$25 dining gift certificates for $2!!!!!!!

Alrighty readers, so I suscribe to a site called Econobusters.com. I just got this e-mail, and I thought I would share this with you!! I checked my zip code and was surprised of how many resturaunts participated. Now I will tell you, these are not national chains like TGI Fridays... these are the yummy local restuaraunt! (mmmm.... Mama Sortinis!!!)

Check it out below and let me know if you took advantage of this great save!!!

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Econobusters.com

There’s nothing like tallying up how much you spend on groceries for a meal at home to almost make you want to swear off dining out forever!


Well… like I said, almost!


It’s still nice to have an evening out from time-to-time, especially as couple. We try to make it a point to have a date night every other week. But, lately we’ve had some unforeseen expenses zap our date night budget somewhat ruthlessly.

Thanks to Restaurant.com, though, we can still manage to have a nice evening out. Restaurant.com is well-known among frugal folks; they offer $25 restaurant gift certificates for only $10. Usually, you have to spend $35 to use the card, but you still end up ahead and can have a nice $35 dinner out for only $20.


But, it gets better.


Through Monday, Restaurant.com is having an 80% off sale! That’s right, a $25 gift certificate, normally $10, is only $2. All you have to do is use the coupon code: TASTE; and your $35 dinner just dropped to $12. Now that’s a great deal!


How often do you and your sweetheart get a date night out? What’s your favorite place to go?

Like The Great Harvest Bread Co. ?

I LOVE BREAD!! So when the Great Harvest Bread Co. came to our town I was estatic!!!! All of the yummy and delightful breads all at an arms reach! But sadly my pocket book could only afford so much of thier bread.... so I had to take matters into my own hands! I LOVE THE HONEY WHEAT BREAD.... so I scoured the internet and my cookbooks until I found a recipe that fulfilled my taste buds. While the bread is not the same, It is good.

My child LOVES it and I find it filling. It is great sandwich bread! The recipe I use makes two loves at a time. I recommend that you see how many days the two loves will last you, and have a constant schedual of when you bake, that way you will always have some on hand.
For My child and I one loaf will last 2-3 days. so basically once a week I bake two loaves. I freeze the second loaf until I need it.

here is the recipe! I hope you like it! I modified it a bit... ;-)  Please let me know what you think of the bread!

Honey Wheat Bread (makes two loaves)


3 c. whole wheat flour
1/3 c honey
1/4 c shortening
3 tsp salt
2 pks reg or quick active dry yeast (or if you buy in bulk, 4 1/2 tsp)
2 1/4 c very warm water (120-130 degrees)
3 - 4 c all purpose or bread flour
2 tbs vital wheat gluten


Mix wheat flour, honey, shortening, salt and yeast in a mixer on low sped until mixed well. Add warm water. mix on low speed for a minute. then beat for another minute on med speed. put in the vital wheat gluten and then start adding the ap or bread flour 1 cup at a time until the dough is easy to handle.


knead for 10 minutes either using your kitchen aide with the dough hook or on a floured surface until the dough is smooth and springy. place dough in a greased bowl and cover loosely with saran wrap and rise for 40-60 min or until dough has doubled.


prep you two bread pans with grease or spray


divide your dough in half and then flatten each half on a flouered surface. then roll and shape your dough for your bread pan. place each half in thier respected bread pan and cover loosley with the saran wrap until dough has doubled (about 40-60 minutes)


preheat your oven to 375 and bake the loaves for 40-45 mintues or until the loaves are deep golden brown. remove pans to wire rack. and cool.

What is the Stink with Vinegar!

Friends, the coolest liquid multitasker I can thing of would have to be Vinegar! White Vinegar to be more exact! Gosh, you can cook, clean, and do laundry with just this one ingredient!!

I talked with my sister today, and we were talking about this stinky ingredient (vinegar) and she was shocked that it had so many uses! And did you also know that when vinegar dries, the yucky smell goes away too?!?!!

At Costco you can get two gallons of White Vinegar for under $4.00.... if you think about it... a bottle of tile and grout cleaner is between $3-$4! hmmmmmm... you do the math, and let me know how much you could save!

So here are some uses for vinegar from the website: http://www.vinegartips.com/Scripts/
There are many more listed on the site, i picked the ones that I thought were pretty cool and most useful to myself and my fellow mom friends

For the Laundry

* To remove soap residue that makes black clothes look dull use white distilled vinegar in your final rinse.

* Remove perspiration odor and stains on clothing, as well as those left by deodorants, by spraying full- 

   strength white distilled vinegar on underarm and collar areas before tossing them into the washing machine.

* Keep the steam iron clean and in good working order by getting rid of mineral deposits in steam vents and

   spray nozzles. Fill the water chamber with a solution of equal parts white distilled vinegar and distilled 

   water. Set it in an upright position and let it steam for about 5 minutes. When the iron is cool, rinse the tank

   with water, refill and shake water through the vents onto an old cloth. Test before using.

Cleaning - there were SO MANY things, that I only picked a few

* To shine chrome sink fixtures that have a lime buildup, use a paste made of 2 tablespoons salt and 1

    teaspoon white distilled vinegar.

* Clean counter tops and make them smell sweet again with a cloth soaked in undiluted white distilled

   vinegar. (you can add tea tree oil for an antibacterial addition :-) )

* Clean counter tops and make them smell sweet again with a cloth soaked in undiluted white distilled

   vinegar.

* For stained and smelly plastic food containers, wipe them with a cloth dampened with white distilled

   vinegar.

* Remove odors from a lunch box by placing inside a slice of bread that has been soaked in white distilled

   vinegar. Leave overnight.

* Discourage ants by spraying undiluted white distilled vinegar outside doorways and windowsills, around

   appliances and wherever you find the pests coming in.

How do you SAVE money?

Readers, I am looking for tips and recipes! They can be from cooking, cleaning, even giving gifts!  Please post them and spread the knowledge!

Here are a few tips that I use:

COSTCO can be your best friend if you know how to use it!

    I buy things that I know that I use alot from there... Toilet paper; paper towels; baking soda; yeast; ect. Buying things that get used often enough surley out weigh the costs of buying them at the grocery store. Don't think you will use it before it expires? Get together with a friend and split it!

Farmers Markets-

   I love Flowers, but cannot find myself buying 5 carnations for $7 when I can buy a beautiful bouquet for $10 at our local market. I am always recieving comments on how wonderful the flowers look and smell. Want a trick to make them last a few days longer??? Add a half teaspoon of beach to the water!

   Farmers markets also have GREAT PRODUCE!!! shop locally once a week and use that to supplement your dinners! You get three great benifits by doing so: Save money because you are not getting the 'marked up' price, fruit and vegetables that will last longer becasue they are picked fresh the day or two prior, and lastly you are supporting your local farmers!

COUPONS-

   I love coupons!!! I have saved SO MUCH MONEY by using them! Don't get the Sunday paper? here are a couple options that will allow you to get the coupons with out getting the paper: look online for coupon websites; my friend Laura mentioned that she will go to the library on Monday's and is allowed to clip the coupons from the Sunday paper that they have on hand! WHO KNEW!!!

Meal Planning-

   I had a bad habit of running to the grocery store a couple times everyday... and this was even after I made my bi-weekly grocery trips! I ended spending up to an additional $200 every two weeks on groceries because I didn't have a plan of what I was going to feed my family! So one day I pulled out my calendar and grabbed my child and sat down with a BUNCH of cookbooks. And together we came up with two weeks worth of meals that worked with our busy schedual and by making my child part of the process allowed him to feel some responsibiity to help stick with our plan! To get a free meal planning guide you can go to http://www.econobusters.com/

Websites That Have Helped Me Along The Way!

These websites have given me tips and ideas to help me save money and make my life a bit easier around my home! Now I am going to share them with you!

http://www.econobusters.com/

   This website is great! The lady does lots of research to provide freebies and other great tips! Plus when you sign up for her e-mail, they gives you a way cool FREE download for meal planning. I am a meal planner myself.. I plan two weeks worth of meals and do my best to stick to that plan! This e-book gived you the templates to print out and use! HOW HANDY!!!

http://www.kraftfoods.com/kf/Budget/BudgetLandingPage.aspx
   I love the Kraft Foods website! espescially when I am getting close to pay day, and I (somehow) cannot think about what to make for dinner. You can put your key ingredients in, and it will give you a WHOLE bunch of reciepes.... FOR FREE!! You can try other name brand sites too like Campbells!

https://www.mytotalmoneymakeover.com/
   Dave Ramsey has helped my husband and I understand what being in debt really means... by following Dave's suggested 'money makeover' we have paid off more debt in 6 months than we have in three years! Dave did not re-invent the wheel... but puts in to 'us' in a way that we can understand! Good Luck!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/
   How many times have I started Weight Watchers only to end it 3 weeks into my adventure of my weight loss journey. Well, here is a program that is set up LUST LIKE IT, but it is FREE! When a handful of girlfriends and I were participating in our wieght loss challenge, we used this site to help us calculate how much we ate, and how much we should to acheive our personal goals! This site was loved by all of us... and it was FREE!

http://mops.christiancourses.com/?srctype=menu&PHPSESSID=3a2108ea38c4cfd7057c7e72a783de53
   MOPS university provides free online bible studies. I have done a couple and LOVE the set-up. They are great to do, becuase there is no timeline and they are very interesting. Take a look and get educated for FREE!

A few Items that can save you over $50 a month!

Okay... so looking through my cupboards I found a few items...
*Baking Soda
*Borax (the 20 Mule stuff)
*White Vinegar
*Arm and Hammer WASHING soda (not BAKING soda)
*Fels Naptha soap

Do you know how many househod things you can make with a combination of those things? Laundry deterent, Fabric Softner, Dishwasher detergent, tile and grout cleaner, hardwood floor cleaner... the list can literally go on FOREVER!!!

So I have made a few things that have included these ingredients... Now as I mention in my earlier posts... I am a stickler for name brands... I feel that they do a great job. But I thought... what if I could make my own stuff... and it works the same?! GENIUS! So with a help from a handful of friends (who will tell me YAY or NAY) we have tested and tried these two reciepes for you! So let me know your thoughts on these! I love the critiques and how you have made them even better!!

Fabric Softner: Found recipe from ehow.com (Reference # 2331685)
What you need:
Baking Soda
Distilled White Vinegar
Essential Oil (optional)

You will need a large container to mix ingredients in.

Add 1 cup of Baking Soda to your large bucket, and then add 1 cup of water. Give a bit of a stir to get the soda off of the bottom.
Now slowly pour 6 cups of the Distilled White Vinegar into that mixture. It will foam up (if you have little kids... they LOVE TO WATCH THIS!) Give this mixutre about 5 minutes to dissolve the bakig soda, stiring every so often.  When the soda has dissolved you then add 6 cups of water to the mixture. Becareful not to add to early as this will stop the fizzing/disolving process.

You now have your fabric softener!
Here are some additional tips:
The vinegar smell will not stay on the clothing! (THANK GOODNESS!!)

 If you want a scented softner, you can add 10-15 drops of your favorite essential oil. I have used Orange as it was the less costly.. but beware... add a little at a time... you can always add more scent... but you cannot take it away! ;-)

I funneled my Fabric softner into my old empty container, and put 1 cup of it in the wash during the rinse cycle (if you have a downy ball this works too)!

Homemade Laundry Detergent:( found recipe off of www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap.htm)

1/3 bar Fels Naptha- can be found in laundry aisle
1/2 c Washing soda (NOT BAKING SODA!) can be found in laundry aisle
1/2 c 20 Mule Borax- can be found in laundry aisle
(1) two gallon bucket

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use ½ cup per load.

Tips about Laundry Soap:
This will not be a solid gel, it will be a watery gel.
 It will work in a HE washer, becasue of the low suds! :-)

Happy Savings!

How can I save more money with out it looking like I did?!

Hey Friends and Family... I am not a blogger by any means, but I realize there there people out there like me who want to save money, but really enjoy the things that they have now!

I can say that I have never always been like this... a saver (unless you call the stack of papers, bills and books that have been on my counter that!) But with money, spending and saving, I have never been very good at. I was and still am (somewhat) an instant gratification gal. Over the years my marriage and friendships have had thier ups and downs because of money. And over the years, I have learned that money sometimes be the root of all evil. We think it can buy us happiness and a better life.

Well, I learned the hard way. I learned that one needs to focus on the relationship with friends and family. I also learned that buying 'things' (like the non-essinstial) can wait. By learning these things the hard way I have actually found that my life has become happier and more gratifying!

So over the year I have been looking at what I use, and how I spend my time and money. And what I saw amazed me! I could save over $150+ a month buy just changing a couple shopping habits, and doing a few things at home!

Okay, now you have to know this about me. I like my name brands... food, clothing, and the normal esentials that I need to function. But I realized I can get the same quality of food, clothing and essentials if I just took the time to do my homework! So now that I have done the homework, I want to share it with you! So please stay tuned to my future posts! I will have websites, recipes, and everyday tips to help you save a few $$$ and make your life a bit happier!