Check out this Giveaway

Deal Seeking Mom has a neat giveaway on her site right now for a video game that is linked to exercise! The more kids exercise, the more points they earn to play games. When they run out of points, they have to move more to earn points to play again. What a neat idea!

Plus, it's less than $30.00 at Wal-Mart. The graphics aren't fancy, but I think it's a neat idea. Head over to her site and try to win one! And check out her other posts -- she always has great deals posted.

Money Saving Monday #3

When you're trying to save money, it's important to look at your expenses on a regular basis. Sometimes you're paying for things month after month when you could actually do without them.

This past week I have been scouring our expenses for things to drop and decided to drop the variety tier from our cable account to save $5/month. $5 isn't much, but it can pay for a gallon and 1/2 of gas these days. Or it can be added to a savings account. The main point is that little savings do add up!

I also looked at increasing our car insurance deductibles, but decided against that. We already have high deductibles as it is, and increasing them more would only be prudent if I had the cash to set aside to pay the higher deductible. I can work towards that, but I won't do it until I have the cash set aside.

DH doesn't realize it, but I have decreased our bottled water expense in the last few months. I know that many people would argue that we shouldn't have bottled water at all, since tap water is perfectly safe. I know that's true, but DH lived in Milwaukee during the time when cryptospiridium was released into the general drinking supply. He was infected and was severely ill. A young child he knew was also infected and almost died. Hundreds of thousands of people fell ill and many died during that outbreak. As a result, he won't drink tap water. We have 5 gallon jugs delivered to the house. In the past, we have made all beverages using bottled water. Lately, I've been using tap water for iced tea and kool-aid. Since we drink 3 quarts of iced tea most days, it has added up to a significant drop in our use of bottled water.

We don't use paper plates or bowls. Now, we DID use a lot of paper plates and bowls when I was pregnant and in the first few months after L's birth. They are convenient and easy to clean up, but they're expensive and add to the landfills. I did have to wean myself slowly off the paper dishes, but we're back to using plates that have to be washed. We have been since L was about 6 months old, but I still find myself reaching for a stash when the kitchen is clean and the kids have to eat again. What I should do is get back to teaching the boys to wash dishes!

Sometimes I feel that there isn't another corner I can cut, but with careful scrutiny I keep finding them. Some expenses creep into our lives and stick just because we don't give them a second thought. I try to review things with an unbiased eye regularly to see where a few more dollars can be saved.

Have you recently cut an expense that you realized was redundant or unnecessary? Share in the comments, please!

bloglines is working again!

I've been noticing for a couple weeks now that a lot of my blogs haven't been updating. And I noticed a bunch of red exclamation points in my bloglines account. I've been busy, though, and haven't really thought about it much.

Until today, when I suddenly had hundreds of new posts in bloglines. I guess there had been some issues with updating and now they're fixed. Yea! Sorry to anyone I haven't visited in a while, but I didn't realize you updated :(

I love bloglines because I can see when a new post has been made and I don't have to click - click - click through to check for new posts. Well, usually that's true.

Now to find the time to catch up.

Caramel Apples

The boys received a caramel apple kit from a friend a couple weeks ago and have been asking to make caramel apples ever since. This surprised me, because neither boy likes caramel, but I figured they might like it on an apple.

On Friday, I picked 6 medium sized Granny Smith apples from the fruit bowl and cracked open the kit. The boys were so excited! I dumped out the bag of caramels and told them to unwrap them all and put them in the big glass bowl. They were suddenly much less excited.

I think it took them 45 minutes to unwrap the caramels. I wrote an article in the time it took them to unwrap all the candy! When it was finally done, I added a little milk and microwaved the caramels and milk. I pulled the stems from the apples and inserted the sticks.

When the caramel was melted, I swirled the apples around and covered them mostly. The kit also came with candy decorations, so the boys had fun putting gummy worms, sprinkles and candy corn on the apples. We let the apples cool a bit, and then I asked if they wanted one.

Colin refused to even try one. Nate tried one and I think he took maybe 3 bites.

I like them. I'm the only one. I don't think we'll make caramel apples next year. LOL!

(I would have included pictures but I'm having issues with iPhoto at the moment.)

keep on moving on

Did I mention our appraisal? We heard that we're currently upside down, which meant we couldn't refinance. We were hoping to appeal the appraisal, but now the mortgage company won't return our calls and I don't have a copy of the appraisal. Very frustrating, but we're still working at at least getting a copy so we can shop elsewhere. We paid for the appraisal, and believe that we should be able to see it.

DH found out that his commission rates were being cut again. I know things are tough all over, but it was a blow since we have been struggling as it is. Most people don't realize how tough it is to work for commission, and personally I'm frustrated with the number of people who waste his time. That's another post I've been thinking about, though -- how a "free" estimate really isn't "free." Changing careers isn't an option for him - and I worry for his health if he moves back into the service side.

I found out that one of the writing gigs I was really excited about decided to slash their rates by 2/3. What was a great opportunity suddenly became a waste of time.

DH got information about health insurance rates yesterday. Our insurance costs will increase just over $1200 next year. We'll be paying almost $8000 towards our family's health insurance (which doesn't include dental, vision, disability, or life). It is good health insurance, but I'll be honest when I say that I haven't used it as much as I probably should because the co-pays were too much to take out of our budget. I still have the orders for my diabetes testing sitting here. I finally got the orders last month (16 months after L was born) and I haven't yet gone in. I'm afraid that they'll discover that I do have diabetes and then there's all the expense of that. DH is supposed to be taking a medication that is $50/month that we haven't filled in over 3 months now. We have health insurance - but can't afford to use it. I make sure the kids are taken care of, and we fill C's prescriptions regularly. I admit, it scares me.

The training position I was so excited about doesn't appear to be able to offer me any days. I have one day lined up in the next few weeks. I'm not sure if it's a reflection that she's slow, or if it's a reflection on the fact that I asked to only be scheduled on 2 specific days. I'm afraid that if I don't start using the care I lined up for Wednesdays, I'll lose it (well, actually, I'm sure of it because that was what I was told after mass on Sunday.)

BUT . . .

I was referred to some other work by someone and it looks like there will be opportunity there. This was such a kind gesture and I'm very grateful!

DH has some side jobs lined up in the next couple months that will give us a cushion.

I'm still looking, eager and willing to put in the time to do whatever is necessary to build my income. I never really stopped looking, because I knew that things could dry up quickly. I've been regularly applying and looking for opportunities.

I'm doing my best to keep my heart and mind open to all the different possibilities that may be awaiting us. I hope to look back in a year and see how everything happened just as it was supposed to in order to help us reach wherever we may be next year. I'm trying not to listen to the news and avoid discouragement.

I'm going to keep moving forward and doing the best that I can. It's a cliche, but it's the best I can do. My family deserves no less.

What are you handing out for Halloween?

Over at Prevention.com, I talked about how I buy candy I don't like to hand out to prevent me from eating it all :) What do you give out on Halloween?

Sweet Potato Fries

I love sweet potatoes. This recipe is a simple one that you can scale bigger if you need. Only me & L eat sweet potatoes around here, so I usually make fries with one or two potatoes.

Green Works 30 Days to Natural

When MomCentral and Clorox asked if I would help spread the word about their "30 Days to Natural" campaign, I was happy to help! As you know, I like their Green Works products and have been happily using them in my home.

As part of this tour, I was able to try out their bathroom spray and their concentrated cleaner in addition to the all purpose cleaner and dish soap that I reviewed earlier. The new products work just as great as I expected, and I will definintely continue using them.

If you visit their website - 30 Days to Natural - you'll have the opportunity to plant a daisy, watch some videos of other moms who took the pledge to go green in their homes, and be able to sign up for daily email tips. I have really enjoyed watching the videos and learning more about the moms they chose for the video campaign.

I am always looking for ways to reduce waste and live more naturally, so I appreciated the daily email tips. We use canvas and reusable bags on a regular basis when shopping already, and I do try to stay as natural as possible with cleaning products. I admit that we haven't done much farmer market shopping, but I would if there was one close by. The tips that are sent are useful and thought-provoking.

This campaign also came at a great time for me as this is traditionally the season we do a thorough house cleaning. Most people do a "spring" cleaning, but we usually do a "fall" cleaning because this is the time of year we can start opening our windows and spending more time outdoors. It feels good to be doing so much cleaning without the harsh smell and harsh effects of chemicals.

Check out their website! I bet you'll learn something new!

Money Saving Monday #2

Prices keep rising in the grocery store, and I do all that I can to keep our grocery budget as low as possible.

I shop at multiple stores. I realize I'm lucky that I can do this, but we have 4 major grocery stores within 5 miles of our home. The grocery ads are usually in the mailbox on Tuesdays, and the sales start on Wednesdays. I look through the ads, noting the good sales, and start making my list. I start my list by listing the different stores, and putting down the sale items.

Then, I plan our meals for the week. I confess that sometimes it's completely in my head and other times I fill out a chart that has spaces for breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks. Things go much better when I plan it out that way, but I just can't always think of all those meals in one sitting.

Once I plan the meals, I add to the list other things we need that aren't on sale.

So, where do I buy the things not on sale? That's where my price book comes in handy. I keep an Excel spreadsheet that lists a number of items I usually purchase. I track the item, the price, the store it was purchased in, the date and the unit price. This way, I'm able to look at see that Store A offers the best deal usually on flour. I'll break up the shopping between the stores I'm visiting.

I also use coupons. I know most people either hate coupons, or love coupons. Many of the local stores offer double coupons, so I can usually save a dollar on different items. I only cut coupons for things I buy, which means that I usually don't have very many coupons. The few dollars I save, though, are worth it to me!

I think the number one savings tool is my price book. It allows me to know what a good deal is, and gives me the knowledge so I can stock up when an item is at a great price.

How do YOU save money at the grocery store?

homemade perception

My sister stopped by this afternoon with some cookies for the kids. They were sugar cookies that she made from a pouch - all they need is water, I think. The boys ate them happily, and told her they were "better than the bakery cookies!" She said that she mixed them with her fingers and the boys said "Our mom never makes homemade cookies!" My sister said "She doesn't? What does she make?" They said "She makes machine cookies." "What are machine cookies?" "You know, she uses a mixer!"

So, apparently, since I use my Kitchenaid mixer, I don't make anything homemade. This strikes me so funny, especially since I don't use mixes for anything -- I make cookies, pancakes, waffles, bread and cakes from scratch.

Even tonight, when C was happily munching on fresh-baked, home made, honey wheat bread, he said "Hmm, have you ever made this before?" I said "This is my fall back bread. You've eaten it a hundred times." But, he just didn't remember the last time I made it (which was probably last winter. I don't bake during the summer very much, if at all.)

I guess it's all in the perception of things. Last winter was a very long time ago for an almost 8 year old boy! And, homemade means hand-mixed. LOL!