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Shared Dec 14, 2012 comment

Reader Tip: Our family’s frugal experience Christmas gift

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 14, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Laura from Ten Things Farm emailed in the following tip:

My husband and I decided that we wanted to give our daughter an “experience” gift rather than another toy for Christmas this year. (We know the grandparents will make sure there are several toys under the tree!)

I stay home full time and my husband’s job is not high paying. Add to that, they’ve cut everyone’s hours by 25% this entire year, so we are being careful with our budgets.

There is a museum of natural history in a nearby town that has an extraordinary dinosaur exhibit, and our daughter loves dinosaurs. I went to the museum’s website and checked the schedule of upcoming free admission days.

I used my printer to create “tickets” for the three of us to go to the museum on one of the free days. We’re planning to pack a picnic lunch (the museum is adjacent to a lovely park, but also has an indoor dining area where you’re allowed to bring in food) and we will be sure to take our camera and take lots of photos to remember a fun Christmas present! -Laura from Ten Thing Farm

photo via Bigstock

Shared Dec 14, 2012 comment

Better-Than-Mounds Bars

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 14, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Brigette Shevy

These bars are one of my all-time favorite holiday treats! If you want to meet new people and make new friends, just take a plate of these decadent candy-bar-like cookies to a Christmas party — you will have people begging you for the recipe! They are very rich (which means one pan goes a long way!), indulgent, and an amazing addition to a plate of assorted homemade Christmas goodies.

Even though I generally stick with recipes that use more “pure” ingredients (i.e. less packages and cans), I like these bars so much that I feel they more than justify a once-a-year splurge.

This is a simple, easy-to-throw-together recipe that will keep in the freezer for weeks – which means you can have treats ready at a moment’s notice the entire holiday season.

I will forever be indebted to my husband’s grandma for introducing me to this recipe! She simply called them “Mounds Bars,” but seriously, there is just no comparison between these and the packaged candy bars in the checkout lanes.

Better-Than-Mounds Bars

Makes one 9″ x 13″ pan.

Crust:

1 ½ – 1 ¾ cups graham cracker crumbs
½ cup melted butter
½ cup sugar (I use less than this)

Filling:

1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 package (7 ounces) shredded coconut

Topping:

12 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips (use less if you’re not a chocolate lover!)
1 Tablespoon peanut butter

Directions:
For the Crust: Mix graham cracker crumbs, butter and sugar together and press into a 9×13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.
For the Filling: Mix the condensed milk and coconut together and carefully spread over hot crust. Bake for another 15 minutes. Cool.
For the Topping: In a microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and peanut butter. Microwave until melted, stirring every 20-30 seconds. Spread on top of cooled bars. Chill until set.

That’s it!

The only bad thing about taking these bars to holiday parties it that you’ll rarely ever have leftovers!

Brigette is a full-time wife and mother who is blessed with three amazing bundles of energy (ages 5, 3 and 1). She enjoys music, experimenting in the kitchen, homeschooling her children, finding great deals, long-distance running, and anything chocolate.

Shared Dec 14, 2012 comment

The Best Way to Jumpstart Financial Success

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 14, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Gearing up for 2013 and wanting to make some changes to help you achieve more financial success? Head on over to Not Quite Amish where I’m talking about The Best Way to Jumpstart Financial Success. Here’s a snippet of my post:

Most of us have big goals and dreams for our finances, but executing those grand ambitions is easier said than done. Life happens, busyness creeps in, bills need to be paid, setbacks occur . . . the years tick by and somehow we never seem to make any traction on our financial goals.

I’m here to tell you a secret I’ve found for jumpstarting financial success. When I started implementing this a few years ago, I was amazed at the results. For the first time, I wasn’t just coming up with all these big ideas — I was actually following through and getting things done.

What’s the secret, you ask?

…Read the whole post over on Not Quite Amish.

Shared Dec 14, 2012 comment

Freebies in my Mailbox

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 14, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Here are the freebies I’ve gotten over the past few weeks:

Free Twinings Tea samples

Free Nivea sample

Free Cepacol samples

Free Mrs. Dash samples

Free Bon Ami samples

Free Bic razor

Free Yoplait cup of yogurt coupon

Free Airborne samples

Free coffee sample

Free Aveeno samples

What freebies have arrived in your mailbox this week?

By the way, if you want to start getting great freebies in your mailbox, just start signing up for the freebies I post every day that interest you. Within 4-6 weeks, your mailbox will start filling up with great freebies!

Shared Dec 14, 2012 comment

Gluten-Free Angel Face Cookies

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 14, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

For those of you on gluten-free diets, I thought you’d want to know that Lynn from Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures remade my sister’s Angel Face Cookies recipe into a gluten-free version.

WANT TO SAVE $100 FAST?!Join the FREE 14-Day Savings Challenge!

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Shared Dec 13, 2012 comment

Pinterest Experiments: Cracker Barrel Pancakes & One-Hour Cinnamon Rolls

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 13, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I find a lot of great ideas on Pinterest… but pinning something doesn’t do anything unless I actually, you know, try the idea. So I thought it’d be fun to challenge myself to do at least one Pinterest experiment every week — and blog my results.

I can’t promise that I’ll always have a Pinterest Experiment post up each week, because you know how I sometimes get distracted or on blog tangents. But I’m at least going to try. By the way, you can follow my Pinterest account here, if you’re interested.

These One-Hour Cinnamon Rolls looked promising. And they were fairly easy to make (I used my KitchenAid to mix the dough).

However, I think that my Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls still beat this recipe out by a long shot — and the Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls only take about 20 minutes of actual prep time to make. (You gotta try the Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls if you have already. Trust on this; it’s a winner recipe!)

I was excited to try the Cracker Barrel Pancakes. They were good and hearty, but I still think that our regular pancake recipe is better.

Want to see what ideas I’m thinking of trying next? Check out my Recipes I Want to Try board and my Do It Yourself board for things I’m considering trying next.

Have you tried any ideas or recipes you’ve found on Pinterest this week? If so, how did they turn out for you?

Shared Dec 13, 2012 comment

31 Days of Giving on a Budget: 40 Days of Fasting From Excess (Day 13)

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 13, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Welcome to December’s series on 31 Days of Giving on a Budget. In this series, I’ll be sharing inspiring stories from my readers and posts with practical ways to give — even on a limited income.

If you have a Giving on a Budget story to share of a way you or your family has given to others this year or this holiday season, please email me your story (or a link to your post on your blog) and a picture to go along with it, if possible. I’d love to hear it and possibly share it during this series!

We had the incredible opportunity of getting to have Chris Seay and his cameraman come to our home for a short visit earlier this year. Chris is a pastor, author, and a man with an amazing heart for the poor. I was so blessed and inspired to meet him and get to hear a little of his heart.

Chris has traveled all over the world to visit those living in poverty. He’s seen suffering beyond what most of us could even begin to fathom (some of the stories he shared just blew my mind!). But he’s not just witnessed the poverty, he is actively seeking to live a life of walking with the poor–sacrificing his own comforts and wants in order to reach out to those in desperate need.

In his book, A Place At the Table, Chris issues a challenge for us to not just talk about the dire needs and poverty around the globe, but for us to actually walk with the poor. His book challenges readers to consider a 40-day fast from excess.

In the short video below, I share about two books that have impacted me recently when it comes to giving and living a simple life and Chris shares more about his heart for the poor:

For more video clips from my interviews with Chris, be sure to check out the following links:

What a 40-Day Fast From Excess Might Look Like For Your Family

Can My Small Efforts Really Make a Difference?

How to Encourage Your Children to Be Givers

Shared Dec 13, 2012 comment

Ask the Readers: Do you have any frugal Christmas Cookie recipe ideas?

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 13, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Today’s question is from Jessica:

I love giving homemade Christmas goodies out to friends and neighbors, but sometimes the ingredients can really add up to be a lot of money. When I’m already spending plenty of money this time of year, it can sometimes be hard to fork over the extra for specialty ingredients.

I wanted to get ideas from other MoneySavingMom.com readers about what Christmas goodies they find to be the most frugal to make and give. I’d love to be able to keep up this tradition with minimal damage to my pocketbook. -Jessica

Do you have a question you’d like to ask Money Saving Mom® readers? Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.

Shared Dec 13, 2012 comment

A Handmade Christmas: Colored Sugar

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 13, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

MomOnTimeOut.com shows you how to make colored sugar.

Have you blogged about a Handmade Christmas idea? Submit the link through this form here and we’ll consider sharing it as part of this series during the next 4 weeks!

Shared Dec 12, 2012 comment

31 Days of Giving on a Budget: Blessings in a Backpack (Day 12)

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 12, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Welcome to December’s series on 31 Days of Giving on a Budget. In this series, I’ll be sharing inspiring stories from my readers and posts with practical ways to give — even on a limited income.

If you have a Giving on a Budget story to share of a way you or your family has given to others this year or this holiday season, please email me your story (or a link to your post on your blog) and a picture to go along with it, if possible. I’d love to hear it and possibly share it during this series!

Carrie emailed in the following testimonial:

Three years ago, our church of 40 members started giving away backpacks and school supplies every August for needy children in our area. I secured a list of families from a local organization, sent out invitations, and began collecting donations from Target, Meijer, and individuals.

These donations were used to fill backpacks for 150 needy children. To top it off, they were invited to our church facility where a local salon set up hair cutting stations and gave the children free back-to-school haircuts. It was incredible!

Fast forward three years, to this past August. We had so many backpacks and supplies donated the we had leftovers. I called two local schools, asking them if they would like what we had left.

One said, “Yes. We can use those to send food home to children who need it.” I was astonished, heartbroken, and saddened–there were children in our area, who for whatever reason, were not being fed by their parents on the weekend.

Since this particular school already had a food program in place, I contacted the school that was taking the remainder of our backpacks and told the counselor my plan: We wanted to provide food for needy children in the school via a backpack each week.

That started the ball rolling. The school sent home surveys to parents to get a feel for who needed food, and how many people we would be dealing with. It turned out that there are 18 children who go home each Friday with a backpack of food to feed them for seven meals over the weekend. Our little church of 40 people is feeding 18 children week! I did some math, and when it came down to it, a backpack of weekend food can be filled for less than $10!

After a few months of this, I was made aware of a national organization called Blessings in a Backpack. Although our church isn’t doing the program through this organization, it seems to be an easy way to start helping others if you need something more “official” to present to a school for consideration.

The point of the Backpack Buddies is not to fill pantries for families, but instead to provide enough food to children to get them through the weekend.

Here is a list of food we decided to collect:

Canned vegetables and fruit (with easy open tops)

Canned meat or meat stews (with easy open tops)

Easy Mac or Ramen CUP of Soup

Juice Boxes

Shelf Stable Milk

Snacks (granola bars, peanut butter crackers, etc.)

Breakfast items (small boxes of cereal, granola bars, cereal bars, etc.)

We try to make the foods as kid-friendly as possible to open, prepare, and warm in the microwave.

I am so thankful to God that He has blessed us in a way that we can be a blessing to others! -Carrie

photo credit

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Shared Dec 12, 2012 comment

We Paid Cash: A DSLR Camera

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 12, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest post from Joanne

I am a stay-at-home mom of five who enjoys novice photography as a hobby. While the cost of quality photography equipment has come down in recent years, it is still a good chunk of change to purchase quality cameras, lenses, and software.

In the past two years I have been able to purchase (with cash) both a Nikon D3000 (digital SLR) and a 50mm f/1.8 lens! I used three total sources of income to save for this equipment: Swagbucks, a garage sale, and birthday/Christmas money.

I also spread out the costs over 3 years…

2010: Camera savings and purchase (approx. $450)

Early in 2010 I was introduced to Swagbucks, and established an account. I was also able to get several friends and family to join Swagbucks through my referral link, which greatly increased my earnings. Over the course of a few months I was able to spend my Swagbuck earnings on Amazon giftcards.

My second means of saving money was as a result of a garage sale in late August in which I sold, among lots of other things, my old Minolta 35mm film SLR and lenses. I had advertised the camera specifically on Craigslist and sold it at the end of my sale as a direct result of my Craigslist ad.

When I totaled my garage sale earnings and added it to my Amazon gift card stash (via Swagbucks), I had enough to purchase my camera from Amazon (with free shipping, of course).

2012: Lens savings and purchase (approx. $150)

After a year of shooting and learning on my base-level camera and “kit lens”, I learned that the results I desired required better lenses. For those familiar with the “bokeh” effect – that’s what I was after in my portrait shots, and not successfully achieving.

Upon research I realized that what I needed was a higher aperture lens, but that was going to cost more money that I didn’t have to spend. So back to my savings plan I went. I was able to purchase one of the lenses I wanted just last week via Amazon.com after combining more Amazon cards, Christmas money, and birthday money from the past year.

As a non-working (or should I say non-income earning worker?), I have been able to save to pay cash for equipment that I use frequently. Now I’m working on building up my Swagbucks account to purchase a zoom lens and then some photo editing software!

Joanne is a stay-at-home mom from Michigan. She has been married to a widower for 6 years and has five children aged 15, 13, 5, 4, and 3. She enjoys couponing, music, paper crafting, photography, and spending time with her family.

Shared Dec 12, 2012 comment

A Handmade Christmas: Salt Dough Ornaments

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 12, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

MomOnTimeOut.com shows you how to make DIY salt dough ornaments.

Have you blogged about a Handmade Christmas idea? Submit the link through this form here and we’ll consider sharing it as part of this series during the next 4 weeks!

Shared Dec 12, 2012 comment

31 Days of Giving: What Our Children Are Teaching Us About Being Givers (Day 11)

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 12, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Welcome to December’s series on 31 Days of Giving on a Budget. In this series, I’ll be sharing inspiring stories from my readers and posts with practical ways to give — even on a limited income.

If you have a Giving on a Budget story to share of a way you or your family has given to others this year or this holiday season, please email me your story (or a link to your post on your blog) and a picture to go along with it, if possible. I’d love to hear it and possibly share it during this series!

Last year, I shared with you how my daughter Kathrynne taught me about giving through her Operation Christmas Child Project. This fall, as we were considering what giving project we wanted to do as a family this Christmas, our daughters challenged us to think big.

Once again, we’re touched, blessed, and challenged by my children and their giving hearts. I think you will be, too. Head on over to Keeper of the Home to read about our family’s Christmas Giving Project this year.

Here’s a snippet from the post:

“…We’ve sought to model giving before our children, encouraging them from a young age to earn money so they can pay cash for things they want, as well as have money to give to our local church, to those in need, and to bless others with gifts.

We weren’t sure if all of our teaching was really sinking in until last year when we were blown away when our then six-year-old daughter said she wanted to invest all of her savings to put together 10 Operation Christmas Child boxes. It was such a joy to see her find so much fulfillment in giving her money away to bless others. And her selfless spirit challenged and convicted us!

This fall, as we were discussing the possibility of what giving project we wanted to do as a family, my daughters hatched a plan — all on their own — to fund a project through Samaritan’s Purse. They looked through the Samaritan’s Purse Gift Catalog and debated which of the giving opportunities would have the most lasting impact.

After some discussion and number-crunching, they came to us and presented their idea for our family to fund a…”

Read the full post over on Keeper of the Home.

Shared Dec 11, 2012 comment

Chocolate Peanut Butter Holiday Bark

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 11, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

I found this recipe on Grin & Bake It that looked like a fun twist on my World’s Easiest Christmas Candy recipe. So naturally, I had to give it a try.

It was fun to make — and the end result is delicious. It’s sweeter than the other recipe and doesn’t have as much of the sweet and salty flavor thing going that I love in my other recipe, but this recipe is fantastic in its own right.

Best of all, this is a recipe that can be made ahead of time and frozen… provided you can keep yourself from eating all of it straight from the freezer. 🙂

Chocolate Peanut Butter Holiday Bark

One sleeve of Saltine crackers (you can use an off-brand)
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup butter
2 1/2 cups semi-sweet chips
1/3 cup peanut butter
Chopped M&M’s (or other candies or nuts)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with foil or parchment paper and lay crackers on the the pan (make sure the cookie sheet has sides, otherwise, you’ll end up with sticky burned goo all over your oven!). Leave a small amount of space between the crackers (see an example of how these should look here).

Bring sugar and butter to a boil in a saucepan on medium heat. Turn down to medium low heat and boil for 3 minutes, without stirring.

Pour boiling mixture over crackers on the cookie sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 5 minutes.

Spoon the peanut butter on top of the crackers and bake for another minute. Spread melted peanut butter over the crackers with spatula and sprinkle the chocolate chips on top. Return to the oven and bake for another minute.

Spread the now-melted chocolate chips evenly over the crackers with a spatula. Top with M&M pieces and freeze until hardened (this will take 1-2 hours).

Once these are hardened, remove break into pieces and store in a ziptop freezer bag in the freezer for up to four weeks.

Recipe originally from Grin & Bake It.

Shared Dec 11, 2012 comment

31 Days of Giving: Hospitality on a Budget (Day 10)

Published: by Crystal Paine on December 11, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Welcome to December’s series on 31 Days of Giving on a Budget. In this series, I’ll be sharing inspiring stories from my readers and posts with practical ways to give — even on a limited income.

If you have a Giving on a Budget story to share of a way you or your family has given to others this year or this holiday season, please email me your story (or a link to your post on your blog) and a picture to go along with it, if possible. I’d love to hear it and possibly share it during this series!

Guest post by Meredith from Like Merchant’s Ships

One of our biggest frugal pleasures is sharing our home and food with others. I can almost always whip up a neighborhood coffee or deliver a meal during hard times.

But how are you supposed to budget for hospitality? Will your own family end up eating rice and beans because you sent too many chicken casseroles elsewhere?

I struggled with this question until I created a hospitality envelope. Using our Dave Ramsey system for cash, hospitality gets its own category. Because I know I have money just for this, I’m no longer afraid to spend it.

When you don’t budget for hospitality, money might always be your excuse for not sharing with others.

How I divide the money varies month to month. $50 could stretch to cover one big party, five $10 meal deliveries, or ten $5 muffin baskets. What we don’t use one month rolls over to the next.

How much you earmark is up to you. What I can tell you is that when I spend in a way that honors our budget, God has a way of multiplying His provision.

One day I raced through the grocery store, putting together a delivery for a sick family. Deals jumped out at me left and right, from super-clearance gourmet soup to Buy One Get One Free crackers and perfectly ripe pears. I ended up with a beautiful basket worth well beyond its $10 price tag.

Here are some ideas for hospitality on any budget:

Meet a new mother at the park. Bring the quilt, a jar of cold lemonade, and a listening ear.

Open your home to a group meeting. You provide a clean, welcoming space, hot coffee, and muffins.

Take a basket of sandwiches to the funeral home to help a family keep up their strength.

Offer to watch your friend’s children during her next doctor visit, serving up encouragement, quick pizza bagels and fruit.

Develop a repertoire of tasty but inexpensive meals for others and stock up when those ingredients go on sale.

Hospitality can be rewarding, but never more so than when you practice it with purpose. Here’s to sharing our blessings with those around us!

How do you practice hospitality on a budget?

-originally published in July 2009

Summer Bucket List

Summer Bucket List

FREE Summer Bucket List!!

Better-Than-Mounds Bars

WANT TO SAVE $100 FAST?!Join the FREE 14-Day Savings Challenge!

Here is a list of food we decided to collect:

OVER-SPENDING EVERY SINGLE MONTH?Grab these FREE Budgeting Sheets!

2010: Camera savings and purchase (approx. $450)

2012: Lens savings and purchase (approx. $150)

Chocolate Peanut Butter Holiday Bark

Here are some ideas for hospitality on any budget:

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