Tips on How to Simplify your Christmas Shopping for your Kids
If you’re struggling on your shopping this holiday season, then try making lists and put them in categories. It makes things a lot easier to buy when you know what you’re looking for. Instead of just buying things and more things, give each present a purpose. If you have kids, this would be a great way to get your shopping done. Check out these tips!
- Something they WANT. This is the item that could be the Santa present or the big item that they want.
- Something they NEED. Think sports or school.
- Something to READ. Get the newest book or even a subscription to a fave magazine.
- Something to WEAR. Get your kids a new outfit, including shoes if needed.
- Something to DO. Give a ticket to a movie, museum, play, or a family trip.
- Something for the FAMILY. This could be a board game or new movie.
- Pajamas for Christmas Eve. This is a tradition that a lot of people have.
How to Make a Christmas Countdown Chain Using Your Halloween Candy
Now that Halloween is over, do you have a TON of candy? What do you do with it? How do you minimize the intake of sugar for your kids? Here is a great way to solve all of your questions- Make a Christmas Countdown Chain! This chain seriously saves me from kid tantrums and tears. Instead of them asking every 10 minutes if they can have another piece of candy, they know that they get one piece a day and each day means it’s closer to Christmas! It does take some time, but the kids can help you out! Here’s how you do it:
Supplies you need:
Plastic Wrap
Ribbon or Yarn- cut into strips long enough to tie
Scissors
Halloween Candy (# depending on when you start your chain-days to Christmas.)
Directions:
Stretch your Plastic Wrap out and keep it straight. Don’t cut it off until you are completely done. Tie Ribbon on the end and add in your first piece of candy. Next you’ll want to wrap the plastic wrap around the candy and twist the end a few times so the candy doesn’t fall out. Then add another ribbon. Repeat this step until you have all of your pieces in your plastic wrap. End the chain with another ribbon-twisting before you tie. That’s it!
Tips:
#1: If you have more than one child, consider using different colors of ribbon or yarn for each kid. That way they know which chain is theirs just by looking at the color.
#2: Remember to twist the wrap after each candy, otherwise they tend to fall out.
#3 If you don’t have enough pieces to go all the way until Christmas, consider going until Thanksgiving or even through the month of November. There can be different ending times, depending on the amount of candy you have.
More Christmas Gifts that You Can Give For Free
Yesterday we gave you a couple of ideas for free Christmas gifts that you can give to friends and family. There were only 4 things on that list though, so today we are going to add some more to your list. What other Christmas gifts can you give that will mean a lot, but won’t break the bank?
I have set a goal to spend very little this Christmas so I’ve already started putting together ideas for how I can give out meaningful Christmas gifts without even opening up my wallet. Here are more Christmas gifts you can give for free that will help you enjoy your holidays with less stress than you are probably used to.
More Christmas Gifts that You Can Give For Free
Give a Framed Photo Print
Walgreens often has free photo print offers (I honestly couldn’t tell you the last time I spent money on a photo print). I would bet that you also have plenty of photo frames around the house that you can use as is or refurbish to display the photos. This is a great gift for grandparents!
Create Homemade Gift Certificates
Homemade gift certificates have been around for a long time, especially from children gifting to their parents. It can be so much more than that. It’s a thoughtful gift for your partner and you can even create them for extended family members. The certificates can include stuff like free babysitting, dinner on you, etc.
Wall Art
Find cool art prints that you can print off online and frame them up. They make a great gift idea for anyone that wants to spruce up their space a little bit.
Search Your Gift Closet
Okay, so this one is not technically free, but if you have been following our site for long you probably have a gift closet in your house. Why not go through that and see what gifts you still have in there waiting to be given away? You probably spent some money on them at some time, but it won’t take away any of the money you have right now.
4 Christmas Gifts that You Can Give For Free
Between the precarious financial position that many of us find ourselves in right now and the product supply chain issues we have all been hearing about, you may find yourself a little bit stressed out about Christmas coming up. Here’s the thing though. It’s okay. We can get through this together.
As a matter of fact, you might just find yourself enjoying Christmas like never before. There are many Christmas gifts you can give for free and frankly, remembering that the spirit of Christmas has nothing to do with material things and money is a great mindset to have. I have been incredibly broke in years past and I can confidently tell you that those low budget Christmases have been among the best we have ever had.
4 Christmas Gifts that You Can Give For Free
Create a Free Photo Calendar
There are many websites out there that will be helpful to you in creating photo calendars (Canva, etc.). Photo calendars make wonderful gift ideas for grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc.
Offer to Host a Dinner Party
If you are looking for a gift for friends or extended family, present them with an invite to dinner night. Everyone needs a night off of cooking and when someone else is making dinner it saves them money too so this makes a great gift idea.
Offer to Babysit
If you are looking for a gift idea for a friend or family who has children at home, you can give them the gift of a night (or several nights) of babysitting so that they can get out of the house without having to pay for an expensive sitter.
Baked Goods
Do you have the ingredients for cookies in your pantry? How about pie or cake? If they are anything like me, they will love to receive food gifts on the holidays. Seriously. I love getting food gifts. 
What is your favorite free Christmas gift to give?
Pull-Part Sourdough Ranch Bread!
8-12 oz cheddar cheese, thinly sliced
3 oz bag Oscar Mayer Real Bacon bits
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tbsp Ranch dressing mix
Using a sharp bread knife cut the bread going both directions. Do not cut through the bottom crust. Place slices of cheese in between cuts. Sprinkle bacon bits on bread, making sure to get in between cuts. Mix together butter and Ranch dressing mix. Pour over bread. Wrap in foil the entire loaf in foil and place on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Unwrap. Bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted.
How to Care for Bedding
For many of us, our bedrooms are our favorite and oftentimes the most peaceful place in our homes. I don’t know about you, but my bedroom is the only place where I can just lay down and relax without kids asking me a thousand questions, without me stressing about what I will be making for dinner and without the constant noise of electronics.
That being said, the minute my bedroom gets messy, my peacefulness fades away. I have found that I need to follow a pretty regular schedule as it relates to keeping my room feeling clean and comfortable. When figuring out how to make this new cleaning schedule work for me, I also discovered that I needed to learn how to care for bedding so that I could keep it looking beautiful and lasting as long as I possibly could.
How to Care for Bedding
If you have just been haphazardly throwing your bedding in the washer whenever the thought occurs to you, you may want to read up on these how to care for bedding tips too:
Wash Your Bedding Regularly
Experts recommend that you wash your bedding at least every 2 weeks. I do mine weekly. We are constantly working out or working outdoors and we have a dog that loves to lay on our bed. I sometimes wash mine every couple of days. This is personal preference of course, but you really shouldn’t go any longer than 2 weeks.
Sort Your Laundry
Bedding is an area where you really should sort your laundry, even if you don’t typically do it. I always wash my sheets separately from the blankets and comforters, but I also separate them by color.
Don’t Forget About the Pillows
While you don’t need to wash pillows nearly as often as you do the rest of your bedding, you still should be washing your pillows 3-4 times per year. Allergens can easily build up in your pillows over time and a good wash is important.
Important Money Saving Tips for Everyone
Times are getting tough out there and many of us are doing anything and everything we can to get ourselves in order financially. Truth be told, even in good times we should be focused on getting our financial lives in order.
Whether you are trying to pay off debt, build up an emergency fund, or just simply want to have more options for your money, you are probably going to want to pay attention to these important money saving tips for everyone.
Important Money Saving Tips for Everyone
Saving money and being more in tune with your finances will help you in life, I promise. Not only does it help you financially, but it benefits your mental health as well. We all know how stressful life can be when you are struggling to pay your bills.
Start a Budget
Having a budget is a huge, huge benefit to getting your financial life in order. A budget helps you understand where you might be able to cut back more, where you have a little wiggle room and what areas you need to adjust all together.
Create Goals
When you have goals that you are working toward, it helps you to stay motivated to work toward those goals. Don’t just think about them either, you need to physically write them down. It may seem strange, but writing them down helps make them more real.
Clip Coupons
We may not see paper coupons as much as we used to, but clipping coupons is still a great way to save money on your groceries. These days it’s best to clip these coupons online and in your grocery store app.
Meal Plan
Planning out your meals in advance is quite helpful to saving money. You may be wondering how this helps. It helps because planning and prepping your meals helps to keep you from wasting food and from buying last minute restaurant meals when you can’t figure out what to make for dinner.
What has been your favorite financial tip that you’ve ever learned?
Bedroom Cleaning Tips
Is your room a bit on the messy side right now? I have been so busy lately that I was unintentionally ignoring just how messy my bedroom had gotten. I don’t spend too much time there during the day and I willingly ignored it, but it is far past time to clean it. Both of my teenagers cleaned their rooms this week (without being asked!!) and I just cannot let them have cleaner rooms than me. Haha.
If you need a little bit of help trying to figure out how to get your bedroom clean and tidy, check out these bedroom cleaning tips for help.
Bedroom Cleaning Tips
Put your Clothes Away
This is my #1 worst housework habit. I am bad about just putting clothes on my dresser or at the end of the bed. Really, it’s not that hard to just put them in the dresser or hang them up and it will make your room look and feel so much tidier.
Open Your Windows
It feels good to air out your living space once in a while and getting that fresh air feel less stagnant, plus opening up your curtains is a great way to make it brighter.
Change Your Sheets
Talk about feeling clean! A quick change of your bed sheets will make all the difference. Plus, you’ll sleep a lot better in clean sheets.
Dust
Get a long duster and get the dust away from your blinds and/or curtains and any tall shelving or builtins. It’s amazing how much dust can build up over time and even if you don’t really notice it now, you’ll notice it once it’s gone.
Vacuum
Make it a habit to vacuum your bedroom at least weekly, if not more often. Especially in the high traffic areas of the room. It will change the look drastically.
Halloween Dinner Ideas Your Family Will Love
Halloween is coming fast and there are so many fun dinner ideas for those nights leading up to Halloween and especially Halloween night. If you’re like me, Halloween day and night can be pretty crazy busy. Here are some fun and easy dinners that you can do on Halloween night. Enjoy!
- Papa Murphy’s Jack-O-Lantern Pizza. This is a tradition on Halloween night for our family. This is a pizza you can pick up anytime of the day and have it ready at night before the trick-or-treating begins.
- Dinner in a Pumpkin. My mom would make a similar version of this every year. It’s pretty cool to actually cook a meal on a pumpkin. Very festive and fun.
- Baked Pumpkin French Toast. Breakfast for dinner? Yes!! This would be super yummy on the day of Halloween or any dinner leading up to Halloween.
- Pumpkin Soup. On those chilly nights, this would be perfect. Grab some yummy bread and dip it in this yummy pumpkin soup.
4 Things You Should Never Buy Used
Being willing to buy used items and shopping second hand is a wonderful way to save money and to add more wiggle room to your budget. There are some things that you should never buy used.
Whether it makes more financial sense to buy them new (it happens), or it’s just kinda yucky, there are reasons to skip the thrift shop for some items. These 4 things you should never buy used is a great guide to start you off with.
4 Things You Should Never Buy Used
Laptops
Laptops are so inexpensive now that it really doesn’t make sense to buy them used. Computers go out of date very quickly so honestly this is just not the hill to die on folks. I am a business owner who works on my laptop 5+ hours per day and I have a great laptop that I paid only $300 for brand new. I’ve seen decent ones as low as $99 (during holiday sales, etc.)
Car Seats
Car seats expire after a certain number of years. Plus, you never know if they have been in an accident (which weakens its safety features). If you need to find a car seat on a budget, look into local charities. They can often help with this.
Shoes
Shoes can be a hotbed of germs, fungus, etc. Plus, they often form to fit the foot of the person who has worn them the most. If you spot some shoes that someone is selling that you can see have been worn very little or not at all, by all means, go for it, but overall I like to avoid this used purchase.
Vacuum Cleaners
Every single time I have bought a used vacuum cleaner, it has been a giant pile of junk. The reason? Vacuums fail. That’s likely why people are getting rid of them. You can head to Walmart and buy a super cheap vacuum that works better than most used vacuums, but over the years I have learned that when it comes to vacuums, you get what you pay for. I paid $180 for a Shark Vacuum 3 years ago and it still works as well as the day I bought it.
Bathroom Cleaning Tips that Save You Time
Are you tired of spending all of your time cleaning? Listen, I have 3 kids and I have easily spent hours each week for the last 17 years cleaning my home. I feel like much of this time is spent cleaning the bathrooms in my home specifically. I am ready to save time and frustration.
If you too are looking to add more time to your life, these bathroom cleaning tips that save you time will help do just that.
Bathroom Cleaning Tips that Save You Time
Get a Hamper
Kids have a way of just dropping things where they land. Yes, repetition in doing the right thing is what is truly needed, but to prevent yourself from having to pick clothes up off the floor all day every day, you can simply put a hamper in the bathroom. It’s easy for the kids to drop their clothes there instead of the floor.
Keep Cleaning Wipes under the Sink
Take care of messes right when they happen by having cleaning wipes or supplies in each bathroom. If you can grab the wipe and take care of it right there, you, or your family members, are far less likely to walk away and forget about it.
I’m also a big fan of glass cleaning wipes to give your mirror a quick wipe down. They are easy to use and help you to avoid overspray with glass cleaner.
Don’t Use a Mop
For most of us, bathrooms are the smallest rooms in the house. The reality is, mops are often a pain to use in these spaces. It takes more time than it is worth. The best thing is to have cleaning wipes or clothes handy and get down on your hands and knees and scrub. Does it sound fun? No, does it work better? Yes.
What are your favorite bathroom cleaning tips that help you save time?
Prep Your Car for Winter with These Tips
Winter is rapidly approaching and if you are anything like me, you have procrastinated a bit in your winter prep. For your vehicle, that is. I am putting my foot down though and I am definitely going to be getting my car prepped for winter this week!
If you are ready to be responsible like me (haha), you too can prep your car for winter with these tips. Before you know it, we will all be ready to take on the cold weather in our rides!
Prep Your Car for Winter with These Tips
Be Sure You Are Caught Up on Maintenance
Have you had your battery checked yet? Oil changed recently? Fluid levels checked? Now is the time to be sure you are all caught up on your regular car maintenance. The change in climate can affect the way your vehicle is running, especially if you have fallen behind in your maintenance.
Replace Your Windshield Wipers
No time like now to get some new wipers on that car! You never know when you are going to experience a downpour or snowfall and you need to make sure your wipers are up to the task.
While you are at it, be sure and fill up your windshield wiper fluid too. I recommend buying one with a deicer in it to make those cold mornings go more smoothly.
Check Your Tires
When was the last time you replaced your tires? If you are near the end of your tires’ life, now is the time to replace them. Lack of tread equals a dangerous drive in wet, icy or slick conditions.
Get a Good Emergency Kit
Every car needs a good emergency kit, but especially during the winter time. Accidents can easily happen in slick driving conditions so you need to be prepared.
Why You Should Give Fewer Gifts this Year
There is lots of chatter right now about the possibility of there being less products on the shelves this Christmas. I know it’s stress inducing, but here’s the deal. You don’t have to stress over this! The reality is this, there are really many reasons why you should give fewer gifts this year anyway.
If you have been guilty of overspending on Christmas gifts in the past, you are not alone. We’ve all been there. There are so many great reasons to take things into a different way this year though and spend less money and/or give fewer gifts.
Why You Should Give Fewer Gifts this Year
Here are just a few of the reasons to give fewer gifts this year during the holidays:
Spend Less Money
We should all be saving more money in general, but this has been a wild year and the financial situation for many of us is shaky. Spending less money is wise.
You don’t need more stuff.
Seriously. We all have way too much stuff as it is. I don’t know about you, but I do not need my kids to have more toys here for me to try and store wherever they will fit.
Experience Gifts are Better
We have recently switched to more experience gifts and my kids have not complained one bit. As a matter of fact, they seem to absolutely love it. The memories that we make while doing these experiences have lasted far longer than any cheap toys.
Nothing is Better than Time Spent Together
It’s well worth noting that spending time with our children and families is much needed for our kids and for us as well. Time spent together is free (depending on what you do, of course), but it’s also the best gift of all.
5 Fun/Easy Halloween Crafts to Do With Your Kids!
Halloween is just around the corner. My kids have been counting down the days so I thought it would be fun to through together some fun Halloween crafts for us to do over fall break. These are easy crafts that you probably have all the supplies for at home making them perfect for mom and the kids. Now the tough decision, which one to make first?
- Halloween Paper Plate Spiders – this is one kids of all ages are going to have fun with. Each kid can pick their spider color and paint their plate. Then find pipe cleaners to match and attach them using a stapler. Glue on your googlie eyes and your set. You can place them around the house or hang them from the window.
- Monster Mobile – I made these with my daughters kindergarten class and they all loved them! It’s a great way to use up and recycle toilet paper rolls! I found the best thing was to pre poke a hole for the pipe cleaner so the kids could easily slide them through.
- Q-Top Skeletons – This was another activity I’ve done with a kindergarten class. All you need to do is print out the skeleton heads for them to glue on top of their q-tip bodies!
- Candy Corn Craft – Another simple craft to throw together for your toddlers/kindergarteners. You could even give them the option of tearing the paper themselves.
- Puffy Ghost – This craft is one the littles will love. I like to put the glue on a plate for them to dip the cotton balls into making it easy to fill up their ghost.
5 Yummy Fall Foods You’ve Got to Try
I love Fall. Not only for the crisp air and the beautiful color changing leaves, I love fall for the food. It’s true. It’s that time of year that apple and pumpkin everything make life that much sweeter. There are a few recipes that I make every fall and I had to share them with you. Enjoy!
Doesn’t this make your mouth water? If you want the best apple crisp, then here you go. Check out I am Baker and you will never regret it.
Nothing is better than sitting in your comfy clothes, eating a hot bowl of soup and watching the leaves change, or dare I say the snow fall. If you haven’t checked out Mel’s Kitchen Cafe, then you totally have to. Head here to see a lot of her famous soups. Choose one to make this week. Yum!
I’m all for made from scratch recipes. Have you made a homemade hot chocolate? The Food Nanny has Everyday Hot Chocolate that you’ve got to try. Your family will thank you.
Pumpkin Cake is a tradition that even my husband enjoys (he’s not big into sweets). It’s moist and the perfect blend of spice and sweet. Check out Live Well Bake Often’s recipe. It’s perfection.
Comfort food also is very common during the fall and winter months. A homemade chicken pot pie is a family favorite during this time of year. Check out TAK to grab a great recipe.