Trash to Treasure

With Earth Day right around the corner, now is a good time to give items a second look before you toss them in the trash.  Could that empty plastic milk container be transformed into a pretty vase?  What about Junior’s ripped shirt?  Before you dump it, remove the buttons and repurpose them.  Buttons make great accents on scrapbook layouts and work wonders on craft projects. Just last week one of my favorite magnets broke.  It was a ceramic   Humuhumunukunukuapua’a—the state fish of Hawaii.  I got it the last time we were visiting my parents.  Unfortunately, the fish’s body shattered and … Continue reading

Donate and Get a Tax Break

Count up those donations and get a tax break! With the Fiscal Cliff looming in 2013, families much do as much as we can to cut our taxes in 2012. Donations and charitable contributions are one way to do just that. Make sure that you make your donations the right way, or you may lose out on valuable deductions. I know December is busy, but if you can take a few hours out of the afternoon for a day or two to collect and deliver donations, you’ll start the new year off with a little financial kickstart, and chances are … Continue reading

Can Your Homeschool Blog Earn Money? {Part 3}

In, Can Your Homeschool Blog Earn Money?, Part 1 and Part 2, I discussed the background information you need before starting a blog that has the potential of earning you a profit.  If you missed those two posts, please take time to read them as blogs without a proper foundation do not earn profits. Not all profits can strictly financial but we all want to know now to earn cold hard cash.  There is no easy answer but there are avenues you can take to drive your blog to the bank. Here are some of the most popular ways to … Continue reading

What Do Kids Do At Home Based Preschool?

One thing that is often on the mind of parents of toddlers is preschool. After all, once a toddler is no longer a toddler, he becomes part of the “preschoolers” age group whether or not he actually attends preschool. I am not sure why that is, and this morning when I was talking with my husband about it he agreed that it seems a bit odd to define an entire age group by something that not every child does. Perhaps the reason that it seems odd to us is that our soon – to – be preschooler is unlikely to … Continue reading

Reducing the Cost of Trash Bags

There are a number of environmental reasons to cut down on your trash bags, and there are even more money saving ones, too. Today, I’m going to take a look at the later, and find you ways to cut down on the cost of trash bags. Buy fewer packaged foods. If you opt for less packaging and more whole food, then you will naturally have less trash that has to go into the trash bags. This includes the plastic bags that you might normally use to take home your fruit. Instead, make a homemade bag. Old pillow cases work great, … Continue reading

Saving Time On Your To Do List

My to do list is becoming a novel. For every thing I scratch off three others take it’s place. Keeping house is never ending and just when you think you are caught up there is one more thing to do. I’m a huge list maker. I have lists for everything including those odd chores around the house that don’t have to be done all the time. I’m always looking for ways to get my lists done faster so I can enjoy my home and time with my family. The best way to cut down that list is to delegate it. … Continue reading

When Buying Generic Doesn’t Pay

Are there times when it doesn’t pay to buy generic products? Of course there are. Use this handy guide to help you make the best savings decisions about when to buy generic groceries and when to stick with the name brands. When you can combine deals If you can combine two or more deals, you are usually better off buying name brand products. Use a manufacturer’s coupons plus a store coupon, or combine a manufacture’s coupon with a sale. You can also use a coupon, store coupon or manufacturer’s coupon with clearance items. Often when you combine two or three … Continue reading

Random Deals – Week of June 7, 2012

It is easy to get distracted as you browse the internet. Many people trash the emails that come from various stores without even reading them. It is easy to come across information about an upcoming sale, and then completely forget about it when you move on to a new website. Here is a collection of several random deals and sales that are happening right now, or will be happening very soon. Now, you won’t miss anything! Michael’s has a coupon for 20% off your entire purchase. This coupon is good through June 9, 2012. They currently have some Father’s Day … Continue reading

How to Cut Down on Junk Mail Clutter

I wonder how much time that we spend on a monthly basis dealing with junk mail clutter? Kitchen counters or desks piled high with the stuff, late fees on bills that got lost in the piles, time spent sorting through it all.Think about how the minutes can add up to hours or even days in the course of the year. Junk mail can be a big source of clutter. No one really wants to deal with it, especially if we are collecting it right before we walk in the door after a long day of work or dealing with the … Continue reading

Outdoor Entertaining

One of the joys of having your own place, whether house or apartment, is entertaining. No really, it’s a joy. At least I always think it is until I look around the house and see all the things that need to be done to get the house company ready. Luckily, for Memorial Day, we will barbeque. There is still a list of things to be done, just different than if everyone was going to be inside. I will still have to put fresh hand towels in the half bath that everyone will use, but as for dusting and vacuuming inside, … Continue reading