Back to School.

Its that time of the year again.... Send our kids back to school. Yay :) The part that is not so fun is the long list of back to school items that we must buy. I want to share my favorite place to go but its probably yours as well.

Walmart sells great back to school items. From notebooks to summer reading books. Check it out.
Besides they match the advertised price of the competitors so if you find it cheaper somewhere else they will match that. What is to lose?

Check Walmart and Staples for good deals on back to school if your child is 8 or 18 going to college.

See you later...  :)

Thrift Store Deals

Thrift Stores can be a hit or a miss. It all depends on where you shop what type of shop it is. I personally had more luck in a private thrift shop than a Salvation Army/ Goodwill. Its a matter of opnion thats all.

When you walk into a thrift shop make sure that you dont have anything on your mind. Go open because you never know what you are gonna find. I know my likes and dislikes. When I walk into one I usually go straight for the aisle of my liking.

Thrift Shop can be a great deal for someone that starting a new home with low income or for someone that isnt about consumption. Buying new things and throwing things out. I am all about recycling and reusing. I dont believing in buying "dump" but if its in good conditions and still got some life left out of it. Then I am all for it.

Thrift stores can be good for finding expensive brand names items at cheap price. I once found a Coach bag for $7.99 and it turned out to be an original! Keep your eyes open.

I also like to buy my kids jeans from there. Specially because since they are small it doesnt show much wear. First thing I do its check the knee and the cuffs. I am a sucker for Disney Clothing and pretty much everything Disney but I have found great piece of clothing with barely any wear at the Thrift Store. I am spending less and creating less waste by reusing it.

Well here its my bit of advice Go for what you like look around and then explore the store. If the "IT" item of your dreams is there you wont lose it. I am not addicted to Thrift Stores but sometimes whenever I am looking for something different for my kids or vintage for myself and my house I shop there first.  :)

Cheap or Free Family Entertainment

Summer is here and we parents get faced with the extra "job" to entertain our kids during the vacation months. I am gonna share the few entertainment I am doing with my family this summer. They were all either free or low cost.

•  Take a trip to the Shore.

We live in NJ and the beaches are everywhere along the coast line. we took several trips down the shore with our little ones. Packed drinks and snacks for everyone and since they charge a fee to get into the sand. We walked the boardwalk or waited until 4 pm when the beach was free to go in. With small children it was perfect because the sun wasnt extremely hot anymore but we still had about 3 more hours of fun.

• Have a picnic at the park

Where we live there a plenty of parks to choose from. But one of our favorite one is a large park with a trail, field, playgrounds etc. We take the picnic basket full with goodies for  everyone and enjoy a day out in the park. Eating, walking around the trail, letting the kids enjoy the playground etc.

• Movies in the Park

Several towns offers movies in the park. They are free. Just bring your chair or blanket wait until sun is down and enjoy a movie. Our town offers face painting, ice cream and popcorn for the children before the movie starts. Check your area for features.

• Movies at the Library

Save as above. Several libraries offers movies during summer months. Check with your local library for days and times.

• $1 movies at the theater.

Seveal towns have movie theaters offering movies either free or $1. The only down was that our locations offered movies at 9-10 am and if anybody out there agrees with me. Its really hard to get little ones up early on a school day let alone when they are out on vacation. : /

• Playground Sprinklers

My town offers a great playground with Sprinklers. Again pack your picnic basket with tons of food to last you and you and your family can spend an entire day cooling off. Its cheaper than taking a trip down the shore and it saves on gas.

• Mall playground

Hey sometimes you just need to look at pretty things, bring a girlfriend order a cup of coffee (cheap) and enjoy a conversation while your kids have fun at the indoor playground.

Well here are a few things that we are doing this summer. If any more come up Ill update the list.
Enjoy your Summer XOXO

Save money on College.

I went to College at late age but when I did do it I was wiser and definitely had done a lot research on it.
College can be very expensive whether you are paying for yourself or your kids. It can easily cost $10,000 or more per semester. When I finally made sense of my life and decided that it was time to take things seriously I was overwhelmed.

After all the research I did I found out a way to let me save money with College. Its the CLEP or College Level Examination Program. It provides test on 33 subject that are usually required on your first 2 years of college if you are going for a typical 4 yr degree.

I hit the books self taught myself the subjects that I had to take for my Nursing Degree and went for the center to take the test. My local Community College allowes me to transfer up to 30 credits granted from the CLEP exams towards my degree. Each exam costs $77 plus a sitting fee at the test center. Check the website www.clep.collegeboard.org  for more information on the tests and test center locations based on your area.

I was able to take 4 tests thru the CLEP that awarded me 3-6 credits towards my degree. Each credit would  have costed me $130 at my local Community College!!! You do the math. Before you decide to learn for yourself the subjects of study hit your local library gather as many books as you can and study, study hard.

Make sure you are prepared before you take the test and dont rush into it. The test centers usually hold the tests about once a month. If you are not 100% to go take another month because if you dont pass you might have to wait another 6 months to retake the test. ( The minimum score its 50)

It saved me money in the long run and it will save you and your kids as well. ( Check with your college first to make sure that they accept transfer CLEP credits). ;)

Chunky Black Beans Chili

I love my Slow Cooker. The other day I was craving some Chili so I decided to put my good ol' slow cooker to use. Well this is my own version of Chili  it is delicious.

Chunky Black Beans Chili.

Ingredients:

• 1 lbs of turkey ground meat
• 2 cans of black beans
• 1 small jar of Chunky mild salsa
• 1 can of tomato sauce
• 1 dash of Cayenne pepper
• 1 dash of Salt
• 1 dash of Adobo seasoning
• 1 tsp of sugar
• 1 envelope of Sazon garlic and onions ( you can use powder garlic and onions )

Spray the slow cooker with olive oil or some type of non sticking spray. Put the ground meat on the bottom. Pour the black beans from the can with the juice. The salsa and the tomato sauce. Add all of the seasonings. Cook on high for 4-5 hours. Mix half way thru the cooking to break up the meat.

Its delicious. Enjoy it!!!!

Wealth Watchers way to save money.

A couple days ago I read an article on how a couple was able to save $10,000 dollars in 1 year and pay up debts. I was mesmerized by how they did it and I wanted to share in this blog so maybe others can follow in their footsteps.

Save money and budget comes hand in hand. Honestly its a pain to calculate budget and then self sacrifice in order to save some money in the end. I read how they did it and I found it very easy to follow.

You calculate how much of fixated bills you have to pay up in a month (rent/morgage, utilities, phone bill, etc) then you subtract that amount with how much you bring to the table at the end of the month (after taxes). Once you have that number divide it by 30 (which are days of the month) the number you have its the amount you have available to spend daily. It puts a cap on how much you can spend and in order to save money always spend less than your daily cap.

Let put in writing as an example so you can have an idea:

ex: John Smith makes $3000 monthly after taxes
His monthly expenses run to about $1500 (rent/ cable/ phone/ utilities)
$3000 / $1500 = $1500 (left to spend on other things such as gas/ groceries/etc)

John Smith has $1500 left in his pocket to make ends meet till the end of the month but he wants to save money for his retirement/ debt etc. Now divide $1500 by 30 and in the end the result will be $50.
John Smith has a $50 daily cap to spend. If he wants to save he go strive to spend less than what his daily allowance is.

Now lets put this example in my real life. I can spend easily $200 on a trip to the supermarket. Well if you go over your daily allowance make sure to spend less in the next following days.

I am excited to start this method of saving. Are you???

Save on kids clothing!

What I am gonna share it might not work for every household but with 3 kids it sure works for mine.
I buy all my kids clothes I dont sit around and wait for someone kind enough to part with their hands- me-down. I do take hands-me-down and I like it dont take it wrong but I just dont wait for someone to come with the bag on their arms.

So I go to mall just like everyone else and whenever I see a sale and I mean a SALE lets say 70-75% off I go for it. If I find a cute outfit for a resonable price I get it. But its not just anything. I put a price cap on how much I find worth spending on outfits for kids that are soon going to outgrow it. My cap its $5. I refuse to spend a penny more on an outfit.

When I do find what I like I get it then I get another one a size bigger with a different pattern for the next year. I also dont like going for bargain cheaper clothing. Its usually made of cheap materials and it dont last as long. I rather buy brand names with clothing at a on sale/clearance rate.

You bet my kids are well dressed in good clothes and you can also bet that I am the lady all the way in the back going through the racks.

My favorite stores to shop for my kids are:

• Target
• Kmart
• Walmart ( I dont find all the items from Walmart of good quality so mostly what I get from there its lounging clothes. Nothing too fancy)
• Gymboree ( My kids are always dressed in this brand but I refuse to spend an arm and a leg on it. I signed up for the email and discounts and whenever they are on sale thats when I go for it. $20 buys a lot when I find the right deals.)

Well that is all for now but stay posted and when I score you will score because I cant keep it all to myself and I want every mom out there to have the best deals ever..... xoxo

Homemade Laundry Fabric Softner

Here is my promised recipe for Homemade Fabric Softner.

• 1 bottle of cheap conditioner. (white rain, suave, v08)
• 1 cup of white vinegar
• 1 gallon or soap bottle empty.

Empty half of the conditioner bottle into the big bottle. Pour the vinegar and fill up with water all the way up. Shake prior use everytime.

Free kids haircuts!!!

Jc Penney is offering free haircuts for kids all month of August. Dont miss the opportunity to trim your little ones hair.... I am sure taking my troop over there now at the beginning and again at the end of the month for my boy. See ya xoxo

Food consumption at my house

We consume a lot of milk, eggs and veggies/ fruits. I cook breakfast lunch and dinner everyday with a light snack in between. I made a vow of my kids to eat at least 1 fruit a day and I always include it with either their lunch or a snack before dinner. I drink coffee everyday and God forgive me if I dont have my much needed cup of joe. So we also consume a lot sugar since I bake a cake at least once a week. My kids dont consume cookies and candies but they do deserve to have a lil sweet every now and then.

We also consume either chicken or pork grilled in our meal everyday. Its healthy but it can get boring sometimes. I try to change it up with different dishes and sometimes cooking it on the slow cooker.

My kids love the chicken noodle soup. I avoid to give it to them as much as possible but sometimes I rather give it to them than run to the nearest fast food joint. But I trick them I add 1 jar of baby food veggie to it like carrots, sweet potato or squash and cook the noodles in it. They love it and eat it without having a clue that their meal got vegetables. :)

I try to stay away from packaged foods but packaged = fast and sometimes I need fast.
My methods wont fit for every familybut it sure works for ours. :)

Groceries List in my Household.

Hey I wanted to share an example of what groceries in my house is like. It runs about $200 a month for a family of 5. Let me know what you do that is similar and what is different.

I lilke to shop at Aldi for a few items but it doesnt carry everything that I like or items that my family enjoy.
So I am gonna start with items that I would get at regular store.

Supermarket Shopping list:
 Ill put the letter R for regular supermarket next to it and A for items that I get at Aldis.

• R 2 large boxes of cereal ( Cheerios, Golden Granham)
• A 2 loaf of whole wheat bread
• A 1 pkg hotdog buns
• A 1 pkg hamburger buns
• A 1 pkg of sliced cheese
• A 2 pkg of string cheese
• A 2 pkg of sliced ham
• R 2 pkg yogurt (danonino)
• A 1 bag of potatoes
• A 1 bag of onion
• A 1 pkg of mix peppers
• A 1 bag of apples
• A 1 bag of oranges
• A 2 bags of baby carrots
• R 1 10 lbs bag of rice
• A 2 boxes of instant rice
• A 2 bags of sugar
• A 1 bag of flour
• R 2-3 packages of Bustelo coffee
• R 1 large package of powdered chocolate
• R 1 large pkg of ritz crackers ( For the Homemade Lunchables) ;)
• R 8 cans of Goya beans ( pink, black, red, kidney etc)
• A 10-15 cans of vegetable (corn, carrots, sweet peas, green beans, garbanzo beans etc)
• A 1 12ct. package of  noodles (chicken flavor)
• R 10 cans of whole wheat chef boyardee. (lasagna, mini 123's)
• R 4-6 baby food jars ( carrots squash and sweet potatoes)
• R 4 bottles of 100% juice
• R/A 3-4 packs of 24 water bottles ( I always buy when its on sale)
• R/A 2 bags frozen onion/ pepper mix
• R/A 4-5 bags of frozen brocolli/
• R/A 4-5 bags of frozen cauliflower
• R 2-3 large trays of boneless chicken breast
• R 2 large trays of boneless pork chops
• A 2 packages of turkey hotdogs
• A 3 packages of turkey ground meat ( great for making patties in the foreman grill)
• A 2 packages of turkey bacon
• A 2 packages of eggs
• R 1 large box of nutrigrain
• R 2 pkg of bagges salad
• A 3 cans of tuna
• A 3 cans of pink salmon
• A 2 pkg of frozen mussels
• A 1 frozen bag of shrimp salad
• A 1 frozen bag of medium shrimp
• A 1 pkg of frozen pancakes
• A 1 pkg of frozen french toast
• A 2-3 jars of peaches

Well here I tried to cover most of the items that are included in my monthly grocery list. Other things such as dish soap toilet paper etc. I get from several stores such as my local supermarket when its on sale walmart and local dollar tree.

I try to separate my grocery budget with $100 for one store and $100 for the other. And always shop with a list. Other items such as milk and bananas I get as a needed basis since we consume a lot of it.

Grow a vegetable garden

I never had a green thumb. Until I decided to try it this summer. I planted a vegetable garden and to be quite honest some made it and others didnt. Well if you want to save money with your groceries and eat healthier give it a try.

The first thing I did was to make a run for the local Home Depot and buy all the essential items. My garden included tomatoes, lettuce, brocolli, peppers, strawberries and parsley. This year we ate 3 tomatoes that grew in a larger pot that I planted. Brocolli and lettuce died since my husband kept refusing to eat the stuff I grew in the garden but since he is a sucker for tomatoes he couldnt say no to the beauties that I had growing in the backyard.

Well as I said before growing a garden is not for everyone I am sure that I made mistakes and next year Ill give it another try and hopefully Ill have wonderful and health veggies and fruits in our table. It will save us money in the long run.

P.S. The peppers are hanging by a thread. The Parsley were a beauty but it died after a long weekend away and nobody to water it. We are still waiting on the Strawberries to grow well berries.

See you next time xoxo

Homemade Laundry Soap.

Hello, I recently started to make my own laundry soap. I always wanted to become more self aware of what I am putting out in the world becoming "green" and all. Well I am gonna share the recipe I found online on several website and with a little experiment its been working out for me.

* 1 cup of laundry detergent
* 1 cup of borax
* 1 cup of washing soda
* 1 cup of vinegar

Mix everything in a 1 gallon bottle fill all the way up with warm water. Let it sit overnight and voila!
I still have to buy soap to prepare my own version of laundry detergent because I cant see myself grating soap to melt it and then pour out in a bottle. Saves me a lot trouble and its nothing compared with what I had to spend before. With 3 kids at home I got squeeze and save where I can.

P.S. My husband its one of the kind of guys that "loves" everything brand name. Since he doesnt keep track of what I buy for the house I keep using my "own" detergent and pouring it in the brand name bottle. He never knows the difference. ;)

I am also gonna be posting my little version for fabric softner as well. Stay in touch.

Cheap Party Pinata

Another of those simple homemade party decorations that you can try to make at home is the piñata.
Actually, many hosts choose this among other homemade party decorations since this is one of those things that make a party, more fun. To make the piñata, you do not actually need to go for the paper type of piñata. To make it really easy for you, why not purchase a cheap large balloon and before you inflate it, fill it with assorted candies and other sweet treats? Then just let your guests go buck wild. Love it!