Frugal Ideas to Countdown to Fall Festivities

October is such a fun month!  No wonder my kids list it as one of their favorite months of the year.  With the weather finally (maybe?) turning a little cooler in North Florida, getting outdoors and enjoying the sites is a tradition.

In our family, we go trick or treating to a few houses around town.  We stick to houses where we know the family and we know that they love to hand out candy to the neighborhood kids.  We aren't really in it for the loot but having a fun time, in costume, visiting with friends is a reward for a long month of anticipation!

Other favorite traditions in our area are the Great Pumpkin Escape in Downtown Starke.  This year the event is on Halloween night, the 31st.  Unfortunately, we have a home football game that night so we will probably miss the downtown event.  Many of the elementary schools hold open to the public fall festivals.  These are usually fun and tickets are cheap.

Of course, we can't forget the Florida-Georgia game weekend! Go Gators!

Here's a few ideas to help your kids countdown to the events of October, as well as an editable, printable calendar that you can use for getting your family organized for the month.

Make a countdown tree:  

 

I thought this was a cute idea.  I found it at Split Coast Stampers.  Use things you already have:

Jack O Latern or Pumpkin

Small Christmas Tree or even a branch from your yard

String of any October color

printable numbers, printable Halloween or Fall pictures

Make a Countdown Calendar from a Muffin Tin

The instructions for this are over at Something from Cassie.  Again use what you have.  My muffin tins have only 12 spots but that's okay.  I could use this for the last 12 days before Halloween or just reuse the tin. Not everyday has to have a treat!  I would also use construction paper, more printable numbers, a few fake spiders from our stash, and for magnets I would definitely cut up and reuse the calendar magnets on my fridge.  The years almost over, right?

Got candy?  Then make a countdown candy calendar.  

This idea is over at Jana Eubanks blog.  If you don't have cellophane freezer paper or plastic wrap might be a good substitution. 

Not feeling so craft?  Make a paper chain. 

One of my favorite kid crafts sites, Make and Takes, featured this easy one that the kids can make themselves from construction paper, glue, and tape.

And for the very busy, just print a calendar and mark off the days!

Links to print this are at the Explorations blog. 

Want to print a calendar to help you get organized for October events.  Here's one I created. 

 

Great deals now with 9/28 Sunday coupons

Walmart Deals {Courtesy of Iheartthemart}

Noxzema 3 Blade Razors $2.58
-$2 off coupon
=$.58 each

Ortega Seasoning Packets $.78
-$1 off 2
=$.28 each

Rimmel Nail Polish $1.50
-$1 off coupon
=$.50 each

Tresseme Shampoo/Conditioner $2.48
-$5 off 2
= Free

Aleve PM 20 ct. $4.88
-$3 coupon
=$1.88 each

Head and Shoulders $4.72
-$4 off 2
=$2.72 each

Ivory Body Wash $.97
-$.25 coupon
=$.72 each

Old Spice Bar Soap 2 pack $1.79
-$2 off 2
=$.79 each

Axe Deodorant Stick $3.97
-$2 off 1
-$1.97 each

Children's Advil $4.96
-$3 off coupon
=$1.96 each

Renuzit Air Cones $.94 each
-B3G3
=$.47 each

CVS Deals

Pantene Shampoo, Conditioner, and Stylers 3 for $10 and part of the spend $25 get $5 ECB.

Buy 6 shampoo/conditioners and 2 stylers

Use 2 $5 off 3 coupons and 2 $2 off styler coupons

Pay $13 and get back $5 ECB

$2 ECB wyb Colgate 360 Toothbrush, 1 ct., $3.49, limit 2
-$1 off Colgate 360 or Slim Soft manual toothbrush, excl Plus, Triple Action, Extra Clean and Classic, SS 9/28

Pay $2.49 and get back $2 ECB

 Do the deal again, buying another toothbrush, use the coupon plus the $2 ECB and pay $.49

$3 ECB wyb Crest Sensitive Toothpaste, Rinse, Brushes, Glide Sensitive Floss, $4.79, limit 2 

Buy the Rinse and use the $1.50 off coupon

Pay $3.29 and get back $3 ECB

$1 ECB wyb All Detergent $3.99

-$1 off All coupon

Pay $2.99 and get $1 ECB

$1 ECB wyb TG Lee Milk $3.79

Here's how I would work these deals:

Transaction 1:

Buy 2 Colgate Toothbrushes 

Buy 2 Crest Rinse

Use the 9/28 coupons

Pay out of pocket:   $12

Get Back $10 ECB

Transaction 2:

Buy the 6 Pantene Shampoos/Conditioners and 2 Stylers

Use the 9/28 coupons plus your $10 ECB from Transaction 1

Pay $3 and get back $5 ECB

Transaction 3:

Buy 2 gallons of milk 

Pay using your $5 ECB and $2.78

Get back $2 ECB

 

 

 

Ortega Seasoning – $0.78
$1/2 Ortega Product, exp. 12/31/14 (SS 09/28/14)
Total: $0.28 - See more at: http://www.iheartthemart.com/category/walmart-coupon-insert-matchups/#sthash.MiW0tEFY.dpuf

Best Grocery Deals for September 25th- September 30th

My, things are changing once again in the coupon world.  Walmart has confirmed that they will cease BOGO matching at their prices sometime between October 1st and October 6th.  Publix is also going to limiting each person to 8 like coupons in a transaction and only one $5/$50 per day.

But please don't despair!  Couponing policies come and go and I'm still couponing after 20 years of changes!

This week we are working on building up our baking supplies for the upcoming holidays.  These are the items you should work on adding to your pantry, as your budget allows.

Buy for the Holidays	Working on our Baking Supplies
	Make sure you have these supplies;  buy as much as your budget allows:
	5 pounds all purpose flour
	2 bags of brown sugar
	baking powder
	baking soda
	extra container of salt
	triple packet of yeast
	1 box of cornstarch
	2 bags of chocolate chips
	1 container of powdered cocoa
	1 box of confectioner's sugar
	1 bag of self-rising cornmeal
	12 pounds of sugar
	2 bottles of vegetable oil
	1 container of Crisco or 1 container of Crisco baking rectangles
	extra items:
	1 bag of shredded coconut
	1 bag of peanut butter chips
	1 bag of butterscotch chips

Also, Hitchcock's has whole turkeys for $.69 per pound this Friday-Sunday.  That is just $.10 more than last year's Thanksgiving prices.  So if you have room in your freezer, consider buying one or more for cheap meats.  My target price for meat is $1.99 per pound or less so $.69 is awesome for this large family. Turkeys aren't just for Thanksgiving! 

Here's your complete list of best deals.  I will be adding to this later today with some deals with coupons on normal prices at Walmart. 

~~Shopping List for September 25th-September 30th~~

$5.95 Jewelry Sale and Free Shipping from Cents of Style (Gifts and Stocking Stuffers)

Today is Fashion Friday over at Cents of Style and they have a fabulous "Jewelry Fever" sale and promotion.  All jewelry is just $5.95 each and you get free shipping when you enter the code SEPTEMBER.  This sale runs Friday-Sunday but the most popular items will sell out fast!

 

 I really like their  "semi-personalized" items like these Birthstone month necklaces.

There's tons to choose from that would make a perfect stocking stuffer, secrect-sister, classroom teacher kind of gift.  I'm picking out several items for my girls and crossing off their "something to wear". 

Jewelry Items- $5.95 and free shipping with code SEPTEMBER

 

 

Getting Ready for Christmas on a Tight Budget: Part 1

Most people approach the upcoming holiday season with happiness.  They are joyfully looking forward to the greeting card perfect Christmas morning, where everyone opens their presents so tenderly and beams of sunshine radiate from everyone's sweet head because everything they received was just perfect; the right size, the right color, the right brand, exactly what they asked for one their realistic list of items truly needed.  That's how it happens, right?   I'm sure everyone has a "Norman Rockwell" Christmas every year!

Wait! What? 

Um, No!  Not in this house!

Hopefully, I'm not alone.

I do truly believe that we can have a joyous holiday season.  We just need to do a few things before we jump right into the buying, making, gifting celebrations.  We need to see just how much we have already, in our minds, committed to doing and buying.

Here's a few things we often leave out of our "Christmas budget":

• money for new clothes for church services or family photos
• money for baking supplies for making all those wonderful treats
• money to buy new lights, new decor that we see and just know would be the perfect addition to what we already have
• money for gift exchanges that our kids might need to participate in for scouts, Sunday School, cheer team, etc.
• money for craft shows, or shopping days out with friends
• money for the tradition of buying each person a new ornament for the tree

And literally the list can go on and on and on.

Your assignment is to think about all of the hidden expenses associated with the holiday season starting with events activities that begin in October and continue with items that will cost you money right on up thru New Year's Day.

I've created a thinking list for you.  You can edit it on your computer or print it out.  If you are solely a "phone user" then you can just answer these questions on paper.  I encourage you to add anything that I might have overlooked that may pertain specifically to your family. 

It might become a little overwhelming but being overwhelmed now and taking care of all of these items will lead us all to the perfect Christmas season.

Printable Thinking Sheet for Preparing for the Holidays: Part 1

You can also download these Kindle Books for more reading preparing for the holiday season:

Getting ready for Christmas when it's not in your budget: A Series

  Here we are just about 3 months until Christmas Day.  Oh, how I love the seasons that we are upon . . . apples and changing leaves make way for pumpkins and fires on cold evening and then right into the holly, the evergreens, hot chocolate and Advent.  Annually, I  read the entire Little House on the Prairie book series from October through January.  That's how much I love the Ingall's and their adventures of homesteading.  My husbands says I was born in the wrong century, Ha!  But I've learned a lot reading about how past generations celebrated the birth of our Savior.  They probably would not recognize our season of "busy and buying" for what they saw as a season of preparation and family.

     The Ingalls family would begin preparing for the Christmas season well in advance.  They began with the Autumn harvest in September by putting away the pumpkins, apples, onions, and other produce into the attic for storage.   The apples would be used to make applesauce, apple butter, and apple pie for Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.  Pumpkins would become soup, breads, and even fun Jack-o-laterns.  This was also the time that Pa would make a smoker in a hollow tree and butcher the hog.  Hams were carefully smoked, then wrapped and hung in the attic for winter protein.  All parts of the hog were used, the bladder even became a "balloon" for Laura and Mary to play with inside on cold days.

Gifts were definitely not extravagant.  Santa did come, according to Mr. Edwards, and he would leave peppermint candies, some fruit, and maybe a trinket.  Ma would begin knitting new scarves and gloves for the family and Pa would usually make something out of wood for Ma, live a new shelf, or jewelry boxes for the girls.  Each member of the family thoughtfully planned for the gifts they would give, earned money to pay for the materials, and spend dedicated time making their craft.  Mary worked for a seamstress one summer to pay for the material to make Pa a new suit.  Pa bartered his time to fixing a wagon wheel and axle in exchange for money to buy Ma a new stove.

And then there's us, in our rush, rush, spend, spend generation.  As  Dave Ramsey wrote, "We buy things we don't need with money we don't have to impress people we don't like".  I'm not sure about the last part because hopefully we do like our family and friends but the first part has certainly been true in my life at times.

Our family has had debt-free Christmases for the past 12 years.  That in itself is such a relief when the hoopla is over.  It truly is over and no surprise bills will show up mid-January.  But I must be truthful that in the past we at least had some money set aside for Christmas or I had begun buying gifts earlier in the year.  If those apply to you, awesome!  You are ahead of the game.  But if you're like my family is this year and you are looking at the next 90 days with dread because Christmas isn't in the budget, please know that you are not alone!  We will do this Christmas thing, and do it well.  It isn't too late to make this Christmas the best yet!


Please join me as I write some tips, strategies, and yes, even give you some assignments, to make this season truly merry and bright no matter your budget amount, family size, or past Christmastime mistakes.  Series will begin tomorrow!

How I feed my family: Make ahead snacks for big kids for afterschool and on the go!

Last weekend, Save A Lot had a truckload meat sale and one of the items was ground chuck for $2.99.  I bought two packages of about 5 pound each, so around $30 for the ground chuck.

I, of course, did not want to freeze them in 5 pound packages since that would take a long time to defrost and use up but I also knew I would need some make ahead "big kid" snacks for my 5 teenagers.  This is "Homecoming Season" in Bradford County so my high schoolers are working on the senior skit almost every night of the week plus we still have  cheer practice, band practice, open gym and dance classes.

First, I browned up one of the packages in a large skillet.  I took about 2 pounds of it and put into a container for spaghetti sauce for later in the week.  I left the other 3 pounds in the skillet and added taco seasoning.  This taco meat went to a large container for the refrigerator on the same shelf as our shredded cheese, tortillas, taco sauce, and sour cream.  Keeping the items together on one shelf helps my kids not yell, "mom, where is the __________?"  Sanity saved!

Second, I took the other 5 pounds, mixed it in my Kitchen Aid mixer with garlic salt, onion powder, paprika, and some black pepper.  I then mashed the entire concoction into two of my baking sheets and placed them into my oven.  Once cooked (and shrank!) I cut them into square patties and placed them into hamburger buns.  I put 12 of them back into the empty bun packages and into the refrigerator drawer with sliced cheese, lettuce, tomato, and sliced onions.  The other 12 I wrapped in freezer wrap and put into the freezer.

Now my big kids can make burritos or tacos for a quick snack or reheat a hamburger and add what toppings they like for a quick meal while studying, catching up on online school, or getting ready to head out the door for a practice.

What do you do to make parenting teenagers easy?
   

Our upcoming week and menu plan

The beginning of our week is going to be crazy busy so Monday and Tuesday are definite crockpot dinner/eat when you can days.  The rest of the week look almost normal, but time shall tell.  Here's a peek at what I bought this weekend and what we plan to eat.

Shopping trip to Walmart on Saturday:  
~Pork Shoulder marked down to $10 for 10 pounds. 
~Package of 15 bean soup $2.29
~4 Boxes of Mac and Cheese $2.00
~2 Bags of Goldfish $1.68
Shopping trip to WD on Sunday:
~1 package of butter $4.25 (ouch! hope to see a sale soon!)
~1 bag of frozen biscuits $2.50
~1 bag of egg noodles $2.30
~1 gallon of milk $4.58
~1 Juicy Juice $1.69
~1 loaf of bread $2.00
~1 bag of Doritos $2.50
~2 packages of marked down Granny Smith Apples $.99 each (a Steal!)

Total spent:  $28

Breakfasts for the week:
~Toaster Strudels, scrambled eggs, hard boiled eggs, cereal and milk, pb toast, apples and PB

Snacks on hand:

 popcorn, pickles, tortillas and refried beans, ramen noodles, apples and caramel, peanut butter, applesauce, pop tarts, cereal, and homemade cookies

Sunday lunch:
~Roasted Pork Shoulder, smashed potatoes, garlic green beans, biscuits
Sunday dinner:
~Pork sliced thin on french bread with toppings, Doritos

Monday to do's:  Chris has open house at BHS, I am attending School Board meeting at 5:30, Cheer practice for 3 girls until 5:30, Dance Class for 2 girls at 7:30
BUSY DAY!!
Monday dinner:
~15 Bean Soup in the crockpot with cornbread on the side 

Tuesday to do's: Samantha has an orthodontist appt so that means a trip to the bread store, Parent/Teacher conference at 1:00 for reviewing EP, pep rally at 2:30 to watch Samantha, Band Practice for Caleb, Cheer practice for the varsity girls, Chris has orchestra practice in Jacksonville, Football game at 6:00.

Tuesday dinner:
Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup in the Crockpot, grilled cheese sandwiches

Wednesday to do's:  Bible Study at 6:30

Wednesday dinner:  Make your own taco salad, apple caramel stacks for desert

Thursday to do's:  Ciarra has dance 4:30-8:30, stuff and deliver coupon envelopes, Band and Cheer practice until 5:30

Thursday dinner: 
Pork Chops baked with apples and carrots, broccoli, cornbread

Friday: eat out at the away football game