One more money saver!!

I was planning on ending at #10 but I found this really cool idea online from www.greenguide@thegreenguide.nationalgeographic.com. Not only will it save water in your household but I bet it will save a few pennies a month.
The idea involves the toilet. If you have a 1.6 gallon tank on your commode, put a few handfuls of marbles in a 1 quart jug. Add water until it is full. Put the jug in the tank of your commode. Make sure it sinks to the bottom. This will save the amount of water between flushes.
I haven't done this yet so use at your own discretion. I just thought it was pretty creative and wanted to share that with my wonderful readers.
So, since I am out of ideas for the time being, this will be my last money saver until I find another one. If any of you have some that you practice or have heard of, feel free to comment and let me know. I would love to hear what ya'll do.
I hope these money savers have been fun for you and has helped you and your family like it has mine.
Have a wonderful weekend!

Money saver #10

Be careful with your credit card(s). A good rule of thumb is to use it like a debit card. When you charge something, go ahead and take it out of your account. If you can't pay for it then maybe it can wait (unless it's a necessity or emergency). Sometimes it's hard to wait on stuff you really want but it's worth it in the end. Find someone that will be accountable to you in this if you have a hard time with it.

Money Saver #9

Pay your bills online. This is definitely something I need to do more often. It saves on stamps which is cool and trips to the post office. Happy bill paying (if you can call it that....)!

I pledge allegiance.....

Even amidst all the political craziness that is going on with the upcoming elections, Jubal still remains a patriotic little boy.
On our way home from preschool today, Jubal started reciting the pledge of allegiance verbatum. It was sooooo cute to hear his little voice saying those words.
Maybe he should run for president......

Money saver #8

Shop thrifty!!!
Thrift stores, consignment shops, yard sales, and craigs list are great places to find things a lot cheaper than your average retail store. It can be so much fun too.
I love bargain shopping...when I have money (he he)!

Money Saver #7

Don't waste electricity. We only turn on the lights we need to use. If we aren't using a light, we turn it off. It's that easy! The same goes for TV, the stereo, etc. We also put our computer on standby when we aren't using it and we turn it off at night. We noticed a nice little decrease in our electric bill when we started doing that.

Money saver #6

Get a rain barrel!!!

We got a big plastic barrel to catch rainwater in. We use the water to give our trees, plants, and garden a good waterin'.

Just secure your water spout (that connects to the rain gutter) in the barrel and there you have it! Free water!

Money saver #5

Eat at home more and eat out less!!!
It's tempting to eat out a lot, but it sure saves the cashola.

Money saver #4

Hang up your laundry on warm days. Even in the 40s and 50s it works. You will smile when you get your next electric bill, I promise! Especially in the summer. (And your clothes smell good too.)

Another snowy day!

How exciting! We got some more snow last night and this morning. Twice in 3 weeks is pretty good.

Here is a picture of a snowman we made.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful day today!

Money Saver #3

Limit or combine your trips to conserve gas.

A Miracle

I found out some really exciting news this past week. God did something that only He can do and I want to give Him the glory for it.
There is a family that I have known for a long time and they have been through a lot recently. They have a 15 year old boy who was diagnosed with a tumor last year. He has undergone intense treatments to get the tumor to shrink. He was evaluated a few weeks ago and the tumor was not smaller but it wasn't any bigger either.
Then last week, this boy had some wierd feeling in his hip. He went to the dr, they did a scan, and the tumor is nowhere to be found! It's gone! Praise God!
There have been so many praying for this precious teenager and God answered those prayers. What a testimony of the power and compassion of God.

Money Saver #2

Make your own household cleaners.

I started doing this over the summer and it is so fun, easy to make, and saves quite a bit of money. The properties are also very cleansing so you are getting rid of germs in a healthy way.

Baking soda and vinegar are wonderful cleaners and can be used by themselves. Vinegar can be used as a glass cleaner and baking soda can be used to clean other surfaces like the tub, sink, countertops, etc. Borax also kills mold and bacteria. You can usually find that in the laundry detergent section.

Here are a couple recipes that I use all the time. Be careful when adding baking soda and vinegar together because it gets bubbly real fast.

All Purpose Cleaner

1/2 cup vinegar

1/4 cup baking soda

1/2 gallon water

5-10 drops of essential oil, any kind

Combine in a bowl that's easy to pour from. Once mixed put into spray bottle.


Toilet Bowl Cleaner

1/4 cup baking soda

1 cup vinegar

Pour soda all over the toilet bowl. Pour vinegar on top. Let sit 8-10 minutes. Scrub bowl and rinse.


Stain Remover

Make a paste out of lemon juice and baking soda. Leave on stain for 30 minutes. Wash.


Air Fresheners

Dilute essential oil with distilled water in a spray bottle. Spray as needed.



****There is a lot of info on the internet too. You can do a search on green home cleaning recipes. I use this website as a resource: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/8088/clngrn.html.

Happy Cleaning!!!

My poor hubby

Jubal and I are going out of town for the next few days to see my grandmother. Unfortunately, Stephen gets to stay home and work (and ride his bike ;)).
If anyone wants to send him care packages feel free. I know he will appreciate it.
(Refer to his blog for more details......)

Money Savers

Last year was a year of cutting out some expenses in our budget. I love finding ways to save money so I enjoyed learning new things and trying them out. The best part was seeing our bills lowering. That is extra rewarding.

Since these things have helped us so much, I would love to share them here. Hopefully it will help someone to save a little cash. So to keep you on the edge of your seats, I will share bits and pieces in my next several blogs. Let me know what you think!

Money Saver #1

Making food from scratch. Don't let this scare you. Yes, it does take a little more time and planning than a prepackaged meal, but it saves a lot of cashola and it's healthier. So here are some ideas. Some of the main things I make are granola, bread, pizza, casseroles, soups in the crockpot, pasta dishes, and sweets. We also eat a lot of beans and rice and I try to be creative with how I use them (burritos, quesadillas, tacos, soups, etc.) A good resource for recipes is http://www.allrecipes.com/. I get some good ideas from there.

Another aspect of making from scratch is buying fresh veggies and fruits instead of canned stuff. Some veggies I buy frozen if I need to. They are also good to eat as snacks throughout the day. I also buy some of my baking necessities and spices in bulk at our local healthfood store. Some of these items are cheaper than Walmart! Imagine that.....

So since I am talking about making meals from scratch, I would love to include our favorite pizza recipe. It makes enough for 3-5 pizzas so I half the recipe for our family. Yummy!

**If you have a KitchenAid mixer, you can just add the dough mixer before you add the second measurement of flour.

1 package or 1 tbsp. active dry yeast

about 4 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups warm water

In mixing bowl, combine yeast, 2 cups of flour, and salt. Gradually add water until just blended. Increase speed and beat for 2 minutes. Add 1/2 cup of flour to make thick batter. With spoon, add enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn dough on floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if necessary. Shape dough into ball and place in greased bowl. Cover and let rise for an hour in a warm place. Punch down dough, cut in half, place on lightly floured surface. Cover and let rise for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 450. Grease and sprinkle cornmeal on pans. Roll dough out on prepared pans. Add olive oil (or tomato sauce), dried oregano, minced garlic and desired veggies and meats. Sprinkle 8 oz. mozzarella cheese on top.

Bake for 15-20 minutes.

*If you are in a hurry, you can omit the 1 hour rising time and just let dough sit for 15 minutes.

ENJOY!!!!!!

So proud

For those of you that don't know, my hubby Stephen, is an avid cyclist. He started racing mountain bikes last year and has had an adventurous year of it. He has learned a lot about endurance racing and I have learned a lot about supporting an endurance racer (on and off the course).

This weekend, we went to GA to cheer Stephen on in a new mountain bike race series that he is doing. Saturday was the first one and he has 2 more. It's a time trial race and that means that they let 3-4 people go at a time and the racers race the clock. It's a 34 mile race (there is a 17 mile option, but my wild-in-a-good-way hubby is doing the 34 miler ;)) and it's a very technical course. Most of the people that finished looked pretty wiped out and a couple even had battle wounds to prove the treacherousness of the race.

At the half way point, Jubal and I waited excitedly for Stephen to come through. Jubal and I are Stephen's support crew, cheerleaders, and anything else he needs we can get gang. He looked great coming through and I was so happy to see him doing so well. After we stocked him up on liquid and a power bar, Jubal and I jumped back in the car and drove to the finish.

After a little under 4 hours, Stephen comes riding through. What a relief and thrill it was to see him finish. I was so proud of him. With cowbells in hand, Jubal and I cheered him to the finish.

We waited around for the results for over an hour but it was getting cold and we had a 4 hour drive ahead of us so we didn't stay. Thankfully the results were posted on the internet and Stephen finished 7th out of 22 in his category (single speed). How awesome! I am excited for the next 2 races to see how Stephen does. He is such a strong and dedicated rider and I am so proud of him.

Let it snow

Hooray! We woke up yesterday morning with snow on the ground. How exciting! I love the snow. It's always such a refreshment for me to see the beautiful white blanket of it spread across the ground. Stephen got to stay home from work too. That was extra special. Here are some pics of our snow fun.

Happy 2008!!

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Year!
I can't believe that it's 2008 already.
I am excited about the things God has in store.