5 Reasons You Should Start a Garden
We talked a little bit yesterday about how to start a garden on a budget, but we didn’t talk much about the benefits of gardening. We are going to do that today!
Before I start though…do you garden? How long have you been gardening? What benefits have you seen from growing your own food and what tips do you have for others who may be just starting?
5 Reasons You Should Start a Garden
Beneficial to your mental health.
I mentioned yesterday that gardening is relaxing and therapeutic. I was serious. Many people who suffer from things such as anxiety and depression have found help with these conditions by gardening. If you haven’t yet watched it, I highly recommend watching The Autistic Gardener.
Teaches patience.
Plants don’t grow overnight. It is is a process and a lesson in patience to wait for your plant to go from seed to harvest. Watching and waiting for this process is incredibly beneficial to learning patience.
Teaches nurturing skills.
Most of us having nurturing skills ingrained in us to some degree, but having to nurture and care for a plant in order for it to grow from seed to harvest is a process that teaches us much about nurture in general.
It’s beneficial to your physical health.
Gardening requires physical energy to be expended. As a matter of fact, some parts of gardening are just plain good exercise. Good exercise is beneficial to heart health! GO Garden!
You can make the decisions.
I don’t know about you, but I love the idea that I am fully in charge of what I grow in my garden. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not a control freak or anything like that, but I am non stop running kids from place to place and dealing with what the kids and hubby want (not complaining…I signed up for this after all), but it is nice to just have my own space. 
I’m sure you feel the same way.
Start a Garden On a Budget With these Tips
Gardening is a very relaxing, therapeutic way to spend your time. Plus, if you do things right, you can save a lot of money by planting a garden. You may not think that that is true, because, well, let’s face it. Gardening can be expensive. But it doesn’t have to be. That’s right, gardening can be made budget friendly!
If you are ready to start a garden (no, it’s not too late!), keep reading to find out how.
Start a Garden on a Budget with These Tips
Start small. If this is your first garden, you need to start small. You are just learning after all. No need to go big when you aren’t yet sure what you are doing. Use some planters, or just a small area in your yard for a couple of vegetables that you are actually going to eat.
Only plant what you will eat. I know that the idea of growing vegetables is exciting, trust me, I get it. The thing is though, it’s expensive and time consuming to care for lots of plants all gardening season long. Just plant what you actually like and what you and your family will be able to eat.
Choose expensive vegetables. Notice that I didn’t say buy expensive seeds? The thing is that some vegetables are just more expensive than others to buy in store. Stuff like tomatoes aren’t cheap when you are scanning the produce section, so why not plant those at home so you don’t have that expense.
Plant zucchini. Seriously, I do not have a super green thumb and every single year it never fails that I get tons and tons of zucchini! I love it and it saves me a ton of money every single year on veggie shopping.
What have you found to be good cost-saving tips for your gardening adventures?
Decorate Your Home on a Budget with these Tips
Are you wanting to put up some new decorations in your house? Or, have you recently moved and you are looking to get it decorated?
Are these things slowed down because you are broke or, at least, on a budget? Guess what? Your budget doesn’t have to dictate whether or not you can have a nicely decorated home, you just have to go about it a little bit differently!
Decorate Your Home on a Budget with these Tips
Search for a Buy Nothing FB Page
In my local community there is a Buy Nothing Group on Facebook and people are always offering great stuff for free! In the last week alone, I have seen gorgeous curtains, a bed set and some cute nightstands that they are giving away. I love these groups!
Head to the Thrift Shop
Thrift shops are a great place to find really good deals on home decor. My local Goodwill has an amazing selection of wall decor for pennies on the dollar. They also sell Target overstock products and I often see brand new, super cute decor pieces for cheap!
Stop at Yard Sales
Summer is coming and that, my friends, means that you are going to start seeing some yard sales at every corner! I love summer weekends for that reason (and more of course)! I have found some really really good buys at yard sales over the years and at the beginning of my marriage, exclusively bought all of my home decor at yard sales.
Just know that a nicely decorated home doesn’t have to be expensive. As a matter of fact, my mother in law has a beautiful, three story, expensive home with an amazing view of the valley below. I am telling you, this home is worth upwards of ¾ million dollars and she decorates her home buy shopping at yard sales and thrift shops. You would never assume that when you look at it, but it’s true.
Inexpensive End-of-Year Teacher Gift Ideas
It’s almost summer break, can you believe it? This school year has seriously flown by. However, I’m excited for those lazy summer mornings again. If you have a few more days or weeks left of school, you’re probably getting those last minute teacher gifts. I’ve found over the years that I never do the same gift twice. I usually switch it up every year depending on my teachers personalities and likes. It doesn’t take a lot of money to show your appreciation for your teachers. Here are a few ideas that will help you out.
Hand written notes from student AND parent. I’ve heard time and time again that this is a teacher favorite. Most teachers will keep these notes and maybe read them again on those challenging days. Have your student write a specific experience or quality that they have enjoyed this year, and you do the same.
Gift Cards or Attraction Pass. As the year goes on you probably get to know your teacher pretty well. You’ll know if he likes his diet coke or if she gets her nails done regularly. Why not get a gift card to a specific place they will actually use? If you want to switch it up and think outside of the box, then why not a few passes to an attraction near you. If your teacher has kids, look into your local zoo, aquarium or museums.
Spa in a Bag. This can definitely be on a budget. Think of how much you want to spend and then put in as many items as you can on your budget. Just grab a bag from the dollar store and add in some of these ideas. Some fun ideas could include: bath bombs, lotions, bath candles, bath salt, nail polish, nail clippers, travel size hand sanitizer or lotions, cotton balls, lip scrub, lip gloss, face mask/scrub, hair scrunchies, hair conditioners, hair clips, or brushes.
Customized stationary and new pens. Believe it or not, this is something teachers love. Get some fun pens for the teacher to use and make the stationary with their name on it or favorite quote.
Food. Yes, it’s true. Most teachers have their favorite treats and drinks. Grab a few of their favorites and put a bow on it. Write a cute letter and done! I’ve heard of people grabbing Chili’s fresh salsa and a bag of their chips. Or, find a fun local restaurant and grab a unique dessert. As long as you know their food restrictions, food is always a win-win.
Simple & Easy Camping Meal Ideas!
We’re looking forward to camping this summer! It’s one of the best ways for us to unwind and get away from everything as a family. But being mom I still need to cook and make sure everyone has full tummies, so I’ve put together some easy meals you can plan for when camping!
Hotdogs – maybe a no brainer but hotdogs with buns, chips and maybe some fruit is a great meal to plan for while camping. You can roast them over the fire or just boil them in water. Don’t forget about pigs in a blanket as well. A great alternative to regular hot dogs.
Breakfast Burritos – you can easily make these ahead of time and take them frozen or assemble them the morning of. Either way it’s a great way to wake up to something yummy.
Bagels – we love having cream cheese and bagels in the morning. We’ll get a variety bag so everyone has one they’ll like. If you’re not having bagels in the morning it’s usually cereal.
BBQ Sandwiches – This is another great make ahead meal you can plan for either lunch or dinner. I just cook the meat in the crock pot before we go and store it in an airtight container. Then slap it on some buns and you’re good to go.
Kebabs – These are perfect to cook over a campfire. You can even have everyone make their own with everything you’ve brought already chopped up and ready to poke. We’ll put peppers, chicken, pineapple, mushrooms and more on each stick.
Chili – If you’re headed somewhere cold, this is a must. I will usually cook my meat at home and then bring everything to dump in the pot together and heat up. We’ll serve it with rolls or corn bread, which ever I have on hand or time to make.
Salsa and Chips – don’t forget about the snacks. We usually go hiking or walking while we’re out camping which means often times when we get back we’re hungry but it’s between meals. So a fun and easy snack to have on hand is some salsa and chips.
Walking Tacos – If you haven’t heard of these before they’re awesome for so many different reasons! Just get those one person chip bags and add your taco toppings to the bag! We’ll usually have sliced tomatoes, cheese, olives, lettuces, sour cream and salsa.
Pasta Salad – I have a cold pasta salad recipe that’s yummy to have ready to eat. It’s simple to throw together and honestly, it’s better the next day because it’s been marinading all night.
How to Shop Smart at Thrift Shops
Are you getting ready to head out for a fun day of thrift shopping? I say day because if you are anything like me, your thrift shopping requires a full day! I like to thrift shop for two reasons. One, because I love getting good deals and two, because I love to flip my thrift store finds! For these reasons, I always plan to spend a decent amount of time shopping at thrift shops to ensure that I get the best deals possible.
How to shop smart at thrift shops
Take Your Phone
I know I told you this when we were talking about yard sales, but it is also true about thrift shops. Just because something is for sale in a thrift shop, doesn’t mean that it is a good deal. Take your phone along with you so that you can easily research the price and make sure that you are getting a good deal.
Try it on and Try it Out
If you are buying clothes for yourself, get your booty in that dressing room and try things on! I know that some people are squeamish about trying used things on before they are washed, but I am squeamish about spending money on something that is just going to sit in my closet because it doesn’t fit. Make sense? Most of the time, thrift shops don’t have very generous return policies so once you buy the item, you are stuck with it. Additionally, if you are buying electronic items, be sure to plug them in and make sure they work first. Most thrift shops have outlets available for this purpose.
Set your Budget
Oh my goodness, if I had a dollar for everytime I overspent at a yard sale, I would have a whole lot more dollars. I’ve wised up though and now I set a budget before I go thrift shopping. It’s too easy to overspend on all of those great deals.
How to Shop Smart at Yard Sales
Are you planning on doing some yard-saleing this yard sale season? I love this time of year. The weather gets warmer and you start seeing those yard sale signs popping up all through the town! I love the thrill of the good deal. Don’t you?
Whether you are shopping for goodies for you or for stuff to sell, you can follow some simple tips to make sure that you are getting the best deals on the best goods.
How to shop smart at yard sales
Take Your Phone
I know, I know, it gets old having our phones with us all the time, but the truth is that it is smart to bring yours along with you shopping because it will help you look items up to ensure that you are actually getting a good deal on the item you are thinking of buying. You can check out ebay and other online resellers to find out how much the item is typically when sold used.
Try it out
Okay, I’m not going to suggest that you try on clothes at a yard sale, but if you are spending a decent amount of money on a larger item (say a tool or electronic), make sure you plug it in and make sure that it works. It is very frustrating to spend your money on an item only to come home and have it sitting in your space unworking.
Set a Budget
It’s very easy to spend way too much money at yard sales because things are so cheap!! Be sure to set a budget for yourself so that you don’t go overboard on your spending!
Bring Cash
Most yard sales aren’t going to accept cards. Make sure that you bring cash along with you and be sure that this cash is broken out into smaller bills. This will help with your negotiating tactics.
Awesome Baby Shower Gifts!
Are you shopping for yourself or for someone else that has a new baby coming? If you are like me, it has been a couple of years since you have had a kiddo and you just never know what is out there these days, because it changes all the time!
I decided to check out Amazon and see what I could find for some of the best deals on popular gifts for new mothers and babies.
Did you have any of these with your baby? Did you love them, hate them? Any other great ideas for me to share with others? Parenthood is nerve-wracking, stressful and hard enough as it is! Let’s make it a little bit easier on the mamas to be!
Maxi-Cosi Mico Max 30 Infant Car Seat
Medela Calma Breastmilk Feeding Set
Lansinoh Stay Dry Disposable Nursing Pads
Infantino Flip 4-in-1 Convertible Carrier
Johnson’s Bath Discovery Baby Gift Set
SoHo diaper bag Grand Central Station 7 pieces set
The First Years Sure Comfort Deluxe Newborn to Toddler Tub
What what your favorite gift that was given to you when you had your last baby?
Watch Out Amazon! Walmart to Offer Free Next Day Delivery
Have you heard the news? Walmart will be offering FREE next day delivery to 75% of American consumers by the end of the year. They are starting out in Phoenix and Las Vegas and then moving into Southern California in the next few days. Next day delivery will be available with NO membership fees (unlike Amazon) and on 220,000 commonly purchased items. So what’s the catch?
There is a minimum purchase of $35 to get your FREE next day delivery. Competitor, Amazon has free shipping on most items with your purchase of $25 or more but it takes longer to get to your home. So which one is better? Which one will you choose? The big perk for buying from Walmart is the return policy. Most items can be returned to your local Walmart without any hassle. Whereas, Amazon requires any return to be mailed, which honestly is a pain.
Walmart has stepped up their game with this FREE no membership option that could save us a lot of money. You might think again about paying that $119 annual fee for Amazon. So what do you think? When it rolls into your city will you try it out?
How to Still Breathe When You’re Overwhelmed with Debt!
Debt is something that’s hard to get off your mind. From getting the mail from your mail box and seeing those incoming bills to going to the grocery store and hoping you can stay on budget. But even if you’re working on paying off as much debt as possible, you still need to breathe. Here’s some things to think about if you’re overwhelmed with debt.
Start a spending freeze – this is one thing you can have control over and a great way to save even more money. Try just one week. Then when you’ve mastered that move it to 2 weeks or even a month. You’ll give yourself some breathing room if you give it a go.
Contact your creditors – keep your creditors informed, don’t ignore their calls or better yet, give them a call. Many companies and creditors have programs to help people like you and me when we’re in a tight spot. From getting a month off, to lowering your interest rate, reduce or no fees and more. But you won’t know if you don’t pick up the phone and call.
Figure out what you can live without – maybe that morning run to Starbucks or swig needs to be put on hold. Or decide to give up your cable to save each month. Stop buying junk food and paying for that monthly gym membership. There are tons of things you can stop buying and paying for until your debt is paid off. It will take sacrifice but I know it’s possible and you can do it.
Keep track of your spending – it may sound like a big task but just the simple act of writing down everything you spend your money on, will help you recognize where your money is going and think twice before you swipe your card.
How to Have a Great Memorial Day BBQ on a Budget!
I know that we just talked about how to save on a BBQ, but with Memorital Day just a couple of weeks away, let’s talk a little bit more about how we can make a great Memorial Day BBQ without breaking the bank! Are you ready to start planning now?
You have plenty of opportunities to have an amazing memorial day weekend without breaking the bank.
Here are 5 tips to throw a great Memorial Day BBQ on a budget:
Decorate on the Cheap
I know that you want your BBQ to look great. You don’t need a lot of money to do that. You can actually head on over to the dollar store and grab some disposable table cloths, some napkins and paper plates and disposable silverware. For a patriotic theme stick to getting these in red, white and blue and you can have your decor covered. I love the look of twinkle lights too. You can buy these or break out your white Christmas lights for this look.
BYOB
If you are planning to have alcohol at your BBQ, consider having a BYOB party. That means Bring Your Own Bottle for those that don’t know. Booze can get expensive, so don’t deal with that expensive on your own. This is perfect anyway because sometimes people are very particular about their drinks, so no worries on whether or not they would like what you get.
Do it PotLuck Style
Don’t feel bad about asking your guests to contribute. Send out your invites by saying “Hey guys, Memorial Day BBQ Party at my house, pot luck style” I promise people won’t be offended, people love to contribute!
Skip the Booze
We talked about it earlier, but if you choose to simply not have booze at your party, you would severely cut down on the costs associated. When you serve alcohol, you either need expensive mixers to go with your liquor, or expensive beer/wine. Just go without and you are good!
Stick with Cheap Foods
Hot dogs and chicken legs or thighs are just about the cheapest foods that you can throw on the grill. If you are serving a lot of people, these are all great options. I have found that it is better to have fewer meat sources anyway, so that there aren’t major decisions and no one has to be jealous that they missed out on the steak, etc.
Do you have memorial day BBQ plans?
How to Have a Great BBQ on a Budget!
Oh my goodness, I am so very ready to start firing up our grill more often, aren’t you? Just me? We have had one BBQ so far this season and I would be happy literally having them every weekend. I love the friends and family aspect, I love the yummy food and I just love being outside in the warm weather. How about you?
I don’t love though that BBQ celebrations can get super spendy if you aren’t careful. It doesn’t have to be that way though, so don’t stress it too much.
Here are 5 tips to throw a great BBQ on a budget:
Stick with the Basic
Yes, you want to have yummy food, but that doesn’t mean that you have to have expensive, fancy foods. Chicken legs, burgers and hot dogs are always favorites at our BBQs. Don’t forget to use coupons when you are out shopping for your food too! I always like to recommend checking the meat markdown section for killer deals too, especially if you are shopping the day of your BBQ.
Have a PotLuck
Let your guests know that they are more than welcome to bring a side dish, drink or dessert. The more food the better, right? Oh and trust me, most people like to contribute to the meal. The more food that others bring, the less food you have to buy. Bigtime savings!
Lots of Ice
Let your guests bring their own drinks if you want, but make sure that you have lots of ice on hand! You need to keep your guests cool in the heat if you want everyone having a good time, right? Ice is cheap, so this one won’t break the bank.
Skip the Decor
Literally, you don’t need to decorate at all. Like at all. If it is just a friendly get together with friends and family, they aren’t going to care that you didn’t decorate all fancy for them. I typically just make sure that I have napkins on hand, a disposable tablecloth for the food table and for evening BBQ, I break out the Citronella torches, to combat the mosquitos.
Don’t forget Dessert
You can’t forget dessert! If you are on a really tight budget, buy a bucket of cheap ice cream or maybe even some fudge bars or other cheap treat. Or, like mentioned above, accept the offer of dessert from your guests
How do you keep your BBQ budget under control?
Kid Friendly Hot Spots to Visit in St. George, Utah
St. George, Utah is a popular destination throughout the year. We love going down in the spring when we are antsy for blue skies and warmer weather. Every year we meet up with family to spend a few days together. That means we have a lot of kids, which makes our activities very kid friendly. Here are 5 kid friendly spots you need to check out the next time you are in St. George, Utah.
- Snow Canyon State Park. There are so may different hikes to go on at this state park. One of our favorite is the Butterfly trail. It’s perfect distance for younger kids.
- Pickle Ball Courts. Have you heard of pickle ball? It’s becoming more and more popular. St. George has many spots around that you can play for FREE. So grab some paddles and balls and go play.
- Pioneer Park. This park has a large trellis pavilion with two barbecues and fire ring, several smaller picnic areas with tables, two with metal trellis pavilions, and a separate fire pit with an amphitheater. It’s a great one to see the view of St. George below. Walk around and enjoy the red rocks.
- Thunder Junction Park. This park includes complete wheelchair accessible playground equipment, climbing wall, an “erupting” volcano, splash pad, and a “roaring” C.P. Huntington 1/4-scale train on a 2,700-foot track. My kids LOVE this park.
Make Mom Feel Loved and Special This Mother’s Day without Breaking the Bank!
Mother’s Day can be tough for so many different reasons but it’s important to make that special person in your life feel loved. We don’t usually buy big gifts for each other on Mother’s Day or Father’s Day but that doesn’t mean we don’t spoil each other! Here’s some simple, cheap and even free ideas of ways you can celebrate Mother’s Day!
Breakfast in bed – this is our tradition and one that really, I LOVE! We’re not big breakfast people meaning we usually have our tradition cereal or morning shake every day. But Mother’s Day morning I get a hot breakfast served in bed.
Sleep in – let mom finally get a morning to sleep in. Slip out of bed when the kids wake up and close the bedroom door behind you. Give her the chance to wake up to no alarm or kids needing her help.
Make a nice dinner – there’s so many fun recipes available on the internet. Find out Mom’s favorite meal and make it for dinner that night. Don’t forget to include the kids.
Get the kids to make something for her – get out the paper and markers and let them make mom a card. Pull out stickers, scissors, glue and anything else your kids can craft with. Or make mom her favorite treat together in the kitchen.
Let the kids buy mom something at the store – go to the dollar store and help them pick out something fun and new for mom. They have nail polish, makeup and other fun finds. Or even Walmart for some bath bombs, new earrings, jewelry and more.
Let mom choose a family activity – what if mom got to decide what everyone is doing for the day? Sounds like a win win for me! You could go for free and take a hike together, play board games, watch a new movie etc.
Heart attach mom – it doesn’t always have to be on Valentine’s Day. Why not heart attack mom’s door or mirror the night before so she has sweet messages to wake up to on the special day.
Memory Movie – put together some old photos and videos to music and watch them together with mom. She’s going to love all the memories! This is even a good one for the grandparents.
How to Save Money on summer activities
What are your plans for the upcoming summer months while the kids are out of school? Are you worried that you are going to be stuck at home all summer long? Is your budget a little too low to keep you out and about experiencing all of the fun things that you were hoping to do?
Well, my friends, it’s time for you to relax! There is no need to stress about it because, I am going to give you some tips on how to save money on summer activities:
Head to the park – parks are free! Lots of parks in my area offer splash pads and fountains too so they will help you beat the heat.
Head to the lake – most public waterways are free or cheap to get to, so why not head to the lake? Want to get on the water? Grab an inflatable kayak and go out and have fun! My husband and I bought these 2 summers ago and have had hours and hours of fun in them!
Get a pool or sprinkler for home – if you have a yard, there’s no reason you can’t stay cool right at home. Kids pools and sprinklers, or even. Slip and slide are super cheap!
Sign up to read – Have you looked into the summer reading program at your local library? These programs are weekly, free and offer all kinds of fun activities for the kids to enjoy!
Bowl for free – kids bowl free! Many bowling alleys across the country take part in the kids bowl free program which allows kids to play free every day. This is a great way to keep your kids busy and active.
What plans do you have for this summer to stay busy on a budget? I want To hear all of your great ideas!