Get your house ready for winter!

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If you have been reading our blog for the last few days you know that the arrival of fall and colder weather have me thinking about getting things ready for winter. I thought a lot about the things that needed to be done in the yard. There were quite a few. Then I moved on to thinking about my house. There are also lots of things to do to get the house ready for winter. It’s another big project that leaves me feeling a little dread.

 

Just like I said about the yard, getting my house ready for winter always seems like a HUGE task before I start. I dread it because it just doesn’t sound fun. Like so many other things, getting your house ready for winter seems much less complicated if you break it into smaller pieces. Looking at the parts individually make the big task seem doable and less daunting. I’ve made myself a list and it really helps. Here are the items on my get your house ready for winter list.

 

 

Windows
There are a couple of different things that can be done to get windows ready for winter. Check the windows and make sure they shut tightly and properly. If they don’t, make some adjustments so they do. This is one of those get your house ready for winter items that a quick internet search will help.
You can also add weather stripping and plastic sheeting to your windows for added insulation. We’ve done both with different windows over the years and have been happy with the results. The supplies for this are inexpensive and available at most big box and hardware stores.

 

Doors
The doors are a lot like the windows. Check the doors to make sure they shut and seal properly. If you do this during the say, look for gaps that let light in. Those same gaps will also let cold drafty air in. If you need to check at night use a flashlight. One person can shine the light on the cracks while another looks for light coming through on the other side. Again slight adjustments can be made to close the gaps. You can also change the weather stripping around the door or add more to what is there. Part of getting your house ready for winter is keeping all of the cold air out.

 

Furnace
Make sure your furnace is working and in good repair. Check the filters and change them if they are dirty. Dirty filters tax a furnace system and keep it from running at its best. Don’t be stuck in the cold later with a malfunctioning furnace.

 

Ice Melt/Shovels
Make sure you have these if you use them. Is there enough ice melt? Are the snow shovels in good repair? If you have a snow blower, is it working and ready to use? The first big storm of the season is not the time to run to the store for snow clearing supplies.

 

Fireplace
Does your fireplace work correctly? Does your chimney need to be cleaned out? Again, taking care of this get your house ready for winter task now will save you time and money later.

 

Pipes
If you have pipes that are prone to freezing, cover them now. Frozen pipes are a hazard and can wreck homes. Wrap pipes with insulation and avoid a mess later. Another important get your house ready for winter item with supplies available cheaply at most big box and hardware stores.

 

Have more tips? Let us know! We love to hear from you. Stay tuned for more blogs about getting ready for winter.

 

 

Get your yard ready for winter list – Part 2

yard ready for winter list

Yesterday I started telling you about how getting my yard ready for winter always seems like a HUGE task. It seems like it will be impossible to get done. Then I try to look at it differently. Getting your yard ready for winter seems much less complicated if you break it into smaller pieces. Looking at the parts individually make the big task seem doable and less daunting. I talked about some of the things I do to get the actual yard ready. I also talked about trees, bushes and plants. After you talk about and take care of the trees, bushes and plants, there is still so much to do. Like I said yesterday, I’ve made myself a list and it really helps. Here are the non-plant items on my get your yard ready for winter list.

 

 

Blow out sprinkler systems
If you have a sprinkler system this is one you don’t want to miss. Some systems don’t need to be blown out so be sure you know if your system needs it or not. If you skip this step on the get your yard ready for winter list and don’t blow out a sprinkler system that needs it, you risk freezing and breaking your pipes. Not a good thing!

 

Cover water faucets
This is a quick and easy item to check off your get your yard ready for winter list. You can pick up an outdoor faucet cover for about a dollar at most stores. They usually just tie onto the faucet with a rubber loop. It is an easy way to help guard against frozen pipes.

 

Pick up sprinklers and hoses
This may sound like a silly thing to check but all too often it gets missed. If the hoses and sprinklers are still out on the lawn someplace, chances are they haven’t been used in a couple weeks. It is really quite easy to forget about them and have ruined sprinklers and hoses in the spring.

 

Put away toys
This is a lot like the sprinklers and hoses. There are probably a few seasonal outdoor toys outside still. Balls and other easy to misplace toys can be hidden behind bushes and other outdoor features. There are also lots of bigger toys like swings and slides that may need to be prepped for winter or put away. A few minutes of getting everything cleaned up and put away can save time and money in the spring.

 

Get sidewalks and driveways ready
This is one get your yard ready for winter list item that isn’t thought of often but it is something very good to check. Sidewalks and driveways can get cracks and loose cement pieces. It is a good idea to clean these up and secure loose pieces before winter hits. Shoveling can be much harder and even dangerous if the loose chunks or cracks are hit with a shovel or snow blower. Cement and driveway repair is at most hardware stores.

 

Birdfeeders
This is an optional item but it is lots of fun. It is also much easier to set up now that when the snow is falling and temperatures have dropped. My kids love watching the birds at the birdfeeder in the winter. So this is just a fun item we add to our get your yard ready for winter list.

 

Have an more tips or ideas to share? Let us know! We’d love to hear them!

Get your yard ready for winter!

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I love fall. I love the changing leaves, the cooler temperatures, football, pumpkins, and so much more. I love being outside and enjoying the fun fall surroundings. But when I am outside in my yard I realize there is something I don’t like about fall. When I look around my yard I tell myself “Get your yard ready for winter.” Ugh! That’s no fun. Fun or not, it has to happen.

 

Getting your yard ready for winter always seems like a HUGE task before I start. I dread it because it just doesn’t sound fun. Like so many other things, getting your yard ready for winter seems much less complicated if you break it into smaller pieces. Looking at the parts individually make the big task seem doable and less daunting. I’ve made myself a list and it really helps. Here are the items on my get your yard ready for winter list.

 

 

Trim trees
I actually like doing this once I start. Fall is a great time to trim and prune many trees. A simple internet search will yield many resources for instruction and tips on your kinds of trees. I think of it like giving a tree a haircut – go slow and don’t take off too much at first. You can trim the tree back further but you can’t reattach cut too short limbs and branches.

 

Trim plants and bushes
This is a lot like trimming the trees. Fall is usually a good choice for trimming. Another simple internet search or two and you’ll have lots of information on your specific plants. Many plants are much happier in the spring if they were trimmed the right way in the fall.

 

Clean out flower beds and pots
I’m always hesitant to do this job. Sometimes I think it makes the landscape look barren and ready for snow and ice. Cleaning out the dead growth and the overgrown plants is a very important part of getting your yard ready for winter. Make sure you know enough about your plants. Are they annuals or perennials? Don’t pull out the plants that are sure to come back in the spring. If you have plants you want to split or divide, so another quick internet search. Some plants prefer to be split in the fall.

 

Cut grass short
I think this is one step in getting your yard ready for winter that is often overlooked. Don’t skip it! Longer grass serves as a great home for rodents and other icky wildlife. Yikes! That is enough to make me mow the yard twice! I hate critters, especially when they try to move in to my space. Another plus to cutting the grass short is that grass that is cut short will also resist lying down or matting during the winter. Your grass will be happier in the spring if you cut it short when you are getting your yard ready for winter.

 

Wrap trees and plants
This is another of the get your yard ready for winter tasks that I overlooked for years. A tour of a local nursery opened my eyes to wrapping trees and plants. Not all trees and plants need to be wrapped but there are many that will survive cold winter much more easily if they are wrapped with burlap or another wrapping material. Again, turn to the internet and look up your specific trees and plants.

 

This is only part of what needs to be done outside to get your yard ready for winter. Watch tomorrow for part two of my tips! Have tips to share? Let us know! We love hearing from you!

The Teal Pumpkin Project – Have you heard?

My kids have some amazing friends. We are really very lucky. One of these amazing friends belongs to my 12 year old son. My oldest son has a sweet friend with severe food allergies. This cute 12 year old boy is allergic to almost everything. Holidays and food related fun have become such difficult times for him and his family. Halloween is tough, really tough. I have tried in my small ways to help this cute boy feel included. I have always wanted to do more but didn’t know how. Now I know – I am going to participate in the teal pumpkin project this Halloween season. Have you heard about the teal pumpkin project?

 

Sometimes you hear about something that makes you so happy and reassures you that the world is still a friendly place. I experienced one of those times recently when I heard about the teal pumpkin project. There is a movement this Halloween to make the holiday easier on families with children who have food allergies or other food restrictions. Those who want to participate are getting non-food items to hand out for trick or treating.

 

Participating in the teal pumpkin project is really simple. Some people are doing all non-food items and some people are getting both food and non-food items. You can take your pick and do it either way. If you have both treat, remember to keep the non-food treats in a separate bowl or container. Once you have decided to participate, you place a teal pumpkin on your porch to signal that you are participating in the teal pumpkin project. Teal is the color of food allergy awareness. When families are out trick or treating they will see the teal pumpkin and know your house is one where the kids who cannot have food items can get something fun and safe. There is even a free printable sign available HERE.

 

The non-food items don’t have to be expensive or complicated. There are plenty of small cheap ideas. Lots of them are even available at most dollar stores. Here are a few great ideas:

  • Glow sticks, bracelets, or necklaces
  • Pencils, pens, crayons or markers
  • Bubbles
  • Halloween erasers or pencil toppers
  • Mini Slinkies
  • Whistles, kazoos, or noisemakers
  • Bouncy balls
  • Finger puppets or novelty toys
  • Coins
  • Spider rings
  • Vampire fangs
  • Mini notepads
  • Playing cards
  • Bookmarks
  • Stickers
  • Stencils
  • Glow sticks
  • Small coloring books

 

For more information on the teal pumpkin project visit https://www.foodallergy.org/teal-pumpkin-project. They have lots of information, printable flyers, graphics for blogs and more.  You can help raise awareness of food allergies and this movement during the Halloween season by sharing on social media using hashtag #TealPumpkinProject.

 

Do you have any ideas for non-food treats that we haven’t mentioned here? We’d love to hear from you!

 

 

Beyond carving pumpkins – what to do?

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If you’ve been reading our blog you know how much I like Halloween. I mentioned how much I like the decorations, the fun, the costumes, the weather, the spooky things, the silly things, the candy – all of it. Out of all of the more traditional Halloween things, I may like pumpkins the best. Pumpkins always seem to make people happy. I’m not sure if it is the color, shape or just all of the fun feelings that we associate with pumpkins. When fall and Halloween come around, I am always excited to decorate and do fun things with pumpkins. I love to do things beyond carving pumpkins into the basic jack-o-lantern.

 

I am sure a huge majority of us have been carving pumpkins for Halloween since we were small. We probably have fun childhood memories of slicing the top off of a pumpkin and scooping out the ooey and gooey insides. Many people probably remember picking out the seeds and roasting them. We probably remember how much fun it was to put a candle in that pumpkin on Halloween night. That was so much fun. As I got older I became interested in doing things beyond carving pumpkins. There are lots of fun things to do with pumpkins.

 

Stickers
Kids love stickers. Stickers are like pumpkins, they just seem to make people happy. Put the two together and you have a super fun activity for kids. You’ll also end up with some really cute pumpkins. It is a fun thing to do with kids who are really young, a fun way to go beyond carving pumpkins.

 

Vinyl
With all of the new fun things people are doing with cut vinyl, pumpkins were sure to benefit. You can usually find fun precut faces and design kits at craft shops and boutiques.

 

Paper faces
Another fun activity for the kids involves using construction or scrapbook paper. My kids love making faces and costumes for the pumpkins. This does limit how much outdoor display you can do, but the amount of creativity it allows is fun. This is another fun step beyond carving pumpkins.

 

Potato Head pieces
This is a super easy one for anyone with Potato Head toys at home. You may need to use a screwdriver to punch the holes in the pumpkins. After you punch the holes, kids can slip the pieces in with ease.

 

Craft paint
This is a messy option but it can be lots of fun. Kids and adults will like painting fun scenes or faces on pumpkins with craft paint. Once painted, these pumpkins are something you’ll want to keep out of the wet weather. You can spray the painted pumpkins with a coat of clear spray paint to help them be more weather resistant. This is another fun way to go beyond carving pumpkins.
Sharpie markers
I have become such a fan of Sharpie markers in the last few years. We do a lot of fun craft things with them. Using them on pumpkins is really a lot of fun. You can draw fun and detailed things with Sharpies and the pictures stay on the pumpkins quite well.

 

Spray paint
I’ve seen lots of different things done with spray paint and pumpkins. All of them seem super fun and easy. My favorites are painting the pumpkins with spray paint after the pumpkin was wrapped in lace. Let the paint dry, remove the lace and you have a pretty lace design on your pumpkin. So pretty! I also love painting the pumpkins solid colors. It adds an unexpected pop of color to Halloween décor. This is another of my favorite ways to go beyond carving pumpkins.

 

Fabric
I’ve seen so many cute pumpkins wrapped with different fabrics. One of my favorite was a burlap wrapped pumpkin. There are so many options for creating a fun look with fabric, kids and adults can have fun.

 

These are just a few of the ways I’ve had fun going beyond carving pumpkins at Halloween. Do you have any ideas? I’d love to hear them!

 

 

Halloween traditions? So much fun!

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It is not a secret to people who know me. I love Halloween. I like the decorations, the fun, the costumes, the weather, the spooky things, the silly things, the candy – all of it. There are so many fun Halloween traditions in my family because there are SO many fun things that can be done around Halloween. I love it all. I always feel a bit sad when I hear about people who don’t like Halloween or those who just trick or treat and nothing else. I want to bring all of them home and show them how much Halloween can really be!

 

I can’t really do that but I can share my enthusiasm for Halloween with all of our great readers here at Pinching Your Pennies! There are so many fun things we do each year. I love them and try to add a bit of new each year. Maybe I can convince a few of you to try creating a few new Halloween traditions this year. These are just a few of the Halloween traditions my family enjoys.

 

Pumpkin picking
It is so much fun to go pick your pumpkins – either at a farm or at a pumpkin stand. If you have one of these options, try it this year. It is just something a bit more fun and different than buying your pumpkins at the store. You may discover a fun new Halloween tradition.

 

Pumpkin carving
This time honored Halloween tradition is a staple in most households. The ooey-gooey fun is something the kids will surely remember. Don’t forget to roast the seeds!

 

Halloween movies on the nights before
We love movies at my house, and we love holiday movies. I’m always on the hunt for fun and cheap holiday movies. We watch them every chance we get in the few weeks before Halloween. Add some popcorn and snuggly kids and you have a fun Halloween tradition.

 

Halloween PJs for little kids
This was one of my favorites when my kids were tiny. I loved getting them new Halloween pajamas. There are lots of fun and cute ones each fall. I miss this Halloween tradition now that my kids are bigger.

 

Make edible haunted houses
We all know about making gingerbread houses at Christmas time. Have you made haunted houses just like them? Make the houses the same way but use Halloween colored frosting and candies. This is such a fun and yummy Halloween tradition.

 

Halloween decorating
We love to decorate for Halloween, both indoors and outdoors. My kids help and we go crazy. We try to pick up something new each year, it doesn’t have to cost a lot. Even the dollar stores have cute decorations.

 

Halloween crafts
Paper spiders and bats, pumpkins, black cats and more! My kids are young enough to still enjoy making fun crafts for Halloween. I especially love the crafts that double as décor. Lots of easy Halloween traditions with making crafts.

 

Trick or treat or parties at work or church
We love parties and social events. Keep an eye out at work and church. Lots of businesses and churches throw events for employees, members and their kids. The best part is that someone else handles all of the prep and planning. Trick or treating at dad’s work is one of my kids’ favorite Halloween traditions.

 

Trick or treat at local businesses
This is similar to the idea above but takes a bit more research. There are some great things offered by local business. One of our local pizza places gives any kid in costume a coupon for a free kids’ pizza. Fun and easy!

 

Treats and food
One of our favorite Halloween traditions is something we do after we finish trick or treating. We always have donuts and hot chocolate. It is a fun and tasty way to end a crazy night.

 

These are just a few of the fun Halloween traditions we have in our family. Do you have a fun Halloween tradition? Share your ideas with us!

 

 

 

Decluttered? Now what? Tips to sell your stuff!

Sell Your Stuff

 

Yesterday I talked about reducing your clutter and making money by selling items you no longer want or need. You can make easy money when you sell your stuff. One of my favorite ways to do this is to sell items on local Facebook yard sale pages. I have even bought a couple of great items there. If you look through these local Facebook pages you’ll see lots of items for sale. Some items sell quickly for a great price. Some items seem to sell very slowly and do not make much money. Occasionally you’ll see two very similar items sell for very different prices and in very different amounts of time. This can be a mystery when you try to sell your stuff after you declutter.

 

When I started selling my extra clutter and stuff online I started to look at the differences between the items that sold quickly for higher amounts and those that sold slowly for less money. I noticed some similarities and began to watch for trends. There were definitely a few things that seemed to make items sell more quickly and for more money. When it is time to sell your stuff, follow these guidelines and you will see more money and quicker sales.

 

Items in good repair
One thing that makes a huge difference in the success of an online sales is if the item is in good repair or not. Items that are in good condition sell for much more than items with even a small amount of damage. Sometimes you can make a quick, inexpensive repair and your item will sell for much more. Be careful when spending money to fix something for sale. Do not spend more to fix it than it is worth. That’s very important when you are trying to sell your stuff.

 

Items should be clean
When I see items for sale that are dirty and messy, I cringe. I usually scroll by any item that looks dirty in the picture. If someone says an item needs cleaning in the description, I usually scroll past it. Most people would rather look at and buy something that is already clean. Spend a few minutes and clean your item up a bit before sale, it will help you sell your stuff quickly.

 

Pictures are most important
Most of the time, the picture in an online ad will catch a person’s interest or discourage a person before the description is even read. Pictures are the buyer’s first and perhaps most important impression. Pay attention to detail. Is the lighting good? Is the items positioned well? Can you see all of the parts of the item? Pay attention to the items surroundings. Is there clutter or a mess in the background? Is there anything in the picture that would discourage buyers? Good pictures can make an average item sell like a great item. This is a very important  tip to remember when you want to sell your stuff.

 

Include important information
Not giving enough information about the item could discourage buyers. Some items are purchased on impulse. If a buy has to spend too much time and ask too many questions about the item, the purchase might not happen. Be sure to mention brands, sizes, model numbers, anything that a buyer needs to know about the item. This is another great tip that will help you sell your stuff.

 

Sell items in season
Selling seasonal items in the season they will be used in brings quicker sales and more money – that’s the goal when you sell your stuff. Selling a Halloween costume in early October will bring more money than if you try to sell it in March.

 

Group small, like items together
If you have a lot of small items to sell, try to group them together and sell them as a group. You will make more money and have an easier time trying to sell your stuff if you sell it in small groups.

 

Have any more tips to share to help sell your stuff? Let us know what you do to help sell your stuff!

Sell Your Clutter and Make Money!

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At some point, I think we are all guilty of keeping at least a little too much clutter. Some of us, maybe have way too much clutter. We probably all have different reasons for keeping it. We like it, we want to use it, it has sentimental value, we are saving it for other people – the list goes on and on. We will keep it, clean around it, move it from room to room. It gets in the way. Clutter is actually one of those things I despise. When I see it, I have to do something about it. It needs to go.

 

Once I realized I could sell my clutter and make some extra money, getting rid of clutter took on a whole new meaning. Getting rid of clutter was suddenly easier because I could sell my clutter and have something to show for it – money! I used to just declutter and donate everything. Now I try to split things into two groups – donate and sell. It really can be surprising to see how much you can make when you decide to sell your clutter. I think once you give it a try, you’ll like it too. Here are a few of the best ways to sell your clutter.

 

Garage Sale
This is an oldie but goodie. It may take a bit more time to get ready but it can lead to big profits all at once. Remember to advertise your garage sale for maximum traffic. This is a great way sell your clutter and make money.

 

Newspaper – Print
People still read the newspaper. It’s true. This is still a great idea for bigger, more expensive items.

 

Newspaper – Online
A lot of newspapers have online classified sections. Some of them are just copies of the print sections but some are stand-alone sections and may even be free to use.

 

Online Classifieds
There are lots of other online classified resources. Many news stations, communities and more have created big and profitable online classified sections. They are usually free to use and used by lots of people.

 

eBay
Selling things on eBay isn’t for everyone but those who sell there can do pretty well. If you are new to selling on eBay, do some research before you begin selling. Look for tips and how-to’s. It’s another great way to sell your clutter and make money.

 

Facebook – personal
Sometimes we forget that we may have something our friends want. I have seen many people advertise things on their personal Facebook pages. This seems to work really well among those with kids who are selling things their kids no longer need.

 

Facebook – resale group
There are so many local yard sale, garage sale, resale groups on Facebook. I live in an area with what seems like a dozen or so groups. Join a few and advertise your clutter there. This is where I have the most success when I sell my clutter.

 

Craigslist
This is one of the original local resale methods and it is another great way to sell your clutter. Some areas have more popular Craigslist groups than others. Check out what is available in your area.

 

 

With all of these different methods to sell you clutter it is important to exercise caution and BE SAFE. If you do that, you can have a great experience. Do you have any tips on ways to sell your clutter and make money? If so, we’d love to hear them.

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Another Time Saver – Freeze Your Ingredients!

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Yesterday I talked about freezer meals and how much time and money they can help you save, even if you only make one or two freezer meals. All the talk about freezer meals made me think about ways you can freeze your ingredients. There are a lot of the other things I like to keep in the freezer to make meal prep times easier. Even when we have an evening at home, I don’t love spending too much time in the kitchen cooking. I am always on the look-out for meal preparation shortcuts and time savers.

 

I think one of the biggest time savers is having some of the ingredients to my favorite meals ready and in the freezer. Sometimes this requires cooking and freezing. Sometimes this requires chopping and freezing. Sometime this requires both chopping and cooking. Just like freezer meals, the idea is to use other free time you have to prepare and freeze your ingredients so you can save time when you are busier. Most of my freezer favorites end up being huge time savers and make some of our favorite meals, quick go to meals. Here are a few of my favorite freeze your ingredients foods.

 

 

Cooked Chicken
Face it, even though chicken is a favorite in many meals, chicken is not usually a quick meal meat. I love taking chicken breasts and cooking them in bulk. My favorite is the crock pot or the grill. One the chicken breasts are cooked you can freeze them in a variety of way. I freeze them whole, sliced, chunked and shredded. I have had great success all four ways. If you want to freeze your ingredients, this is a huge time saver.

 

Cooked Ground Beef
Cooked ground beef is a favorite when I think about meal prep. It can go in so many recipes. Tacos, sloppy joes, mac n cheese, there are so many ways to use it. Keep a flavoring packet and taco shells on hand, add precooked ground beef and you have a really fast meal. Another freeze your ingredients time saver!

 

Shredded Cheese
It seems block cheese goes on sale more often than shredded cheese. Grab a few extra blocks of cheese and shred them into baggies. Shredded cheese freezes really nicely and it is so much faster to use versus shredding cheese before every meal.

 

Rice
Rice is another of my favorite freezer ingredients. Cooked rice can be frozen and used later in a variety of ways. Precooked frozen rice is great as an ingredient or as a stand-alone dish. This is another great freeze your ingredients time saver.

 

Peppers and Onions
Both peppers and onions freeze really nicely. I love adding these vegetables to my cooking but hate the time it takes to chop them. Freeze your ingredients and save time, both these vegetables are perfect for this and freeze really nicely.

 

Sauces and Gravy
Sauces and gravies also work great in the freezer. Make a double batch next time and freeze half. Sometimes a good sauce or gravy is all a few basic ingredients need to make a meal great. This is a lesser thought of freeze you ingredient tip but it is a very yummy one.

 

Have more tips for freezing your ingredients? We’d love to hear them!

 

Freezer meals – save time and money!

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Yesterday I talked about how so many families are a lot like mine these days – so very busy. I mentioned activities and meetings and practices and school events and games and the list goes on and on and on. Among my ideas for saving time and money by avoiding fast food, I mentioned making freezer meals. Freezer meals are great time and money savers. Sometimes the idea of making freezer meals seems too big to tackle. Most of us have heard people brag about making a month’s worth of meals in a night, or with only 10 ingredients or some other grand and seemingly complicated requirements. Making freezer meals doesn’t have to be grand or complicated. Saving time and money by making freezer meals doesn’t have to feel scary. It should actually feel good and maybe even fun!

 

I make freezer meals when I can, I love it. There are lots of different ways and different strategies to being successful at making freezer meals. I’ll share of few of my favorite tips with you below.

 

Make things you already make
I think a lot of freezer meal talk involves new recipes and new ways of making things. This can make putting together a freezer meal seem like a bigger task than necessary. Start making freezer meals by making meals you already make and like. Examine some of your family favorite recipes and find ones that will freeze well. Start with those familiar recipes. Your comfort level will increase if you are working with something you already like.

 

Make a meal or two at a time
Leave the power prep nights of making 30 meals in 3 hours to the experienced freezer meal gurus. That way of preparation is not for everyone and can discourage people who are new to making freezer meals. Get that first meal or two in the freezer and go from there.

 

Make a double batch of dinner
Sometimes when I am making something we know and love, I make a double batch and freeze half. This works especially well with casseroles, soups and other one dish meals. Just having that one extra meal in the freezer saves time on one busy night. You’ll thank yourself later.

 

Know your dishes and pans
Do you have enough dishes and pans to make freezer meals? Plan ahead for how you will cook or reheat the meal. Make sure microwave meals are in microwave safe pans. Use baggies when needed. You can also buy some inexpensive “disposable” pans at the store that are microwave and oven safe. A one-time investment of $10 or so will save you much more in the long run.

 

Know your freezer space
Have a big freezer? Have a small freezer? Don’t make more freezer meals than you have space to freeze. Remember that even a meal or two will save time and money on busy nights. Have a big freezer with lots of extra space? Take advantage of it and make more meals.

 

All of these tips should help you feel more comfortable making freezer meals which will help you save time and money! Have some tips to share? We’d love to hear them!

Save money – cut out fast food!

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Is your family like mine? Is busy an understatement? I know so many families that are a lot like mine these days – all so very busy. There are activities and meetings and practices and school events and games and the list goes on and on and on. It seems some days we use our homes as more of a rest stop than a home base. If you are like me, you are always looking for a way to save time. All too often trying to save time leads families to grab fast food. Grabbing burgers or pizza on the go can save a precious half hour or more. But this easy way of saving time ends up costing us money. I have found some ideas to save time and money – I cut out fast food almost completely.

At first trying to cut out fast food seemed impossible. What about those nights where there was no time at home at all? How were we going to do this? After a little bit of thought and planning, I found out that it is actually pretty easy. There are some great ideas and tips that made it easy. These are a few of my favorites.

 

Crock pot
A crock pot is a great way to come home to a warm and ready dinner and cut out fast food. No more pizza to go! This classic kitchen item may seem a little threatening at first. What do you cook in it? The answer is easy! Anything you want! There are SO MANY great recipes and websites with ideas for crock pots and make ahead meals. There is nothing like coming home to something yummy and ready to eat!

 

Freezer meals
This is another simple idea! Make a meal ahead of time and freeze it! Pull it out of the freezer earlier in the day and pop it in the oven or microwave when you get home.  Another great idea to cut out fast food and crank up the yum!

 

Pack a picnic
Take your food with you! If you have kids this is sure to be a hit. Pack a meal picnic style and take it out on the road with you. You can make a picnic to eat in the car or on a blanket between events. This works for snacks too. Taking snacks with you keeps you from grabbing some on the go. Cut out fast food and have fun!

 

Shelf stable supplies
Keep some of your favorite meal items on hand, especially those that are shelf stable. If you have a few minutes at home, you can easily grab the ingredients to one of your quick meal favorites. This equals another yummy meal and way to cut out fast food.

 

Keep a favorite quick recipe list
This one seems like a no brainer but it isn’t. In a hurry you won’t be able to think of some of the good, fast dinner options that you would remember another time. This recipe list is great to use with the idea just mentioned, keep the supplies for some of these recipes on hand.

Have more ideas to help busy families cut out fast food? Share them with us!

Keeping a well organized food storage!

Product DetailsLike so many other frugal moms (and dads) out there, I use almost any strategy I can to help save my family money. One of my favorite things is having well organized food storage or a home store. No matter what you call it, it is pretty much the same thing. You buy multiples of something you use when it is a great price. When items I use are at rock bottom prices I try to buy as much as my family will realistically use before the items go bad. Then when you need the items and they are full price, you don’t have to pay full price. You shop from your home store or food storage. Well organized food storage is also a great way to help ensure your family will have enough to eat if it becomes temporarily hard to purchase groceries. This could be because of finances or some sort of emergency. Having useable well organized food storage is a great way to be prepared and save money.

 

Why is having well organized food storage important? Why won’t a bunch of things tossed on a shelf work just as well? If you can’t find it, see it, use it – it can’t help you save money. In fact, it could end up costing you money. This well organized food storage is pretty easy to maintain if you follow a few basic tips. If you don’t follow them, you will have food storage chaos. (Trust me, I know from experience.) There are a few basic tips I like to follow to help me keep on top of things.

 

Put items away
I try to put my items away shortly after I purchase them. Having everything where it belongs helps you see what you have and helps you keep track of your food storage. Sometimes life is crazy and I put the bags of groceries on the floor near the shelf. If I don’t get it put away soon after, more bags pile up. This leads to that dreaded chaos. You forget what you have and may buy unneeded items. Getting items put away quickly is an important part of having well organized food storage.

 

Store like items together
This step may be a little different for everyone, just do it how it works for you. I try to store things together that are related or seem to go together. I think if it like how a grocery store is organized. When you go to look for something in your food storage, it will be easier to find because it is on the shelf where it makes sense to you. This makes your organized food storage much easier to use.

 

Keep storage areas as close together as possible
I’ve lived in some places that had great food storage areas and some that had none. In many of those hard food storage places it took a lot of creativity to have well organized food storage. Even in the hardest of places, keeping the storage areas as close together as possible was a great help. Running all of the house to locate items can defeat the helpfulness and discourage the use of items. Again you may end up buying things you don’t need.

 

Set rules about use
Having a great, well organized food storage can lead kids (or adults) to feel like that can just grab a snack and use whatever they want. Be sure to set some basic rules with your family about who can take things from the food storage and when that can happen. It will help items last longer and keep people from using up that one favorite snack or other item too quickly.

 

Know what you have
Find some way to have a basic idea of the inventory in you well organized food storage. If it is organized and easy to find, this could be as simple as taking a visual look before you shop. Some people keep detailed lists and itemize everything. There are lots of ways to do it in between those two extremes. Find what works for you and make a habit of knowing what you have in your well organized food storage.

 

Do you have more tips on keeping well organized food storage? We’d love to hear them!

Organize those winter things – get your kids ready for cold weather!

Women's Gloves & MittensFor many of us winter weather is just around the corner and fall weather is already here. At my house we have turned on the fireplace a few times. We are prepping the furnace today and I’m sure we’ll turn it on soon. Every fall when I get the furnace ready I start thinking about the winter things my kids need. Beyond the quick switch to long sleeve shirts, jackets and jeans, there are always a lot of other things they need to be ready for winter weather.

One of the things I hate most is being unprepared. When cold weather hits and I have neglected to get all of the kids’ winter things ready, I am miserable. My kids end up miserable too because they are without something they need for a day or two (or more).  After this happened to us once or twice, I decided to make a plan to keep it from happening again. Now when we prep the furnace, I try to prep my kids’ winter things.  Below is a short checklist of what I try to do.

 

Locate all the winter clothes, shoes, toys
This step sounds easier than it is sometimes. I put a list together in my head (or on paper) and pull everything out of wherever it has been all summer. I grab coats, snow pants, hats, gloves, boots, scarves, all the winter things.  This step does make quite a mess when I do it, I tend to pick a room or area in my house and pile everything there. Lots of times I find that things get relocated during the warm weather. I usually end up hunting all over for a few of the items. I included toys in this step. I don’t drag those in the house with the clothes but I do track them down and gather them in one spot in the garage.

 

Try it on and inspect it
This is probably my kids’ least favorite of the steps. I sort the winter things into piles for the different kids. As I sort it, if I find something that is too worn or damaged I toss it out. Once the piles are ready I make them try it on. I stopped relying on size tags years ago; sizes just vary too much to rely on the tags. If it works for that child it stays in the pile. If not, it goes back into a big pile.

 

Wash and clean it
This step is really simple. Wash and clean everything so it is ready on the day it is needed. Nothing is worse than pulling out something to use and finding it in less than wearable condition. I try to wash the kids’ piles separately so they don’t get too mixed up.

 

Find a place to keep it
Once the winter things are ready to wear, find a place for them. It needs to be easy and quick or most kids won’t put things away. For me it also needs to be tidy and reduce clutter. I bought some dollar store dishpans and keep them in the bottom of their cubbies. A quick label and it is obvious what goes in the bins. Once it is put away, it is ready to go.

 

Purchase needed items
There are always items to purchase, even with the best hand-me-downs and saved items. I get the winter things I need now. There is nothing fun about running last minute to get you child boots because the snow is starting to fall. Selection is usually great now and sales are starting.

 

Grab a spare
Don’t forget to grab a spare of the things like gloves and hats. These things go missing so easily and it is miserable without them.

 

Donate, sell or store the items that don’t fit
I love this step. When all of the usable winter things are sorted and put away, deal with the leftovers. Things that are too big can be put away and stored for next year. Things that are too small or extra can be donated or sold. Even getting a small bag of extra clutter out of your house can feel amazing!

 

Have more winter things prep tips? We’d love to hear them!

 

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