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Post by Tammy Paquin:
Making the Most of your Space to Garden
Written on May 11th, 2010 | 0 CommentsWith all the talk of contaminated store-bought vegetables and the cost of those vegetables rising every day, it makes sense to grow your own whenever and wherever possible. People think that growing fruit and vegetables requires a lot of space but that couldn’t be further from the truth with these space-saving tips. Full Article
Soft Pretzels: Fun Baking for Kids
Written on March 24th, 2010 | 0 CommentsWith three growing boys, the battle to keep healthy, easy and relatively inexpensive snacks in the house always seems to be one I feel I’m losing. Combine that with the fact that the time it takes to keep up with the baking and cooking leaves me feeling like that’s all I do: bake, bake and bake some more! So when I found this soft pretzel recipe, I knew I had a win/ win recipe! It was fun and easy for the boys to make for me and provided them with an inexpensive and healthy snack! Full Article
No Bake Summer Goodies
Written on March 24th, 2010 | 0 CommentsJust because it’s summer, it doesn’t mean that the kids don’t want goodies. It DOES mean you don’t want to have to turn on the oven and heat up the house! Keep these kid-friendly recipes on hand for those days that you need a need a quick, easy no-bake treat. Two recipes require a small amount “cook” time on the stove top but kids can easily handle the job of getting the cookies onto the cookie sheets. The other two recipes takes time to freeze up but it can be done easily by the kids with just a bit of adult supervision. Full Article
How to Make a Wedding Affordable
Written on March 20th, 2010 | 0 CommentsI was looking over some information about articles I’ve submitted and noticed that one of the phrases searched that brought up some of them was, “marriage ceremony when you can’t get married because of finances.” We also have some new friends who are talking about how they can’t get married right now because they can’t afford a wedding. It made me think that sometimes young couples don’t really understand the difference between the wedding and the marriage so I decided to throw out my two cents on the subject. Full Article
Food and Fun for Kids
Written on March 17th, 2010 | 0 CommentsKids love helping out in the kitchen. It can also be a big source of pride for them to tell you that they made the meal, almost all by themselves. It’s also wonderful being able to combine fun, hands-on play time with meal preparation time. My boys love helping me make gnocchi almost as much as they love eating them! Full Article
Quick Microwave Breakfast Ideas
Written on December 2nd, 2009 | 0 CommentsI’ve come to love my microwave in more ways than ever. We have three boys who are growing so quickly and always on the go with sports, school and playing in general. They are always hungry and I have definitely found that starting them off with protein rich and fiber rich breakfasts keep them going longer than boxed cereals. In addition, I do dental hygiene on a per diem basis. I might be trying to get out the door in a very short amount of time and I want to be able to eat a quick breakfast that will also fill me up. Full Article
Gifts for Quilters under $5
Written on November 23rd, 2009 | 0 CommentsLooking for some gifts for your favorite quilter that won’t break the bank? Here is a list of great items that this quilter (and probably your quilter) can’t live without! Full Article
Thoughtful and Practical Gifts from the Heart
Written on October 27th, 2009 | 0 CommentsDespite recent predictions that we’re coming out of the recession, I know many people are still struggling. Holidays like Christmas where there is financial pressure to spend money on stuff makes it hard for people to find the joy in giving so instead of looking at these situations as a burden on your wallet, look at them as an opportunity to give from your heart. Full Article
Reusable Halloween Costumes
Written on October 6th, 2009 | 0 CommentsI have three boys and in general they all like the same costumes, so I’ve been able to reuse our costumes year after year. One year the littlest one didn’t want ANY costume! He didn’t like having to put the costume over his clothes (a common thing in our Northern climates). Well, I was determined. He was agreeable to wearing his red hat and sweatshirt, so with some felt I had on hand, I made eyes and ears for his hat and he went as Clifford, the Big Red Dog. Full Article
Frugally Dressing for Success
Written on September 9th, 2009 | 0 CommentsYou’ve just landed that job you wanted! Congratulations are in order but so is a more professional wardrobe. You don’t want to use up your first three paychecks creating that wardrobe (or three or four paychecks every year thereafter) so I’ll show you how to create a stylish and frugal wardrobe. Full Article
Work Week Meals-Twice is Nice
Written on June 9th, 2009 | 0 CommentsIt’s been at least six years since I balanced working outside the home almost full-time and having two kids. Friends were always amazed that I managed homemade meals on the table each night. Becoming a stay home mom with three kids made meal planning a bit easier because I was home BUT several of the lessons I learned as a work outside the home mom still apply. I’ll give you a sample menu for one week to show how I would pull all these easy lessons together. Full Article
Ten Ways to Slash your Grocery Bill
Written on June 8th, 2009 | 0 CommentsWith the rising cost of food, everyone is looking for ways to save on their grocery bills without sacrificing nutrition. Here are ten money saving tips. Full Article
Tips for Cutting Down on Heating Expenses
Written on June 8th, 2009 | 0 CommentsThe cost of heating our homes has risen considerably in the past few years. Here are some tips to help you cut down on your home fuel expenses. Full Article
Family Recipes: Keeping the Memories Alive
Written on June 8th, 2009 | 0 CommentsI never knew my husband’s grandmother. I never knew her like he did because by the time we started dating, Grandma N. was in the advanced stages of Alzheimer’s. I only knew the shell that remained of this wonderful woman after the disease had robbed her of most of her memory. What I do have though is what was so special about her and one of the things that my husband and his family remembers most fondly of her, her recipes. Full Article
Easy, Overnight Breakfast Recipes
Written on June 8th, 2009 | 0 CommentsWe don’t leave the house on Christmas and the grandparents frequently come over to watch the boys open their presents. I don’t want to have to spend lots of time in the kitchen on Christmas morning, so I’ve been able to pull together some recipes which are prepped the night before and only require a few minutes the next morning. Obviously, these aren’t just for Christmas morning, but any morning that you’d like to have a nice, easy breakfast with minimum kitchen time! Full Article
Using Cash to Stay in a Budget
Written on June 8th, 2009 | 0 CommentsIt’s a well established fact that when people purchase things using any payment form OTHER THAN cash, they tend to spend more money. I always figured that this fact didn’t apply to me because I was a careful shopper. BUT, can I just say that is NOT true!!! Full Article
The Value of Being a Stay-at-Home Parent
Written on June 8th, 2009 | 0 CommentsOkay, I admit it; I wasn’t excited about becoming a stay-at-home mom. I was working as a part-time dental hygienist and had the right combination of work and home time. My husband and I had just barely decided that I would follow a dream to go onto dental school versus having a third child (which was something I felt in my heart—but NOT our budget!) when the pregnancy test came up positive! Surprise, surprise! Full Article
Soup: Simple, filling and frugal fare!
Written on June 8th, 2009 | 0 CommentsSoup making isn’t complicated, and it is a great simple, frugal, and filling meal, especially if you combine it with homemade bread (yes, I’ve included an easy homemade bread recipe as well)! There are some basics to soup making. The most important thing to remember is to relax and experiment! Full Article
Changing your Frugal Attitude
Written on June 8th, 2009 | 0 CommentsLet’s face it, almost all of us go through some tight financial times through our lives, but how we look at and face those times can set you apart from the crowd. It’s kind of that, the glass can be half-full OR half-empty situation. Some people who are in a tight financial situation will let it take them down and they’ll use it as a crutch and blame all their woes on it, whereas another person in the same situation will say that money is tight, but that’s finances are not the end all and be all of their lives. Full Article
Feeling Rich when the Savings Account Says Otherwise
Written on June 8th, 2009 | 0 CommentsIf your first thought to the title was, “Hey, I’m rich with family, friends, good health and faith!” then you’ve already hit upon my first point. Good for you! Being rich doesn’t just imply having lots of cash. It’s also recognizing that there are things that money can’t buy and you need to learn to celebrate that above the actual idea that being rich is about the cold, hard cash. Full Article
