I love that now Peeps have a design for every holiday. I wanted to share with you a recipe that I ran across the other day for gift giving. I have used a picture from another site to show you the Halloween peeps but keep in mind, you can use any peeps and make the gift for any season.
Smores in a Jar.

This is a recipe that gives you the taste of smores but in bar form. This gift would be great for teachers, neighbors, coaches, friends or anyone that has a sweet tooth. I am going to make these for my small group at church. I can't wait to share.

You will need:

1 quart size canning jar with lid and ring

1 sleeve of graham crackers (10 crackers)

8 marshmallow Peeps (don't tear apart, it is easier to line them around the jar if still together.)

1/3 c. brown sugar

1 1/4 c chocolate chips, seasonal m&m's or other choclate candies

ribbon and fabric to decorate.

tag for instructions.

Putting it together......

1. Crush the graham crackers into fine pieces.
2. Pour about 2/3 of the graham crackers into the bottom of the jar and press it down.
3. Place the 8 peeps around the inside of the jar. Use a wooden spoon to press them up against the glass. (but don't squish them)
4. Pour the rest of the graham crackers into the middle of the peeps. This will help hold the peeps in place.
5. Pour 1/3 c of brown sugar into the center of the ring of peeps and pack it down.
6. Fill the rest of the jar with the 1 1/4 c of candy. Try to pack it down with out squishing the peeps.

For the tag, write these instructions;

Empty the contents of the jar into a large bowl. Cut the peeps into pieces and miss all the ingredients well. Add 1/2 c melted butter and 1 tsp vanilla to the dry ingredients. Mix well.

Spoon into a greased 8X8 baking pan and pat down lightly. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.

Cool pan on a cooling rack and then cut into bars.

The picture is from grouprecipes.com

The first time we took our children to Disney, our son was in love with Chip and Dale Rescue Rangers. That was all he talked about before we got to Disney. We did a breakfast one morning with the Disney characters and Chip and Dale was some of the characters that were there. Ryne and Jordan both enjoyed seeing Mickey, Minnie, Goofey and others come by the table and greet and also play with them. But when Chip and Dale came by Ryne went totally shy. It was funny how he became shy. It didn't take long for Chip and Dale to bring Ryne out of his shell and then for the rest of the day, all we heard was how Chip and Dale did this, did that and how he loved Chip and Dale.

You can make that special character even more special for you child. Disney has a fan club that you can write to and tell them what your child's favorite character is and they will send you back a signed photo of that character. This is so cool!

Send your request to:

Walt Disney Company
Attn: Fan Mail Department
500 South Buena Vista Street
Burbank, CA 91521

Be sure to request your child's favorite character.

Theatre Communication Group's Free Night of Theatre program is celebrating its 5th anniversary and returns to 120 theatres across the country on October 15, 2009. Last fall, 650 theatre companies opened their doors to over 65,000 new theater goers. The exact details on how to get your tickets in your particular city aren't posted online yet but go ahead an bookmark this site because it is a first come, first serve basis. I don't want you to miss out. I will also be watching for the locations to post and I will let you know.

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you will know my family's weakness in our budget is eating out. We love to eat out. With times being tough for the past year, I have had to be creative to still provide a way for our family to enjoy eating out. Restaurant.com has become my friend. My good friend.

You see, you can visit restaurant.com, put in your zip code and see restaurants that are participating in your area. If you live in a small town, try using the zipcode for the larger city near you. There is always 15 -20 and sometimes more restaurants for Louisville.

Right now Restaurant.com is running a discount special that is unbelievable. Right now if you use the coupon code NINETY you will get a $25 gift certificate for only (drum roll) $1. This coupon code is only good for 99 hours. So go now to shop for your gift certificates. You can purchase as many as you want because they are good usually for 1 year. Each certificate will say it in the details before you purchase it.

Now to make the deal even sweeter...... you can go to ebates and link to restaurant.com through ebates and get 15% back on your purchase. If you are new to Ebates, you will get $5 for just signing up for the program and then the 15% for purchasing through Ebates.

Click here to go to Ebates and then in the search bar on the left side of the site you put in restaurant.com to pull up the link.

If you would rather go straight to restaurant.com just click on the link right below in blue.
Save 90% off w/every $25 Gift Cert. order. Use code NINETY and Pay$1 thru 9/13/09 3:01 AM PST at Restaurant.com.

I am going to shop this time for areas also that I know we are going to be traveling to in the next few months. That way we will have great places to eat and I won't have to worry about the bill. UPDATE: I just purchased $175 worth of gift certificates for $7.25 to restaurants that we already go to often. Whoo Hoo!

Enjoy your meal!

You have heard me talk about my friend Beth before on this blog. Beth is a mom to 4 boys and I am sure always has a load of laundry going. She shared with me a few weeks ago about a laundry detergent that she had made and is using it. She has always been a Tide girl and she said this is as good as her Tide.

She shared with me the recipe for the detergent that is in liquid form. I ran out and bought all the stuff to do the detergent and then it sat in the laundry room for 2 months. :) (sorry Beth)

But I have now tried it and I love it. Beth and I used the same ingredients but I kept my detergent in powder form and she made hers liquid. I kept mine in powder form because of space.

Today I want to share with the quick methods of making your detergent at home. I will also post the liquid method tomorrow. Here is what you need.....

1 bar of Fels Naptha soap. This can be found in the laundry section of your store or maybe in the bathing soap section if the stock boy didn't know what it was :) If you can not find this soap, Ivory soap or another natural lye soap works fine.

Borax This can be found in the laundry section of your store.

Arm & Hammer Washing Soda. Don't confuse this with baking soda. It is two different products. This can also be found in your laundry section.

Putting it together.

I use a food processor for this but if you need to hand grate, just grate soap fine over a large bowl.

Grate 1 bar of soap. If using a food processor, cut the soap into chunks and put in food processor and add the remaining ingredients as follows.

1/2 Cup Borax

1/2 Cup Washing Soda

Mix together completely. If you are using the food processor, mix until the soap chunks are fine.

Get a container that has a lid that seals and place your detergent in it. The measurment that you use is 1 tablespoon for one load of laundry. I just keep a measuring spoon in my container for easy use. Be sure to write the measurment on the container to where others can help you with the laundry.

From my calculations, this way of doing laundry cost about 7 cents per load. My old method of doing laundry cost 21 cents per load. Wow a savings of 14 cents per load. That might not sound like much but you are cutting your laundry cost by 2/3 by doing it this way.

I like this detergent. It has no smell to it. If you want a fragrance, then I would suggest buying a soap that has fragrance and maybe doing 1/2 of the Nels Naptha and 1/2 the fragrance soap and then adjust if needed. Our clothes are coming out clean and stains are not being left in the fabric.

Thanks Beth for opening my eyes to this way of saving money and also going a little greener because I am not using all those plastic bottles and throwing them away.

Tomorrow I will post the liquid method of doing the laundry detergent.

A small box of baking soda cost 62 cents at my local grocery store. I was amazed at the uses that baking soda has and it cost so little. All You magazine gave a great list of 20 uses that you can use Baking Soda for . I want to share them with you.

Baking soda will put out a grease fire. Just scatter over the flames.

Put an open box of baking soda in your frig and freezer to absorb odors. (last for 2 months.)

Clean the dishwasher and coffeemaker by running an empty cycle with baking soda.

Add 1/2 cup baking soda to your bath for an at home spa treatment.

Polish jewelry with a paste made from water and baking soda.

Scatter baking soda in the kitty box, then spread kitty litter on top.

Sun burn relief or bug bites. Make a paste and put on the effective areas.

Add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda to 3 eggs for a fluffier eggs.

1 cup baking soda poured in kitchen drain and followed with 1 cup of hot vinegar to quickly unclog a kitchen drain.

Have trouble with dandruff? Stop using the shampoo for a few weeks and start using baking soda and massage into your wet scalp and hair. Use a handful.

Gargle with baking soda just like mouthwash.

Soak toothbruses in a mixture of 1/4 cup water. soak overnight.

Make kitty litter. 1 small box and 3 inches of sandy clay.

Brush your pet's teeth with baking soda.

Melts icy sidewalks.

Discourage weeds by sprinkling baking soda into the cracks on your driveway and walkways.

Surround your dog's good bowl with baking soda to keep pests away.

Sprinkle baking soda on the sink and tub, and scrub with a sponge.

Have heartburn? Create an antacid by mixing 1/2 tsp. of baking soda with 1/2 c water.

To clean a toilet, add 1/4 cup baking soda to the bowl, swirl and scrub.

Can you believe you can do this much with that little box of soda? This will cut down on your cleaning supplies bill.

I believe there is a day for everything now. I had not heard of Good Neighbor Day until I saw this promotion from FTD. Once I saw what they were promoting, I changed my sarcastic thought and realized that this is something good and I wanted to participate in it also.

FTD is celebrating Good Neighbor Day by giving floral bouquets in select location for free. The thought is to keep one stem and then give the other stems of flowers to your neighbors to brighten their day.

You can click on the flowers to see if there is a florist in your area that is participating. There is not one near me but I see some in several locations that I know you as readers live. So get you a bouquet of flower on that day and share some joy to your neighbors.

I ran across a list of 2000 + uses for WD-40. I was amazed at what all this can of what I thought was just "squeak remover" oil does. After reading through this list, I went out to the garage and dusted off the cobwebs from the can and moved it into the kitchen for easy access. Let me share a few with you.

• Removes Crayon from screen doors, plastic tables & the carpet.


• Removes sticker residue from clothes.


• Cleans the piano keys


• Polishes silver jewelry

If you get stung, put a dot of WD-40 on sting and it won't hurt.

Drives moisture from electrical parts.

Removes splattered grease on the stove.

Removes marker pen from glass objects.

Removes tree sap

Keeps zippers on outdoor items from sticking from weather.

Keeps snow from sticking to doors and satellite dishes.

Takes handprints off stainless steel and helps keep them off.

Cleans volleyballs & golfballs

Prevents rust on golf shoe spikes.

Ever get stuck in a sleeping bag because of the zipper..... yes, WD -40 will fix the zipper. ( i don't think this helps if the fabric is the problem in the zipper :) )

And the big one that WD-40 does is keep those squeeky noises down but if you want to know more about what you can do with WD-40, click here to see the full 2000+ list. Enjoy

And for us moms that like to be ready at any time...... wd-40 has a No Mess Pen. to carry in your purse or put in the glove compartment of the car. Whoo Hoo.

I have been putting together a list over the past few months of ideas on how to work from home. I know it is most every mom's desire to be home but with this society and the economy that can't be the case for everyone. Over the next few days I will be posting several ideas that you can check out and see if any of them work for you.
The list below is Virtual Assistants / At Home Call Agents. These companies are legitimate and they hire people to work from their homes. Some of these positions are freelance, independent contractor or hourly. Some even come with benefits. One thing when looking for positions online is to make sure they don't charge a fee to sign up. That is a big caution sign. You never want to pay a fee to put in an application. Please check all the details out and happy job hunting.

Alpine Access: This is a customer service company that services many different companies. They are a member of BBB. They pay an average of $9-$10 per hour. This one is my favorite one so far.
Liveops: this is a virtual call center. You take inbound and outbound calls for customer service. Check out the site for more details. I have heard good things about this company.
Convergys: Customer Service Suport. This company pays to train you and pays hourly wages. They also pay benefits such as time off, 401K, life, medical, dental and vision. This one is worth applying for. I have heard it is hard to get hired here but it is worth the chance with all the benefits they offer.
Arise: Customer service and technical support to businesses. You will take customer service calls, technical support and sales calls also. They pay three different ways, by call, minute or hour. It all averages out to be around $10 -$14 according to other sites that I have read regarding Arise.
Working Solutions: Customer Service Calls. I don't know a lot about this one but plan on checking it out soon. From what I read you get paid from $7.20 -$30 per hour. From what I see it is by project that you are working on. Check it out. That is a great opportunity to make some money.

Tomorrow, I will continue this list. Hopefully, if you are looking to make some money from home this list and the ones to come will help you out a little.

Be sure to comment back and let me know what you find out regarding these companies and what experiences you have had if any with them.

Do you always have on had items that you can use incase a storm comes through and wipes out power or water or worst case, both? Hurricane season has started, it is late but it has started with a big one. Hurricane Bill is building up strength and heading north. This made me think back to when we had hurricane force winds here in Louisville. Yes, almost in the middle of the USA and we had winds from a hurricane that hit Texas last year. Power was out for days in some areas of our city. The picture above is our guys playing in the wind. Do you notice in the background....it took our fence down.

I always keep items on hand that is easy to prepare and also items that will keep our family safe incase of a threat or storm. I wanted to share a few thoughts with you and also some suggestions.

1. Bottled water. This seams simple and really trivial but we have to have water. I keep at all times 8 gallons of water in my home stored. That is 2 gallons of water person that lives in my home. This isn't enough for a long period of time but at least it is some. I rotate the water out so basically new water every 3-6 months. I will just buy a gallon every couple of months and use the oldest gallon.


2. Plastic Sheeting. The government advised this back when we had the 9-11 attacks. They advised the public to have it to cover the window and doors incase of chemical attacks. I still believe this is a threat but also, plastic sheeting is needed incase of roof leaks, a window being shattered by tree falling, or you needing to block off a room to keep heat in one area. A roll of plastic sheeting is not hard to store and inexpensive to purchase.


3. Rice Cakes & Chex Mix. Ok, I might have lost you on this one, but they have a long shelf life, they taste good if you buy the flavored ones and they are not bad for you. I keep a couple of bags of each and rotate them out with new from time to time. I just make sure when I am rotating them out that I do it in a timely manor to where we can still enjoy eating the ones that I am replacing.


4. Flashlight, batteries, matches, candles. Do I need to say more? These are things that you should have on hand. But they should be in one place and easily to find.


5. Grills. I keep a table top charcoal grill on hand in my supply but we also have the gas grill. You need to have a way to cook if power is out. The charcoal grills are really cheap at the end of summer so it would not be a bad idea to get one to have just in case that gas grill runs out of gas.. They are easy to store. Walgreens has them for 50%off right now.


6. Medicines. You need to keep your medicines all in one place in your home. That way if you need to get them quickly or you need to send someone to your home to get them, the medicine will be easy to find. Pain medicine, stomach medicine etc, I keep a small medicine box in my emergency kit along with bandades, hot compact and cold press.


7. Food & Milk, look at the food that you have, make sure you keep food in your home that has a long shelf life and easy to fix. Ravioli, spam, canned tuna or chicken, etc. Use it but keep it always available. Keep a box of powered milk on hand at all times. The powered milk has a long shelf life and easy to mix.


8. Tools. Keep a hammer & screwdriver available in your emergency kit. You can buy these at the Only 1$ store.

Here is a suggestion on how to keep all your emergency supplies together. Buy a large trash container with a snap on lid. Put the grill, water, blanket, plastic sheeting and tools in bottom then put your food (if you would like) and medicines (not your prescription meds) in the top in ziplock bags. Label the trashcan and put in the corner of your garage or storage building. If an emergency comes, you have it all available for you.

All this information is information that you already know but it is always good to have a reminder.

Have a safe hurricane season!

In this past month's issue of Womans's day, they shared ways to get off of some junk mail list. I wanted to pass the information on you to. If you don't get Woman's Day, it is a great magazine for a small price. Each month I find coupons, great tips and also great gift ideas all in a magazine that cost usually less than $2.

Here is the list of who to call and what that call will do for you.

National Do Not Call Registry This will take care of Telemarketer. This is a govt. based list. http://www.donotcall.gov/.

Opt-Out Services This will take care of credit card and insurance offers. This is the 4 major reporting companies list. http://www.optoutprescreen.com/ or 1-888--567 8688

Direct Marketing Assn. Mail Preference Service Program This will take care of all catalogs, magazine offers adn circulars. This is from the mammoth group. http://www.dmachoice.org/ or call 212-768-7277 ext 1500

Acxiom U.S. This will take care of all phone, mail or email contact that come through this company. www.acxiom.com/opt-out-request-form or call 877-774-2094 ext 5

Here on our local channels they have been advertising Buyers Direct. It would show a dinning room table that cost $3000 and the couple would say that they only paid $1500 for it. Here is an opportunity to really see if they are telling the truth.
Requst your FREE Informational Pack. Click on the banner above or below.
Your FREE Information Pack includes:• The DirectBuy “Insider’s Guide to Buying Direct”

• A map to the DirectBuy club nearest you

• An exclusive, personalized Visitor’s Pass
DirectBuy is a new way to shop for your home. Experience it
for yourself at one of our over 160 elegant club locations.

Red Roof Inn jumping in on saving the consumer money. Thank you Red Roof Inn. They are doing specific locations for 1 cent with a limit of 2 rooms per family. Right now on the site it is for Boston and Orlando, but go to this page and bookmark it to check often for new locations. This is an awesome deal. I think if they had a deal like this in my town, I would just do it for fun. That would be great for a staycation blast.

Click on the Red Roof Picture to go to the site.

Thank you Saving You Dinero for this great deal

This is an awesome deal. Purchase $25 in Kraft products and you will get $5 off your next purchase and $20 from a mail in rebate. This is free stuff!! Click on the picture above and link to a printable shopping list to see what you can buy. Plus, see if a store near you is participating.
Be sure to pay attention to the details. The dates are 8-7-09 / 8-23-09 and it all has to be in one transaction.
Enjoy your free Kraft!

If you are a blog reader, you have picked up that this weekend is a HUGE blogging conference. I didn't go. (sad face) It was just not the best time for me to go. My plans are to attend next year with all my blogging friends. But for this year I will have to live Blogher through my friends stories.
Cozi is a wonderful company that provides a tool for families to stay organized. (http://www.cozi.com/) Cozi is doing a contest for the bloggers that didn't get to go to Blogher. With this contest, we have to list the top 10 reasons why I am excited to stay home with my family this weekend. Here is my top 10 reasons.

1. My sweet husband has been away this week and will return on Friday. I can't wait to see him and spend the weekend with him.
2. I would have so much cleaning and laundry to come back to if I went. Now I will get to stay on top of my household and not over whelmed.
3. My family is going to enjoy a cookout this Saturday. The weather has been awesome lately.
4. I have slept alone for the last few nights, I don't think I could do that knowing my hubby was home. I get to enjoy having him home.
5. I get to set up my Cozi account and get my family ready for school to start back. So many schedules but Cozi is going to keep me in line. thanks!
6. I can stay in my bed and PJs as long as I want and not have to worry if I have the right outfit on.
7. We get to watch the Harry Potter series and stay up late eating popcorn.
8. My daughter is coming back from her first camping trip with college friends. Can't wait to hear her stories.
9. I am so excited to be able to work on my blog and get post ready for next week and not feel rushed.
10. The biggest one of all. I love my family so much and if they can't go with me, I would rather just be home with them.

Help me win this Cozi Sponsorship by leaving comments on this post.

Do you have a child that is heading to college for the first time of returning from a summer break? There are some great buys out there right now to stock up on. Check out these deals. Be sure to check your coupon stock for even better prices.

Kmart

• Get $5 off when you buy $50 worth of food and consumables, drugstore or school supplies. Usually this is before any coupons. (coupon is on the store ad)
• Twin sheet sets $8.99 250 thread count. Reg. 14.99
• Bic Stick Pens (10 ct) .99 cents each
• 18 gallon totes $3.99 assorted colors to match the room
• 12 quart sweater box $2.99
• 20 Piece Rubbermaid EasyFind lid set. These are great if the dorms have kitchens because you can use a sharpie and write your students names on them. Also, it is great in the dorm rooms for when they have opened a chip bag or candy and need to seal them up to keep bugs and mice out.
• Sharpie markers (12 ct) This comes in some great colors $5
• 4 gb USB drive $12.99. This was a life saver for our daughter. She kept a copy of her papers on here just in case her computer had issues. It actually came in handy a couple of times.
• Check out more deals at Common Sense with Money

CVS

• BOGO free of Sobe water, gatorade or Izze. Sobe is a drink that I would keep stocked for my daughter to take back with her for her dorm. $1.59
• BOGO Free Kelloggs's Raisin Bran, Corn Flakes, Corn Pops, Rice Krispies, Apple Jacks or Fruit Loops. $4.29 each
• Twizzlers $1.50
• Extra or Wrigley's gum $2
• CVS #2 Pencils 12 ct $1.99 and get $1.99 back in ECBs. this will make it FREE
• Papermate 1.2 Pens 10 ct $.99 and get .99 back in ECB. This will make it FREE.
• Check out more deals at Common Sense with Money

Staples

• Buy any backpack and get 100% back in Staples Rewards! this is an awesome deal.
• Zebra Cadoozles 0.7 mm mechanical pencils 10 pack $2.99 with easy rebate $2.99 = FREE
• Zebra Sarasa Retractable gel pens, medium black 5 pack $4.99 with easy rebate $4.99 =FREE
• Pentel Handy Lines Retractable assorted highlighters 4 pack $4.99 with easy rebate $4.99= FREE
• Photo Supreme Double sided matte paper 50 pack $12.98 with easy rebate $11.98 = $1
• Expo multi color dry erase markers 4 pk $1
• Dry Erase Board with pen and magnets $2
• Sticky notes $2
• Staples Slim Line Pencil Sharpener $15.99 with instant $5.99 savings and a $10 easy rebate = FREE
• Buy 3 get 1 FREE Staples Binders (all sizes)
• FREE PC tune up. This is great to have your childs laptop tuned up before school starts.

Office Depot

• Office Depot Folders 5 cents each
• Office Depot Protractor 5 cents each
• Papermate 12 Pk Pens 25 cents each
• FREE Office Depot Brand Acrylic Ruler with a $10 or more purchase.
• Sharpie highlighters 6 pk $2.99
• Sharpie multi color markers 5 pk $2.99
• Sharpie black markers 5 pk $2.99
• HP Mini Netbook $349.00 This is the one I have my eyes set on for just my personal use.
• Several Free Software offers after rebates. Such as System Mechanic, Smilebox, Noron Antivirus 2009, Spanish Premier, and Print Artist.

Target

• Xbox 360 games buy one get one 1/2 off. I know this isn't a necessity for school but the student does need a release also.
• Sony 2 gb usb drive $9.99
• Vitamin Water or Dasani Essence $10 for 10
• Peanut Butter M&M $2.49
• Hanes comfort Soft Panties $5
• Hanes Boxes 2 pk $5
• All Pro Socks $5 4 pk mens and womens
• Composition notebooks .50 cents each
• Glue sticks .20 cents each
• Manual pencil sharpeners .20 cents each
• Plastic ruler .20 cents each
• College Comforter in twin/ XL twin 16.99 This is a great deal even if you need one for your own home.
• Body pillow or cover $8 each
• 100% cotton twin size throw. $8
• Standard / Queen Pillow $8
• Door Mirror $5
• Sterlite college storage containers. Under bed storage $4.99
• 30X54" Bath towels $5 each
• Sunbeam micro wave $39.00
• Haler 2.8 cu Ft. Refrigerator $109.00
• For more great deals see Common Sense with Money

Walgreens

• #2 Pencils .09 cents each limit 12
• 2 pocket folders .09 cents each limit 12
• Highlighters .09 cents each limit 12
• Paper Mate 1.2 Prism Pens 10 pk .19 cents each limit 6
• Paper Mate Mechanical Pencils 5 pack .19 cents each limit 6
• Kleenex Facial Tissues .89 each limit 3
• Pepperidge Farm Goldfish .99 cents each
• Combos snacks .99 cents each
• Mazola Extra Virgin Olive Oil $3.99
• Bogo free Hefty One Zip Storage Bags $3.29
• BOGO Free Chinet Paper Plates $2.99
• Transparent Tape .39 cents
• #2 Pencils 10 pk .29 cents
• Sheet Protectors 50 pk $1.99 each
• Filer Paper $1.50 each
• Pilot G2 Gel Pens 2 pk $1 and get a $1 Register Reward good on your next purchase = FREE
• Uni- Ball 207 Gel Pens $1.50 each
• Take Care Clinic $30 Back to school or Sports physicals
• Revlon Ion Hair Dryer $14.99
• Vidal Sassoon Straightener $14.99
• 8 pk Paper towels $5
• Check out Common Sense with Money for more Walgreens savings.

Today has been a great relaxing day. That explains why there is not a post up for any thrifty money saving deals. I took the day off. Sorry readers. It was a long time coming. We have been so busy and I needed to just chill with my kids.

Today was a great day with them. With them being teens I normally don't get to have both of them to myself together. Today was that rare snapshot. My son and I had already planned on getting up and going to the eyeglass store to get him a new pair of glasses and then to the Apple store to have his Itouch checked. We asked my daughter if she wanted to go with us this morning and SUPRISE!!! she said sure. She didn't have to be into work until 4 p.m. I was in hog heaven!

But during the day, we did do somethings that were alittle frugal. Our son needed new glasses.

Check out Eyeglass World. They are having a special right now that is 2 pairs for $78. We were pleasantly pleased with the selection. He was able to get two pairs that have total different looks for what ever mood he is in that day. (studious or style setter)

Lunch out. We treated my husband out to lunch today. I didn't want him to miss out on all the fun that I was having. We suprised him and took him to Red Lobster. As you know 4 adults eating there for supper is pricey. But we ate there for lunch and it was a little under $40. Still more than what I would have normally spent for lunch but since we were making this a special day, I think it was ok. If you are planning on eating out, check with the restaurant and see when their lunch ends. The menu really doesn't change as far as variety but the prices change quiet a bit.

I will get back on the wagon this weekend with my posting.

Have a great night!

This is a program that I love. I use it in a lot of my emails that I send. I am able to attach pictures that will be in a slide show and have music and motion to them. It is a fun way to share your photographs.

Smilebox is a photo service that lets you quickly turn life’s moments into digital creations you can share with others or save for yourself. Choose from hundreds of ecard, scrapbooking, and slideshow designs for every occasion. New designs are released every week. Personalize and share your Smilebox creation for free, or select premium options for print, DVD burning, expanded music choices, and no advertisements. If you choose the premium service, it is only $4.99 a month. That is not a bad deal if you like to do alot of scrap booking.

I put together a quick slide show of my family to share with you to show you what a fast slide show would look like if you wanted to just shoot out some pictures to your friends and family.

Another great thing about Smilebox is that you can post your slide shows to almost all the social media sites to share with your friends. (facebook, blogger, wordpress, etc.) I have used the free service to do this slideshow to show you how it would look. The difference in other people viewing the slide shows under the free service is the ads that would be to the right of the slideshow. It is not that big of a deal but I just wanted you to see.




Click on the smilebox logo on the top of this post to start putting together your slide shows!
Enjoy, you will get addicted

Buffets can be a great place to eat and it be reasonable if you pay attention to the add ons and also what you are eating. In the book 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget, The writers share some great saving tips on eating at a buffet. I wanted to tell you about them.

1. Kid's eat FREE! Pay attention to the buffet promotions. Kids eat free is available at a lot of buffets. This would be a plus if you are taking the family out.
2. Eat at Lunch. Check with the restaurant and see when they stop serving lunch and the prices change to dinner prices. Eat a late lunch and take advantage of the prices being discounted. If you eat a late lunch, you will not have to cook a large dinner.
3. Drinks. This is sometimes where restaurants get you. Make sure your drink is included in the price. If not, stick to the water and maybe some lemon.
4. Eat your Fruits and Veggies. As you know fresh fruits and veggies are an expensive item to purchase. Take advantage of the fruit and salad bar. Eating healthy is a must these days and what a great way to get in some fruit that you might not get to buy for your home or some fresh veggies that don't have available in your grocery.
5. Choose a buffet that would have items that everyone will like. There are several ethnic group buffets that are on the market. Choose one that has food that everyone in the party will eat. It is not a budget saver if someone pays for a meal and then doesn't eat.

This is just a few saving tips the book 10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget. I highly recommend this book for your library. Amazon has it $10.17. I think you would enjoy the book and save enough money to pay for buying the book. Click on the link below if you would like to get this book.

10,001 Ways to Live Large on a Small Budget

Do you buy Diapers, Pain Medicine, Icy Hot, Pull Ups, Poligrip, Foot care items or Digestive help aids? This is just a few items that you can get a rebate for through the Caregivers Marketplace.

Caregivers Marketplace is a company that provides a way for you to purchase items that you and your family needs and gives some back from you purchase. This is a rebate program that is easy to do and all on one form. You can have several purchases from several different stores and you can submit all of them on one form. All you have to have is a purchase of 5 eligible products before you can submit a request for a rebate.

Here are a few examples of rebates that you will get.
• Huggies Supreme gentle care step 1-2 jumbo pack receive .75 cents
• Pull-Ups receive .75 cents
• Balmex diaper rash receive $1.00
• Gold Bond Medicated cornstarch plus baby powder receive $1.00
• Coritzone 10 Cream and Ointment receive $1.00
• Polident Denture crème / gel receive .50 cents
• Depends fitted maximum absorbency receive .50
• Calcium Magnesium zinc tablets receive .75 cents
• Aspercreame Pain Relieving cream receive $1.00
• Icy Hot Chill Stick receive $1.00
• Ecotrin pain reliever receive $2.00

These are just a few items that you can get rebates for. The best thing about this program is that you can still use coupons, buy it on sale and even get it free with the combined sale and coupons, and you will still get the same amount of rebate.

I have an envelope that I keep my receipts in for this program and I only send it in once a quarter. That way when I receive my rebate it is a larger check. If you would like to sign up for this program and learn more about it, click here or the picture above.

I am excited about sharing this program with you because it is just another way for us to get items that we need and use for a lower price or even free.