll love and start with those. If they don’t work or you don’t like them, move on to another recipe.
Pinterest is a loaded with homemade mix recipe ideas. You could even create a board specifically to pin homemade mix ideas on as you find them. You can see a few of my favorite tried and true recipes below.
As you find recipes that work well, keep making them and slowly add new ones. Eventually, you’ll hopefully get into a nice rhythm of always having a good supply of mixes and doughs made ahead of time and waiting in your freezer.
Be Sure to Label Your Mixes!
Make sure to label your mixes clearly, though, so you don’t end up having the disaster I had when trying to make rolls for guests with what I thought was flour, but was actually pancake mix!
Recommended Homemade Mix Recipes
13 Easy Homemade Bread Recipes (Freezer & Budget Friendly!)
Freezer-Friendly Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
Homemade Instant Oatmeal Packets
Knock-Off Betty Crocker Brownie Mix
Glazed Cinnamon Scones (I’ve made the dry ingredients as a mix, or made the scone dough and frozen it.)
What are you favorite homemade mix recipes? I’d love to have you share them in the comments so I could consider trying them myself!
Stop Making Excuses and Just Start
One morning on vacation last week, I woke up making excuses as to why I could avoid the treadmill that day. Excuses like:
#1. We’re on a cruise. Isn’t it supposed to be my vacation?
#2. The cruise ship was moving at a fairly fast pace and swaying slightly back and worth. Wouldn’t that sort of make me sea sick?
I really felt like just skipping my workout that day. But I reminded myself of how much better I’d feel if I just got up on the treadmill and at least put in a short run. Even just a mile would get my blood pumping and help me feel better.
It was a bit of a rough start since I’ve never jogged on a treadmill while on a boat that is moving. But once I got started, I realized it was sort of a fun challenge.
At first, I couldn’t go very fast because I was trying to find my running groove while being jostled about a little. Slowly, I increased the speed, and before I knew it, the running “mojo” had set in.
I kept running, kept increasing the speed, and pretty soon, I was feeling great! Before I knew it, I’d run for an hour and had pulled off 5.5 miles — farther than I’d ever gone without stopping.
Yes, I was really stoked. I even took a picture of the treadmill as a reminder to myself the next time I’m tempted to make an excuse in any area of my life {I know, I’m a nerd. And promise me you won’t laugh at my pathetic time. Remember that I’m still a wannabe runner!}.
Excuses Will Never Get Us Anywhere
Everyday, we have choices to make that will either propel us toward success or plummet us backward. We can always come up with excuses for why it’s just not a good day to be disciplined. But excuses will never get us anywhere.
Just get up and do it — whatever “it” is that you are trying to talk yourself out of. You might have to go slower than you’d like, you might not get as far as you’d hoped, but you’ll never get anywhere if you don’t first get up and get on the treadmill.
In what area of your life are you going to stop making excuses and just get up and get started today? Tell us in the comments so we can hold you accountable!
This Week’s Menu
Silas helping me make Homemade Breadsticks in the Bread Machine this morning.
Breakfasts
Oatmeal, Cereal, Eggs, and/or Fruit
Lunches
Mac & Cheese, fruit
Snack-y lunch
Hamburger Vegetable Soup, Bread Machine Buttery Rolls, cheese & crackers, fruit/veggies, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Brownies (we’re having company over)
Cheese quesadillas, carrot sticks
Scrambled eggs, toast, and fruit
Leftovers x 2Snacks
Fruit/veggies
Popcorn
Oatmeal Applesauce Muffins
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip BrowniesFreezer Cooking in an Hour (stay tuned on Thursday when I’ll share a play-by-play on how this goes!)
Oatmeal Applesauce Muffins
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Brownies
Peanut Butter PancakesDinners
Dinner with extended family
Slow Cooker Chicken & Broccoli, Homemade French Bread
Hamburger Vegetable Soup, Bread Machine Buttery Rolls, fruit/veggies
Cheeseburger Soup, Easy Whole Wheat Muffins
Vegetable Beef Stew in the Crockpot, Homemade Bread Sticks in the Bread Machine
Dinner with extended family
Dinner out
What’s on your menu this week? Share details and/or your link to your menu plan in the comments.
The secret to living an interesting life
Quote taken from Platform University video #1. Lettering and photo done by my wonderful assistant, Erika.
10 Goals For This Week
I skipped setting any goals last week because it was supposed to be a completely “off” week for me. I still exercised, read, and did some writing, but for the most part, I spent the week truly relaxing, soaking up the sun, and just enjoying really amazing conversations and time with my husband.
Now that I’m refreshed and recharged, it’s back to real-life again! And honestly, I’m really excited to hit the ground running this coming week — because I didn’t quite know what to do with myself with so few responsibilities last week. 🙂
Goals from two weeks ago:
Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals
1. Read two chapters of Vinegar Boy: Encounter Christ Through the Dramatic Story of Vinegar Boy
aloud at lunch. Read two chapters of Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh at dinner.
Read two chapters of The Amazon Stranger with Kathrynne, read two chapters of Little House on the Prairie with Kaitlynn, read two chapters of Eloise Wilkin Storiesto Silas.
2. Write a love note to Jesse.
3. Have friends over for lunch.Personal Goals
4. Memorize Romans 1:7-8.
5. Exercise 5 times.
6. Finish reading Love Has a Face: Mascara, a Machete and One Woman’s Miraculous Journey with Jesus in Sudan, Lessons at Blackberry Inn: Adventures with the Gentle Art of Learning, and The Pursuit of Elizabeth Millhouse.
Homemaking Goals
7. Do a Freezer Cooking in an Hour session.
8. Finish 30 rows of the scarf for Kathrynne.Business Goals
9. Finish editing the final draft of my manuscript and send it out to those who are critiquing it before I turn it into the publisher.
10. Begin working on tweaking my talk for the MAPS event later this month.
This week’s goals:
Family/Marriage/Mothering Goals
1. Read two chapters of Vinegar Boy: Encounter Christ Through the Dramatic Story of Vinegar Boy
2. Write a love note to Jesse.
3. Have a Wii Challenge night as a family.
Personal Goals
4. Memorize Romans 1:7-8 (Must work more diligently on this this week!)
5. Run 25 miles total.
6. Finish reading Uneclipsing the Son, Fit To Burst, A Charlotte Mason Education, and Eve’s Daughters.
Homemaking Goals
7. Do a Freezer Cooking in an Hour session.
8. Finish 30 rows of the scarf for Kathrynne.
Business Goals
9. Have a business brainstorming afternoon to flesh out business ideas and map out business goals for the next few years (We have some amazing folks flying in to help consult us in this! Can’t wait to see what comes of this!).
10. Finish tweaking my talk for the MAPS events & give presentations on Thursday and Friday.
How did you do on last week’s goals? What are your goals for this week? I’d love to have you share your progress on last week’s goals and your goals for this coming week in the comments. Of, if you’ve blogged about it, leave your direct link below. Let’s cheer each other on to live purposeful and productive lives!
You can download a free customizable weekly goal-planning sheet here.
A Peek Into Our Week: Guess where I was all week?!?
Thank you, thank you, thank you for letting me take almost the entire week off from blogging this past week. It was the first time I’ve ever done something like this and it was so good — despite the fact that I missed you all something fierce. {I ended up composing seven lengthy blog posts in a document while unplugged. Because, well, I just can’t not write!}
We’re in the midst of a lot of changes and big decisions in our family and businesses right now, so this long-planned vacation couldn’t have come at any better time. It was so good to be unplugged… and I wasn’t only unplugged, I was actually completely disconnected with my normal life altogether because we were blessed to get to go on the Love Like You Mean It cruise with Family Life again this year.
We started out the week in Miami. Above was the view from my treadmill during Monday morning’s workout. Talk about exhilarating!
Monday mid-morning, we boarded our cruise ship and spent the afternoon tying up loose ends with our businesses while the ship was still in port and we still had free wi-fi. We got those things taken care of and then we pulled the plug for three days while we took in some beautiful sights, ate delicious food, listened to incredible speakers and musicians, and spent hours just talking and reconnecting as a couple.
Monday evening, we attended a concert by Steven Curtis Chapman. This was by far one of the highlights of the cruise for us. Steven is such a humble, authentic man and his family’s story has impacted our family deeply.
Tuesday morning, we woke up near Key West. I fell in love with this tiny island that we saw from the side of the ship. Can you imagine living there?? I don’t want to imagine how much the houses probably cost, though. 🙂
In Key West, we stopped by Truman’s Little White House, found the Audobon house, and tried to find Earnest Hemingway’s house. In the process, we ended up getting really, really lost in a less than desirable part of town. We were so lost that we thought we weren’t going to make it back to the cruise ship before it was leaving the port.
But I’ll save that slightly dramatic story to share with you next week. You won’t want to miss it — or the lesson we learned from the experience! 🙂
Wednesday, we docked in Cozumel. I was really excited to finally make it to Mexico as I’ve never been before. But unfortunately, they’d only let us see a tiny, tiny part of Cozumel — and that tiny snippet was highly tourist-y. But oh well. At least I can say I’ve been to Mexico now.
We spent Thursday and Friday traveling back to Miami and in Miami and today traveling back to Kansas. The whole week was truly relaxing, refreshing, and rejuvenating. And most of all, we both felt like unplugging completely for a few days allowed us to have in-depth conversations that were so, so good for our marriage. Plus, we just had a lot of fun together — which is also a good thing, too. 🙂
Anyway, that was our week in a nutshell. Thank you for allowing me the time away. I already have a slew of posts written for the next few weeks so I promise I’ll make up my absence to you!
OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!
Click here to download!
Improve Your Pictures with Free Photo Editing Tools
Guest post from Rachel of Nothing if Not Intentional
In the world of photography, Adobe Photoshop is the gold standard for editing software. However, as anyone who has priced this software knows, it can be expensive. Lucky for you (and me!), there are several alternatives that will allow you to edit, create, and manipulate images for free!
Smartphone Apps
Camera phones have come so far that many people have abandoned their regular camera in lieu of their smart phones. If this is you, there are a variety of free phone editing apps. Instagram, PhotoFunia, and Photoshop Express are well-liked options.
Picasa
For those who prefer a traditional point and shoot or DSLR camera, Picasa (by Google) is one of the most popular and user-friendly choices.
The program is intuitive. Open a picture and then click through several tabs that offer basic edits (such as crop, redeye, straighten), lighting and color issues (like color temperature, fill light, shadows), and fun effects (border, black and white, vignette, etc.).
There is also an option on the toolbar that will allow you to make a photo collage. Click here fo a tutorial on adding text and creating a milestone pictures using picasa.
Gimp
One of the most powerful image editing options is Gimp. (Many people claim it rivals Photoshop!) With Gimp, you can explore advanced editing techniques like manipulating layers, adjusting color levels, editing with curves, and applying filters.
Do these terms sound unfamiliar or foreign? Unfortunately, since Gimp is a free program, it doesn’t come with customer support or a fancy user manual. However, there is a thriving community of Gimp users online who are happy to share their Gimp-related tutorials.
Internet-Based Options
Both Gimp and Picasa are software programs that are downloaded to your computer. If you’d prefer not to download a program, there are several internet-based editing options:
- FotoFlexer
- Pixlr
- iPiccy
- Ribbet
- Photoshop Express Editor
- PicMonkey
- and many more!
Online programs will often offer basic edits and effects for free and then allow users the option to upgrade and pay for premium features.
So which of these programs is best? For those who remember Picnik, Ribbet will feel and look very familiar. Personally, I prefer PicMonkey and iPiccy. Picmonkey is simple and organized. I often use it to make collages for my blog or Facebook page. Ipiccy is completely free and offers more advanced options (like curves, clone, and levels).
While most professionals will continue to pay for their photo editing software, there are plenty of free alternatives for anyone who simply wants to capture and edit family pictures or even explore photography as a serious hobby without spending money on editing tools.
What are your favorite free photo editing programs?
Nothing if Not Intentional started as a blog to share stories from Nate and Rachael’s ten trips to Guatemala. It is now an outlet for Rachael’s writing (she’s a former English major), and a place to share stories from their travels (Nate’s a pilot) and life with two young girls. Photography is one of their favorite shared hobbies.
Easy Whole Wheat Muffins
Guest post from Brigette Shevy
My family loves these simple muffins!
They consist of only a few staple ingredients, making them extremely frugal and easy to make. They are also a lifesaver for those day-before-grocery-shopping emergencies where you really need something else to serve with dinner, but your cupboards are almost empty (of course, we’ve never had any of those moments at my house. Ha!). Or when you have you realize you have milk about to expire and are looking for a way to use it up.
Just for the record, I also make this recipe when my pantry is fully stocked and my milk isn’t close to expiring – because they’re good.
These muffins are surprisingly moist, even though they don’t have any oil or butter in them. So for those of you trying to watch your fat intake, use low-fat buttermilk, and this recipe can be your new best friend. If you’re not watching your fat, feel free to slather them with butter or coconut oil like some of us do around here.
They are relatively healthy without tasting like it (I LOVE those kinds of recipes!). I adjust the amount of sugar depending on what I am serving them for. For breakfast, we prefer them sweeter. If you’re using them to go along with your dinner, I would suggest decreasing the sugar.
This recipe came from a dear older lady at my husband’s childhood church. She has since gone to be with the Lord, but her legacy and her recipes live on.
The last time I made these, my six-year old said: “Mom, I wish you would make these muffins every single day for the rest of my life!” If your family likes this recipe half as much as she does – it will still be a winner!
Easy Whole Wheat Muffins
Makes 18 muffins
INGREDIENTS:
- ½ – 1 cup sugar (Depending on your taste preference. I never use a full cup.)
- 1 egg
- 2 cups buttermilk*
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 cup white flour (you can substitute additional whole wheat if you prefer)
- ½ teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Beat the egg and sugar together. In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients together. Add to the egg mixture, alternating with the buttermilk, until combined. Put in greased muffin tins and bake 15-20 minutes.
These can be stored in a Ziploc bag at room temperature for 1-2 days (make sure they are completely cooled before putting them in the bags). If storing for longer than that, keep them in the refrigerator or freezer.
*I almost always use homemade buttermilk: I put 2 tablespoons of lemon juice or vinegar in a 2-cup measuring container, and fill the rest with milk.
Brigette is a full-time wife and mother who is blessed with three amazing bundles of energy (ages 6, 4, and 2). She enjoys music, experimenting in the kitchen, homeschooling her children, finding great deals, long-distance running, and anything chocolate.
Reader Tip: Frugal Alternatives to High-Priced Hair Care
Rhonda emailed in the following tip:
Our children are grown now, but when our son was little, my husband cut his hair. As they got older, we all went to a cosmetology school where students cut hair at a greatly reduced price. It took longer, but the work was always inspected by the supervisor so you wouldn’t have uneven lengths, etc.
When my hair began getting gray in my 30’s, a friend showed me how to color it myself. I have been doing that every month since then, and have saved thousands of dollars I’m sure, compared to having a stylist color it. I buy a brand I can get at Dollar General, and once a month a newspaper coupon insert will have a $1 or $2 off coupon for it. So I average $3-$4 a month for hair color!
Another idea for haircuts is to check ad circulars that come in the mail. We usually have one for our local franchise hair salon for $6-$9 a haircut. Even with a tip, that’s less than $10 for a quick haircut which I get every 8 weeks or so. My husband has an electric hair trimmer that I use to shave the back of his neck, and he has bought a Flowbee hair system that he uses to cut his own hair. After 10 haircuts, it’s paid for itself.
If you don’t feel comfortable doing your own hair care, then perhaps you have a friend who cuts hair and will barter another service from you for that. Look around — there are many alternatives to high-priced hair care out there! -Rhonda
How do you save on hair care costs?
How Our Emergency Fund Gave Us Peace In the Midst of Grief
Note from Crystal: Today is Valentine’s Day and I thought this beautiful post was such a great reminder of the importance of not taking any of our relationships with those we love for granted. In addition, it’s fitting because baby Kyle was due today, on Valentine’s Day.
Testimonial from Kim of Kimz Kitchen
I’ve always been a planner. And when we decided to try for our third little baby back in October of 2011, we knew we should begin setting aside cash for our high deductible insurance plan. Using our Health Savings Account, we were able to set aside money (tax free) each week from my husband’s paychecks.
I was also very thankful that we had our Emergency Fund. After two miscarriages and a few medical bills that our insurance didn’t cover, we again realized the importance of keeping that fund stocked at all times.
In June of 2012, we found out we were pregnant again. We were ecstatic! But, in August, we found out our sweet baby boy, Kyle Nathaniel, had a fatal genetic condition that would most likely claim his life before he was even born. This was certainly not in MY perfect plans.
As agonizing as the next several months were, the financial costs of a labor and delivery — immediately followed by a funeral and burial, were not a concern to us.
Little Kyle was born into Heaven after 31 wonderful weeks of life where he knew only love — right into Heaven, where he’ll forever know only love. God allowed his precious tiny body to be born into our arms on December 19th, 2012.
At that point, our HSA was funded to cover our deductible, and our emergency fund was available to cover the costs of the burial 3 days after his birth.
Our little guy had a huge impact on thousands during his short life. Even now, his video is being shown in crisis pregnancy centers and in OBGYN offices around the country. His memorial fund for Compassion International will sponsor a Mother Baby Survival Center in South America for 39 months.
I wouldn’t trade the 220 days we had with him for anything.
Now, as we are recovering, we are working to restock our fund. I’ve kept my grieving mind and and empty hands busy this month de-cluttering our home and selling our things on Craigslist. There are even a few local “yard sale” Facebook pages I’ve had great success with selling things on.
We spent the month of January living on a tight budget, with minimal eating out and only spending money on necessary things, to put all of our extra cash into our emergency fund, and at this point, we’re pretty close to getting it right back to where it was a few months ago.
Sometimes, I think we think of that emergency fund as being a go-to account for flat tires, or blown transmissions, or repairing central heating units. I never planned to use it to bury one of my children. And while our specific case is certainly rare, having an unexpected expense that you haven’t planned for is not. I can’t say enough about the peace of mind that an emergency fund can give when peace can otherwise be very difficult to find.
Kim Rackley is a blogger at Kimz Kitchen. She’s the wife of a very special guy and mother to two girls here and three children in Heaven. She blogs about her life as a mother, homeschooler, and a small potatoes caterer.
How Having a Budget Brings Peace to Our Marriage
Guest post from Leanne of Cooking With the Johstons
When I was a teenager, my parents divorced and I saw first-hand that the number one cause for divorce is money problems. As a young adult, I did what I knew and overspent.
At 24, I overdrew my checking account for the umpteenth time. What was different this time was that I had also gone over my limit on all four of my credit cards. I had no cash, no savings, and no safety net. While I’d spent years overspending and overdrawing, this was rock bottom.
Because of that experience, I created a budget. It was the first time I saw on paper that I was spending far more than I was earning and had absolutely nothing to show for it but a car payment, credit cards, and student loans.
Shortly thereafter, I discovered the Dave Ramsey’s Baby Steps. The concept of living below your means was completely foreign to me. I started to live differently. For the first time in my life, I had peace about money and my future.
Two years later, when I met my husband, I was well on track of being debt free within the year. When we married, my debt turned to our debt. Combined we had $117,000 and were making $40,000 a year; however, we had peace and a plan because we had a budget.
A budget saved our marriage before it even started — here’s why:
- Having a budget means having a plan — a budget frees us to tell our money what to do each month. We have a plan for every dollar that we earn. We have lots of dreams for the future and know we will achieve them because we have a plan.
- Having a budget means having peace — things will happen outside of your budget. Children get sick, windows break, and cars break down. A budget takes the emergency out of these situations. It brings peace into the financial inconveniences of life.
- Having a budget will change your future — without a plan, you will wander aimlessly. Without a budget, you will spend aimlessly with nothing to show for your efforts. A budget puts effort behind dreams.
- Having a budget helps you stay on the same page with your spouse or family — My husband and I know how much money we have, where it needs to be spent, and what our financial goals are because it is in black and white. If it’s not in the budget, it doesn’t get spent. If we want to spend money on something, we need to agree on it and add it to the budget.
My husband and I have incredible peace in our marriage because of our budget. Our plan allows us to give generously, save for our future, and be in control of our money. Our infant son will have the skills necessary to manage his money and make an impact in the world.
Leanne is an organizational whiz working with youth and young adults in Fort Worth, TX. She is a seminary graduate and a walking warrior. She’s the nerd who loves spreadsheets and finding a good deal. She lives in the Dallas area with her husband and infant son, Wesley. Visit her blog, Cooking With the Johstons.