A Bucket List for Each Season

What is the point of a bucket list for each season? It's a great way to keep yourself motivated to try things you may not have tried in the past or to just get off your butt and do something. How many times do you say, "We really need to do............" and then it never happens.  Well, I put my bucket lists, like the image above, out in front of me where I can see them every day.  This keeps the ideas fresh in my mind.

What should you put on your bucket list? Anything you want! I have large things such as, "Complete a half-marathon" and smaller things such as, "Hunt for shapes in clouds" or "Have a picnic inside".  There a many things to create for your bucket list for you and for your kids that can motivate you to try different things such as, "Go to a park you have never been to before." Remember, this is your bucket list too so add things just for you.

For people with kids, the only problem was trying to find a way to include my daughter in this so I went to the local grocery store and grabbed a poster of a winter scene and some snowflakes for the winter time. I wrote down all the bucket list items on the snowflakes and as I completed something, I let my daughter put the snowflake on the poster.  She loved this!  For the Fall, I simply grabbed some sticks and put leaves on them and let my daughter take off each leaf as we completed it.  It's simple but still fun for the kids.

Below are the list for each season:

Winter Bucket List:
     
Make homemade hot chocolate.
Build a snowman
Go Sledding
Build a fort
Have an inside picnic
Grow an Indoor Plant
Donate Old Toys
Paint a Picture
Shapes/Colors
Watch "The Grinch"/ "Charlie Brown"
Read A Christmas Story
Make a snowman from cotton balls
Have a Board Game Night
Go for a train ride
Put a puzzle together
Read a New Book
Make Paper Snowflakes
Make Snow Ice Cream

Spring Bucket List:

Run a 5k
Complete a half-marathon
Go on a 1 mile fun run
Go to a park you have never been to before.
Run through a freshly plowed garden.
Hunt for shapes in the clouds
Dress up and have a tea party.
Splash in a puddle
Homemade Pizza Party Night
Paint Rocks
Glow in the Dark Night
Plant Flowers
Popcorn & Movie
Race Paper Airplanes
Dye Easter Eggs
Mail a Letter to Someone Special


Summer Bucket List:

Go to the beach
Go to the pool
Build a sand castle
Fly a Kite
Water Table Day
Color Sidewalk and Play Hopscotch
Hunt for Shapes in Clouds
Run through the Sprinklers
Walk in the Garden Barefoot
Date Night with Mommy
Make Homemade Popsicles
Swing at the Park
Wash the Car
Scavenger Hunt
Catch Fireflies
Go to the Pool
Play in a Tent
Go to the Beach
Make a Fort
Have an outside Picnic
Go Star Gazing
Walk on a Trail
Watch a Parade
Build a Sandcastle


Fall Bucket List:

Roast marshmallows over an open fire.
Go on a hayride
Visit the pumpkin patch/ Rn through the Maze
Decorate pumpkins
Jump in a pile of leaves
Make Halloween Costumes
Catch Fireflies
Go Trick or Treating
Go to the Zoo
Have a Fall Tea Party
Get Family Pictures Taken

Stuff that can be added to any Season:

Make Cookies
Tea Party
Glow in the Dark Night

Best DIY Lotion !

As this last winter comes to a close, I don't know about anyone else but my hands could use a break from it!  I have hands that bleed in the winter time because it is so dry out.  This winter has been especially brutal on them. They have been constantly cracking and bleeding. I have done all the tricks when you hands get like this.  I have put lotion on constantly, used all sorts of lotions to body butters that promise relief, and I have even slept with socks over my lotioned hands at night in hopes of softer hands.  In the end, I have ended up with the same result. Hands that barely get any relief and spending too much time and money on a solution.

In an effort to save money, I started researching some of the best lotions around last fall.  I found a lot that you can cook; however, for a mom of 2 younger kids, I don't want to have to spend an excessive amount of time saving cooking up lotion.  So, I researched some more and came across this recipe and liked it immediately because I can pick up all the items at Walmart and you simply mix everything together.  How easy! 

What to remember with this recipe 

 

It is slightly greasy; however, I found that it works fantastically.  I can use this just a few times on my hands that bleed and they stop bleeding.  I don't have to constantly apply lotion.  I only apply it if I notice my hands are super dry.

What you need:

1 bottle of Johnson's Baby Lotion (27 oz)
1 container Vaseline (7.5 oz)
2 bottle Vitamin E cream (2 - 4 oz)

I found everything at Walmart and I personally bought the cocoa butter lotion and petroleum jelly so my lotion would not smell like a baby!

Directions:

Use a hand mixer and mix everything together. 
Put the lotion back in the containers you used.

For step by step instructions, follow the below link:
http://www.thecraftyblogstalker.com/2012/01/best-lotion-ever.html

Stingily Yours,

The Stingy Sister

The Art of AdMatching & Couponing

Let’s start with the hard truth of couponing in my house.  I am not a crazy couponing lady that spends hours so I can buy $300 worth of groceries for $5.  I throw away 90% of coupons I get simply for the reason that I wouldn’t normally buy the product if I didn’t have the coupon and the sale is not good enough for me to do The Swap (more on this later).  So, if you are looking to save some money without having to spend a lot of time on it then you have come to the right place! 

This is going to be a big blog simply because there are so many options out there to use to save money while grocery shopping.  You do not have to use every single one that I use; however, just try one and you will be amazed how much it can save you.

When I begin to use my ads and coupons, this is the process I follow to ensure I get the biggest bang for my buck.  It may take some time at first to get the hang of this; however, I can fly through this now and it takes me hardly anytime at all.

1. Look at sales in Ads and circle them with a marker

 Ads I use: County Market, Dollar General, Kmart, Menards, Walgreens.

I receive a free Weekly Advertiser every Wednesday that includes County Market and Dollar General.  I also buy the Saturday paper that includes ads for Kmart, Menards, & Walgreens.  I normally do not use any of the other ads simply because they do not usually include any great sales.  Once I receive them, I usually check how long the items are on sale for and begin circling them with my marker.  This makes it easier when I go to the store to show to cashier when they admatch. 

Check prices of what you admatch to ensure that it actually is a sale.  County Market will place an item on sale (EX: Pasta Sides for $1) when I can simply go to Walmart and purchase it for $1 without a sale.

2. Look at coupons to see if they match any of the sales

Where I go to find coupons: www.coupon.com ,  www.hip2save.com,   App Ibotta ,  Newspaper 

Weekly I pull coupons from the Weekly Advertiser and from the Saturday paper.  Both of these can offer some great coupons so don’t look them over!  Once/Twice a month I check the website www.coupon.com and print off anything that I may use and do The Swap with.  I simply put these in my wallet and save for when I go to create my meal plan.

 
There is an app called Favado.  This app will let you enter your zip code and give you the local ads for the area, as well as, tell you if there is a local coupon available for it.
 

Another app is hip2save and I also can check the website.  This lets me know of any good deals or great coupons that are going on.   

The Ibotta app is something I have not utilized just yet but they offer some great discounts, such as, 50 cents off any gallon of milk.  The money you save is put onto a paypal account that will pay you or you can redeem them for an itunes card, etc.

Once I have all these coupons ready, I look at the sales I found in the ads to see if they will match.  I great example is Anglesoft toilet paper.  I can find it on sales for $5 in the Kmart ad and I usually have a $1 off coupon which makes the final price $4 for 12 double rolls.  This price is even cheaper than the toilet paper I can buy at ALDIs.

3. Create Meal Plan from what is on sale through admatching/coupons

This step is key when creating a meal plan if you are planning on saving as much money as you can.  Work off of what is on sale to create your meal plan.  I look at my County Market ad usually to see what they have on sale.  Their 10 for $10 sale is my favorite because they will occasionally include chicken breasts where I can get 10 lbs for 10 bucks!  I also like this for Hamburger Helper and many other things.  Once I see those sales, I know I will be adding BBQ Chicken and Hamburger Helper to the Meal Plan.  I also look at my coupons and see if they go with any of the sales to make a great deal.

If there is a week where there is nothing on sale in the ads then I look back to my coupons.  If I do not have any great coupons, I create a meal plan from what I already have in my pantry. 

4. Add all essential items to grocery list FIRST

 

This is where I am going to give the lecture that just because you have a coupon for something does not mean you need to buy it.  Add first what you NEED on your list and don’t break your budget to use a coupon.   A prime example is my shampoo.  I keep an extra bottle at all times.  If I have a coupon for my shampoo but I already have spent my budget’s worth, I let the coupon expire.  It is more important to stay on budget then to get a great sale.

5. See if I can do The Swap on any essentials

If you want to do The Swap, you need to have an open mind and be open to trying different things.  Basically the swap is when you are willing to swap out something you normally buy for something that you can get cheaper through admatching, a coupon, or simply changing up what you buy to save money. 

Example 1:  I buy Herbal Essence shampoo for $5.  Garnier Fructis shampoo is also $5 for the same size.  Coupons.com will normally have a $1 off coupon for Garnier Fructis shampoo so I swap out buying Herbal Essence for Garnier Fructis since I can save a dollar and get my shampoo cheaper. 

Example 2: I buy Herbal Essence hair mouse.  Once again, Garnier Fructis hair mousse is the same price for same amount.  I can get a $1 off coupon for Garnier Fructis styling products so I will swap out and buy the Garnier Fructis styling products instead of the Herbal Essence so I can save $1 on my hair mousse. 

Example 3: I buy Cascade for my dishwasher; however, I can find coupons in my Weekly Advertiser for $2.15 off any pack of Finish detergent.  A 20 count pack of Finish detergent is normally $4 so with the coupon that makes the box $1.85!  This is a great deal and they do this often! 

6. Add any items that have a coupon that I may want 

Last but not least, if I have any extra amount in my budget, this is where I get to really dive into my coupons and stock up on stuff I use!  I always have plenty of extra coupons so if they have a really good ad sale on something and I have lots of coupons for it then I stock up on it!  

After reading this, if you are looking for a basic checklist to follow to really maximize the amount you save then follow the below list:

1. Look at the sales in the Ads and circle them with a marker.
2. Look at coupons to see if they match any of the sales
3. Create meal plan from what is on sale through admatching/coupons
4. After meal plan items, add all essential items to the grocery list FIRST
5. See if I can do The Swap on any essentials
6. Add any items that have a coupon that I may want

 As Always,

The Stingy Sister

 

 

Homemade Almond Milk

My sister just recently posted that Almond Milk is one of the number one healthiest milks.  Lucky for her, I just perfected it.  I have to be honest here, this recipe was a bit of a plague to me.  I tried this one time and I liked it ok but to be honest, it tasted like extremely skim milk with too much of an almond taste. This began my many months of testing and research to find the right recipe.  My recipe needed to do 3 things: Save me money, taste thick like milk, and not taste like I am eating straight almonds. Luckily, I finally found all three.  After much trial and error, I have finally found the right recipe!

 I am going to begin by giving the basic recipe then below I will give tips to remember.

Basic Recipe

½ cup Almonds

4 cups Water

1 tbsp Maple Syrup

¾ tsp Vanilla Extract

½ tsp Guar Gum

• Soak almonds in water for at least 4-6 hour. (Update: The longer you let them sit, the creamier they are. I soak mine in the fridge for a couple days if I can.)

• Drain and put in blender with water and process until smooth.

• Put in strainer and strain out almond pulp.

• Mix milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract, and guar gum together in a jar.  Immediately shake it up and it’s ready to serve.

• Shake before serving each time.

Total cost is around 95 cents to make a quart.  I purchased the guar gum at the local health food store or it can be ordered online.  I purchased the rest of the ingredients at Walmart, Aldis, and Sam’s Club.

Tips to Remember:

IMPORTANT: I can’t stress this one enough!  Freeze your almonds that you do not use in almond milk.  I tested and tested this recipe and finally found that the bitter taste was my almonds.  They had went sour and did not taste good at all in my milk!  So, I keep my bag in the freezer. 

Use Whole Natural Almonds.  Do not use roasted or anything like that.  When soaking them, you will know once they are ready because they will be double in size.  I prefer to soak mine overnight. 

To drain them:  if you have cheesecloth, a lot of recipes recommend using this.  I already had 2 strainers so that is what I use.  I first strain it through the big strainer and then through the little strainer.

When adding the ingredients, add the guar gum last.  I let it sit once for about 10 minutes and it became a thick ball.

How is my recipe different than all the other recipes on the internet?  

 I use less almonds (others call for ¾ to 1 cup) plus I use Guar Gum.  I have yet to find a recipe that includes this.  Guar Gum is an all natural thickening agent that has 8 times the thickening power as cornstarch.

Customize it to your taste:

• If you like a more almond taste, use ¾ cup almonds. 
• If you want your drink to taste thicker, then use ¾ tsp guar gum. 
• If you want your milk to taste more like skim milk, use ¼ tsp guar gum.

What do I do with all the leftover almond pulp?

Use it! I add it to my oatmeal or my pancake recipe or you put it in with a cookie recipe.  These are all great ways to use it so you don't have to throw it away.

Pancake Recipe:

1 cup flour
1 cup almond milk
2 eggs
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking powder
Whatever almond pulp you have leftover.

Mix all of these together and start cooking!  These pancakes freeze really good so you can throw on in the microwave and head out the door.  When I make almond milk for this, I don't even add the guar gum, extract, or syrup.  I use just the straight almond milk since I am just cooking with it.

Stingily Yours,

The Stingy Sister

The Grocery List - Meal Planning

I have been there, standing in the middle of Walmart with fifteen hundred other people swarming around you while you try to figure out what in the world are you going to feed your family for the next week.  It is how I always grocery shopped.  I had maybe 5 things on my list and I ended up with an entire cart full of what I thought I needed.  Luckily, I began meal planning before I had kids.  I can’t imagine adding in that as well when trying to grocery shop. 
 
Lucky for me, my sister asked me one time, “Why don’t you create a meal plan before you go shopping?”  My response was simple, “Too much work”.  Well, once I had to get ready to pay for a baby and had daycare to pay for, she didn’t seem quite so silly.  So, I thought I would give it a try.  First time I shopped, I remember thinking how quick I was able to shop.  Honestly, I was bored waiting on her to finish up her shopping.  It dawned on me then, it took me an extra 15 minutes to create the meal and list; however, it saved me so much time when I was in the store.  I can go through 2 grocery stores in around 50 minutes and that includes me buying for 2 weeks’ worth of groceries.
 
This solves the question, “What’s for dinner?”  I keep the menu on the board and my husband knows to go there to see what I will be making.  If that night, we don’t feel like what I have set, then we trade it with another day.
 
Where does the money savings come in?  First, since you are creating your grocery list from the meal plan, then you don’t have nearly the waste.  Second, since you are not buying stuff you don’t need, then you won’t have extras that are going to waste.
 
Creating the Meal Plan

•  I keep a notebook on hand at all times.  I write down grocery ideas and anything I want to add to my grocery list throughout the week.
• I only create a meal plan for dinner.  Breakfast is always smoothies, eggs or cereal and lunch is leftovers.
• I make leftovers on the nights I am busy.  I am on the go Thursday nights so I always do leftovers on that night.
• If you think of it, give yourself a variety of dinner ideas:
• Ex: Mexican, Italian, a family favorite (Like Hamburger Rollup)  Basically, just don’t do Pizza every single night or you will get tired of it
• I always make a few meals that make enough leftovers for the next entire day so I don’t have to cook for 2 days. (Ex: Spaghetti, Tuna Noodle Casserole, Chicken Salad Sandwiches.
• Once every couple months, challenge yourself and make a meal plan strictly from extras that you have lying around the house.  This is how I cleanup anything that I don’t want to go bad. (Ex: Frozen Chicken, a stove top mix)

 

Sample of a Meal Plan for us:
 
Monday: Broccoli & Cheese Soup
Tuesday: Grilled Ham & Cheese
Wednesday: Spaghetti
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Lemon Pepper Chicken
Saturday: Pizza
Sunday: Anything leftover from week
 
Monday: Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Tuesday: Leftovers
Wednesday: Tuna Noodle Casserole
Thursday: Leftovers
Friday: Baked Chicken Sandwiches
Saturday: Hamburger Rollup
Sunday: Anything leftover from week.

 

The Grocery List - The Budget

The Grocery List – The Budget

 Everyone asks out of all the stingy things I do, what is the biggest money saver?  It’s my grocery list.  Anytime that I am needing to save an extra few bucks, I turn to my grocery list.  With a few simple tricks, I can turn a 200 dollar grocery bill into a 100 dollar grocery bill.  I am going to be honest here, the first time I went grocery shopping, I hated it when I left because it was so different than how I used to shop.  I was used to having 5 things on my grocery list and leaving with 200 bucks worth of groceries from just one store.  Now, I wouldn’t even think about shopping any other way.  This is going to be a lot of information so I am going to break my blogs down into just one section per blog.

The Budget

Why is a budget so important? To simply put it, impulse buying.  I am one of the biggest impulse buyers.  The minute I walk into Walmart.  I suddenly see 10 things I don’t think I can live without! Plus every week when I write out my bills, I know automatically that I am going to set aside 100 for groceries which makes budgeting my bills easier.  Setting a budget will make you more aware of what you are spending and help you save money. 

How do I determine my budget?  This is the next big question and is completely up to you.  I work off of a budget of 100 dollars per week for a family of 4.  That includes diapers, formula, shampoo, and food.  My family goes out to eat about once a week so that 100 dollars has to take care of us everyday with no going out to eat except for the one day we go out for a treat.  Remember, that is my budget though, not yours.  If you want a budget of 200 dollars then go for it! Just set an amount!

What should all be included in it?  I include everything, diapers, formula, socks, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, deodorant, dog food, and anything like that.  Basically if it’s a day to day item, I include it in my total budget.  You will need to determine what all is included. 

How do I handle sale items?  Easy, budget for some extra cash to allow yourself that.  I try to budget an extra 20 bucks when I go grocery shopping for any good deals.   

How often do I go grocery shopping?  I myself go shopping every 2 weeks and love it!  It gives me a break every other week from having to go into the store and fight the madness!  This does require a little bit more organization but is worth it in the end.  I have had questions about this so I will answer those below:

                How do I remember everything I need?  I have a dry erase board that my husband and I write down something the minute we run out so we won’t forget.   

                What if I run out of something I need?  You have 2 ways to handle this.  Deal without it until the next grocery shopping day or if your budget is 100 dollars per week then buy a 100 dollar gift card.  When the gift card runs out then you can’t buy anymore!  I always seem to run out of something I need before my grocery day so I keep a gift card and use that.  Then when I go to the store for my grocery shopping, I can only use what is left on the gift card. 

                How do I handle fresh fruit?  Fresh fruit won’t keep for weeks so I got crafty with that.  We make smoothies in our house and banana icecream.  These two options allow us to freeze fresh fruit and buy extras when it goes on sale. 

I know this can seem like a lot to take in and people will say that it doesn’t seem worth it.  As I said above, I wouldn’t dream of shopping any other way.  I can do my shopping twice as fast and save so much more money!  If you are looking to save money then just try this for a couple weeks.  See if it works for you.  You will be surprised by the amount of money that you are able to save just from setting a budget.  Will blog later about AdMatching and Couponing! 

Stingily Yours,

Michelle

DIY Febreeze

So I haven’t blogged in awhile.  I have been busy testing lots and lots of DIY projects like homemade deodorant, almond milk, liquid handsoap, and a liquid laundry soap.  I like to test my projects for a little bit before I post anything about them.  I want to make sure they actually work in the long run and see if they even save money.  So I had stumbled on this recipe a couple months ago and have been testing it for about a month now. 

So, to begin with, when trying to save money, Febreeze was one of the first things I ditched.  I couldn’t see paying 5 bucks a bottle for my house to smell good.  I saw this recipe and, to be honest, for the price it would cost me to make a bottle, I didn’t really figure it would actually work.  Well, after a day of my daughter spilling her soy formula bottle everywhere, I got sick of it.  I proceeded to whip a batch of this up. I liked it so much, I proceeded to spray the entire bottle on everything in my house!  Below are the main reasons I like this recipe: 

Smell – I can pick and choose what fragrance I want in it.  Right now, I am using Downy Ultra concentrated

Convenience  - I can whip this up anytime and I don’t have to run to the store.

Price – I can make 32 ounces for so cheap! A bottle of Febreeze costs 5 bucks per bottle these days.  I can whip up a bottle of my own for myself for under 20 cents! To get this price, I bought a bottle of Downy (51 oz) for 4 bucks and a box of Baking Soda (it has 107 tablespoons in it) for 2.24. 

Here is what you need and how to make it: 

 

2 Tablespoons Fabric Softener

2 Tablespoons Baking Soda

32 oz Hot Water

A Bottle to Spray with 

Directions:

1.       Mix fabric softener and baking soda in the bottle and shake them up. 

2.       Fill HOT water the rest of the way up and shake until mixed up. 

3.       Shake each time before use.

One main question I have heard is that will it stain.  I sprayed my daughters pack n play every single day for a week until it was soaked and have not seen any staining at all. 

So, I hope you enjoy!  This is one of my favorite recipes because of how cheap it is!