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Shared Aug 3, 2012 comment

Are you using everything up?

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 3, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

photo source: BigStock

Jeni emailed in the following:

I was raised by a fabulously frugal homemaker mom who is also an incredible cook. Nothing went to waste in her kitchen.

Any bits of pie crust left – not enough to make another pie – were cut into pieces, dusted with cinnamon and sugar and baked on a cookie sheet. My siblings and I thought “pie crust cookies” were a marvelous treat.

Any frosting left after the cake was frosted was spread on graham cracker squares to make delicious sandwich cookies. We learned that a batter bowl was not really empty until it was scraped mercilessly with a rubber spatula – this could yield another one or two pancakes or fill one more cupcake paper.

We were taught to use things up. Of course, this idea goes beyond the kitchen.

For example, the facial moisturizer I use comes in a pump dispenser. When it is getting close to empty and product is not coming out through the pump anymore, it doesn’t get tossed in the trash yet. I take off the cap and tap the remnants into the palm of my hand. I can get a good two more weeks of use this way, and nothing goes to waste.

Being conscious of the way we use products in our home every day can help us waste less, and ultimately save us money. -Jeni

Shared Aug 3, 2012 comment

Grilled Three-Cheese Bread

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 3, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

There aren’t many things that can compare to a fresh, hot piece of bread slathered with butter… and this recipe satisfies that craving for fresh bread without heating up your house!

Guest post from Brigette Shevy

You will Love this Grilled 3-Cheese Bread!

This Grilled Three Cheese Bread is a sure winner, and goes well with many different grilled main dishes. The grill is the perfect way to get that crispy outside and soft, chewy, melty inside. Yum!

I like the fact that it can be made up a couple of hours ahead of time. The only last-minute thing I have to think about is sticking it on the grill 10 minutes before the main course is finished.

Ingredients for Grilled Three-Cheese Bread

2 Tablespoons cream cheese, softened
3 Tablespoons butter, softened
½ teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove, minced
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup mozzarella cheese
Dried or fresh chopped herbs to taste, optional (I like to use fresh basil, parsley and chives)
1 loaf French/Italian bread, sliced

How To Make Grilled Three-Cheese Bread

1. Preheat grill to medium heat.

2. In a small bowl, mix cream cheese and butter together until well blended.

3. Add remaining ingredients except bread and mix well.

4. Slice a large loaf of French or Italian bread in half the long-way.

5. Spread butter mixture on both sides of each piece of bread and put bread back into a loaf shape.

6. Wrap bread in a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil and secure tightly.

7. Grill 8-10 minutes over medium heat, turning once.

Recipe

Grilled Three-Cheese Bread

Author Brigette

Course Bread, Side Dish

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 10

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons cream cheese softened
3 Tablespoons butter softened
½ teaspoon salt
1 garlic clove minced
¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated
½ cup mozzarella cheese
herbs I like to use fresh basil, parsley and chives
1 loaf Italian bread sliced in half

Instructions

Preheat grill to medium heat.
In a small bowl, mix cream cheese and butter together until well blended.
Add remaining ingredients except bread and mix well.
Slice a large loaf of French or Italian bread in half the long-way.
Spread butter mixture on both sides of each piece of bread and put bread back into a loaf shape.
Wrap bread in a large piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil and secure tightly.
Grill 8-10 minutes over medium heat, turning once.

Nutrition

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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 Aug 2, 2012 comment

Q&A: What baby items do you consider to be essentials?

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 2, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

What baby items do you consider essential? We have a small two bedroom condo (with no extra storage) and are expecting our first child this winter. We just aren’t going to have the space to have every single baby item out there!.

We want to live simply and not have a bunch of items around the house that we don’t need or use. My other (related) question would be: How do you explain to people that you don’t need all the “extras?” -Emily

Congratulations on your pregnancy, Emily! I love how you’re thinking ahead — what a smart mom you already sound like!

We were in a similar situation when our first baby was born and I know some of what you’re feeling as you try to determine what you need to buy and how you’re going to have room for the additional items.

Here’s some advice based upon my experience of living in a small apartment with a baby:

1. Don’t Buy Anything Until After Your Baby Shower

It’s tempting to want to purchase the adorable teensy tiny baby items that you see at Target or at garage sales, but if you know someone is planning a baby shower for you, wait to buy anything until after it’s over with. I found that people were so generous that we ended upon almost not needing to spend any money on baby supplies after our baby showers!

2. Borrow Items You Will Only Use for a Short Time

There’s no point in spending money to buy something that you’ll only use for a few months or less. And there’s a good possibility one or two of your friends have an extra baby sling, bassinet, or other such baby items in their attic or basement storage room that they’d love to let you borrow.

In addition, if you are thinking about purchasing a non-essential baby item, but you’re not sure if it will work well for you and your baby, wait until after your baby is born and see if you can borrow the item for a short while from a friend before purchasing it.

3. Accept Gifts Graciously

While it’s easy to worry about what you’re going to do about people giving you things you don’t need, focus instead on the fact that you are so loved that so many people want to bless you. If someone asks for specifics on what to purchase for your baby, you can graciously explain to them that essentials like diapers, clothing, food for your freezer (for after your baby comes), and/or a gift card that you can use toward a large ticket purchase would be the best things since you’re short on space.

However, if someone doesn’t ask and instead buys you something so you don’t think you’ll need, don’t allow yourself to feel any sort of frustration toward the gift-giver or view the gift as unneeded clutter. Just be grateful for the wonderful people in your life who are so kind to make sacrifices on your behalf.

As far as essentials go, I did a series on Having a Baby Without Breaking the Bank in 2009. Here’s the list of essentials I shared in that series:

Aside from lots of love and nurturing, here are the essentials I believe you truly need:

1. Clothes (For starting out, I think you can get by just fine with six onesies, six sleepers, a few pairs of socks, and a few hats.)

2. Bed (unless you’re planning to co-sleep) and bedding

3. Car Seat

4. Stroller (or sling/baby carrier — some people find a sling/ERGO to be more practical than a stroller)

5. Diapers and Wipes (either cloth or disposable)

6. Burp Cloths and Blankets (4-6 total, some light and some thicker).

(And if you are unable to nurse or if you are adopting, you would also need to add formula/bottles, etc. to this list.)

There are lots of other things that can be fun to have or that can make life more convenient, but they aren’t essentials, in my opinion. And babies have survived for centuries without them!

What advice do the rest of you have for Emily? What items are on your life of baby essentials? I’d love to hear!

Shared Aug 2, 2012 comment

7 Ways to Save Money and Stay Motivated While Getting Fit

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 2, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Guest Post by Samantha from Urban Girl Fitness

Do you want personal trainer rewards without the steep price? Do you want gym effects without the pricey membership fee?

Don’t worry! Just because your wallet may be tight, it doesn’t means your abs can’t be either. With today’s trendiest fitness offerings, it’s easy to be deterred from working out altogether because of the dollars and cents.

Here are some fitness tips for the fit Recession-ista on a budget:

1. Climb Your Way to Fitness — For Free!

Look outside. Look down the street. Look everywhere. You will see them. Stairs are everywhere and guess what? They offer the perfect workout.

Start with a warm up with five minutes of stair climbing at an easy pace. Then pick up the pace. Add a set of 5 to 10 pound weights for the ultimate workout. Try to find a set of stairs with at least 16 steps.

Having trouble finding stairs? Often local school facilities have a plethora of steps, just enough for you to climb to your fitness goal.

Also, whenever you have the chance, skip the escalator and elevator and take the stairs instead.

2. Team Up With a Friend

Everyone needs an extra push now and then to strap those sneakers on. Most turn to a personal trainer for inspiration and a reason to hit the gym.

However, if you don’t have hundreds of dollars, just ask a friend. If you know someone else is waiting on you to hit up a fitness class or a jog around the neighborhood, you are more likely to feel inspired.

3. Look for Opportunities in Your Community

If you look closely enough, you’ll find complimentary community workout classes everywhere. For example, Lululemon frequently offers fitness classes on Saturday or Sunday mornings with their brand ambassadors.

Check your local newspaper for fitness happenings in the fitness section. You’ll probably find area businesses that offer a variety of fitness offerings. For instance, there’s a restaurant in my neighborhood that has a running group that gathers to run around a local park and socialize afterward.

4. Find Motivation Through Online Networks

In today’s world of Facebook and Twitter, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t use it to your advantage in the world of fitness. There are various networks, including my favorites Map My Run and Map My Ride.

These programs allow you to track your workouts and even rate how each workout went, so you can view your progress each week. They also allow you to set a fitness goal and connect with your friends to give each other motivation.

5. Track Your Successes

Just as social media helps, there’s an app for basically anything you can dream of, especially in terms of fitness. My Fitness Pal is a great resource, since it not only allows for you to track your fitness activity. It allows you to track your caloric intake and progress to reach your ultimate goal.

The best part is it’s a free app. For those who don’t particularly care for their smart phones, try going the route of a journal and pen to track your calorie intake.

6. Take Advantage of Fitness Discounts

With resources like Groupon.com, LivingSocial.com, Schwaggle.com and more, there’s a great way to try out a variety of fitness classes and gyms at a discounted price.

7. Work Up a Sweat While Whipping Your Home into Shape

Just walking into a gym doesn’t make you fit, it takes work. Hit two birds with one stone. You can get fit just around your house and make it spic and span.

Do you know how many calories you burn while deep cleaning your home? You can burn 73 calories alone while doing laundry! Get rid of those dust bunnies for 80 calories. Mop those floors for 153 calories. Break out the Windex and wash the windows for 105 calories.

These are juts a few of my ideas to save money on fitness. What are you best money-saving ideas?

Samantha Bryant is a freelance publicist at Samantha Bryant PR. In her free time she enjoys blogging at Urban Girl Fitness, snowboarding, biking, and playing with her St. Bernard, Charlie.

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Shared Aug 2, 2012 comment

Do-It-Yourself: Single-Serving Brown Rice Cups

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 2, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

FoodDoodles.com shows you how to make single-serving brown rice cups for the freezer.

Do you have a fun and frugal DIY idea to share? I’d love to hear about it! Read the submission guidelines and submit it here.

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

Click here to sign up!

Shared Aug 1, 2012 comment

Crockpot Blueberry Cobbler

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 1, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

It’s been way too hot to even consider turning on the oven around here right now, but I still have a hankering to bake. So I’ve been experimenting with my crockpot.

After my Crockpot Cinnamon Biscuit recipe success, I was inspired to try making cobbler in the crockpot. My whole family agreed that this recipe was a winner.

Best of all? It so easy to make — it only took me about 10 minutes to whip up from start to finish!

You could easily substitute other kinds of fruit, if you don’t have blueberries on hand. I think peaches, raspberries, blackberries, or a mixture of fruit would be delicious!

Crockpot Blueberry Cobbler

1 1/4 cup flour (white, whole-wheat, or a mixture of both)
1/2 cup sugar or raw sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup melted butter
3 cups blueberries
1/3 cup sugar or raw sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix together flour, 1/2 cup sugar, salt, and baking powder in a bowl. Stir in milk and melted butter to make a smooth batter.

Grease crockpot thoroughly with butter or shortening. Pour batter into greased crockpot and spread around to evenly coat the bottom of the crockpot.

Sprinkle the blueberries over the batter, sprinkle with remaining 1/3 cup sugar and drizzle with vanilla.

Bake in crockpot on high for two to three hours until done.

Serve warm with ice cream.

Makes 8-10 servings. Recipe adapted slightly from Get Crocked.

Shared Aug 1, 2012 comment

Summer Olympics Activities: Learning About London

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 1, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

One of the things we love to do is to find fun ways to learn from real-life circumstances.

Whether it’s researching a bug we find in our backyard, checking out books from the library on a subject one or all of the children are interested in, watching a YouTube video on how something is made when one of the children ask about it at the dinner table, or pulling out the U.S. or world map when we’re reading a book that mentions a city, state, or country.

The Olympics have provided the perfect opportunity to research and study all sorts of things. Among a few of the ways we’ve capitalized upon the abundant learning opportunities provided by the Olympics:

::We had the globe out on opening night so we could find the countries on the globe as they walked in the parade of nations.

::We’ve matched colors with the Olympic rings and talked about the significance of the Olympic rings.

::We’ve talked about how close countries are geographically to the U.S.

::We’ve checking out books from the library on Olympic athletes and the history of the Summer Olympics.

::We’ve practiced guessing which flags are for which countries as they are shown on the screen while we’re watching the Olympics.

And this week, we’ve been learning more about London. We checked out Dodsworth in London from the library. The children all enjoyed this book — and we had fun practicing British accents while reading it aloud.

We also watched a documentary on Buckingham Palace, talked about the role of a queen, imagined how fun it would be to ride on a double-decker bus (both girls agree we really need to make these popular in the U.S.!), and we looked at pictures of Big Ben.

We also colored pictures of the U.K. flag and then practiced drawing them freehand. Now Kaitlynn, our resident artist, is drawing U.K. flags all over the place and both girls have decided they need to cheer for the U.K. some of the time, not just the U.S. 🙂

Have you been doing any educational activities to coincide with the Summer Olympics?

Shared Aug 1, 2012 comment

Reader Tip: Saving (and Making) Money with Consignment Sales

Published: by Crystal Paine on August 1, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Rachel from Third Stop on the Right emailed in the following tip:

When I found out I was pregnant with my first baby, I wanted to buy all new clothes and equipment… until I saw the prices. That is when my cousin told me about children and baby consignment sales. I had never heard of these sales before, but now they have saved me hundreds of dollars.

In my area there are at least four different consignment sales that take place twice a year. Some popular national sales include:

Just Between Friends

Kids Consignment Sales

Rhea Lana Consignment Sales

In addition to these websites, you may also want to check out Craigslist, Facebook, or even keep your eyes out for signs along the road.Many of these sales offer the opportunity to shop before the rest of the general public if you are a first time parent or if you have consigned at the sale.

I recommend going as early as you can if you are looking for equipment or any large items as these go fast.

Then, wait until the last day of the sale — when they usually mark everything down by 50% — to buy any clothes or accessories. This is when I can get the really good deals.

In additional to saving me money, these sales have also made me money. I have registered to be a consigner in several of the sales and have sold some of the baby equipment that I no longer need as well as some of my son’s clothes that he has outgrown.

With consignment sales you are able to set your own prices and you make a percentage of what you sell (usually between 50% and 70%). This percentage is much higher than what is usually offered in consignment stores.

If you are on a tight budget (and who isn’t?) consignment sales are an excellent way to get quality baby clothes and equipment for a fraction of the price.

Rachel is a stay-at-home mom who blogs at Third Stop on the Right, a blog dedicated to saving money , living frugally, and using your resources wisely.

photo source

Shared Jul 31, 2012 comment

2012 Goals: July Update

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 31, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

How are you doing on your goals for 2012? I’m excited about the progress I made in July…

Personal
Read through the Bible in a year. {I’ve been keeping up with this faithfully.}
Read through the 24 books on my 2012 booklist. {I’m working on July’s books and hope to have them finished by the end of this week. I have also read quite a few other books!}
Listen to 12 audiobooks. {I finished July’s audiobook last month!}
Run in at least one 5K race. {I’ve been running at least a few 3.1+ mile runs on the treadmill each week and am slowly working on getting my time down. I’m hoping to sign up for an official race soon — probably in September.}
Complete the Couch to 10K program. {I’m hoping to start this soon.}
Tackle 12 Do-It-Yourself Projects. {I postponed July’s project because the weather was too hot to bake!}
Focus on one habit per month. {This month we continued working on getting places on time (we’re making some huge progress with that!) as well as working on getting things done early — another area I really struggle with. I didn’t get everything done early this month, but I got a lot fewer things done late and planned ahead a lot more than I usually do — so that’s progress and I’m encouraged with it!}
Learn to use my new DSLR camera (huge surprise Christmas present from Jesse!!) & improve my photography skills. {I’m excited to be seeing some improvement and progress with this! And I’m also excited that I’m beginning to feel more and more comfortable using my camera!}
Take at least one photo a day and put together a page every week for my Project Life album. {This is caught up since last month, I just need to write notes in some of the pages!}
Memorize Colossians using the plan and free download here. {I’m almost caught up with this.}

Marriage
~~Go on the Love Like You Mean It Cruise.~~ {Done–read my recap here.}
Go on two Marriage Retreats (Went to Cincinnati together in April).
Have monthly date nights. {We had one date in July.}
Read four books together. {We’ve done two books so far this year and we’re working on a third.}
Read at least 3 books on marriage. {I’ve read two so far this year.}

Children/Homeschooling
Continue regular dates/outings with each of the children individually. {I went on at least one outing with each child individually in July.}
Continue Grace and Truth memory book. {The children memorized a few verses plus one verse of a hymn in June.}
~~Ice-skating lessons for all three children.~~ {The children finished up their third round of ice-skating lessons and we’re taking a break while we do swimming lessons!}
~~Swimming lessons for all three children.~~ {We started our second round of lessons this month and the children are loving it!}
Finish second grade, begin third grade with Kathrynne. {Kathrynne finished second grade in May — woohoo!}
Finish kindergarten, begin first grade with Kaitlynn. {Kaitlynn finished Kindergarten in May and is excited about beginning first grade soon.}
Start preschool with Silas. {Started this in April.}
Go on at least one field trip every month. {We went on one field trip in July.}
~~Go on at least one family vacation.~~ {We went to family camp in July.}
~~Finish at least 15 read-aloud books~~. {We’ve finished 20 read-alouds so far this year!}

Ministry/Friendships/Extended Family
Write at least two handwritten notes every month to encourage someone. {I wrote & mailed two handwritten notes this month.}
Continue being involved in our local church, homeschool group, young couple’s group, and blogging accountability group. {Ongoing}
Continue with weekly get-togethers with both sides of our extended family. {Ongoing}

Business/Blogging
Continue to take Sundays off from blogging/business work. {Ongoing}
Continue keeping strict Office Hours for the business/blogging time each day. {Still plugging away on this!}
Switch to a paperless planning system. {This is the one goal I think I’ve officially decided to drop this year as it just wasn’t working for me. Back to the paper.}
Follow my weekly blogging plan. {I stuck with my blogging plan most of July, if I’m remembering correctly — woot!}
Plan blog posts out at least a month in advance. {I made some great progress in this area in July!}
Write and schedule blog posts at least a week in advance. {I’m not a week ahead yet, but I’ve been blogging ahead a lot more recently and am excited to be making some progress on this.}

Financial
Continue to tithe 10% of our income. {Ongoing}
Give generously to needs in our community and around the world, as God prompts us. {Ongoing}
~~Pay cash for a new-to-us vehicle to replace our family’s van.~~ {We bought a new-to-us vehicle in July — yay!}
Finish saving for and purchase a rental property with cash. {We’re in the process of investigating our options in our price range right now and deciding if we want to go ahead and purchase something or continue saving. At this point, it’s looking like there’s a good possibility we might be purchasing something very soon. I’ll keep you posted.}

How Are You Doing on Your Goals for 2012?

If you’ve posted goals for 2012, I’d love for you to post an update on how things are going and share your link in the comments. If you don’t have a blog, feel free to just leave your update as a comment. Let’s encourage one another to live lives of intention and purpose!

Shared Jul 31, 2012 comment

Grilled Hobo Packets

Published: by Crystal Paine on July 31, 2012 | This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

Grilled Hobo Packets are a great way to use garden/seasonal veggies such as green beans, zucchini, onions, peppers, potatoes…and whatever else you want to throw in!

Guest post from Brigette Shevy

We Love these Easy Hobo Packets

My husband’s family first introduced me to this easy, economical, and versatile meal. We cook it on the grill, but it can also be cooked over a campfire (or in the oven in colder months).

I love the fact that my kids can help put these together, “creating” their own personal meal – which in turn seems to help all those healthy veggies become magically more appealing to little people (or maybe it’s that I serve this with ketchup — something that seems to make everything better at our house!).

After the individual packets are made, I like to write the child’s initial on the outside of their foil packet so I don’t need to keep track of which one belongs to which person.

There are endless possibilities and combinations with this meal. You can even make it vegetarian by leaving out the meat.

I almost always have the ingredients for this on hand, so it doesn’t require advance planning or preparation on my part. It’s hearty and filling enough to be a meal-in-one, although it pairs fabulously with grilled bread or a simple fruit salad.

Ingredients for Hobo Packets

Smoked Sausage/Kielbasa, cut into bite-sized chunks
Potatoes (I use one small/medium potato per person/packet.)
Carrots
Other vegetables (onions, cabbage, green beans, peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, etc.)
Butter or olive oil
Salt and pepper
Other seasonings of your choice (Possible seasoning options: garlic salt, seasoned salt, fresh minced garlic, onion or garlic powder, and/or dried herbs, etc.)
Aluminum foil (about 18-inches long per packet)
Ice Cubes (2 per packet)
Ketchup and/or BBQ sauce for serving

How to Make Hobo Packets

1. Preheat grill to medium.

2. Scrub and chop the vegetables (the smaller the pieces, the faster they will cook). I don’t peel the potatoes, but you can if you prefer.

3. Pile sausage, potatoes, carrots, and other vegetables as desired in the center of each piece of foil.

4. Dot with butter (or drizzle with oil) and season generously with salt, pepper, and other seasonings as desired.

5. Add two ice cubes on top.

6. Bring long ends of foil together and fold up several times. Repeat with the sides so that packet is sealed.

7. Grill over medium heat (or medium-low, depending on your grill) for 15 minutes.

8. Flip over and grill another 15 minutes.

9. Check potatoes for desired tenderness and continue grilling if necessary. They will probably be done at this point, but it will depend on your grill and how thick you’ve cut the vegetables.

10. Remove packets from grill, dump onto plates, and sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese.

11. Serve with ketchup or barbecue sauce if desired.

Recipe