Living On A Dime

Are Rising Prices Scaring You? Newsletter 7-8

2008-07-08T22:27:00.000-05:00

Dear Readers,

I hope your week is starting out well. We had a great 4th of July! We spent the day with my brother and his family. (They are staying in a camper in our back yard while they're waiting for their new house to close.) We had a very enjoyable fireworks show! We have a neighbor who has a big commercial fireworks display every year, so it's a lot like going down to the river to see the city's fireworks without having to leave home.

We're thinking about including a regular "Deal of the Day" feature on the blog. If you know of any great deals or if you happen to find a great deal you'd like to share with others, submit it here.

Have a great week!

-Tawra
www.LivingOnADime.com

Are Rising Prices Scaring You?
by Jill Cooper

We are getting e-mails and it has been all over the news - "What do we do? They are rationing rice!!"

I haven't decided if I should just laugh or start tearing my hair out. First everyone panicked over the price of gas... then it was the price of apples, then milk and now rice. What I find so amusing about the whole thing is a lot of those same people who are in a panic are still using their gas to go to the movies, to go on vacations, to travel for sports activities, to go shopping and to go most any place they want to go.

So many people complain about the price of gas when it costs $4.00 a gallon but don't bat an eye when going to Starbucks to pay $4.00 for one cup (8 oz. or 1/8 of a gallon) of coffee that they could have made at home for pennies. Despite all the fuss, most Americans have not substantially changed their lives because of gas prices.

Then there is another whole group who complain about how they "aren't like other people". They don't spend a penny on anything and they still have nothing and, because their lot in life is so miserable, they have a right to be afraid of what is happening in the world and in their lives. They have a "What about me?" attitude all of the time.

The Bible says that God does not give us the spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind. Even if you aren't a Christian, I want you to really think about those words because they apply to human nature in general.

We are living in a world that is crazed with fear and because of that we have lost power over ourselves, our lives and our circumstances. Because of that fear we have very little love for anyone. When you love someone or something your main thoughts are focused on that person or thing that you love. What do you think about all the time? --Your spouse, your children, joyful things and happy things or do you focus on yourself and on how these terrible prices are going to affect you?

Do you know how powerless you become when you give way to fear? When you're constantly afraid, you can't function properly at work which leads to not getting a pay raise or worse yet, getting fired. You can't get your mind off of that which you fear and it filters into every area of your life.

You become short and angry with your family when they try to talk to you, ask you something or want to spend time with you because they are interrupting your focus on your fear. "How am I going to get some rice (or gas, or milk or apples)", "If there's a shortage of rice now, I'm sure that is going to lead to a shortage on ALL food", "If there is a shortage of food, that will mean I can't go on vacation this summer or buy that new car."

You say but that's silly and doesn't even make sense. No it doesn't and that is where the sound mind comes in. Where there is fear there is total loss of rational reasoning or what I call "common sense".

When someone isn't of sound mind (not using common sense), they think there is going to be a shortage on rice and they panic. They tell everyone they know. The word spreads and then everyone panics and runs out to hoard rice. All that fear has a snowball effect which then creates a shortage of rice where there wasn't one.

If people had not given over to fear and had been of sound mind (using common sense) they would have thought, "No big deal, we'll have pasta instead or just do without rice for now." They would go about their daily business without giving it another thought and focus on more important things like how to be a kinder more loving spouse or parent.

When people aren't consumed with fear they can think more rationally, which helps them make wiser and more practical decisions. When fear is gone they have peace and joy and patience and most of all they are more loving.

Think about it. How much of your life is ruled by fear? If you filter back through most negative emotions, most of them begin with fear of something. Do you buy things you can't afford because you are afraid of what people will think of you? Do you spend more on gifts for your friends and your children's friends because you fear that people won't love you?

Take a serious look at the things you obsess about. Do you obsess about them because of some kind of fear? I don't know how to tactfully and gently say this but lately I have seen quiet (and sometimes loud) fear in a new thing called "becoming green and saving the environment". This is really just another form of fear. When people become obsessed and overcome, it is usually out of fear and not out of rational thinking.

I'm not saying you shouldn't try to save the environment if you think that it needs saving. I'm simply saying don't let things that stem from fear of something control your life in such a way that you lose all of your life's joy and your capacity for reasonable and rational thinking.

Frugal Housewife

2008-07-07T22:04:00.001-05:00

Sorry, The link is fixed now. Tawra

jill... look what i found! ... on the 1,000 post
blog we were discussing what our previous
generations were thinking about by living
frugally and well, saving money...
look at this... this book was published in
1830!... the frugal housewife...
here is the link...

i thought you would get a kick out of this... i
am still looking for that copy of what ben
franklin wrote about living frugally in his
newspaper articles...
when i find it i will share it with you...
thanks again, jill... this is really kinda fun
to look up these things and see what our
ancestors were thinking and going thru in their
own times!...
i guess u are right when you posted that the
advice they were giving back in 1917 (from the
magazine you found) is still the same advice as
the magazine you were reading in the 1970's!...
i think it would be neat if maybe any of the
members can remember what our
parents/grandparents or other family members did
to survive the great depression years and maybe
share those stories too...
if i find anything else i will send you the
links...
thanks again...
rose :D

Sales, Sales and more Sales

2008-07-07T09:06:00.002-05:00

Now is the time to keep on the look out for lots of summer clearance things. It's almost like the day after Christmas but a summer version. Since the 4th is over the stores will be putting summer things on clearance getting ready to put out school things. You can find everything from clothes to furniture on sale. I am looking for a small round glass table for my kitchen and now would be the perfect time for me to check for one in the outdoor furniture section.

I was at Jo Ann fabrics this week end and they had all kinds of things on sell for 50-70% off. They had nice dishes in all sorts of colors that red, blue, white or bright summer colors that were anywhere from 30-50 cents each. I can't even get them that cheap at my local thrift store. I didn't get any because I don't need any (remember one of the best ways to save is if you don't need it don't buy it!) but for those of you who do need some this is the time to get them or think about the red for Christmas entertaining.

They had all kinds of toys for the kids, plastic storage containers, gardening items and much more. I had to laugh because you can get all sorts of odd things. There was one man there that I could tell the last place he wanted to be was in a fabric store but then when the clerk asked him what he was going to do with the cotton batting he was buying and he got a sheepish grin on his face and said "nursing pads" you could tell all the ladies present were trying to control their hysterical laughter as not to embarrass the poor man further. Like I say you can buy the most unsual things in the most unexpected places.

Keep an eye out for school clothes and shoes for the kids at this time too. If you live in a climate where it is hot the first 2-3 months of school you can get some good buys on sandals and shoes or T shirts and summer tops that can be worn to start school.

Last year at this time I went to Dollar General and they had tables of things like bubbles and swimming items for 10 cents so keep on the look out for these things also or a swimming pool for this year or next.

Hope you all had a fun and save 4th. :) :) Jill

THIS IS MY 1,000TH POST!!

2008-07-02T13:27:00.003-05:00

YEAH!!! Wow, I can't believe it. I remember a few years ago when Mike first said "you should get a blog", I thought "Augh, not another Internet thing to learn". Ha, who would have known 4 years later I'd be blogging on a regular basis.

Here are a few more reader tips to pass along. Enjoy!
Tawra
P.S. Still no news from Good Morning America. We will let you know when/if we get on there.

Hi!
Last year we had a large amount of watermelon and
had to go away for several days and knew the
fruit would not preserve in the fridge. So I
pureed it and made a watermelon sorbet from an
online recipe and froze it in an ice cream
bucket. I shaved some off through out the year from
time to time to add to a drink here and there.
Then in April we had a large gathering and I had
about 3/4ths of the ice cream bucket full yet. So
I took it along and left in the fridge till the
next day event. I added it to the lemonade and
everyone loved the taste. Great way to salvage
watermelon or you can pour some into the ice cube
trays and take out individually and put the rest
into a smaller plastic freezer container.
Anita

Cool summer snack that I keep for the children who visit with me:

spread graham cracker with cool whip. Then top with another graham cracker. Freeze and keep frozen until ready to eat.
When eaten frozen, this snack will taste very much like cookies and ice cream.
I also add fruit to the cool whip for different flavors.

Diane

Hello!
I can relate to the lady who had a recycling
"collection" in her kitchen. Once my back porch
was literally 2 feet deep with recyclables. My
garbage situation was a mess too. I simply could
not bring myself to continually take the little
kitchen bag to the outside garbage pail.
I also had a habit of throwing little bits of
garbage into a dirty dish, to deal with later
(usually much later). I finally got serious
about things just 6 months ago and it has been
great. I bought three matching garbage pails.
They are a bit small and go with my kitchen
decor. I labelled each: garbage, paper, plastic &
cans.
I bought two matching inexpensive stainless steel
stock pots that go right on my counter. One is
for compost, one for "small garbage" (the scraps
that I used to put in dirty dishes). I bought a
bulk box of garbage bags and a bulk box of clear
garden bags and a box of composting bags
(expensive but worth it).

Now when my counter top garbage is full, I tie it
and scoot it over to the main trash. I change
the compost twice weekly (the city collects it).
With my new system my kitchen is much tidier! I
recycle more and the pails are big enough to fit
tons! No more overflowing blue boxes. Bonus,
the plastic bags keep my recycling from blowing
all over on windy days.
I know not everyone has room for three garbage
pails but even just putting that little bin on
the counter top would make a huge difference for
someone who struggles like I did.

Sorry 'bout this overly long email! Thanks for
the great site and God bless!
Ida

Note from Tawra: Great ideas! I love the compost one. I have been trying to think of a way to do our compost and I love the stainless steel with a lid. I hate to put a bucket under the sink because if I have to bend down (hurt back) I won't use it.
I am going to be looking out for a big pot on the counter now! Thanks!

Great Reader Tips

2008-07-02T13:19:00.002-05:00

Here is something I remember from my childhood
(we usually couldn't afford to go on vacations
and the like). My father would line the bed of
his truck with a large piece of heavy duty
plastic or a large waterproof tarp and fill it
with water. Some of my fondest memories growing
up were of "swimming" in the back of Dad's truck
with my little brother! Jacqui
Note from Tawra: My ever so frugal self loved this one! This is the kind of thing my dad would do for us. LOL We always did wierdo stuff like this. hehehe

In packing for car trips, my grandma always made
sure to bring a wet washcloth. She would stuff it
in a sandwich bag and use it whenever I would get
sticky. I still do this today- 30 years later.

Always a special treat for me was powdered donuts
and chocolate milk. My mom still buys them for me
whenever I go home and it makes me think of the
days trekking across the desert to NM and Arizona
from the Midwest.

When I moved to DC from Chicago, my friend and I
packed our food. It was fun to have road meals
together and not have to spend all the money on
junky restaurant food. We had yummy fruits,
sandwiches that were made with love, and even a
whole thermos of special coffee we had brewed at
home. I think we saved about $100 just by packing
our own meals. Although, when going through WV, I
had to make a special stop at a Biscuit World (I
love those places). Cortni

Jill's moving tips in the news letter are good,
but when we last moved we did one other thing.

When we were putting together out "kits" we also
made one to leave in our old house. We put
toilet tissue, paper towels, hand soap, paper
plates and cups, plastic utensils, and some band-
aids. We also put in some simple, "kid friendly"
snacks like peanut butter crackers and fruit roll-
ups. In a separate box we included all of the
owners manuals and warranties for various
appliances, faucets, etc in the house. We also
included a list that identified the various
plants and fruit trees around the property, the
location of faucets, the location of the shut-
offs for gas, electric, and water, and similar
information about the property.

We also left a local phone book on the counter
and on the front put a list with the names and
numbers of the local electric, gas, phone, and
cable companies, as well as the numbers for a few
good restaurants that delivered and the names of
nearby neighbors.

The entire project took less than 30 minutes and
cost very little. We did it just because it
seemed like a good idea and because we thought it
would have been nice for someone to have done
that for us. Several weeks later we received a
gracious card from the new owners thanking us
profusely. They appreciated it so much tht we
have decided that when we move again we will do
the same thing again.

Just a suggestion!
Jodee

Pics from vacation

2008-06-30T13:30:00.003-05:00

Hi everyone. We have a nice long vacation. We started off in Springfield, Co for a few days visiting my dad's side of the family. It was nice but really dry. I haven't seen it this dry in years. I remember now why they call it dry land farming out there and am yet again given full appreciation why the pioneer women went insane. :-)

We then went to Mike's folks in Estes Park. We were able to stay in their rental house next door so that was nice. We did some fun stuff and some work. Mike's dad had back surgery so Mike asked if they needed help with anything. He ended up building a 60 ft. retaining wall for their front yard. The best part is he was just doing it to help them out but they ended up giving him $500 for doing it! Our trip was paid for!

What's funny is I was praying before we left that God would send the money for me to go back to the hormone doc (a new one) and have my thyroid and hormones checked again.
Even though I do have medicare it doesn't cover everything so we will have $200-$400 out of pocket to pay. I was excited to see that prayer answered!

After Estes we down to Lafayette to see my mom's folks. We then went camping with them, mom's brother and his wife and all the cousins. We went up the Poudre Valley by Ft. Collins and spent 4 days and 3 nights. It was fun and now a week later I almost have all the black out of our clothes! LOL

Here's some pictures of the trip. Enjoy! Tawra

U. Jack (mom's brother) attacking mom, once again, with the water gun.

U. Jack and BJ going on an ATV ride. The highlight of BJ's trip!

All of us gathered around the fire. :-) Actually it was the middle of the day and we were all following the shade so we wouldn't get fried by the sun.

the kids playing on the bumper boats in Estes.

BJ, Elly and David at Rocky Mountain National Park. (My favorite place on earth! :-)

Mike and BJ took and Dad and son hike to Mills lake.

Me. :-)

Moving and other fun Things

2008-06-30T08:39:00.002-05:00

We just spent the past 4 days packing and loading up my son and his family to move. They are now camping out in a trailer in Tawra's backyard for a couple of weeks until they close on their new house.

Moving can be one of the most stressful things a person can do. I usually don't push our products that much but after this weekend I thought I might mention that if you are thinking of moving and haven't moved in a long time you might think about getting our Moving on a Dime e book that comes in the collection of e books for some ideas to help make moving less hair raising. It really can help you know what to do and what not to do.
There are a lot of people moving this time of year so here are a few tips out of the book to help you or someone you are helping to move.

1. When you decide to move immediately start decluttering and pack all but the necessities away. You need to do it anyway so do it now. If you are selling your house this will help it sell and will make it easier for you to clean when you have to show it. Don't wait until the day everyone comes to load the truck to start packing those things way back in the kitchen cabinets that you only use once a year. That all should be packed at this point.

2. The minute you have a closing date or a firm date to move, reserve your moving van. Don't wait until the day before you need it or the week before you need it. Chances are they won't have a truck left this time of year.

3. Start using up the food you have and buy as little as you can between now and moving day. The week before you move plan exactly what you are going to use for meals until you leave and get the rest like can goods and nonperishables packed up.

4. 1-2 weeks before you move a call on utilities and make arrangements for your mail.

5. 1-2 weeks ahead of time make up your "kits". Have a "kit" or a box for things that you will need the last days you are in your home and the to keep with you the first day you move into your new house. Things like toilet paper, soap, a few towels, cleaning supplies, handful of tools, light bulbs, paper plates, cups and paper towels, first aid kit. Your vacuum if you will have to clean first thing. Sheets so you can make up the beds first thing instead of at the end of a long tiring day. Think through what you think your family will need. I'm afraid I don't have room to list it all here.

6. If you are going to have helpers then plan on what snacks, meals or drinks you will need for them.

These ideas are just the tip of the ice berg but hope they help make what can be a stressful time a little easier. This moving "mom" is now going to collapse on the couch for a few days until we have to move them once again from the storage shed to their new home. Jill :) :) :)

PS If you can afford them Pods or that type of thing are wonderful.

PSPS Tawra moved exactly one year ago this week. No wonder I'm an expert at moving!!!!

Vacations

2008-06-27T15:58:00.002-05:00

There are several weeks of summer left and a lot of you are just now thinking about going on vacation or dreaming about it. As the whole world now knows we just got back but as much fun as we had and as nice of trip as it was I was totally wiped out. Those of you with CFS and MF or other illness know how draining a road trip can be.

Well, I had a couple of ideas of for those of you who physically can't or financial are trying to be careful could do that won't wear you out or eat a big hole in your budget.

First I looked up the word vacation in the dictionary. It means: a time of respite from something or a scheduled period during which activity is suspended. After reading this I realized that you don't really need to even leave home to have a vacation but a vacation is mainly having a break from your normal activities.

That got me to thinking what that would mean for me. I would get up when I want (or when the kids woke up) but not rush into normal daily activities. It would me a leisurely breakfast and everyone getting dressed when they wanted. I wouldn't put on make up and dad wouldn't need to shave. Maybe dad could take the kids swimming for awhile and mom could curl up with a good book, do a fun craft or sewing project or nothing at all. Then mom could do something with the kids the next day to give dad a break. Then one day the whole family could do something together like go on a hike or picnic.

It you have some money for vacation but not a lot you could treat yourselves to a movie, bowling, roller skating or something like that. We have even driven to a town just a few miles away from us before and spent 3 days and 2 nights in a hotel that was great fun. The kids played in the pool all day and we just relaxed and watched them. The expense was only 2 nights in a motel and very little gas.

I guess what I'm saying is that a vacation doesn't have to be a trip to Disneyland or Sea World or several nights in hotels and an expensive road trip to be fun. It doesn't even need to be fun but could be just a time of relaxation and to refresh yourself and that can be accomplished by staying at home and having a change of pace, what ever that is for you. Jill

We're Back

2008-06-25T21:39:00.002-05:00

As most of you know by now we are home. We had such a nice time. All of my family lives in Colorado so we spent the week with them. Half of it was spent camping in the mountains with the whole family. We had more fun. My nieces, sister in law, mom and nephew in laws treated us like royalty. They did all the cooking and setting up the camp and won't let us lift a finger. I can't thank them enough for all the work they did to make it such a great time. I know you are reading this so I am sending you my thanks and love.

Some things I learned on the trip:

A small stream, lots of rocks and branches can entertain kids for hours especially if they are allowed to fall in, get wet and get as dirty as as they want.

God does provide and keeps His promise concerning tithing. When I was helping my oldest grandson pack for the trip we found out he had out grown most of his clothes. We had almost nothing to take on the trip and since it was the day before we left we really didn't have time to go buy anything. We had to make do. When we arrived my nephew and niece's husband asked if we could use any clothes, they had just gone through their closets and had mounds of clothes most in my grandson's size. He has enough to last him summer and winter for a whole year or more.
The Bible says God provides for our needs even before we ask and that is the truth.

Another thing I learned was that if you drive 60 -65 mph instead of 70 -75 mph that you can save about 6-8 gallons of gas driving between Wichita and Denver. :) :) :)

All in all we had a wonderful time. I wish I wasn't so tired from my vacation ( HA! HA!) so I could tell you more but I think Tawra may have some interesting pictures or will be adding her two cents to this later. Thanks again to my special family, Jill

P.S. Friday, Sat, and Sun. they are having a special rebate sale at Ace Hardware. They have a lot of free things like fertilizer spikes, Fuel system cleaner, liquid nails, glass cleaner, stain sticks, rust stop for grills, and many other things that are super buys for 99 cents like Dow bathroom cleaner, Shout, Fantastik, Fix a Flat, insect repellent (normally 3.99), poly rope (normally 6.99) and much more. It might be worth checking out. I usually go on Friday morning because sometimes they can sell out of things.

Check out this article

2008-06-25T09:46:00.004-05:00

Here's a great article that just came out on how we save on our grocery bill. A couple of the facts are wrong like most grocery bills should only be going up $50 a month not year and mom had 1 girl and 1 boy not two daughters. Other than that it's great!Tawra

http://www.ohio.com/news/top_stories/21076364.html?page=1&c=y

P.S. We are home and mom or I will blog later.

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO COULDN'T GET THE ARTICLE. The links should be fixed now. Sorry! Tawra

Colorado Here I Come

2008-06-14T17:45:00.002-05:00

I am closing down the blog for a bit and getting ready to meet Tawra and all in Colorado. We will as she said be gone until about June 24th. Will miss chatting with you guys. If you get too lonely or are having blog withdrawals you might check out our archives. We post new comments to those all the time so you might enjoy reading some new tips or just enjoy reading some old favorites.
I hope you are blessed with a great week ahead. Bye for now. Jill :) :) :)

Tips and Ideas

2008-06-14T13:18:00.002-05:00

Check out the comments under Good Morning America. There are a couple of good tips left by Robin there and I want your ideas too. Jill

Good Morning America

2008-06-13T19:33:00.002-05:00

We have had a few people asking us about Good Morning America. They said for us to call them when we get home from vacation and they will let us know where, when, what and how, it is all going to happen. Trust me the minute Tawra sets the phone down from talking to them she will immediately call me and probably at the same time will be posting the news on the blog. :) :). Thanks for asking. We have come so close to something like this before so we are holding our breathe. We just pray that we will be able to cope with it physically when it happens because some of these things are so exhausting for us but it will all work out the way it is suppose to in the end. Jill

Dogs, dogs, and more dogs

2008-06-12T18:11:00.002-05:00

Buster (my granddog) had another itching attack last night. Some of you who have been with the blog probably already know about Buster and his itching problems. Well after an hour of him laying on the bed next to me scratching and chewing then chewing and scratching, I remembered Tawra saying the vet said to give him some Benadryl (sp?). Thank goodness I had some but then the question was how much do you give a small dog? I decided that 1/4 a teaspoon couldn't hurt anybody even a small dog and gave it to him.

Finally it kicked in an I fell asleep (no I didn't take some too). I woke up 2 hours later, got up, went to the bathroom and came back.Halfway backI noticed Buster hadn't followed me into there as usual. There he was spread out on the floor not moving a muscle. I came unglued. I don't do well in emergencies. I just knew I had killed him by o.d.ing him on Benadryl. I started frantically shaking him and calling "Buster, Buster wake up". He wouldn't wake up. I was so scared and then I looked down and here was one eye open looking at me as if to say "Lady what is your problem, it's the middle of the night and you should be sleeping". He then rolled over, stretched and went back to sleep. I on the other hand was now wide awake. Hours later I finally dozed only to be awaken with a good morning lick. I opened one eye looked at him and said "Buster I''m so glad you are alive". :) :)

What a nice way to wake up each morning, turning to someone you love; a spouse, child or even yourself and telling them "I'm so glad you are alive". We all make the mistake of taking the small but important things for granted sometimes don't we?

Tip:
Here is something special you can make for that very special dog in your life. Take 3 old socks, tie or sew the ends together and then braid them for a dog chew toy. It's especially good to have a lot of these on hand for those new puppies who are always chewing on everything.

Recipe:

For you dog and non dog lovers alike here is some ideas to spruce up those hot "dogs" and hamburgers that you will be grilling for the 4th.

Have a hot dog and hamburger buffet. Instead of just having the usual ketchup, mustard and onions teach your "dogs" some new tricks with these different toppings:

Mexican dogs: guacamole and tomatoes or jalapeño peppers, salsa, and cheese

Italian dogs: fresh basil, garlic, tomato and mozzarella cheese

Greek dogs: sun dried tomatoes (check our recipe in Dining on a Dime on how to make your own), crumbled feta cheese and chopped black olives.

American dogs: Bar B Q sauce, fried onion rings or corn relish with crumbled bacon.

You can use all these same ideas on hamburgers. Just place bowls of everything out for people to help themselves and to make their own special "dog". Don't forget the usual too like lettuce, tomato, pickle, cheese and onion.

They are really dog gone good! (Now you see what lack of sleep does to my brain :) :) Jill

2008-06-12T17:53:00.002-05:00

Robin asked if the pudding on the Mile High Cake should be instant or cook and serve. My mistake for not putting that in, it should be instant. Sorry about that. Jill

Great Words of Wisdom

2008-06-11T11:52:00.003-05:00

Ralph Waldo Emerson said "That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do; not the nature of the thing itself has changed but that our power to do it has increased."

I always thought that this would be a great saying to use in relation to changing some of our bad habits like controlling our spending or cleaning out home but I have now decided I need it to help me with posting on the blog.

I spent all morning writing to you guys and giving you some great recipes but I think I lost it in cyberspace or my server wasn't working. But I will persist in doing this until it becomes easier like Mr. Emerson says. I sure do hope he knows what he is talking about. He never had to deal with computers and the internet! HA! HA!
Will try again tomorrow. But if any of you have wise words of wisdom for the day feel free to jump in with them. :) :) :) Jill

Keep your Eyes and Ears Open

2008-06-11T08:27:00.008-05:00

I saved money on an unusual thing yesterday, whistles. We are going camping and with 7 kids we have got to have a few safety precautions. One of them is we will give each child a whistle in case they get lost. Tawra looked in the sports section of the store and found some for $3 each. I'm thinking $21 for whistles is way unfrugal but in the dark deep recesses of my grandma's mind I remembered seeing some at the Dollar Tree, 8 for a dollar. A much much better buy.

They were in with the party favors which I scan on a regular basis because with 5 grandkids to buy for, and usually I try to get them all the same thing, party favors are a great way to go, especially at a place like the Dollar Tree.

Two things that I do to find bargains is when I go shopping I turn into someone like the "great white hunter" My mind is on my shopping watching, scanning shelves and observing the whole time in the store. I try not to think about what am I going to have for dinner, what my schedule is for the day etc. but I am looking for bargains the whole time.

I'm writing an article right now about how we really need to keep learning all the time. We usually think that means reading a book or taking a class but there so many other ways out there of learning than that. Observing what you can buy and where you can buy it is one of those ways. It's exercising your memory and powers of observation. It may seem like a silly little thing but these things really do add up. Because I did this I saved us almost $25 and that is nothing to "whistle" at! HA! HA! Sorry I know that was bad but couldn't resist.

Anyway really keep your eyes open and look around you as you shop. As with any other job that you do pay attention. For those of you with CFS or FM and other types of illnesses I know that just keeping your eyes open will be a challenge let alone to look around and put your brain in gear but do the best you can.

Another thing when looking for a bargain is to look in unusual places for things. For example I can find some of the neatest things at an automotive store. I saw on TV a really nice pad to put on the dash board of your car to hold your cell phone and other things in place. It was $15 plus shipping and handling on top of that. I thought I would just see if they maybe had something like that at an automotive place, sure enough there it was for $4. Not many other people probably bought their mom's mother's day present at a car place.

These were just a couple of things to maybe help some of you think out of the box. Below are some more July 4th recipes to try. Since Tawra is in the mountains I thought the dessert was appropriate. Have a great day! :) :) Jill

Mile High Cake

1 box yellow cake mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 sm. can mandarin oranges with juice
4 eggs

Frosting:

1 large container of whipped topping
1 (3 oz) pkg. vanilla pudding
1 lg. can(about 15 oz) crushed pineapple with juice

Beat all cake ingredients together until oranges are broken into small pieces. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30. You can bake this in 3 round 8 in. pans, a 9x13 pan or even cupcakes. You will have to adjust the temperature just check the directions on the cake mix box.

Frosting: Combine everything but the whipped topping, stirring briskly then fold in whipped topping.

Roni Salad

2 cups elbow macaroni, uncooked
1 large tomato, chopped
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
1 stalk celery chopped
1 hard boiled egg, chopped
2 green onions, sliced

Dressing:
3/4 cup mayo
1 cup plain yogurt
2 Tbs. sugar
1 Tbs. mustard

Cook macaroni and drain, rinsing in cold water. Combine everything in large bowl.
In a separate bowl combine dressing ingredients and pour over salad. Refrigerate until you serve it.

HINT: when something like this calls for thawed peas. Put the peas in the same colander that you are going to drain the macaroni in. Then as you drain the macaroni it instantly thaws the peas.

"Cool" Ways to save Money or other wise called Organizing Your Fridge

2008-06-10T08:31:00.004-05:00

Tawra just called the bad news is she isn't going to be on Good Morning America tomorrow. The good news is they aren't doing it because they want to do an even bigger spread on her than the one they had planned so will wait until she gets back from vacation so they can spend more time on it. YES! YES YES! Doing the dance of joy! :):):) We'll keep you guys informed on when, where and what as soon as we know more.

As exciting as that all is life must go on and I still have to run out to Tawra's to water her garden this morning. She had a good idea for helping with the watering to save on water or help those who have to water for you. Take a gallon plastic milk carton, cut the bottom off, turn it upside down and ram the pour spout into the ground. Then when I go over there to water I just fill the jug up and leave it. I don't have to stand there wonder have I watered it enough or did I waste a bunch of water watering it too much. I love it when my children make my life easier.

I have been working on a new e course about saving money on groceries (that's real original huh? HA! HA!) some of the things I talk about may seem unimportant but it really is all those smaller things added together and building up that make a difference. All the savings also doesn't always happen at the grocery store. As a matter of fact I save more on the things that I do before and after the store than at the store it's self sometimes so please don't take these simple things lightly. Anyway I thought everyone might enjoy reading the section I was working on yesterday. Plus I will be leaving in a few days for my vacation and won't be back until close to the 4th so thought I would give you some new recipes over the next couple of days to use for then even though it is a little early.

Organize your fridge.

There is a difference between cleaning and organizing. When you clean you get rid of the "nasties" and wipe down the shelves. When you organize you place things in a certain order.

For example I always keep my milk in the same spot in the fridge, my cheese and lunch meats in their own spots. The eggs go on one side and the fruits in the fruit bin and veggies in the veggie bin. If I have room I try to keep all the leftovers on the same shelf or in the same area.

Why is any of this important? Because we can save huge amounts on the food that is wasted. It's wasted because we didn't know we had it so it spoiled or we didn't know we had it so we bought more of it and then it spoiled.

By having things organized I can at a glance see if I need milk or cheese. If some one comes home for a quick lunch and I'm not there, they can look on the leftover shelf and know they can use any of those leftovers for lunch instead of having to paw through the fridge to find something to eat. It also helps me to know ifI need to have an extra "leftover" dinner that week because leftovers are piling up.

Of course all of these same principles apply to your freezer plus label, label and label.

This all looks good on paper but what do you do when you have 4 kids and a husband pawing through the fridge all the time. Once a fridge is cleaned most families try to keep it that way. What happens is that when something gets moved out of place it is usually so obvious and most people automatically put it back where it belongs. But if that doesn't happen then have a small bank by the fridge and start fining everyone if something isn't put back. Trust me if money is involved people change their habits quickly and will learn fast. You could also instead of fines have the person do a chore or something extra for mom as a "fine".

Things will get messy no matter how careful you are but that is why you need to straighten it each week before you go get groceries. I also automatically straighten it through out the week when I get in the fridge. It takes maybe 5 seconds to do this.

Think on the positive side. Is there a "cooler" way to spend you summer!! HA! HA!

To hot to bake? Drag out the good old rice krispy treats for the fourth but try adding a new twist. Add red or blue food coloring to the melted marshmallows and then using a large star cookie cutter cut them into stars to pile high on a plate.

Don't forget to get out some of those red paper plates you bought on sale at Christmas or Valentines to use on the fourth to serve them on.

Another twist to the rice krispy favorites is to add 1/3 cup peanut butter to the melted marshmallows plus substitute frosted flakes for the rice krispies at the same time. You now have Tony the Tiger Treats.

Really the sky is the limit. You can pretty much melt the margarine and mellows and throw anything in; use up odds and ends of left over cereals, nuts, candies, sprinkles etc.

If you have a special way of doing yours let me know.

Basic Rice Krispy Treats

1/4 cup margarine

4 1/2 cups (10 1/2 oz pkg.) marshmallows

6 cups rice krispies

Melt margarine and mellows in large pan. Add cereal and pour into a well greased 9x13 pan.

You can microwave. Put margarine and mellows in glass bowl and zap for 45 secs. on hi until mellows melt. Add cereal and pour in greased pan.

Have a Great day everyone. Jill

it's all in the timing

2008-06-09T16:28:00.002-05:00

I just got your comment Robin about how sometimes when we are heading in the direction that God wants us to take we get a detour thrown in, well you guys are never going to believe this and even after years of having this happen I still get excited about it and am in awe of the timing of some things.

After having a detour with my very upset lady Tawra called from Estes Park. She said Good Morning America call and are wanting her on the show on Wed. It isn't a done thing yet so we are holding our breathe and I wasn't going to say anything but then when Robin wrote her comment I had to tell you all so I can share the good and the bad with you.

Poor Tawra though she had a scissor happy hairdresser do her hair before she left and she "can't do a thing with it". I think it looks fine but you all know how it is. Plus she took her "camping clothes wardrobe" on vacation so it maybe a challenge to find something to wear but it all will work out.

They are seeing if they can find a crew to send up to her this afternoon or tomorrow. I will know more tomorrow if she really is going to be on or what and will let you know.

We can always tell when we are doing what God wants because things do get stirred up. Last night when Tawra and them finally arrived at her grandparents at about 7. They stayed for a couple of a couple of hours and headed for Estes which is about 1 to 1 1/2 hour drive, they hadn't been on the road long and the car broke down, got that taken care of and stopped for gas and Mike had dropped his wallet at the grandparents and didn't know it so Tawra went to get her purse and she had left it at the grandparents. What are the chances of both of them leaving their wallets? It was one thing after another combine with what I was dealing with we should have known something was going on. :) :)

Well thanks again for all of your wonderful support. Tomorrow I will try to let you know if she is going to be on and get back to giving you some more tips and ideas. Love to you all Jill

2008-06-09T09:27:00.002-05:00

I had an interesting revelation last night. I wish I could say that my revelations come in the form of God's loving voice booming wisdom at me and angels coming to help me do what He tells me to do but usually they come in the form of God hitting me over the head with a sledge hammer (that is often what it takes to get my attention) and then speaking to me in a still small voice.

I am very new at blogging so I'm not sure of all the ins and outs of it and last night I really got blind sided by a comment. I know my daughter gets these once in awhile (thank goodness most of our readers are so very nice and encouraging and I will never in a million years be able to thank you all for that) but this comment was the first that I received.

This woman really let me have it and her words were so mean and vicious that I didn't feel right in posting it no more than I would post someone who would us a stream of foul language. I felt so yucky after reading it. Like someone had thrown mud on me and I couldn't get it off. Now I fully understand what they are talking about when they call it mud slinging.

I wasn't sure what to do or even how to react emotionally. At first I was shocked that someone would accuse me of things that she had no way of knowing about in my life whether they were true or not. Then I thought did I write the Mom I'm Bored post in such away that I could come across in such a wrong way? (Thank you Robin for your post this morning. I needed that so bad because you totally understood and got what I was trying to say. ) I went the whole 9 yards then from confusion to discouragement ( I was only trying to help and this is what happens so why do I keep trying?). You guys know what I mean. I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels these things.

Well any way I ran up stairs. I started to pray but I couldn't even think of how to pray so I just asked God to help me deal with this. I put on some music and picked up my Bible and started to read to see if I could find in there why this happened and how I was suppose to react. Most of me wanted to defend myself and let that woman have it but if I knew nothing else I did know that that was exactly what I wasn't suppose to do in this case.

Well I read on and on and on. Nothing not one thing. The only think that kept popping up was verse on pride and a haughty spirit. I finally said "God I really don't think I am being proud in this case. I will deal with it if you think I am but what I am mostly feeling is just very hurt that someone I tried to help would turn on me and misunderstand me so "God said very quietly and gently "Now you know how I feel". There went the sledge hammer. Those words broke my heart. How often do we misunderstand or think we know what is best or simply refuse to listen to His words of advice (the Bible) and hurt Him?

I finally understood and was able to go to bed you see I wasn't going to bed until I had it resolved. When the Bible says not to let the sun set on your anger it doesn't just mean if you are angry at your spouse only but others too so I had to stay up until this was taken care of. What I didn't understand though why did I have to wait and wrestle with this for a couple of hours to get an answer? This morning I understood even that. Sometimes God wants us to exercise and test our spiritual muscles . He was seeing if I would persevere . If I would stick it out and try to find the answer or would I keep reading and praying and waiting even if I kept hitting a brick wall. We need that practice sometimes in the little things so we will have the strength when the big things come.

I hope you all aren't disappointed because I didn't give you any money saving tips this morning but I just felt like sharing this with you. As I said earlier in the main we have such kind and wise readers. I have been wanting to let you know how often your words encourage us. We have people like "D" who I know God has given her the gift of encouraging because she is always there making some kind of sweet comment and then there are ones like Robin and her comment coming with perfect timing and many others who are anonymous or I just don't know your names yet who always have a special word kind word. Thank you so much. Jill

Mom, I'm Bored

2008-06-08T14:09:00.002-05:00

I once heard it said about kids in the summer that "it can be the best of times and it can be the worst of times". Boy did they hit the nail on the head. Summer can be either be one long nightmare with you dragging through each day hoping and praying that your children won't kill each other or you won't kill them or it could be a refreshing time of rest and fun until the grind of school starts.

Now I pride myself that I live in the real world. I was never the kind of mom who would sit all day during the summer playing games and doing crafts with her kids. After the first week of having my kids home 24/7 and not even being able to use the bathroom by myself, I too was ready for the funny farm. I have come to the conclusion that there are only a handful of people (they're called "saints") who really fit into the category of the "perfect" mom during the summer and I wasn't one of them.

But after years of practice and being a little (okay a lot) older and wiser I have found a few things that can help you to maybe not only survive but in some cases to start enjoying summer and looking forward to it (okay I know that's pushing it).

Part of what happens when school is out is that the order and routine is gone so reestablish a routine. It will be different than the one you had when everyone was in school but it will give the day some foundation to work from.

Have everyone assigned daily chores and get them done first thing so if something fun crops up later you will be free to do it.

Try to keep meals at regular times.

Do some structured things with the kids. For example since her kids get almost no penmanship in school my daughter has her 3 sit each day for about 15 minutes practicing writing. You can also have a certain time of the day when the family sits down and quietly reads for their quiet time and a time to cool off.

Take naps. There is nothing wrong with everyone (mom included) to take a nap or lay and rest for 30 minutes each day. This goes for older kids and especially if the kids seem to be fussy and whining.

Don't forget that that it is summer and "the living is easy" so even if you have a routine make it relaxed and flexible.

Let the kids sleep in. Now I don't mean until noon or sleeping the day away but just an hour or so later than normal. Teens sometimes tend to need to sleep later for some reason and that's okay up to a point.

Look upon summer as a great time to teach your kids all those life skills they will need to know. Set aside a part of each day to teach them things like how to do basic sewing, home repairs, work in the garden.

Have them spend a part of their week helping those in need like mowing an elderly neighbors yard, if they are older they could do candy striping etc.

Have them start a new hobby for the summer like scrap booking, collecting bugs and butterflies, rock collecting etc.

As many afternoons as you can plan something fun. Go swimming, play in the sprinkler, go on a picnic, go to the park etc.

Except the fact that you just won't have as much "me" time and will have to have more "mom" time and stop fighting it and being resentful. We waste a lot of precious energy when we are fighting against anger, frustration and resentment. Summer happens. Be like the Jamaicans for 3 months and "don't worry be, happy" or at least try to relax.

I once again didn't have as much room as what I would have liked to write everything but for those of you who got my new e book on kids check it out because I have a ton more of ideas in there for you. I hope some of these ideas will give you a start though. Jill

Cool Cooking

2008-06-07T10:49:00.002-05:00

My house is no longer vibrating. Once again I have sent the "kids" to grandma's in Colorado. I usually spend the first day just enjoying the novelty of a peaceful house. Oh I know they don't live with me any more but with the phone calls and them popping in it keeps me busy. Of course I wouldn't have it any other way but like any mom (even if my darlings are in their 30's) it's nice to have a break. I won't be too lonely though because David (my son) lives within walking distant so I still have a few kids and grandkids around.

I'm in the cool basement with the grand dog trying to get some work done and a break from the heat. I got to thinking about all the questions we get this time of year from our readers on how to "cook cool". I have spent most of my summers in 100 degree weather with no a/c so I had to learn quick on how to "cook cool". I don't have room to tell you everything I have learned today but I can give you a few hints.

Some of these things may seem like no brainers but if you're like me I need to be reminded of the basics sometimes. First in the cool of the morning I clean a large supply of carrot sticks and celery sticks and keep them in water in the fridge. I then boil up a dozen or so eggs to store. I make sure I always have lettuce and grated cheese (I buy my cheese already grated because the grated cost just the same as block cheese. I believe in doing a lot of things from scratch but not in killing myself over grating cheese. Besides I don't care how careful I am I almost always grate a knuckle so I have to really psychic myself up to do it.)

Anyway if you have a few things like this plus some lunch meat you can fix some fast and easy meals on a very hot tiring day. I usually would have chef salads at least twice a week in the summer. Just chop up some of your cleaned carrot and celery sticks, slice your hard boiled eggs, sliver some of you lunch meat and you have a chef salad. You can add any other veggies you want too. The point is if everything is cleaned it makes cooking in a hot kitchen so much easier and faster. Don't forget the cheese.

You can use those same eggs to make up egg salad sandwiches or add them to tuna, serve on lettuce for a tuna salad. You can use the cleaned celery to add to the tuna salad too.

Keep it simple. Some of the best summer meals I would have was when I went to my grandma's in Iowa. She would slice up some tomatoes. Put sliced cucumbers in salt and vinegar water and set out some cottage cheese. For an extra hearty meal she would add some soft bread with butter and apple butter. It was delicious.

Tawra was born in July and after many long hard hours of labor they brought me for my first meal, a fruit platter with all kinds of fresh fruit and crackers and cheese. If you ask me what one of the top 5 meals of my life was it would be one of them. Simple, cool and refreshing. You can do the same for your family.

There are some families that have very hearty eaters with teenage boys etc. and you have to actually cook. If you do than bring out the crock pot. There really isn't as much mystery to using a crock pot as you think. You can cook almost anything in them. A couple of things to remember though is that the low setting is equal to 250 degrees in the oven and the high is 350 degrees. That may help with how to and how long to cook your "regular" recipes in a crock pot. It also helps to layer things in order of how long it takes them to cook plus things that take almost no cooking time should be added last. I sometimes add things like sour cream and cheese the very last few minutes of cooking too.

If you do need to heat up the oven, I would usually cook things at 250 degrees. It took longer but didn't seem to heat up the kitchen as much. It is a little late this year but next year you might think about stocking your freezer in May to help tie you through the first couple of months of summer. You could do things like cook some roasts to have for bar b que beef sandwiches or just a good old fashion roast beef sandwich with mayo and lettuce. You could have a couple of chickens cooked and deboned to use for chicken salad, sprinkled on salads or sandwiches. All you need to do is grab it out of the freezer, thaw and you are ready to go.

You could also stock up on a few things like muffins and banana bread that keep well in the freezer.

Well like I said I couldn't cover as much as I would like but hope this helps give you some ideas for the coming hot days. Have a super great day everyone. Jill

Going on vacation

2008-06-05T11:57:00.004-05:00

We are leaving tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. for Colorado and will be gone until the 24th.

I just loaded the blog with some reading material for while I'm gone.

We are going to try and make this a vacation so we aren't going to be shipping any orders or answering email until we get back.

Mom is coming out in 10 days so she may pop in here now and then while I'm gone. (probably jumping for joy to have some peace for a week! LOL)

That's it for now. I better go start cleaning so I don't come home with to a dirty house. :-)

Tawra

Drink Savings

2008-06-05T11:57:00.001-05:00

Hi Tawra and Jill,
I appreciate your site and your INsight so
much... i wonder if you know just how much good
you're doing by sharing your ideas with everyone?
I read your tip on making your own tea instead
of buying the expensive ready-made stuff, and
wanted to share two things i do to save.
The first one is for something to drink while
i work out. I go to the gym four days a week, and
buying bottled water like i see so many others do
is a waste, to my mind. I have a re-usable bottle
into which i put good ol' cold tap water (we do
have very good water where i live, so i'm lucky
that way). I don't want it just plain, tho, so i
put in a few drops of lemon juice. I use
ReaLemon, and a bottle of that lasts a LONG time.
Since i only want to flavor the water a little, i
don't have to use any sugar.
I also see many people drinking the flavored
waters...berry, lemonade, etc. Those are also
frighteningly expensive when bought ready-made,
so here's the second thing i'll do. You can get
those little packets of powder to put in a single-
serving bottle if you don't want to get the ready-
to-drink, but those are pricey, too. So i bought
one box of the little packets (Crystal Light
lemonade flavor), opened one and measured the
amount of powder in it; it was 1/4 teaspoon. I'll
keep the other packets to take on car trips for
convenience's sake, but for everyday i bought a
large container of Crystal Light lemonade mix. I
put a smidge less than a 1/4th teaspoon in my
bottle of water (i don't like it strong)and i'm
good to go. And i do it on the cheap! I haven't
yet done the math to see how much the savings
are... i should do that, 'cause i know it's
tremendous.
Thanks for all your good ideas!
Grandma Kitty

recycled bread tip

2008-06-05T11:56:00.001-05:00

From: Moon
I freeze the ends of bread and use them to make my
own bread crumbs-just tear up and toss in the
blender or food processor.

OR
Use them to make your own stuffing!

* 1/4 cup finely chopped onions
* 1/2 cup chopped celery
* 1/3 cup butter
* 4 cups bread cubes
* 1 teaspoon pepper
* 2 eggs, beaten
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
* 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
* turkey or chicken broth

PREPARATION:
Sauté onion and celery in the butter until
softened. Combine onion mixture with bread,
pepper, eggs, salt, sage and poultry seasoning in
a large mixing bowl. Stir in broth until well
moistened. Enough for an 8 to 10-pound turkey. Or,
bake in a greased covered shallow casserole at
325° for about 35 to 45 minutes. Take the cover
off the last 5 minutes to brown.