Another Coffee Tip

A few months ago I mentioned a great coffee tip where you put Splenda or Stevia on your grounds to cut the acidity.

Today I have another tip brought to you by my father in law.  I've always noticed that his coffee tastes smooth and wondered his secret.  He is not a coffee snob, can't stand flavored coffee, and buys only basic Folgers or Maxwell House coffee so I knew it wasn't some fancy brand that gave it this taste.

Turns out, he uses one or two shakes from the salt shaker on his grounds.  The salt cuts the acidity and you would never know it is on your grounds.  For those who do not like sweet coffee, this is a great way to make your coffee less acidic without making it sweet.

Epsom Salt

 

In the process of changing our eating habits this past year, one theme kept coming up in all of my searches and in my daily life.  When something pops up several times in life, my radar goes up and tells me I should research it a bit more.

The theme I'm talking about is detoxing our body.  I'm no expert in this area but I wanted to let my readers know a little about what I've learned in the past year.

Our body is filled with many, many toxins that we come in contact with on a daily basis.  These come from cleaning supplies, food, etc.  We can reduce our contact with these toxins through natural cleaning products and food but unless you never leave your house, you will still come in contact with toxins through every day living.

I first heard of this concept through a direct marketing company.  Then, it came up in an internet search.  The third time I heard it was actually on a cruise my husband and I took this summer.  Their fitness center put on a lecture about losing weight the natural way.  The trainer said when he was working in a fitness center he had many, many clients who would get within 10-15 pounds of their goal and no matter what they did, they could not lose more weight.

His mom is a doctor so the two of them started talking about this and doing some research, which led them to detoxing.  When he started working with his clients on this area, they easily lost those last few pounds.  He said one area we hold a lot of toxins is wherever we have cellulite.

Of course, they tried to sell us a very expensive detoxing supplement, but I'm too frugal to buy anything like that without a ton of research.

I came home and started researching cheaper alternatives.  It turns out Epsom Salt is one of the best ways to detox and it is cheap.  Use about 2-3 handfuls in a tub of hot water, and soak for 20-30 minutes.  To speed up the process, get a brush and brush your body before soaking.  Start at the feet and work your way towards your middle, then do your arms and work back down towards your middle.  This gets the circulation going in your body.  Soaking 2-3 times a week is all it takes.

I started doing this immediately and noticed a little difference after a few weeks.  Then, I went to see a massage therapist/natural healer for help with my foot.  He immediately asked if I was using epsom salts for my foot because it is such a great way to reduce swelling and get rid of the "junk" in our body.  He was pretty impressed that I was already doing it but suggested I up the amount of salt in the water simply because my body wasn't responding enough.

He also said when soaking, drink water to keep from getting dehydrated.  Then, once out of the tub continue drinking a lot of water to rid the body of the toxins.  Yes, you will go to the bathroom a lot, but this and sweat, are your body's way of getting rid of the toxins. 

I realized some of you might not be in to detoxing, but at the very least, getting to soak in a warm tub 2-3 times a week is a great way to relax.  I thanked my massage therapist for telling me I had to take a time out from life several times a week and spend time relaxing in a hot bath.

Disclaimer:  Affilate links are used in this posting, see my disclaimer tab for more details. 

Coffee Tip

I've shared before that adding a sprinkle of Splenda to your coffee grounds cuts back on the acidity.  I've been experimenting lately and discovered the perfect fall cup of coffee has a sprinkle of Stevia in the Raw, cinnamon, and nutmeg.   

Sprinkle these items on the grounds before brewing and you will have a wonderful cup of coffee seasoned to your taste.

Homemade Granola Bars

In an effort to eat better, I've been making more and more of our food from scratch.  Snack food has been tough for me as my boys prefer all of the icky processed snack foods.  I'm working hard to eliminate the processed foods though so I'm always on the lookout for new recipes.

This summer I posted on Facebook asking if anyone had a great granola recipe.  My friend Jenn posted one and I've found it to be incredibly easy and versatile.  One child will sometimes eat it but the other loves them and thinks he is eating cookies.  I like them too because they are packed with protein and give me a sweet snack during the day.

Homemade Granola Bars
By Jenn

2 cups oatmeal (quick or old fashioned)                               
1/2 cup flour (can use whole wheat)                                      
1/2 cup sugar (or honey, or agave, or splenda)                     
1 tsp. baking soda                                                                
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup applesauce (heaping)
1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup craisins

1/2 cup chocolate chips

  1. Mix dry ingredients.
2. Add applesauce and peanut butter mixing well.
3. Stir in craisins and chocolate chips.
4. Press firmly (can use a rolling pin) into a greased cookie sheet.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
6. Cut into bars after slightly cool.

Tips (from Jenn):
You can substitute the last two ingredients for lots of different things.  I have used nuts, white chocolate, infused craisins, golden raisins, & dried pineapple.  If you measure the applesauce first, then the peanut butter will just slide out of the cup when you use the same one.    I like to roll them onto greased parchment paper so I can transfer them easily to my cutting board before cutting to save my non-stick pan.

Vacation Tips: Cruise Excursions

Our recent vacation was a cruise.  I've been on several but we met many people on the ship who were cruising for the first time.  Most of them assumed you had to do an excursion through the cruise line.  In some instances I think this is fine but for the majority of excursions I suggest waiting until you get off the ship and seeing what is available.  

For instance, we knew we wanted to go to the beach at one port.  We asked the taxi drivers the price and then found someone to give us a tour of the island plus drop us off and pick us up for the same price the other drivers were giving us just for the beach.  Another family joined us so the driver was still making a good profit.


In another country we knew we wanted to go cavetubing and researched several companies online before setting sail.  Once there, we found some of the reputable companies and worked a deal.  The price we paid for two tickets was equal to what the cruise was selling one ticket for.  Also, while on the river the guide showed us where the cruises get out of the water, but we continued a bit further down the water and saw some beautiful scenery we would not have seen otherwise.

If you are going on a cruise or to a resort, I suggest checking it out online first and seeing what others recommend.  This way you will know if you should buy an excursion or seek out something on your own.

Vacation Tips: Plan Ahead

I just got back from a wonderful, kid free, vacation.  It was much needed as now I feel refreshed and ready to face life again.  My kids had a blast too as they got to spend a week with my inlaws at their farm. 

I didn't have computer access while I was away (side note - it was wonderful to have a technology break for awhile) but I kept thinking of little tips that would be helpful towards saving money that I wanted to share with my readers.  I'm going to share some over the next week or so and today I'm going to start with pre-vacation planning.

I don't know about you, but I'm always stressed with last minute to do's right before vacation.  This time I started planning months ahead and it really helped.

We began by looking at how many days we would be gone and seeing if we had enough clothes to see us through.  I realized I needed 1-2 more pairs of shorts and a wrap or cardigan so I set out to check out the deals.  By not waiting until the last minute I was able to find rock bottom deals.

Once we had clothes under control, we moved on to the little things.  A month before we left, we stocked up on any toiletries we were low on and refilled all medications that would be running low by vacation time.  I'm bad about thinking of these things the week before vacation and then not having time to get to the store to get the needed items.

Finally, I dislike coming home to a messy house so we started cleaning it up a few week's before we left.  It helped knowing that my kids and inlaws would be staying at my house for a day or so while we were gone.  Nothing like the pressure of someone else living in your house while you are gone.  By picking up the piles of junk ahead of time all I really needed to do before leaving was some quick maintenance cleaning.

Your list probably contains more than this but these are a few things to start thinking about.  Before you leave on vacation, I suggest making a list of everything you might need to do and then breaking it down so that you can leave on vacation relaxed and ready instead of thinking of everything you didn't get done.

Trail Mix

Do you have random odds and ends in your snack cabinet and have no clue how to use them up? Use them to make trail mix!

About a year ago I started taking all of those random items that were almost finished but there was still just a little left in the bag or box and turning them into trail mix.  My kids thought it was great when suddenly they had chips, cheese crackers, and pretzels all in the same bowl. It cleared out my cabinets and gave them a new type of snack.

They now ask for trail mix almost daily and we vary it depending on the time of day.  Their current favorite is breakfast trail mix.  It usually contains Cheerios, chocolate chips, and dried cranberries.

I would love to hear some of the trail mix ideas you have using items you already have in your kitchen.

Fun With Wrapping Paper

I discovered a great way to entertain my child this week - wrapping paper.  I gave him a leftover piece of wrapping paper and he has had a blast finding gifts for me around the house and wrapping it in that one piece of paper.  He does not use tape, he simply wads the paper up around the gift and hands it to me.  Once I open it, I give him back the piece of paper and let him find me something else.

This could even be turned into an educational activity by asking them to find a gift of a certain color or that starts with a particular letter.

Solo Photo Cup Contest

Solo is having an online photo contest through August 6.  The grand prize is $5,000 for posting the best photo featuring Solo products.  There are also two $1,000 runner-up prizes and daily and weekly prizes simply for entering.

Solo sent me a "Celebrate Summer with Solo" pack so we could enter the contest.  Included in it were some of the new Squared cups, items to decorate the cups with, flower seeds, and treats.  

My oldest is used to deliveries coming daily to our house due to this blog and Tupperware.  He asks every time if it is for him and sadly I have to almost always say no.  When this box arrived he was ecstatic when I told him he could use what was inside the box.  We immediately opened it and he couldn't wait to decorate a cup.  The above picture is him laying in our kitchen floor decorating the cup with a glitter pen.  He had a blast and was very excited to plant the seeds in his decorated cup.

Grab a Solo cup, take a fun picture, then head on over to the contest and enter your photo for a chance to win.  Hurry though as the contest ends this Friday, August 6.

Disclaimer: MomSelect and Solo provided me with the above prize pack.  No other compensation occurred.

Mom's Nite Out Is Almost Here

Just a quick reminder that Mom's Nite Out is this Thursday.  For my local readers, stop by the mall from 6-9 pm to enjoy Godiva samples, a fashion show, demonstrations, and prize drawings.  There will also be swag bags for the first 200 people.  This event is for moms of all ages so feel free to bring your mom or friend and enjoy a fun night out.


For those who cannot attend, there will be a virtual event on Twitter. You will need to RSVP and follow the hashtag #MomsNiteOut in order to participate.


I would like to thank Pizza Hut and Mom Select for helping me enjoy the night out even more by Takin' Care of Dinner.  I was given a $25 gift card in order to feed my family for dinner Thursday night.  My husband couldn't be happier as Pizza Hut pepperoni pizza is his favorite pizza.

Moms Nite Out

This is the second year for the National Moms Nite Out and this year the event is Thursday, May 6.  Our local mall is hosting a Mom's Nite Out and I encourage all of my local readers to head out to the mall for the evening.  There will be swag bags, discounts at several stores, a drawing for a makeover, food and beverage tastings, a fashion show, and more.  The event is from 6-9 pm so tell your husbands they get parenting duty for a few hours while you spend some much needed time with your friends at the mall.


To find an event in your area, check out the Moms Nite Out event page.  In many cities, the event takes place at Children's Orchard or a Simon Mall.  If there is not an event in your area, it is not too late to create your own in your home or use the power of the internet to have an online Moms Nite Out via Twitter or Facebook.

*I have partnered with my local Simon Mall and MomSelect for Mom's Nite Out.  I have received no payment for this post.  I will receive one table at the event to display information about my blog and my business.

Homemade Laundry Detergent

I've always considered myself fairly frugal but I do draw the line on how far I will go to save money.  Making my own laundry detergent used to be on that list of items I would not do but changed my mind some time last year.  After months of hardly any sales on the few laundry detergents my son can use without breaking out in a rash, I decided to give the homemade detergent a try.  

I think one thing that turned me off to it was most of the recipes I had seen were for liquid detergent that made massive amounts.  I'm a liquid fan but I didn't want to have to store that much.  I'm not a huge fan of powdered detergent but ran across and easy recipe and decided to give it a try.  I'm so glad I did because it is easy and is saving our family a bundle.  There are literally hundreds of variations of this recipe on the internet but this is the one I've found that works best for us.

1/2 bar Fels-Naptha Laundry Bar Soap
1/2 cup Arm and Hammer Super Wash Soda
1/2 cup Mule Team Borax 

Grate the Fels-Naptha soap then mix with the Wash Soda and Borax.  Use 1 tablespoon per each load of laundry.

I tend to make a double batch so that I always have plenty on hand.  I've also learned that it is easier to grate the soap if you take it out of the wrapper and allow it to dry out for a few days.

All of these ingredients were found at my local grocery store and with the exception of the soap, they will last a long time.  I've been using this detergent for about six months and I'm still on my original box of borax and washing soda.

Freezer Cooking: Life Happens

My freezer cooking plan has not happened as I would have liked.  Our little guy came down with an ear infection and has only wanted to be held for the past day.  I would much rather comfort him than be in the kitchen so I'm going to spread my cooking out throughout this week instead.

Tonight, we are having pizza for dinner. My crust recipe usually makes enough for two pizzas so I will freeze the rest.


I chopped and froze half a bag of onions in about 5 minutes thanks to my handy Quick Chef. 

Ground beef is thawing and I will cook it while the pizza is baking.


Later this week I will be making a lasagna for dinner and freezing half.  I usually make this in two loaf pans as one is the perfect size for our family.


I'm also hoping to make pancakes one morning this week and banana bread at some point in the week.

The chicken I planned will have to wait until another time.  I would have loved to have accomplished this and more all at once but my family comes first.  I figure anything I get done is better than nothing though.  Last month I really enjoyed having some of the prep work done so I know the little bit I accomplish this week will be helpful.

As a reminder, don't forget to enter my Hiland Dairy yogurt giveaway. Contest ends this Friday. 

Giveaway: Yophoria & Health Wise Yogurt

Hiland Dairy recently sent me some coupons to try out their new Yophoria Smoothies and Health Wise Yogurt. I was excited to try this because Hiland Dairy is in my backyard and I like to support local businesses. 

I first tried the YoPhoria Probiotic Smoothie.  I'm not a huge fan of yogurt smoothies but thought I would give this one a try.  I tried the Strawberries & Cream and it was ok - nothing out of this world but nothing awful either.  Something about liquid yogurt is not exciting to me but this was decent enough that I would pick one up again if it was on sale.

Next, I tried the new Health Wise Probiotic Yogurt.  I really liked this one.  I tried it in pomegranate blueberry.  Although a few more calories than I normally consume in a yogurt, Health Wise is still fairly healthy.  It is very creamy and does not taste healthy at all though.  Here is what Hiland Dairy has to say about this new yogurt:


Health Wise works to restore the good bacteria in your body, and with 15% of your DV of calcium per serving, you will be on your way to a healthier you!


I have two Yophoria and two Health Wise coupons for you to try!  To enter, please leave a comment below.  This giveaway will close at 9 pm CST on Friday, March 5 and a winner will be chosen via random.org.


For extra entries:

1. Subscribe to this blog.
2. Follow me on Twitter @LifeWithLess
3. Tweet about this contest.  

* Disclaimer: I was given an identical gift pack to try this product, however, no other compensation occurred.

Dine on a Dime

We love to eat out but do not get to do that very often thanks to our current financial situation.  However, we do try to go out every so often and we have learned how to enjoy a good meal for next to nothing.  Here are a few tips on how to save while dining out:

Order a la carte. I can't stand to buy kid's meals when my child barely eats any of it but at the same time he is at a stage where he thinks he has to have his own plate.  Many times I am able to get him a small item or a bowl of soup for very little money.  This weekend my parents treated us to IHOP and our oldest wanted a blueberry pancake.  We asked if we could get just one for him and they were happy to oblige.  It only cost us $1.39 whereas all the kids meals were at least $3.99.

Drink Water.  Most places charge an arm and a leg for drinks so we mostly drink water.  We have discovered the few places around town where it is cheap to buy a soda or tea and sometimes we will splurge there.

Think outside the box. One of our favorite places to grab a quick bite to eat is Sam's Club.  We can feed the entire family, with drinks, for just over $7.  Then we roam the aisles and enjoy a few samples before checking out.  

Dollar menu.  The dollar menu is usually the first place we look when looking at a fast food menu.  We do not need the large portions that come with most combos and are completely satisfied eating off the cheaper menu.


Split meals or items.  My husband and I have very different tastes in food so this can be hard sometimes but I do it with friends every now and then.  Also, many times when eating fast food we will get one order of fries and split it between everyone.

Coupons. Search for coupons on the internet, newspaper, mail, etc to save on eating out.  We have several local coupon publications and I've discovered a few great places to eat simply by trying out one of the fabulous coupons in the publications.


Using these tactics, we are usually able to feed our entire family for under $10 at most fast food places and we try to limit it to $15-20 at other places.  We do not eat at sit down restaurants often due to two active children so fast food or quick casual is usually where we stop to eat.


What tips do you have for eating out without breaking the bank?
 

Back from a Break & Pantry Challenge

I had no intentions of being gone so long from this blog but life got in the way. Thanks to numerous holiday events and then a sick baby, there was little computer time left. During the break I cleaned out our office though so I now have a place to work on my Tupperware and blog. I'm still not sure how things will work out once my husband starts back to school in a few weeks but this is his last semester so the end is in sight!

I'm going to start off the year participating in the Eat from the Pantry Challenge that Money Saving Mom and Life as Mom are hosting. I actually was planning on doing something similar before I saw them post the challenge so this was the boost I needed to follow through. My challenge will be to eat from the freezer though. For my long time readers, you will remember that we receive a quarter of a beef every year for Christmas from my in laws. For the past few months I've been trying to eat more from the freezer in order to have space for the beef. Thanks to my husband emptying out the freezer and our other two smaller freezer spaces (more on that in a minute) we had plenty of room but we came across several bits and pieces of meals and random items that really need to be used up.

Back to the extra freezer space - A year and a half ago, we had a flood in our house when the water line broke on our fridge. Insurance did not cover the cost of the fridge and we did not have the money to fix it or buy a new one at the time. Fast forward to November 2009. We had decided we wanted to replace the fridge rather than fix it because there is no lock on the ice/water area and our oldest thinks it is fun to play with. We had been saving money towards this when an appliance store in town sent us a flyer advertising a one day sale. We went on a whim and wound up with a fabulous deal on a new fridge. We put the broken one in the garage as there have been many times we wanted an extra fridge. So, when we cleaned out the deep freeze, I put all the random items I want to use up in the garage fridge/freezer. Having it all in one space makes it a ton easier to find what needs to be used and motivates me to do something with it.

I will have to go to the store for fresh produce, milk and some pantry items this month as my pantry is only well stocked with barbecue sauce and beef broth. Somehow I don't think those two things will get me very far. My plan is to only shop the sales though and make do with what I have in my pantry. My goal is to only spend $100 this month. My normal budget is $200-250 so we will see how it goes.

We ran to the store for milk on New Year's Day and I spent $16 but I do not anticipate needing anything else this week so I'm off to a good start. I will keep you updated on how we do this month, as well as share tips and recipes using our pantry items.

Tightwad Tuesday: Gift Baskets

With the holidays just around the corner, I thought I would bring back this post regarding gift baskets. They are a frugal way to provide a great gift for someone. Here are a few more ideas:

For her. Gather all of the random lotion, perfume, shampoo, coffee, tea etc samples that are hanging out around your house. Add in an inexpensive bottle of nail polish and treat someone to a great girls night in.

For him. Back to the samples - gather some of the food samples add in a gift card for a movie rental and you have a great guys night in.

New business: If you have a friend who is hanging out their shingle, give them a starter basket full of office supplies. By watching deals at Staples, Office Max, and other office supply stores you can pick up inexpensive office supplies for next to nothing. Feel free to add in some of your coupons to those stores too. I like to house all of this in a nice trash can or desk organizer.

Tightwad Tuesday: Preschool Activities

As my long time readers know, I have an extremely active preschooler. I have to constantly plan projects and outings for him to keep him from running around like crazy and getting in trouble. He began preschool a little over a month ago so I've been trying to find projects that correlate with what he is learning in school. I've found some great online resources with printable crafts and coloring pages. For most, you only need markers or crayons, glue, scissors and possibly some construction paper. There are some more elaborate activities on some of these sites, but I find the simple ones are pretty fun to put together.

First School Offers crafts and activities by theme. This makes it easy to work on a theme for a week at a time because there are usually many ideas for each theme.

Enchanted Learning Offers a several things for K-3 also but has some good printables and games for the younger crowd too.

Free Kid Crafts Written from the heart of a mother, includes some recipes too.

DLTK I've used this site for years to find good Bible crafts for when I was teaching Sunday School and VBS. They have more than just biblical crafts though and you can even search through their craft pages by materials needed.

If you have any great sites you use, feel free to leave a comment - I'm always looking for new ways to entertain my oldest child.

Also, today is the last day to enter my Ecostore USA giveaway. Click on the link and head on over to enter before it is too late.

Home Depot: Do-It-Herself

Home Depot offers some great free classes but many people do not realize not all classes are for the guys. They also offer classes geared towards kids and women. Home Depot has a class for women on kitchen updates coming up on September 24. What women wouldn't like their kitchen updated? Click the box to sign up for a class in your area. Even better, invite your friends and have a fun girls night out learning something new.

Tightwad Tuesday: Coffee Tip

Since having kids, I have come to rely on my morning cup of coffee to get me going. To be honest, it isn't the caffeine that gets me going, it is the 5 minutes I take to sit and enjoy my coffee before tackling the day. I actually usually make half caff but I look forward to that cup every morning.

I get compliments all the time on my coffee and it is because of a little secret - I add cinnamon to the grounds before I brew it. Just a shake or two on top of the grounds adds such a wonderful flavor. A relative who used to own a coffee shop once told me to add a dash of Sweet n Low too and it would cut the acidity.

Now, sit back, relax, and enjoy a delicious cup of coffee and five minutes of rest before tackling your next project.