As a child I remember my Mom getting little catalogs in the mail for household items that you didn't know you needed until you saw them. You know the stuff, swivel auto cushions, a hamburger press, lap trays, memo cubes and Cloverine Salve. It was 1980 and while it was exciting to see the latest catalog had come in that days mail, it was even more exciting when my Mom would announce that she was placing an order and I could find a few items in their clearance section "$.88 each!) to put in her order. I would pour over that little magazine for two hours finding all the great items I thought we should buy.

Yesterday in my email I got a notice that they are rolling back shipping prices to sixty-six cents for orders over $35. Just for kicks I went to the site to see what products they had and sure enough, within 1 minute I had about 4 items I realized I 'needed'. Wow, 29 years later and I'm still excited over Walter Drake magazine. LOL.

Now it's all the rage, the catch phrase and yes... even a lot of new start up businesses as someone decided to put the word 'house stager' in front of their name and charge people for telling them just what they can find on the internet for free, in magazines for free, and by using their friends and family for free.

Now, if you have the money to spare, by all means go ahead! But in our family we are frugal with a capital F and even $10 is debated before spending, much less a hundred.

So here is a quick, easy, cheap and sometimes even free way to de-personalize your walls and yet give your home a comfortable 'lived in' feel.

We all know that personal family photos are a no-no. You want your buyers to walk in and see themselves in your home. No matter how adorable you think your kids or grandkids are and and how much you love your wedding photos, other people see 'just another kid' and 'old wedding pictures' with bad hairstyles and puffy sleeves.

So down come the photos and up goes..... what? You don't have hundreds of dollars to spend on pricey art work? Join the club. Instead, if your home's decor fits the theme, how about hanging up a pretty quilt your grandmother made? If you have a game room, creatively showcase your collection of hockey sticks or perhaps hang a rack of your pool sticks. If you have a deep frame, an NFL jersey or NBA jersey of your favorite player, framed might be just the thing to take up the space on the wall yet not be so personal that your potential buyers feel uncomfortable walking through 'your' home.

Here is a great tip - Print out some attractive black and white photos of historic buildings, those ocean shots you took on your last vacation, European streets, old time photos or artfully arranged flowers or settings and hang them in black frames you've purchased for a buck or two each at the local dollar store. You can hang them gallery-style on a focal wall for a striking yet comfortable decoration. Don't try to hang things on every wall though! Wide open space is your friend when trying to sell your home.

Years ago, I worked as the Office Administrator of a large church in Nashville, Tennessee. It was the early 90's Microsoft Office was in use. Instead there was a popular word processing program that most people used and although I was self taught and fairly knowledgeable, I wanted to be able to do more with the fields merges and other advanced options as well as the Pastor of the church wanting these skills. Before internet, before easy communication, this meant classes so the church paid 'big bucks' for an expert in the field to come to my office and spend 4 days testing and 'training' me to help me gain advanced knowledge of the program and in the end, improve my job skills.

Now of course, it's simple. Communication by internet has made our world smaller and response time almost instantaneous. It's also cut down on the cost required to get accreditation in your field, acquiring new skills or developing the skills you already have.

Today I signed up with Learn.com to check out their personal edition platform offering 5,000 courses from software to sales, from nursing to networking as well as job profiles to help you pinpoint your position, focus your skills and search for courses to help in promotions to the next level of your career. Giving you a Skill score if you take all the courses for a specific job profile, it also gives employers a way to evaluate you and your position and gives you an idea of what you may want to improve on your road to promotablility. This is gauged by a 'Skill Score' which rates your Job skills after completing the courses for a specific job profile.

Because I work at a non-profit office I wear a lot of hats. Skimming through the job profiles I selected; First-Line Supervisors/Managers of Office and Administrative Support Workers: Entry Level as 'Office Manager' and 'Administrative Assistant' are two of the caps I don when I walk through the door and looking over the courses included found they offered the best fit for my current interests.

1 Business Ethics I
2 Communication: Active Listening I
3 Communication: Presentation I
4 Computer Use
5 Customer Service: Identifying Expectations
6 Microsoft Office: Entry
7 Self Management I
8 Sexual Harassment I
9 Team Building I

What I wanted to do was gain insight into my skills with all the Office products from Excel to Power Point and find improvement and new capabilities I didn't realize the programs had in order to advance my own career by being proficient in them. I had a few quirks getting the programs to run correctly on my computer so I wasn't able to finish the courses and obtain a skill score but I loved the set up and found the courses relevant so I could still recommend the site and courses to employers and employee's alike.

For about $50 you can purchase the beginner course and for just $20 more obtain the license for the more advanced courses. Lastly, the site allows you to create your own courses and receive a percentage of profits the courses generate by other users. An interesting concept.

Certainly a 'budget friendly' option for those not able or willing to hand over $500 for a course!

Who says you have to have a lot of money to entertain? Rubbish! While a neighbor or friend may spend oodles of money to purchase from the top bakery in town, here is a quick and easy dessert idea that is sure to knock em' dead and yet it's so quick and easy you'll grin to serve it and know it cost about $2 to make up to 6 'chocolate boxes' which are perfect for filling with mousse, whipped cream or gelato or ice cream.

Purchase a package of chocolate covered graham squares and if you don't already have them on hand, a package of chocolate chips or even chocolate almond bark, a chocolate bar or sweetened chocolate squares.

Melt some of chocolate of choice in the microwave, on low and stirring often, careful not to scorch it. You can drizzle the cookies with the chocolate in random back and forth patterns if you choose and then let them harden to set up.

When you are ready to prepare your chocolate boxes melt a little chocolate and place it on a plate or another shallow dish. Dip just the edge of a square cookie into the chocolate and line it up with the dipped edge of another cookie. Hold it in place for a minute or two until the chocolate starts to set up. Form your box using chocolate as the glue for 4 sides and the bottom. Set it in the freezer for a couple minutes to speed up the process. Fill your chocolate boxes and use one last cookie each as a 'lid' for your dessert.

Garnish and serve. Beautiful! And nobody needs to know how much you didn't spend!

My husband and I have gotten the 'project' bug again. After months and months of being ambivalent about projects that need to be done in our home we have a sense of excitement when we discuss replacing the kitchen sink (it's white ceramic and scratched something fierce!) and last night was talk about whether or not stair runners were too '1990's' and of course our old discussion about the master bathroom. I've never liked our shower enclosure and it's been on my 'honey do' list for almost two years.

My husband does not envision things or dream of what could be. He is strictly a see-what-is-there kind of guy so I use the internet to not only find bathrooms I like to get idea's from, but to show him idea's I've found to implement.

Because I like styles that are different and not cookie cutter I like to surf sites from other countries as well as my own. Sites like Fairfield Bathrooms Direct give me idea's from bathroom accessories to mirrors, from shower enclosures to the actual showers themselves. Once you do enough clicking through styles you find that there are certain brands you like better than others or that you know are in your price range, which is why their 'search by brand' on the left hand side comes in handy! And if you are lucky enough to live in the UK you get free shipping on orders over £100.

On another website of mine I did a product review for the delicious new signature cake from Coldstone Creamery aptly called Tall, Dark & Delicious. I purchased one for my husband for Father's Day last weekend after seeing an ad for them in the newspaper and then being lured in by a $3 coupon.

It was... fabulous. I make awesome cakes myself but sometimes it's nice to simply eat a cake you haven't had to make yourself, and of course my husband prefers to buy a dessert for my birthday rather than attempt one himself. I'm honestly not sure if he's ever baked a cake in his life! Ha.

However the real reason I'm writing is to tell the story behind the cake. The story that made the kids and I laugh out loud when we finally cut into the cake last Sunday and saw that it truly was... ok.

As busy as my schedule is, I try to multi-task and condense errands when and where I can. On Friday morning I had to take my 13 year old to the orthodontist in a nearby suburb and realized there was a Coldstone Creamery just about 1 mile away from her Orthodontist office. The plan was to go to the appointment, stop by the restaurant where my son works to pick up something 'to go' for lunch, swing by to get the cake and then return to our home, about 20 minutes away, drop off my daughter, put the cake in the freezer and then drive to the office and work the rest of the afternoon.

Ortho. Check.
Lunch to go. Check.
Ice Cream Cake. Check.
Drive home. Check.

But... I had on white pants and didn't want to spill anything on them by trying to eat in the car so when we arrived home I decided to check the mail and go inside to quickly eat my sandwich, go through the mail and then rush to work.

And I did.

My daughters orthodontist was running late and after a 45 minute wait we finally got in, but it made all my other errands later than planned. Lunch was ate, mail gone through, email quickly checked, but being about 1 1/2 hours later than I told the office, I was in a hurry to get there.

It was a hot day - almost 80 degrees. We later had a downpour come through around 3:00. When I got out to my SUV at 4:15 pm I realized... the cake was still in the back seat!!!

I picked up the cake at 12:00 noon and it had been in the back seat all this time... when the temperatures outside hovered around 80. I quickly put the plastic cake container on the front seat, aimed the air conditioning vents onto it and turned it down to 60 degree's (the lowest it goes) and blasted air on it for the 30 minute drive home.

From 12:00 noon until 5:00 pm the ice cream cake was in the truck.


The kids knew the story and we all held our breath as I cut into it on Sunday. "OH MY GOSH!" was the exclamation when we saw that the chocolate frosting coating, the frozen cake and the plastic cake container (albeit thin and flimsy) had sealed it well enough to keep it cold long enough to withstand being in a hot vehicle for 5 hours.

Unbelievable. Thumbs up to Coldstone Creamery.... and their magic cakes!

When we moved into our home we were relocating from out of state and looking for a house quickly as our previous home had sold in just 4 days - before we could even go house hunting in the new city.

We ended up purchasing a new construction home that was carpeted with off white carpet. A 4 bedroom home, made for children, with white carpet. Needless to say the main stairway is showing some wear and tear now, after almost 5 years. I've been playing with the idea of installing a stair runner or carpet runner.

While looking for stair runner rugs online for our own home, I found great instructions for installing a stair runner rug here. They are from a site called Jacobsenrugs.com and I had bookmarked it in my personal files for use in the future. As of yet we haven't decided if we are going to install a stair runner on our main staircase or not but I've kept it bookmarked for our personal use 'just in case' as I thought the diagram and instructions were simple and straightforward.

I wanted to pass along the instructions for anyone else looking for a DIY stair runner installation. After looking online at various photos and images I'm pretty sure this is the direction I want to take. We installed a runner in one of our previous homes and was very happy with it. I think we would be in this home as well. I'll keep you up to date with our decision!

For my readers that don't care about little yellow birds trying to get into my home... back to the sales!!

I've got some Alloy specials to pass along - (which my long time readers know that Alloy is where my two teenage daughters do a great bit of shopping as the clothes are fairly cheap and they are always having great clearance sales).


First, I have dresses. Cute babydoll dresses, great fall sweater dresses (you laugh now, but Fall is right around the corner!)

Alloy.com End of Season Clearance: Dresses starting at $9.99. Shop now!


And we have jeans. One of the great things about jeans at this site is you can purchase by length. Although some of my readers might have short legs and need the shorter styles, our family loves the 'long' lengths as my oldest daughter is 5'10" and my 13 year old has legs that don't seem to quit! Finding jeans and pants long enough for them has always been difficult.

Alloy.com End of Season Clearance: Jeans starting at $14.99. Shop now!

In another 6 weeks all these clothes will be back to selling for full price retail as we gear up for Autumn and school shopping. Better to get them on clearance now for up to 80% off than pay full price with everyone else come the first of August!

Ah, the 'budget friendly' ways of dissuade the bird from pecking at our windows are not helping. Yes, the little yellow bird is still happily knocking at our doors and windows despite the hawk pictures, the shades drawn, the magazine pages and things I've hung in the window to show him it is, indeed a window.

However, it doesn't seem that he is 'attacking' the window. Although I've often heard they are just attacking their reflections, this doesn't ring true in our case. This bird is not attacking, is not hitting hard or slamming himself into the windows and doors. No, he is pecking and knocking... continually. He doesn't even seem to care if we get close until we get 'too' close and then he flies away. But the front door, side lights, patio door and windows are all under his watchful eye.

Last summer we had a similar situation although the bird in question wasn't going for the windows. He was knock, knock, knocking on our door. Our steel, painted, no windows at all door! So it's not a reflection issue or an attack issue, but these little guys are relentless in trying to get in.

My neighbors probably think we are strange for papering our glass windows and doors with photos and ripped magazine pages, but I continually try to show the bird he is not welcome here and hopefully he'll go elsewhere. Perhaps to one of my neighbors homes so they can understand why we are putting up shadows of hawks in our windows!

I love to read and I love to learn, which is why the few books I purchase (as compared to borrowing from the library or reading online) are books that teach me something and are often reference style material. On our annual trip to the beach this year I bought two books, one of which is the Handy Science Answer Book compiled by the Science and Technology Department of the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh - third edition.

In it I found a great explanation to the often debated question; Is washing dishes by hand better for the environment than using automatic dishwasher?

No.

Dishwashers often save energy and water compared to hand washing. Depending on the brand, dishwashers typically consume 7.5 to 12 gallons (28 to 45 litres) of water per normal wash. Hand washing a day's worth of dishes may use up to 15 gallons (57 litres) of water. One university study found that the dishwashers consume about 37% less water than washing by hand. Also good to note; prewashing the dishes before loading generally wastes water since most machines can handle even heavily soiled plates.

Although I typically write articles about product reviews, sales, coupon codes, DIY projects and budgeting, this mornings post is a little different. As I sip my morning coffee I'm going to introduce you to our visitor this week. The one that won't leave.

He showed up about 3 days ago, determined to get into our home. First he tried the door. Then the sidelights. Then the window. When he couldn't find a way in he came around the back side and tried the patio door. Nope. The kitchen window? Tried it. Didn't work.

The cats were going crazy the first day. A broken picture frame from the sofa table tells the tale.





My 'budget friendly' way of trying to keep him from pecking constantly at our windows? Tablecloths stapled up over the windows and a fabric napkin taped on the glass of the door.

The fabric in the windows only slowed him down but didn't stop completely. And honestly, after living in a 'cave' I decided the pecking would be better than the darkness and ugly view from the curb.

This morning, after 3 days of constant knocking on our windows I'm wondering if perhaps the darkness would be better. After all, it's like living with a 3 year old knocking on your windows from 6:am - 9:pm every day.

The BluFrog, that's who! With healthier ingredients, real fruit, lower calories and carbs, nothing artificial and vitamins in every can, Blu Frog may be the most nutritious energy drink ever. An energy drink with a smooth taste and no harsh sting or the sugar crash that other energy drinks have, they sell by the case on their website but right now are offering fun prizes for those who are willing to either tweet, blog or comment. Enter up to three times per person on any of the three methods; Twitter a Tweet, leave a blog comment on a special page on their website, or write a blog post about the contest and let them know (on a special page on their site) the url.

What can you win? One of five prizes... which one would you pick?

Blugamer Ultimate Gaming Package -

* Xbox 360 Elite System (includes 1 controller & Xbox LIVE Headset)
* Rock Band 2 Bundle
* Call of Duty: World at War Complete Package
* Xbox Wireless Networking Adapter
* Complimentary X-Shot
* 2 Cases of Blu Frog Energy


Happy Blu-Year in New York -

# Round Trip Air Fare for 2 from Major Gateway Airport
# Ground Transport to and from the Hotel
# Luxurious Hotel for 3 nights
# Helicopter Ride for 2 over New York
# Complimentary X-Shot

Blullapalooza in Chicago -

* Round Trip Air Fare for 2 from Major Gateway Airport
* Ground Transport to and from the Hotel
* Luxurious hotel for 2 nights
* 2 Tickets to Lollapalooza
* Complimentary X-Shot & iPod loaded with music


Blue Streak in Orlando -

# Round Trip Air Fare for 2 from Major Gateway Airport
# Ground Transport to and from the Hotel
# Luxurious hotel for 2 nights
# 2 Tickets for Rookie Driving Experience
# Complimentary X-Shot

Xtreme Blu in Aspen -

# Round Trip Air Fare for 2 from Major Gateway Airport
# Ground Transport to and from the Hotel
# Luxurious hotel for 3 nights
# 2 Tickets to Winter X Games
# Complimentary X-Shot


My first choice would be the Lollapalooza package. My husband and I married in the Midwest and moved to Los Angeles where he attended a music school in Hollywood for guitar. Music is a huge part of our life to this day and to win a package that included the latest Lollapalooza concert would be the ultimate. Got a first choice yourself? Head over to the BluFrog (link above) and check it out.

One of my Grandmothers, dearly loved... no, adored, passed away about 1 1/2 years ago. She pops into my thoughts about once every three or four days and brings a smile to my face. Daily we use a few things from her house that I was blessed to have received. They have no value other than sentimental; a set of her kitchen glasses, her sewing kit and an old walnut chopper... but they mean the world to me.

She was as frugal as I am (perhaps it's where I got it!) and there are many idea's that I grew up with seeing at her home. One of them is recycling babyfood and jam and jelly jars to hold 'things' in an organized manner. I found this photo of the idea using candies but in my Grandmothers home it was a shelf in the garage and another in the basement that held nails, screws, washers, etc.

Simple to see and space saving too as well as keeping the different sizes and shapes organized, it is a simple idea that my Grandparents always had in their home since... well, when my father was a child so back to the 40's at least!

Using a shelf or a board you sand and paint as a shelf and add wall attachments to back, you clean the jar you want to use and attach the lid to the underside of the shelf using small screws. Flip the shelf over, lay out the lids and jars in the pattern you like, and you can use super glue to attach the lids in place and then drill or screw them in (or use small nails) to permanently attach the lids firmly to the shelf. Now put the shelf up in place and fill your jar with your 'do dads'. Screw the jar into the lid and there you go! A space saving idea as well as keeping your junk drawer, sewing kit or candy drawer organized!

Always frugal and never one to waste money, it always seemed a shame to have to spend big bucks on under-clothing. To spend $8-10 for one pair of underwear was never, ever possible nor plausible for me and to this day underwear and bra's must be on sale or a really affordable price for me to purchase them. My friends that have been 'blessed' in the upper department have it even worse as you pay big big bucks when you can't fit into the 36C sizes at a typical store. Although I don't personally shop Lane Bryant I'm always happy to pass along savings or sales and this one showed up in my email yesterday.

This morning I have braces on the brain. We have a consultation for our 13 year old daughter on Friday. Having been through them once already with our oldest daughter I have no questions or concerns but I remember having to go through the process the first time with our oldest and at the time I was asking all the Moms I knew about 'how it works'. Oh, not the braces... I know how they work to straighten teeth. My concern was... money. Process. Costs.

Knowing that some of my readers may have the same concerns I decided this mornings article would be about braces and some of the questions I had before our oldest daughter got them.

1) Insurance

We had orthodontics on our dental coverage which was fine, but it didn't save us as much as you would think. First you'll need to meet your deductible and then the plan will only pay out a specific amount. Our plan paid $1500 total over the lifetime of the braces. When braces cost $4300 - $6000 (depending on where you live) it's just a drop in the bucket. As a matter of fact the second year of our daughter's braces we opted out of ortho coverage. By this time we were on a monthly payment schedule and insurance had already paid their $1500 total they would ever pay. Paying for Ortho every month was a waste of money.

2) Payment for Braces

Typically your Orthodontist will want a payment up front the day of your first official visit. Previous to that the consultations are usually free, including check ups. The day the molds are made they usually want $500 - $1000 up front and then if you can't pay for the entire amount, will set up a payment schedule for you that lasts over the life of the braces. This is typically 18 months to 3-4 years depending on how long your child must wear braces. Our payments were about $85 a month with the first Orthodontist and after we moved to a new city and state in the middle of treatment the second Orthodontist's fee's were $133 a month.

3) Retainers

After the braces come off your child will probably still have a retainer to wear. If lost, the Orthodontist will usually replace it once without cost but a second time will run about $310. (Ours was thrown away by housekeeping at a hotel...).


So although braces are expensive and a large investment, the cost is made affordable by the monthly payments. Work with your own doctor to find a payment plan that fits your budget - even $50 a month over 3-4 years is well worth the investment when you see the finished product of your childs smile!

Like a lot of other wives and mothers I have Father's Day on the brain this week. With Dad's special day being celebrated this weekend I was sitting here sipping my coffee and brainstorming gift ideas to share with my readers. I smiled when my thoughts traveled back to Father's Day and Christmas of my childhood. One of my earliest memories of Father's Day and gift's for my Dad at Christmas were of cologne. Specifically, Old Spice. Two times a year my Dad looked forward to getting (and knew he was getting) a gift of Old Spice. The scent, the bottle, the logo... emblazoned in my memory. As a toddler and child my mother would purchase the gift and put our names on it. As a school aged child she would purchase the gift and we would sign our own names to the card that went with it. I believe my father received Old Spice up until I was in at least Junior High! Although my Dad started to wear various colognes and after shaves when I was in high school, I am thinking it might be fun to get him a bottle this year just for 'old time sake' and see what he says!

If you haven't picked out your Father's Day gift yet and you think a Father's Day gift set
might be just what you Dad would like, be sure to check out the Paul Sebastian Father's Day gift set chosen for a special "You Pay What We Pay" sale from www.fragrancenet.com. When you use the special coupon code you can select one of 6 selected gift sets and get them at cost. However, you must use the coupon code: PSZEA to receive the special.

Our main floor bath is decorated in dark chocolate browns, ivory and gold. It has a European theme with a beautiful framed black and white print in a gold burnished frame and matching ceramic plates in black, dark brown and gold with a French theme. The plates are hanging on the wall on a black iron rack.

One day I walked into the bathroom and although the plates were all in place I noticed one glaringly bright spot on the top one.

Someone had knocked it off and it had chipped.


With no piece of plate to fix it and wanting to be as frugal as possible I took the plate into the kitchen and stared at it. I needed a way to fix it that wouldn't cost money - and although it didn't have to be perfect I hoped I could repair it so that as the plates all hung on the wall, no one would be able to see the chip.

The antique yellow color of the plate had me stumped. There was no way a marker could match. Watercolors either as the shade was just too difficult. It had a shiny glaze to it as well that markers and watercolor couldn't match. Paint was a possibility but again, the matching issue - however I also we determined that I wasn't going to spend money on this 'fix it'. It had to be frugal... it had to be free.

As I opened the kitchen 'junk drawer' to help brainstorm, I saw a container of wood glue. Unlike regular craft and school glues that are white or clear, wood glue keeps it pale yellow color when it dries. Bingo. It was worth a try.

I filled in the chip with wood glue and let it dry. When it was finished I took a black Sharpie marker out of the drawer and filled in the black line on the perimeter. Unfortunately my Sharpie wasn't 'sharp' at all and the dull thick tip wasn't as crisp as I would have liked but the colors worked well together.


Up close I could see the repair but as I hung the plate back on the wall rack with the rest I had to admit that if you didn't know it was there, you never would notice it.

And thus far... no one has.

Now that summer is once again upon us and the warm weather is here I want to revisit a product I first told you about last year.

Our family owns two Sesen recycled glass water bottles. Although I dearly love my morning coffee and an icy cold Diet Coke once in a while, I'm absolutely an 'ice water' drinker and prefer water over any other drink, at almost any time.

Our home reuses (refills) bottled water containers and buys very few. Something I noticed about two or three years ago is that myself, my husband, my oldest daughter and my son all, at one time or another, invested in a glass bottled water product at the store and each of us was refilling it and taking it with us. Not only did we like reusing the glass containers and not adding to the rubish in the environment, but we all liked the taste of cold water from glass better than plastic.

With all this background you can see why I was delighted to try the Sesen reuseable water bottles last year. The glass bottle is dishwasher friendly, made in Italy, scratch resistant and uses lead-free white ink. The rubber stopper is an 'old fashioned' touch that I prefer over screw on plastic caps. Made in Italy, it's pure rubber, stainless steel, BPA free and 100% recycleable. The bottles come with an ice blanket you can use that is made in Canada, contains pure water (no chemicals) and is recycleable (#7). Lastly, the glass bottles are sent with a plastic bottle bag. "Plastic" you ask? Yes. Made in the USA from 100% recycled water/soda bottles it's washing machine friendly and uses up the waste bottles your neighbor tosses 3 of into the trash every day with their bottled waters!

I've had ours for about a year now. I can happily report the glass hasn't got one scratch on it and the rubber stopper still seals as good as ever. They fit perfectly in the cup holder in my vehicle and I like to keep one there at all times, refilling and replacing. I don't often use the ice pack and bag, but the glass bottle is a constant in my car. You can buy them (and find out more about them) at Sesen's website - here.

When I saw the opportunity to tell my readers about this contest I was happy to do so for a number of different reasons but one of the biggest? This little firefly is just so darn adorable!

Brought to you by Comforts Baby Formula, the Comfort family products is hosting a contest where you not only get to name the cute little firefly, but it's a chance to win a $10,000 scholarship for you own little one. As a Mom of an 18 year old daughter who is heading to college in just 2 months, I can tell you from experience now that I never realized how important nor what a blessing a scholarship is.

Comforts store brand baby baby formula contains all the essential ingredients that must be in certified infant formula as dictated by the FDA and required by the Infant Formula Act, but the store brand means you're getting it for less because they don't have to pay for high priced marketing nor a middle man.

For those who cannot, or choose not to nurse their babies, or those that have weened their little ones, this is a choice of an infant formula that;

• Is fortified with iron and contains all the vitamins, minerals, and nutrients required for a healthy baby's first year
• Contains the lipids DHA and ARA, which are associated with infant mental and visual development
• Is fortified with choline, a nutrient found naturally in mother’s milk that is associated with infant development
• Contains lactose, a carbohydrate that occurs naturally in breast milk
• Provides nutrients found naturally in mother's milk that help develop the immune system
• Is manufactured to exacting FDA standards in the only ISO 9001:2000–certified, infant formula-manufacturing facility in the United States

At first I thought the little character was a bee and thought the perfect name for him would be something cute like "BayBee" but on further inspection found he was a little firefly. Now is your chance to find out more about the Comforts brand formula or just enter your own name choice for the little firefly guy by visiting; Comforts for Baby.

Walking through the deli department at our local grocery store I'm shocked at the prices of course (who isn't!?) but some of the simplest foods are selling for prices that are out of this world.

While purchasing my deli turkey and ham this week I waited and browsed and noted the price of fresh deli salsa. Ouch! I wondered, "Do the people buying this realize they could make it for pennies and in mere minutes?" Probably not.

Today's budget hint is about fresh homemade salsa. Fitting for those who invested in a $1.79 tomato plant and popped it into a deck container or garden this past Spring! The pay off is being able to make a dish like this for literally pennies. Even if you haven't planted your own tomatoes, peppers or onions, it's still affordable and the fresh taste will win you over.

Here's the biggest hint: If you don't have fresh tomatoes and they are not on sale this week... use canned! Buy the brand name diced tomatoes in a can (petite diced is my favorite!) and mix up a quick and simple fresh salsa to serve to your family tonight or this weekend at the neighborhood bbq.

Salsa!

1 lb. Tomatoes - fresh, seeded and chopped (or use canned petite diced)
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz. can chopped chilies (the mild green kind in the Mexican food aisle)
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded, deveined and chopped fine (more if you like your salsa hot)
juice of 1 lime
1 T oil (I use canola)
1 t salt
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro (which I can't use as it causes breathing problems so I use parsley)


Mix and chill. Serve with tortilla chips, flour tortillas, grilled chicken, cold Mexican pasta dishes, Mexican pinwheel appetizers, etc.

As I sit and sip my coffee and stare out the patio door to the backyard of my own and my neighbors beyond, I am taking a moment to revel in color. Easy to miss when I'm in a hurry and on the worlds time clock, this morning I'm taking 1 minute to stop. Let it all sink in.

And what sinks in?

Color.

Brilliant color that makes me feel calm, smile and breathe deeply. The color of nature actually. Dark green bushes with fuchsia flowers. Light green leaves on the young trees. Kelly green leaves on the Oaks and brilliant purple and red blossoms on the planted flowers surrounding all.

Color.

Right now a simple investment to add life and color to your deck or patio is to invest in a brightly colored sun-friendly plant such as a hearty geranium. At local DYI stores, nurseries and even your local grocery stores and Walmarts, the plants can be bought for $6-20 and add such a wonderful finishing touch to your backyard or front porch.

Last weekend my husband and I accompanied our oldest daughter to the college she'll be attending this Fall. It's on the border of the state where we reside and although I previously lived in the city where her new school is located, I hardly remember it as I was a newborn at the time and moved away when I was about a year old.

Not familiar with the area I went online and tried to track down a hotel to stay at in the city. My personal priorities when picking a hotel have to do with crowds, traffic, noise and of course the price. Most of the hotels I found in the area of this very small city were in the 'downtown' area, touting themselves to be close to their concert venues, auditoriums and civic centers. I envisioned Saturday night traffic, crowds and noise.

Instead I found a newer area, with a hotel just outside of the hustle and bustle of the city by about 3 miles. Using my rewards member number (remember readers, I've often wrote about joining the rewards member clubs all the hotels offer... even if you don't stay regularly! Even if only stay once or twice a year the points add up and you can find yourself with a free nights stay unexpectedly.) coupled with my AAA rate I managed to get a room that was equal but cheaper just because it was 3 miles 'up the interstate' from the hullabaloo of the city.

But wait, it gets better! I happened to call my daughter's college to discuss something with them prior to coming when the office secretary asked me if I mentioned to the hotel that I was coming from the college that weekend? No. Should I? She informed me that the college works with area hotels to provide special rates for their guests. By mentioning the school during my reservation I would get a special discounted rate.

I called the hotel and sure enough! Although the room I booked was $109 a night in town, I got it for $79 regular rate because I chose the hotel 3 miles up the interstate further. Using my AAA discount the room was $75 and calling to talk to them directly and ask for the college rate I got the room for $62. A savings of $47 per night!

Just a heads up to my readers that although I'll have my laptop with me this weekend I may be just a tad too busy to post. I'll try my best but my husband, oldest daughter and I are all off to visit the college where she'll be attending this Fall as a freshman. This will be my husband and my first trip to the campus and it's a busy two-days filled with tours and programs and financial aid meetings and more. For my daughter it's seeing the dorms, taking placement tests and going through orientation.

It's a whirlwind two days but if I come across any great coupon codes, budget idea's or hints or helps I'll be sure to whip out the laptop and post!

From my email box to yours...

This morning I was checking my emails when I had a $2.99 shipping from Current Catalog. I haven't ordered from them in a while but just seeing their emails makes me smile because I've been with that company for about 20 years now. Back in the 'olden days' before computer I was newly married, living 2000 miles from home and my frugal link back home was mail. Old fashioned 'snail mail' of course. Checking the mail was the highlight of my day to see if any friends or family had wrote me. I in turn loved to find affordable stationary and note cards to write people 'back home' and Current was my all time favorite.

I also loved that they included a free card in every magazine. A tiny thing to do on their part but it won me over and kept me ordering all those years. I still have the wrapping paper holders and themed storage boxes I bought them them about 16 years ago. They've branched out since then and sell everything from checks and wrapping paper to personalized gifts. This is where the idea for todays article comes from. Check out Current for gift idea's for Dad as Father's Day is coming up in just a couple weeks.

I saw this John Wayne deck of cards that would a perfect idea for my own father... (this isn't a sponsored post and you'll have to use the link above to go to their page).



I found this personalized NFL jersey print that my husband would love as long as it was the Minnesota Vikings and not the Broncos!

My husband has a shot glass collection that lives in our cupboard and I surprised myself to see an affordable shot glass shelve on their site that looks like a promising gift idea.

Grill sets, bbq aprons, photo frames, t-shirts, golf towels... they had a plethora of great ideas. Coupled with $2.99 shipping for orders of $40 it was an affordable option!

Busy Busy! That's me. Only two seconds to log in this morning to post a quick article so I'm grabbing a treasure chest of BABY UNIVERSE codes for you frugal shoppers; a plethora of them! Pick one that works best for you and your needs!







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