What To Do When Kids Are Home Sick!
It can be hard to see your kids in pain and not feeling well. This winter we’ve caught the bug a couple different times. And although it’s easy to put them on the couch to relax and watch a movie I didn’t want them spending the whole day there. So here’s some simple yet surprising ways you can make them feel a little more comfortable when they’re stuck at home not feeling well.
- Play Hospital – the younger kids especially love this. We’ll pull out their doctor kit and help our stuffed animals feel better after a fall or when their stomach is hurting.
- Memory Books – it’s fun for kids to look through pictures of when they were a baby. We also love watching old videos but what they really love is listening to me talk about my own childhood and look through pictures of when I was little. We’ll talk about ways we’re the same and what features they got from and which ones came from their dad.
- Puzzles – we love puzzles in our house (even when we’re not sick). We’ll pull them out onto the coffee table and put them together. The Dollar store has lots to choose from. You can also find them at the thrift store (although you won’t know if all the pieces are there). We’ve also borrowed new puzzles from neighbors and friends.
- Spa Time – A warm bath is a favorite of mine when I’m not feeling well. I’ll even throw in a bath bomb but even my kids love just relaxing in the tub. The warm air will help if they have a cough or cold symptoms. Or paint their nails for a fun spa time.
- Make Popsicles – These are awesome for keeping liquid in when they’re not keeping food down but also great on sore throats. There’s lots of favor ideas on Pinterest.
- Books on Tape – If they’re not feeling well enough to sit up a great option is some books on tape. Our library has tons of kids books on tape but you could also subscribe to Audible through Amazon (free 30 day trial) or search for free kids books on tape on Google.
- Blanket fort – This is fun even when the kids aren’t sick but mine will curl up inside a blanket fort when they’re sick and relax or even take a nap. It’s also a great place to grab a book and read.
- Coloring/Drawing – I’m not a big drawer myself but I do love to color when I’m trying to relax. Again the dollar store has some fun coloring books you could have on hand for the next time you’re kids stay home from school.
What other things have you done to keep your kids happy while on the road to recovery?
5 Ways To Save on Auto Expenses
Do you drive? You probably have what seems like a mountain of auto-related expenses, right? I know it seems like that to me sometimes. My husband and I are the only drivers in the family, although we have a daughter that is close to turning 15 which means a driver’s license is just around the corner. For the last several years, I have been all about getting these auto-related expenses down now before she starts driving so we can teach her too.
If you would like to bring those costs down too, here are our top 5 ways to save on auto expenses:
Regular Maintenance. Keeping up on regular maintenance helps your car run at its optimal levels which means better gas mileage, less oil used, etc.
Keep your tire levels correct. It is imperative to keep your tire levels aired up to the correct pressure. Anything less can ruin your MPG levels and anything more can cause unnecessary wear on your tires.
Empty out your car. This is one that I struggle with because I always carry around a bunch of extra stuff in the trunk of my car. All of this extra stuff causing your gas mileage to go down though so clean it out!
Shop around for insurance. A couple of times per year, shop around for car insurance. You may be able to save some serious money! Oh, and pay your premiums twice per year as opposed to monthly and you will save big money
Be a one car family. If you live in a metro area, it makes a lot of sense to use public transportation. If you need to maintain a car, just do one instead of multiple. This could cut your auto expenses in half.
How do you save on your auto expenses?
5 Ways To Save Money Each and Every Day
We are all looking for new ways to save money, aren’t we? I know I am always trying to find new and clever ways to save money or earn extra money to add some cash to my family’s budget. Sometimes though, it is best to just go back to basics and save money the old fashioned ways. What are those ways, you ask? Well, here are 5 ways to save money each and every day that our parents and grandparents practiced all the time:
Make your own coffee. The drive-through coffee shop is a relatively new phenomenon and it is a small expense that really adds up for us. Even those of us who drink plain old coffee still end up paying $2 per cup and those that drink specialty coffee spends much more. Skip that trip each morning and save yourself up to $6 per day or more.
Eat at home. The average American family spends $3000 per year eating out. That is so much money that can be put to other uses! Instead, cook at home and see how much you can save.
Turn off the lights. If you are not in a room, turn off the lights. Developing this habit save you hundreds or thousands per year.
Stay home. We live in a world of go-go-go. Why not stay home for a change? Think about the money you would save on gas money and the money it costs to do whatever it is you are doing that day.
Buy fewer clothes. Again, the society in which we live has us convinced that we need lot of stuff and lots of clothing. We really don’t. Take a look at capsule wardrobe ideas on Pinterest and see how much money you can save by not buying clothing all the time.
How to Find Popular Workout Clothing for Cheap
This year I have a goal to workout more. I finally have some time that I can get out of the house and have some alone time at either the gym or group fitness classes. Now that I’m back in the fitness crowd, I’ve noticed all of the cute workout clothing. I’ve looked at a lot of different stores and noticed that you can get those super cute tanks or leggings or shoes for half of the price, if you know where to look. Most of these clothing items have that same popular look, without the high price.
The stores that I shop regularly for workout clothing are Old Navy, Joe’s New Balance Outlet, Amazon, Costco and Kohl’s. Weird, right? These stores will always have a deal of the day or coupons that you can use to make prices more affordable. For example, Joe’s New Balance Outlet will have an item on sale as their deal of the day. This is when you can find those expensive running shoes for 50% off or that cute running jacket for 40% off. Old Navy has crazy good prices on workout clothing. I’ve bought a few of their tanks for only $7.50 each and they work so great. If you like to look at reviews, then be sure to shop Amazon. I love searching for whatever I need and looking at the highest rated items. I’ve bought shorts, and tanks from there all because of the good reviews and have been so happy with them. Costco and Kohl’s may surprise you with the popular brands like Nike and Adidas at great prices.
When shopping these stores, be sure to check out their clearance workout clothing first. You might find what you are looking for in the clearance section. January is a great time to stock up on workout gear and clearance is in full swing. So start shopping now for workout clothing and you’ll see most are on sale.
If you are looking for those cute workout clothing items, try to be open to new brands. I know that Lululemon has some super cute leggings, but for $128, I kindly pass. I can find similar ones at Old Navy for around $20. Even though it doesn’t have the logo, I can buy more with my money. I’ve found that these stores that I mentioned above have really great quality items as well. You don’t always need to pay a ton for good quality. Try a new brand and see what you think. A lot of stores offer free returns with your purchase.
Hopefully these tips will help you find some new workout clothing at some great low prices.
Tidy Up and Build Your Savings
It seems like the whole world is talking about tidying up right now. With the popularity of the Netflix show and the staying power of the ever-lasting side hustle, I think we just found a new winner! Why not simplify your life, de-clutter your home and make some money in the meantime?
Imagine that, cleaning your house, boosting your mental health and fattening your wallet all at the same time. 3 great things and it won’t take long to do it! Just spend time clearing out your space of the things that no longer spark joy for you and you will have your stuff ready to sell! You will be amazed at how much stuff you will find.
Here is how you can tidy up and build your savings:
- Sell your clothes and shoes – Use Poshmark, FB Marketplace, Ebay, Mercari and other apps to post your high-quality clothes that are in good condition. I sell on Poshmark all the time and love it! It’s so easy.
- Sell your electronics – I always find that Ebay, OfferUp and FB Marketplace are good places to sell used electronics.
- Sell your housewares – If you are anything like me, you have lots of extra kitchen stuff, wall decor, bedding, curtains, etc., that you no longer use. You can easily sell this stuff to someone looking to switch up the decor in their home.
If you have followed Dave Ramsey at all, you have probably heard how much he talks about selling everything that isn’t nailed down to pay off debts and build your emergency fund. Tidying up is a great excuse to get your butt moving and get to building that emergency fund or, move past your emergency fund and get to paying those bills off! Which will you be working on?
Good luck tidying, my friends. You’ve got this!
How to save money on Toilet Paper
Don’t you just hate spending money on boring stuff? You know what I am talking about. Like soap, and paper towels and toilet paper, oh yeah, toilet paper. I mean, toilet paper is so boring and so so expensive when you think about how much money you have to spend on toilet paper each and every year, month, week, whatever.
So, how can we go about fixing this? Well, my friends, it is entirely possible to save money on this annoying expense. I’m not even kidding! Here are some tips on how to sav emoney on toilet paper:
- Use coupons. Couponing is not dead, my friends. Couponing is very much alive! Grab your Sunday paper, break out your laptop and check out this site and others such as coupons.com to print them out, or use your store’s rewards program to find coupons!
- Shop sales. I often shop at Safeway and it seems like once a month or so, I can find a 12 double-roll pack for just $5! That is pretty affordable to me. Anytime I can get a single roll for the $0.25 mark, I stalk up.
- Use single ply. This one is a pretty heated debate in many households (mine included),but thereality is that single ply toilet paper last much long that dual ply, meaning you have to buy it far less often. Occasionally too, you can find the 12 double-roll single-ply for the $5 mark and oh my goodness does a pack like that last a long time!
- Check the clearance section. Yep, the clearance section. I’m not even kidding folks. I have found quite a few TP deals in the clearance section of my grocery store over the years. Often, it is because the company is switching their labeling up, but hey…50% off sounds good to me!
- Family cloth. Okay, I can’t in good conscience suggest this because I would never personally do it, but some people swear buy it and I’m sure they save a lot of money doing so.
How do you save on this annoying expense?
Save Money on Car Maintenance with These Tips
So, you feel like every time you turn around there is more maintenance required on your car. It gets old paying for that all the time doesn’t it? Well, lucky for us, there are some things that can help us save money on our car maintenance, we just need to start implementing them!
Curious? Okay. You can start to save money on car maintenance with these tips:
- Change your oil less often. Yes, I know we grew up thinking that we needed to change the oil in our car every 3000 miles, but the truth is most newer cars actually call for oil changes to happen less often than that. Often around the 5000 mark.
- Spring for the lifetime alignment. Okay, so Firestone has this program, as I’m sure most places do, where you can pay $110 (or close to that) to get a lifetime alignment on your car. Considering that an alignment is in the $50 dollar range (or more) this more than pays for itself after 2-3 visits. I live in a rural area and I drive gravel all the time so this is a maintenance item I do often. You may not be the same.
- Use quality gas. No that doesn’t mean get the supreme, but make sure you are getting good gas from a reputable station.
- Don’t run your tank to E or even close. Be sure to always keep your tank closer to the full line than the empty line. Why does it matter, you ask? Well the closer you get to the bottom, the more sediment that could possibly get into your fuel lines, filters, etc which requires more maintenance and costs more money.
- Use an independent mechanic. Unless you bought at a dealership that is offering you free service, skip the dealer for the work on your car. They tend to be priced much higher than an independent mechanic shop.
What tips do you use to save money on vehicle maintenance?
4 Healthy Breakfast Smoothie Recipes
It’s January which means we have new resolutions to eat healthy. Breakfast is always the hardest for me. I love the waffles, pancakes, donuts and juices. One easy way to eat healthier at breakfast is to have a healthy breakfast smoothie. It’s easy and can be an on the go breakfast option as well. Here are 5 recipes that are the perfect breakfast choice.
- Blueberry Pie Smoothie by Buildyourbite.com
- Oatmeal Berry Breakfast Smoothie by northsouthblonde.com
- Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie by Like Mother Like Daughter
- Peach Carrot Smoothie by Primavara Kitchen
You could buy the ingredients and have one every day of the week. You might just get your family hooked too. Enjoy!
Things to Do With Your Kids on a 3 Day Weekend!
We just went back to school after the winter break and now, they have a 3 day weekend! Don’t get me wrong I love having my kids home but sometimes it gets a little much and the fighting kicks in because they’re board or just want something fun to do. So I’ve put together some ideas we’ve posted on the wall the kids can do this weekend while they’re out of school.
- Paint Nails
- Puzzles
- Create Calm Down Jars (I love this tutorial)
- Snow Ice Cream
- Make paper airplanes & fly them
- Learn to sew
- Board Games
- Bake cookies
- Make homemade playdough
- Blanket fort
- Create secret messages
- Face paint
- Look through old photos
- Send sail mail to loved ones
- learn to cross stitch
- play a dice math game
- Marble painting
- Play with baking soda and vinegar
- Make popcorn
- bubble bath
- Magazine Collage of things you love
- picnic for lunch
- paper bag puppets
- make your own movie
- talent show
- Kid Yoga
- Make a music video
- write a short story
- build a snowman
- Color the snow
What some things you guys love to do on long weekends together? Do you stay home or get out? Often times we’ll find friends to play. Then we’ll pull out a craft and let them create together.
Cheap Foods that Will Actually Benefit Your Health
When you think of cheap foods, you typically think of Top Ramen and other highly processed foods that are not really good for us. No diss to Top Ramen, I mean, hey we all have had our fair share of Top Ramen days, but in reality, most of us want to be able to keep our food costs down while not sacrificing our health.
Cheap food doesn’t always have to be unhealthy thought! Here are some of my favorite cheap foods that can help benefit your health or even help you to lose weight!
- Oatmeal. I mentioned before how inexpensive oatmeal is, especially when you buy it in bulk. At my local grocery store, you can buy old fashioned oats for just $0.61 per pound! At a serving size of ½ cup, this is just $0.02 per serving. You literally cannot beat this price, what other food can you eat $0.02?
- Zucchini. Zucchini is a super healthy vegetable and it is ridiculously cheap. My local farm stand sells it for just $0.25 per squash. It is often less than $0.50 at the grocery store. Zucchini is an incredibly versatile vegetable too! You can eat it alone, create noodles for stir fry, use it in place of lasagna noodles, the list goes on. Even better…grow your own! I’m the first to admit that I am not the best gardener, but even I can go a very successful zucchini garden.
- Brown Rice. There is a reason that rice is a main food ingredient in many cultures. It is very inexpensive and quite healthy. Brown rice specifically contains loads of magnesium, vitamin B6, iron and fiber. Brown rice is higher in nutrition than white rice, in case you were wondering. Rice can typically be bought for $0.07 per serving.
- Eggs. High in protein and extremely versatile, eggs are a great, low cost food to have on hand to help keep you healthy. Eggs are welcome in many diets, including the popular keto diet.
10 Staples to Keep in Your Kitchen to Keep Your Food Costs Down
We all know that in order to save money on our food bills, we need to be cooking at home more often. That means that we really need to keep our pantries, fridges, and freezers full of staples that can help with most of our meal planning. If you are ready to make the home-cooking change, here are 10 Staples to keep in your kitchen to keep your food costs down:
- Rice – You can make rice work for countless meals such as stir fry, Spanish rice, sticky rice, steamed rice, burritos, and the list goes on.
- Oatmeal – Oatmeal is ridiculously cheap when you buy it in bulk ($0.61 per pound at my local bulk grocery store) and is a very healthy breakfast.
- Eggs. Eggs are a great source of protein and are often inexpensive. Be sure to watch your local grocery store for sales.
- Peanut butter – Peanut butter is full of protein, kids love it, you can use it to make sandwiches, dip your celery in, make cookies, as a pancake topper, etc. Peanut butter is very versatile.
- Chicken thighs – Chicken thighs are very inexpensive and can be made into a variety of meals.
- Canned beans – beans are filled with protein and fiber, making them great for a healthy budget food. They can be used in place of meat in quite a few meals as well.
- Canned tomatoes/canned tomato sauce – These are typically extremely inexpensive, but can be used for spaghetti, pizza, Spanish Rice, soups, stews, etc.
- Veggies such as carrots and potatoes – These types of vegetables store well for weeks at a time making food waste less likely. They also make great filler items for your meal plan.
- Frozen veggies – Frozen veggies can be stored for a long time, plus they are often quite inexpensive. They can easily be warmed up for serving too!
- Tuna – Tuna sandwiches or wraps, tuna casserole, tuna in salads, the possibilities are endless, so when you see tuna on sale, be sure and stock up!
5 Ways to Lower Your Stress in 2019
Lowering stress can be beneficial in countless ways. Not only do we feel better because we are less stressed, but with lower stress, our health can improve and our budget can improve. How is that you ask? Well, many of us are emotional spenders so when we are feeling stressed we spend extra money, that may be by buying an outfit we don’t need or online shopping, or maybe just because we don’t feel like cooking so we hit the drive-through instead.
So, for 2019 I have made a goal to lower stress! Are you wanting to put that on your goal list too?
If you said yes, here are 5 ways to lower your stress in 2019:
- Say no more often. We need to stop putting so much on ourselves, so if that means we say no more often than that is what it means. The world will not stop spinning, I assure you. Saying no will help you more than it will hurt others.
- Lower your bills. So maybe you work your butt off for a month or two during the first part of the year. Use this extra money to pay off a couple of your bills so that you do not have to work hard all year to meet minimums.
- Take a vacation. A true vacation can go a long way toward lowering your stress. Don’t go into debt doing it, but work on saving up some money so you can treat yourself to a relaxing trip and enjoy it! You will come back more refreshed than ever.
- Journal. Journaling your feelings at the end of the day can go a long way toward relieving stress. Some people compare it to the benefits of therapy. I think that journaling is wonderful.
- Sleep more. Many of us are so busy with work and kids and life, that we do not sleep enough as it is. Make sure to get at least 7 hours of sleep each night to be well rested enough to take on our days.
Do you have a favorite stress-relieving tip to share?
How to Travel on the Cheap in 2019
We’ve been talking a little bit about how more travel is a great thing to put on your resolution list for the new year, but how can you do it while still following your budget? It’s doable, my friends!
Here are some tips that will help you figure out how to travel on the cheap in 2019:
Use Groupon. Groupon and its many promo codes are a great way to save money on travel deals and other activities. Be sure and watch it often for new price drops and check back here daily because we often post new promo codes. Living Social and Groupon are extremely similar so be sure and check Living Social too. Be sure to snag up Groupon deals for restaurants in the area and activities that you want to do while there too!
Use travel booking sites. Travel booking sites such as Orbitz and Expedia often offer great bundle deals on travel! Be sure and keep an eye out on those.
Book 90 days out. 90 days seems to be the sweet spot for airfare so be sure and check at the 90-day mark for your deal!
Use your credit card. This is not advice that I would normally give, but many credit cards offer travel rewards. If you are good about paying your credit card off, use them for your deals so that you can get a portion of it back in bill credits or reward points.
Rent a house or a room with a kitchen. You can save so much money by preparing your own food. Restaurant bills can be a huge portion of your bill during vacation, but they don’t have to be.
What are your favorite ways to save money while on vacation? I’m planning three different vacations in the next couple of months and I need all of the tips I can get!
5 Tips to Help You Lose Weight in 2019
Let’s face it, every year losing weight is usually high on my resolution list. There are so many diets, exercise programs and supplements claiming you will lose weight in a matter of months or even days. However, I’ve found a few tips that help me lose some of that weight by not going to the extreme. These are tips that are pretty simple to do if you stay focused and really have the desire to lose some stubborn weight.
- Introduce more vegetables, fruits, whole grains, beans and nuts into your diet. This can be as simple as adding a fruit or veggie to your lunch, eating some nuts as a snack instead of potato chips, buying whole grains. I love making smoothies or having parfaits loaded with fruits and veggies. It’s a yummy way to get those in your diet.
- Eat when you are sitting down, not when you are multi-tasking. This may sound funny, but have you noticed when you are running errands, or running around your house you will grab the easiest and usually not very healthy food choice? If you take the time to sit and eat your meals you will be more aware of what you are putting in your body and how many times you do it. If you unconsciously eat, it will add up and add on the calories.
- Don’t eat late at night. Ideally you’ll want to take out sugar and sweets, but it’s hard. If you really like a little treat, try to eat it earlier in the day and after a meal. That way you will more likely be full and wont’ eat as much. If you are hungry, you’ll be eating a lot more of that ice cream, pie or cake. Try to just take a little bit and be done. At nights try to eat a food high in protein which will help you stay full longer and help you feel good in the mornings.
- Eat a nutritious breakfast. I’ve always wondered why this was so important. Then one morning, I found myself not having the time for breakfast. I got back home and just started snacking on everything I saw. It was terrible, I was so hungry and for the rest of the afternoon just snacked on everything I could. No wonder a good breakfast is important.
- Choose to be active. You have choices every day. Do you choose the stairs? Do you choose the closest parking spot? Do you choose to sit for most of the day? Do you take walks or join and exercise program? Start changing your choices to be more active. It’s always good to burn off calories and it’s good for your emotional state as well. Find a new exercise program that your city or near by gym is offering. Call up a friend and go on walks.
Basic Techniques For Your Instant Pot!
Who got an instant pot for Christmas? I did and I can’t tell you how excited I was to give it a try! We’ve now used it everyday (sometimes twice a day) since Christmas! Which also means I’ve done a lot of reading and research on what it can do! So I’ve compiled some of the basic techniques for your instant pot! You ready? Lets go!
- Hard Boiled Eggs
This is pretty well known but did you know using your pressure cooker will make them easier to peel? Finally a quick way to get those eggs hard boiled in time for breakfast or lunch! Just put a cup of water in the bottom of your instant pot. Add the basket (mine came with it) and set your eggs on top. Close the lid and press manual for 4 minutes on high. Simple as that.
- Perfect Rice
Now you don’t have a need for that rice cooker cause your instant can do that too! Get perfect brown or white rice every time with your pressure cooker. You’ll add the correct amount of rice and water to your pot and press the rice button! Mine calls for 1 cup rice to 2 cups water, you can do more or less depending on the amount you need. (Note: even try whipping up some rice pudding too!)
- Beans
This is something I haven’t tried yet but I’m super excited about it! You can cook them both dried or soaked so if you forget the night before, no stress, you can still get those beans cooked in time for dinner.
- Baked Potatoes
This is a great quick (and cheap) way to use your instant pot! It’s similar to your boiled egg process, you’ll add a cup of water to the bottom of your pot and place your basket inside. Then clean your potatoes, pierce with a fork and place inside. Use the manual setting for 10 minutes on low and let the pressure naturally release.
- Steel Cut Oatmeal
I didn’t realized that steel cut oats took so long without your pressure cooker until I was talking with a neighbor about it. I’m excited to say with your pressure cooker you can cook your steel cut oats in just 3 minutes! Combine 1 cup of steel cut oats with 3 cups of water! Add your favorite toppings when it’s done and you’re set for a warm yummy breakfast in the morning.
So what have you learned about your pressure cooker and what it can do? Does your family have a favorite recipe already? I’d love to give some other meals a try so drop your ideas in the comments below!